Prince of Cats (3 page)

She was staring
up
at him
with startling blue eyes.  She spoke to him then actually touched
him
. 
No slave had ever
spoken to
him before and the only female hands that had ever dared to touch h
im had been those of his mate
and then only after he’d claimed her
.  While the slave’s touch was shocking it was gentle and a flood of memories came rushing back. 
The m
emories
were
of lying with a woman,
exploring her supple body and allowing her to explore his much harder frame
.  It was alarming in both that he
enjoyed
the slaves touch and
that he wanted it to continue.

He though
t
the slave
m
ight be new to the temple, but w
hen the Slave Master appeared
it
was apparent
that he was
very familiar with
her
.  W
hen the
Slave
Master struck her Bray had to physically
fight his C
at’s urge to shift.
 
The woman was small and thin
but with curves in all the right places.  Her appearance called
forth Bray’s protective instincts
the ones
he on
c
e thought dormant. 

As Bray struggled to control himself without showing any outward sign of his inner turmoil the
Slave Master
hit the woman again. 

H
e remembered
look
ing
down expecting the small female to be
crying or cowering or both
;
instead
,
she was glari
ng up at the Slave Master all but
begging him to hit her again.  And he’d tried.  It was then th
at
Bray’s Cat surged forth and forced Bray to keep the Slave Master from
touching
the woman
again.
 
 

He
’d
placed himself between the beautiful slave and the
Slave
Master but the
Slave
Master attempted to reach around him to take her.  The affront angered Bray more than it should have and the
Slave
Master was lucky that he’d escaped with his arm intact. 

When he’d turned back to the woman she was bleeding.  His eyes focused on the blood at the corner of her mouth and he licked his lips at the sweet scent of
it.  He’d scented blood many times, nearly daily in training, but non
e had smelled as sweet as hers.  It was captivating, enticing.

Still close to the surface his Cat demanded a taste and Bray couldn’t keep from touching her satiny looking skin and dipping a finger into the blood pooled at the corner of her mouth before plunging the same finger into his own mouth.  She
was
sweet.

Before he could taste more of her she fled to claim her position among the slaves at the wall. 

Unsure what else to do, Bray re-claimed his seat but
his focus stayed on the slave.  She was beautiful.  Fragile looking but strong if her acceptance of the Slav
e Master’s punishment was
any indication.
  She was petite with long brown hair
and startling blue eyes, a rarity in Thebes
.  He wanted desperately to study her face, but she kept her head down as slaves were supposed to.
  He studied the tattooed symbol th
at rested high on her cheek
bone under her left eye.  He knew it signified that she was a slave, but wondered what it actually meant—if anything.
  Funny, he’d never cared enough before to ever ask.  As a matter of fact, now that he actually considered it he doubted he’d ever even looked directly at a slave.  His eyes narrowed on the woman.  She was different. 
Why hadn’t he noticed her before?  Why hadn’t he scented her before?  His eyes bore into her bowed head as he willed her to look at him.  She did.
  His adrenaline spiked and his tongue ran over the roof of his mouth savoring the flavor of her that
lingered there.  He started to sweat.  The affect she was having on him had only ever happened to him once before and that re
alization
made him sweat more
. 
Control yourself
, he self-admonished, but he couldn’t
seem to
keep from watching her.

Beside him,
his best friend
Madu leaned close speaking around a bite of
bread
.  “Will you kill her?”

Bray frowned, but kept his eyes on the slave.  “For spilling wine on me?”

Madu shrugged, “You’ve killed men for less.”

“She is not a man.”

Madu looked over at her seeming to actually take notice of her for the first time.  “No.”  He chewed and stared for a few moments.  “She is pretty.  You should have her make it up to you.
  Work off some of your aggression in a more pleasurable manner rather than always using your fists.
”

Bray’s abdominal muscles clenched.   He’d been thinking the exact same thing.
  The
other
guardian Cats of
t
en ‘played’ with the slaves.  It was one of their few
pleasures, and one of which Bray had never partaken.
 

“You eating?
” 
Madu eyed Bray’s
empty hands and turned to look at his friend but Bray was already getting up from the table.

Just one sniff,
Bray told himself. 
Surely that will satisfy my Cat
.  He smiled satisfactorily when he saw the woman tense.  She knew he was coming.

He stopped mere inches in front of her, leaned down, and inhaled sharply.  His Cat growled in appreciation. 
Amon
,
she smells good!
 

He was fighting the urge to toss her over his shoulder and drag her into the corridor to have his way with her when her head snapped up
surprising him
.  She apologized again and
called him Master, but the way she spoke the word let him know that she did not believe that he was any Master of hers.  She was challenging him and
it had
his inner Cat
fidgeting
in
giddy
anticipation of the hunt. 

Bray
laughed at her daring and
it sounded funny even to his own ears.  He couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed, but he knew he hadn’t done it since his mate had died. 
My mate.
  The thought had him sobering.  He shouldn’t be playing this game with another woman.  He should leave.  His feet didn’t move
though
.  His Cat refused to go without some token of her, some piece to carry, to scent, to remember how close he’d come to
once again enjoying the softness of a woman. 

His Cat eyed her gown, demanding he rip it off and claim it as a token.  He knew if he did that he’d claim more than just her tunic.  He eyed her long braid and decided it’d be a safer option.  She didn’t move as he
pulled his blade and
cut a portion off the end. 
Her fear spiked and it too smelled arousing in its submission.  He lifted her hair to his nose knowing he needed to drown out the sweet scent of her fear.  He smelled her hair and
moaned. 

Perhaps it
was
time to begin seeking out a new mate.
  First, he’d seek out the Slave Master and let the man know t
hat he would pay dearly if he hurt the woman again.

Chapter
3

Neomee helped the other slaves f
inish cleaning the dining hall.  S
he was reluctant to return to the slave quarters. 
The
Slave Master
would be waiting and he’d be furious.  Nonetheless, it could not be avoided.
  She tried to keep from thinking of the beating she’d get
as she walked woodenly toward the table she’d been assigned.  Stopping
,
she eyed
the still drying pool of wine on the ground at her feet.  A shiver coursed through her when she remembered the look the Prince
Cat
had given her. 
 

She
quickly cleaned her assigned area then f
ollowed a group of slave women back to the slave quarters, which consisted of two giant rooms, one for men and one for women.  Each night, the slaves would claim a bedroll from the storage area and find any place on the floor they could to sleep.  Other than for sleeping and being used as a place for the
Slave Master
to issue commands and dole out punishment, the slave quarters were rarely occupied.
  Slaves spent most of their day and a great portion of their night performing
various
chores.

The group of women in front of Neomee halted just outside the slave quarters.  Typically if the slaves knew one slave was going to be punished, they would wait out in the
corridor
until th
e punishment had been delivered.  I
t was the lone form of respect that the slaves were able to pay each other. 

“Dua.” Neomee whispered her thanks as she passed the women and entered the slave quarters. 
The
large room was
empty but for the
Slave Master
, who upon seeing Neomee enter the quarters picked up his leather whip and approached her intently. 

She
knew she
should lower her
gaze.  As the
Slave Master
inched closer,
she managed to
drop
her chin, but her eyes refused to follow suit.  She clenched her fists as her slight frame grew taut with anticip
ation of the severe beating she
knew she
was
about to endure
. 

The
Slave Master
’s glare bore into Neomee as he side-stepped her and strode out of the quarters without a word. 

Neomee stood trembling, and slowly turned in disbelief.  The group of women waiting in the hall peered back at her
with rounded eyes
from the entryway, their mouths agape in disbelief. 

“I have no idea.”  Neomee shook her head as she answered their silent question.

***

The next day, Neomee woke with trepidation seeping from her pores.  She’d see
him
today.  She hadn’t slept much the previous night, only dozing off near dawn, but when she woke the first thing she thought of was the Prince Cat.
  Mortification still seared through her at her gaffe. 
 

She cleaned and dressed in her simple tunic before running slender fingers through her long hair and re-braiding it.  Butterflies were alight in her belly at the prospe
ct of serving the morning meal. 
I hope he’s gotten over it.

The Cats were fed three meals a day and the routine was always the same.  Slaves were assigned to a designated table and it was their job to prepare for, serve, and clean up after the Cats.

When one of her fellow slaves
made to exit the female slave’s bathing quarters, Neomee lightly touched her wrist, halting the woman who was close in age to Neomee’s twenty-four years.
  Neomee and the other slave certainly weren’t friends, but it was worth a shot.

Neomee cleared her throat, “Bast, trade me tables today?”

The other woman’s brown eyes saucered and she actually snorted before rolling her eyes, “Has you’re brain softened?  I saw what happened at your table yesterday.  The Cat scented you. 
Now he’ll begin his stalk.  I am not throwi
ng myself in his way
.”  She crossed her arms over her chest as she smiled and walked out tossing over her shoulder, “
Gods be with you.”

Neomee’s shoulders slumped.  Sh
e could feign illness, but would rather face the Prince of Cats than endure the Slave Master’s wrath.
Sighing heavily, she collected herself and forced her feet to carry her to the dining hall. 

All through the corridor, her lips mum
bled prayers that the Prince
Cat would have forgott
en about her and the infractions she’d committed the previous day. 

Entering the hall she kept her head down and followed the feet in front of her as they led to the far wall where the slaves were lined to wait until the Cats had been seated.  Her chin lifted slightly and she caught her eyes just in time to keep them from seeking out the Prince of Cats. 
Amon, don’t look!  He’s had time to sleep on it and could be angry now that h
e’s had time to consider the affront
.