A surge of love went through Catal. Selena’s words gave him strength. He felt the bond between them grow. He had denied the possibility of a pair bond because he’d doubted. Now he understood how powerful the connection between them could be. He already sensed her emotions. Soon they would know each other’s thoughts. He led her out of the house and into the van.
Firbin was still at the wheel.
“Keep her here.”
Catal closed the door and went back into the house. Partlan was zipping up the suitcase, and Ranon had two laptops under his arms. He walked over to Nathan and crossed his arms. “Selena wishes you to stand trial.”
“We’re going to tell the police everything you did to us.” Mike’s voice was a whine. “You’ll be the ones behind bars.”
“They have to find us first.”
Partlan pulled plastic handcuffs from his jacket and pulled Mike’s arms behind the chair back. “You are lucky. If a woman had not stood up for you, I would have killed you with my bare hands.”
Mike’s eyes widened. “You wouldn’t get away with it.”
“A Hunter does what he wants, especially when the Sacred Code is broken.” Partlan put duct tape over Mike’s mouth.
Catal secured Nathan’s arms behind his chair. “Where is your storage unit?”
Nathan shrugged. “I’ve told you everything I’m going to. If you guys are so good, you can find it yourself. You already have our computers.”
Catal’s jaw tightened. “We’ll find it.”
“It won’t do you any good.” Nathan’s voice was sulky. “We don’t know the name of the man we sold the boys to. It’s a big organization and no one knows who the others are. It’s safer that way. That’s all I’m going to say.”
Partlan taped Nathan’s mouth. There was no point in wasting any more time with these men. They had their computers and the storage unit information would be on it. They should be able to find the man who took the boys from there.
Partlan lifted Mike from his chair and moved him into the dining room. He put another plastic handcuff around the radiator and then attached it to one of Mike’s wrists. Malac dragged Nathan in and attached him in the same way to the opposite side of the heating unit. There would be no chance of them breaking the cuffs away from the strong metal.
They would be uncomfortable, but they would be alive. When it was safe, they would contact the FBI and let them know what they’d found. Who knew, maybe the FBI’s surveillance would lead them to the brothers before they notified them.
Ranon left with the computers. Catal made certain the doors were locked and then waited outside for Partlan.
“It’s not wise to keep them alive.” Catal kept his voice low.
“It is what she wishes.” Partlan shut the door. “There is no real harm in leaving them here. They have no money and even if they get free, they will not go far without identification.”
Catal clenched his hands into fists. He knew what Selena wanted, but he was still a Hunter. “If the boys aren’t alive, I will come back and kill them.”
“I will join you, but now we need to concentrate on finding the boys.” Partlan’s voice was unemotional. “Once we have the storage unit, we should be able to follow the trail.”
They walked to the van. The cool air of the night surrounded them and Catal inhaled deeply. He needed to clear his head and focus on finding the boys. Their kidnappers were secure. There was no way that the brothers would escape justice. Partlan was right. They had to follow Selena’s wishes.
Breanon joined them once they reached the van. The unit was complete. Now the work of tracking began again. They drove for several miles until they reached a small motel off of Hollywood Boulevard. The motel had seen better days, but it would satisfy their needs. They took two adjoining rooms and started setting up the computers. Catal threw the backpack on one of the beds and pulled the passports out of his jacket.
“These might give us a lead as to who they were in contact with.” Catal opened the papers. “These are good fakes. There are only a few people in the country that can do this kind of work.”
“That’s a start.” Partlan turned to Firbin. “I need the location of the storage unit. Once I have that, then we are going to take a trip there. Surveillance cameras might have picked up the exchange.”
Selena inhaled a sharp breath. Catal turned to see her face go pale. He cursed himself for a fool. They had been talking so matter of fact about something that was painful. He touched her arm.
“You need to rest.”
“Catal, take her into the other room. You need to care for your mate. We can handle this.” Partlan’s instructions were a soft murmur in his mind.
Catal took Selena’s arm and steered her into the other room. He closed the adjoining door and led her to the bed. The room was clean and with the door shut, the outside world seemed to fade away. It was perfect.
Selena cleared her throat. “I need to tell you something.”
Chapter 13
“It’s about Tarrin.”
Selena sat on the bed and looked up at Catal who stood a few feet away. A frisson of heat sparked between them. She inhaled a sharp breath and clasped her hands together. She needed to tell him the truth. It had to be done before she could consider a future with Catal, and that was what she wanted more than anything. Once Tarrin was found, she wanted all of them to become a family.
“Tell me.” Catal crouched down in front of her.
Selena choked back a sob. This was more difficult than she’d anticipated. The words were stuck in her throat. All these years she had held her secret tight to her heart, never daring to remember the love that had created her son. All she could do was start at the beginning, as painful as the memories were.
“I came to the United States as a refugee. It was very hard to find employment until I met Nikki. She gave me a home and security.”
“She protected you and was your friend.” Catal’s voice was solemn. “I will always be grateful to her for that.”
“I didn’t find out I was pregnant until I was living here.”
“You took another mate.” Catal nodded. “I can understand that. Where is this man? Why is he not by your side now?”
“There is no other man.” Selena looked into Catal’s eyes and saw the confusion there. “There has never been anyone but you.”
Catal’s eyes widened. “You mean you didn’t mate with another? You waited for me?”
“You are the only man I have ever loved.” Selena exhaled a shaky breath. “You are also the only one I have ever hated. Do you forgive me?”
“Always.”
“I was spoiled, confused, and selfish. I acted like an inconsiderate child instead of an adult.”
Selena cringed inwardly at what a fool she’d been to run. She should have waited and talked to Catal, but at the time she didn’t think he was ever coming back for her. That didn’t excuse her from not telling him about Tarrin. The very least she could have done was try and find him after she’d learned that she was pregnant.
“There’s no defence for what I did.”
“You’re perfect.” Catal’s voice was sincere. “You have always been.”
“No.” Selena shook her head. “When I found out I was pregnant, I chose not to contact you. My decision caused you to lose seven years of Tarrin’s life. You have every right to hate me.”
Catal brought her hands to his mouth. A shiver of awareness and desire sparked through her. The wonder of it stopped her breath. She had never thought she’d feel this way again.
“We are joined.” Catal’s voice was a husky vow. “There is nothing you could ever do that would destroy the pair bond.”
“Do you understand what I am saying?” Selena’s fingers tensed in his hand.
Catal frowned. “You regret running from me. What more do I need to understand?”
“I said that you were the only man I had ever been with.”
Selena paused for several seconds. Catal looked at
her with a blank stare.
“I’m trying to tell you that I have never made love with another man.” Selena cleared her throat. “Tarrin is your son.”
Selena held her breath and waited for Catal’s anger.
Instead, he frowned. “How is that possible?”
“It happens when a man and a woman are intimate. And we were frequently intimate.”
“But Hunters cannot have children.”
“Who told you that?” Selena reached up and touched Catal on the shoulder. A shiver of awareness raced up her arm. “You are the only man I have ever made love with. There is no other possible father.”
Catal sat on the bed beside her. He ran his hands through his hair and shook his head. “How can this be? It’s contrary to what we’ve been told.”
“Nevertheless, it’s the truth.” Selena squeezed his hand. “I know it’s a shock to find out this way, but you are Tarrin’s father.”
“It means Tarrin is a Hunter.” He turned to her and smiled. “We may have a chance to track him.”
“Now I’m the one who’s confused.” Selena frowned. “We still don’t know who the men are that bought the boys.”
“We may be able to mind connect.” Catal’s voice was serious. “There’s a chance that Tarrin will be able to hear other Hunters.”
Selena searched Catal’s face for some indication of what he meant. All she saw there was hope. She didn’t have a clue what he was talking about, but the confidence she saw in his eyes gave her courage. Catal had already admitted that he wasn’t from Earth. Perhaps there were more secrets.
Secrets that could save their son’s life.
“What is mind connect?”
“You are my pair bond.” Catal’s voice was a low whisper. “Before you closed your mind to me, we were linked. Do you remember?”
Selena searched her memories for that wonderful three months she had spent with Catal. She was confined to the compound for most of the time. The guerrilla activity had increased and many neighbors in the area had tightened their security. Every day she woke up knowing that she’d see Catal, though. Her world had revolved around him. That’s why her brother’s insistence that he had betrayed her, had cut so deep.
They would steal away for hours and make love. Life had been dangerous, but in the midst of the fears, was the bond that she had with Catal. It was as if he could read her mind. His thoughts and feelings were hers. They shared everything.
“We were in love.” Her words were hesitant. “We were always together. You protected me and saved my life more than once.”
“I sensed when you were in danger.” Catal picked up her hand and kissed it. “I was a fool not to believe in the bonding, but I didn’t understand.”
“So there is more to our connection than what you told me?”
Catal gaze became intense. “A Hunter is bred to be the best warrior possible. He is bred to obey and protect.”
“You are fierce fighters. Even Juan was surprised at how good your unit was.”
“Remember, I told you that we were genetically modified and had implants to strengthen us?” When Selena nodded, Catal continued. “Those same implants prevented us from pair bonding. It was forbidden for a Hunter to have a mate.”
“You weren’t allowed to mate ever?” Selena tilted her head. “You certainly seemed quite capable when we were together.”
“You had never been with another man. If you had, you might have known how inexperienced I was.” Catal’s tone was wry. “You were the only woman I had ever been drawn to. From the moment I saw you standing beside your brother, I knew you were different.”
“How so?”
“I wanted to be with you.” Catal’s eyes softened. “It was more than an attraction. It was a soul searing need. It was as important to me as breathing. Every second of the day, I craved and yearned to be with you. I had lived on your planet for over twenty years and never once had that happened to me. As far as I knew, it hadn’t occurred to any of my fellow brothers either.”
“Never?” Selena’s voice was uncertain.
Catal shook his head. “I thought being surrounded by humans made us immune to you. We are not from this planet, and even though we look similar, we are different. Lorcan was our leader, and he held all humans in contempt. We did what we had to survive, but there were no thoughts of interaction with you.”
“So there was no attraction for you to women.”
“None. It was thought impossible and beneath a Hunter to even look at a woman.” Catal looked down at their joined hands. “All that changed the moment I met you. I risked everything I held sacred being with you. If my fellow Hunters had found out, I thought I would have been cut off from them.”
Selena swallowed. She hadn’t realized that Catal had jeopardized so much by being with her. When her brother had told her that Catal was responsible for the massacre of their men, she had felt humiliated and a fool. She’d believed everything they’d shared had been a lie. She thought he had used her Running away had been a childish reaction, but it had kept her sane. She couldn’t bear to dwell on what had happened. Later, when Tarrin had been born, she’d been forced to fend for both of them. It had forced her to mature.
“You broke the rules by being with me.”
“I threw away the rules. I disobeyed orders to be with you. There was nothing that could stop me. You are my pair bond. I didn’t understand then, but I do now. That is why it is forbidden for us to mate.”
“Men can have wives and still do their jobs.” Selena’s chest tightened with sympathy. “They don’t have to choose one over the other.”
“A Hunter does.” Catal closed his eyes briefly. “Our genetic modifications mean that our loyalty and allegiance is narrow. Once bonded, we put our mate above all else, even our orders. When you ran away, I stayed in Columbia searching for you for months after the rest of the unit left. I blocked all communication with my fellow brothers and ignored my leader’s directives.”
Selena’s breath caught in her throat. She hadn’t realized to what lengths Catal had gone to find her. “Your family should come first. They must have understood that.”
“Not for a warrior. We are bred to fight and die, nothing more. I never told my fellow Hunters why I had left. When I returned, they assumed I’d been injured. There is no other acceptable justification for my disobedience.”
“That’s horrible. There is more to life than war and death.”
“Perhaps, but that is a Hunter’s purpose.” Catal’s voice was harsh. “We do the work that others don’t have the stomach for. It’s a brutal world, and even though I’ve lived most of my life on Earth, nothing has changed that fact.”
“So there is no room for love.”
Catal shook his head. “No.”
“Then what happened between us?”
“My implants probably malfunctioned, or were turned off when I was captured by the military. Other Hunters who have crashed here recently, have found mates. Their implants were disconnected months before they came to Earth.” Catal shrugged. “That is the only reason I have, because none of the other warriors that were stranded on Earth at the same time as me, have ever found a mate.
“Perhaps they did, but refused to talk about it.”
“I would know.” Catal squeezed her hand. “We communicate in ways that humans do not. That is what I’ve been trying to explain.”
“Mind connect?” Selena raised an eyebrow. “Are you saying that you know what each other is thinking all the time?”
“Not all the time, but we can connect telepathically. This is something we never told our handlers or teachers. It is only known among Hunters.”
“It’s a secret.”
“Yes.” Catal’s voice was firm. “Well guarded. It gives us an advantage in battle. We can converse at great distances with each other.”
“Why are you telling me then?”
“That same communication is possible between mates.”
Shock ripped thr
ough Selena. “We never had that.”
“I never trusted fully.” Catal’s voice was apologetic. “If I had understood the bonding it would have been different. Perhaps then you might have known that I would never have betrayed you. To deceive you would have been like killing myself.”
“I know we were close, but I never heard your voice in my head.”
“No, but often I could make you happy when you were sad.” Catal gave her a crooked smile. “It is something I have tried to do throughout this kidnapping ordeal. I’ve sent you my love and strength.”
Selena bit her lip. His efforts hadn’t been in vain. She had sensed his support frequently. Sometimes it had been so strong that she had thought he was actually holding her in his arms. That part of the bonding had been real.
“Will we be able to speak to each other telepathically one day?”
“If we trust, yes.” Catal pulled her close. “For eight years, I’ve been nothing but a shell of a man. Having known one’s mate and then to lose her, is worse than anything else. It is hell. Death would be preferable. The only reason I continued is that I hoped one day I would find you. That you would lower your defenses and let me in again.”
“Is that all it takes?” Selena’s voice was doubtful. “After so many years, all I have to do is open myself up to you?”
“Yes.” Catal looked down at her. “You have the power, not me. If you want to strengthen the bond, then it will be so.”
Selena reached up and brushed her hand over his forehead. He shivered at her touch, a soft moan escaped his lips. She tilted her head and let her fingers drift down the side of his face. His skin was rough from a couple of days of stubble, sending tingles of sensation throughout her body.
This was the man she had always loved.
The only man for her.
She leaned up and touched his lips with hers. Instant fire exploded. Catal clung for a second and then his mouth moved over hers. Sensations and desires that she had long thought dead came to life. She leaned into him and let her body lead the way.
His tongue glided over hers, sending flutters of heat throughout her. She twisted in his arms until she found the position where she fit perfectly. Her body remembered. This was heaven, and for several seconds, she let the world fade away while she luxuriated in the protection of Catal.
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