Page 19 of Accidentally Abducted

"Daily," Zeph agrees, his arms tightening around me. "For health reasons."

"Definitely for health reasons," I agree, grateful for the excuse. "Very important to maintain proper hygiene standards. Especially when those standards involve floating around in what is essentially a five-star alien spa."

"Essential," Zeph says, pressing a soft kiss to my temple.

And as we float together in the glowing water, I find myself thinking that maybe alien technology isn't just superior in the practical ways, maybe it's superior in all the ways that actually matter. Which is a dangerous thought to have about someone I've known for approximately thirty-six hours, but apparently that's where my life is now.

Chapter Eight

Zeph

Jake is settled in bed, looking thoroughly content and slightly drowsy in a way that makes something warm and possessive stir in my chest. We spent the better part of an hour in the cleansing pools, and while the experience was... educational, I can see that Jake is beginning to feel the effects of our extended activities.

"You sure you're comfortable?" I ask, adjusting the environmental controls to ensure optimal sleeping temperature. "The bed can be modified for human preferences."

"It's perfect," Jake says, though I notice he's watching me with that calculating expression he gets when he's working something out. "Are you going to bed soon?"

"In a while," I tell him honestly. "I have some... administrative tasks to complete."

"Administrative tasks," Jake repeats, and there's something in his tone that suggests he finds this amusing. "Right. Are you going swimming again? Because I have to say, watching you in your element was pretty impressive."

"Perhaps later. I have work to complete first."

Jake is quiet for a moment, then grins in a way that suggests he's about to say something that will make me reconsider my life choices. "Oh yeah, I forgot. This isn't just a vacation where you get to have sex with confused humans and teach them about glow-in-the-dark alien anatomy. This is actually your job."

The casual way he says it hits me harder than I expect. Because he is correct, this is my job. My first assignment, in fact, and one that I have been preparing for extensively. The fact that it has deviated so dramatically from expected parameters does not change my professional responsibilities.

"Yes," I say simply. "It is."

Something shifts in Jake's expression, not hurt, exactly, but a kind of recognition that seems to settle something in his mind. "Well, don't let me keep you from your very important alien paperwork. I'll just be here, being a research subject. Should I fill out a satisfaction survey when you're done? Rate my abduction experience one to ten stars?"

"Jake—"

"Good night, Zeph," he says, rolling over in a way that clearly indicates the conversation is finished.

I stand there for a moment, feeling oddly dismissed, before activating the privacy field around his sleeping area and retreating to the main quarters.

The next hour is spent in the mundane tasks of maintaining our shared space, organizing the kitchen area where we attempted to create various human foods, ensuring the environmental systems are optimized, reviewing the ship's status reports. It is routine work, the kind I normally find soothing, but tonight it feels hollow somehow.

When I am certain Jake is asleep, I activate the communication array and request a connection to the Research Collective.

The holographic interface materializes in the center of the room, and within moments, a familiar face appears, sharp cheekbones, golden eyes identical to my own, but with a hardened edge that mine lack. His expression suggests he has been waiting for this communication, and not patiently.

"Zeph'hai," my brother says, his formal tone carrying an undercurrent of displeasure that makes my spine straighten automatically. "Status report. You're late."

"Kav'eth," I respond, matching his formality while trying to ignore the reprimand. "The human has beensuccessfully retrieved and is currently undergoing compatibility assessment."

"Assessment parameters are proceeding according to schedule?" His eyes narrow slightly, and I can see him analyzing my physiological responses through the neural interface.

I hesitate, knowing that honesty is required but uncertain how to explain the... complications. "The assessment has required modification due to procurement error. The human retrieved was not the intended target."

Kav'eth's expression hardens into something that makes me grateful we are separated by vast distances. "Explain. Now."

"Research error resulted in retrieval of Jake Morrison rather than Derek Cross. The humans are..." I pause, realizing how this will sound. "The intended target was a resident of the dwelling above the retrieved human."

"Their former mate," Kav'eth adds immediately, proving he has already pulled the records. "They terminated their pair bond three of their months ago. The human Derek Cross now occupies the dwelling above Jake Morrison's."

"Yes. That is correct."

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