Touched by an Alien

sure we’d gone about a whopping ten miles in forty-five minutes—and I got sleepy all of a sudden. “You making me tired?”
    “Nope,” Martini said with a chuckle. “It’s just been a big day.”
    “O-kay,” I said through a yawn. His chest was right there and rather inviting. I leaned my head against it, and I didn’t have to be an empath to determine he liked it. He pulled me closer, and I was so tired that I decided to ask about the double heartbeat I was hearing when I woke up.

CHAPTER 14
    I AWOKE WITH A START . “It’s in his throat!”
    “What? Kitty, are you all right?” My mother put her hand to my forehead. “You might be a little feverish.”
    “I’m not feverish. Where are we?” I looked around. Still in the limo, but it looked like we were at the airport. “Where’s Martini or Gower?”
    “They all went inside to make sure we’ll be safe in there.”
    “So they left us alone in the car? Like this is some sort of shield?”
    Mom coughed. “They explained that it is. Their cars are, um, special.”
    It figured. “Okay, so we’re all safe and sound in the vehicle?”
    “Supposedly. What were you screaming about when you woke up?”
    It was fuzzy, but I could still see it. “When Mephistopheles had me up to his face, when it looked like he was going to bite my head,” I said slowly. “Remember?”
    “Vividly. I’m glad your father won’t have the memory.”
    “Well, didn’t it strike you as odd, that he was going to eat me, versus stomp or crush me?”
    “Kitten, I was watching some monster try to eat my baby. I wasn’t giving the oddity of the situation a lot of thought.”
    “Me either. I was focused on his bad breath and getting my hairspray out.” I could just see it, in the back of his throat. “Martini said it would move to me. Oh, I am so grossed and freaked out. Where the hell is he, anyway?” It was a shock to realize I wanted Martini next to me, right now, more than anything in the world. Because I was finally really and truly terrified.
    “He’s inside the terminal. Kitty, what are you trying to tell me?”
    I was about to answer when the car door was flung open and Martini’s head appeared. I managed not to shriek. “What’s wrong?” he asked, clearly frightened.
    I was about to ask him what was wrong and why he’d tried to give me a heart attack when my brain kicked in. Empath, remember? Empath who liked me. Duh. It was nice to know that if I was scared, he’d be right there. “I’m sorry, we’re okay,” I said as reassuringly as I could. “I just realized something.”
    “To the point where your entire being was terrified and screaming for me?” he asked. He looked shaken.
    I pulled him into the car and kept hold of his hand. “I’m sorry. It’s okay. I was, well, am, scared, but the threat isn’t immediate.” I hoped.
    He didn’t look convinced, but he did settle down in the seat. “What is the threat?”
    “The parasite is in Mephistopheles’ throat, hanging back there like a third tonsil. He was trying to eat me, not to kill me, but so the parasite could move to me. The hairspray must have hit the parasite and just made it go haywire for whatever reason. It was extra hold.”
    Martini went back to looking concerned. “Dammit, I knew you were too tempting.”
    “As flattering as that could be but probably isn’t, why so?”
    He heaved a sigh. “Anyone capable of being a human agent is also very tempting to the parasites. For all we know, the parasite you killed was actually heading for you when the man near you got enraged and it shifted its focus to him.”
    This was not comforting news. I was homicidal-maniac-parasite bait. Not exactly what I’d always hoped to attract.
    Gower, Reader, and Christopher showed up now, all looking worried. Apparently Martini had run to me at hyperspeed without telling them where he was going or why. I was rather touched even while I reminded myself this was a power to be used wisely.
    Martini brought the others up to speed on what I’d told him. To a man they looked disturbed. “We have to get her to the Science Center,” Gower said finally.
    “No argument,” Martini agreed. “But now I’m worried about the trip from here to there.”
    “Why? I mean, we’ve been trotting all over the place. Why worry now?”
    Christopher gave me a withering look. “Because now the most powerful in-control superbeing knows exactly who you are and is undoubtedly looking for you.”
    “You all said