Rianna’s shoulders. He didn’t like him. And now, more so. A few seconds were all he would have needed to convince Rianna to leave with him.
“I really doubt your mother would approve of you making out in her hallway.”
This Donald person stood tall, but he was thin, and didn’t look as though he had any muscles. His clothes were crisp and he wore a jacket, even though the temperature was warm. He didn’t sweat, either, although he wore this extra layer of clothes. That was an oddity in itself. Kristor doubted the man knew the meaning of battle.
It was time for the other man to leave. “Go!” he commanded Donald.
The man took a step back. Kristor reached for Rianna, but she moved away, her cheeks bright red. “I was not making out. He kissed me.” She glared at Kristor as if it was all his fault.
“It didn’t look like you were fighting him off,” Donald said, but took another step back as he warily eyed Kristor, his hands curling into fists at his sides.
“Did you want something?” Rianna asked.
“Your mother was looking for you. Shall I tell her you were kissing the…What did you call him? Oh, yes, the certifiably crazy man that you hoped Heath would lock up in the state hospital.”
“Go suck an egg, Donald.” She turned on her heel, marching down the hall away from both of them.
“She’s out of your league,” Donald told him, his gaze disdainfully sweeping over Kristor. “She likes the intellectual type, rather than…overblown muscles.”
“Like you said, she wasn’t fighting to get away. Maybe she just likes more passion in her men.” Kristor walked past the other man, forcing Donald to press against the wall or get flattened.
This Donald was nothing. A mere annoyance, like a pesky insect flying around his face. If Donald bothered him again, he would crush him, but not until then. Kristor didn’t want to draw attention to himself.
At least now, he had found a way to get Rianna to go with him to New Symtaria.
Ria hadn’t felt a thing when Kristor kissed her. Not a thing. He’d only taken her by surprise.
As many times as it took to make herself believe it. She grabbed a longneck out of the large tub of ice, twisted off the cap, and took a good long drink. The cold liquid slid down her throat. She could already feel herself begin to relax.
“Hey, Ria, heard you saw an alien flying around in the woods,” Jamie Wilks said, then eyed the beer she was holding. “Maybe you ought to lay off the booze.”
She bit her tongue before telling Jamie he could go screw himself. In a very calm—okay, irritated but calm —voice, she said, “I didn’t see an alien flying around in the woods.” She started to tell him it had been a naked guy claiming to be an alien, but decided against saying anything more. What good would it do? No one believed her. She was really close to throwing a pity party when Kristor stepped into the backyard.
All eyes turned toward him. Why not? He wore snug-fitting jeans and a maroon, button-down shirt. And boots. If he was a friggin’ alien, where the hell did he get the boots?
“The hero,” Jamie called out, and everyone began to clap.
“Hero, my ass,” she muttered and took another long drink. “It was a stupid football game.”
Jamie took a step back, slapping his hand over his heart. “Wash your mouth out with soap, girl. You’re talking about football here.”
She snorted. “Yeah, right. A bunch of men, most of them retired, trying to run a ball to the other end of a field. I don’t know about you, but it sounds kind of silly to me.”
His eyebrows drew together. “You’re acting really strange. You know, they have doctors in Dallas who could probably help you.”
She opened her mouth to tell him what she thought about everyone and their Dallas doctors, but a strong arm slipped around her waist and pulled her close. Her face jerked up. How the hell had he moved across the yard without her seeing him?
Jamie nodded. “Ah, so that’s the way the wind blows.”
She tried to move away from Kristor, but his hand on her waist effectively kept her at his side. She glared at him.
“Y’all don’t do nothin’ I wouldn’t do.” Jamie grinned before he sauntered away.
Great, now what kind of gossip would be spread about her? She looked up again at Kristor. “Would you please remove your hand from my waist?”
He surprised her by doing as she requested. She only moved a few steps away from him, though. There was something about his body heat that soothed her. Oh, no, what did that mean? Suddenly nervous, she downed the rest of her beer, and went over to the tub and got another one, tossing her empty into the trash.
Kristor watched her. There was something in the way he watched her, though. It was as though he physically touched her: caressing her cheek, sliding down her neck, cupping her breasts, moving sensuously downward. Her stomach muscles tightened. A slow burn began to build inside her.
She brought the bottle to her lips and took a drink of the beer, grateful it had slivers of ice. It was all she could do to keep from running it over her face. When she met his gaze, there was a look in his eyes that said he knew the effect he had on her. Not that she cared.
And she was not returning to where he stood because she liked him or anything. No, she wanted answers. She gathered her courage, raised her chin, and joined him under the oak tree.
“How did you kick the football that far?” she asked.
He casually leaned against the tree. “I kicked, then I willed it to go between the poles. Isn’t that what I was supposed to do—make it go between them? It seemed to please everyone.”
“What do you mean, you willed it across?” The guy was getting stranger by the minute.
“I concentrated on the ball, and where I wanted it to go.”
“Like telekinesis? When someone moves an object with their mind.”
“Only small objects for short distances on New Symtaria. Rogar said the atmosphere is slightly different here and makes Symtarian men’s powers stronger. Unusual. It’s women who have stronger powers where I come from.”
She chugged another drink. It didn’t matter if he did move things with his mind, or that he was an alien, or that women had powers or not. No one would believe her. They only believed what they wanted.
“Leave with me and you may also find you have powers.” He frowned. “Although Callie doesn’t have any.”
“Who’s Callie?” She took another drink. She was starting to feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. And numb. She liked feeling numb.
“She’s another impure. My brother brought her back after he finally convinced her she was part Symtarian.”
Ria laughed. “Now I’m impure. Well, I never said I was a virgin, but that’s something you won’t be finding out for yourself.”
“An impure is the offspring of Symtarians and another species. We are trying to bring them home to protect them.”
“And I’m part Symtarian?”
He nodded.
She grinned. “And I need protecting?” If this was some kind of new pick up line, it was way over the top, and it was so not working.
“There are rogue Symtarians who would like to see all the impures dead.”
“And that’s what happened to my so-called father?”
“I don’t think you believe any of this.”
“You would be correct in your azz…azzumpshun….” Her tongue did not want to cooperate. “You’re right about that.” She finished off the beer.
“Does your animal guide not talk to you? Explain things?”
“Ruffles doesn’t do anything ’cept lay under the bed and sleep. Lazy cat.”
“The animal guide is inside you. She is a part of you. You would hear her voice.”
