Cutlass: Motor City Alien Mail Order Brides: Intergalactic Dating Agency (7 page)

“Klow-ee, wait.” I reached as if to grab her, my fingers barely brushing her arm as I stumbled slightly on heavy legs, but she recoiled violently.

“No.” She shook her head and climbed back into her vehicle, slamming the door and creating a barrier between us. A wall of sorts. One she was not going to let me through. “I need to think. I’ll…call you.”

And then she was gone.

I
t took
hours to find my way back to the room I shared with Hohddshoun and Maivehricck. I couldn’t concentrate on directions and roads, couldn’t sense the way back. All I could do, all I could see, was Klow-ee’s pained expression. Her anger and fear. Her hate of me.

I had destroyed the fragile bond between my human and me.

When I finally reached the building where we housed, I climbed the stairs with no energy left. This day, this entire weekend, had wrecked me. I needed to recharge so I could work out what to do about my Klow-ee. I needed to rest.

“He’s returned,” Maivehricck yelled as I opened the door. Both men came to the hallway, Maivehricck looking as surly and angry as ever, while Hohddshoun seemed so much more hopeful. A feeling I did not reciprocate.

“How was it?” Hohddshoun asked. “Is she your mate?”

“I don’t know.” I pushed past them, needing my bed.

“Why not?” Hohddshoun blocked my way. “What are human females like? Did you claim her? You only have two weeks to set the match and convince her to mate with you. Do you know—”

There was something so satisfying about my fist meeting his face.

“Yes, I claimed her physically. Yes, I think I may have found my mate.” I shoved past a staggering Hohddshoun. “She has rejected me, though.”

It was Maivehricck who finally stopped me. “Explain.”

I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to think the words, let alone say them. But the three of us had come to this place together, had all signed up to be matched. I was the first, the leader in this process, and they were depending on me for information.

Information I did not want to give them.

“I told her what I was, and she ran. She does not want to be mated to a non-earthling.”

His heavy brow dipped. He didn’t deal with the humans much. He didn’t understand their ways. I didn’t understand their ways.

“I need to take these lenses out of my eyes and rest,” I said, almost too tired to stay on my feet.

He grunted. “My regrets, friend.”

Hohddshoun was still far more optimistic, even after the punch. “It’ll work out. Your esehhnce will croon for her and bring you together.”

But I was past the point of believing such things. “She doesn’t want me.”

Maivehricck stared at me, giving me that deep look he had mastered many seasons before. The one that said he saw through every deception and knew your truth. “You have two weeks. Either you convince her, or you lose her. Your choice, really.”

But it wasn’t. It was Klow-ee’s. And I had no idea how to reach her to even attempt to convince her to stay with me. Just the scrawled symbols on my hand that I would have to ask Ampetheia how to read. First, though, I needed a shower and to sleep.

T
he next morning
dawned bright and cheerful, a stark contrast to my mood. The scrawls on my hand were gone, the only possible link to Klow-ee having disappeared. And when I stopped by to ask Ampetheia for help, she told me she couldn’t give me information on an applicant and kicked me out. I hated that first morning. And the morning after that. And the morning after that. Days passed in an endless stream of sun and misery and waiting, and still no Klow-ee. Still no way to reach her. Still no clue what to do as the end of the two weeks drew near. I could hardly breathe the longer we stayed apart. Klow-ee was gone, and there was nothing I could do. I felt utterly helpless—something I’d never once experienced before—and it was all Hohddshoun’s fault.

I was going to kill him for setting me up for this disappointment.

“She may come around,” he said, ever the optimist. Maivehricck grunted, though that sound could have meant he agreed or disagreed. He tended to be the dark side to Hohddshoun’s light, so I figured he disagreed. As did I.

“She left me the moment her door closed. Ran away from me as if I would harm her. She did not even seem to want to look at me.”

“But you think she’s your mate.”

“Yes, I did.”
And I still want her to be mine
, I thought. But those words carried pain with them, something I didn’t want to keep piling on myself. So I kept them inside, refusing to admit my failure.

Hohddshoun shrugged as if this was nothing. As if there were options. As if my world hadn’t crashed around me the moment Klow-ee ran.

“Then it will work out.”

If he’d been standing any closer, I’d have punched him again.

“Come,” he said as he headed for the door. “I want to check with the agency on my match. We can ask them about your Klow-ee again.”

“Ampetheia won’t help.”

He shrugged. “So we skip Ampetheia and charm the female at the desk. Or we try to access the information ourselves. Either way, I have a good feeling about today. It’s time for a mated pairing.”

As much as I wanted to ignore him, anything would be better than sitting around and waiting. I jumped up, unable to resist the temptation of any sort of news regarding her. Perhaps Ampetheia would tell me something this time. If Klow-ee checked in. If she was okay.

If she’d requested placement with another male.

Ampetheia was standing at the front desk when we walked in, almost as if she was waiting for us. As if she knew we were coming. There went the charm-the-other-female idea.

“Ah, two of my three warriors. How are you today? Cutlass, how are things going with Klow-ee? Your time period is almost up, you know.”

I growled, looking away even as my heart jumped. Klow-ee must not have requested a new placement if Ampetheia still thought we’d complete the bond. That had to be good news.

Hohddshoun jumped in with an answer when I didn’t. “They haven’t been able to reconnect yet, but it’ll work out.”

Ampetheia’s happy expression dropped. “I see. So then, what can I do for you two today?”

Hohddshoun gave her a smile, the one he’d been practicing. “I was hoping my match had been found.”

“We can certainly check,” Ampetheia said, her glittering eyes darting from Hohddshoun to me and back again. “Why don’t you come with me?”

We followed the female to the back office where she’d told me about Klow-ee the first time. Where she’d explained customs and woo, made sure my translation core was functional for the language on this planet, and walked me through what would likely happen. Of course, my Klow-ee hadn’t responded as expected, so those lessons had been a waste. So much time to prepare myself for my human. So many long days ago since I’d had a chance to speak with her. Too many.

Ampetheia was right… My time was up.

“I’m surprised to hear about you and Klow-ee,” Ampetheia said, focusing that hunter’s gaze on me as she settled behind her computer. “That match should have been ideal.”

I sighed, glaring at Hohddshoun. “Apparently not.”

“Perhaps she’ll come around,” Hohddshoun said, still trying to bolster my emotions. An impossible task.

I had long grown tired of everything Hohddshoun tried. “If you say that again, perhaps I’ll gut you and serve your offal for breakfast.”

“Behave, boys,” Ampetheia said as she typed away, frowning. “I’m sorry, Hohddshoun—off, that’s a mouthful. Your name won’t translate. How about we go with…Hudson? Sounds similar enough.”

My soft growl was ignored as Hudson accepted his new name.

“And my match?” he asked, ever the focused hunter.

“Your match isn’t ready. Not quite yet, but we’re close. If I had more time…” Ampethei sighed and shrugged her sharp shoulders. “There are just too many applicants and not enough of me. Plus, they’re all coming here and expecting me to find them a place to live as well as a mate.”

I understood that need. Hohddshoun—or Hudson now—Maivehricck, and I had come to Earth without a place to call home either other than the ship we couldn’t bring into the atmosphere. Humans tended to fear such things, so we’d left it hovering near earth’s single moon and utilized a portal Ampetheia set up for us. That didn’t mean we could go back and forth, though. Once on earth, we needed to stay put so our skin could adjust to the atmosphere and fade to a human-like color. We had spent three nights tucked into one of the extra offices at the dating agency, stealing rest where we could.

Luckily for us, Maivehricck had managed to find work that allowed the three of us to rent a room by our fourth night on the planet. But the other beings…all coming and hoping to find a match like I had found with Klow-ee. They might not be so lucky.

Ampetheia shook her head, confirming my own thoughts with her words. “The next group may end up sleeping on the street, which will cause real problems should they change forms in the presence of a human. I need a big
were-howss
to store them all, then I could concentrate on matching faster.”

“I don’t know what this
were-howss
is,” Hudson said, sounding fierce and ready to go out and kill whatever stood in his way. “But I will find you one. I will bring it to you so you can match me to my mate.”

“You’re cute,” Ampetheia said while baring her teeth in that not-scary way she did. “A warehouse is a big building here on Earth, and I’m having trouble finding one that I can turn into rentable space. But I will, and then I promise I will focus on matching you, Hudson.”

He left without another word, probably too disappointed to say much more. As optimistic and happy as the guy tended to be, he’d placed all his hopes on finding a mate through the agency. He’d even stayed positive when I matched first. Obviously, his patience had been wearing thin.

But before I could deal with raising his spirits, there was something I needed. “My Klow-ee, she didn’t accept that I was not human.”

Ampetheia’s eyes went wide, and she scowled. “Why didn’t you tell me that straightaway? That changes everything. She’ll be cut from the program immediately.” She shook her head and sighed. “I apologize, Cutlass. Her letter indicated an open mind and an acceptance of—”

I cut her off with a growl. “She is my match, and I care for her. She wrote something on my hand, a way to reach her, but it came off when I showered. I haven’t heard from her in almost two weeks, and I worry. I want to find her. I need to know where she lives.”

Ampetheia sat back, looking almost sad. “As I’ve told you, I can’t share that info if she didn’t give it to you. That wouldn’t be right.”

I slammed my fist on the desk. “What’s not right is that we lied to her about what I am. That hurt her. Now I want to make sure she’s safe and cared for. If she refuses me again, I’ll leave her be, but I have to try one last time. Give me some way to contact her, Ampetheia. I have only hours left of our two-week period, and if you don’t help me find her, I will never know if she is truly the female for me.”

“You have found your true mate,” she said. A statement, not a question. And an accurate one.

“Maybe. I think so, at least. I can’t know without seeing her again, but it certainly feels that way. But that doesn’t matter. I want her safe and cared for, whether she chooses to accept me or not. I need to know she’s okay with everything and has a way to reach me should she ever need to.” I swallowed hard, focusing on my thoughts of Klow-ee, on the aching need inside of me to find her. “I need her to be happy, even if it’s without me.”

Ampetheia sat back in her chair and watched me for a long time. The invasiveness of her stare grated, but I held my ground. Needing her to understand how I felt. Wanting her to know my true desires. And maybe she did.

“I sincerely hope things work out for the two of you.” She scribbled something down and handed me a slip of paper. “The address on her paperwork is different than the one on her identification. When I asked, she said she’d just moved. My guess is this is the correct one.”

The paper had a bunch of lines and circles I couldn’t understand, but I’d find someone who did. This time, I’d make sure not to lose out on my lead.

“Thank you, Ampetheia.” I was already halfway out the door when Ampetheia called after me.

“Good luck, Cutlass.”

I grunted and kept moving. Luck would have nothing to do with this hunt.

“Yo, where’s my patty melt?”

I sighed, closing my eyes and sending up about the fifteenth prayer of the afternoon.
God save that asshole at the counter if he doesn’t shut up
. I probably should have played nice—offered him a free pop or something for his not-all-that-long wait—but I wasn’t in the mood.

“Hold your horses, mister. It’s coming.”

There went my tip.

It’d been a long couple of weeks of working, crying, and regretting. I never should have left Cutlass the way I did. I never should have judged him for lying to me when I’d been lying to him just as much. Okay, maybe not just as much—I was human, after all—but still. It wasn’t as if I was upfront about anything. Still, I felt like an ass. I let my fear of the unknown get the better of me and didn’t give him a chance to explain. And I wanted to give him that chance, wanted to let him teach me about himself and see if we could maybe build something together, species be damned.

I wanted to talk to him.

Too bad I killed my phone the day after I left him in that parking lot and therefore had no way to contact him or to know if he was trying to reach me. And with no money to replace the thing, I was completely stuck. I couldn’t even reach Amelia to ask for help. I had thought about simply walking over to the agency, but I had a feeling they wouldn’t want to help me. Not after I backed out of the match without a word. So I worked, and I cried when I got home every night, and I wondered where my alien man was and if he was thinking of me.

And I didn’t put up with customers’ bullshit for a measly dollar tip.

Standing at the pickup window, the scent of fried onions and ground beef positively smothering me, I knew I needed to make a change. If I wanted Cutlass, I needed to go after him. I’d been the one who ran, I should be the one who came crawling back. Worries be damned, I needed to go to the agency and see if I could get Cutlass’ information from the scary woman who’d matched us. I missed him, and I could only hope he’d missed me as well.

When the patty melt finally came up, I stalked to Mr. Short-Squat-And-Cranky at the counter and tossed the plate in front of him.