Page 33 of Rock Hard Alien

“Do you want to look at the castle or go home?” I asked.

“Home. I want to get out of this suit. Pam was right when she said it was itchy. I really want to scratch my wings.”

Cairn folded himself into the passenger seat of my car while I pushed it as far back as it would go. His knees still touched the dashboard.

“This vehicle is even smaller than the taxi.”

“It’s also mine, so don’t insult it.”

“I am not insulting it. I am stating that it was designed for a much smaller species.”

I bit back a laugh.

The rain grew heavier as we left Stirling. Cairn scratched at the collar of the C-suit.

“How much longer must I wear this torture device?”

“Until we’re out of town. There are cameras everywhere.”

“It is crushing my wings.”

“Five more minutes.”

“I don't know how long a minute is.”

We'd have to go over human units of measurement at some point. I guessed he'd heard the words for minutes, hours, days up on his wall, but nobody had ever explained to him just how long they lasted.

“You can remove it when I say it’s safe,” I said, trying to remain patient while also focusing on the road.

“You are very commanding for such a small female.”

“You like it.”

His human disguise couldn’t quite hide the movement of his tail beneath the suit.

The road narrowed after we left the last houses behind. Trees pressed close on either side, their leaves dripping onto the tarmac. Water gathered in the dips, pulling at the tyres whenever I drove through it.

A deer burst through a gap in the hedge.

I slammed my foot on the brake.

The tyres lost their grip.

The back of the car swung to the side. I turned the wheel, trying to correct the skid, but the road had become a sheet of water. The deer vanished into the opposite field while we spun towards a low stone wall.

“Georgie!”

Cairn moved.

Black fabric tore as one of his wings ripped free from the C-suit. The human projection flickered, revealing flashes of granite skin and leathery membrane. His arm crossed my chest while his wing wrapped around my head and shoulders.

The car hit the wall.

Stone cracked. Glass shattered somewhere to my right. The seat belt dug into my chest as the car bounced sideways and slid into the muddy ditch beyond the verge.

Then everything stopped.

Twelve