* * * *
She’s going to accept him!Grinning,Karma leaned against the closed apartment door and polished her fingernails against her shirt.Worked like a charm! My work here is done.
She’d been monitoring her sister’s Cosmic Mates profile, deleting the undesirables before her sister saw them. They’d both gotten a lot of proposals from incompatible aliens. She didn’t want her reluctant, wary sister to become discouraged and cynical before the right offer came around.
The instant she’d seen Jaryk’s profile, a zing of prescience had shot through her.He’s the one for Kismet.She’d never been more certain of anything in her life. Feigning ignorance, she’d waited with bated breath for her sister to log on to the Cosmic Mates site and discover the match and then tell her about it!
She had to get her cautious, skeptical sister to take a leap of faith.
For at least a year, the universe had been signaling her twin would meet her soulmate. The instant Karma heard about Cosmic Mates, she knew that was the conduit to her sister’s happiness. A reading of the tea leaves confirmed it. The universe helped those who took action!
But the only way to get her stubborn, pragmatic, uber-grounded twin to join the interplanetary matchmaking service was to do it with her.
Discouraged by her history of broken relationships, Karma had put her own search for love on hold, deleting her proposals without looking at them. She had to settle herself and get grounded. Dating too much, she’d been sending out a desperate vibe. She had to fix herself before she could enter a relationship.
Her contrary twin, on the other hand, had the opposite problem. Kismet rarely went out. She couldn’t meet her soulmate if she holed up in the apartment like a hermit. Her sister worked her dull government job all day then came home and studied a dead language online and read boring nonfictionto “improve herself.” At the very least, she should have been reading a self-help book on how to get a man.
After a couple of blind double dates, Karma could see her introverted sister did not make a good first impression. When she opened up, her twin was a lovely, warm, caring, fun person. But if drastic changes weren’t made, life and love would pass her by. Karma couldn’t let that happen!
Despite her introverted nature, her twin could be stubborn. And pragmatic to a fault. She placed no credence in the energy of the universe or intuition.
Opposites attracted but likes endured. Her sister needed someone enough like her to make her comfortable so she would come out of her shell and reveal what a wonderful person she was. Then he would fall madly in love with her.
Jaryk was perfect for her. But if Karma had said so, Kismet would have rejected him outright.
So, she’d discouraged the match. A little reverse psychology.
This alien was Kismet’s Prince Charming. The universe had provided.
Chapter Three
Two weeks later
The intimidating opulent “reception room” rendered Kismet speechless.
The exterior of thepalacehad resembled a colony of sea urchins—spired interconnected domes. The inside was pure opulence. Jewels gleamed in the floors, intricately woven fabrics dressed the windows, and murals adorned the glowing curved ceiling. Rich tapestries and scenic paintings hung from the walls. Golden sconces and floating chandeliers bathed the space in gentle light. The furnishings appeared ancient and modern at the same time, like retro avant-garde art pieces intended to be viewed and not used.
She was afraid to sit on the sofa—was it even a sofa? It could be a priceless sculpture. “This is unexpected.” She placed her bulging tote carefully on the least decorative table.
The bag held her multipurpose comm device loaded with her travel documents and health certificate, her few pieces of nice jewelry, sentimental mementos, a snow globe gift for Jaryk, and an emergency change of clothing.
Karma plunked her bag next to Kismet’s. Her sisters can’t-risk-losing items included crystals, tarot cards, incense, runes, and loose tea for drinking and divining.
After disembarking the spaceship, their luggage had been loaded on a hovercart, floated to an air vehicle, and then whisked out of sight upon arrival at the palace. She had no idea where their suitcases were now. However, the location of their luggage was the least of her concerns.
I’m going to marry an alien. Who lives in a freaking palace.Not for the first time, she wondered what “government official”Jaryk did. Clearly, he was no ordinary civil servant. Perhaps an aide to a royal?
“We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto,” Karma agreed. “How are you feeling?”
“Dizzy. Everything happened so fast.” She felt lightheaded from nervousness.
After accepting the marriage proposal, the days had sped by at warp speed. She’d had to quit her job, break the lease on the apartment, pack up, say goodbye to her mother and friends—all in two weeks. Cosmic Mates had sent a ship for them, and a faster-than-light space flight had deposited them on planet Kaldor in less time than it took to fly around the world on Earth.
A liveried alien gentleman had met them at the spaceport and escorted them to the air vehicle that shot them at hypersonic speed to the sea urchin complex.
“Welcome to the Palace of Kaldor,” he’d said as massive gilded double doors opened to a lavish foyer.
“W-w-wait. Palace?” she’d asked.
