Page 35 of Rock Hard Alien

“I can do that,” she said in a tone that allowed no argument.

Her fingers slipped twice before finding the release. The belt snapped away from her chest. She took a deep breath, then hissed and pressed a hand to her ribs.

Fear surged through me again. “You are hurt.”

“I’ll be bruised. That’s what seat belts do. It’s better than flying through the windscreen.”

I looked towards the front of the car. The glass was cracked but intact.

“That fragile barrier would not have stopped you.”

“No. That’s why I was wearing the belt.”

These flimsy vehicles were unsafe. I would contact Pam and ask her to find one made with materials approved by the IA. I would not risk my mate getting hurt.

I tested my door. It opened a fraction before sinking into the mud. I pushed harder until the metal groaned and forced it wide enough to climb out.

Cold rain struck my face. I barely felt it.

The C-suit was split from my hip to my shoulder. My right wing hung free, while the left remained crushed against my back. I seized the torn fabric and pulled. It resisted for a moment, then ripped across my chest. The false human skin disappeared, leaving me in my battle wrap with strips of black fabric clinging to my legs.

Pam would likely be displeased. I didn't care. She wasn't my boss. And I had been on this planet for much longer than she had, or any other alien.

I climbed from the ditch and hurried around the car. The front had struck the wall hard enough to scatter stones across the road. One side of the vehicle was crumpled, and the door beside Georgie had been forced inwards.

I gripped the handle and pulled.

Nothing happened.

“Cover your eyes,” I told her.

“Why?”

“Do it.”

She raised her arms over her face. I wedged my fingers into the narrow gap between the door and the frame, braced one foot against the side of the car, extended my wings for balance, and pulled.

Metal screeched. The door tore free in my hands.

Georgie slowly lowered her arms. Rain blew into the car as she stared at the door, then at me.

“I had no idea you were that strong. And you destroyed my car.”

She made a sound that might have been a laugh or a sob. I wanted to reach for her, but I stopped myself.

The first time I had held Georgie, I had ignored her fear and flown away with her. My instincts had told me that she was mine and that keeping her close was all that mattered. They had been wrong. Protecting her did not mean I could make her choices.

“May I lift you?”

Her expression changed. She looked at my outstretched hands for a moment before meeting my gaze.

“Yes.”

I slid one arm behind her back and the other beneath her knees. She curled against me as I lifted her from the wreckage.

The shivering began as soon as we reached the road.

I carried her away from the car and set her carefully on her feet. Her knees buckled. I caught her before she could fall and pulled her against my chest, wrapping my uninjured wing around her to shield her from the rain.