– You are able to withstand fire … And you bend objects with the power of thought. And you … – suddenly a yard cat jumped out from under your feet and ran off somewhere with a yell. He looked at the cat, at Mala and caught her eye.

And yet, you .... Are you a cat ??. – Thunder finally finished. – It is so?

Mala smiled wryly. So he knew the answer? That is, it is not about this stupid cat, which is out of nowhere…. He knew her secret from the beginning. It means she will not survive.

“God! How is Caesar without me ?? ".

– Yours took. – Mala powerlessly dropped her hands. – so it is … Yes, at night I turn into a cat. I'm kind of like a werewolf, only I don't like that word….

Thunder looked at her, and love shone in his eyes.

He was not going to kill her, he generally felt nothing but joy. This girl was just like him. The same unhappy one, forced to hide her true nature from people. That's who he could love. They were friends in misfortune, but this did not make their passion wretched. It just had a bit of bitterness in it. And sadness.

CHAPTER 4

Captain Ulysses could not sleep today – the eyes of the dead woman stood before his eyes. He dreamed of her hands, all blue, lifeless, and the mysterious letter "Y" on his chest.

He got up, unable to imitate a sleeping man any longer, and opened his work computer. It took him 20 minutes to punch through the database – murder histories of similar victims – with a "U" on his chest. They all had a bad reputation. Someone was caught on theft, someone on domestic violence, or, like Madame Piescu, was involved in the story of suicide.

“It looks like our killer is a conscientious one. And kills out of disgust. An old story "– Captain Ulysses rubbed his chin.

He had no idea why there was a sequence of deaths – that is, to lead the police to think about a series of murders? After all, if it were not for this letter, they would never have been able to find out that these victims have something in common. Apparently this is some kind of superstition or ritual, the implementation of which is very important for the killer, – the captain suggested, taking an energy drink out of the refrigerator. When he poured himself a glass of Red Bull, he began to ponder further, along the way sipping a cool invigorating drink.

“So: what do we have? Firstly, these are four corpses in different parts of the city. They are united by a mysterious carved symbol, the absence of witnesses, the almost complete absence of victim resistance. Is he hypnotizing them or what? – the thought of a murderer from another planet did not visit him, but nevertheless he remembered several cases when even military equipment could not catch the offender. – If we are dealing with a maniac, then he is most likely worried about the possibility of "teasing". But then … why are there no traces of violence on the victims? "

All this somehow did not want to form a coherent picture.

The captain clutched a pack of cigarettes in his hand: he remembered what and how they were told at the Academy about the capture of offenders. "If you want to catch a criminal, take to the streets." "Yes, it seems like it's time to take a walk!" Ulysses scrambled off the sofa, grabbed his jacket and ran out of the apartment into the night.

Mala and Grom stood in silence – she – not knowing what to expect, Grom – looking adoringly at her companion. "You. … – Mala began, she was already ready to confess that she saw him tonight… .– probably…. ”. "Shhhh .... – he stopped her, putting his finger to her lips Thunder said: Come with me. " He took her hand and pulled her along, and Mala followed him without asking anything.

They walked along the streets of the city, faster and faster. The thunder stopped, asked Mala to wrap his arms around his waist, and they rushed through space with incredible speed. It was a magnificent trip, the fact of which did not surprise Mala in the least, because she knew about her friend's supernatural abilities.

But the sensations were just beyond the realm. It seemed that Mala became a bird and soars beyond time and space. When they stopped to catch their breath, Mala, laughing with joy, asked what it was.

Thunder grinned contentedly.

– We moved in time. Liked? When I first experienced this, I remember how I was taken aback, not believing that it was possible in principle. From this in the blood rages … well, almost adrenaline.

– It was just magical! So! Just can't be described! You are a genius, a wizard, thank you! … – Mala laughed and fell straight into the arms of her friend.

They met eyes. Despite the superstitious fear she felt in front of him, she would not mind kissing right now. The thunder parted his mouth, and she smelled of the strong smell of cigarette smoke. "Brutal!" She thought.

– Baby, you should know. I haven’t met anyone like you yet. And if you agree to follow me, where … where I am going, I will make you my queen.

Mala opened her eyes. Wide, wide, not so much from surprise as from admiration for this mature, strong man.

– I'm ready…. She whispered. They were about to merge in a kiss, when suddenly Thunder turned her back to him and squeezed her hard. While Mala was thinking about what was happening, she saw a human figure at the end of the street.

– Let's go! – Thunder hissed in her ear, and they moved away from the figure along the street. But he apparently already noticed them, and called out: "Hey!".

The thunder turned around.

– Guys, you won't have a light? – Thunder silently took out his shabby "Zippo" and handed it to the stranger.

– You're here a little late. It's not safe here. The stranger tried to keep up the conversation.

– We are satisfied with both the place and the time – Grom avoided answering.

– Have you heard about the murder today? – Mala in horror looked at Thunder with a peripheral vision, trying not to show outwardly her excitement.

– Yes, – Grom answered in a completely neutral voice, – it seems some kind of teacher….

– Yes, we are investigating. Have you seen anything suspicious today? – Captain Ulysses looked at these two casual passers-by friendly, it seems, in general, not suspecting them of anything.

Thunder narrowed his eyes.

– Are you from the police? – He looked incredulously at his interlocutor.

“Captain Ulysses, at your service.

He gripped Mala's elbow tightly.

– No, they did not see anything, forgive the captain – Thunder answered in a hoarse bass and completely calmly. – We can hardly help anything.

Mala, trying to hide her excitement, put her gloved hand on Thunder's sleeve. The excitement she felt was stronger than one might imagine. Everything about this trio was fine: the killer, the police captain investigating the case, and she is a witness and already, probably, an accomplice.

– Okay, guys. I'll go further. I can't sleep somehow today.

– Good luck, captain. – Thunder saluted with a barely noticeable gesture, and he and Malaya rushed away.

"Good guys" – finally thought Captain Ulysses and also moved away.

Chapter 5

All night we talked with Grom about his past, his planet and the solar system.

He showed me a drawing tattooed on his neck on the left – the symbol of the planet and the system of 12 suns – a star inscribed in a hexagon, with two more figures inside, resembling an ordinary mail envelope. I ran my fingers over it and asked what it meant. “This is a symbol of faith in the union of man and the cosmos,” explained Stalker, “The hexagonal sphere symbolizes the cosmos, and the star is the heart of man. Or the Sphinx, ”he corrected himself immediately. That night we loved each other, not wanting to part for a second, unable to enjoy each other. We became lovers, allies and best friends overnight.

But Thunder did not say a word about the murders. He simply said that he sometimes has to get rid of people, as they are too intrusive – but did not go into details.

I, too, remained silent and decided that the secret would remain a secret until he was ready to accept the truth. Or, more simply, he will not fall in love to such an extent that such little things will no longer matter.

Grom said he wanted to return home, for this he needed to perform a ritual, a secret space ritual that would open the portal of death. This is the only way to get from Earth to such distant solar systems. He asked if I wanted to go with him – and I nodded.

Thunder had very strong manly hands. When Mala touched his palms, they were warm and rough. Exactly as she imagined. After intimacy, they sat in an embrace for a long time, trying not to sleep as long as possible.

In the morning, they were both squeezed out, as if they had been running all night on a treadmill or spent in the gym doing long jumps. My body was aching, my head was buzzing. Mala's beloved got up first and went to the kitchen to make coffee. When he returned, he stunned her with the words:

– Move to me.

He said this and put a cup in front of her, as if giving time to make a decision while the coffee was cooling. Mala experienced mixed feelings: both delight from the proposal, in which, of course, trust was expressed, and fear – after all, living under one roof, it will be more and more difficult to hide something or have secrets of its own.

Mala put her hand on his strong hand, covered with veins and tattoos, took the other cup, blew on the water and said:

Are you sure dear?

He nodded. Then he smiled, took Mala's chin in his hand and concluded in his hoarse voice:

– Why do we waste time?

CHAPTER 5

Thunder's apartment at Ozzy House on Seven Mountains has become not just our home, our nest, but also our headquarters. My lover worked through hundreds of scenarios every day that allowed him to speed up the process of completing the ritual. We made sorties to different parts of the city, collected the necessary amulets – somewhere it was a page of a book torn out by someone and left in a park, somewhere it was earth from a flower pot located in a specific place.