“How does this work?” Olmed asked. “Some of us have biological indicators if we have found a mate. In our species, it is believed they are fated from the stars.”
She turned to Olmed. “Yes, that one true mate, the one who will balance you and bring you the harmony for your connection, is a powerful indicator of compatibility,” she said.
“But how, though?” Olmed asked, crossing his arms, his red skin pulsing as he spoke.
"Fated mates, especially those who are triggered by biological markers, have matching markers in their mates. We simply find those matching markers and bring you together with that person.”
She makes it sound so simple, Phares thought. Beneath the surface, he felt the rumblings inside him, the Fever that was burning just below his skin, desperate to mate. He still didn’t trust it. Even if there was science behind how the mates were found, how could the science know?
How would he know? His parental had mated with a female, and she had disappeared when Phares was a boy, even though she was Shoval’s Fever mate. The bond was supposed to be forever and eternal, yet Shoval’s had not worked out.
Xianans were known to be difficult. Shoval was worse than many, but he followed his Fever, and it failed.
Phares had no reason to trust the Fever. Yet here he was, with a female who seemed to think she could find him the perfect mate.
He doubted it.
4
Saturday morning came and Jana bounced out of bed, thrilled to death because she knew that Stefan would be coming sometime today, and she'd finally get to see her boyfriend.
It had been a long week, and she was ready for some together time. After talking with Dyana at St. Anthony's, she felt her own worries starting to build. While her friend was right, and that there might be something for her to be concerned with, she had to believe there was a logical explanation about why Stefan didn't call when he was traveling for work.
Jana reminded herself of that old phrase--absence makes the heart grow fonder. Surely he'd be thrilled to see her too when he got back.
She fixed her hair and her makeup and did all the things so she'd look great when Stefan arrived, constantly checking her phone for texts or arrival messages.
Nothing.
"He's just running late," she muttered and flipped on the television.
It was on the true crime show channel she liked.
Nobody suspected it…
But there had been signs…
“Why does that damn television seem to be talking to me?” Jana shook her head and turned off the TV. She didn't want to think that she was overly naive or anything like that. She wasn't a foolish girl, she really wasn't.
She just...
She believed in people. Especially those she cared about.
Stefan, she believed.
Sure, it was perfectly normal for a boyfriend to go out of town for almost a week and not reach out to her during that time.
That was normal.
Surely it was--
Her phone chimed.
Jana leaped out of her chair, fumbled with the phone, and dropped it trying to get to the text message.
Riippp.
There went the side of her new dress, caught on her chair.
