Page 5 of Reluctantly Abducted
"Good. Do you know where you are?"
"Research vessel," he says automatically, then his expression sharpens with returning awareness. His gaze fixes on me with immediate hostility. "You struck me."
"Yeah, I did." Now that I know he's not dying, my own anger starts building again. "What did you expect? You kidnap someone, you get punched. That's how it works."
"You were not kidnapped," Ry'eth says, attempting to sit up. I put a hand on his shoulder to keep him still, and he jerks away from my touch like I'm toxic. His skin flares with that weird light again when I make contact, and I see his jaw clench in what looks like embarrassment. The light pulses with what seems like his heartbeat, quickening as I move closer.
"Don't touch me," he snaps, his gaze pointedly avoiding looking at my near-naked state.
"Fine by me," I snap back, noting how he keeps his eyes fixed firmly on my face. "But you still might have a concussion,so maybe don't move around too much until we're sure your alien brain is working properly."
"My cognitive functions are perfectly adequate," he says stiffly, though I notice he's got a flush of that blue-green light rippling under his skin. "Unlike your species' tendency toward unprovoked violence."
"Unprovoked?" I stand up, crossing my arms, and definitely don't miss the way his eyes dart down and then quickly back up. That quick, almost furtive glance is oddly satisfying given how superior he's trying to act. "You abducted me from my own apartment. That's pretty fucking provoking."
"It is a selection process," Ry'eth says coldly, managing to sit up while keeping his gaze determinedly above my neck. "You were chosen for compatibility assessment."
"Compatibility assessment," I repeat, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "For what, exactly? Because from where I'm standing - half-naked and pissed off - this doesn't seem like a great start to whatever scientific experiment you've got planned."
"Partnership evaluation with Nereidan species." His skin does that glowing thing again, and he looks thoroughly disgusted by the whole situation. A faint, sweet scent intensifies around him, reminiscent of jasmine but with an edge that's definitely not from Earth. "Though I am beginning to suspect there may have been a catastrophic error in the selection criteria."
"Oh, there was definitely an error," I say. "You picked a guy who doesn't like being told what to do, doesn't play well with others, and really doesn't appreciate being kidnapped by arrogant aliens who think they can just beam people up for their weird research projects."
"We are not weird," Ry'eth says with wounded dignity. The floor beneath us vibrates subtly, a low thrum that feels like distant machinery.
"You're lighting up like a neon sign every time I get near you. That's pretty weird."
"Why are you helping me?" Ry'eth asks, genuine confusion in his voice. "You just struck me."
"Yeah, well. I hit you, I fix you. That's how it works." I lean forward again, checking his pupils one more time. They contract differently than human eyes, closing like camera apertures rather than circular pupils shrinking. "Besides, I need to make sure I didn't scramble your alien brain before we have this conversation."
"What conversation?"
I sit back on my heels, suddenly very aware that I'm having this discussion in my underwear. The floor beneath me is neither warm nor cold, but has a slight give to it, like standing on dense foam. "The one where you explain why you abducted me for some kind of alien dating program."
"This is not a dating program," Ry'eth says with genuine offense, still refusing to look below my collarbone. His voice rises slightly, carrying that strange harmonic overtone that makes it sound like he's speaking in two voices at once.
"Right. Compatibility assessment. Much more dignified." I stand up, crossing my arms, and watch his skin do that light thing again. "So what happens now? Do I get clothes? An explanation? A ride home?"
"The assessment period is seventy-two hours," Ry'eth says, carefully pushing himself up to a sitting position. "At the conclusion of that time, you will be returned to Earth and compensated for your participation."
"Seventy-two hours." I stare at him. "You want me to spend three days on an alien spaceship in my underwear?"
His blue skin definitely gets darker at that, and he looks like he's trying very hard to think about anything else. The glow intensifies around his cheeks and neck. "Appropriate attire will be provided."
"How generous." I offer him a hand up, but he smacks it away and gets to his feet on his own. He's steady enough, which is good, but I can see he's still a little shaky. The ship—because I'm pretty sure that's where we are—makes a subtle shift under our feet, like the gentle roll of a boat on calm water. "You should take it easy for a while. Head injuries are nothing to mess around with."
"You are treating my injury," Ry'eth observes, like this is somehow surprising.
"Don't read too much into it. I'm not doing this to be nice." I cross my arms again, noting how he keeps finding reasons to look anywhere but at me. The scar that runs from my right shoulder down across my chest—a souvenir from an IED in my second tour—stands out pale against my tan. "I just don't want you dying on me before I figure out how to get home."
"How... practical," he says, and there's something almost insulting in his tone.
"Yeah, well, that's what you get when you kidnap a soldier instead of whatever cooperative test subject you were expecting."
Ry'eth nods toward what I now realize is probably a door, though it looks like just another section of wall. "Your quarters are this way. You will find everything you need there."
"And you'll be staying where?"
