Kristar (Bookstrand Publishing Romance)

by D Renee Bagby

  Kitty laughed when Chigaru looked at her with a questioning expression. He still didn’t know much about customs and propriety. He probably thought he should be letting Red feel him up like the woman from the other day. Kitty could correct the situation, but his expression was too priceless to pass up. She laughed as she said, “I’ll go get you another shirt.”

  Red called after her, “Take your time, sugah.”

  “Don’t scratch up the merchandise.”

  “I’m surprised you haven’t already, Kitty. This man is primed and ready for a few bedroom scars. I don’t even see the hint of a hickey. What have you two been doing? Playing cards?”

  Kitty shook her head. “Not going there.” She jogged away, escaping Red’s questions. If all went as planned, she and Chigaru would be remedying the lack of sex battle scars tonight. She was looking forward to it.

  She knocked on the men’s locker room door once before pushing it open. “If you got something worth seeing, feel free to leave it out for my perusal.”

  Her words were wasted since all the guys were out in the club and Danny was in the girl’s dressing room. Kitty shrugged. Didn’t matter. She only wanted to see Chigaru. Everyone else couldn’t compete.

  All the lockers lining the far wall of the room had the owner’s name taped to the outside, so she had no problem finding Chigaru’s. He didn’t have much inside—a few shirts and some folded paper. She draped one of the shirts over her shoulder and curiosity made her pick up the papers. She unfolded them and stared at something that resembled a demon. It had giant horns curving in front of his face.

  Why did Chigaru have something like this in his locker? She flipped the paper over and read the question, “What is Chigaru’s true appearance?” The handwriting belonged to Ice.

  She turned the page over again and stared at it. So this was Chigaru’s real appearance. When she looked closer, she recognized his features. A slow smile curved her lips. He was right. With his horns positioned the way they were, he would never be able to push Kitty up against a wall and kiss her.

  While sad to miss, the wall position took a far second on the new list of possibilities Kitty imagined for Chigaru’s horns. The thought of hooking her knees through the loop of his horns and holding him in place as he pleasured her with his tongue had the most appeal. Hell, she wanted to go to his world just for that.

  After one last look at Chigaru’s real appearance, she turned to the next page. The word No was written on it twice. She flipped it over and looked at the two questions written on the other side. It seemed Ice had asked her draw the contents of the scroll and then scroll itself. She hadn’t been able to do either.

  The next page had the familiar image of the bar. She didn’t need to flip over the page to know the question since she knew it already. The scroll hadn’t been there, though they’d checked twice. Kitty’s drawings were never wrong though. But that had been three months ago. It might have moved. As much as she hated doing it, she would suggest going under to Chigaru so he could ask her again about the location of the scroll.

  The last page had been folded separate from the others. Kitty unfolded it and stared at a drawing of herself. She appeared happy. Kitty couldn’t remember ever smiling so wide and with so much joy. Nothing in her life had ever made her as happy as she looked in the drawing.

  She flipped the paper over, eager to see why she had drawn such a happy self-portrait. The question didn’t register with her at first. She had to read it three times before the meaning became clear.

  Her hands shook as she gripped the paper. The urge to tear the page to pieces warred with the need to crumple it and cram it down Chigaru’s throat.

  Who is the true mate I was sent to this dimension to find?

  Chigaru had asked her this question and Kitty had drawn a self-portrait. She was his true mate. She was his soul mate. She was the one Chigaru had been talking about every time he’d mentioned how unfit she was for his world.

  He’d denied her. Twice. He’d already made up his mind as soon as they met not to take her with him or to tell her who she was to him, and he had refused her again when she’d asked to accompany him.

  Kitty’s chest contracted and tears stung her eyes. She didn’t give in to the hurt. It seemed soul mates didn’t have a guarantee of love after all.

  She refolded the paper with slow movements. When she would have returned it to the locker, she hesitated. Looking at the paper made the pain worse but she couldn’t bring herself to let it go. She tucked it in her back pocket instead. It would be the start of a long, heated discussion between her and Chigaru once their shift ended.

  She replaced the other folded pages and headed for the front room. Red was still groping Chigaru when Kitty returned. Kitty couldn’t find any amusement in it any longer. She wanted to shove Red away and demand the woman stop touching Chigaru, but Kitty didn’t have that right.

  Kitty snatched Chigaru’s new shirt off her shoulder and threw it in his direction. “Here.” She didn’t stop walking to see if he caught it. She headed for the bar—the last known location of the scroll. The club didn’t open for another few minutes. She planned to look for the scroll and find it this time.

  She and Chigaru didn’t need to talk after all. Kitty would find the scroll, read the spell, and send him home. He wanted to go home so badly, she would help him get there. Once he left, she planned to pack up and move the way she had intended before he’d arrived. If she had left that morning instead of calling her ex for a quick tumble, she and Chigaru would have never met. Knowing what she now knew, she wished they hadn’t so she wouldn’t have to endure the pain now making it hard for her to breathe.

  “Kitty?”

  She didn’t turn when Chigaru called out to her. She couldn’t. If she looked at him, she would start screaming at him, demanding to know why she wasn’t good enough for him and his precious world. Her own soul mate had denied her. She would laugh if she could assure herself she wouldn’t start crying as soon as she started.

  Chigaru stopped her with his hand on her shoulder. “Kitty, what has upset you?”

  She wanted to pull away from him but a small part of her welcomed his touch. If he knew the cause of her anger, he wouldn’t be touching her so easily. The concern in his voice told her he either didn’t remember the papers he had stashed in his locker or didn’t realize she would be looking in his locker to get a new shirt.

  Shrugging out of his hold, she said, “We have work to do.”

  “If this is about your nightmare—”

  “It’s not. Now get to the door.” And away from me, she added to herself. They couldn’t have this conversation now. Not when the club was about to open. They didn’t need witnesses to what promised to be a loud, emotional argument. A scene would cost her money she would need to move.

  “I’ll check on you at break time then.”

  She started to tell him not to bother, but stopped herself. Not now. Let him think it was something else and not him. “Fine.”

  “Kitty, if—”

  A loud explosion cut off whatever Chigaru would have said next. Kitty faced the sound, trying to figure out what happened. Panicked screams filled the air. She thought she heard someone calling for help. Someone must have been caught in the blast. Kitty took two steps toward the crying person when gunfire erupted around her.

  Chigaru yanked her against his chest and turned his back to the hail of bullets. Several bottles on the wall behind them exploded. Kitty screamed. Someone was shooting at them. Someone was shooting Chigaru and he was taking it, protecting her.

  No!

  She didn’t care what he was or how tough he was in his own world. This many bullets would kill him. She struggled against his hold. “Let go. Let go, Chi! We have to get under cover.”

  She met his gaze. The pain she saw in his eyes, spurred her into action. She broke from his hold, grabbed his hand, and dragged him around the edge of the bar. They huddled on the ground amidst the broken glass and spilled liquor
.

  Chigaru groaned and slumped forward. Kitty put her hands on his shoulders, trying to give him support. “Chi, don’t you dare die. You hear me?”

  He shook his head. “I do not think this will kill me.”

  “It better not. You don’t get to die until I’m done yelling at you.”

  He gave a pained laugh before sinking down to his side. Kitty changed position so she cradled his head on her lap. Her hands shook as she patted his head in an absentminded gesture meant to soothe her more than him. The rapid gunfire continued. Every so often another bottle erupted, spraying liquor over her and Chigaru.

  What had happened? Who was attacking the club and why? It sounded like more than one gunman, though Kitty couldn’t be sure. Had Vincent pissed off someone packing firepower and a grudge?

  Another explosion. She covered Chigaru as glass rained around them.

  “Kristar.”

  She startled and sat up so she could look down at Chigaru.

  “Are you safe?”

  “I’m fine. You need to save your strength. Why would you do that, you big idiot? You’re all shot up now. That was stupid. You may be built like a dump truck but that doesn’t mean you’re invincible.” Salty tears coated her lips as she spoke. Crying meant this was really bad. She didn’t cry unless nothing else could be done.

  The club had become a warzone. If she moved, she might get shot. And she couldn’t leave Chigaru. If she didn’t get him to a hospital soon, he would die. He said otherwise, but he’d never been shot before. The bullets might have hit something vital and he didn’t know it.

  She cursed to herself. Why didn’t she know more magic? If she knew a healing spell, she might be able to help him.

  Another explosion rocked the building. Someone jumped over the bar and landed near them with a loud thump. Kitty balled up a fist, ready to beat the person to death to protect herself and Chigaru. She pulled her punch a second after she launched it. Danny hunched down, breathing hard and looking singed. Her face and hair were done but she hadn’t changed clothes yet.

  “Danny, are you okay?”

  She didn’t answer.

  “Danny!”

  She jerked around. “Kitty?”

  “Yeah. It’s Kitty. Are you okay?”

  “Yeah. Yeah. I think. I…” She ran her hands over her flat chest and then nodded. “Yeah. Where’s Tim?”

  “I was going to ask you. He was in the DJ booth when this started.”

  Danny started crying. Kitty didn’t know how to react. She had never seen Danny cry. She patted Danny’s shoulder. “It’s okay, Danny. Hey. It’s okay. Besides the VIP lounge and the bar, the DJ booth is the safest place in the club. He’s probably fine.”

  “Yeah. Yeah. You’re right. We just have to wait for the cops and then everything will be okay.”

  “Do you know what happened?”

  “No fucking clue.” Danny jumped back from Kitty. “Holy shit. Is that Chi? What the hell happened to him?”

  “He took a bunch of bullets aimed at me.” Kitty cupped Chigaru’s cheek. “He’ll be okay. The cops will be here soon. He’ll be fine.”

  “Kitty.”

  She ignored the pity she heard in Danny’s tone. Chigaru would be fine. He would. She would make him fine somehow.

  Something hard and heavy brushed past Kitty’s shoulder before shattering on the ground beside her. One of the bottles on the shelf above her head had fallen. The bottle contained a long and cylindrical tube.

  She reached for it. “What is that?”

  “What? What? Holy shit, what?” Danny looked around frantic.

  “Calm down, damn it. This isn’t the time for theatrics.” She pointed at the cylindrical object. “I think it fell off the shelf.” She looked up at the bottles teetering near the edge. She, Chigaru, and Danny needed to move. The explosions had kicked up a fire that would spread to the bar. The tiny fire extinguisher under the counter would do them no good once the alcohol caught. But the gunmen remained. The bar was reinforced to withstand bullets. If they left that shelter, they would be shot. So their choices were death by fire or firing squad.

  Danny reached over Kitty and picked up the object. “This thing. I found it outside one night a few months ago. Seemed cool so I stuck it in an empty bottle—you know, message in a bottle—but it disappeared.”

  “Scroll,” Chigaru whispered.

  Danny and Kitty startled before looking at him. He stared at the object Danny held. It took a moment for his words to make sense. Kitty gasped and then stared at the object. “That’s it?” she asked. “That’s the scroll?”

  “Yes.”

  Kitty snatched the scroll from Danny and almost beat her with it. “I asked you about this damn thing and you said you hadn’t seen it.”

  “I just told you it disappeared after I stuck it in the bottle. I didn’t want to sound nuts so I said I hadn’t seen it. Sorry. Is it important or something?”

  Kitty ignored the question to and asked Chigaru, “This can send you home?”

  “Yes. I can be healed at my home.”

  Danny asked, “What the hell are you two talking about?”

  Kitty wondered if she had to shake it or something? “What do I do?”

  Chigaru rasped, “Read it.”

  “Okay. I can do that. Sure. Read it.” She looked down at him. “You’re sure? You’re absolutely sure someone at your home will be able to help you? Tell me.”

  “The people of my home will heal me. I will be fine.”

  “Good enough for me.” She gently pulled her arm from beneath his head so she could crack the wax seal.

  Danny said, “Don’t bother. That wax is solid. I tried opening it when I first found it and nothing.”

  Kitty touched the wax and it crumbled in her fingers. She looked at Danny in question, who shrugged with a shake of her head. Kitty guessed it was magically sealed so only she could open it.

  The scrawling words inside made no sense but used an English alphabet so she could read it. She hoped pronunciation didn’t count.

  Chigaru said, “You must put me down. If you are touching me, you will be transported as well.”

  “Good. I’m not leaving you until I know you’re safe.”

  “Kitty—”

  “Shut up. This isn’t up for debate.” It seemed as though she was going with him whether he wanted her there or not. She mouthed a few of the words so she could get used to them before she started reading aloud.

  Danny asked, “Kitty, what are you doing?” She ducked and covered her head as another bottle shattered.

  “Something stupid that will make no sense to you. Just sit back. I don’t want you caught up in whatever’s about to happen.”

  She waited for Danny to move away so she wasn’t touching Kitty or Chigaru and then started reading aloud. If this spell worked, Kitty would be leaving Danny and everyone else to fend for themselves. She hated to do that but she didn’t want Chigaru to die. The cops would arrive soon. Ice had enough of them on his payroll that they wouldn’t let his club come under attack without consequences.

  Kitty held to that thought as she continued reading. A tingling sensation made her gasp, but she didn’t stop. The more she read, the more the tingling—like blood rushing to a sleeping limb—intensified until her whole body crawled with it.

  The club started fading away. Danny looked like she was yelling, but Kitty couldn’t hear her. Danny was disappearing with the club. Trees took the place of the bar until the bar faded, leaving the trees.

  The smoke and sounds of chaos were replaced with chirping things and a gentle breeze rustling through the leaves. Kitty looked around in amazement. The spell had worked.

  She looked down at Chigaru and startled before she smiled. His appearance had changed to match the one she’d drawn so long ago. He had returned to normal. The horns made his head heavier.

  “Kristar.”

  “I’m right here.” She smoothed her hand over the curve of one horn. “Right here.”r />
  “The palace. You must go to the palace.”

  “Right. You need help. How do I get there?”

  Chigaru looked up through the trees. He inhaled deeply a few times. “We’re close.” He lifted his arm and pointed over her shoulder. “Head straight. The palace is there.”

  “You’re sure. I don’t want to leave you and get lost.”

  “You won’t.”

  She gave him a shaky smile. “I’m glad you’re so confident in me.” She laid a kiss on the horn she held and then slid out from beneath him. “Don’t you dare die. I’ll never forgive you if you die. You hear me.”

  “Go.”

  “Right. I’m going. Don’t die. I’ll be right back.”

  She headed in the direction he had indicated, running as fast she could. The underbrush tripped her a few times, but she didn’t fall and tried not to let it slow her down. Chigaru’s life depended on her and the people at the palace.

  Her chest started hurting after a few minutes of running, but she ignored it. She was in good shape. It was probably a cramp from all the stress.

  Kitty didn’t know how far or how long she ran, but it felt like forever. She stopped herself from looking over her shoulder. Chigaru needed a healer, not Kitty sitting by and watching him die. Except, Kitty didn’t see anything that resembled a palace, let alone civilization.

  Had she gotten lost after all? Maybe Chigaru had been confused due to blood loss. She didn’t know this place or what signs to look for. Did the palace resemble how she imagined a palace would look? What if it was camouflaged or something?

  Hundreds of questions whirled through her head, seeding doubt and fear. She slowed her pace, preparing to retrace her steps and hoping Chigaru had a different solution, when the trees thinned. A clearing, or possibly a town of some kind, might be close. She broke through the tree line and a grand palace in the distance greeted her. She almost cried in relief but opted for running faster.

  As soon as she arrived at the front gate, she yelled, “Help! Please help!”

  She expected guards to come out of hiding places as soon as she called. No one answered. She continued yelling. She couldn’t give up. Chigaru said help would be at the palace. It looked like the middle of the day here. Everyone had to be awake, but where were they?