Her dad’s jaw dropped. “You speak Polish without an accent! Mia, how did you . . . ?”
“Krinar technology,” she explained with a smile. “You can’t even imagine some of the things they can do –”
“But, Mia, he’s not human . . .” Her mom seemed to be in shock. “How can you even . . .”
“Mom, they’re very similar to humans in many ways. You do know that they made us in their image, right?”
Her mom shook her head, apparently unable to believe her ears. “And that makes it okay? How did you even manage to get involved with him? You met him in the park and then what, you went on a date?”
Mia hesitated for a second. “Yes, pretty much. He actually sent me flowers, and we went to a really nice restaurant. And we’ve been seeing each other ever since . . .”
“Just like that?” Her mom was incredulous. “You meet one of these creatures in a park, and you go on a date with him? What were you thinking?”
She was thinking that she didn’t want to die or get kidnapped. But her parents didn’t need to know that. “He’s very good-looking,” she told them honestly. “And it was the first time I was attracted to someone so strongly.”
“So you completely ignored the fact that he wasn’t human? Mia, that doesn’t sound like you at all . . .” Her mom was looking at her like she’d grown two heads.
“How did you get here from Costa Rica?” her dad asked quietly, watching her with an unreadable expression on his face. As usual, he was the only one who could think clearly under difficult circumstances.
Mia looked at him. “Korum brought me. We flew to Daytona on one of their ships, and then he dropped me off in a car, so I could talk to you.”
“And how long are you staying?”
“What do you mean, Dan, how long is she staying? For the rest of the summer, right?” her mom asked, sounding panicked.
Mia shook her head. “I’m here for a week, mom. Unfortunatel
y, I can’t be away from the lab that long –”
Her mom burst into tears. “Oh my God, we are seeing you for the last time . . .”
“What? No! Of course not! I just have to finish out my internship, that’s all. I’ll come back here soon, and you can come see me in New York during the school year –”
“Where is he now?” her dad asked coolly. “If he brought you here, then where is he?”
Mia took a deep breath. “I have to call him. I wanted to have a chance to talk to you first, to explain a little bit before you meet him. But he would like to meet you himself, to reassure you that everything is fine and I’m safe with him.”
“We’re going to meet a K?” Her mom seemed stupefied by this turn of events.
“Yes,” Mia told her. “And you’ll see that there’s really nothing to be afraid of.” She crossed her fingers that Korum would be on his best behavior.
“All right, Mia,” her dad said. “Why don’t you call him? We’d like to meet this K of yours.”
* * *
Half an hour later, the doorbell rang.
Mia had managed to explain a little more to her parents about Korum and their relationship, emphasizing solely the good parts. She told them how he took care of her and about his cooking hobby (her mom’s face brightened a little at this), how he was genius-level smart and ran his own company, and about the incredible opportunity he’d given her by getting her this internship. As a result, by the time Korum showed up, Mia was reasonably certain that her parents were calm enough to be somewhat civil. Still, she couldn’t help her anxiety as she opened the door and saw her lover standing there, looking far too gorgeous to be human.
“Hello,” he said softly, leaning down to give Mia a kiss on the forehead.
“Hi. Come on in.” Mia grabbed his hand and led him into the house. Pausing in the hallway for a second, she gave him an imploring look and squeezed his hand, hoping that he understood her wordless plea.
Korum smiled and whispered, “Trust me.”
Mia had no other choice. Bracing herself for the worst, she led Korum into the living room.
At their entrance, her parents stood up from the couch and simply stared. Mia couldn’t blame them: Korum was a striking sight. Dressed in a white polo shirt and blue jeans, her lover was the epitome of casual elegance. With his glossy black hair and golden skin, he could have been a model or a movie star, except that no human had eyes of that unusual amber hue – or moved with such animal grace. And even standing still, he projected an unmistakable aura of power, his presence dominating the room.