“Greetings, Areo. Welcome to Morlon…”
It dawned on Areo that her imaginings had not come close to the reality. She heard a voice then—a deep, resounding voice. Daehog. An enormous chair rose from the ground a few feet before her. It continued to rise until it was on an elevated platform. Areo presumed it was his throne. Daehog spun his chair to face her. Areo stopped breathing. Daehog was speaking to her, yet she heard nothing, for Daehog was the spitting image of evil incarnate. Every hope of surviving left her numb body.
While Daehog spoke to her, Areo’s terror-filled gaze moved from the tips of his thick, dark-gray, curved ram horns down to his ruby red face. Daehog possessed a long, beaklike nose, a permanent sneer, and an eerie yellow glow to his eyes. His massive neck pulsed with protruding blood vessels, and his bulging arms and bare, hulking torso glistened with moisture. Black claws served as fingernails. Areo quickly scanned his lower half. He had gigantic batlike wings, enormous, muscular thighs and legs, but no goat’s feet. It was a small consolation, considering Daehog was at least nine feet tall and definitely a monster.
Areo jumped out of her skin at someone’s touch. Wild-eyed and frozen, she did not protest when her escorts removed the thick robe shielding her appearance from the demon. She swallowed several times, trying to bring moisture back into her parched mouth, but failed.
The expression that appeared on Daehog’s hideous face at her spider dress sent more tremors of trepidation down her small frame. Areo thought to utilize her most powerful gift to destroy the frightening image. Concentrating, she braced for the release of a gigantic energy blast that would come forth from her hands. She pulled her arms back.
Someone poured ice-cold water over her already frozen body. Areo looked at her wrists. Her eyes expressed horror when realization struck: her wrists were still bonded. Her breath escaped in forced spurts. She was at this monster’s mercy, which was no mercy at all. Despite her intense fear, she managed to register the last of what Daehog said.
“…My scion will inherit your powers as well as my strength, speed, and endurance. He will be invincible. Nothing will stop him from entering other dimensions and conquering them. He will be even greater than I, thanks to you, the Bracelets of Foresight, and your resilient felines.”
Areo automatically shook her head. She did not need to hear everything Daehog said to get a clear understanding of his intentions. She now understood what Mikkoa was talking about. Mikkoa had sealed everyone’s fate in an act that was unforgivable, even by Seacat standards.
Finding her voice, Areo hissed at him and took several steps backward. “I will not bear your bastard son!”
Daehog sat straighter in his chair.
“I will rip him from my own womb if need be. I will not give birth to a monster like you! Never!” Areo spun on her bare heels and blindly ran out of the room.
Daehog watched her run off in the direction she had entered. His deep, hearty laughter vibrated through the corridors. He found it humorous that she would attempt to escape a fate that was clearly her destiny. A destiny foretold in the stars. No one could alter it, not even a pigheaded feline queen.
He pressed a button on his seat’s left armrest. Areo’s holographic image appeared within the nearest mist. Gleefully, Daehog watched as Areo raced down corridor after corridor, frantically searching for a way out of the fortress. He laughed at her clumsiness when she tripped and fell, only to stagger to her feet and limp off. He delighted in the fear he instilled in the hearts of those he came across, and this feline was no exception.
“Where do you think you are running off to, lifemate?” Daehog spoke to the holographic image. “You cannot escape me. You will never find the entrance to my stronghold. Can you not see this is your destiny? You were created to fulfill my destiny. To aid me in becoming the sole ruler of all creation.”
Areo trembled at the sound of his horrid voice. While she forced oxygen into her burning lungs, her soul cried out to the one who had always protected her, even as she despaired of his absence. Sev! Sev! Tears flowed down her cheeks.
She listened to Daehog’s words and cringed at their meaning. The images that popped into her mind spurred her onward. Daehog’s repeated laughter rattled her nerves. His words galled her, making her more desperate to escape his clutches.
Plastering her back against the cold steel wall, Areo covered her ears and yelled, “Never! I will never let you touch me! You monster! You bastard! You will never impregnate me! Never!”
Daehog’s response was robust laughter. Holding nothing back, Areo vented all her fears in one thunderous scream. In the end, she was out of breath. She covered her face and sobbed harder. After a few minutes, she raised her tear-covered face and resumed racing down another winding tunnel. All the while, she tried to drown out Daehog’s taunting voice and belittling laughter.
He’s just trying to distract me. I must be getting closer to the exit. Daehog continued to speak to her, taunting her, making fun of her desperate pleas. I have to get out of here. The words drummed repeatedly in her aching head.
At the end of the long corridor, Areo entered a circular room. Spinning in place, she scanned all around her. Her eyes dulled. Dear Onssa, I’m going in circles! Where am I? How am I going to get out of here?
She heard the sound of heavy footsteps. They were headed in her direction. Sev! Sev! Areo deliriously whimpered against the back of her right hand. Her heart threatened to stop. Her lungs protested. She finally collapsed in the center of the room.
Wheezing and covered in a fine, cold sweat, Areo viewed the large room as she huddled on the floor. Why did he stop taunting me? Sev! Oh, Sev! Areo placed her forehead on the black, cold soil. Her trembling body shivered in response to that dreaded voice starting up again. That was, until her frightened senses registered how close it sounded.
“I told you, you cannot escape me.”
Areo’s head snapped upward. Her mind whirled at the sight of her worst nightmare. Daehog had arrived to claim his bride.
Sev’s first attack was met head-on by Orions and Braqarians determined to destroy the alien intruders. The Dominion was not about to allow the opposition access to their master’s home. This battle would determine the fate of every living creature. Sev gave the order to destroy everything. He held nothing back. The Sword of Power aided them forward.
Clank. Clank. Clank. The sounds of clashing metal were accompanied by ferocious roars and shouts. Laser blasts and power-charged weapons erupted in each direction. The whizzing sounds of staffs, blades, and axes sailing through the air filled the room. Explosions sent forth by mutant hands added to the chaos. The enemy was strong. Formidable. But the collective efforts of the Aligned Worlds led by the ruling clan proved to be a force worth fearing.
After cutting down another adversary, Sev spared a quick glance around him. Everyone was paired off. Some were having an easier time with their combatants than others.
Suddenly, a freezing chill seized his soul, making him gasp. Spinning in place, he searched for the source. He spotted a translucent image of his beloved kitten to one side of the room.
He reached out toward it. “Areo?”
The image started to fade. Sev’s lips parted. He immediately remembered Challen’s teachings. The ghost was Areo’s soul reaching out to him, telling him she was in mortal danger. The image vanished. Beyond the ghost’s location there was a doorway. Over the battle cries, Sev heard a gut-wrenching scream.
“No!” He ran toward the corridor unaware that both Miko and Mike raced after him.
A curtain of mist obediently parted as Daehog approached Areo. Another torrent of tears fell freely from her puffy, red eyes. They regained their focus and received the vile image of Daehog. The only clothing the creature wore was a black loincloth, which amazingly intensified her horror even more. He stood tall, proud, powerful, and arrogant, but most of all, terrifyingly huge.
“No.”
“Oh yes.” He deliberately made his way over to her. “Don’t
try to fight it, Areo. It is your destiny. You are meant to conceive the greatest being who will ever live.”
Areo was not about to give in that easily. She pushed herself onto her knees. Try as she might, her legs were unable to support her weight. Both her fear and asthma weakened her spirit as well as her body. She inched her way backward, crawling away from Daehog’s advancing form.
“You are meant to conceive here on Morlon—the epicenter of power. And I am destined to be the sire. Many would kill to become the host for my offshoot. You should feel honored.”
What Areo felt was bile rising in her throat.
Trailing a few feet behind the fast running lion, Mike shouted, “Sev, stop!”
Sev did stop. Just long enough to sniff the air in all directions. The spirit had lured him to this tunnel. Now he had to figure out the reason why.
“Sev, where are you going? What are you doing?” Miko sniffed and eyed their surroundings for a possible ambush.
“Areo…” Sev pointed with his chin. “She’s down this passageway.”
Mike looked at him. “How can you be so sure?”
Sev thought of the warning, of its meaning. His lip curled. “I can smell her.”
Mike sniffed the air for his cousin’s scent.
“This entire fortress is saturated with it.” Sev’s grip tightened around the hilt of his sword. “And it’s mixed with great fear. Her fear.” Without another word, he rushed in the direction his wife’s scent was most powerful.
“He’s right,” said Mike before running down the tunnel.
Miko shot off after him. All three Seacats raced down the dark, twisting corridor. They skidded to a halt. Sev stood in front, flanked by Mike and Miko. Blocking their path stood a Dominion troop, a mixture of Orion, Braqarian, Ailatineg, traitors, and new additions—Mormoc warriors.
“Great,” grumbled Miko. “Giant horned monsters. Ten of them.”
“No fear.” Mike mischievously smiled. “Beast is here. Leave them to me.”
Sev looked at Miko then at Mike, who was happily sizing up the new race of opponents. Sev saw that grin disappear as Mike stiffened.
“Mikkoa!” hissed Mike.
Sev recognized the name immediately. He searched the traitors’ faces. “Which one?”
Shooting steel daggers at the once-friend turned foe, Mike pointed his black sword at the fourth person in the second row. “That stinking Iguana is Mikkoa, the lizard responsible for turning so many against our cause. The one who almost killed—”
“The one who almost killed my wife,” Sev interjected, giving Mikkoa the most predatory glare any hunter could muster.
Mikkoa moved to the front of the pack and gave Sev the once-over. “Who are you?” he spoke into his translator.
Sev moved to stand in front of the Iguanid. He made certain the translator hooked around his ear was securely in place before speaking clearly into the mouthpiece. “I’m Sev, Lord of the Seacats. Areo is my wife,”he sneered. “After your little farewell present, I was the one who found her and nursed her back to health. I swore to myself if I was ever lucky enough to come across you, I was going to repay you for what you did to her.” He raised his sword. “So, how about going up against someone who knows how to use a sword?” Sev saw doubt jump into the lizard’s eyes.
Mikkoa adjusted the earpiece to his communicator. “Did you say wife?”
Sev nodded once.
“Since when has that annoying little bitch been able to find someone stupid enough to stay with her?”
“If you must know, the day she was born.” Sev scraped his blade’s tip along Mikkoa’s left cheek. The spikes on Mikkoa’s back stood on end. Sev ignored how the Dominion prepared for attack.
Miko readied his axes. Mike raised his sword slightly.
“Are you any good with that sword?” asked Sev. “Or will you rely on your friends to assist you in gaining the upper hand against me, just as you did with my wife?”
Mikkoa crossed his sword with Sev’s. “I do not believe a single word you are say—”
“It’s true, Mikkoa. Sev is Areo’s husband. And I wouldn’t get too cocky with that sword if I were you. I fought Sev. And I have to say, he has no equal,” said Mike, stretching the truth.
Mikkoa’s eyes raced back to the feline in front of him. He braced himself. “All right, then, I see it will be up to me to make that bitch a widow. That way my king can proceed with his plans for her without a hitch.”
Sev heart skipped a beat.
“What do you mean?” Miko asked.
“I did say widow,” replied Mikkoa.
All three Seacats understood immediatly.
“Over my dead body!” Sev made the first move.
It was not long into the fight that Mikkoa realized he was about to be killed by the incensed lion. Even with several comrades aiding him, he could not gain advantage over the cat. Deciding it was prudent to make a quick retreat, Mikkoa left his fellow Dominions to deal with Sev and his felines. He ran off to warn Daehog of Areo’s husband, leaving Sev to fend off two Ailatinegs and a Braqarian.
“Sev, Mikkoa!” Miko shouted.
Sev caught a glimpse of Mikkoa’s fleeting back. He disposed of his opponents and gave chase. He knew exactly where the traitor headed. For everyone’s sake, he prayed Areo was unharmed and untouched.
At the end of the winding corridor, Daehog knelt over an unconscious Areo. His huge right hand roamed over her form, barely touching her. He wanted to become familiar with her curves. She was not the sort of female he was used to mating with. He found her too small and scrawny. The only reason he considered mating with her was because she was the Queen of Sea-anan and the keeper of the Bracelets of Foresight.
Daehog lifted his wings and positioned his body above hers. He was surprised to find her scent somewhat pleasing. His long, pointy tongue licked her cheeks in an effort to awaken her. Areo’s eyelids fluttered open. He smirked.
A short distance away, Sev caught up with Mikkoa and cut off his escape. “And where do you think you’re going?” he asked with a cruel smile. “This is for my soulmate.”
Mikkoa hesitated for only a second. He gave Sev all he was worth, which, compared to Sev, was not much. Sev had slept for eight years, but before that he’d had seven years of combat training from the greatest Seacat who had ever lived: Challen.
Swing after swing, Sev chuckled mockingly or sneered. After all, Mikkoa had almost killed the only woman who could ever bring his soul joy. After a few minutes, Sev put a stop to his little game. He had to find his wife.
“I will give you the same you gave her. And if you survive like she did,” he shrugged, “then you survive.” Sev sliced Mikkoa in exactly the same fashion Areo was cut. No more. No less. After he was done, he knelt over the gasping alien, showing no mercy. “I forgot to tell you. Areo survived only because of magic.”
Mikkoa’s eyes widened with alarm.
Sev smiled a satisfied smile. He stood and rushed off to find his wife.
In an effort to bring to focus the face that loomed over her, Areo blinked several times. Having Daehog lying on her made her wish that Mikkoa had succeeded in killing her.
Her strength was ebbing. She used the last of it to push hard against his shoulders. “Get off me, you monster!” Panic gripped her when her efforts proved unsuccessful. “I won’t let you touch me!”
“You have no choice.” His hands moved over her body. “You are my lifemate and you must please me.”
“Please you?” Areo’s skirt was raised high over her hips. Daehog’s breath smelled like rotten flesh. Her skin shriveled with repulsion wherever it touched her, making her sicker to her stomach. “Oh, I’ll please you, all right.” Areo raised her shackled hands, extended her claws, and went for his face. “I’ll rip your heart out!”
Daehog caught Areo’s hands before they reached his cheeks. Clasping the chains in one huge fist, he held them above her head and laughed. Areo’s combative nature, together with the wiggling and arc
hing of her body, started to arouse him.
Areo went stark still when she felt his manhood growing. “Please, let me go. Don’t do this. It isn’t right.”
“Oh, but it is.” One of his hands went to the inner part of her thigh.
His hand came in contact with her pubic bone. Areo gasped. “No.” She shook her head. “Please, don’t.” She began to struggle again.
Having his fingers on her most intimate parts ripped Areo’s soul from her body. No one had touched her but Sev. The more Daehog explored her, the more she died. His finger traced her opening. Instinctively, her hips pulled away.
“No,” she cried. “Don’t do this. Please, I beg of you, stop.” With a conquering smile, Daehog continued to finger her opening, threatening to slip inside. Areo gulped air in pure fright. “Daehog, please don’t.” She choked on a sob.
“You are barely big enough. But I will soon take care of that.” He removed his loincloth and repositioned his arousal at her junction.
Areo was careful not to move for fear of inserting him. But by that time, she knew the battle was over. With no more strength to fight this giant off, she accepted the fact she was about to be raped. Still, the McCall within her refused to give in completely. Her wrists strained against his tight hold on her chains as she sensed Daehog’s hips drawing back.
The loudest cry ever heard tore from Areo’s constricted chest. As her scream ended, realization struck. The enormous weight of Daehog’s body had disappeared. Her body was snatched off the ground. Her eyes opened. She was in Miko’s arms. Areo did not care who it was, she was only relieved that Daehog had not finished his terrible deed. She wrapped her arms as far as her chains would allow around Miko’s waist and sobbed like a child.
“Areo, let me go. I have to help Sev.”
Areo looked up at him. “Sev?”
“Yes. Daehog will kill him if I do not help him, so let go of me!” He nudged her away.
Miko pulled out his double battle-axes and attacked, leaving Areo standing in the middle of the room, cold, frightened, and defenseless. Her eyes found the reason why Daehog had never finished his deed.
A Forgotten Kitten (Sea-anan Saga Book 2) Page 26