Page 7 of Resisting the Alien Rider

“You don’t have a tent?”

Garrek asked it with the sort of rhetorical resignation that told me he probably already knew the answer. I gave him my brightest smile and answered anyway.

“No. Sorry.”

“What were they thinking,” he grumbled, “sending you out here without a tent?”

“Well, in fairness,” I said, feeling just a tad bit defensive, “when they outfitted me with supplies for this planet, they assumed I’d be living inside a house.”

Oaken had a house in the mountains. I just needed to get there.

“It’s fine,” I said, nodding firmly to myself and suffusing my voice with optimism. I’d never been the type to dwell on the negatives of any given situation. Romantic hopefulness was my default setting. It was a big part of what had led me to take my chances on thismail-order bride program in the first place. “I’ll just sleep under the stars.”

“Absolutely not.”

Garrek said it so viciously I was legitimately taken aback.

“Why not? Seems kind of rustic. Should be fun!”

“Did you not hear me mention the predators before?”

“If they’re that dangerous, I doubt the flaps of a tent would do much to protect me,” I countered.

Garrek opened and closed his mouth several times, revealing glinting fangs. His long, whip-like tail lashed around in the dirt behind him.

“It could rain,” he finally snapped.

“Then I guess I’ll get wet. I won’t melt. Or I’ll just find a nice little spot under a tree!”

Some of the trees around here reminded me of coniferous trees from Terratribe II and pictures I’d seen of Old-Earth. The big ones looked like they’d have a perfect little Magnolia-sized hideout beneath the skirt-like shelter of their lowest branches.

But Garrek didn’t seem to like that idea.

“No.”

“Well, what’s the alternative, then?” I asked with a shrug. “You want to share your tent with me?”

Garrek flinched as if I’d just swung my fist at him. Which was weird, considering I doubted he’d flinch even if I actuallydidswing my fist at him. It would be like trying to punch a blue stone wall. His eyes burned suddenly brighter. His tail snapped to his body andtightened around the hook on the back of his belt with the frantic force of a recoiling spring.

“We’re not sleeping together.”

My stomach swooped. My blood felt suddenly fizzy, rushing to my head like champagne.

“I didn’t… That’s an odd way to phrase it!” I stammered, even though I knew my reaction to his reply was completely unwarranted. Many phrases didn’t translate well into Zabrian or back, and I highly doubted “sleeping together” had the same connotations for a Zabrian as it did for a human.

“How else should I phrase it?” he grumbled. “We’re not sharing a tent.” He rubbed his knuckles against his jaw, something he seemed to do when he was thinking. Or angry.

Which meant he probably did it often. It was a bit of a wonder he still had skin left on his knuckles at all. Especially considering how sharp the line of that jaw was…

“Killian will sleep in his tent and you will sleep in mine,” Garrek said decisively.

“But what about all that stuff about predators and rain you were just laying on me? Don’t they apply to you, too?”

“I’ve fought off a genka before.” He grimaced, then dryly added, “I’m older now and most likely a little slower. But I’d probably manage to not die.”

“How reassuring.” I tried not to roll my eyes. “Well, I don’t want to take your tent! It doesn’t really seem fair!”

Garrek made a sound so harsh and mirthless it took me ages to realize it was a laugh. The man was laughing, and laughingbitterly, at the idea of fairness. As if fairness was some lofty fairytale concept that didn’t apply to real life. Or at least a concept that had never applied tohislife.

---