Page 38

Energy blasts streak past us, close enough that I feel their heat through the hull. Jack weaves between them, his movements fluid and deadly. The alien city disappears completely as we punch through clouds that look like liquid metal.

My ears pop. The sky darkens. And then—stars. More stars than I've ever seen, so bright and close they hurt to look at.

I'm in space. Actually in space. With an alien who I thought was the first man I could trust in years.

"Vanessa." Jack's voice is soft, careful. Like he's talking to a spooked animal. "I know you have questions?—"

I turn away from him, pressing my forehead against the warm window. Tears float away from my eyes in perfect spheres, catching the starlight like tiny diamonds.

The ship's gentle hum fills the silence between us. I watch unfamiliar constellations drift past, trying to process everything that's happened. My throat still burns from where that collar sat.

"I should take you home." Jack's voice breaks through my thoughts.

The word 'home' hits me like a slap. I whirl around to face him, no longer caring about his alien appearance. "Home? You mean back to Earth? Back to my little coffee shop and my tiny apartment like none of this ever happened?"

"It's the safest?—"

"Don't." My voice cracks. "Don't you dare tell me what's safe. You lied to me for weeks. You let me fall for you while studying me like some lab rat. And now that everything's blown up, you want to just... dump me back where you found me?"

His black eyes widen. "Vanessa, that's not?—"

"I trusted you." The words tear from my throat. "Do you know how hard that was for me? To finally let someone in? And now you're doing exactly what everyone else has done—deciding what's best for me and walking away."

"I'm trying to protect you."

"I don't need your protection!" Hot tears spill down my cheeks. "I need you to stop making decisions for me. I need you to actually see me as a person, not just some human subject or someone you need to save."

Jack's red hands grip the controls tighter, his alien features impossible to read. But I see the way his shoulders slump, the way he won't quite meet my eyes.

"You're right," he says quietly. "I'm still treating you like a subject. Like something to be studied and protected rather than..." He trails off.

"Rather than what?"

"Rather than the woman I fell in love with."

The words hang between us like stars, bright and dangerous and impossible to ignore.

CHAPTER25

JACK

Iguide the ship through space, stealing glances at Vanessa. She's curled up in the co-pilot seat, arms wrapped around herself, eyes fixed on the stars streaking past. The silence between us cuts deeper than any wound.

The ship emerges into the Aurelia system. Three moons dance around a crystalline planet that shimmers like a pearl in space.

"We're here." My voice sounds rough, uncertain.

Vanessa lifts her head, and I see her breath catch. The planet's surface is a maze of floating islands covered in bioluminescent forests. Crystal waterfalls pour from one island to the next, their mist catching rainbow light from the triple moons.

I land on a secluded plateau overlooking an endless horizon of floating gardens. When the ship's door opens, the air fills with chimes – the sound of crystal flowers singing in the breeze.

"What is this place?" Vanessa whispers, taking a hesitant step onto the iridescent grass.

"The Singing Gardens of Aurelia. Couples travel across galaxies to walk these paths." I stay back, giving her space. "The flowers respond to emotions. The stronger the feeling, the more they sing."

The crystal blooms around us pulse with light, their song growing more complex. I watch Vanessa reach out to touch one, her fingers trembling.

"If this is the last time we're together, I want you to remember this." The words scrape my throat. "Not the fear, not the lies. This moment, under these moons, where everything is possible."