“You wouldn’t have a choice,” Colby said, voicing the concerns that Sparx had but managed to push to the recesses of his mind. “Mating is something we can’t control. Not even when the healers tried were they able to do it. They couldn’t even slow it down.”
“It won’t happen to me,” he argued stubbornly, shutting the possibility down before it could distract him further. “I won’t let it. I have no desire for my heart to reside outside of my chest.”
Chapter Four
“I really am sorry,” Lucy said again. This time, she sniffed, trying to keep the tears at bay that welled up and threatened to spill over. Not only did she hate crying, she was not prepared to for what came with it. She highly doubted the Phaetons manning the shuttle had tissues in their pockets if she started blubbering.
“It’s okay,” Rue said with a wince, leaning down to rub the foot that Lucy had accidentally stepped on when getting into her own seat.
The women on the other side of the shuttle watched with pity in their eyes, making Lucy feel even worse for the kerfuffle. It seemed as though her bad luck and poor coordination had followed her straight into space, no matter how much she’d hoped to leave them behind.
“No, it’s not,” Tabitha snapped from her seat on Lucy’s left. “Every time you’re around one of us, someone gets hurt. First, it was Jessie’s hand, and then Camille’s knee. Now it’s Rue’s foot. And isn’t that the same leg you injured yesterday?”
Lucy pulled farther and farther back at each word Tabitha shot her way. The tally of her accidentally injured friends hit her like an arrow straight to the heart.
“For someone that hasn’t been hurt at all, you sure have a lot to say,” Jessie drawled, her eyes narrowed on Tabitha where she continued to glare at Lucy. Popping her gum, she eyed her for a moment before giving Lucy a nod. “Want to trade seats, Lucy?”
“No, thank you. I appreciate it though,” she said, giving her new ally a grateful smile.
“Don’t worry about it, hon.” Jessie winked at her before going back to her book.
“It really is okay,” Rue whispered, leaning over a bit to talk. “I know it was an accident.”
“The problem is I seem to have an awful lot of accidents,” Lucy said with a frown. “Like…a lot a lot.”
“I know, Goose.” Rue rolled her eyes. “We’ve been best friends since we were seven. I know everything about you.”
Lucy snorted. “Not everything.”
“Oh really?” Rue teased, one eyebrow lifting. “I know eh-va-re-thing, bitch. Unless there’s something you haven’t told me?”
Lucy thought for a moment, trying to think of any small tidbit she may not have blabbed about to her sister-from-another-mister. This was the problem you ran into when your best friend was privy to your entire life down to the details of your appointment for a recurring UTI.
“Okay, so you know me inside and out,” she groused with a frown. “All that means is that you know things go to shit whenever I’m around. You know about the time I accidentally set the church on fire—”
“It was old anyways,” Rue interrupted. “Old wood burns fast. That’s a scientific fact.”
“—to the time my flip-flop got caught on the gas pedal and I mowed down an entire row of mailboxes, plus the neighborhood welcomes sign they’d just installed.” Lucy waited to see how Rue spun that particular clusterfuck.
“Those were bum flops. Seriously. It could have happened to anyone. And that sign was fucking ugly. It deserved to be taken out,” her bestie argued, trying her hardest to do what friends did.
Cheer her up.
Regardless of how much pain Rue was in, Lucy could see she was trying to play it off. Like it was nothing, and she shouldn’t feel guilty. It was a super sweet gesture, one that Lucy appreciated with her entire heart. Especially considering it was something she tended to do—a lot.
That was the problem.
“I’d hoped this would be a fresh start.”
Rue sat back in her seat and pursed her lips, obviously thinking before she responded to Lucy’s whisper.
“A start where Lucy Goosey wouldn’t exist anymore.” That sad statement was even quieter than the first.
“I like Lucy Goosey,” her friend said out of the side of her mouth. Quiet, keeping the secret Lucy didn’t want shared with the world on the down-low. “No, scratch that. I love her. Yeah she’s a little klutzy and goofy, but she’s really amazing and also my best friend.”
Lucy winced at first, hearing Rue repeat the nickname she’d grown to hate over the years. What had started as a sweet endearment that her mom had used had morphed into a childhood taunt that left lasting scars. Not only was she clumsy as all get out, things also managed to fall apart whenever she was in the mix.
“Goose,” Rue said, calling her back from where her mind had drifted. “C’mon. Do you think I would have followed just anyone to space?”
“No,” she admitted, reaching over to link hands with Rue. “I still can’t believe you did it either. Add the fact that it was your suggestion, and I’ll admit, I almost had a stroke from the shock. I mean, I’ve been talking about volunteering since the Phaetons showed up, but you never talked about it before a few weeks ago. Part of me thinks you’re going to change your mind.”
“Never,” Rue insisted, not quite meeting her eye. “I guess listening to you all this time wore me down. You know…true love yada, yada, yada.”
“Could it also possibly be linked to the fact that our place was robbed and we lost everything we owned?” Lucy asked sarcastically, acknowledging what was the actual truth of their predicament. They were two gals with literally no pot to piss in. The only thing they had left was an empty apartment that they had continued to stay in because the rent had been paid, clothes that had luckily been left behind, and an air mattress that they shared on the floor. “I mean, I’ve always wanted to apply, but losing everything—”
“Even the shower curtain,” Rue interrupted in a mystified voice. “What monster takes the fucking shower curtain?”
“A desperate one,” Jessie answered from across the aisle, her attention apparently not on the book in her hand and instead on their conversation. Nodding at their clasped hands, she raised her brows. “Are ya’ll together?”
“Oh no,” Lucy snorted.
“Hard pass,” Rue said, shaking her head and making a face, only to laugh when Lucy dropped her hand dramatically as if offended. “In regard to the general eating of the pussy, Luce. Not you in particular.”
Her defense got some laughs from the women strapped into their seats.
“Gross,” Tabitha muttered.
“What was gross?” Rue asked, leaning forward to see Tabitha on the other side of Lucy. “The fact that I said the word pussy or that I prefer not to be face deep in one? I have no problems with lesbians. I simply don’t partake of the pussy myself.”
“Partake of the pussy?” Lucy snickered, covering her face with her hands where she sat sandwiched between the two women who were glaring at each other. “Try saying that three times fast.”
“You probably are a couple of dykes,” Tabitha sneered.
At those words, every single female zeroed in on her.
“Hey, now,” Jessie spoke up first, uncrossing her legs but staying seated. “I suggest you watch your mouth before anymore bigotry spills out.
“I second that,” Rue hissed, her glare as sharp as her voice as it cut across the space she was filling between the pair.
“Anyways,” Tabitha said, backing down when she realized every female was giving her the exact same look of disgust as they watched the drama unfold.
She made a sour face at the women still looking at her before slipping her earbuds in. Lucy, grateful that the tension had eased, turned back to Rue, who’d once again reached for her hand.
“So…” she drawled, filling the silence.
Rue snorted before bursting into snickers, trying to hol
d back her laughter. Of course, that only prodded Lucy to give in to her own case of the giggles.
“Well, that was uncomfortable,” Lucy said when she was finally able to control herself.
“Pffft.” Rue blew a raspberry. “I live to make people uncomfortable. It keeps things spicy.”
Lucy acknowledged the truth of her friend’s words by squeezing the hand she was holding. “I like you spicy.”
And she did. She truly did.
The pair had been fast friends for years, having grown up only a few blocks away from each other. The neighborhood had gotten so used to seeing the pair together that people often thought they were sisters, despite their different coloring. Rue’s skin was the perfect creamy tan year-round, thanks to her Mexican background, while Lucy was as pale as snow, except for the freckles that covered her skin, thanks to her Irish father who split when she was twelve.
Lifting their linked fingers, Rue wiggled their clasped hands between them. “If I ever was a lesbian, I would be one for you, Luce.”
“Gee, thanks.” Rolling her eyes, she leaned back in her chair and let out a deep breath.
When they’d boarded earlier, the Phaetons had warned the trip down to the surface of Djaromir would be quick and a bit bumpy. So far her stomach had stayed silent, but every now and then a dip would remind her they were literally flying through space. The idea was so wild she could barely wrap her mind around it.
“Whatcha thinking?” Rue asked.
“I don’t know. A little bit of everything I guess,” she said before biting her lip nervously. “I mean, this is crazy right?”
“A little, but we’ve gone over and over the list, Luce.”
“What list?” Jessie interrupted from the other side of the aisle again, closing her book and placing it on her lap. “I don’t mean to be nosy, but honestly, I need something to distract me from my own nerves rising up. I’ve read the same page since I buckled my seat belt, and I’m about to go crazy if I have to do it again.”
Lucy turned her head to look at Rue, who just shrugged back as if saying “go for it.”
“We made a list of pros and cons before volunteering to be a mate of Djaromir.”
Jessie gave her a wry smile. “I’m pretty sure you’re not the only ones that did something like that. What were your pros?”
“Well,” Lucy began, holding up her fingers to begin ticking them off. “Security. A relationship.”
“Because dating on Earth is a fucking joke,” Rue muttered, her brows lowered.
“A home full of kids. Adventure.”
“I think that was it, Luce,” Rue said with a nod. “Security, a relationship, a stable home with the standard 2.5 children, and the chance at an adventure.”
“Did you also apply for the Bridal Pact with the Phaetons?” another bride asked, her name Lucy couldn’t remember.
“No,” she answered, shaking her head. “I thought about it and probably would have at some point if the agreement with Djaromir hadn’t been announced. For some reason…this place felt like the better choice.”
“What about you?” Jessie asked Rue, who was tapping her chin in thought.
“I guess I prefer the idea of the Djaromir mating over filling out a questionnaire and being assigned to a Phaeton. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I think if you find the one for you then that’s amazing, it doesn’t matter how it came about, but if I were to choose between the two ways that they match volunteers? I like the Djaromir way better. I guess it figures though; my favorite romances are the ones that center around mates. The type of mates that are together because they’re unable to stay apart.” She paused for a moment, tapping her chin. “I’ll be honest, it doesn’t hurt that they added a hefty chunk of change if we end up going home either.”
“True,” Lucy agreed, remembering that was one of the bonuses if things didn’t end up panning out. “The money is a nice consolation prize, but I want what I read about in my romance novels.”
“I know what you mean.” Jessie held up the romance she’d been reading to showcase the cover. A book that was obviously a shifter romance, judging by the title and cover. “When I watched the interview with Lady Juniper and her husband, I practically melted into a puddle. The way he was looking at her—let’s just say I was on my phone trying to figure out how to go about getting my name on the list before they’d even answered the first question. I could practically see the sizzle between the two of them. It was like they’d walked right out of one of my books and were suddenly on camera.”
“That’s what I want,” Lucy said with a heartfelt sigh. “I want someone to look at me the way Juniper’s warlord looked at her. Like she hung the moon.”
“I want that too,” Rue agreed right before the shuttle shimmied as they landed. “For both of us. We deserve it.”
Chapter Five
“What are you doing here?” Sparx asked, stunned that Matrix, the Warlord of Gunninng, was standing before him.
“Good to see you, too,” his friend drawled sarcastically, tossing back his hood to reveal a smile that crinkled the large scar running down the side of his bearded face.
“Sorry, ‘Trix.” Sparx hit his fellow warlord on the back a few times in greeting. “It is always good to see you. I’m just unsure what brought you to Fyeir.”
“The females that have been chosen for Gunninng are not set to arrive for another month, so I thought I would come over and see how things work in Fyeir,” he explained with a shrug of his broad shoulders. “We’ve followed Juniper’s instructions as best we could in setting up women’s quarters, but I am unsure if that is enough. I want to see how you and your miners handle their arrival.”
“To learn from our mistakes?” Sparx asked dryly; not mad, as it was exactly what he would do in the same position.
“There has to be a benefit of going last. Plus, I wanted to use the Phaeton vehicle to time a run between our cities,” Matrix replied with a shrug. “How have you been, Colby?”
Sparx’s second-in-command snapped to attention at the question. “I’ve been well, sir.”
“And your wound from the byorin?” Matrix asked, referring to the injury Colby had taken on their last group hunt.
“Healed and no lasting problems, sir.”
“Good.” Nodding at the young man, Matrix turned his attention to Sparx once again. “Do you want company back to the gate? I wouldn’t mind the walk after being cooped up in that vehicle for the entire morning, and there are some things we should discuss.”
“That sounds good.” Sparx turned to excuse Colby. “Head back to the city and make sure the rooms are perfect for when we arrive. Have the kitchen warm mead and bring it to the first gate as a welcoming drink for the women to help chase the chill away.”
“Yes, sir.” After handing over the cards he’d been charged with delivering, Colby gave them a short bow and jogged back the way they’d come.
“What’s going on?” Sparx asked, cutting right to the point.
“Listen,” Matrix began as they fell into step in the direction of the gates. “I don’t know about you, but Gunninng is less than pleased with the agreement that K’hor signed on behalf of Djaromir.”
“Our displeasure with the terms he negotiated does nothing more than waste our time and energy.”
“Only ten women per Earth month, Sparx? You agree that is a reasonable number when our race totals in the thousands of males searching for mates?”
Sparx placed a steady hand on Matrix’s shoulder at the sound of anger he could hear plainly in his voice. “Calm, ‘Trix. While I agree the number is nowhere near the amount I wanted it to be, it is still ten more females than we had before. Djaromir is so desperate at this point that I cannot see being ungrateful for those chances.”
“They’re offering us scraps for the amount of ore and jewels we’ve already shipped to their planet.”
Sparx rubbed a hand down his face. He understood the frustration that Matrix wa
s voicing because he felt the exact same.
On one hand he could only imagine how hard it was to get volunteers. He didn’t know what it was like on that planet for women, but making the decision to leave all that is familiar had to be more than difficult. The warlords had been told that the Phaetons guaranteed their volunteers a stipend, a large monetary settlement the brides could receive for their troubles if things didn’t work out. They figured it was only fair for Djaromir to do the same. They understood the women’s need for security, in case they went back to Earth without a mate.
Not that he planned on letting that happen.
If he had his way, they would be able to find every single available female that arrived on Djaromir a mate. Especially if they were only allotted ten at a time.
“Patience, ‘Trix.”
“I hate being told to be patient,” the other warlord snapped, his boots stomping as they walked to meet the women they were talking about.
“How does Gunninng fare?” Sparx asked as they approached the second gate. Moving to the levers on the side of the cavern, he began to trigger the weights that would swing the gate open for them to continue on.
“Gunninng fares as it always has,” Matrix answered, bracing himself to move one of the levers on his own. Pushing with a grunt, he gave Sparx a look out of the corner of his eye. “Steady and strong.”
“And the brides that mated with your men? How are they?” Sparx asked curiously, wondering if they’d voiced any complaints regarding life within the tunnels.
“They’ve settled as much as we could expect. The only wish I’ve heard is for ways for them to stay busy, but that won’t be a problem once their babies arrive.” Matrix shrugged, the furs shifting over his shoulders. “Only a few months more before Gunninng has the chance to celebrate its first births in more years than I want to admit.”
“They didn’t waste time in planting their seed.” Sparx winced at the sound of jealousy in his own voice.
“Not long at all,” he agreed with a chuckle that softened his normally harsh visage. “What about Fyeir? Are your men ready for the females to arrive?”
Miners of Djaromir: Sparx Page 3
