The sound of horses running outside reaches us. “I have to take care of the horses,” she says.
Reluctantly, I press a kiss on her forehead before stepping away. “I will talk to the prince and princess about our wedding. Until then, I will see you here every day.”
Chapter Four
THORNE
“As you know, my princess will make all the arrangements.” My longtime friend, and our planet’s prince, lifts his chin, studying me quietly. “I’m happy for you. You deserve this.” He reaches for my hands, clasping them both before he pulls me into a backslapping hug.
Just then, there is a knock on his office door. “Yes?” Asher calls.
The door opens to reveal Hunter and Kayden standing on the other side. “Don’t we have a meeting now?” Kayden asks.
“Oh, yes,” Asher replies. “But first, I must share that Thorne has met his mate.” His brows rise before a grin stretches across his face.
Like me, Kayden and Hunter are part of the security team for the royal family. While our planet is a democracy, we have royal leadership and protect them with our lives. Our families have been protectors of the royal family for generations, and we grew up together knowing this would be our calling.
After congratulations, the questions come. “Who is she?” Hunter asks with a brow waggle and a sly twitch of his tail.
Our kind have descended from the original humans on Earth who traveled here and mated with our ancestors. Our species isnow a combination after centuries of mating. We have bronze skin and tails, dark golden hair, and golden eyes. We are slightly taller than the average human, as our original species was larger. Like much of the galaxy, we have traveled widely, mating with those species we can and establishing trade for supplies and technology.
Our planet is one of the wealthiest, and we serve as the central way station for travel among our galaxy. We worship the women here, which is why we are so strong. Many died in a space storm a few years ago, and we are desperate for mates. Asher hatched a plan to go to Earth and find his own princess. After that success, they are bringing more and more women from Earth to mate with our men. Earth is a dry, hellish place to live, and they hate women. Earth relies on us, along with a few other planets, to keep them limping along. They may not like us bringing women here, but they cannot stop it.
My friends have already mated and been teasing me that I’m too picky. I glance among them. “I was just waiting for my mate,” I reply to Hunter. “It’s Romi. She came with the first group the princess brought.”
“And you hadn’t met her yet?” Kayden prompts.
Asher chuckles and leans his hip against his desk. “Thorne is foolish and proud and didn’t spend enough time at the gatherings to notice her. They met at the stables. As picky as Thorne is about Silver, Romi is the first, other than him, who can care for Silver.”
Kayden chuckles. “Ah, so we’re following the opinions of your horse.”
“Silver trusts her, and he trusts few,” I point out.
Hunter lets out a snort and nudges me with his shoulder. “Since you wouldn’t take our advice, you might as well go with Silver’s counsel. He’s an excellent judge of character. Romi and Melody are close, so we’ll see each other often.”
Kayden rolls his eyes. “You already see each other every day unless we’re out in the field or on missions.”
Hunter shrugs easily. “It will make Melody happy for you to be mated to her friend. She says Romi has been worried she’ll get sent back to Earth if she doesn’t mate soon enough.”
“Never.” Asher slides his eyes to mine. “Even if she hadn’t found a mate, she wouldn’t have been sent back. We take care of our women here, and she is one of us now.”
My heart thumps hard in my chest. “I will protect her now because she is mine.”
“Oh, goddess! Grumpy Thorne has fallen,” Kayden teases.
“You’re gonna be the crankiest mate of all of us,” Hunter adds.
I shrug away my friends’ teasing, unperturbed. This isn’t the first time I’ve been called grumpy, cranky, or broody.
“I’ll tell Jane tonight so she can begin the wedding planning,” Asher says.
Chapter Five
ROMI
Princess Jane lifts a glass, her smile encompassing the group of women. “It’s Romi’s turn. To happiness for you,” she says.
We clink our glasses together, and I take a swallow of the decadent lemonade. Those of us here from Earth are still nearly giddy about the simple pleasures of drinking something other than the rationed and often dirty water available on Earth. The lemonade flavor is tart and sweet, and I love it.
