by Karen Kelley
This is your chance! Labrinon screamed at Kristor. She’s begging you to comfort her. Go to her, put your arms around her. Then let everything happen naturally.
Kristor ignored his guide and looked around. He spotted the can, and walked over to it. When he reached inside and pulled her top out, it was covered in food and drink. He retrieved her car keys from her pants pocket and walked back. “Your clothes are ruined. I can go to your house and get more.”
“Don’t leave me!”
What was he supposed to do? Even though the sun was going down, he didn’t think she would want to run across the park naked, although the idea appealed to him. There was only one thing to do. He tugged his shirt over his head as he walked toward her.
“Stop! What are you doing?”
“I was going to give you my shirt.”
“Oh.”
He took another step closer.
“Wait.”
Now what? “Do you want my shirt or not?”
“Yes, but toss it over.”
Women. He tossed it toward her, but it got hung up on a bush. She leaned forward. Kristor caught a flash of tempting pale skin, and realized he was in a pretty good situation. Except she jumped back behind the tree.
“You did that on purpose.”
“No, I didn’t.” But if he’d thought about it, he might have. But he hadn’t, so her accusation was false. “It snagged on the bush. I’ll untangle it.”
“No!”
“Then what would you like me to do?” This was getting tiresome.
Throw her over your shoulder and be done with it, Kristor! You have the advantage.
Labrinon was right, but Kristor would still need to get her to his craft and he didn’t think she would go quietly—naked or not.
“Turn around,” she ordered.
“Let me at least get it out of the—”
“Turn around.” Her teeth were gritted when she spoke and her eyes flashed fire. At least the tears were gone.
“Okay, but do you realize you’re not in a position to give orders?” He turned his back to her, heard the bush rustle, and visions of a very naked Rianna filled his head. Sweat beaded his brow. “Do you need some help?”
“No!”
“I wouldn’t mind.”
“I just bet you wouldn’t,” she mumbled.
He grinned, admitting she was an interesting creature.
“You can turn around now.”
He did. His gaze slowly worked down from her head, past the white T-shirt that didn’t hide as much as she probably hoped it did, especially when she tugged on the hem. Then his gaze slipped down her long legs. A rush of heat infused his blood with sexual need.
“You can stop staring.”
“Why?”
Her eyebrows drew together. “Because it makes me uncomfortable.”
“It does me, too, but I think probably in a different way.”
Her gaze dropped, then jerked back up, her cheeks turning a bright shade of red. “I need to get to my car,” she ground out.
“And how do you propose we do that? Other than run very fast. Or shift into our animal guides.”
“A hawk? I don’t think so. Besides, once was enough.”
Kristor had a feeling it would take a lot of convincing to make Rianna see her animal guide as an extension of herself, rather than a nuisance. Although sometimes he wondered about Labrinon.
I’ve saved your hide on more than one occasion, Kristor.
That you have, my friend. My apologies.
Accepted. Now throw her over your shoulder.
Enough! Unless you would be willing to explain to the Queen Mother why Rianna was taken against her will.
Good point.
Maybe that would shut up Labrinon, for a while at least. He looked around, seeing that the park visitors had left. “I think we can make it to the vehicles without being spotted.” She nodded, but then stopped before going out into the open.
“My keys,” she said, reaching her hand toward him.
Kristor dropped them into her hand.
“Follow me home. I have questions.” She strode past him, expecting him to follow.
A desirable woman, but also very demanding. And he did follow. The temptation was too great.
As soon as she cleared the cover of trees, Rianna began to run. Even though his shirt reached mid-thigh on her, when she ran, the hem kicked up in the back showing a nice portion of her buttocks. Labrinon was right about one thing: Kristor had gone too long without mating. He straddled the motorcycle and followed her car.
Her home was a bright canary yellow, different from the others. He liked it. She hurried into the house, leaving the door open. He closed it after he went inside. When a door slammed in another room, disappointment filled him. He had a feeling she was putting on more clothes. A shame.
He wandered around her front room. It was comfortable, with pillows and rugs, a sofa, and a chair.
Meow.
He glanced down as a black-and-white cat came into the room. He reached down and scratched behind her ear. She in turn, rubbed against his leg. After a few moments, she curled up on the chair.
The house was small enough that he could hear when Ria turned the shower on. For a moment, he closed his eyes, indulging in a vision of water cascading over her naked body, and how she would take the soap and lather over her breasts, down her stomach.
He drew in a sharp breath. Being around Rianna was not going to be easy if all he could think about was mating with her.
Kristor sat on the sofa, thumbing through a book on the table in front of him to take his mind off what was happening in the other room. The book was a picture record of Rianna’s life. He settled against the back of the sofa with it.
By the time she joined him, he’d caught up to her current life. He set the book down and stood. Her hair hung in damp tendrils.
She handed him his shirt. “Thanks for loaning me something to wear.”
“Of course.” He watched as her expression went from grateful to irritated.
“Do you think you might have mentioned that after I shifted back, I would be naked?”
“There’s much I would like to tell you, but in the past you refused to listen. I believe you said I was crazy, a nut case….”
She held up one hand. “Okay, okay, but what did you expect me to do? Jump at the chance to go off with a stranger?”
“Yes.” As he pulled his shirt on, he noticed Rianna seemed particularly interested in watching him tug the hem down. As soon as he was covered, her shoulders relaxed. She was attracted to him, no matter how much she would deny it.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked.
“Because you’re beautiful and I want to mate with you.”
She scooted farther away, tugging her hand free. “Mate with me?”
“I believe you would say ‘making love.’”
“I barely know you.”
“But you’re attracted to me.” He didn’t understand her hesitation.
“On Earth we don’t jump into bed with someone just because they ask us. We like to at least get to know the person first.”
No, he would never understand this woman. “But you do know me.”
“I know some things about you, but I don’t know what kind of person you are.”
“I’m a very good one.” He moved closer. “Now we will mate.”
“No, we won’t. We need to know each other longer than a few days.”
“Then we will mate?”
“We don’t usually discuss a timeline, either. If it happens, it will happen.”
That made absolutely no sense. Before he went off to battle, he released tension by mating, and it always helped. If all Earth people waited to mate until the time was right, he doubted any battles were won.
“If I’m part alien, why am I on Earth?” she finally asked. “What? Did my biological parents defect?” Her face lost some of its color and she sat hard on the sofa. “You didn’t
lie about them, either. They’re dead.”
He sat beside her and took her hand in his. It was small, soft, and warm. There might be some advantages to holding hands. For once, it would seem, his sister had told the truth.
“I probably shouldn’t be this upset. It’s not as though I knew them or anything. It’s just that I really did think you were crazy.”
He let her remark pass about his being crazy. “I’m sure they would have loved getting to know you.”
“You think so?”
He could easily get lost in the deep brown of her eyes. She was a beautiful woman. Most Symtarians were, but Rianna was different. Maybe it was the mixing of the blood.
“Tell me more about how my parents came to be on Earth.”
Rianna didn’t look as though she would change her mind tonight, so he settled back against the sofa cushions. “Symtaria was dying. There were poisonous gases in the air. Some of our people were relocated to different planets, while others searched for a new home. It took many years, but the old ruler and his advisors found New Symtaria.”
“If this was many years ago, why weren’t the others brought to their new home?”
He shifted positions. “They were accidentally forgotten in the process of rebuilding what had been lost.”
“Forgotten? Forgotten! How the hell do you forget your own people?”
He came to his feet. “You have to understand it was not their intention to forget them. There were many things to do before they could send an expedition to find them. Then the old king joined his ancestors in the afterlife….”
She came to her feet. “And everyone forgot about them again.”
He was thoughtful. “You could say that.”
She slapped her hands on her hips and glared at him. “I just did.”
At least he no longer thought about mating with her. No, now he was thinking about killing her and being done with his mission. Was it his fault they had been forgotten? He thought not.
She paced the room, then stopped and looked at him. “And you can change into any animal?” she asked.
“Some Symtarians can, not all. Once you connect with your true guide that is the form you take.”
“And my guide is Shintara.”
“Yes, it would seem so.”
“And she’s like another person sharing my body?”
“As you will share hers when you shift into your animal guide’s form.”
“Eww. I don’t think I like the idea of sharing my body with someone. And sometimes she’s a pain in the ass.”
“I understand perfectly,” Kristor said.
I do not find that humorous, Labrinon commented.
“If you concentrate, you’ll be able to connect fully with your guide.”
She hesitated before sitting back down. He noticed she chose the opposite end of the sofa.
“You mean if I concentrate on shifting into a hawk?”
“That is correct.”
She shook her head. “Not going to happen. I’ve had all the shifting I want.”
“You would deny your heritage?”
“Excuse me? And who was it that forgot about the ones sent to Earth?”
He chose to ignore her remark. “If you stay here, you’ll be in danger.”
“From the rogue aliens you were telling me about. The same ones who killed my father.”
“Yes.”
“And they want to kill me, too, because I’m of mixed blood.”
“An impure. Your father was also an impure.”
“I don’t think I like being an impure. It makes me sound like I have a disease or something.”
“To them, you do. They don’t want you to return to New Symtaria. They think diluting our blood with a mixed race will make it tainted.”
“Will it?”
“No, it will save our race. Our blood has become too pure. Our guides are becoming stronger than our human side. There has to be a blending of each without one becoming too strong.”
“Or what?”
“Then the weaker side will die.”
“But I’m stronger than my guide. So what will happen if I never shift into a hawk?”
He hesitated, then just came out with it. “Then your guide will cease to exist.”
Chapter 10
Whoa now! I am not planning to die, so don’t even think you can kill me off, Shintara quickly told Ria.
“The idea does have some merit,” Ria told Kristor, but immediately regretted her words.
Shintara was silent long enough for guilt to start seeping into Ria.
You would really…let me die?
I’m scared of flying, Ria told her.
There’s nothing to it.
How would you know? You’ve never done it, either.
Have you ever seen an unhappy bird?
Ria was so not ready for any of this. A throbbing started at her temples. She reached up and massaged them, but the ache was still there.
“No, I don’t want Shintara to die,” Ria finally said to him. “You just need to go back where you came from. Then my life will get back to normal.”
“You know I can’t do that,” Kristor said.
“I don’t really care what you can or cannot do. I just want you out of here.” She jumped to her feet and strode to the door, flinging it open.
He sauntered toward her, but didn’t walk out. His presence filled the room. The throbbing spread to the rest of her body, but changed and became a burning need that she found hard to suppress.
“We’re meant to be together. You enjoyed my kiss.” He brushed her hair behind her ear, caressing her cheek.
Her body leapt to awareness. Months had passed since she’d felt a need as strong as this one.
“I want to know you intimately,” he leaned in and whispered close to her ear.
“Why?” Her words trembled.
“Does there have to be a reason for two people to enjoy each other’s bodies?”
“But you’re an alien.”
“As are you.” He lightly massaged her shoulders.
“Only part.” She should tell him to stop, but when she opened her mouth, he covered her words with a gentle kiss. She tasted him as his tongue stroked across hers. He wasn’t demanding, not forcing her, but giving her the choice to push away or pull closer.
Butterflies fluttered in her stomach, but quickly changed to a deep aching need when he slid his hands over her buttocks and pulled her against him. His need was evident.
What? Was she crazy? She didn’t know this man. Hell, she apparently didn’t know herself. But who could she talk to? Who, other than him, would believe her when she told them she’d shifted into a friggin’ frog? Kristor was her only connection to who she really was.
Maybe she just wanted to relieve the tension building inside her. And maybe that’s why she didn’t push him away.
She shoved on the door, closing it.
He ended the kiss and moved back, studying her face. Then he reached for the hem of her shirt. It was almost as if she were having an out-of-body experience as she raised her arms above her head. He tugged the top off, then let it fall to the floor.
A shiver ran the length of her body. He didn’t move, only looked. Then he kissed one shoulder, running his fingers under her bra, sliding each strap down her shoulder before reaching behind her and unfastening the clasps. At the last second, she clutched her bra to her breasts, not letting him bare them.
He raised an eyebrow.
What was it about that one look? It told her that she was denying them both. And that wasn’t what she wanted to do. She was tired of the lies she’d been telling herself. She wanted him, more than she’d ever wanted a man.
She let go. Her bra fell to the floor. She raised her chin, but knew her bravado wouldn’t last long. Why hadn’t she suggested wine first? Like a whole bottle. She’d never been this nervous before.
He pulled his T-shirt over his head and dropped it on the floor. The man really did have some seri
ous muscles. She tentatively reached out and glided her hand across his chest. It was firm to her touch. Sinewy muscle, hard ridges. Battle scars. Not perfect, but she wasn’t seeking perfection. She leaned forward, her lips pressing against one jagged scar.
Kristor sucked in a breath, but didn’t say anything. It was as if he didn’t want to break the spell any more than she did.
How far would he let her go? She reached down and unfastened his jeans, then slid the zipper down. She met his gaze. His eyes were glazed with desire. She wondered how difficult it was for him as he held the warrior inside at bay.
She pushed his jeans over his hips, down his thighs. He kicked out of them. She hesitated, took a deep breath, and reached for the waistband of his briefs. The material molded to his erection. He was large. Her gaze fastened on the bulge. She licked her lips.
He stayed her hand before she could tug them down. Disappointment swept over her—until he ran his knuckles across her stomach, stopping when he was at the waistband of her jeans. He tugged the button through the hole, slid the zipper down. Her jeans followed. Slowly, deliberately, as if he would extend the mounting pressure growing inside them both, he knelt in front of her, and tugged them over her hips.
A flood of heat rushed to her face. He was kneeling right in front of her. He’d see her…all of her. She quickly brought her hands in front and covered herself. “I’m not sure I’m ready for this.”
He came to his feet. “Not ready for what?” He caressed her breast, drawing on the nipple, then lightly pinching it between his thumb and finger.
She moaned, leaning toward him. “This is only sex,” she said. “Make sure you understand that this doesn’t mean I’ll be leaving with you. I like my life here. And—”
He lowered his mouth to hers, effectively stopping all conversation. Not that she minded. His hands left trails of fire as he caressed her back, cupped her buttocks, and brought her against him. His erection nudged her mound. The ache inside her made her weak with desire. Her legs trembled so hard that she could barely hold herself up. She needn’t have worried. Kristor scooped her up in his arms.
All those muscles. This was nice. No one had ever carried her to bed before making love. She thought it only happened in the movies. He laid her on the bed, then joined her.
