Her Alien Protector: A Sci-fi Romance

Part 17

Rigel

I land near the Firefly. Wind puffs up my feathers.

Kayla runs out of the ship and hugs Ava. Poor Ava, still wrapped in her safety harness, nearly falls. I undo all the straps, pulling her out and the two humans are back to embracing. Kayla's eyes look wet.

From behind the Firefly, Tarak emerges, growling at me.

Ava flinches. Stretching out my wings, I stand in front of Ava, blocking Tarak's view of her.

Tarak steps back, ceasing his menacing growls.

Kayla escorts Ava and the moment the two humans board the Firefly, Tarak rushes at me.

"How can you be so neglectful of your pet," Tarak hisses.

In my mind, I can still hear her laughter as we flipped and soared through the air. "I am not neglectful. She was happy," I say, puffing my feathers so that I appear larger. "Until you growled."

Tarak bangs his tail on the ground. "Why did you not communicate your delay? Kayla was worried."

All this belligerence is on behalf of Kayla? Maybe I am still euphoric from the mission, or maybe I recognize his anger might come from a place of caring and concern.

I let my wings drop and make an offer to placate an angry scourge. "Do we have any work I can help with?"

Tarak motions toward a large pile of equipment next to the Firefly.

Side by side we work on the arduous task of loading everything onto the Firefly, preparing for our impending departure.

When I go to collect the remaining supplies, mainly stuff from Tarak's work, I find Tarak and Kayla hissing and growling at each other. Basically, they are having another one of their domestic squabbles.

Only a short distance away from Tarak and Kayla comes a whimper. Ava! I race to her, catching her when she stumbles backward.

"Ava all right," I ask.

Ava blinks at me in confusion. I point at the ship and hold my hand out for her. Humans are much smaller than us, but for one so small, when she grabs my fingers, she squeezes them and... Oh, she is strong.

"Ava?"

Her lip quivers. "Stay?" She looks away when she asks like she is ashamed.

Yes, I will stand with her and open my arms for her. She launches herself at me, clinging to me. I embrace her.

Ava turns her attention back to Kayla and Tarak. I continue supporting Ava the only way I know how, by covering her with my wings.

If only I could communicate with you, Ava. You could ask for the stars and the moons, and I would find a way to give them to you.

***

Ava's dark eyes watch Kayla and Tarak.

Something in Tarak and Ava's spat must set Ava off because suddenly, she sounds like she's gasping for air.

"Ava?"

She doesn't answer me. Her eyes have a wild, haunted look.

I reach to brush her hair, and—

Like a wild, cornered animal, she comes at me with hooked fingers that rake my arms. Her fingertips are sharp, tearing into my skin.

It would be so easy for me to restrain her. I can't, not with the look of terror on her face. Instead, I let her run wild with her sharp claws. Everywhere she touches stings.