Page 68 of The Alien's Private Redemption

"They're the same thing," Dr. Phillips protested.

"We shall see," Ae-cha said cryptically.

I don't know what she expects to see, but I'm not sure I like either of their attitudes,Angela sent and Zoric nodded.

"What do you need to get started?" he asked, drawing the discussion away from the disagreement. "I've never seen this done in person."

"Normally, I'd ask to be alone with Private McBride in a dark room so there were fewer distractions."

Angela felt Zoric stiffen next to her and she reached out for his hand to soothe him. His fingers closed over hers as they slid across the soft scales on his hands and it felt like an anchor in a sea of uncertainty.

"That is not possible," Dr. Phillips stated.

"And possibly counterproductive for our purposes here," Ae-cha agreed, though her eyes flashed at the interruption from the human psychiatrist. "Instead, I'm going to ask Angela to relax and look into my eyes while Dr. Phillips asks her first question."

Ae-cha held out a clawed hand to Angela, who stared at it for a long moment before she slid her free hand into it. Zoric's hand tightened around hers and she found herself comparing how their skin felt.

Zoric's was rougher, with more definition to the delicate scales on his palm, his claws trimmed short and filed until they were a smooth pressure against her skin. Ae-cha's skin was smoother, closer to a snake than a lizard, and her claws were sharp and poised to pierce through the back of Angela's hand.

Their eyes weren't the same, either. Zoric's looked almost human, even though his face was definitely not. Ae-cha's face had a more human shape to it but her eyes were a solid green, though Angela couldn't remember if they'd always been that color.

With every breath, Angela felt herself sinking further into Ae-cha's green eyes.

Dr. Phillips voice came from so far away, Angela had to strain to hear the first question.

"What is your full name?" she asked.

"Angela Edith McBride."

"What was your mother's name?"

"Sarah Lillian McBride."

"What was your father's name?"

Angela struggled with the answer. It was a basic question and she was certain she'd written it on her official paperwork but she was having trouble grasping the words before they slipped away from her.

"Gabriel," she said, after a battle with her brain to dredge up the information and her mouth to speak it.

Tell us his full name,Ae-cha demanded. Her voice surrounded Angela's consciousness, her presence looming over her like a shadowy monster and Angela recoiled.

It's none of their business,the voice in the back of her head hissed.He doesn't matter, anyway.

"Angela," Dr. Phillips pressed. "What is your father's full name?"

"I don't know!" Angela cried out, and yanked herself away from Ae-cha.

At some point during the interrogation, her eyes had closed, and she blinked hard to bring the room around her back into focus. Ae-cha's presence in her mind felt foul and Angela was struck with the sudden urge to scrub every inch of her skin, even as she knew she'd never get rid of the feeling of violation.

Zoric reached out for her and she clung to him. His gentle reassurance through their Bond felt like a breeze to blow off the storm clouds that were hovering over her.

When she looked up, she could see the disapproval on Ae-cha's face and the speculation on Dr. Phillips.

"Were your parents unmarried?" Dr. Phillips asked, looking down at the file. "Previous sources indicated that your father was an active part of your childhood."

Angela shook her head, struggling to pull together what she remembered about her father. He was tall, but all of her memories of him were from the perspective of a child, so she didn't think she could actually judge that. Dirty blonde hair and mustache, a constant five o'clock shadow, and kind, gray eyes.

"My mother never married," Angela said, struggling to pull the words together. "My father lived with us for a long time, and I know mama loved him. I never understood what he did but he had to leave a lot, and he'd come home as often as possible, until he didn't. Mama was sad, and I missed him, but I'd always known we didn't get to keep him."

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