Rayne was pretty sure facing Nox while sitting up was her favorite position. Their sex parade across the loft was ending on the couch. He always knew how to shatter her and bring her back together. Each time, she closed her eyes, threw her head back, and made some kind of sound. Whatever felt right. But this time, her eyes were open enough to see Nox.

He was basking in it, watching her orgasm.

After they finished, they snuggled on the way-too-small sectional, eye-to-eye.

Unable to contain her curiosity anymore, Rayne asked, “Why do you keep your eyes open? I’ve never seen them closed.”

Nox trailed a finger down the bridge of her nose and booped it. “You close your eyes to feel the pleasure more intensely, yes?”

She blushed, bit her lip, and nodded.

He smiled a smile Rayne only saw when they were like this before saying, “When you’re experiencing those moments, you aren’t over thinking about your moral reservations or contemplating the fate of the galaxy. You let it melt away; you’re free. I keep my eyes open because that’s when I find you the most beautiful, and I don’t want to miss a second of it.”

Rayne swallowed from the intensity of Nox’s words, despite his gentle caresses throughout. The confession affected her deeply. Before she knew it, he brushed his thumb across one cheek, then the other.

His voice was gentle as Nox said, “I didn’t mean for you to cry.”

What was the opposite of heartbreak?

Love.

Rayne loved Nox.

As she stared into the concern in his eyes, she wasn’t sure what to do about it. Except Rayne wanted to wash away the fear there. She kissed the man she loved, desperate to steal Nox’s breath away as he stole hers. To feel him and comfort him and show him how much his words meant to her—

Rayne’s stomach growled.

Rudely.

Nox’s warm chuckle meant the world to her as he explained, “You’ve fed me, now you’re the one who needs feeding. We should head to Reipon.” He kissed her, which was so not the way to get her out of bed.

But suddenly, only one thing was on Rayne’s mind. “Do you think they’ll have ice cream?”

Dressed again and loaded with bagfuls of Vittle supplements, Nox and Rayne strolled the main thoroughfare of a Reipon city under its green sky with its multiple suns. He told her stories of a Lamia pirate who’d aided Umbra, while she enjoyed some kind of teriyaki meat on a stick. She interrupted him to say, “Let me guess. After he saw you naked, he asked if you wanted to star in a film?”

Nox laughed and kissed the top of her head. “You knew exactly where the story was headed.”

Actually, she’d seen him naked, and it was certainly worthy of the big screen.

“Wait, I think…” Nox peered over the crowd before grinning down at her. “There’s ice cream.”

Sweet strawberry goodness. Rayne moaned as the creamy stuff hit her tongue and cooled her throat. “Oh, this… This is divine.”

Nox was still grinning as he watched her enjoy it. His own cone of Reipon papaya dripped. Rayne laughed at his distracted state and leaned close to say, “Here. Let me.” She kept her eyes on him as she tasted it with a drawn out roll of her tongue.

Making a grown man who’d been around for seven million years gape was an accomplishment. Rayne deserved a badge—

A soft cry made them both spin around.

Children and their parents surrounded a small, grounded craft as a Lamia climbed into it. Pandering to the crowd, he shouted, “Over here, people! Watch as I take off in my own Mercury Turbo!”

Rayne almost fell out, and it took everything in her not to burst into laughter. When she glanced at him, Nox was looking away to cover a snort. Delighted, she pulled him along. “We need to see this.”

They parted the crowd and made it to the front, where the Lamian pilot was settling into the cockpit. It was indeed a little silver craft, much like the one Xelan described in his Verse. Even though she possessed wings, Rayne fiercely wanted a go in it.

The pilot scanned the crowd and—

He did a double-take in Rayne’s direction, gasping, “My lady.”

Rayne frowned, peering around before glimpsing Nox’s knowing smirk.

Oh.

Rayne was reticent, but she’d play along if it meant she could fly it. “Yes?”

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

The Reipon pilot—Was he a Prince? Were all Lamias Princes?—The pilot reached out a hand and spouted poetry at her. “You are the most exquisite Rayne tribute I have ever seen. Please, will you bestow upon me a kiss for luck on my maiden flight?”

Rayne was definitely wearing a hood from now on. She glanced at Nox, who grinned and nodded, before she stepped over to the plane and kissed the orange-scaled cheek the pilot offer her. The dry texture surprised her, and the musty scent which followed wasn’t unpleasant but intriguing—

The Lamia winked.

Rayne had lingered too long. Blushing, she returned to Nox, who pulled her against his side.

“After receiving the luckiest charm in all of Iona Pax, I will dazzle you with a feat of reverse engineering. Step back, ladies and gentlemen and those who identify otherwise. Witness true brilliance!”

The Lamian pilot pressed his palm to a disc, and the mechanics within activated with a quiet hum. A little shock wave of dust spread from the replica as it began to hover. Higher and higher, until he was above Nox’s head and higher still.

Exhilarated, Rayne stood on tiptoe to whisper to Nox, “I’d kiss him again if he’d race me.”

With a chuckle, Nox said, “I’d kiss him to see that.”

This was happiness. This moment right here—

Waves rolling onto a beach, sandcastles and sunscreen, a boardwalk sticky from melted ice cream.

The space surrounding the mock Mercury Turbo smelled of a pivotal memory in Rayne’s life, and there was no way to shut it off. Alerted by it, Nox glanced around to measure the crowd, but as far as they could see, no one had noticed.

Especially as the pilot counted down. “Three… Two… Ready. Set. Go!”

The replica zipped away over the bizarre, flying above the shops and maneuvering through the thoroughfare.

Cheers erupted from the crowd, and none louder than Nox and Rayne. They clapped as the replica swooped over them and around to do it again. Much to their delight, the pilot halted his replica dead center in the circle and lowered it in the exact place from where it had started.

That’s when Rayne realized most of the crowd were Lamias, Caprents, Luks, and Yun—Citizens of the races who couldn’t fly. Sure, they could build mechsuits as the Pil Dwarves did, or they could buy a personal aircraft from a well-meaning engineer in Reipon’s bizarre.

“Thank you! Thank you!” The pilot stood in his cockpit, bowing and waving to his audience of potential buyers. Many already flooded into his shop to place orders. He shot Rayne another wink before announcing, “And don’t forget to attend my cousin’s premiere of Rayne’s Verse. Three nights from now at the Palatial Grounds. The King Elect is providing free fare and comfort, so come join us as we celebrate our brave martyr’s life.”

The air rushed out of Rayne. She spun away and clutched her ribs. It hurt to breathe. Nox was right there, but given the circumstances, there wasn’t much he could do to comfort her. Although, his presence helped.

Without knowing everything—Anything about Nox—How could the Shadow get her story right?

Nox rubbed a soothing circle on her back, and Rayne could draw enough air to say, “I want to tell it. I should get to share my Verse.”

“Once we finish this, you’ll have your chance.” Okay, so Nox’s logic was seriously comforting.

Rayne took a deep breath and, on the exhale, she said, “You’re right. You know what? Let’s just eat some more crazy foods and check out one of Iuo’s toy stores.”

That got it out of him. A sexy smirk spread across Nox’s lips as his chuckle rumbled deep in his chest. “I mean… If you insist.”

Unable to control it, Rayne beamed. This was a happy day—

That was odd.

Across the thoroughfare, Rayne swore she saw a Mon3 drone staring at her. That made the third one today. Shaking herself, she dragged Nox to a grilled fruit stand. Yun peaches were to die for, and Luk eel was so tender it melted in her mouth. Engineers from all across the empire displayed their mechanical wares. Some were as big as the Mercury Turbo replica and some were small enough to fit in the palm of Rayne’s hand.

“I want to buy this little tinkering gizmo for Pax and maybe a microphone for Echo—Xelan says she’s already whistling like a Lyrik. What do you think, Nox?”

Rayne glimpsed a look pass over his face before he could hide it, and she instantly understood. Any talk of the kids was too close to a reality they weren’t far from. Soon, the Shadow would discover them, and this little secret life of theirs would end.

A hug wouldn’t fix everything, but it would let Rayne whisper this against Nox in public. “We’ll still be together. I didn’t make the decision to sleep with you lightly. And think about it? You’ll get to meet your nephew and niece. See your brothers again—Not all of it will be hard, and I think with a little work, even the hard stuff will get easier—Yip!”

While Rayne was talking, Nox lifted her onto a picnic table and held her there. This evoked memories of their fun in the kitchen earlier, and she couldn’t keep it out of her eyes.

This dress was so short Rayne could feel her effect on Nox. In public! Oh, her cheeks burned—

Over his shoulder, she spied another Mon3 drone staring at them. It was always a different one.

“I see them,” Nox growled against her neck, kissing it. “They’re Celindria’s agents. We may need to leave soon.”

A little breathy, Rayne said, “Okay. Let me buy the gifts—”

“I heard a rumor some of Razor’s old contacts were cutting loose and offing themselves. Something about the Probability Matrix shrinking.”

The voice came from one of Iuo’s shops.

Rayne met Nox’s eyes. Communication passed between them without words, and they confirmed it with a nod. She paid for the presents for the kids before they entered the toy store, pretending to peruse. Well, sorta pretending. Rayne was really curious and very blushy about the whipped sleh oil lubricant.

Nox started smirking the moment they stepped in and never stopped, fueling the redness in her cheeks.

The female merchant carried on with her conversation with a chatty customer. “Well, I heard they were quitting the simulation because they lost their volition to some big daddy Razor impostor.”

A nearby Caprent scoffed. “You think losing two hundred million realities in thirty-six hours isn’t worth ripping your own nacre out?”

Between the first customer and the latest loud mouth, the merchant back peddled on her own assumptions. “No, I’m just saying you can’t eliminate these things—Hey, honeysuckle.”

Rayne’s eyes grew wide, but she turned and looked at the merchant.

The female Lamian had a pretty smile as she said, “If you’re buying the lube to have anal sex with your fella there of great prowess, you might wanna consider buying the aloe vera flush. It’ll help with the soreness after and considering the size of him, it’ll be the best thirty credits you’ll ever spend. You’ll thank me later when you come back for a refill.”

Rich, masculine laughter erupted from Nox and seared Rayne’s face. Especially as she searched and collected the aloe vera flush and paid for it at the counter under intense scrutiny.

Again, the lady’s smile was super pretty as she packaged Rayne’s items in tissue paper and a cute purple bag. The merchant glanced at Nox and said to Rayne, “Enjoy.”

It was obvious the small group was done discussing Imminent news with Nox and Rayne present, so after a polite and bashful nod from her, they left.

The entire walk out of the bizarre and into the field from which Elden had Seamswalked them, Rayne felt Nox staring at her with unspoken expectation.

“Not a word, mister.”