Betrothed Episode One Read Online Free

stomach and force myself to breathe lest I
faint.
    If I
thought the outside of the contract building was incredible, then
the inside was mind blowing.
    It was
that same odd mishmash of styles that I’d encountered in so much of
the rest of the universe. The building was like a warren, with
countless corridors and rooms branching off.
    Occasionally a door would roll open to let someone through,
and I’d catch a glimpse of the room inside. Devices would be strewn
across tables, or neatly stacked along walls, with pot plants and
artwork dotted everywhere, and aliens rushing to and
fro.
    In fact,
come to think of it, there was artwork everywhere. Statues, vases,
old contraptions. It was like walking through the greatest museum
I’d ever seen.
    It took
me a moment to realize that the art wasn’t there for show. I saw an
official-looking man in the regal attire of the Foundation leading
two aliens to a room where they carted away a boxful of a
hodgepodge of items from intricate statues to old engine
parts.
    These
were all inheritances, weren’t they?
    It took
me a long time to reach the main reception area of the contract
building. I hadn’t been lying when I’d said it was a small city. I
saw people whizzing around on small hovercraft, but I had no idea
where they got them, and I doubted anyone would give one to me. So
I just had to walk.
    Eventually I found the line, and what a line it was. I swear
it stretched for blocks. There was every imaginable alien, every
imaginable color, form, and shape.
    It
should have been boring waiting there for hours, but it
wasn’t.
    Well, at
least it wasn’t until he showed up.
    It was
when I was close to the front of the line that something
happened.
    The
massive queue started to break apart, everybody muttering in their
own tongue.
    At first
I didn’t know what was happening, and I stood there and
watched.
    A man
was walking down the enormous long hallway.
    He was
human, or at least he resembled a human. Tall, proportioned
shoulders, a sharp jawline, and a piercing gaze.
    He
should have been handsome, except for that gaze.
    It was
like staring into the center of the Big Bang.
    It was
also exceedingly arrogant.
    He was
dressed in a well cut black tunic with a high collar that showed
off his trim neck and angled jaw. There were no decorations save
for a purple pin on the left breast of his jacket. There was also a
slim line of purple trimming around his collar.
    He
looked like an extremely trendy priest, well, apart from the death
glare.
    I stood
there and I stared at him until he walked right up to
me.
    “ What are you doing?” he asked in a clipped, curt
tone.
    I turned
bright red; I could feel my cheeks threatening to burn right
off.
    “ Why aren’t you following customs?” Those piercing steely grey
eyes narrowed.
    I
started to stutter, my blush becoming iridescent. “Sorry, did I do
something wrong?”
    “ You are refusing to yield your position in the line to
me.”
    Everyone
was looking at me, including officials.
    “ I …” I bit my lip and shrugged my shoulders. “Who are you
exactly?” It was probably the wrong question to ask. Considering
the cowed awed gazes everybody else was shooting this man, I
shouldn’t be questioning who he was, I should just be getting out
of his way. But the question blurted out of my lips before I could
stop it.
    He
looked shocked, but in a thoroughly arrogant way. I’d never met
somebody more sure of themselves, more certain of their power and
their right to hold it. He angled his head back and shot me a
terrifying gaze. “I don’t play games.”
    I didn’t
know how to respond to that. It wasn’t an answer to my question; it
was a random snippet of information. Great, so this guy wouldn’t
want to play Monopoly with me, I’m glad we’d sorted that, but
honestly, who the heck was he and what did he want?
    I didn’t
know what to do, so I stood there looking exceedingly
embarrassed.
    “ Don’t pretend not to know who I am, I am