“Heearnedthe title the Prince of Scandal. You’re only one of many women. You think he loves you, but the novelty of being with a human will wear off, and he’ll get bored and move on to the next new thing.”
“You’re despicable!” She rushed into the dining room, unwilling to listen to any more of his lies.
“Please, let’s go,” she told her sister. “We have to go.”
“We haven’t had dessert!” Kismet protested. “And I have to pay for the lunch—”
She didn’t wait for her sister to follow but rushed out of the café.
He’s wrong. He’s wrong.
But is he?Didn’t all her relationships start out hot and tender—until the guy lost interest? Maybe shewasFalkor’sflavor of the moment, and his affection would wane like it did with all the others. They’d been together mere weeks—Soton had known him half their lives. Falkor trusted him enough to go into business with him, trusted him to keep his secret.
But if Soton was trustworthy, he wouldn’t have hit on me.
Where the heck was the hovercar?
She got halfway down the street when her sister caught up and grabbed her arm. “Stop. Talk to me. What’s wrong? What happened back there? Tell me what’s going on. Who was that man?”
“He’s supposed to be a friend of Falkor’s. But he hit on me.”
“What a slimebucket!”
“To say the least. I don’t want to talk about it, okay? Maybe later.” The conversation had the potential to develop into a quagmire. When she calmed down, she’d be able to better formulate what to say.
“Okay…”
They walked in silence for a while.
“You realize we’re headed in the opposite direction of the hovercar, don’t you?” Kismet said.
She stalled out. “We are?” She didn’t have a good sense of direction on the best of days—and she’d been so upset, she hadn’t paid any attention. She pivoted and retraced her steps. “What if Falkor gets tired of me?”
“Is that what that man said to you?” Her sister linked her arm through hers. Hovercraft zipped overhead, leaving the lane clear for strolling. Interesting shops with exotic wares displayed in the windows lined the street. Savory—and unsavory—aromas wafted from small cafés. Curious pedestrians glanced their way. They were the only humans on the planet, they were twins, and one of them had married the crown prince. She doubted many knew of Falkor’s marriage.
All the better when he dumps me at the end of the year.Soton’s vile comments had wormed into her head and reopened her insecurities. She sighed. “What if it’s true?”
“Falkor loves you! I’m sure of it. Trust me.”
“I don’t have a good track record. Men like me at first,” she said. “And then they don’t.”
“Thankfully they didn’t—or you wouldn’t be married to Falkor. And helovesyou.”
“He didn’t marry me voluntarily.” Unlike other Cosmic Mates marriages, they hadn’t chosen each other. If not for the royal edict, they wouldn’t be together at all. Maybe Falkor had been making the best of a bad situation. Men didn’t have to love a woman to sleep with her.
“You were forced to marry him, too—but you still fell in love with him!”
“I gave him a tarot reading.”The cards had predicted betrayal and heartache.“The cards said—”
“Tarot! Please! I’m sorry. You can’t put any credence in pictures on a deck of cards.”
“They provide guidance…”
“They provide entertainment!” she snapped.
She pressed her lips together. They would never agree, and she hated fighting with her sister.
“I’m sorry I yelled at you.” Her sister halted their walk with a quick hug. “Listen to me. Headoresyou. If you never believe another thing I say, believe that. Don’t let previous broken relationships or the insinuations of a douchebag undermine your marriage. Focus on the good and build on it. You deserve happiness. It’s in your name. You’ve earned good karma.”
