Page 22 of Chloe

Then the key shot back out into his palm and the alarm on the ceiling began to shriek and flash red light.

“Jubal,” Chloe said, her face a study in terror.

He turned and saw she was looking at the massive cat, which was no longer sleeping. He watched, frozen as it leapt to its feet, metal claws sliding on the polished composite floor and scratching for purchase.

“Use the other one,” Chloe yelled. “Quickly.”

He begged the gods not to let him drop the key as he slid it into the lock with shaking hands.

The door slid open.

Chloe grabbed his hand and dragged him through, slamming her hand on the sensor as soon as they were outside.

He turned back to see the cat leaping through the air toward them before the door slid shut with a satisfying click, trapping the monster on the other side.

“Oh,” Chloe said, bending over her knees and panting. “Oh, wow.”

Jubal ran a hand through his hair, his heart still thundering.

Then Chloe began to laugh.

He turned to her and saw there were tears in her eyes.

The sight of her merriment made him laugh, too. It was the laughter of shock and relief.

He felt the tension melt from him, leaving him with nothing but a strange sense of being home with this small Terran woman.

“I am glad you enjoyed the Escape Room,” Oberon’s voice said. “You have earned your dinner. The second key will unlock the house where you will stay this evening. And your conveyance is leaning against the tree.”

Jubal looked up and saw that they were back on the same country road as before. The city was gone.

A beautiful, pale turquoise moped leaned on a chestnut tree near the roadway and he couldn’t hold back a smile.

“I love these things,” he told Chloe as he walked over to investigate.

“You know how to drive it?” she asked.

“Of course,” he said. “All you have to do is hold on.”

He grabbed the helmet dangling from the handlebars it and tossed it to her, then walked the pretty little machine to the road, and hopped on.

“Come on, babe,” he said to Chloe. “I’ll keep you safe, I promise.”

“Don’t you need a helmet?” she asked.

“Nature’s helmet,” he reminded her, pointing to the horns on his head.

She eyed the moped suspiciously.

“You can’t tell me that you just ran from a two-ton metal killing machine and this scares you,” Jubal laughed.

“People break their necks on these things,” she pointed out.

“Look at where we are,” he reminded her. “There will be no traffic, no driving distractions, and no potholes. It’s a walk in the park compared to normal conditions.”

She nodded and approached him, finally strapping the helmet to her head.

“Put your arms around my middle,” he told her.

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