by Karen Kelley
Throw her over your shoulder. Force her to return to New Symtaria and be done with it.
Labrinon, I wondered when you would say something, Kristor told his animal guide. He had thought about throwing her over his shoulder, but his father had cautioned him to lean on the side of diplomacy, and his mother…
Ah, his mother. For such a delicate flower, she could easily bend her husband and children to her will. In her soft voice, she had begged him to be gentle. It was not in his nature, but he would try, at least, for a while.
I’m sure she has naked men jumping out in front of her every day, telling her they’re from another planet and wanting her to leave with them, Labrinon continued, words dripping with sarcasm. You shouldn’t have spoken. It ruined the element of surprise. Before you could grab her, she ran. Not a very well-thought-out maneuver.
Did you not hear anything my brother said when he returned with Callie? Exasperation laced Kristor’s thoughts.
Of course, I heard Rogar.
Not very well, apparently. When Rogar had transformed from a jaguar to a human, Callie ran away screaming.
But he convinced her to return with him, Labrinon added.
After much wasted time.
Your tactics weren’t any better.
Labrinon was right, but Kristor hadn’t meant to scare Rianna. He’d only wanted to get his mission over and done, and return to New Symtaria, while trying to please the Queen Mother. He thought if he spoke to Rianna, she would remain calm.
By the gods, he was a warrior, not someone who should have to hunt impure offspring and bring them home. His father, the king, had bade him complete this mission. How could he say no? So now, he followed behind a mere slip of a woman as if she was the one in control.
He silently fumed as Rianna led him down a walkway, then cut across a grassy area. When they topped a small rise, he looked down upon what appeared to be a festival of sorts, with booths, and much laughter, and many people.
Rianna’s father had said they would be celebrating the July Fourth festivities. Kristor would look up the word on his database when he returned to the dwelling where he was staying. These Earthlings were an odd race, and this mission tiresome.
His gaze dropped to the gentle curve of Rianna’s hips. He watched them sway as he walked behind her toward the celebration. Something shifted inside him. She ignited his imagination. His blood stirred at the vision of naked, intertwined limbs, of her arms pulling him closer, begging for his touch, his mouth….
She stopped, suddenly turning, then clearing her throat. When he raised his gaze, she didn’t look happy that he’d been staring at her form. She should feel pleased that a warrior, and a prince, would honor her with his attention.
“We can sit here,” she told him.
There was a hard edge in her voice. She could take lessons from the women of New Symtaria. They knew how to treat men of his standing.
The way Marane treated you?
Labrinon’s laughter filled Kristor’s senses. Anger flared inside him. Marane doesn’t count. She’s a witch with a vile temper. Enough! We have business to attend. He sat on the hard surface. A very uncomfortable seat, and not one he would have chosen.
Ria started to sit, but apparently had second thoughts, and moved to the other side of the table.
“You’re very stubborn,” he said.
Smart. I’m sure that will win her over.
Kristor ignored Labrinon.
“I like to think of myself as being cautious, rather than stubborn,” Rianna said.
He would try to be more pleasant. “Stubborn can be a good quality. I have won many a battle by not admitting defeat, but pressing forward instead. It is a tactic that has worked well for me.” He hadn’t meant to encourage her behavior. “Except on a female. It does not sit well on them.”
She raised an eyebrow. Definitely stubborn, but very nice to look upon. Her thick, dark brown hair was pulled away from her face. Although her features were delicate, there was a sensuous, earthy quality about her that was undeniable. Her Symtarian blood, no doubt.
“What do you mean, you’re a warrior?” she asked.
The proud fighter in him sprang to the surface. “I defend my home from invading armies.”
She seemed to absorb his words, although she didn’t appear particularly impressed. Most women were. He had faced death many times and been victorious. He’d defended New Symtaria with his life, and would do so again.
“What do you know about my parents?”
Yes, she was very quick to dismiss his warrior status. Not that it overly concerned him. He was here only to complete his mission, and return with her to New Symtaria so she could embrace a culture as old as time.
And mate.
Possibly with him.
In fact, now that he thought about it, that was a good plan.
“My parents?” she prodded.
Stubborn, and in a hurry. She had been running when he’d first encountered her. She would not be the type who wasted time. “You come from a very prestigious lineage,” he finally spoke. “There is royalty in your blood, but we are not related, so it will be okay if we mate.”
She squared her shoulders. “I beg your pardon?”
He frowned. She did not seem to take to the idea very well. Maybe he wouldn’t mate with her. Why should he let her have the pleasure of his body, when she didn’t look as though the idea tempted her? This Earthling side of her was without passion.
He decided to ignore her response to the possibility of their one day mating, and continue explaining where she came from. “Your father had Symtarian blood. From what I’ve gathered, he was killed by one of the rogue Symtarians.”
Which was happening to more impures than he wanted to count. Some rogues didn’t like the thought of impures being brought back to New Symtaria and mixing with the pure bloods, but it was a necessity now. The Symtarian blood was too pure and, in a weaker mind, the animal guide was taking over the human side.
The animal guide’s natural instinct was to hunt and kill. It was causing chaos among the different tribes. The impure’s nature was more gentle, and the animal guide less dominant.
Except for Rianna. She did not appear that gentle to him.
“I’m of royal blood,” she stated dryly.
He wasn’t sure about the tone she used, but he would ignore it for now. “Yes.”
“And my mother?”
“She too has passed. I believe the rogue Symtarian scared her so much that she left you to be raised in the institution. I’m sure for your own protection. She was later killed when the vehicle in which she was riding collided with another.” It had taken much time to discover this information. He was ready to be done with it all.
She bit her bottom lip, blinking back the moisture that formed in her eyes. Kristor’s heart beat faster inside his chest. Was she about to cry? Women who cried made him nervous. He probably shouldn’t have delivered the information so bluntly, but what did he know about finesse? He left that to his brother. Rogar knew how to talk to women. It would be better to get Rianna back to Symtaria and let someone else handle her.
He cleared his throat. “Now, are you ready to leave?”
She shook her head, her expression puzzled. “Leave?”
“Yes, to go to New Symtaria.”
“Why would I do that?”
“To be with your own kind.”
“I don’t even know where New Symtaria is.”
“It’s in another galaxy, but I have the means to take you there.”
“The means…”
“Yes, in my spacecraft.”
Now she worried him. Her face drained of color. What had he said? The fear returned to her eyes as she eased her legs from under the table.
“Is something wrong?”
“You just told me that you’re an alien from another planet. What could possibly be wrong?”
Even though she said nothing was wrong, her actions were telling him something different. He rea
ched for her hand. His sister had once told him women liked to hold hands. Except Rianna jerked away from him.
“Don’t touch me! Stay away from me and my family!”
“I don’t understand.” He opened his hands out, palms up.
She shot to her feet, stumbling in her haste to put distance between them. “Of course, you don’t. You’re crazy!” She took off running before he could get his feet out from under the table. He turned sideways on the bench and watched her.
Rianna had a nice run. Long legs stretching out in front of her. She would make a good mating partner.
Except each time they talked, she ended up running away.
I don’t blame her. You didn’t handle that well, Labrinon said. My plan is better. Throw her over your shoulder and let us leave this barbaric land.
“Silence!”
Chapter 3
“He told me he was an alien from another planet,” Ria explained to Heath.
Heath gave an exasperated sigh, but before he could open his mouth, Ria hurried on.
“And no, I don’t think he’s an alien, but I do think he’s certifiable, and he’s renting my old room from my parents. He could murder them in the middle of the night. I want you to lock him up. Put him in the state hospital…something.”
“How about if I just talk to him for now?”
Just talk? That was all? He was a threat to her parents and possibly the whole community. She opened her mouth to tell him she wanted him to do more, but his expression said that was all he would do for now. It was a start, she supposed. “Fine. You’ll see. The guy is off his rocker.”
Heath scanned the park.
“There he is,” she said, pointing Kristor out. He was looking quite unconcerned that he was about to be carted off to the loony bin. The guy probably didn’t even know he was crazy. Heath would help rectify the situation, she was sure.
Heath started toward Kristor, or whatever his name was. It could be an alias for all she knew. Ria stayed right on Heath’s heels.
He stopped, studying her for a moment. “Wait here.”
“Wait here? But…but…” Of course. It made sense. Heath had a gun and everything, and if there was a tussle, he couldn’t concentrate on taking the stranger down if he was worried she’d get hurt.
“Okay, but be careful. He’s pretty big.”
“The bigger they are, the harder they fall,” Heath said, without much conviction.
And Kristor was big. The guy had some serious muscles. Sexy muscles. Not that she was even remotely attracted to him. The guy was a nut case. The outside package tempted her, she wouldn’t deny that. It was the inside that scared the hell out of her.
Ria tugged on the hem of her shorts, then twisted the material around her finger. If anything happened to Heath, her parents would disown her, the townspeople would probably kill her, and she was pretty sure Ruffles wouldn’t like her, either.
Not that the cat had much to do with her now. The cat had always seemed fond of Heath, though. Most men actually. Ria had adopted a slutty cat.
But if the stranger hurt Heath, Ria would feel so guilty. Heath was practically an uncle. He’d given Ria her driving test. She frowned. Her first speeding ticket, too.
“You look deep in thought,” Donald Evans said as he came to stand beside her.
She jumped, then quickly smoothed the hem of her shorts and stood straighter. She hadn’t heard his approach.
Donald was looking as handsome as ever. They’d dated for a while. Nothing serious, although Donald would’ve liked to take it to the next level. But when it came to sleeping with him, she drew the line. Maybe she still secretly harbored a grudge because he’d told on her about the whoopee cushion.
But he was handsome, she couldn’t deny that, and it was the reason she’d first started dating him. He was very GQ, with his thick blond hair and blue eyes.
She’d been on a self-improvement quest that month and thought dating him would help. It hadn’t. She’d felt worse about herself. Nothing she had done was right. He always seemed to find fault.
And that coming from a man who didn’t sweat. There was something really strange about a guy who didn’t sweat.
Maybe she was being just as critical as Donald. He had a membership to the local gym, so she was pretty sure he sweated when he worked out. She’d just never seen him looking anything but perfect, and that bothered her.
“So, are you going to tell me what you’re thinking so seriously about?” His gaze followed where she had been looking. His lips formed a straight, irritated line. “Or maybe I should say whom, rather than what.”
“His name is Kristor, he’s renting my old room, and the guy is certifiable.”
His expression relaxed. “Is he the alien you saw?”
For a brief moment, she had a vision of herself screaming at the top of her lungs and pulling at her hair. The only thing stopping her from following through was the fact she didn’t want to be in the same car as the one that would be taking the once naked man, who claimed to be an alien, off to the state hospital.
“I didn’t see an alien,” she ground out. “He told me he was an alien.”
“Ahh…” He still looked skeptical.
Why should he believe her now? He never had in the past.
“I just want him out of my parents’ house.”
“Doesn’t look like that’s going to happen any time soon.” Donald nodded toward the two men.
Heath shook the stranger’s hand as though Kristor had just told Heath that he’d won the Texas lottery. What the hell? Heath was grinning when he started back toward her.
“Did he tell you he was an alien?” she asked when he joined them again.
“You must have misunderstood. He’s from another country. Kris is a really great guy. He even agreed to play in the flag football game this afternoon. Good thing—we were short a man, and would’ve had to cancel.” Heath cast a sour look in Donald’s direction.
What?
No, no, no!
“Let me get this straight,” Ria began as calmly as she could. “He won you over because he agreed to play in a stupid football game? And you’re not taking him to the state hospital, not even after the game?”
Heath frowned. “It’s not a stupid game, and I can’t very well lock him up just because he’s a foreigner. How would that look?”
“He said he wanted me to go to his planet, and he would take me there in his spaceship.”
Heath chuckled. “Maybe that was his way of sweet-talking you?”
Beside her, Donald went rigor mortis. Sheesh, it wasn’t as if they were still dating. He didn’t own her. Then again, he could just be concerned the guy was a stranger. Doubtful, though. Donald still acted as if they were an item.
Her attention turned to Kristor. He was helping the Widow Simmons up a steep slope, and she was grinning like a young girl. Good Lord, she was at least eighty-five.
“You could do worse.” Heath glanced at Donald again, then back to her. “And you’re not getting any younger.”
Ria bristled. “Twenty-eight is not that old.”
Donald slipped his arm around Ria’s shoulder. “I’m sure you’ll check this new man out, Deputy. After all, it would be a shame if he was indeed a lunatic. I would rather believe one of our own, than someone you’ve known all of two minutes.”
Heath squared his shoulders. “I’d already planned to do that, since it’s my job. I don’t think you have to worry that I don’t know procedure. I signed on to protect the citizens, and that’s exactly what I’ll do.” He tugged on the end of his hat, then turned and left.
“You can move your arm now,” Ria told him. The heavy weight was like an anchor.
He took his time moving it. “Have lunch with me.”
Donald had inherited the running of his parents’ restaurant when they retired to Florida. It was a good place to eat. Not that they had many choices. It was either the restaurant, the Dairy Queen, or Sonic.
“I’m going to g
rab Carly a burger, and see how she’s feeling.” It was best not to start something else up with Donald. It had taken her too long to break free of his tight rein the last time.
“I’ll have the cook fix her something special,” he said.
“Donald, I…”
He smiled. “As old friends, nothing more. Carly would much rather have something from the restaurant, I’m sure.”
She didn’t see anything in his expression that would tell her otherwise, and it wasn’t as though she hadn’t known him all her life. “Okay, but I can’t stay long.”
He grinned, taking her hand in his. She looked across the park and caught Kristor watching her. He wore a dark scowl. She had a feeling he didn’t care for Donald’s touching her. What? Did he think she was his property? He might have fooled the deputy, but he didn’t fool her for a second. She stepped closer to Donald just to prove she didn’t belong to Kristor, either. Donald smiled down at her.
“I used to love it when you wore your hair down. It made you look more like a grown woman and less like a ragamuffin. I wish you’d wear it down more often.”
For a moment she’d forgotten exactly what it was about Donald that irritated her. She was so glad he’d reminded her. “Then isn’t it a good thing we’re not dating because I love my hair up. It’s so much cooler.” She smiled.
“Stubborn woman.” He laughed, but it sounded brittle.
“You’re not the first person who’s told me that,” she said. Except when Kristor had said it, it hadn’t sounded quite as condescending.
Lunch went by fairly quickly, mainly because Donald kept getting called away. His irritation was clearly visible. When he had to see about a malfunctioning dishwasher, she took the opportunity to escape.
Carly didn’t live very far away. No one in town lived very far away, though. Ria could cross town in peak traffic, with the light red, and still be at Carly’s in under five. They only had one red light, and a blinking caution light, and a few stop signs that people sort of stopped at.
She climbed the stairs to Carly’s second-floor apartment and knocked on the door. A few moments later, the door was opened by a bad imitation of her friend. Carly sported a red nose, and watery, red-rimmed eyes.
