Torkel's Chosen (2 page)

Chapter 2

Torkel gazed at the
men on one of the three teams he’d served with for the last ten years. As Unit
Leader, he had a responsibility for each and every one of them. The five men in
the room eyed him closely, knowing he’d called this meeting for a reason. He’d
also called his parents, who waited for him in his quarters.

Torkel wanted to share
his decision with his fellow soldiers first. The nature of their job placed
them in dangerous situations where they needed to rely on one another. If his status
changed, it would impact them. If it didn’t, there would still be a long
standing effect.

After delivering
his news, Jaron, the practical joker, was surprisingly serious when he asked
what they all were thinking. “Will you stay with the teams as Unit Leader?”

Torkel nodded. He
wouldn’t give that up. “Regardless of my decision, I’m a Jutak warrior.”

Things would
change if there was a female in his life. Changes his heart yearned for but he
blocked those feelings for now. He’d committed to his decision.

“Will you change
your mind about the other?” Kyele’s scarred visage frightened those he came in
contact with but Torkel trusted his friend probably more than the others
because Kyele lived with the same worry as him.

“No.” The simple
answer drew concerned stares but Torkel ignored them. If he was passed over
this year, he would spend the rest of his life as a loner, the worst thing that
could ever happen to a male. The sense of desolation when he imagined what that
would entail almost broke Torkel’s stern demeanor.

“We support
whatever happens, Torkel.” Geile’s blond hair had grooves in it from where the
young man had run his fingers through it in agitation. None of them liked how
Torkel suffered with the choice he’d made.

“We have your
back,” Geile’s brother Gregir chimed in.

The others in the
room agreed.

“Do you want any
of us to accompany you?” Jaron, one of his team leads, twirled a throwing star
between his fingers and slouched against the arm of the sofa. “Team One and I
should be done with crowd control during the prison transport in time to
attend.”

Torkel controlled
three teams of five men. Two of the teams were out on missions under Faruk, another
team lead, but they were due back tonight. Shortly, Jaron and the others of
Team One would be leaving for a potentially dangerous transportation mission to
pick up a Faasil wanted for slaughtering his entire household. The Faasil had
thought to hide on Enotia. If not for his plans this evening, Torkel would have
led the operation.

“I don’t want
anyone there.” In true support they’d been there every year. This year, Torkel
couldn’t handle the shame if he failed to secure a female.

Their silence
spoke volumes. Torkel inhaled deeply. Now for the difficult part. “I have to
speak with my parents. Much success tonight and stay safe.”

The manly grunts
in reply were enough. Torkel left the recreation room, his steps reluctant as
he headed down the long hallway. His parents would not be pleased. Especially
his maman, who continued to treat him as a youth.

The redesigned
community building had been transitioned into the home base for Jutak warriors.
Torkel’s unit was the first to move in but two more units would arrive in a few
months. Forty-five men, elite fighters housed together.

The government
wanted them at a central location to respond to calls more efficiently. Each
Jutak unit would have their own floor but share the training room along with
the medical center and main kitchen on the lower level. Torkel reached his door
and braced himself for the conversation he was about to have.

***

They’d argued in
hopes of changing his mind but finally accepted his decision.

“This is the last
time, maman. I won’t go through this again.”

At his words, Shaya’s
blue eyes fill with tears. Torkel hardened his heart against his adopted maman.
She was a master manipulator.

“I just want you
to have what I have with your papan.” She added a sniff to the tears for good
measure.

Torkel softened
his expression and kissed her brow. “I want it as well but I have not been
Chosen in the last seven presentations.”

At first, Torkel
had not let the process upset him. Many males left the sands with no female but
when five years had gone by and he still had not been selected, the rejection
had started to bother Torkel. He had a proud name, fought as a Jutak warrior
and had no stains on his honor.

None of that
mattered. Torkel knew the true reason women walked past him to choose his
brethren. He was of Marenian origin. A world of known slavers. It didn’t matter
that the gentle Enotians, Shaya and Marlin Alonson, had found him as an
abandoned baby and raised him. It didn’t matter that he didn’t have the
distinctive horns protruding from his forehead as a typical Marenian would.

What mattered was
that each woman who arrived on Enotia received a bio on all participants. Inside,
the bio detailed information about his birth planet and the women feared he’d
make them his slave.

Never.

Torkel spent his
life fighting the slave trades. He and his unit ran into Marenians often and
made every effort to stop or kill the violent slavers.

Shaya sighed. “You
are such a handsome warrior. Any female would be happy to have you in her bed.”

Torkel flushed at
her blatant comment but his papan laughed and rolled his eyes.

“Our son has the
right to make up his mind about this. We can’t continue to expect him to
subject himself to the presentations if he won’t get chosen.”

Torkel held his
hurt in. He wanted a Chosen, children and all that came with it more than
anything. Every Enotian did. He’d protect his family with his dying breath and
make sure his Chosen never wanted for anything. Yet year after year the
humiliation of being passed over wore on him. Three years ago when several
worlds had been added to the SP, Torkel thought he’d finally stood a chance.

Earth had an
abundance of females and many of them flocked to Enotia. The more Earth women
joined the more the rumors flew fast and free. They were full of laughter and
love these humans. Males lucky enough to have one boasted of their sensual
nature and their capacity for great warmth toward their men and children.

Their hair, eyes
and skin came in every color imaginable with no two females alike.

Unheard of. It was
every male’s dream woman wrapped in one. Yet, Torkel had not managed to entice
one of them either. Though it pained him greatly, he had to give up walking the
sands. If he wasn’t Chosen, he would be condemned to life as a loner. Males
were not allowed to form permanent bonds outside of the official Chosen process
which meant he’d be forced to rely on Enotian sex servers and none of them
wanted a Marenian in their bed. He’d tried that route once and been forced to
find pleasure off world.

Shaya grabbed his
jaw in both hands and leaned toward him. “You are worthy. A female would be
lucky to have you. Don’t ever doubt it.”

Her blue eyes
blazed with passion and all the love Torkel felt for the woman who’d raised him
rose to the forefront. He cupped her hands over his face. “I thank you, maman.
For everything.”

For taking in a
Marenian baby. For raising him to be the honorable man he was today. Most of
all for not holding his birth against him and loving him unconditionally.

Blinking back his
own tears, his papan interrupted the moment. “When does the ship arrive for the
presentation?”

Torkel
straightened to his full height, dwarfing both his parents. The Alonsons’ were
true Enotians with their slight stature and bright blond hair.

“Shortly. I’m
heading over now. The teams understand my decision. I wanted to meet with you
and maman, as well, to give you my decision.” It was important he share his
news with them to avoid getting their hopes up further.

He knew how much
they longed for him to settle with a female and begin a family. His sister Lissi
had two little ones with her Chosen and Torkel couldn’t love his niece and
nephew more.

“Do you want us to
go?” His maman asked.

Torkel shook his
head. They’d gone to the previous seven and each time he walked away from the
sands alone, their disappointment tore at his heart. They grieved for him and
it ripped him to shreds. Today if he was once more bypassed, he only had room
to deal with his own hurt feelings.

Her voice trembled
when she asked, “Will you at least let me prepare you?”

Torkel didn’t have
the heart to refuse. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

It was an honor to
a maman to brush her son’s hair, scent his body with oil and sew his ceremonial
loitte.
All to attract a female. Torkel planned to wear the same
loitte
his mother made for him originally. The simple clothing would be destroyed
after tonight.

***

“All participants
assigned to Enotia, please prepare to disembark in five.”

Faye rushed
through the corridors, apologizing as she bumped several women in the hall.
She’d almost missed the announcement and was now running late to leave the ship
because Lindsey had wanted to say goodbye while shoving a lacy bra and panty
set in her hand.

“I can’t,” Faye
had protested as the pink silk slid through her fingers.

Lindsey waved it
off. “Look,” she tilted her duffle for Faye to see. Bright colors of silk and
lace spilled out. “I only packed brand new sexy undies. I figure my new husbands
will buy me new clothes based on their style anyway. What would I do with Earth
jeans and shirts?”

True.

“Plus,” Lindsey
added with a smirk and a wink. “I’ll have two husbands and I doubt they’ll let
me wear much in the beginning.”

Lindsey had
decided on Garulax and would be the last stop their ship made. Faye had
selected Enotia with fingers crossed that she met someone as handsome as the
men in the brochure she’d studied. She wished her friend good luck and left.

Her headlong
flight blinded her to the man in the hall she hit full on. Faye bounced off a
firm chest and gasped. Her palms burned from where they’d made contact. “Sorry,
sorry.”

The hood he wore
covered most of his face. “No problem. I was hoping to catch you before you
left.”

“What?” Faye
folded her arms over her chest to hide the lingerie in her grasp. Her suitcase
had been in storage and staff promised it would be delivered to the residence
wherever her new husband lived. She only had enough time to shove the items in
her bag if she rushed.

Faye caught the
flash of white teeth in what she assumed to be a smile. “I notice you selected
Enotia and I have a friend I’m hoping to help.”

“I’m sorry. I’m
new and I couldn’t help anyone with this Chosen thing.”

The voice laughed
but Faye found no humor in the eerie sound. She tried to ease around his bulk
in the narrow corridor.

He touched her
shoulder to stop her, pulling back when she stiffened. “I extend you my
apologies. You misunderstand. I want to help you help me. My friend is in the
selection process. He’s been rejected seven times and I’m hoping you would do
him a favor and pick him.”

“Look, I don’t
know your friend.”

“I’ll pay you
twenty thousand dollars. That’s how much you spent for the application
correct?”

Holy!! Faye was
broke. Twenty thousand just to pick his friend when she was going to pick
someone anyway. Unless his friend was an ogre. “I’m not sure. I mean…I sorta
decided already.”

Faye had spent
half the night reading the bios on all the participants, though there wasn’t
much information on what she was supposed to do. She narrowed her choice to a
blond man not much taller than her own five-five with bright green eyes and a
friendly smile. From what she could tell, his sleek body was fit and firm. Not
as muscled as the men in the ad but enough that she would enjoy a physical
relationship with him.

“Here.” The man
shoved a small video screen in her face. “Here’s my friend. Please consider it.
He’s a Jutak warrior so you don’t have to worry he’s dangerous.”

Faye couldn’t help
her indrawn breath. Dark shoulder length hair, warm brown eyes and a chest to
rival any model or heavy weight boxer she’d ever seen. She’d eliminated him as
too serious when she glanced over the bio.

“His name is
Torkel Alonson.”

“I don’t know what
a Jutak warrior is.” The title warrior implied roughing it. What if he expected
her to cook his meals over a fire pit?

The man huffed out
a breath. “It’s a soldier. An elite warrior. We don’t have much time. Will you
do it?”

“I don’t know.” Faye
hesitated. It didn’t seem fair to take money.

“What do you have
to lose?” The man pressed.

“Fine.” She’d have
money in case of an emergency and one stranger was as good as another. “Wait.
Why does he need help?”

“Because this is
his last year. He’s getting older and no longer interested in fighting to
attract a female.”

Faye’s heart softened.
She sympathized with their similar circumstances. “Alright.”

“Thank you. Hold
out your wrist.”

Faye held up her
arm with the fancy watch gadget she’d been issued. It was used for currency and
tracked her finances. He hit several buttons and the numbers appeared on the
screen followed by several zeroes. Faye smiled.

“It’s done.”

“Okay. I need to
leave now.”

He stepped to the
side and Faye brushed off her unease.

Chapter 3

“You are not to
leave the order of the line. Each of you will reach the sands at the same time.
The available males will be waiting. Do
not
leave the sands until the
male has accepted the medallion. Do not approach more than one male,”
instructed the smartly dressed man as he paced in front of their group of
twenty women. His black suit was crisp and close enough to what someone on
Earth would wear for dinner. “The first one you reach and stop is the one you
select. If you lose the medallions you were issued, you lose your right to
choose.”

Anticipation raced
through Faye’s veins. A husband, children and family. All of her dreams were
almost within reach. She breathed in and out and tried to stay calm. She wasn’t
the only antsy one. Other women craned their necks to see beyond the black
curtain blocking the entrance to the ‘sands’.

The crew had lined
them up to disembark single file and led them down to this place. They’d
followed a narrow passageway that curved underground then opened to this small
staging area. The man instructing them had also passed out a necklace for them
to use. The brochure detailed that the women would meet all available men
during a ‘presentation’ once through the door.

Faye didn’t fully like
that part. From what she gathered, there would be a small arena behind the
curtain with their potential husbands waiting. First come, first serve. Faye
rubbed her hands down the blue, woven cloak they’d been issued. She studied the
leather necklace with a gold medallion on the end. She had to give it to her
Chosen.

Faye chewed her
bottom lip and checked her competition. Behind her stood a woman with purple
skin. Deep green eyes constantly moved. To her left, a small woman with a
single blonde braid waited with a nervous glance at Faye. When she smiled her
fangs flashed and her eyes turned red.

Aliens. But women united
in the common goal of looking for something they hoped to find behind the
curtained doorway. There were two other humans. A mocha-skinned woman with
short curls highlighted with blonde on the tips. Her make-up was flawless highlighting
her cheekbones and full lips to their best advantage. Faye suddenly wished she
wore more than peach gloss. The other human was a red head with a deep southern
accent and not even a cloak could hide her full bust.

“Last thing. We
have more females in this presentation than males. Be respectful as there will
likely be one unhappy male when he is not selected.”

Faye blew out a
breath and shook her arms at her side to rid them of their tremors.

“Blessings upon
you,” he finished and pulled back the curtain.

The women stampeded
the sands, knocking the poor man to the side. Faye would have laughed if she
hadn’t realized she was the last to get through the doorway. Without further
thought, she rushed forward and came to an abrupt halt.

Her feet slipped
on the sand beneath her soft-soled shoes. A chanting crowd screamed at the
women’s entrance. It reminded her of an arena from old gladiator vids. Though
not as big. Maybe forty feet across and twenty feet wide, a stone wall at least
four feet high blocked off the sand pit from a crowd of hundreds.

None of that
compared to the men. Dozens of men spread out, blond hair gleaming and bare
chests displayed prominently. They stood motionless, some with arms crossed
over their muscled chests and others with their arms clasped behind their heads,
elbows out. Faye choked, unable to look away from all the male flesh. The
brochure hadn’t come close to describing this.

A woman squealed,
jumping around a man who smiled down at her. The crowd roared. None of the men
moved as the women wove through them and quickly made their choices. Faye jolted
into motion and hurried along, remembering her agreement with the stranger. It
shouldn’t be hard to find a dark-haired man since, all of the men she passed
were blond.

Now she understood
the excitement in the line. These men were gorgeous and their dress or lack of
was enough to rouse any woman’s blood pressure. Their bodies glistened in the late
evening sun and not from heat she realized. Someone had taken the time to oil
every inch of their exposed skin.

And there was a
lot of exposed skin. Arms, chest and legs shifted when a few of the women
touched or stroked body parts. Faye’s eyes bugged as she wondered if she’d died
and gone to some alternate form of heaven. The men wore ancient versions of a kilt.
It was the closest analogy for the short leather skirts around their waist. Colored
stones or silver and gold metal embellished the material. Across the hip, down
the sides or along the hem. A hem that stopped mid-thigh to flash coiled legs
and knotted calves. Faye swallowed to keep her drool in check.

The selections
happened quickly as the women began to pair off with their selected man. Then Faye
saw him. She choked on her breath as the distance shortened between them. The video
image didn’t do him justice. He had to be at least six and a half feet of
brawn. Taller than any other man in the arena. Older too. The maturity in his
features appealed to her. Maybe mid-thirties if they aged like humans on Earth.

His bare chest was
broader and tighter than the others. She stared at his oiled body designed as
if for a woman’s pleasure. His muscles had muscles. A row of ridges lined his
torso in the best six pack she’d ever seen. His narrow torso was lean enough to
allow the waist of his kilt to dip slightly and reveal a very thin line of dark
hair which disappeared beneath the edge of the leather.

Faye’s steps
slowed as she neared him. Square shaped silver buckles adorned one side of the
simple, black leather around his hips. He looked at home in the ancient kilt. Faye’s
eyes followed the buckles. She counted four. Only four hooks keeping him
covered. Not as elaborate as the others but enough to send shivers of arousal
down Faye’s spine.

Rippling thighs
bunched as he shifted on bare feet. Bare manly feet. Faye blushed as she came
to a stop in front of him. She lifted her head to meet his gaze and was blown
away by the fire burning in his brown eyes. Full lips, dark lashes and a square
jaw that jutted with defiance. His nose was wider than she expected but
everything else about his face looked remarkably human.

***

Torkel bit back
his frustration as the females ran past his position in the sands. One after
another they squealed and laughed as they selected his brethren. True Enotians
with their blond hair and light-colored eyes. Through it all he maintained his
stance with his hands clasped behind his back, legs spread wide. Another year,
his last in the sands.

The ache in his
chest caught him off guard. No matter how much he thought he’d prepared,
disappointment coiled its way through his heart. To make matters worse, there was
one more male in the numbers than females so he’d walk from the sands alone.
His shame to bear in stoic silence.

“I’m not sure how
this works. Do I just hand you the necklace or put it on your neck?”

Torkel jerked and
glanced down at the short woman standing in front of him. He’d tried to ignore
her presence when her footsteps slowed in front of him. “Pardon?”

She tipped her
head to the side and smiled but the rapid pulse beating in her neck betrayed
her nerves. She held up the gold Chosen medallion. “I want to give this to
you.”

His world tilted.
It could not be. After all these years a woman wanted to choose him. Disbelief
colored his words when he cautiously asked, “Are you certain?”

She blushed. A
pretty spark of color on her round cheeks.

“Yes, unless…” She
looked at the sand. “Unless you want someone else.”

Want someone else?
Torkel stared at her bowed head. Dark hair, straight with only a slight wave
brushed the top of her shoulder. She wore a traditional robe of the Chosen in
blue. The long sleeve caftan reached her feet and hid her figure.

Torkel mentally
urged her to look up. He wanted to see her face again but a male wasn’t allowed
to touch any of the females until
after
they were chosen. He cleared his
throat. “I’m honored, if you would have me.”

Her head snapped
up and her smile blinded. Pearly white teeth in neat rows flashed him. Brown.
Her eyes were brown and shined with a light that tugged at his hardened
emotions.

“Um…so do I just
give you this?” Once more she lifted the medallion but her arms would never
reach.

She was a small
thing. Maybe five and half feet. Torkel bent at the waist and lowered his head.
“Slide it over my neck,” he murmured for they were attracting stares. Partly
because they were the last couple on the sands and partly because of the
momentous occasion. Torkel, the unwanted, was being chosen.

Pride lifted his
spirits as the heavy weight of the chain draped over his head. The woman
twisted her hands together and shifted from one foot to the other. “Did I do it
right?”

Torkel
straightened to his full height. She sucked in a breath and stumbled back.
Torkel caught her wrist until she regained her balance and released her
immediately.

Unable to believe
he finally had a woman of his own, Torkel asked. “What’s your name, Chosen?”

“Faith Reid but I
prefer Faye.”

“Faye,” he
repeated, savoring the name of his Chosen. No longer held back by rules, his
arms curved around her as he pulled her into his arms.

She fit.
Perfectly. Accepted at last, he thought. Torkel leaned down and inhaled the
fragrance of the fruity shampoo she’d used. This was what he’d waited seven
years for. This feeling of belonging to another.

“Torkel Alonson,
present.”

They both turned
at the sharp command.

Torkel let her go
but clasped her small hand in his and faced the Commissioning body. Merlyne’s
eyes gentled when her gaze landed on him. Merlyne was his mother’s best friend.
Every time he left the sands alone, she grieved for him also. Merlyn was a good
female.

“Torkel you have
been Chosen,” Conra said. Conra led the Commission. His waist-length braid had
long since turned gray. “Please present her.”

Torkel raised
their joined hands. “Faye Reid has Chosen. Torkel Alonson has accepted.”

“I protest.”

The angry
complaint came from behind them.

Torkel turned to
see the last man left on the sands. The one who had not been Chosen. Sympathy
ran through him. How many times had he stood there and watched as other men
were chosen during the presentation then left with eager smiles? But never had
he protested a female’s right to choose.

“On what grounds,
Axan?” Merlyne demanded.

The blond male
stormed over, his bare feet slapping against the sand. His forceful steps created
dust trails in his wake. He stopped on the other side of Faye. Torkel tightened
his fingers around her hand. When Faye edged closer to him, his chest expanded
with pleasure.

“I protest on the
grounds that everyone knows Torkel is unwanted. He’s walked the sands year
after year and no female would have him.”

Naine, the third
member of the Commissioning body frowned. “I fail to see how that impacts the
decision today, son.” Axan was Naine’s youngest child.

Axan jabbed a
blunt finger in Torkel’s direction, barely missing Faye’s face. She jerked away
and this time leaned her full weight into his side. Torkel growled.

But Axan
continued. “I saw them talking before she chose. He must have bribed her.”

Quiet settled over
the remaining crowd. The other women and their Chosen waited and watched outside
the ring. Torkel would have laughed outright if not for the egregious charge.

Conra quirked a
brow at Torkel. “A serious claim indeed. Torkel did you violate order and speak
before the choosing.”

Merlyn bit hard on
her bottom lip, eyes on him. Naine’s gaze darkened with sympathy. Torkel tensed
as the press of the silence from the crowd weighed down on him. Honor demanded
he admit the truth. They
had
exchanged words but nothing that could have
swayed her in his favor.

“I asked how to
choose him,” Faye blurted.

All eyes went to
her.

“The instructions
just said to give our medallion but,” she raised her arms pulling Torkel’s with
her. “I didn’t know what to do.”

More murmurs among
the three members of the Commission. Torkel’s heart swelled at her defense of
him.

Axan glared at
Torkel and spoke in Enotian. “You will not have her.”

Torkel flexed his
hands. This was Axan’s second year. He was fairly young and arrogant from what
Torkel heard. To challenge him however would make Torkel look the villain. Axan
wouldn’t last five minutes in battle against Torkel. Fists or weapons.

“It is for the
woman to choose,” he stated to Axan.

Axan’s tanned face
burned bright red. He fisted his hands at his side. “She is mistaken.”

“What’s he
saying?” Faye asked, tapping his mid-section.

Torkel flinched
from the contact and glanced down. She had such tiny hands. “He disagrees with
your right to choose.”

Her shiny bow-shaped
lips parted. Brows slanted down in determination as she stepped even closer to
Torkel. Her proximity and delicate fragrance was having a notable reaction on
his body. He cursed the lightweight of the
loitte
he wore.

“We will ask the
woman again,” Conra announced. “It is only fair to make sure her decision was
not coerced.”

People gasped and
the heat of embarrassment filled Torkel’s face. Axan smirked and folded his
arms across his chest as if sure of his victory. The tide in the crowd shifted.
Many nodded in approval. The visible evidence of their relief angered Torkel. All
he did for his world. The battles he fought. Was it so hard to believe a female
would want him?