“Tell me more about this planet you say you’re from,” Freddie urged.
Callie knew the drill, keep the crazy guy talking so they could make an escape. Been there, done that.
“We’re alien shapeshifters. I’ve come to take Callie home.”
“She is home.” Freddie was closer to her now.
“He’s telling the truth, Freddie,” she ventured. She might as well back up Rogar’s story.
Freddie stepped in front of her. She thought it was sweet that he would try to protect her. Not that she needed protecting.
“He’s only brainwashed you, Callie. I also have a psychiatrist on call who’s really pretty good. He’s helped me a lot.”
“Would you like me to prove it to you?” Rogar asked.
“Not Balam.” Freddie might have a coronary if Rogar suddenly shifted into Balam. She certainly didn’t want his death on her conscience.
“Not Balam,” he assured her.
“Who’s this Balam?”
“It doesn’t matter,” she said. “How are you going to prove it?”
“Yeah, how?” Freddie leaned an elbow on the bar, practically daring Rogar to prove himself, but she could see his body was still tense, as though he waited for the perfect opportunity to grab her so they could make their escape.
“I’ve come to the conclusion there are certain things Symtarians can do that people from Earth can’t.”
Freddie snorted.
Rogar pointed his finger toward the lamp on the table beside the sofa. When he wiggled his finger, the lamp moved a few inches.
“Wow, you never mentioned you could do that,” she said.
“A magician’s trick.” Freddie scoffed, and opened both hands, then waved them back and forth. With the snap of a finger, he produced a rose, which he gave to Callie.
“I forgot you did magic tricks, Freddie. That was good.” She automatically brought it to her nose. Silk. Oh, well.
Rogar frowned. “Your gravity is slightly different from ours.” He closed his eyes, and slowly began to raise his hands, as he did, his body gravitated upward.
“Wow, he’s good.” Freddie was transfixed as he watched Rogar.
Apparently, he’d forgotten that he’d pegged Rogar as crazy. Callie’s lips turned down. Freddie didn’t seem as upset as he had. From the rapt expression on Freddie’s face, he certainly wasn’t as worried about her safety as he once was. Men!
“How’d you do that?” she asked.
Rogar’s feet settled on the floor once again. “I’ve noticed little things since coming to Earth. There must be something in the gravitational force.”
“I can’t do that.” Callie crossed her arms in front of her. She was lucky if she didn’t trip over her own two feet.
“Probably because you’re part Earthling. It might be something to explore. I have a theory about the gravitational force being somewhat different, which could have some effect on a Symtarian’s molecular structure.”
She took one look at Freddie. Rogar had talked his nerdy language, but Freddie still didn’t look as though he believed Rogar could be from another planet.
“I saw someone in Vegas who could do that,” Freddie said.
“Balam?” Rogar looked at Callie.
Callie really hadn’t wanted to take it this far, but it seemed they had no choice. She nodded.
A light fog began to fill the room.
“What’s happening?” Freddie straightened, looking around.
“It’s the only way we can make you believe,” Callie told him. “The Symtarians are a race of shapeshifters. They have animal guides that share their body.”
“Where are the cameras?” He looked around.
“There aren’t any.”
Rogar groaned, drawing their attention. The fog wasn’t so thick that they couldn’t see Rogar drop to the floor on his hands, then groan as he curled into a ball. Not so dense they couldn’t see flesh change to fur, hands become claws.
“I…I…”
She took Freddie’s hand in hers. The color had drained from his face. “It’ll be okay. Balam is a black jaguar. He’s also Rogar’s animal guide.”
“He really is from another planet.” Freddie sat down hard on the stool.
“Yes.”
The mist cleared. Balam opened his mouth and roared. Freddie tilted sideways on the stool. Callie grabbed him before he could fall off.
“That’s a jaguar. They eat people,” Freddie pointed out.
“He won’t eat you.”
“Are you sure?”
“Not positive.”
Freddie’s eyes were wide when he turned them on her. “What do you mean, you’re ‘not positive’?”
“He won’t,” she quickly told him. Then, to prove her words, she walked over and knelt in front of Balam. “Hello, again.” She smiled, then rubbed the cat behind his ear. Balam purred, rubbing his head against her cheek. Callie would never get over the fact she could get this close to a jaguar.
Balam raised his head, looking over her shoulder, then trotted into the other room.
Freddie watched the cat leave, then looked her way, as if he only now remembered she was still in the room. His infatuation was really short lived. She would give him credit for trying to protect her, though. Meeting an alien apparently took precedent over his concern for her safety. The story of her life.
Freddie seemed to come out of his daze. He snapped his fingers. “You shapeshifted into that flamingo last night.” He looked at Callie. “That was you, wasn’t it?”
She could feel the heat rise up her face. “Yes.”
He laughed. “You certainly hit your target. I’ve never seen Constance that pissed before.”
“But we’re keeping a low profile,” she quickly told Freddie, and only hoped he would keep this to himself.
“Low profile?” he repeated.
“Yes.”
He reached over the bar and grabbed the paper he’d brought with him, then spread it out. She groaned when she caught a glimpse of Rogar’s picture splattered across the front page.
This wasn’t good.
“It went over the AP’s so I’m sure the bigger papers picked it up as well,” Freddie said. “I mean, who wouldn’t. It’s a good story.”
Rogar emerged from the bedroom completely dressed.
“Look at this.” She held the picture up for him to see.
Rogar moved closer, his frown deepening. “I didn’t know anyone was taking pictures.”
“Nearly everyone has a camera phone these days. It wouldn’t have been hard for them to take this,” Freddie said, staring at Rogar as though he was some kind of god.
“Zerod will know our location.” Rogar walked to the window, as if he expected their enemy to show up any second.
Cold chills of foreboding ran up and down her arms.
Freddie looked from Rogar to Callie. “Who’s Zerod?”
