by Karen Kelley
“I’ve been watching how you move with each other,” he said as Neil took off toward the food table. “The steps seem simple enough.” Kristor pulled her into his arms.
There was something different about the way he held her from the way her last partners had held her. In his arms, she felt as though she danced on air. And if wind had a smell, it would be Kristor. The wind, the woods, the scent of a man.
“Why don’t you go back to where you came from?” she asked, but her words came out on a sigh and didn’t hold a lot of conviction.
“I have to protect you.”
“From the rogue Symtarians? Wooo, I’m scared.”
“You shouldn’t be. I won’t let harm come to you.”
“I feel so much better now.” She looked deep into his fathomless green eyes, but couldn’t see even a little spark of insanity. Which meant zilch. “If you’re an alien, why do you look like people from Earth? And where’d you get the clothes you’re wearing?” Let him answer those questions.
“My database will create anything I need.”
“How convenient.”
“And I look like everyone else because our species is similar to yours.”
“Anyone could have told you I’ve talked to a voice in my head, so that doesn’t prove anything.”
“I have a voice inside my head as well.”
She missed a step, and he caught her closer to him. She rested her head against his chest, and let his warmth wrap around her. What the hell was she thinking? The guy was crazy. He had just admitted to hearing a voice.
Oh, wait, she had, too.
The song ended. She stepped away. Kristor looked as if he waited for her to do something.
“I’m hungry.” She made a quick about-face and hurried to the table.
It practically bowed in the middle with the amount of food that had been piled on top of it. Texans rarely went hungry. She wasn’t at the moment, but she needed to do something. Eating seemed like a good solution.
She grabbed a paper plate and a hot dog, chips, and then started to reach for a beer, but changed her mind and grabbed a Coke instead. As she passed the dessert end, she grabbed a thick slice of chocolate cake with fudge icing.
There were chairs and tables set up farther back in the yard. And if someone couldn’t find a table or a chair, there were blankets spread out on the ground. Nothing formal here, just a good-old-boy backyard party.
With an alien or two.
She was so losing it.
There was a vacant table, so she grabbed it, only getting a little icing on her hotdog, which she was quite proud of since she was still feeling a buzz. A few seconds later, Kristor set his plate and drink down beside her.
“Don’t you have anything better to do than stalk me?” she asked right before she licked the icing off her hotdog. Why did food always taste better when you were tipsy?
“I’m not stalking you. I’m only here to offer my protection.”
“And try to talk me into going back to your planet with you.”
He shrugged. “That, too.”
She ate a chip, then swallowed it down with a drink of her Coke. “You don’t think that sounds a little squirrely?”
“Squirrely?”
“You know, crazy.”
“I’m sorry, but it’s the truth.”
She leaned back in her chair and really looked at him. “Okay, prove to me you’re an alien. Where are your antennae?”
“Do people still believe all aliens are green and have antennae?”
Why did she suddenly feel as though she’d stereotyped a whole race of…of people? That was ridiculous. “Tell me why I should believe you.”
He fingered a chip, then looked at her, his expression serious. “Because it’s who you are. A part of yourself that you have denied far too long.” He sat straighter. “We are a race capable of shapeshifting. Our animal guides are separate, yet we are one.”
“Shapeshifting?” Wow, for just a second, she had sort of, only sort of, started to believe him. That should warn her away from any more alcohol for the rest of her life. His stories were getting more ridiculous by the minute. “You mean, you can take on an animal form?”
“As can you. My animal guide is the hawk.”
“The one in the woods?”
“Correct.”
She leaned closer.
He did the same.
“Bullshit,” she whispered.
“Bullshit?”
“It means I don’t believe you.”
His eyes sparked with anger. She quickly moved back. Calling the guy a liar probably wasn’t a good idea. The guy was mental, after all.
“You would deny your animal guide the right to be free?”
Why did she suddenly feel guilty? Why was she even having this conversation? She picked up her hotdog and took a humongous bite. Better that her mouth was full so she wouldn’t tell Kristor just how crazy she thought he was. If she angered him too much, there was no telling what he would do.
“Has your guide never tried to get you to shift?”
“Into what?” she asked around the half of a hotdog that she was still trying to chew.
“You tell me.”
A hawk, remember? Shintara’s voice echoed through her mind.
“A hawk?” she said before she thought better about feeding Kristor’s fantasy that he was a shapeshifting alien.
“A hawk.” He nodded. “That is why I’m drawn to you.”
“You’re drawn to me?”
“As you are to me.”
Before she got into a repetition of “am not, are, too”, she said, “I was only talking out loud. Besides, I’m afraid of flying, so even if I could change into a hawk, I wouldn’t.”
“Ahh, so that has been the problem.”
“There’s no ahh, about it. I still think you’re crazy.”
“Concentrate on an animal. Your guide will help you to shift. It doesn’t have to be anything that flies in the beginning.”
“Yeah, right.”
“Are you afraid to find out for sure?”
She came to her feet. “I’m not scared of anything.” With a toss of her ponytail, she took her plate and carried it to the trash can. And she certainly wasn’t going to concentrate on an animal. The idea was ridiculous.
Are you so sure about that? Shintara spoke up.
“Yes, I’m absolutely positive. I’m not part alien.”
“Maybe you should go easy on the beer,” her father said as he came up beside her.
She opened her mouth to tell him her buzz was already wearing off, but changed her mind. “You’re right, Dad.” She held up the Coke she hadn’t quite finished. “Already switched over.”
“Good girl.”
Not much later, she kissed her mom good night, and got Neil to drive her home. Someone would drop her car off tomorrow. No biggie.
But once she was back at her house, she couldn’t help wondering if some of what Kristor had told her just might be true. Did aliens actually exist? She didn’t know why they couldn’t.
Maybe that’s what scared her the most.
Chapter 7
“Ms. Miller is bringing Sukie in this morning,” Jeanie said, hanging up the phone.
“Sukie?” Ria studied Jeanie to see if maybe she’d gotten her holidays confused and thought this was April Fool’s Day.
Jeanie was a cute little redhead who’d been working for Ria a couple of years, and right now, she wore a serious expression. No, she didn’t mix up the holidays. Teasing? Her lips didn’t twitch, not even once.
She was telling the truth.
“You’re not lying.” Ria’s bones dissolved into mush and she sank into the nearest chair.
Sukie was what everyone in town referred to as the “demon dog, psycho mutt”—a ten-pound fur ball of terror. She was a Pekinese with a bad temper, a pedigree longer than the distance from Ria’s shop to the sun, and a wealthy owner who spoiled her unmercifully.
Ria would refuse
to pamper Sukie except Ms. Miller’s great, great, grandfather-in-law had established the town. He’d also started the first bank. The same bank that Ms. Miller’s husband now ran. The same bank that held the mortgage on Ria’s Pet Purr-Fect Grooming Salon.
Jeanie shook her head. “Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. She wants the works.”
A hard shiver ran the length of Ria’s body. “Oh, God.”
“She’ll be here in twenty minutes.”
Ria sniffed. “But Sukie was just in here last week.”
“They’re going to the coast. She wants her to look pretty.”
“Do you think it’s too much to hope that she would fall into the ocean and get eaten by a shark?”
“Ms. Miller or Sukie?”
She waved her hand. “Either one. Both.”
Jeanie was thoughtful. “Nah, I think I’d be more worried for the shark.” She shuffled some papers around on her desk. “Uh, I’ve been meaning to ask if you’d mind if I took the rest of the day off.”
Ria tilted her head and looked at Jeanie. “You’re afraid of all the blood, admit it.”
“Yeah, but well…” She blushed.
Ria sat straighter. “What?”
“Amy, over at the realty office, might have a house Lenny and I can afford. We’re planning on a December wedding, nothing fancy, but we want to start marriage off right with our own place.”
Ria reached across the desk and squeezed her hand. “I’m so happy for you. Why didn’t you say something sooner?”
Jeanie laughed. “I am. I mean, I just did.” She rested her arms on her desk. Her eyes sparkled like a Fourth of July firework display. “Have you ever been in love?”
Kristor’s face immediately came to mind. He was the last man that she’d been around. That was the only reason she’d even thought of him. No, the guy was a nut, and since her mother had seen them talking and dancing at the party, she thought it was now okay to let him rent the room. Her mother had brushed away all Ria’s protests.
Ria had never been so glad for Monday. She’d wanted to lose herself in work. Well, until she’d learned Sukie was on her way in. That was life.
“If you’re going to look at that house, you’d better get over to Amy’s office before she sells it to someone else.”
Jeanie hesitated. “I hate to leave you alone with Sukie.”
Ria planted her hands on her hips. “I refuse to let that snarling mass of shedding fur get the best of me this time.”
“Be careful.” Jeanie grabbed her purse and left.
“I am so not up for this.” She hurried to the back to get ready, mentally checking off the things she would need. Heavy-duty thick gloves, towels…Valium. The last was for her, not the dog. So maybe she didn’t have any, but it was a nice thought.
The bell over her door tinkled. She sagged against the deep tub where she bathed the animals.
“Oh, Ria!” Ms. Miller could’ve been an opera singer the way she always called as if she were onstage performing.
“Courage, you can do this. It’s just a dog.” Ria pasted a smile on her face as she pushed past the curtains that led to the front part of her shop, then came to an abrupt stop.
An apparition of Ms. Miller stood beside Jeanie’s desk. At least, she thought it was Ms. Miller. She wore a wide-brimmed, red hat and a bright red dress with black polka dots, except she had no neck. The hat sort of floated on top of the dress and made her look headless.
“Oh, there you are dear.” Ms. Miller raised her head and her face appeared. “I imagine Jeanie told you I would drop by with little Sukie.”
Ria cleared her throat. “Ms. Miller, so nice to see you again so soon, and Sukie, of course.”
“Say hello to Ria, Sukie.” She jiggled her leash.
Sukie growled.
“No, no, Momma’s little girl must be on her best behavior if she’s going bye-bye this weekend.”
Sukie didn’t look as if she really cared. She was also minus the pink bows Ria had clipped on her ears last week. Ria figured they hadn’t lasted the whole day. She was, however, wearing her pink neckerchief.
The dog was cute. Adorable, in fact. She just had a lousy disposition. Ria had tried to get the pooch into training early, but Ms. Miller didn’t want Sukie upset. So, each time she brought the crabby canine in, there was a tug-of-war on who would win. Mostly, Ria thought Sukie came out ahead.
“Take good care of my baby,” Ms. Miller said before handing Ria the leash.
Sukie snapped at Ria’s feet, but Ria was ready and jumped out of the way. She smiled at the dog. First round—me. She sighed deeply. But there would be many more to come before she finished with little Sukie.
“I’ll take good care of her, Ms. Miller.”
“I know you will, dear. And I’ll stop by after I finish shopping.”
“Take your time.”
Ms. Miller left. Ria looked at Sukie. “You’re going to be good this time, right?”
Sukie curled her lip back and gave Ria the evil eye—and she did it very well.
Why did Ria get into this line of work, anyway? Oh, yeah, she’d mistakenly thought she had a way with animals. Had that been dumb or what?
She slipped on the gloves and picked up Sukie. The mangy mutt growled as Ria put her in the tub of water. The dog latched on to one of the gloved fingers, but Ria had purposefully left her finger out of that one. She’d learned. Sukie seemed satisfied to attack it, rather than her.
“Your mommy spoils you way too much,” she told the dog.
The dog loved the water, getting soaped down, and washed. If a dog could have a rapt look, this one did. Sukie let go of the glove and stretched forward so Ria could reach that one particular spot.
“That’s a good Sukie,” she spoke softly.
Grrr.
“Sorry. Forgot.” Sukie didn’t like anyone talking to her when she was getting her bath.
The bell on her shop door jingled. Her next appointment wasn’t due yet, but she did take walk-ins. Or maybe Jeanie had forgotten something.
“I’m in the back,” she called out, squirting more soap on Sukie.
Sukie gave her the evil eye again.
“I’m running a business and I do have other customers besides you.”
She looked toward the curtains as Kristor walked inside the grooming area. Great. He was the last person she wanted to see. But she couldn’t stop the flutter of excitement that rippled through her.
“You’re still in town,” she said.
“Just until I can convince you to leave with me.”
They were back on that. Then she remembered they were the only two people in the store. He could murder her and…She studied him. No, if he’d been going to kill her, he’d had his chance, and hadn’t taken it.
He was still a nut.
Sukie suddenly latched on to a finger of the glove that actually contained a finger. Ria jumped.
“Sukie!” The pooch hadn’t hurt, only startled her. The gloves were too thick for the dog to cause much damage.
“Are you okay?” Kristor stepped closer.
Sukie growled.
“Shhh!” He held up a hand. Sukie hunkered down and looked away.
Sukie backing off? That was a first. “How did you do that? Are you a dog whisperer or something? I mean, Sukie can be very aggressive.”
“Once you connect with your guide, you’ll be more in touch with other animals.” He stepped up and began to rinse the soap from Sukie.
Ria held her breath, waiting for Sukie to take a chunk out of his hand. But after only a few seconds, she relaxed. This wasn’t fair. First, he wins over the townspeople, and now Demon Dog. He’d cast some sort of magic spell over the mutt.
“If you didn’t talk all that crazy stuff about taking off for another planet, it would be nice having you around.”
He looked up.
“That didn’t come out exactly the way I meant. It’s just that you seem nice enough, and you’re good with animals. But then you
start talking about being a shapeshifting alien and that’s just crazy.”
He smiled. A smile that reached out and touched. Some men were like that. They could smile at you and all of a sudden, you weren’t able to think rationally.
He pulled the plug to drain the dirty water but kept rinsing Sukie. “Can you say truthfully you’ve never wondered if there were people living on other planets?”
She leaned against the wooden table. “Yeah, I can truthfully say I’ve never thought about it. I’m not a Trekie fan, either.”
“Trekie?”
“Star Trek. Oh, that’s right, you’re from another planet so you wouldn’t know about our TV shows.”
He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around Sukie before he brought her over to the table and began drying her. Sukie seemed to enjoy the rubdown. Not that she would mind too much if Kristor was the one rubbing her down. No, she told herself, you have to stop thinking about him in that vein.
“I can shift,” he told her. “It would prove to you I am an alien.” He met her eyes.
He had beautiful eyes. So clear. Such an intense green. She mentally shook her head and reached for the blow-dryer and plugged it in. If she asked him to shift into a hawk, it would prove once and for all she was right.
But then, she remembered the last time, and the fact he’d been naked. She wasn’t sure she was ready for another naked Kristor, or that she would be able to keep her hands to herself.
And then there was the fact she was probably dealing with a crazy. What if he stripped down and started flapping his arms? It probably wouldn’t be good for business if someone walked in the store, especially Ms. Miller.
“I think I’ll pass for now.” She turned on the blow-dryer and grabbed a brush. Kristor kept Sukie entertained while Ria blow-dried and styled the mutt’s hair. She clipped two pink bows above her ears, and refastened a new pink bandana. Sukie jumped up and barked when the bell above the front door jingled.
“There’s Momma,” Ria said and snapped the leash in place. But as she reached to set the dog down, Sukie snapped at her.
“Shhh!” Kristor commanded.
Sukie immediately downed her head. Kristor picked her up, but before he set her on the floor, Sukie licked his hand. He patted her on the head.
