“Who are you?” she whispered.
Silence.
Had that been her spirit guide talking to her? But if it was, then why didn’t the guide just tell her?
God, this was so damned frustrating. She felt as though she was being pulled into so many different directions. She’d wanted a background, a history, but she’d gotten more than she’d bargained for.
Aliens, her father brutally murdered, someone trying to kill her, a mother who might still be alive. An animal guide.
Or was the voice in her head just a sign of insanity?
Maybe none of this was real.
She jumped off the sofa and went to the window. The sun was shining. A couple of golf carts passed. Callie noticed they slowed just a little as they drove by.
Everything appeared peaceful, serene, but she knew somewhere out there a man wanted her dead because her blood wasn’t pure enough to suit him.
What would happen if she opened the door and left? Just got into DeeDee’s Hummer and took off. Not tell anyone where she was going. Rogar had cash. She could take it and sneak away. It would be enough to start a new life.
That was probably what her mother had done. Left Callie at the orphanage, then took off to God knew where, hoping like hell she could escape Zerod and save her child in the process.
Could Callie give everything up and assume another name? Always looking over her shoulder?
There was another solution, though. Fight back. She squared her shoulders and marched toward the bedroom, picking up Rogar’s database as she walked by.
She kind of liked the idea of fighting back. Could she beat Zerod in a one on one? Probably not, but she’d studied tigers enough that she knew a lot about their habits. She wouldn’t be going into this blind. Besides, she had good motivation—revenge. If he hadn’t murdered her father, then she might have had a normal childhood. Zerod stole that from her.
It was payback time.
Chapter 19
Rogar raised his eyebrows as Callie marched into the bedroom, and silently breathed a sigh of relief. He’d been afraid she would walk out the door, get in her friend’s vehicle, and drive away.
Callie’s world had been turned upside down over the last few days. It was a lot to take in. All her beliefs had been challenged. But looking at her now, it would seem she was ready to fight back. There was a very determined set to her jaw.
“What do I need to do?” she asked, raising her chin a fraction.
He smiled. She was feisty. He liked her determination and attitude. Maybe her animal guide was a wolf. One of his brothers had a wolf guide. They were both very tenacious when they set their path in a certain direction.
“You need to understand your animal guide before you can connect with her.” He finally told her. “Until that part of you is awakened, you are not complete. You’ve heard her, I’m sure.”
Her expression changed to confusion. She sat back down in the chair. “I started hearing a voice when I was about eight.” She looked down at her hands, twining her fingers together. “I told the head mistress. They sent me to a doctor. He asked all kinds of questions, then told the head mistress I had created an imaginary friend, which wasn’t unusual. Ms. Barry said I’d better be careful telling anyone because they might think I was crazy and lock me away.
“I stopped listening to the voice because I’d heard older girls talking about the insane asylum. I didn’t want to end up locked away. Eventually, I stopped hearing the voice.”
Rogar gritted his teeth. It was a wonder Callie had survived not connecting with her guide. There had been instances that he knew about when a Symtarian chose not to acknowledge their guide, but it hadn’t ended well. They were like lost souls wandering through life with nowhere to go. The loneliness had to have been unbearable. He sighed. Maybe it had been different for her because she was part Earthling.
“Can we find her?” She raised her head, met his eyes.
He didn’t know, not positively, but he couldn’t tell her that. He couldn’t take away the hope he saw in her eyes. Besides, she might still find her guide. “It may take awhile, but yes, we’ll find her.”
“Sometimes I think I hear her talking to me, but then other times, I think it’s my own thoughts.”
That was a good sign. “She may be trying to protect herself. You can choose not to accept her. She may be afraid of scaring you in that direction.”
“Then what do I need to do to find her again?”
He swung his legs over the side of the bed, and began to pace as he thought.
“Deep meditation. There are rituals that can be performed. They are very old and were once practiced in ancient times when it wasn’t as easy for our people to connect with our guides.
“For centuries, our guides hid from us because they were afraid. As the years passed, they learned to trust, and our souls merged. I’ll see if the information is stored in the database.” He stopped pacing, and noticed she was staring at him. “What?” Had she changed her mind?
“Your leg. You’re not limping.”
He’d forgotten that he was supposed to be injured. He might as well tell her the truth. “Symtarians heal quickly. I believe my leg is better.” Not exactly the truth, but close enough.
She came to her feet, crossing her arms in front of her. “And how long has it been healed?”
He could continue to hedge. From the expression on her face, it might be prudent if he did, but she would eventually discover the truth. “Since this morning.”
“This morning?”
“Yes.”
“Why did you pretend it was still bothering you?”
He walked closer, his steps slow and purposeful. His eyes held an intensity that she had seen before. Her body tingled to awareness.
He stopped a mere breath away from her. “I enjoyed the way you hovered over me. It was stupid, I apologize, but I liked having you near me.”
Something inside her began to crumble, maybe because she knew exactly what he was feeling. She’d been denied so many things in her lifetime, why should she deny herself the time that she could spend with Rogar. Yes, he would leave her, go back to New Symtaria, but damn it, she was going to take pleasure in what he so willingly offered.
“Kiss me,” she said before she could chicken out.
“What?”
“Kiss me. Please.”
He growled from low in his throat before pulling her against him and lowering his mouth to hers. She sighed, knowing she needed this as much as Rogar.
She was bolder than she’d ever been, stroking his tongue with hers, tasting him. She reached between them and began to unbutton his shirt, but her fingers fumbled in her haste.
Hell, he had plenty of money, even if it was counterfeit. He could buy a new shirt. She jerked, buttons popped, pinging on the hardwood floor as they landed. Then she was touching him, feeling his sinewy muscles, kneading his flesh.
How long had she dreamed of this? But she knew the answer. Since the first night they’d made love. She’d wanted him so badly her body had ached for more, but she’d refused to give in to her cravings. No more.
She shoved his shirt off his shoulders, her fingers lightly scraping down his back. He moaned, then nudged her away. She whimpered, but when he grabbed the hem of her T-shirt, her pulse sped up.
Slowly, he pulled it up, pressing the material against her breasts, over her already sensitive nipples. She gasped, but it was lost in the cotton material as he pulled it over her head. He let it fall to the floor, then reached
