Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

KENZIE

K obrik's acting nervous. Stiff even. Maybe calling his costume into question wasn't the smartest thing. He might be sensitive about the work he put into it. With a quick kiss to his cheek, I pull him down the street. I'm eager to get to the party, not because I really care about going, but the quicker I let him finish his work, the sooner he'll return to walk me home.

Three hours feels like an eternity.

I knock on Josh's door. Someone dressed as an alien opens the door. His red body paint matches his red hair perfectly, but his horns don't look nearly as real as Kobrik's.

"Hey, everyone. Another woman!" he announces to the partygoers inside as he motions me in. Cheers go up in the apartment, to which Kobrik growls . An unsettled expression darkens his face as he surveils the scene. Six women and fifteen men, all wearing fabulous costumes, stare at us.

"Hi, Kenzie!" Josh, who's dressed as a purple alien, calls out from across the room, breaking the rising tension. In three strides, he's leaning in to me, kissing my cheek, until Kobrik inserts himself between us.

"A bit protective?" I ask Kobrik when Josh steps back. "This is my friend Josh. Josh, this is Kobrik." After I push aside the fake horn that flopped over in front of Josh's face, I give him a friendly kiss on his cheek.

Kobrik does nothing to stop me, but his scowl says everything.

"Awesome costume, dude," Josh says to Kobrik, attempting to lighten the mood. "You could totally win the prize tonight. How did you get your horns to stay up so well?"

When Josh reaches up to touch one of Kobrik's horns, a blue hand grips his wrist. "You will not touch me or my female. And we are not staying."

"Excuse us, Josh," I say as I pull Kobrik aside. "Josh is a friend, nothing more. While I like you, Kobrik, I won't let you or anyone else make decisions for me. Suggestions, sure. I'm all ears. But I decide my life, get it?"

"It's dangerous here. Many males. Very few females. I've read the ZDC briefings about Earth and how Earth males treat females."

"ZDC?"

"Zyan Defense Command."

It's really sweet how protective he is, but this alien stuff is starting to interfere with getting to know him.

"I'm asking you to trust me and my judgment here."

"Do you have a weapon?"

"Just my rapier wit."

His eyebrows scrunch together. "Words will not save you against a male intent on harm." He presses a knife into my palm. The three-inch blade and handle were fashioned from one piece of metal. No separate pieces soldered, welded, or screwed together. He didn't give me some run-of-the-mill switch blade, but a top-notch knife, one with serious heft that fits perfectly in my palm.

"This must have cost you a bundle. I can't accept this." I hand it back to him, but he refuses to take it.

"I will not leave you here unless you accept the knife."

The moment I slide it into my back pocket, Kobrik's expression eases. Then he bends over and captures my lips with his.

Kissing him is like floating down a river without a care in the world. You laze in the cool water, the sun warming your face, all while watching the dance of light through the trees lining the banks. You never want to leave.

His hand sifts through my hair and reaches for the tie at the end of my braid. I envision him undoing more than my tie.

"Looks like she's off the market, guys," a man says.

A grumbling spreads through the room and I pull my lips from Kobrik's. He can really kiss, but he's not as subtle as he believes.

"You did that on purpose," I accuse, though without any punch, as I find it impossible to be angry with him especially when the corners of his mouth curl into a grin.

"I like kissing you. And now the males know you're mine. I will return for you in three hours, to escort you home, yes?"

"Absolutely."

Kobrik leans his forehead against mine which feels rather nice, intimate, as I breathe in his scent. Clean and very male. And surprisingly, calming. What is it about him that reminds me of home, only better?

His hand slides to my lower back, stopping just above my ass. The world around me disappears and there's only Kobrik.

"Thank you for caring," I whisper. It's been a long time since someone has cared about me as deeply as he does.

"I will be back," he says, in a sexy voice that promises more than a simple walk. I hope I'm not making this up in my head.

"What if you don't catch Amos by when the party breaks up and I have to leave?"

"I will return in three hours, regardless. To escort you home."

"I'll be here, waiting for you." I cup his cheeks with both hands and press my lips to his forehead. "Stay safe."

And then he's gone. No forehead pressed against mine, no hand lightly touching my back, no manly scent. He's just gone.

A chill in the air surrounds me and I rub my arms to stay warm, counting the hours until he returns.

Two hours feels like four as I continually check the wall clock. Mingling with a bunch of strangers has never been so boring. All I can think about is Kobrik.

"Waiting for Buff and Blue to return?" Rayna asks. "Where did you find him and does he have a brother?"

"He found me. I got off the bus in the middle of nowhere." I pick up a glass of water. "Long story. What have you been up to?"

"Meeting the latest losers." She points her chin at the two guys staring at us.

"And?"

"The blond's a doctor with his own practice. He's gotta have ties to the Brotherhood to pull that off."

"Even the hospitals deal with the Brotherhood. They're the best source of medicine. I wouldn't hold that against him."

"But he's so mind-numbingly boooring." The way she stretches the word and feigns falling asleep makes me laugh.

"And the other guy?" I ask.

"No clue. He just walked in a few minutes ago."

He's wearing a very real-looking spider costume, namely a hairy mask with eight large eyes. Three arms dangle from each side of his torso. They're attached by a string to make the lower pairs move with the upper pair. All I see of the man is a set of brown eyes peeking out from between the fake spider ones.

"He's interested in you, Rayna," I say when he looks our way.

"Spiders creep me out. And that guy's the king of all spiders."

"It's a costume ."

"Then you go talk to him."

"I'm not looking for a guy. You are."

Her eyes run over him and she shakes her head. "First, he's gotta remove the mask. I ain't dating no spider."

"I said talk , not jump into the sack with him." Although that's all I've been thinking about with Kobrik. I'd like to see the man without all the paint and those horns strapped to his head.

"Fuck, Spider King is coming this way." Rayna ducks behind me.

The guy snags two bottles of beer off the beverage table as he saunters toward us.

"See you later," Rayna whispers before fleeing.

"I'm glad your friend left," Spider King says in a husky voice as he corners me.

"Sorry, I already have a boyfriend." I'm being presumptuous referring to Kobrik as my boyfriend, and yet it feels right.

"And I have a girlfriend. Trisha. But she's late and I'm stuck trying to kill time until she arrives. These are her friends, not mine. I'm only hoping to talk instead of stand in a corner like a fool."

I shrug. "No harm in talking."

As he hands me a glass, I swear I hear a hissing sound, like when Kobrik had been following me. Except the sound is distant, muffled. I look outside the window, but there's nothing there.

Spider King snaps his fingers in front of me. "Are you okay?"

"I'm a little distracted. Sorry. What did you ask?"

"When your boyfriend's getting here. I'll need to disappear before then, so he doesn't get the wrong idea. Josh told me the guy's possessive."

His comment rubs me the wrong way, as if he's judging Kobrik. "The word you're looking for is protective. And he'll be here any minute."

Spider King lifts his left hand to look at his watch. The lower arms of his costume don't move. The strings must be busted but I swear the middle arm moves a second later. In here, there are no lighting issues like there were outside when I thought I saw Kobrik's horns move.

These longer E/R shifts are starting to get to me. I sip the beer he handed me, trying to relax.

"Trisha's always late," he says so naturally that I doubt myself. Though I shouldn't. I've worked in the E/R since I was nineteen. That's eight years of observing body language in stressful situations. Long enough to become an expert in knowing when someone's lying. This guy is the king of liars.

"I guess she got caught stuck at work over at County Medical."

My ears perk up. "She's a nurse?" I'll catch him in a lie soon enough.

"Lab tech."

"Ah."

"And your boyfriend, does he work nearby?" Spider King asks.

"What's your name again and how did you meet Josh?"

"I'm Nelson. Trisha's friends with him. Not me."

The hairs stand up on the back of my neck. "Take off the mask, Nelson."

"If I do, you'll have to kiss me."

I knew it! The guy's been hitting on me the entire time. He doesn't have a girlfriend. Or maybe he does, which makes him even more of a scumbag.

"Excuse me, but I need to find the bathroom." I slip away and head toward the bathroom off the kitchen, but when I get there, it's occupied. The kitchen's even more crowded than the living room and it feels like the walls are closing in on me.

Hissssss.

When I spin around, I catch a glimpse of a shadow outside the window. Trick-or-treaters, older teens, are heading to the next house and no one's acting as if anything is amiss.

That damn hissing sound is in my head.

Nelson reappears by my side. He runs his hand through his hair. "Sorry about that. I thought… Never mind. Doesn't matter now. Your boyfriend's here."

"Kobrik? Are you sure?"

"Tall, blue, tatts, horns, scowls a lot?"

Kobrik doesn't scowl at me . "Thanks!"

As I push my way into the living room, Nelson follows me. I can't wait to get away from him, escape into Kobrik's arms where I'll be safe.

Except I don't see Kobrik anywhere in the throng of people. I swear Josh must have opened his doors to the entire neighborhood.

I glance back at Nelson. "Where did you see him?"

"Hanging out front. I went out for a smoke," Nelson says as he diverts to the food table.

I race outside, happy to be getting out of the overly-warm house and away from Nelson. The door clicks shut behind me and the street is empty. I don't see Kobrik anywhere. Blistering cold wind strikes me like a slap to the face. Nelson is such a fucking liar, playing games with me because I rebuffed him.

When I turn the handle, the damn door is locked. I'm going to give that asshole a piece of my mind when I get inside.

As I slam the doorknocker against the door, a hand lands on my shoulder. Kobrik!

I spin around and look into the yellow eyes of a grud.