Page 18 of Rock Hard Alien

Cairn stared into the distance. “Beautiful, in many ways. We don't have many oceans and none as large as yours. Our landscapes are tall mountains and high plateaus. You have flowers in your gardens, we have gemstones, sparkling in all the colours you could imagine. Our cities are modern, but you find remnants of our past everywhere. We prefer to use stone for furniture rather than high-tech materials. We use the heat of our planet's core to warm our dwellings. And when we find our mate, we promise to be as steadfast as diamonds until we return to the embrace of the rock.”

He sighed deeply. “I did not always feel at home there. I loved travelling to other planets, even when it was to wage war. But now that I have been away for so long, and not by choice, I miss it. I miss being able to fly from the moment the sun rises until the moons join her. I miss feeling the wind against my wings. I miss the scent of the rock as it is washed by rain. I miss...”

Cairn grew quiet. “All this time, I refused to let myself think of home. It was too painful. Yet now that I am in your home, I cannot help it. I'm not strong enough.”

I put my hand on his before I could think about whether this was a wise decision.

“I don't think it's a sign of weakness to miss your home. You've been here for almost five hundred years. I think you're allowed to be a little homesick.”

He looked at me with puppy eyes. Quite an achievement for the hulking alien with skin the texture of granite.

“Do you have family waiting for you back home?” Wait. How long did his species live? Maybe they were all dead by now and I'd just pointed out that fact. Think before you speak. I could hear my grannie's voice clearly inside my head. I'd never been good at that.

“My parents returned to the stone when I was at the warrior academy. I do not have siblings, but my friends became my brothers. My two closest friends, Sten and Hallr, were with me when our ship crashed.”

His face grew darker as he remembered whatever had happened to make them land on Earth. I was curious, but I also didn't want him to become morose.

“I'll make us some tea. Or... would you like some hot chocolate? That always cheers me up.”

“I have heard of chocolate. I have seen tourists eat sticks of it. But I have never seen it hot.”

I laughed. “Then you're in for a treat. I guess your exposure to human food has been very limited.”

“I have encountered more seagull shit than food,” he said. For a moment, I wasn't sure if he was joking, but then his eyes lit up and he grinned, fangs showing behind his dark lips.

“That must have been pretty disgusting.”

He shrugged. “You just wait until the rain. I'd go to sleep until I felt water run down my skin, washing off the avian shit. You have a lot of rain on this planet.”

“Not everywhere. But we get lots of it in Scotland, that's true.”

I walked over to my little kitchen area, expecting Cairn to stay on the sofa, but he followed me. His tail bumped against my table. Yet another reminder of just how different he was. Wings, tail, fangs, horns. Like a devil from a fairy tale. Yet I didn't see him as anything threatening or dangerous. I wasn't intimidated by his size or looks. All I wanted was for him to smile.

Huh.

I was going to have to unpack that later. For now, I had to introduce Cairn to the art of hot-chocolate-making.

Eight

Cairn

The drink looked like mud. It was brown and thick and sticky. Its only saving grace was the scent, something unfamiliar yet sweet and enticing.

“Are you sure this is safe to drink?” I asked.

My mate frowned. “Are you suggesting that I'd try to poison you?”

“No, of course not. I apologise. I will drink it now.”

“Careful, it'll be ho-”

I downed the mug in one go. My mouth burned. My tongue was in flames. I felt smoke rise from my horns and...

It was delicious.

“It burns like the Fires of Khazak-var but it tastes exquisite.” I touched my tongue, testing for burns.

“That's because you have to wait a bit for it to cool. Are you okay?”