A Forgotten Kitten (Sea-anan Saga Book 2) (20 page)

How could his ancestor have written such a law? What reason could he have had? It made no sense. Oceanans believed their god Onssa divided one soul, placing each half into different beings. When the two beings mated and their souls matched, both spirits would fuse into one essence. The souls’ union would result in a mark, a cluster of cuts, placed on the recipients’ bodies during their joint orgasm. For the female, it was below the waist; for the male, it was above it. The location of the scar was left up to the soul to decide.

A soulmate was sought by all felines. Yet some were willing to settle for second best. A lifemate and a lifescar. In this case, if two beings had mated and were aware they were not soulmates but still wanted to permanently join, they could. However, in this case, the law stated that the scar must be a single cut. For the male, its location must be on his left forearm, and for the female, on her right thigh muscle. In either case, the heart decided who a permanent mate would be, not the law. And since it was Onssa who divided the souls, who was to say that a foreigner could not possess the other half?

A written law?

Sev thought it was ludicrous. Who in their right mind would go against a divine entity? What had his ancestor been thinking? Was he that insane that he dared go against Onssa’s wishes? Was he so out of touch with reality that he was willing to settle for second
best by eliminating females from other nations? And had his soul-mate been an alien, would he have given her up without a fight?

Sev rubbed his face. His heart had chosen Areo. To have the queen’s chair placed beside his and have Serena, or anyone other than Areo, sit in it did not fill him with joy. To have his castle echo with the laughter of his litter did not make him feel complete, for the infant would not have come from his chosen one. To live the rest of his life with someone he did not love was not what his soul desired. A life without Areo was not worth living.

Sev stared at the throne. He was no weakling. Nor was he a fool to go against Onssa’s wishes. The law was unyielding. He could not break or change it. Therefore, he had no choice. He had to do what was right for his race, no matter how painful it felt.

A part of Sev died as he voiced his decision. “Then it’s done. The descendants of Concheetah, Challen, and Leonora have been labeled outcasts, never to return to their new homeworld Oceanica solely on the basis of their mixed heritage. It doesn’t matter if their parents were soulmates and had no control over what happened to them.”

Miko walked up to him. “They made a conscious decision, Sev, when they decided to remain with the humans.”

“I agree,” added Theo.

“Yes, they did. As did those who followed them into exile.” Sev paused briefly. “As do I.” His words confused everyone in the room.

Jugar was first to ask. “What was that?”

Sev unsheathed the Sword of Power. He stopped in front of Jugar and tapped both his shoulders with the sword’s tip. “I hereby crown you, Jugar, the new Lord of the Seacats and of Oceanica.”

“What!” they all exclaimed in unison.

Sev replaced the sword and unbuckled the strap from his waist. He then presented it to the new king. He calmly removed his insignia from his belt and handed it over to a gaping Jugar.

“I hereby renounce my throne and yield it to the new king. All hail the new King of Oceanica. Jugar, Lord of the Seacats.” He saluted and bowed respectfully.

Snapping out of his shock, Jugar jumped back. “Whoa! No way! I don’t want to be king!”

“Too late, you already are.” Sev started to leave.

“Wait a second!” Jugar and Miko jumped in his path.

“Sev, have you gone mad?” Miko hurriedly asked.

“My sentiments exactly,” added Jugar. He tried to hand back the sword and the insignia.

Sev refused them. “They no longer belong to me. I’m certain the Seacats will see to the proper arrangements for your coronation.” He placed a solid grip on Jugar’s shoulder. “You will make a fine king, Jugar. I have no doubt.” He smiled. “Now you have no excuse not to find a permanent mate, since you will need an heir one day.”

“Permanent mate? An heir? Sev, why in the blazes are you doing this? And to me?”

“You know why.”

“Then would someone kindly explain it to the rest of us?” Miko angrily bit out.

Jugar squinted. “Does she—”

“No, she has no clue. This is my own choice.
My own conscious decision.”

“What are the two of you talking about?” asked Theo. “We demand to know what is going on here.”

Folding his arms, Jugar leaned back. “Are you going to answer them, or shall I?”

“What is there left to answer? I have renounced my throne, and I am leaving with those I consider Seacats.”

“Leaving!” the others shouted in dismay.

“That’s not all,” Jugar said. “As your new king, I demand that you tell them the real reason you are doing all of this.”

Sev straightened his back. “I am leaving with the new brand of Seacats to assist them in defeating Daehog.”

The older feline challenged him to go on. “And?”

The Seacats gathered around them as they engaged in a staring contest.

Jugar began to explain. “Our young feline is leaving us because…” He paused, waiting for Sev to continue.

Sev felt he had nothing to be ashamed of, so he spoke slowly and clearly. “Because I cannot remain as your leader and join with someone I do not love for the sake of conceiving an heir. Forgive me,” he apologized to Serena, “but my heart belongs to someone all of you have demonstrated would never be allowed to become my permanent mate if I remain your leader. And I cannot in good faith rule or live amongst those who have denied me what my soul desires without feeling contempt for them.”

“Areo,” Serena whispered sadly.

Sev walked over to her and traced the side of her lovely cheek. “If Areo had not existed and we had more time, then perhaps.”

“But she is not an Oceanan,” insisted Serena. “A pureblood. I am.”

“If that mattered to me, then we wouldn’t be here. When you locate your soulmate you will understand.”

“Soulmate?” she questioned.

“Soulmate!” Miko yelled. “Are you trying to tell us that you and Areo are soulmates?”

Sev gave a curt nod and watched Miko carefully.

Miko raised his arms to shoulder height then allowed them to fall with a resounding clap. “Now I have heard everything.”

A fierce protectiveness toward his kitten flared inside Sev. “What in the blazes is that supposed to mean?”

“It means you are a naive fool,
cub.
Areo is not your soulmate. She is only a female in heat, and you are simply too weak and inexperienced to fight off her scent. As I am sure many other poor fools were. All of them too weak to fight her charms and falling straight into her bed.”

Miko’s words hit home in a blast. Sev’s copper eyes ignited a second before he punched Miko in the face. Miko reeled back and landed hard on the cold floor.

“Miko!” Uma rushed to his side.

Sev spun on his booted heels, pushing past anyone who stood in his path. He stormed away without another word.

Areo locked the door to her assigned quarters, intending to remain there for the duration of the trip back to Sea Base Five. Her spirit was broken. She would have to return home without her truelove. Nothing would be the way she had planned.

She had built her empire with one thought in mind: to create the most powerful, the most merciful empire to have ever existed. That way, Sev would be impressed and proud to call it his own. She had dreamt of asking him to marry her and to rule as her king, bringing
all
Oceanans together in harmony.

Alas, those dreams had come to an end. Reality dawned. Sev would never be her husband. She would have to rule the Sea-anan Empire alone. Even though she had her family there to support her, Areo had always felt there was something missing.

She had never had anyone she could truly confide in. No one she could lean upon. No one she could relinquish certain duties to. She was always the one everyone turned to. She was a problem solver, a leader, a sister, a warrior, and a friend. Her burdens were many, and she longed for the day she could share the weight of those burdens with someone. A husband.

In her heart, Areo had always pictured it would be Sev. But nothing had changed. Sev would not be the one to share her life. Areo felt empty and lost. She would have to live her life without having the rest of her dreams fulfilled. She threw herself onto her bed and stared up at the ceiling.

Areo recalled her childhood with Sev. He had forgotten every moment, every incident from childhood involving her and her family. It angered her that he could do such a thing. If he married Serena, would he forget her again? Once he had children, Sev would be so busy that he would not have time to think about her. He would not have to; he would have Serena.

Areo’s anger consumed her. She would not let him forget her a second time. She got out of bed and entered the bathroom.

Sev dropped a third bag of belongings onto the floor next to the entrance. He gave his bedroom one last thorough search. His eyes stopped at the window. He decided to take a final look at the scenery outside.

The White Star was parked on the castle’s front lawn. Its shiny dark metal reflected the full moon’s glow. It was amazing to look at.
It truly is a magnificent ship,
he thought.
Everything about these new cats is so dark and mysterious. A bit eerie, but alluring, just like the felines themselves.

The doors to his room opened. Sev moaned. He did not want another confrontation with Jugar. The new king had been there twice already, trying to convince him to change his mind. Sev was tired—tired of everything and everyone. In truth, he had not slept well since the kidnappings.

“Jugar, please. I’m not…” his words died off at seeing the small, cloaked form at the doorway.

“I’m not Jugar.”

Her scent caused his heart to quicken. “Areo.”

“I had to see you one last time.” She removed her hood. “I know I shouldn’t be here, but I’m never going to see you again after tonight. And, well, I didn’t want to leave without saying good-bye.”

Sev choked on the word. “Good-bye?” He cleared his throat. “Areo, I—”

Areo’s small, pale hand sneaked out from beneath the long sleeve. The path it took to the clasp on her collar silenced him.

“Yes, I know one day you will marry Serena.” She parted her robe. “But she’s not here right now. I am.”

Hypnotized, Sev watched her robe slip from her shoulders and float to the ground. Areo stood naked before him. He feasted on her beauty like a starved man before a banquet.

“I may not be allowed to become your wife, but there’s no law stating that you can’t take on a mate.”

His eyes met hers.

“So please, give me this night to be with you…to be in your strong embrace.” Her fingers traced the smooth V between her thighs. “To be underneath you as you thrust inside me.”

Sev’s eyes widened. He found it difficult to breathe. Areo sensually walked over to stand before him in the moonlight. Sev’s sights were everywhere. He felt like he was dreaming. No one could be that beautiful.

“Make love to me, Sev.”

His eyes shot to hers. Areo’s words, her loveliness, her scent mixed in with her arousal—it all made his eyes ignite with a glow brighter than the moon’s.

Areo inched closer to only a hairsbreadth away. “Become my first mate.” Her eyes started to glow a molten brown. “Make me yours forever. Make love to me.”

Sev was not about to let his dream slip away. With lightning speed, he grasped Areo’s shoulders and pulled her hard against him. While his lips desperately devoured hers, he reached behind Areo, gripped her thighs, and plucked her from the floor. Areo immediately encircled his waist with her legs.

Sev climbed onto his bed and placed her in the center of the mattress. Breaking their heated kiss, he threw off his shirt, tore open his belt and pants, and positioned himself above the naked body of the female he loved with all his might.

He lavished her with heartfelt kisses that he hoped made her feel like she was the sweetest delicacy he had ever tasted. Sev’s fingers brushed a trail down each side of Areo’s long torso, over her gentle hips, and around her firm buttocks.