“I think I like that better anyway. Beautiful,” I admit, trying to smooth over his faux pa. “I haven’t heard anyone say that about me since I was little.”
“Well, you are.”
“So tell me, what is the most amazing thing about space in your experience?”
He looks up at the sky. “That’s a tough one. Most people would describe it as challenging between the cold, the vacuum, and the physics of general travel through it. But there are so many star systems with life, Jovie. We can portal to one galaxy, meet a hundred new species, then travel to another and meet a hundred more.
“Every system has new elements, anomalies, and curiosities. And the nebulae are stunning. Even the Cicarron cluster, which is like flying through liquid metal, was terrifying and deadly but impressive to witness.”
“So you like exploring?”
“It’s safer if done with my friend, Elix. But I’ve gone on exploratory missions with our Rogues to all sorts of new worlds. I worked for the Sol Federation, too, for a while. A lot of princes do as a gesture of good faith for our peace treaty and membership to the Federation. But I stayed for a long time. I enjoyed it more than most.”
“And you have a portal?”
“Every Amphiran ship does. Allele too. Hers is just instinctual. She can open it for others close by. The rest of our fleet needs grav-beams for tag-a-longs.”
“Seems like people would try to take her from you.”
He nods. “They have. But she only lets certain Storms near her. The unworthy are not allowed. I don’t know how she picks them.”
“What about me? What if she…”
“Allele knows about you. She has not told me to avoid you. Quite the opposite.” Aura looks away.
“What is it?”
“Allele. She’s talking with me about the enemy sightings not far from Mars.”
I sit quietly, enjoying his protective arm around me. The excitement of the day has me growing sleepy and makes me want to give in to the comfort of his rigid, electric body. Resting my head on his shoulder sounds like a nice idea, but I’m not sure what his social customs are.
“Jovie?”
I force my eyes open. “Yes?”
Aura scoops me up and settles me into his lap. “All you need to do is tell me what you need. I will find a way to give it to you.”
“You’re sweet.” I lean my head against his chest.
He chuckles. “Sorry if I get hard. I have waited a long time for this.”
I snort a laugh. “I’ll just take it as a compliment.”
“Good.”
As I drift off, I wonder if we’re really meant to be together because of some mysterious energy, some wavelength we seem to share.
“Everything I have ever been taught says it’s true,” Aura whispers to me.
Ah, crap. I said it out loud!
“We can fight it.” Aura tightens his arms around me like he can’t believe I’m finally with him, and he’s afraid I’ll be ripped away. “We could go separate ways, or we could listen to the universe and encourage the power of our affinity.”
Something soft graces my forehead. As I sink into a restful state, I think about Aura, how sad his voice sounds, and how I want to learn everything I can about his species and him. But I’m just so very tired. Too tired. I feel cold.
My muscles tremble, and a sick feeling grips me. I try to fight through it, pretend it’s just a figment of my imagination concocted from paranoia about being locked in an intergalactic facility with so many other species. But it just isn’t going away.
“Aura?”
