“I’m as happy as I can be given my circumstances.” That had to be good enough.

He dragged me across the intersection as the light changed to yellow.

I jerked my hand from his. Roan knew I didn’t like to break any laws—even jaywalking—but it was already too late. We were the only people in the intersection now, and that was bad. I hurried across, dragging Roan behind me.

“Chill out. It’s still yellow,” he said as it turned to red.

Shit.

“Freeze!” A booming voice came from behind us. “IDs. Now.”

We froze as ordered. The cop’s words echoed in my ears, and I closed my eyes. My ID would never pass an official inspection, but running now would be worse.

This so wasn’t happening. It was a bad dream. A nightmare.

I opened my eyes to find a SpaceTech police officer standing in front of us in his navy and gray uniform. He didn’t have any medals over his right pocket, so I knew he was a newbie, but that was almost worse. Newbies liked to find ways to prove themselves.

The traffic and commotion around us had slowed a little as lookie-loos all stared, wanting to see what the officer was going to do to us.

“What’s the problem, officer?” I asked in what I hoped would be a calm voice, but it came out way too high-pitched.

Roan grabbed my hand, and I wove my fingers with his.

“After your buddy here illegally climbed that light pole—which as you know is official SpaceTech property—you crossed the intersection on a yellow.”

“I’m sorry, officer. We didn’t notice it had turned yellow until we were already in the intersection. It won’t happen again,” I said a little too quickly.

The cop’s eyes narrowed as he spotted something behind me. “Halt! Right now!” He lunged past me.

Across the street, some kid took off running. People started yelling as the kid pushed into the crowd, holding a bag in his arms. The cop dashed across the street, a speeder missing him by a fraction of an inch.

Roan dragged me to the curb so that traffic could move again, but I could barely move. I stood there frozen as people walked around us on their merry way. Meanwhile, my world had been seconds away from ending.

I tried to calm down, but all I could hear was my heartbeat thundering in my ears as if it was urging me to run, run, run, yet my feet stayed firmly in place.

“Maité?”

I swallowed, but I couldn’t speak. Not yet. I wasn’t even sure how to process the fear that still coursed through my veins. I felt Roan’s arms wrap around me and I crumpled against him, my forehead resting on his sternum.

“Inhale.”