When I next woke, it was with a woman who looked a lot like Roxa hovering over my bed. I jolted and stared up at her with wide eyes. "Who are you?"

"Exora," the woman said brightly. "I would ask you who you are, but I already know." She held up a slim file. "I've learned quite a bit about you, actually, but I would love to learn more."

"You have?" I asked, staring at the file. Could it have been Ambassador Elyos?

Exora nodded. "Quite a bit, actually."

I stared at her, unsure of what to think about this. There was mostly just one word repeating in my mind over and over: weird. She flipped open the file and showed me slim, clear pages with glowing letters on them.

I squinted, unable to read the language it was written in. "What's this?"

She smacked herself on the forehead. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I wanted to have you verify your information, but I forgot to get these translated first. I'm sorry, this was all so last minute. But we can do that later. It's best if I get you out of here first anyway."

"Um, what's going on, exactly?"

"I'm an immigration caseworker for Nexion 6, and I've been informed of your circumstances."

"My circumstances?"

"You've been held captive on Korystus, have you not?"

"Held captive? Well, yes, but I didn't think that was a secret."

"The government of Korystus seems to have been less than truthful about their human refugees."

"Refugees?"

"Many of your kind ended up on the various Nexion planets. When we heard some of you had ended up on Korystus, we tried to offer a hand, but they claimed that you were staying to help with research instead. Now, I won't pretend that their translation technology hasn't been immensely useful for accommodating our refugees, but I'm starting to think it wasn't through particularly willing participation."

My heart skipped a beat. "Wait, are you saying I won't have to go back?"

"Not if you don't want to. We can set you up nicely here, get you a place to live and work, plus an education, and whatever else you'd like."

I held a hand to my mouth, my eyes pricking at the corners. I couldn't believe how lucky I was for once. And here I'd thought I was the unluckiest in existence not even a few minutes ago.

She smiled wide at me. "I take it you'd like that?"

I flung my arms around Exora, my new guardian angel, and hugged her tight. "I would love that."

"Excellent." She smiled warmly. "I'll get the paperwork started. There'll be a lot of it, just a forewarning, but I promise it'll be worth it."

Exora did free me from the detention center and, yes, there was a lot of paperwork, but as I got out of the sphere that had stopped in front of my new apartment building—yes, mine—I was so giddy I could hardly keep still. My life had changed in an instant. My life. It was actually mine now.

"Here's your badge," Exora said as she stood beside me. "This is what you'll use to get around Nexion, and get into your apartment. It works on all vehicles like this one." She pointed at the sphere. "Never leave home without it. It's important to have around here. You have a duplicate. If you lose them or somewhere end up without one, please see the nearest immigration center immediately."

I clutched the badge tight in my hand and nodded, my smile uncontrollably large. "Thank you so much, Exora, you've saved me a lot of grief."

"Oh, don't thank me, I'm only doing my job. Enjoy your stay on Nexion 6. We're happy to have you."

As Exora moved to get back in the vehicle, I stopped her. "Wait, um, I don't know if you're the right person to ask or not, but . . . will you be able to help the other humans on Korystus?"

She nodded. "We'll try but we can only do so much. We'll at least continue the conversation with the intergalactic community. It's the best we can do."

"Continue the conversation?"

"Yes. Korystus sent several ambassadors to Nexion 6 for a meeting on just this issue. Apparently, there were some rumblings of a video being played in the spaceport of Korystus."

My thoughts briefly flickered to Talys. That was why he was here? One video? Was it really that much of a problem?

"You're talking about the one with Naomi, right?"

"That sounds familiar." Exora scrunched up her face in thought. "Ah, yes, I believe that was one of the names I heard about."

I nodded, slowly piecing things together. Ulyr had shown a recording of that video to me. Several humans had been interviewed, and their stories played out in a very public fashion, embarrassing the government of Korystus. He told me they'd played it off as fiction, or a joke, depending on who was asking. Apparently not everyone bought those explanations.

"If possible, could you keep me updated on how it's going?" I twisted my fingers together at my waist, feeling as if I might be asking a little too much at this point. "I'd like to hear if other humans make it to Nexion 6. I could show them around or whatever."

"I'll do my best, I promise you."

I let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Exora. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Vera. Goodbye for now."

I smiled. "For now."

Once Exora's sphere hovered away, I turned to my apartment, feeling more at peace than I had in a long time, and yet somehow incredibly nervous. I'd never been on my own before. Never. And now everything was open to me. It was wild to think about the possibilities.

I scanned my way inside then flipped open the packet Exora had left me with. I stared at my apartment information with wide eyes. Apparently I was on the one-hundredth floor. Good thing I wasn't afraid of heights.

Inside was surprisingly open and airy, with a seemingly endless window stretching the height of the building. There was one of those white spheres sitting in front of it, and I noticed a faint white line glowing against the glass. Surely that wasn't the elevator . . .?

It was.

When I got inside and sat down, I scanned my badge and the sphere turned around, facing the glass, before rapidly ascending to my floor. Right before the sphere came to a stop, I gasped as I saw clouds right in front of me, so close it felt like I could reach out and touch them.

My legs a little shaky—maybe I was a tiny bit afraid of heights—I got out of the sphere and let out a long breath. That was going to take some getting used to. I wandered down the hallway, ended up going the wrong direction, then backtracked to my new apartment.

My hands shaking from excitement, I held my badge up to the keypad and the door unlocked and slid open. The view straight ahead took my breath away. There was a large window that I could see from the apartment's entrance and I had a perfect view of the bright, orange sky, clouds drifting by lazily.

With a giddy squeal, I rushed inside, then darted back to close the door before rushing inside again. I passed a bathroom and a kitchen on my way inside, where there was a sparsely furnished living room and a bed, sharing the same room. I surveyed it all with pride. It was small, but it was mine, and I couldn't have been happier. I did a little dance in celebration.

"I'm free, so free," I sang out, making up a song as I went, "free as a bird, free to eat worms . . . or maybe not worms . . . but I'm free, so free—"

My song came to an abrupt stop as clapping echoed throughout my tiny, mostly empty apartment. Heart thundering in my chest, I whirled around to see Talys leaning up against a wall, grinning the biggest grin I'd ever seen from him.

"That was beautiful, darling," he said with a laugh. "A masterpiece."

"What're you doing here?" I scowled at him, trying to hide the excitement I felt at seeing him again. "I'm still getting brushed up on Nexion law, but I'm pretty sure breaking into my apartment is illegal."

"I didn't break in. I was given permission." He pushed away from the wall, head cocked to the side. "Besides, I'm here to congratulate you on being free, so free."

I folded my arms across my chest. "No thanks to you."

"Really?" He cocked his head to the side. "Are you sure about that? Let's see, as far the meticulous records of Nexion 6 are concerned, you were an illegal stowaway I found on my ship. Although I fully intended to return you to Korystus, the government of Nexion 6 detected you on upon entry, and their laws are very strict about what to do in that situation."

I folded my arms and shrugged. "Yeah, I know what you and Roxa planned. You don't get to take credit for Exora saving me from your psycho girlfriend."

"Yes, it was so unfortunate that it was revealed during your detention that you were being held illegally on Korystus, thus they were forced to release you on Nexion 6. It's going to be a publicity nightmare for Korystus."

"Why do you seem so happy about that . . .?"

"Because I'm the one who told Exora about you."

"I don't believe you. I don't. Why not just tell them about me in the first place if that was your plan?"

"Well, originally my plan had been much more simple. I was just going to avoid all of that, but Roxa forced my hand."

"I'm sure she did a lot with your hands."

He rubbed at his brow. "I'm sorry about what you saw. I don't know how much that was, but obviously it was enough to make you hate me. Which, frankly, explained a lot about how you started acting."

"I thought you didn't play games or make deals, Talys? Sure seemed like you were doing both with her."

"Yes, and she betrayed me the first chance she got." He laughed and shook his head. "I don't do deals because I'm terrible at them, Vera. I just wanted to help you while avoiding getting myself thrown in prison."

"Why not try telling me that, Talys? Why leave me in the dark?"

"Because I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to pull it off. I needed Roxa's help with the paperwork or I couldn't do it. By the time I had her help, or so I thought, you pushed me away. And, honestly, I understood. I didn't want to push you too hard. I didn't feel like I had the right after what my people did to you. It was okay for you to hate me."

My expression softened. "Is that why you said you were sorry that one night? While I was asleep?"

"You heard that, did you?" He nodded slowly. "It was for a lot of things. The way I acted. My people. Everything."

I bit at the inside of my cheek, thinking hurried thoughts. I couldn't be sure if he was telling the truth or not, but it all seemed to add up. At least, I desperately wanted it to.

"Please tell me you're not lying to me, Talys," I said, my voice soft.

"I just made my job significantly harder. For you." He took a few steps forward, his beautiful, glowing eyes filled with sadness. "I don't know how better to convince you that I'm being honest."

"I want to believe you," I murmured. "I really do. I don't know why, but . . . I do."

Talys moved even closer. The hesitance in his movements would've taken more than good acting skills to mimic. He was so clearly worried that I might shove him away or tell him to go. I told myself I was going to stop making mistakes, but I was starting to think that wasn't possible, because I wanted nothing more than to fall into his arms. I wanted to see what there could be between us, even if it would be impossibly complicated.

"I want to know you, Talys," I found myself continuing out loud, "I want to know the real you."

"I've tried to show it to you." He gave me a crooked smile. "And I'm not talking about anything lewd. I tried to open up to you. I'm not great at it, but I tried."

"You did try very hard to show me those lewd things, though."

"I did, and my poor pride was gravely wounded by your rejection."

"Something tells me you'll recover just fine."

As we both laughed, Talys inched forward, hesitantly placing his fingers on my hip. When I didn't pull away, he flattened his hand against it and gently pulled me toward him.

"With your help?"

I pulled at my lower lip with my teeth and shrugged. "Maybe."

"I was hoping for a definitely." He dipped his head down, brushing his lips against mine with the promise of a kiss.

"What happens if I say definitely?"

"I think you know."

I brushed my lips against his, letting mine linger just a little longer than he did to me. His hand tightened around my hip, his breath coming faster through lips that were slightly parted.

"I think I do know," I breathed out. "What was it you said to me before? Something about happily showing every inch of it what you can do?"

"That offer is still on the table."

"Well then, I think I know everything I need to know." I bumped my nose against his, just like he'd done to me before, and took a step back, giving him a teasing smile. "How does it feel?"

He gave me a smile so devious that it made me second-guess my choice for a moment. "This is all just telling me that you wanted me just as badly as I wanted you back then."

"Good to see you're still full of yourself," I replied with a smile. "Besides, I thought you already knew then?"

"I knew, yes, but hearing it is so much better." Talys crossed the distance between us to pull me against him, and I felt the evidence of his arousal against my stomach, eliciting a quiet gasp from my lips.

A gasp that was cut short as he dipped down to sink his lips into mine, capturing them in a kiss that challenged the passion of the one he gave me before—and won. I wound my arms behind his neck with a soft, muffled moan as I let myself fall into his kiss.

Anticipation coiled inside me as he moved us toward the bed. When the back of my legs bumped against the edge, he gripped my thighs and lifted me up onto the mattress, all while never breaking our kiss. His fingers found their way to my clothes, removing each layer with increasing speed and letting out a quiet little growl.

"You wear so much clothing," he murmured against my lips.

"One of those weird human habits." I locked my legs around his waist and jerked him closer, earning a groan from his lips to mine. "But I think you like it."

"I think I'd like anything you did."

He made his point with an even harder kiss, his hands never stopping in their efforts to strip me bare. When I was left in nothing but my underwear, I pulled away, and, with a coy smile and crawled back onto the bed, leaning back against the pillows with an arched brow.

Talys watched me, eyes heavy with desire and a wicked smile slowly overtaking his expression as his eyes roamed all over my body. It was as if he was taking stock of everything he was going to do with me, and struggling with where to start.

His hand moved to the fabric knotted at his waist and he undid it with a single flick of his wrist, letting it fall to the floor. My heart raced wildly at the sight. It was amazing what a difference that scrap of fabric made. His body in all its glory, skin shimmering softly in the faint light, was a sight to behold. I was entranced as he crawled into the bed, lying down beside me, propped up on an elbow with one hand lazily tracing circles over my skin.

"You're beautiful," Talys said as he dipped his head to my neck, lips brushing at the sensitive skin as he trailed a hand along my side. He followed the curve of my body to my back, where he quickly undid my bra.

As he moved the fabric away from my breasts, he raised his head and let out a satisfied groan of approval. He trailed kisses from my shoulder to my chest, softly tracing the swell of my breasts with his fingers as he trailed his tongue around each nipple. I sank a hand into his hair and wrapped a leg around his waist, trying to pull him closer. I wanted more already, and I didn't want to wait. But he pulled away with a smile.

"Every inch, remember?"

I wasn't sure if I was frustrated or grateful as he kissed down my stomach, a hand slowly working my panties down my legs. He moved ever further downward at an agonizingly slow pace, setting my nerves alight with each kiss and brush of his fingers.

Once my underwear was gone, he slid his hand back up my leg, eliciting a shiver and he smiled against my skin. He coaxed my legs apart and moved between them, bringing his lips to my upper thigh and working his way inward, one kiss at a time.

I looked down in time to see his eyes flick up to look at me. His lips curled up at the corners when he saw me looking. I inhaled sharply as he lowered himself to my center and, eyes locked on mine, began to explore with his tongue, purposefully avoiding the spot where I needed him most.

When I arched my hips ever so slightly, he rewarded me with a swirl of his tongue that made my hips buck from the bed. Hungrily, I arched even closer and he eagerly buried his face between my thighs, pushing closer and pulling me away from the edge until my eyes rolled back into my head.

Heat coiling tight in my abdomen, I gripped the blanket with both fists and tossed my head back—only for his warmth to suddenly disappear. My breath coming out in agonized pants, I looked down. Talys gave me a sly smile as he kissed down one leg, then the other.

"Every inch," he repeated, clearly savoring the frustrated moan that fell from my lips.

And he did just that, his mouth and hands explored my body with aching precision until I was writhing in place, stuck at the very edge and desperate for release. He moved back up my body, hovering over me as he bent down to give me a slow kiss.

Through the haze of need that clouded my mind, I slid a hand between us and ran my fingers up and down and around the tip of his shaft. I smiled into our kiss, satisfied as his hips bucked in response, then again as I encircled his length and arched my hips up, positioning him at my entrance.

As he slid inside me, we both moaned so loudly our voices seemed to echo endlessly in the empty room.

Talys buried his face in my neck and moaned, "I never want this to end, Vera."

As we began to move, building to a deliciously steady rhythm, I wrapped my legs around his waist, driving him even deeper.

"It doesn't have to," I murmured back.

He groaned again, even louder. For all the control he'd had as he worked his magic on my body, he was mine now. With each careful roll of my hips, I coaxed moans from his lips and hisses from between clenched teeth. He'd lost all semblance of control, and his hands couldn't stay still. They wandered over my breasts, my neck, my hair, and my sides, greedily drinking in everything they could touch.

When he sank his lips onto mine and thrusted himself deeper, I locked my legs tight around his waist, pulling him in even closer, and something inside him broke. His hands slipped away from my chest and he gripped my hips in a vice-like grip, grinding down against me. My mouth fell open in a trembling gasp, and I sank my fingers into his back.

The heat coiled in my stomach released all at once, slamming through my veins. I went completely still as loud moans forced their way from my throat, one after another, and a sweet heat singed through my veins, my body rolling with each wave.

Talys thrusted harder, deeper, unrelenting as my body trembled beneath him, and his fingers dug into my sides. He groaned low in his throat and gave one final thrust deep inside me, his body tense as he found his own release.

Our eyes met as we both struggled to catch our breath. Talys brushed a hand along the side of my face, unsticking curls of hair from my skin. Panting, I touched a hand to his cheek. There was something hidden in his expression, something I couldn't puzzle out, and before I could look for too long, he lay down beside me. He pulled my sweat-covered body close to his and gave me the longest, sweetest kiss of my life. Everything felt so good—so good I was actually surprised when I woke the next morning and found the other side of my bed empty.