Fathom (Mermaids of Montana #3) - Elsa Jade Page 0,64
to self,” Evens muttered as he pulled a piece of Earther tech in front of him. “Get chairs for different body types.”
Sting perched on the edge of the too-small seat. “First question,” he prodded impatiently.
Evens poised his hands over the device input board scattered with Earther letters. “Name.”
“Sting.”
“Full name?”
“Sting.”
Even stared at him. “You’re going to make this difficult, aren’t you?”
Sting stared back.
“Username.” Evens held up one finger when Sting opened his mouth. “This could be something a little more unique, something fun, a little flirty maybe, something to give the other person a sense of your personality.”
Sting stared at him. “Sting.”
Evens sighed.
The implied annoyance pricked even though armored skin. “Lana already knows my name,” he argued. “There is no need for me to tease her.”
“But Lana might not be the only one…” At Sting’s sub-vocal growl, Evens subsided. “Fine. What is your height?”
“Taller than Lana.”
Evens’ jaw clenched. “What is your weight?”
“About two Lanas.”
With a grunt almost as hard as one of Sting’s own, Evens clicked through several pages of the questionnaire with unnecessary force. “Let’s just skip ahead to some of the more personal questions… Ah, okay, here. What is your favorite food?”
“Plankton, pie, and the blood of my enemies.”
“That’s not… No! You’re not at war. You’re trying to entice an alien bride.”
Sting scowled. “Anyone who has enemies would be enticed.”
Evens rubbed his brow with the tips of his fingers. “True. But Tritona and you are trying to move past that, aren’t you?”
Lana had said the same and he had not believed her. He had dismissed her insight because she was too delicate and gentle to understand, but that was wrong of him. He would not make that mistake again. He’d have no right to claim her if he couldn’t understand that her angle might give her a different view than his own. He nodded once at Evens. “Replace the blood of my enemies with chocolate pudding.”
Evens wrinkled his nose but continued the questions. “Favorite color?”
“Brown. The color of Lana’s eyes.”
“Favorite pastime?”
“Swimming with Lana.”
“Favorite song?”
“The sound, like lapping waves, that breaks from Lana’s lips when I delve into the hidden labyrinth of her—”
“Okay! You know what? I think that’s enough questions from the overview section. Let’s go into something with a little more nuance.” He flicked through some screens on his computer. “What are you looking for in an alien bride?”
“Lana.”
Evens shut his computer with a snap. “Sting. We’re trying to find out who’d be the right mate for you, not keep repeating the same name.”
“But I know who she is,” Sting countered. “Lana.” His hands clenched on the rickety arms of the chair holding him in place, so tight the ends of the chair made an impression through the spread webs of his fingers. “I just need you to tell me how to win her.”
“The purpose of the Intergalactic Dating Agency is a mate matching service, not a finishing school.”
“You tell me the war is over,” Sting said, frustration deepening his voice, “but this is a fight I don’t know how to win.”
Evens sat back, steepling his fingers together against his upper lip as if holding back words. Finally he flattened his palms on the table top. “First of all, winning the love of your life is not a fight.”
“She electrocuted me a couple of times,” Sting informed him. “Only partly on purpose though.”
Evens grimaced. “Okay, for you, maybe it’s a fight. He narrowed his eyes. “Although if she’s trying to kill you, maybe you should ask yourself if it’s a fight you want to win.”
Sting nodded vigorously. “And I want her to believe it too.”
“But if she doesn’t want the same? The Big Sky IDA has been used as a cover for intergalactic misdeeds. I’m not reviving it only to have its first match be a lie.”
Sting sat for a moment. He’d heard how the IDA had been a front to kidnap Earther brides for nefarious purposes. And the Cretarni had hijacked its message to lure the Tritonans too. “I do not want anyone to be taken against their will,” he said. “And that includes Lana. But if I could make myself something she wanted…” He bit his lip again. “I just need the words to tell her that I feel.”
“How you feel,” Evens corrected.
“That too.” He tried to think of how he’d explain to the other male. “The Tritonesse released me rough and raw. It didn’t matter during the war if I was monster. When they were finished with me, they would have killed me if Coriolis