Page 22 of Stolen By the Wraiths
The weight of 43 lives pressed down on my shoulders. "What would this actually require?"
The room grew quiet.
"A permanent, irreversible, biochemical and neural bond," Deyric said, his voice quiet but firm. "Your body would sync with his—hormone levels, scent recognition, even emotional rhythms. Physical separation would become painful. Your own survival instincts would be rewired to prioritize his."
"It's more than that," Ressh added, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through the deck plates. "You'd feel my emotions as if they were your own. My fear, my pain... my love. There would be no secrets between us. Ever."
The explanation chilled me. Not just physical intimacy, but complete biological and psychological transformation.
"So let me get this straight," I said, falling back on sarcasm to mask the terror and want warring in my chest. "You want me to permanently change my brain chemistry, give up my ability to emotionally protect myself, and become biologically dependent on someone else. For the mission."
"For them," Ressh said, gesturing toward the display. "For forty-three people being systematically destroyed while we debate options."
"Right. And the upside for me is what exactly? Besides the warm fuzzy feeling of being a hero."
"The upside," Ressh said, his tone shifting to that rough resonance that made my bones vibrate, "is that you'd never be alone again. You'd never have to wonder if someone really cared about you or was just using you. You'd feel, with absolute certainty, that you were valued above everything else in the galaxy."
The words froze my blood. He'd found the exact center of every fear I'd carried since I was fourteen. The Hendersons hadtaught me that love was conditional. This would be the opposite—connection so deep it couldn't be broken.
"That's playing dirty," I said, my voice rough.
"It's playing honest," he replied. "You asked what the upside was. That's it. Complete certainty that you matter."
The room was so quiet I could hear my own heartbeat. "And what if I can't handle it?" I asked. "What if the intimacy is too much? What if I try to run and can't because my biology won't let me?"
"Then we'd work through it together," he said simply. "That's what the bond means. Whatever happens, we face it together."
I studied his face, looking for any sign of manipulation. There was none. Just raw honesty and a vulnerability that probably cost him to show.
"You're scared too," I said, and it wasn't a question.
"Terrified," he admitted. "Not of the bonding itself, but of what it might do to you. Of taking away your ability to choose distance if you need it. Of changing you into something you didn't want to become."
His fear was for me. The admission affected me more than his earlier words.
"I've spent my entire life making sure no one could get under my skin," I said. "Building walls that kept me breathing. The people who were supposed to protect me taught me that caring about someone just gave them power to destroy you."
"I know," he said softly.
"Now you're asking me to tear down every defense I have and let you all the way in. To trust you with everything I am."
"I'm asking," he said, "but I'm not demanding. This has to be your choice, Alix. Completely your choice. No pressure, no guilt, no obligation."
I looked around the room at the faces of the crew—Jessa, Thoryn, Malrik, Deyric, even Serak. They'd become somethinglike family. The kind that stood with you. Then I looked back at Ressh and saw the desperate, terrified hope in his eyes. And underneath it, love. Raw, overwhelming love that he wasn't trying to hide. He was offering me everything he was, with no guarantee I'd do the same.
"I need to think," I said finally.
"Of course," Serak said. "However long it takes."
"How much time do we actually have?" I asked.
"For the bonding process itself? Twelve hours minimum for full integration," Deyric replied. "Realistically, eighteen to twenty-four hours to ensure the biochemical markers are stable enough to pass advanced scanning."
So I had maybe six hours to decide whether to permanently change my brain chemistry and bind myself to another person for life. No pressure at all.
"I need to speak with Ressh privately," I said.
The crew dispersed quietly. As they left, Thoryn paused beside me, placing a steadying hand on my shoulder for a brief moment. His expressive, reptilian eyes met mine, conveying a silent promise of support before he moved to resume his guard post. It was more comforting than any words could have been.
