A Forgotten Kitten (Sea-anan Saga Book 2)

by Kong, Jessica A

  Sev had never broken down in front of his warriors. He hid his heartache by spinning on his heel and hurrying out the door. I can’t believe this is happening. He paused in the hallway and leaned his head against the wall. Jugar’s words repeated themselves in his head, making him feel unsure of his next step. His dreams filtered into his mind. He had misunderstood them. His loneliness and longing for a companion must have played with his subconscious, causing him to retrieve lost memories of his life with Areo on Oceana.

  Sev recalled being in Areo’s arms. To never experience such unique sensations again was unthinkable. No other female had the power to make him feel so alive. He tried to contemplate being with someone other than Areo, and a series of spasms assaulted his chest. How can I share myself with another when Areo’s been the only one? How can I when I…

  It was then that a new yet familiar feeling entered his core. Sev pushed off the wall. His choice was made.

  Sev entered Areo’s room without ringing the doorbell. His mind was sluggish to register Areo still half-naked and lying on the floor. Yanking the sheets off the bed, he covered her and then gently lifted her into his embrace. Areo held him tightly as she buried her head in the crook of his neck and began to cry again. Sev closed his eyes and held her closer, loving the feel of her in his arms. He fought back the anguish in his soul.

  “I need you to try and compose yourself, Princess. We need to talk.” It took Areo a few more minutes before she could. He understood.

  Areo wiped her swollen face with the sheets. “I’m OK. Did you read the law?”

  Sev jerked at the mention of that nightmarish book. “Yes.” He released her at her insistence.

  “Then you know why we can never be together.” She sniffed. His hands balled into fists. “How did your parents…”

  “They broke the law. Obviously.”

  “What happened?”

  “They were punished. Leave it at that.”

  “I can’t. And you know why.”

  “Yes, you can. Nothing irreversible has happened. Nothing that can’t be forgotten.”

  “Forgotten! How can you say that?” Sev grabbed her face. “Can you forget this?” He poured all his anger, fear, frustration, and uncontrollable passion for Areo into a long, unforgettable kiss.

  “Sev,” she murmured breathlessly.

  Sev purred while he rubbed his face around hers. Areo whimpered. He knew she understood he was scenting her his.

  “Don’t cry, my kitten. I can’t bear to see you cry.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t apologize. You have done nothing wrong.” He focused on her beautiful face. “Now tell me everything. I need to know the truth.”

  Her curls swayed from side to side as she shook her head in protest. The playful sight caused one corner of Sev’s lip to tug upward.

  “Princess, I am not a kitten. I am a grown man. I need to know what happened to your family—your mother, Challen, and Concheetah.”

  Areo’s lips tightened.

  “How was their situation dealt with? How did my father respond when his right hand announced he was married to a human?”

  Areo tried to pull away, but Sev held her steadfast. “Sev, please don’t do this. Don’t ask me these questions. I don’t want to be the one to hurt you.”

  He gave her a lopsided grin. “How can you possibly hurt me more than what I’m already hurting inside?”

  Areo avoided looking at him. By telling you how your father had tried to brainwash you and make you a radical extremist against your own family. And how he had placed you in the hospital for just saying you loved me and wanted to marry me.

  “Why do you and Jugar insist that you are not of noble birth? Leonora and Challen were top-ranking Seacats.”

  “How did you know my mother was highly ranked? Did Jugar tell you?”

  “No. She’s praised in the history books for her outstanding achievements and her enormous contribution to our race. Leonora was labeled a prodigy—the smartest amongst our kind.”

  Areo twisted her lips. “I see.”

  “She was noted until she turned seventeen years old. Then she vanishes from the books, which has me confused. So please, kitten, tell me everything. Even if it’s not what you think I need to hear.”

  “But I don’t want to be the one to tell you this. Why can’t you go to Jugar? Let him be the one to cause you pain.”

  Sev chuckled. “You are a sweet thing. Don’t concern yourself with hurting my feelings. Remember what I said: you can’t hurt me more than what I’m already hurting inside. So tell me, what happened to them? Why did Leonora suddenly disappear from our history books?”

  Sniffing, Areo took a deep breath and gave in. “My mother participated in a peaceful science expedition to Earth. The group of scientists was supposed to remain in disguise when amongst the Earthlings. However, one of her fellow scientists screwed up, and they were discovered. The trip started with five scientists and ended with two: one being my mother and the other being the man responsible for the trip’s failure.”

  She received Sev’s nod of understanding and continued. “They were nearly killed, but were rescued by Earth’s leading spies: my father, Rick McCall, and my godfather, Lance Blaisdale.”

  “I see.”

  Sev’s penetrating gaze made her swallow. “Anyway…while she was under my father’s care and protection, they fell madly in love. They married under Oceanan Law. They have soulscars, Sev, not lifescars. They were meant to be together.”

  Sev said nothing.

  “When my Uncle Challen arrived to retrieve his sister, he met my Aunt Carol Ann and instantly fell in love with her. By the time the Star Gazer traveled the six months to reach Oceana, my mother had given birth to her first litter, and Aunt Carol Ann was married to Uncle Challen. Again, soulscars, Sev. But this didn’t influence their decision in any way.”

  “Their decision? What do you mean?”

  “Are you sure you want me to go on?

  “Yes, I want to hear it all.”

  “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” His unfaltering sights remained on her. Areo continued. “Your father wasn’t thrilled to have his most trusted Seacats in love and married to humans. Humans are known amongst the feline race to be”—she made quotation marks with her fingers—“‘prehistoric barbarians.’ He gave them an ultimatum.”

  “Which was?”

  “Either give up their soulmates, or turn in their insignias. And I can tell you this: they weren’t about to live without their soulmates. Not only did your father strip them of everything they possessed, he never acknowledged their marriages publicly or their offspring as Oceanans. That’s why my mother dropped out of the public eye. She was unworthy of feline recognition. That’s why I told you I’m not a Seacat like you, and that’s why I never told you that I was part Oceanan. For thanks to Oren, I am only a human and an unworthy half-breed.” Though she said the words quietly, Areo could not conceal the hatred she felt.

  “How is that possible? Challen was still a Seacat when Oceana exploded.”

  “No, he wasn’t. To maintain the peace, my mother, uncle, and godmother Concheetah, were forced to keep their marriages a secret and play a stupid role, a performance in front of the feline race during their trips to Oceana. But once they and their feline followers finished their assignments, they were banished from Seacat territory. Nor were they allowed to wear their insignias while off-duty.”

  “What about their birthrights? Their nobility? Their wealth?”

  “It was all taken from them, along with their heritage, despite their lifelong contributions to a blast-it race that turned their backs on them. They were left to live in poverty. Oren gave them one piece of dirt each on the outskirts of town, which my mother, godmother, and uncle chose to combine just to build a home large enough for all of us to live in during their assignments on Oceana. Because of Oceana’s high cost of living, they each had to work several jobs to be able to survive and support so many children.
Not to mention they had to pay a bloody fee to have some stupid feline come to our home and school us, since we were alienated from society and your bloody schools. All thanks to your father! And if that wasn’t bad enough, each time my mom, Challen, and Concheetah managed to take a vacation, we all had to pack up and leave blessed Oceana and not return until summoned.”

  Areo stomped over to the window. She stared at her ship and the altered Seacat insignia etched on the side. “All will soon be as Oren wanted it to be. It’s funny how poor Oceana and so many felines had to be destroyed for Oren to get what he heartily strived for. Soon the Oceanan race will again be pure. When my people arrive, I will leave this place and never return. You will marry a pureblood. She will bear you a pureblooded heir. Then all of Oceanica will live in peace in a perfect little untainted society. None of you will be harassed by us lowly, unworthy half-breeds, for we half-breeds will no longer degrade ourselves for your kind.”

  Sev was wordless. What could he say? He slowly stood from the floor, retrieved his sword, and headed out the door. He refused to accept that the most prominent Seacats had not been allowed to live peaceful, prosperous lives with their soulmates. That his father would intervene in the destinies of three sets of beings was a hard pill to swallow. Areo’s relatives had not just married lifemates— their Earthling partners were soulmates.

  His memories of his father were happy ones. Sev recalled a strong, gentle, and merciful king—one who understood and strived to better his race. One whose mind was open to new ideas and possibilities. Sev wondered if Areo’s emotions were cluttering her thinking. How could his father have done all that to Challen, Leonora, and Concheetah? A light went on in his head. Jugar had been there. He would tell him the truth. Sev headed back to the control room.

  The control room doors swooshed open, and Sev paused underneath the doorway. He saw Angel and Serena working at their posts. Jugar still sat at the main controls. He did not want Angel or Serena to hear what he had to say.

  “Jugar!”

  Jugar turned around in his seat.

  “I need to speak to you in private,” he announced. Then he exited the room. He walked a few steps away and waited for Jugar to appear.

  Jugar came into the hallway, looking at his king’s flustered face as he approached him. “Yes, Sev?”

  “I need to know the truth. I was told that my sire…” As Sev related Areo’s story to him, Jugar remained quiet, not disputing Areo’s story. This only disquieted Sev further. “Is it true, then? Did my sire spurn them? Did he take everything they worked hard for away only because their soulmates were humans?”

  “Yes, Sev.”

  The sensation that tore through Sev’s body was akin to having his soul ripped away. “Then…then what am I supposed to do?”

  Jugar’s response was calm—too calm for Sev’s liking. “What we have always counseled you to do. Stay away from her.”

  Sev stared at him. Was this a nightmare? How could any of it be happening?

  “Go on with your life, Sev. She is not your concern. She will be gone soon.”

  Sev glanced over Jugar’s right shoulder at the long, empty stretch of corridor.

  “Areo will be fine. She will find someone to love and take care of her. He will give her a lair full of kittens. And you will have your own mate and offspring here.”

  Jugar had no concept of the distressing picture he was creating in Sev’s head. “So that’s it?” he mumbled. “Never to be with her…never to hold her…never to experience…” A painful twinge pierced his heart. “What you are telling me…is that I must give up the only woman I have ever wanted. The only one I have ever cared for.”

  Jugar nodded slowly. “I’m afraid so.”

  Sev’s sights whipped to Jugar’s. “Afraid so? Is that all you have to say?”

  “Sev, listen—you are the king. You must uphold the law—”

  “Blast the law!” Sev protested. “I’m a man! A man who is in love…” He did not miss Jugar’s jolt. “You can’t tell me you are against my union with her. You’re her uncle!”

  “I’m against seeing those I care for continue to suffer needlessly. And this will only lead to more suffering. That’s why you must end things now, before it’s too late.”

  “But it already is too late.”

  Jugar’s eyes widened.

  “I have fallen in love with her. But then again…I have always been in love with her, haven’t I?” Sev knew in his heart the truth. Jugar’s sad features only confirmed it.

  Jugar sighed. “Yes, you have. The two of you have always been in love, though it was forbidden. That’s why I tried to keep the two of you away from each other after Oceana was destroyed. That’s why—under Challen’s orders—I chose this distant planet as our new home and not the one Areo lives on, even though Aaren was only months away from Oceana.”

  Sev’s eyes hardened at Jugar’s disclosure. “You knew all along where she lived?” he whispered.

  “It was my home as well.”

  Sev’s fingers curled. Tightening his jaw, he swallowed his reply. He had lost eight years of his life, not because this was the nearest liveable planet to Oceana, but because he had been in love with a half-blood feline, an act that went against the written law.

  Jugar looked grieved. “I feared she would trigger your memories, or worse, remind you of your joint past history.”

  “Don’t worry, she hasn’t,” Sev sneered. “I fell in love with the woman I met here. That must count for something. What are the odds of finding each other ten and a half years later and once again falling in love?”

  “Not high,” Jugar conceded.

  “No, they’re not. Surely things have changed now that we are no longer on Oceana!”

  “No.” Jugar shook his head. “The same rules apply here.”

  “But—”

  “Sev, I understand—”

  “Do you? I doubt it.”

  “Sev, listen to me. Not being on Oceana doesn’t change who we are or the laws we live by. Nor does it change the Seacat’s code of honor. We must maintain the integrity of our race and carry all our laws over to future generations, no matter where we live. It is our legacy. Besides, you are the king—our leader—the last one who should ever break the law.”

  “But I want her, Jugar. Her.”

  “I’m sorry, Sev. You can never have her.”

  Sev felt his temper rise sharply. He heard a popping sound in his head.

  “When she leaves, you will be able to put her behind you.” Jugar placed a supportive grip on his shoulder. “You will be able to go on with your life, and Areo with hers.”

  “That’s it, huh? You’re telling me there’s no way to change the law.”

  “We cannot change the laws for personal benefit. You know that.”

  “All I know is that you are asking me to give up the only female who has ever touched my soul.”

  “That is because she was the only female you were ever close to. Besides, weren’t you getting closer to Serena? She is perfect for you. Spend more time with her.”

  Sev chuckled sarcastically. “You paint it so simply, as if I can turn my heart on and off. You have never found your soulmate, have you?”

  Jugar bristled. “No. And neither have you.”

  Sev bared his teeth and shoved Jugar’s grip off. He stormed down the corridor, toward the docking bay.

  Early the next morning, Areo entered the docking bay. She was surprised that Miko did not have his head inside a compartment of her ship; he was normally fiddling with the circuitry. She tripped over a piece of scrap metal that stuck out from underneath a work-table. She picked it up and tossed it onto the table without giving the unusual sloppiness around her a second thought.

  Areo headed for her ship, intending to check on her beacon before getting some breakfast. She jumped into the cockpit and was rendered speechless. The control panels were destroyed. Her lips thinned. Vaulting from the cockpit, she ran into the castle.

  “Miko!�
�� she yelled, running into the control room. “What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing?”

  Miko was startled at her harsh words and stiffened. “What does it look like? I am checking our equipment. And—”

  “Not that! I’m talking about my ship. How dare you!” She snarled at him.

  “How dare I what?” Miko challenged, getting up from his chair.

  “How dare you destroy my ship? Why the bloody hell would you do such a thing?”

  “Indeed. Why would I? And why would you think I did?”

  “Because I just came from my ship, and it’s been destroyed from the inside out.”

  “You are kidding me, right?”

  Areo took a step closer to him, not caring that he was a six-footten margay, and pointed to her face. “Do I look like I’m kidding?”

  Miko’s demeanor changed. He lifted his left arm and pressed a button on his wristguard. “Angel.”

  Almost immediately, Angel replied. “Angel here.”

  “Angel, where are you?”

  “Dining hall. I am still eating breakfast. Why?”

  Miko rolled his eyes. “Why does that not surprise me? You are always hungry.”

  “What do you want, Miko?” Angel said, sounding annoyed.

  “I want you to head over to the docking bay right away.”

  “What? Now?”

  “Yes, now.”

  Areo stood quietly, confused by the exchange.

  “But I am in the middle of eating!” Angel protested.

  “I do not care. I said now!” Miko disconnected. He looked at Areo. “Let us go.”

  Areo sat before her favorite waterfall, deeply troubled by what had happened. Why would anyone destroy my ship? Why would they want to stop my signal when it was the key to me leaving this place? Surely, these Seacats resent sharing their home with an alien, even if they are polite about it. So why do such a thing and then deny it? I mean, who else had access to my ship? Who could possibly want me to stay?