Page 29 of The Alien Noble's Little Human

I motion toward Entell and take Antell’s reins in my hands. I hold her by the waist and lift her. Her body is still shaking as I mount the animal behind her.

Her body is warm, and her scent makes me feel transported to a warm gathering space, drinking briconium wine and telling stories. Her energy filters through me even through thick layers of warm clothing.

Rylan ushers us on, and I gradually feel Zaya’s body relax in front of me. A small sliver of skin on our wrists is exposed to the air, and the exposed areas touch.

If I was transported to another memory before, now I’m transported to another dimension. My spine heated up in the dance hall, and I had an inkling of what it might mean. But now, it’s ripping through me like the spikes of hail that fell just yesterday.

As cold as it is, I want to strip naked to press my skin against hers, knowing that if just one exposed inch of skin feels so life-changing, her entire body next to mine would end my current life and give birth to another one.

Electric jolts run down my back like lightning. I know with certainty what I had only suspected before.

She’s my fated mate. I know in my bones that she’s what I live for her, and I will die for her if I ever have to. It’s the absolute worst time to make such a discovery with such absolute certainty.

“Geysers ahead,” Rylan declares from in front of us.

“What?” Zaya turns around abruptly, slightly disturbing the animal.

“Hey, whoa,” I coo, petting the animal’s neck over her shoulder. “Slow movements.”

“Well, it’s hard to stay calm when that one’s mentioning geysers.”

This is why I didn’t want a fated mate. You don’t get to choose whether they annoy the ever-loving shit out of you.

I lean forward and whisper in her ear, hoping to get her to stop spooking the idiot chordata.

“The geysers erupt in random places. It’s difficult to discern when and which ones will do so. Chordatas have exceptional hearing, even if their judgment is off sometimes. We just have to navigate this slowly. Rylan knows what he’s doing. And so do I. Panic solves nothing.”

“You’re certain?”

“Yes.”

“Ready?” Rylan asks, heading toward the geysers.

“Lead the way.”

Zaya scoots back slightly on the animal and breathes in deeply. I can feel her nerves from here. The more I’m around her, the more I begrudgingly accept that the fated mate instinct isn’t just a myth. It’s a very real pain in my ass.

“Left!”

I make a hard left on the reins as a geyser erupts right next to us. Zaya startles, and I place my hand over her mouth before she screams. Her back cleaves to my chest. The feeling of her against me almost makes my spine practically erupt like the geysers in front of us.

Slowly she relaxes, and I remove my hand. Turning her head back to me, she stares at me with fear and its resolution still lingering in her eyes.

“Right!”

I turn the animal right, and we both jerk to the side. I steady Zaya with my hand, wrapping my arm tightly around her waist.

Eventually, we make it past the geysers and into calm territory, albeit freezing. Zaya’s teeth are chattering. There’s not much I can do to keep her warm, especially as the sun sets over the mountains.

“Rylan! Should we find cover?”

“Good idea.” He looks around and points to a nearby alcove beneath part of an overhang. “We can set up there for now.”

It’s small, but it’ll do.

When I look at Zaya again, she’s trembling even worse. She needs to bundle up and hide from the elements in warmth, or her core temperature will fall dangerously low.

We tie the chordatas up near the overhang, and Rylan pulls out some sticks for a fire. I get the inferno started while Zaya warms herself in the corner of the alcove. Once the fire is lit, she sits directly in front of it.

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