Rick’s eyes narrowed. “What are you trying to get at?”
“The truth. I do not like you, human,” he said honestly. “But I will not lie to a fellow male. Nora and I are mates—when it suits her. Each time she sets her eyes on another male, she pushes me out of the picture. But once she has had her taste of him, she always comes back to me. We are never apart for too long.” He paused to allow his words to take effect.
“However, this time it is different. This time she has set her eyes on a human. Our species has never approved of your kind. Do not fall prey to her whims,” Tigif advised. “I am not engaged to marry anyone, least of all her sister.” Tigif stifflly laughed. “Nora only has one other sibling, and that is Challen, her older brother. She never had, or ever will have, a sister. Her parents are dead. They were killed when she was two tides old.”
“Two tides old?”
“Our tides are the equivalent to your months.”
“I see.” Rick’s gaze dropped to the cement floor. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I have seen the way you look at her. I have also seen how Nora works her ploy over males. They fall to her charms and beauty. I have always protested, but I never left because I love her. Another one of her many victims, I suppose. Something about her ensnares a male completely. Sadly, I never had the power to resist it.”
“You could say that again,” grumbled Rick under his breath. His finger traced the line of his scar.
Tigif’s pointy, striped ears did not miss the remark. He knew he had successfully planted the seed of doubt by how McCall’s face fell. All he had to do was water it from time to time and watch it grow.
“Even though I have never liked sharing her with other males, I least of all like the idea of sharing her with a human.”
“And why should I believe you? I trust you less than I trust her.”
Tigif shrugged his shoulders indifferently. “You do not have to believe me.” He turned to leave. “Just think about it. She is a female. Have you ever come across a female who has not played the field or lied to her lovers about being faithful? Secondly, she is a cat, or have you forgotten? Since when have felines been in a monogamous relationship? We are not that different from the cats found on this planet, you know—at least when it comes to our mating patterns.” He disappeared into the darkness.
He’s right about that. But is he telling me the truth, or is he trying to throw me off track? Rick scowled. Problem is, I don’t know either of them well enough to determine which one I can trust. He smoothed his palms over his head. What am I doing? They’re aliens. Why am I even trying to decide which one I can trust, when I should be figuring out how to get them home before anyone else gets killed.
Shaking his head in frustration, he grumbled, “Rick, you are a sentimental fool.” He dragged his feet back to his hotel room. “A sentimental idiot is more like it.” He was disgusted with himself, and his face showed it.
Unsure of how it happened, Rick grumbled while he prepared his bed on the floor. Somehow, he was assigned the space in between the two full-sized beds. Leonora had taken the one nearest to the bathroom. Before he could blink, Tigif grabbed the one closest to the front door.
Rick had no problems with Leonora sleeping on a bed. But Tigif. It irked him each time he glanced at the feline stretching in what seemed like a very comfortable bed.
He had stressed to Tigif that as their protector he should sleep on a bed, so he could be well rested and prepared to defend them in case of a confrontation. Tigif outright refused. Rick opened his mouth to protest further but spotted Leonora’s agitated look. Therefore, he chose to let it go.
The last thing he overheard before he dozed off was the beginning of the Oceanans’ discussion about who would take a shower first.
Rick awoke from a stormy dream. He felt a heavy pain at his chest and moisture on his cheeks. He opened his eyes. The room was dark and quiet. He took in a ragged breath and wiped the tears from his face.
The dream had involved Leonora instead of his wife. Unhappy with the dream, he had tried to wake up to end it. He failed. After they met, Mary had become his world. Rick had never been unfaithful to her, not even his dreams were of other women. On this night, however, Mary was nowhere to be found. In her place was a dark-haired woman with pale eyes and a full belly.
She responded to Rick’s thrusts in a breathtaking manner. She reached behind her to grasp his head. Rick spotted a wedding band on her left ring finger. He smoothed back her hair, so he could have a better look at her and saw his matching band. His heart raced with the thought of her being his wife.
Rick refused to close his eyes. He observed her features, her pointy ears, her lusty expressions. His feelings of betrayal gradually gave way to lust. He touched her growing belly and thought of the child within. His child. Hope began to seep into his heart, and his speed increased. It was a second chance at love, at having a family, at going home.
Rick had forgotten it was a dream until her image began to fade with her cries for more. Fear gripped Rick’s heart then. Tears sprung in his eyes. Anger and bitterness filled his soul.
He turned onto his belly, punched his pillow, and whispered several curses. It was just a dream. He placed his forehead on the pillow. It will never come true.
If he had chosen a different career path, perhaps his dreams would have been a reality. Mary and his daughter would still be alive. He would be happy and not full of loneliness and sorrow.
But, would he have been satisfied with his job? Rick thought of Lance and the Shadow Team. He did not think so. He would have been miserable, and his unhappiness would have eventually affected his marriage. Being a spy was in his blood. There was no other career for him. He would have to live with his choices.
Rick bunched up the pillow. He lowered his head and glanced over to where Leonora slept. He could see the faint outline of her body in the darkness. The total sadness that flooded his being did not surprise him. His entire life flashed before his eyes. Reality set in. All hope had indeed departed with Mary’s last breath.
It took a few minutes for his erection to subside. The sound of running water began to work on his bladder. Without making a sound, he stood from his makeshift bed. Since it was Tigif bathing he saw no reason to wait, unless the cat closed the door. But Rick knew the lock was broken, so he entered, not caring if he offended the tiger.
The bright lights blinded him. Rick rubbed both eyes, lifted the lid, and unzipped his pants. He exhaled with relief as he emptied his bladder. By the time he flushed and moved over to the sink to wash his hands, his eyes had adjusted. There was movement to the right of him. Naturally, he glanced over. His breath caught in his lungs. The cat behind the transparent curtain was not Tigif.
Two minutes passed before Rick realized he was not breathing. Rooted in place, he gaped at the lioness. Her naked form was visible with only minor distortions due to the plastic curtain. He knew he was being ungrateful and greedy, but he wanted to get a better look at her body.
He watched Leonora sensually lather her arms. She placed her left leg on the edge of the tub. Her soapy hands traveled up and down the length of that shapely leg. Rick stifled a groan. The spark of desire ignited by his dream burned brighter.
Leonora turned around, giving him a view of her long slender back and derriere. Rick caught his breath, and his heart tried to escape its captivity. Her hands moved over her flat tummy, up her left arm, and down her right. She faced him. Rick watched her erotically massage two full breasts. The room began to sway. Leonora’s right hand reached down to sneak between her thighs. Rick snatched a hold of the sink to stabilize himself.
The effects of watching Leonora shower astounded him. He had watched and helped Mary bathe numerous times. Never once did she have a mind-boggling effect on him. Why now? Why like this? Why with Leonora? He desperately wanted answers.
His grip on the sink’s edge tightened. His focus lifted to her face. The hunger in his loins pounded. He wanted her.
Painful as it was to admit, he wanted Leonora more than he had desired his wife.
Sadly, Rick was not one to break a promise. Therefore, he resisted. Still, his body demanded to be soothed. He could take the sweet torture no more. He feared either he would break his oath or faint, so he bolted from the bathroom.
At his bed, he dropped onto his belly. His fingers encircled his swollen member. Groaning into his pillow, his hand rose and lowered until his seed spilled over his fingers. Riding the final spasms, Rick cursed Leonora. His appetite for her was now greater than before.
Sunday, the 21st of July
The following morning, Leonora exited the crowded service station. She saw Rick scratching his head. He was clearly frustrated. “What is wrong?”
“I overheard several couples speaking about the army. They’ve set up roadblocks on all the highways. They’re checking all vehicles in search of…you know who.”
“What are we going to do?”
He stared straight ahead.
Straggling behind as usual, Tigif asked with a mouth full of his egg-and-sausage sandwich. “What is wrong?”
Leonora and Rick eyed the aggravating tiger. “I have an idea,” Rick answered. “But first stay here.” He went back inside the service station.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“To get some aspirin.”
Leonora understood his meaning. Pursing her lips, she glared at the cause.
“What did I do?" said Tigif before stuffing his mouth.
Three cars were ahead of his sedan. Rick tried to control his breathing as he leisurely screwed the cap back onto his bottled water. His eagle sights surveyed the scene before him, behind dark shades. He mentally approved. Everything was precisely the way he had pictured it would be. He moved his car forward and noticed that the soldiers’ procedures for searching vehicles had not changed. He smirked.
Once they had left the service station, Rick had driven to his fellow team member’s safe house, only an hour away. He was relieved to find no one at home. He instructed the Oceanans to wait in the living room, while he went into the dining room that Trigger had converted into an office. Rick took a few minutes to insert the disk he had obtained at the lab to scan the data.
His insides grew cold at what he found. He looked at Leonora who sat on the sofa. She was feeling her forehead for a fever. He was out of his element. He needed help. Rick reached for the phone beside the computer and dialed. Ten minutes later, he returned the handset to its base with a sigh of relief. Rick placed the disk in his backpack. He then slipped his arm through the strap, hanging the bag on his shoulder.
He went to the living room to get the others. “Okay, guys, let’s go.” He led them to the attached garage.
There he left his car parked in place of a four-door red sedan. He was positive John Rainfield, also known as Trigger, would surmise the Predator had taken his car. Lance would hear about it and know his suspicions were correct. It was another choice Rick would have to live with.
He had done his part; now it was up to the cats to do theirs. It was fairly easy, he decided. All they had to do was stay still and make no noise. As he placed his water bottle down, Rick heard a thud accompanied by a groan from beneath the car.
He gritted his teeth and cursed them both. How difficult can it be for two grown adults to lie still?
Tigif and Leonora had folded themselves into a fetal position, so they could fit in the secret compartment underneath the trunk. It was difficult for Rick to leave Leonora in Tigif’s embrace. Tigif’s satisfied smile had sent cold hatred streaking through Rick’s core. Leonora’s fearful gaze had sent a different message, making Rick question the logic behind his plan.
What other choice did he have? He could think of no other way to get past the human blockade. At closing the trunk, it had taken Herculean strength not to put a bullet through the cat’s head. His hand still itched with the need.
There was another bump and a louder groan. A sinking feeling developed in Rick’s stomach. The soldiers will discover them if they did not stay still. Rick wondered what was going on. Images of what could follow that intimate embrace took shape. Rick thought of what he would do if he were in place of the tiger.
He reached for the dashboard and pressed two buttons at the radio controls. One changed the station. The other sent a signal to the cramp compartment below. He hoped it would stop whatever was going on. He sat back in his seat and scratched his right palm.
Leonora had remained silent when Rick positioned the three-inch bottom into place. She had inquired if there was any other way. Regretfully, he had said no. The moment Tigif had placed his arms around her, pulling her to his body, she knew there was going to be trouble. And she was right.
She had done everything from swatting his hands away to making death threats, but nothing helped. To her horror, Tigif’s hands were becoming all too daring, too familiar with her body. She knew it would be dangerous to make a sound, so she swallowed her cry for help and fought his hands in silence.
Tigif’s hand pushed underneath her blouse to encase her left breast. Leonora jerked. Her head met his chin, in turn, his head banged against the side. Instead of stopping, Tigif retaliated by grabbing her between her legs and yanking her against his arousal.
Biting her tongue, Leonora placed all her strength into jabbing him in the ribs and stomping on his foot as hard as possible. Tigif growled and reached for her chin. A small red light turned on, and he hesitated. The signal alerted them to the army’s presence. Leonora waited for his next move.
In the driver’s seat, Rick took shallow breaths. Outward, he was as cool as can be. Inside, he was nitro, waiting to explode. The groans that came from underneath were impossible to ignore. The wheels to his overactive imagination ran wild. In the end, Rick envisioned himself sitting before a fireplace, skinning a striped tiger with the intentions of selling his hide for a profit. Rick vigorously scratched his hand before moving his car forward.
“Good morning,” he greeted the officers with a smile.
“Step out of the car, please,” replied the young man who took hold of the door handle. “Your license and registration, please.”
“Of course.” Rick handed the soldier the documents he requested. He even took off his glasses and smiled when the officer examined his driver’s license. “What exactly is going on here?”
“Step aside, sir.” The officer looked inside the car. “Please, open the trunk of your car.”
Rick reached down the side of the driver’s seat and flipped a switch. “Something serious must’ve happened for the army to search cars like this. May I know what you’re searching my car for?”
A second officer, holding the leash to a German Shepherd, searched the trunk. The dog sniffed the trunk and all around the car. Rick held his breath. His only fear was the aliens’ inability to remain quiet, not the soldier discovering the compartment, even if he did thump away. Trigger had the car specifically made for manual and canine searches, and it had never failed a test. Today was no different.
“He’s clean,” stated the soldier, pulling his dog out of the trunk. He closed the trunk.
The first officer returned Rick’s papers. “Nothing for you to be concerned about, Mr. Sinclair. Good day.” Moving away from the car, he waved Rick onward.
Rick innocently returned behind the driver’s seat and slowly passed the military barricade. After a half hour, and certain no one was following, he turned onto a country road. Ten minutes later, he drove off the side of the dirt road.
Rick flipped the switch that opened the trunk. He exited the car and walked to the back. He opened the hatch and reached inside to remove the cover of the compartment. Leonora’s bolting out of the compartment caused him to stumble back a few feet.
Leonora stood before the bumper and waited for Tigif to stand on his knees. She punched him in the face, sending him banging into the hood of the trunk with a loud clank. Without saying a word, she stomped to the side of the car. Sh
e yanked open the door and took her place in the passenger seat with a slam of the door.
Rick was left speechless and holding the cover. Though overjoyed by the exchange, he gripped the lid tightly, out of fear he would reach for his gun and satisfy the annoying itch in his right palm. Only one thing could have caused her to respond like that. And that made Rick’s fantasy of skinning the cat alive more vivid.
Rick traveled in silence for three hours until he felt an unexpected stirring in the pit of his stomach. He wondered what it could be. A sudden urgent need to glance behind him whelmed him. Through the rearview mirror, the reason for his uneasiness became clear. Leonora’s forehead shone with perspiration. Her features were flushed. Her hair was plastered around her beautiful face. He swore, for he knew her fever was back full force.
The decayed remains of the aliens he was unable to help entered his mind. He guessed about the excruciating pain and unfathomable tortures they must have endured before they died. Rick also thought of Leonora. She had watched her friends die a slow and painful death. He knew the pain of watching a dear one take a last breath. It was gut wrenching. A part of the person watching died too. No one could ever be the same after being that close to death. He was not the same, and he was sure she was not also.
Rick’s temper rose each time he considered what she went through. He honestly wished he could have been there to keep her from experiencing such ungodly behavior. His face twisted in disgust. Somewhere along the path after meeting her, he had become protective of the pale-eyed witch.
The male beside him coughed. Rick glanced at Tigif and sneered. “Great. Two oversized, sick cats. Like I need this.” He would never make it to his beach house dragging two sick cats with him. Plus, he had an important meeting in a few hours.
A Seacat's Love (Oceanan Trilogy Book 1) Page 9