I dont think Ive ever had so much fun, she admitted.

You were made for this kind of lifestyle.

Maybe in your world. In mine, this kind of lifestyle would either kill me or see me landing in jail.

You could come with me when I leave. He made the offer spuriously and, for a moment, wondered if hed had his body taken over by some kind of spirit. But no. As far as he could ascertain, he was in control of his mental faculties. Which means I meant it.

When he dissected the idea further, he could see how Jilly would prove a fascinating companion to bring along on his travels.

There was just one problem with his plan. She didnt want to come.

Sorry, dude, but no thanks. I might drive like a speed demon, but even I know that leaving my planet and everything I know to fly off into s.p.a.ce with an almost virtual stranger is nuts. I mean, we barely know each other.

I would beg to differ. I can state with a.s.surance that I am familiar with most aspects of your body.

Thats physical. Ill admit, when it comes to s.e.x, we are extremely compatible. But a relationship needs more than that to work. Im talking about the other stuff, the mental s.h.i.t. Like love and friendship.

What does that have to do with joining me?

Everything. The very fact you dont grasp it is why I cant go. Maybe aliens like you dont get the whole love thing, but with humans, its huge. Really huge, she added as she swerved around a large truck, only to confront an even bigger one coming at them head-on.

For a moment as she spun the steering contraption, the vehicle lifted and teetered on two wheels before slamming back down.

How Vhyl missed the more stable method of travel exhibited by hovercrafts.

Are you claiming you love me? And why did the thought elate him?

Of course not. Its too soon for that. But, in order for me to give up my life here, my home, everything I know, I should at least hope the possibility of love between us exists.

He couldnt help but make a face. Affection makes a warrior weak.

I highly doubt that. And even if that were the case, its different for humans. We need affection to thrive.

I cannot promise you that.

Then I guess were at an impa.s.se.

So you are saying no, even though we would have grand adventures together?

For a moment she didnt reply, and when she did, she let out a big sigh first. Yeah, its a no.

While the scream of sirens had faded as Jillys expert maneuvering with her archaic land transport gained them a lead, Vhyl could still spot the red and blue flashes of her police force following in the distance.

We should turn off this road when an alternate route becomes available and see if we can lose our pursuers.

Good plan.

With no warning, she spun the wheel, sending the back end of the truck fishtailing before its tires caught the pavement and they shot off in another direction, one lined with trees and dark.

Vhyl held on to the dash, certain he was about to die.

But Jilly managed to keep them upright and on the road.

A miracle.

His wristband beeped.

What now? she asked. More enemies coming?

No. My vessel has made it into your airs.p.a.ce and is currently tracking me overhead. If we can find a large open area, it will only take a few moments of stoppage for it to lower enough to transport me aboard.

Leaving already? She sounded so disappointed. Before he could reply, she snorted. Of course youre leaving. Theres nothing keeping you here. You found the artifact. And its probably best you go before you start some kind of alien war.

True, yet he found himself reluctant to go. Things felt unfinished between him and his barbarian. There is the question of payment.

She waved a hand at him. Forget it. Ill consider the fact Im alive and that you gave me the adventure of a lifetime payment enough. Beside, the quicker youre gone, the quicker I can go back to my old life.

Odd. She refused to leave with him and live a life of adventure and yet, at the same time, seemed less than enthused at the prospect of staying.

And he thought the females of his planet were complicated.

It seemed theyd lost their pursuers for the moment. No lights gleamed behind them, and they only pa.s.sed the occasional pair heading in the opposite direction.

When the forest opened up, the moon chose that moment to unveil itself, illuminating the world in a white glow that reflected off the snow on the ground. A poetic male would have found the scenery beautiful and probably waxed eloquent"which meant Vhyl would have had to kill him. He did so hate the artsy types.

Jilly pulled to the side of the road and did something to extinguish the lights shining from the front of her truck, but she left the engine running, probably so they wouldnt run out of heat. Her world was cold.

However, the low temperature wasnt why she shivered. She might claim they were still almost strangers, but Vhyl begged to differ.

In their short time together, hed learned to read his human. To understand the varied emotions she expressed, both with her face and body language.

Vhyl slid his hand around her nape and drew her close to him, wondering if he could change her mind with a kiss, as he found himself reluctant to leave her.

It made no sense.

I want her.

Not because she would complement his collection of rare and priceless things.

Not because, as an attractive human, shed fetch a high price on the Obsidian market.

Not because she was a fabulous coital partner"although it did help.

Vhyl wanted her because, despite their short acquaintance, he felt a connection to Jilly. An urge to discover the different facets of her personality. A desire to further explore her intriguing personality and nature. A need to protect her imbued him. A jealousy that another might kiss those lips burned him.

So many things he felt.

Felt?

What the frukx?

Was he suffering from the human emotion she kept calling love?

Argh. Ive caught an Earthling disease.

Yet oddly enough he didnt crave a cure.

He thought all these things as he kissed her, but he said nothing aloud. Warriors did not speak of their mental turmoil. They did not admit to emotion unless it was to tell their enemy how much they hated them and looked forward to disemboweling them.

A warrior most certainly never told a female that a lifetime without her seemed bleak and not worth living.

The air in the truck steamed with the frenzy of their kiss. Just about to yank her onto his lap to see if they could contort themselves enough to indulge in carnal play, he could have shot down his own vessel when it suddenly arrived, hovering overhead and drenching the outside in darkness as it blocked the glow from the moon.

Jilly pulled away from the kiss first. In a soft voice she said, Your ride is here.

Come with me. He didnt quite beg, but he winced at his request, unable to believe hed asked yet again.

His weakness when it came to this female was revolting, and yet he couldnt help it. He wanted her.

She didnt immediately say no. What if I did and things didnt work out?

Then I would return you. My word. Which, despite his mercenary ways, was worth its weight in precious gems.

Warriors rarely made a promise, but when they did, honor made them keep it. Some thought that odd, given their penchant for rule breaking, but as the mercenary handbook said in one of its many education chapters, Breaking a vow is easy. Too easy. A true mercenary takes the harder path always.

I dont know. Maybe we"

Whatever reply she meant to give was lost as an explosion rocked the ground. Her truck trembled.

What the f.u.c.k was that? she yelled.

After all theyd been through, she really had to ask?

My enemy, of course.

Chapter Nine.

Dont be stupid. If someone is shooting at you, take cover. " Grandpas not often heard philosophy because Grandma usually slapped him in the arm and said, Shut up, Merle. Everyone knows the smart thing to do is fire on the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds and take em out.

When Vile dove out of the truck, Jilly didnt immediately follow. One, because she was still stunned by his request she go with him, and two, there was a f.u.c.king alien shooting laser beams, which really didnt seem conducive to staying alive.

Wouldnt you know, one of them sliced across the hood of her truck. More than sliced, it carved off the whole front end, which hit the ground with a thump.

My truck. My precious baby.

Killed. By a f.u.c.king jelly-tentacled Martian.

If ever shed wished for a flamethrower"and had Grandma lived shed have surely wrapped one for Jilly under the Christmas tree"it was now.

Vile ripped open the driver door. Are you trying to die? Get out of the frukxing vehicle.

Since her truck seemed a target rather than a haven, Jilly obeyed. Two feet on the shaking ground, though, didnt mean she knew where to go. Exactly where did Vile think she could flee that was safe? An open field, with singed furrows in the snow, didnt exactly provide cover.

He noted her hesitation and deduced the cause. Head for my ship, he yelled. I will hold Mo and his progeny off.

Easier said than done considering his enemy was making snow melt with wild sweeps of his laser gun.

When one made the toe of her boot smoke because the glowing ray came so close, she retreated back to the shadow of her truck, where at least she didnt make such an inviting target. It also blocked her view of what was happening, though. Standing behind a wheel, lest she lose more than a toe if a laser swept beneath the undercarriage, she peeked over the truck bed.

One big purple dude in a s.p.a.ce jumpsuit racing full-tilt across the road, yelling some battle cry? Check.

One human gaping in astonishment and wondering how shed gone from worrying about the bank foreclosing to staying alive in an alien attack? Check-ing into a mental asylum because she was sure no one would ever believe her.

How Vile managed to dodge the laser burst, she couldnt have said. Each time she blinked against the brightness, he was in a different spot while his last location smoked a crater.

Given his hands were empty, she wondered what he planned. Somehow she didnt think choking Jelly dude would prove effective.

But Vile had a different plan in mind.

He aimed his finger at Mo, and in the sudden silence that came between the laser bursts, she could have sworn she heard him say. Bang. Youre dead.

Less bang and more like sizzle. But not from Viles purple digit.

His s.p.a.cecraft was the one to shoot a molten stream of fire. At least she a.s.sumed the blue and white streak was fire, given it hit Mo and ignited the tentacled blob. With only a tiny squeal"kind of anticlimactic if you asked her"jelly guy melted into a bubbling glob of goo. Glowing green goo, which shed bet was radioactive, and would probably cause some interesting crops to grow in that spot next spring.

(Actually, as it turned out, according to the news she read a year later, the area had the oddest infestation of waggling, almost tentacle eared bunnies who seemed to be multiplying quicker than usual.) Given the fate of his sire, Mini-me tried to run. Or slither. Whatever you called his attempt to escape, it failed and he suffered the same fate. Poor thing.

Not.

A quiet swept the land, even though a giant saucer hovered overhead. Neat technology those engines of Vhyl that didnt even rumble. But not as cool as the purple hunk striding toward her.

A hunk who frowned in displeasure.

I thought I told you to get on my ship.

One. I would have died before making it. Two. Exactly how do you get on the d.a.m.ned thing? Because she didnt see a ramp or stairs. h.e.l.l, it didnt even have a cool tractor beam thing like most sci-fi movies portrayed.

I forget you know little of our technology.

Try knows nothing of your technology. And never would. The reminder kind of depressed her. She scuffed a foot across the ground. So I guess this is goodbye.