She laughs gently. “Well, I guess he’s ready.”
I shift under my pack. “Alright. Show me where to sign.”
6: Zorin
For several months, I’m stuck waiting. The ABR heats are full, and I’ve not hit a rut. It’s been well over a year. I’m starting to wonder if my Shifter is broken over losing Jezza, Azrim, and Rhysan. The silence without them around howls louder than any malfunctioning thruster engine I’ve ever dealt with. Azrim hasn’t left his wolf form or come inside from the cold. And since I’ve signed up for the race, I haven’t been able to summon my claws. I’m so screwed up, I’m considering backing out.
I see my brother now and then on the perimeter of our land, lurking like a shadow with gold eyes between the trees. I wish he would come in and eat with me, talk by the fire like we used to.
At least he’s still out there.
I busy myself, fixing up our starship and reaching out to other lone wolves, hoping to build a pack of our own. Most of them are like Azrim. They listen, then simply walk away. I feel like I’m the only one who doesn’t just hope the world falls apart so the pain will end. I’m not ready to give up. I want us together. All of us.
I down another swig of beer and set the bottle aside before lying back on my rolling creeper and kicking myself under my Star Slasher. I reach up inside the belly and grab the other end of the torque tube for the rear port side engine’s fifth drive cell, grab my wrench, and begin tightening it down. My ear com beeps.
My hands are tied up, so I stabilize the device with one, set the wrench down and tap the com button. It answers.
“Hello, I’m looking for Zorin.”
“That’s me.” I pick up my wrench again, reach up, and finish mating the torque tube to its drive cell. As I tighten the lock ring, she replies.
“Hi, Zorin, this is Mica from the Alien Bride Race.”
My heart skips a beat. Hope heats in my chest. “What can I do for you, Mica?”
“Well, it’s what I can do for you, sir. We have a slot available for you. You’re at the top of the waitlist.”
My hands pause. “A slot? When?”
“Well, that’s the thing, sir. It’s today.”
My Shifter stirs with surprising force. The wrench slips in my hand. I scramble to catch it before it hits me in the face. “Today?”
“Yes, sir. We had a last minute cancellation. Can you get here in time? We have all of your information, and your checkup came back clean. So all we need from you is to get to the males’ complex by noon. The males’ transport leaves for the race shortly after that. Is that possible?”
I frantically scan the systems under my ship to ensure I haven’t forgotten to fix anything. “Uh, yeah. I can do that. It might be tight. But I’ll make it.”
“Wonderful. I’m so relieved. It’s heartbreaking to pick a woman who’s ready to race and tell her she has to wait.”
“Of course.” I spin myself around on the floor and use my heels to shove me out from under my ship. “Anything else?”
“Not unless you have any questions, sir.”
“I’ve had plenty of time to study up on everything. I’m good.” Months of time is plenty long enough to read the entire packet until I have it memorized, research human females and everything they need, the situations they come from, and what they’re going to expect out of me.
“The Alien Bride Race would like to thank you, Zorin, for your participation, for helping give human females a better life,and for your membership as an ally of the federation. Good luck, and enjoy your race!”
“Thanks.”
“Take care, sir.” Mica ends the call.
I sit up, an odd breathlessness gripping me. My body thrums with fresh energy as I think of finally getting a chance to chase a female.
Shit, I have to get going!
I sling my tool carts away from the ship, set my creeper in a corner, and hike into our ship, where I illuminate the diagnostics screen. While the ship is running a self-check, I hustle down the ramp and back into the house.
My bags have been ready to go for months. I grab the pair inside my room at the foot of the bed and load them into my Star Slasher. Then I close up the house, switching everything off.
