“Don’t worry, beautiful Victoria,” he said a bit too heartily. “Of course I have a ‘Plan B’ as you put it. I wouldn’t be much of a thief if I didn’t.”
“Okay, so what is it?” Vicky asked. “I mean, are we going to fake it or what?”
“I think we’ve done enough faking already, don’t you?” For a moment his mask of good humor seemed to slip and she thought his deep voice was harsh.
“Chain?” she asked. “Do you…is there something else you want to say?”
He shook his head. “We’ve said everything we need to, don’t you think? Do me a favor and watch my body for me—I’ll only be a moment.”
Then he slumped down on the silver beanbag mattress and appeared to go unconscious all at once.
Vicky put a hand to her mouth to stop a little scream from coming out. If she hadn’t seen him do this exact thing back at the Last Call Bar when they had first met, she would have assumed he was having some kind of a seizure or a stroke. But now she knew this was just his way. His…superpower or whatever you wanted to call it. He had left his own body and gone somewhere else—but where?
Her answer appeared soon enough in the form of Professor Torella’s student—the large, muscular brunette—coming towards her. He was still completely nude, as he had been the night before, and he appeared to have something clutched in his big hand.
“Oh, uh…” She scooted back a little as the big student came right up to the bed. She really didn’t need another naked man complicating her life right now!
But when the student spoke, his voice sounded strangely familiar.
“Here,” he said, holding out his hand to her. “Take this quickly—I managed to get into this body while the owner was still in deep sleep but if he wakes up, we’ll be in trouble.”
Vicky held out her hand automatically and the big student dropped something small and heavy into her palm.
“Be right back,” he told her. “Get dressed and be ready to go.”
Then he walked back the way he had come, presumably to wherever Professor Torella was sleeping in this strange, alien house.
Vicky stared after him for a moment, then registered what he’d said. Get dressed—she had to get dressed.
She scrabbled among the silvery covers until she found the somewhat crumpled green goddess gown Kat had made for her the day before. God, was it really only a day ago? She felt like she’d lived a lifetime in one night! Anyway, it was time to get ready to go.
She put down the mug of now-cold caffeine brew on a side table and had just finished pulling the dress over her head when Chain took a deep breath and sat up in bed again.
“Oh good,” he said, looking at her. “You’re ready. Let’s go before the rest of the household starts waking up.”
“What, just like that? We’re, uh, stealing this?” Vicky looked down at the heavy golden object in her hand. It appeared to be fluted at one end and was much longer and thinner than the golf-ball-sized bottom of the T’lix-Kruthe. But it had the same flowing script inscribed on it and the same tiny jewels imbedded in its sides. It was clear the two haves would fit together.
“I’m a thief, remember? A Snatcher. That’s what it means to be an M-Switch Kindred,” Chain growled.
Then he seemed to make an effort to control his temper because he took a deep breath and smiled at her.
“Don’t worry, beautiful Victoria, I left a note informing them that we had an emergency at home and couldn’t stay. I also included the number of an interstellar bank account—I’ll send Professor Torella more than enough to cover the price of her artifact. She’ll probably be able to afford to add a whole new wing to her collection.”
“Well…that’s okay, I guess,” Vicky said uncertainly, though it still felt like stealing to her. Still, he was right—she had known he was a thief right from the start of their short-lived relationship. And it wasn’t really surprising that he was willing to commit larceny to get out of bonding with the wrong woman permanently. Hell, lots of men had done worse things than that to get out of a bad relationship!
But was it bad? whispered a little voice in her head. Because I kind of thought it was pretty good—great actually.
Vicky sighed. Yes, it had been great while it lasted. Chain was a wonderful guy and he’d given her the most erotic sexual experience of her life. So at least she had that memory to treasure.
“I guess we’d better go, huh?” she asked him.
He nodded. “Yes—but quietly. Come on.”
They snuck out of Professor Torella’s house like a couple of criminals—which Vicky supposed they were—and got quietly into Chain’s ship.
“Well,” he said, as they finished buckling themselves in. “Time to get back to the Mother Ship. Commander Sylvan will be wanting the other half of the T’lix-Kruthe.”
“Yes.” Vicky sighed. “I guess the adventure is over and it’s time to go home—back to normal life.”
“Home,” he echoed but he didn’t sound very happy about it. “Yes, let’s get you back to your home, Victoria. I wouldn’t want to keep you from your life any longer.”
Then, without another word, he started the engines and the little ship rose into the air and flew into the blackness of space.
Thirty-Three
She didn’t want you, whispered the little voice in Chain’s brain. Didn’t want you, didn’t want you, didn’t want you. It was like a chant that wouldn’t stop.
Well, who could blame her for not wanting him? He was, after all, one of the notorious M-Switch Kindred and a thief into the bargain. Was it really such a shock that his beautiful Victoria didn’t want to bind her life to his permanently?
Not a shock at all, Chain told himself. But it still hurt. Somehow he had allowed himself to fall in love with her, despite the fact that they’d been together such a short time. And knowing that she didn’t feel the same way hurt in a way he’d never experienced. Maybe because he’d never allowed himself to truly love a female before.
I didn’t allow it this time, either, Chain told himself. It just…happened.
He wished he could make it un-happen, but of course he couldn’t. So there was nothing to do but take her back to her home planet and leave her where he’d found her on Earth.
Nothing to do but let her go and never see her again.
That was a thought with sharp teeth—it chewed on his heart until he could hardly breathe for the pain it caused. He could barely look at Victoria, sitting in the seat beside him. The ride back to her planet was silent and, for Chain at least, completely miserable.
When they got back to her house—landing in the early twilight in her back yard—Vicky felt strangely reluctant to let him leave. Which was completely ridiculous, she knew, but somehow she just couldn’t stand the thought of watching Chain fly away, never to return.
To put it off a little while longer she said,
“Would you mind coming in and checking the house with me? Just to be sure no more, uh, lizard guys are hiding anywhere?”
“Of course.” He had been unusually silent all the way home, but now he seemed to come alive. “There shouldn’t be any Varians though—we towed their ship out of orbit so there should be no way for any of them to track you. But if it would make you feel better, I’ll come with you to look.”
“It would make me feel better,” Vicky said. “Especially since it’s going to be dark soon.” She looked around the dim backyard and shivered.
“Come on, then.” Chain went with her into the house and they made a thorough check of everything and everywhere an alien lizard guy might be hiding. They found nothing, though, except the broken bathroom window—which Chain had patched for her with plywood from the garage—the shredded drapes, and the greasy black spot where the second Varian had been incinerated.
“I’m sorry about all this damage to your domicile,” Chain said, frowning, as they ended up in the living room where the stained carpet was. “I promise you’ll get more than enough from your half of the fee for
our mission to repair and replace everything. I’ll be sure to ask Commander Sylvan to see to it personally.”
“Thanks,” Vicky said nodding, though at this point she wasn’t really thinking about the damage to her house. Instead, she was dreading the moment when Chain would have to leave. “Um, would you like a cup of coffee?” she asked, hoping to prolong their time together. “It’s kind of like the caffeine brew you made me—only brown instead of light blue,” she added, seeing his confusion.
“Thank you but…I’d better not.” Chain shook his head regretfully. “Commander Sylvan will be wanting the other half of the T’lix-Kruthe.”
“Oh, uh…sure. I guess he will.” Vicky nodded and sighed, feeling unutterably sad. “Well, I guess this is goodbye then?” she asked and was surprised to feel that her eyes were actually stinging. God, she was going to miss him! She knew it was ridiculous—they hadn’t known each other more than a few days. But she couldn’t help it—she really cared for the big Kindred, even if they were mis-matched due to their age difference.
The heart wants what the heart wants, she thought sadly to herself. Only in this case, it can’t have what it wants. Which was Chain, of course.
“Yes, I guess this is goodbye,” he echoed and Vicky thought he didn’t sound any happier about it than she felt.
Still, they walked to the front door together and he opened it and then they just stood there, staring out into the deepening twilight together. The soft gray light reminded Vicky of the morning light on Priima Belle where she had woken up not so long ago. It all seemed like a dream now—their trip to the other planet, the crazy food lecture she’d given, and everything that had happened afterwards…
All just a dream, Vicky thought sadly. One that would never be repeated.
Chain started to go and she heard herself blurt,
“What? You’re leaving without even hugging me goodbye?”
He turned to her at once and gathered her into his arms.
Vicky gave a little surprised gasp as he pulled her close and buried his face in her hair. His arms were around her tight and he inhaled deeply, as though he was trying to fix the scent of her hair in his memory forever
For a moment she was frozen—then she hugged him back, pressing every inch of herself against his hard, muscular body. God, he felt so good against her! And his spicy, masculine scent seemed to fill her senses, making her feel she was drowning in him.
They clung together for what seemed an eternity, neither wanting to let the other go. At last Chain whispered in her ear,
“Goodbye, beautiful Victoria. You will live in my heart forever.”
Then he tore himself away from her and hurried out the door, not looking back once.
Vicky watched him go and felt as though a cat with very sharp claws was using her heart a scratching post. God, why did it hurt so badly to watch him leave when they’d been together such a short time? And why did she have the urge to run after him and beg him to stay?
But no—she couldn’t do that. It would only drag out an already painful process. She had to let the big Kindred go.
Sadly, she watched the sky as his sleek, silver ship took off and flew quietly away. Then she went back to the living room, sat down and cried.
Chain was gone and she would probably never see him again. And at that moment, it didn’t seem to matter that he was younger than her or that they hadn’t known each other very long—it felt like a piece of Vicky’s soul was being ripped away.
A piece she would never get back.
Thirty-Four
“Oh, Commander Chainor—what are you doing back here so quickly?” Kat asked, looking at the M-Switch Kindred in surprise as he left the Docking Bay.
“Completing my mission. I have the second half of the T’lix-Kruthe,” he said shortly and opened his palm to show a shiny golden object. “I’m bringing it to Commander Sylvan now.”
“I’ll come with you,” Kat said. She’d been on her way to go see Sophie and Liv, who were at Sophie’s suite, so she fell into step beside the big Kindred and they continued down the long silver corridor together.
Chainor seemed inclined to be quiet, which was rather unlike him, Kat thought. While she didn’t know the M-Switch Kindred well, her few interactions with him had shown him to be extremely gregarious. He wore his title of thief and “Snatcher” like a badge of honor and came across as a lovable rogue—a male who was always willing to charm the ladies and laugh at the fact that his people were mostly outcasts in the larger Kindred society.
“You certainly completed your mission in record time,” she remarked, hoping to make some small talk and find out what was going on with him. “Where’s Vicky at? Is she waiting in the ship for you?”
“She’s back on Earth,” Chainor said shortly. “Where she belongs.”
“What?” Kat frowned at his frosty tone. From the way those two had been acting around each other and the look in Vicky’s eyes when she talked about the big Kindred, Kat had been certain she and Chainor were a match made by the Goddess herself. In fact, she’d fully expected the two of them to come back bonded. So what was going on?
“Why do you say she belongs back on Earth?” she asked Chainor, trying to feel him out.
“Because that is her home, of course.” He continued to stare straight ahead as he spoke but she thought she saw a little wince of pain on his handsome face.
“And…had you considered making it your home too?” Kat asked carefully. “I mean, I thought maybe the two of you had a future together. I know you had just met each other when we got to know Vicky, but the two of you had amazing chemistry. I, uh…” She cleared her throat. “I kind of thought the two of you might be bonded when you came back.”
“There was a point when I thought that, too,” Chainor said, nodding stiffly. “But it was not to be.”
“But…why not?” Kat asked bluntly, tired of beating around the bush.
Chainor stopped abruptly in the middle of the corridor and turned on her, his blue eyes flashing.
“Because she didn’t want me,” he growled and Kat saw pure, abject misery on his face for just a moment.
Then the big Kindred took a deep breath and wiped his face clean of emotion.
“It’s because I’m an M-Switch,” he said and though his face was now blank, there was unmistakable bitterness in his voice. “That’s the way it’s always been—will always be for me. No female would ever want to be with one of my kind and I do not blame them.”
“Chainor—” Kat began, but he shook his head.
“If you’ll excuse me, I’d prefer to be alone at this time. Forgive my rudeness but I find myself…preoccupied just now.”
“Oh, of course.” Kat nodded. “I’m, uh, sorry if I bothered you.”
“You didn’t,” he said shortly. “Have a good day.”
Then he turned and walked away. He was going in the wrong direction, but Kat didn’t say anything. She figured that he’d find his way to Sylvan eventually.
But in the meantime, what was going on between him and Vicky?
“This has to be a misunderstanding,” Kat muttered to herself. “I saw the way her eyes lit up when she talked about him. Those two belong together—I’m sure of it!”
But what could she do to make things right? Kat resolved to find out and in the meantime, she needed to find a way to keep Chainor here aboard the Mother Ship.
He couldn’t leave until things were cleared up with Vicky because if he did, who knew when he would ever come back again?
Thirty-Five
The knock on her door a few days later surprised Vicky. For a moment, her heart fluttered. Could it be Chain, coming back for something? Maybe he had left something at her house, or maybe he just wanted to say hello.
She ran her fingers through her hair anxiously and grabbed a quick look in the bathroom mirror to check her makeup before running to the door. But when she opened it, her heart dropped down to her shoes.
Instead of Chain standing there,
she saw Kat and a woman she didn’t recognize—a very pregnant woman—about her own age.
“Oh, uh, hello, Kat,” she said, pasting a facsimile of a smile on her face. “It’s so nice to see you again. And who’s this?”
“This is my good friend, Lizabeth,” Kat said, as Vicky ushered the two of them into her house. “I thought you might like to meet her.”
“Well, hello, Lizabeth.” Vicky shook the pregnant woman’s hand. She was mystified as to why Kat would come all the way down from the Mother Ship to introduce her to a new friend, but she didn’t actually mind. Lizabeth seemed like a friendly person—at least from the way she smiled and nodded—and Vicky was an extrovert who liked meeting new people.
She ushered them into the living room and got them settled on the couch before offering coffee or tea. The living room was looking better than it had—Vicky had replaced the drapes—though she could only afford cheap ones—and gotten a throw rug to put over the greasy spot by the bookcase, so at least she wasn’t ashamed of it.
“No liquids for me, thanks,” Lizabeth said, smiling painfully. “I’m in my fourth quadmester with twins right now and one of the babies is sitting directly on my bladder. Anything I drink runs right through me and you can’t imagine what a hassle it is to use the restroom right now.”
“No, I can’t,” Vicky said honestly. “Did you say your fourth quadmester?”
“Lizabeth is mated to a Twin Kindred,” Kat explained. “And all Kindred pregnancies take an entire year, not just nine months.” She shook her head. “Believe me, it’s completely miserable towards the end. Although Lizabeth has it easier than I did—I had to carry triplets for that long.”
“Hey, nothing about this is easy,” Lizabeth protested. “It doesn’t matter how many babies you’re carrying—after a certain point, you just want them out.”
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