A Forgotten Kitten (Sea-anan Saga Book 2)

by Kong, Jessica A

  Sev stood unmoving. An onlooker could have mistaken him for an extremely tall statue with long brown hair, reddish-brown eyes, and full lips. He wore a reddish-purple silk shirt trimmed with an intricate woven black and silver pattern, with no sleeves or buttons down the front, a pair of form-fitting black pants and black boots. His open shirt allowed the insignia clasped onto his belt to be seen. His sword was strapped around his waist over the shirt.

  “Who?”

  “You know who!” he barked.

  “Oooh, you mean Galen.”

  Sev snarled. “Is he your mate?”

  Areo seriously considered saying yes. Perhaps it would be easier for him to say good-bye if he believed she was already mated. What she did not consider was how her delay in answering made her appear guilty.

  Sev’s eyes lit up as he roared. He snatched Areo off the root and pinned her against the tree. “How dare you mate with him!” he hollered in her face. “How dare you give yourself to another male?” He shook her. “You were mine! You have always been mine!” He captured her lips in a kiss meant to punish.

  Ten fingers fanned possessively around Areo’s head and kept her from escaping. “How long? How long have the two of you been lovers?” His shining eyes brimmed with unshed tears. He focused on Areo’s lips that were beginning to swell from his fervent kisses. He shut his eyes. “How long has he been placing himself inside you?” As soon as those words exited his mouth, he regretted them. Intimate scenes of Galen claiming Areo popped into his mind, causing him monumental pain. “Blast it, Areo! Blast you!”

  “Galen is not my lover, Sev,” Areo protested. “He’s a close friend of my family. He’s like my cousin. I’ve never been with any man.”

  Sev was unsure if he should believe her. “I want the truth,” he shakily demanded.

  “I have never lied to you.”

  Sev searched Areo’s soulful eyes, seeking the bare truth. His face crumbled when he found it. Tears fell as he seized her mouth on a whimper. His body pressed Areo’s against the tree. He dug his extended claws into the tree bark beside her head, for his legs had gone weak with relief.

  “Don’t…please.” Areo pushed against his chest. “We can’t. You know that.”

  “No…not now…not again…not after what nearly happened.” Sev fought for possession of her lips. Areo turned away. “Sev, please.”

  “No.”

  “It’s against the law!”

  Sev ceased long enough to peer into her soul. “How can it be against the law to feel this way? How can it be against the law for me to be with the woman I have hungered for, for so long? The only woman I have ever wanted underneath me, receiving me, matching me thrust for incredible thrust?” Before she could protest, Sev took hold of Areo’s jaw. Forcing her to open wide, he roared into her mouth.

  Areo’s breath snagged at the sensual vibrations that raced down her spine.

  “I want you so much.” His tongue dove in to explore his treasure.

  Sev got what he sought. Grabbing his shirtfront, Areo pulled him closer. Her thighs opened for him, allowing him to take position against her.

  He eagerly wrapped her legs around his middle. “From this day, my hips will be the only ones you wrap your legs around.” He claimed her lips.

  The images made when Areo left with Galen had been too real to Sev. He had seriously started to question whether Areo had been with another man. It dawned on him that he had taken Areo’s loyalty for granted because they had been close as kittens. With regret, he realized that he had selfishly expected Areo to remain faithful to those memories, and to him.

  But Areo had not known whether he had survived Oceana’s destruction. And, unlike him, she had not been on life support for so many years. Therefore, she had been bound to meet other men. Areo was so beautiful that any male who did not find her attractive was crazy. Still, thoughts of another male possessing Areo’s body drove Sev mad. To discover that she had never been with anyone sent Sev’s passions flaring. His desire to convince Areo that she belonged to only him burned hot.

  “No one else has the right to touch you.” He aggressively moved his hands over every inch of her, conveying his intent before moving forward. “No one has the authority to possess your body and soul. No one but me.”

  Sev was overcome with a poignant exigency to be the first and only man to touch Areo. Ethics, respectability, and legalities were cast aside. He grabbed a firm hold of Areo between her thighs.

  A blazing fire streaked along Areo’s feminine parts to her center. “Don’t!” she cried, jerking her hips back. She tried to push his hand away.

  Sev would not relinquish his bold grip. “What?”

  “Don’t grab me there. No one has ever touched me.” She also worried that if he continued to touch her, she too would ignore the law, for his hand felt right. Perfect. Her core’s heat intensified, causing her to grow moist and needy.

  Sev’s mouth gradually curved into a smile. “No one but me.”

  His lids floated closed. He purred against her cheek and delighted in being the first to touch Areo between her legs. He savored even more the idea of being her only lover and started rubbing the heel of his hand against her.

  Areo’s hips pressed against his hand. “No! Stop,” she ordered both Sev and her treacherous body. “This has gone far enough.”

  “You cannot be serious. Areo, I yearn for you. I hunger for you.” His palm rubbed harder. “I want to mate with you.” Sev growled, and his eyes grew brighter.

  Areo stayed his hand and moistened her lips. “Even after reading the law?”

  “I told you there was nothing written in that law book that would change my mind. I have never wanted you more than I do this minute.” Sev ardently kissed her. He grabbed her bottom and pulled her urgently against his arousal.

  “Areo!”

  Their heads whipped to one side at the thundering voice.

  Areo gasped. “Mike!”

  “Get your bloody hands off her!” Mike shouted, pulling his black broadsword from its sheath on his back.

  “Mike, no!” Areo quickly got Sev to release her. “You can’t! It’s Sev.” She stood between Sev and her cousin.

  Sev shook his head no and took several steps away from Challen’s son. He did not want to disrespect Challen’s memory or hurt Areo by fighting Mike.

  “How dare you? She’s not some whore you can take and then discard like garbage once you’ve had your fill of her, Lord of the Seacats,” Mike snarled. “You think because you are now the mighty king that you can take any woman you like, including her, and there will be no repercussions?” He stepped forward. “You think as long as you don’t take an alien as your wife, as long as you don’t break that sacred law of Oceana, that you can fuck my cousin and get away with it? Oh, I don’t think so.” He roared while charging.

  “No!” Areo’s eyes ignited. Unafraid, she rushed toward her cousin.

  Each time Mike made a move for Sev, Areo was there to block him with her wristguards. It was the first time Sev had seen her fighting. His heart swelled with pride. He allowed the fight only because he figured Mike would not hurt his own cousin.

  Areo delivered a double power punch to Mike’s chest. Mike stumbled backward but managed to stay upright. “Stop it, Mike! I won’t let you hurt him!”

  Mike glowered at his cousin. “Hurt him?” He rubbed his chest. “I don’t want to hurt him. Whatever gave you that idea?” Mike glared at the dark-headed lion. “I’m going to kill him!” He lifted his sword and went after Sev again.

  Areo thwarted him. “No, I said!”

  One of Mike’s incredibly hard blows made Areo cry out in pain. Sev saw red. When Areo neared him, he reached out with his left arm. Snatching Areo around her waist, he plucked her out of the path of another blow and blocked it himself.

  “That’s enough!” he shouted. He thrust Areo away from him and Mike’s sword.

  “Enough?” Mike laughed. “Hardly.” He continued to advance toward Sev.

/>   “Sev, no!”

  “Stay back!” he ordered her. “I’ll take care of this foolish Seacat.”

  “Foolish?” Mike roared.

  “No!” Areo screamed.

  Sev did not unhook his sword. He had no desire to hurt his mate’s relative. He only wanted to teach Mike a very important lesson. Besides, if he used the Sword of Power against a Seacat, it would destroy the gem’s magic. And he considered all of them Seacats, even if they were half-bloods.

  Sev gave Mike all he had, managing to disarm Mike and fling him hard onto the ground.

  Straddling the young warrior, Sev growled. “Let’s get several things clear here, Mike. I’m no one’s puppet. No one dictates to me concerning the female of my desire. No one tells me that I can or can’t be with her. And no one, I mean no one, gets in between my mate and me without serious consequences. Do I make myself crystal clear?”

  Sev heard footsteps. They were getting louder. He did not want to embarrass Challen’s second-born, so he hurriedly got off him and walked over to Areo.

  He stared into her fearful brown eyes and said, “I’m sorry,” before walking away.

  Sev entered the throne room on the castle’s fourth level. The enormous room, with its cathedral ceilings and three-foot-wide pillars lining the perimeter, was twice the size of the elaborate ballroom. All future ceremonies—anything deemed important enough to share with all felines—would be held here, including the crowning of the queen, Seacat marriages, birth announcements, and royal announcements.

  He made his way down the center aisle. On either side of him were numerous rows of wooden benches with navy-blue velvet cushions, all of which faced his ancestral throne situated on an elevated platform at the front end of the room. The throne was flanked by two large tapestries, which were illuminated from overhead.

  The tapestry to the right of the chair depicted the Sword of Power on a royal-blue background. The one to the left displayed the Bracelets of Foresight that had been lost in the destruction of Oceana. It also had a royal-blue background. Above the throne hung the Seacat insignia in vibrant colors—red, blue, and black.

  Sev paused at the bottom of the platform and stared at the oversize chair. It was a high-back armchair with red velvet cushions, framed by elaborate, hand-carved wood bathed in gold and inlaid with precious jewels.

  He tried to recall his past. Sev did remember the first time his father had sat him on the chair. He was five, and King Oren had spoken to him about his grandsire and all the kings who had come before him. Sev was the last in a long line of proud kings, and Oren’s only offspring. Probably his mother would have had another litter if she had survived her first. Sadly, the fates had not allowed it to happen.

  His sire had been devastated. Losing his soulmate had changed Oren greatly, so others told Sev. Yet Oren had never stopped being kind or gentle toward him. Nor did he remarry. He had dedicated his life to raising Sev and leading his felines. Oren had wanted the best for him, Sev knew. He had supported and encouraged the young kitten who had his copper eyes and his soulmate’s brown hair.

  Sev climbed the five steps to the raised platform. He walked to the throne and fingered the red-velvet armrest. I love you, Father. I have strived and sacrificed a great deal to become the feline warrior you envisioned. I pray I have not disappointed you.

  His eyes roamed over the throne that had been used since the beginning of Oceanan time. I pray you understand how I feel. You knew what it was to love. To be with the female you were destined to be with. I pray my actions don’t let you down, but I must follow my own heart, Father. You see, I can’t let her go. I can’t ignore what is in my soul.

  Sev beseeched the heavens. “Please understand, Father. Please be here with me today. I will need your strength on this day more than ever before. Please understand what I must do. If you can’t, then forgive me. I never wanted to disappoint you. Not intentionally. Not ever.”

  He overheard the doors slide open. Sev took his rightful seat. He stonily regarded his warriors as they approached the front of the room.

  “Sev, you summoned us here this evening without giving us a reason why. You only told us it was critical that we meet. Is there something wrong?” asked Jugar.

  “No. At least, not yet.”

  Everyone was so focused on Sev that no one noticed the dark, hooded figure phasing through the back wall.

  Miko stepped forward. “What is wrong, Sev?”

  “I have gathered you here to discuss something crucial. As you know, when Areo first arrived on Oceanica, she was gravely injured. She has recently told me who nearly killed her and why.”

  “Daehog,” remarked Jugar.

  Sev sharply stared at Jugar from his seat. “You know?”

  “I’m her uncle, remember?”

  Sev fought the urge to lash out at the cougar. How many more secrets was the cat keeping from him? He slowly inhaled. He had to remain calm and remember the reason why he had gathered his team. He would speak to Jugar at another time.

  He recounted the entire story to his friends, leaving nothing out. By the time he finished, their troubled expressions indicated to him that he had reached their compassionate side. He prayed he was correct.

  “Despite the fact neither Areo nor her comrades have asked me for assistance, I feel it is our duty as fellow Seacats to help our comrades at arms.”

  Uma frowned. “They have not asked for our assistance?”

  “That’s correct,” replied Sev.

  Sev watched them all exchange looks. Except Jugar, who lowered his gaze to the steps.

  “Then what is the problem?” Miko spoke up. “If they did not ask for our help, then they require none from us.”

  Jugar’s eyes closed.

  “I agree,” put in Serena.

  Too eagerly, Sev believed. “I do not,” he said heatedly, glowering at each feline. “They did not ask for our help because they are under the impression that we would not assist them because of their mixed blood.”

  “And?” Angel cut in impatiently.

  “What?”

  Angel gestured to the margay beside him. “Well, at the risk of sounding like Miko, what is the problem?”

  “What in the blazes is that supposed to mean?” snapped Sev.

  “Let’s not beat around the bush all night, all right,” Jugar said angrily. “We are all mature Seacats here. Let’s say what is on our minds.”

  “I agree.” Sev simmered in his seat.

  “Very well,” Miko started. “We do not feel we should interfere in the affairs of life-forms who do not need our help.”

  Sev’s eyes rounded. “Do not need our help? But they do need our help!”

  “They did not ask for it, which I interpret as not needing it.”

  “So what do you suggest? That we let them leave while we sit back and wave good-bye? I told you that Daehog is seeking to rule this entire dimension. This means we are all in danger of being annihilated or enslaved. And personally, I prefer neither.”

  Theo entered the conversation. “Neither do we, but it is not our fight.”

  “It is our fight! We live in this dimension, don’t we?”

  “But he has not attacked the Seacats yet,” inserted Uma.

  “What do you mean he hasn’t attacked the Seacats yet?” Sev pointed to a corner of the room. “Then who in the blazes are those outside the lair’s walls? Seacats!”

  “You heard what they said. King Oren never knighted them.” Angel crossed his arms. “He never even acknowledged them.”

  “They were born from Seacat loins!” shouted Sev. “Leonora, Concheetah, and Challen—the one who saved us all, may I add— were honorable Seacats!”

  “Until they permanently joined with aliens,” countered Angel. “They broke the most sacred law of Oceana, and they rightly paid the price of being stripped of their possessions by our lenient and tolerant king.”

  “I am your king! And I say Challen, Concheetah, and Leonora are honorable Seacats who should never
be forgotten! If it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t be here today!”

  “I agree,” Jugar finally spoke up. “For too long they have been looked down upon solely because their permanent mates were aliens. I feel they were too harshly dealt with. And never should their insignias have been taken from them, or their birthrights. Now their offspring are in danger of being destroyed—”

  “That is not our problem, Jugar,” interjected Uma caustically. “Our concern is Oceanica and the lives of our citizens in transit. We would be turning our backs on them if we left with these half-breeds. We would be leaving them unprotected for any scum to come and conquer them while we were away.”

  Sev sat taller at her use of that hated word. Half-breeds. “So we should forget about our fellow—”

  “They are not our fellow anything, Sev!” Theo heatedly interrupted. “They are aliens. Half-blood aliens. That is all. Do not confuse them with us, or insult us by placing them in the same category with us.”

  Sev was speechless. He never would have believed that his friends would turn their backs on a soul simply because they were not pureblooded felines.

  “Sev, can’t you see the bottom line has never changed?” Jugar’s voice had lost its fire. “The Oceanan race is not ready to accept a feline permanently joining with an alien. And they are even less inclined to accept any offspring born from such a union.”

  “But this is not Oceana. And they are not just any half-bloods. They are the offspring of Concheetah, Leonora, and Challen.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Jugar dejectedly replied.

  Sev refused to give up hope without a fight. “How can you say it doesn’t matter? You’re their uncle!”

  “Oh, why don’t you just give it up already!” Areo hollered from her hiding place.

  Everyone turned in the direction of her voice. She stepped out from behind a pillar.

  “Areo,” Sev whispered. He jumped out of his seat and down three steps. How could he have missed her scent?

  “Can’t you see what I said was true? Can’t you see they will never accept us?” Areo removed her hood. “It doesn’t matter who our parents were. It doesn’t matter if we fight for the same cause or believe in the same code.” Her sights touched each feline’s face. “We will never be seen as anything but unworthy half-breeds. We will never be good enough for any of you.”