Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 88235 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88235 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“Be right back,” he told her. “Get dressed and be ready to go.”
Then he walked back the way he had come, presumably to wherever Professor Torella was sleeping in this strange, alien house.
Vicky stared after him for a moment, then registered what he’d said. Get dressed—she had to get dressed.
She scrabbled among the silvery covers until she found the somewhat crumpled green goddess gown Kat had made for her the day before. God, was it really only a day ago? She felt like she’d lived a lifetime in one night! Anyway, it was time to get ready to go.
She put down the mug of now-cold caffeine brew on a side table and had just finished pulling the dress over her head when Chain took a deep breath and sat up in bed again.
“Oh good,” he said, looking at her. “You’re ready. Let’s go before the rest of the household starts waking up.”
“What, just like that? We’re, uh, stealing this?” Vicky looked down at the heavy golden object in her hand. It appeared to be fluted at one end and was much longer and thinner than the golf-ball-sized bottom of the T’lix-Kruthe. But it had the same flowing script inscribed on it and the same tiny jewels imbedded in its sides. It was clear the two haves would fit together.
“I’m a thief, remember? A Snatcher. That’s what it means to be an M-Switch Kindred,” Chain growled.
Then he seemed to make an effort to control his temper because he took a deep breath and smiled at her.
“Don’t worry, beautiful Victoria, I left a note informing them that we had an emergency at home and couldn’t stay. I also included the number of an interstellar bank account—I’ll send Professor Torella more than enough to cover the price of her artifact. She’ll probably be able to afford to add a whole new wing to her collection.”
“Well…that’s okay, I guess,” Vicky said uncertainly, though it still felt like stealing to her. Still, he was right—she had known he was a thief right from the start of their short-lived relationship. And it wasn’t really surprising that he was willing to commit larceny to get out of bonding with the wrong woman permanently. Hell, lots of men had done worse things than that to get out of a bad relationship!
But was it bad? whispered a little voice in her head. Because I kind of thought it was pretty good—great actually.
Vicky sighed. Yes, it had been great while it lasted. Chain was a wonderful guy and he’d given her the most erotic sexual experience of her life. So at least she had that memory to treasure.
“I guess we’d better go, huh?” she asked him.
He nodded. “Yes—but quietly. Come on.”
They snuck out of Professor Torella’s house like a couple of criminals—which Vicky supposed they were—and got quietly into Chain’s ship.
“Well,” he said, as they finished buckling themselves in. “Time to get back to the Mother Ship. Commander Sylvan will be wanting the other half of the T’lix-Kruthe.”
“Yes.” Vicky sighed. “I guess the adventure is over and it’s time to go home—back to normal life.”
“Home,” he echoed but he didn’t sound very happy about it. “Yes, let’s get you back to your home, Victoria. I wouldn’t want to keep you from your life any longer.”
Then, without another word, he started the engines and the little ship rose into the air and flew into the blackness of space.
Chapter Thirty-three
She didn’t want you, whispered the little voice in Chain’s brain. Didn’t want you, didn’t want you, didn’t want you. It was like a chant that wouldn’t stop.
Well, who could blame her for not wanting him? He was, after all, one of the notorious M-Switch Kindred and a thief into the bargain. Was it really such a shock that his beautiful Victoria didn’t want to bind her life to his permanently?
Not a shock at all, Chain told himself. But it still hurt. Somehow he had allowed himself to fall in love with her, despite the fact that they’d been together such a short time. And knowing that she didn’t feel the same way hurt in a way he’d never experienced. Maybe because he’d never allowed himself to truly love a female before.
I didn’t allow it this time, either, Chain told himself. It just…happened.
He wished he could make it un-happen, but of course he couldn’t. So there was nothing to do but take her back to her home planet and leave her where he’d found her on Earth.
Nothing to do but let her go and never see her again.
That was a thought with sharp teeth—it chewed on his heart until he could hardly breathe for the pain it caused. He could barely look at Victoria, sitting in the seat beside him. The ride back to her planet was silent and, for Chain at least, completely miserable.