A Forgotten Kitten (Sea-anan Saga Book 2) (4 page)

“The sword? Why?”

“You know how powerful it is. You have seen and used its magic. You also know that it’s the source of the Seacats’ true strength.” “Yes, I know all that, Jugar. But—”

“What you don’t know is that it can heal a Seacat if used properly,” informed Jugar.

Sev frowned. “She’s not a Seacat.”

He shrugged. “Then you won’t hurt her if you use it on her. Either way, she has nothing to lose.”

“Nothing to lose?” Sev’s voice rose in anger. “She’s dying!”

“And she’ll be dead if you keep arguing with me!” shouted Jugar. “Now use the sword before it’s too late!”

The cougar was presently the eldest Seacat at the castle, and well respected. The younger cats often sought him out for advice and guidance, but at that moment, he made no sense to anyone. Especially not to Sev, who wanted desperately to save Areo’s life. But Sev figured that Jugar knew much due to his years, so he decided to place his faith in his longtime friend.

Sev moved a step backward, raised his weapon, and took aim at the tiny figure on the bed. Drawing in a deep breath, he forced his body to relax. He focused his energy on the sword’s power and the sword responded, purring with energy. Its blade ignited into a bright-white glow. A large beam of light shot forth from the tip straight into Areo’s form. Her entire body was soon encased in a white glow.

Time passed eerily slow as everyone waited anxiously. Jugar paused beside Sev and placed his left hand on his leader’s shoulder. “That should be enough,” he said in a tense voice.

The sword’s purr gradually subsided. Sev lowered his arm to his side and slowly approached the bed.

Sev stared out from the ninth-story window to the dockyard next door, where Areo’s ship hung from one corner of the ceiling. He was unsure how the Sword of Power had saved her. Jugar refused to answer any of his questions. That had been a month ago.

Areo looked so small in the large bed. Sev silently made his way to her side and sat down gently beside her. She had lost weight, and her pallid complexion worried him. He was not used to seeing anyone with this coloration, except for Angel—but he had the genetics of a snow leopard.

Sev traced her left cheek with his forefinger. He became aware of what he was doing and smiled. “This can’t be good.”

He could not be near Areo without touching her. To feel her softness and smell her sweetness was like a mother’s soft kiss on her child’s wound. It soothed him, reassured him of her presence. Sev lowered his head to a mere inch from Areo’s and slowly inhaled her fragrance. A warm, sultry feeling flowed over him, and his tensed muscles relaxed.

Instinctively, he placed a kiss on the tip of her nose. “Come back to me, please.” He overheard the bedroom door slide open. He turned to see who walked in. Sev withdrew from his front pants pocket a small translator device and hooked it around his left ear so he could understand his little Feron friend.

“Female open eyes?”

Sev’s shoulders drooped. “No. I don’t know how much longer I can handle this, Fern. It’s been a month, and she hasn’t made a movement other than to draw breath. Uma and Serena have been seeing to her needs, and making sure she doesn’t develop bed sores.”

The four-and-a-half-foot alien wobbled closer to the bed. The bedside lamp made his huge, unblinking eyes glisten. “I sorry,” he said. “Come eat. Sev no eat long time.”

“I know. I don’t have much of an appetite.” Sev stared longingly at Areo. “I just wish she would wake up. Then maybe everything would start making sense.”

“No eat. No do duties. Female no open eyes faster. All watch female, yes? Say when female’s eyes open. Sev no stay.”

“I understand, Fern.” Sev took his time to stand. He stretched his back, and gracefully walked toward the window. He felt Fern’s black orbs follow his every move. “I seem unable to pull myself away from her side.”

He knew the furry black alien disapproved. Everyone in the castle had voiced discontent at seeing him in such low spirits. They knew him to be a caring cat, but they all felt he was taking his worry a bit too far.

They were all concerned for the woman, yes, but no one had stopped living life because of Areo. Sev’s neglecting of his royal duties and responsibilities was taking its toll on everyone except for Jugar, who seemed to understand. Jugar himself visited Areo three times a day, but even he did not stop completing his chores.

Sev watched Angel, Theo, and Miko try to repair Areo’s Starfighter. They were stumped by the technology and material used to create the vessel. It was a real surprise when Miko, who was mechanically gifted, had admitted that even he was perplexed.

So many questions needed answers, like how could the Sword of Power save the life of someone who was not a Seacat? He suspected that Jugar had the answers, but he was not talking. What was he hiding?

His growl almost caused him to miss the soft moan coming from the bed. His eyes widened. He was too paralyzed to move. Areo was stirring. She was moaning.
She was waking up.

Sev spotted Fern moving to aid her. “No!” he shouted.

Startled, Fern scooted away from the bed as if it would burn him if he got too close. He paused by the doorway, ready to bolt from the room at the first sign of Sev raising his voice again.

Sev rushed to Areo’s side, not wanting Fern to be the first being she saw when she opened her eyes. He realized this was the reason he had never left her side. Eagerly, he watched Areo’s lids tentatively open.

“How…how do you feel?” he managed to ask.

“Like I’ve been steamrolled,” she answered, scrutinizing her surroundings. “Where am I?”

“You’re in a private room in Medical Wing C. Are you in much pain? I can have my friend give you some medication.”

Areo rose onto her elbows. “How did I get here?”

Sev’s first impression of her was strength. A normal being would be too weak to turnover, let alone sit up without assistance. “What are you doing? You can’t sit up yet.” He clasped her shoulders and tried to coax her back down. “You just woke from a monthlong sleep.”

“What? A month!” She gave him an incredulous look.

“That’s correct.” Sev tightened his grip. “Now please, lie down.”

“My ship! Where’s my ship?”

Sev frowned.
Her ship?
The panic-stricken gleam in her eyes tugged at his soft side. He dropped his voice to what he hoped was a soothing tone. “Relax. It’s in the dockyard. My friends are trying to repair it for you.”

“The dockyard? Where is that?”

He gave her an apologetic grin. “Outside your window. I’m afraid you don’t have much of a view from this side of the castle.”

“I see.” She allowed him to lay her gently back on the pillow.

Sev spotted her brown eyes skirting over his physique. He hoped she found him attractive. Their eyes met and held. Sev felt an intense heat gradually replace a chill he was unaware he had in his core. How could a nonfeline have this affect on him? He saw color creeping onto her cheeks. The smile he had lost at the death of his ghost lover easily reappeared.

“Ahem.” Areo cleared her throat as her focus fell to the blankets. “Has anyone tried to find me yet?”

“You mean those from your homeworld?”

Her eyes snapped up to his. “
My
homeworld?”

Her perplexed expression made Sev more curious about her, but he did not get the chance to ask her any questions.

“Uh…yes,” she said, regarding him more closely. “My world. My people.”
That’s weird. Sev is acting like he doesn’t know me. But that’s impossible? We haven’t been separated for that long. He couldn’t have forgotten me.

“No, I’m afraid not.” He straightened out her bedsheets. “That’s all right. You may remain here for as long as you desire. There is plenty of space. We’d all be happy to have you.”

Should I ask him if he remembers me?
“Thanks.” She watched him fix her sheets.
No, it’s best if he did forget me.
She swallowed past the lump that formed in her throat.
At least I know he’s alive.
“But…I can’t stay.”

Sev stopped what he was doing. He clearly read grief on her face. Was she unhappy with the prospect of leaving or staying?

“What?”

“I have to get back.”

“Back? Back where?”

“To my people. My home.”

Sev felt his heart spasm. He did not want her to leave. He just got her back. “Why?” he asked without thinking. “I mean…I have so many questions, I don’t know where to begin.”

Nor was he sure he wanted to hear the answers any longer. What if he learned that she did not find him attractive enough to want to stay and get to know him? He had no recollection of felines mating with aliens. Perhaps his nation was considered hideous with
their pointy ears, skin pigmentation and markings. Or worse, what if she was already paired?

“But I can’t bombard you with my inquiries right now. Relax and let me get you something to eat. How does that sound?”

As if on cue, her stomach growled. Loudly. They both started to laugh.

“That sounds pretty good to us.”

Sev looked at her curiously. “Us?”

She patted her growling stomach and smiled. “Me and my tummy.”

Sev felt his heart skip a beat at her beautiful smile. He had come close to never seeing such loveliness. He glanced to the left and spotted Fern quietly observing them. It was then he remembered he still had his translator on and activated.

“Fern, before you leave, can you please tell Serena to send us some breakfast. We’re famished.”

“Yes,” replied Fern. He stepped closer to the door. It automatically opened and he left.

“May I brush my teeth first?” asked Areo.

“Yes, of course.” Sev stood from her side. “I’ll be right back. Don’t move. I’ll take care of everything.”

The door to her chambers closed with a swoosh.

Areo stared at the door.
I can’t believe it. He did forget me.
She thought of her family. For years, they had tried to create a rift between her and Sev, but had never succeeded.
It seems you’ll be getting what you wanted after all.
She closed her eyes against the forming tears.
My Sev is gone.

Sev had thought that with Areo being awake and her strength returning, he could just pick up where his dream had left off. When he had tried to touch her intimately, she had leapt away from his touch as if he had cut her. Since then, she avoided being too close to him, or alone with him. He quickly learned that a dream was not an extension of reality. He would have to restrain
his physical longings and allow Areo time to get to know him. The very thought made him growl in impatience.

After three days of feeling cooped up in an undersized castle, Sev decided he needed distance from Areo. He headed to Limbo’s Lookout. He used his time there to be brought up to speed on what had taken place on Oceanica since Areo’s arrival. It could have been done at the castle, but he was unable to concentrate with Areo’s scent flowing throughout the lair.

Two days later, Sev dreamt of tidal waves, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. He dreamt that the sword had been ineffective, and that he had held Areo in his arms as she died. The loss he felt was greater than ever before. Yet at the same time, it felt eerily familiar. So much so, that by the following morning, he could no longer endure being away from Areo. He boarded his personal ship,
Whiskers,
and hightailed it back to his home.

Sev left his vehicle on the lawn and entered through the front doors. He tilted his head back and sniffed the air. He smiled. He knew exactly where to go. Areo’s scent emanated from the nearest council chamber on the second floor.

The doors slid open. The plain room was twenty by twenty square feet of silver steel. It contained an oval table and ten chairs, all made of solid cherrywood. Areo was leaning out the double window and fingering a small pouch she had tied around her tiny waist. Sev paused to observe the many expressions that flitted across her fine features. He figured she was admiring the countryside and made a mental note to take her sightseeing.

Today, Areo wore a tan-colored halter top and a knee-length wraparound skirt he had bartered for at a nearby village. Areo’s dark-brown hair flowed in soft ringlets to the back of her knees. She was shorter than Uma and Serena in stature—only five foot five—and looked to weigh about 125 pounds.