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I hesitate over what I'm about to say, knowing that once I throw the words out there, I won't be able to get them back again.
“Danel, she’s my fated mate.”
“No.” He straightens up, looking around. “You just met her.”
“I know it’s unlikely, but think about it. The way we met. What are the odds?”
“Did you feel something when you touched her?”
“I did.”
He shoots up out of his chair. “So what’s the deal? Let’s try to look for her. Glimner huh, I’ve never been.”
“Danel, no. We’re not going to Glimner. That’s ridiculous.”
“Why not? She’s your fated mate, dude. Why would you hesitate?”
I pause a moment before answering. Older brother, yes, but he’s always been a bit of a romantic. “I have my goals. She has hers. I doubt she’d want to be with me.”
“Then what are you doing here every night? I don't get it, man. Seems like you want something.”
“She has the right to know, that’s all.” I know Danel’s face without looking over to confirm it.
“No,” he says, pushing away from the bar. “That’s not what’s happening here.” I want to argue back, but the sound of his comm buzzing yanks my attention.
The moment he pulls it from his pocket, an urgent DM pings. I hear identical sounds coming from my comm on the bartop. It’s our C.O.
We look down to see a pair of messages in plain type. One just like the other.
“Report for Duty.”
Daneland I stand at attention, awaiting orders from our commanding officer. He has his hands behind his back as our holo-schematic loads in front of us.
“Boys, I want a quick in-and-out. Hux?”
“Yes, sir.” The man responds. We’ll be a team of four, including Hux and Trell, the other top qualifiers of the trial challenge. I want you to check the area every five feet, you understand?”
“Yes sir.”
“Expect mines, boys. Trel, I want you to scout the area first and take the lead.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Your objective is to retrieve Dalex Arn without sounding the alarms. The Vakutan camp is well fortified, we’ll drop you within range, but prepare for comms to go dark after the drop-off.”
“Yes, sir.” We unify under the command. A fellow mercenary has been taken prisoner off-planet. The question of Tania is long gone from my mind. It seems fate, for all its influence, has other plans in mind.
Hours later, the green ball that is Kalei is swallowed in the blackness of space. I can’t help but wonder, watching it disappear, if my fated mate is still there. For all I know, the chance of seeing her again disappears before me.
CHAPTER 11
TANIA
I’ve had precious few vacations over the years. Practically none if you don’t count sick days where I’m too ill to get out of bed and go to work as a vacation. But now that I’ve had the taste of freedom and adventure on Kalei, it feels even harder to return to the constant grind of stitching together clothes for hours on end.
The taste of something else also lingers on my tongue and in the back of my head. I can’t seem to stop thinking about Garet and the night we spent together. Maybe I need to get laid more often, because memories of that pleasure keep popping up at inopportune moments.
But I don’t think it’s just the fact that I haven’t had my sexual needs fulfilled. If that was the case, I could sneak out to one of Glimner’s many popular hookup spots. No, it’s more than that. Garet is the one I want.
