Callie could tell Rogar saw through the other man’s act, but this would be their chance to draw Zerod out. They would be ready for him this time. Once they got him inside a cage, Rogar would transport him back to New Symtaria where he would face charges for his criminal activity.
She would be safe.
And she would probably never see Rogar again. She closed her eyes, swallowing back the tears that threatened.
“Callie?” Rogar said her name like a whisper drifting on a warm breeze.
She rapidly blinked away the tears. “I’m ready.” She came to her feet.
“Don’t worry, it will soon be over. Zerod will not be able to hurt you. I’ll make sure of that.”
She was more worried about the fact Rogar would probably be leaving soon. Not that she wanted to die or anything.
They walked out the door to where the media was waiting. She would make sure she cut the picture out of the paper so she would at least have that to cling to. She was so pathetic.
Callie stumbled. Rogar put a firm hand on her elbow.
“Katun,” she tested the name on her tongue.
“What?” Rogar looked at her.
She smiled as a reporter snapped another picture. “Katun is her name. The name of my guide.”
He smiled and hugged her close. Did he know how she felt right now? As though she had found an old friend whom she’d thought had been lost forever. Yes, she suspected he did. Rogar was good about knowing how she felt.
As the reporters asked questions, Callie basked in the feeling that she had somehow become whole again. Deep down, she knew there would be more. It was as though her senses were coming alive. The very air around her seemed to crackle with energy.
“Tell us what it felt like when you jumped into the pit with the ferocious jaguar?” one of the reporters asked.
Her brow knit. Sheba wasn’t ferocious. Sure, she was a wild animal, but Callie wouldn’t exactly call her ferocious. Sheba did only what came naturally to her. No one could blame her for that.
A volley of rapid fire questions were aimed at Rogar, but he easily answered each and every one.
“I’ll be back in a bit,” she whispered to him, then headed toward the jaguar’s cage. She felt a little guilty leaving him with the two reporters, but she would only be gone a few minutes. There was still twenty minutes left before the zoo opened. She could at least say hello to Sheba and make sure the jaguar was okay.
It took her about five minutes to walk to that side of the park. She sighed with relief when she saw Sheba in the pit, lying in the sun, except she looked a little droopy.
“Hey, Sheba,” she said as she approached the enclosure.
The cat’s head jerked up. Sheba cried out. Callie could’ve sworn that the jag looked glad to see her. And maybe she was. Callie rested her arms on the cement ledge. Sheba got up and moved closer, making Callie smile.
“So much has happened in my life, Sheba, that sometimes I think I’m being turned inside out. I don’t know what to do anymore. I’m part alien, imagine that, and I can shift into another animal form, except I don’t know my guide yet. Well, not exactly.”
She closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, everything looked the same, except she knew she was different.
“And I’ve fallen in love with Rogar.”
She closed her eyes and let that sink in for a few seconds. It was true. She had fallen in love with him.
“He’s the first person who has come into my life and made me feel whole, as though I know where I belong. Except he wants me to go with him to New Symtaria, his planet, and I’m scared. Will I feel just as out of place there?”
And what if he didn’t love her? She didn’t know their customs. What if leaving totally screwed up her life even more? Would he bring her back? Would she still be next in line for the job she wanted? So many questions.
She sighed. “Then there’s the problem that if I stay, Zerod could find me. He came to my house, and Rogar saved my life. If we draw him out, if he falls into our trap that we’ll set here at the zoo, then maybe it would be safe to stay. I’m just not sure about anything, except that I’ll never push my guide away again. I truly feel as though I’ve found a long lost friend.”
Callie was quiet on the drive back to her house. Rogar left her to the silence. But as soon as she walked inside the house, she turned, and hugged him close to her. He held her without saying a word.
“When you said I would know my guide, you were right. It’s different from anything I’ve ever experienced. Her thoughts aren’t the same as mine. I feel as though we’re two complete individuals, but at the same time, we’re also a part of each other. Is it that way for everyone?”
“Yes.”
She looked up at him. “When do you think I will get to meet her?”
“When the time is right.”
“She said soon.”
“Then it will be soon.”
She frowned. “You knew I would feel like this.”
“I was almost certain.”
She stepped away. “This is still my home. I can’t leave. It’s the only sure thing I’ve ever had in my life.”
“But it isn’t your home,” he told her. “You belong on New Symtaria.”
“My gut tells me to stay. Don’t ask me why, I just know this is where I need to be.”
“You may never meet Katun, then. You still don’t know what animal form she is. It could be dangerous for both of you if you shifted.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I care deeply for you, Callie. Come, if only because you want to be with me.”
She saw the need on his face, but deep down inside, she knew something held her here on Earth. She shook her head. “I can’t.”
“Is it because of the job you want?” he asked with something close to disbelief in his voice.
She turned away from him, unable to look at the longing on his face. “I don’t know what it is. I just know this is where I need to stay. I’m sorry.”
There was a long pause in which she wondered what he was thinking, but she still couldn’t bring herself to look at him.
“As soon as I take care of Zerod, I’ll leave. I won’t ask you to come with me again. If you should decide to travel with me to New Symtaria, I would be very pleased.”
“Thank you.” That sounded lame, but what was she supposed to say? God, was she making the right decision?
They slept the afternoon so they would be more alert that night. Rogar in the bed, Callie on the sofa. It was as though she was already putting distance between them. Odd how cold the bed was without her beside him. He ached to pull her close, to feel her body next to his, to…
A deep sigh interrupted his thoughts.
