Epilogue
Risa
The rain lashes me, striking my cheeks with stinging drops. I duck my head, wishing for a little shelter. I keep moving, counting my steps and dashing through the darkness until I reach the old horse barn. I push through the doors into the quiet shadows.
Once I’m inside, I let out a sigh. My breath is coming in heaves.
I feel my way along the edge of the wall and push through another door into what used to be the feed room.
It’s only here where I feel safe turning on a light.
I don’t even know if anyone other than me knows there’s still power to this old barn.
Pushing the hood back on my battered rain jacket, I shrug out of it and shake the water to the floor. Even though this kind of rain isn’t particularly pleasant, Earth hasn’t had rainstorms in decades. For the past few weeks, we’ve been having them in bursts.
People are rejoicing, thinking maybe the tide is turning—maybe our planet is going to get better again. Maybe we can grow more of our own food.
Meanwhile, I just want to leave.
My gaze arcs around this tiny room. Months ago, the woman who used to feed and care for the horses had them all transported off the planet somehow.
I used to help her. And even though I understood why she took them with her when she left, I miss the horses.
They were the one bright light in my life.
I sink my hips to the floor and let out a sigh before reaching for the one piece of technology I have—the one thing Earth has clung to. I tap the screen to open it and skim through GalaxyCosmo, our social media, our only source of news.
My message box has a notification—unusual. I tap on it.
Let’s meet.
I don’t hesitate. I stand, reaching for the rain jacket I’ve never needed until recently. It isn’t even mine. My grandmother had it, and I dug it out of her closet in her vacant, empty home. When the roof blew off a few years ago, I lost the one place I had to live.
When I step outside, there’s no more rain. Just wind now. I hurry through the darkness into one of the—if you can call it that—fancy apartment buildings in town.
Minutes later, my friend Lena is letting me in. Her blue eyes are bright, her blond hair swinging in a ponytail. “Come in, come in,” she says.
I walk in, glancing around in surprise. Lena, Jenny, and Martha are all here.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
“There’s rain. Finally,” Jenny says.
I glance over. “Well, yeah, but why are we meeting tonight?”
“There’s one of those matchmaker recruitment meetings for the other planet tomorrow. I say we go,” Lena says.
“Oh, you mean, no matter what?” I prompt.
The following day, the rain is long gone, and the sun is beating down as I walk to the building where they’ve been holding these interviews for over a year now. I don’t care whether I find a mate—I just want to escape Earth.
This isn’t some glamorous, exciting story where we fight on behalf of Earth. We just want women to have better lives. If I end up marrying an alien space cowboy, so be it. But if not, hopefully, I can get them to see they have to attach some conditions to the help they give Earth.
Aphroditea is the richest planet in the galaxy.
They spread their wealth amongst the planets, and Earth is the stepchild no one wants to deal with anymore.
Earth was once powerful and led so many advancements for the galaxy.
But while other planets took those advancements and made better worlds, Earth has destroyed its own.
As there always is for these interviews, there’s a line. While I’m waiting, I see Lena waiting a ways behind me and wave to her, along with Jenny and Martha. Before I know it, I’m seated at a plastic table and a woman named Jane is smiling at me.
“You’re a princess?” I ask, unable to hide the skepticism in my voice.
She rolls her eyes a little as she nods. “I am. That’s how I ended up there. I actually think it would be great for you to come, but I’m a little worried.”
“About what?” I try to keep the sharpness out of my voice.
“Do you actually want to go?” she presses.
I startle myself when I feel a tear slide down my cheek. Clearing my throat, I blink quickly—only to send more tears splashing onto my cheeks.
Jane reaches over, her hands curling around both of mine. “You’re leaving with us in an hour.”
Improbable as it is, Lena and I are both selected, which means Jenny and Martha will try to sneak onto the ship. When it was just me taking the risk, I was ready. Now, I’m fretting.
Although only four women are selected—which I learn is the maximum they take on any trip—the ship is busy with activity before we depart.
It’s a transport ship for goods and food for Earth.
They’re even bringing back more horses, taken from another area on Earth.
There’s also a tense exchange as some men from Earth are being returned from the other planet.
When I finally step onto the spaceship, I almost can’t believe how basic it is. It’s a utilitarian space.
I’ve never left Earth. You have to be very wealthy to travel off Earth, and I am definitely not that.
I feel an unfamiliar sensation inside me, a sense of awareness chasing over the surface of my skin, an almost visceral feeling followed by a tug, right in the center of my chest. I glance around.
Lena smiles at me where she’s seated beside a woman named Helena who gave us a bunch of information. Of the other two women selected, one of them looks exhausted, her eye terribly swollen and cheek bruised. The other is absolutely beautiful and looks utterly terrified.
The prince is sitting beside Jane, the princess. The way he looks at her makes me feel like I’ve walked in on a deeply private moment.
There are several alien cowboys on the ship. They’re all tall, with tails, and despite their imposing presence—larger than the biggest human men I’ve ever encountered, and I wouldn’t dare cross them in a fight. But there’s a protective quality to them.
When my eyes finally drift to the front of the spaceship, I see a regal-looking woman in one seat and a man in the other. The second my eyes land on that man, I don’t understand it, but I know he and I are connected.
His head whips around, his golden eyes locking onto mine. It feels as if there’s an electrical force linking us together, shimmering between us. Heat rises, swift and overwhelming, blasting me from head to toe.
I feel like I’m about to go up in smoke.
RAVEN
I’m usually a focused man. So when I feel the hair rise on the back of my neck and my skin prickle with a sensation of electricity and heat, it’s unsettling.
Glancing over my shoulder, my eyes lock with those of a woman. A human woman who’s just boarded our spaceship to go to our planet and find a mate. She’s dressed in practical clothing, a worn blouse and a pair of pants that are probably older than she is. Auburn hair. Bright green eyes.
I cannot look away from her. In the moment she blinks, I know. We are meant for each other.
Standing, I cross the short distance between us. There’s a low murmur of activity around us as the crew readies the ship to leave. I am the lead pilot and shouldn’t be standing here, feet away from this woman.
I notice the dusting of freckles on her cheeks, like a shimmer of gold, the way her eyes tip at the corners like those of a cat. Like Earth, our planet has cats. I suppose cats must be truly universal. They’re too independent to be anything other than that.
I take one more step closer—only about two feet separating us now—and it feels as if heat engulfs me from head to toe. Her presence is intense.
The woman studies me, her green eyes narrowing. “Don’t you have something else to do?” Her tone is sharp.
“Oh, I do,” I say, rising to meet the dare in her gaze. “I just wanted to say one thing.”
Her nostrils flare as she draws in a sharp breath. I savor the sight of the pink flush rising on her cheeks.
It feels as if the air around us is sparking. I wouldn’t be surprised if actual smoke rose from the heat created by our connection.
“I’m Raven,” I murmur. “And you’ve already met your match.”
“My match?” she repeats, eyes flashing. “What do you mean?”
Risa & Raven’s story is coming soon!
Thank you for reading Thorne & Romi’s story - I hope you loved it!