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I know she’s on The Rose. I just wish I had a little more direction and clarity about who she might be.
Before I can fully get my bearings, Vera pulls me into a clothing store. Bright lights and white walls highlight the racks of fancy attire. The nicest thing I’ve ever owned is my dress uniform, and it’s nowhere near as elaborate as some of these outfits. I’m not exactly the type to go to places with a dress code.
I didn’t noticed Galen and Ada entering before us. I would have kept walking with the rest of our team if Vera hadn’t grabbed me. With a firm tug, she drags me deeper into the store. “Come on. Stop lagging.”
Galen laughs. “Best go along with her and get it over with.”
“Don’t be laughing. You’re next, flyboy.” Ada pulls Galen towards a shelf off to the right to look at a suit made entirely of gold fabric. Galen would look ridiculous in something like that.
He shoots me a pleading look, but I shrug. “Best to go along with it, right?”
Vera already has her arms full of clothes, some for her and some for me. She’s adorable when she’s excited. It’s like she’s an energy outlet, letting off brilliant sparks everywhere. It makes me want to sweep her in my arms, just so I can feel the pulsing power of her enthusiasm.
But I know better. Power outlets are important, but get too close and you’ll get shocked.
I’ve often wished Vera could be my True Mate. She’s my best friend, the sun I orbit, my first love. But I know for a fact she doesn’t think of me like that. If she was my True Mate, there would be at least some attraction there.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
I’m surprised she can even see me over the pile of clothes she’s carrying. Rather than answer her question, I take the clothing out of her arms and plant a quick peck on her forehead. It’s the kind of casual affection that’s common between the two of us, and I know she’s been missing it.
Her whole face lights up and she pats my cheek. “There’s my Zeny. Now, let’s fill my arms with more clothes and hit the dressing rooms.”
She’s so happy she does a little jump and twirl. Void, it’s adorable. I never meant to pull away from her. There’s just been a lot on my mind.
When Vera has another mound of clothes slung over her arm, she spins and frowns at me.
“You’re doing it again.” Her eyes go wide. “Wait, did you just have one of your little magic things?”
“It’s not magic.” I smile because no matter how many times I tell her they’re called Messages, she still prefers to call what I hear magic.
My mom always said the Messages were a gift. Everyone in my family has a god-gift. But mine has only ever been a frustration. People think it would be great to know the future. They also think it happens in visions—images that flash through your mind and show you exactly what will occur. The truth is different.
When the Tamzell were a young race, the gods touched those who served as priests and gave them, and their families, certain abilities. My family was one of those chosen. My older brother, Zylas, can see people’s memories. But when he does, they can see his memories too. He says it’s like being splayed open.
I, on the other hand, know the future. I get these little nudges. It’s like a pull forward, a sense of certainty, a foreign voice in my mind telling me what is or what will be. But, it’s never specific. Which means it’s rarely useful.
The most recent one was particularly maddening, like someone dangling what I’ve always wanted in front of me, but keeping it just out of reach.
It came like a clear bell, just as The Rose was rising from the space station and jetting into the dark unknown.
“You’re True Mate is on The Rose.”
Thanks, Universe. You couldn’t have given me more to go on?
“Earth to Zenth.” Vera would probably snap her fingers at me if her hands weren’t so weighed down. “Was it a Message? Where’d you go?”
“Nowhere. Just distracted. Let’s get this over with so I can get back to my ship.” She gives me a long look but drops it. I’m glad. I haven’t told her about the True Mate Message yet.
I’ve wanted to find my True Mate since I first heard the stories about them. Vera was with me when my grandmother told us about it. She teased me and said it was just a myth. Then Zylas found his True Mate as a teenager and proved it was real. Zylas may have screwed it up with his girl, but that didn’t stop me from wanting to find mine.
A True Mate isn’t like the Nebulan soulmates. We don’t know as soon as we see them or anything like that. In fact, it wasn’t something that even existed until the Tamzell females started dying off from the plague. That’s when our race started interacting with humans. Some say True Mates are another god-gift, a way for our race to continue even though the female population was decreasing.
The bond only appears when a Tamzell has sex with their perfect human counterpart. It’s an experience beyond the physical and creates a joining so intense it bonds them forever. The priests say it’s the gods showing us the chosen few of a foreign race who are good enough to bear our children and mix with our bloodlines. I’m not sure if they’re right or not. I’m not sure if I even believe in the gods. But, I believe in True Mates.
Some say they can feel what their mate is feeling. Others say that a bit of their soul is bound to the other person’s. Some say they can sense where their True Mate is at all times. Zylas would never talk about it—either to confirm or deny the rumors.
While I’m lost in thought, wondering who my True Mate could be, Vera shoves me into a dressing room and steps in after me.
