Challa (26 page)

Carefully, he tried not to jiggle the bed too much as he scooted down to the foot and retrieved his prosthetic where he’d dropped it. After that, he slid on his jeans, foregoing a shirt and shoes despite the slight chill in the room. The sweat he’d worked up earlier had dried. The unusually cool evening felt good.

Behind him Challa rolled onto her stomach, unconsciously seeking his warmth. Compton grabbed the quilt that had slid to the floor and covered her with it. He caught a glimpse of platelike scales overlapping her spine, and made a mental note to check them out the next time they made love.

Hmm, haven’t gone the doggie route yet.
Compton grinned. The thought of having Challa bent over to take him from the rear made his dick quiver. The realization he had a promising sex life now nearly made him laugh out loud for joy.

He peeked out the bedroom door, into the hallway. To the right there was a door at the end of the hall, plus another door on the other side of the hall directly across from him. To the left he could make out the living room. Compton pulled the bedroom door, until there was barely a sliver of light to guide him down the corridor.

Feeling his way along the wall, his fingers found a light switch. He closed his eyes before flipping it on, giving himself to the count of ten before opening them. As he’d expected, the kitchen was off the living room, to his right. The light he’d turned on was a lamp near the sofa. But it was bright enough for him to see the refrigerator.

Compton always believed a person’s fridge said more about his lifestyle than the kind of house he lived in, or the model of car he drove, or even the brand of clothes he wore. By his estimation, it was evident from peering inside that somebody had a sweet tooth.

Someone was behind him.

Past training took over. Compton immediately dropped and rolled away from the fridge. There was nothing within reach to use as a weapon, but that didn’t matter. He was well trained in hand-to-hand combat. Crouching, he raised his arms to defend himself, which he knew he was very capable of doing, when the figure leaned against the doorframe.

“You know, other people in this house might get the midnight munchies, too,” a deep voice drawled.

Compton paused then slowly stood. The deputy stood outlined in the doorway between the living room and kitchen. The man was built like a wall, and he cast a long shadow.

“Sorry. I haven’t had anything to eat since this morning. I mean yesterday morning.”

DeGrassi waved it off. “No need to explain. I’m probably the only other person on this earth who knows exactly what you’re going through.” Pointing at the open refrigerator, he added, “I brought a bucket of chicken home last night. Help yourself.”

“Thanks. What about you?”

“Roni makes a damn delicious carrot cake.” DeGrassi chuckled. He stepped into the kitchen and flipped on the overhead light. Compton realized with a start that the man was nude and totally comfortable being that way. It was also obvious the man worked out. Although Compton knew his own physique wasn’t shabby, despite his deformities, DeGrassi had a six-pack Compton could envy.

“Grab some paper plates, would you? I’ll get the goodies.”

There was a pantry to his right. Compton found the plates inside. He also tore some paper towels off the roll near the sink before taking a seat, but not before he noticed the deputy staring at his artificial foot.

“I’d seen the hitch in your giddy-up when you got out of your truck,” the deputy remarked, placing the container of fried chicken on the table in front of him. He added another bowl of something, along with the cake, then went over to the cabinet to get a couple of glasses. “Milk or water?”

“Uhh, milk. Thanks.”

DeGrassi poured two glasses, grabbed a couple of forks from a drawer, and brought them back to the table. “Eat up. The girls won’t hear us.”

Compton stared at him, slowly digesting the fact that they indeed had a lot more in common that what appeared on the surface. He tried to be oblique about studying the naked deputy, but DeGrassi snorted under Compton’s observation.

“You’re wondering how Roni and I got together, right?”

“It had entered my mind.”

The bowl contained a fruit salad. DeGrassi spooned a large helping onto his plate. “Long story short, she was a hooker and I was the cop who busted her.”

“No shit?”

“No shit.”

“Here?”

“No. In Crescent City.”

“How’d you end up here?”

“I was tired of being a homicide detective. I wanted Roni and I to have a new start, and I practically grew up in Tumbril Harbor.”

“Got kinfolk here?”

“My aunt. She raised me after my parents died. I thought Roni would love the national park and all here. Ruinos love being around trees and flowers. Their homeworld was one giant forest, from what I understand. That’s why they love to go running at night.”

That was a fact Compton was unfamiliar with. He stored it away for future reference. “Did you know Jeb and Simon were here?”

“Nope. That was a shock. It’s pretty special how they ended up here in Tumbril Harbor. Incidentally, Simon and Sarah don’t live here. They live in Templeton. Simon works in construction, and Sarah’s a professor of astronomy at the university there. She keeps tabs on the Arra for us. Sometime you need to listen to Hannah tell their story.”

Compton looked around. He started to ask if any of the other Ruinos were in the house, when DeGrassi answered ahead of him. “Simon and Sarah are staying at Jeb and Hannah’s, but the men are outside right now keeping their eyes open for the Arra.”

“What do you mean?”

DeGrassi took a drink. “Every time a Ruinos found a blood mate, those damn pus balls would swoop in to take them away. It happened to Jeb and Hannah, to Simon when he and Sarah made love, and to Roni and me. Thankfully we all barely managed to defeat the bastards. It was Sarah who discovered the Arra had implanted the Ruinos with little homing chips, so that when the blood lines were formed, it would tip them off. Dr. Fitzhugh checked Challa for the implant, but he didn’t find one. We think it’s because Challa was still a child when the Ruinos escaped, and the Arra didn’t put in the implants until a Ruinos reached adulthood.”

“If Challa didn’t have an implant, why are Jeb and—” Compton closed his mouth before finishing his question. He didn’t need to ask because he already knew the answer. And as ex-military, it made perfect sense. In short, it was better to be safe than sorry.

“Roni joined them for a couple of hours, but after Sarah said she saw nothing on the radar to indicate the Arra were on their way, I convinced her to come to bed.”

They ate in relative silence for a short while until Compton spoke again. “You said Jeb and Simon are brothers?”

“Yeah.”

“Is Tiron related?”

“No, but they treat her like a sister. Just like they look on Challa as a younger sibling.” DeGrassi eyed Compton’s bare chest, especially the small scars. “What’s your story? What branch of the military are you in?”

“Was. Army.”

“Wounded in action?”

Compton nodded, grabbing another piece of chicken. “Yeah. My unit got hit with an RPG. Lost my leg at the thigh, tore away one of my balls, and left my schwang looking like a chewed-up dog toy.” He paused, still amazed by the miracle of it all. “I’m having a hard time believing all this.”

The deputy grinned. “Trust me. I was in that twilight zone, too. Okay, don’t get pissed at what I’m about to ask, but you never got laid before you met Challa, did you?”

Compton stared at him in surprise, which made DeGrassi chuckle.

“It’s a cold, hard fact, Compton,” DeGrassi stated. “True blood mates have their first orgasms together.”

“Now I know you’re shittin’ me.”

DeGrassi raised his hand. “God’s truth.”

“Are you sitting there telling me you never—”

“I had a serious case of E.D.,” DeGrassi admitted. “It was a bitch, let me tell you. I must have gone to a dozen doctors and shrinks, but no one had an answer.” His grin widened into a warm smile. “Fortunately, Roni cured me. Sure you don’t want a piece of this cake?”

“No, thanks. Listen, what I’m really wondering about is where Challa and the others came from. What else can you tell me?”

“Short and sweet? Their entire race was kidnapped from their homeworld by those Arra I told you about, and sold as slaves. Sometimes those sick fucks would eat the weak ones, the ones they couldn’t sell. The Ruinos would have become extinct if it hadn’t been for Jeb and Simon. Jebaral and Simolif.”

“The guy with dark hair? Or the blond one?”

“Jeb’s the dark one. Simon is the shorter blond one,” DeGrassi explained. “Anyway, when they saw their chance, Jeb and Simon led a revolt against the Arra. They managed to round up thirty-one of the remaining Ruinos and escape in a tiny ship. It took them two years to reach Earth, but by that time they were out of food and fuel. So they scattered, hoping to live out the rest of their lives in peace.” DeGrassi gave him a narrow-eyed look. “If you think Challa looks wicked with those teeth and talons, just wait until you see Jeb and Simon.”

“Challa said they were an agricultural species,” Compton said.

DeGrassi nodded. “They are, although the Arra forced them to learn how to use their claws to fight.”

A minute passed in silence as they continued eating, and Compton also digested what he’d been told. Wiping his mouth, he said, “You said you took Challa from the carnival to save her and to check her for a homing beacon?”

“Yeah. We initially went to let her know there were other Ruinos still around. That she wasn’t alone. It wasn’t until we got to the carnival that we found out she was dying. At that point our simple visit became a mission of mercy,” DeGrassi confessed. “Roni didn’t want her to die alone. She wanted Challa to be among her own kind. We knew she was dying, but we couldn’t piece together why. It wasn’t until we were bringing her back here that we found out about you.” He grinned. “I contacted the office and had them get me the number of the sheriff’s department in Cooper. I spoke to a Sheriff Barstow, and he gave me your cell phone number.”

That solved that mystery. “Call me dense, but I still don’t understand. Why do the Arra wait? You said they were still looking for them. Why not home in and pick them up now?”

DeGrassi stopped spooning out more diced fruit. “Because the Arra have decimated the Ruinos population so drastically the Ruinos are almost extinct. On the ship the Arra tried to force the Ruinos to mate, but finding a blood mate is a biological thing. It can’t be forced. So they implanted those goddamn things in each adult Ruinos’ arm, and when a blood mating takes place, the beacon goes off, notifying the Arra. They swoop down to kidnap the Ruinos and the mate, take them back to their slave ship, and force the couple to bear children.”

Compton felt the blood draining from his face. “Force the couple? You mean…”

“Yeah. Torture them.”

“Good God. So, how many Ruinos do you think are left on Earth?”

DeGrassi sighed loudly and grimaced. “Jeb said they used to have communication links between nearly a dozen of them, but most of those links have been severed. He doesn’t know why or how. They don’t know how many of the thirty-one who had been onboard the escape craft are still alive, or if there are any left at all on the Arran mothership. That’s why finding Challa is such a miracle. It’s a celebration. More so because she and you were joined.”

The deputy stood to clean up their mess. Compton rose to help.

“Did you get the implant out?”

DeGrassi shook his head. “Didn’t find one. At least, the doc couldn’t find one where the others had had theirs. We figure it was because of Challa’s age.”

“Her age?”

“Challa was born on the slave ship. She was a child when the revolt took place, and she didn’t reach adulthood until just before the escape ship landed here. We figure the Arra didn’t put the implants in them until they reached puberty. Had enough to eat? I know where Roni hides the deviled eggs.”

“No, thanks. I’m fine. Appreciate it, Thom.”

“Hey.” The big man turned to face him. “I’m happy to know there’s now someone else like me, who understands what I’m going through. If you have any questions about anything,
any
thing, just ask, okay?”

Compton hesitated. “Anything?”

DeGrassi paused, waiting.

“Uhh…other than having the usual, like wings and talons and green skin…and two clits?”

DeGrassi gave him a wide grin. “Shocked you, didn’t it?”

“Uhh, yeah. A bit,” Compton admitted, surprised he wasn’t blushing. “Is there anything else I need to know? I mean, so I won’t accidentally hurt her or anything?”

“Did you notice she doesn’t have an anus?”

Compton felt a slight shock go through him. “N-no. Haven’t gotten that far…yet. I guess a little anal play is out of the question, then?”

After chuckling, DeGrassi said, “Trust me. You’ll never miss it. By the way, did you know those evil-looking teeth retract?”

“Already noted.”

“Plus she can see in the dark. In pitch black. You can see their eyes glowing.”

“Yeah. It’s cool. And her wings? They really work?”

“They’re more like gliders,” DeGrassi explained. “She can’t flap them.”