32. Gravod

Jess was quiet when she got in the car, but she seemed more settled somehow.

She'd called and asked me to pick her up, saying she wanted to talk. Thankfully, I was already parked on the street in front of her apartment, so I was at her door a minute later.

It was a miracle I didn't wrap her in my ta'laps as soon as I saw her. After being apart the past few days, giving her the space she'd needed, I was desperate for her. She must have made a decision. I tried not to worry about what it was.

We'd driven a short distance before she finally spoke.

"Can we go to your ship?"

Her request caught me off guard. But we'd installed additional security, and I wasn't worried about Thylor getting in again.

"Of course. Why?"

"I want to talk about our future, and it seems like the most appropriate place to have the conversation."

She could have meant almost anything, but I allowed myself to hope. If she wanted to talk to me in my quarters, my domain, among my personal effects…

"Alright."

It was an effort to stay relaxed as I drove. I asked about her day at work, and she told me it was going well. But then she changed the subject to Vytaris.

"Is the air the same as here? Do you ever need to worry about breathing when you go to other planets?"

"We can shift our lungs, so it isn't usually a problem. But Vytaris and Earth have the same atmospheric composition. The same gravity, as well. It's how we knew it would be safe to have offspring here."

Everything had to be biologically compatible, since newborns wouldn't be able to shift right away.

"Oh." Jess stilled. She didn't say anything more until I drove past the bar. "Where are you going?"

"You'll see." We went a few more yards, then I pulled off onto an unmarked dirt road and stopped in front of a tall, imposing gate. After a short pause, it slid aside, and I drove through. "It looks like something you'd see on Earth, but the gate uses Lydaxian biometric security. Scanners detect everyone coming in or out."

There was a slight rise, and on the other side the barn came into view.

"What about the field I walked across?" Jess asked. "Couldn't someone just get here on foot that way, undetected?"

I huffed. "We have sensors in the fields surrounding the hangar, to identify anyone coming too close. But until recently, only Thylor had access to the alerts. Once we realized he was a threat, we tried to gain access to the system, but he'd locked us out. One of my crew was finally able to hack in yesterday."

Thylor was dangerously smart when it came to tech. He'd exploited our vulnerabilities, and that was unacceptable. We'd have to stay one step ahead of him.

The dirt drive led all the way to the building, and I parked by one of the doors at the end. Jess got out and scanned the area, her hand up to shade her eyes from the slanting evening light.

"You can't even see the main road from here." She looked over at me. "How did you get this all set up?"

"Trade secrets." I smiled. She glared. Right, no secrets. I cleared my throat. "We have a reconnaissance protocol. The main ship stays in an outer orbit, hidden from any planetary detection systems, while the crew takes smaller vessels to the surface. We establish identities and buy and build property. Then we land, hide the ship, and proceed with the mission."

"Spy stuff," she muttered.

"Lydaxians are very good at it."

Her mouth firmed in a line. "Let's go in."

As we walked through the ship, Jess fidgeted, balling her hands into fists and chewing her bottom lip. I could hear her heart rate accelerate. By the time we got to my quarters and the door closed behind us, my heart was racing too.

She sat on my bed, and I joined her, sitting with my thigh against hers. I reached for her hand, and she took it and squeezed.

"You're still shifted," she said, her voice shaking. Nervous.

I relaxed into my true form, and her gaze swept over my real face. She smiled as some of the tension left her.

"Better?" I asked. She nodded. "You wanted to talk about our future. I?—"

"Let me go first." Jess sat up straighter and let out a breath. "I know we just met, but I already care about you. A lot." She ducked her head.

I cupped her cheek and lifted her face, setting a soft kiss on her lips. Then I met her beautiful hazel eyes.

"I care about you too. You are more than my mate, Jess. I love you."

Her eyes widened, glistening with unshed tears, and for a moment I wondered if I'd said too much.

"I love you too, Gravod..."

My heart took flight, the rush of joy through my body stealing my breath. But she wasn't done.

"…And that's why I want to go with you to Vytaris."

She'd startled me. I wasn't sure what to react to first. My chest felt full, lit up with happiness, but what she was asking…

"It would be a long journey there and back. I'd love to show you, but…"

"I'm not talking about a visit. I'm talking about forever." Jess lifted my hand to kiss my knuckles. "Now that I know what's out there, what's possible, I want to explore the universe. And if we have children, I want them to live openly as themselves." She swallowed and stared up at me. "I can't be with you on Earth. I can't live a lie."

My mind reeled.

"Bringing you to Vytaris isn't something I ever considered."

"Is it possible? For us to leave, for me to live on Vytaris?"

I needed to answer carefully.

"It is technically possible, yes. And Vytaris is very welcoming. Many off-world species live there." Jess's expression was so hopeful, it hurt. "But we were only going to return if the mission was a failure."

Was it? If she thought she had to give up everything and leave her home, then certainly, I'd failed her.

I looked away, but this time it was Jess who gently held my jaw and turned me back to face her.

"We found each other. There was no failure. But plans change. I've given this a lot of thought, and it's what I want. I want to live where neither of us has to hide. I mean," she swept a hand around to gesture at the room, "do you realize how amazing all this is to me? And the possibility to travel through space and see other planets and forms of life? I want to experience that."

She was being truthful. Her enthusiasm was genuine. But I was still struggling.

"What about your job? Your life here?"

Jess blew out a breath. "You know, I was worried that leaving would be a huge sacrifice. That I would be making a choice based on something fleeting. But I love you. And once I realized that, it freed me. Loving you gives me courage to do the big new thing. It's also the right thing." She seemed close to tears. "You don't belong here."

"Oh, sta'la. You don't have to leave for me."

Her brows furrowed. "What does that mean? Sta'la?"

I stroked her hand in mine. "It means my love, my mate."

She shivered. "I like that," she whispered. Then she gripped my hand. "Please, Gravod. For me. For us. Please show me your world. Show me the universe."

It was the look of fear on her face, fear that I might deny her, that broke me.

"It's truly what you want? Not because you think I want it, but for you?"

"Yes. For both of us." Her eyes shone. "For our children."

I went over it in my mind. Yes, it was possible. The ship was large enough that we could bring all the human mates back to Vytaris with us, if that was what they chose to do. But there was a catch.

We needed Thylor to safely operate the ship.

It wouldn't be easy to work with him after everything he'd done. But maybe Jess was correct about his motives, and he had good reasons for wanting to return. If so, it was the right thing to do. Now we just needed to find him.

I still felt guilty, as though I was taking too much from her. The fact that I could introduce her to my family, show her my world… I selfishly wanted that. My heart was full just imagining it.

But would it be selfish if it made her happy? It was what she wanted. That was all that mattered.

"You have to be patient, sweet mate." I reached for her with my ta'laps, and she gasped as they started to circle her arms and waist. "It may take some time before we're ready to leave. But yes, I will show you the universe. I would love nothing more."

Her smile was brighter than Vytaris's twin suns.

I leaned down, and our mouths collided. She groaned as my lithis plunged between her parted lips. Relief and happiness made us both frantic. I heard fabric rip as we both worked to tear each other's clothes off.

"You're mine. I want your mark. Make me yours," Jess panted.

You're mine.Her possessive claim on me echoed in my ears, sparking a kind of primal need inside my chest. I draped a ta'lap over her shoulder, stroking the place where it met her neck, and pulled back to look at her, gazing into eyes that were heavy with lust. My voice was a low rasp.

"I'll give you my mark, my love. Tonight, you'll have my bond."