1. Negal

Outside the panoramic windows of the ships converted dining hall, the moon spilled its silver light across the waves, its reflection creating a shimmering path of luminescence that moved with the gentle swell of the water.

As Negal led Margo through the crowded dance floor, the ships swaying felt like its own dance, a slow, rhythmic motion that didnt match the cadence of the lively Latin piece blasting through the loudspeakers.

Are you up for it? Negal extended his hand to Margo.

She cast him a challenging smile. I am if you are. Do you know how to salsa?

He snorted. I carry a Portuguese passport. Mastery of mambo and salsa was a requirement for obtaining citizenship.

Margo laughed. Salsa didnt originate in Portugal. It was invented in New York.

I didnt know that, but I do know how to dance it.

Then lead on because Im rusty.

Negal might have exaggerated his mastery of the dance, but watching the other couples was enough to refresh his memory, and he guided Margo effortlessly through the steps. Following his lead she quickly found her rhythm, with her body responding naturally to the beat. As she gained confidence, so did he, and he spun her out and then back into his arms.

Her dress flaring with every turn, her smile broad and her eyes shimmering with excitement, she looked so lovely, so joyful, that his heart swelled with emotion.

Was this love?

It had to be.

Hed never been in love before, but he couldnt imagine a stronger emotion than what he was feeling for Margo. It was as if the world had narrowed down to the space they occupied, creating a bubble in which only they existed.

As the song reached its climax, Negal executed a final, daring spin, bending Margo over his arm in a graceful arch.

The room erupted into applause, and as Margo curtsied gracefully, he bowed to their audience.

When the next piece started playing, Negal was grateful that it was a slower, less demanding dance.

The immortals were still going just as strong as they had before dinner, but Margo was human, and it had been a long day for her. The salsa had drained her, and he noticed that she was growing fatigued even though she tried to hide it.

Her steps were no longer as sure as they had been during the previous dance, and her movements were becoming slightly sluggish, but her eyes were so full of joy and her smile so bright that it would pain him to suggest she should rest.

Besides, he didnt want to let go of her just yet.

The clarity that had begun to crystallize in his mind was like the afterglow of a supernova—blinding in its intensity and too grand to settle comfortably.

Hed always considered himself a creature of duty, and the concept of finding a mate and intertwining his life with anothers had seemed almost alien to him.

Yet, here he was, on the cusp of a revelation that threatened to redefine his very existence.

The realization that he desired Margo not just for a few fleeting moments of passion, but at all times and in every conceivable way, was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time.

The possibility that Margo could be his fated one was a concept he might have scoffed at in another life, but now it held a weight of truth he could not ignore. The fact that Aru and Dagor had found their fated mates on Earth hinted at a design rather than a coincidence—a thread in the Fates intricate tapestry of destinies.

Against the backdrop of the brewing rebellion on Anumati and their discovery of the heir to the Anumati throne on Earth, the personal destinies of Negal and his teammates seemed to be somehow intertwined with the Fates grand design.

The question was how he would navigate the complexities of being bound by the duties of his post while also fulfilling his duty to his mate.

Right now, it seemed as if the two would be difficult to reconcile, maybe even impossible. At some point in the future his time on Earth would come to an end, and he wouldnt be able to take Margo with him.

There was also the question of whether Margo was indeed his mate.

If it turned out that she wasnt a Dormant and had no godly genes in her, there was no way she was his one and only. He could still love her, but it wouldnt be the unbreakable bond of fated mates.

The old Negal would have prayed that she had no godly genes so he wouldnt be bound to her, but the new Negal was allowing himself to hope for a miracle and possibly opening himself up to a world of hurt should that miracle not come to pass.

When the song ended, he leaned closer to whisper in her ear. You seem tired. Ready to call it a night?

What makes you think that Im tired?

He chuckled. You are swaying on your feet, and its not because of the ship.

Margo sighed, a reluctant smile playing on her lips. I dont want the magic to end. She took a step away from him and twirled in place. This dress makes me feel like a fairy-tale princess, dancing with the prince on an enchanted voyage.

Her eyes sparkled with joy, but there were dark shadows under them, and even though Negal wished he could prolong the enchantment for Margo, he couldnt ignore the physical toll the long day and night had taken on her.

Taking her hand, he led her away from the dance floor. The magic doesnt end with the night. To me, you are always a princess, and it has nothing to do with the dress.

Men are so literal. She rolled her eyes for effect. It has everything to do with the dress. I dont feel like this every day.

Had he said something wrong?

He was experienced enough to know to avoid most of the usual landmines that females liked to plant in front of males to test them, and he was sure that telling a female that she was always a princess to him regardless of her attire had been the right response.

Margo laughed. You look so confused.

I am, he admitted as he pulled out a chair for her. You look offended, and I cant understand why.

Oh, my sweet Negal. She leaned her head against his bicep. Im not offended. I just feel that once I leave this ballroom, the magic will disappear, and Ill turn back into Cinderella minus the glass slipper. She lifted her head and looked at him. I keep forgetting that you are not from around here and that you might not know what Im talking about. She snorted. That was a major understatement. How many light years away from Earth is your home planet?

Hundreds, but Im familiar with the Cinderella fairy tale, and I know that you have nothing in common with her.

Margo frowned. You are right. In my case, the prince got me the beautiful evening gown, not the fairy godmother, and he doesnt need a glass slipper to find me.

You are also not a timid girl who needs a prince to rescue her.

But you did.

First of all, Im not a prince. Im more of a cinders guy, just without the mean family. Secondly, I cant take credit for your rescue because it was a team effort, and most of the credit belongs to Kalugal. Thirdly, you get to keep the dress, and fourthly, tomorrow we will dance at yet another wedding, and you will be wearing yet another beautiful dress.

She let out a tired laugh, leaning more heavily against him. Youre right. My fairy tale started the moment you caught me when I fainted, and it will probably end when the ship docks in Long Beach. I have four more nights of magic to enjoy, and then my memories of it will be erased, and I will not remember that it ever happened.

Negals chest tightened despite him feeling confident that their story would have a much happier ending.

Even if he didnt manage to induce Margos transition before the end of the cruise, he would find a way to do it after. Aru hadnt answered him yet about the possibility of delaying their departure for Tibet, but even if their commander didnt approve a delay, Aru and Dagor could go ahead while Negal stayed behind for a few more weeks to induce Margo. Once that was achieved and she transitioned, they could join the expedition.

Aru might object, but he would cave.

As someone who had just found his mate, Aru knew how impossible it was to deny the call of ones fated partner and leave her for any reason.

Thats not how our story is going to end, and you know it. Youre just tired, so everything seems gloomy to you.

She lifted a pair of sad eyes to him. Im not a guaranteed Dormant, Negal. I dont have any special paranormal talents, and Im not related to any immortals. If the induction doesnt work, I cant stay with you or even work for Perfect Match with Frankie. Toven might arrange a job for me in the companys offices in the city, and I might even become a beta tester, just not in the immortals village. They will thrall me to forget everything I know about them.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Thats a worst-case scenario, Margo. And I refuse to be a pessimist. I believe that you are a Dormant and that you will transition, and so should you.