Rebel (The Cat Star Chronicles)

by Cheryl Brooks

  “Maybe more than I do—and I’ll bet you’re right.” She wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or disappointed. Nevertheless, being in heat might explain why, despite her dizziness, she could hardly sit still. The urge to go dashing over to the Palace to find Onca was becoming stronger by the second. In fact, if Rashe hadn’t come in when he had, she’d probably be on her way over there already. Too bad she wasn’t sure where it was.

  “Why do I get the feeling that pregnant is exactly what you’d like to be?” He heaved a sigh. “Don’t bother answering that. Guess you want me to take you to the Palace, huh?”

  “If you wouldn’t mind.”

  “I’m not the one you need to worry about, sweetheart. Onca’s gonna be pissed at me, no doubt about it.” He chuckled. “I’m also guessing the bad guys are kinda freaked out by all the kids showing up over there. They made a mistake before. If they’d been a little less noisy, no one would’ve reported a riot, and they could’ve kept it out of the news. Now that the Palace is full of kids, they’ll have a tough time explaining a show of force—which is probably what Shemlak had in mind when he told them to head over there. If Onca’s surrounded by a bunch of kids, only a lunatic would use the kind of firepower they used at the Den.”

  “I’d like to believe we could depend on that, but villains aren’t always that smart.”

  “Maybe not, but if this goes as high up in the government as I suspect, they’ve got to consider public opinion. Elected officials have to at least pretend to be decent, law-abiding citizens. Allowing the police to open fire—even with stun weaponry—on a bunch of homeless orphans will get a politician hounded out of office quicker than he can zip his pants.”

  Kim bit back a laugh. “I hope you’re right about that.”

  Rashe patted the pillow in his lap. “Speaking of which, guess I’d better put on a pair and take you to the Palace. If I let anything happen to you now, my goose would be cooked for sure.”

  Whether she’d ever heard that expression before didn’t matter. The meaning was quite clear. “You think Onca really cares?”

  “Oh, hell yes. He’s crazy about you—just don’t tell him I told you so. But I’m not talking about Onca. Jack’s the one who’ll kill me.”

  “You know Jack, too?”

  He nodded. “Everybody knows Jack.”

  Kim didn’t but suspected she would before long. “I’m beginning to believe we really should’ve waited for her. The way everyone talks, she could’ve solved this mystery single-handedly.”

  “Nah. Where’s the fun in that? We may be glad she’s on her way in case someone needs to save our asses, but with any luck, we’ll have it all sorted out before she gets here.”

  “But what happens if Onca gets arrested? If the corruption is as bad as you say, how will he ever get a fair trial?”

  With a wink, he stood and tossed the pillow on the couch. “Don’t worry. Onca can take care of himself. He’ll land on his feet. He always does.”

  Kim suspected this was the first time Onca had been in trouble of any kind, let alone something of this magnitude. “What makes you think that?”

  Rashe shrugged. “He’s a cat.”

  ***

  Onca had completely forgotten Val’s connection to Anara Threlkind, the lawyer advocate for clone rights who had freed Val and his fellow Avians. “Does Anara live here on Rhylos?”

  Val nodded. “I am certain she would take your case.”

  “How come you didn’t mention her before?” Roncas demanded. “Seems to me she should’ve been the first one we called.”

  “Perhaps,” Val admitted. “But we had very little to go on until we actually got inside the Den. Now we have proof.”

  Onca nodded. “He’s right. We went in and got those girls out last night. The legal process would’ve taken forever, and with at least part of the police force on the take, there’d be no way to stop the proprietors from moving the girls somewhere else. No. We did the right thing going in the way we did, and if that Herp hadn’t filed charges against me, I wouldn’t have needed a lawyer.”

  By this time, Peska and Cassie and several of the other girls had drifted over to listen in on the meeting.

  “What can we do to help?” Peska asked.

  Onca thought for a moment. “Think you can look after the kids for a while?”

  “Sure,” Cassie said. “Shouldn’t be too hard. After all the food they ate, I’m surprised any of them are still awake.” With a shy smile, she added, “We owe you a lot, Onca. If there’s ever anything we can do for you, all you have to do is ask.”

  “You don’t owe me anything,” he said, surprised to find tears stinging his eyes. “Just don’t let anyone near the controls for the risers. Actually, it might be better if I disabled them.”

  “Risers?” Peska echoed.

  “Sections of the floor that float up into the trees,” he replied. “They’re the, um, bedrooms. They’ve got force fields on them so no one can fall off, but I’d rather the kids didn’t know about them.” Childproofing the Palace was a thought that had never occurred to him—or any of his partners. “This was a brothel, you know.”

  Cassie giggled. “I might’ve actually enjoyed working in a place like this.”

  At least she could laugh. “Our clients seemed to like it,” he said. “We made it look as much like the forests of Zetith as possible. I don’t remember them myself, but Tarq and Jerden do.”

  “I’ve never seen Davordia, either,” Cassie said. “I guess most of us on Rhylos are transplants. One thing I’ve always wondered about, though. Are there any natives of this world?”

  “If there are, I’ve never heard of them,” Onca said. “I seem to recall hearing that there were no indigenous intelligent life forms here when it was first colonized. But then, the conquerors are the ones who write the history books.”

  “Probably similar to what happened to my people,” Rashe said as he sauntered through the arched doorway from the reception area. “War, disease, famine—stuff like that.” He glanced around at the “forest” and its new inhabitants. “If Jerden could see you now…”

  Onca’s retort died on his lips as Kim came in behind him.

  One glimpse of her had Onca purring so hard he could scarcely control it. Not only did she look absolutely adorable in her pink shirt and jeans, as she approached her scent slammed into his groin like a quadruple dose of the most powerful aphrodisiac in existence.

  He had to do something.

  Now.

  “Okay, then,” he said, doing his best to speak without purring. “Here’s what we’re gonna do. Val, you contact Anara, and I’ll run a search for investigative reporters. There are bound to be a few hard-nosed types who dearly love digging up dirt on politicians—maybe even some who are former clients of ours.” He glanced at Roncas. “Can you think of any names?”

  “Not really,” she replied. “I don’t watch the news much.”

  Onca gaped at her. “But you said I’d fucked enough reporters to fill a space cruiser! You mean you didn’t recognize any of them?”

  “That was more of an assumption than a statement of fact,” Roncas admitted. “Besides, I think it’s best if we keep this impartial. Getting someone you fucked to report the story might be seen as a conflict of interest. Stuff like that can come back to bite you in the butt.”

  “Yes, but if no one knows they were ever here—”

  Rashe snorted. “Do you really think they wouldn’t have told anyone about their visit to the Palace? Hell, I’m surprised your clients don’t run around in I fucked a Zetithian T-shirts.”

  “Now, now, Rashe,” Roncas admonished. “No need to be jealous just because women don’t say the same things about fucking you.”

  “Some may have boasted about having been a client,” Val said. “But certainly none who could help us now. Anyone with any power at all would have been more discreet.”

  “True, but there’s bound to be someone willing to report the story.” Onca blew out a
breath. He hadn’t exercised his brain to this extent since he left the refugee ship, and even then the problems he’d solved were hypothetical. This was real life-and-death stuff. He couldn’t afford to let Kim’s scent cloud his brain. “Roncas, I want you to work on advertising. The public needs to know the truth about what’s going on here. We ran ads for the Palace in the Tribune and on several other sites. I never canceled those accounts because I wasn’t sure whether my vacation was going to turn out to be an actual retirement. See if you can use them to drum up support.

  “After we’ve done all that and we know the reporters are on the way, we’re gonna call the damn cops and tell them to get their asses over here.” He glanced at Rashe, carefully avoiding Kim’s alluring eyes. “Val says he can identify the policemen who were at the Den last night. If any of them show up, he can point them out. With that many witnesses, we should at least be able to undermine their credibility.”

  “They’ve certainly done their damnedest to undermine yours,” Rashe said. “Not sure what we can do to combat that.”

  Onca didn’t, either. “If anyone as any ideas, now’s the time to speak up.”

  ***

  Now that Onca was near enough for her to inhale his scent, Kim knew Rashe’s theory was correct. If she wasn’t in the throes of the first fertile period of her life, she was definitely ill. Without Rashe’s supporting arm, she probably would have fallen on her ass. Unfortunately, the cure for her condition was busy.

  “You’ve got us,” Cassie said. “Everyone who was locked up in the Den owes you her life and her freedom.”

  “You saved me, too,” Kim said. “And Jatki. You saved us all.” She drew in a shaky breath, hoping it might clear her head. It didn’t. In fact, that extra whiff of Onca made her feel even worse. “I know we’re only a bunch of homeless orphans, but we’ll find out who’s behind this racket, and we’ll make them pay. We won’t let anything happen to you.”

  “I can’t let you risk your lives for me,” Onca protested. “I’m not worth—”

  Kim let out a growl. “Don’t you dare say that! You’re worth more to us than any man on the planet. We won’t let you sacrifice your life or your freedom for us again. We’re your army now. We’re here to protect you.”

  As woozy as she felt, she hoped the others would agree, although considering the horrors they had endured as slaves, she couldn’t be sure. But as she glanced at the group that surrounded Onca, she saw raw courage and grim determination written on the faces of every one of them.

  “They can’t silence all of us,” Peska declared. “And do we ever have stories to tell.”

  Onca nodded slowly. “If you can bring yourselves to talk about it, I’ll do my best to find someone who’ll listen.”

  Kim couldn’t help noticing he avoided her gaze, which was probably just as well. She ached for him in ways she couldn’t express aloud, nor could she hurl herself into his arms the way she longed to do.

  We have to get through this first. Then, we’ll see.

  Knocking up a girl he had known for less than three days certainly wouldn’t improve his public image. She had to be strong. Too bad she was weaker now than she’d ever been. She wanted nothing more than to lie down on one of those grassy “bedrooms” and float up into the trees with him while he worked his magic on her, body and soul. Her knees buckled at the mere thought of making love with Onca one more time…

  “Kim!” Roncas said sharply. “Are you okay?”

  Kim nodded. At least she thought she had. As dizzy as she was, she wasn’t sure she had even moved her head.

  “She’s a little off-kilter today,” Rashe explained. “Think you ought to sit down?”

  Kim squeezed her eyes shut. “Yeah. Maybe over there by the waterfall. Might be…cooler.” And the air might carry less of Onca’s scent.

  “I think the pheromones are affecting her,” Rashe said. “You have them turned off in here, don’t you?”

  Kim had no idea who he had asked the question of, but Roncas replied. “That feature has always been turned off in here.” She seemed rather huffy. “My Zetithians never needed any help getting women to desire them.”

  Onca’s laugh sounded…strange. “Why, Roncas. That’s the nicest thing you’ve said since I fired you.”

  “You didn’t fire me,” Roncas retorted. “You pensioned me off.”

  Kim didn’t care if he’d cast the Zuteran out without a reference or a credit to her name. All she knew was that if she didn’t put some distance between her and Onca, she was going to pass out. “Can you help—?”

  She staggered against Rashe, who immediately scooped her up in his arms. “Sure thing. Over by the waterfall, you said?”

  This time she didn’t even try to nod. “Yeah.”

  “Hold on a second,” Roncas said. “Let’s run you through the medscanner and see what’s wrong with you.”

  “Scanner?” Kim didn’t know whether to agree or not. However, Rashe didn’t give her the option and carried her back out to the reception area.

  Kim wanted to run, but her legs wouldn’t obey her brain. She was barely able to stumble through the scanner without falling as it was.

  “Mother of the gods,” Roncas whispered. “She’s off the scale…”

  “What’s the matter?” Onca sounded very far away.

  “Nothing that a little rest won’t fix,” Roncas said briskly. “She can lie down here on one of the daybeds.”

  Roncas helped her over to a nearby couch. Since this was undoubtedly where Onca’s clients had slept off the effects of his snard, it was only fitting that she do the same. Maybe. Her own weakness annoyed her. Kim had scarcely been sick a day in her life, and now when Onca needed all the help he could get, she couldn’t do a damn thing. The brief speech she’d made had sapped what strength she had left.

  “Kim’s sick?” Cassie said. “Really? She’s never sick.”

  “She isn’t sick now,” Roncas said. “Just exhausted. It’s been a tough couple of days.”

  “Her whole life has been tough,” Peska argued. “I don’t understand what could possibly be wrong with her now.”

  Kim wished they would all be quiet and go away.

  All of them except Onca.

  “Kim?”

  He was purring. She felt it more than heard it. He was too close—his fingers stroked her cheek, sending tendrils of warmth curling over her skin. She wanted him so very badly. Even though she knew she needed to be far away from him—so far away she wouldn’t distract him from what needed to be done. That way her own head would be clearer, and so would his.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” His tone was gentle but anxious.

  “I think so.” She was surprised he couldn’t tell what the problem was by her scent alone. Perhaps he could. The question was, did he care? Would it matter to him? She touched his face, his hair. “I’ll be all right after a nap.”

  She wouldn’t, of course. Not unless he was there beside her, filling her with his body, his passion, his love.

  And his children.

  Chapter 27

  Onca had been sure it was safe to fuck Kim before—and it had been safe then. He didn’t need to see the results of the scan Roncas had run on her to know the truth. He could smell it. Fortunately, the pants Tom-tom had given him had his dick snugged up against his belly well enough that no one would notice it was the size of a Rutaran salami.

  Maybe.

  Zetithian women didn’t experience the same cyclic periods of fertility that humans did. They only went into heat after sleeping with the man destined to become their mate. Closing his eyes, he kissed her cheek.

  Jack is gonna kill me.

  To mate with Kim now would be dangerous. They were in the middle of a war. Conceiving babies at such a time was—well…what people usually did in times of war. Throughout the ages, warriors on every world had left pregnant wives behind when they went off to battle. If the men didn’t return, their women still carried their offspring.

  Onc
a couldn’t claim he had never fathered any children. He didn’t have to worry about whether or not his bloodline would survive. But he had never fathered children with a Zetithian woman before, and if what he suspected was true, Kim wouldn’t conceive with anyone but him. This wasn’t so much a matter of his bloodline being lost, but of hers dying out.

  Unfortunately, in this particular skirmish, Kim’s life was in as much danger as his. He simply couldn’t do it. Not now. Not when so much remained to be done.

  Rashe moved in behind him. “Dude, you know what—”

  “Yeah. I know.” Onca blew out a sigh. “Believe me, I know. But not right now. We have work to do.”

  A glance at Roncas revealed an expression of mild disapproval—her silvery brow was only arched about half as high as he knew it could go. “I guess there’s no denying Mother Nature, is there?”

  “Mother who?” Onca echoed. “Never mind.” He knew exactly what she meant. Pressing another kiss to Kim’s forehead, he stood up. “Come on. We’ve all got jobs to do and not much time. We can’t stay holed up in here forever. Sooner or later, they’ll figure out how to shut down our power, and—”

  Roncas’s snicker cut him off. “You’re forgetting something, Boss. We’re not on the grid. We have our own power supply.” She glanced at Rashe. “Our clients threw such a fit the one time the power went out, Jerden made sure it would never happen again.”

  “That’s nice to know.” Rashe shrugged. “A power failure wouldn’t make any difference at my place, but I can see where your ladies might fuss if the risers didn’t work.”

  “Whatever,” Onca said with a dismissive wave. “We still need to get moving before they figure out how to disable our communication capabilities. Without them, we’re screwed.”

  Val stuck his head through the doorway. “I talked to Anara. She’ll be here tomorrow morning.”

  “Great. Now I just have to find some reporters.” He frowned at Rashe. “What were you going to do?”