This wasn't my first time sneaking onto a ship but it'd suddenly become the riskiest. Considering I was fleeing Earth as it was overrun by violent alien oppressors the first time, that was kind of impressive.

I crept down the empty hallway, listening to each step and breath, wondering where Ambassador Elyos was. Something had to have gone wrong because he never made it to our meeting spot outside Korystus's spaceport. Being that my future was on the line, I made the bold (or stupid depending on your interpretation) choice to go in on my own and find him.

Luckily I'd spotted his ship—it had the mark that Ulyr told me to look for, just in case things got messy. But I hadn't yet found the Ambassador himself. Nor had I seen any of the usual guards that flanked anyone of importance on Korystus.

From what I could tell, the ship was completely empty even though our planned departure had to be close. I was starting to wonder if he'd had a change of heart about sneaking me off Korystus. I hoped not. I knew Ulyr had used a lot of connections and taken on a lot of risk to get me this far.

If I had to, I'd figure out some way to hide myself on this ship until it was too late to take me back. I'd done it before back when we fled Earth, and I was ready to do it again. I paused and looked around with a frown, considering my options if that were the case.

I'd been a lot smaller at fourteen, so I doubted I'd be able to squeeze into a storage bin again. I quietly chuckled to myself at the memory. Some poor cook, I couldn't even remember who it was after all these years, had been surprised to find me curled up in a giant bin of dry oatmeal. Which, by the way, is much sharper than you might imagine. Imagine thousands of tiny paper cuts all over your body. Actually, don't imagine that.

It was kind of embarrassing when the ship's captain plucked oatmeal from my hair while lecturing me about the danger I'd put everyone in—something about not having enough resources to support one extra person. Earth was being taken over by fanged, ghostly-white aliens with a penchant for violence, but they didn't have room for a fourteen-year-old kid. I was starting to think every species in the universe was the same. And they were all selfish. I was still holding out hope for my next destination. If I ever made it there. Which wasn't looking so likely right now.

I brushed my fingers along the shiny metal walls as I walked through the ship. They vibrated faintly as a soft, steady hum began to fill the silence. I frowned. It felt like the ship was powering up. Which would mean the ship wasn't empty, and the ambassador definitely planned on leaving without me. Or he couldn't wait for me. Either way, I was going to have to hide. I couldn't risk it being him getting cold feet.

I rushed through the hallway, swiveling my head from side to side, until I found an open door. I wanted to roll my eyes as I skidded inside and found it was a . . . kitchen. Was I doomed to repeat the same cycle over and over again?

I couldn't exactly be picky, though, so I smacked a hand against the screen near a slim door. It opened to reveal a much smaller storage area than was ideal, but I jumped inside anyway. I hadn't even managed to turn around to shut the door when I heard a deep voice behind me.

"What're you doing in here? And why're you trying to shove yourself in my pantry?"

I jumped and tugged the hood of my ivory-colored robe over my eyes, then tucked in the few red curls that had made a break for freedom. Then I grimaced. It wasn't like I was going to pass for Korysti, so why even try hiding that I was human? The jig was up. I just had to hope the ambassador was still on board with the plan.

I took a deep breath and turned around. It was a good thing I held that breath because I was pretty certain I'd forgotten how to work my lungs for a moment. Even by genetically-perfect-demigod Korysti standards, the man standing before me was absolutely the most beautiful creature I'd ever seen.

It wasn't even because he was nearly naked. Although, that definitely helped. It seemed to me that the higher a position a Korysti was in, the less clothing they wore. The man in front of me was clearly important because he wore a mostly-opaque swath of shimmering cream fabric knotted at his waist and a matching sash was stretched diagonally across his muscled chest. Only two scant pieces of fabric covering that mouthwateringly gorgeous body. He had to be the ambassador, right?

In my (gratuitous) staring, I noticed something that made my heart skip a beat, a smile rushing to my lips. Glowing faintly against his skin, a deep purple tattoo of thick, curved lines that tapered to rounded points covered one side of his chest, from his shoulder to below his ribs, curving around his pectoral muscle. That was the mark Ulyr had told me about. The ambassador's crest. In my relief, my smile grew even wider. When I met his eyes, however, it just as quickly fell away.

There was a deep furrow between the ambassador's dark purple brows, his full lips curved into a scowl, and his glowing silver eyes were narrowed.

"Ambassador?"

"Answer my question." There was an edge to his voice now.

"I'm Vera, and I'm pleased to—"

"I don't care who you are," he interrupted, frown deepening, "I want to know why you're on my ship."

I opened my mouth then shut it again. It was my turn to frown. "I'm telling you. I'm Vera. I was told to—"

I stumbled out of the pantry as the ship suddenly lurched into the air and smacked into the Korysti's hard chest. Instead of catching me like, I don't know, anyone who's not a jerk—he let out an irritated huff and lifted his hands in the air. It wasn't me he was mad at, though.

"Where did you get your pilot's license, Artos?" he cried out.

A second later, I felt hands on my upper arms, pushing me back. "Get off me, would you?"

I should've moved faster. But I didn't because I realized it wasn't the ship that was so intoxicatingly perfumed—it was him. There was something so very wonderful about a guy who smelled nice. Even the most average-looking guy could get a boost from a nice fragrance, but a beautiful demigod of an alien? It was a real whammy.

"Did you just sniff me?" Talys asked in disbelief.

Now I moved quickly, extricating myself from his grasp with a scoff. "Of course not. Don't be weird."

"Says the human who sniffed me."

I made a face. "Why do you have to bring my species into it? Just because I'm weird doesn't mean—"

"So you admit you sniffed me?" He looked triumphant.

"I didn't mean—I just—" I threw my hands up. "Fine. Yes, I did. For what it's worth, you smell very nice."

"I'm aware." The hint of humor in his eyes fled in an instant. "What I'm not aware of is why you're on my ship. Explain yourself."

"I've been trying to!"

"You're not doing a very good job of it."

I balled my hands into fists and looked up at the smooth metal ceiling, mentally running through every curse word I knew. Ulyr could've warned me that the ambassador was as dense as a neutron star. Which, from what I remember of my admittedly short education (fleeing Earth at fourteen will do that to you), is pretty freakin' dense.

"For the last time," I ground out, "I'm Vera. I was told to meet you on your ship. Err, well, y'know, we had an arranged meeting place but you never showed up, so . . . here I am."

"No."

I looked from side to side, my expression contorted with disbelief. "No?"

He sighed. "I don't recall requesting companionship for this voyage. If my assistant purchased your services, he was mistaken. However, I don't have time to turn this ship around. I have a pressing meeting to attend. You may still collect your fee for the inconvenience."

"Wait, are you implying I'm a hooker? Did someone tell you I was?" I shoved a hand into my hair, knocking back my hood, and groaned. "Is that why you agreed to get me off Korystus? I'm definitely not interested in that sort of exchange either."

He looked both amused and mildly offended. "You could only wish for the chance to share my bed. And what are you talking about, exactly? Who's they? Nobody spoke to me about you."

Slowly, far too slowly, things were starting to dawn on me. "You're the ambassador, aren't you?"

He arched a brow. "I'm an ambassador."

"Ambassador Elyos?" There was a hopeful lilt to my voice, even though I already knew the answer. This wasn't the ambassador I was supposed to meet. And that thought was reinforced by the chuckle I received in reply. I crossed my arms across my chest, lips pressed into a thin line as he yucked it up. He seemed to be getting a real kick out of my misfortune.

"Elyos? Oh, you precious thing, no. I'm Ambassador Talys. If you meant to get on Elyos's ship, you've strayed far in the opposite direction." He thoughtfully tapped a finger against his plump lower lip. "So kind, that Elyos. And stupid enough to do something like smuggle humans off Korystus."

"Don't call me precious." I sniffed and looked off to the side. "Besides, I actually have permission to leave Korystus. He wasn't going to smuggle me anywhere. I just made a mistake and got on the wrong ship. That's all."

"Look me in the eyes and say that."

"Say what?"

"That you have permission to leave."

I gave him a sour look. "I have permission to leave."

"Good." His lips curled up at the corners. "Now I know what you look like when you lie."

I blanched. "Y-you just think you do," I mumbled. Brilliant comeback. You got 'em good, Vera.

"So you're only pretending to be a terrible liar?" His smile curved to one side. "How clever. It's very convincing."

My shoulders slumped. I wasn't built for lying, yet I so often found myself in situations where I had to try anyway. You'd think I'd get better at it. I sighed and leaned against the shelf of dried goods to my side. "I just don't get it. Your ship has the, y'know . . ." I waved a hand in the air. "It has the thing."

His smirk fell, confusion taking its place. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"The ambassador's mark or whatever?"

"You're not making any sense."

"On the outside of your ship, and on your chest." I pointed, as if he didn't know where his own tattoo was. "Ulyr told me it was the ambassador's mark."

"I'm not certain who Ulyr is, but I can assure you this mark is my family crest."

"It is . . .?" I whispered, more to myself than him.

"Do you need a better look?" Talys undid his sash, giving me the full, unhindered view of his sculpted chest. It wasn't like he needed to remove it. I could see his tattoo perfectly fine with the sash on. He was just antagonizing me at this point, wasn't he? Unfortunately for him, I was too mortified by my own stupidity to admire the sights.

I covered my eyes and groaned. I knew full well that families on Korystus had matching tattoos of their family crests. But when Ulyr showed me that curving pattern and told me it was the ambassador's, I assumed it was something different. An identifier for that particular ambassador and nobody else or something. Not once did it pass my mind that someone else could have the same mark. Let alone another ambassador.

"So you and Ambassador Elyos are . . .?"

"Related."

Hand still covering my eyes, I asked, "And you're both ambassadors?"

"Honestly, how is that not clear to you by now?"

I slowly moved my hand away and found Talys was still without his sash. I shouldn't have been surprised. It seemed harder to get a Korysti to keep clothes on than take them off.

Trying not to stare too hard, I cleared my throat and said, "I'm just . . . I'm just trying to make sense of things."

"It's fairly simple," Talys began, a smirk curving back into place. "My cousin is the worst kind of politician—soft-hearted and incompetent—and you're an idiot who didn't notice the ship directly behind mine bearing the same mark."

"Idiot?!" I sputtered. It was okay if I called myself stupid. I mean, Elyos had apparently been a few steps away all along, but still. Talys wasn't allowed to insult me. "I was a little stressed, okay? Your cousin didn't make it to our meetup point and I kinda stand out. I had to hurry."

"I'm surprised you made it as far as you did. You only made it more obvious by trying to conceal yourself." He arched a brow, looking me up and down. "You look ridiculous in that robe, by the way. Nobody dresses like that."

I narrowed my eyes. "And yet I made it onto your ship completely undetected."

He shrugged. "You probably just walked on. That's not exactly impressive."

"Why do you say that like it's nothing? Like, every single politician on this planet has a tiny army protecting them. Ulyr told me that ambassadors have—"

"Who, exactly, is Ulyr?" Talys interrupted. "And why should I care about what he says?"

I bristled. "He's the Korysti who bought me."

And the one who had set all this up. Well, the original plan with Elyos. Because he was a good apple in a sea of bruised, spotted, and occasionally rotten ones. My two years on Korystus hadn't been nearly as bad as they had been for some. Not even close. Ulyr had been kind to me. He was an older Korysti, from a time before they closed off their borders to jealously guard their trade secrets. Longing for the old Korystus, he bought humans and snuck them out one by one.

At first, I thought it was pretty messed up that we were treated like property, but I was never really that angry about it. Especially because Ulyr was so kind. I was too naive to realize that not everyone was in the same position as me.

Through the guerilla broadcasts that became more and more frequent on Korystus, I'd heard the stories of people like Naomi. I heard about what Governor Solys—former governor, actually—had done to her. How he'd kept her locked in his basement and burned his family crest into her skin. The stuff of horror films. And I'd had no idea until then.

Sure, I'd noticed outside of Ulyr's home I didn't have nearly as much freedom as the Korysti, but I thought that would change with time. We were a sudden and unwanted addition to their planet. Our ship crashed on their planet and took out a small village. We wouldn't have hugged them if it'd happened on Earth, right?

I mean, I figured I might have given some random aliens the cold shoulder if that had been their introduction to my planet, too. I thought I understood. Until the broadcasts. That was when I knew I had to take the opportunity to get out when I could. I would never get to live the life I wanted on Korystus, and that was the one thing I wanted. A life of my own.

"So," Talys began with a slight tilt to his head, "I'm guessing this Ulyr is the one who contacted my cousin to get you off-planet?"

I blanched. Oh, no. No, no, no. Why was I such a blabbermouth? I didn't even notice myself doing it anymore. "I don't know what you're talking about," I lied. Poorly.

"You can't backtrack now." He chuckled low in his throat. "That's not how that works. You've already said far too much, darling."

I clamped my mouth shut. I was terrible at keeping it that way, but I had to try because the last thing I needed was the government of Korystus coming down on Ulyr for helping me. Things were slowly changing on Korystus, but they weren't anywhere near perfect—like, for example, the fact that I couldn't just leave if I wanted to.

Ulyr told me it was because the governing bodies were embarrassed and didn't want us blabbing off to—I don't know—the space police or something? Plus they didn't want anyone else to get their hands on our data. Our language, knowledge of our planet, and so on. They wanted to sell it. If their reputation and industry were such a big deal to them, you'd think they'd resist holding another species captive. Seemed like a good way to end up in hot water to me.

I was still puzzling out what to do next when Talys suddenly brushed past me, draping the silken sash over my shoulder as he did so. He paused just long enough to lean to the side, his lips dangerously close to my ear and whispered, "I figured you'd want that since you like my cologne so much."

"Where are you going?" I tore the sash from my shoulder, about to toss it to the floor, but I instead held it tight and stalked after him. "Aren't you at all worried about an escaped human just roaming your ship?"

"No." He didn't even look over his shoulder.

"Does this mean you're going to let me go when we land?"

"Definitely not."

"Seriously?"

"Why would I lie?"

He stopped in front of a door, pressed his palm to the screen outside of it, then walked inside as it slid open. I followed him and quickly realized we'd gone to the ship's lounge. There was a large window covering one wall, displaying a breathtaking view of space, its inky blackness dotted with white streaks of stars as we blazed through it.

"So, you didn't make your pilot turn around, yet you're also not going to let me go. What's the point? Do you just want to have an angry human stalking around your ship?"

He nodded. "It seems like it'll be entertaining, at least. And since I didn't arrange for any companions on this trip, I need something to amuse me."

"Well, I'm not here to entertain you, and I definitely won't be your companion, so you're not going to have much luck there."

Talys said nothing in reply. He instead moved behind a long bar and began mixing himself a cocktail of some kind, pouring a glowing blue liquid into a round glass.

"Good conversation, Talys. I'm glad we cleared things up." I huffed and irritably brushed a lock of my wild, curly red hair from my face. I both loved and hated it. It never framed my face or coiled in perfect, shiny wonder. It just poofed and sprang out wherever it wanted, and that always seemed to be wherever I didn't want it to go.

Talys looked up from his cocktail and smiled. "See that? I'm already amused."

"Well, that's great for you." I pursed my lips and his smile only grew. "I'm not sure what you're getting out of this, though."

"You underestimate how amusing your anger is to me."

"Amusing?" I rolled my eyes. "What are you? Some sort of supervillain?"

"Supervillain?"

"Yeah. All you need is a monocle, a chortling laugh, and an inescapable urge to reveal your plans in excruciating detail."

He sighed, took a sip of his drink, set it down, then gave me a long look that said, "You really are an idiot."

"Alright, wrong crowd for that one." I held my hands up in front of my chest and gave them a wave, letting him know I surrendered. For now. "Look, clearly some mistakes were made and things are a little messy right now. Can we just bypass all this snarking and make a deal?"

Surprise registered in his expression, then disappeared just as quickly. He let out a short laugh. "You think you're in a position to bargain? With me?"

Oh, honestly. He really was a supervillain. If this was how he was going to be, fine, I would play his game. I gave him the hardest look I could muster. "You should remember that I might be stuck on this ship with you, but you're also stuck on it with me."

His brows shot up his forehead. "Was that a threat? My, my . . . I've underestimated you. I forgot how prone to violence your kind are. Unfortunately, while we might be stuck on this ship together, I have a pilot and a bodyguard. You have no one."

"Sure, but neither of them managed to notice the human just walking onto your ship." I gestured to myself with a pointed look. "You even said so yourself. I just walked on. It doesn't sound like you have the best protection. So, how about we come up with a deal?"

"You should be asking yourself why I don't have the best protection." He rummaged beneath the counter, placed a glowing berry in his drink, then looked down at his concoction with a satisfied smile before taking another sip. "Besides, what leverage do you think you have? You're not going to hurt anyone, so don't try threatening me again." He paused. "Although, that mean look of yours is adorable."

I deflated, my expression going blank. Talys was right. I was all talk. Not only was I not a violent person, I was such a dopey pacifist that I couldn't even kill ants. Movements heavy with defeat, I sank into an armchair. I was screwed.

All that effort Ulyr had gone through, and I'd jacked everything up in one fell swoop. If only I'd been more careful. Or if only I'd just gone back to Ulyr after the failed meeting. Neither of us had anticipated it, though. At worst, we thought that maybe Ambassador Elyos and I would get separated on accident and I'd have to find my way to the ship. That was it. I remembered thinking it seemed too easy. Turns out I was right.

"Are you giving up already?" Talys said. "What a shame."

I pursed my lips at him as he sat down in the chair beside mine and kicked his feet up.

"So, what're you going to do with me?" I asked.

He took a long sip of his drink. "Nothing for now. I'm going to continue on my course as planned, and you'll stay on the ship until we get back to Korystus. At which point you'll be surrendered to the government, wherein you'll explain that you were a stowaway."

"Wait, you're worried they're going to think you tried to get me off Korystus, aren't you?" I smirked, a new idea forming in my mind. Blackmail. "Well, worry not, Talys. They're definitely going to think it was you when I tell them it was."

Instead of immediately replying, Talys leaned forward, set his drink down, then shifted in his seat to face me. "Vera, darling, I'm not going to play this exciting game of threats with you. It's not my thing."

"I'm not playing a game, Talys." My expression hardened for real this time. "I've lived my entire life under someone else's thumb. I want to be free, and I'm prepared to do anything to get there. Anything."

"Save your threats for someone who cares. I'd rather not have to defend myself from false accusations, but do as you will. You won't come out on top." He went quiet for a moment, a slow smile working its way across his lips. "If you want to play my sorts of games, you're free to join me in my quarters. We'd both win that way."

"Excuse me?" I sputtered, jolting up straight in my chair. "I'm not going to sleep with you for my freedom."

"For your freedom?" He clicked his tongue, brows knitting together. "No, of course not. I was thinking you'd just sleep with me."

I sputtered even more, and huffed loudly for good measure. "Well, you thought wrong."

"I like things simple, Vera, and you're making them very complicated. I'm not one for deals, lies, and threats. And, for your information, I have no need, nor desire, to be with a woman who doesn't want me. If you think they're not lining up for my attention on every planet I've been to, you're mistaken."

I gagged a little on that one. "Wow, so, do they like you because you're so humble or what?"

"Humble? There was absolutely no humility in what I said. I know how I make women feel." He leaned over the armrest and flicked his eyes over my face, deliberately lingering on my lips. "I know what they think when they look at me. I know what you're thinking right now."

I shifted away from him. "Then you must know you're making me feel uncomfortable."

"If that's what you want to tell yourself."

Talys leaned even closer, angling his head as if he was going to kiss me. My breath—the betrayer it was—hitched in my throat. Before I could do anything, he suddenly bumped the tip of his nose against mine and pulled away.

I covered my nose and eyed him in disbelief. "What was that?"

"Everything I needed to know." His lips curled into a tight, smug smile.

"What . . .?"

Talys pulled his bottom lip between his teeth and shook his head with a muffled laugh. I still had a hand to my nose, mouth flopping open and shut like a fish, unsure of what to say or do. He got to his feet, grabbed his drink, and sauntered away like he was victorious.

I wasn't going to let him get away with thinking he'd just accomplished something. I jumped up and stalked after him without a real plan in mind, my hands clenched into fists. "What do you mean by everything you need to know?"

He touched a hand to the screen at the doorway without saying a word. I stood there, fuming, as it slid open. He crossed through into the hallway, then turned around, hand poised to shut the door.

"I think you know exactly what I meant," he said.

I gave him a look like he was dense. "Then why would I ask?"

"Denial, mostly." He feigned a frown. "You really should be more honest with yourself. It's a much better way to live."

"I don't know what's going on in your head, but I'm pretty sure you've got me all wrong."

"No, I don't. When you come to your senses, remember that the door to my quarters is always open." He flashed me a grin that was frustrating as it was undeniably sexy. "Drag it out, if you must, that'll only make it better. When the curiosity finally gets unbearable, come to me, and I'll happily show every inch of your body what I can do."

A deep flush crawled up from my chest to my cheeks. "Coming on a little strong, aren't you?"

Talys said nothing. He didn't have to. His expression said it all: you like it, Vera, and you want more. He touched the screen on the other side and the door slid shut. My movements stiff, I walked back over to the armchairs, then sat down and stared at the closed door. Every inch of my body, huh?

Lifting a hand, I touched it to one cheek, then the other. They might as well have been on fire. I buried my head in my hands and groaned. Talys was right. This guy was rude, smug, and fully planned on ruining my life—yet it was going to take far more willpower than I wanted to admit to resist finding out what his games were. I mean, if I was already doomed, why not have some fun on the way there, right?

Getting a whiff of his delicious scent, I suddenly realized I was not only still holding the scarf, but it was jammed against my face. I dropped it to my lap and covered my face with my hands instead. Now I'm a scarf-sniffing weirdo on top of it all. Am I really that desperate?

The answer was obviously yes.