A Forgotten Kitten (Sea-anan Saga Book 2)

by Kong, Jessica A

  He also dreamt of that same female being pregnant. He could not shake the feeling of disloyalty to his truelove. The female’s pregnant image repulsed him; it did not matter that this feline was his wife and queen. The thought of his kitten being born from a woman he did not love was not something he dwelled long on, for it made Sev feel guilty that he could not bring himself to love the child.

  Lowering the sword from his eyes, Sev took a deep breath. “The others will have to accept that I can’t return to Oceanica as their king. There will be no uprising as long as the king doesn’t take an alien as his permanent mate. King Miko will not.” He chuckled. “So, there won’t be anything to worry about.”

  “There will always be something to worry about,” Jugar corrected. “What if the citizens don’t accept Miko as their new leader and demand that the rightful heir returns to the throne?”

  “Then they will have to accept my half-blooded queen. I will not mate with another, Jugar. I gave my heart and swore my loyalty to that feline when she was born. She will forever be my only mate.” Sev examined the sword. “The only problem I see is the Sword of Power. Miko said it wouldn’t respond to him. It’s the source of the Seacats’ enhanced strength. I can’t very well keep it if I’m not their ruler.”

  “No, you can’t. But I don’t think Challen would be thrilled if you handed it over to Miko, either. The sword chose you as its next keeper, Sev, not any of Challen’s male offspring or Leonora’s. You can’t choose a keeper for the sword. It simply doesn’t work that way.”

  “I wonder why the sword didn’t choose one of Challen’s sons to be its keeper. It has been in his family since the beginning, hasn’t it?”

  “Since its creation, passed down through generations. And each time, the sword chose its new keeper.”

  Sev studied the gem. “I wonder why it chose me, a complete stranger. Challen’s blood doesn’t flow in me.”

  Jugar shrugged. “Perhaps we may never know. But if it doesn’t choose Miko—or one of the others—as its new keeper, then I’m afraid you may have to reconsider your decision.”

  “The blazes I will!” Sev’s fiery sights burned a hole through silver steel. “I have survived Oceana’s destruction. I have been reunited with my kitten after ten and a half years. Ten and a half years that were stolen from us. Ten and a half years that we could’ve spent together. Perhaps we would’ve had a litter by now. We will never get back those years, Jugar. I will not have any more time taken from me. I will not have Areo stolen from me a second time. I couldn’t stop it before, but I will stop it now.”

  “What do you mean, Areo was stolen from you?”

  Sev’s eyes glazed over. They became unfocused as they bored into Jugar. “Sev?” He appeared to be somewhere else. Jugar stood from his seat. He placed his wine glass on the coffee table and knelt in front of his leader. He passed a hand before Sev’s eyes several times. “Sev?” Sev did not blink. Jugar grabbed his shoulders and gave him one rough shake. “Sev, snap out of it!”

  After blinking several times, Sev’s eyes focused on his longtime friend.

  “Are you all right?” Jugar asked. “You seemed to have left me there for a second.”

  Sev took another deep breath. “I’m fine.” He raked a trembling hand through his hair. “Let’s return to the bridge.” Sev stood. He strapped his sword around his waist as he went around the kneeling cat and center table. He exited the room without looking back.

  Jugar followed after him, perplexed as to what had transpired.

  A week passed without any updates on the enemy. Then one afternoon while on the bridge, Mike stood to the left of the captain’s chair. Sphin Blaisdale stood to the right side. They watched Sev peer at the sword’s gem as it glowed with power. The two men shared a meaningful glance.

  Mike spoke telepathically to Sphin. {A little obsessive if you ask me. Areo is a grown woman. He doesn’t need to follow her like a hawk.}

  Sphin’s brows arched upward. His head tilted to one side. Mike chuckled. Sphin could not speak telepathically, but Mike understood his expression just as clearly. {You’re right, what am I thinking? This is Sev. He’s always been obsessive and possessive when it comes to Areo.}

  They glanced back at Sev. Sev’s posture stiffened and his eyes began to glow.

  “Uh-oh. What did you see?” asked Mike.

  Sev’s white teeth gleamed in the light. “Death.”

  Sphin and Mike’s eyes met.

  “Why do you say that?” asked Sphin.

  “Because it’s the truth. Mike, did my wife have a prospective mate sniffing her tail before she arrived on Oceanica?”

  Sphin’s and Mike’s eyes widened. Childhood memories of the last time a rival confronted Sev entered their heads. That cat was sent to the hospital and remained in a coma for a month. Mike swallowed while Sphin rubbed his mouth with his right hand.

  “A prospective mate?” repeated Sphin.

  “Do not…” Sev gritted his teeth. He slowly lowered and sheathed his sword. He sat back in his seat. “I will not repeat myself.”

  Mike glanced at a quiet Jugar, who sat on the steps behind Sphin. He hoped Jugar could help, but he received only a puzzled look from his godfather.

  “Take it easy, Sev.” Mike got a sinister growl for that. “Listen, you were gone for ten and a half years. And we didn’t know whether you’d survived or not. You can’t expect other men not to make a move on Areo. After all, Areo is a beautiful woman. And hell, she wasn’t going to become a nun. So of course she dated other men.” Mike saw Sev’s eyes glowing brighter. “She never slept with any of them. You already know that. But, yes, she was dating someone before the attack on Sea Base Ten.”

  Sev’s features twisted in rage. “Captain Stephen Miller.”

  “Control yourself, Sev,” cautioned Sphin. “How did you know his name?”

  Sev’s voice started low but ended with yelling. “The sword displayed him kissing my wife!”

  Mike and Sphin understood. “Areo didn’t get the chance to tell him it’s over between them,” said Mike.

  A ferocious roar filled the room. Sev leapt from his seat and ran toward the main window of the bridge. Gripping the frame, he let out another deafening roar. Those on the bridge had to cover their ears. Mike and Sphin rushed over to him. Jugar stood from his seat and slowly approached them.

  “Sev, control yourself!” spoke Sphin. “Areo will tell him that she’s gotten married. I’m certain of it. You are the Lord of the Seacats. You must remain in full control of your emotions.”

  “You didn’t hear what she said!” Sev’s claws extended and tried to dig into solid steel. “She said her place is with another, as mine is with a pureblood! She has no intention of telling him, but every intention of remaining with him!” he shouted.

  Mike tried to calm him down. “Areo will tell him, Sev, I’m sure of it. She won’t lead the captain on. She’s not that type of woman.”

  Sphin quickly added, “Besides, she’s in love with you. She bears your soulscar. She will never take another mate.”

  “He’s right, you know,” put in Mike in a hurry. “She will never betray you.”

  “Areo is your wife, Sev—your soulmate,” reminded Sphin. “You must have faith in her love and loyalty to you. You must not question her motives toward this other man, or she will doubt your trust in her. We Seacats take our honor and loyalty extremely seriously. You know that. And Areo is a Seacat, just like you.”

  “With everything that’s happening around us, the last thing you want to do is add another obstacle between you and Areo. Wouldn’t you agree, cousin?” said Mike, placing a firm grip on Sev’s shoulder. He tried to reach Sev by formally acknowledging him into the family.

  “Sev, Areo never stopped searching the skies for you,” Sphin informed him. “Even while she dated other men, she devoted much of her time and energy, not to mention all the resources at her disposal, to searching for you, in the hopes that she would be reunited with the only man she could e
ver love. She swore herself to you when we were kids. She gave herself to you as a woman. Don’t doubt her love for you. It will kill her.”

  Sev’s eyes gradually stopped shining.

  Mike gave his shoulder a slight shake. “That a boy. Trust her. You’ll see for yourself how much she truly loves only you.”

  “All right, I will place my trust in her.” Sev leaned into his outstretched arms and breathed. He retracted his claws. “But I will not guarantee that I will not kill this Miller. If he places his lips or his hands on Areo again, there will be no one to save him.”

  Mike rubbed his face with his hand. Sphin inhaled deep and pushed ten fingers through his hair. They knew exactly what he meant. The last time, it had taken three grown men to pull an incensed, deranged, bony kitten off an unconscious cat. Mike was curious as to how many it would take to pull a seven-foot, overly muscular Seacat off a five-foot-eleven human.

  “Mike!” Sev bellowed. “Full speed ahead.”

  Mike flew over to the flight controls and shifted the White Star to maximum hyperdrive. He thought back on the fool who had challenged Sev for Areo’s favors. The lynx was fifteen at the time and Sev nine. Despite the fact that Oceanans mature at a different rate than other humanoids and are deemed fully matured at age fifteen, it was still a sight when a scrawny Sev attacked and nearly killed the muscular and much taller feline for trying to rape Areo.

  Sphin stopped beside Mike. Mike sent his thoughts into his cousin’s head. {Vindicator, do you remember the last time someone was stupid enough to challenge him for Areo’s attention?}

  “Oh yeah,” whispered Sphin.

  {Then you remember he wasn’t fully matured, and didn’t have his strength enhanced by the sword.} They worriedly eyed Sev as he returned to the captain’s chair. {How the bloody hell are we going to stop a fully matured, out-of-control, bulging Seacat, cousin?}

  Sphin faced the back of the ship. He leaned toward Mike and whispered, “We’ll use a Mage to cast a restraining spell.”

  {Good thinking.}

  Thursday, the 3rd of March

  Sphin’s White Star

  Eight days after seeing Areo in another man’s arms, Sev sat in the captain’s chair viewing Areo through the gem. He pulled the sword from his face. “Mike! Break radio silence now! I need to find out what the blazes the Seacats are up to.”

  “What do you mean?” Serena nervously asked. She was sitting on the stairs that divided the bridge into two levels.

  “The entire fleet is floating in space near Laaren while Areo and Mathew set off alone in smaller vehicles.”

  “Alone? But why?”

  “That’s what I want to know.” Sev looked at Mike, who stood on the second level of the bridge behind the main flight panel. “Have you got them online yet?”

  “Sev, if I do that, then I’ll be disclosing their position. I can’t contact them while they’re so close to Laaren.”

  “You said the communication systems have been changed. The Dominion can no longer decipher our signals.”

  “That doesn’t mean they can’t pick up on the signal and find its source. We can’t risk the fleet because of your paranoia.”

  “Paranoia!” Sev vaulted from his seat. He leapt over the steps and rushed to where Mike stood, poking him in the chest. “My wife, your queen, is out there about to face the Orions with only one male as escort. Don’t tell me that I’m being paranoid!”

  “Mike, please!” begged Serena from below the railing that surrounded the upper level of the bridge. “If what he says is true, then you have to find out what they intend to do. Do you not care what happens to Areo or Mathew?”

  Pure loathing filled Mike, and he made certain Serena saw every bit of it in his eyes when he spoke to her. “Don’t you speak to me about my family, Oceanan. They are no concern of yours!” He looked at Sev. “I’m sure everything is going to be all right. They are warriors, Sev. They—”

  Sev did not want any excuses. Snatching Mike by his shirt collar, he spoke in a low, stone-cold voice. “I don’t care if they are Seacats. My mate is about to face death while I’m stuck here. That doesn’t make me very happy. And if I’m not happy, neither will anyone else be. So you find some way to connect with the others and find out what their plan is, or you will regret being born.”

  “Sev—”

  “Save it. I don’t want to hear it. I gave my order, and I expect it to be obeyed, Seacat!” He pulled Mike over until they touched noses. “Understood?”

  Mike rhythmically worked his jaw. Not once did his eyes or posture show he was threatened by Sev. In fact, he debated whether Areo would forgive him if he taught Sev a lesson on who the real powerful cat was. Concluding that she most likely would not, he gritted out, “Understood.”

  “Good,” sneered Sev. He returned to the lower portion of the bridge to pace between the window and his seat.

  Mike assigned flight control over to a shocked Mage. Turning to the exit, he glimpsed each crew member’s stunned expression and his godfather’s pale complexion. Jugar nodded to him. Mike guessed his godfather was thanking him for not clobbering Sev.

  Gritting his teeth, Mike stomped toward the door. He thought of Areo and paused underneath the archway to glare at Sev. You’re lucky Areo loves you. He watched Sev pacing nervously and smirked. And you truly love her. Or I would be more than happy to teach you a very deserving lesson. He left the bridge.

  “Sev, check the sword again. Maybe now it will show you something different,” Serena begged him. “Something other than static.”

  Sev called upon the gem’s power. After a few seconds, he hissed in frustration. “Where in the blazes is Mike? He left over thirty minutes ago. Whatever was going to happen has already taken place! Great moons of Oceana, what do I have to do to get some answers around here?”

  “Sev, I have some news!” announced Mike, running into the bridge.

  “McCall, where in the blazes have you been? What’s happening out there? I can’t get a clear picture on the sword.”

  Sphin Blaisdale was flying the ship. He immediately instructed a Ranger to take control so he could focus on Mike’s news. He jumped over the four steps that divided the bridge in two and stopped beside the captain’s seat.

  “You’re not going to like it,” said Mike breathlessly. He stopped in front of Sev.

  “I didn’t like it before. Tell me what’s happening to my wife!”

  “I don’t know how to tell you this—”

  “Mike!”

  “Areo and Mathew went on a kamikaze mission,” he blurted.

  “A what?” asked Sev, Jugar, and Serena.

  “What was the mission?” asked Sphin.

  “OK. Before I explain, I think you should have a seat,” said Mike to Sev.

  “I don’t want to sit down. Now tell me about my wife!”

  “Sev, trust me. Sit down.”

  Jugar squeezed Sev’s shoulder. “Perhaps we should do as he instructs.”

  “Fine! If it’ll get him to speak faster, then I’ll sit.” Once his bottom touched the seat, he barked, “Explain!”

  “We were born with special gifts, as you already know. Mathew and Areo are specially blessed and exceptionally powerful. What makes them unique is that they share the exact same abilities. This enables them to combine their powers into one enormous force. That’s something none of the rest of us can do.”

  Scratching his head impatiently, Sev caustically inserted, “Mike, thank you for sharing that bit of family genetics with us. But what does that have to do with what’s happening?”

  “Areo is rubbing off on you, isn’t she?” After he received the expected growl, Mike continued. “Laaren is protected by an electromagnetic energy grid, similar to the ones we use at the space stations’ check-in areas. Only this one is so powerful that when any object comes in contact with it, it’s immediately disintegrated.”

  Sev gripped the sides of his chair.

  “One of Mathew and Areo’s shared abilities is the p
ower of absorbency.”

  “The power of absorbency?” questioned Theo.

  “Areo and Mathew can change their molecular structure and become one with whatever they wish their bodies to make contact with. This allows them to pass through any object unharmed.”

  “You mean it’s like going through a solid wall?” questioned Uma.

  “Not exactly, but close enough. Stop asking questions!” snapped Sphin, annoyed. He looked at Mike. “Go on.”

  Mike looked back at Sev. “Mathew and Areo went to see if they could join their powers and thus be strong enough to absorb the grid’s energy, allowing them to pass through it unharmed. If they succeed, they are to head to one of our secret underground bases, where Mathew is to implement part two of Bob’s plan, which is to hack into the main computer system using a new invention of Bob’s. It will turn off the grid and allow the fleet to enter undetected until it’s too late.”

  “You said ‘if they succeed.’ What if they don’t?” asked Jugar.

  Mike’s emotion-filled, pale-gray eyes answered his question.

  “They’ve never tried to absorb this much energy before,” spoke Sphin. Worry etched itself deep in the lines of his face. “Are they even strong enough combined?”

  Sev’s strength left him in one big gush. His frame slouched in the seat. He was grateful that he had sat down.

  “How would the fleet know if they succeeded?” Sphin asked.

  “They would only know if the grid goes down at the scheduled time. If it doesn’t, then we…” Mike did not finish. Shaking his head, he went to navigations and resumed control of the White Star, pushing the ship as fast as she could go.

  Sphin went to stand by the window. He reached for the small ledge and held on.

  Miko had to know. “Mike, what was the scheduled time?”

  “They have thirty minutes left.”

  “And we are how far from them?”

  “Since they stopped overnight at Sea Base One, we’ve actually gained on them. We are now an hour and a half behind them.”