Page 15 of Secretly Abducted

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"Normal?" I ask.

"Within acceptable parameters."

"Good to know."

I stand up to check what hit us, pressing close to the transparent wall. It's another massive zhik'ra stalk, this one with some kind of creature still clinging to it. The animal looks like a cross between an octopus and a flower, with translucent petals that pulse with bioluminescence.

"Oh wow, what's that?"

Vel'aan stands to look, which puts him directly behind me. I can feel him there, not quite touching but close enough.

"Depth.... You would call it an anemone," he says near my ear. "They're usually much deeper. The storm must have displaced it."

"It's beautiful."

"It's also highly toxic."

"Beautiful things often are."

I lean back slightly, not enough to be obvious, just enough that my back barely grazes his chest. He makes a small sound, and his bioluminescence flares so bright it reflects off the walls.

"Sorry," I say, not moving. "Didn't mean to crowd you."

"You did that on purpose."

"Did what?"

"Leaned back."

"Prove it."

He's quiet for a moment, and I can feel him breathing, slightly faster than normal. "I should check the weather readings."

"Probably."

Neither of us moves. We stand there, barely touching, watching the storm. His bioelectric field is playing havoc with my nervous system, making me hyperaware of every point of almost-contact.

"The storm will continue for at least two more hours," he says finally.

"Good."

"Good?"

I turn around, which puts us face to face with barely inches between us. He's taller, so I have to look up, and his eyes are wide with something between panic and want.

"Yeah, good. I like being here with you."

"In a tiny shelter during a violent storm?"

"Anywhere, really. But this is nice. Intimate."

His skin cycles through about twelve colors in three seconds. "You're very direct."

"And you're very not. But your skin gives you away."

"That's unfair."

"What is?"

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