by Karen Kelley
She quickly backed away, putting a few inches between them. “You’re still here.”
He grinned, liking the way her mouth turned down. She had fire burning inside her. Having spirit was always a good thing. Warriors had strong spirits; they would expect no less from the women they bedded.
And he was pleased with what she wore. The material of her black top hugged her body in a nice way, and dipped low enough in the front that he could see the roundness of her breasts. The snug-fitting pants, that he discovered were called jeans, rode her hips and fit close to her body. She stirred his blood like no other before her. Maybe she did have powers.
“Did you expect that I wouldn’t be here?” he asked.
“No, but I did hope.”
He held back his smile. Angry looked good on her. It made her eyes dance with a fire. “Are you upset with me?”
“Now, why should I be upset? The townspeople think you’re the best thing since sliced bread just because you won a stupid football game for them. On the other hand, you tell me you’re an alien. I tell the sheriff, and everyone thinks I’m the one who’s crazy. I don’t know. Should I be pissed? And why is it that I’m the only one you tell?”
“We need to protect who we are. It’s not wise to let others know where we actually come from.”
She nodded. “Oh, yeah, I forgot. We’re from New Symtaria. Another planet in another galaxy.”
“Yes. Are you ready to leave?” He would like to have her all to himself on his spacecraft. He could almost feel her soft body pressed against his.
She poked her finger against his chest. “I will never be ready to leave with you.”
Passion filled her eyes. He grabbed her hand and pulled her close, his lips descending to hers. She tasted sweet and sensuous. Her body molded to his when she fell against him. She didn’t resist his touch. A good sign.
Labrinon had been right. He would convince her to leave with him by kissing her into submission. But as she pressed closer, her sweet scent wrapped around his senses, filling him with a need to do more than kiss.
“Ria!” a man’s voice loudly intruded.
Rianna jerked away from him, and he was left with empty arms.
“What?” She smoothed a trembling hand through her hair, her eyes wide as she turned to the man. Then she visibly relaxed. “Oh, Donald, it’s just you.”
Kristor glared. It was the same man from the park. The one who had possessively put his arm across Rianna’s shoulders. He didn’t like him. And now, more so. A few seconds were all he would have needed to convince Rianna to leave with him.
“I really doubt your mother would approve of you making out in her hallway.”
This Donald person stood tall, but he was thin, and didn’t look as though he had any muscles. His clothes were crisp and he wore a jacket, even though the temperature was warm. He didn’t sweat, either, although he wore this extra layer of clothes. That was an oddity in itself. Kristor doubted the man knew the meaning of battle.
It was time for the other man to leave. “Go!” he commanded Donald.
The man took a step back. Kristor reached for Rianna, but she moved away, her cheeks bright red. “I was not making out. He kissed me.” She glared at Kristor as if it was all his fault.
“It didn’t look like you were fighting him off,” Donald said, but took another step back as he warily eyed Kristor, his hands curling into fists at his sides.
“Did you want something?” Rianna asked.
“Your mother was looking for you. Shall I tell her you were kissing the…What did you call him? Oh, yes, the certifiably crazy man that you hoped Heath would lock up in the state hospital.”
“Go suck an egg, Donald.” She turned on her heel, marching down the hall away from both of them.
“She’s out of your league,” Donald told him, his gaze disdainfully sweeping over Kristor. “She likes the intellectual type, rather than…overblown muscles.”
“Like you said, she wasn’t fighting to get away. Maybe she just likes more passion in her men.” Kristor walked past the other man, forcing Donald to press against the wall or get flattened.
This Donald was nothing. A mere annoyance, like a pesky insect flying around his face. If Donald bothered him again, he would crush him, but not until then. Kristor didn’t want to draw attention to himself.
At least now, he had found a way to get Rianna to go with him to New Symtaria.
I told you seducing her was the way to get her to leave.
So you did.
Ria hadn’t felt a thing when Kristor kissed her. Not a thing. He’d only taken her by surprise.
Boring. How many times are you going to repeat that mantra?
As many times as it took to make herself believe it. She grabbed a longneck out of the large tub of ice, twisted off the cap, and took a good long drink. The cold liquid slid down her throat. She could already feel herself begin to relax.
“Hey, Ria, heard you saw an alien flying around in the woods,” Jamie Wilks said, then eyed the beer she was holding. “Maybe you ought to lay off the booze.”
She bit her tongue before telling Jamie he could go screw himself. In a very calm—okay, irritated but calm—voice, she said, “I didn’t see an alien flying around in the woods.” She started to tell him it had been a naked guy claiming to be an alien, but decided against saying anything more. What good would it do? No one believed her. She was really close to throwing a pity party when Kristor stepped into the backyard.
All eyes turned toward him. Why not? He wore snug-fitting jeans and a maroon, button-down shirt. And boots. If he was a friggin’ alien, where the hell did he get the boots?
“The hero,” Jamie called out, and everyone began to clap.
“Hero, my ass,” she muttered and took another long drink. “It was a stupid football game.”
Jamie took a step back, slapping his hand over his heart. “Wash your mouth out with soap, girl. You’re talking about football here.”
She snorted. “Yeah, right. A bunch of men, most of them retired, trying to run a ball to the other end of a field. I don’t know about you, but it sounds kind of silly to me.”
His eyebrows drew together. “You’re acting really strange. You know, they have doctors in Dallas who could probably help you.”
She opened her mouth to tell him what she thought about everyone and their Dallas doctors, but a strong arm slipped around her waist and pulled her close. Her face jerked up. How the hell had he moved across the yard without her seeing him?
Jamie nodded. “Ah, so that’s the way the wind blows.”
She tried to move away from Kristor, but his hand on her waist effectively kept her at his side. She glared at him.
“Y’all don’t do nothin’ I wouldn’t do.” Jamie grinned before he sauntered away.
Great, now what kind of gossip would be spread about her? She looked up again at Kristor. “Would you please remove your hand from my waist?”
He surprised her by doing as she requested. She only moved a few steps away from him, though. There was something about his body heat that soothed her. Oh, no, what did that mean? Suddenly nervous, she downed the rest of her beer, and went over to the tub and got another one, tossing her empty into the trash.
Kristor watched her. There was something in the way he watched her, though. It was as though he physically touched her: caressing her cheek, sliding down her neck, cupping her breasts, moving sensuously downward. Her stomach muscles tightened. A slow burn began to build inside her.
She brought the bottle to her lips and took a drink of the beer, grateful it had slivers of ice. It was all she could do to keep from running it over her face. When she met his gaze, there was a look in his eyes that said he knew the effect he had on her. Not that she cared.
And she was not returning to where he stood because she liked him or anything. No, she wanted answers. She gathered her courage, raised her chin, and joined him under the oak tree.
“How did you kick the football
that far?” she asked.
He casually leaned against the tree. “I kicked, then I willed it to go between the poles. Isn’t that what I was supposed to do—make it go between them? It seemed to please everyone.”
“What do you mean, you willed it across?” The guy was getting stranger by the minute.
“I concentrated on the ball, and where I wanted it to go.”
“Like telekinesis? When someone moves an object with their mind.”
“Only small objects for short distances on New Symtaria. Rogar said the atmosphere is slightly different here and makes Symtarian men’s powers stronger. Unusual. It’s women who have stronger powers where I come from.”
She chugged another drink. It didn’t matter if he did move things with his mind, or that he was an alien, or that women had powers or not. No one would believe her. They only believed what they wanted.
“Leave with me and you may also find you have powers.” He frowned. “Although Callie doesn’t have any.”
“Who’s Callie?” She took another drink. She was starting to feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. And numb. She liked feeling numb.
“She’s another impure. My brother brought her back after he finally convinced her she was part Symtarian.”
Ria laughed. “Now I’m impure. Well, I never said I was a virgin, but that’s something you won’t be finding out for yourself.”
“An impure is the offspring of Symtarians and another species. We are trying to bring them home to protect them.”
“And I’m part Symtarian?”
He nodded.
She grinned. “And I need protecting?” If this was some kind of new pick up line, it was way over the top, and it was so not working.
“There are rogue Symtarians who would like to see all the impures dead.”
“And that’s what happened to my so-called father?”
“I don’t think you believe any of this.”
“You would be correct in your azz…azzumpshun….” Her tongue did not want to cooperate. “You’re right about that.” She finished off the beer.
“Does your animal guide not talk to you? Explain things?”
“Ruffles doesn’t do anything ’cept lay under the bed and sleep. Lazy cat.”
“The animal guide is inside you. She is a part of you. You would hear her voice.”
Told you so, Shintara said.
The world around Ria began to spin out of control. How did he know about the voice inside her head?
Chapter 6
“Someone told you about the…the voice that talks to me. Admit it. That’s how you found out,” Ria said, then quickly made sure there was no one within hearing distance.
Mary Ann was the only one remotely interested in them. At the moment, she was casting cat-in-heat looks toward Kristor, but she hadn’t made a move yet. She couldn’t possibly hear what they were talking about. And if she could, she certainly wouldn’t be flirting with him. Maybe Ria should suggest Kristor take her to his planet.
“No one had to tell me,” Kristor said, capturing her attention. “Every Symtarian has an animal guide.”
No, he was lying. Of course he was lying. He had to be lying. Anything else was totally ridiculous. “There are no such things as aliens or animal guides or a planet called New Symtaria.”
He’s not lying. This is who you are. I’ve been trying to convince you all these years that I’m real. Except you wouldn’t freakin’ listen! And it’s been driving me crazy! Now we both have answers.
“Shut up.” Great, she’d spoken out loud. Kristor didn’t seem to think anything out of the ordinary had happened.
Too much beer. That was it. It never took more than one-and-a-half longnecks to make her tipsy, and she’d downed two as if the Budweiser plants were filing for bankruptcy tomorrow.
“You are part Symtarian,” Kristor reinforced.
“No, I’m not, because it would make me as crazy as you.” She stomped to the tub and grabbed another beer. Maybe sinking into oblivion was what she needed. If she thought too much about what Kristor was saying, then she might start to believe him.
Set me free, Shintara cried out.
Go away! Ria chugged the beer, trying to drown out Shintara’s voice.
I’m not schizophrenic, Ria silently screamed to herself. Then more quietly, she added I’m not.
But what if she was? Maybe there was a society of schizophrenics, and they searched each other out. There could be whole towns. Her forehead puckered. And you’d only need a few people to create one. One person could literally take on more than one role.
That is so not funny, Shintara said.
Ria didn’t think so, either.
A couple of guys pulled out guitars, one a fiddle. Her dad set up the microphone. Good, she needed distraction.
Her parents lived on five acres on the outskirts of Miller Bend, and since the neighbors were at the party, no one worried about noise. Right now noise sounded good. Anything to drown out her thoughts.
She glanced around. The crowd of people had grown to over sixty and she suspected it would continue to grow as the night wore on. There was beer, hotdogs and chips, and boot-stompin’ music. Half the town would probably end up in their backyard, bringing a couple of six packs, or something to eat, as their invitation.
Ria wanted to lose herself in the music, in the crowd, and keep her distance from Kristor. Mary Ann had finally made her way over to him. Her long dark hair swinging free, the strands like hissing snakes, her eyes laughing up at him as her claws casually rested on his arm. Her hubby was busy talking to some of the men, quite impervious to her slutty behavior. Not that Ria cared.
“Hey, pretty lady, dance with me,” Jessie said as he sidled up next to her.
“That’s the best offer I’ve had all day.” Ria laughed, drained her beer, then tossed it toward the trash can, and almost made it, before wrapping her arms around his neck. His hold on her waist was loose and comfortable. She’d known Jessie most of her life, since his family had moved here from Henrietta, Texas. He was what people called “a good old boy.” She just hadn’t figured out what he was good for. That struck her as funny, so she laughed.
“I think someone has had too much to drink,” Jessie said.
She shook her head. “Not nearly enough.” To prove her point, she grabbed another beer as they danced past the tub.
The song ended, and Donald slipped in where Jessie had once been. She blinked twice as her vision changed from slicked back hair and dime-store aftershave to a very polished GQ guy, with only a light scent of the finest men’s cologne.
“You’re drunk,” Donald said, smiling wide and showing his pearly whites, except his words were as sharp as barbed wire. He moved her around the yard in some semblance of a two-step. His movements were stiff and jerky. The man had absolutely no rhythm.
“Drunk? Not quite, but I’m getting there.” Honey dripped from the smile she cast in his direction.
“You might think you’re funny, but you’re only making a spectacle of yourself. People talk about you enough as it is. You would think you’d at least attempt a lower profile.”
She took another drink of beer, then belched like a sailor.
He curled his lip.
“I don’t give a damn if they talk about me,” she said.
“Can I cut in?” Neil asked.
Donald opened his mouth.
“Yes,” she quickly spoke up, and moved smoothly into Neil’s arms, well, until she tripped over something in the yard. But Neil caught her before she fell. That made her laugh, too.
Donald turned on his heel and was soon lost in the crowd. Good riddance. He’d always put a damper on her activities.
“Are you having fun?” Neil asked.
“The best ever.”
“Uh…how’s Carly?”
Even as looped as she was, she saw the spark of interest. “Why, Neil Jackson, are you sweet on my best friend?”
He blushed. “I just heard she was sick. Though
t I’d ask about her.”
“She’s really sick.”
His face fell. “So, she’s not coming tonight?”
She shook her head and almost toppled over. He righted her. “Maybe no more beer,” she mumbled.
“Carly?” he prodded.
Her eyebrows drew together. “How long have you liked her?” And why had Ria never noticed?
He gripped her a little tighter as they swayed to the music. “Since our freshman year. But she’s never looked twice at me. The guys she usually goes out with are jerks. Why does she do that?”
“Maybe you should let her know how you feel. Then she might stop dating losers.”
“Could you sort of test the waters?”
What was she now? A matchmaker. That is, besides being an alien. Correction: part alien. She frowned. “Does my skin tone look a little green to you?”
He held her at arm’s length. “You’re not about to toss your cookies, are you?”
“No.”
“Good.” He drew her back a little. “And you don’t look green, either.”
“Do I have anything poking out the top of my head?”
He examined the top of her head. “Like what?”
“Antennae.”
“Why? Are you thinking about become a human transmitter?”
“No.” She hadn’t really thought she was part alien.
He suddenly smiled. “I bought some blue body paint a number of Halloweens ago. I thought I might look cool if I dressed like one of those blue guys that perform out in Las Vegas. Didn’t think the junk was ever going to fade away. Went to the hospital when that old bull threw me and they wanted to put me on oxygen.”
She chuckled.
“It wasn’t that funny at the time.” He blushed, then grinned. “I guess it is now, though.”
She’d always liked Neil, in a sisterly sort of way. “Yeah, sure, I’ll test the waters with Carly, but all you have to do is a little sweet talkin’. That’s what a girl likes.”
“Yeah, well, Carly isn’t like other girls. She’s special.”
Neil dropped his arms from around her when the music ended, but before she could head for a place to sit, Kristor was standing in front of her.
