Page 12 of Cheating Fate

I licked my lips nervously then locked eyes with her. “When I return, I intend to move out.”

A wave of guilt washed over me when my mother’s shoulders slouched, and a resigned expression settled on her beautiful face.

“I figured that might happen soon. My only request is that you don’t rush anything, and that you don’t act out of anger. Take the next week to cool down, come back, and then plan a smooth and calculated departure. Gavin may be your soulmate, but that doesn’t mean you two should move in together right away.”

I recoiled upon hearing those words. “Whoa! Slow down. Moving out does not mean me playing house with him right away. Anyway, the Sentinels new recruits must live in the barracks for at least the first six months of them joining, unless they’re married. There will be no marriage within that time frame. So, there’s nothing to worry about.”

The proud look in her eyes laced with approval made me feel warm and fuzzy.

“Good! Then you should consider the option of settling in our suite downstairs. Your fathers and I also talked about building homes for each of you on our land so that you would have your privacy and autonomy while still being close to the rest of the family.”

“It would be worth considering,” I said carefully.

“And there will be plenty of time to do just that later. For now—”

The door of the shuttle opening startled us, interrupting my mother. Tharek poked his head in and peered at us with an exaggerated air of wariness.

“Good, I wanted to make sure you weren’t making Mom cry as well,” Tharek said in that insufferably obnoxious tone he loved to take when needling us.

“Tharek! Behave,” my mother said sternly.

“I am!” he replied with the least sincere air of innocence.

“How’s Dad?” I asked in a grumpy tone.

“A total mess. And I thought I was the ruthless one. I stand corrected, big sister,” he said, pretending to be intimidated.

My fingers itched with the urge to throw something hard and heavy at his head. My expression must have made it obvious because he immediately raised his palms in a surrendering gesture before taking a step back.

“Oh shush, you brat,” my mother said to Tharek. “I’ll go kiss his booboo. As for you, my love, try to enjoy the mission. I promise to keep my meddling husbands off your mate’s back in your absence.”

“Thank you, Mom. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

She kissed the ridges of the crihnin on my forehead, caressed my cheek one last time, and then rose to her feet to leave the shuttle. I watched her exit with a wistful smile. Still aggravated, but no longer fuming, I settled in the pilot’s chair and took flight on my way to the training base where we would rendezvous before departure.

Chapter 3

Gavin

Heart pounding, I struggled to keep myself from fidgeting as the ship performed its final approach to the docking bay on Veredia. I still couldn’t believe that the endless two-week journey from Venus Hive to my mate’s homeworld was finally at an end. Any minute now, I would get to see my Zhara in person.

The memory of our conversation last night still had me in a complete puddle. It went so well, far better than I ever could have hoped for. And that smile of hers… By the Ancestors, I couldn’t wait to hold her in my arms and to caress that lustrous hair of hers. Heat crept up my cheeks at the thought she would one day use it like a lasso on me to yank me back to her. The insane way the female Veredian Warriors used their armored braids was a wonder to behold.

And naturally, I couldn’t wait to kiss her.

Not for the first time, I frowned at my com, confused by her complete radio silence all day. Zhara always messaged me in the morning, which usually fell around dinner time in my sector of the Eastern Quadrant. With my current travel, any concept of time zone would be completely upended. But she would have been up for at least five hours by now, probably closer to six. So this total absence of communication baffled me.

It disturbed me even more that, unable to hold off any longer, I’d sent her a message to let her know our ship had initiated the docking procedures. Although successfully sent, it didn’t say that she’d received it. Could her device be turned off or on do-not-disturb?

Maybe she’s super busy with last-minute preparations.

“Nervous yet, lover boy?” Vintor’s taunting voice asked, snapping me out of my musings.

I glanced at him with an unimpressed expression, which only made his shit-eating grin broaden. I wanted to chew him up for being his usual obnoxious self. The fact that at forty-five, Vintor was old enough to be my father always held me back. Being mean or disrespectful to my elders made me uneasy. That wouldn’t stop me from cracking their skulls if warranted, but this certainly didn’t qualify as such.

Truth be told, Vintor wasn’t a bad guy. He just tended to be prickly to hide his insecurities. Like my father, he was a hybrid who fled Braxia to avoid getting murdered simply because he was different. As with all the hybrids who escaped, he sought refuge on the sanctuary planet Haven. After the battle where Keran almost lost his life, he and many of the other hybrid refugees returned home to Braxia now that new laws provided them with a much-needed protection.