My lips curve in a nervous smile, and my belly flips.
Departing from Nadine’s house, I walk along the flowered walkway with Melody.
I can’t imagine I will ever become accustomed to the lush greenery here. Earth used to have areas like this—lush and beautiful rainforests, mountains, lakes, and streams. They are all gone now.
We make our way down the center street of town. This is a bustling area with stores, cafés, and more. Many residents walk, but some also use hovering transport vehicles that glide over the ground. As I look around, my lips curl into a smile. It still startles me to see how many different aliens live here. There are the alien cowboys with their bronze, shimmery skin and tails; tall, towering orcs; humans; and other aliens I don’t even recognize. Almost everyone here is kind. It’s remarkable how having everyone’s basic needs met creates a sense of peace. Life on Earth is a scramble and fight for everything.
“I love it here so much,” Melody says. She stops to pick a flower from a tree. She tucks it behind my ear, her eyes twinkling. “It suits you, Romi.”
“I’m not really a flower type of girl,” I say, feeling a little shy.
“Oh, but you are,” she teases. “Your wedding next week will have lots of flowers. Are you ready?”
A sense of anxiety buzzes inside me. Ever since Thorne told me we were marrying, I’ve been anxious. I swallow nervously. “I am, but I’m not.”
Melody stops walking, turning to face me and placing her hands on my shoulders. “You’re going to love it. Hunter says he’s never seen Thorne like this. He says Thorne might be a little grumpy, but he’s a good man and will take the best care of you. I promise you it will be better than you can imagine.”
I take a shaky breath. “Okay, I believe you.” My breath rushes out. “I just want to get through it so I don’t have to worry about leaving the planet.”
Melody squeezes my shoulders firmly before pulling me into a quick hug. “You won’t have to leave the planet! Asher has assured us that no one who comes here from Earth will ever have to leave. They’ll take care of us.” The glint in her eyes turns teasing and sly. “And within a week, you’ll be mated. Thorne is your fate. I know you’re nervous, but I promise, you will love being with him.”
Melody steps back, waving before she hurries into the flower shop where she works. I pass the coffee shop where Nadine works and wave at Trudy, the orc who manages it. She’s outside, tending to the flowers she’s planted in front of it. I keep walking before turning down the lane leading to the stables. My pulse quickens as I approach. Because the last time I was here, Thorne kissed me.
Chapter Six
ROMI
Every time I walk into the stables now, I think about Thorne and the way it feels to be near him.
Moments later, I stride into the supply room, where Thorne lit my body on fire with a kiss. There’s no reason for me to think he will be here. Yet disappointment shoots through me when he’s not. I swallow through the burst of emotion that rises. I don’t need to be sad about not seeing an alien cowboy who kissed me. Even if I had never imagined feeling like that. Even if we have the infinity pulse.
Fortunately, I love my job, so I lose myself in work. I spend time training Fury and checking on the horses from Earth before shifting my attention to the other horses. If you’d told me on Earth that horses from there would mate with what were once dragons from here, I’d have laughed. They look mostly like horses now, but their fur shimmers in colors, and their wings are almost feathered in a more leathery way. They are intense and powerful. I’ve ridden a few of them, but I’ve yet to fly.
“Someday,” I whisper to one of the female horses. Her name is Sasha. She’s young and spunky. The elderly woman who runs the stables has told me Sasha hasn’t been trained yet.
A while later, I’m preparing the evening feedings for the young girl who comes out to handle those after I leave when awareness prickles up my spine. The hairs rise on the back of my neck, and my entire body vibrates in anticipation. Without seeing him, I know Thorne is here.
I try to order my pulse to slow, but it ignores me, dashing off at a breakneck pace, my heart beating so fast my breath is shallow. I hear footsteps coming down the walkway between the stalls. They rarely keep the animals inside here, but they all have places to rest.
“Romi.”
Thorne’s voice reaches me, echoing through my body like the reverberations from the ring of a bell. I turn to find him standing in the doorway, his shoulder propped against the frame.
His golden gaze locks with mine, and I could swear a flame licks through the air between us. When his eyes sweep up and down my body, I feel the heat of his fiery gaze in my belly. I shift restlessly on my feet, feeling the arousal slippery between my thighs. I’m not familiar with this sensation, and it’s intense.
“Hi.” My voice comes out breathless.
I mentally chastise myself.Don’t be silly. Get a grip.
Thorne pushes away from the door and steps into the room, closing it behind him. The click of the latch echoes in the quiet space. I take a shallow breath, my senses absorbing the scents of this room—leather, hay, and grain, the familiar scent of horses. Dust moats float in the air, illuminated by the sunlight casting at an angle through the windows high on the wall.
“I was hoping I’d see you today.” I can feel the low rumble of Thorne’s voice in my body. He takes a step closer, his eyes never once breaking from mine.
“I’m here almost every day,” I rasp.
He closes the distance between us in two strides, and my hips bump against a wooden counter that runs the length of the wall.
“A week,” he says simply.
