The Falcon Prince (7 page)

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.

J
eanie 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.

K
ristor 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.

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.”