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“Ah, I hear ya. Only managed to see a handful myself between shifts.”

I feel more comfortable talking with her, maybe because she’s more relatable. “Who are you hoping for?”

“Vinym, actually.”

“Aren’t they sort of poisonous?”

The woman wears glasses and sports a tight bun of auburn hair. “Anything in excess is poisonous. But I’m in toxicology, so to me, it’s interesting. Besides, I’m more turned on by intellect. Sure, muscle is hot, but if the dude’s dumb as rocks, I ain’t into it.”

I purse my lips, trying not to smile.

“What?”

“My plus one teased me about finding a tentacle alien and ending up with kids with extra limbs. So I’m just hoping for a standard humanoid so I don’t have to think about his comments for the rest of my life.”

She laughs. “With my luck, I’ll get picked by a big brute who can’t spell his own name and speaks in fragments. And, with my past, I won’t tell him no.”

“You don’t have to say yes,” I offer.

“This is my point. I have to say no. I’m not good at that. What about you? Any worries?”

“Other than tentacles and extra arms?”

She chuckles. “Yeah.”

“My ex left me for my sister. So I have trust issues.”

She cringes. “Ooh, wow. I am sorry. That sucks. So no Ginarigons for you.”

“Yeah.”

“Well, don’t worry. There are no Ginarigons or Talhuskins this heat. They’ve caused too much trouble in the past. So Abr has put their species on temporary hold until they can clean up their acts.”

A lot of my tension eases.

“I’m relieved, too, because of my trouble saying no.”

A microphone crackles. “Please gather around. We’re close to beginning the race!”

Ohni hovers into the air on a shiny new drone and takes a position over the race arena.

She’s a tall woman dressed in a blue business suit with gold trim and sports a shiny badge on her chest. Her long dark hair is loose and drifts in the breeze of the lunar envirodome.

I’m jealous. Even with all the scrubbing, my hair was untamable except as a braid.

“Welcome, ladies! I am Ohni Orvetas, the new lead coordinator of the Alien Bride Races.”

Camera drones hum as they float all over the fields and above us. There are hundreds of women. Many human male security teams stand outside the doors of the complex. It makes me wonder what those men think, watching us all get chased by guys of other species.

Isn’t that weird?

But then I think of Talros and how he helped me get here, so I could have a better life.

“Ruby’s passing has not been easy for any of us,” Ohni continues. “She founded this organization, this race, and she did so to create healthy, natural bonds that would give women better lives and alien males the mates they need and desire.

“This heat, we have added stricter security measures to keep racers safe, limited some species’ participation, and added some new species. We also have our first communal swimming pool open and have added a few new events to the schedule that we are excited to cut the ribbon on.

“But most importantly, the arena has expanded beyond the rocky mountain and evergreen forest and now incorporates a flower meadow, a bamboo forest, and a sandy beach that are all encompassed by a river. The goal was to provide a comfortable medium for each alien species. If you know which you are hoping for, you can aim for the territory that best suits them.”

Behind Ohni, a holographic map appears. I memorize it but have no idea where to run.

A woman raises her hand.

“Yes?” Ohni points to her.

“What if we don’t care or don’t know who might want us?” the woman asks.

Ohni motions to the main arena. “You can stay here where the climbing fortress, garden, and maze are. The male transport always enters airspace on their side of the complex. That is where they will land. So they will all funnel through this area.

“For this first race, in honor of Ruby, we have doubled the population of racers, and you now have two hours to find a match instead of one. We will also have a special fireworks event this week.”

“What are the new events?” Another woman asks. I’m equally curious.

Ohni grins. “Let’s just say it’s a sweet surprise treat. Any other questions?”

I have about a million, but I can’t seem to pick one because they aren’t about the race. They’re about why I’m here and if anyone could possibly want a freak with a bodyweb.

I’m an augmented human, not just a human. Which species are even interested in that?

After a scan for hands, Ohni backs up, and the cameradrones close in.

Her voice strengthens as she opens her arms. “Welcome to the 200th Alien Bride Race! I am Ohni, Ruby’s successor and new Lead Coordinator of the Alien Bride Race.

The Abr committee and I have planned something very special for you folks in Ruby’s memory.

“Tonight, you will see double the chaos, double the fun! Possessive alien males, skilled human females, and a sprint for two , that’s right, two million credits!”

Son of a… I could buy a small starship with that!

I start reconsidering a mate. I could go anywhere, even work at a port!

“And boy, do we have an assortment of aliens this round!” Ohni continues. “Double the species! You can watch their stats on your screens as each camera follows them in their hungry search for a woman to claim!”

The railing beneath my hands blinks white as a deep, droning rumble pierces the lunar shield.

Oh shit! It’s happening! Adrenaline floods me in hot waves. I’m not ready!

“Here they come!” Cora screams.

The railing flashes green three times, then turns solid. Women cheer in excitement and hurtle themselves over the bar in a stumbling, crazed tidal wave of hormones and flesh. My body feels heavy, and my heart sluggish as it strains to pump faster.

I clear the railing with ease and move with the massive group, scattering into the fields.

Finally, my heart catches up to the quick pace of my feet.

I look up toward the stars, find the transport, and see the first male jump from twenty, maybe even thirty stories up.

He’s so far up in the air that I can’t quite sort his color.

Then another jumps.

Women flood the field, scampering away from the ship and in my direction.

Oh shit. I’m going to get trampled!

A yellow-banded woman with golden hair falls not far from me. I don’t want anyone to get hurt when we’re all just here to have fun. So I break course and stop beside her.

I help her up as someone bumps into me. “You good?”

She gasps and nods. “Thanks.”

As she slowly continues, I run for the fortress, hoping for a place to hide. A blue male in metal-plated leather armor dashes by me with a speed I don’t expect.

I slam to a stop. He flashes me a look and keeps going. His eye is trained on a blue-banded woman.

Thorian! That was a Thorian!

I silently thank Tal for his species lessons. But as I watch him chase after her, it makes me think and look down at my armband. He’s blue, and she’s blue. Is that why I got purple?

I look around but don’t see enough of a pattern to believe it. A gold Jorbiun picks a pink. Then a red Klaphos picks a red.

Suddenly, my body launches sideways. A hot breath of air warms my neck, then shudders to the sound of sniffing. The furry blue Mindor squints down at me. “Faraday?”

“Y-yes?”

He rumbles a low note in thought, then bounds off.

I slump with relief and blink up at the transport still pouring males into the arena. And there, in the doorway, is a huge, purple male scanning the fields.

The Amphiran. I scramble to prop myself up for a better view. He’s dressed in gray armor like a soldier with vibrant green eyes… electric green.

My heart doesn’t need encouragement this time. It takes off on its own. But I’m not sure if I want him to see me.

How do I know? How would he? I’m not electric.

I clamber up and get behind a post of the fortress so I can watch him. He doesn’t jump like the others.

A deep voice growls behind me. “Hello, gorgeoussss.”

I turn around, my back to the post, and find a shimmering green male with four arms and a long, thick tail sauntering up to me. His body looks like it’s made of glitter, and his double-lidded eyes are an inky black that creeps me the fuck out.

Before I can run, he grabs me in two of his arms and crawls under one of the lower levels of the fortress, coiling himself around me. His hands are everywhere .

“Mine!” he rumbles.

Damn it, Tal! You jinxed me!