THE PERFECT TEN (Boxed Set)

color. “Calling you a rat would be unkind–”
    There was hope for this conversation.
    “–to rats. Tek-nah-tee are more like cockroaches. Single-minded, stupid insects with no regard for what’s decent. No other creature than the cockroach has survived every devastation in our world.”
    His attitude annoyed me on a level I couldn’t explain.  More than feeling irritated. He compared me to something disgusting. That cut me when I shouldn’t care what this stranger thought. I changed the direction of my next question. “So where do the tek-nah-tees stay in this place?”
    He swung around so fast I almost ran into him and had to throw my hands against his chest to stop myself.
    My pulse pounded at touching him.
    He stood there for a second, long enough for me to feel his heart thrumming a fast beat before he backed away from my touch. I dropped my hands, fighting an awkward feeling at the way he made it clear how much he detested being touched by me. He walked backwards so I had to follow, but not as close as before.
    After a silent couple of steps, he said, “You know tek-nah-tees only visit this world to drop off incoming mystik passengers or spy on those of us who still live. Why do you ask these questions?”
    I juggled what I knew to this point. I could understand his hostility if the tek-nah-tee forced kids into this scary place and killed them, but I still didn’t understand why he seemed convinced that I was one. I had no mark on my neck like the one on Tony that had created a stir with them.
    “You’re an intelligent person, Callan. Think this through. You have no solid proof that I’m a tek-nah-tee. If you could open your mind to the idea that I might not be your enemy, then maybe we could help each other.”
    To be fair, there was some chance I could be a tek-nah-tee since I had no memory prior to this morning, but I would not harm a child and, without any real proof, I refused to be marked as a child killer.
    Callan turned around and picked his sure-footed way through an undulating area of roots– had that root just moved? –and uneven, hard-packed red dirt when the path leveled out.
    Was he actually entertaining the possibility of what I suggested?
    I thought so, until he muttered, “I will not be tricked again by a tek-nah-tee.”  He turned to me again and jabbed the spear at my chest, point first, but stopped short of breaking skin.
    Furious at the mere threat of attack, I caught the shaft before the tip had any chance of doing damage. Yanking the end up and toward me, I brought us face-to-face, feeling smug when we stood so close I could see sparks of red firing through his eyes that were now a somber brown in this shadowed light. His nose flared as if he’d caught a wild scent and his gaze dropped to my mouth.
    My thoughts skidded to a halt, long enough for the anger to bleed out of me. I had the craziest thought of wanting to run my finger across that sculpted mouth to force a smile, just to see what he looked like happy.
    A flash of movement drew my eyes to a flutter of rainbow-colored wings the size of my two hands spread open. Four flapping wings on a furry body that had a chipmunk-looking head, beady black eyes and small legs with claws that were extended as it flew towards Callan. Large and lethal claws.
    Shaking himself from whatever had happened for those few seconds, he snarled at me. “Don’t think to use your powers on me without suffering repercussion.”
    I ignored his words, too focused on the threat. I spun away and broke a dead limb thick as my thumb from a tree and leaned back, prepared to throw my make-do spear at the attacking bird.
    Callan took one look over his shoulder and dove at me, grabbing my arm. “No!”
    We both lost our balance. I toppled backwards, landing hard against the ground, one shoulder scraping a tree. He came down on my chest with a thunk, knocking the breath from me. I groaned, but kept my eyes open, searching for the threatening bird thing.
    The flying critter had landed on a small sapling at Callan’s feet but now flew back up into the tree, squeaking in terror the whole way.
    The little bird animal landed on a branch and turned to keep an eye on me as if I presented the real threat.
    I let out a pained breath and relaxed my guard. The minute I did, I noticed every curved muscle, and other parts, draped over me. A distinct masculine scent tangled up my next breath.
    The heat I felt building inside this time had nothing to do with