Please dont make this any more difficult than it needs to be.

But Ive already told you I didnt see anything. Your computers were wrong. So I dont see why you need to come in.

Agent Farley, who seemed to be in charge, addressed his next words to the guys whod spilled out of the second suburban and approached.

Take the woman into custody and then search this place.

Hold on a second, she protested as they advanced on her, three men dressed in black combat gear replete with helmets and holstered weapons. s.h.i.t was starting to get uncomfortably serious and tense.

Is there a problem?

Viles sudden question from behind her had her almost groaning. So much for bluffing her way out. Agent Farley would take one peek at his purple face and the jig would end.

Except the guys in front of her didnt react, but they did halt as Agent Farley said, Who are you?

An arm slid around her waist as Vile replied. Her mate of course. My name is John. John Smith.

The most ba.n.a.l name in existence, which matched his totally ba.n.a.l human appearance.

Having peeked at Vile when he replied, Jilly had to consciously remind herself to not let her jaw drop as her previously purple, fanged visitor now sported Caucasian skin, normal, flat-edged teeth, and what appeared to be a plain white T-shirt and jeans.

Odd because pressed against him, her hand clearly touched fabric that was not denim-like in texture.

The file we compiled on the way over made no mention of a boyfriend, said the government honcho with suspicion.

I didnt know big brother was interested in my love life, she retorted, quickly recovering from her shock and doing her best to play along.

Not that it mattered.

Grab him too, Agent Farley ordered.

I would advise against it, Vile/John replied in a low voice at odds with the genial expression on his face.

Now listen here, you are going to let us in so we can search the premises.

But we have nothing to hide, Vile practically purred the words.

Well make our decision on that. Move aside. We need to"

Leave and report to your superiors you found nothing suspicious. Again, the words flowed from Vile in a silky torrent that made her shiver.

We found nothing suspicious, the men, all six of them on her porch, repeated in a freaky monotone.

You investigated the premises, questioned its occupant, and are satisfied she is hiding nothing.

Hiding nothing, they aped.

Leave now.

As if possessed of one mind, the men turned on their heels and marched back to their trucks. In moments, they had turned around and all she could spot were their taillights in the distance.

Theyd left?

Just like that.

Impossible.

Holy s.h.i.t. What the h.e.l.l did you do to them?

I reasoned with them.

That was more than reasoning. Its like you hypnotized them.

Perhaps. But it wont last. With that ominous announcement, Vile relinquished his grip on her and disappeared into her house.

Gaping at the now empty drive, Jilly took a moment to calm herself.

She tried counting.

Oh my G.o.d, the feds were here. But Vile took care of them.

Nails dug into her palms.

He messed with the minds of government agents. That is bad. So bad.

Irritation simmered. Reminding herself that anger accomplished nothing didnt help, especially since Grandma had raised her. Was it any wonder she couldnt stem the explosion?

Chapter Four.

Collector rule number two. Let nothing, especially not morals, stand in the way of you and your needed treasure.

What the h.e.l.l do you mean its temporary?

The human female didnt quite yell at him, but her tone was not docile, or soft. Nor was her expression at all happy.

Mental manipulation is only a short-term tool. Eventually, those with any kind of intelligence will realize theyve been tampered with and override the commands.

So that means those dudes will find out you screwed with them, and come back.

Probably, but by then I should be long gone.

Well la-di-da for you. What about me?

What about you?

Are you truly so self-centered? Thats great that you get to walk away, or should I say zoom off in your flying saucer, but I still have to live here. Id prefer to do so in my house and not behind bars.

They would incarcerate you, a female, for what? Merely being here?

For being an accomplice to whatever it is you did to them. For lying about you even being here. For everything.

He made a moue of distaste. Barbarians. Only female criminals whove done truly heinous things are ever placed in prison. The ratio of males to females in the galaxy is too great for us to punish them at any length.

Well, on Earth, if you do the crime, you do the time, and they dont care if you swing a d.i.c.k or not. f.u.c.k. She turned away from Vhyl and paced before a garishly decorated tree, which was, to his shock, not in a proper pot with soil but cut!

What is that? he said, pointing to it.

Its a Christmas tree. And dont try to change the subject. Because of you, Im going to be in deep s.h.i.t.

I see its a tree, but its been severed from its roots. Why would you do that?

She frowned at him. Because how else would I decorate it?

How about by transplanting it first? Or, even better, decorating it where it grew?

The guy with no morals is getting p.i.s.sy over me cutting a tree. Oh, get over it. Thousands of people do it every year. Its tradition.

The shock of her admission almost made him gasp. Barbaric! Its tradition to kill your plant life?

Not kill. Okay, so maybe the tree dies, but it is part of the holiday. And the tree farms plant new ones to take their place. Did you not study our planet at all before just deciding to drop in?

What he did when going on a mission was known as reconnoitering, never something so emasculating as study. He arched a brow. Studying is for scholars, not warriors.

Hence your ignorance. You know, being smart doesnt make you a dumb warrior.

Its a waste of time that could be spent practicing my skills or indulging in debauchery. Now stop diverting the topic away from yet another sign of your unenlightened nature. I do not grasp why you would ma.s.sacre a tree and do this He gesticulated to the gaudy items hanging from the branches.

We do it because its pretty. See? She leaned over, presenting her luscious backside and, for a moment, easing his incredulity.

The tree lit with dozens of small lights. It made the ornaments twinkle.

She stood back and a pleased expression crossed her face as she stared at the garish display.

He angled his head, left then right. I fail to grasp the appeal.

Your loss. I think its pretty. Although it would be even prettier with a giant mound of cash sitting underneath.

Before Vhyl could reply, a golden glint caught his eye. He leaned closer and grasped a dangling disk, etched with symbols and hung on a branch with a red ribbon. What is this?

A decoration.

Not given how it made his fingers tingle. No. Its not. He plucked it from the tree and held it aloft, spinning it so it caught the light. If I am correct, this is the XiiX.

That ugly thing? Grandma says Grandpa gave it to her, claimed it was some ancient Mayan treasure he picked up when he was in the army As Jilly spoke, her voice trailed off. Holy c.r.a.p. I guess that could be it.

I will require my detection device to make certain, but given it emits a certain hum, Id say it was a foregone conclusion.

And mine. She plucked it from his grasp and tucked it against her protectively.

A moment ago, you declared it was ugly.

It is. Very much so. But its still mine. So if you want it. Cough up.

You wish me to expel air?

She rolled her eyes. Its an expression. Forget it. What I meant is how much are you going to pay me for it?

Pay? Did she jest? Judging by her countenance, no.

He humored her. What type of currency do you accept? Ghurian gems, galactic credits. Ive got a cargo full of goods you can choose from.

She shook her head with each suggestion. None of those are going to work. My bank only understands one thing. Cold, hard cash. If you want this XiiX thing, then youre going to have to pay me for it in American dollars.

Or I can just take it. He reached over to grab it, but she hid it behind her back and shook her head.

No way. The least you can do since youre going to be the possible cause for a lot of grief is compensate me properly for it.

How about I pay you in pleasure? He smiled.

She laughed. If I need an o.r.g.a.s.m, Ill touch myself.

The statement shocked him. A female shouldnt m.a.s.t.u.r.b.a.t.e, especially if a male proves willing to ease her arousal.

Dude, just how repressed are the women in your world?

Honestly, he wouldnt know. He didnt pay much attention to the females in his household, and his bedmates were just that, bedmates. Nothing more.

But perhaps he should revise his stance. Hed never before had such a stimulating time with a member of the opposite s.e.x, at least one that wasnt related to him.

The fact hed found a woman unafraid to defy him and, at the same time, aroused him was a heady combination. Unfortunately, she didnt seem to share the same intrigue.

She rejected me!

Vhyl, turned down by a female?

The universe that revolved around him ground to a halt. He needed to regain control.

I could kill her and take the artifact. But only cowards killed females, and Vhyl was renowned for his bravery. Surely he wasnt about to let a female, and a barbarian one at that, best him.

So if he didnt kill her, what option did that leave? With my strength, I could just take the XiiX, and she couldnt stop me. He could, but again, it didnt seem sporting. He was easily the stronger, faster, and more aggressive of them. Not to mention she might get hurt and, for some reason, that bothered him.