Chapter One
“Can I buy you a drink?” said the umpteenth man.
Karma squinted through the bar’s dim light at the blue-haired alien with the hopeful smile. A name tag stuck to his tunic said, HELLO MY NAME IS: UNINTELLIGIBLE. A conventioneer, then. She couldn’t read the Kaldoran language, but nearly everyone in the hotel bar wore name tags, so she’d asked the bartender what it said.
Unintelligible looked like a very nice guy, but congeniality seemed to be part of the culture. All the men were pleasant, except for two—the intimidating King Rullok and, well, she refused to think aboutthe other one. He didn’t deserve any space in her thoughts. He’d been rude from the instant they met, and time hadn’t improved his disposition.
She redirected her attention to the man. “I have a drink—but thank you.” The nine bracelets on her wrist jangled as she raised her nearly full goblet of spirits, trying to let him down easy. Mating behaviors were as old as the stars. They both knew his offer wasn’t about the drink.
He flashed a disappointed smile. “My loss.”
Maybe it’s my loss.With mixed emotions,she watched him disappear. In reading her tarot cards this morning, she’d drawn the Ace of Cups, which could be perceived as an indicator of a new relationship about to begin. Had she just turned away from fate?
Except she hadn’t come to the planet to find love, but to support her twin sister, Kismet, who’d been matched by Cosmic Mates to Crown Prince Jaryk, heir to the throne—and to center herself.
Out of necessity, she had put her search for Mr. Right on hold. She’d dateda loton Earth. She had no trouble attracting men. But, keeping them? After a string of failed relationships, she’d been forced to confront the depressing truth.It’s not them; it’s me.She couldn’t fathom what she’d done to deserve such bad karma. She tried to be a good person and do right by everyone. But, obviously, she projected negative energy or a desperate vibe that scared men off. If she desired to find everlasting love, she had to figure out what she was doing wrong.
Moving to Kaldor had seemed to offer a cosmic do-over—she could wipe the slate clean of old energy and start fresh. Unfortunately, she appeared to still be attracting negativity. What else could explain Prince Falkor’s rudeness?
If his impulsive, reckless exploits had earned him the moniker, the Prince of Scandal, everyone agreed he was affable, engaging, and charming. Except with her. The congenial, ladies-man royal who liked everyone and was likedbyeveryone detestedher.
Their siblings were married to each other, so she couldn’t avoid him—although she tried. Like a bad penny, he showed up everywhere.
She took a tiny sip of spirits. She’d heard from a reliable source—her brother-in-law Jaryk—that if overindulged, the alcoholic beverage acted like a truth serum. Fortunately, the potent potable usually knocked a person out cold before he or she revealed something better kept to oneself.
Not that she needed to worry about that.
“You’re human, right?” Another male hopeful, also a conventioneer, approached with a sorry pickup line.
How’d you guess?She bit off a snarky retort. “Yes, I am, and I’m meeting someone.”
“Lucky man.”
“Why do you assume it’s a he?”
“A woman as pretty as you would have a lot of men desiring her company.”
Despite herself, she laughed, and for an instant was tempted to invite him to stick around. It had been a long time since she’d enjoyed uncomplicated masculine company. But, this was supposed to be a time of self-reflection and analysis. Entanglements would distract her from finding answers.
“Like I said, I’m waiting for someone.”
He raised his glass in a silent toast and sauntered off.
Karma sighed. She missed her sister who was honeymooning with her new husband. In their entire thirty-two years around the sun, they’d never been separated for longer than a day. Identical twins, their personalities were as different as day and night, but there weren’t two closer sisters in the whole galaxy.
She was thrilled Kismet had wed Jaryk. In fact, she’dengineeredKismet’s good fortune by half cajoling, half manipulating her into signing up for Cosmic Mates because of a premonition her sister’s happiness depended on it. To get her reluctant twin to join, Karma had signed up, too. Secretly, she’d deleted her own matches and screened Kismet’s for the right request. She recognized Jaryk suited her serious, pragmatic sister perfectly. Coincidentally, Falkor had submitted Jaryk’s profile without his consent, so technically, he’d also played a small role in the couple getting together.
Although happy for her sister, Karma had begun to feel she was living vicariously through her. Her own life seemed to have stalled, and Falkor hadn’t missed an opportunity to point out she wasn’t royalty—she wasless-than. First, he treated her like the hired help, now like the houseguest who’d overstayed her welcome.
With Jaryk and Kismet on their honeymoon, the queen, via her personal secretary, had suggested Karma take a little vacay to see more of the planet. The secretary had arranged theitinerary, lodging, and transportation. She hadn’t planned on the vehicle breaking down, Karma having to hike to the nearest hotel, which happened to be booked solid due to a convention of dignitaries, nor a violent electrical storm, which would have grounded her hovercar anyway.
She’d settled in at the hotel bar to figure out what to do—not so much how to get to the palace—although that, too—but more big picture, what to do. Should she go or should she stay?
If she returned to Earth, she could resume her job at the Mystical Mage, the spiritual healing shop their mom owned. Their mother would be thrilled to have one daughter home.
Except, tarot readings kept predicting something momentous. What if she left and missed out? Before joining Cosmic Mates, she’d drawn The Fool, which symbolized a journey and embracing the unknown, which had come true in spades. She’d relocated to an alien planet!
I took the risk. Now I have to see it through.
