The Falcon Prince

Chapter 9

Kristor spotted Rianna’s car, and pulled in beside it. He’d worried about her since this afternoon at the pet store. He could see she was starting to have doubts. What if she decided to try shifting? He remembered his first time had been traumatic, although it had gotten easier with time.

It might have been wise if he’d mentioned the downside to shifting. Like the burning pain that would lessen the more times someone changed to animal form. And he probably should have told her that after one shifted back to human form, they wouldn’t have their clothes.

We can only hope that she has attempted to shift and lost her clothes in the process, Labrinon said. Think how much easier it would be to seduce her. Half the work would already be done.

I don’t wish her first time to be terrifying.

I’m almost positive she’s not a virgin.

That’s not what I was talking about.

His gaze scanned the park. It wasn’t that big so it shouldn’t be difficult to find her. He walked down the paved path. If she was running, then they should eventually meet.

“Pssst.”

Kristor waved his hand in front of his face, but he didn’t see the flying insect.

“Pssst,” came louder this time.

He turned. Rianna poked her head around a tree.

“Why are you hiding behind a tree?” he asked.

Her bottom lip quivered. “Because I shifted into a frog, and the scouts chased me, and Jeremy threw his soda on me, then kicked dirt on me…and I’m naked! I want to go home.”

Oh, no, she was about to start crying. He couldn’t handle tears. Nor the sad eyes turned his way, or the pouting lower lip that looked very kissable right now.

He quickly looked away. “Where are your clothes?”

“The boys tossed them in the trash can.”

This was exactly what he’d been afraid of. His mother would not be happy that he hadn’t explained things well enough. He could only hope she wouldn’t find out.

This is your chance! Labrinon screamed at Kristor. She’s begging you to comfort her. Go to her, put your arms around her. Then let everything happen naturally.

Kristor ignored his guide and looked around. He spotted the can, and walked over to it. When he reached inside and pulled her top out, it was covered in food and drink. He retrieved her car keys from her pants pocket and walked back. “Your clothes are ruined. I can go to your house and get more.”

“Don’t leave me!”

What was he supposed to do? Even though the sun was going down, he didn’t think she would want to run across the park naked, although the idea appealed to him. There was only one thing to do. He tugged his shirt over his head as he walked toward her.

“Stop! What are you doing?”

“I was going to give you my shirt.”

“Oh.”

He took another step closer.

“Wait.”

Now what? “Do you want my shirt or not?”

“Yes, but toss it over.”

Women. He tossed it toward her, but it got hung up on a bush. She leaned forward. Kristor caught a flash of tempting pale skin, and realized he was in a pretty good situation. Except she jumped back behind the tree.

“You did that on purpose.”

“No, I didn’t.” But if he’d thought about it, he might have. But he hadn’t, so her accusation was false. “It snagged on the bush. I’ll untangle it.”

“No!”

“Then what would you like me to do?” This was getting tiresome.

Throw her over your shoulder and be done with it, Kristor! You have the advantage.

Labrinon was right, but Kristor would still need to get her to his craft and he didn’t think she would go quietly—naked or not.

“Turn around,” she ordered.

“Let me at least get it out of the—”

“Turn around.” Her teeth were gritted when she spoke and her eyes flashed fire. At least the tears were gone.

“Okay, but do you realize you’re not in a position to give orders?” He turned his back to her, heard the bush rustle, and visions of a very naked Rianna filled his head. Sweat beaded his brow. “Do you need some help?”

“No!”

“I wouldn’t mind.”

“I just bet you wouldn’t,” she mumbled.

He grinned, admitting she was an interesting creature.

“You can turn around now.”

He did. His gaze slowly worked down from her head, past the white T-shirt that didn’t hide as much as she probably hoped it did, especially when she tugged on the hem. Then his gaze slipped down her long legs. A rush of heat infused his blood with sexual need.

“You can stop staring.”

“Why?”

Her eyebrows drew together. “Because it makes me uncomfortable.”

“It does me, too, but I think probably in a different way.”

Her gaze dropped, then jerked back up, her cheeks turning a bright shade of red. “I need to get to my car,” she ground out.

“And how do you propose we do that? Other than run very fast. Or shift into our animal guides.”

“A hawk? I don’t think so. Besides, once was enough.”

Kristor had a feeling it would take a lot of convincing to make Rianna see her animal guide as an extension of herself, rather than a nuisance. Although sometimes he wondered about Labrinon.

I’ve saved your hide on more than one occasion, Kristor.

That you have, my friend. My apologies.

Accepted. Now throw her over your shoulder.

Enough! Unless you would be willing to explain to the Queen Mother why Rianna was taken against her will.

Good point.

Maybe that would shut up Labrinon, for a while at least. He looked around, seeing that the park visitors had left. “I think we can make it to the vehicles without being spotted.” She nodded, but then stopped before going out into the open.

“My keys,” she said, reaching her hand toward him.

Kristor dropped them into her hand.

“Follow me home. I have questions.” She strode past him, expecting him to follow.

A desirable woman, but also very demanding. And he did follow. The temptation was too great.

As soon as she cleared the cover of trees, Rianna began to run. Even though his shirt reached mid-thigh on her, when she ran, the hem kicked up in the back showing a nice portion of her buttocks. Labrinon was right about one thing: Kristor had gone too long without mating. He straddled the motorcycle and followed her car.

Her home was a bright canary yellow, different from the others. He liked it. She hurried into the house, leaving the door open. He closed it after he went inside. When a door slammed in another room, disappointment filled him. He had a feeling she was putting on more clothes. A shame.

He wandered around her front room. It was comfortable, with pillows and rugs, a sofa, and a chair.

Meow.

He glanced down as a black-and-white cat came into the room. He reached down and scratched behind her ear. She in turn, rubbed against his leg. After a few moments, she curled up on the chair.

The house was small enough that he could hear when Ria turned the shower on. For a moment, he closed his eyes, indulging in a vision of water cascading over her naked body, and how she would take the soap and lather over her breasts, down her stomach.

He drew in a sharp breath. Being around Rianna was not going to be easy if all he could think about was mating with her.

Kristor sat on the sofa, thumbing through a book on the table in front of him to take his mind off what was happening in the other room. The book was a picture record of Rianna’s life. He settled against the back of the sofa with it.

By the time she joined him, he’d caught up to her current life. He set the book down and stood. Her hair hung in damp tendrils.

She handed him his shirt. “Thanks for loaning me something to wear.”

“Of course.” He watched as her expression went from grateful to irritated.

“Do you think you might have mentioned that after I shifted back, I would be naked?”

“There’s much I would like to tell you, but in the past you refused to listen. I believe you said I was crazy, a nut case….”

She held up one hand. “Okay, okay, but what did you expect me to do? Jump at the chance to go off with a stranger?”

“Yes.” As he pulled his shirt on, he noticed Rianna seemed particularly interested in watching him tug the hem down. As soon as he was covered, her shoulders relaxed. She was attracted to him, no matter how much she would deny it.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked.

“Because you’re beautiful and I want to mate with you.”

She scooted farther away, tugging her hand free. “Mate with me?”

“I believe you would say ‘making love.’”

“I barely know you.”

“But you’re attracted to me.” He didn’t understand her hesitation.

“On Earth we don’t jump into bed with someone just because they ask us. We like to at least get to know the person first.”

No, he would never understand this woman. “But you do know me.”

“I know some things about you, but I don’t know what kind of person you are.”

“I’m a very good one.” He moved closer. “Now we will mate.”

“No, we won’t. We need to know each other longer than a few days.”

“Then we will mate?”

“We don’t usually discuss a timeline, either. If it happens, it will happen.”

That made absolutely no sense. Before he went off to battle, he released tension by mating, and it always helped. If all Earth people waited to mate until the time was right, he doubted any battles were won.

“If I’m part alien, why am I on Earth?” she finally asked. “What? Did my biological parents defect?” Her face lost some of its color and she sat hard on the sofa. “You didn’t lie about them, either. They’re dead.”

He sat beside her and took her hand in his. It was small, soft, and warm. There might be some advantages to holding hands. For once, it would seem, his sister had told the truth.

“I probably shouldn’t be this upset. It’s not as though I knew them or anything. It’s just that I really did think you were crazy.”

He let her remark pass about his being crazy. “I’m sure they would have loved getting to know you.”

“You think so?”

He could easily get lost in the deep brown of her eyes. She was a beautiful woman. Most Symtarians were, but Rianna was different. Maybe it was the mixing of the blood.

“Tell me more about how my parents came to be on Earth.”

Rianna didn’t look as though she would change her mind tonight, so he settled back against the sofa cushions. “Symtaria was dying. There were poisonous gases in the air. Some of our people were relocated to different planets, while others searched for a new home. It took many years, but the old ruler and his advisors found New Symtaria.”

“If this was many years ago, why weren’t the others brought to their new home?”

He shifted positions. “They were accidentally forgotten in the process of rebuilding what had been lost.”

“Forgotten? Forgotten! How the hell do you forget your own people?”

He came to his feet. “You have to understand it was not their intention to forget them. There were many things to do before they could send an expedition to find them. Then the old king joined his ancestors in the afterlife….”

She came to her feet. “And everyone forgot about them again.”

He was thoughtful. “You could say that.”

She slapped her hands on her hips and glared at him. “I just did.”

At least he no longer thought about mating with her. No, now he was thinking about killing her and being done with his mission. Was it his fault they had been forgotten? He thought not.

She paced the room, then stopped and looked at him. “And you can change into any animal?” she asked.

“Some Symtarians can, not all. Once you connect with your true guide that is the form you take.”

“And my guide is Shintara.”

“Yes, it would seem so.”

“And she’s like another person sharing my body?”

“As you will share hers when you shift into your animal guide’s form.”

“Eww. I don’t think I like the idea of sharing my body with someone. And sometimes she’s a pain in the ass.”

“I understand perfectly,” Kristor said.

I do not find that humorous, Labrinon commented.

“If you concentrate, you’ll be able to connect fully with your guide.”

She hesitated before sitting back down. He noticed she chose the opposite end of the sofa.

“You mean if I concentrate on shifting into a hawk?”

“That is correct.”

She shook her head. “Not going to happen. I’ve had all the shifting I want.”

“You would deny your heritage?”

“Excuse me? And who was it that forgot about the ones sent to Earth?”

He chose to ignore her remark. “If you stay here, you’ll be in danger.”

“From the rogue aliens you were telling me about. The same ones who killed my father.”

“Yes.”

“And they want to kill me, too, because I’m of mixed blood.”

“An impure. Your father was also an impure.”

“I don’t think I like being an impure. It makes me sound like I have a disease or something.”

“To them, you do. They don’t want you to return to New Symtaria. They think diluting our blood with a mixed race will make it tainted.”

“Will it?”

“No, it will save our race. Our blood has become too pure. Our guides are becoming stronger than our human side. There has to be a blending of each without one becoming too strong.”

“Or what?”

“Then the weaker side will die.”

“But I’m stronger than my guide. So what will happen if I never shift into a hawk?”

He hesitated, then just came out with it. “Then your guide will cease to exist.”