Chapter 4

“NO.”

“Jo’Nay—”

“No,” he repeated, more strongly this time. “I will not risk you. We go together. Or I go alone.”

“No, not alone,” Winn stated, equally as strongly. She blew out a sigh. There was no point in arguing about going on her own, not when he sounded this determined.

He folded his massive arms across his chest. “Then together.”

“And we disguise you,” she informed him. “We use the ship’s technology to make you… human. You told me you’ve used it before to avoid alarming other species. We just need to adapt it for Earth. Just like you changed me to look like a Vettian, Rory can change you to look like an Earthling.”

He inclined his head. “Affirmative. Identify the necessary chances,” he commanded, his voice still holding a note of authority, but now laced with a hint of trust. Trust in her, in her abilities, in her knowledge of a world he was only beginning to understand.

“Most men of Earth are significantly shorter than you. Can your computer change that?”

Jo’Nay shook his head. “No. The bio-modulation chamber cannot change the basic structure of a being.”

“Your size is going to draw attention,” she warned.

“So be it.”

She sighed. “We’ll try and keep everything else about you average. Brown hair, brown eyes, brown skin similar to what you have, but without the lovely glow. Can the bio-modulation chamber make your hair look short?”

“It cannot. It can change the color, but not the length. Not unless I cut it, which will not happen.”

She struggled to hide her laugh. Vanity? Or was it part of being Vettian? Or maybe it was part of being an Intergalactic Warrior. Hard tosay.

“Okay, then we need you to wear jeans. If Rory will connect to the internet, Ican show her what they look like, along with a flannel shirt and a jean jacket. Except for your height, you’ll blend right in.”

“And my hair?”

She nibbled on her lip. She needed him to walk among her people unnoticed, aphantom amidst the masses. She shut her eyes. Yeah, right. “Maybe we can pull your hair up under a ballcap.”

“Ball. Cap?”

“It’s a hat. Lots of men wear them. It’ll help hide your hair.”

He appeared ever so slightly insulted, but simply nodded.

“And then, there’s your name.”

His inverted brows drew together. “What is wrong with my name?”

“Jo’Nay isn’t an Earth name. Would it be okay if I called you Johnny?”

“That would be acceptable.” His eyes narrowed. “But only why we are on Earth, agreed?”

“Agreed.”

“Very well,” Jo’Nay conceded, his voice resigned. “We will now proceed with the transformation. Rory?”

“Bio-modulation chamber now available. Transformation set to begin.”

Adjacent to the medical bay, the ship’s bio-modulation chamber hummed to life, its interior bathed in a soft, pulsating light. Jo’Nay stepped inside, his towering form dwarfed by the sleek metal walls. Winn watched from the control panel, her heart pounding with a mixture of nervousness and excitement, as the air around him crackled with energy.

The transformation was slow, agradual reshaping of muscle and bone, asubtle shifting of skin tone and facial features. His sharp canines receded, his pointed ears softened, his bronze skin lost its otherworldly glow, replaced by a more subdued, earthly hue. His brows straightened into masculine slashes.

There wasn’t anything the bio-modulation chamber could do about his extreme height, but he’d pass for a professional wrestler or football player. When the transformation finished, the Jo’Nay who emerged naked from the chamber was a stranger, ahuman shell concealing a Vettian soul, atestament to the power of his technology.

He stood before her, still retaining his warrior’s presence, discipline, and wariness, while adjusting to a new and unfamiliar skin. He ran a hand over his face, his touch exploring the altered contours of his cheekbones and brows. His hair remained long, but the color changed to a mulch brown. He examined his hands and the change to his skintone.

“This is... strange,” he muttered, his voice the same as before, deep and gravely and oh, sosexy.

Winn smiled, relieved and strangely proud of her accomplishment. She had brought a piece of Earth to him, had woven a thread of her world into his existence.

“It takes some getting used to,” she said, her voice light with a touch of teasing. “But trust me, you’ll blend right in.” Liar! Human-esque or Vettian, he’d stand out anywhere hewent.

And as she watched him, his movements gradually gained confidence. Aflicker of a warrior’s determination and laser focus sparked in his eyes, which were now the same mulch-brown as his hair and skin. Oh, how she missed that lovely deep amethyst shade, along with the striking white of his nearly waist-lengthhair.

Shoot! “Rory, we need the Earth clothes I described. Can you provide them?”

“Affirmative.”

A few seconds later, jeans, aflannel shirt, ajacket and ballcap appeared. For some reason, this caused the most dissention. “How do Earthlings tolerate this clothing?” he demanded, fighting his way into the jeans.

She helped him button his shirt and tuck it into the jeans. “Humans are used to it. They wear it from the time they’re babies.”

“I am not a baby.”

“No, you sure aren’t,” she muttered, struggling to reach the uppermost buttons of his shirt.

Step one, she acknowledged. The beginning of their journey, ajourney that would take them to Earth, then to his unit, and perhaps, to a future where the lines between their worlds blurred, and their love, born amidst impossible circumstances, became a beacon of hope for their two species.

But before they could accomplish step one, time to plan their return trip to Earth.

“The good part about our visit is that people should be focused on their own purchases at the wholesale market. We’re going to want apples and apple seeds and nothing else, so we can simply focus on that, buy it, and get the hell out.”

“Agreed.”

“Remember,” Winn instructed, ticking off on her fingers. “Maintain a neutral expression. Avoid prolonged eye contact. And whatever you do, don’t flash your canines. Even though the transformation has changed them, it looks weird when you do that.”

Jo’Nay inclined his head. “No canines. Affirmative.”

She frowned, slowly circling him. “You’re big and this disguise might not be perfect. It’s possible that it will attract attention to you. It’s possible some people from the fair will also be at the marketplace. They might remember seeing you Halloween night. They might even approach to ask if that was you.”

“I will attack them if they do.”

“No!” She suppressed a groan. “No, Jo’Nay. You will not attack anyone for any reason.”

He folded his massive arms across his equally massive chest, hints of his Vettian-ness winking through his human alterations. “I will attack anyone who threatens you or attempts to harm you.”

Alarm danced through her. “Oh, for crying out loud. First, no one is going to threaten or harm me. We’re just there to buy apples. In and out, fast and slick. And second, when you go all Intergalactic Warrior on me, you lose some of the alterations Rory put in place.”

“Explain your meaning.”

“You’re changing back into a Vettian when you get angry. You need to control your emotions.”

“It is difficult. You are everything to me.” He gestured toward her torso. “And you carry my child. Icannot allow anyone or anything to harm you.”

“I understand. But no one is going to harm me. Not over a few apples. Which reminds me… We need Earth money or this little expedition is over before it’s begun. Fortunately, that won’t be a problem.”

“You have Earth money?”

“I do. When I…” She swallowed, forcing herself to continue. “When I thought I was going to die, Icashed out my bank accounts. I’m pretty sure I have plenty for what we need.”

“Carrying around Earth money is safe?”

A slow, easy smile slipped across her face. “Carrying around Earth money with you is safe. Ican’t see anyone trying to rob someone your size.”

“What else must I know to successfully attend your market?”

As they worked through various possibilities, Winn couldn’t shake the feeling that they were playing a dangerous game, adance on the edge of a precipice.

“Enough,” Jo’Nay announced at last. “As a First, Ifrequently lead in new situations where I am not always familiar with how the creatures of any given world will react. Ihave learned to adapt to conditions as they develop.”

“Yes, but those worlds know about other alien life forms. The people of Earth are ignorant.”

“Yes, your people are very ignorant.” Irony shaded his words. “But we will manage. Our mission is too important to fail.”

“Rory? We’re going to succeed at our mission, right? You’ll be with us every step of the way?”

“Affirmative. We may communicate silently. Success rate is a solid sixty-five percent.”

“Wait! What?” She stared at Jo’Nay in alarm. “We have to work out more details. The success rate has to be as close to a hundred as possible.”

“We will not wait.” He yanked her into his arms. “Rory? Proceed.”