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“I am a busy individual, yet I make time for my disgraced son. You could at least show me the same courtesy.”

“I am, Father.” Faron held in a sigh. “How may I help?”

Bartlek’s face appeared. “You are not pleased to see us?”

“My family always gives me pleasure,” he replied coldly. “What do you want?”

Bartlek shook his head. “You are dressed to dance, again? Why will you not listen to me?”

“I hear you just fine. I choose not to follow what you have to say.”

His brother sneered at him. “Have you reviewed the information I sent about the Tolong female?”

Faron realized he hadn’t. He’d glanced at the information when his brother had sent it through but then dismissed it. He shouldn’t have done that, but he wasn’t interested in her.

“I have been busy,” he replied after a short pause.

“Too busy to assess your future mate’s compatibility?” Bartlek shook his head, a smirk on his face. “You should leap at the opportunity. This is the only chance you’ll get. Few Tolong females accept damaged goods.”

Faron bared his teeth. “I am not damaged goods.”

Bartlek’s laugh was sharp. “You are less than whole, and that makes you damaged. Your lack of humbleness is alarming. You’ll need to change your attitude if you are to secure this female.”

“Perhaps I don’t want to secure her.”

“What is the meaning of this?” His father’s face reappeared. “You must agree to this pairing. It is tantamount to your success and reintroduction into the family. This is the only way you can achieve that.”

“I understand that,” Faron said.

He watched as Bartlek patted his father on the shoulder. “Leave this to me. Faron is not thinking clearly. Perhaps that little human he has been associating with has addled his already impaired mind.”

“My thinking is clear.” Faron kept his tone level. “I have chosen another path.”

“The wrong path,” Bartlek said. “We offer you this sign of family commitment, and you throw it in our faces. I have worked hard to secure this female for you. You cannot turn her down.”

“I must go,” Faron said. “I will contact you to discuss the arrangements at a later date. There will be a way we can make this up to the female without any loss of face.”

“You will discuss them now,” his brother snarled.

“There is nothing to discuss.” Faron hovered his finger over the port screen. This might be the only chance he had to say goodbye. What should he say to a family as cold and brutal as his? He’d tried to obey them and follow their rules, but he’d failed.

“There is everything to discuss.”

“I take my leave of you.” Those were poor words, but all he could offer them.

“That won’t be possible,” Bartlek said. “In fact, you must prepare for us. We arrived on Prodigy ten minutes ago.”

Faron took a step back, his hand going to his chest. “You are here?”

“I can see how happy you are by that news.”

This was Faron’s worst nightmare, his family on Prodigy. He was not prepared. He could not see them like this, dressed in his ceremonial dance thong. Frustration heated his blood. He had everything planned. He was about to dance for Kendra and make his commitment to her. How could he do that now his family was on the space station?

“We decided you needed prodding into action,” his brother said. “Your lukewarm reception to the Tolong female alarmed us. We are concerned you have lost your way and need re-education.”

Faron grimaced. He’d had plenty of re-education at the hard hand of his father. He would not go through that again. They were wrong. He knew what he was doing was out of character, but things had changed since he’d met Kendra. He couldn’t go back to his old life. After pining for something he thought he could never have, his family had offered it to him, but he no longer desired it. He desired something else. He desired someone else.

“You will meet us in our quarters,” his father said.