A Forgotten Kitten (Sea-anan Saga Book 2)

by Kong, Jessica A

  Sev twisted his lips at the pun. The group made their way through the corridors. Sev was extremely aware of all the chaos and added security. The fear in the air was unmistakable. They entered the captain’s office in single file. Sev saw Areo reaching for her hood. After what he had just experienced with the guard, he moved beside her with the intention of protecting her if need be. He relaxed a bit when her hood remained on.

  Arnold spoke. “Captain.”

  Startled, the forty-year-old captain turned around and pulled out his laser gun. Sev immediately jumped in front of Areo to shield her.

  “Who are you?” Captain Rider squinted at them, trying to see beneath their hoods.

  Sev felt Areo’s small hand on the curve of his back. {Thank you.} Her words entered his head. He nodded in return, but kept his focus on the captain. He watched on as Arnold took his time revealing his face.

  The captain released a long breath. “Thank God you’re back. What the hell took you so long?” He returned his gun to its holster.

  “Didn’t you get our message?”

  “About the Acondas?”

  Arnold nodded.

  “I did, but that was seven and a half months ago. You have no clue what’s going on here.”

  “So how about filling us in?” interjected Mike, calmly removing his hood.

  Rider walked around his desk and sat on its front edge. “I don’t even know where to begin.”

  Sev’s gaze swooped over the human’s neatly pressed black-andgray uniform. The overhead lights danced off the well-polished blue on red insignia surrounded by blue that Rider wore on his belt. It was odd to see a human wearing a Seacat insignia, even if it was altered.

  “Start from the beginning. Where are the Seacats?” questioned Mike.

  “Scattered. They are trying to make sure none of the stations fall into the Dominion’s hands.”

  Sev felt Areo shift nervously at the captain’s words. He grasped her elbow and gave her a reassuring squeeze. He hoped she understood that his gesture meant she was no longer alone. Knowing there were traitors amongst them, Sev scrutinized Rider’s mannerisms, trying to discern if the male was genuine or not.

  “What about our family?” inquired Arnold.

  “I’m not sure. I only know of the ones who made it back.”

  “What do you mean, the ones who made it back?” Mike’s voice held no emotion.

  “I’m afraid only a handful of your relatives have checked in. Some already fear the worst.”

  Areo’s small cry interrupted him. Sev escorted her to the small office sofa.

  “Are you trying to tell me that members of my family are dead?” Arnold said, his voice strained.

  Rider’s green eyes pulled away.

  “That’s impossible,” insisted Mike. “They’re Seacats. Mutant Seacats. They’ll use their powers if they have to. They won’t give up and die. And they’re too powerful to be killed easily.”

  “Maybe so, but you guys have your weaknesses. You’re not invincible, especially your younger relatives who haven’t mastered their powers.”

  “No!” Areo covered her face with her hands.

  “Who are they?” inquired Rider, suspiciously eyeing the couple.

  “Never mind who they are,” barked Arnold. “Have you found any more traitors? Has Sea Base Five been secured?”

  “I did everything I could possibly think of to secure this station.” Rider shook his head. “I have to say, Arnold, I wish we had your cousin Glenda here. We could sure use her power of extracting the truth. I don’t trust anyone here, except for you guys. I keep my office door open to show that I have faith that everything is going to be all right. But in truth…” He shook his head again.

  “We would use her on you. You do know that, don’t you?” said Mike without hesitation.

  “I know,” replied the captain calmly. “I have nothing to hide. I swore my allegiance to the Seacats a long time ago. There isn’t anything that would make me change my mind.”

  “Not even money?” Arnold suggested.

  Rider smiled. “Money can’t give me the sort of life I’ve created here on Sea Base Five with my family and my true friends, the Seacats.”

  “You’re only saying that to save your skin,” Bill sneered.

  “If that’s what you think,” Rider said, placing his weapon on the desk, “then arrest me.” Mike, Arnold, and Bill stood in front of him, studying him. “Well, go on. I won’t fight you.”

  Bill smirked. “You would be foolish if you did.”

  “True enough, but I’m no traitor. I didn’t leave Earth to become a Judas and hand her and Guildhall over to some demon set on total domination. I could never live with myself if I was part of the horrors those monsters are wreaking across the galaxies. My wife is pregnant again. You know I have two daughters and a son. I know what those monsters would do to each of them. I would never turn my back on the Seacats and risk their lives.”

  Arnold turned around and sat beside Areo. “It will be all right.” He patted her knee. “I’m sure they’re fine.

  Rider watched Bill rotate on his heels and lock the office doors. “Can someone tell me what is going on here?”

  Mike remained where he stood and crossed his arms. “Which members of my family have been in contact?”

  “Not many, I’m afraid.”

  “Which ones!” he angrily snapped.

  Rider sat taller and proceeded to answer him. “Besides the two of you, Gillian Jr., Jessica, Jayna, Johnny, Bob, and Sphin.” He stopped speaking.

  Areo’s head popped up from her hands.

  Mike’s arms fell to his sides. “That’s it? Only six?”

  The captain woefully nodded.

  Another painful moan escaped Areo. Sev pulled her into his arms and became instantly worried when she did not fight him.

  “Hold on a second,” said Rider. “Who is that?”

  “We wanted to make sure we could trust you.” Mike stepped closer to him. “We have a little surprise.” At Rider’s questioning look, he revealed their secret. “We brought help.” He addressed Sev first. “Sev, this is Captain Jonathan Rider, the Commander of Sea Base Five, and our loyal friend.” Mike slapped the captain hard on his back. “Captain, this is Sev, the Lord of the Seacats.”

  Sev stood up to greet the six-foot-tall captain. Once he had finished coughing, Rider digested Sev’s height for the first time. His expression became comical. Sev decided to intimidate him further and removed his hood to expose the deadly gleam in his copper eyes.

  Rider gulped and questioned Mike. “Did you say, Lord of the Seacats?”

  Mike nodded once.

  “How’s that possible? We have a queen, not a king.” Sev sat back down and placed his arm protectively around his wife. “We do now.” Bill paused on the other side of Rider. “He’s Areo’s husband.”

  “Husband!”

  Sev prepared himself to hear Areo’s protest. He was genuinely surprised when none came.

  Rider scrutinized the body Sev embraced. “Is that—”

  “You can’t say a word about this to anyone,” Arnold instructed from beside Areo. “Sev and Areo must be kept a secret. Areo was nearly killed. They attacked Sea Base Ten because she was there. Daehog apparently wants her dead. If he finds out that his Dominion failed to kill her and that we now have a king, there’s no telling what he would do.”

  “But her presence is exactly what we need here,” Rider protested. “You don’t know what happened to the Alliance.”

  “What happened to the Alliance?” Areo weakly asked.

  Rider snapped out of his daze and jumped to salute her. “Your Highness, it’s fallen apart. No one wants to protect each other anymore. After nearly two years of fighting the Dominion with no true leadership, the nations have turned their backs on each other. They feel they can fight the Dominion more effectively alone. They are all leaving for their homeworlds.”

  “Bailing out.” Bill scoffed. “It’s every man for himself.”


  “Basically, yes. They’ve lost their faith in the Alliance. They believe the royal clan is dead, and with them the strength and guidance required to stop Daehog. They’re scared, your Highness. And truthfully, I don’t blame them. I’m scared, too. I’ve tried everything to keep the Alliance together, but without a member of the royal clan here to lead them, they won’t listen.”

  “Are any ambassadors still here?”

  “I believe so.”

  “Then call them in for a meeting. If it’s a royal Seacat they want, then it’s a royal Seacat they’ll get.”

  “Areo, you can’t,” the others put in, minus Sev, who understood her thinking and agreed.

  “You know that by making yourself publicly known, Daehog will find out his disciples haven’t killed you,” said Arnold. “Mike and I can handle this. We’re members of the royal clan, too.”

  “I agree with Arnold. Someone else will try to kill you,” added Bill. “Remember, we still don’t know who can be trusted.”

  “Let them try.” Sev’s lip curled. “I will make certain they regret hearing the name Daehog if they come near her.”

  Mike stopped in front of Sev. “What if you fail and they manage

  to kill her?”

  “I won’t fail.”

  “How do you know that? The last time they almost succeeded, and she was with three of us.”

  Sev’s eyes ignited. “Because as long as I live, so will my wife.”

  “I want a meeting within the hour.” Areo rose from her seat. “That should give me enough time to change and prepare a speech.”

  “Are you sure you should, Your Highness? I now agree with the others. Perhaps it would be best if you remained dead for now and allowed your cousins to take charge,” suggested Rider.

  “Within the hour, Captain.” Areo pulled the hood low over her head and exited the room. Sev and Jugar followed her out.

  “Blast it! She never listens,” hissed Mike.

  “No, she never has,” conceded Bill, hooking his thumbs in his pockets.

  Sev entered Areo’s chambers behind her. Without a word to him, she headed to her bedroom to prepare for the meeting. She had been silent since leaving the captain’s office. Sev worried about what was going through her curly head since she did not deny him entry to her chambers. From her bedroom door, he watched her search through drawers, pull out some clothes, and enter the bathroom on the opposite side from where he stood.

  He shook his head at how complex she was. “Did you lock the front door?” he asked Jugar.

  Jugar nodded. “What now?”

  Sev removed his robe and threw it on the back of the sofa. “We meet with the ambassadors and convince them that we can only defeat Daehog by working together.” He unstrapped the sword belt from around his waist.

  “You heard the captain.” Jugar searched the room for anything that seemed out of place or dangerous. “Without a royal Seacat to lead them, they won’t listen.”

  Sev placed the sheathed sword on the coffee table and started performing his own sweep. He was not about to take any chances with Areo’s life. “And now they have four.”

  “Including you.”

  “I’m now the king of these Seacats.” Sev chuckled. “An emperor, get that.” He scratched his head. “I’m still not used to the idea that my little princess is actually an empress.”

  “Well, that eliminates Serena’s theory,” mumbled Jugar while he examined a desk lamp.

  “What theory is that?” Sev made himself comfortable on the long sofa.

  “I overheard Serena telling Uma that the sole reason Areo was interested in you was because she wanted to become queen.”

  Sev felt his blood begin to simmer. “When did she say that?”

  “After you renounced your throne.”

  “Now you know the truth.”

  Both cats turned toward the bedroom door where Areo stood.

  “The last thing I ever wanted from Sev was his blast-it title. I couldn’t care less about being queen over a bunch of treacherous cats.” Her eyes landed on Sev. “I don’t want you accompanying me to the meeting.”

  “What?”

  “I don’t want them, or anyone else, to know that you exist.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because they want me dead, Sev. I can handle that, but I won’t be able to handle it if anything happens to you. What I want is for you and Jugar to return to Oceanica this instant.”

  Sev turned around, placed his big feet on the coffee table, and got into a more comfortable position. Areo’s growl sailed over to him. “Growl all you want, you are not getting your way.”

  Jugar watched the exchange with mirth. Their behavior brought back memories of when they were kittens. He made himself comfortable in the opposite chair, already knowing who would win.

  “Blast you!” yelled Areo. The bedroom door closed with a swoosh.

  Twenty minutes later, the door reopened. On noiseless feet, Areo headed to the kitchenette. While she prepared a cup of coffee, she ignored the feline who sat on the sofa reading a magazine.

  Sev’s heart tripped over itself at seeing her. It was the first time he had seen Areo dressed in their native garments. She was stunning. On Oceanica, Areo had refused Sev’s offer to have a seamstress alter Oceanan clothes for her small stature. Therefore, he’d had no choice but to get her clothes from the nearby Amgarean nation, where many of the women were Areo’s size.

  His gaze followed the elegant sway of the sheer, flowing skirt down to her sandaled feet. Areo wore the skirt low on her hips. Sev swallowed his moan. Areo made for the refrigerator. Her revealing bodice came into view. She fit snuggly inside. Sev suppressed another groan.

  With a heart full of longing, he rose from his seat and stealthily positioned himself behind Areo while she waited for the water to boil. Sev buried his nose in her curls and inhaled her fresh, clean scent. A sultry purr formed in his throat. Areo’s scent alone could unleash the wild beast inside him.

  “You are breathtaking in Oceanan garb,” he huskily said.

  Areo leaned forward on the counter. “It’s an imitation,” she clipped. “Where’s Jugar?”

  “Mike is showing him to his quarters.” He noticed her fingers were curved into fists.

  “I hope there are two beds, because you’re not staying here.”

  Sev glared at the back of her head. “I’m your husband, kitten. I have given you enough time to accept that. I’m tired of sleeping away from you. Your bed is now mine.”

  “Oh, I don’t think so.”

  Sev twirled her in his arms. “Oh, but I do.” He cut off her protest with the needy kiss he had kept in check for over seven months. His hands quickly searched for his handiwork. At contact with her bottom, a soothing peace Sev only felt when he was with Areo flooded his essence.

  “Release me,” Areo murmured against his lips.

  “No.” Sev drew her tongue into his mouth to silence her. Pressing her against his arousal, he raised Areo’s skirt and traced her soulscar. He loved knowing that he, not some other man, had placed his mark on her beautiful body. He had dreamt of doing so for so long. His soul purred with happiness.

  Areo pushed at his chest. Sev grew more possessive. Pinning her to the counter, he grabbed Areo’s wrists and held them behind her back. After hearing her fourth moan, he knew he had her. His lips lowered to her full breasts, where he began to feast. Areo released a small yelp, then enticed him further by arching her back.

  Sev eagerly opened her blouse and took a perfectly shaped mound into his mouth. Moaning and groaning, he indulged in the priceless gift given to him. Inhaling Areo’s arousal fueled his desire to feel her shapely legs wrapped around him. Sev reached for her thighs. Lifting her onto the counter, he parted Areo’s legs and quickly positioned his need at her entrance. Areo tightened her legs about his hips and rubbed her heat against his. Sev flung his head back and roared.

  “The intensity of my love for you makes me feel like I’m about to
explode,” he said, lovingly caressing Areo’s forehead and cheek. He reached for her right scar. “I love to feel my mark on your body.” His nose leisurely passed over her face. “You are the most beautiful feline I have ever seen…the most sensual…the most delectable…the sweetest-smelling kitten in all of creation.”

  Sev untied the drawstrings to his pants and lowered his pants to his thighs. “You have no idea how much you mean to me.” He pulled Areo’s underwear to the side. His knuckles brushed her readiness. He thought of the control room, and shivers ran along his spine. This time, he would finish what he had intended that day. “I want you so much.” One swift movement had him inserted to the hilt.

  Areo gasped at his rapid possession. Her fingers snaked into his long, thick hair as she brought his mouth to hers. “I love you, husband.” She squeezed her legs around him in encouragement.

  Her feverish attack on his mouth and her acknowledgement of their marriage sent Sev’s essence ascending to the heavens. His mouth responded with an untamed urgency. His hands tweaked and molded with purpose. His hips claimed her in a fast and devastating manner. All the love he possessed for Areo was revealed on top of that small counter.

  Neither heard the whistler blowing.

  Sev sat beside Jugar on a bench located to one side of the main entrance to the assembly hall. His hooded wife sat on the stage with her two cousins, the captain, and Sea Ranger Superior Bill Stevens.

  Sev had gotten Areo to agree to him accompanying her by promising that he and Jugar would remain silent and covered. He regretted doing so. Many of the aliens looked more like assassins and cutthroat types than ambassadors of peace-loving races. Sev was as jumpy as a june bug. His mind would not cease displaying images of Areo coming under attack. And if the worst should happen, he was so far away from her that he feared he would not reach her in time.

  “I never should have agreed to this.” He coldly regarded his wife. “I was a fool to allow her to convince me to sit here quietly. I swear, never again.”

  “Uh-huh. Sure.” Jugar sat back and crossed his arms.

  “What do you mean by that, old friend?”

  “Areo has always had you wrapped around her little finger. You’ve never had the power to deny her anything.”