She smiled and disappeared into the crowd, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
I checked the message again.Transportation will be provided. Proceed to landing pad two.
For once, my finger didn’t shake as I pressed the map on the data pad’s screen. Landing pad two was a short walk away from the main terminal, past the commercial arrivals and into what looked like a private section. The crowds thinned as I followedthe path to my future, my footsteps echoing on the stone pathway. As I approached the private section, I fiddled with my clean, yet worn shirt and single bag.I must look so out of place.
Except for a sleek atmospheric shuttle, in dark red with swept-back wings that looked organic and almost alive, the landing pad sat empty. I approached the shuttle with caution, wondering if I had the wrong location, when a boarding ramp descended with a soft hiss.
The man standing at the top of the ramp took my breath away.
Oh my stars.
He was enormous, at least seven feet tall, with broad shoulders and a powerful build that suggested strength I couldn’t begin to calculate. Everything else about him made my mouth go dry and my feet root to the ground. Massive leathery wings, currently folded against his back but clearly capable of significant span when fully opened, the membranes in shades of purple that caught the light like oil on water. A long tail moved with serpentine grace, the tip flickering back and forth. His skin was a dusky lilac, scaled in places, smooth in others, with ridged lightning-yellow patterns along his arms and what I could see of his chest beneath a simple dark shirt.
His face was angular, almost geometric. He had high cheekbones, a strong jaw, a nose that was slightly flattened and flanked by small ridges that continued up to his brow. His eyes were the color of molten gold, with slit pupils that fixed on me with unnerving intensity.
In a way, he looked like a gargoyle, one of those stone guardians I’d seen in old Earth architecture books. He appeared cut from stone, like something that should be perched high above watching the world, not standing in front of me in living, breathing flesh.
He looked like something that could kill me without trying.What did I get myself into? This could go south, Dani.
“Danielle Slater?” The male spoke, his voice deep, with a slight gravelly quality that vibrated in my chest.
I couldn’t move or speak. My bag slipped from nerveless fingers and hit the ground with a thud.
His eyes narrowed, the gold catching light. “You are Danielle Slater, yes? The nanny I hired?”
“I…” my voice came out a whisper. I cleared my throat, tried again. “Yes. I’m Danielle.”
“Good.” He descended the ramp with a grace that seemed impossible for someone his size. His tail moved with each step, acting as a counterbalance. “I am Andrek Ror’aan. Welcome to Frontier Colony 8-Beta.” He stopped a respectful distance away, probably because I looked like I might bolt at any second. “This is your first time seeing a Torzi.”
“Yes, Mr. Ror’aan,” I managed.
“Please call me Andrek.” Amusement flickered across his face. “You are afraid.”
“I’m not,” I started, but the lie died on my lips. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting…”
“Someone my size who looks like they might eat you?”
A bolt of heat flashed through my core.Oh, he can eat you… get your mind out of the gutter, Dani.
“I didn’t mean offense.”
“It is fine.” He picked up my bag with one clawed hand as if it weighed nothing. “Fear is a reasonable response to the unknown. But I should clarify, while Torzi are carnivorous, we have strict cultural prohibitions against eating sentient species. So you are quite safe.” He turned toward the shuttle. “Shall we? The flight to my estate takes thirty minutes.”
I stared at his retreating back, at those massive wings and tail, and considered running back to the terminal and begging for passage back to Earth. But another part of me, the stubbornpart that refused to go back, wanted to see what might happen. I wanted to get to know him better.
“Are you coming?” Andrek paused at the base of the ramp, looking back at me with unreadable eyes.
I forced my feet to move. “Coming. Sorry, I needed a moment.” I made my way up the ramp and into the shuttle, where the interior, to my surprise, had padded seats, restraint harnesses, and viewports on both sides. Andrek secured my bag in a storage compartment and gestured to one of the seats.
“The harness may take some adjustment,” he said, moving to the pilot’s seat at the front. “If you need assistance, let me know.”
“I can manage.” I sat down, fumbling with the straps. I had to tighten several sections and leave others completely loose.
“Are you finished?”
I glanced up to see Andrek staring at me. “Yes. The straps are made for someone with a different body configuration, but I’ve got it figured out.”
“I need to update your safety equipment,” Andrek said. “Those restraints are not adequate.”
