As usual, my first instinct was to panic and run. But when I jerked my arm away from the sticky thorns, I heard the loud, gut-wrenching sound of ripping fabric, followed by the sensation of cool night air tickling the bare skin of my arm.
For the first time in years, I was exposed.
I froze. My only motion was my thin shallow breaths, which came out so hard and fast that the inside of my face shield fogged up.
I could not move without tearing my suit—my only protection from the world.
Hot tears stung my eyes.
Yup. This is it. My pathetic life is over.
The fog inside my face shield dissipated just enough for me to notice Farr’vye sliding down the slope. His mane of feelers rose high into the air, flashing a dizzying array of colors, and his expression looked deadly serious.
Was he… worried?
But then I remembered my exposed skin. Even if he saved me from the thorns, he’dseeme.
Meteor apocalypse? Any moment now… Please?
No meteors swarmed down from the sky, but Farr’vye bounded toward me. I expected him to pause at the edge of the bushes and seek a thorn-free path. Instead, he barreled through them as if they were nothing. It took me by surprise since Maeleons were usually more respectful of plant life.
It’s because he’s covered in scales,I rationalized.The thorns must not faze him.
But that wasn’t true. Some thorns grazed off his scaly hide, sure, but not all of them. By the time he reached me, he lookedlike a pin cushion. The only thorn-free part of him were his ultra-sensitive feelers, which he held high above the bushes.
“Are you hurt?” Farr’vye demanded.
I was so taken aback by the thorns clinging to his body that I momentarily forgot my own plight. There was no pain though. Just terror, slightly dulled by his arrival.
“Um… no,” I realized. “But my suit…”
As his brow furrowed, a dark slice gleamed on his forehead, and a thin stream of blood slipped down his snout. “What happened to your suit?”
The sight of his blood startled me.
“Farr’vye, you’re bleeding,” I pointed out.
He didn’t even flinch. “What happened to your suit?” he asked again.
“Um… it ripped. A lot.”
I felt like a fucking idiot talking about my ripped clothes while Farr’vye’s face was covered in blood. It forced me to put things into perspective and took the edge off my panic.
“Do not move. I will help you,” he insisted.
My heart pounded once, hard, like a hammer strike. But I couldn’t tell if it was out of fear or something else. Something I didn’t have the words to describe.
He was going to touch me. And I was… okay with that. More okay than I thought I would be.
“Sure,” I murmured.
I wasn’t sure how much my consent mattered, since Farr’vye looked dead set on rescuing me from this predicament whether I liked it or not. I guess the alternative was abandoning me here, and he wasn’t the type of guy to do that.
Jeez, since when was I so familiar with this weird alien?
Farr’vye’s orange eyes burned with concentration as he slowly reached for me. His tentacles hovered, ready to provide extra support, though I wasn’t sure how much he’d need it sincehe seemed as strong as the average Maeleon, and I was about as light and frail as an old sock with a hole in it.
With utmost care, Farr’vye’s huge hands gently wrapped around my upper arms. I had always thought of Maeleons as reptilian, but his touch was unexpectedly warm. And nice.