Page 55 of Secretly Abducted
"How much time would have been acceptable?" I ask, whisking the eggs. "A month? A year? A decade?"
"More than three days," his mother says.
"But the bond formed naturally," I point out. "We didn't force it or seek it out. It just happened."
"Bonds don't 'just happen,'" his father says. "They require deep compatibility, emotional resonance, and mutual understanding."
"Which we apparently have." I pour the eggs into a heated pan. "Look, I know you don't trust me. I'm human, I'm new, I'm not what you pictured for your son. But I'm not going anywhere."
"Other worlders always leave," his mother says quietly. "It's your nature. You explore, you experience, you move on."
"Some maybe. Not me." I flip the omelet expertly. "I sold everything I owned to come here. I have no home to return to, no job waiting, no life outside of this. I came here for Vel'aan, and I'm staying for Vel'aan."
"And when you grow bored? When the novelty wears off?"
I plate the omelet and turn to face them fully. "Do you want to know what I feel through the bond? Not just his emotions, but the depth of them? The layers of loneliness he's been carrying, the fear of connection, the absolute joy he felt when we bonded?" I look at his parents. "Your son has been emotionally isolated for years, going through the motions of life but not really living. I can feel it all through our connection. And I can feel how that's changing."
"You presume to know our son better than we do?" his father asks, but there's less hostility now.
"I presume nothing. I'm telling you what I feel through an empathic bond that goes deeper than anything I've experienced." I serve the omelet, cutting it into portions. "Try the food. Let's talk like civilized beings instead of adversaries."
They eat cautiously at first, then with more interest.
"This is actually pleasant," Sar'na admits.
"I can make it regularly. If I'm around." I take a bite of my own portion. "Which I intend to be."
"You haven't asked our permission," Tav'ik observes.
"With respect, I don't need it. Vel'aan is an adult. Our bond is formed." I meet his gaze. "But I would like your acceptance. It would mean a lot to Vel'aan, and what matters to him matters to me."
"Prove the bond," Sar'na says suddenly. "If it's real, show us."
"How?"
"Tell us what Vel'aan is feeling right now. Without looking at him. Without visual cues from his bioluminescence."
I close my eyes and focus on the bond. "He's anxious but also... proud? Proud that I'm standing up to you. Frustrated that this meeting is happening this way. Embarrassed about youseeing the marks on his skin. But underneath all of that..." I pause, feeling deeper. "He's happy. Genuinely, deeply happy in a way he hasn't been in years. And he loves me. It's new and scary and overwhelming for him, but it's real."
When I open my eyes, everyone is staring at Vel'aan, whose bioluminescence is cycling through rapid confirmatory patterns.
"That's... accurate," he admits softly.
A long silence follows. Then Tav'ik speaks.
"The bond appears genuine."
"It is genuine," Vel'aan says firmly.
"You'll follow proper Nereidan bonding customs for any ceremony," Sar'na says.
"Of course," I agree.
"And you'll prove this isn't just human promiscuity. That you can be... selective."
"Vel'aan is my only partner here. Will be my only partner, period."
"We shall see," Tav'ik says, standing. "We'll be staying for several days. To... observe. To ensure this bond is stable."
