by Karen Kelley
Ria gritted her teeth. So not fair. She was the one who bathed the dog, and all she ever came away with were teeth marks.
“Ria.” Ms. Miller’s voice singsonged again.
Ria took the leash and walked Sukie out. “Here she is.”
“Oh, you look so sweet. Ria, you always do such a wonderful job with her. Some groomers have told me our little angel is a monster in disguise. They’re wrong, of course.” She reached down and picked Sukie up. Sukie rubbed her head against Ms. Miller. “Ah, baby wants to snuggle.”
More than likely, Sukie was trying to dislodge the bows, but Ria didn’t tell Ms. Miller that.
Ms. Miller’s eyes widened when Kristor stepped from the back. “Oh, I didn’t realize you had someone here with you.”
“Ms. Miller, this is Kristor. He’s renting my old room from Mom and Dad.”
“Oh, I’ve heard of you.”
No doubt she had. Nothing much got past Ms. Miller.
“You have an interesting dog,” he said.
“I know. Sukie is our little darling.” She held the dog a little tighter, but Sukie was having none of it. The dog began to squirm until Ms. Miller had to put her on the floor. Sukie immediately ran to Kristor. Kristor knelt down and began to pet her.
“Oh, she doesn’t normally take to strangers.”
Ria smiled. “Kristor has a way with animals.”
“Apparently.” She suddenly smiled. “If Sukie likes you, then I do, too. They say a dog has a natural instinct about humans, and dogs know if they’re good or not. I guess you pass the test.”
Ria wondered what that said about her.
Ms. Miller walked over and took Sukie’s leash. “Come, sweetie. Daddy is waiting for us.”
Kristor straightened as Ms. Miller left the shop. “She is a very strange person.”
“I think we’ve finally found something we agree on.”
He walked closer. “We would agree on a lot more if you would concentrate on shifting into an animal.”
But then that would make Ria as crazy as him.
The bell above the door jingled again and Jeanie walked in.
“I thought you weren’t coming back today.”
Jeanie dumped her purse behind the desk. “Amy had a family emergency and had to leave. The house wasn’t what we were looking for after all. We’re going back out on Sunday. Amy promised to have more houses lined up for us to look at.” She turned her attention to Kristor, then looked pointedly at Ria.
“This is Kristor. He’s renting my old room from my parents.”
“Hi,” she said, but her gaze said a lot more.
Good grief, Jeanie was engaged. “Kristor was just leaving.”
“It was nice to meet you,” he told Jeanie, before turning back to Ria. “Think about what I said.” He left, but Ria couldn’t drag her gaze away from him as she watched him cross the street.
“Wow, you’ve been holding out.” Jeanie picked up a manila folder and began to fan herself.
“Not at all. I’m not the least bit interested in him.”
Jeanie stopped fanning. “You’re kidding, right? I mean, the guy is seriously sexy.”
“There’s more to a man than his muscles.”
“The way he looks, he doesn’t even need a brain. He’s great eye candy.”
“And you’re engaged so you might want to leave the sweets alone.”
“You’re right. He would definitely send any female into a diabetic coma from sugar overload.” She studied Ria. “You, on the other hand, have been on a sugar-free diet way too long.”
The bell jingled above the door, saving Ria from further conversation. The rest of the afternoon was busy with clipping hair and bathing animals. Thankfully, very well-behaved animals.
But she couldn’t help thinking that Jeanie might be right, that Ria hadn’t dated in a while. A very long while. Not since Donald. A sour taste formed in her mouth. That had been a huge mistake.
It also meant she hadn’t had sex in a while. Not that the pickings in Miller Bend had been that great. The only guys left in town were the ones she had already dated, at least most of them. She wasn’t that great at recycling.
Except now there was Kristor.
Chapter 8
Jeanie left right before Ria finished Bruno the beagle. Bruno sounded like a killer, but he was a sweetheart. As soon as the dog and owner left, Ria turned the sign around to CLOSED and went to the back to put things away. She was beat.
You should’ve listened to Kristor. He’s right, you know. You’re part alien. I’ve suspected for a long time, but you’re too hardheaded to listen, Shintara said.
“I’m not crazy.” Ria mumbled. “I’m not.”
It was a conspiracy. Kristor was sent here to drive her crazy. Who disliked her enough to do that? Ms. Henderson had never forgiven her for the whoopee cushion incident. The teacher could really hold a grudge. What had ever happened to forgive and forget?
Then there was Matt Jenson and his purple dog, although she’d given his dog the free groomings so that should have exonerated her. The dog had even placed in a number of shows, thanks to her. Still, when he brought the dog in, Ria knew he did so grudgingly.
Donald? He had been a bit ticked off when she told him she only wanted to be friends. But then again, he had taken her out to lunch a few days ago, and it had gone fairly well. And he seemed okay with everything. The breakup had been a few months ago, too. Not that she’d seen him with anyone else. That didn’t necessarily mean he wasn’t dating.
Ria leaned against the wooden table. She needed to go running. That always cleared her head and helped her think straight. She kept something to wear at the shop, just in case the urge hit her.
She quickly changed, but rather than go straight home, she decided to run along the path in the park. Much less chance of running into a naked alien. She snorted. She couldn’t believe she’d even come close to believing him.
The streets were quiet. Not unusual. The most excitement they’d ever had was when some of the high school seniors had stolen some signs and burned them in the bonfire after the football game.
She frowned. It had only been one stop sign, and a couple of those wooden barrier things. Boy, they had really gotten in trouble for that one. Come to think about it, she was pretty sure Donald had been the one who’d snitched on them.
She parked in one of the spaces and got out. After a few stretches, she took off at a slow pace. Soon, adrenaline released into her bloodstream, and she picked up speed.
Everything ceased to exist. She could feel the beat of her heart, smell the wind as it rushed past carrying the scent of pine trees in the air.
Except for a scout troop practicing skills, there was no one else around. She circled the small park, running until she felt all pressure leave. Nothing, nothing at all mattered. There was only the sound of her shoes hitting the concrete running trail. All her worries evaporated.
She ran until she could run no more, then stopped at one of the benches, dropping down onto the wooden seat. Sweat glistened on her skin, and she could almost feel the blood coursing through her veins. This was exactly what she’d needed to clear her head of any lingering crazy notions. Of course Kristor wasn’t an alien, and the voice inside her head was just that—a voice. She stretched her arms above her head and took a deep breath, feeling her body relax.
Did you ever wonder that the reason you run is because you’re running away from who you are? Shintara killed the mood by popping into Ria’s thoughts.
“Go away.”
You can prove him wrong.
Ria opened her mouth, but then snapped it closed without saying anything. Shintara was right. She could prove it. He’d said to think of an animal. Okay, she would. What the hell.
But not a hawk. Not that she thought she would really change into anything. She just didn’t want to think of one. An uneasy shiver swept over her at the mere thought of flying.
So what kind of animal should she think about?
A frog croaked. She chuckled. It was a sign. Yeah, sure. She closed her eyes. Here, froggie. Big green frog. I will become a big green frog and terrorize Miller Bend, Ria thought to herself. Ohh, when she shifted, maybe she would hop over to Donald’s restaurant and scare the hell out of him. On second thought, frogs’ legs were on his menu.
You have to concentrate. And…be…serious! Shintara was clearly exasperated.
Okay, okay.
She closed her eyes. Inhaled, then exhaled. She pictured a frog. Frogs weren’t so bad. She’d had one as a pet once. Her mother had been thrilled when Ria lost her fascination with them.
Nothing happened, but just to prove her point, she kept her eyes closed and continued to concentrate. She visualized a frog, saw it jumping along the trail. Time passed. She thought about what it would feel like to become a frog. No problems, no worries. Just sit on a lily pad and watch the world go by, and occasionally croak….
Her stomach began to burn. Ugh! No more nachos for lunch. This was awful. She opened her eyes, but she couldn’t see. Oh, God, she’d gone blind. Her stomach began to cramp. She moaned, doubling over as the cramping worsened. The deep burning pain sucked at her insides. She fell off the bench, landing with a thud. Fear choked her, stealing her breath. She didn’t want to die. She still had too much to do, like getting laid at least one more time. She was pretty sure angels didn’t have sex.
“What’s happening to me?” she screamed, but no words came from her mouth.
Oh, God, her voice had been stolen, too. She probably shouldn’t have mentioned angels and sex in the same breath. Oh, no, what if one of the higher-ups had changed his mind and she was being sent in the other direction? Or maybe she had contracted a horrible disease. Kristor! It was all his fault….
Everything suddenly grew quiet.
Ria immediately stilled.
The burning subsided. She could breathe again.
She cautiously opened her eyes. Blinked. She could see again, but it wasn’t the same. Something had changed. She looked around. The scouts were still tying knots. Everything looked normal.
She tried to stand, but nothing seemed to move like it was supposed to. When she started forward, she bumped her butt. Ow! That had hurt.
Maybe the scouts could help her. She opened her mouth to call out, but what she heard was a heavy smoker’s belching. She had a feeling it had come from her. Wow, those had been some really spicy nachos.
No, something wasn’t right. She raised her arm. It was…green and slimy. Oh, yuck.
What the hell had they put in the nachos?
You’re a frog. You could’ve been a hawk soaring through the air, but no, you had to think about a stupid frog, Shintara said with more than a touch of snarkiness.
No, no, this couldn’t be happening. I’m not a frog. I’m not a…
“Hey, look at that frog, guys.” One of the scouts pointed toward her. “It’s huge! If I can catch it, I’m going to take it home.”
“We can make frog soup!”
Oh, fuck.
Ria quickly glanced around, then made a mad dash for the trees. For a frog, she could move pretty fast. But anyone would with several scouts chasing you, wanting to make frog soup.
Feet pounded on the ground, coming closer. Her heart slammed against her chest. She moved between the trees and wiggled under some green leaves, triing not to breathe.
Feet scurried over the ground. Please don’t step on me! I don’t want to get mushed. Calm down, she told herself. Everything would be all right. She just needed to stay nice and quiet.
“Boys, recess is over. Let’s get back to tying knots, then we’ll go for pizza,” the scout leader spoke.
“Yeah, pizza.”
“Lots better than frog soup.”
Laughter erupted around her. They were leaving. Thank, God!
“Oh, wow, someone lost their clothes.”
Ria peeked out long enough to see her underclothes being twirled around.
“Oh, man, these are sweet,” an older scout said.
“Boys, those probably belong to a vagrant. Run and toss them in the trash can.”
The kids took off, making a slingshot out of her thong.
Vagrant! Her thong alone had cost fifteen bucks! The lacy bra thirty-five. She opened her mouth to protest, but the only thing that came out was another loud belch. She hunkered down deeper under the leaves.
At least they were gone. Now what was she supposed to do?
Then it hit her: She was part alien. Everything Kristor had told her was true. But she didn’t want to be an alien. And she certainly didn’t want to go to his planet. She had a women’s meeting tomorrow night. And who would run her business while she was away? Besides, she was not about to get on anything that would leave the ground.
Bzzzzz.
Her tongue shot out and she snatched the fly.
Eww! She’d just eaten a fly. Yuck!
She sniffed. Or attempted to, at least. What if she stayed like this forever? Destined to live her life being chased by boy scouts or worse, ending up in someone’s soup pot, or at Donald’s restaurant.
“Come on, Trisha, no one will see us here. I just want to hold you in my arms.”
Ria looked up. Was that Jeremy Harris? Just her luck. He was really mean. A senior with a chip on his shoulder. His parents had never been able to control him. Wild as a young bull.
She watched until they came into view. It was. He was what?—eighteen, and he was with Trish Simpson. And Trish was only fourteen. Well, almost fifteen, but way too young for the likes of him.
“I don’t know, Jeremy. I don’t think my mom would like knowing I was in the woods with you.”
“I promise I won’t hurt you. You said you liked me. And I just want to hold you.”
“I do like you.”
“Then prove it.”
What a sleaze! Ria opened her mouth and croaked as loud as she could. Trisha jumped and screamed. Jeremy laughed.
“It’s just an old bullfrog. He can’t hurt anything. See.” He removed the plastic lid from his drink and dumped ice and soda on Ria.
She sucked in a deep breath.
“Oh, leave it alone,” Trisha cried.
Jeremy laughed. “It likes the cold, baby. Frogs can’t feel anything.”
Like hell I can’t feel it!
Trisha pouted. “Are you sure?”
He pulled out a lighter. “Yeah, watch this.” He flicked it and the flame shot out.
Ria shied away. Ohmygod, she’d gone from the soup pot to the fire!
“No!” Trisha grabbed his hand. “Jeremy, you’re mean! Everyone is right about you. Don’t ever call me again or I’ll tell my mother!” She turned and stomped through the leaves, heading away from the trees.
Jeremy looked at her…the frog, then kicked a clod of dirt toward Ria before hurrying after Trisha.
Could frogs cry?
Ribbit…burruppa.
Ria didn’t want to be a frog. She wanted to go home. If this was what it meant to be an alien, then she wanted no part of it. If…
Wait a second. If she could think herself a frog, then she should be able to think herself human again. She closed her eyes. I want to go home. I want to…wait, that was a movie. Deep breath. Try again. I’m Ria, and I want to be me again. I want to run through the park. I want my life back. I want…
A deep burning pain gripped her. She couldn’t see, she couldn’t breathe. The world swirled around her. She felt as if someone had her on a rack and stretched her limbs out. She was dying.
Who would tell her parents? Oh, God, no funeral or anything. What could they do? Have a froggie funeral? Kristor might realize she’d shifted, but her family wouldn’t believe the lifeless frog was their daughter.
The burning pain stopped. She opened her eyes. Blinked. The trees were back. She raised an arm, wiggled her fingers. Except for the sticky soda, and the dirt stuck to it, she was human again. She sat up. Yes, she was back. She jumped to her feet.
Yes!
She swung her arms out and twirled around before leaning against the tree as she tried to catch her breath. Then it dawned on her.
She was totally naked.
Chapter 9
Kristor spotted Rianna’s car, and pulled in beside it. He’d worried about her since this afternoon at the pet store. He could see she was starting to have doubts. What if she decided to try shifting? He remembered his first time had been traumatic, although it had gotten easier with time.
It might have been wise if he’d mentioned the downside to shifting. Like the burning pain that would lessen the more times someone changed to animal form. And he probably should have told her that after one shifted back to human form, they wouldn’t have their clothes.
We can only hope that she has attempted to shift and lost her clothes in the process, Labrinon said. Think how much easier it would be to seduce her. Half the work would already be done.
I don’t wish her first time to be terrifying.
I’m almost positive she’s not a virgin.
That’s not what I was talking about.
His gaze scanned the park. It wasn’t that big so it shouldn’t be difficult to find her. He walked down the paved path. If she was running, then they should eventually meet.
“Pssst.”
Kristor waved his hand in front of his face, but he didn’t see the flying insect.
“Pssst,” came louder this time.
He turned. Rianna poked her head around a tree.
“Why are you hiding behind a tree?” he asked.
Her bottom lip quivered. “Because I shifted into a frog, and the scouts chased me, and Jeremy threw his soda on me, then kicked dirt on me…and I’m naked! I want to go home.”
Oh, no, she was about to start crying. He couldn’t handle tears. Nor the sad eyes turned his way, or the pouting lower lip that looked very kissable right now.
He quickly looked away. “Where are your clothes?”
“The boys tossed them in the trash can.”
This was exactly what he’d been afraid of. His mother would not be happy that he hadn’t explained things well enough. He could only hope she wouldn’t find out.
