Page 38 of Resisting the Alien Rider

Lonely.

It felt like this was exactly where I was meant to be, where she was meant to be, where Killian was meant to be. Like this was what I was born for. That this was the life I was supposed to lead.

The moment was so alien, so ordinary, so whole. Perfect. I stared at Magnolia as she gazed down at Killian’s sleeping face, and I felt the slow, expanding creep of something inside my chest. Contentment, maybe. Maybe peace.

Maybe happiness, something I had not truly believed existed until now. For anyone.

Least of all me.

I almost didn’t want to feel it. I certainly didn’t want to get used to it. Because I knew that this was all I would get. A handful of these perfect little moments in the dark with her. A tantalizing glimpse into what could have been my life, and Killian’s life, if we could only keep her.

“I hope he has good dreams tonight,” she whispered.

It was pointless to hope for such a thing. Dreams meant nothing, and good things, when they came, could never last. I almost told her so.

Instead, I turned and left the tent.

15

MAGNOLIA

“Alright,” I said as I followed Garrek out of the tent. “Time to get you sorted.”

“My pack is already sorted.”

“No, not your things.You.We need to take a look at your wounds. And also, while I have your attention, I’d like to make a formal complaint about the fact you never warned me about the tree tarantulas.”

“The what?”

“The idra! You didn’t think I needed to know there were ten-legged demons hanging around in the trees near our camp?”

“You’ll recall that I warned you about the predators. I told you not to go far without me.”

“Well, yeah. But still! I can’t believe we were going to set up camp here with that thing just hanging out up there! You did that whole routine of checking the creek for serpents but we never checked the trees near our camp for killer alien spiders!”

“Idra are not ground hunters,” he explained. “Normally, an idra would present little danger to a group like ours. They remain high up in trees and typically only attack and eat animals that are careless enough to fly near them. Or, in Killian’s case, climb to them. If he hadn’t gone up there and woken it, we likely would never have even known it was there.”

“That kid,” I said with a sigh and a shake of my head. “Tonight was a lot.”

“Tonight,” Garrek said flatly, “was a rather typical one, so far as Killian is concerned.”

I pursed my lips, then blurted the question that had been burning in me since our first night travelling.

“The fire at your ranch. Did Killian start it?”

Garrek didn’t bother lying or blustering. He just uttered a simple, “Yes.”

“Oh, boy,” I muttered. “Do you know who he, um…”

“Who he killed?”

“Well, yeah.”

“No,” Garrek answered. “I have not asked. If he wants me to know, then he’ll tell me when he’s ready.”

“Alright… But have you at least tried to talk to him about the fire?”

“What is there to talk about?” Garrek said on a growl. “The damage is done.”

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