Cutlass: Motor City Alien Mail Order Brides: Intergalactic Dating Agency by Ellis Leigh Page B

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.