Challa

by Linda Mooney

  He grabbed his boots and socks, and headed for the kitchen. Reaching the doorway, he paused to take in the sight of a roomful of people already sitting around the table. He vaguely remembered everyone. When he had arrived last night at the DeGrassi home, his sole focus had been on Challa. Now he had the chance to separate who was who. Dropping his boots against the wall, he walked in. It was DeGrassi who spotted him first.

  “Good morning, Compton! Have a seat.” The deputy gestured to the chair next to him.

  A dark-haired man stood up at the other end of the table and extended a hand. “I’m Jebaral Morr. Jeb. I’m glad to finally meet you.”

  Compton stared mutely at the way the man’s warm brown eyes had gold-colored flecks swimming around in them. His examination was cut short when another man with the same build but shorter in stature also stood to shake his hand. This one was blond, and his blue eyes had greenish flecks in them. At that moment, Compton realized the unusual eyes must be a Ruinos trait.

  “I’m Simolif Morr. You can call me Simon.”

  The Ruinos brothers.

  “How do you like your eggs?” a woman asked, getting to her feet and moving over to the stove. She was a stunning beauty, with her jet-black hair pulled back into a ponytail. She also wore a forest ranger uniform. Like the two men, her accent gave her away.

  “Uhh, I don’t care,” Compton managed.

  “Good, because you’re getting them scrambled. There should be bacon still on the table. I’ll pop you some more bread in the toaster.”

  A chuckle behind him diverted his attention away from her. Compton turned around to see DeGrassi sitting at the head of the table. Unlike last night, the man had on his deputy sheriff uniform, complete with badge and name tag. A holstered gun hung from the back of his chair.

  “Guess I’ll get our guest of honor some coffee,” another woman seated beside Jebaral said. She was also a blonde. Strikingly cute and pert like a hometown Prom queen. She wore her long hair in a ponytail, as well. “It’s not like I haven’t done that a time or two,” she quipped as she slid out of her seat. Her wry comment got chuckles from everyone, and Compton vaguely remembered DeGrassi explaining that Hannah, Jebaral’s wife, worked as a waitress at the downtown diner.

  Jeb and Hannah, Thom and Roni, Simon and… Compton glanced around.

  “Something wrong?” Jebaral asked.

  Compton turned to Simolif. “Where’s Sarah?”

  “In Thom’s office,” Challa supplied, entering the kitchen. She took the only seat left, which happened to be next to Compton. Leaning over, she gave him a warm kiss. “I take it you’ve met the family?” she commented as she pulled back.

  Compton gave her a warm smile. He continued to be amazed at the change in her since last night. Glancing around the table, he answered, “Basic introductions have been given. It’s going to take me a while, though, to get used to it all.”

  Hannah reached over and squeezed his hand. “That’s to be expected. We sort of come on strong when we gather. Sorry about that, but it can’t be helped.”

  “We don’t come on full-force unless we feel it’s necessary,” Jebaral added.

  Compton frowned slightly. “How necessary?”

  “To defend the Ruinos,” DeGrassi said, giving a nod in Challa’s direction as she sat down. “In this case, to save Challa’s life.”

  Compton felt the blood rush from his face. He remembered the deputy explaining to him that once blood mates were found, the loss of one could lead to the death of the other. In the case of the Ruinos, it was almost a certainty. But since he was human, he wouldn’t suffer as debilitating a fate. Unconsciously, his other hand found her waist, and he pulled her closer to him.

  “Thank the stars we were in time,” Tiron said. She brought the skillet over to the table to drop scrambled eggs onto Compton’s plate. At the sight of them, he realized how hungry he was.

  “Dig in. I’ve already eaten,” Challa said and grabbed a piece of toast from the platter in the middle of the table. Compton thanked Hannah for the cup of coffee she set in front of him and began eating.

  “All right! I’m done!” Tiron placed the skillet in the sink and wiped her hands on a dish towel. “The cook is now a forest ranger, and I have to get my ass over to headquarters quick, or else Folson’s going to file another report on me for being late relieving him.” She gave an exasperated sigh and went over to the table to give her husband a kiss goodbye. She followed by giving both Compton and Challa a peck on top of their heads. “Tol raha, kolli. Di marandi,” she told Challa with a smile, then hurried out of the room. There was the sound of keys jingling as the front door opened and closed with a slam.

  “What did she say?” Compton asked.

  Challa giggled. “She said I had good taste in mates.”

  Simolif snorted as he shook his head. Getting to his feet, he picked up his bowl and coffee cup, and took them over to the sink. “We need to think about hitting the road, t’korra,” he commented. Pausing slightly, he then shrugged. “Okay. I’ll give the boss a call and let him know.” Turning around, he smiled at the rest of them still seated at the table and pulled out his cell phone from his pants pocket. “Excuse me for a moment.”

  Compton watched as the man disappeared into the living room to place his call. He realized that the more he saw, the more confused he became. Of course, this was all part of their normal, day-to-day lives. But how often did one see a man talk to thin air and get an answer?

  A hand on his arm drew his attention back to Challa. For several seconds he stared into her blue eyes with their purple flecks, when a bright sense of comprehension opened up inside him.

  Life mates. Blood mates.

  You’ll understand once you and Challa become blood mates.

  “You can talk to each other mentally?” he whispered to her. “Like telepathy?”

  “No. Not like telepathy. It’s a bit more emotional than that,” Challa replied.

  “Don’t worry, Compton,” Hannah reassured him. “You’ll get the hang of it real quick like. Honey, I gotta run, too.”

  “Same here.” Jebaral rose and gave Compton a nod. “Planning on staying another night? We’d love to get the chance to catch up with Challa on what she’s been doing since we landed.”

  “I-I don’t know. We haven’t really talked about it,” Compton admitted, glancing over at the woman who was giving him a pleading look. Grinning, he started to say more when someone’s cell phone jangled.

  DeGrassi threw them an apologetic look as he reached into his breast pocket. “’Scuse me,” he said, glancing at the display window first. “It’s the office. DeGrassi.” The big man was immediately all business. “Yeah, George. Yeah.” He waved at Jebaral, who quickly came back to the table. “Yeah, I did. Yeah, they’re right here. Want me to bring them in with me? Yeah, they are. Okay. Will do. We’ll be leaving here in about fifteen minutes. See you at the station.”

  Closing his phone, DeGrassi grimaced. “Lawson Hall is at the sheriff’s office, filing a report. He says we trespassed on carnival property and kidnapped Challa.”

  “No such thing!” Hannah protested.

  Challa added her own denial. “You can’t kidnap someone who goes voluntarily!”

  DeGrassi raised a hand. “Hey, the man has a valid complaint. That woman you were with, she must have given my name to Hall, and apparently he tracked me here. You gotta give the man kudos for being resourceful.”

  “What should we do?” Compton asked.

  “What the law says we should do,” DeGrassi told him. “We go to the office and face Hall.” He turned to Challa. “The man knows you’re Ruinos, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Anyone else in that outfit know the truth?”

  Challa shook her head. “No. Not that I’m aware of.”

  “George asked me flat out if Challa was family. It’s code for Ruinos.” DeGrassi took a deep breath. “There’s probably a dozen people here in Tumbril Harbor who know the truth. Good peo
ple. Trustworthy people. Some of them have even put their lives on the line to help protect us. Challa, you’re safe here. I just wanted you to know that up front.”

  “So we go in and confront Hall. Then what?” Compton wanted to know. “Challa’s an adult. She’s not being held here against her will.” He looked at the woman leaning against him. “Is there any reason why Hall would be so adamant to have you back?”

  “Did you sign any kind of agreement with him?” DeGrassi added.

  Challa nodded slightly. “I signed a contract.”

  “But I’m willing to bet she has no idea what the contract contains or what it meant at the time,” Compton said. The others agreed.

  Jebaral rubbed the back of his neck. “Somehow we need to convince Hall to let Challa go. Let her lead her own life now.” The Ruinos male looked directly at Challa. “Do you want to go back to the carnival?”

  “No,” she firmly answered. Underneath the table, her hand squeezed Compton’s thigh, but he could also feel how it trembled. “My life is where Compton is, and he’s not part of the show.”

  “That’s good enough for me,” DeGrassi said, scooting back in his chair and getting to his feet. “Come on. Let’s get over to the office and get this mess cleared up, the sooner the better. Hurry up. I’ll meet you two outside.”

  “What about us?” Jebaral asked.

  DeGrassi waved him off. “You and Hannah go ahead and get to work. This shouldn’t take too long, or be too complicated. Simon?”

  “Yeah. I’m here.” The other Ruinos man stood in the kitchen doorway.

  “You and Sarah heading out?”

  Simolif nodded. “As soon as she’s finished in your office. You know how thorough she is.”

  “Not a problem. Lock up when you leave, would you?” The deputy gave the man a pat on the shoulder as he walked by.

  Compton hurried into the living room to pull on his socks and boots as everyone exchanged goodbyes. Five minutes later, he and Challa were following DeGrassi’s truck back into town.

  Chapter 36

  Confrontation

  “I can tell you’re fearful,” Compton said in a soft voice. He was following the deputy as they headed back into town. In the passenger seat, Challa remained silent, although her hand crept over the console and clutched his thigh. She was trying to control her fear. Her emotional battle vibrated inside him. “What is this man holding over you? Why are you afraid to face him down and tell him you’re not going back to the carnival?”

  He noticed her attention had been directed toward the thick trees lining both sides of the road. In fact, ever since DeGrassi had mentioned the fact that Ruinos loved running in the woods, Compton had been eyeing the surrounding forest with a new perspective.

  Her hand squeezed his thigh again. He glanced over at her. He was trying to send her calming reassurance, but had no idea if he was succeeding. How he knew he could give her emotional support, he couldn’t explain. Neither could he pinpoint when he became aware of this gift. Ever since last night, he had felt like a human advent calendar. Every so often a new door in his psyche would open up to reveal an unknown part of himself, and of his connection to Challa.

  “Challa?” He sent her an unspoken nudge along with his verbal one.

  “Those years right after landing were…the worst. When Lawson found me, I was starving,” she told him in a dull monotone, as if she had disassociated herself from her confession. “He knew what I was. He understood I was a real alien. It was his idea to use my true self as one of the acts in the sideshow.”

  Compton nodded, keeping silent so as not to interrupt her. A sideways glance at her saw she was looking out the windshield, but her gaze was focused from within.

  “He gave me food and clothing, and a place to sleep. A place to feel safe. Pretending to be a dangerous alien girl for his sideshow was a small price to pay…until I wanted to make friends.” She paused for a moment before continuing.

  “Lawson said my friends were the carnies. My family was the carnies, but he was the only person who knew I was a real alien. He made me swear not to tell anyone else, and then he threatened me if I dared to reveal the truth about myself. He told me…he said that people on this world are afraid of real aliens. He said if people knew I didn’t wear a costume, they would attack the carnival. They would find me, and drag me away, and probably put me in some sort of scientific research facility and perform all kinds of horrible experiments on me.”

  She finally raised her eyes to look at him, but Compton already knew how gut-twisting the man’s threat had felt to her. “He took care of me, Compton. He protected me from those people who feared me…and they believed I was wearing a costume!”

  “He put you in a cage, Challa. They put you in a real cage, and he put you in one up here.” He tapped his temple for emphasis. “He kept you hostage with threats and fear. That makes him no better than the Arra.”

  “No. No, you’re wrong. Lawson isn’t anything like the Arra,” Challa told him. A wave of unimaginable fear crashed down on him. Cold and heart-stopping. Compton gasped as he fought control of the steering wheel. Bits and pieces of the horror she had witnessed and been subjected to stuck to his brain like poisonous burrs. Shaking his head, he gave her a look of pure shock. Challa nodded her head. “Lawson’s never hurt me. Not physically. He needs me to keep his carnival afloat.”

  “Doesn’t matter. Your days with the carnival are over. You’re staying with me, and his threats won’t work this time,” Compton told her. Mentally steeling himself, he added, “Lawson thinks you’re one of a kind. He’s going to be surprised to discover he’s dead wrong.”

  Their conversation ended as they entered the outskirts of town and stopped at a red light.

  Tumbril Harbor was a relatively small town. Its main street was actually a state highway that ran through town, with half a dozen side streets crossing it perpendicularly. The town hall and jail sat at the corner of one such intersection. Challa pointed out the carnival owner’s ancient bus parked in front, across the street.

  They pulled into the tiny parking lot behind the county jail and entered the offices through the back door. Compton could feel Challa emotionally holding his hand as they followed DeGrassi to the sheriff’s office. At first glance, Compton’s impression of Sheriff Klotsky was that the man was a seasoned officer. Although a bit on the heavy side, Klotsky still managed to project an aura of confidence and fairness, as well as common sense. Lawson Hall was already seated inside. “Gee. It feels like deja vu all over again,” Compton drily commented as the door was closed behind them.

  Lawson Hall barely glanced at Compton as he jumped to his feet and rushed over to Challa, taking her by the shoulders. “Are you all right? How do you feel?”

  “I feel fine, Lawson,” she told him, staring him straight in the eye. To further make a point, she pulled his hands away from her shoulders and stepped back toward Compton. “It’s time, Lawson. It’s time to let me go. I no longer want to be with the show.”

  Surprised, Hall also took a step backwards. He redirected his attention toward Compton and glared at the man. “You put her up to this, didn’t you?”

  “He didn’t put me up to anything,” Challa answered. “I’m in love with Compton. I’m staying with him.”

  Hall frowned. It was evident by the growing redness in his face that the man was trying to control his temper. “You can’t stay with him, and you know why.” He turned to Compton. “You don’t know anything about this girl. You have no idea what you’re doing.”

  Compton grinned. “You mean because she’s a Ruinos?”

  Hall froze. Someone could have smacked him in the face with a two-by-four, and the man would have never felt it. Compton’s grin widened.

  “I’m her true blood mate, Hall, in case she’s ever told you about finding a life partner.”

  Hall searched the faces of the others in the room, the sheriff and the deputy. DeGrassi gave the man a nod. “Yeah. We know about Ruinos, too. In fact, I’
m married to one. Challa’s not the only one.”

  “Dear God, how many are there?” the carnival owner whispered.

  “Still alive? We figure around two dozen. That would definitely put them on the endangered species list,” DeGrassi said.

  “You kept Challa close to the vest because she was your meal ticket. I understand that,” Compton continued. “But you knew that at some point it would all come to a halt. You knew sooner or later you would have to let her go. Because she is a Ruinos, and a real alien, you knew you wouldn’t be able to keep her in the carnival forever.”

  Hall appeared to wilt. “No, I couldn’t. But give me points for trying.”

  Taking a step closer to the man who had watched over her for the past two years, Challa laid a hand on his chest. She wore a tender look on her face. “You protected me. You gave me food and a place to sleep. You made sure I was warm and taken care of and I thank you. But I have found a miracle here on your world. I have found my blood mate.

  “Earlier, when I was so sick, it was because I was dying. It was because my body was reacting to being away from him, and I would have died if Thom and Tiron and the others hadn’t brought me here so I could be with Compton again.”

  She started to say more when the door suddenly opened, and another deputy stuck his head inside. “We got problems, Sheriff.”

  “Hold off,” Klotsky told him. “We’re almost finished here.”

  The deputy shook his head. “This can’t wait. You have to come look at this now.” He disappeared, leaving the door open. At that moment DeGrassi’s cell phone went off . At the same time a vacant, distant look fell over his face. Almost mechanically, he answered without checking the caller I.D. first.

  “What’s wrong, Roni?”

  Compton felt Challa stiffen, and she instinctively backed against him, seeking his touch. DeGrassi turned to give the sheriff a warning wave of his hand.