Choosing Theo: The Clecanian Series Book 1

hands together. “I can’t wait any longer! Who have you picked?”
Jade flipped her notebook open and handed it to Zikas. He grabbed it eagerly.
If she remembered correctly, this was the number the sexy pirate had held up. She didn’t intend on choosing him in the end, but he looked like such an interesting guy. She couldn’t resist the opportunity to learn more about him.
“Ooh, Fejo. Good choice. He’s very charming and funny.” Asivva nodded approvingly.
Zikas pulled out a large folder from the blue box and handed it to Jade.
“It also appears he’s never been married. He’ll be very eager to please you,” Zikas said with a wink.
“Who’s next?” Asivva urged.
Zikas flipped to the next page and shrugged. “Athnu. He’s a favorite among the females this year, I think. If you really want him, I would have no doubt he’d choose you, but I don’t like him for you.”
“Why not?” Jade frowned as she pictured the gorgeous man who’d walked into the hallway first.
“Well, he’s very good looking, so all the females like him.” Zikas paused here, thinking about his next words. “I’ll just say he spends a great deal of time making sure he looks attractive, and if all you want is to look at him, you’ll have a very happy marriage.”
Jade and Asivva exchanged amused glances and then started laughing.
Zikas’ face reddened. He sheepishly added, “You strike me as the kind of female who prefers to be engaged in conversation from time to time.”
“That is very true, and I appreciate your honesty. Let’s take him out of the running,” Jade said, crumpling Athnu’s number.
“I think that would be best.” Asivva smirked.
Jade chuckled and felt some of her tension lifting. These aliens weren’t so bad. If she was honest with herself, she could even admit that this was the most human contact she’d experienced in a long time, even if they were non-human. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d relaxed with a group of people and laughed.
“Alright, last on your list is…” As Zikas studied the last page, his face fell and he peered up at Jade, his confusion clear. “Are you sure you copied this number correctly?”
“Why, who is it?” Asivva chimed in.
Zikas silently handed her the paper, and the grin on her face also faded.
“What? What’s wrong with him?” Jade said as she glanced between the two of them. Damn. She knew the hunky man with the black tattoos was too good to be true. He must be an awful guy. That’s why the women acted like that around him. Well, sexy pirate it is!
“Nothing, nothing. His name is Theo. Asivva and I have both known him all his life. He’s a very good male,” Zikas muttered while sharing a knowing look with Asivva.
“One of the best I know,” Asivva agreed.
“Then what’s the problem?” Jade said, baffled.
As she sat there staring at the bewildered faces of her two new friends, she remembered the odd reaction this man had received at The Viewing. Theo, also known as “devastatingly sexy god of war” man, seemed to frighten and disgust the women in the room. The reaction her choice was getting from Asivva and Zikas was different but no less bizarre.
“Some women acted weird when they saw him at The Viewing too, but I didn’t understand why. What am I missing? Is he cruel or something? Will he hurt me? Some of the girls seemed scared of him.”
A flash of anger crossed Asivva’s face as she said, “He’d never do anything to hurt any female.”
“Then as I said before, what’s the problem? What aren’t you telling me?”
Zikas and Asivva both looked at Jade quizzically. Asivva started to mouth something but then thought better of it.
Zikas was the first to speak when he said, “You’re a very beautiful female. You could have any male you wanted. We’re just confused as to why you picked Theo.”
“I’m not sure I follow you,” Jade said in a puzzled tone. “I know he’s a little rough around the edges, but I thought he was the most attractive guy there. I really only chose the other two as backups in case he didn’t want me.”
Asivva snorted and then immediately clapped her hands over her mouth.
“Most females find his scars unappealing,” Zikas explained. “He’s never been chosen and I don’t think he ever expected to be chosen. He won’t be prepared for a wife.”
Asivva jerked her head toward Zikas. “You’re right, he never expects anyone to choose him. He only comes to these because he’s required. Normally he leaves immediately after The Choosing.”
Zikas stood abruptly and addressed Jade. “Are you sure you want to marry Theo?”
“Well, I thought so, but now I’m having second thoughts!”
“We were both just shocked that you’d choose him.” Zikas regarded Jade seriously. “If you’re patient, Jade, you’ll see that there are very few better males than Theo.”
“Before giving Zikas your final choices,” Asivva quickly added, “you should know that Theo hasn’t needed or wanted to try and impress a female in a long time. It’s very likely he’ll not have the faintest idea how to behave with you,” she warned. “That being said, I think you should take a chance on him.”
“Okay, I’ll trust you both, but it’s on your heads if this goes wrong.” Jade said, nibbling her bottom lip.
Zikas nervously rifled through the box of files. He handed a slim folder to Asivva and backed away toward the door. “I’ll go and give Theo and Fejo the good news. Asivva, while I’m gone, can you please explain the information in those folders to Jade? After she’s had a chance to examine their scores, escort her to the physician and then help her to get ready for The Testing.”
“Good luck talking to Theo.” Asivva glanced at Jade briefly. “He enjoys having a drink or two after the ceremonies are over.”
As Zikas exited the room, Jade heard him let out a long groan.

Chapter 10
Ugh, another ceremony day over with. Theo thought as he fell onto his couch.