But it wasn’t just her looks that drew him—it was her scent. When Chain had sat down beside her, the scent of her sexual hunger had tugged at him immediately—teasing his nose with her need. He knew at once by the absence of any other male’s scent on her that this little female had been alone for a long time—perhaps even years—and she desperately needed some male attention.
Maybe that was what had driven him to kiss her—which he probably shouldn’t have done. But her lush lips had looked so tempting and she had tasted sweet—like that red Earth fruit. What was it again? Berrystraws? Strawmarries? Whatever it was, the taste of her had been intoxicating—literally.
He had barely been able to make himself stop kissing her, despite the imminent danger posed by the Varians in front of them. And Gods, the way she’d kissed back…it was clear she knew what she was doing and that she would be happy to do more if given half a chance.
Her evident experience—and the fact that she was clearly older than him—was intensely sexy to Chain. He liked a female who knew what she was doing in the bedroom. A female who knew what she wanted and was willing to guide a male and show him exactly how to pleasure her…damn, that was appealing. So appealing that his shaft went from half-mast to full attention as he found her scent at last, very faintly on the nighttime breeze.
Keeping his nose high and making sure to avoid the busy beehive of activity the Last Call bar had become after the Varians had shot it up, Chain followed the warm, alluring fragrance of his little female. Luckily, he was wearing his scatter-light hood and cloak, which caused any available light photons to bounce off him in such a way as to render him technically invisible. So all he had to do was make sure not to bump into anyone and nobody would even know he was there. The stealth tech had cost a ridiculous amount but it had saved his ass more than once and Chain was glad to have it now. He stepped casually aside as an Earth peacekeeper ran past him, speaking into a communications device.
He caught the Earth female’s scent again and sighed. It was a pity they hadn’t gotten to know each other more and that he didn’t have time to get to know her now. He just needed to find her, get back the T’lix-Kruthe, and neutralize the Varian threat before going on Priima Belle, where the other half of the precious artifact was located.
It was a time-sensitive mission, so he had no time for romance—not that any respectable female would ever consider bonding herself to an M-Switch like him. The other Kindred reviled Chain’s kind and called them “Body Snatcher” or just “Snatchers” for short, because of the way they took over the bodies of others. So finding a mate could be extremely difficult—if not impossible.
This little Earth female would probably revile him too, now that he had revealed his ability to her, he thought. So wishing he could stay to romance her was foolish and impractical. She’d probably be glad to see the end of him. But a male could dream, couldn’t he?
He lifted his nose higher and caught a stronger whiff of her scent—but this time it was laced with the acrid tang of fear. Chain frowned. That’s right—she’d been running for her life. He was certain she’d gotten away but was she really safe, wherever she was? The Varians couldn’t track her scent like he could with his sensitive Kindred nose, but might they have some other method of tracing her he didn’t know about?
The thought sent a cold chill down his spine and when he took another deep whiff of the air, the cold, reptilian odor of the Varians entered his senses as well as the warm fragrance of the little Earth female. Gods—he didn’t like the fact that their scent trails were so close—didn’t like it one Goddess-damned bit!
Chain’s hands doubled into fists at his sides and a low growl rose in his throat. It was his fault the curvy little female was in danger—his fault the Varians were tracking her. He had to get to her—had to find her quickly…
Before it was too late.
Four
Vicky went around her house, checking all the windows and doors and making sure they were locked twice before she felt safe enough to relax.
The house was big—a two story in Carrollwood, a nice neighborhood in North Tampa—that Kevin had grudgingly allowed her to keep in lieu of any alimony payments. Originally, he’d wanted to sell the house—which was paid for—and split the profits, which would have put Vicky out on the street house-hunting in what was an extremely overcrowded market.
For some reason the Tampa housing market had exploded recently with everyone seemingly determined to move to the Sunshine State despite the looming threat of yearly hurricanes. Vicky was well aware that half the profits of their old house would never have bought her a place anywhere near her work. In fact, she probably wouldn’t have been able to buy a house at all and would have wound up renting in a not-so-nice neighborhood in order to avoid a horrendous commute every morning.
Fortunately, both her daughters had called their father crying and begging him to let Vicky keep the house.
“You’re already destroying our childhood!” Melinda, the youngest and by far the most dramatic of the two had told him. “Now you want to take away any memories we might have left and sell the only place we have to come home to on holidays and breaks! Isn’t leaving mom for your secretary bad enough? Do you really have to throw her out on the street too? I used to be proud you were my father. Now I’m ashamed to even know you,” she’d finished—or so she’d said as she recounted the conversation to Vicky earlier.
“Melli, you shouldn’t have done that,” Vicky had chided gently, though she was secretly glad her daughter had. “If your father wants to move on, let him. Maybe he’ll be happier with his secretary.”
Happier than he was with me, she added mentally, though she didn’t say it aloud.
Kevin had always been a stoic man and not very emotional or loving, so she had never suspected how unhappy he truly was until his dramatic announcement that he was leaving her forever. Of course, Vicky hadn’t been very happy either and to tell the truth, she’d been dreading having an empty nest with no kids to take care of—just her and Kevin alone rattling around in the big old house with nothing to say to each other, now that Jodi and Melli no longer required their constant attention.
But now it’s just me rattling around in here—all by myself, Vicky thought as she wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. February was one of the few cold months they had down here in Tampa and it was actually chilly outside, but that wasn’t why she was shivering.
I’m afraid, Vicky admitted to herself. Afraid to be alone.
Not for the first time, she thought that she needed to get a dog or a cat for company. But their last pet, a cat called Mr. DandyPants, had died over a year ago at the ripe old age of eighteen and Vicky hadn’t felt ready for a new pet yet. Now, however, she wished she had a German Shepherd or some other big, protective dog to keep her safe.
Not that a dog—no matter how big it was—could keep you safe from that awful blue light beam the alien twins had, whispered a little voice in the back of her head. Remember the bartender? Remember how it cut a chunk right out of him, like he was made of Play-Doh?
Vicky shivered again and clutched herself tighter. She hadn’t missed Kevin one minute after finding out that he’d been cheating on her. Better to be alone than with a man who would betray her like that, she’d thought. But she missed him now—missed having another human being to talk to, to tell her fears to. Missed having someone to hold her—not that Kevin had ever been the loving, cuddling, holding type. But still, if he was here, at least she could tell him all the crazy things that had happened to her that night.
If Kevin was still around—if he hadn’t cheated on you and walked out on you—none of this would have happened in the first place, the little voice in her head informed her. You never would have gotten on that dating app or set a date with a man who stood you up or been grabbed by the big Kindred warrior who seemed to have some freaky way of invading people’s bodies at all.
Thinking of the big warrior made her remember the brief kiss they’
d shared and she couldn’t help the little twinge of longing that went through her. True, he had come with a heap of trouble, and the fact that he was apparently able to go head-hopping in and out of other people’s heads was weird, but damn could that man kiss!
In other circumstances, Vicky might have been brave enough to invite him home for a sexual tour around the world. The cowardly Ted might have stood her up, but the big Kindred hadn’t appeared to be put off by either her age or her weight. Vicky would have sworn she’d seen real interest in those midnight-blue eyes before everything went to Hell.
“Forget it—he was too young for you, anyway,” she muttered to herself. “In fact, let’s just forget the whole weird evening and take a hot bath and have a glass of white wine.”
Then she remembered the three daiquiris she’d had at the Last Call before Mr. Trouble stepped into her life and decided maybe she’d better have some chilled fruit juice instead—she didn’t want to be hung over tomorrow. Then she further remembered that Valentine’s Day had fallen on a Friday that year and that she’d taken Monday and Tuesday of next week off.
She had a long weekend planned and didn’t have to be back at Woodrow Wilson High School to teach until next Wednesday and also, she’d had a really scary and traumatic night, so she would damn well have the wine if she wanted it!
Feeling justified in her decision, Vicky ran herself a hot bath and added some vanilla and lavender bath salts before pouring herself a half-glass of wine and sitting it by the side of the tub.
The Jacuzzi garden tub Kevin had installed as her tenth anniversary present was, in Vicky’s opinion, the best thing in the whole house—except maybe for the convection oven he’d gotten her for their twelfth anniversary. Always into practical presents, that was her ex. She wondered if his new wife would enjoy unwrapping the latest kitchen appliance for her birthday and Christmas every year.
Hope she’s not expecting a diamond bracelet or a trip to France, Vicky thought as she began removing the shredded Teri Jon dress in the steamy, lavender and vanilla scented bathroom. Because she’s way more likely to get an instapot or a new air fryer.
The steaming tub and the chilled wine looked awfully inviting. Vicky pushed the thoughts of her ex and his new life away and decided she would forget everything that had happened that night and just relax.
But as she slipped out of her best black lacy bra, something heavy fell out of it and landed on her foot.
“Ouch!” Vicky gasped, grabbing her injured right foot and hopping around on the left to try and keep her balance. “What in the world?”
She looked around for whatever had hurt her and saw something glimmering with a faint, golden gleam way back under the bathroom vanity.
Cussing in irritation, Vicky eased herself down on the floor—making sure the fluffy bathmat was between her knees and the cold tiles—and reached under to try and snag whatever it was. Her seeking fingers found it soon enough and she pulled it out and held it cupped in her hands.
“Oh,” she breathed, staring at it. “It’s that thing the Kindred stole from those awful copy/paste twins. The… what did he call it? The Twix-something or other. How could I have forgotten about it?”
How, indeed? Because now that she was looking at it closely, the object in question was completely unforgettable.
It was about the size of a golf ball and appeared to be made of solid gold. There was some kind of language she couldn’t recognize etched on its round sides—Vicky studied it closely and thought it must be some kind of alien alphabet. It certainly wasn’t any Earth language she’d ever seen before.
The artifact wasn’t perfectly round, however—there was a little divot at one end that looked just deep enough to hold about half a teaspoon of liquid. Vicky rubbed the divot with her fingertip experimentally and the golden sides of the little ball-bowl suddenly lit up with rows and rows of tiny, multicolored lights like sparkling gems. The lights threw rainbow patterns on the bathroom walls and ceiling and the large, bay window right beside the bathtub.
“Ohhhh,” Vicky breathed, positively mesmerized by the rainbow light show. What was this Twix-thing, anyway—some kind of alien Christmas ornament? Or something much more special and valuable? Something irreplaceable?
She wondered uneasily if the Varians and the big Kindred would be coming back to find it. But no—she’d left them all in the dust and hadn’t even given the Kindred her first name, let alone her last. Her neighborhood was set far back from Dale Mabry, the busy main road that ran all through Tampa from North to South and it was a complete maze once you got into it. There was no way either the aliens of the Kindred would be able to find her. Right?
“Right,” Vicky told herself firmly as she sank into the steaming tub. She gave a relieved sigh and placed the golden alien bauble—which was still putting on a light show—down on the broad side of the tub. Lifting her wine glass instead, she took a sip and tried to let her nerves unwind. Everything was going to be just fine, she told herself. Everything would be perfect and right now she would just relax and take her bath.
She’d piled her hair up on top of her head and now she leaned back against the towel she’d placed to cushion her neck, looking at the rainbow lightshow still going on above her. Slowly, she began to relax.
She had no idea how much danger she was in.
Five
Chain saw the multicolored lights of the T’lix-Kruthe glowing in her window long before his nose told him he was anywhere near the little Earth Female. The brilliant rainbow pattern flashed out into the night, almost as though she wanted to be found.
He cursed under his breath and pulled his head back inside his small ship, which transformed to look like an Earth vehicle called a car. Damn it, what was wrong with her? How had she activated the artifact in the first place and why was she letting it flash out for all the world to see? The Varians would be on her in a heartbeat if she wasn’t careful!
Just as the thought entered his head, he heard a low whooshing in the air above him. Looking up, Chain saw a sleek, dark shape cruising silently just above the treetops—the Varian ship, no doubt. Damn it all to the Seven Hells, they’d spotted the lights too! And they were going to be on the little Earth female in a moment if he didn’t somehow get to her first.
But how could he? His own craft was land-bound at the moment and unable to drive as fast as the Varian ship could fly. He’d been tracking her by scent and that was much easier closer to the ground where scents tended to linger.
Well, there was no need to search for her by smell any longer. She had practically put out a billboard advertising her presence.
Punching a few buttons and grabbing the steering yoke, Chain took off and lifted into the dark night sky. It was going to be a race to see who could get to the Earth female and the T’lix-Kruthe first.
It was a race he couldn’t afford to lose.
Six
Vicky had finished her half glass of wine and was debating with herself if it was worth it or not to get up and pour another when she heard the strange sounds outside in the back yard. She frowned. Probably just the wind.
Her neighborhood, Trellis Lakes Estates, was far back in the woods and there were no houses behind hers. Instead, she had a lovely nature preserve with a miniature lake and a stand of tall palm trees.
The perfect little area was just outside the master bathroom and it was lovely in the morning to watch through the bay window beside the bathtub as the Sand cranes and egrets picked their way around the marshy edges of the little pond, looking for their breakfast.
At night, however, the scene outside the bay window could be a bit spooky. Sometimes the wind whipped through the long, thin fronds of the palm trees and made the weirdest noises—like it was now.
Uneasily, Vicky peered out of the bay window. She had blinds on it, of course, though she usually kept them open to let in the natural light. The fact that there were no neighbors around her ensured that she had perfect privacy, so she never felt the need to close the
blinds.
Now, however, she felt the need.
Reaching up, she grabbed the long stick which twisted the Venetian blinds open and closed with one wet hand and gave it a firm twist. The blinds closed, shutting out the darkness outside and making the rainbow display the alien artifact was still putting on seem even brighter somehow.
Sighing, Vicky sank deeper into the tub until the scented water was up to her chin. Closing her eyes, she tried to meditate, thinking about nothing at all and taking long, deep breaths in and out. But the colored lights still bothered her—why were they so bright? She could even see them on the insides of her closed eyelids!
Annoyed, Vicky opened her eyes just long enough to throw her fuzzy pink towel over the blinking artifact. She closed her eyes and sighed in relief. There—that was better. Closing her eyes again, she tried once more to meditate, to lose herself in the stillness and warmth of her bath…
But she didn’t get to lose herself for long. Suddenly, the night erupted into noise and violence as her bay window shattered inward and something—or someone—landed on the far edge of the bathtub across from her.
Vicky screamed as she felt a lot of sharp-edged objects fall into the tub with her. They were glass shards—not many but enough to cut her arms and legs when she thrashed. Her instinct to close the blinds was probably the only thing that had saved her from being cut to ribbons, since they had caught most of the glass, but she was in no mood to feel grateful at the moment.
That was because of the thing sitting at the end of the tub and glaring at her with wide, unblinking, slitted yellow eyes.
The Varian without his human mask was even uglier than Vicky had imagined. She stared in mute horror at the long, lizard body and the scaly tale twitching beside him. His whole body was covered in rough, pebbled scales like an alligator’s and also like a gator, he had a kind of snout, filled with long, sharp teeth.
Stealing Her Heart Page 3