“Rydaria is already a prison,” Gabriel stressed, his thumb tapping out his anxiety. “Where do you intend to build these facilities?”
They were planning to bring violent criminals to Rydaria? Patrick folded his hands into fists, fighting to keep his claws from extending. As if the wolves weren’t trouble enough.
“There are three targets on Rydaria itself,” Natalie told them. “All three are intended for nonviolent inmates. The maximum-security complexes will be on habitable moons or neighboring planets.”
Patrick didn’t believe her. For all he knew she could work for Nuevo Biotech, and they were frantically working to reestablish their transformation program.
“You said you have a proposal,” Raphael reminded her. “That indicates choice. Are we allowed to reject your offer or are you here to inform us of what you will do with or without our permission?”
“Your concern is justified. You’ve been betrayed at every turn. My proposal is genuine and it’s simple. I currently have fifty-eight human females on my ship. They have all agreed to stay on Rydaria for one year and participate in whatever courting rituals your village is utilizing. These females are highly motivated to find a mate because the alternative is returning to a conventional prison. There are two stipulations, however. First, the females will be divided evenly between the three villages. Well, let’s be specific. Two villages will receive nineteen females, and one will receive twenty. That’s nonnegotiable. And two, all three villages must stop fighting immediately.” Everyone at the table just stared at Natalie as she finished her explanation. “Do you haveany questions?” She looked around, clearly confused by their stunned reactions.
Patrick sat quietly like the others, unable to decide how he felt. When something seemed too good to be true, it usually was. So he waited for more information before he allowed himself to react.
“I want to see your ship,” Victor said after a long, tense pause. “How do we know any of this is real?”
Damn good idea. Patrick agreed.
Natalie pulled a comm pad out of her pocket and activated the handheld device. “This is theAzrithal.” The image of a midsize passenger transport was displayed on the screen. “This is an image of your village from the ship’s primary camera array.” The second image was harder to decipher. Irregular clusters of lights were scattered among the shadowy impression of trees, but the area was encircled by a familiar wooden barricade. “And this is the officers’ mess where the females like to gather.” The final image displayed a compact room crowded with rectangular tables. The accompanying chairs were filled with young women. Some were playing holo-games. Others were just talking, but the scene seemed to support Natalie’s claims.
“That proves nothing,” Raphael insisted. “Those images could be from anywhere.”
Natalie smiled patiently. “Are you always so distrusting?”
“No, I’m the difficult brother,” Gabriel told her. “Raph is the nice one.”
“Well, I would think that my sudden appearance would be proof enough, but this conversation doesn’t mean much if you allthink I’m full of shit.” She held up the comm pad again and said, “Please teleport Avery to my location. Wait exactly thirty seconds and then return her to the ship.”
Tension crackled in the air around Patrick as everyone in the room waited for Avery to appear. It didn’t take long. A lovely blonde woman faded into view a few moments later, looking confused and slightly ruffled.
Her dark gaze immediately focused on Natalie and she said, “I thought I was staying on the ship until tomorrow.”
“You are,” Natalie said with a chuckle. “I’m proving a point.”
Avery looked around curiously then waved. “Hello.” That was as far as she got before she was transported back to the ship. And clearly there was a ship.
“Why now?” Raphael wanted to know. “We’ve spent the past four years on Rydaria. Why reveal your supervision now?”
“Judge Cleveland changed the dynamics of this world. Introducing females into the environment altered the paradigm completely. For there to be value in our testing?—”
“Stop right there,” Claire cut in. Hostility flashed in her green eyes. “My mates are not test subjects. And neither am I.”
Natalie paused and took a deep breath, then continued with more care. “That was an unfortunate choice of words. Up to this point we have passively observed the three communities on Rydaria. We chose not to interfere because we wanted the situations to be as similar as possible.”
“As similar to the prisons you intend to build in this star system?” Gabriel grumbled. His gaze was nearly as hostile as Claire’s.
Natalie lifted her chin and her tone took on a steely firmness. “The prisons will be built either way. If you choose to participate in the study—and it is your choice—you will be rewarded in a variety of ways. The first and most impactful reward is the females. The ones currently aboard the ship are the first of many if you assist me.”
Patrick couldn’t get past his this-is-too-damn-good-to-be-true suspicions. “Where did you get these females and what happens if we choose not to participate in the study?”
“The females are volunteers from minimum security facilities,” Natalie admitted.
“They’re criminals?” Claire challenged with a shake of her head.
“So are you,” Natalie shot back. “You were sent here against your will. These women are looking for a new start. Who is going to have a better attitude?”
That point definitely went to the newbie, Patrick decided. “Answer my other question. What happens if we say no?”
“Nothing. I fly back to Earth with the females and things continue as they are now.”
