He wouldn’t let his dilemma escalate to endanger the ship or its crew. It shouldn’t, anyway. They didn’t have a reason to attack the mining ship. Surround it? Demand he come out? Sure. That could happen. But hurt it? Not really, especially not if he wasn’t onboard when they arrived.
Erzo nodded solemnly. “Which is why I need your help. I heard about the Intergalactic Dating Agency…”
“The Intergalactic Dating Agency,” Fwan interrupted with a hint of respect in his voice for the organization that had recently expanded its reach to Disguised Serenity, a renowned space station. “They’ve got an excellent reputation. But it’s not just a simple date you’re after, is it?”
“No,” Erzo replied. “It’s a lifeline.”
Fwan sighed, weighing the request. “Alright, Erzo. I’ll see what I can do. But you owe me one.”
Erzo offered a grateful smile. “Thank you, Fwan. I won’t forget this. I’ve heard good things about them.”
“Good,” Fwan confirmed, finalizing the details. “Ship leaves tomorrow. Get ready to depart.”
With a bow of gratitude, Erzo was dismissed. He left Fwan’s office, his heart pounding with conflicting emotions. He thought about bringing a mate back to his quarters and the need to make his space welcoming, a sanctuary amidst the stars. He recalled an adage about cleanliness and its appeal, a human touch in an otherwise alien world. Any woman would want that, right? Hell, if he knew what she would be like.
Each step he took through the dimly lit corridors of The Stonebroke felt heavy, laden with the gravity of his future. This ship, which had once been his refuge, now loomed like a gilded cage, its steel embrace preparing to entwine him with a mate chosen not by heart’s desire but by necessity.
As he navigated the ship’s veins, the rhythm of his footsteps was a drumbeat echoing in the silence. The Stonebroke, a lone sentinel adrift in the celestial sea, sailed through the inky tapestry of night, bearing Erzo towards a star-crossed path woven with passion, duty, the allure of a stranger’s embrace, the mate who might soon share his life.
3
Polly Gillespie wiped a bead of sweat from her brow, cursing herself for not choosing an air-conditioned bookstore for this confrontation. Under the relentless glare of the summer sun, the park was a furnace, its air thick and suffocating. Of course, the heat only exacerbated the already flaring tempers.
Jana’s fiery eyes, betraying a tumult of emotions, paced back and forth on the parched grass. She had rushed to meet Polly here, frantic with worry about Stefan, her boyfriend, who also was Polly’s cousin. And quite the scoundrel.
Stefan Gillespie, the charming heartbreaker, was notorious for juggling women. His latest victim was Jana, oblivious that she was just one piece in Stefan’s deceptive puzzle. Tori, his long-standing, public girlfriend, was another.
Polly cornered Stefan once, throwing the truth about Jana and Tori in his face. His reaction? A smug pride in his romantic conquests, as if Jana and Tori were just notches on his belt. His smugness nearly drove her to violence. Yet, in that heated moment, a flicker of introspection emerged. Was her urge to intervene a reflection of her codependent tendencies? This unsettling thought mingled with her righteous indignation, casting doubt on her motivations.
Polly, the only one in Stefan’s family who’d reached out to Jana, felt a gnawing guilt. Having been cheated on herself, Polly had made a silent vow: she wouldn’t let another woman suffer the same fate. Polly hated hurting them but would rather someone tell her straight-up rather than know and hide it. But revealing the truth to Jana and Tori was proving more complicated than she had imagined.
Now, as Jana’s anxious gaze darted between Polly and the empty pathways, waiting for Stefan, Polly’s carefully laid plans unraveled. She had tried showing Jana the social media proof of Stefan’s duplicity, but denial was a powerful shield.
Polly’s heart ached for Jana, who clung to the illusion that she was Stefan’s one and only. Confronting Stefan had only revealed his pride in his deceitful escapades. Polly had been so close to letting her fist fly at him.
Instead, she reached out to Tori. Together, they had crafted this intervention, a necessary but painful ruse. Tori had her suspicions, but it blindsided Jana. The tension was palpable as the three women stood in the sweltering heat, each moment stretching into an eternity. Polly could feel the hostility radiating off Tori, ready to erupt at the slightest provocation and Jana’s mounting distress.
Polly knew she had to diffuse the situation. “Jana, go over there,” she directed towards the newly installed metal-sculptured arch exhibits. “Just a minute,” she added, turning to Tori with a determined look. “You, come here.”
Jana paused, her gaze flitting back with a flicker of apprehension before she ventured among the looming arches. The uneven rhythm of her high heels clacked against the sun-baked pavement.
Polly turned her attention to Tori just as Stefan’s call came through. Seizing the opportunity, Polly grabbed Tori’s phone.
“I told your mother about your antics,” Polly blurted—the words felt deliciously wicked as they rolled off her tongue, a small but satisfying victory in their chaotic confrontation, even if it was petty.
Stefan’s panicked voice crackled through the speaker. “What? Polly?”
But Tori snatched the phone, ending the call abruptly with a look of bewilderment.
“You think his mother will do anything?” Tori asked.
Polly shrugged, watching Jana’s distant figure weaving through the arches. “To her Golden Boy? Unlikely, but it’s a start.”
Polly hoped Jana had cooled off by now, ready to talk things through. But seeing her smack those metal arches with each step, Polly thought, ‘Yeah, calm is definitely not on the menu today.’ As they approached Jana, a sudden flash of light caught their attention. Jana, stepping through one arch, disappeared into a blinding glow.
“What in the world...?” Tori gasped, breaking into a run toward the arch.
Polly was hot on her heels, her mind racing with confusion and fear. “Jana? Where are you?”
