Page 19 of Alien's Challenge
Faris helped Alice as she tried to scramble up the side. Snow made everything slick, and she was so tired.
“Can we please sleep? Or sit for a minute?” she asked, panting. “I should have slept on the train.”
“You do not want to sleep around those males,” Faris said.
“Yeah, that’s why I stayed awake,” she said around a yawn. She had been running on adrenaline for a while now. The coming crash would be epic and hard.
This part of the town had the same ramshackle, rusty shipping container vibe. Snow collected in deep drifts and softened harsh edges of the buildings. There was no noise except for the whine of a nearby generator. In the quiet of the snowstorm, it was almost charming.
A cold wind pierced through the coat, going through all her layers.
Eh, maybe not charming.
“We must rest for the night,” Faris said.
He took off in long strides, being damn near a giant. Alice trudged. So much trudging. Snow seeped in through the weird hole in the boot’s heel, soaking the wrapping. Frostbite seemed inevitable.
Faris whipped around. Irritation radiated off of him. “You are too slow.”
“I’m trying. The snow is deep, and my feet are wet.” She wasn’t a complainer, but she struggled to keep a whine from her voice.
“I will carry you.”
That was all the warning he gave before he scooped her up. Cradled against his chest, she watched his face as he navigated the slick street. The shadows hid any blossoming bruises, if he bruised. Of course he bruised. He bled. Living beings with circulatory systems bruised.
“Your poor feathers. Did it hurt?”
“They are quills, not feathers,” he said. Then, “It was not pleasant.”
“Do you have bruises?”
He answered slowly, as if reluctant to admit a weakness. “Under my scales. We are here.”
They entered a building with a wooden sign depicting a stylized tower swinging over the door. The interior was clean and, most important, warm. Faris arranged a room, a meal, and a delivery of supplies in short order.
Up a narrow flight of stairs, Faris unlocked a door to a no-nonsense room and deposited her on the bed.
The only bed.
Marvelous.
The rest of the room conformed to the budget hotel standard: a tiny table with two chairs crammed in a corner, a nightstand, a lamp probably meant to create a cozy atmosphere but just seemed to fail against the drabness of the room. At least the room was clean, smelling of industrial-strength chemicals. She’d take bleach over dank and the aroma of old cigarettes.
Alice shivered. Now that she was out of the cold, she couldn’t get warm.
Faris loomed over her. The remaining quills flexed up and down on his head. It shouldn’t have been funny and giggling at the massive alien who was trying to help you was such a terrible idea, but she couldn’t stop the laughter.
This had to be shock, right? She kept panic at bay for days, and now, exhausted, frozen, and with her feet wet, she was done. So done.
“You will clean yourself and then you will sleep,” Faris ordered. He unwound the scarf and untied the belt of the coat.
“No. I have questions and you will give me answers. One, where am I? Two, how did I get here? I mean, I have a vague idea, but I need you to confirm it. Three—”
“No questions. Shower. Sleep,” he said, talking over her.
Despite her utter exhaustion, she could not let that go. Talking over people like they weren’t even there? Rude.
“Wow, you’d have answered my questions by now if you weren’t being such a bossy bitch,” she said.
