SYNOPSIS

  ?? Warning: this fiction contains profanity and sexual content.

  Two telepaths. Too many secrets. And a twin who refuses to let them ignore the sparks!

  Didn’t read Books 1-2? No matter. We bring you new characters and a new story so you can pick up the tale right here, right now.

  Euri and Shah could ignite the stars, but they’re too busy hiding their identities to fan the flames.

  One man isn’t going to let them ignore the heat any longer.

  Euri’s secretly writing erotic comedy.

  Shah’s chasing stories in her starliner, the Good Time.

  Together, they could combust, and Shah’s twin Ronnie knows it.

  Will the fire burn hot or fizzle out before Ronnie can get Shah and Euri to admit who they really are? And is it time for these wanderers to find a place to settle down together?

  Travel across Andromeda and see who breaks first and what happens when three telepaths band together, discovering the secrets are even deeper than they thought.

  NOTE: Our audience is everyday readers, not academics, so numerical values (dates, units of measure, time) have been translated into common English to preserve the flow of the storytellers. To those who take issue with our decision to do so, you are entitled to your opinion. In other words, “Fuck off.”

  - Known Cosmos Earth Press, 2862

  What to Expect:

  ? Nonverbal characters.

  ? Telepathy. Psychic powers.

  ? Travels across Andromeda Galaxy and beyond.

  ? Romantic Comedy with emotional depth and character growth.

  ? Found family. Slice-of-life moments.

  Seven Years Ago

  SHAH

  Totally Kissable, I thought, but kept it 100% to myself.

  My twin brother, Ronnie, and the object of my desire did not need to know what I was thinking.

  “Yus! Pizza’s here!” Euri called, running to the door.

  He was so cute with his latte skin, dark hair, and eyes I wanted to sink into. And he was grinning at me, holding out a pizza box that smelled amazing.

  I grabbed napkins, plates, and spices, and the three of us settled on the media room daybed of his parents’ house with huge slices of pizza loaded with toppings.

  I picked off the peppers and onions with a fork and managed not to giggle when my brother peeled back the cheese from his slice and wiped the sauce off with a napkin.

  Euri’s eyebrows shot up, but I didn’t hear what he was thinking. Instead, he copied Ronnie.

  And that’s when I knew I was in love with Euridyn Crieve-Madrano.

  After dinner, Euri handed us some tech, and I got a whiff of his thoughts for a second.

  Vow of silence.

  That’s what I picked up, and it seemed our host wanted to be nice and keep quiet like my brother and me.

  I fell harder.

  People would probably say fifteen was too young to be in love with someone I’d just met, but people also thought my twin and I were strange.

  They were right.

  Ronnie never spoke out loud. He didn't have to. I understood him, and that’s all he needed. Mom and Dad sorta understood him, but what they didn’t get, I filled in the blanks.

  There was a lot Mom and Dad didn’t know, though. Our whole lives, they told us about being Talented and that we might someday show signs like them.

  They didn’t know that Ronnie and I were always Talented. Me and Ronnie knew we were telepathic, and no one else ever would.

  Until we met Euridyne.

  I glanced at him and could see his lips under his VR visor. What would it feel like to lick the pizza grease off his mouth? I bet Euri would taste really good, like pizza cheese with extra garlicky herbs.

  An elbow nudged me.

  Kiss Euri’s hand. As a test, my brother whispered into my mind.

  Are you crazy!? We’re only here for a few days, I sent back with a mental scoff.

  Exactly, Ronnie said. Kiss his hand and then leave to go home to the other side of the galaxy.

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  Was Ronnie right?

  We took the tech Euri gave us and made a VR world I loved. Different sketches. Landscapes and cities.

  I had a really pretty ornate round building that Euri voted as his top pick, but then Ronnie made one that was sort of onion shaped, and we all decided it was the best.

  Snow fell from the VR sky onto Ronnie’s building, and he made it melt and evaporate into mist. So cool!

  I could feel longing coming off of Euri. He obviously liked the snow because he lived on a desert sphere. So, we made our whole VR world snowy for Euri. He reached over and grabbed a blanket, spreading it over the three of us like it was cold or something.

  So sweet.

  It was one of the happiest times of my life. Lying there relaxed and not worrying about anything, knowing that there was another telepath nearby who didn’t care if Ronnie and I were odd.

  It should’ve been awkward. But somehow, Ronnie and I just fit with Euri.

  I had no trouble falling asleep on the daybed that night.

  Rise and shine! Ronnie greeted me the next morning.

  Something smelled amazing. My brother and I headed to the kitchen and found Euri plating up a stack of pancakes. I kept the vow of silence going and picked up a plate too.

  Euri must’ve told their chef that we liked things plain because the pancakes had no butter or syrup. But there was powdered sugar and cinnamon, so I glanced at Ronnie and saw him dumping toppings all over the pancakes and rolling them up.

  I did it too, and shoved a pancake in my mouth with my fingers, trying not to laugh.

  Euri copied us and grinned at me, face white with powdered sugar. I grinned back, heart racing at the sight of him smiling at me like that, mouth covered with cinnamon-y sweetness.

  I really wanted to lick him. I bet he’d taste really good with all that sugar on his lips.

  I remembered what Ronnie told me, and later that day, when it was time to go back to our home world, I took Euri’s right hand because that’s how the Shurwinn bowed to each other.

  His skin was dry, and I didn’t look at his face. I just bowed like I was supposed to. Then ducked down and pressed my lips to the back of his hand.

  I let go, turned around, and didn’t look back.

  I could feel Euri, though, and he was warm, warm, warm all through his heart.

  Told you kissing him was the right move, Ronnie said as we headed off to meet our parents, and I wished it had been more than Euri’s hand.

  It would be seven years before we’d see Euri again, and the next time, he’d find out what Ronnie and I did to him while he was being so sweet to us.

  EURI

  “Pizza will be here in a minute. We’re off,” my metal-handed dad said as he jogged away from the apartment.

  Great.

  He’d left me with twins I’d never met. Kids of his friends.

  “Okay, guys, there’s, like, virtual reality, and games and shit in the media room,” I told them.

  Neither of the twins said a word as we headed down the hall. I glanced at Portia with her messy hair and creamy skin.

  My mental senses took her and her brother Larron in, and that caught me up short. I managed not to trip over my feet as I felt their soft minds. Friendly.

  And they drew me in like a moth to a flame.

  But underneath it was pure steel.

  They knew. They felt my mind touching theirs.

  Oh boy, this was gonna be an interesting weekend. Three telepaths, VR, and no parents.

  I grinned at them, and they grinned back.

  That’s when I saw Portia’s tongue licking her lips, and electricity shot through me. Her brother crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the wall, watching.

  I slammed my telepathy shut. Dammit, being around the two of them was gonna be hard.

  Bing!

  Saved by the pizza delivery.

  “Pizza’s up,” I told them once I’d gotten the box, but they were already settled on the daybed in the media room with plates and napkins.

  So the three of us dug in, and still, neither of them spoke. I was starting to think that they couldn’t talk.

  Because Portia and Larron Sloan were not normal.

  That was okay, because neither was I. Maybe I’d finally met two people who could keep up with me.

  Only, what the fuck were they doing to the pizza?! I tried not to stare as the two of them wiped the sauce off the crust and then drenched the cheese with crushed red peppers and garlicky herbs.

  I shrugged and gave it a try.

  Hell yes! It was amazing.

  That did it. The Sloan Sibs earned a place at the table. I’d show them one of my biggest secrets.

  Once we’d pushed the pizza remnants outta the way, I opened a tiny case, handing them my most precious invention.

  Since they still weren’t talking, I took a vow of silence. We didn’t need words for what we were gonna do next.

  I showed them how to put the scalp relay against the skin on the top of their heads, and in a heartbeat, the three of us were controlling all wireless tech with the power of our thoughts.

  I handed them VR masks and tossed our names into the system with my mind. It didn’t take them long to figure out what to do, and before I could blink, we had a snowy landscape with cool buildings.

  The twins figured out the scalp relay in half the time it had taken my brother Dwin. They were good, and their art was even better!

  I got lost, walking through a snowy landscape, looking up in wonder. It never got cold enough for snow on my desert world, and I swear I could feel it, even though that was impossible with VR. I was still lying on a bed in my media room, but it felt like cold wind whipped around me, and ice crystals landed on my cheeks.

  My mental shield slipped, and my feelings spilled over, brushing against the twins. They were so warm. So happy. It was like we were always meant to be there, lying on the daybed with our legs up the wall, lost in a world the three of us made.

  My eyes wandered to Portia’s legs. Creamy skin. I definitely did not think about touching that skin with her twin right next to me.

  Something metallic grabbed my shoulder.

  Dad.

  That’s right, one of my dads was an augment with a cybernetic arm. My brother and I called him “Mets” for short. Behind his back, of course. Saying it to his face would’ve been rude.

  “Euri, it’s 2 AM,” he scolded.

  Right. I’d broken the Tech-Free-Night rule, which meant I had to take an eight-hour break from VR and try to sleep.

  “Fine,” I grumbled, packing up the tech. “Portia and Larron can sleep on the daybeds.”

  “No, they can go to their suite with their parents,” Dad started, but Larron had already pulled out their toothbrushes while Portia grabbed pjs from her bag.

  Dad sighed, “Whatever.” Then started walking away. He paused, spinning to me, tired smile on his face. “You were awesome tonight, Euri.”

  My mind stuttered, then I remembered the concert. Right!

  I grinned at him, following him down the hall. “I know, Dad. Auntie and Uncle were there!” I grabbed him and held on tight.

  My Auntie Ryst was Dad’s best friend, not his actual sister. But she and her husband, Nayth, were family to my brother and me. Telepaths who’d loved us like their own kids. And they’d gone missing a year ago.

  I knew they were fine. They’d disappeared into thin air, but I still felt them in my dreams or caught wind of them on the breeze. My metal-handed dad wasn’t so sure, but after the concert, he had to believe.

  Because Ryst and Nayth had shown up. We’d all felt it. And when Nayth’s mystical laughter descended on us, the ground shook.

  No one could deny it. My Auntie and Uncle had visited us at the concert, and that’s exactly why my brother Dwin and I put on the show. We got hundreds of people to sing a love song called, “Dream With Me Now,” and it was magic!

  “Thanks, son. For the concert,” Dad said, and the wistful look in his eyes made me grab him harder. Enough to be annoying.

  He shoved me off. “‘Night, Euri. Love you.”

  I chuckled. “Love you too, Pops. Give Dad a canoodle from me.”

  He grunted and headed towards his room, where I could hear my musical dad softly snoring.

  I collapsed into bed.

  Once my mandatory eight-hour tech-free time was up, I had breakfast with Portia and Larron. Then the three of us spent the rest of the weekend lost in a VR world we made with our minds, having no idea what our dads would one day do with all that art.

  When it was time for the twins to go back to their home world, Portia took my hand and pressed her lips to my skin.

  It set me on fire.

  Then they were gone.

  But I never forgot that kiss on my hand, and seven years later, when I saw her again, I found out exactly how tricky she and her twin were.