Page 11 of The Alien Noble's Little Human

“Those doctors who talked to you before were pretty scary, huh?” Zaya asks gently.

Hanai nods, and my throat clenches. They were trying to do their job. Who does this woman think she is?

My mind is racing with worst-case scenarios. This woman’s pride might lead her to think she’s more knowledgeable than she is. Then Hanai would be undergoing another ordeal for nothing if she didn’t deliver the best results.

Zaya must notice me adjusting my position because she glances at the wall before turning back to Hanai. It’s the worst feeling in the world, watching my daughter undergo all of these procedures.

There have been nights where I’ve wondered if I’m doing the right thing by forcing her to get poked and prodded, but I can’t let her die. I don’t know what I would do without Hanai. There’s no point in life if she doesn’t make it. She is the only purpose I have to continue on in this life.

Zaya whispers something to Hanai, and she laughs. Shelaughs,a sound I haven’t heard in weeks, if not longer. I feel lighter hearing it, as if I’m still in the world before where she was just a normal child, free of the responsibilities that come along with being mortally ill.

“You’re nervous?” Hanai asks Zaya with wide eyes.

“Of course I am!” Zaya chimes before looking around playfully. I watch Zaya’s red-brown hair fall over her shoulder as she leans in to whisper something to my daughter.

Zaya looks like the picture of health in comparison to Hanai’s pallor, and something about that is oddly reassuring. It feels almost possible that her life force could transfer to my daughter just from contact. Like I could touch her skin and feel the vibrance coursing through.

“I’m your first princess?” Hanai asks excitedly.

My lips curl upward. I haven’t seen my daughter this chatty in a while. Hanai has always loved the title of princess. It’s something most little girls dream of, and I’ve been all too happy to give her that title. Now, I must ensure she gets to continue her role as a princess for a very long time.

Zaya asks if Hanai wants to play a game. My eyes roll. I’m losing my patience with this woman. Then again, if she truly has no medical experience to offer, at least my daughter is getting a good conversation out of it. I can’t even imagine being a child and being locked up like this.

Hanai counts quickly, and I watch on skeptically. She seems to be growing tired, and I hope Zaya can speed up the examination if Hanai’s condition requires it. Zaya presses down on Hanai’s wrist lightly, and my eyes widen in surprise.

She’s checking her pulse.There might be hope for her yet.

After the first game, another follows, this time with Hanai squeezing Zaya’s hand. My shoulders relax even more. She’s checking her strength.

Then she checks her breathing. These aren’t games at all. They’re something much more stimulating for Hanai and more informative for Zaya and me.

The whirlwind of emotions inside me feels like they’re about to burst out of my chest. The resentment I have toward the other doctors for not coming up with these methods sooner is the strongest, but beneath that, strange amazement is forming. How could this woman forge a relationship with my daughter and perform medical tests within the span of twenty minutes?

Hanai tells Zaya everything about her condition. She talks about her health like she’s just learned the most exciting thing at school that day. This woman is innovative, I’ll give her that. We’ll see if it translates to success in diagnosis and treatment. I’m not letting myself get my hopes up.

Watching Zaya, I start to understand a little better how she could achieve such a strong bond with Hanai in such a short time. There’s an energy that pours off of her and practically fills a room. I try to focus on Hanai, and normally nothing could take my focus from her even if I wanted it to. But with every movement, my eyes shift back to Zaya.

“And at first, I just felt tired, you know? Like how when you wake up from a bad dream, and you want to go back to sleep, but you can’t.” Hanai’s face lights up while she talks. “Oh! I had one the other night! It was so cool!”

The attraction to this woman grows stronger, to the point where the thoughts of her become invasive. They begin to distort the reality around me. All I can feel is her skin against mine, and I find myself unwillingly moving in her direction as part of this pull.

In the Kiphian clothing, her body almost floats, and I want… I want. I want her.

I have to get out of there. The pull toward her was overpowering. Suffocating. As real an impediment to functioning as a lack of air. I lean against the wall, placing my hand over my heart while trying to catch my breath.

My head feels lighter, as if there’s air flowing through my veins. The unfamiliarity of the feeling makes me wonder if someone spiked a drink of mine. Or if I’m getting the sickness now.

“Prince Taurek?” One of the staff members rushes over to me. “Prince Taurek, what’s the matter?”

“Nothing,” I reply, shaking my head. Just a sickness brought on by a human woman, apparently.

6

ZAYA

I’ve never been so eager in my life to be wrong about something. But if Hanai has what I suspect, the situation is incredibly grave. It’s most likely stone-skipping sickness, and the prognosis is not good.

A short life of torture, never knowing when the next attack will hit or where. The cure that’s worked in the past is only recorded in books written centuries ago. I don’t know if it’s still there or still effective. Kiphians may have evolved since then.

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