Page 52 of Resisting the Alien Rider

“There,” Garrek grunted, releasing my hand with its freshly bandaged thumb. “Now what’s this I hear about a vest?”

“It’s not quite finished yet. It’s nearly there,” I murmured. I grabbed it and held it up for him. “It’s to replace the one you lost.”

Garrek took it carefully, as if it were something breakable.

“This fabric,” he said quietly, running his claws along the lace at the edge. “I’ve never seen it before. You brought it here?”

“Yeah. Um…”Might as well just get it out now. “It was supposed to be my wedding dress.”

“Magnolia…” There was a hint of reproach in the way he said my name, but also something deeper, something aching. “You should not have done this.”

“I wanted to,” I said quickly, worried that I was going to start crying all over again. “You’ve done so much for me. Given me your tent and your bedroll and I just… I just couldn’t think about you being in pain when there was something I could do about it.”

“You are kind.” He bit it out, like each word cost him something dear. “But your wedding dress…”

“There’s not going to be a wedding.”

He went utterly still. The only thing that moved was his eyes, bright white and slicing up to mine.

“I’m not going to marry Oaken, Garrek. I can’t.”

“Of course you can,” he said tonelessly. Like something had numbed him. Or that maybe he’d numbed himself. “All you’ve wanted this entire time is to marry him.” He huffed out a breath. “You aren’t thinking clearly. You need to eat something. I’ll get the fish we cooked.”

He turned as if to leave. And I felt suddenly, terribly desperate. Like if I let him leave now, then I would never get him back.

I grabbed his hand and squeezed it. Just like I hadthat very first night we’d met. He hadn’t known what to do when I’d stuck out my hand for a human-style handshake. I’d gone ahead and reached for him anyway.

“Thank you for the offer,” I said quietly. “But I’m not hungry. And I’m not crazy. Honestly, right now, I’m just so, so tired. And…” Garrek’s fingers spasmed against mine. “And I really don’t want to be alone.”

I stared at Garrek’s scarred back as he stared at the flap of the tent. It was within his reach.

With my free hand, I turned off my lantern. The tent was plunged into darkness. Garrek must have shut his eyes, because even that glow was gone.

Something fell against the top of the tent and rolled down. It sounded like someone dropping dozens of glass beads down on top of us.

“It’s raining,” Garrek finally said. He sounded very far away.

“Please don’t go out there in the rain tonight,” I whispered. He didn’t even have his tent. How could I send him to spend the night out there without a tent?

How could I let him spend a single night out there at all now?

“Just stay with me.”

All the strength seeping out of my body, I lay down on the bedroll. I relaxed my fingers to let go of Garrek’s hand.

His fingers clamped down on mine.

My heart trilled like a caught bird when he lowered his big body down beside me. Humbled and grateful and overwhelmed with a piercingly tender need totake care of him, I set about flinging the bedroll’s cover around in the dark. Because I wanted him to be covered and I wanted him to be warm.

Once that was done, I couldn’t stop myself from burrowing forward. Garrek was lying on his side and facing me. His breath shuddered out when I curled myself into his front.

“Is this alright?” I hummed.

He was so rigid in the dark. And I was so scared he’d say no.

But he didn’t say anything at all. Not with words, anyway.

Slowly, slowly, like the last of winter’s ice melting away, his body began to relax and move. First, the rustle of his tail, coiling itself around my calf. Then, the heavy weight of his arm falling over me, wrapping tightly ’round my back, drawing me closer, his fingers finding the sensitive place at the base of my skull. He guided my head cautiously but purposefully against the warm hollow of his throat, a spot that seemed like it had been designed just so that I could bury my face there.

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