The Celestial Mates agency always knows what - or who - you need.
Tarrik would do anything to avoid breaking his mother's heart, so he begrudgingly signs up for Celestial Mates and agrees to come home and settle down once the agency finds his match. There's just one catch: he's not ready to give up his free and easy life traveling the galaxy. And he's doing exactly as his mother asked, so what will it hurt if he makes himself as unappealing as possible on his mate application?
Juliette is a woman on the run. Her attitude, and more importantly her hacking skills, have pissed off all the wrong people. Now the target of a contract hit, she's decided the solution to her problems is to leave the planet as fast as she can. The Celestial Mates program is exactly what she needs. By the time her "mate" realizes she's impossible to live with, hopefully it will be safe for her to return to earth.
The sparks fly at first meeting when their chemistry ignites. But they can barely stand to be in the same room with each other.
They shouldn't work at all.
But Celestial Mates always knows best.
Tarrik would do anything to avoid breaking his mother's heart, so he begrudgingly signs up for Celestial Mates and agrees to come home and settle down once the agency finds his match. There's just one catch: he's not ready to give up his free and easy life traveling the galaxy. And he's doing exactly as his mother asked, so what will it hurt if he makes himself as unappealing as possible on his mate application?
Juliette is a woman on the run. Her attitude, and more importantly her hacking skills, have pissed off all the wrong people. Now the target of a contract hit, she's decided the solution to her problems is to leave the planet as fast as she can. The Celestial Mates program is exactly what she needs. By the time her "mate" realizes she's impossible to live with, hopefully it will be safe for her to return to earth.
The sparks fly at first meeting when their chemistry ignites. But they can barely stand to be in the same room with each other.
They shouldn't work at all.
But Celestial Mates always knows best.
***Sneak Peek***
"What?!" Tarrik was practically sputtering, because the words his mother was saying made no sense - although he could feel her joy over the vidcall even though his ship was several galaxies away from Hades.
"They found your mate! They're going to bring her here and she should arrive the day after you do," his mother said, her tentacles all writhing and twining around her body in happiness.
Behind Tarrik, he could hear his bridge crew trying to stifle their laughter.
Gark it, if he'd realized this was a personal call he would have taken it in his cabin, not on the bridge where everyone could see. Tarrik gritted his teeth, because even though he was frustrated, annoyed, and embarrassed, he was also not about to yell at his mother in front of everyone either.
Especially not when she was literally quivering with joy.
"They can't have found her," he protested, quickly remembering to take on - "So quickly, I mean. They can't have found her so quickly, it's barely been six months!"
Six months, three uninterrupted trade runs through the cosmos. Definitely not enough time to get used to the idea of being ground-bound.
Tarrik also shuddered to think exactly what kind of female the agency could have found that would actually match to the abysmal application he'd filled out. He'd mostly just exaggerated or embellished, but he had flat-out lied in a few places to make himself look at terrible as possible.
"They are very good at what they do," his mother said happily, and he could practically see the visions of grandbabies dancing in her head. Having born one son herself - unusual for her people although typical for Hadesians - she was still hopeful for multiple grandchildren. "They always manage to find the right match!"
That was their slogan. Tarrik gritted his teeth into something resembling a smile. "Apparently."
His negativity softened slightly as his mother beamed back at him, her eyes flashing from lavender to dark indigo, indicating her deep emotions. It wasn't her fault, after all, she just wanted what all Hadesian mothers wanted from their offspring. He would just have to meet this so-called mate... and if she truly was a match for the application he'd filled out she'd probably be so awful that his mother would support him sending her back to wherever she came from.
Plus, then he could pretend to be heartbroken it hadn't worked out and get some leeway for at least another six months.
This might not be so bad after all.
Smiling a little more genuinely now, he nodded at his mom. "Thanks for calling, mother. I'll be home in another ten-cycle and I'll see you and my mate then."
"I'm so excited!" The ends of her tentacles waved, her eyes still darkly indigo with her emotions. "I'll send you the information they provided. I can't wait to meet my son's mate!"
The vid switched off and Tarrik groaned.
A heavy hand clapped his shoulder and he turned to glare at his first mate and best friend, Mrik grinning at him like a Vizii drunk on panchi fruit. Tarrik glared back.
"Congratulations!" Mrik crowed, obviously finding this turn of events hilarious. He'd already been amused when Tarrik had first told him about his plan, now he was definitely enjoying himself at Terrik's expense. Snickers sounded around the bridge. "Our illustrious leader, leading the way as always."
"Don't get too used to the idea," Tarrik growled.
His com beeped, alerting him to the incoming file message. Jerking it away from his belt, just so he could look at something other than Mrik's smirk or the rest of the crew's poorly hidden entertainment, Tarrik looked down at the screen and clicked on the file.
Mrik's howl of laughter was nearly as loud as Tarrik's cry of outrage. "A garking useless human?!"
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