Reluctantly Abducted by Caitlin Ricci

Owen Hayes never signed up to be abducted by aliens. As a former combat medic trying to find his place in civilian life, he’s got enough on his plate without being kidnapped for a “compatibility assessment” by a glowing blue scientist.

Meet Ry’eth, environmental researcher and youngest of the three brothers whose family has become unexpectedly central to the human compatibility program. Convinced that humans are environmental disasters who could threaten Nereidan’s fragile ecosystems, he’s nonetheless tasked with a critical assessment mission: prove that human-Nereidan bonds can work consistently, or watch his brothers’ successful human partnerships be labeled as mere statistical anomalies.
Unlike his more confident older brothers, Ry’eth approaches everything with methodical precision, including Owen. But his carefully controlled protocols start crumbling when his captive human proves to be as medically skilled as he is stubborn, as compassionate as he is confrontational, and far more complex than any data set Ry’eth has ever analyzed.
Owen should be focusing on escaping, not noticing how Ry’s skin pulses with light when they touch or how his scientific fascination hides a deeper vulnerability. And he definitely shouldn’t be wondering what it might be like to form a real connection with the alien who abducted him, or whether Ry might be wondering the same thing.
As Owen breaks through Ry’s clinical distance and Ry helps Owen find purpose beyond the battlefield, what began as a scientific experiment transforms into something neither expected. But with Council pressure mounting and cultural differences complicating every interaction, they’ll need to overcome their own stubborn natures to prove that some connections transcend worlds.
Sometimes, the most precise calculations lead to the most unpredictable results. And sometimes, the perfect design for your life looks nothing like what you planned.