Page 5 of Caldar
Walk with purpose. Act like you belong.That was the number one tip to avoiding trouble.
She forced her shoulders to relax and eased her grip on her bag, focusing on the impression she wanted to project. She was in a hurry, but she wasn’t scared. Don’t mess with her. There were easier targets.
It didn’t work.
A tall figure stepped onto the path, just outside the bubble of lamplight.
Sonia spun around, ready to run.
Two more emerged, flanking her.
Three against one.
Not that Sonia was a fighter. She took a self-defense class ages ago and used to do kickboxing on the weekend to manage stress, but none of that came close to being able to fight back.
Sonia held out a hand. “Take my credit stick. That’s all I have.” It would suck losing her money, but she had another credit stick in her cabin. Better to lose money than her life.
The tall one shuffled forward from the shadows. “We’ll take the bag, too.”
She clutched the bag against her chest. “There’s nothing in here, just my sketchbook and pencils.”
The tall one grabbed her bag and shoved her to the ground. Several things happened at once. Caldar emerged from literally nowhere. He moved fast, but the muggers outnumbered him. Apparently, that really didn’t matter. There were shouts of pain. Bodies hit the ground.
Sonia watched through her fingers, horrified but unable to look away. It wasn’t a smooth, choreographed fight like in a film. It was frustratingly sluggish at parts, Caldar waiting for the muggers to charge. He moved elegantly, but only at the right moment. He dodged, landed a kick. He grabbed an arm and twisted it, snapping the bone. He threw a man over his shoulders, slamming him hard into the ground.
Then, as quickly as it started, it was over.
Caldar crouched down to the unconscious man, placing two fingers on the side of the man’s throat. “He breathes. I will call the medics and law enforcement.”
“No cops,” she snapped. The last thing she wanted was the authorities getting involved. Her tourist visa was totally legit, but certain aspects wouldn’t stand up to scrutiny.
Caldar made a noise as he stood, like he knew exactly why she didn’t want the police involved.
“What? It wasn’t my fault,” she said. “I bought tickets for a two-year cruise, and I’m going to enjoy my two years without worrying about testing.” Yeah, even if she wasn’t on Earth, she still had to be tested. As long as Sonia was in a system with an active Mahdfel treaty, and all the known systems were Mahdfel territory, she had to be tested.
It sucked. The only way to get out of mandatory testing was to be married or engaged or have kids. Sonia had no intention of rushing down the aisle or spawning. But a fake engagement? Sure. A coworker from the call center volunteered in exchange for a hefty “gift,” they posted a few photos of themselves having drinks on social media, aced the visa interview, and got a lovely “exempt” stamp on her passport.
Why was she on a yearslong star cruise without her fiancé? Shh. Don’t ask questions.
That was how Sonia had spent the last year, keeping her head down and avoiding trouble, at least until her alien stalker showed up.
She pressed her hand to her chest, her heart still racing. This was Caldar’s fault. She didn’t know how, but it was.
“I can say you are my mate. No one will think to verify your credentials,” Caldar said.
“Oh, no, absolutely not. I know about you aliens. You’re all, my mate, mine, mine, mine.”
He licked his lips, and her gazedid notfollow his tongue.
Fine. She looked. She liked him. A little.
“I enjoy the way you say that,” he said, then growled. Literally growled.
Her breath hitched at the sound, absolutely primal and raw with desire.
“Perhaps one day you will say it—”
Sonia held up a hand to stop whatever nonsense he was about to spout. “I got a shuttle to catch.”
