The Falcon Prince

Ria couldn’t drag her gaze away from him as she watched him cross the street.

“Wow, you’ve been holding out.” Jeanie picked up a manila folder and began to fan herself.

“Not at all. I’m not the least bit interested in him.”

Jeanie stopped fanning. “You’re kidding, right? I mean, the guy is seriously sexy.”

“There’s more to a man than his muscles.”

“The way he looks, he doesn’t even need a brain. He’s great eye candy.”

“And you’re engaged so you might want to leave the sweets alone.”

“You’re right. He would definitely send any female into a diabetic coma from sugar overload.” She studied Ria. “You, on the other hand, have been on a sugar-free diet way too long.”

The bell jingled above the door, saving Ria from further conversation. The rest of the afternoon was busy with clipping hair and bathing animals. Thankfully, very well-behaved animals.

But she couldn’t help thinking that Jeanie might be right, that Ria hadn’t dated in a while. A very long while. Not since Donald. A sour taste formed in her mouth. That had been a huge mistake.

It also meant she hadn’t had sex in a while. Not that the pickings in Miller Bend had been that great. The only guys left in town were the ones she had already dated, at least most of them. She wasn’t that great at recycling.

Except now there was Kristor.

Chapter 8

Jeanie left right before Ria finished Bruno the beagle. Bruno sounded like a killer, but he was a sweetheart. As soon as the dog and owner left, Ria turned the sign around to CLOSED and went to the back to put things away. She was beat.

You should’ve listened to Kristor. He’s right, you know. You’re part alien. I’ve suspected for a long time, but you’re too hardheaded to listen, Shintara said.

“I’m not crazy.” Ria mumbled. “I’m not.”

It was a conspiracy. Kristor was sent here to drive her crazy. Who disliked her enough to do that? Ms. Henderson had never forgiven her for the whoopee cushion incident. The teacher could really hold a grudge. What had ever happened to forgive and forget?

Then there was Matt Jenson and his purple dog, although she’d given his dog the free groomings so that should have exonerated her. The dog had even placed in a number of shows, thanks to her. Still, when he brought the dog in, Ria knew he did so grudgingly.

Donald? He had been a bit ticked off when she told him she only wanted to be friends. But then again, he had taken her out to lunch a few days ago, and it had gone fairly well. And he seemed okay with everything. The breakup had been a few months ago, too. Not that she’d seen him with anyone else. That didn’t necessarily mean he wasn’t dating.

Ria leaned against the wooden table. She needed to go running. That always cleared her head and helped her think straight. She kept something to wear at the shop, just in case the urge hit her.

She quickly changed, but rather than go straight home, she decided to run along the path in the park. Much less chance of running into a naked alien. She snorted. She couldn’t believe she’d even come close to believing him.

The streets were quiet. Not unusual. The most excitement they’d ever had was when some of the high school seniors had stolen some signs and burned them in the bonfire after the football game.

She frowned. It had only been one stop sign, and a couple of those wooden barrier things. Boy, they had really gotten in trouble for that one. Come to think about it, she was pretty sure Donald had been the one who’d snitched on them.

She parked in one of the spaces and got out. After a few stretches, she took off at a slow pace. Soon, adrenaline released into her bloodstream, and she picked up speed.

Everything ceased to exist. She could feel the beat of her heart, smell the wind as it rushed past carrying the scent of pine trees in the air.

Except for a scout troop practicing skills, there was no one else around. She circled the small park, running until she felt all pressure leave. Nothing, nothing at all mattered. There was only the sound of her shoes hitting the concrete running trail. All her worries evaporated.

She ran until she could run no more, then stopped at one of the benches, dropping down onto the wooden seat. Sweat glistened on her skin, and she could almost feel the blood coursing through her veins. This was exactly what she’d needed to clear her head of any lingering crazy notions. Of course Kristor wasn’t an alien, and the voice inside her head was just that—a voice. She stretched her arms above her head and took a deep breath, feeling her body relax.

Did you ever wonder that the reason you run is because you’re running away from who you are? Shintara killed the mood by popping into Ria’s thoughts.

“Go away.”

You can prove him wrong.

Ria opened her mouth, but then snapped it closed without saying anything. Shintara was right. She could prove it. He’d said to think of an animal. Okay, she would. What the hell.

But not a hawk. Not that she thought she would really change into anything. She just didn’t want to think of one. An uneasy shiver swept over her at the mere thought of flying.

So what kind of animal should she think about?

A frog croaked. She chuckled. It was a sign. Yeah, sure. She closed her eyes. Here, froggie. Big green frog. I will become a big green frog and terrorize Miller Bend, Ria thought to herself. Ohh, when she shifted, maybe she would hop over to Donald’s restaurant and scare the hell out of him. On second thought, frogs’ legs were on his menu.

You have to concentrate. And…be…serious! Shintara was clearly exasperated.

Okay, okay.

She closed her eyes. Inhaled, then exhaled. She pictured a frog. Frogs weren’t so bad. She’d had one as a pet once. Her mother had been thrilled when Ria lost her fascination with them.

Nothing happened, but just to prove her point, she kept her eyes closed and continued to concentrate. She visualized a frog, saw it jumping along the trail. Time passed. She thought about what it would feel like to become a frog. No problems, no worries. Just sit on a lily pad and watch the world go by, and occasionally croak….

Her stomach began to burn. Ugh! No more nachos for lunch. This was awful. She opened her eyes, but she couldn’t see. Oh, God, she’d gone blind. Her stomach began to cramp. She moaned, doubling over as the cramping worsened. The deep burning pain sucked at her insides. She fell off the bench, landing with a thud. Fear choked her, stealing her breath. She didn’t want to die. She still had too much to do, like getting laid at least one more time. She was pretty sure angels didn’t have sex.

“What’s happening to me?” she screamed, but no words came from her mouth.

Oh, God, her voice had been stolen, too. She probably shouldn’t have mentioned angels and sex in the same breath. Oh, no, what if one of the higher-ups had changed his mind and she was being sent in the other direction? Or maybe she had contracted a horrible disease. Kristor! It was all his fault….

Everything suddenly grew quiet.

Ria immediately stilled.

The burning subsided. She could breathe again.

She cautiously opened her eyes. Blinked. She could see again, but it wasn’t the same. Something had changed. She looked around. The scouts were still tying knots. Everything looked normal.

She tried to stand, but nothing seemed to move like it was supposed to. When she started forward, she bumped her butt. Ow! That had hurt.

Maybe the scouts could help her. She opened her mouth to call out, but what she heard was a heavy smoker’s belching. She had a feeling it had come from her. Wow, those had been some really spicy nachos.