Dron did his very best to keep his composure. He didn’t want to let on to Tempest just how dangerous it was for her to even be talking about it.

For once, it was a good thing that no one in the community dared to even get close to his property, in fear that they would be affected by his so-called curse.

"You want someone to smuggle you?" Dron questioned, making sure that he heard her correctly.

Tempest nodded her head quickly, and Dron could see that she was getting a little bit excited about the conversation.

"Why would you want to do something like that?" Dron asked. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"Isn’t it obvious?" Tempest jerked her hand up in the air before letting it drop back down to her lap. "Dron, your world is beautiful. It’s exciting. It’s an adventure, but it’s not my home. I need to get back home. I can’t live here. I won’t survive. It’s too different. Too much that has me at a disadvantage. The fact that your people think I’m some sort of Omega is proof of that. I’m just a normal human woman. In fact, I’m what most would consider standard. I don’t belong in some blessed location. I shouldn’t be here. I want to go home." Tempest’s voice softened toward the end of her words.

Dron could understand the desire to be someplace that felt comfortable. Someplace that she could call home, but what Tempest didn’t realize was that simply because Earth was deemed a lower civilization, no one from Ustea, besides those allocated by the high council, was even allowed to enter the atmosphere. Earth was off limits.

Still, just because the high council deemed it so didn’t mean that there weren’t some who made a living going against their word, in secret, of course. And with great risk.

"You want to leave?" Dron said again, not so much because he didn’t understand but simply because he wanted to validate what she was saying. It was a simple request but something only a skilled smuggler would be able to do.

A few people came to Dron’s mind. Several alphas who were so low in their class they didn’t really care about the hit to their social standings. The problem for most was the cost. They would want more than just a few measly credits to smuggle someone as important as Tempest away.

That wasn’t the only concern either. The other issue would be how it would look on Dron if Tempest were to just mysteriously disappear.

"When would you want to do this?"

Tempest’s mouth gapped open suddenly, as if she weren’t expecting Dron to respond like this.

"As soon as possible." Tempest answered, her voice slightly raised.

Dron shook his head. He shouldn’t even be entertaining this. Shouldn’t be giving Tempest any hope that her plans could work, but Dron saw a small slither of silver lining around this clusterfuck of a storm cloud.

"That’s not going to work." Dron rubbed a hand over his bare chin.

Tempest stood up from where she was sitting next to him. Dron looked up at her, the sun streaming through the thick trees and haloing her head. She truly was gorgeous in every way.

"Why not?" Tempest asked.

"Because you are watched too closely. If you aren’t around, people will start asking questions. That’s the quickest way to cause your plan to fail."

Tempest huffed and started pacing in front of him. "So that means it’s useless. I’m really stuck here for eternity." She dropped her head, and for the briefest moment, Dron thought she was about to cry.

Dron panicked for a moment. He didn’t think he could handle her crying again. After her last episode in the room, he didn’t want to risk that happening again. Gerax would definitely think Dron was harming her.

"I’m not saying it’s useless. I’m saying that if you were really trying to go forward with this, you’ll have to be smart about it."

Tempest brightened up at his words. "I’m all for being smart. What do you suggest?"

"I suggest you let me handle finding someone who is willing to do this, and in the meantime you do something for me." Dron stood, and Tempest had to look up to him.

"So what are we talking about? A trade?"

Dron thought about the meaning of the word. It was exactly what he was talking about. He wanted something if he was about to put himself on the line like this. He felt like a jerk for even thinking it, but all his life he tried to be a good guy. Tried to be an upstanding member of society, but all it got him was shunned and looked down on. Maybe it was time for him to start acting like the cad everyone thought he was.

"Yes, a trade. I want the other omegas and alphas to see how wrong they were about me. Want them to feel shame that they believed for so long that I was less than they were. You’re the most sought after prize any of them has seen in probably decades. I want you to be utterly obsessed with me."

Tempest blinked a few times.

Then the laughing started.

"Are you kidding me? Do you have a magic genie or something? How the heck do you think you’re going to make that happen."

Dron gritted his teeth together. Was it that unbelievable that someone could be obsessed with him? To have eyes only for him. He guessed it was. Still, she didn’t have to be so rude about it.

"I don’t have a magic genie, but I do have an omega who will do anything to get off this planet. I’m assuming playing a part isn’t too much to ask."

Tempest got her laughter under control. "Oh... I get it. You want me to be your beard?"

Dron tilted his head and rubbed his hand over his face. Beard? Why would he want her to become facial hair?

"No, not that beard. Sorry, I guess that wouldn’t translate for you. A beard, in the case that I’m talking about, is someone who pretends to be in a relationship with someone else for one reason or another. It’s like a fake relationship." Tempest shrugged.

"Yes, I guess that is what I mean. On the outside, I want them to see what they’ve been missing." It was a ridiculous ask. Even if she melted every time Dron walked in a room with her, it would take the people of Thraqe much longer to accept him. But maybe, just maybe, with Tempest acting as if she adored him and clinging to his arm, it would be easier than it was in the past.

"Okay. I can do that. I actually have a lot of practice being the loving girlfriend."

Dron’s eyes whipped to hers. He’d never asked her about her past love life. He didn’t care to know, but hearing now that she had ’a lot’ of experience lit a very intense fire inside of him. He was getting mad and didn’t even know why.

"Practice? Are you betrothed on your native planet?" Dron questioned.

"Betrothed? Like married? No. I was in a long term relationship." She sighed and walked to lean up against one of the trees. "It ended badly; he was unfaithful. He made me feel like life was worthless. I gave him everything, and he basically told me I wasn’t enough because I wouldn’t have sex with him."

The anger inside Dron continued to build. "Made you feel unworthy? Any man who had sense would know that you simply breathing in their direction would be the greatest blessing. You are more than worthy. You are a dream made flesh. A treasure only the best should ever attempt to possess. A goddess. You should never be made to feel you are unworthy. You should be worshiped."

He didn’t know where the words came from, but that didn’t make them any less true.

Tempest stared at him for a moment, and her eyes welled up with tears, but she blinked them away before they could fall.

"Wow." She fanned herself and scratched at her arm. It seemed as if she was still unused to getting attention.

If they were going to make this work, Dron knew she’d have to get over her social anxieties.

Tempest cleared her throat. "You know if you keep saying things like that, I won’t have to pretend to be in love with you." She chuckled, but it was uneven, as if she’d forced it.

Dron didn’t want to think about that. Not when he knew no matter what she said, it would never happen. He could tell from the way she’d laughed earlier that she believed loving someone like Dron to be unthinkable.

Instead, Dron decided to push that comment away from his mind all together.

"How about we take the emotion out of it? We don’t have to be in love to act like we are in love with each other. All it takes is a little preparation."

He took a step in her direction, moving slow as not to scare her

"Preparation?" Tempest gulped as she took a step backward. Her behind hitting the tree and stopped her motion. "What would we need to be prepared for?"

"We’d need to be prepared to be a real unit. I would need to know how and where to touch you. The desire would need to leak from our gaze. It’s not something that just naturally happens."

"I think it is." Tempest nodded her head.

"I have to disagree. For example, how would I know if I should touch you here," He raised his hand and gently swiped the side of her face. Caressing her cheek. Her breath shuddered.

"Or maybe here would be better?" He moved his fingers so that he was just barely skimming the side of her neck.

Tempest’s entire body jerked but she didn’t say a word. Her lips simply parted a bit.

Dron didn’t stop there. He wanted more. He moved in even more so his body almost pressed against hers.

"Would I know how you would react if I touched you here?" He moved his fingers even further down until he could feel her heart beating right above her collar bone.

"Dron..." She whispered and leaned closer to him.

It was then that he realized that they were out in the wilderness, and as much as he wanted to move forward with this, he couldn’t. Not here.

Dron jerked his face back and took a step away. Tempest leaned forward, nearly falling.

"If we are to pull this off for the rest of our time together, we’ll have to be prepared." He kept his voice even though he felt like his insides were being wrung out.

"Prepared? Nothing is going to prepare me for this." Tempest heaved a sigh before she pushed herself away from the tree and continued down the trail.

Dron didn’t respond, but as he longed after her as she walked away, he knew she was right. Nothing was going to prepare him for what they’d planned to do.