Finding the Jewel

  She made herself stop, realizing she was babbling. Taking a deep breath, she looked up into his molten gold eyes.

  “Please,” she said simply. “Please don’t leave me here. Wherever you’re going, take me with you.”

  He looked at her for a long moment and then nodded agreement.

  Chloe let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding in a rush of relief.

  “Thank you,” she said quickly. “Thank you, you won’t be sorry.”

  He nodded again. “N-nuh-need to g-g-go.”

  He started to turn but Chloe caught him by the elbow.

  “Yes, but first let me ask you something,” she said. “You’re really strong, right? Like incredibly strong—especially this hand.” She tapped his right hand with the metal glove.

  Tark shrugged and nodded as if to say, Yeah, I’m strong. So what?

  “Well, I wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself,” Chloe said. “Especially since you already got hurt defending me once. But…do you think you could smash through that glass for me?”

  She pointed at the glass front of the pantry, which the big Kindred had previously ignored after scanning its contents and apparently not seeing what he was after.

  He nodded again and pulled back his huge fist, the metal glove glinting ominously in the overhead lights.

  Chloe grinned. “All right, Mr. Pantry,” she said to the hated appliance. “Get ready to give up the goods.”

  “I don’t think so, Chloe,” the pantry replied primly. “You know you don’t get any treats from me unless you work for them. Now if you’d like to go exercise for an hour or two—”

  The huge Kindred’s fist smashing through its glass shut the damn thing up once and for all.

  Chloe gasped in delight as he drew back, leaving the way clear to the goodies. She reached in carefully, avoiding the jagged shards of glass, and snagged the Krispy Kreme donuts and the box of Thin Mints. The tiny cherry tarts had been sprinkled with broken glass, so she regretfully had to leave them.

  But two out of three isn’t bad, she told herself as she tucked the treasured goodies under one arm.

  “Thank you,” she said, looking up at the big Beast Kindred. “Thank you so much.”

  He nodded and grinned at her again, his golden eyes crinkling at the corners in a way that was really cute, though that seemed like an odd way to describe such a big, scary warrior. He had really long lashes for a man, Chloe couldn’t help noticing. They made him even more gorgeous.

  “Thank you, Tark,” she breathed again, looking up at him. For his part, the big Kindred bent down, as though to get closer to her. “I just—” Chloe began, not sure what she was going to say.

  “What’s this? What’s all this?”

  The shrill voice of the head Commercian cut into the moment they had been having. (Had they been having a moment?) With a big, gorgeous guy like him—get real, scoffed a little voice in her head.

  “What has happened here?” the head Commercian squeaked, his eyes swiveling on their stalks as he surveyed the broken glass everywhere. “What is going on and where is Lord Globber?”

  Tark frowned but Chloe stepped in quickly.

  “Oh, he left,” she said. “He got really mad after I told him I preferred Tark here to him…” She positioned herself in front of the big Kindred and wrapped an arm around his lean waist, hiding his wounded hand with her body. “But first he punched a hole in the pantry—he was really upset. I guess Slimerians have bad tempers.” She shrugged.

  “He left?” the Commercian exclaimed. “But…but he was so eager to purchase you! There was going to be a bidding war!”

  “Sorry.” Chloe shrugged, though inside she felt positively gleeful about denying the kidnapping blue bastard his big payday. “He said I was too skinny for his taste anyway,” she said, wanting to add insult to injury. “He said if you hadn’t starved me down to this size, he might have been more interested. But as it was…” She shrugged again as if to say, what can you do?

  “But…but I didn’t see him leave!” the head Commercian protested. “There is only one way in and out of this construct—how could he get out without my knowing?”

  Oops—that was a problem.

  “Oh, didn’t you see him leaving as you were coming in?” Chloe asked innocently. “You must have just passed each other going different directions. He just left. If you hurry you might catch him and try to change his mind,” she added.

  “I must go—I must catch him!” the Commercian babbled. Quickly, he skittered away on his skinny blue legs. Chloe shivered as she watched him go—the way the Commercians moved reminded her of a documentary she’d seen once about the Giant Dessert Centipede. Gross.

  “Come on,” she said to Tark. “Let’s get out of here.”

  He gave a swift, short nod and started to walk out, his boots crunching on the broken glass which littered the floor. Chloe tried to follow but she had to pick her way mincingly through the minefield of jagged shards.

  Apparently seeing her problem, the big Kindred reached down and scooped her up in one arm.

  “Oh!” Chloe gasped and clung to him with her right arm. (She had the Thin Mints and Krispy Kremes tucked under her left and she wasn’t letting go of them for anything!)

  Carrying her as easily as though she weighed no more than a pillow, Tark strode through the hated weight-loss house and out the wooden door leaving behind the place that had been her prison for so long.

  As they left the construct, Chloe noticed that all the Commercians were gathered at one end of the space station talking earnestly to each other in their high, squeaky voices.

  “Where is Lord Globber?”

  “His ship is still here—is he in it?”

  “Negative—scanners read no life forms aboard.”

  “Then where did he go?”

  Tark moved very quietly for such a big guy and Chloe didn’t even dare to breathe as he simply walked past the Commercians, who had their backs turned to them. He was headed for the far end of the space station where there was a big airlock-looking door which had a round handle like a wheel in the center of it.

  Gripping the handle in his right hand—he was still supporting Chloe effortlessly in the crook of his left arm, as though she were a toddler—the big Kindred spun the wheel… and the door swung open with a loud squeal of metal-on-metal.

  Chloe winced and looked over his shoulder—sure enough, the ungodly noise had gotten the Commercians’ attention.

  “Wait!” squeaked the leader, skittering forward on his skinny blue legs. “Where are you going? This female is ours and you have not paid yet!”

  “Moreover, what have you done to Lord Globber?” demanded another. “He is nowhere to be found!”

  Tark turned his head and glared at them. Chloe knew he couldn’t answer without a great deal of effort so she did it for him.

  “Why should he pay for me when you kidnapped me in the first place?” she demanded. “You don’t own me, you little blue bastards! Tark is an honorable guy and he’s rescuing me from your horrible fat-shaming and starvation diet. So you can all go screw yourselves!”

  Tark gave her an approving nod and strode into the folding accordion-like structure which must lead from the Commercians’ station to his ship. Then he slammed the door in the little blue bastards’ faces and carried her away from her prison once and for all.

  Chapter Six

  The minute they got inside his ship, the big Kindred closed the door to his hull and went around to climb into what was clearly the pilot’s seat. He gestured silently for Chloe to sit beside him in the passenger’s seat and then mimed that she should use the straps to secure herself.

  Fumblingly, she did so. Everything was way too big, but she managed at last to get herself fastened in and the straps tight enough to hold her in place.

  Nodding his approval, Tark turned towards the complicated looking array of controls and moved some levers and pushed some buttons. In front of them where the windshield would have b
een in a car, was a huge, flat screen that appeared to show the space outside the ship.

  Suddenly, the stars and blackness were replaced with the wormy face of the head Commercian.

  “Stop at once,” he squeaked. “You cannot go until you have paid! We will put a bounty on your head and you will never—”

  Tark made what Chloe assumed was a very rude gesture with his right hand—the left was still wrapped in blood-splotched paper towels—and then slapped a button on the dash which caused the image of the Commercian to disappear. He looked at Chloe and raised his eyebrows.

  “R-ruh-ready?” he growled.

  Chloe had a giddy feeling in the pit of her stomach—they were like bank robbers making a get-away!

  Only we didn’t steal any money—we stole me! she thought excitedly.

  “Yes!” she exclaimed, nodding eagerly. “Let’s get out of here—let’s blow this joint!” It was a cheesy, old-fashioned thing to say—something from the old movies she’d used to watch with her Grandma when she was little. But Chloe couldn’t help it—she felt like they were Bonnie and Clyde making a run for it before the police closed in. And besides, the feeling of sudden freedom after being held in the horrible weight-loss house for so long was intoxicating! “Let’s go!” she nearly shouted.

  Tark grinned at her enthusiasm and nodded. Then he punched a button on the control panel and grabbed the steering yoke with his right hand. Before she knew it, Chloe felt as though a huge, invisible hand was pushing back on her and they were rushing forward through space, leaving the Commercians and their horrible prison-station behind.

  It took a little time for the elation to wear off but when it did, the fall was pretty steep.

  What are you doing, Chloe? whispered a disapproving little voice in her head. Running off with a huge Beast Kindred you don’t even know? Why didn’t you ask him to take you back to Earth or at least to the Mother Ship? You could have gotten a ride from there. And now you’re somewhere out in space and who knows what his intentions are or when you’ll ever get home?

  Glancing at him from the corner of her eye, Chloe could feel her heart sinking. He was so big—so menacing-looking. And they hadn’t even had a whole conversation yet. She’d just gone with him on the spur of the moment. Of course it was better than staying in the horrible weight-loss house and waiting for another disgusting customer like Globber the Slimerian to come buy her but still—this was a pretty rash thing she’d just done.

  What were Tark’s intentions towards her? After all, she was sitting there, dressed in nothing but a see-through nighty—what if he was one of those guys who thought you owed them sex after they did something nice for you? What if he was a jerk or a rapist or God-forbid some kind of serial killer?

  Come on, Chloe, she told herself uneasily. Aren’t you letting your imagination run away with you? He might be a big guy but that doesn’t mean he’s necessarily a bad guy too.

  But that line of reasoning only made her think of the conversation she’d had with Amanda about Beast Kindred and their huge equipment. Would she even survive if Tark tried to have sex with her? If his cock was anything like the rest of him, it was extra-extra-extra large and she hadn’t even been with a guy in almost a year. He would split her in half! He was so massive and wild looking, just being near him made her feel tiny and vulnerable and scared. What if he—?

  Suddenly he nodded to himself, punched a button on the console and stood, rising to his full height to loom over her.

  Chloe couldn’t help herself, she shrank back in the chair, squeezing herself into a tight little ball as she stared up at him fearfully. She wasn’t normally one to be intimidated but she’d gotten herself into a bad situation here—out in the literal middle of nowhere with a huge male who could snap her in half like a twig if he wanted to. What had she been thinking?

  Tark stared at her reaction and then frowned.

  “Y-yuh-you w-w-want a d—d—d—” His throat worked convulsively as he worked to get out the sound.

  Blocking again, Chloe thought and strangely, felt herself loosening up. She waited quietly, watching as the big Kindred struggled to communicate. Finally he just shrugged his shoulders and mimed drinking a glass of water. Then he raised his eyebrows at her.

  “A drink? Yes, I’d love one.” Chloe nodded gratefully. “And something to eat too—if you have anything besides protein pellets.”

  He nodded and jerked his head towards the back of the ship, as though inviting her to follow. For a moment, Chloe hesitated. Should she go to an even more secluded area with the big Kindred? What if he intended to slip something into her drink and then carry her off to the bedroom?

  Oh please, she told herself, feeling irritated at her own fear. He’s a big, gorgeous guy—he can have anyone he wants. And you’re not exactly every man’s ideal with your pink hair and your fluffy body type.

  Chloe knew it was true. Even after a month of dieting and exercise at the weight-loss house, she still hadn’t achieved the “ideal” the damn Commercians kept harping on. She had always owned her curves and knew she shouldn’t have to change for anyone. But after weeks of being fat-shamed and told how gross and undesirable she was, her self-confidence was at an all-time low. Which made it easy to tell herself that the big Kindred was just being a decent guy and wanted no part of her.

  You’ll be fine, she lectured herself with a little more conviction than she felt. The Kindred are nice guys, right? Everybody says so, don’t they?

  Still, she hesitated. Then, embarrassingly, her stomach growled.

  “Oh my God!” Chloe clutched a hand to her midsection. “I’m so sorry! I haven’t had breakfast yet—or anything but protein pellets in ages. I just—”

  She stopped when she realized the big Kindred was laughing at her.

  His golden eyes crinkled at the corners and a low rumble came from deep in his broad chest—the first unforced sound she’d heard from him. It was nice—infectious. It made Chloe smile too, despite her embarrassment.

  Tark shook his head and patted his own flat stomach meaningfully, then jerked his head at the back of the ship again.

  “All right, I’ll come with you,” Chloe said sheepishly. “I’m sorry. It’s just you’re such a big guy and I’m, uh, all alone with you here. Not that you’d want to, you know, do anything. I mean, I’m sure I’m not your type and you’d be anybody’s type so it’s kind of a moot point and I just—”

  She stopped abruptly, realizing she was babbling again—and saying some pretty embarrassing things too.

  “Sorry,” she said, feeling her cheeks heat with a blush. “I, uh, tend to talk a lot when I get nervous.”

  He shrugged and pointed to himself, shaking his head.

  Not me, the gesture said. Meaning he probably talked less when he felt stressed. Which made sense since stress definitely made a stutter worse.

  “Right.” Chloe nodded and smiled up at him. “Here…” She picked up the boxes of donuts and Thin Mints. “Dessert.”

  He nodded and led the way to the back of the ship. Chloe followed with almost no hesitation. She didn’t know why his speech problem made her feel more comfortable with him, but somehow it did. Maybe it was because she was used to working with people with speech difficulties and deficits or maybe it just made the huge Kindred seem more human—more approachable somehow. But for whatever reason, she felt a knot that had been growing in her stomach start to loosen a little as she followed Tark to the kitchen.

  * * * * *

  Tark wasn’t sure what was going on with her. Back at the Commercians’ station she’d seemed fearless, but then she’d shrunk away, as though she was afraid of him. Now the little Elite seemed cautious but no longer as worried.

  No, not just Elite—her name is Chloe, he reminded himself. At least, that was what he’d heard the damn Commercians call her. It sounded like the name of a flower to Tark—something small and sweet and pink, just like the little female herself.

  But a flower is a delicate thing—easily
crushed. He reminded himself he needed to be careful with her. These Earth females were so tiny and vulnerable. If she was nervous around him, it was probably because he was so big compared to her.

  He wished he could tell her all that—tell her that he wouldn’t hurt her—that he wouldn’t touch her if she didn’t want him to.

  Of course she doesn’t want you to touch her, whispered a derisive voice in his head. She’s an Elite—she could have any warrior she wanted. She’s not going to pick a male who can’t even get his words out straight.

  And now he wondered if he ever would get them straight. The jewel the prophecy had spoken of was nowhere in the Commercians’ space station. So he must have been wrong—it had to be in the Resort of Resonant Oneness, located deep in the caverns of Fet’lkk Three.

  Tark thought he could probably scrape up the credit to get into the resort to search it, but it was a couples-only retreat, hosted by the Resonant Monks—there was no way they would let him in alone. What in the Seven Hells was he going to do?

  “Hey, you look like you’re deep in thought.”

  Chloe’s soft, clear voice drew him out of his musings and Tark realized he’d been standing in the food-prep area of his ship in front of the sink and staring at nothing while he contemplated what to do.

  “S-suh-orry,” he got out at last, wishing he didn’t sound so damn idiotic when he spoke to her.

  “Here—let me help you.” She reached for his injured left hand—still wrapped in the strange thin paper sheets from the construct domicile—and began to peel them gently away.

  Tark started to stop her…but then decided not to. Although he was perfectly capable of tending to his own injuries, he liked her touch on his skin. Her hands were so soft and small and gentle. They were less than half the size of his, he saw, as she finished peeling away the makeshift bandages.

  “Whew…” Chloe shook her head as she studied his hand. “That guy’s suckers really did a number on you!” She looked up at him, her deep blue eyes meeting his. “Thank you for saving me from him. Being bought by someone—something—like that would have been awful.”