Page 34 of Gravel and Grit

Oh my gosh, when did I get so awkward?!

He looked suitably confused at that since her response made exactly zero sense and answered hesitantly, like he wasn’t sure how he was supposed to reply, “Thank you?”

“Yep. Anytime,” she chirped, and because she’d apparently lost her damn mind, finished that up with a wink.

For the love of Einstein, just stop talking.This is why I’m single.

“Do you have something in your eye? Should I land? Does it pain you?”

he yelled, squinting at her worriedly.

“Huh? Oh! No, that was a wink. It’s a thing people do… ” she trailed off with a grimace because no matter how she tried to spin it she was positive it wouldn’t make this any less weird.

He didn’t look like he fully believed her, but he let it go which was a good thing, because if her blush got anymore intense, she’d have permanent

damage.

They flew in silence for a while after that exchange. That gave her time to switch from worrying over her future to obsessing over that cringe-worthy interaction. Why she habitually lost all ability to be even remotely cool the second she admitted she liked a guy, she didn’t know, but it was damned irritating. Even knowing she didn’t have a chance with Zaek wasn’t enough to prevent her from reverting to her sixteen-year-old self when boys became enticing mysteries she wanted to explore instead of gross weirdos. It didn’t help that he’d caught her staring just as she was wondering if there was a Mrs. Zaek back on his home world or, worse, here on Earth.

Okay, she may have also been speculating on what he looked like unclothed. Again.

Note to self, stop being a perv. It makes you awkward.

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MIRA

When they stopped a while later, they turned on the Frankenstein-ed phone first to make sure they were in the clear. From what they heard, the security team was still back in Nevada trying to pick up their trail. They were far enough behind that Zaek deemed it safe to take a break.

“I saw a town not far ahead so we will need to be careful of any stray Earthians, but I think a respite is in order before we continue on,” he announced.

“Sounds good to me. But, speaking of continuing on, where are we going?”

“I had not anticipated returning, but I believe my cabin would be the safest place for us. I also have any tools you might need to make the beacon operational.”

“Uh huh, and your cabin is where?”

“Ah. It is in the Kootenai National Forest, in the region you call

‘Montana.’”

“And you’re sure it’s secure?” she pressed.

“Very. I built it myself in a very remote area so there are no records of its location or construction, and the chances of an Earthian stumbling onto it are slim.”

“Good.”

Mira felt better knowing their destination, at least for the short term. It

spoke to how much she trusted Zaek that his describing the cabin as remote didn’t alarm her. If he had a nefarious bone in his giant body, she would’ve seen or at least sensed it by now. The human men chasing them were the real threat, and she knew it. Zaek was the only thing standing between them and her untimely death.

Taking a seat on the ground, she leaned back against a tree trunk and stretched her legs out in front of her. Zaek sat opposite her against another tree and extended his legs out alongside hers. Pulling off their respective bags, they passed items back and forth and had a midnight forest picnic by the light of the moon. They ate in companionable silence for a while until Mira filled her empty stomach enough to focus on curiosity instead of hunger.

“So, can I ask what you’re doing here? On Earth, notherehere.”

He chuckled at her unnecessary clarification before his smile slowly melted away, and a serious expression fell over his harsh face.

“My people—the Khargals—are, or at least were, at war with the Ektops.

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