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“It’s a prop,” Winn blurted. “For a... aRenaissance fair. He’s a performer.”

Jo’Nay stared at Winn, his astonishment battling with his amusement. She was getting bolder, her lies more elaborate. Was this how humans survived? Through deceit and improvisation? He found himself oddly fascinated.

The officer, however, appeared unconvinced. He took a step closer, his hand hovering near his weapon. Jo’Nay felt Winn tense beside him. He had reached his limit. This charade wasover.

“Step away from her,” Jo’Nay warned, his voice low and menacing. The Vettian inflection was unmistakable. He saw a flicker of fear return to the officer’s eyes.Good.

“I’m just doing my job, sir,” the officer said, his voice wavering slightly.

Jo’Nay scoffed. His job? To harass a helpless female? “You have interfered enough,” he stated, his patience exhausted. He would not tolerate further intrusions.

He shifted his stance, the movement fluid and predatory. Winn gasped, but he ignored her. He focused on the officer, his senses alert. He could feel the tension radiating from the human, the fear that pulsed beneath his bravado.

“Back off, pal,” the officer warned. His hand moved closer to his weapon, but his movements were hesitant, unsure. Jo’Nay smiled, aflash of his golden canines. This human was no match forhim.

He activated the sword, sending a pulse of energy toward the officer. It was a non-lethal stun, awarning shot. The officer crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

“Come,” he said to Winn, his voice softening. He saw the fear in her eyes, the shock of what he had done. He took her hand and led her away, grabbing the hand truck at the last instant.

Jo’Nay led Winn through the crowd. He squeezed her hand reassuringly. She was safe with him. He would protect her. He led her to the secluded spot where they had first materialized, hidden from pryingeyes.

“Rory, transport,” he commanded.

Back on the ship, Jo’Nay felt the tension drain from his body. He had defended Winn, protected her from harm. Yet, anagging doubt remained.

Their actions had potential consequences, ripples that could spread beyond their control. He glanced at Winn, who sat huddled in a chair, her face pale. She was shaken, but unharmed. He would have to be more careful, more restrained. He could not risk exposing her to further danger. Their future, the future of their child, depended onit.

Chapter 9

JO’NAYreversed his appearance shortly after their return to the ship, shedding the manufactured ordinariness of the human disguise to reveal the magnificent Vettian warrior Winn had come to love. The transformation was instantaneous, ashimmering ripple of energy that resculpted his form, restoring the striking otherness that had both captivated and terrified her upon their first encounter.

He materialized beside her, naked and magnificent, his white hair a striking curtain against the luminous bronze of his skin. His eyes, no longer the earthy brown of his disguise, blazed with a familiar amethyst fire that sent shivers down her spine. Fear still clawed at her, the memory of the police and their frantic escape a raw, throbbing wound. But the sight of him, alive and vibrantly real, banished the shadows, leaving a desperate, aching longing in theirwake.

“We made it,” she breathed, her voice a ragged whisper lost in the hum of the ship’s systems.

She reached for him, driven by an insatiable need to touch the smooth warmth of his skin, to assure herself he was truly there, not a figment of her overwrought imagination. Her hand trembled as it grazed his bicep, tracing the hard lines of muscle that rippled beneath his bronzeskin.

She could feel the power that lay coiled within him, the Vettian strength honed by centuries of warfare and genetic manipulation. But it was the tenderness in his gaze, the concern that shadowed his amethyst eyes, that reassured her, anchoring her to this moment, to this man who had defied death and societal norms for herlove.

“Affirmative,” he replied, his voice deep and gravelly, the familiar rumble a balm to her frayed nerves. “We are safe.”

She could hear the urgency in his tone, an echo of the tension that still hummed beneath the surface of their joint relief. He pulled her close, his arms a cage of muscle and heat around her trembling form. The faint, lingering aroma of Earth apples, an unexpected reminder of their recent foray into her world, clung to him, mingling with his unique Vettian scent.

“Are you injured in any way?” he demanded.

She shook her head, burying her face against his chest, seeking refuge in the solid warmth of his embrace. The fear, the adrenaline, the sheer exhaustion of the day’s events left her overwhelmed. She needed his strength and the reassurance of his touch to ground her in this chaotic, shifting reality they had created together.

“I’m just scared,” she confessed, her voice muffled against his chest.

Scared of losing him, of this fragile future they were building amidst the ruins of their past lives. Scared of the Vettiangovernment, of the secrets they carried, of the unknown dangers that lurked beyond the safety of his ship. Scared, too, of the changes taking place within her own body, of the tiny life growing inside her, afragile bridge between their two worlds.

“Fear is a natural response to danger,” he murmured, stroking her hair. His calloused fingers, rough yet strangely gentle, skimmed her scalp, sending a cascade of tingling sensations down her spine. “But the danger has passed. We are safe aboard my ship.”

His words, meant to comfort, only amplified the unease that coiled in her gut. Safe? Were they truly safe? Had his Final Flight been permanently averted through the power of the Earth apples? It was a twist of fate that defied logic, and yet filled her with a cautious hope. Ahope that could be dashed if the repair was only temporary.

Then there was the Vettian government and the serious threat they represented, filled with unknown consequences of their forbidden love. And the police from the marketplace, their curiosity piqued, might not give up so easily. They might dig deeper, which meant Earth, her home, had become a place she’d have to avoid, possibly for the rest of her life. All these dangers lurked in the shadows of her and Jo’Nay’s happiness, waiting to snatch away the fragile peace they had found.

“Hold me, Jo’Nay,” she whispered, her voice choked with emotion. “Just hold me.” She needed his touch, his warmth, the solid weight of his presence to anchor her to this moment, to this fragile reality where they were alive, together, defying the odds and the dictates of their respective worlds.

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