Prologue

Five Years Ago

The hot summer storm left the air sticky. But it had provided the perfect cover for the spacecraft to land, silent and undetected amid the growl of rolling thunder and lightning. Deep within the heart of the forested area, the ship had grounded itself with a jarring thump. It had been on its last reserves, and powering down the engines would mean a complete shutdown of all systems. Permanently. Outside, the driving rain had pounded the outer hull of the craft like nails, frightening the thirty-one refugees huddled inside.

As the wind blew the black clouds to the south, the refugees exited to stand on solid ground for the first time in years. Some had to be helped out of the ship. Others stood on trembling legs and stared in amazement at this strange new place they would have to learn to adapt to. Learn to live in. Learn to survive.

Tiron Fesell Tarakon felt the cold water droplets fall onto her skin as the wind blew the rain off the towering plant life. This world would be her home now. Here she would live out the rest of her days. They all would. They had no choice.

The prospect didn’t frighten her. She had suffered too much at the hands of the Arra. She had been their experiment and their toy for too many years, subjected to more emotional torture than the physical kind. Physical she could handle. Every time they had pushed a male into her cell to join with her, she had beaten him off. Bloodied him. Sometimes disfigured him. Often killed him.

No creature would take her without her consent. No creature would join with her unless she so willed it. She was a Ruinos female. Fierce, strong...and unbonded.

To her left she saw two males talking as they drank in the night smells. A spark of regret briefly flared inside her chest before spiraling downward and dying. Ten years ago, Jebaral Gitall Morr had been shoved into her cell and forced to join with her. He had been fourteen and in early possession of his third man sac. He had been more than intimidated by her, by her strength and by the anger he had seen come over her time and again as she shredded any male set upon her. She was only two years his senior, but already she had gained the reputation of being a major disappointment to the Arra.

Still, she had felt something in his tentative approach. Deep inside, he was a gentle being. He wanted to hold her. To protect her from further cruelty. But more than that, he was not put off by her feral, threatening growls as he reached out to stroke her.

He knew of the emptiness inside her. Her need to be cared for gaped open like an ugly wound that would never heal. Not until she found that one person who bonded with her and made her complete.

She had let him join with her. The bonding, though, never happened.

Tiron lowered her face from the rays of the setting sun. Its orangish glow gave her skin an almost amethyst coloring.

She had cried when their blood lines had failed to appear. Even though neither of them had climaxed, she had continued to hope. He had been her only misgiving. That was ten years ago. She had not cried since.

Even so, she remained close to Jebaral and his brother Simolif. For some strange reason, the Arra never put Simolif in the cell with her to join. It wouldn’t have mattered if they had. Simolif was also a good man, equally as caring and protective as his taller, younger brother. But she felt no pull toward him either. Even if they had joined, Tiron knew there would have been no bonding.

The wind washed over her. She stood tall and stretched.

She was free. Gloriously free. Because of Jebaral and Simolif, they all were. The only uncertainty left for them was the future. Yet it was a future, nonetheless. One with hope and the possibility of security.

And maybe, after many, many prayers, one that would include the finding of a life mate.

“My friends, welcome to your home.”

Tiron jerked her head up to see the two brothers standing on a small, rocky abutment and looking down at them. For a brief second their eyes met, hers and Jebaral’s. Then he tore his gaze away to address them all.

“From here on, you are on your own. Scatter and find a place where you can finally be happy. We will survive and thrive here; I am certain of it.”

Survive. Yes. They would each have to go their own ways, each apart from the other. Otherwise, the chances were too great an Arran scout ship would discover that part of their precious cargo had landed here. When they did, the Arra would return in force to get them back.

The Arra would eventually come to this world. But if the ex-captives were lucky, and if they were scattered far enough apart, they would not be detected. It was a hope they all had.

“Good fortune, and have a long and happy life.” Jebaral gave them his blessing before he and Simolif stepped down to approach the ship. Behind her, Tiron could hear the others disperse, disappearing into the woods.

Vaguely, she wondered about the other three females who were unbonded just like she was. Karath. Avirokee. Challa. For all anyone knew, the future of their species rested with them.

The sun disappeared, and a silver disk rose to take its place. One moon. Tiron smiled. That was good. One moon on this world meant it would be easy to slip back into her own skin once the day was over.

Now it was only a matter of finding out what the inhabitants of this world looked like so she could imitate them.

She threaded her way through the thick brush on the forest floor, pausing every now and then to take a deep whiff of the strange new scents flowing over her. At some point, she heard the loud whuff and pop of a disintegration grenade going off. By morning, their ship would be nothing more than a few fine flakes of ash littering the grass until the next strong wind or heavy rain wiped them away.

Taking another deep breath to steady herself, Tiron pointed herself due north and began to run.

Chapter 1

Busted

“Hey, baby! Wanna lick? Hey, daddy, let me show you a good time. Whaddaya say?”

The hefty woman in the red sequined halter leaned over to waggle her tongue at the passing cars. Sitting a few feet away, Roni sneered at the ploy.

“Hey, Lolly, have you ever stuck that tongue into a place you didn’t like?”

Lollipop squinched her nose up at her friend and flipped her the bird. “Say what you like, Roni, but let me tell you this. For every twenty bucks you spread your legs for, I can get in three lick jobs at a dime a pop. Do the math, girlfriend. Three! That puts me five bucks in front every thirty minutes. Which means on a good day I’m gonna bring in...uhh....” Lolly frowned as her brain struggled to do the math. Unsuccessfully.

“On a twelve-hour shift it would net you an additional one-hundred and twenty bucks,” Roni calmly calculated.

Lolly glanced over at Ginger, who shrugged. Roni knew what the woman was thinking. Who would argue with Roni? Chances were the dark-haired hussy was a hundred percent right anyway. “Shit, girl, how do you do that?”

“Do what? Add?” Roni gave a little grunt that she passed off as a laugh. “What’s the matter, Lolly? Flunk out of elementary school?”

“Piss off, Roni,” the woman suddenly vented. “I ain’t in no mood for your holier-than-thou crap. I gotta earn me some rent money.” Tossing her bottle-blonde hair over her shoulder, the hefty woman marched across the street against the light to ply her wares on the other side of Dross Avenue.

“Gee. Was it something I said?”

Ginger shook her strawberry-blonde head as she rubbed her hands over her upper arms. “Don’t mind her. She misses her kid. Puts her in a funk like that when she does.” She turned to the young woman perched on top of the fire hydrant. “Hey, I was thinking about going over to the Brown Kettle for a bite. I’m starved. Wanna join me?”

“No, thanks.” Roni glanced upward at the orange clouds. “It’s gonna be dark in another hour. I don’t wanna be out after sundown.”

Ginger shivered with fear. “I hear you. But that maniac’s not in this area. He’s been focusing on the east side near the housing projects. You know that.”

“Yeah, but the guy’s got legs, don’t he? He can walk. Or take a bus or cab.” Roni glanced over at her friend. “Take my word for it. That sadistic son of a bitch is gonna make his way up to our neck of the woods sooner or later.” She sighed loudly as she went back to staring at the traffic. “Sooner or later.”

A bright blue sedan pulled up to the corner. The window melted into the doorframe to reveal a young punk wearing a nose ring, a dirty brown vest, and probably not much else. “Hey, mama. What does a fella hafta pay for a blow job?” he yelled across to them.

“Fifteen!” Roni and Ginger chorused. The unexpected stereo effect left them in giggles. Mr. Nose Ring eyed the women, weighing the benefits of each. “Hey, you. Cutie mama!”

Ginger took that as her cue to approach him. Roni was wearing a black leather bustier and black pleather pants that looked poured on. Dressed as she was, and with her jet-black hair, Roni usually scored the biker types. The rougher set. Which was fine with Ginger and Lolly. But if this guy preferred Ginger, she’d let him. In her short plaid skirt and fur boa, Roni knew her friend Ginger enjoyed playing the innocent young thing, easily enticed by the overweight businessmen who often went looking for a quick hand job during the lunch hour.

Swaying her hips, Ginger sashayed across the narrow street and around the front of the car to approach the guy from the passenger side. “I got a little place over at the Sutton,” she drawled seductively as she leaned inside the window.

“Yeah? Well, I got a little place over on Chambers,” Mr. Nose Ring replied, and he flipped back his vest to show her his badge.

The truth hit both women at the same time. “Oh, shit! Cops!” Ginger screamed as Mr. Nose Ring deftly grabbed her wrist to keep her from escaping. Seconds later, four more undercover police appeared from nowhere to arrest Roni and Lolly, who had been watching the episode from across the street.

Lolly struggled as she was grabbed. “But I wasn’t doin’ nothin’!”

“Oh, yeah.” The cop sneered. “You two are just innocent little lambs. Sorry, sweet cheeks, but we’ve had you under observation for some time.”

“What’s your beef?” Lolly protested as one man cuffed her with a nylon tie-back. “Why aren’t you over on the other side of town, searching for that murdering sicko instead of harassing us hard-working women?”

“Well, last I heard, hard-working women don’t include prostitution as one of their occupations,” one man remarked as he helped her into the back of Mr. Nose Ring’s sedan.

Roni turned around as her hands were placed behind her back and a nylon cuff went around her wrists. She gave the cop a little snarl to show her displeasure, but he laughed in her face. From the corner of her eye, she could see Ginger being patted down.

“You should be thanking us, lady, instead of showing your teeth. Officer Tayson over there could have been the Crescent City Cutter.” He gave Roni a little shove toward the police cruiser coming to join them.

A rough hand reached down to pinch her bottom through the thin fabric, hard enough to bruise. Roni winced at the sharp pain and jerked her hips away from the man’s grasp. “Watch it, numbfuck, or you’ll be pulling back a stump,” she hissed.

The man’s eyes narrowed. “Cunt licker,” he threw back at her and shoved her at the car. Roni managed to regain her balance just before landing on top of the vehicle’s trunk.

“Hey, Simmonds! Did ja remember to pat her down?”

The man who had groped her gave an oily laugh. “Shit! I forgot!” He reached for her with a waggle of his fingers. “Come back here and let papa see if you ain’t carrying a weapon up that pretty ass of yours.”

Roni twisted away from him at the last second, baring her teeth at the same time. There was no mistaking the growl coming from her throat. A couple of officers hooted at her show of bravery.

“Goddamn cunt. C’mere!”

Simmonds stepped down off the curb to reach for her again when a dark voice behind Roni called out, “Did you remember to Mirandize her?”

Simmonds stopped dead in his tracks. Anger mottled his face as he stood staring at the man behind her.

“I’ll take that as a ‘no.’”

Whirling around, Roni stared up, and up, at the man standing less than a yard away from her. Like the others, he wore a sweat-stained wife beater and a pair of jeans. His brown hair was longer than the regulation cop cut, and at least three days’ dark growth covered his cheeks and chin.

But it was his blue eyes that made her hold her breath. They were such a pale blue, they almost looked like chips of ice.

Those same blue eyes locked onto hers for an instant before his eyebrows snapped downward in an expression of growing anger. “Have I seen you before?”

Unfortunately, no. I would have remembered you.

Mr. Ice Eyes went back to Simmonds. “Mirandize her, then put her in the back of the car. Let one of the female officers search her when she gets to the station.”

“Yes, sir.”

He gave Roni a final glance, then turned and stalked off, leaving her. She watched his departure in silence as he muttered something under his breath about a civil lawsuit. His rear end rolled seductively, making her eyes widen in surprise. She was faintly aware of another undercover cop reading her her rights, then helping her into an unmarked police car.

As the vehicle pulled away from the curb, the orange rays of the setting sun spilled into the backseat, bathing Roni in their reddish-yellow light. Night was coming. Already she could feel her outer skin growing softer and less taut. In another hour or so, she would be able to shed it and let her real skin breathe.

Cursing softly, she watched the scenery pass by as they headed for the Chambers Street Station for booking. With a little luck, she would be able to pay her fine and be home before the night was too old. The last thing she needed was to be stuck overnight in a holding cell with twenty other assholes. Because if she couldn’t change into her true self before the next morning, the shit was definitely going to hit the fan big time.

Chapter 2

Deal

At least the officer taking her into the Chambers Street Station was a bit more courteous than the Neanderthal who had tried to pat her down. They went in via the back door and down a narrow hallway bordered by holding cells. One guy was puking all over the floor inside one of them. Roni frowned in revulsion.

The main booking area was no different from any of the other police stations she had seen. In a way, she was disappointed. These places were dismal enough as it was. Why do they have to be cookie-cutter identical, too?

She was led to a wooden chair, and a hand shoved down on her shoulder, mutely telling her to sit. The nylon cuffs remained on. Ginger was plopped down next to her, while Mr. Nose Ring led Lolly over to a desk and helped her into the seat. Parking himself in front of her, he pulled out his keyboard to start taking down her information.

“Name?”

“Lollypop, shugah.” To prove her point, she stuck out her ultra-large tongue and waggled the tip of it in the man’s face.

Roni didn’t try to hide her grin. They loved harassing the cops almost as much as the cops enjoyed busting them.

“Give me a break,” Mr. Nose Ring snapped.

“Hey, Tayson! We got a two forty-five coming in! A whole van load! ETA twenty minutes!” A man emerged from one of the offices along the wall, shouting to the room at large. His door was open in such a way she couldn’t read the name on the glass panel. “Get your suspects booked and tagged before all hell breaks loose!”

“Shit! You know I can’t do all three that fast! Somebody help me parcel ’em out! Yo! Fairbanks! Take the redhead!”

Roni saw a man in a suit, minus the jacket, give a nod and gesture toward Ginger. The officer standing watch over them grabbed her arm to help her over to Fairbanks’ desk. The man who had yelled into the room scanned all available personnel.

“DeGrassi! You take Miss S and M!”

Her eyes followed where the man, obviously the captain or the one in charge, was directing his attention. She felt a small shock go through her to see the same man who had been at the bust—the unshaven one who had ordered Mr. Roaming Hands to Mirandize her. Mr. Ice Eyes. She saw him open his mouth as if he was going to object, then snap his jaw shut. She guessed he had figured it was better to be done with it than to argue with the boss. He crooked a finger at her.

Roni was on her feet before the officer behind her could help her up. She made sure she stayed ahead of him and gave him no excuse to put his hands on her. At this moment, she wanted to remain away from any cop’s roaming hands.

Unless...

She remained standing beside the wooden desk chair until Mr. Ice Eyes glanced up from his computer screen. She waited for him to do whatever was necessary, and it didn’t take him long. His ice chip eyes slowly dragged their way from her head to her toes, leaving behind a trail of invisible, icy fingers. When he finally got his fill, that cold gaze riveted to her face. Roni felt another shiver go through her, not because of the man’s chilly glance...but because the look he gave her was just the opposite. A blue-white heat of immense intensity lit a cord inside her and went straight to the center of her gut.

The revelation stunned her.

“Are you going to stand there all day?” he grumbled, punching at his keyboard. “Let’s get this over with. I’ve got better things to do.”

Roni dropped into the chair before her legs gave way.

“Name.”

“Roni. R-o-n-i.”

“Full name.”

“Roni Tarakon. T-a-r-a-k-o-n.”

She glanced over his desk, noting the neatness, the fact that the man liked everything to be in its place. It took her a second to grasp the fact that there was nothing personal to distinguish his desk from all the others. No photos. No cutesy little mementoes from past vacations.

No picture of a wife or girlfriend.

She looked back at him to see he had been studying her.

“Roni. Is that short for Veronica?”

“No. It’s short for Tiron.”

He gave a snort. “Explains the accent. How do you spell that?”

She gave it to him, or at least the closest equivalent she had been able to come to when she had been forced to convert her name into English. She watched as he typed. He used both hands like a real typist, not the two or three-fingered punch method so many men utilized.

“Address.”

He smelled like...baby powder. Her eyes widened. The guy didn’t use it, obviously, but his dark, masculine scent reminded her of baby powder, or talcum. Dusty. Heady. She took another, deeper breath just to make certain.

“Address,” he repeated, this time a bit more gruffly.

“1604 Mare Marginis.”

He started to type it when he froze and glared at her. “That’s over on the south side, isn’t it?”

“So?”

“What are you doing in this neighborhood? Hell, you don’t even live in our precinct.”

“Mmm, slumming?”

“Apartment number?”

“No. Not an apartment.”

The man gave her an incredulous look, then went back to entering data or double checking information they already had. Date of birth. Telephone number. Etcetera, etcetera. As the process continued, Roni scanned the desk for some kind of sign or label that would identify him.

There. Right next to the in and out baskets was a name plate. Roni craned her neck enough to be able to read the inscription. Lt. T. DeGrassi.

“Country of birth.”

Her eyes snapped back to his. He looked pissed but he smelled...like vanilla. Roni sat up straighter. And bananas.

The import of what was washing over her nearly had her trembling.

“Miss Tarakon.” Now he was even more pissed. Those ice-blue eyes grew colder, but the scent of bananas was growing stronger. She shook her head, unable to figure out the reason for the antithesis.

“It’s a tiny country. You’ve probably never heard of it.”

“Try me.”

“Barandat.”

“You’re right. It doesn’t ring a bell. But if I check the Internet, I betcha I’ll find it.”

She gave him a meaningless shrug, dropping her gaze. “Go ahead. There’s been so many uprisings and takeovers, it’s probably changed names half a dozen times by now.”

Lieutenant DeGrassi paused with his fingers on the keyboard. He kept staring at her, but now the fruity smell wrapped around her, feeding her a warmth she hadn’t experienced in many long years.

“How long have you been in America, Miss Tarakon?”

“Five years, give or take a couple of months.”

“And you have your papers?”

Her head jerked up and she stared at him. “Yeah, I have my papers. Why?”

“’Cause if you didn’t, I would have to refer your case over to Immigration.”

His computer bleeped, forcing his attention away from her. A frown curved the edges of his mouth. “Have you been arrested before, Miss Tarakon?”

“You mean here, or in general?” She tried to keep her voice from betraying her, making it come out sounding smart-alecky instead.

The lieutenant punched a few more buttons. Then some more. Screen after screen flashed before him, shading his face blue, then white, then back to blue.

Behind them, Mr. Nose Ring had finished with Lolly and was helping her to her feet. From the looks of things, it appeared Ginger was about wrapped up as well.

“Look, can you hurry it up? Just let me pay my bail so I can get home.” Roni stopped long enough to get his attention. “I don’t want to be caught out after dark. There’s some crazy guy out there killing prostitutes, or haven’t you heard?”

DeGrassi gave a humorless chuckle and went back to his computer screen. “Keep your shirt on. I don’t wanna be here any longer than you do. I’ve got work to do, too. His gaze flicked back to her.

The plastic ties holding her wrists together were beginning to bind. Roni tried to adjust them so they wouldn’t cut into the skin. Her stomach gave a little rumble, reminding her she hadn’t had anything to eat since that morning. She’d been forced to skip lunch in order to serve her noontime clientele.

“I can’t believe you guys would waste your time on us girls when there’s a bigger fish out there to catch,” Roni muttered loudly enough for him to hear.

“Did you ever think that maybe us guys saved your lives by pulling you in when we did?”

“Some favor. We would’ve been gone before dark.”

“Day hookers, eh?”

She gave another half-shrug. “It pays the bills.”

The computer bleeped again. DeGrassi hit the print button and waited for a piece of paper to slide out of the printer behind him. “Awright. Time to go see the judge.”

“Now?” Roni’s eyes widened.

DeGrassi got to his feet. He was a good foot taller than she was, and she was no petite thing. His hand reached out to take her arm, and the effect was instantaneous. A wave of warm vanilla mixed with banana wrapped her in a cocoon of scent. Raining down on her were soft echoes of baby powder, landing like gentle drops to coat her skin.

Tears gathered in her eyes, forcing her to turn her face away from him so he couldn’t see them. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to notice her sudden weakness.

It wasn’t until they bypassed the holding cells that Roni realized something was different this time. “Wait, wait. What’s going on?”

His grip was firm but not hurting. Twice now she had caught him glancing down behind her back, at the nylon tie-backs that were putting angry red grooves in her wrists.

“Taking you to see Judge Braidon.”

“Why can’t I pay my bail and you let me go, huh?” She gave a quick glance behind them. “You haven’t fingerprinted me yet.”

“Don’t need to yet. You’re a possible illegal. That means a few nights accommodations in the luxurious Iron Bar Hotel, all expenses paid, until we can verify your paperwork. They’ll print you up then.”

“No!” Roni dug in her heels and stopped dead. DeGrassi nearly went tumbling, but she was blind to the irritable expression coming over his face. However, there was no mistaking the smoky scent of wariness covering his previous smell.

She couldn’t stay overnight in jail, or anywhere public. If she did, her fragile grip on her false identity would slip sooner or later. Sometime during the night, she would make a mistake and show her Ruinos self to them. And the resulting fear and loathing, not to mention pandemonium, would be nothing short of earth-shaking.

“No. Please, Lieutenant. Isn’t there...” She tried to lick her lips, but her mouth had gone as dry as sand. Swallowing was painful. “Isn’t there something we can do? I mean, isn’t there an alternative?”

“Alternative what?” Those blue eyes dropped twenty degrees in temperature. “If you’re thinking of trying to bribe me—”

“No!” she hastened to assure him. “No. What I mean is...” She gave a nod at the paper he held in his other hand. “You said you needed to verify my paperwork? To prove that I’m here in this country legally? Well, I have the documents at my place. What if...what if I had copies faxed over? Or-or, what if I brought them down to the courthouse and let them make a Xerox?”

“I take it you’re not too keen about spending time in lockup.”

Roni shook her head. The bars were too much like the cages she’d been forced to live in for sixteen years aboard that Arran mother ship. She had sworn to herself on the day they landed on Earth that she would never see the inside of another cage for as long as she lived.

Cage. Cell. Same thing.

They remained standing there in the middle of the hallway while officers passed by them. Every now and then, a male eye would appraise her. She knew those drooling looks well enough.

“You’re not yanking my chain? The documents are at your place? Because the database doesn’t have a thing on you or your country.”

“You have my address. Send a car over there. Tell the cops to look for a little cedar chest on top of my bureau. They’re in there.”

“There aren’t any available men I can send,” the lieutenant told her. “At least not until morning. You’ll have to spend the night.”

The thought of even a few hours spent in confinement sent cold chills of dread sliding through her veins. “Please. I’m telling you the truth. I swear on the stars.”

“Yeah. Like I’m supposed to take the word of a hooker.” He cocked his head at her, as if a thought had suddenly come to him. “If you’ve only been over here for five years, how long have you been hooking?”

Roni refused to back down or lie. “A little over four years. Why?”

An emotion she couldn’t read swept over his face and was gone before she could identify it. But the heavy, inky scent of sadness was left in its wake.

She could take ridicule. She could stand pity. But the undeniable smell of this big man’s sadness hit too close to home. Muttering “Forget it,” she turned and continued in the direction they had been going. She got all of two feet before he dragged her to a stop.

“Come with me,” he growled, and he began to pull her in the opposite direction.

“Where are we going?”

“To your place to get those documents. If Judge Braidon sees you’re legit, he’ll probably let you off with just a fine.” DeGrassi gave her a look that brooked no argument. “You better not be lying to me, woman.”

“I’m not,” she promised, breathing out a sigh of relief. “Swear to you.”

“We’ll see,” was all she got out of him until they were well on their way to her place.

Chapter 3

Lift Home

Fuckin’ H! What the hell am I doing?

Lieutenant Thom DeGrassi chanced a sideways glance at the woman sitting passively in the seat next to him. She kept her face averted from him during the entire trip over to her place. If he didn’t know any better, he would swear she was actually interested and intrigued by the passing scenery.

Well, so was he. But the scenery he couldn’t keep his eyes off of was parked not two feet away from him.

What was it about this woman that bothered the hell out of him?

They passed a streetlight, which illuminated her cheek and jaw before sliding over her thick hair like glistening water. With her porcelain skin, the jet-black hair, along with the black togs, was a devastating combination.

Whoa, boy. Don’t go there. He tried to concentrate on where they were going. But—Damn it!—he couldn’t stop looking at her.

For a whore she wasn’t wasted, which meant she ate regularly and didn’t get strung out on drugs or booze. That in itself was a miracle, especially since he now knew she’d been hooking for four years. It was rare for a hooker not to get caught up in drugs of one form or another.

She had high, firm boobs. Real ones. Ones that jiggled provocatively when she walked. And—man, oh man alive—what a walk!

His eyes slid down to her hips. If those pants were any tighter, they would cut off circulation. But as they were, they left nothing to his imagination. Not the enticing curve of her butt, nor the sweet hollow between her thighs when she moved.

Once they had gotten into the car, he had sliced the nylon band from her wrists. At the moment, she held her hands in her lap as if he and she were just another normal couple heading out for dinner. Or a date.

DeGrassi shook his head. This was crazy. Past experience in dealing with her type, coupled with his cop instincts, told him the woman was a Class B hooker. Not one of those expensive escort-service types, but neither was she a dreg willing to take on anything for spare change. Given time, though, he knew that she would end up on the slab at an early age from any number of diseases. Either that, or she’d become the victim of a random stabbing. Or shooting. Or God knew what. Unless she changed her path and chose another profession. And chose it soon.

The thought of viewing her cold body on one of the morgue’s stainless-steel tables sent a sudden stab of fear knifing into his gut. DeGrassi clutched the steering wheel with numb fingers as he tried to cope with the feelings coming over him.

Just what in the hell are these feelings, anyway? Why the hell should I care?

Her home was in the southeastern part of the city. It was in the older part of town, but many of the homes that had been built here in the late eighteen-hundreds still stood—refinished, rebuilt, and refurbished until they appeared almost the same as they had when they had originally been built. Old money lived here.

Mare Marginis was a street in the Crescent Moon subdivision—actually, a subdivision carved out of that particular old-money area of town. Back when these big, sixteen-room mansions first existed, they also boasted extra quarters in the back for the hired help: the maid and the gardener, the butler, and sometimes a stable hand. Over the years, many of the original owners had divvied up their property and sold off bits and pieces of the lots where their original houses sat. 1604 used to be one of those extra cottages attached to the main residence.

DeGrassi stared at the small, wood frame residence as he pulled up into the barely-existent driveway. “Where’s your car?” he asked. They were the first words out of his mouth since they’d left the station.

“Don’t own one,” she replied in that low voice of hers that was as natural as sin.

He glared at her. “You rent a place like this, this far from where you were hooking, and you don’t own a car?”

Roni gave him a look he was well acquainted with. It screamed, What do you care? as loudly as if she had spoken it.

“For your information, Lieutenant, there’s not much money to be made on this side of town. In addition, the metro express has a stop just a block over in that direction.” She gestured with a nod of her head. “And finally, this is one of the nicer and safer parts of town, where a girl like me doesn’t have to worry about big bad boogiemen breaking into her home and taking advantage of her.”

She threw open the car door and slid out without checking to see if he was following her. She knew he would be.

The grounds were immaculate, he noticed. The flowerbeds were well tended and filled with a riot of color, noticeable even in the muting darkness. DeGrassi recognized some perennials and several wildflower varieties that shouldn’t exist side by side, but did.

The front door of the cottage was around the back, bordered by a narrow, white-washed porch that wrapped itself around three-quarters of the building. In the pale moonlight, the house looked to be painted a dark brown or red. A huge towering oak tree braced one side of the building, apparently planted there after the place had been built.

He followed her around to the front door to see a wooden swing suspended at the far right side of the porch. A small pillow nestled in the corner of the swing. Pausing, he took a second to stare at the swing, then at the woman climbing up the short steps to the front door. A door with a screen. A porch. A swing.

It didn’t make sense.

“Are you coming in? Or are you going to wait for me outside?”

That dark, sultry voice broke him away from his daydreaming. Scowling at himself, DeGrassi followed her inside. No way was he staying outside when his curiosity was running wild about what he would find within the wine-colored cottage.

Roni flipped on the lamps as she opened the door. The living room was immediately filled with a soft, amber glow from the two table lamps on opposite sides of the room. Standing in the doorway, DeGrassi stared with fascination at the profusion of greenery. Potted plants and miniature trees practically filled the room. Amid the abundance, he noticed an overstuffed couch with a crocheted throw and a matching overstuffed chair facing an empty fireplace. The one picture he could see on the wall was a forest scene, complete with towering redwoods.

He heard Roni go into the next room and turn on the light. He followed her to stand in that doorway, too. “Tell me this is a joke,” he managed to say, once he gathered his wits about him again. This place could almost be mistaken for an arboretum.

She looked up from the little cedar chest sitting on top of her bureau, just like she had described it to him. “What are you talking about?”

Waving a hand toward the small bed with its quilt of flowers, and the little area rugs dotting the wooden floors, he repeated, “Tell me this is a joke. You don’t really live here. This is your sister’s place, or your old maiden aunt’s, and you’re just staying with her for a while…right?”

A hard look came over her face. He caught sight of her nostrils flaring, as if she were sniffing the air, and she lifted her chin in defiance. “This is my home, Lieutenant,” she practically hissed at him. “This is my sanctuary. My place where I can escape the crap I have to put myself through day after day. As you are a guest, I would expect a little more respect from you.”

It stung. No, he quickly corrected himself. It burned. Because she was right. For all he knew, this place was like this because it reminded her of her home country. Or where she grew up. Fuck, if he was forced to prostitute himself to make the rent, wouldn’t he like a place like this to escape to so he could forget what he did for a living?

With a jerk, DeGrassi thought of the apartment complex he called home. It was a cold and ultra-modern two/one that felt as impersonal as it looked. Suddenly, this place seemed all the more desirable.

Like Roni.

DeGrassi mentally slammed his back to the wall. Best get done what he needed to do, and get it done quickly. This woman who was staring at him with those luminous gray eyes...

...gray eyes with little silver flecks trembling in them...

...and holding an envelope was starting to get to him. And he didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Because, on the one hand, he was about two shakes away from walking over to her and seeing if those lush pink lips were as delicious as they appeared to be.

Yet, on the other hand, he wanted to put a permanent tail on her, so that every time she took her perfect little ass out on the street, he would have her picked up and hauled back to the station.

He curled his hands into fists as he watched her flare those nostrils again at him. Jesus, that was sexy! Why hadn’t he ever noticed before how sexy a woman looked when she sniffed in his direction?

“I-I’m sorry,” he finally managed to stutter. “It’s just that I don’t usually deal with hookers.”

Her fine eyebrows dropped. “I thought you worked vice.”

“I do, but I tend to stick with the ATF. I only help out the other departments when we’re short-handed.”

She gave a little snort. “My luck,” she commented. For some reason, DeGrassi didn’t take it as a slam.

Walking over to where he remained in the doorway, she handed him the envelope. Taking it from her, he noticed the official seal on the return address. “Here are my papers, Lieutenant. Now what?”

Now what?

Now that she was this close to him, he could take his own deep sniff of her. He barely managed to stifle the low, throaty groan that almost dragged itself out of him. She smelled like maple syrup. Thick, rich, sweet syrup. Intoxicating. Is it her perfume? Or her soap? Would she taste like syrup if he ran his tongue down over her skin? Between those perky breasts or in that moist cleft between her legs, where he knew her skin had to be sweaty because of those nonbreathing pants?

His hands clenched again involuntarily. There was no way he could stop his body from reacting to her scent. Nor could he hide the growing evidence. He could only pray she didn’t notice. Or if she did, that she didn’t care.

But if she didn’t care, he knew it would kill him.

Fuck!

“Now we take these back downtown and hope the night judge is lenient.”

Something flashed through those misty gray eyes. It looked like fear, stark fear, but it was gone too quickly for him to be certain. “What do you think the chances are I won’t have to spend the night in jail?” she asked.

And then he knew.

She was terrified of being locked up.

Miss Roni Tarakon was afraid of spending the night in the pokey.

Before he could think twice about his reaction, DeGrassi gave her a calculating look. “What’s the matter, Miss Tarakon? Afraid your pimp won’t be able to get you out before dawn?”

Fearful, flower-quilt Roni disappeared. In that instant, black rage filled her face with disdain so violent he could swear he could taste its acidity, like heavy poison on his tongue. It coated the inside of his mouth.

“I don’t have a pimp, Lieutenant. I work alone. Got that? Alone.”

She had moved closer to him, so close he could see the flecks of silver in her eyes shining like tiny diamonds. She was breathing heavily, smelling, sniffing. Sniffing.

“If you’re working alone, then you’re dumber than I thought,” he growled “Dumb, or absolutely the luckiest person I’ve ever met.”

She was too close. Christ. Another step toward him, and he would have no choice but to reach out and grab her by the arms. And if he grabbed her, he would not be able to stop himself from bending her over and tasting that incredible mouth.

Her eyes narrowed. “I’m not dumb. And I’m not lucky.” If it were possible, her voice had dropped even lower, until it seemed to be emanating from somewhere between her lungs and her ribcage. “If I were lucky, do you think I would be hooking?”

There couldn’t have been six inches of air space between their noses. DeGrassi remained riveted to those smoky eyes with their silver shards, and his body remained aware of her sweet syrupy smell that continued to drift up to him like ribbon candy. The top of her head barely reached his sternum.

He felt his fingers flex, ready to touch that creamy, silken cheek. Ready to pull her warmth and that intoxicating scent against him, and suckle on her like she was a dime store lollipop. Tongue her all over until she was writhing, all soft and pliable, and dripping her sweetness onto those snow-white sheets. On that bed with the quilt that resembled a flowerbed gone berserk.

A flowerbed. That’s what it was. It probably even smells like flowers, something whispered in the back of his mind.

A sudden screech jarred him from his thoughts. The sound came from outside, spiking over his nerves like nails on concrete. He took a step backward as he jerked around in surprise. When he glanced back over at the woman, she was trying to mask her smile.

Oh, fuck. Now he was definitely a goner. The woman’s smile was even more potent than her smell. “What was that?” he asked, hoping to sound more gruff than he felt.

“A screech owl. This property abuts Galileo Woods.” She giggled.

Galileo Woods was the outermost southeastern border of the city. DeGrassi knew the subdivision was seated on the fringes, but he hadn’t realized how close they were when he had turned onto the street.

His eyes darted back to her. She was still wearing that Mona Lisa smile, and every last ounce of willpower in him melted. At the last second, she seemed to recognize the look in his eyes before he walked over to cradle her cheek in his hand.

His lips skimmed hers. Touched, slightly pressed, then sipped. He moved lightly, caressingly. Tasting their ripeness and the color he now knew was natural. There wasn’t a trace of makeup on her face. And now that he was this close to her, he could practically absorb her rich, sweet smell through his skin.

He used his mouth like his fingers, barely skimming over her soft surfaces, trying to coax her into a response. She allowed him to tease her, but she didn’t respond. She didn’t kiss him back.

Without trying to breach her teeth, DeGrassi pulled back slowly, fighting the need to pull her tightly against him and demand entrance to her mouth, where more treasure lay waiting for him to pillage. He was fighting the thundering beat of his heart and the heavy, jerking sensations of his erection trying to escape the confines of his jeans.

She’s a whore, for crissakes!

DeGrassi had a bad habit of ignoring his own sound advice.

Except this time.

Pulling away from her warm, incredible mouth, a thin line of saliva followed him. He watched in drugged fascination as her little pink tongue reached out and licked it away. The woman wouldn’t kiss him back, or allow him to French her...but she licked away his saliva?

Dropping his hand, he turned his back on her and walked out of her bedroom. Out of her living room. Out of her little cottage.

He didn’t look back to see if she was following him. He knew she would be.

Chapter 4

Denial

She let him touch her. She had allowed him to put his hand on her because she wanted to see what he would do. More than that, she had let him try to kiss her because she needed to see if the feel of him would slake the thirst that was now consuming her body.

Roni chanced a glance over at the man driving her back to the center of town. He kept his eyes focused on the road directly ahead, both hands on the steering wheel, but she knew he was intensely aware of her sitting a foot away from him.

It was a harvest moon tonight. The orb never looked more beautiful. It sat on top of the trees like a giant orange snow cone, waiting to be devoured. She tried to lick her lips, but there was no moisture left in her mouth. She was parched and desperately needing a drink. Something cool. Like water. Or like....

Blinking to keep her vision clear, Roni continued to watch the road slide underneath the car. The taste of him had been overwhelming. That thin stream of saliva had exploded in her mouth with a hundred flavors, the most predominant being the fruity tastes. The banana. People who cared about her, who truly cared, gave off a banana scent. Ginger often smelled like bananas, but the little redhead had a big heart and cared about everyone. Sometimes even about her johns.

There had also been that slight vanilla flavor, proving he wanted her. That part surprised but also saddened her. All men wanted her. They lusted like rutting animals, needing only one thing from her—immediate satisfaction. They didn’t care if she did it by hand, by mouth, or with what she had between her legs.

But their lust smelled burnt and moldy, as though the vanilla had scorched or gone sour.

The lieutenant’s vanilla flavor was soft. Pleasant. Definitely not harsh to the senses.

And then there was that tiny trace of sweetness. Almost like...lemonade.

Something inside Roni’s chest spasmed. Throwing her arms around herself, she tried to huddle against the passenger door. No. It couldn’t have been lemonade. She had been mistaken. It was such a little drop of saliva. There obviously hadn’t been enough of it for her to get a good analysis of it.

She would need another taste to be more certain.

Her head jerked up. That wasn’t possible. The man had tried to kiss her because that’s what the male species on this planet did. They kissed. They stuck their tongues as far down her throat as they could to try and make up for the deficiency in their pants, which was why she no longer allowed any of her johns to kiss her. She didn’t care for that roving muscle licking her like she was some drippy ice cream cone.

Yet she had known he wanted to kiss her. Just like she had known he wouldn’t be forceful about it. And he hadn’t. He had touched her face before touching her mouth with gentle caresses both times. Touched her and tasted her, almost shyly. Exploring but never demanding.

And when he had pulled away—

—Too soon! she almost blurted out. You’re not finished! Stay! Stay! Taste me some more!—

—there had been that minute thread of moisture between them. So fine. So delicate. Too irresistible not to pull into her mouth and savor.

And all the while that rich, baby powder smell of him had filled her head until she almost lost her grip on her human guise.

Almost.

A little shiver went through her. It had been a close call, her nearly revealing her true self to him. If she had, she knew what he would have done. He would have pulled that enormously ugly gun from the holster against his ribs and put a bullet between her eyes.

Roni shuddered. Maybe she should have. Maybe he would have. For some reason she couldn’t explain, the thought of Lieutenant T. DeGrassi being the one to end her torment once and for all didn’t frighten her. If someone had to do it, if she had to pick the one person she could trust to do it right the first time, she would choose him. She knew he would be efficient about it.

And maybe, just maybe, when he did, she would die with the rich, comforting smell of baby powder and banana...and lemonade drenching her skin.

“Cold?”

Her eyes flew open in time to see him adjust the thermostat to the car’s air conditioning.

“Lieutenant?”

He glanced over at her instead of answering.

“What does the T stand for?”

“In my name? Thomas, but I use Thom. T-h-o-m. Just to be different.”

She could almost laugh at his last comment. Different? Sweet stars, the man didn’t have the faintest inkling how different things were.

Roni forced herself to look relaxed and resigned. It didn’t stop the quaking going on inside her, down in the farthest depths of her core. She wished there were more Ruinos around, especially a bonded female. She needed the guidance of an experienced woman to tell her if what she was suspecting was the truth. Because if it was, Roni knew she was fried.

Millions of miles away from her homeworld, and after years and years of torture and abuse from the Arra, with them trying to force her to copulate with nearly every unbonded Ruinos male they could throw into her cage, she had found him.

She had found the one male whose presence resonated in her blood. The man her body reached for. The scent her lungs couldn’t get enough of.

Lieutenant Thom DeGrassi was her bond mate. Her life partner.

And there was no way in the universe she would ever be able to have him. Or even admit to him that she was some green-skinned being from another solar system.

A single tear leaked out from one eye. She didn’t even know it was there until a roughened hand reached over and gently wiped it away. And there it was again, that light, fruity smell that he was concerned about her. Concerned, caring, and worried.

DeGrassi would never have to take care about touching her again, because she would never be able to deny him. Not anymore. That cold pit in the center of her being yawned wide open, ready for anything he could give her. For anything he offered her.

A Ruinos male treated his life mate with the tenderest of feelings. DeGrassi may have spoken rudely to her, sometimes angrily, but his scent proved it was all a lie. It was a ruse to cover how he truly felt. Even now, she could tell he was arguing with himself about his emotions.

Silence remained between them until they reached the courthouse. Once they got out of the car, DeGrassi pulled another nylon tie-back from his back pocket. “Sorry about this, Miss Tarakon, but rules are rules.”

Roni nodded as he pulled her arms behind her. She understood the rules as well as he did. They went in through the back door, where a bailiff took down the information he needed. DeGrassi handed him Roni’s arrest folder and the envelope with her papers, and then they went to sit in some chairs against the wall.

This was the night court, where the majority of the docket was filled with vagrancies and misdemeanors. Roni kept her face averted from the man sitting beside her, so close she could feel his warmth. Once she felt him check the cuffs behind her. Her wrists were still red and raw from when she had been arrested earlier.

“When it’s our turn, let me do all the talking, got me?”

Again she nodded. It was the Ruinos way. The male took care of his female. Above all else, he protected her. They might never be bonded in the true way, but Roni knew her soul would forever be in his hands.

For the first time in her life, Roni dropped her head and refused to fight a male emotionally. She couldn’t. With each passing second, she could feel her body accepting him. Needing him. Soaking up his life-giving aura with a fervor that left her starved for more.

Life had never been fair to her, and it never would. Especially now that she had found her one and only blood mate, whom she could never have.

Other people came into the little room and passed them by. Some of the men ogled her, their lust reeking sour and dirty. Beside her she could sense DeGrassi’s irritation with their leering. One man made a lewd comment to her, and the lieutenant almost jumped to his feet to punch the man’s lights out.

“Better keep your guy’s mouth buttoned, or I’ll see to it it’s sewn up permanently,” DeGrassi growled at the young officer escorting the man in.

The officer blanched but nodded and gave the perp a hard poke in the back, along with a stern warning. They went to sit across the room.

That simple demonstration was enough to make Roni’s inner self sing.

Shortly after that incident, they were called in for arraignment. DeGrassi answered the charges for her and gave a brief description of the arrest.

“How do you plead, Miss Tarakon?” the judge inquired, staring directly at her.

Roni hesitated. How was she supposed to answer? If she said guilty, would the judge have no choice but to put her behind bars? Or would he do it if she said not guilty? Already she could feel her outer skin move like gelatin. Her true self was needing to bathe in the fresh evening air and moonlight.

She threw a glance at DeGrassi, hoping to find a clue in those pale blue eyes. He was waiting on her just like the judge. What was it the lieutenant had told the man?

She didn’t actively seek out Officer Tayson, Your Honor. She was seated on the fire hydrant by the curb, but she didn’t approach the officer’s vehicle.

It was the truth. She took a quick sniff…

“Not guilty, Your Honor,” she calmly announced.

A frown came over the older man’s face. “You seem to claim a lot of that, Miss Tarakon. But your record indicates you’ve had at least six other arrests in the past four years. Three were pardoned with a fine, one was dismissed, one resulted in a suspended sentence,” he reread the folder for clarification, “make that a suspended sentence with a fine. And the last one ordered you to pay a fine plus serve probation. That was eight months ago. Miss Tarakon, by appearing before my court tonight, you’ve broken your probation. Therefore, I have no choice but to hand you over to lockup—”

“No!” Roni struggled against the thick plastic loops keeping her wrists together. “Please! Please, Your Honor!”

“Your Honor? If I may?” DeGrassi took a little step forward, releasing his grip on her arm.

The judge raised an eyebrow at the detective but nodded for him to continue.

“If I can guarantee Miss Tarakon completing her probation without further incident, could the court find within itself the ability to grant her leniency?”

This time both eyebrows went straight up. “She already broke a twelve-month probation as it is. If I gave lenience, it would be a five-year period this time. Are you telling me you’re willing to stake your reputation that this woman won’t be back in front of my bench, or any other bench, before that time is up?”

“Yes, Your Honor.”

Letting out a little huff, the judge pulled away for a moment and gestured to the bailiff standing nearby. They exchanged a few whispered comments, then the judge pulled forward once again.

During the exchange, Roni ventured a quick glance at the lieutenant standing next to her, so close she could press her forehead against his biceps. That delicate fruity smell continued to circle him, but now there was another scent, a stronger scent, attached to him.

Fresh-baked bread.

The man was confident he would get his way.

“Lieutenant DeGrassi, the court finds you to be an honorable man. Normally that wouldn’t have an effect on my decision, but your reputation precedes you. I’m under the impression you don’t stick your neck out very often. Since Miss Tarakon’s record does not reflect any charges other than prostitution, I’m willing to grant you this request, along with the understanding that if she gets caught peddling her wares out on the street again, I’m bringing you in with her. Are we clear on that matter?”

“Yes, Your Honor,” DeGrassi quickly responded. The fresh-baked aroma grew stronger, making Roni’s eyes water.

“Very well. Miss Tarakon, this court finds you guilty. Sentence is suspended with a five-hundred-dollar fine and five years’ probation. Officer Bleake will show you where you can pay up. Next case.”

The sound of the striking gavel was no different from the ones she had heard in the past. But this time, the man walking out beside her with his hand around her elbow was emanating a scent she had never sensed before.

While she paid her fine with a credit card, the scent remained around her like a cocoon. Through it, she could detect the familiar banana and vanilla she was already accustomed to. Plus the blossoming smell of baby powder.

Once they were back outside in the parking lot, DeGrassi turned her around to cut off the tie-backs. “You’ll be able to pick up your documents tomorrow at the courthouse.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant. I…I’m very grateful for what you did.”

“Thank me by keeping your cute ass off the streets. That’s an order. Or else, you heard the judge, it’ll be both of us facing jail time.” He whirled her back around so he could face her. “He was right about one thing. I don’t stick my neck out for just anyone. In fact, I don’t know why I did it this time.”

She raised her face to where she could look into his eyes, but the shadow falling over them kept her from looking deep inside. “Don’t you?” she whispered.

The tension between them suddenly sprang up like a third entity. Like a magnet trying to pull them closer together. She inhaled long and deep, sucking up every particle of the vanilla scent pouring over her, the smell of his needing her that was quickly warming to that scent she still couldn’t identify.

Nearly a minute passed as they remained locked in each other’s gaze. She didn’t want to leave him, but she had no choice. She wanted to close that thin gap between them and drench herself in his baby powder skin, but there was no way she could. Not now. Not ever.

DeGrassi gave a little grunt, then turned and started walking toward the car. Roni did her best to hide her disappointment as she followed him.

Chapter 5

Release

He never said a word to her on the drive back to her little cottage. Pulling up in the pseudo-driveway, he threw the car into park and finally turned to her.

“Tomorrow you’re going to start looking for more gainful employment.”

“Don’t you think I’ve tried before?” she asked him as she started to open the passenger side door. In the interior light, her black, shoulder-length hair gleamed like rain-washed streets in the darkness. Now it appeared mussed and in need of some serious brushing. DeGrassi had to curl his hands into fists to keep himself from reaching out and combing his fingers through its thickness. It would feel like heavy threads of silk if he did, and his impulse was something he couldn’t afford to give in to.

“A girl like you has no business selling her body on the streets.”

Something that looked like pain flashed in her steel-gray eyes. “I don’t have any skills, Lieutenant,” she snapped back, emphasizing the one word to make sure he caught its double meaning. “My education is limited. But I owe you for what you did for me tonight. Give me some suggestions, and I’ll give them a thought.”

DeGrassi snorted. Turning his head so that he looked out the front windshield, he vainly tried to rack his brain for an idea that wouldn’t sound too lame. After a brief struggle he gave up. “Sorry,” he admitted with a slight shake of his head. “It’s been too long a day. I’m too tired to think at the moment. But I’ll tell you what I would do. I’d get down to the employment agency first thing in the morning and fill out an application. You never know. Something might be available you can get training in.”

She continued to study him as if he was a rare strain of bacteria under a microscope. “There’s something I just don’t get, Lieutenant. Why should you care? I mean, why did you stick your neck out for me like that?”

“You wanted me to,” he replied quickly. Too quickly, but it was the truth.

“Naw.” She reared back slightly and shook her head. Sadness seemed to suddenly come over her. Locks of ebony brushed across her cheeks. Someone needed to push them away before a stray hair caught at the corner of those sculptured lips. “Admit it. You have an ulterior motive, Vice Man. Nobody does a hooker a favor unless they want something in return.”

The insinuation hit him like a bolt of lightning. “Get out of my car!” he yelled and reached across the seat. He had intended to push her out if he had to, but the woman was quicker. Before he was halfway across, she opened the door all the way and jumped out of the vehicle. He watched her march angrily away, her pleather-clad buttocks rolling seductively and temptingly, wrenching a groan from deep within his chest.

The door was open too far for him to close from inside. Getting out, he was forced to walk around the car to shut it. Once he was back behind the wheel, DeGrassi threw the car into reverse, spewing gravel from under the tires. He then pointed the hood toward town and his own empty apartment.

The woman was right. Why in the world did he stick out his neck for her? It could have been for any number of reasons. But it sure as hell wasn’t because he wanted a piece of that perfect ass. Hell no. She was a hooker, remember? A second-class whore. What the hell was he thinking?

He reminded himself that the last thing he needed was to try and dip his wand in a polluted pool.

He ran a red light. Didn’t matter—there wasn’t any oncoming traffic. Gunning the engine, DeGrassi pushed the speed limit. Then he wondered why. Okay. So I’m not in a big-ass hurry to get home. It was more like he had to put as much distance between himself and that Tarakon woman as he could, and quickly.

All right, hot shot, why did you hang your reputation out to dry for her?

DeGrassi smeared a frown over his face. Fuck if I know. Maybe he was an old softie determined to pull at least one soul out of the gutter. Or maybe he instinctively believed she didn’t want to be in the situation she was in. Not the court situation, but the hooker one.

For some reason he couldn’t put a label on, DeGrassi felt deep down the woman—

—Roni—

—hated her status in life as much as he did.

Hey, whores had been peddling their wares since biblical times. It wasn’t like it was an occupation that had sprung up overnight. But it wasn’t like there weren’t any other job opportunities out there, either. More socially acceptable jobs. Jobs she didn’t have to perform flat on her back…not unless her name was Michelangelo.

All right, it was a question worn ragged from overuse, but what was a woman with—

—Roni’s—

—stunning looks doing selling herself to every pervert in the city?

A sudden blaring horn jolted him out of his ruminations. DeGrassi slammed on the brakes and jerked the wheel to the left, narrowly missing the other driver pulling into his lane. The near-miss flooded his system with adrenaline, and he took a second to draw a deep, shaky breath.

Dammit. He couldn’t concentrate. He couldn’t keep his thoughts straight. That Roni woman was like tape residue. She was gone, but something of her still clung to him. Still stuck to him. And he didn’t know a single damned way to get rid of her.

He remembered when he had spotted her sitting on that fire hydrant, right before Tayson had solicited the redhead. In that split second, when he had seen the officer lean out his car window, he had nearly broken his cover. He had come this close to yelling out to the guy to choose the redhead and to leave the black-haired woman for him.

DeGrassi trembled. Leave the black-haired woman for him?

A low groan rattled in his chest. Oh, Jesus, he was definitely a goner.

Pulling into the parking lot behind his apartment complex, DeGrassi parked the car in his assigned slot before dragging himself out from behind the wheel. What time is it, anyway? They had gone before the judge a little after eight, which would probably put the time around tenish.

He walked into his apartment and dumped the keys on the small bar separating the tiny kitchen from the living room. A quick check of the fridge reminded him he hadn’t bought anything to fill it for nearly a month now. And no magic genie was going to put food in it while he was out chasing hookers wearing skin-tight pants.

Grabbing the last beer, he popped the top and chugged it down on his way to the bathroom. Shedding his clothes, he climbed into the shower and turned the water on as hot as he could stand it.

Face it, Thom, old boy. What good would a hooker do you anyway?

The water poured pain across his back and shoulders, but he needed that right now. The scalding was like a penance of sorts. The heat matched the fire in his loins and in the blood that sluiced through his veins. For whatever good it would do him.

As far back as he could remember, he had been forced to face the cold, immovable fact that he had a problem. A very real, very severe, and unfortunately often incurable problem. At least for him, anyway.

Reaching down between his legs, he grasped the thickened rod and stroked it. It was steel-hard right now, literally quivering in his grasp. DeGrassi groaned loudly and threw back his head. In the quiet privacy of his personal space, he could dream of her. He could imagine…Roni…taking his engorged member in those delicate-looking hands and pumping him. Stroking him and running those manicured little nails over the satiny skin until his nerves screamed.

Eyes slitted, he could envision her standing there in front of him with the water making her ivory skin glisten in the steam. Her hands would take him, massage him…pull, pump, pull, pump.

Oh, sweet, glorious heaven.

And then she would kneel in front of him. DeGrassi felt his breath catch in his chest as his imagination ran vivid. The water would plaster that beautiful black hair over her scalp as she leaned in toward him. Those luscious lips would open up for him, open wide, until the tip of him was just inside her perfect mouth. She would look up at him with those incredible silver eyes with the diamond chips, and she would watch his expression when he slid all the way to the back of her throat with one huge gulp.

His hips bucked as his hand squeezed his throbbing erection. Gasping, his hips bucked again, but DeGrassi kept pounding, pushing, pushing himself to a release. He was close. So damn close.

Oh, please, let me come this time!

Her tongue would be like a miracle. It would circle him, tease him, stroke him until his brain went numb and there was nothing left in the world except the exquisite tightening in his groin just before he exploded. And then, when she clamped down to suck on it like the vacuum from hell—

A guttural cry burst from his throat. He felt himself slamming against the side of the shower stall as his release finally came. Once. Twice. The spurts were barely there. And then it was over. Short and sweet. Too damn short, and not enough sweet.

He let a minute or two pass by as he continued to lean against the stall, while the water went from hot to tepid. Finally, he straightened up and rinsed off, got out of the shower, and dried off.

Naked, he walked into the dark bedroom and threw himself onto the mussed covers.

What was it she had tried to accuse him of? That he wanted her to put out for him because he’d gotten her out of some time behind bars? The thought was almost laughable. What would be even funnier would be the expression on her face if he tried to collect on that suggestion.

What could she do for him that half a dozen doctors and specialists hadn’t been able to accomplish? Geez, even his shrink had suggested he try using a prostitute, and that had been some years back. It hadn’t helped, either.

After a urologist had confirmed there was nothing physically wrong with him, two psychologists had told him it was probably psychosomatic. Well, hell, he could have told them that. Performance anxiety. No shit. One doctor even laughed and told him he just needed to find the right woman.

The right woman.

A porcelain face with sparkling opaline eyes, framed with jet-black hair, floated into his line of sight. DeGrassi gave it a good hard stare, then dismissed it with a snort.

Rolling onto his back, he scratched himself, then folded his arms under his head. Women were always trying to fawn over him. All types of women—didn’t matter what their age, social status, or marital status was, either. Some even had gone so far as to cup him, hoping for an invitation. When he turned them down, a few had gotten angry. Shit, he wouldn’t be surprised to hear that some of the guys down at the station thought he was a queer. He wasn’t. But, unfortunately, the equipment didn’t work for the fairer sex, either.

In truth, it worked for no one but himself. For his touch alone. His hand and his imagination. Those were the only stimulants his body would respond to, for as long as he could remember. And it made for some very lonely nights. It made for some even lonelier years, too.

Oh, yeah, the sight of a sexy woman turned him on. There had been plenty of times he had nearly busted out of his pants when a goddess had beckoned to him. But when it came time to plant his trusty sword into her sheath, said sword became a dagger. Then, finally, a penknife. It was like watching the air go out of a balloon.

There was no denying that Roni Tarakon was one hot woman. Sexy. Desirable. Beautiful beyond all description. Okay, she was a whore, but a damn fine-looking one. One who took care of herself. DeGrassi bet that if he had her tested for drugs, she’d come up clean.

There was a lot more about Miss Tarakon than met the eye. Hell, just look at her house! It had been spotless and neat. The furniture hadn’t been the expensive kind, but it looked damn comfortable. And homey, especially with all those plants. The woman had a green thumb, that was for sure.

The sight of that comfy little pillow sitting on the porch swing just wouldn’t leave his mind’s eye. What would an evening be like with him and her on that swing, toeing the floor so they gently rocked back and forth, and listening to the night sounds coming from the woods?

What would it feel like to have her head resting on his shoulder so that he could breathe in that sweet maple scent? Would her hair feel like silk, like he imagined? What did her shampoo smell like?

Lost in his reveries, DeGrassi slowly drifted to sleep, a soft smile curving the corners of his mouth.

Chapter 6

Attack

The sound of his cell phone going off roused him from sleep. That annoying bleeble told him it was from the station, but he’d left the thing on the bar along with his keys. Muttering an obscenity, DeGrassi stumbled into the living room and glanced at the cell’s display before flipping it open.

“This had better be life or death, Tayson, or I’m drilling you a new one when I get to the office.” It was two-fucking-thirty in the morning. Even the bars were closed. What could be so important?

“Sorry, Thom, but I thought you might want to come check this out.”

The man’s tone of voice sent cold chills down his back. DeGrassi was instantly awake. Tayson worked the streetwalker scene exclusively. It was him and his partner, Wade McCormick, who had front-row seats to solving the Crescent City Cutter murders.

“Why? What’s up?”

“I’m over here on Plymer. 3400 block, right next to a market. We got victim number four.”

“What’s that got to do with me? I was just helping with backup today,” DeGrassi reminded him. Still muddled, he tried to get a mental picture of where Plymer was, when it hit him with icy clarity. At the same moment, Tayson confirmed his growing fear.

“I know that, Thom, but after I saw the vic…or what’s left of her…” The man’s voice trailed off. DeGrassi could hear him breathing heavily over the line. “It might be that girl you processed today. That’s why I thought you might want to get over here. To make the ID.”

DeGrassi was already heading for the bedroom. “I’m on my way,” he responded tightly and closed the phone. Less than a minute later, he was running out the door.

The 3400 block of Plymer was right on the dividing line between their precinct and Ballus Street Station’s. Once it was determined which direction the killer was moving, the chief of police had put all precincts on alert. Which meant every station had a squad specifically assigned to help coordinate with the city’s efforts.

DeGrassi did a quick plotting of the killer’s hits. The maniac was heading due southeast, which meant he was crossing now into their territory. Which also meant things were going to get uglier if they didn’t catch the guy pretty soon. The further this guy went, the more bodies he left behind.

But what bothered DeGrassi more was the fact that Plymer Avenue was eight blocks over from Dross, where yesterday they had busted Roni and her gal pals. The Cutter was working their neighborhood now. DeGrassi almost patted himself on the back for getting Roni off the streets in time, when the purpose of him being out at three a.m. came back to stare him in the face.

The cluster of flashing red-and-blue light bars helped him locate the scene. The revolving globe on his dashboard granted him access to the crime scene and the yellow tape that marked the final boundary. DeGrassi pulled his badge out of his pocket and clipped it to the waistband of his jeans. Two uniformed officers greeted him as he made his way down the narrow alley. McCormick was waiting for him. Not too far away, Tayson was squatting beside the vic’s remains, which had been covered with a tarp.

“It’s nasty,” McCormick commented. DeGrassi gave him a surprised stare. The man looked green around the gills, and that wasn’t like McCormick. As he walked over to Tayson, the man stood and waved a hand at the corpse.

“The guy’s getting messier, but it’s the Cutter’s handiwork. No doubt about it.”

A glance down at the small hand peeking out from under the tarp burned the image into his mind. The nails were well-manicured. Just like Roni’s.

He took a deep breath and knelt. Grabbing the side of the tarp, DeGrassi lifted it just enough to peer at the body.

Like with the other three victims, the clothing had been sliced from the torso before the maniac continued to slice through the skin and intestines. Strips of black leather lay on the cement. Everything was saturated in blood. There wasn’t much left, but there was enough to tell that the woman had been wearing black leather something.

His eyes quickly sized up the victim’s height. The comparison was close. Too damn close to suit him, and DeGrassi fought the wave of nausea that swelled in his stomach.

“Well?”

He shot Tayson a “just wait” look and dropped the tarp. Scooting forward a bit, he gritted his teeth, then slowly lifted the edge to peer at the face. Or what was left of the face. There wasn’t much. The hair had been neatly scalped from the skull and placed, along with both ears, in the victim’s left hand, as if they were pieces of a costume she could remove at will.

DeGrassi stared at the length of black hair. It was thickly matted with blood and dirt, but it was definitely black. The ears were pierced but bore no earrings. Did Roni have pierced ears?

He desperately tried to remember if he had noticed that detail, but his mind was a blank. Worse, the gorge that had threatened to rise was now centered in his throat. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a little voice was yelling no! No! No!! as he struggled to his feet before he made an ass of himself.

“Well?” Tayson asked again.

“It’s…possible,” he forced himself to admit.

“Damn. That’s what I was afraid of.”

“What about the other girls?”

McCormick rejoined them. “Other girls?”

DeGrassi turned to the partner. “Yeah, remember? The redhead and the blonde? She was friends with two others. Have you seen them?”

Tayson answered, “I remember. No. There were no witnesses as far as we know, but I have a couple of officers scouting the area.”

“The body was found by a vagrant scrounging in the trash cans,” McCormick added. “So, are you giving us a positive ID on this one or not, DeGrassi?”

“There are similarities, but I won’t make any firm commitment when she looks like that,” he told them brusquely. “She’ll have go to through fingerprint and DNA.”

“Do we have anything to compare DNA with?” McCormick asked.

DeGrassi motioned with his head. “I can get some. It’ll take me about an hour to get it to the lab.”

Nodding, Tayson ordered him, “Double-check to be sure she’s not still out there somewhere running around.”

“Don’t worry. I will.”

Something was nagging at him. Something that persistently tried to get his attention. DeGrassi shook his head, hoping to rattle the pegs back into the correct slots. Ever since the Cutter had started his campaign, many officers had been forced to take on double shifts. Doing three in a row was beginning to tell on him.

He strode back to his car, passing the coroner, who was headed over to the body to do his thing. Poor guy. The man looked as worn to the bone as the rest of them.

All the way over to Roni’s house, DeGrassi tried to make sense of what his sleep-deprived brain was attempting to tell him. Deep down, he couldn’t believe that it had been her body lying there in thin strips, like a filleted fish. Surely she wouldn’t have gone out to hustle after all the trouble he’d gone through to keep her out of jail.

Waiting at a red light, he spotted two women working the driver and passenger of an SUV, over in a vacant parking lot. When Roni had told him she worked days, he’d believed her. When she’d told him she would go looking for more gainful employment tomorrow, he’d believed her.

Everything in him told him it wasn’t Roni underneath that tarp. And, dammit, he would prove it by going over to her place and waking her up. See those silvery eyes drooping with sleep, that mass of black hair bed-tousled.

Pulling into her driveway, he got out and started to walk around the side of the house to the front door. He noticed there weren’t any street lights or any kind of security light. DeGrassi frowned. Every home needed some kind of light outside the premises to deter would-be burglars or such. The little cottage was as dark as the back side of the moon, and the woods loomed up behind it like the clouds of a swelling thunderstorm.

He had to be careful taking the steps leading up to the front door. Once he was there, he knocked first and then counted to thirty. A quick feel around the outside of the doorjamb didn’t find a doorbell, so he tried beating on the door again.

Still no answer. Not even the sense of someone moving around inside.

“Roni? It’s me, Lieutenant DeGrassi! I’m here on official business!” he added, although he didn’t know why. But he felt better after admitting it.

Crap. He felt better just being here, waiting to see her again. Needing to see her again.

After a good couple of minutes, he opened the screen door and reached for the inside doorknob. It was locked.

Fuck a duck. Now what was he going to do?

Hoping the woman was still asleep, he ventured around the little house to see if he could spot the bedroom window. Unfortunately he could, much to his dismay. The damn thing was wide open. A sheer lacy curtain drifted back and forth over the sill. Sticking his head partly inside, he called out Roni’s name. Again he got no response. Worse still, the place felt empty, which made the lump of ice in the middle of his stomach grow larger.

The window was at shoulder level for him. It didn’t take much effort for him to grab the sill with both hands and heft himself up, over, and into the room. He slid onto the wood-paneled floor with ease.

“Roni?”

The place was darker than the bottom of a well. By feel alone he found the bed with its flowerbed quilt. Flat and empty. The thing was still made up, which told DeGrassi she hadn’t even gone to bed. Fuck!

The light switch wasn’t too difficult to find. He kept his eyes closed for several long moments after flipping the switch, then gradually opened them until he could see.

He was right. The bed was made. But over against the corner sat a narrow chair with a tufted seat. Black garments lay over it, tossed there randomly. DeGrassi walked over and picked one up. It was the black leather vest Roni had worn that day. In that instant, a sense of immense relief washed over him. In the next, he wondered if she had any more of those black leather thingies.

The closet was within arm’s reach. He opened the bifold doors.

The thing was filled with Jekyll and Hyde. One side of the closet held a profusion of color. A rainbow of clothing, ranging from powder blue to brilliant red, pale yellow to green, made up the left side of the small space. Dresses, blouses, pants…DeGrassi held up the sleeve of one blouse in a leafy green. The tags were still on it. In fact, most of the clothing on that side was still tagged. He recognized the name of the department store. It was good quality without the exorbitant price.

The other side of the closet held what he thought of as her hooker wear. All of it was black—bustiers and more pants. Vests. Some sheer things that laced up. All kinds of kinky wear in satin, and fur, and velveteen, and leather. He saw rhinestones and black lace, not to mention a piece that looked like it was made of alligator.

This was crazy. She had bought all this pretty stuff but never worn it. Looking at a long, soft skirt in butter yellow, DeGrassi began to see a side of the woman he had suspected existed. Four years on the street had not made her callous. That part of Roni continued to exist inside her. The part that hid from the sun.

Yeah. DeGrassi smiled. That was exactly what she was like. She hid her true self from the sun, from the bright, hopeful, uplifting side of life. The clothes, this house. She was never here during the day. That’s when she went on the streets, to separate the person she wanted to be from the person she had no choice but to be. She never wore these clothes because they would reveal that part of herself that was too vulnerable.

But the dark clothes were like a disguise. Anything that would reveal her softer side was kept hidden. She hooked as far away from her home, her sanctuary, as she could so that part of her life would never intrude upon it.

And the plants. DeGrassi glanced around the room. Sweet heavens, the place would rival any nursery.

His eyes settled once again on the made bed. A made bed. Visions of his own never-made bed came to him. He bet that if he went into the tiny kitchen, there wouldn’t be a single dirty dish in the sink. And the fridge would have food in it.

“Roni, dammit, where the hell are you?” he growled.

His eyes lit on the small bureau. On top was a hand mirror and a brush. A brush. Grabbing the brush, he examined the strands of dark hair caught in between the bristles. Unconsciously, he held the brush to his nose and inhaled.

There. It was there. The sweet scent of maple syrup.

And then it hit him—what his mind had been trying to tell him all this time. The body. The victim. There had been no scent of her when he’d viewed the remains. None. Yet he knew that he had been able to detect her scent even when she had sat in that chair next to his desk, and that was…what? Two, three feet away from where he’d sat?

He took another whiff of the brush. Her smell still clung to the fine strands, which meant he should have smelled her when he’d lifted the tarp. But the smell had not been there. The victim wasn’t Roni. He would swear to it. The DNA on the hair follicles would prove it wasn’t her. Going into the bathroom, he grabbed a hand towel from the bar to wrap the brush in and left it on top of the dresser.

So where on Earth was she?

Maybe she went to spend the night with a friend.

He started. A boyfriend? No, asshole. One of her girlfriends. Maybe one of those two who worked with her.

But what if it was a boyfriend?

DeGrassi caught himself grinding his teeth at the thought. What kind of man would put up with a woman who had been selling her body all day? He refused to listen to the little voice inside his head—the one that kept prodding him, asking why should he care.

Without his realizing it, his eyes drifted back to the black garments lying on the chair. Taking a mental step back, he slid on his police persona and scoured the room. There was absolutely nothing in the place that even indicated she had a significant other. There were no personal photos, no pictures except for the framed paintings and posters of trees and forest landscapes hanging on the walls. No mementoes. No cutesy stuffed animals. Nothing.

In fact, the place seemed unusually barren of personal effects.

“Roni!” he suddenly bellowed. Pivoting on his heel, DeGrassi strode out into the living room and barreled into the kitchen. Just as he had suspected, the sink was gleaming white. There weren’t even any dishes drying on the countertop. He jerked open the refrigerator door to see all sorts of vegetables and salad stuff sitting on the shelves. A half-bottle of orange juice was the only drinkable thing he could see. Angrily, he closed the fridge and walked back into the living room.

After another quick glance around, he reentered the bedroom, grabbed the wrapped brush, and exited the cottage the same way he had come in, through the window. However, he pulled down the sash until it was nearly closed. She might have left it up for a reason, but he would feel better knowing it wasn’t so blatantly open and inviting.

Roni wasn’t here, but the voice still screaming inside his head told him the Cutter’s latest victim wasn’t her. The brush would provide the evidence needed to prove it. He would take it over to the lab tonight, and later today they would run their tests on it.

Giving the house one last look, DeGrassi pulled the car out of the driveway and headed downtown. Soon. He would find out where she was, and soon. Or else he would come back and sit down on that big comfy couch and wait for her if he had to. He didn’t care how long it took.

Strangely, the idea seemed very appealing.

Chapter 7

Run

The ground was firm and dry. The grass was high and fragrant. And the moon was a giant orange disk, like a dark gold coin, so close she felt she could reach out and pluck it from the sky.

Tiron had run the perimeter of the woods twice. It had taken her more than an hour to circumnavigate the outskirts each time, while keeping herself hidden from any outside eyes. It was easy to do, though, with her natural coloring.

She could feel her blood coursing through her body as her lungs pumped it full of oxygen. Running was her escape. Her freedom. Somewhere in the distance, a dog barked. She ignored it. Dogs didn’t bother her once they caught a whiff of her.

And just like that, her thoughts went back to the tall, icy-eyed lieutenant. As if they ever had been far from him since the beginning of her run. She paused in a patch of lacy-leafed fronds and opened her senses to the forest around her. Something was wrong, but the sensation wasn’t enough to alarm her. But something was happening. Tiron wondered if he was worrying about her. He probably was, and the mere thought brought a smile to her face.

The smile suddenly vanished as the muscles inside her chest contracted. Hot, fierce pain robbed her of breath, making her gasp. Tears swelled in her eyes as she stumbled slightly in the aftermath.

Why don’t you admit it, Tiron? Why not admit that you will never become the man’s life partner no matter what you wish?

Memory of the Arra ordering her scraped through her brain. You will breed for us.

No. Never, she had told them. Even if I find my blood mate, I will never give you the satisfaction of taking away our child. Never.

‘You cannot hide the bonding if it is true.’

They had been right. If, by some miracle, she and one of the hundreds of males they had thrown into her cage to join with her were ordained to be life partners, there would have been no way she could have concealed it from the Arra. There was no way she could have disguised or hidden her body’s reaction. They would have known when the acceptance took place. And after that, they would have begun their unceasing barrage of torture to force her to propagate. She had seen it happen time and again to other joined couples. The torment would have been relentless, which was why so many couples eventually gave in, bearing children who were taken away from them immediately upon birth, never to be seen again.

Many already-bonded couples who had already birthed children were forced to reproduce again. Some did, but many more refused. Like Simolif and Jebaral’s parents. Soon after the Arra had sold their sons to the mines, Gitall and Morr had been beaten and starved to force them into bearing more children. There had been six other pairs of life partners in that same section of the ship. Tiron had watched as the seven couples refused, which brought more misery upon them. Separated, they were tortured. Then they were tortured in front of their life partners. Blood slicked the ship’s floors for days. Two couples finally relented. The other five, including Gitall and Morr, died under the cruel administration of the adjac.

Sometimes memories of the screams and crying of the condemned couples woke her up at night. And there was no way she could stop quaking whenever she heard a similar sound come from out of nowhere.

But Tiron had been one of the few who had not found a blood mate. There had been a couple of times when she had been forced to join with a male and she had prayed for the joining to become a true bonding. Like when she had joined with Jebaral.

But the bonding didn’t happen. They both had known it from the moment they came together, and afterwards they had wept, knowing the outcome. He so desperately wanted to protect her from the Arra. To keep her safe from the beatings and emotional torture. And to give her comfort. At the same time, she had been needing someone with his compassion and warmth to make her feel as if the struggle to survive day after day was worth it.

Of course it all would have been futile. There was no way Jebaral could have protected her, even if they had bonded. In fact, bonding with him would have probably ensured their deaths.

But their caring for each other never ceased. Which was why she hadn’t been surprised when, during the uprising on the Arran ship, Jebaral had sought her out to be on his escape pod when they fled into space. The tiny pod would only hold a maximum of thirty within the cramped quarters, but he had told her he wouldn’t leave without knowing she was finally free of the enemy as well. Thus the thirty became thirty-one. Thirty-one fearful souls on the hunt for a place to live. Any planet would be suitable if they could at least find food, and drink, and breathable air. The rest they could learn to adapt to.

Yes, the accommodations were cramped and crowded, but after years spent inside a cell, the simple freedom to move about the ship without punishment had been a joy. A few months after their escape, Jebaral had sought her out again to talk. They knew they were not to be blood mates, but something else bonded them. Their experiences, and what they had endured as fellow Ruinos and sentient creatures, had forged a deep friendship they knew they would never lose. Deep in her heart, Tiron wished for Jebaral to find his life mate as sincerely as she knew he wished the same for her. They both needed the healing and happiness only a true bonding could form.

As she had countless times before, she wondered how he was doing. Wondered if the past five years had been good to him. If he had found the woman who completed his soul. If she had met a man of this world who could warm her, she knew now that it was possible the other unbonded Ruinos males could find a female of this species.

Jebaral, how I wish you were here for me to talk to. I want you to meet Thomas. I want you to meet the man who I know with everything inside me is my life partner. But we cannot be joined. It’s an impossibility neither you nor I can change.

But I will always remain near him. I have no other choice. He fills the blood in my body with life. The merest scent of him makes my pores open up and drink. I will do whatever it takes to keep Thomas close by, because without him, I am empty. Without his touch, I will starve. Without the sound of his voice, I am deaf.

A trembling overtook her. Tiron spread her fingers and glanced upward, up through the thick branches at the night sky peeking down at her. A huge tree stood a few feet away. It reached up a good forty or more feet, taller than most of the trees in this part of the woods. It beckoned to her, drawing her to it.

Digging her bladelike talons into the rough bark, she climbed the enormous oak. She shimmied past branches that grew smaller the higher she got. Ruinos were an arboreal species. On their homeworld they lived in dense forests much like this one. They planted and cultivated vegetation. The males had thick, enormous talons on their hands and feet for digging and scraping. They worked the ground, raising and harvesting food and other plant life they needed to survive. The females, however, worked the air, the tops of the trees. With their lithe figures and sharp, thin claws, they could scamper up vines and branches to gather the fruit or whichever part of the plant they used as food.

Tiron took a deep breath as she broke out into the open air above the treetops. The night sky glittered with promise. The moon washed the landscape in light the color of pale milk. In the distance, she could see the glare of city lights.

Somewhere between here and there was Lieutenant Thomas DeGrassi. Close by. She had found him, and she had every reason to cry out in happiness. He existed, her life mate. Her only purpose for living. Throwing back her head, Tiron let out a scream of pure joy. She had found him!

And if one miracle was possible…why not two?

Did she even dare to dream of a true joining?

The little cottage she had taken for her home lay about a mile in the distance. Tiron checked the breeze. It was constant and sufficient.

Climbing a few feet further so that she had good clearance, she lifted her arms. The thin, almost transparent webbing of skin fanned out from her wrists down to her ankles. With a quick shove of her powerful thighs, Tiron Fesell Tarakon sailed into the air. Like a living kite, she caught the wind and glided over the forest effortlessly as she headed back to the house.

With no unnatural light to give her away, she undulated under the stars as invisibly as the other night creatures using the sky. Between her freedom and the happiness of her discovery this past day, there was no way she could contain the brightness bubbling inside her.

As she grew closer to her destination, she angled her arms to begin dropping, when a pair of headlights came on beside the cottage. Instantly she dropped down into the safety of the trees bordering her property and waited to see what would happen. In the next second she recognized the car, throwing a smile back onto her face.

Thomas had come back…but why? She frowned. It was late. Very late. She remembered that niggling she had felt earlier that something was wrong, but there was no way she could run up to him and ask. Not while she was Ruinos. Even if she changed, she would be as naked as she was now, and on this world nudity out in the open was not acceptable.

Even so, running up to Thomas without wearing any clothing was a desire she dearly would love to explore. The thought of succumbing to her life mate sent alternating currents of cold and heat running through her body.

A true joining. Oh, by all the stars in the heavens…would it ever be?

Once the car had backed out and left, Tiron dropped out of the trees and walked around to where her bedroom was located. Whenever she wanted to leave the safety of the cottage while in her true form, she would leave the window unlocked so she could get in and out without being noticed, just in case anyone was walking by.

Rounding the corner, she stopped in surprise to see the window closed. No, not closed. Pulled down until the sash almost touched the sill. Reaching up, Tiron slid the window open with ease, and the faint scent of baby powder drifted to her. He had come in and exited her home this way, just like she did.

Why?

A quick leap, and she was inside. This time she closed and locked the window behind her. Her Ruinos vision was exceptional in the darkness, unlike the blindness the human species on this planet suffered in the absence of light.

The baby powder smell was stronger here, which meant he had spent a large amount of time in this room. She noticed her closet was open, and she walked over to it. Leaning down, she sniffed at the garments hanging inside. There. He had touched the bright things. The colorful blouses and shirts. The other things, the black ones, were bare of his scent.

Walking around, she followed the delicate trail into the living room, then into the kitchen. She discovered he had opened the refrigerator but had touched nothing inside. Then he had gone back through the living room and returned to the bedroom without touching anything else before exiting out the window. There was even a hint of him in the bathroom.

Again, why?

She paused. Was he looking for her? Was he worried about her? Or for her?

What would bring him here at this time of the night?

Hopefully tomorrow she would be able to ask him—if he didn’t bring it up first. But right now she was exhausted. Yet it was a good exhausted.

Thomas had come back to see her. For whatever reason, he had felt it was important enough to seek her out at this time of night. Happiness was a tiny flickering candle lighting the dark loneliness inside her.

Tiron took a quick shower and climbed under the covers of her bed. Running a hand over the soft quilt, she smiled and buried her face against the pillow.

He had come back to see her. He cared.

For the first time in many long years, Tiron had happy dreams.

Chapter 8

Breakfast

DeGrassi rolled over with a loud groan. A stream of sunlight had managed to find its way through the mini blinds and settle across his pillow less than an inch away from his eyes. Holding his arm up in front of his face, he had to blink several times before he could focus on his wristwatch.

Eight forty-eight.

He was late getting to work. Like that hasn’t happened before. He snorted sarcastically.

A quick duck into the shower didn’t help much, but the styrofoam cup of java he picked up on the way to the station did manage to perk him up a little.

He waved back at the officers who greeted him as he made his way to his desk. There were already three emails on his computer and a lab report sitting on the seat of his chair. DeGrassi snatched it up to read, but it was only the receipt for the hairbrush he’d brought in, letting him know how and where it had been tagged in case he needed it.

Retrieving his email, he quickly scanned the headers. The third one caught his eye, and he opened it.

Subject: Roni Tarakon

Time: 08:48

Message: Subject phoned to find out if you were planning on picking her up this morning, or if she needs to find other transportation to the employment agency. Call her back at 555-7787. If she doesn’t hear back from you by ten, she will take the bus.

DeGrassi was reaching for his phone when it rang underneath his hand. “Vice. Lieutenant DeGrassi.”

“Lieutenant? This is Roni Tarakon.”

Her voice flowed over him like life-giving water. The last shreds of sleep melted away, and DeGrassi growled at her before he could think. “Dammit, Roni, where the hell were you at three o’clock this morning?”

The silence lasted so long he began to wonder whether he had actually heard her on the other end of the line or if it had been his imagination.

“I sometimes have insomnia,” she finally answered softly. “When I can’t sleep, I go for a walk in the woods behind the house. Why do you want to know? Did you try to reach me last night?”

He dragged his fingers through his hair. The act reminded him he was way past due for a haircut.

“Look, I’m coming over right now to get you. I’ll tell you what happened then.”

“Does it have anything to do with the prostitute who was murdered last night?”

All right. Damn. The woman isn’t stupid, you know. “Yeah, it does. I’ll explain more when I get there. See you in a few minutes.” He hung up, then dialed Tayson’s cell. The man answered on the second ring.

“Hey, Evan? Thom DeGrassi. Your victim last night wasn’t the girl I processed.”

“Hey, Thom. Yeah, we know. We just got a hit off AFIS. The prints belong to a Janice Warringfeld. Address over on the north side of town. I’ve already had her stats emailed to you. I was just about to call you.”

“Anything further?”

“Naw. Wade and I are getting ready to head over to her place now. If we need you, we’ll give you a ring.”

“Not a problem. Good luck,” DeGrassi told him and hung up. He rechecked his email and downloaded the file. The photo that popped up revealed a woman with jet-black hair and a washed-out complexion. A bell suddenly went off in his head.

When he had first spotted Roni after they had busted her, he had erroneously thought he’d seen her before. The Warringfeld woman was one of their regulars. At least once every couple of months, she’d have her ass hauled in. He understood now why he’d made that mistake. From her looks, she could have been Roni’s older sister, except that her hair was longer and stringier, and her features were more pinched. The victim’s pale skin was a reflection of her drug usage, not like the healthier, china-white glow of Roni’s.

Just to be sure he had covered all his bases, DeGrassi gave Tayson a call back.

“Me again, Evan. Did Warringfeld have a sister? A younger sister?”

“You’re thinking that woman you processed is related? Already ahead of you, Thom. No relation. Warringfeld has two brothers and that’s all.”

Thanking the detective, DeGrassi hung up and gave himself a moment to get his thoughts in order. His eyes settled on the sheet of paper on his desk. He needed to call the lab and tell them to hold off processing the hairbrush, that it wasn’t necessary now. Screw it. Roni had already been waiting for him to come get her for nearly an hour now. He could call them while on the way over there.

He took the loop rather than trying to drive straight through town. The distance was longer, but faster, and he could shave off a good ten minutes by taking it. Once he got onto the four-lane highway, he phoned the lab. Unfortunately, they had already begun DNA analysis from the strands of hair on the brush he had taken from Roni’s bedroom. And once the tests were cooking, he might as well let them finish. DeGrassi gave a mental shrug. The DNA might come in handy one day when he really needed it for a comparison.

The implication of what he was thinking hit him like a blow in the stomach. With his next breath, he swore to himself that day would never come. Roni was going to find a decent job. Maybe not one that paid what she wanted it to pay, but enough so she could keep up the rent on that safe little cottage. Hell, if he had to throw in a couple hundred every month as insurance, he had no problem with it. As long as he knew she stayed off the streets and stopped letting every Tom, Dick, and Harry have a five-minute go at her.

It was time Roni wore some of those brightly colored clothes she had in her closet. It was time she started living life like other women. And it was time she and he—

She was standing in the faux driveway waiting for him. It took him a couple of seconds to recognize her. This wasn’t the hooker Roni he was staring at. This was a different woman. She was fresh and radiant. She was…stunning. Gone was the dark, brooding woman. Instead she literally glowed in bright colors and a timid smile.

He unlocked the door for her, but she climbed in beside him before he could get out to open it for her. As she clicked on her seatbelt, a wave of warm syrup scent filled the interior. DeGrassi felt his mouth water, and the stirring in his groin got his attention. Driving would be the only thing that would keep him from reaching over and dragging her into his lap. He might not be able to physically make love to her, but he damn well could try to see if other parts of her smelled as delicious. Or tasted that way.

He tried to keep his eyes on the road ahead. However, his peripheral vision noticed the pale green skirt she was wearing, as well as the pale yellow top with its darker green leaf print. She looked like she had just stepped out of a department store ad. Even her hair was pinned up on the sides, making her look years younger.

“Where are we going?”

Her unexpected question broke his concentration. Or rather, the lack of it. He chanced a glance in her direction to find her intently eyeing him. “Have you had breakfast?”

His hunch proved correct. That shadowy, pinched look on her face was hunger. But recalling the food she had in her refrigerator made him wonder why she hadn’t eaten.

Roni shook her head once. “I thought you were going to show up early, so I skipped breakfast,” she admitted.

“Well, I overslept and didn’t get to eat, so that makes two of us,” he replied, exiting the loop before he pulled into a well-known pancake house. He liked the wide-eyed look she gave him.

“I thought you wanted me to report to the employment agency first thing.”

“First things first. Put something in your stomach before you tackle the day.”

A tiny smile tilted one corner of her mouth. He got the overwhelming urge to lean across the seat and kiss it. “Just like you were already tackling your day?” she admonished.

Touché. “All right. Guilty as charged. Now I propose a truce so we can enjoy our breakfast.” DeGrassi grinned back.

He kept one hand at the small of her back as he opened the restaurant door for her and led her inside. She was just the right height, he noticed. He liked it if the top of his date’s head brushed underneath his chin. Made for some nice, cozy cuddling.

As they stood momentarily and waited for the hostess to lead them to their booth, he could feel her warm presence along his chest and thighs. A quick glance down past her shoulders gave him a brief glimpse inside her blouse at the tops of her breasts, and the realization that she wasn’t wearing a bra nearly knocked him on his keister.

No bra? Christ, is she wearing any underwear then? Oh, Thom, don’t go there! No, no, no! Don’t try to think of what little bit of thong or panties she might be wearing underneath that flowy skirt. That is, if she’s wearing anything.

They were led to their booth and given their menus. DeGrassi tried to keep from staring at the woman sitting across from him, now that the sunshine was streaming through the window and washing her with its glow.

“Why did you come back to my house this morning?” she inquired right off the bat. The question caught him off-guard.

Damn. “How did you know?”

“I saw you drive away. I also saw that you had lowered my window—”

“Best to keep that thing locked,” he interrupted. “You never know what kind of pervert might be snooping around, see it open, and decide to climb in and surprise you.”

A rather strange expression came across her face, then it was gone. “Don’t worry, Lieutenant. I’ll be more careful in the future.”

The waitress came to take their order. Roni waited until she left before continuing. “You were also in my closet. Are you always so inquisitive?”

DeGrassi took a deep breath. Not only was she intelligent, she was also observant. The woman should have been a cop. “You asked me if it had anything to do with the murder from last night. The answer is yes.” He locked eyes with her, and once more he found himself irrevocably drawn inside their smoky depths. The tiny flecks of silver reflected the sunlight like mirrors. “The victim, or what was left of her, looked like you. The black hair, the black leather vest and pants. She was even your build and your height.”

Roni pressed her lips together. “I don’t give my word lightly, Lieutenant. When I said I would stay off the streets, I meant it. But you thought I had gone against your orders anyway, and I had gotten myself killed?”

Her accusation was the truth, but it still managed to irritate. “Yeah, I did. I’m sorry, but that’s exactly what I was thinking when I drove over to view the body and try to ID it as you. Go ahead and be upset with me, dammit, but I had to be sure. The Cutter is in my neighborhood now. He killed that woman over on Plymer. You know where Plymer is, don’t you?”

By the paleness coming over her, he knew she did.

“You still haven’t told me why you came to my house and climbed in through the window.”

“Because I couldn’t ID her.” He paused as their coffee arrived. The momentary interruption gave him the chance to calm down. “The Cutter did his job too thoroughly. There just wasn’t any way I could be certain unless we ran fingerprints and did a DNA analysis.”

She tilted her head at him. “Why both?”

“It’s SOP now. Standard operating procedure. That way, if we don’t get an ID from the fingerprints, we might be able to match it with the DNA.”

She licked her lips and nervously lifted the cup to take a sip. DeGrassi got the impression she was fearful about something. The Cutter? Surely she had to realize by now that as long as she stayed off the streets she would be safe.

“Let me see if I understand,” Roni said. “If the victim’s fingerprints don’t match any you have on file, then how would the DNA work? I thought only suspects gave DNA evidence. Or people convicted of a serious crime.”

“That’s true at the moment. But if I had something of yours, the lab could test that DNA against the victim’s to see if they matched. If they did, we would know it was you. If it didn’t…”

She gave him a funny frown. “So you came to my house to take something of mine?”

“Not initially, no. I came to make sure you were at home and okay. I called out for you, but I never got an answer. I beat on the front door, then decided to see if I could wake you up if I tapped on the bedroom window. That’s when I found it open, so I went in.” He shrugged to make his point. “You weren’t there, which led me to believe there was the slight possibility it still could be you.”

“Then you really didn’t believe me when I told you I wouldn’t go back on the street,” she nearly hissed.

“Jesus, Roni! When you’ve been a cop as long as I have, you learn not to trust people! So I did the next best thing, and I took your hairbrush to the lab so they could test it for DNA.”

Their food arrived. DeGrassi tore into his steak and eggs while Roni enjoyed her omelet. He watched as she took the two strips of bacon and dropped them on his plate. At his raised eyebrow she smiled apologetically. “I can’t eat meat.”

“You’re a vegetarian?”

“No. I didn’t say I won’t or don’t eat meat. I can’t eat meat. It upsets my stomach. Throws my metabolism off-whack.”

“But you can have eggs?”

She made a little gesture with her fork. “Yeah. They don’t seem to bother me.”

He recalled the greens and vegetables in her fridge, which gave way to a different question.

“Why did you start hooking, Roni? What on earth made you get started in the first place?”

Her eyes remained focused on her plate. “Hunger.”

“What?”

Their voices were low now. In their corner booth, DeGrassi knew they were safe from being overheard.

“I…I wasn’t in this country long. I had nowhere to go. No place to stay. No income. I was starving.” She took a shuddering breath, then sipped her coffee again to help steady herself. The memories were still too fresh, DeGrassi realized.

“I stole some clothes. A guy saw me and threatened to turn me over to the police. I…I begged him not to. So he took me to his car and told me to lie down in the back seat. After he was finished, he threw a ten dollar bill at me and told me to get out. I remember staring at that bill for a long time. I remember thinking it was food. I got something to eat, and I bought a blanket. The next day, I earned thirty dollars.” She finally lifted her face to him so he could see the emptiness in her eyes. Dearest heavens, he could swear the blackness went all the way through her soul.

“After that, it became a simple matter of pick and choose. Once I got the look down and a handle on the business end of it, I could pretty much decide who I wanted to do and who I could tell to fuck off.” Her face hardened. Once more, DeGrassi could see her hooker side. The Mr. Hyde. Unemotional. Calculating. With skin like stainless steel.

“Do your folks know what you’re doing over here in the States?” he asked.

“My parents were killed by the enemy, Lieutenant. There were only thirty-one of us left on the ship when it landed here. Thirty-one homeless souls left to seek asylum. My enemy slaughtered everyone else. So I guess the answer is ‘no.’ My folks don’t know what I do for a living, but I can tell you this: they would be celebrating the fact that I had managed to escape. They would be thrilled to learn that I’m still alive, which is a lot more than I can say for the other few million of my people who aren’t.”

The waitress brought them the check. DeGrassi paid as Roni waited for him by the front door.

He hadn’t known how to answer when she had opened up that tiny bit so he could see and understand the bitterness and fear she continued to live with. This woman’s story wasn’t like the ones he had heard in the past. There was honest-to-God despair in every word she spoke.

What he wouldn’t give to pull her into his arms and hold her. And promise her the worst was over. That she would never again have to face that kind of misery and terror. At least, not while he was arounf.

The employment agency was a short, five-minute drive from the restaurant. When he pulled into the parking lot, he stopped and turned to her. “I have to run a couple of errands, but I’ll be back before you’re finished. I’ll be waiting here.”

She stared at him, her eyes searching his for some sign, some clue. DeGrassi had no idea what she needed for him to do or say.

And then, without warning, she closed the small gap between them and kissed his cheek before slowly drawing back. He refused to let her go with just that small token.

He reached out to cup her face between his hands. He captured her lips with his, taking her mouth with a tenderness that left her gasping for air. Heaven help him, but her mouth was a veritable paradise. Her heat seared his lips, and her intoxicating smell filled his sinuses.

There was a trace of coffee on her breath. He sucked it in and tongued the corners of her smile for more of her sweetness. Roni whimpered as her hands found his face.

Before he was aware of it, her mouth opened for him. Her tongue flicked out to find his lips, the edge of his teeth, and finally his own tongue. Every nerve in his body went on high alert.

He felt like a man on the brink of starvation, only to find a banquet laid out for him. Without realizing his own actions, DeGrassi pulled her into his lap and into his arms. Roni’s arms went around his neck, and together they melted closer together.

She was a hundred fountains of the purest water. He could not get enough of her. The bulge in his pants throbbed, pleading to be set free. This is nuts. His body was going haywire from the barrage of smells and the feel of her in his hands and against his aching erection. Vaguely, he heard her call out to him. “Thomas.”

It was a major effort to separate his mouth from hers. “Roni.”

“Not…here.”

The words had the effect of someone shutting off the faucet to whatever they had been drowning in. DeGrassi cursed to find his hands shaking as he released her. Roni slid back onto the seat with her hands pressed to her cheeks. She was flushed and breathing in short little gasps.

“Roni, I’m sorry,” he tried to apologize, then stopped when he saw her shake her head. But instead of replying, she got out of the car, slammed the door, and quickly walked over to the offices. He watched until she was safely inside.

Nice going, jerkwad. Real smooth moves you put on her. What’s your next plan of action?

Cursing himself, he pulled back into traffic, but not before glancing back at the agency offices. If she hadn’t stopped him, how far would he have tried to take it? He had lost it. Really lost it.

And then the reality of what had almost happened came back to strike him in the gonads. For the first time in his life, he hadn’t been thinking about not being able to make love to a woman. He hadn’t been worrying about whether he could or couldn’t keep it up.

No. Every atom in his body had been focusing on having more of her. More. More of her smell. More of her heat. More of her to touch and taste to devour. More.

They had been so close to achieving a perfection he had never expected, and DeGrassi felt an overwhelming sense of sorrow spark tears in his eyes.

Shit, man. The last thing in the world he needed was to fall in love with a whore. But nature had him by the balls, and it wasn’t letting go. No, sir, not for anything in the world.

Yeah, nice going, DeGrassi. What’s your next plan of action?

Hell if he knew.

Worse yet, damn him for not caring.

Chapter 9

Interview

There was a woman’s restroom just past the lobby doors. Roni headed straight for it, not stopping until she reached a stall and barricaded herself inside. Only then could she sit down and fight the battle going on inside herself.

He had overwhelmed her. She was totally helpless against his strength and his desire. His heady, powdery scent dominated her, breaking down all her barriers. She was his, his life mate, and that knowledge elated her as much as it terrified her.

All her life she had fought the Arra’s continuous rape of her. She had fought them and those males they had forced upon her. Fought them until the walls of her tiny cell were splashed with blood and viscera from the more cruel or insistent alien species.

Yet she had never lost that small spark of hope she nurtured in the deepest part of her. Inside that part they would never see, never learn about. A part of her she had allowed less than a handful of people to view. It was the hope of having a life partner. Someone who would share everything with her. Someone who would understand her and accept her. And more than that, someone who would protect her one minute, and in the next melt her with the mere touch of his hand.

Thomas had come to see if she was the woman killed last night. His worry had spiked with the scent of fresh apples. The fear he had felt had ribboned around her like an invisible animal seeking solace and comfort. He had come looking for her, but she had been out in the woods.

Still, they were connected, and their linking was growing stronger. Thomas had figured out it wasn’t her the Cutter had killed, but he continued to worry about her because she wasn’t there for him to protect. She was out of reach, and like a Ruinos male, to not be able to reassure himself would leave him angry and frustrated until he could.

He had taken her out to eat. He hadn’t asked her out. He hadn’t even asked if she wanted to have something to eat. A life partner didn’t have to. Keeping her safe and healthy and content was as natural to one as breathing. He would see she was well-fed. He had assumed his position as her defender with an ease that continued to surprise her.

The only part of their relationship left to explore was the sexual part. And it was a part she knew would never happen. Thomas would never accept her in her true form, and that’s what hurt more than anything. Roni thrived when she was near him. When she had seen him drive up this morning, it was as if the sun had broken out from behind the clouds and bathed the world in a whole new light. She had watched him as he drove. She had noticed how he inspected her from the corner of his eye, so she had returned the favor. He looked scruffy, with long tangled hair almost touching his shoulders and the days-old growth on his face. The dark blue t-shirt he wore was tight across the bulging muscles of his shoulders and chest, and the jeans were well-worn. But he was clean. His scent was bright and rain-fresh. And when she had climbed into the car next to him, the smell of lemonade was everywhere.

Lemonade. Caring, devotion, affection…love. She had been forced to turn her head away to hide her reaction to it.

They had breakfast. Over and over his worry for her, and the scent of his frustration at not being able to care for her the way he wanted to, kept drifting across to her. That was why she had been unable to resist touching his cheek with her lips. She couldn’t bear to part from him without the taste of him on her mouth. One kiss, one simple peck on the cheek, and cracks had appeared in the walls they had erected around each other. The cracks became fissures, until the earthquake sent everything tumbling into dust.

She couldn’t let him go. She couldn’t stop herself from having his mouth. From tasting the riot of emotions he was spilling on her tongue. She drank in every scent, but the craving increased until she found herself unable to do anything but let him have his way. No more resisting. No more denial. No more emptiness.

Thomas wanted her, but he wanted the human her. Roni gasped and clutched at the stabbing pain in her chest with both fists. She rocked forward and back on the toilet seat until it faded away. Unless he joined with her in her Ruinos form, there would be no life bonding. What they shared right now was very strong, but it wasn’t permanent. It would continue to grow for a time, yet in the end it would diminish. She would do everything in her power to stay with him until he finally tired of her and let her go. Which he would do, eventually. After all, he was human. He wasn’t one of her kind. They would share hot, passionate kisses and tender caresses, but in the end he would leave her.

He wasn’t Ruinos. Therefore, their blood bond would never come about.

How could he forever love someone who was of an entirely different species? How could he love someone with green skin and talons for fingers?

How could he love her?

You have now, Tiron. You have found him and he has accepted you, so take what you have now and cherish it. Be joyful that you’ve found him. Be joyful that you have been given this brief chance at happiness. That way, when he finally deserts you, you will have those memories to get you through the rest of your days. It’s all you’ll have because it’s all you deserve.

Another few minutes went by as Roni calmed herself. Emerging from the restroom stall, she went over to the wall mirror and straightened her hair to make herself presentable. A pale face with light gray eyes and framed in jet black hair stared back at her. She didn’t like wearing makeup. It was enough to keep her true self covered with the almost glove-like skin she wore now, along with the clothing, without adding anything further on top of it. Biting her lips to bring more color into them, she left the restroom and found where she needed to go to apply for an interview.

She was fortunate. The line was short, and by the time she had finished filling out the application and other forms and had turned them in, she was called into the inner offices. A young man with a clipboard walked up to greet her, then suddenly stopped to stare in shock. Roni shifted, uncomfortable under his gaze. Worse was the odor of rotten eggs that was quickly filling the narrow hallway. After another minute, he finally gestured for her to follow him and escorted her into his cubicle, closing the door behind her. The sound of it shutting immediately put her on edge. The room was small and reminded her too much of the cells she had spent almost twenty years of her life in.

To make matters worse, the man sitting across from her was beginning to reek of lust. He kept staring at her in disbelief, as if she wasn’t supposed to exist but did. A glance down at his hands visibly shaking on the keyboard confirmed his reticence. The man was either very angry or very much afraid.

“Roni Tarakon?” He entered her information into the computer as he read it back to her. “Barandat. Where’s that?”

“It was a small European country near Russia.” The well-rehearsed lie tripped easily off her tongue. “I came over five years ago, seeking asylum when it was overrun by a political faction. I-I think you call it a coup. Since then, it’s been pretty much wiped off the map.”

He glanced at her with hazel eyes, taking in her breasts with increasing interest. “For previous occupation, you wrote ‘streetwalker.’ For real?”

She crossed her arms over her stomach. The acidic smell coming off of him was beginning to make her feel queasy. “I made a deal with the officer who arrested me. He got me probation, so here I am.”

The man made a funny noise as he typed in the information. “You look a lot like another hooker who was here the other day. We get a lot of girls like you. Call girls who are hoping to find something more accommodating.”

Roni lifted an eyebrow at him. “Do they?”

“Do they what? Find another occupation? Sometimes,” the guy admitted. “But most of them just end up back on the streets.” He shot her another one of those looks that spewed the smell of rancid oil all over her body. It had been a long time since Roni had felt this dirty after being with or near another man. “Maybe you’ll be one of the lucky ones. Then again, maybe not.”

“Why not?” she shot back immediately.

“Well, for one, you ain’t got no skills. No typing or computer skills.”

“I’m not looking for an executive position,” she told him. It was hard not to snap at the man, but her instincts were telling her to get out of this place and to get out now. “Listen, I’m a very quick learner. You want me to learn a skill? Okay. Just tell me what kind and where I can learn it.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, right. And where are you going to get the money to pay for your training so you can attend?”

“I can get the money,” she tried to assure him.

“Right.” The single word reeked of sarcasm.

Roni let out a heavy sigh. “Is there anything on that computer I can go interview for? I’ll take anything…just as long as it’s a day job.”

“Whoa, now. You can’t waltz in here and put conditions on your employment. If you’re sincere about wanting any kind of job, you’re gonna hafta take what’s out there. And right now, most of what I have waiting to be filled are evening shifts.” He squinched his eyes at her. The look made him appear almost like a predator. “Or is there another reason why you’re asking for a day job? Huh?”

Hot, sour lust was thrust into her face. Its stench made her sit back and blink. “What other reason could there be?” she managed to ask.

“You’re wanting a day job so you can continue to spend your nights hooking. That’s it, isn’t it?”

“You’re nuts.” It was a struggle to get to her feet. The room was almost black with the heavy, putrid scent of the man’s insinuations.

He shook his head. A smile she knew too well swelled on his face. “You girls are all alike. You want to look all respectable in the daytime, but you drop all your pretenses and sell yourselves after dark.”

She started to argue with him, to tell him she didn’t work the nights like he’d accused. But something in his manner told her she needed to get out of there. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t think. The walls of the cubicle were shrinking, pressing closer with every passing second. Soon they would stifle her. Suffocate her. Leaving her with only one other option.

To run.

Swallowing her growing fear, she tried one last time to appeal to his more optimistic side.

“Okay. I’ll take a night job if I have to. Is there anything you can give me?”

“At this moment, no. The summer holidays will be here in a couple of months, though. Do you have an email address where I can send you some prospects?”

She shook her head. “I don’t have a computer.”

“Then it’ll be your responsibility to come by or call every week to check what positions have become available,” he replied with finality.

The interview was over. She was free to go.

Giving him a curt thank you, she hurried out of the man’s office, barely glancing at the nameplate on the outer door. Quickly, she exited the agency and reached the sidewalk in front of the parking lot. She stopped to breathe in the clean air, taking huge draughts of it to cleanse away the taint in her lungs. She never heard the car pull up next to her, nor the sound of its door opening. Nothing penetrated the haze she was fighting until a hand closed around her arm. For a split second, she almost snarled and jerked away from the touch. Almost. His presence was a quiet balm that soothed her almost immediately.

“Jesus, Roni, what’s wrong? You’re pale and shaking!”

She could lean against him. Hear the strong, steady beat of his heart. “It was too closed in.” The excuse came from somewhere. Heavens knew she couldn’t think straight at the moment.

“Well, that explains why you have such an aversion to spending a couple of nights in jail,” DeGrassi observed. “You’re claustrophobic.”

Not really. When you’re cooped up in a ship that’s filled over its capacity, and you live with them for nearly two years, you quickly learn if you’re claustrophobic.

But she couldn’t tell him the real reason. If he wanted to think she had an aversion to small spaces, let him.

He guided her over to the car and helped her in, shutting the door behind her. Once he was behind the wheel, he asked, “How did it go? Any possible job interviews?”

Roni shook her head. “Not at the moment.” His baby powder scent was more refreshing to her than the outside air had been. She closed her eyes and let herself revel in it.

The car began moving. After a while DeGrassi asked, “How about lunch?”

Her eyes flew open. “Lunch? So soon?”

He chuckled, and she was struck by how deep and sexy it sounded. So opposite from the awful laughter that agent had given her.

“It’s nearly noon. You were in there almost two hours.”

“Wow. Didn’t seem like it.”

“What did they tell you? Who interviewed you?”

She gave him a long look as she debated with herself how much to tell him. If she gave him the truth, how far would he go to protect her? He would protect her—that fact was indisputable. She just didn’t know what he might do if he felt the need to retaliate.

“Some man named Cowven. Uhh…B. Cowven.”

“What did he tell you, other than the fact that there was nothing yet available?”

Pain bolted from temple to temple and across her eyes. Roni lifted a shaky hand to rub her forehead. She could tell it was going to be another one of those horrific headaches coming on. The headaches had plagued her ever since arriving on this planet. She never knew why she got them, only that when they struck, they could incapacitate her for days.

“Lieutenant, can we not have lunch? I’m really not hungry.” Not when her stomach was still knotted up from the man’s reeking odor.

“What’s wrong? Not feeling well?”

“I get these bad headaches… Could you…could you just take me home so I can lie down and rest?”

In answer, she felt the car slow, bouncing slightly as he pulled into a driveway to turn around and head back the other way.

“Lieutenant?”

There was a pause. “You called me Thomas earlier.” His voice was soft. A trace of sadness hung heavy over his comment. Roni opened her eyes to see him glance over at her. Those pale blue eyes she once thought of as being icy were now as clear as the summer skies. All reluctance flowed out of her underneath his caring gaze.

“That Cowven guy. He creeped me out. No. He pissed me off, then he creeped me out.”

DeGrassi’s face went rigid. In a fraction of a second, he went from loving partner to stone-hard cop. “Explain.”

“He…” She shrugged slightly. “He accused me of being like the other girls.”

“What other girls?”

“The other hookers who came to the agency looking for employment. He got really mad at me when I asked for a day job. He said I had no business putting conditions on what I wanted because it meant I would still work nights hooking.”

“He told you that?” Anger, like pungent smoke, began to fill the interior of the car, anger brought on by what she knew was his need to protect her. “What else?”

“He kept looking at me like I had a big ‘For Sale’ sign hanging around my neck.” She shivered at the memory. “I didn’t like him, Thomas. If I go back there, I’m going to want a different case worker.”

“So will I,” DeGrassi agreed. He threw another concerned look in her direction. “Still want to go home?”

“Yeah. My stomach’s not doing too good at the moment, either. I’m sorry, but he smelled—”

“He what? He smelled?” She got a sharp look from him. “What do you mean ‘he smelled’?”

Oops. Too much information. Biting her tongue, she tried to cover her goof. “What I said. He smelled. Like he hadn’t washed in a while. Or had bad hygiene. I don’t know. The whole time I was in his office, I kept wishing I could get out of there. I couldn’t breathe, Thomas. He made me sick.”

“That’s probably why your stomach’s still upset and you’re getting a headache.” He sighed, apparently calmer. The anger slowly filtered away.

The miles flowed under the car—miles spent in silence. It wasn’t until they reached the main street leading into her subdivision that DeGrassi spoke again.

“Roni…about earlier.”

Earlier. When they had kissed and nearly torn each other’s clothes off.

“Forget about it, Thomas,” she tried to say with nonchalance. He didn’t need to know how much it had affected her.

They turned the corner onto Mare Marginis, then pulled into her gravel driveway. DeGrassi put the car in park but didn’t turn off the engine.

“Roni. Listen. Look at me.”

She had no choice but to obey. Looking at him, she found herself memorizing every line of his face so that she could recall him with perfect clarity in her dreams.

“Roni, this thing between us…it’s getting deep. At least it is for me.”

He waited for her to respond. There was no way she could not tell him the truth.

“For me, too.”

He expelled the breath he had been holding. The lemonade smell became more pungent. “Roni, the only thing holding me back right now is the hooker thing. I hope you understand that.”

The hooker thing? He had no idea how much deeper and dirtier her secrets were. She swallowed around the thickness in her throat and nodded.

“I want you to get tested.”

This last bit surprised her. “Huh?”

“I want you to go to the clinic or somewhere and get tested. Make sure you don’t have, you know, some kind of venereal disease. Or worse.”

He was wanting to make love to her, but only after making sure she was clean. How could she explain to him she would never be able to join with him as a human? At least, not until after they became lovers when she was in her true skin. Which would never happen. He would never be able to accept the real Tiron. He would never be able to face the creature hiding beneath her human façade, much less make love to it. Still, she felt like she needed to say something.

“Thomas, I never took a job without a condom.”

“Even that first time?” His eyes revealed his cynicism and doubt.

“Yeah. Even that first time.” How could she forget the sight of the guy pulling on that rubbery sheath, and wondering why he was trying to shape-shift just that part of his anatomy? She had been so naïve back then. Starving, lonely, and naïve. She had learned a lot in the years since.

His dark eyebrows lowered. The tight set of his jaw told her he wanted to believe her. “Are you telling me you never went bareback with a john?”

“I’m telling you that just because I’m a hooker doesn’t mean I don’t have my own sense of self-respect,” she shot back. The heated exchange only made the pain between her eyes grow worse, but she tried to put it aside for the moment. “I’ll go get tested. There’s a walk-in clinic off of Brady. I’ll have the results faxed over to you, if that’s what you’re wanting. If you don’t believe me.”

There. She had challenged him, which wasn’t like her. She wasn’t trying to antagonize him. She was needing him to trust her. To believe in her. She needed him to realize she would never do anything to endanger what they had together, and she would fight to keep their relationship as pure as possible.

He continued to stare at her, but now she could no longer read him. The baby powder smell was still there, though, as well as the lemonade scent. Unlocking the door, she let herself out and started to close it when he leaned across the seat.

“Roni.”

“Tiron,” she hissed back at him, lashing out as the pain in her head and in her heart spiked. “My real name is Tiron Fesell Tarakon. And if you cared anything for me, you would accept me as I really am. For what I am. Without condemnation or prejudice. Thank you for breakfast, Lieutenant. And for the ride to the agency.”

Slamming the door shut, she turned and walked around the corner of the cottage to the front. She half-expected, half-wanted him to follow her. Instead, she heard the car pull out of the driveway and leave.

Her hands were shaking so badly she could barely fit the key into the lock. Once inside, she let the tears roll down her face. Huge, aching sobs tore from her throat, and she collapsed on the rug beside her bed.

She couldn’t love him as she really was. An alien.

He couldn’t love her for what he believed she was. A whore.

The irony bit like a sharp knife, cutting and hacking away at her soul without care.

She cried out his name and begged him to accept her, pleaded for him to open up and love her unconditionally. Without fear. Without hesitation.

She used to beg the Arra for leniency. Begged, pleaded, screamed, wept. None of it had worked. Just like none of what she was feeling or doing right now would help. After a year or so of fighting her captors, she had given up. Just like she would have to learn to give up on him.

Thomas DeGrassi. His name was like honey in her mouth.

Somewhere Roni found the strength to get to her feet and stumble into the bathroom. The mirror over the sink revealed red, swollen eyes and a tear-streaked face. Her nose was running. Her lips were puffy. She looked horrid, like an ugly nightmare. How could Thomas even look at her when she was like this?

The pain in her head was excruciating. Opening the medicine cabinet, she tried to find the pills she had discovered that sometimes took the pain away. On the bottom shelf, she saw the eyebrow pencil she had bought some time ago, back when she had experimented with wearing makeup. Back before Ginger convinced her she didn’t need to use any because of her “natural beauty.”

Some natural beauty. How would you react if I dropped this thin sheet of skin covering the true me and let you get a look at my real “natural beauty”?

The moment she let the hideousness of her actual self be known, it would only be a matter of hours, maybe minutes, before her life would be over. Ruinos would become creatures to be feared. Abhorrent abominations from space. No one would see them as the simple, family-loving, gentle beings who had been sold into slavery. Or eaten when one of their kind got too old or sick to be of any financial good anymore to the Arra.

Thomas would hate her if he saw the real her. Hate her.

Grabbing the pencil, Roni shut the mirrored door and stared at her reflection. Angrily brushing away the hair stuck to her wet face, she swiped at the tears to dry off her cheek. Then with the pencil she etched the words “hate me” into the skin. Once she was done, she examined the results. The letters were crooked, but that was okay. It could be read without any trouble. Let Thomas make a comment now next time she saw him. Let’s find out how much he cares about me, and if he still wants me to go to that clinic and get checked out. Because once she did, there would be no more hiding the truth from him. No more disguising herself. No more shape-shifting.

It would be over. Everything—her secret, as well as any possibility of happiness with the man who had become as crucial to her as air and food.

Throwing the pencil into the toilet, Roni stalked back into the bedroom and threw herself onto the quilt. Before she was aware of it, she was sound asleep.

Chapter 10

Evidence

“Yeah. Cowven. C-o-w-v-e-n, I think. First initial B. I want everything you have on him. Just email it to me as soon as you can. All right? Thanks, Karel.”

Closing the lid on the cell phone, DeGrassi tossed it onto the seat next to him. After Roni had taken off, he’d wasted no time checking into the guy’s background. That Cowven guy. The one who’d made those asinine remarks that would get him canned. No one had the right to make those kind of sexist remarks to a client, even if the woman was a known prostitute.

If DeGrassi had learned anything in all his years in Vice, it was that hookers’ instincts were nearly one hundred percent spot-on. If this guy made Roni’s skin crawl, then he deserved a second look. Or third. Or fourth. Most hookers developed that sixth sense as a defensive mechanism, to protect themselves from johns who could hurt or kill them. Of course, not all the girls were able to develop that special knack. The victims of the Cutter were prime examples of those who hadn’t. But a lot of the girls did. Roni included. And for that he was grateful. Damn grateful.

She’d looked as white as paper when she came out of that agency. Clutching her stomach like she was about to hurl. Her eyes were as dark as burnt charcoal, so dark he could barely see the glittery specks frozen in them.

As soon as he got his ducks in a row, DeGrassi was going to confront that idiot and find out what the hell he meant by demeaning his woman that way. And if the guy didn’t kiss up exactly the way he needed to, or if his excuse didn’t fit DeGrassi’s criteria, then the man could wave his job goodbye. No one was going to treat Roni—

DeGrassi nearly slammed on his brakes as the import of what he had just admitted came home. His woman. Roni? His woman?

“Damn straight,” he muttered. And it was about time he ’fessed up to himself. It was pretty sad, too. A couple of kisses, and he had fallen ass-over-ankles in love with the woman.

In love with a hooker? He shrugged. Well, stranger things have happened.

Stranger still, Roni didn’t act like a typical hooker, much less one who had been cruising the streets for four years. Yeah, she had the attitude. She had that down real good. But there was something about her that didn’t push his buttons the way other hookers did. At least, not those kind of buttons.

Dammit, what was it about the woman that turned his insides into jelly? Why did he feel like he needed to put his arms around her every time he was around her? Why did his brain turn to mush whenever he caught a whiff of that intoxicating maple-syrup scent?

How could a woman who maybe topped five feet seven inches make a midget out of a six-foot-four-inch man who weighed twice as much as she did? If that wasn’t love, what was it? Lust? Infatuation?

Jesus. He was scared. Right now, the way things stood between them, he could handle it. Yeah, he could handle their situation as it was this minute. The kisses. Touching her. Taking her out to eat and all. That was good. It was natural. Hell, he felt like a million-dollar winner just showing her off, letting the other guys know she was with him. The other guys who didn’t know her background, that is.

Roni was a walking beauty queen. That black leather she wore suited her. It was her sexier side. Her “make me yours” outfit. But the pastels and flowers, that was the real Roni. That was Tiron. Frightened, insecure, in need of protection. The woman who blushed and giggled. The woman whose smile could light up all of Crescent City.

DeGrassi knew he wanted to keep Roni off the streets and make Tiron his. Solely his. Never to share her with anyone. He could get used to living in a house full of plants. He was more than willing to spend his nights underneath a quilt of flowers. In fact, he was looking forward to it. As long as she was there, needing him and wanting him as badly as he needed and wanted her.

All they had to get around was the sex issue. And, boy, was it ever an issue.

All right, DeGrassi. You once said you would never dip into a polluted pool. But if she got herself tested and came back with a straight A report card, could you? Would you?

Yeah. The “would” part? Oh, yeah. He would do his damnedest for the “could” part, too. But if it didn’t “work out,” so to speak, he could go to Plan B. There were other ways to satisfy a woman. Hell, he was already pretty much the expert with his hands and mouth. Whatever it took to keep her, he would do it. Or go down trying…pun intended.

Taking a deep breath, DeGrassi smiled. It actually felt good to get that off his chest. The truth didn’t hurt as much as he’d thought it would.

“I love Tiron Tarakon. I, Thomas Joseph DeGrassi, am crazy nuts about the woman. And she and I are going to spend many long years in each other’s company if I have anything to say about it.”

Even out loud, it sounded as good as it felt.

He pulled into the lot next to the labs and parked. Once inside, he went straight to see Delores MacAvie, who was working days in the DNA department. “Hey, Dee! I got your page. What’s up?”

The tall redhead looked up from her microscope. Recognizing him, she crawled off her stool and walked over to her desk to retrieve a folder. “DeGrassi, I’ve worked on too many cases with you to think you’re a practical joker.” Tossing him the folder, she gave him a grim stare.

“What? Why do you say that?” He opened the folder to read the results on the DNA testing of the hair from the brush he’d taken from Roni’s bedroom. Then he read them again. “This doesn’t make sense,” he said, glancing back up at her.

“Tell me about it!” Going back over to the microscope, she flipped through the small stack of slides next to it, found the one she wanted, and placed it under the lens. After adjusting the magnification, she gestured him over. “Okay, bright boy. Tell me what you see.”

“Hey, now, I’m not a scientist.”

“I didn’t ask for an analysis, Lieutenant. Just an observation. Tell me what you see.”

Sighing, DeGrassi placed his eyes against the eyepiece. “Mmm. Cells? I dunno.”

“Good guess. Now, can you describe the cells?”

“They’re red. No. Pink.”

“That’s because they’re blood cells. What I want you to describe is the shape of the cells,” MacAvie continued.

“Blood cells are roundish, kinda,” he told her.

“Humor me, Lieutenant. What shape are the cells on that slide?”

“Mmm. They sorta look triangular.” He backed off and turned to look at her. “Triangular?”

“Try conical.”

“Conical? Blood cells?”

She waggled her eyebrows at him. “If you think that’s strange, have you looked at those DNA results we got the second time around?”

“Do I want to?” DeGrassi wondered aloud.

“Take a gander.” The lab tech handed him a second printout of the DNA analysis. The numbers not only looked wrong, they looked impossible. He gave her a confused look. “This can’t be right. No one can have that many chromosomes. The test was tainted,” he said flatly.

MacAvie nodded. “That was my first thought, too. That’s why I’m retesting a different set of tags. But you know what I think?”

“You’re thinking the second test is going to validate the first one,” he told her. Another thought came to him. “Where did you find blood cells?”

“On the brush. A couple of the skin tags looked like the scalp had come off with the hairs. I also found some epithelials on the hand towel, but the brush was a gold mine.” She laid the second paper inside the folder. “I don’t know where you got that brush, DeGrassi, but whatever put those hairs in it, wherever they came from, they’re not human.”

“Maybe she used the brush on a cat or something.” Did Roni own a pet?

MacAvie snorted, very unladylike. “Come here and look.”

She took him to a side table where a book of photos lay open. Quickly flipping through it, she found a picture of a dog hair, magnified twenty times. “This is a dog hair. Check the grain, Lieutenant. And here…” She went past a few more pages until she found a photo of a cat hair. “This is cat. And this one…” She found another picture. “This is human. Note the similarities. They’re all consistent in that all the hairs are round. Cylindrical. After that, it breaks down according to species. Now let me show you the hairs from the brush.” Back to the first table and microscope, she picked up the slide she had been examining when he walked in. She focused the instrument, then waved an invitation for him to see for himself. DeGrassi stared at what he saw for many long seconds.

“These hairs…don’t look like hairs.”

“Not even at base twenty magnification. You ought to see them under one hundred times. It’s enough to pull the rug out from under you.”

DeGrassi turned his head to stare at her. “They’re hexagonical? Hexagons?”

“Just say they’re six-sided, like a stop sign.”

“Maybe it’s a wig.”

“Nope.” She shook her head. “Wigs have triangular or tubular hairs. Besides, hairs from a wig wouldn’t have skin tags like these did. Nope. What you brought us on that brush was real hair. It just wasn’t human.”

“Maybe it’s from another kind of animal other than a dog or cat. Like, I don’t know, a deer?”

“You’re reaching, Lieutenant. Why?” She peered at him closely. “Where is your suspect from, by the way?”

DeGrassi was floored. Hexagon-shaped hair? Cone-shaped blood cells? It just wasn’t human. Roni…not human?

Before he realized what he was doing, DeGrassi turned and started for the door. “Lieutenant?”

“Not now, Dee. I need to check into this further.”

“If you find out anything, let me know,” she called out as the door closed behind him.

He somehow found his way to the parking lot amid the barrage of questions flooding his brain. Once he was behind the wheel, he was debating whether or not to confront Roni with the findings, when his cell phone bleebled. It was the police station.

“DeGrassi.”

“Karel Majorca, Lieutenant.”

“Yeah, Karel. Did you find out anything on that Cowven guy?”

“Plenty. Name’s Brian Cowven. Spelled C-o-w-v-e-n, just like you said. Age thirty-two. Two priors, both suspended sentences.”

“Priors for what?”

“Assault. Both females. One was six years ago, and the second three years later. He’s been clean since. Served his probation without mishap. Not even a traffic ticket.”

“Where were these assaults? Here in town?”

“Nope. The first was in Davis Junction. The second was in Meanderfield.”

A mental map snapped into place in DeGrassi’s head. Meanderfield was about a hundred miles north of Crescent City. Davis Junction was another two hundred or so miles northwest of Meanderfield. The guy had been migrating south-southeast for the past six years.

The Cutter was heading due southeast, which meant he was now in their territory.

“Dear God.”

Cops knew police work was three-quarters sweat and one-quarter intuition. DeGrassi began to get that ugly feeling crawling up the back of his neck.

“What?” Majorca demanded.

He accused me of being like the other girls. The other hookers who came to the agency looking for employment.

“Fuck!”

“What’s your problem, DeGrassi?”

“Nothing,” he hastily said, praying he was right. Or very, very wrong. “Thanks for the help. Did you email me that info?”

“Yeah, right before I called you.”

“Look, can you send it to Tayson and McCormick, too?”

“No problem.”

“Thanks again, Karel. I gotta run.” He quickly hit the end button, then dialed Tayson’s number, which went straight to voice mail. Shit. He tried McCormick, with better luck.

“Vice. Detective McCormick.”

“Wade! Thom DeGrassi. What’s your status at the moment?”

“We’ve been beating on doors all day, trying to find a witness or anyone who can tell us about the victim. Why? Think you’ve got something?”

“It’s probably nothing more than a bad feeling,” DeGrassi began.

McCormick actually laughed. “Hey, man. You know as well as I do that the most insignificant clue can bust a case wide open. Even if it’s nothing more than a bad feeling. Whatcha got?”

“You remember those three girls we processed a couple of days ago?”

“You mean the ones we pulled off Dross? The redhead and the, uhh, blonde, and the black-haired chick you processed? What about ’em?”

“I took the black-haired girl to see Judge Braidon. He released her on probation under my recognizance.”

“That’s going quite a bit above and beyond the call, Thom. But go on. I’m listening.”

“I told her she had to find gainful employment. If she got busted for soliciting before her probationary period was up, it would be my neck as well as hers. Anyway, I took her over to the employment agency today to sign up. And some guy who worked there scared the shit out of her.”

“So?”

“So the guy accused her of being ‘just like the other girls.’ The other hookers who had come in to look for other jobs.”

Dead silence filtered through the phone as McCormick digested this bit of news. “So, what are you thinking, Thom?”

“I got pissed by his attitude, so I ran a background check on him. He has two priors for assaulting women, but he’s clean now. Wade, he was busted up in Davis Junction, then in Meanderfield. That’s northwest of us. He’s been moving southeast.”

“Like the Cutter’s been moving southeast here in town?”

“Precisely.”

“DeGrassi, are you thinking our victims may have had prior contact with this guy?”

“You’ve been striking out trying to figure out what’s tying the victims together,” DeGrassi said. “Other than they’ve all been hookers, you haven’t been able to find any other commonality. It won’t hurt to check the guy out. Have the agency release his list of contacts. Anything’s worth a shot.”

“You got that right. What’s the guy’s name?”

“Cowven. C-o-w-v-e-n. First name Brian.”

“Okay, Thom. We’ll look into it first thing tomorrow. In the meantime, this thing between you and that girl, it’s not getting serious, is it? I mean, you don’t normally pull this kind of shit, taking on a responsibility like that. Much less for a hooker.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Guess I got caught up in her hard luck story. Or maybe I’m just an old softie at heart.”

He heard McCormick snort on the other end of the line. “Trying to save the world, one lost soul at a time. Is that it, DeGrassi? Well, good luck. As soon as we take a peek into Mr. Cowven’s client files, I’ll give you a ring.”

“Thanks, Wade. Appreciate it.”

Closing the phone, DeGrassi continued on his way to the police station. The Cowven guy was like a burr under his saddle, irritating the hell out of him. But what bothered him even more were the results from the lab and MacAvie’s remarks about the evidence. Not even remotely human. Not the hair or the blood. But it had been Roni’s brush. It was Roni’s hair. How could it not be human?

Gritting his teeth, DeGrassi decided he would go over to her place later tonight and let her know what he had discovered. Give her the chance to explain. That is, if she had an explanation.

He just prayed to God it would be a good one.

Chapter 11

Revealed

DeGrassi leaned back in his chair and stretched, hoping to pull the kinks out of his back and shoulder muscles. After combing his hair with his fingers, he blinked several times to relieve the burning sensation in his eyes before glancing at his watch. Geez. It was after eleven p.m. Where had the time gone?

He had gotten to the station to find several of his past cases needing his immediate attention, one of which he had to shunt downtown for a hearing. That took the better part of the day. Then there was all the paperwork he had to finish filling out, including notifying Roni’s probation officer that he would be handling her case personally and overseeing her getting a regular full-time job.

Twice he had tried to phone Roni to see how she was doing and to let her know the steps he had taken after he had dropped her off. But both times his call went straight to the answering machine. Either she had shut off the ringer on her phone, or she wasn’t taking any calls.

Or she’s screening them, you jerk.

DeGrassi uttered an obscenity as he rubbed his face and yawned. Why was it whenever things started to get interesting between them, it suddenly shifted directions and went downhill fast? It just didn’t add up. Of course, having a hang-up about dating a prostitute might have a little bit to do with it. But didn’t he have that right?

The blood test would settle things once and for all. Once she got tested and everything came out squeaky clean, then he could set his mind at ease. She seemed peeved at him that he suggested such a thing, but he was sure she understood his reasons for asking. Still, she had asked him to trust her, and by placing that condition on her he’d proved he didn’t. If the shoe had been on the other foot, wouldn’t he have been mad about her lack of faith in him?

Which was why he had tried calling her. Once he heard her voice on the other end of the line, he knew he would apologize. He knew he would ask for her forgiveness, and then he would find some excuse to see her. Maybe take her out on a real, honest-to-goodness date. A movie. Or dinner. Wasn’t there some traveling Broadway production showing over at the city amphitheater this week?

Anything was all right with him. Anything that would put him back in her presence so he could stand downwind from her and soak up that tempting, light, syrupy smell of her into every pore in his skin.

Sweet Jesus, he had only been apart from her for barely twelve hours, and already he felt like he was having withdrawal symptoms! What was it about Tiron Tarakon that had him in such a tizzy?

Aside from being in love?

“Fuck this,” he muttered, shutting off his monitor. Kicking back his chair, DeGrassi strode out of the police station and hopped into his car. The twenty-five-minute drive felt like less as he chewed on a thumbnail and tried to come up with an apology that didn’t sound watered down.

The moon was on the waning side, but it still shone like a huge pearl drop overhead. The city was pulsating with new life as spring pushed bulbs and flowers into existence. But already the humidity was beginning to make the days and nights nearly unbearable. If the weather held true to form, it was going to be a bitch summer, but weren’t they all?

Pulling into the driveway, DeGrassi was immediately aware that there were no lights on in the house. Just like there had been no lights on last night when he had been by. “Don’t tell me she’s gone walking in the woods again,” he said to no one in particular. Well, there was one sure way to find out.

He got out of the car and walked around to the opposite side of the cottage. He tried the front door and found it locked. Grimacing, he left the porch and went up to the bedroom window.

Yep. Just as he had suspected, the window was open, but the sash had been pulled down to where it wouldn’t be noticeable unless it was given a tug. Roni was somewhere out there in the woods, and there was no telling how long she had been gone, or how much longer she would remain out there.

DeGrassi glanced down the side of the house to where he knew his car was parked, out of sight from the front door or side window. He could wait for her, but that could be hours. Common sense told him to go home and try again tomorrow.

Unfortunately, his heart refused to wait that long.

“Dammit, Roni, where are you?”

What if he got his flashlight out of the glove box and went looking for her? Surely not that many people were wandering around in the woods in the middle of the night.

A chilling thought suddenly went through him. Were there any dangerous animals in the forest that she might encounter? It was difficult to remember. When was the last time a bear or a mountain lion had been spotted in Galileo Woods?

Four-legged creatures be damned. What about the two-legged variety?

“Roni, you must be out of your ever-loving mind to go roaming around in there after dark by yourself.”

Stomping his feet, he strode back to the car and slid behind the wheel. After a second’s hesitation, he rolled down the window. Okay. If she could go meandering around like Sheena of the Jungle, he could wait for her. Shit, it wasn’t like he hadn’t done something like this before whenever he had gone on stakeouts.

He grabbed a stick of gum from the dispenser he had tucked in the visor. Making himself comfortable, DeGrassi settled in for however long it would take. After all, once she got back, he had all of the rest of the night to apologize.

It was something he was beginning to really look forward to.

* * * *

Two hours went by. Every so often, DeGrassi would press the little stem on his watch so the numbers would light up. It was a little after two, and ever since one a.m. had come and gone he had felt antsy. The feeling only got worse as his imagination tried to conjure up horrific scenes of Roni lying injured—or worse—somewhere out there. And here he was, sitting a short distance away, ignorant of her need for help. Unable to hear her cries of pain.

The roiling in his gut continued to irk him. He tried to write it off as hunger pangs. The last decent meal he had eaten was the breakfast he had shared with Roni that morning.

But the truth was that he was scared, and getting more scared by the minute. He had come real close to calling for back-up and going in after her himself. That was until he reminded himself she had been going on these midnight walks for years now, long before he met her. She knew how to take care of herself. She was a big girl. Give her time, DeGrassi. She’ll eventually find her way home.

The moon was on its downward slope in the west. The shadows cast in its luminescent glow gave rise to mystical creatures, lying dormant until an unsuspecting victim happened by. Then they would pounce and seize those victims, only to vanish back into the shadows, leaving no clue as to where the hapless person had gone. To DeGrassi’s adjusted eyesight, even the little cottage appeared menacing.

Screw the overactive imagination. A cramp had started in his left leg, forcing him to beat on it and move it as best he could to stave off another Charlie horse. Working on his leg averted his attention from the front lawn for a brief second. When he glanced back up, DeGrassi froze in his seat.

There was someone emerging from the forest, moving between the trees and heading toward the cottage. But there was something…odd…about the way it moved.

Using an old trick, he shunted his eyes from the person walking his way to the hood of the car, then back. Again. And again. Readjusting his focus in order to see the person more clearly.

It emerged into a shaft of moonlight, and suddenly DeGrassi went stiff with shock. It wasn’t completely human. Then again, it didn’t appear to be any kind of animal he knew of, either. But it looked human, and that’s when he felt his nerves begin to quake at the sight of that…thing…making a beeline for the side of the house where Roni’s window was.

Whatever it was, he knew he couldn’t let it reach her house, much less find its way into the cottage where Roni could return and confront it. If he got out of the car, he was certain the thing would hear him and run off.

But if he could lean far enough out of the car window…

DeGrassi pulled his police-issued pistol from his shoulder holster and flipped off the safety. His eyes never left the dark shape slowly ambling toward the cottage without any sign of fear. A quick check at the moonlight assured him the car was still hidden in the shadows. The thing had no idea he was here, and that was exactly how he intended to keep it until he was ready to reveal himself. The element of surprise was on his side, and DeGrassi planned to use it to its fullest.

Slowly, carefully, he hoisted himself off the front seat and eased out of the window, keeping the gun aimed toward the thing. He managed to get his wide shoulders out without incident. Then his hips. Perching his butt on the doorframe, DeGrassi aimed for the lower extremities. If he was forced to fire, he wanted to wound the thing, not kill it. Wound it so it could be studied. Wound it in case it wasn’t a creature, but an animal. Or a human being.

Yeah, but what kind of human being walks like that?

It got closer. At any moment, DeGrassi knew, it would either have to turn the corner to jump the porch or head off toward the other side of the house, where the bedroom window was. Any moment now. He reached down into the car and turned on the headlights, straight onto the creature.

The overbright flood of light nearly blinded him. But it was blinding the creature as well. DeGrassi got a glimpse of green skin and long, wicked-looking talons. The thing gave a cry of fear or surprise, then turned and dashed back into the forest faster than DeGrassi could follow.

Automatically he raised his weapon and fired into the air, hoping to scare the creature and maybe force it to stop. But the being never slowed, plunging into the thicket of greenery so smoothly barely a leaf trembled in its wake.

The thing moved fast. Unbelievably fast. So fast he had been afraid to fire at it for fear of hitting a vital organ and killing it. As far as he knew, the thing wasn’t hostile. It hadn’t hissed at him or bared any teeth, although those talons looked razor-sharp. It could have been curious and wanted to inspect the cottage.

Tales of Bigfoot floated into his subconscious. Did he recollect any stories of Galileo Woods having its own version of a Bigfoot?

If he hadn’t been sitting half-in, half-out of the car window, he would have gone after it. On second thought, he realized, as fast as that thing moved, there probably wouldn’t have been a chance in hell he could have gotten close enough for another look or another shot.

Cursing himself for mishandling the entire episode, DeGrassi slid back under the wheel and started the motor. He would need to come up with a different plan of action if he wanted to get another chance at finding out what that creature was. In the meantime, he needed to find Roni and protect her from running across that thing, in case it was dangerous.

How he planned to find her, he had no idea. Not right now, anyway. But maybe after giving himself a few minutes to think, and a strong cup of coffee to settle his stomach, he might come up with a solution. It was the best he could do at the moment.

Glancing back at the dark wall of trees behind the cottage, DeGrassi pulled out of the driveway. It was nearly three in the morning. Sooner or later, Roni would have to emerge from the woods. He hoped.

Chapter 12

Confession

She had reacted out of pure instinct. Terror like nothing she had ever felt before had sizzled through every nerve and muscle in her body when the bright, blinding light had hit her. She hadn’t noticed the car sitting there. Her mind had been elsewhere. She hadn’t expected anything or anyone to be waiting for her when she had struggled wearily back to the cottage for a few hours of sleep before the next daybreak.

Frozen in place as her brain refused to function, somehow her Ruinos body had made the next decision for her. It had fled back into the safety of the trees.

The shot ringing out nearly stopped her heart. In that instant, she thought she could feel the impact of the bullet drilling into her back, tearing and chewing its way through her body. But it hadn’t. Either he had missed, or he had deliberately aimed elsewhere.

She hit the first big tree she came to and scrambled frantically to the top to hide within its thick canopy of branches and leaves. Her heart was pounding faster than she could feel. She couldn’t drag a full breath of air into her lungs because she was gasping between the tears.

It had been Thomas. She’d nearly fainted when she’d recognized him in that split second. Thomas had tried to kill her. Somehow he had found out about her true self, so he had come back to the house to wait for her. To kill her. But he had missed. And now she could hear the familiar rumble of the car’s engine as he backed out of the driveway and drove off.

He would be back. He wasn’t the type to miss and then let things stand as they were. He wanted to kill her. He had waited so he could kill the abomination—that’s what people would call her if they ever found out. If they ever knew about the race of green-skinned aliens living among them.

Or maybe....

Roni reached over and grabbed another limb to keep from falling. What if he hadn’t known it was her? What if he had thought she was a monstrous creature, and he had fired at her to protect Roni?

Slowly, she shook her head. She couldn’t think straight. Her eyes still throbbed from the intense beams that had temporarily robbed her of her night vision and her sanity. One part of her was wailing in grief, consumed by the fear that the man she could not live without now wanted her dead.

Yet the other part of her kept fighting to be heard. It called for reason. For calm. It tried to wipe away the tears flowing down her face.

Her body quaked, ravaged by chills she couldn’t stop. It was a natural reaction after the blood-freezing fear she had experienced. Roni continued to clutch the branches as she fought the shakes.

He had been waiting for her. For how long? She shook her head to try and clear it. After she had awakened, she’d found it was already dark. She was hungry, so she had eaten a quick salad and some grapes before heading out for her nightly run. She remembered thinking she needed to ask Thomas what she was going to do for money, since she wasn’t bringing in any income. Pretty soon she would need some more groceries. How was she going to pay for them? Not only that, but the rent would be due next week.

A warm breeze pushed through the trees. The limb she was stretched out on swayed. Its rocking motion gentled her. Made her feel safe. If she closed her eyes, she could almost imagine she was on her homeworld, frolicking in the furry treetops, chasing after her mother as they gathered food for their evening meal. She had been such an innocent back then. Those memories of her parents were precious to her.

She shuddered again, and a wide yawn followed. Dearest heavens, she was drained. If there was any way she could, Roni knew she would spend the rest of the night flying from tree to tree. Sleeping on and off as her body needed it. It was a delicious thought, but an impossible one. It was too risky to try and beat the daylight back to the house. There was too much of a chance she would either get caught in her true form and be locked in it or change into her human form and be seen out in the open running around nude. Either way, as much as she wished otherwise, Roni knew she had to return to the cottage before dawn. The new day wasn’t that far away.

Spreading her skin flaps, she drifted downward like a parachutist gliding to earth. As soon as her feet touched the cool grass, she kept running. This time her eyes raked the surrounding forest and open field for any sign of an intruder or danger. The smell of the car’s exhaust still hung rank and oily in the morning air.

Rounding the side of the house, she threw open the window. The gentle scent of baby powder drifted down to her as she clutched the sill and pulled herself up. Thomas had been inside again. Probably looking for her. Probably worried about her. Despite the ache inside her, she couldn’t help but smile, knowing his concern was so much like a Ruinos male’s need to care for his mate.

Closing the window, she turned to head for the bathroom and a cooling shower when a scent like wood smoke rushed at her to cling like a thick blanket. At the same instant, Roni heard a click, and the glare of a small spotlight struck her dead center, trapping her as solidly as the headlights had done earlier.

She froze, wide-eyed.

His breathing became jerky, as if he was fighting some inner turmoil. Then his voice asked softly, angrily, “What the hell are you?”

She turned to judge the distance between the window and where she stood.

“Don’t even think about it,” DeGrassi growled. “I have my gun trained on you, and this time I won’t fire over your head.”

Closing her eyes, she turned back toward him and lowered her face. A minute passed. The flashlight never wavered. Then, in a voice that almost sounded as though he was choking, DeGrassi whispered, “Roni?”

She looked up at him.

“Oh, Jesus, Roni…is that really you?”

“It’s me, Thomas.”

The flashlight moved. Rose. DeGrassi reached over toward the wall and flipped on the light switch. The two bedroom lamps filled the room with their soft glow. Roni deliberately kept low-wattage bulbs in every socket in the house. But there was enough light for him to see every detail of her true self with stark clarity.

She couldn’t look into his face or into his eyes. She was too afraid of what she might see there. Instead she focused on his chest, where she noticed him lower the flashlight as well as the gun. Roni blinked. He lowered the gun.

“I kept telling myself I was wrong. So fucking wrong. But MacAvie had told me the hairs and the blood on the brush I took from here weren’t human. When I drove away, I kept thinking about that. I thought…when I first saw you, I thought you were some kind of monster out to get Roni. But then I remembered what MacAvie said, and…”

The silence between them lengthened. A little shudder went through her, enough to make her knees shake. “Thomas…can I sit down?”

He gestured with his gun hand toward the foot of the bed. Gratefully, she sat down on the coverlet and tucked one foot underneath her.

DeGrassi continued to stare at her, studying her. Mentally cataloging every difference and oddity about her. His quiet, intense scrutiny quickly became nerve-wracking as the minutes ticked away. Finally, he sat back down on the small chair she kept by the closet.

“What are you?” he demanded again.

Roni sniffed. He was angry. The smell of it was pungent. Yet he was also in pain. Emotional pain. The conflicting scents filled the room until she almost felt smothered.

“My people…we’re called Ruinos.”

“You’re aliens from another planet,” he stated abruptly. His comment wasn’t meant to be a question. Roni nodded slowly. “How many of you are there?”

She took a deep, hiccupping breath. “Many, many years ago there were millions of us. Until the Arra found us. They…they began harvesting us. Selling us to other worlds as slave labor. Or as food.”

Her eyes traveled up to his face to find his eyes boring into her. “I’m listening,” he said to urge her on.

“For years they took us away, until in the end there were just a few hundred left. There were maybe two hundred of us on the ship heading for Iili Pil’ Sokk when our males revolted. We ran for the escape pods.” She crossed her arms and clutched them with her hands. “There were thirty-one of us on that tiny ship. Somehow we managed to leave the main ship. We searched…we searched for nearly two years for a planet where we could live. That’s all we wanted. A place that was relatively safe where we could live the rest of our years without fear of being tortured.”

She gave him a helpless look. “That’s what I meant when I told you we landed five years ago. Once we got here, we couldn’t leave. The ship was out of fuel. There was no more food. So many of us were sick. For all we knew, we were the last of our kind.”

DeGrassi gestured toward her with the gun. “How are you able to look different? How do you manage to disguise yourself?”

“We’re shape-shifters. We can assume the identities of other species. Most of the time. Although there have been planets where we just couldn’t adapt our bodies enough to fit in.”

She watched as his expression changed and his face hardened.

“Change. Change into Roni.”

It was as easy as slipping on a blouse. A paleness crept under his skin as he watched the transformation. Slowly his eyes slid down her nude body, finally snapping back up to her face. Suddenly, to her surprise, he placed the gun and flashlight in his lap and rubbed his face with both hands.

“Okay. That’s freaky. That’s just plain, flat-out mind-blowing. Okay, so explain to me about the night thing. Why do you go out into the woods? Does it have something to do with what you are?”

“Yes. On my world we are what you would call farmers. We work the ground to grow plants. We live in forests, surrounded by vegetation and trees, some of which are bigger than what you have growing here. But they look so much like those of my homeworld. And being near it, or in it, is…is…”

“As close to feeling like you’re on your homeworld as you can be,” he finished for her. Roni managed a tiny smile. “Dear God, what am I going to do?”

“I…I’ll leave,” she told him. “Come morning, I’ll leave. I’ll go to another city and find another place to live. You won’t have to worry about me—”

“That’s not what I meant,” he almost snapped at her. “I meant, what am I going to do about the way I feel about you? Shit, it was hard enough trying to talk myself into accepting you as a hooker…but as an alien? How in the hell am I going to be able to live with the fact that I’m in love with a goddamn alien?”

Her breath caught in her throat. Roni felt the blood drain from her face as she stared at him after hearing his confession. DeGrassi saw her look of surprise.

“Yeah. Ain’t that a kick in the pants? Go on and laugh at me. I deserve it.”

“I can’t…I mean…” Her lungs wouldn’t draw air. She began to feel light-headed from lack of oxygen. “Thomas? There’s so much I need to tell you.”

“Like what? Get a life?” He jumped to his feet, startling her. “Christ, it’s late. What the hell am I doing here trying to protect a freaking alien? Thom, old man, you’ve really done yourself proud this time. Just when you think you’ve found the right woman after all these years…” He stomped out of the bedroom as he slipped his gun into the holster, and he headed for the front door.

Giving a little cry, Roni ran after him. “Please! Thomas! No! Don’t go…” She tried to call out for him, but her breath suddenly left her, making her gasp for air. Her knees went weak, forcing her to stop halfway across the room.

“Why not?” he challenged as he reached for the doorknob.

It took everything in her to draw enough air to answer him. “Because you’re my life partner. My bond mate. Only…only you can’t be. But you are.” The tears appeared out of nowhere and were starting to run down her cheeks again. Cursing, she tried to wipe them away as he stood there watching her. It was no use. She couldn’t prevent them from falling, and neither could she stop her last attempt to keep him with her. Because she knew that if he walked out of that door, it would be the last time she would ever see him. That shredding noise echoing in her ears was the sound of her soul being torn apart.

“What are you talking about?” His words were clipped and cold, but Roni thought she could detect the faint scent of bananas hovering overhead.

“It’s difficult to explain. But give me a chance. Please.”

DeGrassi remained at the door, staring at her. His eyes kept brushing over her naked body, taking in the sight of her pale skin and breasts. He was especially attracted to the juncture between her thighs. The bulge in the front of his jeans increased with every passing second, until she thought he was going to bust the zipper.

“Shit.” Releasing the doorknob, he walked over to the lamp beside the couch and turned it on, then plopped down on the cushions. “Take all the time you need. I’m not going anywhere until I get all my questions answered, beginning with this bond mate thing.”

“Okay.” She opened her mouth to begin when he interrupted her with a wave of his hand.

“Before we get started, I suggest you put something on. Because frankly, the sight of you like that is a major distraction.”

“Would you mind if I went back to my true self?”

“True self?” His eyes narrowed. “Is that what you call it? Ruin—”

“Ruinos. Yes.”

“Why? Do you need to change back?”

“When it’s daylight, the sun locks our bodies into whatever shape we’ve assumed. If we are our true selves and don’t change, that’s what we are forced to remain as until sunset. But after sunset, we can revert back.”

“But you just changed for me,” he observed.

Roni nodded. “We can change at will after dark. But sometime during the night, we must go back to our true form, whether we want to or not. Our bodies must revert.”

DeGrassi lifted a hand to his chin. “Is that why you didn’t want to spend the night in jail? Because you were afraid of what might happen when you changed back?”

She gave him another small smile. He snorted and leaned over, propping his elbows on his knees. “Okay. Make yourself normal.”

This time she made the transformation slower, so he wouldn’t be as alarmed. Still, he gave a low whistle when she was finished. “That’s gonna take some getting used to.”

His simple remark was like a single star shining in the night, promising a sky full of stars. Swallowing around the tightness in her throat, Roni opened up to him.

Chapter 13

Truth

Roni went to sit on the chair across from the sofa. Crossing her arms over her stomach, she kept her eyes focused on his chest, on his hands and arms, and on his body posture. She couldn’t look at his face, much less into his eyes. Her one star of hope continued to shine, and she was prepared to give everything she had to in order to fill the night with a galaxy of stars.

“Wh-what do you want to know?”

“For one thing, are you exerting some kind of power or something over me?”

She shook her head. “I have no ‘power’ other than what you’ve seen.”

“Then what’s this bond mate thing? Why do I have these…feelings?” DeGrassi demanded.

She took a little sniff, searching for any sign that would tell her how he was reacting.

“And why are you always smelling me?” he added.

Roni licked her lips. Her mouth was so dry, but she didn’t dare risk leaving to get a drink.

“Among my kind, when a male and female sense a connection with each other, they join to see if they are destined to be life partners.”

“Join? You mean have sex?”

“Yes.”

“Go on.”

She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “If their joining is meant to be, they become life partners. Bond mates. Their joining is far deeper and more meaningful than any sort of marriage your people practice here. Without a true joining, we cannot reproduce. Our females cannot bear children until we find our true life partners.” She tried to raise her eyes to see his, but her courage failed her. “Do you understand now?”

She was vaguely aware of him shaking his head. “Not really, no. You have sex, and then you determine whether or not you’re meant for each other. After that, you have a baby. It doesn’t sound too much different from what we do here on Earth,” he argued, but gently. She could tell that, despite his doubts, he was trying to remain open-minded about everything.

“Oh, but it’s very different. It’s nothing like what your people do, Thomas,” Roni insisted, lifting her head slightly. “Without a true bonding, we cannot reproduce. Plain and simple. If I never bond with you, I will never be able to have children. Never. My body will not produce an egg if I have not joined with the man who is my life partner. And the same goes for you…I mean, a Ruinos male cannot fertilize my egg unless we are life partners.”

“See, that’s the part I’m having a hard time understanding. How do you know I’m your life partner?”

The question brought another small smile to her lips. “There are…signs. The first is when life partners start to smell each other. And I don’t mean any kind of cologne. There’s a very special, unique scent that both of us give off. It’s not overpowering, but it’s one that we like, that we enjoy. It makes us want to be closer to that person so we can smell more of it.” She snorted softly. “I was stunned when I first smelled you. It was like…it was…” A shudder ran through her, forcing her to pause.

“It was like what? What do I smell like to you?”

“You smell like…like baby powder…only different. It’s a very rich, very dark smell. Musky and masculine. It suits you.” She could smell it now, coming off of him like heat from a fire. “I tried very hard to tell myself I was imagining it. I wanted so badly to believe it was impossible, especially after all these years. After all those…”

Her skin was tightening around her again. The pain was beginning to grow inside her chest, squeezing and suffocating her. Roni dropped her face and clutched her arms about herself even tighter.

“What are some other signs?” DeGrassi asked, as if he didn’t notice her distress.

She sniffed and tried to clear her throat. “Mmm…our males become very defensive and protective of their females. It’s instinctive. We are a strong family-oriented species. Our bond mates are our lives. Our children are the extension of that life. Protecting and caring for each other is paramount. I have seen this in you, Thomas. In the way you feel the urge to care for me. To help me. The fact that you came over here in the middle of the night to make sure I was all right.”

“My species does that as well. It sure as hell doesn’t mean I’m your bond mate,” he told her, with an edge to his voice.

“No, it doesn’t,” she agreed. “But if we should ever join, you’ll understand then what I’m talking about.”

Where she got the courage to finally look into his eyes, she didn’t know or want to know. But there was no sense of brightness in those light blue depths. Nothing that would tell her he believed her. The sight of his strong face began to waver behind the veil of tears. “What do I smell like to you, Thomas?” she barely managed to whisper.

There was a long moment of silence that stretched between them. Finally, she heard his loud sigh. “You smell like maple syrup. Like sweet, hot syrup. But, Jesus Christ, Roni, why me? Why not one of your own?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted hoarsely. “I had given up on ever finding a bond mate. I never expected to find you. I never planned on falling in love with you. I never thought a man from this world would be able to have the kind of hold on me that you do.” Moving smoothly until she stood before him, Roni faced him with her hands clenched into tight fists at her sides.

“I spent sixteen years aboard that Arran ship. The females of my species were dying out. A bonded couple can’t be separated, Thomas. If they are separated, they both die. The bonded couples on the ship refused to reproduce and allow the Arra to sell their children as slaves or food. So the Arra tried to force the unbonded females into bonding, to replenish the population.

“I became a reproductive female when I was fourteen. From that day until the time we revolted and escaped, the Arra forced a male of my race or one of a similar race into my cell. I fought them, Thomas. Sometimes I killed them. But when I refused to join with them, I was tortured. After several months, I realized I might as well let the males have me. So I learned to give in. There was always pain, but it was never like the torture devices the Arra made me endure if I fought them.”

The tears were pouring out of her, but she no longer cared. The hurt and anger and degradation she had been forced to endure for years were gushing like water over a broken dam. Roni stared at her hands with their long, thin, deadly talons. How many days had she been forced to lie inside her cell still covered with the remains of the male who had tried to harm her when he was dominating her?

“I don’t understand,” DeGrassi spoke up. “Your own males would try to hurt you?”

“No, no! A Ruinos male would never hurt me. No males of my kind could ever harm any female. They would turn on themselves before that happened. It is in their blood to defend their females.”

“Then who or what kind of creatures were you forced to kill?”

Tiron shuddered with the memories she thought she had managed to suppress. “On some worlds, the Arra found humanoid creatures similar in body structure and size to us Ruinos. They tried to see if our species could interbreed.” She pointedly glanced over him. “Males like you.”

“But I thought you said you could only be a true life partner with one of your own?”

“That’s what I believed…until I met you.” She rubbed her arms, wishing she could walk over and soak in his warmth. “Because our numbers were diminishing faster than they could be replaced, the Arra tried to see if other species were compatible. If it was possible to increase the population in other ways.”

When he didn’t comment, the silence threatened to drag on. Was he wondering how many she had copulated with? Or how many she had killed? Regardless, his quiet study of her was growing more difficult to tolerate, and she lowered her face.

“You want to condemn me for being a whore? Or for prostituting myself? Well, go ahead, Thomas. But I assure you, listening to their feeble grunts when they’re on top of me is nothing like the horrors I had to subject myself to on that ship. The blow jobs and hand jobs are nothing. None of that, none of what I’ve done here to survive is me. It’s not the real me. It’s payment for this house. It’s food to eat and a warm blanket during the winter.”

Her head jerked up to confront him. “There were only three other unbonded females on that ship besides me. Like me, they were tortured and nearly destroyed. None of the unbonded males on our ship were meant to be our life mates. We were close. The last of our race. But that special bond that would make us life partners was not there, and it can’t be forced. So when we landed here, I had one thing left. I had my life. It was all I would ever have and all I ever expected. I had my freedom and my life…but not happiness. Not love. We had to hide and hope we weren’t discovered by you or by the Arra.”

DeGrassi’s face suddenly darkened. “Why do you say that? I thought you said your people revolted against the Arra.”

“We did, but we were just one of their transport ships. My species is very important to the Arra. We are their best source of income. Our meat is considered a delicacy to many interplanetary cultures. The Arra know that thirty-one of us escaped. We don’t know if any of the others managed to get away, but the Arra are going to come looking for us. They’re going to send scout ships to every possible planetary destination until they find us. Our only hope is that we manage to live whatever life we have left in relative peace and safety…and happiness before they do.”

Another full minute passed in silence. Outside, the sound of a screech owl filtered into the room.

“So were any of you, any of those thirty-one…were any of you already bonded?” he asked.

Bananas. Its seductive, fruity scent began to waft through the room. Roni closed her eyes. “Six couples were newly bonded. They were the lucky ones. The rest of us were unbonded. Most of them were older males and females past bearing age. And there were several children not yet mature enough.”

One of those intense headaches was beginning to tighten between her eyes and lash back behind her temples. Placing both hands to the spot on her skull where it hurt the worst and rubbing did nothing to lessen the pain. His caring scent grew thicker.

“Roni. You’ve never taken a john in your, uhh, your true form, have you?”

The question made her laugh softly. “What do you think?”

“Okay. Tell me if I’m not getting this correctly. The Arra tried to force you to bond so you could have children, and thus keep up their supply. But you never met the person whom you knew would become your bond mate until you met me. Have I got that right?”

“That’s right. I…I never thought I would find my life partner on this world. I thought I would live out my remaining years alone. But at least I would be free and away from their cruelty. It was more than I expected.”

“But if I join with you, it’ll have to be in your true form?”

She looked up into his face. The air was filled with indecision and caring. But there were also traces of fear and wariness. Nowhere could she detect the odor of lemonade. Of his love.

“Yeah. Sorry.”

A tightening spasmed behind her eyes. Roni clutched at her head, sucking in between her teeth.

“What’s wrong?”

“I…I haven’t rested enough. My body is telling me it needs to sleep. To prepare itself for the next day. Thomas…” Wiping her cheeks, she tried to face him, knowing this might be the last time she would ever have the chance. “I don’t expect you—”

“What happens if we don’t…join?”

She knew he would ask that question sooner or later. “If we don’t join, then eventually, from what I’ve been told, the scent will lessen. It won’t go away completely, but it will lessen enough to where it won’t be as compelling as it is now. Then we can go our own ways.”

His eyebrows lowered. “And that will leave us free to find someone else?”

A shrug helped her to answer. “I don’t know about you. Maybe you’ll be able to find another.”

“That doesn’t completely answer my question. Will it leave us free to find other bond mates? Will you be able to find someone else?”

Where were all these tears coming from? Her eyes were burning. Her face felt excruciatingly tight and hot.

“Th-there is no other for me, Thomas. If you reject me…there will be no other. My body will never accept another. Your scent has marked me for life.”

Either the headache or her tears were keeping the room fuzzy and off-kilter. Roni turned to go to the bedroom and stumbled slightly on one of the small area rugs. His hand was instantly at her elbow, helping her to keep from falling. The touch of his rough, calloused fingers was like a river of warmth flowing through her. She bit her lips to keep from crying out.

Once she made it to the doorway, Roni paused and waited for him to release her arm. DeGrassi stood there, watching.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been able to explain it well enough for you to understand. I’m not that clear on the details myself. I’ve never found another to love the way I love you. I don’t know where any bonded females live, or I would go ask. But you must understand one thing, Thomas. I will love you now until the end of my days, whether we are bonded or not. If you choose to leave because of what I am…because of what I look like…I will understand.”

It was the last time she would ever see him. She knew it as well as she knew he would reject her. There was no longer any scent coming from him. Not caring or fear. Not curiosity or even that erotic baby powder smell.

Lifting her face, she gazed into his light-blue eyes, only to see her own reflection staring back—a bald, green-skinned alien with bright silver eyes glistening with tears.

“Good night, Thomas. Dio m’silat. It means ‘go with my self.’ When you leave, you’ll be taking a part of me I will never get back, but I don’t care.” Somehow she managed a weak smile. “I found my life partner. I finally found you, and that means the Arra will never be able to have control over me ever again. I have been blessed.”

She wanted to kiss his cheek before he left, but she was too afraid he would shy away. It would devastate her if he did, so she didn’t risk the hurt. Turning off the bedroom lights first, she went inside, leaving DeGrassi to let himself out when he was ready to go.

Every step she took away from him was more painful than anything the Arra ever forced her to go through. If DeGrassi left her, even without the joining, Roni knew she would not survive many more days. Her life was numbered now in hours instead of years.

Chapter 14

Joining

After Roni said goodbye and vanished into the bedroom, DeGrassi remained in the doorway. He felt enclosed in a vacuum. The echo of her words beat at his ears, words he didn’t want to hear, didn’t want to comprehend, but which he couldn’t escape.

The room was filled with sadness. It remained in the air, hard and inky, making everything around him appear brittle. If he reached out and touched one of the verdant plants, he knew it would shatter from the weight of her hopelessness.

He had no memory of leaving the house, or of walking back to where he had parked the car at the end of the block. His body was on automatic. After unlocking the door and sitting behind the wheel, DeGrassi remained there for a long period of time as he digested what she had told him.

“I spent sixteen years aboard that Arran ship. The females of my species were dying out. I became a reproductive female when I was fourteen. From that day until the time we revolted and escaped, the Arra forced a male of my race or one of a similar race into my cell. I fought them, Thomas. Sometimes I killed them. But when I refused to join with them, I was tortured. After several months, I realized I might as well let the males have me. So I learned to give in. There was always pain, but it was never like the torture devices the Arra made me endure if I fought them.”

There was no way he could envision the horrors she had survived before coming here. The fact that she retained her sanity was a miracle. The fact that she managed to blend in and exist among them on his world, regardless of the profession she chose, was a feat he doubted even he could achieve.

Sixteen years? Did she say she had been a prisoner for more than sixteen years? And during how many of those years had she been forced to have sex because the Arra needed to repopulate the species? Just the thought of what had occurred repeatedly during her captivity made him sick to his stomach. No wonder a part of her had turned to stone. No wonder she became a hooker. So much of her died on that ship, including almost all hope.

Staring at the steering wheel, Roni’s Ruinos face floated before him. Okay, her skin was green, but it wasn’t one solid color. It wasn’t ghastly or horrendous. It was mottled in shades from evergreen to lime, like sun-dappled leaves. Her features were delicate, and her entire body was smooth and hairless from her perfectly shaped head down to the beautiful cleft between her thighs. Her legs were long and muscular. Her breasts were as full and firm as he had imagined them to be. Oddly enough, her nipples were a deep, rosy hue. Add a slim waist and a butt that curved just right, and it was no wonder he got a hard-on just by looking at her.

For all her alienness, Roni was as sumptuously proportioned as a human. When she changed, only her outward appearance shifted. She didn’t gain any height or width. It was as if she simply slipped on a different outer covering, like a woman would slip on a dress or a nightgown.

DeGrassi felt his pulse quicken. The woman was stacked like every man’s fantasy. He could overlook the fact that her feet had those sharp little knifelike talons where her toes should be. Taken from the neck down, Roni could rival any model on any magazine cover or calendar.

But from the neck up…

Her lips were a little thinner. The teeth… A little shiver went through him. Those teeth were sharp and pointed. Her nose was flatter and less prominent. Her ears were like fans—very sheer, with minute veins running through them, like butterfly wings.

Her eyes, however, didn’t change. They were still the same crystal-gray color filled with myriad silver flecks, as though someone had dropped glitter on a bolt of pale gray satin cloth. Roni’s eyes reflected her heart and her soul to such a depth that looking into them stole his breath.

Throwing an arm over his eyes, DeGrassi laid down across the seat and waited for his warring emotions to separate on their own, hoping the truth would rise like cream to the top. He needed something to shine through this muddy fog enveloping him. He needed one clear, precise, exact emotion to tell him in which direction to go.

She’s an alien from another world.

She’s been hurt in a way no other woman would have been able to survive.

She has talons for fingers and green skin.

She smells like the sweetest maple syrup. All warm and thick and dripping delicious.

She’s not human. There is nothing about her that is normal. She’s not the kind of woman you expect her to be, and she never will be.

His body jerked. No, she was nothing like a human woman. And that was where Roni shined above them all. Her strength, her courage, and her tenacity had kept her alive. She was a survivor. She was…better than a human woman.

And she loved him beyond anything he would ever know again in his lifetime.

“I had given up on ever finding a bond mate. I never expected to find you. I never planned on falling in love with you.

“None of what I’ve done here to survive is me. It’s not the real me.

“There is no other for me, Thomas. If you reject me, there will be no other. My body will never accept another. Your scent has marked me for life.

“Good night, Thomas. Dio m’silat. It means ‘go with my self.’ When you leave, you’ll be taking a part of me I will never get back, but I don’t care. I found my life partner. I finally found you, and that means the Arra will never be able to have control over me ever again. I have been blessed.”

DeGrassi finally knew the emotion he had been seeking. In fact, it had been there all along, fenced in and hidden behind his prejudice and his imitation fear. It had tried to call out to him, but the voices of doubt had been drowning it out.

“I love you, Roni. I’ve known it ever since I first smelled your exotic scent. I’ve known you were mine to protect from the very first time I saw you. I’ve known in the deepest part of me that you were different, and it would be that difference that would save me from myself. Just as it would save you.”

He sat up in the seat. A glance at the dashboard clock told him it was nearly six a.m. Already he could see the first faint brightness in the eastern sky. The sun would be coming up soon. And when it did, she would be locked into her human form for another full day.

He couldn’t allow her to do that. Not today. Today she had to remain in her true form, because they had to find out for certain if they were meant to be life partners. He had to go back to her. He had to make love to her. Only then would they know…would he know…

Life partners. Bond mates. “Our bond mates are our lives.”

If he left here, drove off, and never tried to see her again, could he? Could he honestly face the rest of his life knowing he would never again bathe in her warm, sweet smell? To kiss her? Or hold her? Or know the richness of loving her?

DeGrassi started the car and swung it around in a U-turn to take it back up the block. He pulled into the driveway, then jumped out of the vehicle and ran around to the back bedroom window. Time was of the essence. Shoving up the sash, he peered into the room to find the bed empty, the flowered quilt mussed and lying halfway on the floor.

She was gone. A coldness crept into his gut. Where was she? Did she leave the house? Did she go back into the woods?

Hefting himself over the sill, he smoothly ducked and rolled over and onto his feet. It was then he heard the faint sound of the shower running. DeGrassi walked over to the bathroom and slowly pushed open the door.

The room was not as steamy as it would have been if it had been himself behind that jewel-toned curtain. Carefully he approached the shower, then paused. He could hear her crying; the low, choking sobs were muffled, coming from behind the curtain. He would swear he could feel her grief and her loneliness. Was this part of becoming a bond mate, where every emotion the both of them experienced could be felt by the other? Where every secret would lie open and bare, shared so nothing could ever be misinterpreted between them?

DeGrassi swallowed hard and reached out to draw the curtain to the side.

Roni was still in her true form. Her back was to him, and beneath the warm spray the thousands of tiny welts and scars on her skin glistened under the overhead lights. For the first time he noticed some extra webbing or skin under her arms and the slight, ridge formations running atop her spine and down the backs of her legs.

She shivered as the cooler air washed over her. Hiccupping, she turned around and froze in surprise to stare at him with red-rimmed eyes. Widened eyes. Eyes the color of a smoky sky filled with a billion stars.

“Th-Thomas?” She shivered, clasping her arms over her chest.

Without explaining, DeGrassi quickly unbuckled his shoulder holster and laid it on the floor behind him. Grabbing his t-shirt behind his neck, he jerked it over his head and tossed it to the side. Toeing off his running shoes, he loosened his belt and dropped his jeans to the floor to kick them out of the way. His briefs and socks followed after. Then he stepped into the shower to join her and drew the curtain closed.

He remained standing there in silence as her eyes swept over him. She had never seen him naked. DeGrassi was proud of his physique, having spent countless hours at a gym and running after work to keep up his strength and stamina. He wasn’t built like Mr. Universe, but he was toned and well-muscled. He had sculpted muscles, especially around his abdomen and thighs. A soft mat of hair covered his pecs before trailing in a narrow line down to his swelling erection.

She reached out to lay one of those wicked-looking hands upon his sternum. DeGrassi jumped at her touch. Her caress was gentle. Tentative. And slightly ticklish.

Her hand continued to trail downward. As those nearly five-inch blades the color of pearls neared his burgeoning hard-on, DeGrassi began to feel a lightness of spirit. The sense of knowing she wouldn’t hurt him or cause him harm in any way suddenly seemed to be there, as clear and concise as if she had reassured him aloud. As if he had known all along and just never understood or accepted it until right at that moment. Roni would never hurt him, could never hurt him, any more than he could harm her. Or allow any harm to come to her.

When she finally drew her hand around his hardened shaft, the visions he had entertained of her before, of her pumping him and taking him between her plump, berry-red lips, came slamming home. DeGrassi closed his eyes to savor her touch.

Suddenly, she let go of him. His eyes snapped open to see her staring at the curtain. No, she was staring beyond the curtain, as if she had heard something.

“Roni?”

“The sun’s coming up, Thomas. I must—”

“No.”

She turned her head to look at him. The hope in her eyes was unmistakable. DeGrassi reached out to stroke her cheek. To his surprise, it was soft and warm and more delicate than silk. Roni leaned toward him, closing her eyes as she savored his touch. A tiny smile curled over her lips, and he couldn’t help but smile to hear her sigh of contentment.

He could sense her opening up to him. There was an emptiness there that he needed to fill, had to coax back to life. Her hand closed around him again, and this time his body reached toward her in a silent request for more.

Lowering his face, DeGrassi closed his eyes as he caressed her other cheek with his. She was trembling from his touch and his nearness. Her breath was coming in short gasps. Without realizing what he was going to do next, he slowly licked the tender skin underneath her ear. Roni moaned softly.

The taste of her flooded his mouth with desire. It was sweeter and more potent than maple syrup. It was addictive and dangerous. Its heat streaked straight into his groin, pushing his erection to the limit and leaving it quivering in her hand. Bright colors danced behind his closed eyelids as he took another long lick, this time down the side of her neck. A groan wrenched itself out of his chest as he reached for her.

“Christ, Roni…you taste like heaven.”

One taste wasn’t enough. Neither were two. Suddenly, he was afraid he would never be able to get enough of her, of her taste or her scent. But then, he didn’t care. Not if they were true bond mates. Not if she was his life partner. Because then he could savor her for the rest of their lives. Savor her, drown in her, and forever crave more.

DeGrassi opened his mouth to tongue the soft curve of her shoulder. To mouth the peach-velvet texture of her throat. To lightly nip at the underside of her jaw.

Roni was shivering from his touch. Her hands had released his manhood and now clutched his waist as she moved closer to him. Drawing his arms around her, DeGrassi pulled her against him until skin met bare skin. Her curves melted perfectly along his, and the last of his hesitation permanently washed away beneath the warm shower spray.

He sought and found her mouth, letting himself be swept away by the tidal wave of blinding heat that was coating every inch of his skin. Heat that penetrated into his cells. Heat that was incinerating him from the inside out. Heat that boiled his blood until it ran thicker and slower through his veins.

His tongue found hers, and when she closed her lips around it and began to sweetly suck on it, DeGrassi felt his body tighten with expectation. His dick was heavier and broader than he believed possible. It prodded Roni in the abdomen, seeking, crying for entry. And when it couldn’t find her portal, it slid upward along her stomach to tremble in anticipation.

Every muscle was shaking from the strain. He knew he would be sweating if not for the tepid spray pouring over him. There wasn’t a cell in his body that wasn’t focused on the woman writhing in his arms. Her scent filled the tiny bathroom just as it filled him. Her taste continued to blossom on his tongue and in his mouth, until every one of his senses was no longer aware of anything else except her.

Lifting her upward, he buried his face in the curve between her neck and shoulder, and Roni locked her legs around his waist, above his hips. He could feel the tip of his erection reaching for her, straining for her secret depths. He wanted to dive into her rich heat. Dive and be reborn inside that fragrant, dark corridor.

“Thomas.” Her voice barely grazed his ear. Her lips caressed his hair. A second later, he felt her move in his arms right before she shifted her hips. Before he knew what was happening, he was aware of his penis gradually sinking into a fiery tightness that stole his sanity.

DeGrassi’s knees buckled as his body accepted hers. Accepted, then demanded more. His back hit the wall of the shower, and slowly he slid down until he was sitting in the tub enclosure as Roni began a rhythmic undulation over him. Pulling out, she then forced him in further and further with each movement, pumping him with her body, sliding his taut erection through her spicy wetness. Her nipples were sharp little points scraping his chest as her breasts bounced erotically.

He couldn’t move, or react other than to let her work him. He knew he had died long ago. There was no other way he could explain the absolute bliss in feeling himself inside her, still rock solid and straining for release. Pleasure ripped through him, scraping over nerves that had never before felt the inside of a woman, or experienced such soul-shredding perfection.

In his arms he felt Roni shudder as her knees clasped his thighs. She was moving up and down, riding him, working him. Opening his eyes, he could see the intense fire running through her the same way it was consuming him. Her head was tilted back, her eyes shut, and every muscle was poised on the brink of something he had only dreamed about. He kept his hands around her waist and helped her to pump him, jack-hammering her over his manhood that rose like a turgid, flushed pole from between his legs.

A high, thin wail keened in her throat. Her hands, which had been resting on his shoulders, now curled into tight fists. Her movements were becoming jerkier as she neared her precipice, but DeGrassi could sense her weariness. She was close to coming, but her body was also beginning to give out on her. Leaning back slightly, he readjusted his hands at her hips and increased the pace. Roni cried out as he took over and claimed total possession of her.

Her body was tightening around him, forcing him to nearly ram her onto him. He never wanted this moment to end. But at the same time, he prayed he could hold on long enough to empty himself into her. His release had to match hers. There could be no other ending to this fierce, excruciating ecstasy that was tearing through him.

God, she was shaking uncontrollably. The inner walls of her silken tunnel were literally rippling with her coming climax.

Suddenly, lightning shot through him, from the ends of his feet and top of his head. It met in the pit of his groin and exploded out through his dick. DeGrassi yelled and slammed Roni down over him. Her body flamed, then rocketed. She shrieked as her release flared brighter than any star. And still he continued to pound into her.

Wave after wave broke over them as the sensations continued to race through their bodies, spiking like gouts of scorching lava. Gradually the peaks lessened and slowed, until Roni finally leaned over to nestle on top of his heaving chest, her head resting against his neck. Instinctively, DeGrassi curled possessive arms around her. The shower, now slightly cooler, felt refreshing. But it wouldn’t take long before it would turn icy, and that wasn’t something DeGrassi was looking forward to. With a little effort, he lifted his foot and shut off the water with his toes.

He was still inside her. That simple feat boggled his mind. He had remained turgid inside a woman’s body, had made love to her, and had managed to climax without any complications. Without any loss of erection. Maybe that one doctor he had laughed at had been right all along. It really had been a simple matter of finding the right woman to to cure him.

Yes, he was still inside her. And—miracle of miracles—he could feel the faint stirrings of another erection trembling through him. In another few minutes, he would be just as hard and heavy as ever. Ready to go. Ready to pleasure her. Ready to hear her screams of release as she tightened over him like a vise of burning satin.

But not here. Not in the tub again. At least not again in the immediate future.

A grin stole across his face as DeGrassi lightly ran a hand over the small plates down the center of her back. He felt her shiver at his touch.

“Roni?”

“What?” Her voice was small and breathless. The ghosts of happy tears watered her words.

“I love you.”

A tiny giggle tickled his chin. “I know.”

“Explain to me again how we’ll know we’re true bond mates?”

“We’ll both have our first real orgasms.”

His eyes batted open. “For real?” He cocked his head, trying to look down at her, but failed. “That was your first orgasm?”

He knew the truth before she could reply. Hadn’t she told him all her previous joinings had been fruitless? And the hooking—those had been nothing more than jobs. Emotionless as well as sensationless.

“Mmm.” She moved slightly, and his erection went instantly into full alert status. He felt her tighten around him. Loosen. Tighten. Loosen. She was playing with him.

“Then you know it was my first one inside a woman, too,” he admitted softly.

“I know.”

“You knew I have an erectile dysfunction?”

“Had, t’kor. You had it.”

Had it. DeGrassi paused before correcting her. He had had E.D. The grin grew into an enormous smile. Holy shit! No more short and sweet!

He suddenly lifted her off of him. His half-erect penis slid out of her with a moist, smacking sound. Roni gave a small, disappointed cry as he scrambled to his feet. Throwing back the shower curtain, he grabbed the huge bath sheet she had laid on top of the toilet seat and began to dry them both off.

“Wh-what are you doing, Thomas?” She stared at him as he toweled his hair, then tossed the sheet back onto the toilet. A second later, she erupted into gales of laughter as he swept her up into his arms and marched her back into the bedroom, tossing her onto the mussed bed.

“Now we’re going to do it the right way,” he announced, swooping down on top of her.

“Are you telling me we did it wrong the first time?” Roni managed to gasp around her giggles.

“Wrong place. I want you here in bed where I can explore you. I want to learn every inch of you. That’s my right.” He tried to dip down to where her dark, rose-pink nipples jutted upward, taunting him.

“Your right?” She cradled his face between her hands and forced him to look at her. “Your right?”

“Yeah, my right,” DeGrassi told her bluntly. “My right as your bond mate and husband.”

Roni blinked. “Husband?”

“It’s a given, woman. Now, tell me what feels good. I gotta taste you again, or I’ll go stark raving mad,” he demanded, and he lowered his mouth over one of those tempting, puckered points.

He felt her melting under his assault.

Chapter 15

Blood Mates

His tongue was making little swirly patterns all over her breasts. Roni opened her eyes to find her life partner alternating between sniffing her and tasting her as he made his way down her body.

“I take it you like them,” she whispered, her voice husky with pleasure. The second time they had made love had been as frenetic as the first time, with little foreplay and another deliriously explosive orgasm that had thrown her entire body into a form of satiated shock. Neither of them had been aware of when they had fallen into an exhausted sleep. She had awakened to the feel of him mapping her out like a tasty geographic puzzle.

DeGrassi slanted a glance at her. His light blue eyes were as clear as a fresh summer day, and the grin creasing the corner of his mouth was just as endearing. “I can’t get over how delicious you taste.”

“Like maple syrup?”

“Mmm. Better than that. I can’t get enough of you.”

“Let’s hope you never do,” she teased, when he stopped abruptly and plunged an index finger into her navel. A sizzling electrical current shot straight to her womb, making her, “Eek!” in surprise. “What are you doing?”

“You have an ‘innie.’”

“That’s a phrase I haven’t heard before,” she started to tell him when he suddenly plunged his tongue into the tight dimple and began to pump it. She made a small cooing noise as the rush of heat gushed over her deepest recesses, making her inner thighs slick from her response. “Thomas!” Tired or not, her body continued to ache for his.

He chuckled. The vibrations racing over her skin only made matters worse.

“Thomas, stop!”

“You want me to stop?”

She opened her eyes again to see him looking down at her, still with that playful smile on his face. “Well, no, but…”

“But you’re a bit sore at the moment,” he concluded for her. Without needing further explanation, DeGrassi scooted down the bed and rested his cheek upon her stomach. Roni felt his breath puff across her lower abdomen. His scratchy beard tickled something fierce. If he kept this delightful torment up, they would be right back at frantically trying to quench their thirst for each other again. And soon.

“And you’re not?” she teased. She reached down to touch his thick head of hair and run her talons through it, to gently massage his scalp with her nail tips. He had commented earlier that he was amazed at how versatile her hands could be with her razor-like appendages.

His shoulders shook slightly with his laughter. “I feel like I’ve just extricated myself from the world’s mightiest suction pump,” he admitted. “Hell, yeah, I’m sore, but ask me if I’m ready to go again.” To prove his point, he lightly ran his own fingers down and inside her thigh, barely skimming the surface. It didn’t take him long to figure out where she was ticklish, where she could be turned on, and how to turn those ticklish spots into their own erogenous zones.

However, the pressure on her belly was reminding her of nature’s call. She started to move off the bed when DeGrassi rolled over to look at her. “Where’re you going?”

“I have to go to the bathroom,” Roni replied impishly. “I also think a wet washcloth is in order. I’m sticky.”

He groaned in mock irritation. “Well, make it quick, woman. I’m not spending another minute alone in bed without you.”

Giggling, she hurried to do what she had to do. When she reentered the bedroom, she found him propped up against the headboard, waiting for her. Roni stopped in mid-stride to stare at him. “What?” she asked.

The sheet was draped provocatively across his lap, partially exposing his growing length. His corded arms and wide chest still sparkled slightly with perspiration. His shoulders begged to be kissed. He also had a goofy smile on his face. The room was thick with the sweet juicy blend of lemonade and banana scents. And over it all floated the fragile papery smell of their sated passions.

“Just…thinking.”

“About what?” She started to crawl back into bed when she noticed the shredded bottom sheet and the mattress beneath it. “Oh, crap.”

DeGrassi let out a loud bark of laughter. “You don’t remember doing that?”

Yes, she did. Vaguely. It had been during her last orgasm. Dimly she seemed to remember how her body had reacted with such intensity that she had dug her hands into the bedding. Much to her chagrin. It meant she would have to replace the mattress with a new one, not to mention new sheets.

She lifted her knee to crawl into bed to join him when her stomach rumbled. No wonder she felt weak. Subjecting your bond mate to repeated bone-melting orgasms took calories. Pausing with one leg on the mattress, she grinned at him. “Hey, I’m hungry. When was the last time you ate?”

“Honestly? When we had breakfast yesterday morning.”

“That long?”

He gave a slight shrug. Those ripped muscles under his skin just screamed for her attention. “Damn paperwork had me snowed under. Which reminds me…” Throwing back the covers, DeGrassi slid out of bed and strode into the bathroom, but not before lovingly touching her cheek as he passed her by. She watched the wriggle in his rear as he retreated.

“I’m going to fix us something to eat,” she announced and exited for the kitchen. She had to get out of there before she jumped him and made him take her right there on the little rug in front of the sink.

The small, sunlit room felt unusually cheery this morning. Although the clock told her it was long past breakfast and nudging closer to lunch time, she pulled the carton of eggs from the refrigerator, along with butter, cheese, and a few other additives. She was setting them on the counter when her bond mate entered the room with his cell phone glued to his ear. As she started their omelets, she listened in on his conversation.

“Yeah? Okay. Listen, tell Tayson I’ll tail Tarakon in case that sicko tries to go over there.”

Roni gave him a wide-eyed stare. He motioned for her silence.

“I see. Yeah, I tried, but it went straight to voice mail. Same for his partner. Okay. Okay. I gotcha. All right. I’ll check in later. Right. Thanks, Larry. ’Bye.” Closing the cell, DeGrassi gave her a worried look.

“Bad news?”

“It appears that way. That Cowven fella over at the employment agency? Evan and Wade went over to question him, but the guy never showed up for work this morning. The director at the agency was nice enough to give them access to his office. They searched his computer and found a list of his clientele without them having to resort to a search warrant.” DeGrassi’s lips thinned with consternation. “All four of our victims were on that list.”

Roni felt a chill come over her. “Then he’s the Cutter?”

“We can’t say for certain, Roni, unless we can link him directly to at least one of the murders. But right now we have enough probable cause to search his house. That’s where the guys are right now. Thanks to you, honey, we may have cracked this case.”

He laid the phone on the counter and walked over to where she was beating eggs with a whisk. They were both naked and comfortable, despite the fact that they were relatively new lovers. But that was the way of life partners. Their closeness and immediate rapport was to be expected.

“I’m fixing myself an omelet with cheese and mushrooms. How would you like yours?”

Coming up behind her, he snaked his arms around her waist, pulled her back against him, and dropped a kiss onto her shoulder. “No meat, huh? No chance for a little ham?”

“Sorry. But that’ll change.” She slowly shook her head as she poured half of the mixture into the prepared pan on the range. “We have a lot to talk about.”

“No fooling. You got onions?” At her nod, DeGrassi said, “Make mine with cheese and onions, then.” He let her go to open the fridge. “I don’t suppose you have any coffee in the house?”

“Cabinet above the dishwasher.”

“Coffee maker?”

“Pantry.”

He got the coffee going, then found two mugs. “You drink yours with sugar and cream, right?”

She flashed him a smile. “Good memory, Lieutenant.” Turning back to the omelet, she slid one onto a plate before pouring the second one into the pan. When she heard no noise coming from behind her, Roni turned around to find him staring at her pensively. The tangy scent of lemons hung in the air. “What’s rolling around in that head of yours, t’kor?”

“That’s the second time you’ve called me that. What is it? A love name?”

“It’s what we call our bond mates. If you wanted to, you would call me t’korra.”

“T’korra. I like that.” His expression suddenly darkened, and the scent of his loving admiration changed into worry. “Listen, before we start making some changes, we need to get a more immediate problem addressed.”

“Which is…”

“Keeping you safe.”

Roni snorted. “Surely you don’t think Cowven is going to try to come after me?” Waggling a deadly looking hand at him, she made her point clear. DeGrassi shook his head.

“That’s not quite what I meant, honey. I know you can probably take care of yourself a lot better than I could. No, it’s the very real threat of other people finding out about you that worries me.” His eyes swept over her ripe figure. “You’ve managed to keep your real self a secret for this long. It would tear me apart if I managed to blow your cover by something I did or said.”

She added cheese and chopped onion to the pan and flipped his omelet over. “So what do you propose we do?”

“Get you out of here,” he replied almost immediately.

“You mean…out of my house?” The thought of losing her precious sanctuary near the woods put her in an instant funk. “I was rather hoping we could live here…together.”

She was scooping his omelet onto a plate when he walked over and placed his hand under her chin, lifting her face. DeGrassi bent and brushed his mouth over hers.

“Trust me. I’ll find us a place with all the trees you could ever want. But I meant not just here. I meant out of this city. If Cowven’s our man, but we can’t get enough to indict him, I don’t want you anywhere he can get his hands on you. Those pretty little talons might help you deflect a knife, but they can’t deflect bullets, and that’s what I’m afraid he might resort to. Especially if he sees you as Ruinos.” Taking the plate from her hand, he sauntered over to the table, leaving her to pull the toast from the toaster.

They ate in silence. Roni’s eyes roamed over the kitchen area of the little cottage. She had put her heart and soul into renovating the place after discovering the original owners planned to demolish it so they could sell the land at a better price. It had been a hard sell to convince the Porters she was willing to update the place if they would just give her the chance. But after much pleading, and because she had promised to shoulder the full cost of rebuilding, they had decided to rent the cottage to her at a very reasonable rate.

After four years of toil, she still wasn’t finished. Now it looked as though she never would be able to make this the dream house she had always wanted.

“I know you dread leaving this place, t’korra,” DeGrassi said finally. His use of the endearment warmed her despite her sadness. “Trust me.”

“I do. I also trust in the fact that you’ll do whatever it’ll take to make us both happy.” She warmed her hands around the mug of coffee. “As long as we’re together, I don’t care where we go.”

“No more hooking.” It was a flat, no-argument statement.

Roni gave a little laugh. “Definitely no more hooking. I’ll have to start thinking of how I’m going to earn an honest paycheck.” She heard him let out a deep sigh. A tentative sniff gave her a scent she wasn’t familiar with. It smelled a bit salty.

“Roni, we have to talk. I need to get a few things cleared up for me. Just me. Understand?”

DeGrassi leaned over to take her mug from her hands. Getting up, he went over to refill both cups.

With his back to her, he brought up the subject she realized he had been wanting to broach for quite a while. “When you were hooking…when you let your johns have you…”

One of the wonderful things about bonding with her life partner was being able to determine his needs and find solutions to his problems before they arose. “T’kor, have you ever worn gloves?”

He glanced over his shoulder at her as he was adding sweetener to their mugs. “Yeah.”

“When you wear gloves, can you feel things as clearly as if your hands were bare?”

“Depends on the glove. If it’s thick, no.”

“What if you got something on your gloves? Would your skin come in contact with it? Say, like water or blood?” She watched him shake his head. Roni waited for him to take his seat before continuing.

“My second skin, when I shape-shift, it fits me like a glove. It doesn’t come off or rub off, or wrinkle or tear. I mean, it’ll tear, but I’ll bleed just like you would. My blood is red like yours, which is a blessing. But, Thomas, when I am human looking, and I take on a job, if the john wants intercourse, he screws the glove. Not me. Never me.”

His eyebrows lowered, but his gaze never wavered. Never chilled. He trusted her completely, and he was listening.

“Are you saying that if you and I were to make love when you were in your human form, that you wouldn’t feel anything? Nothing would touch you? Even if I ejaculated?”

She couldn’t stop the tiny smile from escaping her. “Not unless I wished it.”

This surprised him. “Sooo, what are you saying? That you can change parts of you? That you don’t have to change all of you when you shift?”

“Right.” She nodded. “If I had on an outfit that covered all of my body except for, say, my head and hands, I could shift just my head and hands and not the rest of me. Of course, I would have to remain that way until nightfall, but you get the idea.”

“Then you felt nothing when those guys were inside you?”

Roni shook her head. “A pressure. Nothing else. It was the only way I could manage. The only way I could go on day after day, year after year.” She was unaware that she had withdrawn into herself until she felt his hand close over hers. His warmth and touch spread his love throughout her body as soothingly as the calming scent of lemonade clung to her skin.

“I was very picky about who I took. Who I accepted. After I escaped from the Arra, I swore I would let no man touch me unless I wanted him to. No man would ever force me…and no man has.” She raised her head to give him a weak smile. “Although it was a bit tougher to fight off a few of my more insistent clients.”

“How’d you manage that?”

“I may not be able to reveal my claws when I’m locked into my human form, but I still have my strength. And my ability to run. I wouldn’t fight them. Just shove them away and run. My body is mine. Wholly mine. And now it’s yours.”

“No,” DeGrassi insisted softly. “It’s still wholly yours. If at any time you don’t feel like doing something, no matter how insistent I become, I will never force you if you say no.”

Leaning over, Roni kissed the top of his hand that continued to clutch hers. “Thank you. Does that mean that one day you’ll want to make love to me in my human form?”

The smile that went from his lips into his eyes was enough to make her wet all over again for him. “That may be sooner than you think.”

The promise in his voice made her whole body shiver with anticipation. Smiling shyly, Roni rose from the table and took the dirty plates to the sink. A moment later, she felt DeGrassi come up behind her as his hands wrapped around her waist, then moved slowly, deliberately, down to the cleft between her legs. She leaned her head back against him and closed her eyes.

“You know…for an alien you are breathtakingly beautiful. And when you’re human, you’re just as stunning.” He nuzzled the sheer, fanlike arch of her ear. “When we’re making love, it’s as though there’s no difference between us. Not in the way we look, or where we’re from. At that moment, we’re simply a man and a woman in love, expressing that love, and dreaming of making more love in the future.”

She could feel his erection like an enormous, stiff poker pressing into her lower back. There wasn’t a position she hadn’t been asked to assume in her four years of working the streets. But with her new life partner, the feelings she had never allowed herself to experience made each one new. The emotions he brought out of her and shared with her crystallized into huge shining mirrors, reflecting back their passions again and again, so that each orgasm and the feelings that accompanied it were just as powerful as the last.

The room was permeated with the scent of their lust and their love. DeGrassi guided her head down until she was leaning over the kitchen counter. She heard a scraping noise, then something nudged her feet.

“Step up.”

It was the little red stool she used to reach the top shelves. Obediently, Roni stood up on it, which raised her rear end to just the right height.

He was lightly stroking her spinal plates. She could feel the tingling begin in her legs as her response curled and wove its way into her womb. Feathery kisses down her back pulled several low, breathy moans from her. And then she felt his hands at her buttocks, tickling and warming her as he continued toward his ultimate destination.

When he parted her cheeks, he paused at the same time she heard him gasp. “Okay,” he muttered almost to himself. “This’ll take some getting used to.”

“It took me almost a year to find out humans have an anus and to learn how to create one.” She giggled nervously.

“Any more surprises you want to forewarn me about?” he teased, but with a serious overtone.

“Nope. I’ll let you keep hunting for treasure.”

He nipped her gently on the butt for that remark, then let his fingers slide down to the folds already moistened and ready for him. “God, I’m so hard for you,” he murmured. He continued to kiss her, occasionally licking her. “I never thought I’d find a woman who could satisfy me. Who could keep me hard and hot long enough. What is it about you, Roni, that gives me that release?”

It was difficult to concentrate. His fingers were fondling her, finding all the tiny nerve endings that sent sparks of electricity bursting between her legs. Biting her lips, she tried to answer him, but her body was betraying her. She forced her bottom back toward him, lifting up on tiptoe, silently beseeching him. But still his fingers dipped downward, stroking, teasing, building that need into a lust that was becoming as flammable as dry tinder.

Sweat broke out on her body as she pushed herself against his hands, forcing his fingers to slide into her well. Her breathing was becoming shorter and faster as he obliged her, guiding his fingers into her deep recesses, then out—in, then out. Roni wriggled her hips and tried to pump him faster.

“Thomas!”

Suddenly he took his hand away. She almost cried at the loss, when she felt something else replace it. White-hot flames shot through her a second later when his mouth and tongue trespassed over that fragile erotic line.

Roni shrieked at the searing pleasure arching under her skin. Vaguely, she could hear her nails rasping over the counter tiles as she clutched the edge for support.

“T’korra, there is nothing about you that isn’t pure, sweet syrup.”

She opened her lips to respond, to beg him to take her, and to end this sinfully perfect torment, when he blew a puff of heated air into her.

“I don’t believe it.”

He had finally seen for himself. “Mmm, believe it,” she managed to gasp. She would laugh at his shock if she wasn’t burning alive at the moment. “Please, Thomas. Please? Hurry!”

Before the words were out of her mouth, he rose up behind her, and a cement-hard rod covered in velvet invaded her. It pushed and filled and stretched her until she couldn’t think, breathe, or react except to lift her buttocks to allow him easier entry. He was nearly all the way in when he withdrew, letting their mutual heat and moisture lubricate their skin.

In and out, in and out, plunge—withdraw, fast in and slow to pull out. Skin nested within skin, sliding and rasping over and past the millions of nerve endings and blood vessels. Roni bent over more as he spread her legs further apart. Grasping her thighs, he began to spear her with rougher, jerkier movements. Every thrust plunged her into a fire pit that singed her. Every withdrawal left her desolate and begging for more. She started to plead for him to go faster, make it harder. She should have known their mutual need would be equally matched.

Need overrode their carnal desires. Pleasure surpassed their lust. Their love and need to have the other succumb to that explosive pinnacle became paramount. Weightless, they soared upward, higher and higher, swirling amid the embers that sparked, until they reached that final combustion. DeGrassi rammed into her once more, twice, a third time, and the world demolished itself in a hail of fireworks. He yelled as his body repeatedly pushed and emptied into her as Roni shrieked her own release.

Several minutes went by as their bodies jerked and cooled. Roni lay across the counter, unable to move because of the sheer, delicious tremors still pouring over her. DeGrassi blanketed her with his body, lying partly on his side where his weight wouldn’t crush her. She could hear him panting heavily at the nape of her neck. One large hand crept up from her hip to cup her breast and hold it tenderly. Tears rose to sting her eyes.

“I love you, t’korra,” his sex-sodden voice whispered behind her.

Her bond mate. Her life partner. A chance at a life on a world that resembled her home.

For years she had convinced herself she didn’t deserve happiness; Roni realized now that it wasn’t true. Miracles could and did happen. And they were living proof of that fact.

Chapter 16

Decisions

There was something so very wonderful about lying in bed, body exhausted beyond all reserves, and letting your mated lover feed you a hundred sensuous kisses. Gentle kisses. Loving kisses. Tender kisses. Kisses that explored and breathed soft promises into your mouth.

And falling asleep to the beautiful sound of his voice, with his raw, musky male scent filling your lungs with every breath.

How odd that, even though she was the sexually experienced one, and he the inexperienced neophyte, in love play their roles would reverse. He was the one now who wanted to try different positions in different locations throughout the house, whereas she wanted him simply to dominate her. Possess her. Take full control of her, and leave her with no choice but to savor the ride.

Roni felt the beating of his heart beneath the hand she’d left resting on his chest. Her head was nestled in the curve of his shoulder, where she lay on her side, hugging him. DeGrassi was flat on his back, legs splayed to the point where he nearly took up the entire double bed. But that was all right with her. The bed had always been too damn big and cold to suit her anyway. And the twin size had been too close to the size of the cell she had been forced to live in for over a decade.

Now she had a big, warm blood mate filling her bed, as well as her life. Who did she have to thank for this miracle?

They slept until nearly three. DeGrassi awoke first, reluctantly pulling himself away from her so he could use the facilities and place another call to the station. She was teetering on the edge of her dreams when he padded back into the bedroom and climbed under the covers.

“Roni? I can tell you’re not quite asleep, although I can’t figure out how I know. Guess it’s one of those life partner things I’m growing accustomed to, isn’t it?”

She managed a partial smile and grunted in response.

“Can we talk?”

“Go ahead. I’m listening.” If she nodded off, he would know. Her smile reappeared on her face when she felt his fingers caress her cheek.

“This is serious.”

The room was permeated with the spicy scent of apples. His worry had tripled since he made his phone call. Opening her eyes, she turned onto her back to look up at him.

“Captain wants to put you under police protection pronto.”

“Why? What’s happened?”

“The guys down at the lab are running diagnostics on Cowven’s home computer. They’ve discovered a file that refers to at least three other hookers that match some Jane Does we’ve had filed under ‘unsolved.’” He paused to chew on his lower lip.

Roni propped herself up on one elbow. “So where do I fit in?” she asked him, already suspecting the worst.

“In the column marked ‘the ones I ain’t got yet.’” His apple smell darkened until it smelled burnt and harsh. He wasn’t just worried about her; he was terrified for her.

She widened her eyes. “Just me?”

“Just you, t’korra. According to his records, he interviewed Janice Warringfeld two days before he killed her. We’re guessing he tracked her down to observe her. See what her routine was. Tayson told me there were practically no signs of a struggle, which leads us to believe the victim felt comfortable enough around the guy to let him get close enough to start gutting her. If you didn’t know any better, and this guy approached you out on the street or in some dark alleyway somewhere, you probably wouldn’t suspect anything until it was too late, too.”

“You’re wrong there, Thomas.” She sat up in bed. The sheet dropped into her lap, and she noticed how his eyes glanced down at her breasts. His dick reacted almost instantaneously. For the moment, she pretended to ignore it.

“That guy creeped me out. Plus he smelled worse. Like rotting evil. If he approached me on the street, there would be no way on this earth I would let him get close enough to do anything, much less try to stick a knife in me.”

“Regardless, we need to keep you under our protection. There’s an unmarked vehicle on its way over now.”

“But I have you here with me,” she tried to object. He waved off her protestations.

“Tayson wants me to join in their manhunt. Frankly, I personally want to make sure this guy is taken down as soon as possible. They want Cowven off the streets before nightfall. I know the two men coming to relieve me. They’re good men, Roni. I trust them.”

“You know…come sunset, I could just assume a whole new identity. It wouldn’t be any trouble to become a redhead with a turned-up nose and freckles. Or a blonde. Hell, before I decided on the black hair I first went brunette. It was Ginger who told me that with my skin tone and eye color that black hair would best suit me.” She gave a little laugh. “She thinks I put a rinse on my hair now.”

DeGrassi reached out again to stroke her face. His worry grew, tempered by his love and determination. “I’m taking you away from this place,” he promised. “You deserve a fresh chance in a town where no one knows you or your past. A town where you don’t have to worry about nut jobs drawing little red targets on your ID.”

“But what about you? What about your job? You’ve been a cop for how long?”

He made a little motion with his head. “Eight years. But don’t worry about me. I can get a transfer to just about anywhere. I have enough good marks on my record to get me listed on any roster.” Pausing for a moment to think, he added, “I’ve been putting off taking that test to advance to detective. Maybe it’s time I gave it a try.”

Grabbing his hand that continued to cup her cheek, Roni kissed the calloused palm. “You never told me about your parents. What will they say when they find out you’re marrying an alien who used to be a hooker?”

He snorted in amusement. “My folks are dead. Dad died of lung cancer when I was six. Mom passed away three years later from a stroke. My Uncle Walt and Aunt Wendy raised me. She and my mom were sisters.”

“Your outside family took on the responsibility to care for you after your real parents died?” She nuzzled his fingers, which tried to play with her fanlike ears. “There seem to be a lot of the ways of the Ruinos in your people.”

Several gentle seconds passed in silence as they caressed. The sunlight streaming through the half-open window spread a pattern of brightness over the tossed bed. The colors on the pattern of flowers and stitching appeared more vivid. Looking around, DeGrassi realized the entire room seemed clearer and more distinct. Had he always been this unobservant? Or was being in love giving him a sharpness he wouldn’t have had otherwise? Throwing his eyes back to the woman leaning slightly against him, he spotted a deep slash on the inside of her left arm and immediately brought it to her attention.

“When did you cut yourself, t’korra?”

Roni raised her face to give him a confused smile. He waved toward her arm.

“You’ve hurt yourself. Is it bleeding?”

Raising her arm, she glanced at the tiny iridescent line running from her inner wrist to her elbow. Her body stiffened with shock, and Roni let out a loud gasp and a cry. DeGrassi went into action, automatically grabbing her arm and shoving part of the coverlet over it to help staunch the flow of blood.

“Where’s your first aid kit?” he tersely demanded.

“No, Thomas. Wait!” she called out to him as he hastened into the bathroom. A moment later he reappeared in the doorway. “I’m not bleeding.”

He saw the tears on her face and the trembling in her lower lip and chin. But she wasn’t crying out of pain or sadness. In some indefinable way, he knew she was crying out of happiness.

“Then what’s that scratch on your arm? It looks deep.”

Dropping the covers, she held out her arm for him to see it more clearly in the sunlight. “It’s a miracle.” Her voice cracked, and she buried her face against her tented knees.

Walking back to her, DeGrassi lowered himself beside her and took her quaking shoulders into his arms. “A miracle?”

She nodded, then raised her head to look at him as she wiped away the wetness with the hem of the sheet. “If it’s a true blood bond between life partners, we take on the blood line of our mates. It’s…it’s the proof Ruinos seek. It’s…you could say it’s our version of a wedding band.”

Taking her arm, he turned it slightly to watch the thread-thin line pulsing in her skin. She noticed his confusion and added, “That’s you, my t’kor. That line is your beating heart. As long as we live, I’ll bear your mark.”

A smile came over her when she watched him check his own arm. Before he could ask, she shrugged. “I don’t know if you’ll ever bear my blood line. Maybe not, because you’re human. I never thought—” Her breath caught in her chest, making her hiccup with emotion. Another fresh wave of hot tears rose in her eyes. “So much of what we’re experiencing is a miracle, Thomas. The fact that I found you, and you’ve accepted me… that I now bear your blood line…I never thought it would be possible. I believed I would never be this blessed.” She opened her mouth to say more when her voice died. Raising her arms toward him, DeGrassi pulled her against his chest so they could both celebrate this new discovery.

Holding her like this, he leaned over to run his lips across her cheek. The woman brought out feelings in him he never knew he had. If the guys back at the station saw him acting like this, they’d rag him something fierce. But DeGrassi no longer cared. Now he understood what drove a man to act like a starved puppy when he was with a particular woman. He knew it had less to do with sex and more to do with the perfection of two separate souls becoming a whole.

“I feel like a groom on his honeymoon,” he murmured huskily.

“Then you have some idea what our honeymoon will be like when we finally get to take it,” Roni whispered back.

They kissed. And kissed again, delving into the sweet caverns of each other’s mouths. He had been pleasantly surprised to discover she retracted her teeth, making them retreat partway into her gums so he wouldn’t accidentally hurt himself. DeGrassi groaned loudly as he forced himself to pull away. He was aware of Roni watching his every move as he started to dress. “You might want to think about putting something on,” he nodded at her.

She grinned and added a wink. “In case you’ve forgotten, Lieutenant, I seem to be in more than a state of undress. I’m in a state of ‘unskin.’”

The remark caught him unaware. Within the short span of a few hours, he had stopped noticing her Ruinos features. The soft mottled green skin, the bald head—even the needle-sharp teeth and long, thin talons had simply faded into the background. The real Roni was the glowing spirit now emerging from behind those pearl-gray eyes with the diamond flecks. He shrugged.

“Will you be able to cover up that line in your arm when you change?”

Roni nodded. “Don’t worry. It doesn’t hurt, either. But how will you keep the other officers from seeing me like this?”

“When they arrive, I’ll tell them you’re asleep. They might come to the door to check to see if you’re okay, but you won’t have to open up to them. They can’t force their way into the house unless they feel you’re in danger.”

“Okay. As soon as the sun’s down I’ll change, just in case.”

“How long can you keep up your appearance?”

“Not all night.” She laughed lightly. “But I can go back and forth as long as I’m awake.” She gave his hand a squeeze. “I’ll be okay, t’kor. What will happen after they get here?”

He buckled on his holster and checked his pistol as he answered. “I’ll go out and let them know the situation. They’ll then make themselves conspicuous. If that Cowven guy comes here, he won’t try anything. Not with the car parked in plain sight. And with a little luck, they might be able to collar the guy.” Leaning over the bed for a final kiss, he added a quick peck to the tip of her nose. “Just to be on the safe side, start packing.”

“Packing? You mean a suitcase?”

“No. I mean the house.”

“Thomas—”

“I meant it when I said I’m taking you away from here. I want us to start fresh. I want you to be able to walk outside and not worry about where your next dollar is coming from. You’re my life partner, remember? It’s my responsibility now to take care of you.” Pulling back slightly, he gave her a look that burned with desire. “Besides, I want us to have the next few weeks alone together so we can get to know each other better. I want more time to explore that little oddity about you that drives you over the brink.”

“You mean the fact that I have two clits?”

“Oh, God, yes.” He cocked his head to one side and squinted, as if he was trying to peer inside her. “Are there any other surprises you’re keeping from me?”

Roni feigned shock. “What? You expect me to tell you and ruin it all?”

DeGrassi laughed aloud and slowly shook his head. “So tell me, Tiron. Is there anything special your kind does when they announce they’re joined? I mean, how do they announce it?”

“You mean like a ceremony?”

“Yeah. Exactly.”

Drawing her knees up to her chin, Roni wrapped her arms around her legs. “Ruinos don’t have a ceremony. We don’t have to announce ourselves as joined. The rest will know.”

One eyebrow arched upward. “How?”

“Because of our scents. Because you now have my scent on you, just like I’m wearing your scent. We’re a part of each other, and when we get around others of my kind, they’ll be able to smell us on each other.” She waved her left arm at him. “Plus, this is our proof positive.”

DeGrassi gave a little grunt of thoughtful amusement. “Wish it could be that easy here on Earth. Unfortunately, it isn’t, and that means having a little civil ceremony to make it official for my kind.” A huge grin suddenly split his face. “Imagine that. Thom DeGrassi going shopping for wedding rings with his fiancée.”

“Hard to believe?” she teased him.

“Still getting used to the idea.” He dropped his eyes back down at her. “Out of bed, woman, before I jump your bones again. You’re too damn tempting sitting there with those perfect breasts peeking at me.” He paused suddenly. “I think I hear a car.”

He slipped out of the room, moving in the same silent way that she could when she was in the woods. Roni scrambled out of bed and hurried to her closet for a sundress. She couldn’t help but notice the sense of warmth and caring that had permeated her home had suddenly shifted. Now a noticeable air of protection hovered above it all.

She had never felt safer or more loved.

Chapter 17

Cowven

“What have you got?” DeGrassi demanded as he joined Tayson and McCormick. They were in the labs when he had arrived after a quick stop at his apartment to shower and change into a clean set of clothes.

McCormick glanced up from where they were bent over the lab tech’s shoulders, peering at the man’s computer monitor. Another computer casing sat to the side with its inner workings exposed. Couplings led from the hard drive to the police computer. “Did Morocco and Morrisey show?”

“Yeah. David’s practically sitting on her front porch. Sheeram’s at the back of the house. If Cowven comes anywhere near the place, they’ll spot him.” He gave a nod at the computer. “Anything new?”

It was Tayson who spoke up. “You better believe it. The more we dig, the more we find. This guy’s going to get the death penalty, or I’m hanging up my badge.” He straightened to look directly at DeGrassi. “Can you believe the sorry sicko took pictures of his vics with his cell phone and emailed them to himself? We may not have any physical evidence from the crime scenes or the bodies to tie him to this, but he’s been real nice and gave us enough other stuff to make our case. The D.A.’s office is falling all over themselves to get this bastard into court.”

DeGrassi spared a glance at the screen, at the thumbnails of the pictures Cowven had taken as trophies. For a split second, his spine froze as he envisioned Roni in one of those photos among the slideshow. Then he smiled. Unless the Cutter changed his M.O. and his choice of weapon to an AK-47 or something grander, there was be no way the maniac could get close enough to her to even put a scratch upon her. For the first time, DeGrassi wondered if he would ever see his life partner in full battle mode, using her talons like the deadly weapons they appeared to be. Just the thought of seeing her disemboweling Cowven with a downward slice of one hand was enough to get his dick swelling eagerly in response.

“So where do you want me? At Cowven’s apartment?”

McCormick shook his head. “We already have his place and his sister’s place under surveillance.”

“Any other relatives here in town?”

“Not that we know of. Mother died some years back. No girlfriend that we can figure, either. We need you to help us track down where he might be holed up.”

That was the lab tech’s cue. Grabbing a few sheets from the printer nearby, Barnsley shoved them at DeGrassi. “Cowven’s been using his ATM card as recently as this morning. That’s when I left you a voice message on your cell.”

A glance at the sheets confirmed DeGrassi’s suspicions. “The guy’s remained in our neighborhood, and no one’s been able to spot him?”

Tayson shoved another piece of paper at him. This time it was a photostat of Cowven’s driver’s license and photo. “His car is a two-tone blue over black Impala. Plates read Omega Paul Charlie six six two. The car wasn’t at his apartment, so we’re hoping he’s still using it. Or if he’s dumped it, we’ll find it and get a clue as to where he might be. Let’s just hope he hasn’t commandeered another vehicle. I’m calling in all available men to start help combing the streets. Maybe we’ll get lucky and spot him. You have an unmarked car and an aversion to wearing a suit. That’s why I want you to join us in the hunt.”

“Do we have any idea why this guy started killing? What’s his trigger?”

“That’s not for us to worry about right now. Our job is to get him behind bars ASAP, then the psychologists can spend all the time they need to get inside his head,” Tayson said, turning back to the screen.

“We’re still trying to figure out if Cowven took the job at the employment agency in order to feed his thrill, or if he got the idea while he was working there,” McCormick added. “The man’s date of hire is only a few weeks before his first known kill.”

“So…what did he do? Take the job to follow his pattern of victims?” Tayson commented. “That’s sick!”

DeGrassi crossed his arms and chewed on a thumbnail. “This guy hits randomly. There’s been no pattern to when he kills. Just where.”

“I agree,” Tayson acknowledged. “And now we know why. When the vic shows up at his office, she’s dead less than a week later.” He squinted at DeGrassi. “When did you take Tarakon over there?”

“Yesterday.”

Yesterday? Had it been only yesterday when his whole world was jerked out from under him? Had it only taken a single day for his life to change from a future of loneliness and unfilled satisfaction to one of overwhelming warmth and love, and the heart-pounding scent of sweet maple syrup?

DeGrassi mentally shook himself, catching the tail end of McCormick’s last comment.

“—no time to waste.”

“Sorry, Wade. Deep in thought. Repeat that?”

“I said that Cowven knows we’re on to him. So he’s either flown the coop, or he’s going to go for that Tarakon woman as soon as he feels it’s clear. Either way, we need to hit the road now. There’s no time to waste. Thom, you take the lower southeast quarter from the woods to Rachet, this side of the railroad tracks down to the loop. Evan and I will work Rachet over to the interstate on the southwest side.”

“Got it.” He turned to hurry for the exit.

“Oh, and DeGrassi!”

He halted long enough to catch Tayson’s parting remark.

“If you spot the guy, call for back-up. Don’t try to vigilante him alone. Got that? We’ve dragged him out of his comfy spot, so there’s no telling what he may do or how he may change his M.O.”

DeGrassi threw them a grin they were well familiar with. “Don’t worry. I’ll leave enough of him for your guys to mop up,” he promised, then he slipped out the back door.

Chapter 18

Hunt

Around seven, DeGrassi pulled into a Quickee Pik for gas and a soda. He had been patrolling his section for about an hour and a half when he noticed the gas gauge was glowing, signaling he was about a gallon away from walking.

While he filled up, he gave Roni a call to see how things were going. Over in the west, the sun was beginning to drop behind the trees. Before too long, she would be able to take on her human guise if she needed the protection.

Roni answered before the first ring. “Thomas?” She sounded somewhat out of breath.

“Good guess. Or was it?” He found himself smiling, and that realization made him smile even wider. Geez, how was it the sound of her voice could perform magic on him?

She laughed softly. “A little bit of both hope and knowing. What’s going on?”

“I was calling to ask you the same thing. Are the officers still there?”

“Yes. Still parked on my porch and driveway. One of them knocked on the door to see how I was doing. I just answered through the door without opening it.” There was a rustle of movement before she came back on. “Sun’s going down.”

“I know.” His eyes went back to the brilliant orange sunset. “Soon?”

“Soon. I can already feel myself adjusting. As soon as the last of it is below the trees, I’ll be able to switch. I thought maybe then I can take something cold out for the men to drink.”

“That would be nice. Anyone else come by that you know of? Any other phone calls?”

“No. It’s been a rather dull day. I packed what empty boxes I had. I’ll have to get a few more. I also made the last of my fruit into a salad for supper. Thomas? I’m going to need to go to the store pretty soon for more groceries, but I’ll need to go to the bank first for some money. And…I have to be honest. There’s very little in savings. I spent most of what I earned renovating this house in exchange for the low rent payment.”

“How much are you going to need?”

“Can you spare me twenty?”

“Twenty? Honey, you couldn’t buy bananas for twenty bucks!” Another thought came to him. “Roni, have you ever had to go hungry?”

His answer was in the deep sigh on the other end of the line. “Not like I was forced to when I was on the ship. There have been days when I couldn’t drag myself out on the streets. But like I told you earlier, when I got hungry enough I went back to hooking.” She paused, then added, “Have you had anything to eat since brunch?”

“I take it I won’t be able to lie to you.”

She giggled. “Nope. I may not be able to smell a deception when you’re this far away from me, but I can still hear it in your voice. Where are you now?”

“At the Quickee Pik over on Palermo filling up the car. I was going in for a soda when I decided to call. Or…did you want me to call and I just picked up on that vibe?”

“Would it freak you out if I said yes to the latter?”

“T’korra, I would believe just about anything by now. Let’s split the difference on this one and say we both wanted this call.” DeGrassi chuckled. As he watched, the sun finally gave its last wink of the day and disappeared below the trees. “Bingo. Sunset.”

“And once again I’m human,” Roni confessed. “Think I’ll take some iced tea out to your fellow officers. How much longer do you think you’ll be?”

“I’m afraid this is the long haul, honey. We’re in this until we get Cowven. And I won’t feel comfortable until I know he’s behind bars. When he’s caught, I’ll give you a ring. Or maybe I should just crawl into bed and surprise you.”

He was rewarded with a genuinely happy laugh. DeGrassi felt his heart melt at the sound. “I miss you, Thomas.”

“No more than I miss you, Tiron. Once this whole mess is cleared up, we’re leaving the city.”

“And going where?”

“It’s a surprise. But I promise you’ll love it.”

“Lots of trees?”

“How about a whole national forest?”

She squealed delightedly. Suddenly, DeGrassi was hit with inspiration.

“T’korra, have you ever thought about applying for a job with the park ranger service?”

“What’s that?”

DeGrassi made a quick mental note to check into it for her. He didn’t recall seeing a computer in the cottage where she could look up the information on her own. “I’ll get you some data. But it’s sort of like being a law enforcement officer for the forest.”

“You mean they pay you to take care of the trees?”

“And watch out for poachers, and campers involved in illegal activities, and wild animals encroaching on campsites. Those are just a few things. You’d be spending all your time on the job in the woods.”

By this time he could tell her excitement was overflowing. The air was practically sizzling between them. “Oh, Thomas…I can’t believe this is all happening! Is it really possible?”

“Feeling blessed?”

“More than blessed!”

He could hear her trying to calm herself and curb her enthusiasm. The urge to do what he could to help her was a steady pulse in his veins, like a second heartbeat. “I love you, Tiron. Is there a way to say ‘I love you’ in your language?” he murmured into the cell.

“Vliat, t’kor. It means ‘you have me.’ It’s all you need to say,” she whispered.

“Vliat, t’korra. Get ready to spend the rest of your life with me. I’ll call you around ten. That’s when Morocco and Morrisey are supposed to be replaced.”

“I’ll be waiting. Be careful, Thomas.”

“Don’t worry. I have every reason in the world now to be careful,” he reassured her and ended the call.

The pump had stopped on its own long ago. After replacing the nozzle, he went to get a cold drink. A minute later he was back on the streets, searching for the Crescent City Cutter.

Seven became eight o’clock. Eight dragged toward nine. DeGrassi knew he needed to take a short break and give his eyes a chance to rest. Hitting the men’s room wouldn’t be a bad idea, either.

Coriddio’s Pizza loomed at the end of the block. Pulling into the parking lot, DeGrassi grabbed the driver’s license photostat and went inside to do a spot check. No luck, but it never hurt to try. One never knew when you would get lucky.

DeGrassi walked back outside to his car and reached for the door handle—

Thomas!

A flood of freezing cold swept over him. Every muscle went into instant paralysis as Roni’s voice screamed inside his skull. His heart went into overdrive, pounding so hard and fast that his head began to swim.

Thomaaaaaas!

A horn blared behind him. The sound shocked him back to the present, and for once DeGrassi gratefully glanced back at the irate driver. Jumping into the car, he jerked on the wheel, turning the vehicle back onto the roadway with a squeal of tires. Once he got the revolving light mounted on the dash, DeGrassi fumbled for the cell tucked in his front pants pocket. Roni’s voice continued to call out to him. Her desperation and terror threatened to rob him of his sanity, but he fought his own suffocating fear that wanted to overwhelm him, wanted to keep him from thinking clearly. Wanted to keep him locked within its numbing grasp.

Automatically, his fingers punched in the number to the house. The call went straight to the answering machine, sending a shudder jerking through his body. He could still hear her, or feel her, or whatever the connection was between them that was stronger than anything he had ever experienced before in his life. He knew she was in mortal danger, but damned if he could explain how he knew. The car almost took the corner on two wheels as he punched in Tayson’s number by feel.

“Vice. Detective Tayson.”

“Evan! Get an extra squad car over to Tarakon’s place now! Possible eleven ninety-nine!” Without waiting for the man to acknowledge him, he hung up and tossed the cell into the passenger seat so he could have both hands on the wheel. If Roni was in trouble, that meant whoever had her had managed to take down the two officers protecting her. Morocco and Morrisey were seasoned veterans. If Cowven was behind this, the man was more dangerous than they had originally given him credit for.

The cabin could not have been more than twelve, perhaps fifteen minutes away at the most. Tonight it felt like thirty, even when he pounded on the horn and plowed through each intersection as safely as he could.

Before the Mares subdivision was within sight, Roni’s screams died away. The loss of her mental voice in his head was worse than knowing she was in danger. Either she had given up, or she was no longer able to call out to him. Or dead, a ghostly whisper echoed in his head. DeGrassi floored the pedal.

Protocol demanded he snuff the lights before he turned down her street. The little cottage was hidden in the shadows cast by the big three-story mansion a few dozen yards away. He started to pull up behind the other unmarked vehicle sitting in the driveway when instinct forced him to swerve up and over the curb. The car leaped into the air when it hit the concrete edge, jarring him so violently the seat belt left a bruise across his sternum. DeGrassi jerked the wheel to the left, narrowly avoiding hitting the open car door on the driver’s side.

In the moonlight, he saw a flicker of movement at the tree line directly ahead of him. As he had done the night before, he threw the headlights straight into the middle of it.

Two large, white, gelatinous-looking blobs were slowly oozing their way into the woods. Dangling between them with her arms cuffed inside a silver tube slumped Roni in her Ruinos form. Her head was rolled forward, her body limp. She was unconscious, which explained why he had lost that thread of connection to her.

The blobs paused for just a moment as they determined the threat level of the lights. Their hesitation bought DeGrassi the extra time he needed. Slipping out of the car, he popped the trunk and hurried back there to grab an extra clip for the Sig Sauer holstered under his arm. Shoving the ammo into his pants pocket with one hand, DeGrassi reached into the trunk for his Remington 870 pump action shotgun with the other. The shotgun was legal issue, but he had added a tube extension, allowing for five shells plus one in the chamber instead of the usual three.

For a split second, his hand wavered over the box of hollow-point slugs for the Sig. The lethal twelve-gauge rifle shells could stop a car with one well-placed hit, but he knew he needed something that could do more damage.

A quick glance around past the front of the car confirmed the fact that the Arra were taking their sweet, slow time heading back into the woods. They showed no fear, no hesitation, and no sense of expediency. They believed they were indomitable. Although Roni had not described the race that had kept her kind imprisoned, DeGrassi’s gut reaction after seeing them was as if someone had placed a photograph inside his mind for him to keep on file.

He ripped the cardboard lid off the box of double aught buckshot and began loading the gun from the bottom as he left the car and started jogging toward the area where the Arra had disappeared with their unconscious cargo. With my woman and life mate. The slide action cocked as smoothly as oil on glass.

Mere yards inside the woods he saw them. Their bodies emitted a soft luminescence, as if they were made of something phosphorescent. Tracking them was like following two humongous glow-in-the-dark blobs of Play-Doh. One of them glanced back at him, as if judging whether he might be dangerous. DeGrassi froze and waited to see what it would do. Almost casually, the thing raised a podlike arm and pointed a little, round, shiny disk at him. DeGrassi’s training took over, and he leaped to one side just as a thin blue bolt of light streaked his way. A second bolt hit the strand of birch trees he was hiding behind. For a handful of seconds he felt a numbing sensation, like a tingling in his arms and hands, which he managed to shake off. DeGrassi cursed himself for his stupidity. It was some kind of disabling ray. They had probably used it on Roni, which would explain why she was out cold.

“Let’s see how well you like a little taste of your own medicine,” he mumbled as he aimed between two slender trunks and fired. The pea-size lead shot hit the Arra holding the little disk, puncturing the creature like a fist in a pillow. White matter sprayed outward like a volcano erupting pus. There was a shrill, painfully high shrieking sound as the creature dropped its end of the silver tube. DeGrassi rammed another shell home and fired almost instantaneously. This time, one entire side of the creature splattered the trees behind it with steaming ichor. The thing folded and sank to the ground.

The second Arra dropped Roni and began to come toward him. It held a thin, pencil-shaped instrument, all silvery and shiny. From the way the creature was pointing it in his direction, DeGrassi knew it also had to be a weapon of some kind. Just in case it also gave off some kind of ray, he kept the strand of trees between him and it. The Arra began to circle around for him. Snorting loudly, DeGrassi headed the other way.

This was too easy. The blobby thing was slow. Too damn slow. It had no feet or legs. In the thick brush, it had to ooze its way through or around or over or between wherever it wanted to go. Watching the Arra trying to get to him was almost laughable.

He took a second to search for where the thing had dropped Roni. The bright beams from the car’s headlights barely penetrated this far, and there wasn’t enough moonlight to easily make out her body lying nearby, especially with her natural camouflage coloring. But somehow he was able to see a slight stirring in the tall grass near where the remains of the first Arra lay in glowing shreds.

“Roni! Are you okay? Can you talk, t’korra? Speak to me, woman! Roni!”

There was a loud rustling sound beside him. DeGrassi instinctively crouched and moved back.

He blinked. In the dim light he squinted at the sight of the Arra making its way around the thin strand of trees, and he blinked again. It looked like it was coming around on the right side—

No. It was backtracking to the left.

No…

No. Oh, shit, no! Don’t tell me…

The creature rounded the birches, the silver little pencil weapon still aimed in his direction. Except there wasn’t one of them anymore. There were two of them.

Two Arra. Two smaller Arra, instead of the one larger version that had been there just a moment ago. Each of them was coming from a different side now in an attempt at a squeeze play.

DeGrassi gasped in shock. “Son of a bitch!”

The twins emerged from both sides of the strand to where he could get a better look at them. Even divided, the pair was bigger than him. Taller and wider. Without thinking, DeGrassi swung the Remington into his arms and aimed for the alien holding the pointed tube.

“You could divide yourself, but not your weapon?” he called out, knowing they couldn’t answer him, much less understand what he was saying.

The sound of the shotgun nearly deafened him. But he watched with satisfaction as one of the pair was cut cleanly in half. The buckshot sent pieces of the Arra flying through the air, spewing its wet, chalky-colored blood like spaghetti through a strainer. There was another dying scream of pain from the creature, yet its demise didn’t deter the second one from coming straight for him.

“Yeah. I heard you were a determined bunch of pricks,” he commented almost casually, taking careful aim at the remaining creature. Sighting down the barrel, DeGrassi pumped another cartridge into the chamber and pulled the trigger.

The gun clicked emptily.

“What the—”

He tried to reload the shotgun and fire again. No luck. The shell had either misloaded, or something else was causing the gun to jam. DeGrassi dropped the rifle and pulled his pistol. He began firing directly into the creature. Unfortunately, the smaller bullets didn’t have the same effect as the lethal spray of burning buckshot did. Five times DeGrassi tried to bore a hole into the remaining Arra, with no luck. The alien continued to advance upon him, moving more slowly now but just as determined. That left him with only one other choice.

Stuffing his gun into the holster, DeGrassi turned to grab Roni and make a run for it, hoping to escape with her by car, when he stopped in shock. The ground was bare. Roni was gone. Traces of the first dead Arra continued to run down the tree trunks and puddle in the dirt like watery mayonnaise. The large, tubelike contraption that had been clamped around Roni’s arms lay on the ground. But Roni had disappeared.

“Roni!”

He started to pivot around to look back at the approaching Arra when he heard her voice coming from somewhere overhead, up in the trees. “Thomas! Move back!” Without questioning, he began to backpedal.

Something flashed above him. There was a loud hiss of anger, and he watched as one mightily pissed off Ruinos female dove down upon the remaining Arra like an avenging green angel. He watched as she landed on top of the creature and began slashing at it with her sharp talons, slashing into its body and sending thin ribbons of pasty flesh fluttering into the air. She followed it downward as it tried to shield itself from her attack.

Years of pent-up fury gave her the strength to rend the creature into a dissolving slab of pus. The need to revenge herself upon the Arra had given her the ability to defeat the fear they had beaten into her, so that she screamed her rage at the alien as she dissected it into chunks no larger than her fist.

Less than a dozen feet away, DeGrassi watched as Roni’s actions grew weaker, her attack grew less forceful, and the heat of her anger cooled. She was coated with the Arra’s thick, foamy blood. But when she finally got to her feet and turned to look at him, he could see her soul had finally been cleansed of much of her self-hatred. Both of them were breathing heavily in the warm spring night.

“Are you okay?” he asked gruffly, his eyes sweeping over her to double-check. The sight of her ripping into the creature had stirred his passion like nothing he had ever felt before. Her strength and courage was a rush of sweet, hot adrenaline in his system, and he could feel himself straining against the buttons of his jeans.

Roni nodded. “Yeah. They bruised me up a bit, but I’ll be all right.”

DeGrassi turned around to glance back at the way they had come. “What about the other officers?”

“They’re alive. The Arra took the one on the porch by surprise. They stunned him before they came inside to find me. They stunned the second cop when they were dragging me out of the house.”

“The cops didn’t see you in your real form?”

She shook her head. “I don’t think so. I think they were too overwhelmed by the Arra to notice.”

He nodded. Walking over to her, he cupped her face with one hand and stared into her eyes. In the dim light, the flecks seemed to reflect a light all their own. “You have night vision?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Then you can lead us out of here.” He continued to stand beside her in the tiny clearing, their bodies almost touching, as his thumb traced the outline of her mouth. Her presence was back inside his head, a presence he knew he never wanted to be without again. How had he managed to live this long without its comforting warmth? “I heard you call out for me,” DeGrassi whispered. “In my mind, I heard you call for me.”

“And I felt you answer.”

“Yeah?” he smiled lovingly.

She returned the smile. She had started to reach up with her own hand to hold his when she hesitated, reluctant to taint him with Arran gore. Giving a breathy little laugh, Roni opted to nuzzle his palm. “Yeah.”

Her kiss was well worth all the crap they had just gone through, and then some. DeGrassi pulled away reluctantly when Roni turned to look in the direction where the Arra had been taking her.

“We have to find the ship.”

“Huh?”

She stepped back, grabbed his hand and gave it a tug. “We have to find their ship, Thomas. We have to destroy it, or else the other Arra will be able to locate it.”

Snatching up the shotgun, DeGrassi followed after her. “Is it far?”

“Shouldn’t be,” she called back over her shoulder. “They don’t move very well over uneven ground.”

“So I’ve noticed. Say, Roni? When were you going to tell me you could fly?”

She giggled lightly. “It’s not real flying, Thomas. It’s more like gliding. Your planet has squirrels that do the same thing.”

No kidding? So where had he been when that lecture had come up in science class? He was about to ask her more about those thin, membranes he had seen under her arms when he heard her call out.

“Here it is.”

It was like no spaceship he had ever seen in a movie or on television. In fact, if someone had shown him a picture of one and asked him what it was, DeGrassi’s top ten answers would not have included the word spaceship.

“It looks like a giant suitcase,” he told her as he watched her approach the side of the craft. She made a motion with one hand, and a thin vertical slit appeared in the side. Roni took a step toward the opening when DeGrassi stopped her.

“You’re not going inside, are you?”

She gave him an almost fearful look. “I must, Thomas. I have to destroy the ship so the Arra can’t find it. If they find it unmanned, they’ll know their scouts are dead. But if we destroy it, the mother ship won’t know what happened to it. They won’t know it landed here, so they’ll keep searching for it somewhere else.”

“Then I’m coming in with you,” he told her. He got no argument from her.

The interior of the vessel was spacious, despite its outward appearance. It was basically a hollow center surrounded by sleek walls embedded with inscriptions and lights. There were no knobs or switches that DeGrassi could discern. No dials or wheels, or even a porthole to view out of. But there was one piece of equipment he could not miss. It was a cage of translucent bars. Incredibly beautiful as it was strong, it couldn’t have been any larger than a dog house. He caught sight of Roni’s face as she glanced away after spotting it. At the same instant, that cold hand of dread reached inside him and clutched his lungs in their icy grip.

His eyes went back to the cell. It had been a cage similar to that one where Roni had spent years and years of her life. Where she had fought the Arra in the only way she could, and yet had miraculously kept her sanity.

Closing his eyes, DeGrassi ignored the burning cold sense of hopelessness and thought about her. His fingers flexed as he remembered the soft warmth of her skin and the way she trembled beneath his touch. He thought about her scent and the incredible feeling of love that had poured into him when he had put his arms around her.

Looking at the woman standing a few feet away, DeGrassi willed the strength and tenderness of that love to her, hoping to reach her on that same level as she did when she touched him. He watched as her spine stiffened. Then, slowly, she turned around so he could see the wetness on her cheeks.

“You understand now, don’t you?” Her voice was as haunting as rich velvet.

“Yeah. I do. This…this life partner thing…it’s everything. I never thought anything could be stronger than love, but this connection between us can’t be anything else. You’re that part of me that I never knew I was missing until we came together.”

A tiny smile curled one corner of her lip, and Roni turned back to the wall of the ship. He watched as she made a few more gestures. Swiping her hand over a glowing yellowish light, the ship immediately began to vibrate.

“Let’s get out of here.”

They hurried out and away from the vessel that was now humming at a low pitch. Stopping several yards away from it, they stayed to watch as thick smoke began to bellow from the interior of the ship. There were a few pops and some sizzling noises, then a loud whooshing sound. The scouting craft went Technicolor, from red to blue to white, then appeared to collapse upon itself. Within minutes, all that was left was a wide scorched smudge on the ground where it had stood.

DeGrassi sensed Roni shifting into her human guise before he glanced down at her. “Is that it?”

She nodded, leaning closer to him as his arm drew her against him. “Let’s hope the Arra don’t come back here.”

“Wouldn’t matter if they did,” he murmured. He couldn’t resist burrowing his nose into her black hair. As he had suspected all along, it was as satiny as he dreamed it would be. Roni giggled in his embrace.

“Why do you say that?”

“Because next time, I’ll be sure to pack a Howitzer in the trunk, if I have to.”

Roni laughed aloud. “A what?”

“Never mind, woman. Let’s get you back to the house. You’ve no business running around in the woods in your birthday suit. Besides, you need a good scrubbing, and I’m just the man to do it. And while I have you in the shower, I want to check out those little wings you have. I’m dying to find out how they taste.”

Roni’s laughter sparkled in the moon-drenched air as DeGrassi hoisted her over one broad shoulder and began heading back to the cottage.

Chapter 19

Details

When they reached the outskirts of the woods, DeGrassi stopped and lowered Roni to her feet. Silently, he unbuckled his shoulder holster before slipping his t-shirt over his head to hand to her. The shirt’s hem came to mid-thigh on her, but it was long enough to give her some modesty until she could put on something more suitable.

“I called for backup before I came after you. Your place is probably crawling with cops right now.”

“What are we going to tell them when they ask why we were in the woods?” Now that the Arra were gone, her body was quickly sinking into exhaustion. There was nothing else she wanted to do but to crawl into bed and surrender to his arms.

“Pretty much stick to the truth. I got a hunch and swung around to the house in time to see you heading for the woods. I grabbed my shotgun and came after you. I fired at some pesky creatures to help protect you. And that about sums it up.” Throwing an arm around her shoulder, he gave her a wink. “Don’t give up anything you can’t prove or they can disprove.”

By now they could see the squad cars gathered around the cottage, including an ambulance. Two uniformed officers spotted the couple emerging from the trees and began jogging toward them, but DeGrassi waved off their help. They were nearly at the house when Tayson emerged from the cottage and gave them a sour look. Seconds later, three EMS techs exited with Morrisey on a gurney.

“How’s he doing?” DeGrassi inquired as the lieutenant strode up to them.

“They’re still unconscious but alive. The Unsub must’ve hit ’em with some type of taser. The M.E. is thinking it was a high-wattage electrical probe, or something like it.” Tayson’s expression hardened. “What happened to you?”

“I saw the little lady running for the woods when I pulled up.” DeGrassi hefted his shotgun for emphasis.

“You went after her before checking on the men?”

“Just following orders, Boss. Captain said her protection was top priority.”

Tayson directed his attention at Roni. “Your neighbor called in to report she heard gunshots. What was that all about?”

Roni gave a shiver. “Snakes,” she told the detective.

“Did you see the person who attacked the officers, Miss Tarakon?”

“No. I heard some kind of commotion going on outside, but I was too scared to look. So I climbed out of the window and ran for the woods.” She caught DeGrassi’s apprehensive look and understood why he was concerned. If the police didn’t find the bedroom window open, her story would immediately become suspect. Flashing him a quick grin, she sighed loudly and crossed her arms over her chest. “Is it all right to go back inside?”

The detective glanced over his shoulder. “Crime Scene Unit should be finished in another couple of hours, maybe. Thom, you’ll need to check on their status. Hopefully, Morrisey and Morocco will be able to give us a description of the guy who tased them when they awaken.” Turning back to DeGrassi, Tayson added, “It would probably be better if Miss Tarakon found other accommodations just for tonight.”

“Will that really be necessary?” Roni asked.

“What if that guy comes back?” DeGrassi questioned her. Although they knew the Arra were responsible for taking down the plainclothes officers, she understood that he felt it would be in their best interest to keep up the charade. Besides, Cowven was still out there, and he was someone they couldn’t afford to take lightly.

Tayson sided with him. “It would just be better all around if you went to a hotel or someplace where we could keep watching out for you,” he told her.

Roni stepped closer to DeGrassi and witnessed the moment that Tayson became aware of something he probably had suspected all along. Throwing an incredulous look at his fellow cop, Tayson snorted. “Quit bullshitting me, Thom. You two are an item, aren’t you?”

DeGrassi tensed. “Yeah. So?”

“For crying out loud, DeGrassi—”

“Shove it, Evan. It’s our lives, not yours.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Tayson nodded. “I just hope you know what you’re doing.”

DeGrassi grinned at that comment. “I’m protecting my woman until we catch Cowven. That’s what I’m doing. You sent two of your best, and look at what happened to them.” Motioning back to the cottage with the butt of the shotgun, he added, “You really think our guy is responsible?”

“Who knows? I want to say yes, but my gut tells me no.” Sighing, Tayson ran a hand through his hair and shook his head.

Roni kept sweeping her eyes back and forth between the two men. Finally hearing a lull in their discussion, she broke in. “If I’m going to have to move to new digs, can I at least get a few of my things before I go? Like some clothes?”

It was DeGrassi who replied. “Sorry. Not until the investigation team clears the place. Don’t worry. We’ll get you a few things on our way over to my place.”

“Your place?” Tayson reiterated.

DeGrassi frowned. “Yeah. If it really was Cowven who was here, then he’s going to suspect we would put her up at a safe house somewhere. I don’t know those places well enough to feel comfortable guarding her, but I know my apartment and the complex better than you probably know your own backyard. I’m taking Roni over there tonight and keeping her there until we catch this guy.”

One of the investigators appeared in the doorway and gestured toward the two men. “Detective? You might want to look at this.”

DeGrassi turned to Roni. “Why don’t you go wait in the car until we’re clear to leave? Lie down in the backseat and try to rest if you can. Car’s unlocked.”

She agreed. The weariness brought on by these past few days was giving her a tenuous hold on her human form. DeGrassi had sensed it, and he was giving her the chance to exclude herself from them so she could shift back if she needed to.

“What time is it?”

Tayson glanced at his watch. “Close to eleven.”

“How long do you think you’ll be?” She lifted her eyes up at DeGrassi to see him shrug.

“There’s no telling. Don’t worry. I’ll wake you when we’re done here or when they say it’s okay to retrieve a few of your things.” He gave her a tiny smile. It was enough to let her know she wouldn’t be far from his thoughts while he did his job. Rolling her head around her shoulders to try to ease the tension, Roni gave a little grunt of acceptance and let the men to do what they had to do.

Rounding the corner of her cottage, she saw the lawn full of police vehicles. Someone had killed the circus lights, but there were still a few people, curious onlookers, gathered beyond the barrier erected around the cottage. Roni tried to swallow past the lump in her throat. Her life as it had been was over. The little cottage was no longer her sanctuary. The woods beyond it would not harbor her any longer.

Once she reached the sedan, Roni opened the door to the backseat and crawled inside, closing the door behind her. The upholstery still held DeGrassi’s musky baby powder scent. A wide smile creased her face as she got into a comfortable position and closed her eyes. Slowly, her body unwound until she sank deep within sleep’s grasp. Yes, her old life was over, but her new life would more than make up for the loss of her precious cottage. There would be another cottage. It would be their cottage. In it, they would make their home and future together. And a life she never believed possible would overflow with warmth and light…and the scent of sweet lemonade. The tear of joy that fell from under her lashes would not be her last.

Chapter 20

Taken

She was vaguely aware of the car door opening. After her kidnapping by the Arra, and her subsequent rescue and fight with the creatures, drifting down into the luxurious darkness of sleep had been welcome if not inevitable. Not much time had passed since Thomas had told her to go lie down in the back seat. She trusted that if her body switched back into her true form, he would protect her from the others.

He had promised he would take her to his apartment when they were done here. It would be a new sanctuary to replace the little cottage she adored. But the move would be their first step toward their new future together. She didn’t care if his place was at the bottom of a sludge pit. If Thomas was with her, it would be their refuge.

In the distance, she could hear crickets chirping. An owl hooted from somewhere in the woods. Roni waited for Thom’s presence to enfold her, but as seconds ticked by and she didn’t get that flood of warmth coming over her, she stirred. Why was he standing there with the back door open?

The rasp of her legs across the leather seat reassured her she was still in her human form. But it was a struggle to rouse herself enough to question him.

She never expected the hard body to come down on her like a metal press and shove a wad of foul-smelling wetness across her nose and mouth. Her body jerked at the noxious odor poisoning her lungs. Lifting her hands to pull away the fumes, an intense coldness swept over her, and she felt her arms suddenly and painfully gathered behind her back. Another iciness encircled her wrists, punctuated by two sharp clicks.

She made a brief struggle to sit up in the seat, but the body holding her down was bigger than her. Even with her greater Ruinos strength, Roni found herself disadvantaged by initially being on the bottom. She opened her eyes just as a black bag came down over her head. But by that time, the chemical on the rag covering her face was drawing her away from herself. She felt herself being lifted. Any protest on her part was met with a grunt as she was dragged from the backseat and hoisted over a wide shoulder. She nearly passed out when her belly hit the shoulder, knocking all the air out of her lungs.

For a few moments, she flashed back to the abuse she’d been made to suffer on the Arran ship. To the beatings and the degradation. They had used nearly every kind of torture device on her to force her to comply with their demands.

It wasn’t the Arra taking her this time. The Arra didn’t use chemicals to weaken their prey. Nor did they resort to blindfolds or old-fashioned police handcuffs.

No. This time her abductor was human, and it didn’t take her many guesses to figure out who the perpetrator was.

If she wanted to, Roni knew she could send out a mental distress call to Thomas. He would be tailing them in seconds. But she held herself back. She continued to fake her helplessness so that Cowven would take her where he planned to kill her. Take her where it would be private, and where there would be little chance of anyone discovering them once he decided to do his dirty work on her.

Only this time he wouldn’t be facing a helpless human female. He would have to answer to one very powerful and very righteously angry Ruinos female. It was dark, and there was no way this guy was going to have control over her any more.

Smiling to herself, Roni let the man carry her where he wanted. She would leave Thomas out of this one until she needed him. Let me be the last one. Let me be the one to make restitution for every woman he’s terrified and killed.

Sooner or later he would release her hands. Sooner or later he would put her down and take the hood off of her head. And when he did, God help the puny human male.

Chapter 21

Confrontation

They didn’t go far. Roni bore the bouncing and juggling that pushed bruises into her stomach and lower abdomen in silence. From the jostling she was getting, she guessed Cowven was taking her into the woods near the house. Apparently the man felt he could get a perverse delight in claiming his next victim close to where she lived, rather than on the streets where his other victims had been discovered. And right underneath the noses of the local police force.

Roni could sense the distance growing between her and Thomas, but their connection remained strong. Every now and then, a touch as gentle as a breath of air would caress her heart and mind, an inquiry to see how she was doing. To see if she was asleep, and if not, if she was comfortable. She always made sure to send back an equally loving response. She didn’t want to tell him her real location or circumstances. Not yet. Not until it was necessary. Yet there was still that possibility that he would find her missing when he went back to the car. When he did, and he came searching for her, then she would let him know everything.

But for now, Cowven was taking her into the forest where he planned to kill her. The man had no idea how badly things would turn out.

During the rough transport, the rag soaked in stomach-churning chemicals had worked itself loose and fallen off her face. The bag around her head continued to reek of the stuff, but at least she could draw enough air to counteract the crap he had tried to suffocate her with.

The only thing she had to contend with were the handcuffs nearly cutting off the circulation to her hands. If she could manage to get him to remove them…

Play scared, a little voice in her head urged her. Play the part of the victim. Beg for mercy. Get him to come to you. Then there will be no way he can escape. Then there will be no chance of making a mistake and letting him get away.

Roni had absolutely no fear that the Crescent City Cutter would be able to make good his intentions. She had faced worse than he could ever offer. Her true skin bore more scars than he could ever hope to inflict. It would take no more than an urgent sense of terror to bring Thomas charging to her rescue. But this wasn’t Thomas’ fight. This man wasn’t his problem to settle.

Cowven had set his sights on her. And, by God, he was going to find out just how pathetic his little act of domination truly was.

Suddenly they stopped. She could feel him panting for breath. Rather than alert him to the fact that she was fully conscious, Roni continued to lay limp over his shoulder. Presently he began moving again, but she had the impression he had changed directions.

Another tender tendril wove through their connection. Roni let it touch her with velvet fingers, stroking her, keeping her calm. He believed she was dozing, but she knew it wouldn’t be much longer before he would be ready to leave. Time had become a crucial factor. Cowven had better stop soon and try to deliver the killing blow, or else her plan would fail.

As if on cue, they came to a gradual stop. Cowven had determined this to be the best spot to do what he’d set out to accomplish, and without warning he dumped her on her back on the bare ground. The impact rattled her, but somehow she managed to keep from crying out and alerting him. Concentrating on keeping her breathing regular to deceive him into thinking she was still under the influence of his knockout drug, she listened intently to his mutterings as he walked a short distance away. He messed around in the trees for a few minutes, then came back for her.

To her surprise and relief, he unlocked the handcuffs and removed them. Then he dragged her over to the trees and hoisted her up, balancing her on his shoulder. Roni felt the rough bite of rope go around each wrist as he tied her. Once he was finished, he moved back to let her dangle like a carcass ready for disembowelment.

Roni almost smiled to herself when the bag was suddenly jerked off her head. To cover up her wakefulness, she moaned loudly and rolled her head forward.

“Wake up, bitch.” A sharp, stinging slap across her cheek made her bite her tongue. She uttered a little squeak of pain, blinking her eyes in dazed amazement. With the bag gone, she could finally take a deep breath. Immediately, Cowven’s acidic, oily reek filled her nostrils.

“Look at me,” he demanded, out of breath.

She focused her eyes on the man standing less than a yard away from her. He was holding the biggest knife she had ever seen, and he licked his lips as she gasped in fear.

“Thought you could escape me, didn’t you, bitch? Thought you could get the cops to watch over you and protect you, stupid cunt.”

She looked upward to see that he had tied her between two trees, forcing her arms to stretch outward in a semi-cross. He had hoisted her into the air until she could barely stand on tiptoe. Roni struggled to test the ropes. They were thick hemp, not nylon, and she hid the second smile that rose to her lips. As she expected, Cowven took her struggles as a vain attempt to free herself.

“Go ahead and try, whore. Those knots are too tight for you to work loose.”

“Why are you doing this?” she whispered, making her voice quiver. If she turned her wrists slightly, she found she could brush the rope with her fingertips. Perfect.

His eyes raked over her. In the moonlight, his face looked pasty white. The man never went out in the sun. He was overweight and flaunted a flabby physique. Roni wondered if he had ever been laid in his life by someone he didn’t have to pay to help him get off.

Cowven snorted in disgust; his hand adjusted its grip on the ugly-ass knife. “I thought it would have been obvious by now. This city, this world, would be a whole lot safer without the likes of you prancing around, selling your body and infecting God knows how many poor bastards.”

Infecting? “What are you talking about?” Roni questioned. “I haven’t done anything to you.”

“Your kind has always been the bane of mankind,” Cowven growled. “You’re riddled with diseases and other filth.” He motioned toward her. “Just look at the way you’re dressed. Running around in the middle of the night with hardly anything on. Then running around in broad daylight with that tight black leather shit on.”

Black leather shit? The man had been stalking her, she realized. And the part about diseases and other filth…

“What’s the matter, Cowven? Did a prostitute stick you with AIDS or something?”

From the way his head jerked up and his eyes narrowed, she realized she had struck a nerve. Before she could react, he shoved the knife into his belt and reached behind him. His other hand grabbed her roughly by the hair and jerked her head downward. Sudden biting pain burst through her skull before she could smother it.

Immediately she sensed Thomas’s response. His surge of anger at her abduction and treatment was a bright, burning flame that began to grow steadily hotter as he started to come for her. A second later, a ball gag was shoved into her mouth. Roni coughed, nearly choking on the foul-tasting rubber.

The burst of pain Cowven inflicted upon her had been unexpected and too sudden for her to hide. Thomas was coming straight for her, guided by their connection as surely as if she had turned on a beacon for him to follow. She had to act soon, or else Cowven might spook and run. And they would be right back where they had started, trying to find him.

“Go ahead and try to use that smart mouth again, whore,” he spat into her ear. With another hard jerk, he released her hair and stepped back to examine her.

Blinking back the tears that had unexpectedly appeared, Roni managed to sniff. Okay. This had gone far enough. She noticed him examining her body. With her arms raised above shoulder level, the hem of Thomas’s t-shirt was just below her bellybutton.

Cowven’s gaze froze at the sight of her smooth mound. He took a step toward her, hand out, as if to run his fingers over her inner lips. To feel the baby-soft skin. Roni managed to move back an inch on tiptoe, away from his reach. Her actions riled him further. Seeing his eyes tighten into slits, she watched as he pulled the big knife from his belt and took another step toward her.

“Try that again, cunt. Let’s see how far you can retreat with my blade eating through that diseased pussy,” he almost choked, and he hefted the weapon to make a downward slash.

Now.

Roni changed.

She did it slowly so that Cowven could get a good, long look. As her human skin sloughed away, she kept her eyes locked on his, studying every gesture, every quiver, every growing moment when his surprise turned to shock, and then into absolute terror. When she had become fully Ruinos, Roni drew back her lips, baring her dagger-like teeth, and hissed, “What’s the matter? Never had one of your victims fight back before?”

The ropes fell from her wrists; her talons had sliced through the hemp like a torch through butter. She took a step toward him and gave him another teeth-baring smile. “Well? I’m waiting, Cowven. What were you planning to do with me?” To make her appearance all the more frightening, she lifted her arms and unfolded the thin membranes of skin. Her hands reached outward with their talons glittering in the dim moonlight.

Cowven shrieked suddenly. Swinging the knife in an arc above his head, he bolted toward her, eyes wide with adrenaline-sustained fright.

Grabbing his wrist took no effort. What she didn’t expect was for his other hand to lock around her throat and begin squeezing. His thumb pressed into the lower part of her neck. She could feel his nails begin to draw blood as his grip tried to strangle her.

“You’re gonna die, bitch!” he cried out, throwing all of his weight at her to try and knock her down. However, it wasn’t enough to offset Roni’s greater strength. While her one hand still held the wrist that gripped the big knife, she tried to pry his other one from her neck. The fingers were clamped down as solid as a steel vise. Already she could feel herself struggling for air. “Abomination!” he hissed into her face. The smell of his breath nearly made her gag.

He gave her absolutely no other choice. Flexing her fingers, Roni lifted her free hand and brought down her talons hard and fast. The five-inch blades sliced through the wrist of the hand clutching her throat. Cowven’s scream of pain reverberated through the woods.

Dropping the knife, he clutched his bleeding stump and backed away. “You bitch! Oh my god, you bitch!”

The man was literally whirling around in a circle as blood flew everywhere. Roni knew that if he bled to death, he would not get the kind of justice he deserved. At least not the kind she felt he had earned. Quickly, she stripped off her t-shirt and ripped a length from the remnants. A quick flying tackle knocked the guy on his back, where she could straddle him and tie a tourniquet around the squirting arm.

Thomas would be here any moment. She could feel his rapidly pounding heart after hearing the screams of pain. The taste of his worry was almost palpable. For that split second, her attention was diverted from the blubbering man underneath her. And it nearly cost her. She didn’t see him find the fallen knife with his good hand.

A wind gusted through the trees, blowing aside the leaves enough for the half moon to reflect on the steel blade of the weapon as it arced upward toward her chest.

Roni caught sight of it from the corner of her eye at the last second and turned. The blade nicked her shoulder and began to tear down the inner part of her arm. She reacted instinctively. Her other hand sliced downward, and her sharp talons neatly severed muscle and bone, removing Cowven’s other hand at the wrist.

A fetid stench, the likes of which she had never smelled before, filled the tiny clearing just as the sound of feet crashing through the underbrush came to her. Struggling to get off of the man who was writhing on the ground, Roni lost her footing and fell to her knees. At that instant, DeGrassi burst into the clearing, pistol aimed. He took one look at her blood-splattered appearance, and a dozen emotions flew between them.

T’korra!

I’m all right. Save him.

Change!

DeGrassi lunged to wrap Cowven’s other arm with the rest of the t-shirt lying on the ground. Roni managed to shift into human form just as Tayson and four other officers burst into the grove. All the while Cowven continued to cry out, even as two officers went over to assist DeGrassi.

A flashlight washed over her. Tayson shouted for someone to bring her a blanket as she huddled in a tight ball. More flashlights lit the clearing, bringing the blood spray into stark relief. As DeGrassi came over and reached out to help her to her feet, shielding her nudity from the others, she could see an officer go over to examine the remains of the ropes dangling from the overhead limbs. A third officer prodded something on the ground with his foot. It was one of Cowven’s hands.

Cowven was half-led, half-carried out by two officers. The man was weeping openly now. Roni watched dispassionately as DeGrassi lifted her into his arms and carried her back to the cottage.

The man would carve up no more women. The Crescent City Cutter would no longer haunt the city or her. His reign was over. And to Roni, he had gotten almost everything he deserved.

Chapter 22

Plans

She couldn’t stop shivering. She couldn’t tell if it was because of delayed shock or the cold night wind gusting over her nude body. But the rough blanket felt good. She clutched it more tightly around her. “Are you all right?” DeGrassi breathed into her ear. They were sitting inside one of the EMS ambulances, waiting to get an official release so he could take her home. Or rather, take her to his place. The little cottage was no longer the safe and secure hideaway it once had been, much to their dismay.

“He cut me. A little bit,” she reassured him. When his eyes scoured her for signs of a wound, she shook her head. “My true self. On my arm.”

“Don’t we need to bandage it or something?”

Roni tried to give him a reassuring smile, but the past few hours were starting to catch up with her. A violent shudder overtook her, and a gasp of pain escaped her before she could press her lips together. DeGrassi kissed her hair.

“As soon as we get to my place, I’ll take care of it. Just hold on, t’korra.”

Nodding, she caught sight of Tayson walking over to them with a strange look on his face. “How are you doing?” he first addressed her directly.

“I’m shaken. I’m covered in blood. And I’d like to sleep for the next two weeks. Otherwise I’m just peachy, Detective.”

DeGrassi motioned with his chin toward the other departing ambulance. “Will he make it?”

“Oh, yeah. The guy’s tough. But I’ll tell you now, he’s probably going to get off on a mental plea.” Tayson’s attention swung back to Roni. “The man is claiming you’re really a green monster with blades for fingers. And get this. He claims you attacked him and sliced off his hands.”

Roni gave him a look of disbelief, one that she had practiced countless times. The man snorted.

“Yeah. That’s probably what my reaction looked like, too. For the record, though, are you ready to tell me what happened out there?”

She took a deep breath. The night air smelled wonderfully clean, with just a hint of rain. Tugging the blanket tighter around her, she gave a semi-shrug. “It happened so fast. I was asleep in the backseat of Thomas’ car. He must’ve snuck up on me. One minute I was asleep, and the next he shoved this foul-smelling rag in my face and in my mouth. And then he cuffed my hands behind my back before he covered my head with a bag. I remember he dragged me out of the car and slung me over his shoulder. I figured he was taking me into the woods by the way he stumbled a lot. There’s a lot of dead growth and underbrush out there.”

“Did he say anything?”

“Just that he was going to punish me the same way he had punished all the other diseased whores.”

“Diseased whores?” DeGrassi repeated.

Tilting her head to one side, Roni added, “I got the impression that maybe he’d contracted AIDS or something from a prostitute. You might want to have him checked.”

“Thanks. I’ll be sure to have the hospital run some tests. What I don’t understand is how you managed to cut his hands off.”

This time the look she gave the detective was as hard and as cold as ice. “I was fighting for my life, Detective. In my line of work, I’ve had to learn how to protect myself. Besides, the guy was like a lump of lard. No strength, no muscle, no stamina. He strung me up in the trees and gave me a little lecture about the women of my profession. Then he cut me down so he could deal with me. That’s when I fought him for the knife. I didn’t hesitate to use it. And if circumstances were to be repeated, I’d do it again. I don’t deny cutting off his hands. The bastard thought he could frighten me just like he terrified the others. It just never occurred to him that one day he would meet a woman he couldn’t beat.”

She could feel her mate’s hand where it rested against her back. It was like a pipeline, funneling his warmth and love into her. Giving her silent support. Don’t say anything you can’t prove or they can disprove. Taking another cleansing breath, Roni glanced toward the cottage. “What took you so long?” she asked him.

“I’m sorry. We were taking notes. Getting the facts straight for our reports. Plus Higginbothem found evidence that Cowven may have been here before. Yeah.” He nodded at her surprised reaction. “The man has been scoping out the place. There was also a tap on your phone.”

“He put it there?”

“We’re not certain,” Tayson told her. “Hopefully we’ll be able to get some fingerprints. But it doesn’t really matter now, does it? Look, it’s been a helluva night. You two go get some rest before tomorrow.”

“What happens tomorrow?” She looked first at the detective, then to DeGrassi.

“You’ll need to make an official statement,” DeGrassi explained.

“Will I need to go to court?”

“You will if this thing goes to trial.”

“Which I seriously don’t think it will,” Tayson added. “The evidence we’ve gathered is more than enough to convict him of at least one of the murders, if not more. My guess is he’ll probably cop a plea bargain for an NGI and get a life sentence in a mental ward instead of the death penalty.”

Another shudder ran through her. DeGrassi rubbed his hand over her back and ended on her shoulder, where it gave a gentle squeeze. “If it’s at all possible, I want to keep Roni out of the spotlight,” DeGrassi told the detective. “And while we’re at it, I’m turning in my two weeks’ notice first thing tomorrow.”

By the grim set of Tayson’s jaw, it was clear the news was not to his liking. “Is it because of her?”

She sensed him trying to control his temper instead of letting his anger rule over his better judgment. After letting out a deep breath, DeGrassi slowly nodded. “Yeah. It has everything to do with Roni. I want to take her away from this place, and this city. She deserves a fresh start. And to be perfectly honest, the job was beginning to wear my nerves to shreds. I’m going back to my hometown and applying for a position at the sheriff’s department.”

“Sheriff’s department? A guy with your training and experience?” The question held a trace of humor.

DeGrassi grinned. “Think I’m overqualified?”

“Hayrides in the autumn. Christmas caroling door-to-door. Summer picnics in the park. Christ, I’m almost tempted myself,” Tayson admitted. “Why do I get the feeling you’ve been debating this move for some time?”

“It’s always been a dream of mine to raise a family back where I grew up. It may be a small town, but a person can chase their passions there.” DeGrassi drew his arm around Roni. “All I was lacking was the one person I could share it with. Think what you will, Evan. Roni isn’t the type of person you think she is. There were circumstances that forced her to start hooking. But it’s over. It’s time for a new chapter for both of us.”

“In your old hometown.”

“Yeah.”

Tayson chuckled softly. “Where is this Shangri-La, in case I ever want to check it out?”

“Over on the East Coast, about five hours north of here. It’s a lumber town called Tumbril Harbor.”

Epilogue

The seating capacity on the little cardboard sign above the diner’s door said “Maximum 84.” Obviously, the local fire marshal chose to ignore the violation when an extra chair was placed at the end of each booth, passing that number by another dozen. Because seven days a week, between the hours of eleven and two, Maggie’s On Main filled up, with few exceptions.

This Saturday was no different. The lunchtime menu claimed that the special was meat loaf, with a choice of two sides and a total of eight to choose from. And dessert was a choice between coconut cream pie and blackberry cobbler. Topped with vanilla ice cream, it would cost ninety-five cents extra.

Booth five was currently occupied by a foursome, a man-and-woman couple on both sides of the table. There was a lot of laughter coming from that particular table, and the waitress filling water glasses to take to their booth couldn’t help but smile.

* * * *

“Please tell me again you’re not joshing me,” Wendy Newburg demanded breathlessly. “You’re really putting down roots in Tumbril Harbor?” She had reached over the table to take the young man’s hands and give them another squeeze.

DeGrassi gave his aunt’s hands a pat as he chuckled. The woman hadn’t stopped exclaiming since he and Roni had arrived in town last night. “Take it to the bank, Aunt Wendy. And thanks for putting us up at the lodge until we can get us a place.”

“When did you say your interview was at the park service?” Sheriff Klotsky asked the dark-haired woman sitting snugly beside his new deputy.

“Wednesday morning at nine,” Roni answered. “With Jim Mounds. Do you know him?”

The sheriff nodded. “Jim’s a good man. But I gotta tell you, you’d better be a lot tougher than you look.”

“Trust me, George. Roni comes from a country that was heavily forested,” DeGrassi assured the man. “She was practically born in a tree.”

“You know, there’s a young man and his new wife who moved here a couple of months ago. He’s also from overseas. Has an accent that sounds a lot like yours, Roni.”

Wendy continued to shake her head and sniff away the tears. “I never thought you would settle down, Thom. Have you decided on a date for the wedding?”

DeGrassi stretched slightly, dropping an arm around Roni’s shoulders. “We wanted to wait until we got to town before making it official. After all, can’t have a ceremony without the woman who practically raised me. Speaking of,” his eyes danced back and forth between his aunt and his new boss, “when are you two going to tie the knot and stop Mrs. Gottschalk from spreading any more gossip?” He was delighted to see his aunt and the sheriff flush from the suggestion. His uncle had died seven years ago, and the sheriff began to secretly court the widow the following year. The twosome had thought they had been keeping their romantic liaisons under wraps. But after six years, DeGrassi felt enough was enough. If he could bite the marital bullet, so could they.

He felt Roni snuggle closer until their thighs were touching underneath the table. Her warmth automatically sent a fist of desire beating at his groin. There was a lot to be said about making love out under the stars in the middle of the woods. He was beginning to believe that bringing Roni here was the smartest decision he had ever made.

DeGrassi understood why Wendy had been shocked to see them appear at the office of the small motor lodge she ran. She had been even more astounded to find out that the nephew she had raised after the death of her sister had applied for a job at the sheriff’s office. Of course, George Klotsky had practically fallen all over himself at the chance to have someone of DeGrassi’s caliber on the force.

But the greatest surprise had been the beautiful young woman he had brought with him. Thirty minutes with the couple, and DeGrassi knew she would see the two of them were deeply in love. They had spent that evening having supper together and catching up on the local news. There was something about Roni that DeGrassi could tell instantly put Wendy at ease. He breathed easier; in the past, his aunt had confessed she harbored fears that she might not be able to get along with the woman Thom finally chose to marry. He understood it was a normal, maternal fear.

“How long did you say you’d been in America?” Klotsky inquired of Roni in order to turn the conversation into safer waters.

“Five years,” she answered.

“What kind of job did you have in Crescent City?”

“She renovated old homes and also did some landscaping on the side,” DeGrassi replied smoothly. On their trip down, he and Roni had agreed not to mention the fact that she had once been a hooker. Unless something happened, and that part of her past was made an important part of the case, they had agreed to keep to the credo of “say nothing you can’t prove or they can disprove.” The fact that Roni had spent nearly five years putting the old cottage to rights was an accomplishment she could be proud of, and DeGrassi wanted her to take all the credit she could for it.

Wendy turned to the sheriff. “When is Thomas’s first day on the force?”

“A week from Monday,” Klotsky told her.

“My papers have already cleared,” DeGrassi added. “I’m officially on vacation leave, but George was kind enough to give us the extra time to settle in. Do some house hunting. Make a trip over to the Justice of the Peace. Sheriff? Would you mind standing up as a witness for us?”

“What? No big church ceremony?” Wendy gasped in mock shock. She began to giggle as her nephew rolled his eyes.

* * * *

During the exchange, Roni relaxed and happily sat back and savored the friendship and family ties. Last night, she had gone for a long run in the woods behind the lodge. Here in this small town, with the ocean bordering its eastern edge, the forest surrounded the little logging community on the other three sides. Less than a dozen miles away was a national forest and game preserve. Big trees and immense vegetation grew so thick and fragrant that, when she had arrived back at their little cabin and flung herself into her lover’s arms, she had sobbed with happiness. He had promised her he would take her where she would be content to remain for the rest of their lives. And he had kept that promise.

Their waitress appeared at the table to give them glasses of water. “Good morning, Sheriff. Mrs. Newburg.” She flashed them a genuinely bright smile as she straightened up and placed her hands on her hips.

“Speaking earlier of the devil, good morning, sweetcheeks!” Klotsky boomed. “How’s the honeymoon?”

“Still going strong!” The woman giggled, blushing a bright pink.

“How’s the house coming along?” Wendy inquired.

“He’s working on it every spare moment he can find. If the weather holds out, he hopes to have the roof finished by the end of the month.” She glanced over at Roni and DeGrassi. “What can I get you all to drink? Coffee all around?”

Roni opened her mouth to request some hot tea when she suddenly froze. A scent was emanating off the woman, elusive but unmistakable. And totally impossible. Taking another sniff, she felt her mouth go dry. There was no way…

The others gave the young blonde woman their orders, but when sapphire-blue eyes locked on her, she couldn’t find the voice to answer. There was a nudge in her ribs. “Coffee or hot tea, Roni?” DeGrassi prompted.

“Uh. Oh. Tea,” she finally managed to stammer.

“Got it! I’ll be right back to take your order,” the woman beamed and bounced away, her ponytail swinging with a beat. Roni stared after her in disbelief as she took another deep, tentative sniff.

Another nudge in her ribs caught her attention. “Earth to Roni. What’s the matter, sweetheart?”

Before she was aware of what she was doing, she found herself on her feet. DeGrassi tried to grab her arm. “Roni, anything wrong?”

“No, no. It’s just…” Throwing a partial smile back at him, she said, “Give me a minute, would you?”

The waitress was behind the counter, getting their drinks order. Roni cautiously walked over to her and took another whiff. The woman became aware of someone standing behind her and turned around. She gave Roni another honest smile. “Yes? Is there something you needed to tell me? Did you change your mind about that tea?”

Roni breathed her again. Yes. It was there. His scent. There could be no mistake. She knew his smell and remembered it as clearly as if he had been thrown into her cell just yesterday. She knew she would never forget his gentleness or his scent for as long as she lived, and now here was a human woman with a sunshine smile and sky-blue eyes, wearing it like the most exotic perfume. His woman. There could be no other explanation. She was his life partner. Roni’s gaze dropped to the name tag above her left breast pocket: “Hannah.”

The woman’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Why are you sniffing me?” she started to ask, then stopped. Her eyes widened, and the waitress moved closer to Roni to stare into her eyes. “You have flecks in your eyes?” She gasped in stunned surprise. “Are you…Ruinos?” she barely whispered.

Roni stepped back in shock. Immediately she glanced back at the booth where the others were watching the two of them. Where she knew Thomas would be aware of her trepidation and rising joy. Opening her mouth to respond, she tried to find some way of answering the woman when the door to the diner opened, ringing the little bell above the header. The waitress’s attention was diverted to the figure who walked in and stopped just behind Roni. The expression on her face was pure love.

“Sorry I’m late, t’korra. Did you save me some of those flapjacks?” a deep, familiar voice asked the blonde woman.

And then he took a long, noticeable sniff.

Roni slowly turned around to see a tall, powerfully-built, dark-haired man staring at her in undisguised disbelief. His brown eyes were flecked with gold, and his rich scent wrapped around her like a beloved, sorely-missed blanket.

Even in their human forms, they knew each other instantly.

“Tiron?” the man almost stuttered.

“Jebaral?”