Embrace the Passion: Pets in Space 3

by Smith, S. E.

  Raul lifted his metal hand. “I can handle a single human girl. It is imperative that we leave this planet before we cross paths with Walkyr d’Rojah,” he impatiently replied.

  Airabus reluctantly bowed his head in submission. “Yes, High Lord,” he stiffly replied.

  Raul waited until he knew Airabus had departed. He looked down at the key in his hand. The soft pulsing glow had turned to a bright, constant light. He looked up and slid the key into his pocket.

  The human was coming out with a small case. She placed it in the front compartment of the vehicle and slammed the door. By the time she turned around, Raul was standing less than three feet from her.

  She released a sharp, tense scream before clamping her lips together. Her eyes were wide as she stared back at him, trying to see his features. A sardonic smile curved his lips. It wouldn’t matter if she saw his features. She would soon be dead.

  “Who the hell are you?” she blurted out.

  Raul reached for his hood. He paused when her eyes locked on his metal arm, then slowly pushed back the hood of his cloak.

  “You appear to have something I have been looking for, for a very long time,” he stated.

  Her chin lifted in surprising defiance. “I know you,” she whispered, staring back at him.

  His gaze swept over her face, pausing on the marks along her temple. He took a step forward. His metal arm swung up and he wrapped his cold, hard fingers around her neck. She choked and she wrapped her hands around his arm.

  He ignored her struggle. Instead, he reached up and pulled off the band holding her hair. Long, dark curls cascaded down over her shoulders and fell across his arm. He continued to stare at her with cold, hard eyes.

  “Well, well, well. It would appear I have found where my beloved mate took our daughter. Where is your mother?” he asked in a harsh voice.

  18

  Walkyr gritted his teeth in irritation. He and Pallu rode in the back seat of the human’s transport. He wanted to bang his head against the headrest of the front seat.

  Pallu shot him a sympathetic look. “Their modes of transportation are very slow,” he said.

  “I could run faster than this,” Walkyr growled under his breath.

  “You two do know that we can hear everything you are saying even if we can’t understand some of it, right?” Mason dryly commented, looking at the two of them in the rearview mirror.

  Walkyr shot the older man a heated look of frustration. Mason was now driving even more slowly than he had been before due to the worsening weather conditions. It was barely snowing out compared to many of the places he had travelled to in the past.

  He drew in a deep, calming breath before he slowly released it and turned to stare out of the window. He had to remind himself that if Mason felt it was necessary to drive this slow then maybe Trescina would have decided not to drive in it at all. He rubbed his hands together.

  “What’s wrong?” Pallu asked.

  Walkyr looked at his younger brother before staring at his hands. He was as nervous as a kitten on his first day of school. A soft, unexpected chuckle escaped him and he looked at his brother with amusement.

  “I can’t believe I didn’t realize that she was one of us. I wonder how she came to be on Earth. When I first explained that I was an alien, she refused to believe me. It was like she had never even heard of an alien, much less seen one before,” he shared.

  “She wouldn’t have if she was born and raised here,” Chad reflected.

  “But… How is that possible?” Pallu argued.

  Chad turned in his seat. “Well, think about it. You guys have space travel. Haven’t any of your kind been born on another world before?” he asked.

  Walkyr thought about what Chad was saying but it still didn’t make sense. Yes, they had been traveling to different worlds for centuries, but never this far before until a few years ago. This planet was an outlier. Still, it was possible. He would have to ask Trescina who her parents were and how they had come to be on this world.

  “We’re… Whoa! What the hell?” Mason suddenly exclaimed as he slammed on the brakes.

  Cinnamon had her paws up on his window, and was making a series of coughing noises. He and Pallu reached for the handles to their doors at the same time. Scattered images flashed through his mind as he connected with the agitated tigress.

  One strong emotion rose clearly and concisely in his mind—danger. Trescina was in grave danger. A savage snarl slipped from Walkyr. Cinnamon backed up and began pacing.

  “What’s going on?” Chad demanded, turning in his seat.

  Walkyr looked across at the man. “Trescina is in danger. The man with the metal arm is here,” he stated in a harsh voice.

  “Man with a metal arm? Tell us what you want us to do,” Chad replied in a grim tone.

  “It is best if we handle it from here,” Walkyr quietly stated.

  Chad nodded in frustration. “We’ll wait here,” he replied.

  Walkyr nodded and closed the door. He shifted into his cat and took off at great speed down the driveway. Behind him, he knew Pallu and Cinnamon were following him. He turned when he neared the house and disappeared into the trees that lined the side of the property.

  The doors to her transport are open. It looks like she was planning to leave, Pallu noted.

  Spice is in the cage, Walkyr noted, spying the male tiger agitatedly pacing back and forth in the confined space.

  Does she cage her cats? Pallu asked with a slight sound of disdain in his voice before it cleared. You?! Really? She had you locked in it? I would have loved to have seen that!

  Walkyr ignored his brother’s amusement. Cinnamon must have shared that delightful little vision with Pallu. He was going to have to have a cat-to-cat talk with the two tigers when this was over. Spice paused his pacing and looked in their direction. He swiftly sent a soothing image to the tiger to remain calm and not to make a sound.

  Walkyr watched as the white tiger lowered himself down onto the pad and turned to stare at the door leading into the house. They didn’t have many options available. The house had three entrances that he knew of. The one in the front, the one through the garage, and the large sliding glass doors in the back. Those would be difficult to break through because they were double paned glass if he remembered correctly.

  What about a window? Pallu asked.

  I haven’t been through the back of the house. Stay here. I will check, Walkyr instructed.

  Walkyr carefully worked his way around the perimeter of the house. He darted across the driveway and stealthily made his way to the opposite end of the house. He scanned the structure, searching for any possibility. His cat’s keen eyes noted that the small window was slightly ajar.

  I’m going in.

  I am, too, Pallu replied.

  How? Walkyr demanded.

  There are advantages to being the smallest brother, Pallu informed him with satisfaction.

  An image of the large, square hatch in the door leading into the laundry room flashed through his mind. It would have been a very tight fit for him with the broader shoulders of his cat. Pallu’s leopard was slightly smaller and definitely more agile. He and his other brothers used to fight each other to have Pallu on their teams because Pallu could always get into places they couldn’t.

  He darted over to the window, keeping to the shadows. It would be getting light soon. He shape-shifted back to human and pressed his back against the house. There was a soft glow of a light in the bathroom. He turned and peered through the gap in the window.

  Looking at the window, he ran his hands along the screen protecting it. He bent and pulled a blade from his boot. He carefully worked the tip between the frame of the screen and the frame of the window. A few seconds later, he silently lifted the screen off and leaned it up against the house beside where he was standing.

  The window appeared to be relatively new and slid up without any noisy protests. Once it was opened as far as it would go, Walkyr shape-shifted agai
n. It would be safer and easier to go through the window in his cat form.

  I quiet, his cat gloated.

  Just get us inside—without getting caught, he tersely ordered.

  He felt the muscles of his cat tense before he easily sprang up, catching the sill with his front paws before pushing himself through the opening to land silently on the rug in front of the bathing unit. He immediately shape-shifted again so he could close the window to prevent any more heat from being lost. The last thing he wanted was a frigid draft of air to announce his arrival. Once he had closed the window, he moved to the closed door.

  I’m in, he sent to his brother.

  * * *

  Vlad lowered the long case to the ground and knelt beside it. He shrugged the white backpack off his shoulders and lowered it next to him on the snow. The white thermal suit he was wearing kept him protected from the sub-zero temperatures.

  He unzipped the backpack and pulled out a pair of military-grade thermal binoculars. His buyers had spared no expense on the equipment he required for this job. He looked forward to collecting on this one and on the next one for her sister.

  Adjusting the focus, he peered through the lenses. He was two hundred yards from the house but it seemed like he was just two feet away. The house had several lights on, making the night vision option unnecessary. He moved his head and braced his elbows on the firmly packed snow so that he could keep his arms steady as he surveilled the house. He carefully studied the silhouette of a person sitting in a chair by the large sliding glass doors. He returned his field of vision back to the seated person. The telltale dark curly hair was all he needed to identify his intended target. She was where the information he’d purchased said she would be.

  “Finally, my little prize tigress. I have finally caught up with you,” Vlad murmured.

  Sitting back, he unzipped the long case, revealing the large rifle inside. He quickly assembled the rifle before pulling out the portable tripod. He lowered himself to the ground and looked through the scope.

  He had only been there for a few minutes when he realized that something was going inside the house. He followed the movements of a man near his target. He released a series of sharp expletives when he saw the man toss away a tiger who had been the woman just a moment ago. His finger remained frozen on the trigger until he saw the man reach for a weapon.

  Vlad squeezed the trigger. The woman was of no use to him if she was dead. He moved the scope to search for the woman. He froze when he saw not one, but two men for a brief moment. He didn’t recognize either of them, but they moved with power and grace. He didn’t like so many new players suddenly showing up in his game. He didn’t like it at all.

  Pulling back, he silently packed up his equipment. It was better to retreat and attack another day than to end up like the man he had just killed. He’d learn that lesson the day he received the scars that marred his face.

  19

  Minutes Ago:

  Trescina rubbed her bruised throat and glared at the man standing in the shadows. She clenched her fist. The faint memories that had always been encased in a fog suddenly came into sharp focus.

  She knew the memories were from her cat. Her primitive form retained the recessive memories of her connection with her mother while she was in the womb. Trescina remembered the gentle warmth of her mother’s love even as pain and grief tore through her.

  “She loved you,” she forced out.

  The man who was her biological father stared at her with indifference. Her gaze moved to his prosthetic arm before she looked away again. She had to get away from him and somehow alert Walkyr and his brothers.

  “She was easily fooled and seduced,” he coldly replied.

  Trescina’s lip curled. “You are a sick, twisted man. You had everything but you threw it away—for what? A metal arm and a miserably pathetic life,” she sneered.

  She didn’t flinch when he took a step forward. He wouldn’t get what he wanted. She would never let him have the gem that meant more to him than she and her mother ever had. If what Walkyr had told her was true, the very existence of their species depended on her keeping it safe.

  “Where is The Heart of the Cat?” he demanded.

  “Where the sun doesn’t shine. Why don’t you stick your head up your ass and see if you can find it?” she sarcastically retorted.

  She did sit back in her chair when he took another step forward and raised his metal arm to strike her. Her cat snarled and clawed at her to let it loose. She was having difficulty controlling it.

  Release me, her cat snarled.

  “Do not think I will spare your life any more than I would have spared your mother’s,” he threatened, slowly lowering his arm.

  Trescina brushed her hair away from her face, then released a cry of pain when he suddenly reached out and wrapped his cold, metal fingers around her forearm. She struggled to break free, clawing at his fingers.

  “The mark…,” he murmured, holding her arm at a painful angle to look at her wrist.

  “It’s… it’s a tattoo… that I…,” she lied.

  Another cry of pain escaped her when he began to squeeze her arm. Dots danced in front of her eyes and she was sure that the bone in her arm was about to break. A gasp of relief escaped her when he suddenly released her.

  “I don’t need all of you, daughter. I am proof that a Sarafin warrior can survive without an arm, or his cat,” he informed her with a cruel smile.

  Shivers coursed through her when it dawned on her what he was saying. He could no longer shift. Either his cat refused to come forth or he refused to release it. In essence, he was a man who was already half dead.

  She cradled her throbbing arm against her chest and stared at him in horror. His face was twisted into a savage mask of rage. Her heart ached for his cat imprisoned inside him.

  “Your time is up, daughter. I will use your bloody limb and tear this house apart until I find The Heart of the Cat,” he vowed.

  “No, your time is up,” Walkyr replied.

  Trescina saw the weapon Raul was holding in his good hand. Her cat, already thirsting for revenge, tore through the fragile thread of her control. She released a guttural cry full of her grief and fear as she shape-shifted.

  Her cat slammed into Raul. She locked her powerful jaws around the wrist of his remaining arm and bit down. He swung out at her with his metal arm, smashing his fist against the side of her head. Pain exploded through her, but she refused to release her grip until he dropped his weapon. His next blow caught her in the side, breaking several of her ribs, and knocking the breath out of her.

  Her body went limp when he grabbed her by the nape and flung her through the air. She would have landed in the other room if Walkyr had not wrapped his arms around her. She cried out when his hold tightened around her broken ribs.

  “Pallu, kill him,” Walkyr shouted.

  Trescina turned her head into Walkyr’s chest when she heard the sound of laser fire. She closed her eyes. Behind her, she heard the unexpected sound of glass shattering followed by a heavy thud. Raul’s harsh curse was cut short.

  She turned her head when she heard Pallu shout out a warning. Walkyr pulled her through the doorway he had entered from and sank down with her in his arms behind the wall. She struggled to shape-shift, ignoring Walkyr’s harsh warning for her to remain in her cat form.

  “Ah,” she cried as her broken ribs shifted.

  “You shouldn’t have changed,” he growled in frustration.

  Her head fell back against his arm. “Who is shooting?” she moaned.

  “It has to be a human. We do not use such weapons,” Walkyr stated, looking over at where his brother had taken refuge.

  “Cinnamon and Spice,” she fretted, looking up at him.

  “They are safe. They are in the garage,” he softly reassured her.

  “Pallu, see if you can discover who is behind this,” he said.

  Trescina saw Pallu give a brief nod before he disappeared through the door
leading to the garage. She tucked her face back against Walkyr. It hurt to breathe. She moaned when he ever so gently lifted her in his arms, turned, and strode down the hallway to her bedroom.

  He carefully laid her on her bed. She lifted her hand to her throbbing temple even as she tried to cushion her ribs with her other hand. Walkyr pulled the small device he had used to heal his leg from the utility belt at his waist.

  “This is much better than the barbaric medicine of your world,” he said with a reassuring smile, gently pressing his fingers against her bruised neck.

  Trescina nodded and closed her eyes. She could feel his fingers tenderly tilting her head toward him. A moment later, warmth touched her skin. Almost immediately the pain began to fade.

  She opened her eyes and looked up at him. “I was going to run,” she confessed, her eyes darkening with the emotion swirling through her.

  “I saw that. Did you forget to tell me something?” he inquired with a hint of accusing sarcasm.

  “Maybe. I didn’t know you well enough to share that I’m a shape-shifter. We haven’t even been on a first date yet,” she retorted with a shrug before she winced in pain. “Ouch, that hurts.”

  “What is a date?” he asked.

  She relaxed as the scanner began to work its magic on her broken ribs. Her eyes drooped. She didn’t know if it was the fact that she’d had very little sleep in the past three days, an emotional and physical crash from the stress of those days, or the warmth from the medical device, but her eyelids were growing heavier.

  “I’m crashing,” she murmured with a slight slur.

  His warm chuckle sent a wave of calm through her. “It is the sedative patch I gave you. You should wake up in about five hours or so,” he teased.

  “You’re a regular… comedian. Who knew they had those in…. space? Guess it is better than a knife to my throat,” she joked in a barely audible voice before she sighed and gave up the fight against unconsciousness.