Finding the Jewel Read online

  She made herself stop, realizing she was babbling. Taking a deep breath, she looked up into his molten gold eyes.

  “Please,” she said simply. “Please don’t leave me here. Wherever you’re going, take me with you.”

  He looked at her for a long moment and then nodded agreement.

  Chloe let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding in a rush of relief.

  “Thank you,” she said quickly. “Thank you, you won’t be sorry.”

  He nodded again. “N-nuh-need to g-g-go.”

  He started to turn but Chloe caught him by the elbow.

  “Yes, but first let me ask you something,” she said. “You’re really strong, right? Like incredibly strong—especially this hand.” She tapped his right hand with the metal glove.

  Tark shrugged and nodded as if to say, Yeah, I’m strong. So what?

  “Well, I wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself,” Chloe said. “Especially since you already got hurt defending me once. But…do you think you could smash through that glass for me?”

  She pointed at the glass front of the pantry, which the big Kindred had previously ignored after scanning its contents and apparently not seeing what he was after.

  He nodded again and pulled back his huge fist, the metal glove glinting ominously in the overhead lights.

  Chloe grinned. “All right, Mr. Pantry,” she said to the hated appliance. “Get ready to give up the goods.”

  “I don’t think so, Chloe,” the pantry replied primly. “You know you don’t get any treats from me unless you work for them. Now if you’d like to go exercise for an hour or two—”

  The huge Kindred’s fist smashing through its glass shut the damn thing up once and for all.

  Chloe gasped in delight as he drew back, leaving the way clear to the goodies. She reached in carefully, avoiding the jagged shards of glass, and snagged the Krispy Kreme donuts and the box of Thin Mints. The tiny cherry tarts had been sprinkled with broken glass, so she regretfully had to leave them.

  But two out of three isn’t bad, she told herself as she tucked the treasured goodies under one arm.

  “Thank you,” she said, looking up at the big Beast Kindred. “Thank you so much.”

  He nodded and grinned at her again, his golden eyes crinkling at the corners in a way that was really cute, though that seemed like an odd way to describe such a big, scary warrior. He had really long lashes for a man, Chloe couldn’t help noticing. They made him even more gorgeous.

  “Thank you, Tark,” she breathed again, looking up at him. For his part, the big Kindred bent down, as though to get closer to her. “I just—” Chloe began, not sure what she was going to say.

  “What’s this? What’s all this?”

  The shrill voice of the head Commercian cut into the moment they had been having. (Had they been having a moment?) With a big, gorgeous guy like him—get real, scoffed a little voice in her head.

  “What has happened here?” the head Commercian squeaked, his eyes swiveling on their stalks as he surveyed the broken glass everywhere. “What is going on and where is Lord Globber?”

  Tark frowned but Chloe stepped in quickly.

  “Oh, he left,” she said. “He got really mad after I told him I preferred Tark here to him…” She positioned herself in front of the big Kindred and wrapped an arm around his lean waist, hiding his wounded hand with her body. “But first he punched a hole in the pantry—he was really upset. I guess Slimerians have bad tempers.” She shrugged.

  “He left?” the Commercian exclaimed. “But…but he was so eager to purchase you! There was going to be a bidding war!”

  “Sorry.” Chloe shrugged, though inside she felt positively gleeful about denying the kidnapping blue bastard his big payday. “He said I was too skinny for his taste anyway,” she said, wanting to add insult to injury. “He said if you hadn’t starved me down to this size, he might have been more interested. But as it was…” She shrugged again as if to say, what can you do?

  “But…but I didn’t see him leave!” the head Commercian protested. “There is only one way in and out of this construct—how could he get out without my knowing?”

  Oops—that was a problem.

  “Oh, didn’t you see him leaving as you were coming in?” Chloe asked innocently. “You must have just passed each other going different directions. He just left. If you hurry you might catch him and try to change his mind,” she added.

  “I must go—I must catch him!” the Commercian babbled. Quickly, he skittered away on his skinny blue legs. Chloe shivered as she watched him go—the way the Commercians moved reminded her of a documentary she’d seen once about the Giant Dessert Centipede. Gross.

  “Come on,” she said to Tark. “Let’s get out of here.”

  He gave a swift, short nod and started to walk out, his boots crunching on the broken glass which littered the floor. Chloe tried to follow but she had to pick her way mincingly through the minefield of jagged shards.

  Apparently seeing her problem, the big Kindred reached down and scooped her up in one arm.

  “Oh!” Chloe gasped and clung to him with her right arm. (She had the Thin Mints and Krispy Kremes tucked under her left and she wasn’t letting go of them for anything!)

  Carrying her as easily as though she weighed no more than a pillow, Tark strode through the hated weight-loss house and out the wooden door leaving behind the place that had been her prison for so long.

  As they left the construct, Chloe noticed that all the Commercians were gathered at one end of the space station talking earnestly to each other in their high, squeaky voices.

  “Where is Lord Globber?”

  “His ship is still here—is he in it?”

  “Negative—scanners read no life forms aboard.”

  “Then where did he go?”

  Tark moved very quietly for such a big guy and Chloe didn’t even dare to breathe as he simply walked past the Commercians, who had their backs turned to them. He was headed for the far end of the space station where there was a big airlock-looking door which had a round handle like a wheel in the center of it.

  Gripping the handle in his right hand—he was still supporting Chloe effortlessly in the crook of his left arm, as though she were a toddler—the big Kindred spun the wheel… and the door swung open with a loud squeal of metal-on-metal.

  Chloe winced and looked over his shoulder—sure enough, the ungodly noise had gotten the Commercians’ attention.

  “Wait!” squeaked the leader, skittering forward on his skinny blue legs. “Where are you going? This female is ours and you have not paid yet!”

  “Moreover, what have you done to Lord Globber?” demanded another. “He is nowhere to be found!”

  Tark turned his head and glared at them. Chloe knew he couldn’t answer without a great deal of effort so she did it for him.

  “Why should he pay for me when you kidnapped me in the first place?” she demanded. “You don’t own me, you little blue bastards! Tark is an honorable guy and he’s rescuing me from your horrible fat-shaming and starvation diet. So you can all go screw yourselves!”

  Tark gave her an approving nod and strode into the folding accordion-like structure which must lead from the Commercians’ station to his ship. Then he slammed the door in the little blue bastards’ faces and carried her away from her prison once and for all.

  Chapter Six

  The minute they got inside his ship, the big Kindred closed the door to his hull and went around to climb into what was clearly the pilot’s seat. He gestured silently for Chloe to sit beside him in the passenger’s seat and then mimed that she should use the straps to secure herself.

  Fumblingly, she did so. Everything was way too big, but she managed at last to get herself fastened in and the straps tight enough to hold her in place.

  Nodding his approval, Tark turned towards the complicated looking array of controls and moved some levers and pushed some buttons. In front of them where the windshield would have b