Cody Johnson

Cody Johnson is a human fighter pilot assigned to the Cerastean alliance, where he trained to fly their dart fighters alongside alien warriors. He has brown hair cropped short enough to curl at his temples, vivid blue eyes, a small scar cutting through one eyebrow, and a broad, solid build. His military call sign is "Goober" — a nickname he earned back in basic training and has carried ever since, much to A'Vanti's dismay.

Despite his decorated service record and combat skills, Cody is disarmingly warm, emotionally open, and genuinely funny. He's the kind of man who will nurse a cold cup of coffee for an hour just to "happen" to be in the right place when someone he cares about finishes her therapy session. He calls it "strategic loitering." Everyone else calls it what it is.

Cody was part of the joint Cerastean-human strike team that raided an Ostium research facility on Osti, where he helped rescue imprisoned Cerasteans — including A'Vanti. She managed to grab hold of something inside him and refuse to let go. From the moment he scooped her into his arms, too weak to stand but still hissing at him with everything she had, Cody knew. He's spent every day since then showing up for her — bringing her books about Earth architecture, walking her back to her quarters, learning about her culture — without ever once demanding anything in return.

Cody is the first human male love interest in the Saving Ceraste series, and he flips the dynamic readers have come to know. Instead of a Cerastean male learning Earth customs to woo a human woman, it's Cody who finds himself navigating alien traditions, learning Cerastean words, and following A'Vanti to her homeworld. He approaches all of it with the same open-hearted enthusiasm he brings to everything.