"Yes," he gasped.

Dervinias dropped him and spoke to the girls. "Good. Remember to be careful. Her guardian can read her mind as well as yours. I'll make sure he's incapacitated. So if you make it quick, he won't realize anything's happened until it's too late. I'd kill her myself, but I'll need an alibi." They each looked at him with uncertainty. He was sure they wanted more information. Like little children, he could almost hear their whining.

But there was no way he'd kill her. Not with the curse the G.o.ds had placed upon him. He'd rather live eternally amongst humans than forever in the lowest realm of Helker. A fate worse than death.

Besides it wouldn't be long now before he'd created a new race. A species that would call him a G.o.d.

"We'll do it," Kelvin said.

"Of course you will," Dervinias agreed.

17. Another One Bites The Dust.

Venus had no idea what time it was. The dreams and memories she'd witnessed in Michael's mind hung over her thoughts like wet clothes. She pulled back the covers, about to get out of bed and get a drink, when she heard a shuffling noise in the hallway, outside her bedroom. If it'd been Zaren, she wouldn't have heard him, so it had to be someone else.

"Dervinias," she whispered, figuring he'd come home from the party.

The noise stopped, but she watched the door handle turn slowly. Moving forward, she went to see what Dervinias wanted. He bugged her with his incessant cheerfulness, like an obnoxious Mary Poppins. Worse, Venus knew he made Zaren uneasy. That's all the warning she needed about the guy.

Three. Two. One. She flung the door open and immediately took a step back, shocked to see a very tall, very bulky person at the threshold. It wasn't Dervinias. She knew this because of his height and width, but she had no idea who he was. His face covered in shadows by the hood over his head.

Her body was still heavy with sleepiness, but she worked to sound tough. "Who are you? Are you one of Dervinias's friends?"

"I'm the death of you, gorgeous," he said, softly, his tone and inflections exposing his youth and confidence. Hulking, but obviously a teen. From behind his back, he revealed a large knife, the blade long and curved, like a sickle.

Venus felt her pupils grow large-not in fear-but in preparation. This boy had no idea who he planned to murder. She'd been trained in more than one form of what humans called martial arts, but the warriors she'd studied under weren't from this little planet. If she wanted to, she could slaughter this poor kid with his own knife before he knew what happened.

"I think you've got that backward, you overgrown mingtar. If you don't leave now, I'll be the death of you."

He raised his head and Venus squinted, working to see his face. "That's not what he told me. He said you'd be easy to kill. You're tiny. Killing you will be like snapping a hummingbird's bones." He sounded less sure of himself, though. The knife in his hand drooped slightly.

She bent her knees, shifted her feet to find a more grounded center. Through her nose, she took a deep breath . . . and choked on the stifling air. Multiple coughs racked her body.

Cret! She'd momentarily forgotten what the air was doing to her lungs, her body.

Luckily she had enough sense to put her hands into their striking position-elbows bent, hands up, palms facing forward.

"Leave," she'd meant to yell. The word came out strangled.

He lunged at her. "No. I won't leave until you're dead. I can't." The boy spat the words, like they were dirty.

She stepped forward as he came at her, keeping her body low. Her intent had been to flip him over her left shoulder, causing him to land on his head. He went over her shoulder all right, but she wasn't prepared for his weight. It was like he paused in midair before mashing down on top of her, pushing her stomach to the floor. Her chin smacked against the carpet. His weight nearly knocked Venus out. As if that weren't bad enough, the stink of his body odor-rotten eggs-caused her to gag. Venus heard him groan a curse, his knife clanged against something, probably her bed frame.

With great effort she tried to push him off, but he was too heavy. Flailing about, he made a klutzy effort to untangle himself from her.

"Are you a boy or a baboon?" she hissed, frustrated she hadn't been stealthier. Her Senji master would be humiliated if he'd witnessed this tragedy.

When she felt the kid's weight shift, Venus scrambled from under him, and onto her feet, facing his hulking figure. He jumped up, knife in hand. It gleamed in the moonlight that shone through the window. She steadied herself, finding center, waiting for him to come at her again. This time she'd make Master Yoiru proud.

"Arrrrgggghhhh," he roared, shaking his head, reminding her of a lion.

"You ready to call this quits? Maybe you want to try again some other time, when you aren't such a clumsy ox?" Venus tried on an evil smile, hoping to intimidate him.

"Listen, I don't have a choice. He said it's your destiny-"

He couldn't finish. Dervinias was suddenly at his throat, a hand over his mouth. He wasn't as tall or as wide as the huge boy, but it didn't matter. Dervinias was stronger-much stronger. Venus watched the boys eyes grow wide, she guessed in fear. The boy looked like he wanted to talk, but he didn't get the chance. Dervinias twisted. Venus heard the sickening snap of his neck and watched his body drop, like a bowling ball, onto her carpet.

"Did you have to kill him?" she shouted. Her rubbery legs carried her forward.

"He tried to kill you and you didn't seem to be dealing. Lucky I came home when I did," he said, full of c.o.c.kiness.

"He was just a boy." Venus slugged Dervinias in the arm, still too weak to show more rage. She fell to her knees next to the boy's head. "I'm so sorry." With two fingers, she lowered his lids over his empty eyes. "What are we going to do? Zaren will know."

She stood and yelled, "Zaren." When he didn't come right away, she called again, louder. "Formytian." To Dervinias, she asked, "Where is he?"

"He's probably exhausted. Leave him be. I'll take care of it." Venus heard the biting tone rip from his throat.

"What's your plan?" She crossed her arms.

"Does it matter? Go sleep on the couch. I'll handle it," he growled, facing her.

She sighed, unbidden tears glossing over her vision. "Why did he want to kill me?" she whispered.

He shook his head, turning back to the boy. "I don't know."

She needed to leave the room. The smell of death already permeated the air. Careful not to let any of the white comforter touch the floor, she carried it into the living room. Venus wanted to see Zaren. He should've been with her, but the bedroom door remained shut. She shrugged it off, knowing nothing on this planet could harm him, figuring it was as Dervinias said. He'd been exhausted.

Lying on the lumpy red couch, she tried to go back to sleep, but it was difficult. She wondered what the teen had meant about her destiny. The boy had been trying to do someone else's bidding. Whose?

She was also curious about what Dervinias might be doing. With the boys body? With the room?

Overhead, the ceiling fan whirred and she watched it until fatigue finally hit. There was much to do in the morning, lots to talk about. Venus still had to make the rude human boy, Michael, fall in love.

18. Forever Young.

Dervinias lived in a tiny house. The kitchen/dining area felt cramped with the three of them pressed into the rickety, black table, which snuggled next to a rusty-red stove. Behind Venus, the morning sun shone through the window. Its warmth, along with the heat of the stove, was making her sweat.

"Where's the body?" Zaren asked through clenched teeth. The table separated Venus and Zaren, yet she still felt the force of his anger. He wouldn't meet her eyes, and she figured he was mad at her, too.

"It doesn't matter. All you need to know is that I have some people who helped out. He'll be found. His family will be able to mourn the crazy s...o...b.. . . . It's all good," Dervinias said, forking a piece of pancake and shoveling it in his mouth.

Zaren pounded a fist on the table, rattling the silverware. A bit of her milk spilled. Venus rose to get a towel and clean up.

"I'm sorry, Zaren." She kept her focus on wiping up the mess.

Tenderly, he replied, "Venus, you've no reason to apologize. I'm the one who's sorry. I should've been there to help you. I can't understand why I slept through your danger." She looked up in time to see him glare at Dervinias.

"What?" Dervinias smirked. "Be grateful I arrived when I did or you'd have a dead princess on your hands."

"The kid was working for someone else. He kept saying *he'. He also mentioned my destiny. Where would he get such ideas?" Venus chimed in, throwing the wet towel at Dervinius.

"Don't look at me, unless you want to say thank you for my saving your life. You could be a bit more grateful."

She didn't feel grat.i.tude though. She felt angry, edgy. "Thank you."

"And you," He threw the towel at Zaren and continued, "sleeping through the whole thing. Did you dip into the alcohol last night? Sip a little too much sauce?"

"I don't know . . ."

Rage flashed through her. How dare he speak to Zaren that way? "Speaking of dead, I have six days to make Michael fall in love or your rescue won't matter."

Zaren heaved a deep sigh, but she continued to focus on Dervinias.

"True. You'd better get crackin!" Dervinias stuffed another bite of pancake in his mouth and then took a huge gulp of milk.

Venus wanted to wipe the floor with his arrogant hide. Grabbing her fork, she stabbed it into her breakfast. Pancakes. The food she'd been most excited about trying. She'd read about them, drooled over the imagined flavor. Now that she finally had the chance to try them, her excitement was tempered by memories of the dead boy.

Still, the pancakes on her plate were large, thick and fluffy. The brown syrup covering them tasted delicious. Dervinias had warmed it and his house smelled of maple and b.u.t.ter. Better than the death stench in my room. Even with everything that had happened, Venus managed to eat three. They tasted better than she'd expected. Problem was she'd overdone it. Her tummy rumbled in frustration.

Venus pushed her plate away and studied Dervinias. His physical appearance remained close to that of a kel before the change, except his skin, which was exceptionally tan. His hair was white-blond and his eyes were dark gray. At the moment, he wore a light pair of jeans, black boots and a plain gray t-shirt. A lanky guy. Very handsome. He'd made all the ladies giddy at dinner last night, including their middle-aged waitress. Why go to high school? At his age, it must've been boring for him.

"Quite the contrary, I find high school on this planet fascinating."

"So you can read my mind? My thoughts?" That explains a lot! "What the cret!" Venus frowned. "Is this a quirk of all kelvieri or just you?" She had to wonder how much of her thoughts Zaren had listened in on. Very intrusive! She thrust a harsh look at him.

"Princess, this only recently occurred, for me anyway. It must have something to do with our being on Earth. I can't read Dervinias, only humans . . . and you. I've made every effort to avoid intruding on your mind." He sounded genuine.

"I see." She once again frowned at Dervinias. She believed Zaren. He was good, trustworthy. He'd lay down his life for her if necessary. Venus had no reason to suppose he wasn't telling the truth.

"Vinny, stay out! It isn't nice to invade a person's mind. But, since you brought it up, what's so great about it? High School."

"Everything. The drama. The way teenagers react to life." He paused and gave a huge grin. "And the girls get prettier each time I attend."

"Each time? You've gone more than once?" Venus couldn't help but glare. A shallow kelvieri.

Surprise. Surprise.

"I'm not shallow. I know what I like. And this is my third time. Once in Hawaii. Man, I loved the surfing and the laid back local girls. Then I went to a private school in New York. Those girls are gorgeous, driven and, oh sooooo uptight. Now here. I can understand why the West was won." He shoveled another bite of pancake in his mouth, winked, chewed twice and then swallowed. "First time playing football though. I love it."

"Mm-hmm. A question?"

"Yes?"

"Why'd you take Cheverly to that lake, of all places? Especially since she and Michael were together?"

At least now she wouldn't have to go into detail about her entering Michael's memories and dreams last night. No need to, what with the alien mind-readers in the room! Especially the blond one. Venus fumed. For a two-hundred-year-old kelvieri, he seemed kind of dense. Definitely insensitive, rude and completely c.o.c.ky. She hadn't known him for long, but she didn't like him. Even if he had saved her last night.

"Why not take her?" He gave her a boyish grin.

"You're so crude." She shook her head. He didn't seem to care that he'd been the cause of breaking up two people. Nor did he seem bothered that he killed a child last night.

Venus ached with guilt over the death. An emotion she wasn't fond of-at all. Yes, she probably would've killed him herself, if it'd come down to it. First, though, she would've questioned him, tried to figure out why he wanted her dead. Sadly, at this point, she couldn't change anything. The damage had been done.

If she didn't come up with a plan to help Michael, none of this idiocy would matter. She had to focus on getting home.

Zaren rubbed his temples. He didn't seem to be enjoying the pancakes as much as Venus had. Part of the first one still sat on his plate getting soggy. "She needs to get close to the boy and fast. It'd be practical if she could attend this school. Perhaps as your guest. Do you think that's possible? He needs to get to know her, start trusting her."

"Of course it's possible. I've got the front desk lady wrapped around my s.e.xy alien finger." He held up his pinky.

"You know, I've been thinking about it. Maybe he doesn't need to get to know me. Maybe I need to get to him through Cheverly."

Both Dervinias and Zaren looked at her.

"Interesting," Dervinias said. "Why do you say that, V?"

She shot him a dirty look. "Well, it's simple. I'm positive Cheverly still loves Michael. And I know, up until two days ago, Michael believed he loved her, so I need to get them back together and there you go. True love. I get to go home and figure out who did this to me."

Zaren nodded. He seemed to approve, but Dervinias had a curious look on his face.

"What? You don't think it'll work?"

"You know there's a difference between love and true love, right?" He winked before popping another huge bite of pancake in his mouth.

It was Venus's turn to slam her fist on the table. "It's a start, Vinny. Why did you take her to the lake?" she yelled.

He shrugged. "She wanted to go and I wanted to take her. I had no idea you were coming and that you'd be required to accomplish such a-an interesting task. She's hot." He shrugged again. "Sadly, Hawke called her and nothing happened. I'll keep my paws off now that I know what your plans are." He lifted his hands up, like Venus had seen actors do in the movies when they were held at gunpoint. "Promise." He smirked and chugged the rest of his milk. Checking his watch he said, "Well, if you guys are coming to school with me, you'd better get a move on."

Zaren seemed about to protest. Before he could say anything, Venus said, "You're my guar- . . . my friend. If I'm going, so are you."

He picked up his plate and put it in the sink. As the water ran, Venus waited, watching the strange way dishes were cleaned on this planet. It seemed so much more beneficial to use particle soap and steam-dizipter-the way everything got cleaned on Kelari.

Zaren turned to her and waved a hand toward the sink. "They still have a lot to learn, Princess."

She snorted and he turned back to his task. She watched his muscles flex through his white t-shirt and wondered if he'd grown tired of her. If he was sorry he'd come after her. She'd released him from his Formytian vow, and he was no longer obligated. Truthfully, she was glad he stayed. She needed him.

The water clicked off and he turned. "I'll never leave you and I'll always be both-your Formytian and your friend." Their shoulders brushed when he reached her. Zaren paused, a sensation she barely felt.

She wanted to fold herself into his arms, allow him to stroke her hair . . .

"We're going to be late, Princess." Dervinias tossed his dirty dishes in the sink and pushed past them. "Move it!"