Chapter Three
Vaulcron had never been so glad to see the ground as he was when they landed. He hurried off the plane, fighting nausea with every step. Yeah, air travel was not his forte.
Mallory followed him out, waving to a man in a dark suit. “Hi, Clarence. Would you mind grabbing our bags?”
The one Mallory referred to as Clarence stopped short, his mouth hanging open in obvious shock.
“The bags,” Mallory reiterated in a clipped voice. She took hold of Vaulcron’s hand and led him to a sleek black car.
“Don’t mind Clarence,” she murmured, opening the back door and slipping inside. “He’ll keep quiet about this. He owes me.”
Vaulcron folded his large frame inside the open car door and climbed in behind her.
Clarence loaded the bags into the trunk and shut Vaulcron’s door before situating himself behind the wheel. He kept his eyes facing forward. “Where to, Miss Cahill?”
“My place,” she responded, pulling a cell phone from her purse.
Vaulcron listened as she spoke about a food delivery into the phone. His stomach growled on cue.
“I hope you’re hungry?” Mallory dropped the cell phone into her bag and turned to face him.
Vaulcron grinned. “I could eat a shark.”
A chuckle escaped her pretty pink mouth. “How about salmon wrapped in rice?”
“Abbie has made that before,” Vaulcron admitted. “I found it tasty. But then, most of the human foods I have had were more than delicious.”
They rode in silence the rest of the short trip to the reporter’s home with Vaulcron watching out the window, taking in the incredible view of Destin. “It amazes me how the humans build their structures into the sky. It cannot be a safe place to reside.”
Mallory raised a dainty brow. “As opposed to living in the gulf?”
“We do not live in the gulf, Mallory. We live under it.”
“Pardon?” she murmured, staring at him through wide eyes.
“Aukrabah lies beneath the gulf’s floor, not above it.”
Mallory’s mouth opened and closed. “As much as I am dying to know more, we have arrived. We’ll talk more over dinner.”
The car came to a sudden stop outside a quaint little house surrounded by white hills and palm trees. “This is your home?” Vaulcron asked, impressed with the reporter’s dwelling.
“Yes. It belonged to my parents.”
Vaulcron watched as Clarence got out and opened Mallory’s door. She mumbled something to the driver before handing him a few bills that the humans referred to as money.
Clarence skirted the vehicle and opened Vaulcron’s door as well.
Vaulcron stepped from the car, rising to his full height. “Thank you,” he murmured, hating the fear that entered the driver’s eyes. “I am sorry that I have no money to give, but I wish for you to accept this as a token of my appreciation.”
Digging into his shorts pocket, Vaulcron fished out a small ruby stone that he’d found on the gulf’s floor during his swim to Cuba.
The driver’s face paled. His hands shook slightly as he accepted the stone from Vaulcron. “You’re giving this to me?”
Vaulcron nodded, confused by man’s reaction. “It is all that I have.”
Clarence accepted the gift with a smile that transformed his face from foe to friend. “I will treasure it. If you need anything else while you’re here, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
Mallory stepped up beside Vaulcron and touched him on the arm. “Let’s get inside before we’re seen.”
“Thanks again,” Clarence gushed, jogging around the car to the driver’s side.
Vaulcron followed Mallory to the door of her home and waited while she inserted a key into the lock and pushed the door wide.
She stepped over the threshold and urged him inside. “I’m going to change my clothes. Have a seat, or look around if you’d like. I won’t be but a minute.”
Vaulcron’s gaze zeroed in on the sway of her hips as she trailed off down a hallway. He could feel the blood pooling in his shaft with every step she took.
Adjusting himself into a more comfortable position behind his sharkskin shorts, Vaulcron made his way into the front room and took a seat on the couch.
Mallory’s scent surrounded him in a seductive haze. He breathed deep, taking her into himself, basking in the essence of her sweet flavor.
“Would you like to watch some television?”
The sound of her voice startled him. He’d been so caught up in her incredible scent he hadn’t heard her return.
“If that is what…” His voice trailed off as he took in her attire.
She wore a white tank top that clung to her body, leaving little to the imagination. And man, did Vaulcron have an imagination. The tan shorts she’d donned rode low on her hips with a hint of her stomach showing.
Mallory tugged at the hem of her shirt. “Is something wrong?”
“Wrong?” Vaulcron shook off his lustful thoughts and met her gaze. “I was only admiring your…um…clothing.”
She took a seat next to him, a nervous energy surrounding her. “I wanted to be comfortable while we ate. I’ll change again once the camera crew arrives.”
“Camera crew?”
“Yes.” She pointed toward the television set. “You will be on television, just like all the other people you have seen on the screen.”
Vaulcron leaned forward and took hold of her hand. “Will the human military not learn of our location?”
A soft smile touched her lips. “Don’t worry, Vaulcron. I’ll have you back in Cuba before it airs. You will be perfectly safe.”
She thought he feared for himself? “It is not my safety that concerns me.”
A bell rang, signaling someone was at the door. Mallory got to her feet. “Don’t worry about me, Vaulcron. I can take care of myself.”
Vaulcron stood also, his hand on her arm. “Wait.”
“It’s only the food I ordered. Trust me; no one knows you’re here. Stay in here, out of sight.”
Vaulcron nodded and sank back down onto the couch to keep from being seen. He could hear Mallory’s soft voice exchanging pleasantries with the delivery person.
“The coast is clear,” she announced, setting the boxes of food on the table.
“It smells delicious.” Vaulcron rose and meandered into the kitchen, taking a seat in the chair that Mallory indicated.
She took down a couple of plates and two wineglasses before pouring them each a glass of Chablis. “Don’t be bashful. I ordered enough to feed a small country.”
Vaulcron laughed, opening a box to pull out a small pair of wooden sticks. He held them up with a questioning look.
“They’re chopsticks,” Mallory informed him, picking up her own pair and demonstrating their use.
Vaulcron watched in amazement as she used the wooden sticks to pick up a sushi roll and pop it into her mouth.
“I have seen crab and lobster do that exact same thing,” he told her with no small amount of humor.
Mallory slapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes crinkling with laughter. She swallowed the bite she’d taken and quickly took a sip of wine. “I’ll never look at chopsticks the same again.”
Vaulcron picked up a round piece of sushi with his fingers and popped it into his mouth. His eyes nearly rolled back in his head as the scrumptious taste burst across his tongue. “The land walker’s food is incredible. I could eat nonstop and never grow tired of the taste.”
“I love food also,” Mallory admitted, a smile playing on her lips. “What other human things do you like besides the food, Prince of Aukrabah?”
Vaulcron thought about her question for a moment. “I like television.”
Mallory grinned. “Really? How about music?”
“I understand what music is, but I am not familiar with it.”
“You don’t know what you’re missing. Go ahead and finish your dinner. I want you to hear something.”
Vaulcron watched her spring from her chair and trail off toward the television room.
He turned his attention back to the food in front of him, but the sight of Mallory in those clingy tan shorts burned behind his eyes, making swallowing difficult.