Page 41 of Technically Abducted (Nereidan Compatibility Program #4)
Alex meets my eyes, and a slow smile spreads across his face. "I've spent ten years thinking I hallucinated aliens. Now I'm sleeping in an underwater bedroom on their planet." He shakes his head. "It's a lot, but it's also... exactly where I need to be."
He turns to Tev'ra. "Thank you. For the room, and for..." He gestures vaguely, encompassing everything—the rescue, the answers he's been promised, this new chance.
"It is the least we can do," Tev'ra replies, his tone suggesting he means it literally. "There will be many questions about your previous encounter, but that is for tomorrow. Tonight is for settling in."
The interface panel on the wall chimes softly.
"Environmental customization is complete," Tev'ra translates. "The room has adapted to human preferences." He hesitates, then adds, "There are sustenance preparation instructions in the communal area upstairs. If you require anything, the dwelling's systems will respond to verbal requests."
I feel Tev'ra's eagerness to show me the rest of the house—specifically, to get me alone. But he's restraining himself, making sure Alex is properly settled first. Another small kindness that makes my chest tight.
"You'll be okay for a bit?" I ask Alex, suddenly feeling guilty about abandoning him in an alien underwater bedroom.
Alex rolls his eyes. "I'll be fine, Finn. Go make up with your alien." His lips quirk in a knowing smile. "We've got plenty of time to figure everything else out." He turns back to the transparent wall, where more bioluminescent creatures have gathered, apparently curious about their new neighbor.
"Much later, I hope," he mutters, just loud enough for me to hear.
Back upstairs, Tev'ra leads me through the main living area, past what must be a food preparation space, and to a doorway that opens into a sleeping chamber.
Unlike the underwater room below, this one has large windows facing the shoreline and sky, with no water in sight.
The furnishings are simple but elegant, clearly designed with thought and care.
"This would be your space," Tev'ra says, his bioluminescence patterns shifting in a way that suggests uncertainty. "If you prefer. I know your discomfort with water is something we've been working on, but for sleep..."
"It's perfect," I tell him, relieved at the absence of water surrounding the room. "Thank you for understanding."
"Of course," he says simply, as if accommodating my irrational fear is the most natural thing in the world.
He leads me further through the upper level to another doorway.
When it slides open, I'm greeted by the sight of a second, more private hydration pool—larger and more elaborate than the standard one in the main living area, with subtle lighting and a design that feels intimate rather than utilitarian.
"My personal hydration chamber," Tev'ra says, gesturing to the space that contains not just the pool but also what appears to be a workstation and some personal artifacts arranged with careful precision.
I turn to him, feeling the weight of the past three weeks—the separation, the misunderstanding, the desperate measures we took to find each other again. All of it culminating in this moment, standing in his home—our home?—with the promise of a future neither of us had dared hope for.
"Tev'ra," I say, struggling to find words adequate for everything I'm feeling.
He steps closer, his hand rising to cup my face. "I know," he says simply, and through our bond, I feel that he does. He understands the tangle of emotions I can't articulate—the relief, the lingering disbelief, the overwhelming gratitude that we've been given this second chance.
When he kisses me, it's like coming home. Not to a place, but to a feeling—safety, acceptance, belonging. Three weeks of emptiness rush away, replaced by the intense feedback loop of our empathic connection, amplifying every sensation, every emotion.
My hands find the fastenings of his formal attire, suddenly desperate to feel his skin against mine.
I fumble slightly, unused to the alien closures, but Tev'ra's hands cover mine, guiding me with gentle patience until the garment loosens and falls away.
His skin beneath is just as I remember—smooth, warm, and already beginning to glow with patterns of light that respond to his emotions.
"I've dreamed of this," he murmurs against my neck, his fingers working at my shirt buttons with surprising dexterity. "Every night since you left, I've dreamed of touching you again."
"Me too," I breathe as he pushes the fabric from my shoulders. "It was like missing a part of myself."
He pulls back just enough to look at me, his golden eyes searching my face as if memorizing every detail.
His bioluminescence brightens, casting blue-white patterns across my skin.
I remember how strange that felt the first time—now it feels like coming back to life after weeks of existing in grayscale.
"The hydration pool," Tev'ra says, his voice dropping to that low register that always sends heat coursing through me. His hand strokes down my chest, a reverent touch that leaves trails of light in its wake. "I need to feel you in the water again."
The thought sends a momentary flicker of anxiety through me—the instinctive reaction I've had to water my entire life.
But this is different from the open ocean or the underwater bedroom.
This is a controlled space, like the pools on the assessment vessel where I first learned to trust Tev'ra, to let go of my fear enough to experience the unique sensation of being with him in his element.
There's no panic, just a brief acknowledgment of old fears before desire overtakes it.
"Yes," I tell him, already working on my pants. "I want that too."
Steam rises from the water, carrying that distinctive mineral scent I've come to associate with sex and connection rather than fear.
I shed the last of my clothes, feeling Tev'ra's gaze like a physical touch as he does the same.
The contrast between us still fascinates me—his alien beauty against my all-too-human form.
But the way he looks at me, with wonder and desire so intense it makes his entire body glow brighter, erases any self-consciousness.
"You first," I tell him, needing to watch him enter the water, to see the way it welcomes him.
Tev'ra steps to the edge and slides into the water with that fluid grace that always takes my breath away. His bioluminescence brightens upon contact, the patterns flowing more freely as if the water unlocks something in him. He turns back to me, extending a hand in invitation.
"I'm right here," he says softly, understanding my hesitation without needing to be told. "Just like before."
I take his hand and lower myself into the water carefully.
It's perfect—warmer than the hydration chambers on the assessment vessel, with that same subtle mineral content that makes my skin tingle pleasantly.
The depth is just right—deep enough that I have to tread water, but not so deep that I feel that instinctive panic of bottomless space beneath me.
Tev'ra's arms encircle me immediately, supporting me, his body a solid anchor in the liquid environment. "Good?"
"Perfect," I breathe, letting myself lean into him completely.
When our bare skin makes full contact, the empathic connection surges between us with an intensity that makes us both gasp.
Three weeks of separation, and suddenly every nerve ending is alive again, hypersensitive to his touch.
His hands slide down my back, tracing my spine, pulling me closer until we're chest to chest, my cock pressed against the sleek planes of his stomach.
"Finn," he whispers, his voice rough with emotion. "I can feel everything you're feeling. Your desire, your relief, your..."
"Love," I finish for him, the word slipping out without conscious thought. But as soon as I say it, I know it's true. That's what this overwhelming emotion is, this feeling that's been building since our first encounter. "I love you, Tev'ra."
His bioluminescence flares so bright it turns the entire pool electric blue, patterns racing across his skin in a display more complex than anything I've seen before. Through our bond, I feel his response—shock, joy, a surge of emotion so powerful it leaves me breathless.
"I love you too," he says, the words simple but carrying the weight of everything we've gone through to get here. "More than I knew was possible."
He kisses me then, deep and slow and perfect, his lips moving against mine with an intensity that makes my toes curl.
The water buoys us, making it easy to wrap my legs around his waist as his hands support my lower back.
The position brings us into perfect alignment, his cock pressing against mine in a way that sends sparks through our empathic connection.
"Tell me what you need," Tev'ra murmurs against my ear, his hands sliding down to cup my thighs, supporting me effortlessly in the water. "Tell me how to touch you."
I lean back slightly, trusting him to keep me afloat, and look into his eyes. "I need to feel you inside me again. I need to feel complete."
He studies my face, his expression serious despite the desire pulsing through our bond. "Are you certain? After three weeks, we should perhaps prepare you more thoroughly—"
"I've been empty for three weeks," I interrupt, pressing closer. "I don't want to wait any longer."
His pupils dilate at my words, his bioluminescence brightening along his cheekbones and down his throat. "At least let me—"
"No," I tell him, pressing a finger to his lips. "I want to feel it. All of it. The stretch, the intensity, everything. I want to remember this is real."
Through our bond, I feel his concern warring with his desire. He wants this as much as I do, but his protective instincts are strong, especially after our separation.
"I won't break," I promise, kissing him again. "And the water helps. Makes everything easier."