Page 25 of The Alien Noble's Little Human

“I love them all equally.”

“Ah, the lie all parents tell.”

I mount the creature, who’s looking over at me, seemingly concerned over where I went. I take my time adjusting to the feeling of it moving beneath me.

“Hold on tight,” Rylan commands before ushering the chordata forward. I grip the reins gently, and the chordata moves forward like a snowdrift in a soft breeze. With chordatas, they’re highly social creatures. The animals Rylan and Zaya are riding suddenly get in line behind my chordata.

“Whoa!”

“Yeah, they can be a little unpredictable at first. Hold tight!” Rylan says.

“Ugh, how do you keep from getting sick on these things?”

“Skill. Practice,” I add.

“Ah. Helpful. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” I smile.

“So,” Rylan barks, interrupting our sniping. “The mountains span from east to west. The easiest way for us to get in is through one of the side routes from the lower villages. It snakes up to the first base camp.”

Rylan continues speaking about the mountains and various passageways as our beasts of burden start walking abreast. Part of me wants to fall asleep just from listening to him drone on, especially from the wine and partying the night before. But what keeps me awake is watching Zaya’s hips move with each step of the chordata.

Zaya’s chordata stumbles over a rock but catches itself quickly, and Rylan reaches out a hand to her shoulder. Something about it kicks off a twinge of jealousy, even though he’s old enough to be my father. Possibly grandfather. His age is something of a mystery.

During the split second of the near-fall, I noted Zaya’s eyes were locked on me, not Rylan. I get the sense that if she’s stumbling, I’m the first one she’ll turn to. That means more than being there for her at the exact moment. At least when the moment, like now, is insignificant.

I’ll be prepared when it’s pivotal. And, given where we’re traveling, it’s not a question of when, but if.

Zaya adjusts her position and glances at me, not knowing that I’m preparing myself for the near-inevitability that I’ll be saving her life at some point. I doubt she realizes just how much everything is out of your hands out here.

“Doing alright over there, Prince?” she asks, a little unsteady on her chordata.

“Marvelous, my honored subject.”

“Subject?”

“I thought I’d mirror you on the formalities.”

“Are you two going to flirt the whole way up this mountain?” Rylan asks.

“With you, Rylan? Always. Pucker up, baby. You lookgooodriding that chordata. You’re the sexiest thing on this mountain. Don’t tempt me.”

He gives me a kissy face and then sticks out his tongue.

I see a slight pout on Zaya’s face at my dodging the question. There will be plenty of time for flirting, assuming we survive this.

12

ZAYA

The snowstorms are nothing compared to the whirlwind of my life in the last five days alone. It hasn’t even been a week since this all began, and I don’t feel like I’m the same person I was before all of this began.

I’ve lived more in the span of five days than in the 24 years before it.

They never expected me to live beyond ten years old, so just surviving was a gift in itself. I never could have imagined being in the center of an adventure like this, with beings I never imagined I’d meet, much less be on a lifesaving mission with.

Well, lifesaving if I don’t die first, which is a real possibility.

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