“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.
Visiting Prince Bids One Million
For Porcelain Statue at Benefit Auction
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?”
“A particularly evil man who wants to destroy mixed bloods.”
“You’re part alien,” Freddie said.
She nodded.
“That means you’re on this Zerod’s hit list.”
“I won’t let harm come to her,” Rogar promised.
Freddie studied Callie. “That’s wild that you’re part alien. All this time, and you never told anyone?”
“I didn’t know,” she said.
“We have to leave.” Rogar turned and met Callie’s gaze. “We’re no longer safe.”
“I have a place…” Freddie began.
“No, we can’t run forever,” Callie said.
Freddie grimaced. “Go to the police…”
“And tell them what? That an alien wants to kill me? I’d just as soon not be the one locked up.”
He straightened. “Then Rogar and I will protect you.”
She shook her head. “It’s not your fight.”
“I’ll make it my fight.”
“No, Callie is right. Besides, Zerod is powerful. You would be no match for him. But I am eternally grateful for your courageous offer.”
“Where will you go?’ Freddie asked.
“Home,” Callie said. “If we’re going to stand our ground, then I want it to be on my turf.” She took Freddie’s hands in hers. “After we leave, don’t come back to the cabin. It might not be safe.”
He nodded, then surprised her by grabbing her close to him in a hug. The angry cry of a jaguar filled the small space. Freddie jumped back, his face ashen.
“What the hell was that?”
She quickly shifted her attention to Rogar who didn’t look at all pleased. “You better leave,” she told Freddie.
“Sure.” He hurried past Rogar, gave him a sideways glance, then left.
“Did you have to do that?” she asked.
“I didn’t like him touching you.”
“It didn’t mean anything.”
“It meant more to him than you realize.” He marched past her and walked toward the bedroom.
“Just don’t start marking your territory,” she mumbled, but had to admit it felt nice that he was jealous.
She hurried after him. It took them only a few minutes to gather their things and leave in the Hummer. She wasn’t sad to leave the camp. Especially Constance.
“We’ll need a plan of action,” she said. “A trap. He needs to be destroyed.”
“It is against our law to kill another Symtarian,” he said.
“But it’s okay for him to kill me?”
“Our laws need to be changed. When that was written, we were all of pure blood.”
“Well, excuse me for living.”
He reached across the seat and took her hand. “We’re not a cruel race, Callie. The laws were created to protect everyone.”
“Except there are people like Zerod out there who want all the non–pure bloods destroyed.”
“He’s a rogue. There will always be his kind in every society.”
“You’re right.” She sighed. “Then what can we do?”
“Cage him. Then I will transport him back to New Symtaria, where he will be locked away forever.”
“The only place I know with a cage that can hold him is the zoo.” That wasn’t a bad idea when she thought about it.
He shook his head. “No, how could I keep you safe, if you’re at work?”
She suddenly smiled. “Don’t you see, it’s perfect. We’ll tell Mr. Campbell that you’ve decided it would be interesting to work with the cats at the zoo. He thinks the reason I’m taking off is so I can convince you to come to work for him. You can tell him you need me as your assistant.”
“I’m still not sure. Too many people.”
“We’ll work something out.”
“There’s still one other solution.”
She shook her head. “I won’t let Zerod run me off.”
He finally nodded. “You would make a fine warrior.”
She tried not to smile at his words, but lost the battle. “You think I’d make a good fighter?”
“No, a warrior. There’s a difference. A warrior plans his battles. A fighter just fights because he enjoys battles.”
“You have female warriors on New Symtaria?”
He nodded. “One of my sisters is a warrior.” He suddenly frowned. “She’s too aggressive sometimes. You would like her, though. Maybe you can meet her someday.”
Someday. She was starting to hate that word. As in, someday Rogar would leave. He didn’t know it, but the thought of his returning to New Symtaria was getting harder for her to imagine.
Would her memories be enough to sustain her on cold winter nights? Would her soft blanket and her flannel pj’s be enough to keep her warm?
She had a feeling they wouldn’t be.
Chapter 27
Mr. Campbell leaned back in his chair, puffing out his chest like a rooster about to let loose and crow. “Of course Callie can work with you. Can’t break up a winning team. The media will love this. I wouldn’t doubt if the mayor took an interest.” He beamed. “I’ve always thought I could run for office if the opportunity presented itself. This might just be the chance I’ve been waiting for.”
It was all she could do to keep from gagging. She’d always thought her boss was pretty much of an ass. Now he was proving he was. Maybe Mr. Campbell should be reminded that he was supposed to be thinking about the zoo and not his supposed political career.