Challa (12 page)

A finger touched her lips to silence her. “I know that, Challa. Hell, there has to be nearly a hundred witnesses who’ll testify that the guy went after you first. I know I specifically heard you ask the man to let you go. He could have snapped your arm in two.”

“What will the sheriff do to me?” she asked, looking up into Compton’s caring face. “Will he cage me for real?”

His forehead furrowed as he studied her face in the shadows. “Did you know your eyes have a funny shine to them in the dark?”

“Yes, yes,” Challa quickly answered. She could hear the tramping of feet in the distance. It was not the sound of carnival goers feet. It was the steady pounding of the earth from people on a mission, searching for her. “They’re coming this way.”

Compton took a step back, releasing her but keeping his hands on her arms. She immediately protested. “No, no! Don’t go! Don’t leave me here, Compton! I’m so afraid!”

“Challa, they need to ask you some questions. They’re not going to hurt you,” he said.

“They’re going to put me in a cage,” she hissed back. “They’re going to put me there and keep me there because of what I am!”

“Because of what you…” Compton stared hard at her. Giving a shake of his head, he said, “What if I promise to stay with you while the sheriff questions you?”

“No, no! I can’t! Please, Compton! Protect me!”

Frowning, Compton sighed loudly. “Okay. Look. A compromise, okay? What if I take you back to my place? Give you a chance to get out of that costume and get cleaned up. Then, when you’re ready, I’ll drive you over to the sheriff’s office to answer his questions. How does that sound to you?”

To his place. A chance to be alone with him. She shivered at the prospect.

“Will you still stay with me when we go over to the sheriff’s office?”

“Yeah. Promise.” There was a finality in his voice that gave her hope. Compton meant every word he said. Challa breathed with relief.

“Okay. I agree. Thank you.”

“No problem. It’s not every day I get the chance to save a damsel in distress,” he replied, trying to make light of the situation.

Challa gave him a puzzled look. A damsel in distress? What did that mean, and how did it apply to her situation? She never had the chance to ask, as he took her by the hand and began to lead her out of the maze of trailers and away from the carnival.

Chapter 13

Truth

“You must have night vision, too.”

Compton gave her hand a squeeze. It was her non-bloodied hand, she noticed, and she wondered if he’d chosen it on purpose.

“I can’t see a damn thing,” Compton whispered. “If it weren’t for the cars passing on the road, I wouldn’t have any idea where I was.” He glanced behind them, and Challa did the same. The rides had shut down, she noticed. Their lights were either dimmed or off, leaving just the main flood lamps to provide illumination. From here the carnival looked as dismal and bleak as she felt.

Compton tugged on her hand. “Challa, is there any way you can take off the glove so I don’t accidentally get stabbed or something?”

A cold chill went up her back. She had to tell him the truth. Sooner or later he would find out, and she was fearful that if he discovered her secret by accident, rather than from her, the results could be…

“I-I can’t,” she stuttered.

He paused slightly. “Is it all in one?”

“Yeah.”

She saw him nod as they aimed for the road. It was an odd little sequence of movements she was doing with him: scurrying hunched over for several yards; then stopping to check around them to see if they’d been spotted before advancing again. Although she would rather have made a full-out run for his truck, she knew he wouldn’t have been able to keep up with her.

They finally reached the road. He helped her up into the driver’s side. She climbed over to the passenger seat, and he jumped in behind her. Both of them were wet and muddy, but it didn’t matter. Challa never took her eyes off the man who carefully maneuvered the truck onto the road, turned it around, and drove them away from the carnival and away from town.

They remained in silent companionship while he drove. She could see determination in every line of his face. He was worried for her as the scent of apples hovered in the air between them. Compton glanced at her. “What?”

“Why?” The word popped out of her from nowhere. They were safe for the moment, but for how long?

“Why, what? Why are we heading this way?”

She glanced down the road. It looked like a hundred other one-lane, long and narrow back country roads she’d been on. Another seemingly endless blacktop leading from one town to another.

“Where are we going?”

“I’m heading over to FM 616. From there, I’ll cut across and hit Mount Hope, loop back around, cut across the Interstate, and come into Cooper through the back door to town. It’ll mean another half-hour before we get home, but I was afraid McManus might have a road block set up if we tried to go back the other way.” He glanced at her again. “Are you cold?”

“No.”

“You’re shivering.”

“Am I?” She hadn’t noticed. In fact, she hadn’t noticed anything about herself other than the fact that she was leaning over the center console that separated them. She watched Compton reach out and turn on the heater. Warm air blew up her legs.

“Better?”

“Yes. Thank you. Compton?”

“Yeah?”

“Why?”

He chuckled. His worry hadn’t lessened, but she could smell another scent starting to overtake it, a fruity smell. Light, fresh, fragrant. Challa felt her hopes rising. He cared about her. He honestly cared.

But does he love me?
Can he love me?

“You’re going to have to be a bit more specific, Challa. Why what? Why am I going to all this trouble?”

“Yes.”

He started to answer her, but the words never made it past his lips. Another minute passed. Finally she heard him take a deep breath and noisily let it out.

“Challa, please don’t take this wrong.” He paused to see if she would say something. When she didn’t, he continued. “I care about you,” he admitted.

Her heart started pounding. The sweet, pungent smell of bananas, of his need to care for her, was growing stronger. Challa fought back tears.

“Compton.”

“No…let me finish what I want to say. What I have to say.” He cleared his throat. They came to a stop sign. He slowed the truck and kept his foot on the brake so he could look at her. “Challa, I had planned on asking you to come over to my place tonight after the show. I never thought it would be under these circumstances.”

She reached up to touch his face. He never flinched as her blades lightly brushed his cheek and temple. Compton leaned closer, and she saw his nostrils flare. Slowly, inevitably, they touched lips. It was a soft kiss, but it sealed so much between them.

“I…there’s so much I want to ask you,” he murmured. His breath tickled her mouth, making her smile.

“Ask away.”

“No. Not here. Wait.” He pulled away to continue driving, but she could tell he had done so reluctantly.

They said no more until they reached the outskirts of town. Challa saw the population sign pass by. A moment later, they were driving slowly down the center of the main street. With the exception of a few lights left glowing inside some of the shops, the town was empty, closed for the night. Vacant and lifeless, and very foreboding.

They were nearly out of town again when Compton passed a church and turned down a side street. The street remained paved for several hundred feet before it became dirt. It continued to wind between trees and pastures. A mailbox came into view with the name Scott on the side. Compton slowed and turned into the drive. The truck’s wheels rumbled over the cattle guard, and Challa watched as the long, ranch-style house came into view. He pulled the truck under the carport and killed the engine. Looking at her, he waited to see what her first reaction would be.

“Is this your house?”

“It was my parents’. I grew up here.”

“Where are your parents now?”

He didn’t answer her until he got out of the vehicle and walked around to open her door for her. “My dad died when I was in high school. Mom passed away while I was stationed overseas.”

He led her through a door that opened into a kitchen, flipping on the light switch as they entered. Gesturing to a chair, Compton asked if she’d like something to drink.

“Oh, yes. Please.”

He got the water from a dispenser in the door of the refrigerator. Challa accepted the glass with thanks. While she drank, he took the seat next to her at the table. His eyes studied the way she held the slippery glass. His examination was intense and precise. She wondered how long it would take for him to figure out the truth.

Compton held out a hand. “May I?” He wanted to examine her hand, more specifically her talons. Setting her glass down on the table, she held out her hand to him. Her stomach clenched with dread and anticipation.

His hands were warm as he scrutinized her fingers one at a time, then the palm, all the way to the wrist. Challa breathed deeply, searching for any hint to what he was thinking. More importantly, she had to know how he was feeling because they would alert her to what he would do next. The air grew smoky as he gradually grew wary and suspicious.

She found him staring at her with curiosity. “I don’t see a seam.” His thumb rasped hard over the back of her hand then he glanced at the ball of his thumb. “If it’s makeup, it doesn’t rub off easily.” He took a deep, shuddering breath. “Challa…what the hell is going on? The truth, now.”

“You’re right. You deserve to know. All of it,” she whispered. “You’ve risked too much already to help me.” She had no idea she was crying until Compton reached over and captured her tear. She grabbed his hand before he could pull it away and pressed a kiss to it, bowing her head. She couldn’t look at him. She couldn’t face him. If he rejected her with his fear or his disgust, there was no way her heart could survive if she watched it come over him.

Taking another deep breath, she nodded as she stared at the wood grain in the table. “The truth is… Compton, I’m a real alien.”

He didn’t pull away his hand, but neither did he say anything. Still, she continued to keep her head bowed, too terrified to look up at him. She had no idea how long they remained that way until he sighed and gently disengaged his hand.

“Okay. There’s no reason why you would lie to me, or tell me such an outlandish story unless it was true. But could you explain something to me?”

Slowly, Challa lifted her face until she could see the perplexed look in his brown eyes.

“If you’re really an alien, why the hell do I feel this way about you?”

She tried to answer, but her voice cracked. She swallowed and tried again. “Feel about me?”

“Yeah. Truth for a truth, Challa. I think I’m falling in love with you.”

Chapter 14

Reveal

Challa stared at him, not sure she’d heard him correctly. Compton continued to watch her, study her, taking in all the differences of her true self while he waited for her reaction.

She couldn’t help but smile. “You love me?”

“Yeah,” he admitted softly. “Or if I’m not there yet, I’m pretty damn close.” His eyes roamed over her face. “A real, honest-to-God alien?”

“Yeah.”

He paused. “I’ve kissed an alien?”

Challa nodded once. “You are my true mate. My blood mate.”

“True mate? Is that like your one and only?”

She was trembling so hard, her voice shook as she answered. “For my kind, we take only one life partner.”

“Guess that explains why you’re such a neophyte at kissing.”

She frowned. “A what?” Challa never noticed his other hand going past her shoulder until he gently guided her head toward him.

The kiss was tender, but not without a sense of controlled passion. Somehow she could tell he was holding back. He tasted slightly of cola, but his sweet, syrupy breath was dwarfed by the tangy lemonade scent coming from him. Before she was aware of her actions, Challa lifted her arms to wrap them around his neck.

The table disappeared. Compton got to his feet, pulling her up with him until he could slide his arms all the way around her and hold her firmly against him. His breathing accelerated and the caring lemonade smell took on the heavier, richer scent of vanilla. The unmistakable sign of lust.

She had no idea how cold she’d been until she was lifted along the heated length of his body. He was solid strength, unbending and unyielding to everything except her. She soaked in him, and reveled in his nearness and the way he took possession of her. His lips savored hers as he stroked her mouth with light, almost playful kisses. As he carefully teethed her lower lip, he gave a breathy chuckle.

“Grandma, what big teeth you have. You know, you could do some serious damage to me with those.”