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His parents spoke again quietly for another minute.

“I feel like I’m being judged,” Eden muttered.

“It’s a shock for them. Give them time to get used to it.”

“It’s unusual to abdicate your responsibilities,” his dad said. “Is there nothing I can say to convince you to accept your birth right?”

Blaze’s heart clenched, but he shook his head. “I don’t want to let you down. I know I’ve broken my promise by finding a match outside of the guidelines. But now I have, I’m not giving Eden up. She’s too important to lose.”

“Love is important,” his mom said.

His dad opened his mouth as if to protest but shut it when he got a sharp glare and another jab in the ribs.

“We came so close to losing you,” his mom said. “It crushed me to think of you gone, before you had a chance to experience joy with another. Your happiness is crucial to us.”

His dad sighed but nodded. “And it hasn’t escaped our attention that you’ve resisted every match we presented to you.”

“Even when we had our recent conversation, and you said you’d come home, I knew you said those words with little joy. You seemed resigned to your fate, rather than wanting to embrace it.” His mom shook her head. “That’s no way to live your life.”

“Will you continue your work on the Apocalypse?” his dad said.

Hope tickled inside Blaze. They were accepting his decision. “Yes, I’d like to.”

“If you do, you must come visit us more often,” his mom said.

“Of course. I’ve missed not seeing you. I only stayed away because—”

“Because you didn’t want us to force you into a match you’d be unhappy with,” his mom said.

“I didn’t want to break my word to you. I know how important these alliances are.”

“They’re valuable, but we won’t sacrifice your happiness to forge a new partnership. I’ve spoken to your dad at length about this. We don’t always agree on the topic.”

“It’s all I’ve heard about for months,” his dad said, resignation on his face.

“I like your mom. She’s awesome,” Eden whispered.

His parents nodded at each other then faced the screen.

“We have a contingency plan,” his dad said.

“You do? What’s the plan?” Blaze asked.

“Your younger brother, Astro, is prepared to step into the role. He’s visiting at the moment.” His mom lifted her chin and beckoned someone over.

Astro appeared and stood behind his mom. He clapped a hand on his parents’ shoulders. He was three years younger than Blaze, stockier, with several days’ growth of dark stubble on his chin.

“Hey, Astro. I didn’t know you were home.” Blaze grinned at his brother.

An easy smile crossed his face. “Since you’ve been messing around in space, blowing things up and falling for the wrong woman, I’ve been having to do the responsible stuff.”

“She’s not the wrong woman,” Blaze said. “Eden is perfect for me.”

Astro’s attention shifted to Eden. “Nice to meet you. Blaze often mentioned you when we spoke. I knew he had a thing for you, even though he denied it.”

“Is that so?” Eden arched a brow and grinned up at Blaze. “You should have said something to me.”

Blaze grunted, while Astro chuckled.