Free Alien's Innocent Bride: A Sci-Fi Alien Paranormal Shifter Romance (Mail Order Human Book 1) by Sue Lyndon, Sue Mercury Page A

even if Magino’s men weren’t after her. She gulped and wished to glance around the market square, but she feared drawing attention to herself, so she kept her gaze down and stepped up to the table. The half-human, half-Harivlian official smiled up at her with a mouthful of crooked, yellow teeth.
    “Hello, dear. Well, aren’t you a pretty little thing. What is your age?” His red eyes swept up and down her body.
    “Nineteen,” she lied, knowing there was no way he could verify her answer. If she confessed she was twenty-seven, he would laugh that she was too old and a guard would toss her out of the line.
    “Any diseases?”
    “None.” At least that was the truth. By some miracle, she hadn’t caught any of the various illnesses that had plagued her town during the last year.
    “Are you a virgin?”
    Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open. She hadn’t expected this question, and heat suffused her face. “I…um…”
    “It’s a simple question,” the man said in an agitated tone. “You won’t be sent away if you’re not a virgin, but we need to know. Virgins fetch a higher price.”
    She frowned. “I’m not a slave to be sold. I’m a woman in search of a husband.”
    “Yes, and Mail Order Human is the middleman in this venture. You’re free to go back home if you don’t wish to become the property of an alien.”
    “The property? I don’t understand. I thought we were to be wives.”
    The man rolled his eyes and glared at her impatiently. “The three races of aliens we deal with—the Zaxxumians, the Aceppans, and the Harivlians—have rather archaic views of women. You can call yourself a wife if it makes you feel better, but the truth is, you’re nothing but chattel, little woman. The races I represent need fertile young women such as yourself. In return for becoming a breeding mare, you get to leave this shithole known as Earth behind forever. If you wish to continue with this interview, answer my question about your virginity. Are you a virgin, or not?”
    She restrained an exasperate d sigh. “Yes, I am a virgin.” Probably the oldest virgin in her town, but her intense fear of disease had kept her chaste. Not to mention the fear of childbirth. Contraceptives weren’t readily available and many women died during or shortly after having a baby. Life on Earth seemed to be reverting to the stone ages, for all the modernity that remained.
    “Ah, a virgin.” The man licked his lips and typed on his screen. “You’ll fetch a fine price and attract a powerful, rich husband. Now, what is your name?”
    “Tara Wagner.”
    “Very good.” He typed on his screen for another minute, then paused and stared at it eagerly.
    Tara held her breath and resisted the urge to stand on her tiptoes and peer over the table at his screen. After a small eternity, his eyes lit up and he placed his screen down flat on the table. He met her eyes with a crude grin. “You are approved, Tara. Please sign right here, and then you may board the Starship Matchmaker .”
    “Thank you, sir.” She signed her name quickly, then fingered the straps of her small backpack that held her few belongings, and a moment later two guards ushered her up the steps of the waiting starship. Her shoes clanged on the metallic surface of the ramp. Once she entered the interior of the ship, she let out a sigh of relief.
    Oh, God. Thank you . She closed her eyes briefly and let the moment wash over her. There was no way Magino’s men could board this heavily guarded ship, even if they did suspect she was a passenger.
    A woman wearing red silks and heavy makeup stepped in front of Tara. She smiled and the guards dispersed.
    “I’m Angeline,” said the woman, reaching for Tara’s hand. She gave it a squeeze and her grin broadened. “Do not be afraid. Come, I’ll take you to the sleeping quarters.”
    Tara didn’t know what to make of the fancily dressed woman, but she was grateful she hadn’t been treated poorly yet. Being called