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When he stood, his legs gave out and he stumbled back onto the bed.

I reached for him. “Dad.”

He pushed to a sitting position on the edge of the bed. “I’ll be alright. Just need food and rest I think.”

A knock came at the door before it swished open. Corran entered and approached us.

“Nice to meet you, son,” my father said, his hand jutting out for a shake, but Corran went straight for a hug, taking Dad back for a moment. But he went with the flow. They hugged each other, patted each other’s back, and if it felt awkward to me, it looked double awkward to Dad who stared at me over Corran’s shoulder.

“In Vepar tradition,” he began. “You always greet a family member of anyone close to you with a strong hug.”

Dad’s smile brought me endless joy. Here I thought I’d lost him, and that he’d never get a chance to be part of my future, but not anymore.

“Back on Earth, we do strong manly handshakes.” Dad said, offering his hand to Corran who accepted and wasn’t sure what to do. So, Dad shook it up and down, leaving Corran to over exaggerate his attempt.

I laughed at them, wishing this was our life. Dealing with simple cultural differences not that I might be pregnant from who knows what alien.

“How are you feeling?” Corran asked, staring into Dad’s eyes as if trying to see into his soul. “Still dehydrated I see, and your body needs a lot of rest.”

“Feeling tired and keep having dizzy spells.”

“Your blood sugar is most likely very low. Let me grab something and then stay lying down and you’ll just need a few weeks rest.”

“A few weeks?” I exclaimed. “We can’t even return to your homes.”

“We have it sorted. I need to get a hold of the herb that will help with the blood connection, and we may have a solution for where your dad could heal.”

“Blood connection?” Dad asked.

I cringed on the inside, not ready to tell him anything about my tie to the three Vepar, how without us feeding on each other’s blood, we could get really sick. Yep, he might really freak out and right now I needed him to just get better.

“I’ll explain later.” I reached for Dad’s hand and turned to Corran. “What’s the solution?”

“We are going to Derrial’s parents’ home. They’re expecting us.”

The last time we went there, his parents accepted me, and I adored them, so going back there came with an excited anticipation as if I might be going back home to visit my family.

* * *

“Derrial!”Koria, his mom opened the door with the widest smile, and she embraced her son, holding him so tightly, I knew she was worried for him.

Her blonde hair sat off her face with several hair pins, her floral print dress cascading to her feet. She turned to me and hugged me without a second thought like meeting me once was enough to make me officially part of the family.

“Ella, dear,” she gasped. “I’ve been so worried about all of you. Your faces have been all over the broadcasted news.”

“Thank you. It’s been an ordeal all right.”

She pulled back, staring at me with sympathy and so much agony behind her eyes. “Quickly, in the house. All of you.”

We moved indoors to the house that reminded me of a gorgeous botanical garden. Flowery wallpaper lined the walls, flowers in thin metal vases filled every corner, and it smelled like a bouquet in here.

“Koria, this is my dad.” I held onto his arm close to me. “I thought I’d lost him, but he’d been taken by the Khonsu.” Just saying the words flooded me with so many emotions and already my eyes teared up.

“It’s wonderful to meet you,” Dad said. “It’s a miracle Ella somehow found me and was able to get me out of that slave camp. I wasn’t expecting to ever be rescued in all honesty.” There was a deflated tone to his voice, and I squeezed his arm tight by my side.

“That’s in the past,” I added. “We’ve got each other now.” I wanted to say more about finding Mom, but the words wouldn’t form. They wouldn’t come when fear shuddered through me. It locked me up to acknowledge that we may not find her. Now that I had Dad, the possibility of hope dangled over my head, and I clung onto it for dear life.

“Come sit down,” Koria added. “My husband is at work right now, but Derrial has already told me everything. We would love to have you stay with us for as long as needed.” She stared at my dad.


Tags: C.R. Jane The Fallen World Fantasy