My tone is light, but I mean it deeply and completely. I have gone to see Romi every day at the stables, and it’s all I can do not to fully claim her while I wait for our wedding. Even then, I’m hopeful she’s already with our child.
Jane’s eyes narrow as she studies me. “Have you met with the tailor?” she asks.
“Of course,” I insist. “You sent me a list, and I have attended to every task and appointment on that list.”
Before I fell for Romi, I would’ve been more grudging about these tasks. Now, they are nothing. They are simply steps I have to take to seal my union with my beloved.
Jane’s lips twitch, and I turn my head at the sound of snorting laughter. Both Hunter and Asher are chuckling at my state.
I shrug. “I mean what I say, quite literally. Tomorrow can’t come soon enough.”
Jane lets out a soft sigh, her eyes warm. “I’m so grateful you found Romi.” She pauses. “Honestly, I’m surprised you didn’t connect with her sooner. She’s at the stables all the time.”
Hunter rolls his eyes. “Thorne likes to ride when no one is around. His mount is kind of a jerk to anyone other than Thorne.”
“Silver likes Romi,” I chime in.
“Of course he does,” Jane says. “She has the magic touch with horses. She was worried that she might have to leave if she didn’tfind a mate soon enough. Even though I assured her that would never happen, she still worried.”
My heart twists. I don’t like thinking of Romi worrying about something like that. At all. Although she is open and vulnerable with me, I can sense her guarded heart and know she’s been hurt in the past.
“She needn’t worry,” Asher offers. “We need to do better when we recruit for mates to make sure they understand that. Even if they don’t mate, they will be safe and we will not return them to Earth.”
“There’s a wrinkle in that plan,” Hunter comments. “With the men from Earth here, they seem frustrated with our matchmaking service. They have plenty of women on Earth, and next to nothing to offer them.”
“Except their tiny green zone,” Asher says with a sneer. “And, without our planet’s support, they would starve. They have another century before their planet might recover. I will keep talking with Kayden about security for the men visiting from Earth. I’m concerned they have something else in mind for their visit here.”
Chapter Eight
THORNE
I’m standing at the front of the wedding room. It’s not what humans would call a church, but it’s similar. Our planet recognizes and honors all religions from all planets, but we also are deeply aware of not granting too much power to any religion. We worship all life and the bounty of the universe.
As I wait, I’m restless for Romi’s arrival. Asher, Hunter, and Kayden are waiting with me. They are my closest friends and the men to whom I would turn for anything. They would lay their lives on the line for me, as I would for them. It’s fitting for them to be with me for this ceremony.
Electricity sizzles through me when Romi enters the space. Her braided dark hair is twisted atop her head. Her angular features have an aristocratic quality to them. Her dark eyes lock with mine as she walks toward me. Unlike on Earth, women here are not given away in marriage. They give themselves freely.
Romi, my bride and my mate, stops in front of me. Her strength and fierce independence draw me to her. When her eyes meet mine, and I see the vulnerability flickering there, I want to wrap her in my embrace and protect her for all times.
A sensation that is becoming familiar to me, the tug on my heart, as if there is a cord tying us together, hums. The connection is so powerful it can never be broken.
Romi’s hands hold mine, and we speak our vows, promising and pledging ourselves to each other. The prince is presiding over the ceremony. For all his teasing over the past week, his gaze is entirely somber when I glance at him just before he dips his chin to pronounce us bound.
I know he understands how I feel. Relief washes through me when I can wrap Romi in my embrace and our lips meet. It feels as if a clap of thunder echoes around us. The reverberating force of our joining feels complete.
The next few hours pass in a blur for me. We leave the ceremony to walk with the crowd to the royal compound, where the prince and princess live along with the king and queen. The reception is outdoors with ample food, drink, and celebration in honor of our marriage and mating. At one point, I glance down at Romi, taking in her wide eyes and the tiny furrow between her brows.
I lean down to whisper in her ear, “How are you?”
Her lashes lift when she tips her face toward me. Her lips curl in a small smile. “I am well,” she says. “But a little overwhelmed. It’s a lot.”
Lifting a hand, I trail my knuckles along her cheek. “It is. We can leave to go to our new home whenever you want.”
“We can?”
The desire that sizzles under the surface whenever I’m near her burns a little hotter. “We’ve been here long enough. We’ve had our ceremony and been honored here. Trust me, we can go. Those who want to stay and enjoy the festivities don’t need our presence for that.”
Romi’s teeth snag the corner of her bottom lip, and my entire body tightens. She takes a quick breath and lets out a little sigh. “Let’s go then.”
