He cocked his head and eyed her for long, terrifying seconds. “You will help me.”
“No. Kill me now. I won’t help you.” Her knees shook.
“You don’t know what I want.”
“You want me to find people so you can vaporize them.”
“I want you to find my brother.”
She blinked. “How would I know where your brother is?”
“You don’t. But I have reason to believe he may be in this area, and you would be familiar with the cities and towns.”
“Actually, I’m n—” She’d visited St. Louis many times but not the southwest part of Missouri. If she told him that, she would be of no use to him. With her map, she could figure out where the towns were, but that would involve helping him. One Progg was bad enough—but two? Finding his brother sounded like a crock. Even if true, what guarantee would there be hewouldn’t vaporize people they might encounter along the way?
“No, I won’t help you.”
She flinched when he moved, but he picked up a pair of dark-gray pants from the floor. Maintaining a grip on the weapon, he dressed.
With almost deliberate slowness, he snapped a holster around his hips and tucked the weapon into it and pulled a shirt over his head. She couldn’t read him.What now? What is he thinking?
* * * *
How can I keep her?
The female smelled of fear. If she had encountered any other Progg, she’d be dead now. Duty demanded he eliminate her, but he did not have a stomach for killing. Knife didn’t count. But beyond his ignominious weakness, he did not wish to kill this particular woman.
He had the strangest urge to ensure her safety, keep her near—at least for a little while. Aside from the sour odor of fear, she smelled sweet and warm, like belonging and home. He realized it had been her scent that had drawn him into the room and lulled him to sleep. Since he couldn’t bring himself to kill her, he should step aside and let her go.
Except he’d never see her again.
Hecoulduse help in finding Grav, but he could muddle through on his own, and he suspected this woman would hinder more than help.
“You lead me to nearby cities, and when I find him or I’m done searching, I’ll release you.”
“And if I don’t?” The acrid scent of fear spiked.
He’d let her go anyway. What else could he do? He couldn’t kill her any more than he could the church family. But he could leverage her fear. “Then I take you with me anyway—and I don’t let you go,” he lied.
“Why? What do you want of me? I will not betray my fellow humans. I will do everything in my power to warn them. You won’t be able to use me to sneak up on them.”
“I told you—I only want to find my brother. And I wish to get to know a human in a genuine way.” Not any human,her.
She set the pillow she clutched like a shield onto the bed.
Defenses are coming down.The blue drawing of the naked woman on Knife’s arm popped into his head, and he wondered if this woman resembled that picture underneath the loose shirt. He couldn’t tell.
Her bare legs were several shades lighter than her face and arms. Brown hair, roughly parted on the side, tangled around her shoulders. She was an alien being, but he didn’t find her appearance ugly, just interesting. And her scent…his nostrils flared.
She crossed her arms. “What happens if we meet another human?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?” she scoffed.
“I understand your skepticism, but I assure you, I will allow them to go untouched—provided they do not attack me,” he added. “I will defend myself if I have to.”
“Can I trust you?” she asked.
