“Merrick?” Sylvan made his name a question and Merrick knew what he was asking.
“Fine,” he said roughly. “I’ll go. What do you want me to do, just bring her straight back?”
“Yes.” Sylvan nodded. “But there’s one more thing.”
“What?” Merrick was in the act of swinging into the cockpit of his star-duster but he stopped to hear his friend’s last words.
“Touch her.” Sylvan looked at him seriously. “If you want to save her, you have to touch her.”
Chapter Three
During the trip down to Earth, Elise felt more and more unwell. She told herself uneasily that it was just motion sickness. It always happened to her if she got into a moving vehicle on an empty stomach, and she hadn’t eaten a thing since the night before. And though the Kindred pilot was flying with smooth, professional precision, the vehicle she was in was capable of pulling more Gs than a roller coaster—a hell of a lot more. It was no wonder her head was pounding, her heart was racing, and her stomach was rolling. Right?
I’m just hungry, she told herself grimly as the blue and white globe of the Earth raced toward them in the viewscreen. As soon as we land I’ll get James to take me someplace for breakfast. Not that she really wanted to eat right now. What she really wanted was to crawl off somewhere and lick her emotional wounds until she felt more like her old self again. Instead, she would have to play the part of the happy fiancée for James, who would no doubt expect her to be overjoyed to see him.
I should be overjoyed—I love James. What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I get Merrick out of my mind? Try as she might, all she could think of was the big Kindred’s dark, animalistic scent—like fur and musk and smoke. All she could remember was being held in his arms, the feel of her cheek pressed against his chest, the sound of his heart beating in her ear. Making her feel safe, making her feel protected…
Stop it, she shouted at herself mentally. Just stop it right now. We’re landing—it’s time to leave the dream world behind and get back to reality.
It was true, the blue curve of the Earth filled the viewscreen and she could clearly see the continents now. North America shot toward them, the long peninsula of Florida their obvious target.
“Coming in for a landing now,” the pilot said in a pleasant, even voice. “You might want to close your eyes and hold on tight. This is the part that usually makes you Earthers sick.”
“Oh,” Elise said faintly. “I…thank you for the warning.”
“Not a problem,” he said cheerfully. He did something to the controls and the little ship lurched in a most distressing manner. Elise’s stomach lurched right along with it and she had to fight to keep herself from throwing up.
She won the fight with her rebellious stomach—just barely—and was extremely relieved when the ship leveled off and touched down behind the HKR building in Tampa.
“Here we go—domicile, sweet domicile.” The Kindred pilot grinned at her. “Isn’t that what you Earthers say? My mate taught me—she’s from the region you call Kansas.” He sounded proud, as though he was announcing his wife was from Buckingham Palace.
He loves her—loves her so much that he’d be proud no matter where she came from, Elise realized. The thought made her sad for some reason and she was glad for a minute for her rolling stomach. At least it was harder to cry when you were trying not to puke.
“Uh, I think the expression is ‘home, sweet home,’ she said, smiling politely. “But it’s pretty much the same thing.”
“Oh, right.” The pilot nodded. “So are you here to visit family? Should I wait to bring you back up to your intended?”
“My fiancé is here—he’s from Earth,” Elise said stiffly. “I…I won’t be going back up to the Mother Ship. Ever again.” The words seemed to stick in her throat but she forced them out anyway.
“Really?” The Kindred pilot frowned, looking confused. “Forgive me my mistake. It’s just…you smell very strongly of another male—a Kindred male.”
“I do?” Horrified, Elise sniffed at her arm—but she could smell nothing. The flirty red dress Olivia had found for her to wear back to Earth complimented her complexion and hair color but left her arms and legs mostly bare. Was she exuding a scent—Merrick’s scent—in all directions without knowing it?
The Kindred pilot laughed. “Don’t worry—only another Kindred could tell it,” he assured her. “You must have been in contact with an unmated male who cared for you.”
“Well, I was in the med station for most of my stay. And there was a…a male who, uh, helped in my recovery.” Elise shifted uncomfortably, remembering the way Merrick had held her close to his broad chest, the way she’d allowed herself to melt against him. Oh yes, he’d helped all right. He’d helped himself to her heart and then left as soon as he could—not that she blamed him.
“That must be it, then.” The pilot said, interrupting her bitter-sweet thoughts. “Well, if you won’t be needing me again, I’ll head back to the Mother Ship.”
“That’s fine.” Elise nodded stiffly. “Thank you very much for the ride.”
“Not a problem.” He smiled easily. “Enjoy being home.”
“I will,” Elise assured him but the words sounded like a lie in her mouth. She thanked him again hastily and then got out of the small Kindred shuttle as fast as she could.
Once outside and on level ground, she was certain she would start to feel better. Unfortunately, the opposite was true. The hot Florida sun beat down on her head like a vicious golden hammer, making it ache even worse. Her stomach lurched with each step she took across the heated tarmac and her heart was still pounding furiously in her chest.
What’s wrong with me? she wondered, forcing herself to keep walking. I must have a guilty conscious because of what happened with Merrick—well, because of what almost happened.
Of course, Merrick had never even kissed her—had never done more than hold her and hold her hand, so she supposed that technically, she didn’t have much to feel guilty for. But she couldn’t deny that her feelings had been involved with the big Kindred, even if her body hadn’t. An emotional affair—that’s what I had. But it’s over now. All over.
Elise just wished she could convince her heart of that fact.
She finally reached the door to the HKR building and summoned the strength to pull it open. It was made of thick glass in a metal frame and Elise was so weak she could barely mange it. Still, she finally got it open wide enough to slip inside and was relieved to feel a blast of cool air as she came in the building.
Thank God for AC, she thought, scanning the long room which was broken up by a long counter at one end and gray couches scattered around the perimeter. At the far end of the room, she spied James with his back to her. He was wearing the same impeccable suit he’d had on during their viewsceen conversation so she knew he must have come right from his office in downtown Tampa. James was always exactly on time no matter where he went and there was almost nothing he hated more than tardiness. After they’d started dating, Elise had made a concerted effort to always be five minutes early to all their dates—that way she was never late.
She wondered uneasily if James considered her late right now. Their conversation had been over an hour ago—how long had he been waiting here for her? As she watched, he lifted his arm, shook back his sleeve and glanced at his watch. Uh-oh!
“James?” she called, wishing her voice didn’t sound so weak. “James, dear—over here.”
He turned and the irritated look in his deep blue eyes turned to a warm smile of recognition. “Elise! Darling!” He came striding toward her which was good, since Elise didn’t feel up to running to him. When he reached her, he pulled her into a warm embrace, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close.
Elise hugged back, trying with all her heart to feel as happy and relieved to be in his arms as she knew she should. But somehow she couldn’t quite manage it. His smell seemed wrong to her—a hint of expensive Burberry cologne instead of smoke and fur and
musk. And while he was certainly taller than her, he wasn’t nearly tall enough. When he murmured her name, his voice was too high—too human. It didn’t sound like rocks rubbing together in a riverbed. Didn’t sound like Merrick.
God, I have got to stop thinking of him! she scolded herself angrily.
“…do you think?” James asked and she realized she’d missed the question.
“I’m sorry, what?” she asked, pulling out of their embrace.
“I said…but my goodness, darling, are you all right? You’re white as a sheet.”
“I’m fine,” Elise protested. She tried to take a step and sank down almost at once on a conveniently placed couch. “Well, not completely fine,” she admitted, seeing her fiancé’s worried look. “I’m weak and really hungry.” As she said the words, they seemed to suddenly be true. Her belly had a gnawing emptiness inside—a terrible hunger like nothing she’d ever felt before.
“Of course you are,” James said sympathetically. He helped her off the couch and began leading her out the front door of the HKR building. “Come on, let me call the car and we’ll go someplace for a nice champagne brunch.”
The thought of brunch was immensely appealing but the idea of getting into another moving vehicle on an empty stomach was not.
“No.” Elise shook her head as James pushed open the door for her. “No, I don’t want to drive anywhere. I need to eat now.”
James looked at her, clearly surprised. “Well, I must say that’s rather demanding of you, darling. And I’m not sure what we can do about it—there isn’t a decent restaurant in miles.”
“I see one.” Shading her eyes as they stepped into the bright sunlight, Elise pointed across the street. “Look.”
“That place? Darling, you have got to be joking,” James protested. “Do you know what it would do to my image if I was seen in a place like that?”
“Stop being so melodramatic, James,” she snapped, suddenly losing patience. “It’s just an IHOP for God’s sake—not some kind of whorehouse. And right now I feel like I could eat a stack of pancakes taller than I am.”
“Well, that’s not saying much, my diminutive darling.” He laughed at his little joke. “All right, if you’re sure you can’t wait for the champagne brunch.”
“No, I can’t,” Elise said shortly. “I’ve never been so hungry in my life. I need to eat.”
“Yes, so you said.” He eyed her uncertainly and Elise realized she was being rude.
“I’m sorry to be so snappish,” she apologized. “I’ve just had a long day.”
“Quite all right,” James assured her. “In fact, most understandable after what you’ve, um, been through.” He threaded her arm through his and set a brisk pace for the IHOP across the street. “Speaking of which, darling, do you need to, er, talk about your ordeal?”
Elise looked down at her shoes which happened to be red, open toed sandals with heels much higher than she was used to. She wished James would slow down a little but he was always in a hurry, everywhere he went. She supposed it was part of his personality, along with his insistence on never being late.
“I’d rather not talk about it, if you don’t mind,” she said in a low voice. “It was extremely…unpleasant.” Which was probably the understatement of the year.
“I understand, darling, really I do. But…” They had reached the opposite curb and as they stepped up, James turned her to face him and looked into her eyes. “It’s just that the aliens who abducted you, I understand they were male.”
“Yes, that’s right.” Elise nodded. She hadn’t seen a single other female the entire time she was a captive in the Fathership, that was certainly true.
“Well, darling, you’re a very attractive woman and I was afraid that…well…” James’ face turned scarlet and he trailed off.
Suddenly Elise realized what he was trying to ask. “No, James, they didn’t touch me that way,” she said in a low voice. The way they violated me was worse—much worse. But she couldn’t bear to say that aloud and she was pretty sure James wouldn’t want to hear it. “They…they didn’t rape me,” she said, instead.
His face cleared at once and he looked immensely relieved. “Excellent!” he exclaimed, squeezing her hand. “I’m so glad it wasn’t anything too terrible then.”
Elise frowned at him. “It was still pretty awful, you know.”
“I’m certain it was,” James said seriously. “And I’m not trying to downplay your stress, really I’m not. I’m just saying from my point of view—you know how I like to be the first man on the scene and we’ve been waiting so long for exactly that…” He cleared his throat meaningfully. “I’m just so glad you weren’t tampered with.”
Tampered with. As though I was some kind of rare wine and he wants to be sure the cork wasn’t pulled. Elise felt a spasm of guilt, which she suppressed ruthlessly. “Don’t worry, James,” she said as briskly as she could. “As I said, nothing they did to me was…was sexual.”
“Well then, we’ll say no more about it. Bury it in the vault as it were.”
His choice of words surprised and upset her. Had she ever spoken about her own private methods of dealing with unpleasant memories to James before? Elise was almost certain she hadn’t. “What did you say?” she asked, her voice shaking.
“Why, just that I’ll respect your wish not to speak of the whole distasteful experience, that’s all.” He peered at her closely. “Are you certain you’re just hungry, Elise? You don’t seem like yourself at all today.”
That’s because I’m not myself. I’m not the Elise you knew before I was zapped up into a hostile alien spaceship and forced to relive the worst parts of my past. Not the same woman you knew before I was found and healed and loved by a man who felt like part of me…then torn away from him before I could explore what might have been between us. Not…
God, shut up! Stop with the fricking soap opera already, she told herself angrily. I have to get over this. I have to go on with my life.
“I’m fine,” she said firmly. “Just really, really hungry. Come on.” She laced her fingers with his and pulled him toward the IHOP door. “Let’s eat.”
“Well, if you say so…” James allowed himself to be pulled into the generically cheerful interior of the fast food restaurant without further protest, though Elise did notice him looking anxiously around to make sure no paparazzi were lurking in any dark alleys nearby.
Being an international businessman with offices in both London and Tampa and a patron of the local art scene, James was a bit of a minor celebrity. The press seemed to view him as a sort of Batman type character—a billionaire tycoon with interesting secrets to hide—one of which was not the fact that he had a secret addiction to the Rooty Tooty Fresh and Fruity breakfast special.
Her fiancé loved acting the part of the mysterious mogul, playing it cool and aloof though always scrupulously polite for the roving packs of reporters that delighted in following him. In fact, only Elise and a few others knew that his biggest secret was her—almost no one knew they were engaged. James either went alone or took his secretary, Pam, when he went out to charity events and shows, and he refused to answer any questions pertaining to his private life.
Keeping their relationship under wraps had been a joint decision. Elise hated the limelight and she knew if they were photographed together and the paparazzi started digging, they’d find out about the fortune she was supposed to one day inherit. Not that she had any intention of touching her stepfather’s money—not a single penny of it. But the reporters didn’t know that—all they would see was a piece of juicy gossip about the eccentric billionaire playboy and his rich and mysterious wife to be.
Elise didn’t want that—didn’t want any part of it. She was perfectly fine with flying under the radar and she had never been more glad of her decision than she was right now. If it had been known that she and James were engaged, the paparazzi would have been all over them like a pack of vultures on a dead carcass the minute she stepped out o
f the HKR building.
A lone woman, without close friends or family connections being abducted and sent back alive was barely worth a mention. But a fabulously wealthy heiress being held hostage by hostile aliens and tortured in who knew what horrible and interesting ways would have made the front page of all the news vids for days. Add the fact that she was engaged to be married to a local celebrity and Elise would have had to kiss her private life goodbye forever. No, it was better this way. Much better, she reflected as they waited to be seated.
The hostess, a gum-popping waitress, who looked to be on the downhill side of forty, eyed James’ impeccable suit and Elise’s flirty red dress in disbelief as she collected two sticky plastic menus and some silverware rolled into paper napkins.
“You want smokin’ er nonsmokin’?” she asked, cracking her gum between large yellow teeth.
“You have a smoking section?” James frowned. “But Florida is a clear air state. There hasn’t been smoking allowed in public buildings for decades!”
“Tell that to th’ manager.” The waitress nodded at the paunchy, middle aged man behind the cash register. He had a receding hairline and a cigar butt clamped between his teeth. “So—smokin’ or non?” she repeated.
“Non,” Elise said firmly over James’ protests. “Just put us as far from the smoke as possible.”
“’K,” the waitress agreed amiably. “This way.” She led the way between a double row of booths covered in shiny, bright blue vinyl. Several of the other customers gave them skeptical looks as they passed, including a whole booth of what appeared to be Hell’s Angels. At least, Elise thought they must belong to some kind of gang or motorcycle club. They wore their leather jackets and multiple tattoos with equal ease and they all had an abundance of facial hair.
The waitress seated them a few booths down from the bikers and Elise studied them out of the corner of her eye. There was one in particular who she thought might be almost as tall as Merrick. He had a long black beard that was forked in the middle and Hell Bent tattooed on his knuckles. When he saw Elise watching him, he winked and blew her a kiss.
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