Read The Falcon Prince for Free Online

because Donald kept getting called away. His irritation was clearly visible. When he had to see about a malfunctioning dishwasher, she took the opportunity to escape.
    Carly didn’t live very far away. No one in town lived very far away, though. Ria could cross town in peak traffic, with the light red, and still be at Carly’s in under five. They only had one red light, and a blinking caution light, and a few stop signs that people sort of stopped at.
    She climbed the stairs to Carly’s second-floor apartment and knocked on the door. A few moments later, the door was opened by a bad imitation of her friend. Carly sported a red nose, and watery, red-rimmed eyes.
    “Oh, sweetie, you look awful.”
    Carly opened the door wider, then covered her mouth with a tissue when she began to cough. “I feel awful.”
    “I brought sustenance.” She raised the white carton.
    Carly puffed her cheeks out. “Blah. Food.”
    “You have to eat.”
    “I’d rather lie down and die.” She moved to the sofa and collapsed on it. “How was the parade?”
    Ria took the carton to the kitchen and put it in the fridge for later. “My alien was there,” she said over her shoulder.
    Carly sat up with a start, then grabbed her head, and lay back down. “I can’t believe you sprang that on me.”
    “Sorry.” Ria went back to the living room and curled up on the chair, keeping a safe distance from any germs floating in the air.
    “This was the naked guy you saw in the woods? What happened? I want all the details.”
    She had already told Carly everything. Ria had known she could count on her friend to believe her. Now, she quickly related what happened in the park, what Kristor had told Ria about her parents, and then the lies he’d told Heath.
    “I take it that you don’t think he’s using a new line to come on to women?”
    Ria shook her head. “I think the guy is crazy. Mom doesn’t though.” She grimaced. “You should’ve seen her gush when she talked about him. You’d think he was a god or something. Apparently, he’s casting a spell over the town. Well, at least my parents and Heath. I know why Heath thinks he’s great. He agreed to play in their flag football game this afternoon. But my mom? She should know better.”
    “She’ll come to her senses when the newness wears off.”
    “If she’s still alive.”
    “So what are you going to do?”
    Ria sighed. “I don’t know.”
    “Know thy enemy.”
    “Huh?”
    “Go to the football game.”
    Ria’s stomach twisted in knots. “I have to. Remember? I’m a cheerleader.” It was Mary Ann Proctor’s fault. That, and the fact Ria had turned down a post on the Women’s League board, which meant if she missed a meeting, she got volunteered for whatever everyone else didn’t want to do. Drat, how could she have forgotten about the football game? It was a community event, and therefore, the league was obliged to participate.
    Carly clutched her chest as deep hacking coughs wracked her body again. Ria’s chest ached just watching her.
    Carly waved her hand. “Go away before you catch my cold.”
    Ria hated leaving Carly, but she probably needed more rest anyway. After making sure Carly had a hot cup of soup, a glass of 7-Up over ice, and a new box of tissues, Ria left. Carly might be right. She was sure she could point out enough faults that people would start to despise Kristor. She nodded. It might just work.
     
    Kristor looked around the locker room. Benches sat low to the floor making his back and legs ache, so he had chosen to stand. A distinct odor hung thick in the air, as though something had died, and they’d forgotten to bury the carcass. Not that he expected a room that housed warriors to smell sweet. He’d been around men long enough to know their body odor was not always pleasant.
    That was something else that bothered him. These men did not look like warriors. Heath maybe, although he had gray running through his hair. His reflexes were sharp, though.