That was what Disguised Serenity was—a series of old, damaged spaceships left to rot in a junk float, and scavengers had hooked them into each other to make a station. It had worked so well that the total count of ships now attached to Disguised Serenity was unknown. Truly, upon approach, the place looked like a child’s toy storage, where all the vessels had been shoved together, and couldn’t get pulled back apart.

  He stayed in the middle of the concourse, following the flow, and avoiding the vendors on either side of the aisle, attempting to sell travelers whatever little trinket they might need, whether it was last minute necessities or memorabilia from the station.

  He touched the scanner in his pocket. Now that he had a moment to himself, this might be an ideal time to see if there was any trace of the stolen tools in this part of the ship. He weaved through the crowd and headed toward a spot between two vendor booths, so he could configure his tool to scan for the stabilizers’ primary elements—citricite and triokin compound. While the triokin was common enough, the stabilizers used a special mix of that and citricite, creating a unique signature.

  He started to pan the device around.

  “Your friends went that way,” the female at the booth next to him said. She was older, with white hair and blue-gray skin. Wrinkles marred her face but her eyes were sharp.

  “My friends?” he asked. How did she know he was here with Phares and Erzo?

  “The other Kantenans.” She pointed again, this time holding a wand in her hand that she was selling. She took a bite off the end.

  Correction. That she was eating.

  “How long ago?” Olmed asked.

  She shrugged. “Maybe quarter of an hour. Maybe an hour. Time flies around here.” She stared at him.

  Olmed signed. She probably wanted credits.

  He patted his pocket. He had one token for five credits. Not much, but it was something. He handed it to her.

  She glanced at it, then back at him. “It was about twenty minutes ago, and they went to the far shop on the end and went inside.”

  Olmed nodded and headed down the walkway, looking for a store on the far end with Kantenans in it.

  The store, like she said, was down on the end, and sure enough, there were two Kantenans inside. From their clothing, they looked to be miners. The bone ridges on their backs were covered by their clothing, but the clothing itself was more practical, with no sign of costly materials.

  Only the upper tier, like Gol-Vetts, had specially tapered clothing that accentuated those ridges. Their clothing mostly disguised the ridges.

  Though that could be by design. If they were hiding—

  One turned toward the shop’s entrance.

  Olmed stepped back into the shadows and out of the line of sight of the other Kantenan. Checked his sensor. Sure enough, if there were stabilizers, they were inside that store.

  He was able to watch them unnoticed. The Kantenans exited, and he ran another scan. Whatever they’d brought, they left in the store.

  At least he knew that much.

  He started to follow the Kantenans when his communicator went off.

  He pulled it out. “What?”

  “Found Phares. Meet me in section 251.”

  “On my way,” Olmed said. He’d have to research this after they got settled. He hoped the shop would not be closed or the products gone by the time he returned.

  He made it down to the section, and just as the area came into view, he could see the crowd that was drawing around Phares and Erzo.

  “Did you find—oh. Re-lee.” Olmed nodded to the Intergalactic Dating Agency rep. She was surrounded by three Terran females. “Are these our mates?”

  They looked so tiny. Surely they couldn’t be. All three women stared at him.

  “He’s red. With horns,” one said. She had dark hair that fell in waves around her shoulders and wore some kind of blue pack on her chest with a cartoon character on it.

  Was she a child?

  Re-lee merely grinned. “Yes, gentlemen. While this is not how I like to introduce couples, I love that you found each other. Come, let’s go back to the offices and discuss things.”

  Phares shook his head. “I need to return—”

  Erzo put his hand on the other man’s shoulder. “Listen. I got a call from Fwan. Everything is stable. He is ordering us—you specifically—to stay. At least for now.”

  Olmed studied them. The one who was near Phares seemed the most comfortable. He kept feeling drawn to her.

  “Let us have a more formal meeting, shall we?” Re-lee asked.

  A sensation prickled the back of his neck. He couldn’t help the feeling that someone was watching him.

  He glanced over his shoulder.

  He didn’t see anything. However, his instincts had come alive. Something was amiss, of that he was certain.

  He turned back to the group and saw the female with the pack looking at him again.

  “You’re big,” she said.

  “You’re small.”

  She shrugged. “At least I can sneak away.”

  “You planning on it?”

  “You want me to stay?”

  “If you like,” he replied.

  She said something, but he didn’t quite catch it as she increased her pace so she joined the other two Terran females.

  Odd female, he thought.

  6

  "So, wait. These are our mates.” Tori gestured toward the aliens that stood across the room from them. A purple male with bones sticking out of his shoulders, a green guy with scales and a tail, and a red male with horns. All were, by her estimate, seven feet tall, and sturdily built. They all looked like they could crush her in a hug.

  Not exactly what she’d expected.

  She had a hard time taking her eyes off the red one.

  Olmed.

  His general displeasure with the whole situation resonated with her.

  Or maybe that was her own feelings, and she was projecting.

  Regardless. He had a strong vibe that drew her attention. She might have been intrigued if they were on her planet.

  Maybe.

  The whole thing was too wild to believe. Yet here she was, with her new alleged mate. Well she did say she wanted to get away from Stefan, as far away as she could.

  She didn’t expect to be leaving the planet, though. “These non-humans are our mates."

  Re-lee raised her eyebrow. "Humanoid. All two-legged bipedals are humanoid. Males are males, females are females, and gender-fluid are whom they present as. But all are humanoid."

  "Sorry. This is my first alien abduction."

  Re-lee sighed. "This is not an abduction."

  "If you don't want to be here, go home," the red one said.

  “Maybe I will,” she said.

  Polly touched Tori’s shoulder. “Listen, we need to figure this out. Don’t get all carried away yet, okay?”

  Tori jerked out of her touch. “I’ll do what I want.”

  The red one snorted and shook his head. He muttered something about this being stupid, and frankly, that was one thing that Tori agreed with him about.

  This was stupid.

  Weird.

  Crazy.

  And generally impossible to believe.

  “It blows my mind that walking through a metal archway in a park beamed me here so I could mate with this alien,” Tori said. “From my perspective, it feels like an abduction.”

  She didn’t really want to be halfway around the galaxy. Sure, she’d been contemplating moving across the country to get a little space and re-center, but not this. If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she would have chalked this up to being a dream.

  So she didn’t doubt the authenticity of it.

  The sanity?

  That was a whole other thing.

  Olmed seemed so annoyed and unhappy to be here.

  Well, that makes two of us, buddy.

  “In essence, that is what happened.” Re-lee kept smiling. Tori didn’t know if she hated her or if she really was starting to like her romantic optimism. Certainly wasn’t something that Tori possessed anymore. “The system doesn’t fail, and if you are the companions for these males, then I believe it.”

  Tori glanced at Olmed.

  Boys were stupid, no matter where they were from. It wouldn’t take this one long to prove it to her.

  “Has it ever been wrong?” Polly asked. Her gaze darted across the room. “I mean, well. I mean that—”

  “Nothing is perfect,” Re-lee said. “However, our success rate is the best in the galaxy. I assure you, if you have been chosen for Erzo, then the two of you will be compatible. As are you, Tori, and Olmed.”

  Olmed rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

  “You know, you can—” Tori started.

  Polly grabbed her arm. “Stop,” she whispered. “You said yourself you wanted to get away from home for a while. This may very well be the best thing.”

  “I said I wanted to go to Seattle. Not a galaxy far, far, away.”

  “But is that such a bad idea?” Polly asked.

  Jana glanced at Polly and Tori. “Sounds like slavery.”

  Polly nodded, and Tori crossed her arms, tapping her nails. The clattering of the acrylic together soothed her.

  From across the room, Olmed stared at her. Glared. Angrily.

  Did he not like that? Then she was going to do it all the damn time.

  She clattered her nails together again.

  Re-lee looked offended. “This is not slavery by any means. While the Intergalactic Dating Agency prides itself on its perfect accuracy, there is one essential clause. You have thirty days to determine if this match will work. If not, you can return to your homeworld without any obligation.”

  A thirty-day return policy seemed promising. To get out of this, she’d just have to annoy him for the next thirty days.

  It might be easier than she thought, considering the way he was glaring at her.

  “Does it go either way?” Tori asked. “The thirty-day thing?”

  “What do you mean?” Re-lee asked.

  “Thirty days. Is it just for me? Or can either of us reject the match?”

  “It is for either of you,” Re-lee said. “Though very few ever use the clause. We shall make those decisions when the time comes. Then either of you can decide what is the best course of action for your lives.”

  Tori nodded. There was something to be said for being this far away from Stefan, though. Returning would put her in Stefan’s line of sight. And he always seemed to come back, no matter how many times they broke up. She used to tell herself that was because he couldn't live without her.

  She was somewhat right. He couldn't live without her.

  But he couldn't live without her because she did a lot for him. He might have bought her stuff—fake stuff, but stuff--but she was always there for him.

  Of course, she always let him back in.

  So that shit was on her, she supposed.

  Re-lee’s gaze landed on Jana before including the others. “You do not have to stay here while you have your trial period, but you do have to stay with your mate.”

  “Like stay here, in this place?” Jana asked, her gaze landing on Phares again.

  “In the same residence,” Re-lee said.

  Tori rubbed her ear. Surely she hadn’t heard that right. She was going to have to live with tall, red, and horny?

  Well, this was getting worse by the minute.

  Worse, but with a view, anyway.

  Regardless of her tangled emotions, which she was still trying to figure out, Tori was impressed with the place. It was a cross between every sci-fi movie she'd ever seen, and a fancy airport with a busy hotel attached.

  As Re-lee led the way, it seemed to get nicer the further they traveled. Unlike the level they'd found Jana on, the number of other aliens—humanoids— here was very few.

  The streamlined interior carried an overlay of opulence. Smooth, clean lines, but the lines were rimmed with gold and silver and other ores.

  These were not cheap apartments. If the ship was like any place on Earth, a room with a view would cost extra.

  This place had to cost a lot extra. They walked along a hallway that showed off the outside and sections of the station. It was surreal to see a starship fly by outside.

  She had to keep reminding herself that it wasn't a dream or a ride in a theme park.

  It was real.

  Re-lee stopped their little train of people at the entrance to the apartments Tori assumed they were going to be in. Structured like a condominium with three doors and a large front patio, the foyer looked out windows showing the stars beyond the station. Furniture was arranged for enjoying the view. Traffic from starships flew by, and Tori approached the window. Part of her wanted to touch it, but she didn’t dare.

  “No glass,” she whispered and took a step back. It was as if there was nothing between her and the stars.

  "It's beautiful," she said. "And terrifying."

  "Yes," Olmed said.

  Tori glanced at him.

  He wasn't looking out the window. Instead, he was staring at her with an intensity that she could feel.

  She gulped and turned away.

  “This is your residence,” Re-lee said, gesturing to the first door on the left. “Phares and Jana, you will stay here.”

  Jana headed over, stepping next to Phares. “Okay.”

  Tori still didn’t know what she thought of the big red guy with horns. Especially when he kept looking at her like that.

  Did he want to screw her or throw her out into the vacuum of space?

  Re-lee gestured to the middle door. “Olmed and Tori, this residence will be yours.”

  Olmedh didn't do 'ladies first,' evidently. She rolled her eyes and followed him to the apartment door, noticing how his shirt seemed to be loose along his spine, with an odd-shaped pleat.

  Maybe it’s a futuristic fashion style, she thought to herself.

  “Guess that leaves you and me,” Polly said, glancing at the tall green one with the tail. “Erzo, wasn’t it?”

  He nodded. “Polly. Interesting name. You may have to tell me more about the idiom of it sometime.”

  She smirked. “I am not sure I know the answer. It’s a common name on my world.”

  “And if this doesn’t work out?” Tori asked, glancing at Olmed. The top of her head came to the top of his shoulders. The curve of his horns wrapped around the side of his head almost like a ram.

  Or a certain space princess’s famous cinnamon roll hairstyle.

  Great. Now I’m never getting that out of my head, she mused as she faced Re-lee.

  “You do get to go home,” Re-lee said.

  Tori nodded. At least there was that. Though at this point, she wasn’t sure what she’d be going home to.

  Stefan?

  Not exactly a promising future.

  Re-lee drew her attention. “The residences are the nicest ones we have. I even arranged for some special time together for the six of you, considering the circumstances. My assistant arranged several outings for you all.”

  She started handing out cards. “Here, from the IDA. I’m sure you’ll need to do some shopping to purchase items specific to your tastes.”

  Tori took hers and stared at it. “Is there a limit to how much I can get?”

  “No more than I can carry,” Olmed muttered.

  “I bet you can carry a lot.” With his broad shoulders and thick arms, she doubted there wasn’t much he couldn’t carry.

  He glared at her. “You have no idea.”

  She grinned. She loved the idea of shopping. Alien or not, she would enjoy checking out the foods and fashions here. From the way that everyone she’d seen so far had been dressed, there were a lot of long tunic type outfits with drapes of clothing. Nothing, however, that jumped out as futuristic stuff. Maybe Earth just had a weird idea about what the future of fashion would be.

  “Tomorrow, my assistant, Addigale, will be by to help you ladies get assimilated. Unfortunately, I need to go, but each of your apartments has meals inside when you’re ready, and some necessities,” Re-lee said.

  Tori’s stomach rumbled at the thought of food, and she followed Olmed into the apartment. Fancy hotel suite.

  Whatever.

  Same difference.

  Had that vibe.

  She wasn’t complaining. It could have been a hovel like in science fiction movies where everyone had those little metal cells they called rooms.

  Olmed crossed his arms, grumbling under his breath, not quite loud enough that she could hear what he said, but she knew that tone.

  Annoyed dude.

  Guess they didn’t change anywhere in the galaxy.

  "What?" she asked as she took in the surroundings. “You don’t like it?” Fancy modern. Furniture that floated, which was pretty cool. No window views, though. Just ambient light that glowed from the ceiling. There were some pieces of art around the place that she’d probably check out later, but she wasn’t in the mood at the moment.

  Olmed, she thought, looked pretty out of place in the apartment with the stiff way he stood. Like he didn’t want to touch anything.

  Well, she understood that. She was torn between fear of touching something and ripping through a set piece, like she was being punk’d, or the idea that this was real, and she really was in another galaxy in a high end apartment.

  Her brain was overloading.

  Was it even the same day? She had no idea.

  She was still wrapping her head around everything.

  Dumping Stefan.

  The argument in the park—and while she hadn’t gone there for a fight, she hadn’t backed down, either.

  And then this portal thing.

  It was just too--

  "This is too much," he said.

  She glanced back at him and wondered if he had some kind of telepathy ability.

  He wasn't wrong. It had been a helluva day. "I mean, at least you knew you were coming here. I was dumping my boyfriend and went to the park."

  “What were you dumping him into?” he asked.

  “Huh?”

  “You said you were dumping him. Into what?”

  It took her a moment to realize what he said, but when she did, she couldn’t help a grin. “No, I mean, dumping him. Breaking up with him.”

 

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