On Her Axis

By Jeanette Lynn

Perre has become disillusioned after the crap hit the fan with his ex Ausha. He's frustrated with life in general. He's mad that he'll never completely feel like his own person, never truly be alone for once in his life and if he wants a true wife, per Cardanian customs, he'll have to share her with Marre to make it a true mate bond. Fed up with it all, he gives up and starts shutting everyone else out, Marre included.
Marre is done waiting for his Cardanian twin brother, Perre, to get his head out of his rump long enough to realize not all women are like their deceitful ex and not everything is as bad as he has a tendency to make it out to be. He's decided to look for a mate on his own and if Perre doesn't want her too, then he'll just keep her all for himself.
Magenta is waiting for Mr.Right. She wants that one special someone to start a life with and isn't going to settle for just anybody.
When Marre and Magenta, who have been friends for years, meet up at Marre's nephew's birthday party, they really take notice of one another this time and the sparks fly.
Can Marre convince Magenta to give him a chance?
And when Perre gets a taste of the feisty tongued red head, can he get himself together enough to convince her to take him on too?
(This is Book 3 in the Cosmic Soul Mates Series)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jeanette Lynn
• Release date: Jan 21, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311565846

Jeanette Lynn

Jeanette Lynn lives with her Neanderthal, beyond awesome kiddlens, mini-dino water-ninja (turtle), slightly eccentric terrier mix, and hobbit pup. She enjoys creating quirky, offbeat characters in out of this world stories. And, of course, a good happy ending.Quirky, offbeat characters in out of this world stories. Finding love in unexpected places.Paranormal, contemporary, fantasy, sci fi, shifters, aliens, magic and matchmaking mayhem, there's a little bit of everything.

Book preview

And then there was one...

Marre

No, I'm done. This is pointless, Marre, and you know it.

You don't know that, Perre. We just have to try harder. Look around more... I reasoned, trailing off.

Yeah? Tell me, then, name one woman, Perre demanded, holding up his index finger, his posture rigid, the ridged spines along his skull and spine standing straight up in irritation.

One woman who hasn't either freaked out at the idea of being mated to the both of us and ran as fast as her little legs could carry her, or stayed only until the novelty of being involved in a threesome wore off?

I can't, I admitted quietly, after a long moment.

I know he’s right on that account, but that doesn't mean we should just give up.

Not all females are like that, surely.

Perre sighed heavily and ran his upper right hand over his ridges.

The spines on them rustled as he ran his fingers over the top of his skull to his neck, smoothing down the mohawk-like spined ridges that ran down it.

Most people thought the ridges that ran from the top of a male Cardanian's head, all the way down his spine, were one solid thing, but they aren't.

They're actually hollow, cartilage spines with skin stretching across them from spine to spine.

The spines flattened when you pressed on them and they stiffened and fanned out at times, standing straight up and out.

Usually from some form of distress or intense emotional response.

It's very much like when a cat's hackles rise in warning.

That's what I thought, because there aren’t any. No female in her right mind wants to love two men ‘til death do us part. That whole any woman’s fantasy bologna is bullshit. Perre scoffed, his lower arms now folded over his chest, legs wide in a defensive stance, like he was preparing for a fight.

Well, that’s not going to happen if I can help it.

I won’t fight him if I don’t have to, so good luck to him with that.

I don't care, Marre. I'm not looking anymore for a mate, so you can just forget it, he stated firmly, his mouth a grim slash on his face, a stubborn set to his chin.

I could sense through our twin bond that he was dead serious about how he felt, and I didn't need a bond to tell me he wasn't planning on changing his mind any time soon.

I know my brother and he can be as stubborn as a Cantarene mule when he gets a stick up his ass about something.

Those stubborn jackasses have four back legs that's kick packs a wallop, and if a Cantarene mule doesn't want to do something, you can forget it, he's not moving, period.

Just like Perre when he's set his mind on something.

Well, I want a mate, I countered, mirroring his grim look.

I'm not going to just drop something as important to me as finding our mate and, hey, I can be adamant too.

I'm tired of these stupid space bunnies with nothing going on between their ears, I vented, motioning towards my skull.

Perre just shrugged, and I could sense him trying to withdraw from our mind link.

Good luck with that, buddy, I thought to myself, smirking at the absurdity of the idea.

I've never heard of it being done before, and I would like to see him try to succeed.

He'll probably end up with a migraine and nothing more.

He can't be serious, giving up on having a mate, trying to break a mind link. What did I miss here?

Jesus, where is the real Perre and what has this dude done with him?

Even though most assume we have the same personality, we don’t. Not when you really get to know us.

I’m the more laid back of the two of us.

Perre's the more, severe, disgruntled... morose... pessimistic?

Yeah, pessimistic, that’s a good word to describe Perre.

He also feels things more strongly than I do, so he’s more sensitive.

Which I will completely deny if someone says I ever said that.

I have to live with him, after all.

Perre seemed to be seething at me, and I can't, for the life of me, see how I could be the cause of his animosity or any of this.

I don't care. It doesn't matter anymore. I said I'm done, Perre growled out quietly, his tone low, but firm with conviction.

"Yeah, well I want a mate! A life mate. Someone to share things with... Have a life with... A meaningful conversation... Someone to come home to every night. Someone other than your ugly mug," I snapped, gesturing towards the hairless pink face of my twin brother.

The ridges along my spine were raised now, the hollow spines in them releasing a low, whistling, humming sound as I finally got irritated with my twin.

You're technically insulting yourself, Marre, Perre responded, snorting at me. You look like a carbon copy of me. No one can really ever tell us apart.

This isn't funny, Perre. You know what I mean, and I thought you wanted to find our life mate too. What's changed? Aren't you tired of all the empty headed bimbos?

Perre shrugged nonchalantly. You're right, you know… It's not funny, he agreed, voice low.

It came out softly at first, but there was a hard edge to it as he finished.

His face was turned away at that moment as he said it, masking his expression from me.

After a tense, lengthy silence, Perre turned towards me a little and it was then that I got a good look at him.

I studied the glower he had pasted on his face.

Perre? I frowned.

He turned towards me fully, looking me directly in the eyes as he glared at me resentfully.

You want a mate so bad, go find one yourself. Just leave me out of it. They aren't good for anything but a tup or two anyways. They'll all just stab you in the back when you're not looking. Haven't the women these last few years taught you anything? They're treacherous females that can't be trusted, Perre growled out angrily.

I don't know when you grew so bitter, brother, I spat, my temper rising, "but I’m not going to sit around with my thumb up my ass and wait for you to come around. Don’t be surprised if I do find a mate, and bully for you, if you think I’m going to share her," I told him seriously, a scowl marring my face now too.

You go right ahead, and don’t be surprised when they’re just! Like! Ausha! he bellowed, his ridges whistling and humming at a high pitch.

I closed my eyes and breathed in and out slowly.

I need to calm myself down or I’m going to pummel my own twin bloody and blue.

He’s just hurting right now and I need to try and be a little understanding towards his plight.

If I can.

Without strangling him first!

He knows we have to find a mate to share to make it a true bond. In essence, I need Perre if I want to make my mate a true wife per Cardanian customs

If I can ever find her, whoever she is, that is.

"Believe me, there is no one like Ausha, Perre. She was a whole new level of bitch. But that's done and over with. You can't let her bullshit ruin you for other women! I know I'm not. I'm going to be more careful this time, you'll see. I'll pick someone I get to know more first, then see where it goes. Someone I can trust," I told him with conviction.

You go right ahead, but you're doing it solo, Marre. I don't need anyone else. I'm happiest when I'm alone anyhow.

You're never alone and you know it. I scoffed, reminding him that, for the most part, we are always connected on some level mentally.

It's like always having a voice in your head. It might sound weird to anyone else, but for me, I've never known it to be any other way.

Cardanian twins share a unique twin bond. It's almost as if we were one person split into two people in some ways, but not all. Different personalities, likes and dislikes, but our minds are so intertwined we thrive better together, in each other’s lives.

Our fathers are a twin pair too and we've learned a lot about the strength of twin bonds through them.

They tried to fight the twin bond and be independent of one another so hard they almost lost their chance with our mother when she came along.

They'd tried to function separately, live different lives, be two different people, living completely separate from one another.

It almost ended blowing everything up in their faces.

Mother met our father Oren first at college and then met Nero, our other father, when Oren brought her home to meet the family. The connection between her and Nero was instantaneous, my mother always said. She said it couldn't have been denied even if they'd wanted to.

She swears she just knew, the same way she knew with Oren.

Oren was furious when he found out about it and tried to make Mother pick one of them. She refused to choose between her men and said if she couldn't have them both, then she would have neither.

That idea didn't sit too well with Papa or Father.

Oren must have decided it was better to share her than not have her at all because they claimed her as their life mate and have been happily with Mother ever since.

Their mate bond with Mother is one of the strongest ones I've ever seen.

I put all of my thoughts back into the current situation and focused my attention back on Perre.

I tuned into our twin bond to see how he was truly feeling.

All I'm sensing from Perre right now is bitterness, weariness and resentment, and it's rolling off of him in waves.

He can't seriously regret our twin bond? Regret me?

Being my twin...

The idea hurt me like a punch to the gut, but I tamped down the feeling.

"Perre? What's wrong? The way you're acting... I would think you're regretting I had ever been born. This isn't my fault, you know. It's just life, you make do with what you're given. I didn't ask for this either, but it is what it is," I told him honestly.

He looked so friggin’ pissed right now, it was alarming. We've weathered many things together and this was mild, in my opinion, compared to everything else.

Why be so pissed off about this?

We’d joined the Galactic Corps together at eighteen and fought side by side through two major planetary wars, amounting to ten years of military service.

We held each other up when our oldest brother, Penne, was killed in the first planetary war, rogue space pirates having blown up his ship.

We carried each other's burdens and leaned on each other when needed, like family is supposed to.

Now, he's just angry and shutting me out, taking his anger out on me. I've really been trying to help him, let him lean on me, but he won’t this time.

It's kind of hard to be there for someone when they don't seem to really want your help or even you around.

He hasn’t been acting at all like the old Perre I thought I knew.

When he'd first started acting funny, after we'd found out about Ausha's deception, I’d thought he was just upset about everything that’d happened and tried to stay out of his head, give him some privacy.

I tried to let him work it out for himself.

I see now that I might have erred in letting him stew for so long.

I've never seen you acting like this brother, and it's a bit of a shock to me, I said quietly, frowning at my angry twin worriedly.

Is he depressed, maybe?

"Maybe I do," he said, with conviction, earning a questioning look from me.

Maybe you do what, Perre?

"Maybe I regret that I'll never have a chance to be just me. Maybe I can't stand this... this... whole situation... he growled out, gesturing at me, What we find ourselves in. If I didn't have to worry about finding someone to accept not only me, but both of us... I could have found a mate by now!" he burst out, snarling out the last part, his face red with frustration.

"You don't mean that Perre. You can't. It's not my fault we haven't found anyone yet. He makes it sound like I'm holding him back, like this is all somehow my fault. I didn't ask for this either brother, but it's not that bad."

"Not that bad? Not that bad! Are you kidding me?! If I didn't have you hanging around like a doppelganger, as a prerequisite for my own happiness, I would probably be happy by now!" Perre exclaimed, the veins in his neck standing out, pulsing in time to his heartbeat.

This is just ridiculous!

I'm not going to stand here like a simpleton and take a brow beating from his sorry ass!

My bullshit tolerance has just maxed out.

Perre, pity party of one?

He can be mad and wallow all he wants, but he's just going to have to do it all by himself.

Screw this shit.

I studied my brother intently, taking in the emotions rolling off of him. His posture was fight ready, like he wanted to pound on me, the spiteful expression on his face finishing it all off.

As I took it all in, for the first time in my life, instead of seeing what I always thought of as my other half and my best friend, I saw a stranger, who looked a lot like me, glaring resentfully back.

I picked up my keys and walked to the door, not looking back as I grabbed my coat and hat.

I stopped right before I stepped outside, and without turning back, I told him, You're letting your anger cloud your judgment, Perre, and you're letting Ausha win. You're hardening your heart towards anyone else, effectively shutting them out.

He scoffed, and I thought he might say something, but I shook my head, asking for him to let me finish.

He did, and what I said next kept him silent.

You should be more careful what you wish for, brother. You just might get it. And with that final say, I shut the door behind me and made my way down the front porch steps, heading towards the woods that surrounded the house.

The snow was starting to sprinkle down, covering the ground in a blanket of purple crystals that helped numb my thoughts as I focused on the individual paths each took.

The snowflakes made me think of life- all the different snowflakes mimicking a different choice that could be made.

Each flake was a path you could potentially choose- each one possibly leading you in a different direction.

I glanced up at the three moons orbiting the sky and let myself ponder that a little.

Maybe the cool night air would calm my rioting mind, I told myself, and began walking out into the darkness, letting the night and the snow envelop me.

Six months later

Bring on the food!

Magenta

"What is he doing here?" I whispered to Tawn as Exinn, Jaye and Neyenn's asshole cousin, walked in carrying Ophelia, his sweet little girl, piggyback style.

My voice was bordering on a hiss as I eyed my best friend questioningly.

Give him a break, Mags, he's changed, Tawn lightly defended him, chuckling at my expression.

I couldn't help it, though... he's a big ol’ jerk face and he caused problems for my friends, Jaye and Darlah, a few years back. His meddling created a lot of drama, and I, for one, am not a fan of his.

No, really, she pleaded, laughing at the look of utter disbelief on my face. Even he and Jaye have reconciled, Darlah too. He takes Ophelia over there all the time.

I looked over at Exinn and saw him chatting with Darlah, confirming Tawn's admission.

Not that I didn't believe her or anything. It's just hard to digest knowing how much of an ass Exinn can be.

Wow, really? I asked after I’d thought about it, surprised.

The crap hit the fan when Vagineya left him, she explained, nodding her head. She was adjusting another tray of finger foods as we talked in hushed tones, making sure they were all just so.

Neat freak! I thought affectionately, stifling the urge to tweak a couple of them just to unnerve her.

Vagineya left him, I thought a little stunned at the idea. I remembered their hasty wedding, and Vag was the one all gaga for Exinn, making moon eyes at him, latched onto his arm, gripping it for dear life.

Exinn had looked like he was going to be sick.

No! I whispered, letting my shock at that little tidbit peek out, lowering my voice further so we weren't overheard by the guests