“I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be on the ground when the sun goes down. Even though I manage my lands, there are enough predators roaming nearby who will be scavenging for food after a day of bad weather.”
“Lyave!” I hissed, taking a step closer as I attempted to reach for him. “You can’t leave me alone.”
“You won’t be alone,” he said with a deep chuckle as he extended another vine outside. “All you have to do is strap her to your body, as your kind does for your younglings, and fly the short distance to your villa.”
“Wait! Hold on, Lyave.”
“I’m sorry, I can’t!” He yanked himself out of the doorway. “I’ll call you tonight to give you my first update!”
I dashed out the doorway and spun around in time to see Lyave swinging from limb to limb effortlessly with his redheaded female in his arms as he climbed his way to the jungle’s canopy. All I could do was stand there, dumbfounded by what had occurred.
I thought I was the politician, but he just talked around me to get what he wanted.
I’d deal with him later; for now, I needed to get this female safely to my villa and figure out what to do next.
Returning inside the vessel, I gently placed the female on the floor, leaning her back in the corner between the wall and the console, hoping she wouldn’t move and fall over while I was removing the straps from the two chairs.
I sliced at the fabric covering the chair backs with my claws, carefully detaching the restraints from both seats, unconcerned about how I left the chairs. They may not have been what my species used to train our hatchlings, but they would suffice for the short distance I needed to fly.
If she was awake, it would be easier to travel with her on my back because she was light enough for me to carry with no trouble.
Before picking up the unconscious female, I made sure the straps were secure by double-wrapping them around my joints, placing them around me like I would with my bandolier, and then ensuring that they were properly fastened.
I pressed her back against my body, wrapping one wing around her waist while the other buckled the straps around her limbs and torso, carefully securing her in place.
I cautiously moved my way outside the doorway, taking care not to smack the female human’s body against the threshold. The last thing I wanted to do was injure her while attempting to save her. I refused to fail at taking care of her before she even woke up.
After disengaging myself from the vessel, I turned my attention to the sky and watched as the sun began its descent into the horizon. There was some truth to what Lyave said; the storm was over, and the night would soon be upon us. In a stroke of good luck for me, the winds had also died down, which meant that the flight would be considerably less difficult.
I spread my wings and took off into the air, feeling the wind rush past us. The female was securely fastened to my body, and she didn’t stir as we flew.
I soared higher into the sky with each powerful flap of my wings, the sea breeze buffeting us. The woman’s body felt light in her straps, but the weight of her unconsciousness weighed heavily on my heart. I hoped she’d wake up soon and wouldn’t be afraid of me when she did.
I couldn’t help but wonder if I could be like Lyave and care for the female in my arms. He wasn’t concerned that his mate was a human, a species that didn’t exist on this planet. But the more I thought about it, the more sense it made—his kind despised space travel, partly because they were dependent on their hometrees and needed to feed off the land, which was impossible to do on a spacecraft.
Lyave had found his mate, and now I was the one without a female companion. He was one step closer to starting a family, and while I was delighted for him, I couldn’t help but feel jealous.
Knowing how isolated I was due to the demands of my job felt like a constant pecking at my heart, a reminder of how alone I was.
The wind whipped past us as I soared through the air, my wings beating furiously. I could feel the female’s heartbeat against my chest, and I knew she was alive and well. I flew steadily, my destination in sight.
As I approached my villa, I realized it was even more beautiful than I remembered. It was built into the sheer cliff face, with balconies and windows overlooking the sea.
I landed on one of the balconies and carefully unstrapped the female from my chest. I knew she’d be impressed by my cliffside villa, and I couldn’t wait to show it to her.
The human female would be safe there, I was sure of it.
I carried her inside and laid her down on a couch, admiring her delicate form. I grabbed a blanket and draped it over her before starting a fire in the hearth to warm the room.
As I observed the human female sleeping, I couldn’t help but feel protective and concerned for this mysterious human, realizing I needed to check her vitals and provide her with a universal communicator so we could speak easily when she awoke. The last thing I needed was for her to be afraid of me and for me to be unable to comfort her with words.
I carefully approachedher with my medgun and medcase, making sure not to wake her. My hearts were pounding with anticipation as I held the communicator in my hand. I knelt down next to her and injected the communicator behind her ear.
She stirred slightly, but didn’t wake up. I stepped back, admiring my handiwork.
It was done.
Holding my medgun in my hand, I scanned her whole body, collecting basic readings on her, and breathed a sigh of relief that nothing appeared to be wrong.
