Her laughter was music to his ears.
"All right, not much else to know, but lots of getting used to," he conceded. "I mean, it's wonderful but scary... we're two bodies and one mind. It's symbiotic. It's..."
"I think it's wonderful," she whispered before pulling him down to kiss him.
Mayumi, you take my breath away.
Maybe, but your mind is still able to speak.
The never ending kiss kept the communication wordless for a long time.
***
"So, we need to make a list of people to invite to the betrothal and then get to work on the wedding of the century," Ker-ris said, rubbing his hands together as if he looked forward to that.
"What?" Shan-leo protested. "Who said I want to get married now?"
"You don't?" Ker-ris feigned disappointment. "You so wanted to attend my wedding and now you deny me of the pleasure of walking my son to the altar?"
"Oh, Father!" Shan-leo rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I know you looked forward to that, but don't rush me, all right?"
"I should have known you changed your mind," Ker-ris grumbled. "You so loved weddings and now you've been avoiding yours for years."
"I hadn't found the right person, why would I put up a fake wedding?"
"Wasn't that what you suggested I do with Maela ten years ago, for appearances' sake?"
"Da-ad!"
"All right." Ker-ris sighed noisily. "At least an engagement party? An official betrothal?" he asked, hopeful.
Shan-leo hesitated and looked at Mayumi. He couldn't keep from his father he'd mind linked with her, and obviously Ker-ris didn't have anything against her, but getting married... who needed it when there was such a strong bond between them?
"I wouldn't mind wearing a traditional dress of Xi-kong and feeling like a princess for one day," she said with an amused smile.
"In that case." He nodded and looked at his father's satisfied face. "Don't be so happy, Dad!"
"Why can't I be happy that you found the love of your life?" Ker-ris replied, sending his love through his mind to both of them. "Welcome to the family, Mayumi."
"Obviously the Shermacs like dark hair and eyes," Kol-ian commented, amused. "But she's prettier than Lin-sun."
Ker-ris glared at him. "You hated your sister."
"With good reason. She was an icy bitch."
"Then why did you obey her?"
"What choice did I have? I think Leo-will warned you about her, but you wouldn't listen..."
Shan-leo squeezed Mayumi's shoulder.
They love each other as much as we do – people are always surprised to hear them bicker like this.
She smiled at him.
Looking forward to bickering with you with my mouth while I make love to you with my mind...
Shan-leo chuckled and kissed her.
"Ahem!" Ker-ris cleared his throat. "So, when can we hold the engagement party?"
AUTHOR'S NOTES
Izzy-lee's arguments on why breed and Shan-leo's responses are based on the VHEMT document http://www.vhemt.org/whybreed.pdf
Special thanks to beta-readers Rebecca Bates, Barbara "Abby" Palmer, Joleene Naylor and Fulvio Gatti.
Another thanks and endless gratitude for artist Maurizio Manzieri who brought Shan-leo and Dadina to life on the cover.
And to Mighty Editor Zoe Markam for her precious proof-reading.
An interview with Shan-leo and Dadina is available here on the author's blog.
***
Index
1. A birthday
2. Izzy-lee
3. Kay-low Meraini
4. T'ymi'chel M'aran
5. Bess-lin and Kelikana
6. Return to Sylvania
7. Earth 2023
8. Erika Juna
10. Galaxy Police
11. Hiro
12. Mayumi and Wim
13. Ivanka Rotshy
14. Wega
15. Home sweet home
Epilogue
***
About the Author
Barbara G.Tarn had an intense life in the Middle Ages that stuck to her through the centuries. She prefers swords to guns, long gowns to mini-skirts, and even though she buried the warrior woman, she deplores the death of knights in shining chainmail. She likes to think her condo apartment is a medieval castle, unfortunately lacking a dungeon to throw noisy neighbors and naughty colleagues in. Also known as the Lady with the Unicorns, these days she prefers to add a touch of fantasy to all her stories, past and present – when she’s not wandering on her fantasy world of Silvery Earth or in her science fantasy Star Minds Universe. She dabbles into historical fantasy with her Vampires Through the Centuries series and has started post-apocalyptic/steampunk series called Future Earth Chronicles. She’s a writer, sometimes artist, mostly a world-creator and story-teller. Two of her stories received an Honorable Mention at the Writers of the Future contest and one was published in Pulphouse Magazine #5 (March 2019). She writes, draws, ignores her day job and blogs at: http://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com.
For more info on the series or other titles go to Unicorn Productions.
If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review on your retailer of choice, thank you.
Did you love Star Minds Next Generation? Then you should read Adventurer (Star Minds Lone Wolves) by Barbara G.Tarn!
It's hard to kill when you're a telepath. Unless your feelings and empathy are frozen by grief.
Iso-bel "Icy" Aya Shermac lost her home planet at twenty to a cosmic catastrophe. Five years later she joins the adventurers and rogues to start earning a living.
Hitwoman, mercenary, bounty hunter, Icy Aya tackles her first missions with grim determination – to kill an ambassador, to protect witnesses of a crime, to catch the most wanted interstellar thief known as Mr. H.
If you hate sassy and sexy heroines, you're going to love her. Icy Aya, adventurer, hitwoman, mercenary, bounty hunter, sneet (Single Not in Engagement, in Expecting, in Toying) – the lone she-wolf you hate to love and love to hate.
Read more at Barbara G.Tarn’s site.
Also by Barbara G.Tarn
Future Earth Chronicles
Brainwaves (Future Earth Chronicles Book 1)
Wanderlust (Future Earth Chronicles Book 2)
Across Continents (Future Earth Chronicles Book 3)
Himalayas (Future Earth Chronicles Book 4)
Airships (Future Earth Chronicles Book 5)
Silvery Earth
Books of the Immortals - Air
Books of the Immortals - Earth
Books of the Immortals - Ether
Books of the Immortals - Fire
Books of the Immortals - Water
Chronicles of the Varian Empire - Volume 1
Chronicles of the Varian Empire - Volume 2
Chronicles of the Varian Empire - Volume 3
Male Lovers of Silvery Earth
Amazon Spring
Amazon Summer
Books of the Immortals
The Hooded Man
Kilig & Hakeem
Saif & Kilig
Kilig the Sword
The Young King
Firebird
Beautiful
Amazon Fall
The Path of Fire (Quests Book 2)
Tales of the Northern Kingdoms volume 1
Tales of the Northern Kingdoms volume 2
Male Lovers of Silvery Earth Volume 2
Fairy Tales Revisited on Silvery Earth
Tales of the Queendom of Maadre
More Tales of the Southern Kingdoms (One Volume Edition)
Tales of the Southern Kingdoms (One Volume Edition)
The Path of Air (Quests Book 3)
Quests Volume One: The Paths of Water and Air
The Path of Earth (Quests Book 4)
Quests Volume Two: The Paths of Fire and Earth
Talwar and Khanda - Assassins in Love
Saif's Story
Honorable Assassins
Axelle, Wanderer (Silvery Earth Heroines)
The Complete Chronicles of the Varian Empire Box Set
Assassins Guild of Silvery Earth Box Set
Fall of the Southern Kingdoms
Angelica, Scholar (Silvery Earth Heroines)
Two Stories of the Varian Empire
Male Lovers of Silvery Earth Volume 3
The Sun Sword (Legends of the Moren Empire Volume 1)
Quests Box Set
Star Minds Italiano
Angelo Tecnologico (Star Minds #1)
Mercanti di Schiavi (Star Minds #3)
Star Minds - la trilogia
Stella Cadente
Legame Mentale (Star Minds #2)
Star Minds Frammenti - Donne
Star Minds Frammenti
Star Minds Universe
Star Minds - The Trilogy
Star Minds Snippets
Star Minds Next Generation
Star Minds Next Generation Diaries
Star Minds Chasing Stardom
Star Minds Interregnum
Star Minds Third Generation Snippets
Star Minds Starter
Adventurer (Star Minds Lone Wolves)
Pilot (Star Minds Lone Wolves)
Hacker (Star Minds Lone Wolves)
Thief (Star Minds Lone Wolves)
Mercenary (Star Minds Lone Wolves)
Freelance (Star Minds Lone Wolves)
Star Minds Lone Wolves Shorts
Star Minds Lone Wolves Team - Missions 1-5
Star Minds Lone Wolves Team - Missions 6-10
Star Minds Lone Wolves Team - Missions 11-15
Star Minds Lone Wolves Team - Missions 16-20
Star Minds Lone Wolves Team - Missions 21-25
Star Minds Lone Wolves Team - Missions 26-29
Rogue (Star Minds Lone Wolves)
Terra d'Argento in italiano
Amori Maschili a Terra d'Argento
L'eredità di Saif
Smeraldo e Kyrio
Il giovane re
Saif e Kilig
Vampires Through the Centuries
Charioteer of Buddha
Indestructible
Kaylyn the Sister-in-Darkness
Kristine the Youngest
Norman Blood
Rajveer the Vampire
Shashank the Fledgling
Vampires Through the Centuries Novellas
Standalone
Johnny & Marian
Six Months and Other Love Stories
Best of Friends
Ciaran & Harith
Happiness is...
Choices, Changes and Other Stories
Pat & Babs
Body Switches
Yash and Ryo Lost in the Milky Way
Today People
Soul Thieves
The Fern and The Cross
Otherside
Joint Operations
Relationships (5 Short Stories of Love and Friendship)
Mumbai Dreams
Watch for more at Barbara G.Tarn’s site.