on the polished wood floor.
The slightly nicer guy grunted, and then made his own round of sounds toward the evil red guy… and right on the heels of that noise came her mother’s bellow of rage.
Her mother—barely five feet of emotional, menopausal hatefire—raced over the ground, a screech on her lips. Ujals were scary, but they had nothing on her mom.
“Did you just attack my child? ”
The two men, both easily outweighing Kelara Zeret by more than a hundred pounds, winced. Then they backed away from the woman and into Rina’s house. A quick glance at their booted feet revealed they were covered in dirt and sand. It was common since the UST was actually on the edge of the ocean for easy access for the Ujal, but that didn’t mean she wanted the sea tracked through her home.
“Hey,” she snapped and held her ground, pushing on the two Ujals. At this point, she’d end up in jail for assaulting them with her pokes and prods, so it couldn’t get much worse. “You are not spreading that mess all over—”
They froze in place, and her mom kept coming. “You dared do that mouth thing to my daughter ? The proposed mate to—”
Proposed mate? There was no mating going on in Rina’s life. Proposed or otherwise. She hadn’t found the one just yet and the only other way to find a mate was to be tested and…
No. Just… no. Her mother wouldn’t have gone to the Population Ministry and had her tested so they could find her a mate. Right?
The guards were no longer her real problem.
Rina quit trying to keep them out, and instead, grasped their shirts, tugging them toward her and then pushing them apart, so they were forced to give her room. The move was fast and if they hadn’t been distracted by her mother, they probably wouldn’t have let her nudge them an inch. But they were, so they did. That gave her a clear shot to her mom.
“Proposed what ?” A clump of sudsy hair fell forward—threatening to throw soap into her one good eye—and she yanked it aside. “What did you say?”
Kelara slid to a stop. “Oh, hello, sweetheart.” Her mom’s gaze traveled over her from head to toe. “You’re not ready yet?”
“What…” She paused and took a deep breath, fighting for calm. A movement behind her reminded her of the guards and she stepped aside so she could keep all three bodies within sight. She pointed at Mr. Nice Merman then Mr. Red Merman. “You two. You’re here to escort me to UST?” Mr. Nice opened his mouth to reply, but she snapped her fingers. “Nod or shake your head.”
He nodded.
Then she focused on her mother. “So that leaves me with why you’re here and why you think I have a proposed mate.” Kelara remained silent and Rina narrowed her good eye. “ Mom …”
Another one of those affronted sniffs. “Well, I told you I wanted grandbabies.”
“That does not explain—”
Kelara groaned. “You’re making this difficult. I went through all the trouble to borrow your hair and submit it, pretending, er, never mind. The point is… they found you a mate!”
Her mother, still stuck back in the turn of the millennia, held up her hand for a high five. Rina never understood the fascination or purpose of the move, but she did know that “leaving her hanging” was an insult. So that’s exactly what she did. Let her mom hang for all she cared.
“Mom, tell me you’re joking.”
“Didn’t you get the letters from the Intergalactic Mating Agency?” She fluttered her lashes, looking like pure innocence and light. Rina knew better. In truth, standing before her was the most conniving, opportunistic person in her world. Her mom should have become a politician. She had the heart for it.
Then the words filtered through her drenched, soap-covered brain. Her mom didn’t just go to the Population Ministry. She’d also ticked the box allowing the ministry and the Intergalactic Mating Agency to work together to find her a mate. Hence the Ujals.
And letters?
Rina shot a quick
The slightly nicer guy grunted, and then made his own round of sounds toward the evil red guy… and right on the heels of that noise came her mother’s bellow of rage.
Her mother—barely five feet of emotional, menopausal hatefire—raced over the ground, a screech on her lips. Ujals were scary, but they had nothing on her mom.
“Did you just attack my child? ”
The two men, both easily outweighing Kelara Zeret by more than a hundred pounds, winced. Then they backed away from the woman and into Rina’s house. A quick glance at their booted feet revealed they were covered in dirt and sand. It was common since the UST was actually on the edge of the ocean for easy access for the Ujal, but that didn’t mean she wanted the sea tracked through her home.
“Hey,” she snapped and held her ground, pushing on the two Ujals. At this point, she’d end up in jail for assaulting them with her pokes and prods, so it couldn’t get much worse. “You are not spreading that mess all over—”
They froze in place, and her mom kept coming. “You dared do that mouth thing to my daughter ? The proposed mate to—”
Proposed mate? There was no mating going on in Rina’s life. Proposed or otherwise. She hadn’t found the one just yet and the only other way to find a mate was to be tested and…
No. Just… no. Her mother wouldn’t have gone to the Population Ministry and had her tested so they could find her a mate. Right?
The guards were no longer her real problem.
Rina quit trying to keep them out, and instead, grasped their shirts, tugging them toward her and then pushing them apart, so they were forced to give her room. The move was fast and if they hadn’t been distracted by her mother, they probably wouldn’t have let her nudge them an inch. But they were, so they did. That gave her a clear shot to her mom.
“Proposed what ?” A clump of sudsy hair fell forward—threatening to throw soap into her one good eye—and she yanked it aside. “What did you say?”
Kelara slid to a stop. “Oh, hello, sweetheart.” Her mom’s gaze traveled over her from head to toe. “You’re not ready yet?”
“What…” She paused and took a deep breath, fighting for calm. A movement behind her reminded her of the guards and she stepped aside so she could keep all three bodies within sight. She pointed at Mr. Nice Merman then Mr. Red Merman. “You two. You’re here to escort me to UST?” Mr. Nice opened his mouth to reply, but she snapped her fingers. “Nod or shake your head.”
He nodded.
Then she focused on her mother. “So that leaves me with why you’re here and why you think I have a proposed mate.” Kelara remained silent and Rina narrowed her good eye. “ Mom …”
Another one of those affronted sniffs. “Well, I told you I wanted grandbabies.”
“That does not explain—”
Kelara groaned. “You’re making this difficult. I went through all the trouble to borrow your hair and submit it, pretending, er, never mind. The point is… they found you a mate!”
Her mother, still stuck back in the turn of the millennia, held up her hand for a high five. Rina never understood the fascination or purpose of the move, but she did know that “leaving her hanging” was an insult. So that’s exactly what she did. Let her mom hang for all she cared.
“Mom, tell me you’re joking.”
“Didn’t you get the letters from the Intergalactic Mating Agency?” She fluttered her lashes, looking like pure innocence and light. Rina knew better. In truth, standing before her was the most conniving, opportunistic person in her world. Her mom should have become a politician. She had the heart for it.
Then the words filtered through her drenched, soap-covered brain. Her mom didn’t just go to the Population Ministry. She’d also ticked the box allowing the ministry and the Intergalactic Mating Agency to work together to find her a mate. Hence the Ujals.
And letters?
Rina shot a quick
Similar Books
