Rendezvous Novels & Stories

—the one signal that refused to be translated. "It’s a 'Vector-Lock'," Vane explained, pointing to a single, unmoving red dot on the orbital projection. "It’s not a message. It’s a 'Pinger.' It’s bouncing off our Aurora Shell and sending a return signal back to a point in the 'Dead-Zone' near the galactic rim. Someone isn't talking to us, Audrey. They’re 'Ranging' us."

“I just couldn’t help it when I saw Jezton here. Jezton, this is Raven, my husband. Babe, this is Jezton.” “Hey, man. It’s good to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you,” Raven said, extending his hand with a smile. Jezton smiled back, shaking Raven’s hand. “The feeling is mutual. Not only have I heard a lot about you, but I actually see you everywhere.” They both chuckled, their handshake tightening as they locked eyes for a few seconds. “Shall we go inside?” Azzmi asked. “Sure.” Raven nodded enthusiastically, loosening his grip, and Jezton did the same.

Smoke and rain. "I’m right here," she whispered. "You don't need a radio to find me, Tristan. You just need to reach out." He opened his eyes. She was close, her face illuminated by the glow of the dashboard lights. "I’m reaching," he said softly. The moment stretched, fragile and human. Then, the proximity alarm screamed. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. "Contact!" Vane yelled. "Twelve o'clock! It’s big!" Tristan spun around in the chair.

I said, "and today was the first real day of the building, and we have more days, and we will use them." From three different directions simultaneously, the distant horns answered each other in the specific, deliberate, cross-referenced way of signals that are designed to confirm rather than initiate, the way you confirm coordinates before committing to a heading, and the three together produced an interval of sound that hung in the darkening air above the field and then resolved into the silence of the night beginning.

Vanessa glanced down at her phone, grinning at the message from India. “Meet you by the fountain at noon! Don’t be late, or I’ll buy all the shoes.” Vanessa chuckled, tossing her phone into her bag and grabbing her sunglasses. Today was the day she and India would finally put their heads together—and maybe, just maybe, hatch a plan outrageous enough to reunite their stubborn mates.

"You think Kade arranged this." "I think Kade has been running two tracks for fourteen months and has been arranging the convergence point since before I understood there was a convergence." She looked at the settlement behind her. The ceremony ground. The junction point below it, holding the declaration. "The declaration had to happen at Velmora. Kael coming south means Velmora is where he arrives. The junction point that secures the bond is the same junction point that sits beneath the ground where we meet him." The bond was very steady in her chest.

"Plus, my name is Sabine." Raven accepted the phone. "Raven." She quickly entered her number and called her own phone. Her phone immediately vibrated inside her purse. Raven smiled. "Nice to meet you, Red." She handed Sabine's phone back. Sabine glanced at the screen before slipping it back into her purse. "Likewise." The two women shook hands. But their newly formed alliance lasted approximately three seconds. Because Caden walked over. He looked between them, then toward the dance floor.

"This ledger isn't just a record of past funding. It's evidence of an assault already in motion, something coordinated, something timed." "Timed for what?" Marlowe asked, though some part of her already dreaded the answer before it came. Kellan's expression had gone grim in a way Marlowe hadn't seen from him even during the worst of the ravine fight. "My king. This notation, the rally point coding. I've only ever seen it used for one purpose in the old dispatches." He met Ronan's eyes directly. "A coronation. Or a wedding. Any moment the entire pack would be gathered in one place, celebrating, guard rotations relaxed, everyone's attention focused somewhere other than the walls."

I watched them without speaking while the weight of the envelope settled into my awareness like a second pulse. We did not drive to the usual building. Riven took a longer route through quieter streets and eventually stopped in front of a small residential property with no visible number on the gate. The windows were dark. The street was empty. "Where are we?" "A neutral place," he said. "Hale will not meet in public, and I will not bring you to his office until the first contact is clean. Tonight we prepare the message and the terms. Tomorrow the message goes out. After that we wait for the response and decide how far to push."

I whined and asked again, "Ugh, whyyyyyy? Where are we going any—" "Date. We will go on a date." I stared at him and repeated what he had said inside my head. Date. Date. Da-- DATE? Is it really the "date" that I have been thinking about? Wherein only two people go someplace together? A romantic one? Then...while walking, your prince-like boyfriend starts to interlock his fingers with yours and afterward you start blushing and hear romantic music in the background? People around will then disappear and you will feel like it's only the two of you i--