About This Book CAT A science-fiction romance short-story. 8427 words Orlgo was one of the last of a unique breed. He’d been exiled, for nothing more than existing. His species was feared and ostracized. He needed a host – required one in order to live, thrive. Because of that, most other species considered his people parasitic. He supposed in a way, maybe they were – but there was so much more to it than that. He’d given up hope – intentionally left on an abandoned space station near the outer reaches of the universe, there was no chance for him to find a host. No chance for him to survive. He’d wished day after day after day for just one chance to claim a host. Now he wasn’t so sure. Insanity had begun to rear its unavoidable head. He wasn’t sure he could survive a rejection from a host even if one was available. Then, a female crash lands on his space station. Could this be his chance? Would she fear him, or could he possibly win her over? Maybe show her that he was not what he was rumored to be. He needed to watch her, learn her likes and dislikes, find a way to present himself that would attract her to him, earn her trust so he could make her his host before she could run from him. Chloe had been alone her entire life, learning the hard way that you could only depend on yourself. “Learn to fight alone,” the nuns at the orphanage had told her. So, she had. She’d fought relationships, fought attachments, fought society and fought the “norm.” Which is how she ended up alone on the edges of the known universe far from any of the mining planets she routinely made supply runs for – in a damaged ship – without any choice but to maroon herself on an abandoned space station. This would be home until she could manage to repair her ship. Hopefully, there wouldn’t be any lifeforms lurking that had any desire to make her their dinner, or worse. There were some things worse than death. She looked back at her ship, knowing that a rescue was unlikely. She’d managed to activate the homing beacon, so that anyone searching for her would be able to locate the signal and come for her. But that was just the problem, there would be no one looking for her. She wished she’d taken the time to connect with anyone, at any time, so someone would know to look for her. Fate has a funny way of giving just what is needed, exactly when it’s needed and not an ounce more or a moment sooner. Whether it’s a blessing or a curse to all parties involved is in the eye of the beholder. One should always be careful what they wish for, they just might get it. Warning: Intended for mature audiences. This book contains some situations, sexual and otherwise that may be disturbing for some readers. If you are offended by these subjects, please do not buy this book.