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“Do you need deprogramming? I think you’ve been taken in and brainwashed by these men.”

“When was I ever vulnerable to brainwashing? Now really, Captain.”

“I’ve just accomplished what some people never get to experience.”

“What’s that, Captain?” Talia pushed her all the way into the quarters she shared with Mathias.

“I’ve been thrust into an unthinkable situation. This scenario isn’t going to play out like a dramatization. This is real life … this state of affairs isn’t going to play out to Aries’s liking.”

“You have to go along with it, Captain. You’ve been chosen, and, quite frankly, life on the Gaia home world is a lot better than life on Earth or any of its colonies.

Honestly, why are you fighting this so much? You were never a rebel, except when it came to the side you fought on.”

“We didn’t consider ourselves rebels, we were part of an ousted government.

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Those buggers got a foothold on the senate, and it was all downhill from there on in.

North America was doing fine without being put under the jurisdiction of the world government.”

“I’ll agree wholeheartedly with that statement, Captain, but I won’t go along with anything else you’re saying.”

“They kidnapped me! They hijacked the system again, and they took me without my permission!”

“And that’s why you’re pitching this utter and total hissy fit?”

“Well, of course it is. What have you been drinking or smoking? I was completely happy with my life as a Doorway to the Stars tour guide.”

“No, you weren’t. Now you’re just blowing smoke out of your ass. You were miserable. The government had you chained to Earth because they had thrown your uncle in that stinking debtor’s prison. You felt responsible for him, and I can understand that …

he is the only family you have left. But trust me on this one, if you put your faith in Lord Aries, he will help you rescue your uncle from that cesspool of a prison.”

Without realizing it, she had been slowly moved by Talia’s words. “What the bloody hell is the matter with me? I’m a jumble of frayed nerves and tattered emotions. I feel like crying one minute and yelling the next. This swift alteration in my emotional mood is completely unlike me.”

“It’s because you’re in a constant state of arousal. You’re quite simply ....”

“Frustrated. I get it. You didn’t need to spell it out for me, I might be in a volatile mood, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with my faculties.”

“There isn’t? You have a God-like man standing in front of you, willing to worship you with all that he has, and you literally gave him the cold shoulder.”

“Well, it’s not in my moral code to fuck a man that has kidnapped me! You have got to be out of your mind, Talia.”

“You will not just be having a mindless ‘
fuck
’ as you so vulgarly put it, it will be a very rewarding and fulfilling experience.”

“Whatever you want to say in your brainwashed haze. I’m not listening to any of it. Where are we, anyway? Don’t tell me this is the apartment you share with what’s his name.”

“Mathias. His name is Mathias D’Valas.

“Okay. Mathias, it is. But why are you coexisting in perfect harmony with him?

You should be railing against the injustice of your situation … you have no passion fever anymore, and even though you say you shot Mathias, he certainly doesn’t look any the worse for wear.”

“I shot him. And two days later, we were madly, passionately in love. These men have a way of getting right under your skin, they have a way of unlocking your heart, and making you see how wonderful the world is with them in it.”

“I’m going to gag, you know that?” She started to wander around the room, stopping when she noticed what looked to be bottled water. Licking her dry lips, she remembered that she hadn’t had a drink in a few hours, and she was so thirsty. Reaching for an unopened bottle, she opened it, and drank almost the whole bottle save for a measly drop, before Talia noticed what she had in her hands.

“Good God. I turn my back for one minute, and you’re into the drink. I just can’t believe it. You take reckless to a whole other level.”

Doorway to the Stars by Marly Mathews 23

“It’s water.”

“Water, my ass. You just downed almost a whole bottle of alcohol.”

“It doesn’t taste like alcohol, it’s actually quite refreshing.”

“That may be so, but it’s also the Gaian equivalent of Vodka. I really hope you can hold your alcohol. I’m thinking though that if you haven’t had anything to eat recently, you’re going to be more than a bit tipsy. I don’t envy you the hangover you’re going to have from drinking that much. On the other hand, Lord Aries might be really happy when he finds out that you drank it. It also acts as an aphrodisiac. You won’t be able to hold yourself back from ripping his clothes off. Oh, dear … you have really done it now, Captain. You are in deep.”

Her vision clouded for the briefest second. The milky haze in her eyes gradually cleared. Breathing in deeply, she reached for the side of the table that the Gaian vodka sat on. “You know what?” She hiccupped. “Damn. I need to eat some bread or something else that will absorb the alcohol content running through my blood right now. I’m not going to make a bloody fool of myself. I don’t get drunk easy.” She let out a large belch before she could hold it back.

“For not getting drunk easy, I think you’re already well on your way there. How do you feel? Are you getting lightheaded? If you start feeling like you want to dance the cha cha, let me know, and I’ll go and fetch Lord Aries.” Talia looked disgusted with her, and, frankly, Freya couldn’t blame her. Why hadn’t she just used some semblance of self-control before diving into drinking something on an alien spaceship? She needed to have her head examined.

“Aries. He’s damn well not my lord, so please spare me the damn title when it comes to him. He’s my kidnapper. He’s a monster! He has broken so many Earth laws that I don’t have enough fingers to keep track of them all.” She licked her lips. “On further reflection, you can scratch all the stuff I said about not getting drunk easy. Holy Cow. That Gaian water is damn tasty.”

“It’s not water. It’s vodka. And you never were one for liking the spirits.”

“Spirits? Where?” She laughed. Come to think of it, she did feel very giddy.

“Oh, shitcake, Freya. You’re going to really regret drinking that tomorrow. You should learn to ask about something when you’re on an alien ship far away from home before you drink it.”

“Well, don’t worry, I won’t mistake that stuff for water again. Do the Gaians even drink water?”

“Of course. They are essentially humans just like we are … why wouldn’t they?

We all need to drink water to survive, and yes, they do bathe in it as well. That’s water over there on that side table.”

Focusing her vision, she looked over to where Talia pointed.

“Ah. I see. And the Gaelic looking writing on the side?”

“It says, water. Mathias has started to teach me how to read and write in their language without using the translator … I can even deactivate the translator and say a few words myself. I’m quite proud of how far I’ve come in such a small amount of time.”

“Good for you.” She clapped her hands. “Bang up job you’ve done … have you gotten yourself pregnant yet?” Talia looked uneasy. Freya shook her head, her world spun around her. “Oh, hell. You have. You copulated with him and got pregnant. Sweet.”

“Actually, I’m overjoyed. You know I never thought I’d find a man that was right Doorway to the Stars by Marly Mathews 24

for me, and I always have secretly yearned for a family. Like you, all of my family was killed in the war.”

“I have my uncle.”

“Good for you. I have no one, except Mathias and the child I carry. You need to stop feeling sorry for yourself. I don’t see you exactly suffering. Aries took you, yes. You should however feel a certain amount of honor. Haven’t you ever wanted to be wanted?

Well, he wants you. He will cherish and love you forever. What more could you ask for?

My aunt had five husbands. The first two died, and the last three left her. They told her that she got boring to them, and they needed a little more spice in their lives. I can assure you of one thing, the Gaian men do not have short attention spans, and they don’t get bored. Mathias and I are still feeling the thrill of our first encounter.”

She stuck her fingers in her ears and whistled. “I really don’t want to hear about anything that did and didn’t go on between you and that man.” She was acting like a juvenile child, and she knew it. But the unsavory position she’d found herself in was grating on her last nerve. The bravado she’d shown to Macy earlier really was coming back to bite her in the ass.

“He’s my husband. We have taken our vows. For all intents and purposes, I am his wife. I will be his wife until one of us dies. I am also now a fully-fledged citizen of the Gaian Empire. I will have the same right and privileges that all Gaians have. That’s more than you can say for what we had back on Earth. You and I could only get jobs as Doorway to the Stars tourists, mainly because we didn’t want to take the shitty jobs that we were approved for as the defeated. You know that we were slandered by a lot of people, and you know that many looked down upon us, ridiculing us behind our back.

Many employers wouldn’t touch us with a two-foot pole because we had fought on the side of the Democratic Loyalists. And then there’s many who fought on our side that were thrown into debtors prison, and those that were banished to little known worlds for their part in the war. So, don’t preach to me about wanting to go back to Earth. We aren’t really wanted there so why would I want to go back?”

Freya shook her head. “I’m obviously getting nowhere fast with you. I want to go home. I don’t care that home is a different sort of home than I’m used to … Earth is where I was born, and Earth is where I will live out the rest of my days.”

“And die.” Talia turned her back on her. “I want you to leave my quarters now.

I’ve done all that I can. If you ever do need a shoulder to genuinely lean on without playing out this pity party of yours then, I will always be here for you. In a few days time, we will rendezvous with many of our other friends. They too, will show you the error of your ways, in thinking you need to escape Lord Aries. He won’t hurt you. I can give you my word on that, and you might think a great many things about me right now, but I’m sure you know that my word is as good as platinum.”

“I know. Or at least I used to know that. I don’t feel sure of anything anymore.

Look at me! I’m a bloody mess. Twelve years ago, I never dreamt I’d find myself in this position. My life has changed so much, I don’t even recognize myself in the mirror anymore. I’m not Freya Kirkland, I’m some shadow of her that’s still managing to cling to the living world. Sometimes, I think I should have died back in the war, with all of our friends.” She looked down at her feet. Why had she decided to wear sandals today? She should have just worn her leather knee high boots. She swallowed. Her toes looked a funny color. Oh, yeah, she’d painted the nails last night.

Doorway to the Stars by Marly Mathews 25

She felt really out of it. That milky foamy stuff in her eyes kept nearly blinding her. It had to be a side effect of the vodka. Or worse. Perhaps, it was another symptom of the passion fever. If it continued to intensify, she’d be stumbling over things in her path because of her poor sight. Blinking her eyes rapidly, she moved toward the door to leave Talia’s quarters. “Are you sure that Gaian vodka is safe for us mere Terrans to drink?”

“I’ve had a small sip of it … but never in the amount you just consumed. Maybe you should sit down.”

“I don’t feel like sitting down.” She moaned, and leaned against the wall next to the door. “I feel like death warmed over.” Her vision blurred. She leaned over, trying to fight the wave of nausea that had just washed over her. In the next moment, it slid open to reveal Aries and Mathias. She closed her eyes.

“Have you managed to sway her opinion in our favor, yet, Talia?” Aries question hit her like a fist in the stomach.

“No.” She spoke the word in a soft whisper. “But I did manage to drink a whole damn bottle of your blasted vodka!”

When she opened her eyes, she was met with a look of horror from Aries. He came toward her and put one hand on each shoulder. Staring deeply into her eyes, he shook his head. “Why did you do that silly thing? No one should drink an entire bottle of Gaian vodka, not even a Gaian male, and you’re a Terran female.”

“I’m painfully aware of that, Aries.” She laughed. “Every time I think of your name I think of the Greek God of war, Aries.” She reached her arm up and patted him on his cheek. It was bristled with the slightest hint of shadow. “I think we should go back to your quarters. You promised me some food, and a hot shower. You do shower with hot water, right? I mean I’m burning up on the inside but I still want a nice hot shower to wash off some of the traveling dirt that’s on me.”

“Traveling dirt?” He chuckled. “You look and smell clean enough to me.”

“That’s great. Now you’re smelling me.” Snorting, she tried pushing his steadying hand away. She hated the way he was fussing over her. Why should he be so concerned about her anyway? He didn’t care about her well being. How could he? He’d taken her against her will and he was determined to make her into some sort of breeding machine.

“You smell like some sort of flower.”

“That would be my perfume.” She laughed. “It was magnolia today. I like to wear different scents every so often.” Looking to the door, she made a clicking sound with her tongue. “I think we should leave Mathias and Talia alone. He’s already done his duty by impregnating her … why don’t you do your duty?” The thought popped into her head like a sudden thunderstorm. She licked her lips. The thought was more enticing than she would have thought only five seconds ago.