Page 31 of Tarek

“Alright,” I said. “Let's do that.”

“Excellent. I'll contact Pellan and Rhovan and see if they're available. I can also arrange a table at Mamma Rose's Pizza.”

I checked the clock again. “We'd better be quick. The bus will be here soon.”

“Then perhaps you should stop pacing and make sure Laura has everything she needs. I'll handle the arrangements.”

For once, I followed the advice without arguing.

Pellan and Rhovan were waiting when we arrived at Mamma Rose's Pizza, and they'd already secured a table large enough for all of us. The boys had barely finished asking why we were meeting the officers before they spotted the data pad and stared at it curiously. To them, it looked like an iPad, and they were already wondering what it was for.

“Xero, hello. These are my sons, Evan and Matt,” I said.

“Hello, Evan. Hello, Matt. It's a pleasure to meet you both.”

Matt leaned forward, eyes fixed on the device. “Is that like Alexa? We used to have Echo Dots at home. Grandma and Grandpa had them, too.”

“Something like that,” I said, smiling despite my nerves. “Although Xero is considerably more advanced.”

Xero introduced himself properly, and the boys listened with the intense concentration they usually reserved for new video games or stories about superheroes. When he explained that he was an AI who helped manage the Bride Fleet, Matt immediately wanted to know whether he could control the spaceship.

“I can manage its systems, yes,” Xero replied. “But I don't simply fly it around for fun. There are passengers to look after and schedules to maintain.”

“Can you make it go really fast?”

“I can make sure it travels at the correct speed for its route.”

“That's not the same thing,” Matt said.

“No,” Xero agreed. “But it is considerably more useful. Those aboard prefer the ships they're on to stay in a stable orbit and, when flying somewhere else, to go where they're supposed to.”

Evan laughed, and some of the tension I'd been carrying eased. They were listening. They were interested. They weren't looking at me as though I'd done something terrible.

Once the pizza arrived and everyone had something to eat, Pellan helped me explain the matching system. I told the boys that I'd taken a test to see whether I was compatible with a Dragonii mate, and that the results had found someone who was an exceptionally good match for me. We explained that Tarek was a Dragonii man who had also applied for a job on New Haven, where he'd be the sheriff, and I'd be working as a deputy.

“So we're moving to another planet?” Evan asked.

“Yes,” I said. “We'll travel by spaceship, and we'll have a home there. You'll go to school, and we'll have a chance to build a new life together.”

“Will there be aliens?” Matt asked.

Pellan raised an eyebrow. “You're looking at two of them.”

Matt glanced from Pellan to Rhovan, then grinned. “I mean the other kind. The ones with wings.”

“I saw some on TV with wings like a dragon!” Matt added.

“Dragonii have wings,” Rhovan said. “Your new dad has wings. So do I, because I'm also Dragonii.”

Matt's mouth fell open. “He does?” His gaze darted to Rhovan. “And you do, really?”

Rhovan nodded, smiling, and I confirmed, “They both do.”

“And our new dad is a policeman?” Matt asked.

I nearly choked on my drink at that, but at least they hadn't brought up the policemen they'd met during Philip's arrest. They were far too interested in the whole dragon thing to dwell on anything else.

“A sheriff,” Pellan corrected. “He'll be responsible for keeping the peace on New Haven.”