Morgan smiled again—that faint, controlled curve of her mouth. "You're still here."
"I am."
"Asking questions."
Serafina didn't want to admit it. She nodded grudgingly.
Something in Morgan's expression softened—a small crack shown at the right time, deliberate or genuine, Serafina couldn't tell.
"I was taken against my will," Morgan said quietly. "Not by his people, but by someone else. Someone more powerful." She glanced toward the glass, toward the armored figure who stood motionless behind it. "They are... more powerful than people on Earth could ever imagine. What we have here—our militaries, our weapons, our technology—we couldn't defend against them if they chose to act."
Serafina felt a shudder run through her. It was more than fear. It was a feeling like awe, like the universe was vast and ancient and utterly indifferent, and she was standing at the edge of something that could swallow her whole.
"This..." She gestured vaguely at the room, at Morgan, at the aliens behind the glass. "This is all part of what?"
And then it dawned on her.
A sinking feeling entered her chest, cold and heavy.
"You want me to be a part of this," she said slowly. "They're looking for humans. Like you." Her voice hardened. "To take."
This is crazy,she thought.I'm out. Fuck this.
But she wasn't moving.
Her feet stayed planted on the expensive carpet. Her hand stayed on her bag, the weight of ten thousand dollars pressing against her hip. Her eyes stayed fixed on Morgan's face, searching for the lie, the trap, the angle she was missing.
Morgan smiled again—that faint, controlled curve. "Now that you're in on the big secret," she said, "I'll lay out the full proposal to you. What we expect you to do. What you'll be paid. Facts, specifics, expectations."
She leaned back slightly in her chair, her posture open, unthreatening.
"I'll be completely upfront with you. There's no obligation. You can still walk out of here anytime."
Serafina felt like she was in a dream. Or a nightmare. The edges of the room seemed soft, unreal, as if reality itself had gone slightly out of focus.
Still, she couldn't bring herself to leave.
Her heart was hammering. Her palms were clammy. And strangely, beneath the fear and the disbelief, it was like... she felt high. Euphoric. Alive in a way she hadn't felt in years—maybe ever. Every nerve in her body was firing, every sense sharpened to a knife's edge.
The alien—that Vykan—was still there behind the glass, watching her. She could feel his gaze even through the frosted surface, a weight pressing against her awareness.
Morgan noticed the direction of her attention and chuckled softly. She reached over and pressed the rectangle again. Theglass frosted over, the massive armored figure reduced to a dark, indistinct shape.
"Don't mind him," Morgan said. "He's just protective. A little too distracting, I agree."
Serafina stared at her in shock. Was this woman mad? How could she be so nonchalant about any of this?
"You say you were taken against your will," Serafina said slowly, "but you don't seem..."
"Like a prisoner?" Morgan finished. "I'm not. I'm with him by choice—now. And I don't have a single regret."
With him.
The words rang in Serafina's head.
Him.
A cold understanding began to creep through her, settling into her bones like ice water.
