Page 16 of Mate for the Space Cowboy

“Romi, Jane assures us that will never happen. You’re going to find someone. According to Jane, it’s going to take years before the population recovers from the women they lost. You’re safe here. You train and care for the flying horses, and I’m still scared to ride one.”

Romi’s smile is warm. “When Hunter’s back, I’ll be there for your first lesson, I promise.”

As I glance around, I notice that multiple men have their eyes on her. I know she will find the right mate.

Nadine approaches, stopping beside us when Kayden steps away to confer with another man about something. “You both look amazing tonight,” she says warmly.

“How’s the baby?” I ask.

Nadine’s lips curl in a soft smile. “Perfect.”

“Are you going to get pregnant again right away?” Romi teases as she nudges Nadine playfully with her elbow.

When Nadine’s cheeks turn pink, Romi’s mouth drops open in faux surprise. “I’m shocked. You and Kayden can’t even keep your eyes off each other, much less your hands,” she teases.

Nadine presses her lips to keep from smiling. “I’m not pregnant again. Yet.” She slides me a look. “And we’re still waiting for you to announce your pregnancy.”

Instinctively, I slide my hand over my belly. Although it feels mostly flat, I could swear it’s slightly rounder. “I hope to find out soon, but I’m waiting.”

“Do you miss Hunter?” Nadine asks.

“So much,” I say earnestly, feeling the words in my heart.

Chapter Thirteen

HUNTER

“They think they arrested all of us, but they didn’t,” a man named Marco tells me.

I nod. “We’ve heard about the protests. That’s why I traveled here. We want to be part of it if we can, but we can’t live here all the time. We have families and work,” I explain.

“Understood,” he says.

“How many weren’t caught? There’s a lot of men on trial,” I point out.

“Those men were part of the planning for the kidnapping. Most of them have been arrested.” He rolls his eyes. “I told them that was a risky operation, but they were arrogant and thought too much of themselves.” He nods sagely, almost to himself.

I nod along with him and keep the conversation rolling while this man tells me way more information than he ever should. I learned there are still people involved in the original operation to kidnap Princess Jane who haven’t been identified and arrested. They were part of the planning, but they weren’t part of the operation to kidnap her, so they’ve avoided detection so far.

The spies from our team who have come with me have also easily integrated into this group. We meet our new friends at thelocal watering house. A bit of drink loosens tongues. We assure them we will continue to support their messages of protest in our town and anywhere we travel.

A week later, the group of spies reconvenes about halfway between this town and our planet’s capital, where we live, to check in. I glance among the group, asking, “Thoughts?”

Thorne, one of my close friends and a loyal team member, speaks first. “Nothing we didn’t expect. We’ll need to figure out how to arrest the others involved in the kidnapping without tipping off who we are.”

“Agree,” I say. “I think perhaps we talk with Princess Jane if Asher consents. Although the operation took place in the darkness, perhaps she can speak to any names she may have heard.”

Raven chimes in, “When we interviewed her initially, she mentioned several other men whose voices she heard that night. That may be enough. We can ask those handling the current trials to do fresh interviews with those being held. They may turn on the others.”

“They’re facing long sentences,” I point out. “Let’s do both. Meanwhile, we’ll return home and discuss visiting other towns in another week. The prince is touring the planet as he does annually. He’ll be bringing Princess Jane with him for some of the visits. It’s a good time for us to accompany them, along with the rest of the security detail.”

We begin our flight home. Whenever we do missions like this, which isn’t too often, we disguise ourselves and use horses from the training herd. Aside from our personal horses, we have a fleet for the security detail. We provide security to the royal family and the governmental buildings, along with spying when necessary.

As we take flight, I feel the pull of the infinity pulse get stronger. I began missing Melody from the moment we left. Iaccept this feeling will be part of my life whenever I have to travel away from her. Although I’d heard experiencing the pulse involves a physical sensation regardless of the distance, it still surprises me. It feels as if there is a cord that connects us no matter the distance between us.

As I get closer to my home and to her, the sensation becomes more powerful. I cannot wait to be with her again. Although our horses fly swiftly, it still takes time to get from one side of the planet to the other. I land with our contingent at the stables on the outskirts of town.

Romi works here and comes over to help. When I glance toward Thorne, I realize this is the first time he has seen her. His eyes narrow as he appraises her. She doesn’t notice him at first, but when I see her turn in his direction, their eyes lock.

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