“Yes,” he said. “This is normal.”
The ship lurched upward, pressing them into their seats. Kora swore from the bed. Aelanna’s fingers clenched around her straps, knuckles white.
Darren forced his voice calm. “The worst part is the first twenty seconds, until the legs retract.”
The cabin lights flickered. Aelanna sucked in a breath. He felt it — felt her fear like a pulse in the air. His body responded before his mind caught up.
He reached out. Over Nayli.
Stopped himself.
Orders. Protocol. Distance.
But Aelanna’s eyes lifted to his — blue, bright, searching — and something inside him snapped taut.
“You’re all right,” he said quietly. “I’m here.”
She relaxed, just a fraction, but he saw it.
The ship surged again, a powerful upward thrust that rattled the fixtures. Nayli let out a startled laugh. “Feels like a rollercoaster.”
Kora barked a laugh of her own. “Feels like death.”
Darren almost smiled. Almost.
The engines shifted pitch — higher, smoother — as they broke through the last layer of atmospheric drag. The pressure on his chest eased. The vibrations softened and there was a decisiveclunkbeneath them.
“Legs retracted,” he said. “Stabilizing now.”
The amber cabin lights faded back to sunset red, then to violet. The straps loosened automatically, though he didn’t move. Not yet. Not until he was sure they were steady.
Aelanna exhaled shakily, her shoulders dropping. She looked at him again — really looked — and something warmflickered in her expression.
He swallowed hard.
“Is it always like that?” she asked softly.
“No,” he said. “Sometimes it’s worse.”
Her lips twitched. “That’s not reassuring.”
“It wasn’t meant to be funny,” he said, but the corners of his mouth curved in a reluctant smile.
The ship hummed into a smooth glide. The worst was over.
“You can unbuckle,” he said.
Kora sprang up immediately. Nayli stretched her arms overhead. Aelanna moved more cautiously, fingers trembling as she touched the release.
Darren stood to help her but stopped himself again. He couldn’t keep reaching for her like this. Not when he wasn’t allowed to touch. Not when the bond tugged at him like a live wire.
Still, he hovered close enough that if she stumbled, he’d catch her, but she rose gracefully, smoothing her hair, and gave him a shy, devastating smile.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
His heart slammed against his ribs.
“We’ll head to the diner. Your bodies need time to adjust.”
