It was late in the evening, yet Rylos hadn't come home. Despite the sleep tugging at my eyes, making them heavy and sticky, I forced myself to stay awake as late as I could. I was just about ready to give in to sleep when I heard the door to his room quietly open and shut. I looked through our shared door in time to see him stride across the room toward his closet.

I quickly got out of bed, suddenly reinvigorated, but the moment I stepped inside and saw that his exhaustion not only mirrored mine, but quadrupled it, I thought about heading back. I was just about to turn around when Rylos lifted his head and his eyes connected with mine.

He looked even more worn out than he'd seemed at first glance. Not just in his expression but in the way he carried himself. His head was slumped and his shoulders rolled forward, as if he wanted nothing more than to sink into bed and never get up again.

"Did I wake you?" he asked.

"No, I was waiting for you." I couldn't help but smile faintly. Even now, he was still more concerned about me than himself.

He gave me a half-smile back, then nodded toward the door between our rooms. "Why did you wait in there?"

"I didn't want to make any assumptions."

"But you already did, pet."

I lifted a brow. "Oh?"

"You assumed that I would rather come home to an empty bed than one with you in it." He crossed the distance between us and enveloped me in a hug, his cheek pressed to the top of my head. "And that's the most ridiculous conclusion you could've ever come to."

I laid my head against his chest. "I could think of a few things more ridiculous."

"Not possible," he murmured.

I bit at my lower lip as I trailed my fingers along his light purple skin, admiring its nearly poreless, flawless beauty. I told myself not that long ago that I'd gotten used to the perfection of the Korysti. That it didn't faze me anymore. But that wasn't true. Rylos's perfection was made whole by the person he was on the inside, and I found everything about him irresistible.

Which was why it pained me that he was so exhausted, and that this wouldn't be a one-time thing. It was becoming clear to me that the line between Korysti and human was a lot thinner than I'd ever thought. I knew how politicians were. Rylos had painted a target on his back, and anyone with a little ambition was going to try and take him down.

"You didn't have to go that far," I whispered. "Just charging your brother was enough."

"No, because then I would've been telling all other Korysti that you're my property. And you're not."

"What am I then?" I asked absently, tracing a small, winding pattern along his collarbone.

He hugged me tighter. "You're someone I care about."

I wrapped my arms around him, hugging him back just as tight. "Thank you for caring."

"Thank you for helping me see the truth."

"You already knew. I just gave you a very rude push in that direction."

A laugh rumbled through his chest. "I suppose that's what I get for trying my best to infuriate you."

"You're very good at it."

"You made it far too rewarding."

We both laughed and unwound ourselves from each other. Rylos cupped my cheek and smiled down at me. "This isn't going to be easy, Marion. It's going to take time. But I promise you I will help humans integrate with our society, or propose that we help find somewhere humans can live. There has to be a solution that isn't this. And I will find it."

I nodded, touching my hand to his. "Thank you. I want to help you, Rylos. Every step of the way, no matter how hard it gets. It's the least I can do for my people. For the people I failed. I owe them that much."

"Yes, of course, but . . ." Rylos tilted his head to the side with a frown. "What do you mean by people you've failed?"

I looked down. "You know that I was an engineer. It's not that hard to figure out."

"Do you think you're responsible for the crash?" he asked quietly.

"Of course I do. I was in there that day. Everyone thought I could fix it. Everyone always thought I could fix it. They put their faith in me." I swallowed thickly. "And now a lot of them are dead, and the rest are being bought and sold like objects."

Rylos cupped both of my cheeks and brought my head back up. He was shaking his head, disbelief in his bright eyes. "It wasn't your fault. It was a miracle that ship made it as far as it did. We could see where the stopgaps had been put in place—and they were brilliant. If that was you, then you’re the reason why that ship didn’t end up floating in space as you all died a slow, agonizing death. There was nothing more you could've done. That ship was not meant to ever make it this far. It shouldn't have."

Tears pricked at the corner of my eyes. Deep down, I knew he was right. That ship had been built for tours around the solar system. The other ships that fled Earth had rapidly outpaced us. And we'd still managed to cross galaxies looking for a planet to call home. Even still, this galaxy was thriving with life. If we had just made it a little farther . . .

"Stop that, Marion," Rylos said, interrupting my spiraling thoughts as if he knew where they were heading.

"But—"

"You've spent a year fighting. And before that, you fought to keep your ship running. You don't have to make amends. You're doing what you've always done, and that's fighting for your people. I'm not asking you to stop fighting. I'm asking you to give yourself a break. You're allowed to be happy, Marion. You're allowed to enjoy yourself. You'll continue to be a voice of change. I promise you I'll help make that happen."

The tears that'd been threatening to spill over trickled down my cheeks. I tried to look to the side, but Rylos gently stopped me. Using his thumbs, he wiped away my tears. "Your strength was what captivated me from the moment I first saw you. There's greatness in you, and I hope someday you'll see yourself like I do."

"Y'know, I find it funny that I'm now over here thinking . . . Wow, I'm so lucky I was almost euthanized." I laughed through my tears and sniffled. "Because I'm happy that it caught your attention. That it brought me to you. Is that weird? I feel like it's weird."

He chuckled and gave me a soft kiss. "I feel the same way, pet."