Page 26 of Gravel and Grit

her ankles together at the small of his back then felt him coil his tail around them to secure her.

Sliding his hands up her waist, he caught her arms and brought them over his shoulders until she was loosely hugging him then returned the embrace, holding her securely.

“Is this good for you?” he asked in a low, gravelly voice before his eyes widened. “Ahh, rather, do you feel satisfi-secure! Settled? Rub-eeing held like this? Is good? For you.”

Without letting her respond, not that she could since she was holding back a laugh at his hilariously cute verbal fumble, he bounced as if to test it and make sure she was firmly attached to him. Being that she was held with her legs spread wide, his unexpected jouncing made certain parts rub up and down against the slick hardness of his suit.

“Yes,” she squeaked, trying to keep her lashes from fluttering at the stimulation. “It’s good! Super good. Feeling great!”

“Oh good! Most excellent. We should be on our way then.”

With that he spun on his heel and quickly walked to the door. Once outside in the growing gloom of evening, he gave her a questioning look and, at her nervous nod, spread his massive wings.

With a hard flap that sent up a dust cloud, he took to the air, quickly rising above the treetops. Mira tightened her arms and legs around him, but her fear disappeared as soon as she looked around. She gasped in awe at seeing and feeling the earth fall away beneath them, struck by the beauty of the forest spread out below and the desert visible beyond.

Unable to help herself, she let out an excited whoop when he took off.

She felt the vibration of his answering chuckle in her chest and turned her head to share a wide smile with him.

“This is incredible!” she shouted over the rushing wind.

He grinned back, baring sharp teeth that only added to the harsh, alien beauty of his face.

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MIRA

The flight was short but exhilarating. That was, without doubt, the most awe-inspiring thing she’d ever done.

They flew north to the closest town, using the cover of darkness to hide their approach. Zaek landed on the outskirts, behind a lone building, off by itself just outside of what passed for downtown.

Releasing her, he let her slide down his body and steadied her when she stumbled. Her legs felt like numb, shaky noodles, she was shivering, and her hair was an absolute rat’s nest.

“That was amazing! But, next time I’m putting my hair up. I’ll never get all these tangles out,” she lamented with a quiet chuckle, still riding high on the adrenaline rush of flying.

Zaek rumbled a laugh and helped her push the knotted locks off her face so she could see. She thought he might be stroking her hair because it took a second for him to withdraw his hand, but realized his claws must’ve just gotten tangled.

They stayed behind the line of buildings and used the shadows to conceal their movement as they made their way to the center of town. It was late enough that all the stores were closed, and it was mostly deserted, the only activity happening on the far end at what she thought was a bar.

Their first stop was a general store. The back door was locked but Zaek handled that by breaking the knob completely off. He dropped it to the ground and popped the door open with a gentle shoulder bump.

Inside it was dark, the only light being that which occasionally shone in from the windows at the front. As they crept around gathering supplies, Mira had the odd realization that she’d just become a criminal. That was a strange feeling, particularly since she’d never been so much as pulled over for a traffic violation. It was scary but exciting at the same time.

“I feel bad for stealing, but I have to admit this is kind of fun! I feel like a ninja,” she whispered as she tiptoed in Zaek’s wake.

She heard him snort and saw the flash of his white teeth in the darkness as he glanced back at her.

“I think you would be the planet’s tiniest ninja,” he rumbled.

“Ha! I’m not tiny! You’re just giant!” she fired back.

“I am indeed giant compared to you Earthians,” he conceded, but whispered tauntingly as he turned down a different isle, “but you are still tiny.”

Mira, being a mature thirty-three year old woman, stuck her tongue out at his back.

“Wait, why are we in the candy isle? I thought we were just taking the necessities,” she questioned when she realized where they were.

He looked back at her, the moonlight coming through the window showing her the appalled expression on his face.

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