Chapter Eleven

CHAPTER ELEVEN

ERICH

The rest of the week passed in an enjoyable blur of hitting the slopes in the morning, playing house with my hausmann in the afternoon, and fucking at all hours until sleep overtook us.

Before waking up to do it all again.

Skiing was truly the only activity I became a morning person for—and even that was temporary—but I assumed Luca’s duties as councilman meant he needed to be available from 9-5.

I wonder why supes aren’t nocturnal…

Like bats?

Or… Batman.

There were two reasons I was contemplating such ridiculousness. The first was to distract myself from the fact it was our last night together at the cabin, and the second was to test if Luca was still lurking in my head.

Surely, a man of his stature would have an opinion on bats and Batman .

When my efforts at telepathy didn’t tempt Luca away from frowning down at his phone, I attempted another tactic.

Clear communication.

Since we are in a relationship.

“What’s the plan for us moving forward, hase?” I asked as calmly as possible.

At least, I think we are.

“Hmm?” he hummed distractedly, brow furrowing as whatever he was looking at caused his frown to deepen.

I gathered my courage and continued, “Shall we plan for weekends in Berlin and business hours in Geneva?—”

“What?!” Luca exclaimed, his pretty blue— Earthling— eyes widening as he finally gave me his full attention. “W-why are you saying that word?”

It took me a moment to remember I’d assigned ‘Geneva’ as our shared safe word, which only made my all-powerful alien’s panic all the more adorable.

“I’m simply trying to plan for the future,” I soothed, spreading my arms and making ‘grabby hands’ so he’d join me on the couch. “Our future.”

Unless I’ve misread this entire situation…

“You haven’t misread it,” he murmured as he sat before blushing at exposing his lurking. “Forgive me, Erich. Old habits die hard, I suppose.”

I laughed, mostly in relief. “It's all right, little hase. I already told you you’re welcome in my head, especially if it makes you more comfortable.” My laugh turned into a snicker. “Or if it helps you protect me from misbehaving twins…”

Luca grimaced and glanced at his abandoned phone. “Yes, well, about that… It seems Wolfgang has arrived at my residence in Geneva.”

My smile died on my lips as the blood froze in my veins.

“W-what do you mean, he’s at your residence?” I hissed, suddenly more concerned about Luca’s safety than mine. “Does he not know you’re out of town?”

Is he planning an ambush?

Luca cocked his head, observing me silently with an unreadable expression. “I had told him I’d be away for a few days in the Alps, but he has a key—as do all my children.”

Oh.

Of course.

“Okay…” I blew out a slow breath and refocused on the facts. “Why do you think he’s there?”

Is it because of me?

“Yes and no,” Luca replied, smiling kindly. “He is undoubtedly confused as to why I protected you from the twins—and my lack of response on the matter surely isn’t helping.” He sighed. “I would guess Wolfgang is worried about me.”

“Worried about you!” I huffed, offended at the implications. “Why? Because you’re slumming it in the Alps?”

“Because I’m not acting like myself.” Luca dropped his gaze, his expression pained. “The self I’ve shown him, at least…”

All at once, I understood there was a deeper history at play that didn’t involve me at all. Luca had mentioned his ‘coming out’ as an alien hadn’t gone over well, and from what I knew of Wolfgang—what a control freak he was—I could see how a revelation like that might have driven a wedge between them.

And this is just one more secret .

Luca sighed again before nodding decisively. “I suppose it’s time for us to face the music. It will be a good opportunity to tell Wolfgang I’m leaving the council?—”

“You’re leaving the council?!” I sputtered—more shocked by that than the casual way he’d dropped “us” in the previous sentence. “But… but, why?”

My straight-laced not- supe shrugged awkwardly. “The appointment has lost its allure. To be honest, I’ve debated stepping down for a while—ever since the USN hastily shelved their original DNA project—but then I met young Wolfgang. After that, maintaining my position of power until he took control of his clan seemed a good enough reason to stay but, well… he’s the clan leader now, and I’m just…”

“Forever trapped in meetings discussing important yet mysterious council things?” I gently offered, hoping to add some levity to what was clearly a touchy subject.

Luca huffed a laugh that sounded exhausted. “Yes, and none of these endless topics of discussion move the needle half as much as a single act of defiance on the ground.”

When I cocked my head with interest, he continued, “The supe council—even the USN, for all their well-meaning efforts—couldn’t accomplish in decades what Butch and Xander achieved with their forbidden love, or what Wolfgang and Zion continuously model through the management of their connected clans.”

He paused to smile fondly, no doubt thinking of his family.

“Institutions could never dream of inspiring the same level of activism attained by those on the frontlines. Because the ones demanding change—putting themselves at risk instead of simply debating the concept while safely secured in glass towers—have more to lose if they fail.”

“True change comes from invested action,” I mused .

“And apathy comes from a lack of skin in the game,” Luca replied, chuckling self-deprecatingly at the irony of his statement.

I understood what he was saying, even if my frame of reference wasn’t quite so revolutionary. “It reminds me of the difference between listening to recorded music while going about your day versus giving it your full attention during a live show. Those are two vastly different experiences—appreciating music in an abstract way versus allowing it to flow through your entire system, lighting you up from the inside out.”

Which is similar to how a Stellarian takes over a body, I suppose.

“That’s exactly what I want to feel,” Luca whispered reverently. “The way music lights you up—the way you couldn’t imagine life without it— that’s the joi de vivre I’ve been missing.”

Having this all-powerful otherworldly creature stare at me like I was the answer to all his prayers was flattering, if not slightly unnerving.

“So the plan is for you to leave your cushy council gig and become a world-famous DJ instead?” I teased, bumping my shoulder against his, unsurprised when he didn’t move a centimeter.

Luca dropped his gaze again before peering up at me through his eyelashes, almost shyly. “No. I want to support you. To… inspire you in your true purpose of creation.”

He wants to be my muse.

Any lingering hesitation I possessed toward allowing myself to fall madly, head-over-heels in love with this man instantly evaporated. For one transcendent moment, I imagined I could hear my Oma laughing from beyond the grave, lovingly teasing me for my lack of faith in her romance-filled predictions for my future.

Might as well make Oma proud.

“You’ve already inspired me.” I turned to face my stellar collision, taking his hands in mine as I gazed into his eyes. “That set list you enjoy so much—the noise I created for the twins’ gallery opening—well… I-I made that for you.”

The blue of Luca’s eyes cleared to reveal what I now assumed was his true form, but I wasn’t afraid. I’d shown him my heart, and he was simply doing the same for me.

Telling me all his secrets.

Showing me who he is.

“I’m so glad I found you,” he murmured, brushing his lips over mine before sitting back to smile at me. “The one creature who was made for me.”

The enormity of his proclamation washed over me as my chest grew tight with empathy. Yes, something had felt like it was missing since meeting Luca almost a year ago—and the more time we spent together, the more that ache had grown—but I couldn’t imagine longing for this connection for as long as he’d been around.

I cleared my throat. “You mentioned how old you are… You never wanted to be with anyone in all that time?”

Luca shrugged, as if being fifty to sixty thousand years old was a minor milestone. “Never, but now that I have you, I can’t think of anything else. That’s why the idea of returning to separate homes is unacceptable. I am no longer needed on the council, and I’d rather not spend my time in Geneva gathering dust—not when I’d rather spend that time with you.”

This man .

“What a romantic you are!” I crooned, vainly attempting to play off the butterflies in my stomach. “Perhaps you can teach me about romance in exchange for my continued lessons in the bedroom?”

Even if you’re doing quite well on your own in that department.

He pressed his lips into a determined line as his sexy business tone joined the conversation. “Those terms sound agreeable. First, we will need to star hop to Geneva so I can meet with Wolfgang and cut my ties with the council. Only then can I return to Berlin with you.”

As easy as that.

I was in no hurry to “meet” with Wolfgang—even if I liked the sound of Luca’s plan otherwise.

Perhaps I’m a romantic after all.

A flash of color from outside caught my attention, and I smiled upon discovering the perfect excuse to extend our escape from reality by a little bit more.

Because something tells me my spaceman will enjoy this.

While Geneva wasn’t known for its clear views of the Aurora Borealis, I assumed he’d witnessed this natural phenomenon before.

Maybe even from space…

“C’mon, my soon-to-be ex-Councilman!” I crowed, pulling him off the couch and leading him to the window. “The snow stopped long enough for us to get a show.”

And there’s no one I'd rather enjoy it with.

In no time, we—me, mostly—were appropriately bundled and seated comfortably on the newly-fallen snow. Well, Luca was seated directly on the powder. I’d been hauled into his lap and cocooned in a dozen starry tendrils for safekeeping .

Adorable.

“Do you hear that?” he whispered in my ear, his breath warm on my skin in the otherwise crisp night air. “Your closest star is talking to the Earth’s electromagnetic field.”

I was about to ask him if he was the ‘tinfoil hat wearing type’ when I heard exactly what my alien was talking about.

What in the galaxy…?

It started with a faint buzzing that grew in intensity, like static crackling over cloth. It was followed by what sounded like the hollow thud of a moored boat knocking against the dock before ending with the stick-slip of silk rubbing over itself.

The song was ethereal yet somehow grounded in reality, familiar yet unearthly.

I could create something that sounds like this…

“Is that the aurora?” I murmured, wondering if the brownies I’d eaten with Isaiah Salah at the wedding were still in my system.

Izzy’s good ish.

“Yes,” Luca calmly replied, as if we weren’t witnessing a miracle. “The waves of atmospheric pressure are being turned into mechanical vibrations, which are then converted into electrical signals.”

Of course.

I silently waited for him to elaborate, eager for more secrets of the universe.

Luca’s eyes were in full galaxy mode as his gaze remained fixed on the multi-colored heavens. “Stellarians star hop by following unique vibrational pathways like this to our destination. It’s difficult to explain, but we intuitively know where we are meant to end up. ”

“Sounds like an incredibly good sense of direction,” I teased, beyond fascinated with my Stellarian. “Remind me to let you drive in unfamiliar places.”

A contented smile curled his perfect lips, and it was a few minutes before he spoke again. “I love when the sky turns pink. It reminds me of my home planet, Stellaria.”

My breath caught, even as I tried not to make a big deal out of how openly he was discussing this with me.

I turned in his lap to face him. “Do you miss it?”

Please say no.

He made a thoughtful noise and met my gaze. “No. At least, not anymore. Something told me long ago my destiny was on this planet. A deeper knowing—like a familiar vibration in the atmosphere. All I had to do was wait.”

My heart felt like it might beat out of my chest to join the lights dancing in the sky. Luca’s smile grew dreamy, his eyes half-closing as he produced the low hum that instantly settled me.

“I’m glad you waited for me to eventually come around,” I mumbled, snuggling back against his broad chest so he wouldn’t see the tears blurring my vision. “Even though it was a rather long time.”

To say the least.

Luca’s tendrils tightened, pulling me closer and smoothing out every residual concern. “I would have waited forever for you,” he replied matter-of-factly, as if he hadn’t done exactly that. “Because you’re my stellar collision in this and every galaxy.”

I am definitely going to cry.

To his credit, Luca didn’t comment on my sniffling or my glaring lack of a romantic proclamation to match his. He simply continued to soothingly hum until my eyelids grew heavy and the swirling colors of the sky faded to black.

I vaguely registered the sensation of being lifted, of feeling the warmth of the wood stove once again before the wind was whooshing in my ears.

Along with the distinct song of the Aurora Borealis.

Mixing with our resonance.

“Rest, my mate,” Luca whispered as he laid me down on an unfamiliar bed. “We’ll sort everything out in the morning.”

The morning came, and Luca was nowhere to be found.

But Wolfgang had come for me.