Page 15 of 3013: Wonderland
Raek had surprised her when he had asked if she wanted James, Beatrice, and Willard dead. She knew if she’d said yes, he would have found a way to make it happen. Instead, she had reaffirmed that she preferred knowing they were trapped in a cage and would be spending a long time living in a hell of their own making.
Besides spending time with Raek and Fenris, Juliet had also found a core group of female friends who she had bonded with. Although it was an eclectic group, they enjoyed spending time together. There was something special about having other females to confide in, and she liked that they were all from different races and backgrounds.
It had surprised Juliet to discover how many people had recently been mated since coming to Evo. It seemed like the planetoid had unintentionally become a destination for romance. She secretly thought that if they marketed that idea, more people would visit the planetoid than those who came just to play the games.
Brielle was mated to the three Artane brothers and was a brilliant scientist who had been instrumental in the creation of Evo. While they had worked together for years, they had only officially mated once they had moved to the planetoid.
Ayla D’Nye, the famous D’Aire Singer, had discovered Zenix Li, the head of security, was the keeper of her heart after she had arrived on Evo to perform at a concert. Ayla’s assistant, Lina Z’ar, had also found the keeper of her heart, Travis McClain, a tech specialist.
Juliet, Charm, and Melody were the only three females currently seated at the table who weren’t mated, but she had a feeling that would soon be changing for the Tarin.
Since the first day they had arrived, Melody had spent every night with Conack. The Krytos security officer was a mountain of a male, but he was a softie at heart. It was endearing to watch the big male blush whenever Melody teased or flirted with him. It was clear for all to see that he was completely and utterly devoted to her by the way he followed her around like a little puppy.
Thankfully, she seemed to feel the same way about him.
Juliet was proven right when Melody cleared her throat and said, “Now that we’re all here, I wanted to tell you that I have decided to move in with Conack.”
She frowned when Juliet cheered, while Ayla, Lina, and Charm muttered curses. Brielle just groaned in response to the announcement.
“Problem?”
“Couldn’t you have waited another week?” Ayla whined.
“Why?”
“Because then she would have won the bet,” Brielle explained. “She had two weeks, while I said a month.”
Melody’s brow lifted. “You had a bet going to see how long it would take me to move in with him?”
“Did we say the bet was for moving in or mating?” Lina perked up. “Those are two different things so I didn’t lose yet.”
“You lost,” Juliet corrected. “You said three months, while I said a week. So, I won.”
“No fair,” Ayla complained. “You know her better.”
Juliet laughed. “Which is why I said a week.”
Charm shook her head. “But if they aren’t technically mated yet—”
“We are mated,” Melody blurted out. “Well, I shared energy with him last night, so that is basically a bond for life type of thing for Tarin.”
“Damn it,” Lina and Ayla said in unison.
“This is…not how I expected you to react to my big news. What was the bet for?”
“Spa treatments,” Juliet announced proudly.
“I’m glad my mating was worth so little to all of you,” Melody said dryly.
“And dinner,” Charm added cheerfully.
“Right, and dinner,” Juliet repeated with a solemn nod. “Congratulations on your mating, and thanks for letting me win.”
Giving into their antics, Melody laughed. “You are welcome. I think we need champagne.”
“I still have work…aww, fuck it. You’re right. We need drinks,” Charm said with a laugh. She started to reach for the tablet to place their order, but Brielle shook her head.
“Evo, can you have a couple of bottles of champagne sent up to us? The good stuff.”