Looking down at Gemma, I could hardly believe how breathtakingly beautiful she looked in the starlight. I'd wanted her since I first saw her on the orbital, high above my world, but here, now, she looked even more perfect. Even more desirable. And she was mine.

The setting helped. We were far from the responsibilities of home, and I could imagine that we were alone in the world. That there was no one else but us, and that no duties bound me. That I wouldn't be bringing her into danger by accepting her into my life.

That wouldn't last, of course. Or at least, I hoped it wouldn't. With luck it wouldn't take too long for searchers to find us and drag us back into the world. My clansmen might give up on a human guest, but not on me. But the ocean was vast and small islands like this common... The storm could have washed us ashore on any one of hundreds, for all the searchers knew. It might take a long time for them to find us, if they ever did.

For all they knew, we'd both died in the storm. It had been a close-run thing.

Sighing, I put such thoughts from my mind. No point in them, not now. The island would support the two of us for as long as it took, but there was no way for us to leave. My borrowed wings were too damaged to repair without a workshop, and making a boat that could survive the attentions of the zhak that hunted the deep oceans was out of the question.

We were here until someone found us, and we might as well make the best of it.

Eventually, the sun crossed the horizon and I stirred. Gemma still slept against me, her warm soft curves pressed to my body, and the last thing I wanted was to disturb her. Gently, quietly, I unfolded myself from her embrace and settled her back. She murmured something, but even if I'd been able to make out the words I wouldn't have understood them.

Smiling down at her, I watched Gemma sleep for a minute. It was a moment of beauty that I wanted to burn into my memory, never to forget.

I couldn't stay there all day, though. We would need to eat and settle in to our new, hopefully temporary, home. Picking up my spear I returned to the shore to hunt our breakfast.

By the time I returned, Gemma was awake. The smile that greeted me warmed my heart, and the blush that spread across her cheeks made me smile too. She looked so delightful, I wondered how I'd ever been able to resist her charms.

Things are different when we are with the clan, I reminded myself, putting those thoughts aside for now. How things would work when we returned to civilization was a question for later. For now, I had work to do.

Once the fish were cooked I smiled at the human female.

"More fish?" I asked Gemma, having no idea what a human's appetite was like. She frowned and I repeated myself slowly and clearly, pulling a hot fish from the fire and offering it to her. "Fish?"

She repeated the word curiously and smiled. Nodded, repeated it emphatically, and took the fish. I laughed and took my own. This stay was going to give her an interesting vocabulary, but at least she was learning.

I reached for my own breakfast, only for her to put a hand on my wrist. Smiling, she pointed at the fish and said a word in her own language. Ah! No reason she should be the only one learning. Repeating the word back to her satisfaction took a few tries, but it felt good to share some of her speech. Perhaps we'd both have learned something new by the time I got home.

Once we'd eaten a little Gemma looked around, and then said something in a questioning tone. It took a while for me to work out what she was saying, but once she mimed lifting a cup to her lips I understood.

Water. Though she probably wanted something stronger, as I knew I did. I couldn't help with that, worse luck, but clean water? That was available. Standing, I pointed inland, then beckoned for Gemma to follow me. Together we walked into the island's interior to the small spring I'd discovered while she'd been unconscious the day before. It was a beautiful and tranquil place, and I'd been careful to search for any dangers on the island while the sun was up. There was nothing to beware of here. Still, I watched carefully in case I'd missed something. Humans were more fragile than my own people, and I would not risk any harm coming to Gemma.

She sank to her knees and drank from the spring, long and deep. Then she smiled up at me, pointed to the water, and spoke. We traded words for water, then rock. Sand. Tree. I sat back against a sun-warmed rock beside the little stream and Gemma rested against me as we laughed and did our best to communicate.

It was easy to lose myself in the simple pleasure of spending time with her, and I found myself hoping that we wouldn't be found too quickly.

Days passed, then weeks, and our island home became steadily more homelike. Fortunately, the weather stayed clear for the first few days as we settled in, because we kept distracting each other from doing any work.

But we both knew that the weather here could change quickly, and we needed some protection if another storm hit. I started by putting up a crude shelter, and Gemma managed to improvise bedding for us inside it. The space was small enough that we had to crawl inside, but cozy and warm once we were there. Good enough for a start, as long as neither of us minded cuddling close to the other.

That, at least, wasn't a problem. Spending time in each other’s arms was a joy, though I tried not to think about what that would mean when we returned to the clan. Had I been wrong about her? Should I let her stay? Gemma was clear about what she wanted, after all.

As time went on, we learned each other's languages slowly but surely, and the look of delight on Gemma's face when she learned a new word was wonderful. She was quick at picking it up, too. Once she learned a word I rarely had to remind her of it, which was better than I did with her 'English.'

Eventually we were able to have basic conversations, though our limited vocabularies were frustrating to both of us. There simply weren't enough things to name on the little island, and we'd reached a limit of words that were easy to learn, but at least now we could talk a little.

Sitting by the fire one evening, frying another fish over the fire — and yes, we were both getting a little sick of the monotonous diet — Gemma looked up at me with a look on her face I'd not seen before. Determination mixed with sadness in those eyes, and I wanted more than anything to make her look happy again.

"I will stay," she said. Her accent remained terrible, but I could understand her words. "I stay with you."

A smile tugged at my lips, but my heart ached. This was a conversation we'd need to have eventually, but I had hoped to put it off. Our time together was making it hard to think about sending her away, and I was no longer certain I could. But I was sure of one thing — I could not bear to see her harmed because I'd failed her.

"It's too dangerous," I said, keeping my words slow and simple. "Too dangerous for you."

"Dangerous?" her eyes narrowed and she shook her head. I could see her trying to marshal an argument, but it wasn't easy. Eventually she simply shook her head again and tapped me on the chest. "No. Not dangerous: you protect me."

I laughed, I couldn't help myself. Gemma grinned too. It was funny, trying to have a meaningful conversation in our mix of Crosan and English, and the sight of her smile lifted my heart.

Trying to be serious, I took her hand and kissed her fingers.

"I will try," I told her earnestly. "But there are too many dangers on this planet for you, and I care about you too dearly to lose you to one of them."

Too much, too fast. I could see it in her eyes. Sighing, I tried to simplify it.

"My enemies will come for you," I told her, hoping that would get across. 'Enemies' wasn't a word we'd taught each other, but she seemed to get the gist.

"You will kill them with your spear," she said, pointing to the fishing spear with her free hand and grinning. "Or your claws and teeth. Or I will hit them with a rock!"

Mother of Storms, she's determined. It was an appealing, frustrating trait. I couldn't help smiling even as I looked up at the sky.

"I will do my best to keep you safe," I promised. Hadn't I already proved that by following her into a storm? "That includes sending you home to Earth, if I must."

Whether or not either of us want you to go, I added silently. Gemma looked away, trying to muster her arguments, and then froze. Her hand stiffened in my grip, and she stared past me, out to sea.

"Corvax! Look!" Gemma's eyes were wide and I turned, catching her excitement. Out on the ocean, near the horizon, I saw a ship.

My heart leaped as I watched it. Whoever it was, they were far from the shipping lanes and in dangerous waters, and I was grateful for that. But there was a problem, too.

The ship looked fast and sleek, and I saw heavy harpoon guns mounted along its side. Some clans kept warships for defense and it looked like one of those. Except we were far from the islands of any clan with such weapons, and that could only mean one thing.

Pirates.