Hannah's Hero - Ruby Dixon Page 0,32

If I have to choose between N’dek and H’nah, I must choose H’nah. She is my mate. N’dek is my clan brother, but I know that once he realizes he is just as capable with one leg instead of two, he will pull himself out of his sadness.

I hope.

H’nah still gazes up at me, her lips parted in shock.

I shake my hand at her. “Do you wish to go or not?”

She jumps to her feet and puts her hand in mine. “Oh my god, yes. Please!”

Her hand is warm in mine, her fingers soft and gentle as they flex against my skin. She looks up at me, her bright blue eyes shining with hope, and I try not to think about N’dek, or resonance, or anything other than H’nah.

Because she is all I truly need.

8

HANNAH

I immediately feel better the moment we leave camp. It’s like a thousand prying eyes have suddenly disappeared, and my shoulders feel lighter. The tension lurking at my temples eases. For the first time since arriving, I feel like smiling at the world around me. I don’t care that it’s snowy and cold and there’s more rock and ice in this world than anything else.

No one’s judging me. No one’s going to make some crack about me counting or needing to be in control. Out here, I’m free to start over and be a new person. To be the Hannah I know I am, not the one that everyone on this planet assumes I am—the needy, weepy control freak who doesn’t like to play well with others.

I’m so grateful that Taushen and Brooke let me tag along. I know this is just what I need.

And I don’t even mind that J’shel is here with me.

Sure, he wasn’t my ideal pick, but then again, would anyone be? I can’t imagine sitting here with S’bren or R’jaal or, gack, even A’tam. I don’t know the other guys all that well and haven’t exactly gone out of my way to make friends. J’shel is problematic because we’re resonating to each other, but so far he’s seemed content to let me have my space and he’s not nasty to me. He never jokes about counting and never makes me feel stupid.

So I’m going to enjoy this vacation and I’m going to relax.

Well…as much as one can relax while hiking through the mountains.

I haven’t left camp ever since we arrived, and I wasn’t exactly sure what I set myself up for when I agreed to go with Brooke and Taushen. Taushen’s just as strong and muscular as the other aliens, and J’shel is even more built than he is. Brooke is human, but she’s got strong legs and a slender build for all that she’s chesty.

Me? I am waaaay out of shape and sitting around a campfire for the last few weeks hasn’t helped things. We aren’t even out of camp for more than an hour before I’m panting hard and sweating. I fall behind the others, but I’m doing my best to keep up because I don’t want Brooke and Taushen to realize I’m going to slow them down and send me back. J’shel hangs back with me, offering me his hand when there’s a particularly icy part of the trail, but for the most part, I try to do it on my own.

This is some serious cardio. No wonder Brooke’s so lean. Liz and Harlow, too. They’ve been here a while and I’m guessing they’ve done their share of walking.

I didn’t realize just how rocky and craggy the cliffs are around here, either. The beach is nestled amongst high-walled cliffs that protect the shore from the worst of the wind, and it reminds me of beaches in Washington state, right down to all the rockiness and chilly waters. But once we enter the hills themselves, the landscape itself changes dramatically. Everything here is ice and snow and hard rock, and the paths that wind through the rocky crags are narrow and downright dangerous. The wind whistles and rips at my skin, bitterly cold and biting, and my face feels windburned after just a short time.

It seems like forever before we come out of a narrow, twisty path and a snow-filled valley spreads out before us. There are thin, whippy-looking trees, clumps of bushes, and in the distance, there’s a herd of the shaggy, white, pony-like dvisti.

I’m exhausted already.

Brooke groans at the sight and pats her stomach. “Taushen, babe, can we stop for a bit? I’m starving.”

He immediately moves to