The lights over the dance floor had dimmed and the only one overhead light shone on Casey who clasped the microphone close to his lips. “My sweet love.”

Love was the last thing Kathy was thinking about as she stared into Ysam’s glowing eyes. Terror scampered up her spine as she thought of Lisa’s mutilated body. Killed and tortured by an alien. Ysam was an alien––a vision of her worst nightmare.

She quickly yanked her shaking hands out of his and stepped away. “Um…I have to go…”

Ysam edged toward her. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing…I have…to go.”

He reached for her. “Kathy, wait.”

Her eyes widened at his fingers as if they had changed into poisonous snakes.

“Kathy.” Ysam followed her like a hungry wolf after a lost lamb. His broad shoulders easily parted the dance floor. He closed the distance between them.

She wildly looked around the smoldering eyed dancing couples to see if anyone had noticed, but no one sensed the danger––they were too busy looking dreamily or kissing each other. How could she have been so stupid? She should have know something was up when Agnes had been so incessant in her coming.

Ysam’s pace quickened. Kathy put her shaking hand over her racing heart to keep it from bouncing out of her chest. She whirled around and stumbled over a bar stool, banging her knee. She didn’t look behind her.

“Hold me close,” Casey sang.

The ballad was like a noose squeezing her neck, leading her into a trap–a trap set by her traitorous friend. Hot breath hissed over her neck. She glanced over her shoulder. Ysam was close to enough grab her. She held her breath, waiting to be yanked back into those strong arms, but a dancing couple stepped in front of him.

Without hesitation, she bolted.

She dashed off the dance floor, squeezing between couples. She bumped into Agnes.

“Kathy? What’s wrong?”

Kathy grabbed Agnes’s arm and squeezed hard. “I’m leaving.”

Agnes winced. “Why?”

She whispered in her ear, not able to hide her anger. “You broke your promise.”

“Kathy, wait.” Ysam hurried over toward her, but another slow, moving couple blocked his path.

Agnes looked between Kathy and Ysam. She licked her lips. “Wait, I can explain.”

“No, you can’t.” Kathy whirled around and collided into a man who held a beer, sloshing golden liquid onto the wooden floor.

“Watch what you’re doing, lady!”

A loud growl from behind her sprang Kathy into action. She pushed through the crowd like a bulldozer, elbowing and clawing her way through.

“Excuse me.” She panted. “Let me through.”

Another man lifted his beer out of the way. “Jeez, lady.”

“Excuse you.” A dressed-up blond glared, who had to step back to let her through.

Kathy grabbed her purse from her chair and zigzagged through the crowded tavern like a pingpong ball. People grumbled under their breath and gave her dirty looks, but she couldn’t care less.

She wasn’t going to be a Zalarian’s damn mate. Agnes may be happy, but no one in her family had been ripped apart by a homicidal extraterrestrial, either.

She reached the door and shoved it open, nearly knocking down another couple.

The woman lurched backward, her arms flailing in the air, but her partner grabbed her wrist to keep her from falling. He glared at Kathy. “You stupid, bitch!”

“Sorry,” Kathy mumbled. All that mattered was getting to her car. She glanced over her shoulder. No one was following, but that didn’t matter. Ysam was an alien. No telling what he could do.

She fumbled for her keys and managed to yank them out of her purse and pushed the keyless remote. Her car unlocked. She jumped inside, started the car, and squealed out of the parking lot as if the devil himself chased her.

Angry tears stung her cheeks as she sped to the safety of her hotel. Her phone rang. On the car’s screen, Agnes’s name showed up. Kathy thought about not answering but changed her mind.

“How could you do this to me!” she shrieked.

“Kathy, I’m sorry. But listen…”

“No! Don’t you or Anonghos or Frank ever talk to me again. You know how I feel about this. You tell that over grown lizard to stay the fuck away from me.”

She hung up. Tears spilled down her cheeks. She gulped for air. Agnes’s betrayal was raw and ugly, tearing away years of friendship. She’d never trust her again.

The Marriott loomed in the darkness up ahead, and she pushed on the gas, jerking the car in and out of lanes.

Please, don’t let there be a damn cop.

She drove the car ninety miles an hour into the parking lot, then slammed on the brakes. Tires squealed, and the car lurched hard. The angry steering wheel nearly jolted out of her hands, but she hung on tight, then aimed the car for the closest space.

Before she got out, she peered through the windshield. Only black skies were overhead. Not even a cloud or a determined dragon cast a shadow over the full moon. She jumped out of her car, her legs pumping as fast as she could, and she raced to the front doors. Her lungs burned and sweat trickled down her face. Any minute, she waited for talons to dig into her shoulders and whisk her into the skies.

She whipped open the glass door and burst inside. Her hair stuck to her sleek face, and she gasped for air. She clutched her purse tight and forced her shaking legs to move.

The woman at the front desk frowned. “Are you all right, ma’am?”

Kathy pushed her hair out of her face. “I’m fine. I’m in room 524. No calls, please.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Kathy glanced nervously behind her one more time, but only empty cars greeted her in the parking lot.

Unfortunately, that didn’t mean anything. Daidhl had been able to turn invisible and kill his victims at will. For all she knew, Ysam could be tracking her. But she didn’t feel a warm or cold breath over her neck. She pushed the elevator button and paced back and forth, waiting for it to lumber down.

Three, two, one…

The doors slowly opened. She rushed inside and immediately pressed the close button. The doors shut and once again, the elevator clamored up, taking its sweet time. When they opened again, she ran to her room and jammed the key into the lock. The red light popped on.

“No!”

She jerked the key out and pushed it in the slot again. This time, the green light blinked. She flung the door open then pushed it shut and turned the dead bolt. She rest her head against the wood, sucking in air. Her stomach flip-flopped. Her fear wouldn’t be denied.

Lucky, the toilet was only a few feet away. She emptied the beer and what little food she’d eaten. Cold shills shook her, and her teeth chattered.

She turned on the shower faucet. Hot steam smoked through the bathroom. She stripped off her clothes that had Ysam’s spicy scent of smoldering fire and tossed them onto the tile floor. His scent had permeated her skin. What if he’d already branded her?

She climbed inside trembling. Droplets massaged her weary, quaking body, chasing away her fears, sending them down the twirling drain. Her rapid beating heart and quick breath slowed to the thump of the water.

She leaned her forehead on the wall, allowing the water to work out the kinks in her bunched up muscles. Fear slowly dissipated and all she could think about was the seductive dance and how it felt in his arms. For once, someone else had been in charge, allowing her to feel safe.

He was a Zalarian and could possess all kinds of powers. Maybe one of them had been to make her want him when they were dancing.

Stupid.

Ysam couldn’t get inside. Even if he could, he didn’t know the number of her hotel room.

Unless Agnes told him. Maybe she should change rooms.

An hour later, she was in a different room on a different floor and was cocooned in a soft, fluffy robe. She climbed into bed and switched on the television. A mystery show droned on about a police woman sneaking into a house to gather clues without a search warrant. Clues that couldn’t be used in court. Her eyes grew heavy, and she snuggled deeper into her pillow, thinking of being twirled and swept off her feet. Sleep mercifully fluttered over her.

She jerked awake to complete silence. The television was off. She hadn’t turned it off since Lisa had died.

Her heart pounded faster than a judge’s mallet. Darkness and dread blanketed the room. She wasn’t alone.

A pair of golden eyes watched her. She screamed, but in a split second, a large hand covered her mouth.

Warm masculine breath brushed over her face. “I’m sorry, Kathy,” the familiar husky voice said. “You know why I’m here.”

She shook her head, trying to dislodge his hand, but she couldn’t even budge. She shrieked again, but only released an angry muffle.

“Forgive me.” He released her mouth.

“Help police!” she screamed as loud as she could and spat in his face. She squirmed underneath him, kicking her legs and beating her fists on his chest, praying the police would shoot off his wings.

She looked into his smoldering eyes. He lowered his head and his warm breath brushed over her. But instead of being terrifying, his breath was intoxicating.

He savagely kissed her, cutting off her screams. His mouth was brutal and possessive, chasing away each protest, each attempt to clasp her freedom. His tongue thrusted with hard, deep strokes that were as shocking as they were exciting.

Kathy was outraged. Her body burned with fury, her senses burst with a storming frenzy. Her hands were trapped against a granite-hard surface of his chest. When she tried to push herself free, it was like pushing against a brick wall.

His hard flesh was between her legs and if he wanted, he could rape her and there was nothing she could do. Sizzling fear ripped into her beating heart. How could he be two different men? She squirmed pitifully.

Only when he chose to end the intimacy could she wrench free and gulp for air. She opened her mouth to scream for help, but something sweet sprayed up her nose. Her scream died. Her arms and legs fell limply to her side. The darkness and golden eyes spun around as if her car had reeled out of control. She closed her eyes and passed out to her worst nightmare.