Freeing Luka: The Clecanian Series Book 2 by Victoria Aveline (readict books TXT) 📕

have very sensitive matters to discuss.” She looked to Metli. “You may secure the room now.”

A cheerful blonde next to her leaned in and said, “Oh, I love this part. It’s so cool.”

Alice had only a moment to ponder what the woman was referring to when the whole room began to move.

She glanced out of the windows lining the right side of the room and saw they were beginning to sink. Her initial shock and fear were squashed when she peered around to the calm faces of the other women. It was obvious they’d done this before without drowning.

As the building continued to sink lower into the water, Alice saw Daisy rise and cross to a large curved window, placing her hand on the glass.

It was as if they were in a submarine, looking out into the ocean, but here they were gazing upon a whole new kind of underwater world. Neon bilom swam around smaller, gently glowing creatures that resembled flowing golden balls of ribbon, illuminating the various underwater plants and the pale ground.

The room finally settled on the lake floor, and the Queen spoke again. “I’m sure you are all very tired. You have been through so much, and I can’t imagine that you could take much more, but I would like you to try and listen.” The Queen’s eyes strayed to Daisy, still staring out the window.

Alice got up and guided Daisy back to their seats. Unsure how to address an alien Queen, Alice said, “Ma’am, this is Daisy. Something happened when she was taken that damaged her hearing.”

The Queen nodded, appearing unfazed by the new information. “We will make sure to repair her hearing tomorrow. I will meet with her again privately to convey the information from today.”

Alice glanced from the Queen to Daisy, and her heart swelled for the girl. If it were true…

She tried to mime and mouth the information that they might be able to return her ability to hear soon, but Daisy just looked confused.

Alice sat and decided she’d find a piece of paper and write it down for her later.

“All of the females in this room, save myself and Metli, are humans who were illegally taken from Earth,” the Queen began once Alice’s attention had returned to her. “All but the four of you—” she pointed at Alice, Vanessa, Rita, and Daisy “—were rescued a little more than five months ago when one of the Insurgents’ locations was discovered.”

“Insurgents?” Rita interjected.

The Queens eyes rested on Rita. “Although they haven’t formally named their organization, we have begun calling the group who took you Insurgents.” She scanned the room again. “A month prior to that, a human female named Jade was found. She had escaped her abductor and made it to our city of Tremanta. At the time, I had my suspicions about the possibility that a group, rather than an individual, had been illegally kidnapping females in the hopes of finding a cure for our procreation problem.”

“What kind of problem?” Vanessa questioned.

Metli glared at the woman briefly, and Alice wondered whether the Queen was normally interrupted or questioned. Perhaps she was being lenient with them because they were alien and unfamiliar with the customs here. Metli did not look as forgiving.

Alice decided to answer Vanessa. “Apparently the men outnumber the women twenty to one, and they are slowly going extinct. Helas’ group…I mean, the Insurgents…were trying to find a race descended from Clecanians to see if they could get us pregnant and solve the problem.”

After she was done explaining, both Rita and Vanessa’s faces were pale.

Vanessa spoke first. “We’re… Humans are Clecanian?”

“I guess so. Didn’t Helas explain why you were taken?” Alice questioned, recalling her many conversations with him over the weeks.

The women shook their heads slowly, confusion clear in their expressions.

“If they wanted women for reproduction, why would they have taken me? I’m not exactly a spring chicken,” Rita said, the normally velvet quality of her voice altered. “I’d only been down there for a few days before we escaped.”

Vanessa nodded, as did Daisy, who’d been focused on their mouths, likely attempting to read lips.

“Us too. We were brought in at the same time, only a few days ago,” said Vanessa.

The Queen spoke then, drawing Alice’s attention. “How did you come to learn this? Did Helas speak with you openly?”

Alice shrugged. “Not completely openly, no, but he was attempting to make Luka recognize me as his mate, so he did talk to me sometimes. I think he was trying to make sure I cooperated.”

The bubbly blonde sitting next to Alice spoke excitedly. “Did he recognize you? Oh, it’s so romantic, don’t you think? The idea of mates.” She caught the eye of a brunette with startling gray eyes nearby and smiled knowingly. “I’m definitely going to participate in the ceremony next time it happens.” Looking back to Alice, she added, “The guys here are sooo hot.”

Vanessa now huffed out an annoyed breath and spoke directly to the Queen, causing Metli to bristle. “Mates? Ceremony? Can you please explain?”

“In Tremanta, females who wish to find a male to marry for three months participate in the ceremony. When Jade first arrived, I required her to participate, as well. Initially, she was averse to the idea, but she came to care for her husband. He recognized her as his mate, and they have chosen to remain together.”

The Queen paused, taking a seat. “When a Clecanian finds their true mate, they will want to be with them until death. It is a physical, mental, and instinctual event that has been lost to us for some time. There has not been news of a newly mated pair for centuries. However, it seems that human females are awakening our people’s mating instincts once again.”

Helas had explained mates to Alice, but she hadn’t grasped the weight of