A Forgotten Kitten (Sea-anan Saga Book 2) (28 page)

The group entered Jugar’s quarters. Sev walked to the opposite end of the room, crossed his arms, and waited. He was curious as to who would ring the bell to this second round. It was no surprise when it turned out to be Miko.

Miko’s hazel eyes were hard as granite, devoid of every emotion except abhorrence. “You’ve disappointed us, Sev. We thought you were smarter than this. We thought you had studied our laws and history so well that you could recite it off the top of your head. We see we were all wrong. You never gave us a chance to clarify some things. You took it upon yourself to pack up and leave. To abandon us. To leave us without a leader.”

Miko was met head-on by reddish-brown eyes that spoke of outrage, betrayal, and pain. “And how dare you stand against me? You laughed in my face when I said I fell in love. You belittled and humiliated me before the others.” He took a step forward. “You insinuated that Areo had been with other men when I was her first. No one, not even a fool, can mistake a barrier!” he growled, waiting to see what the cat said next.

Miko’s expression showed he was genuinely surprised to hear this.

“She was a virgin?” asked Uma.

“Areo has waited patiently all these years for her truelove to return and stake his claim, which I have. She is my wife. My soulmate.”

Miko sighed and shook his head. “Cat, she is not your soulmate. For her to be so, that would entail—”

“I know what it entails. I’m no fool.”

“Show him, Sev,” Jugar calmly spoke from his seat on the sofa.

“Show him what?” asked Theo, glancing first at Jugar and then Sev.

With determined movements, Sev removed his black shirt. Pulling his long hair to one side, he turned around and proudly displayed two clusters of scars on his upper back.

Their responses were the same—complete shock and denial.

Miko shook his head. “No. That cannot be. She is not an Oceanan. How can she experience the need to brand a male her own?”

“Lance Blaisdale and Rick and Carol Ann McCall were not Oceanans, yet they were still the soulmates of Concheetah, Leonora, and Challen,” stated Jugar from the sofa. “Areo is a half-blood, so she stood a pretty good chance of
feeling the need.
And apparently she did.”

“That is not the point!” snapped Miko.

Sev put his shirt back on. “What is the point, Miko?” He eyed the feline carefully, not trusting his next move.

Miko gestured for Angel to come forward. With him, Angel brought a very large, old-looking book.

“Do you recognize this book, Sev? This is the ancient royal law book.” Miko turned to a page marked by a red ribbon.

Sev remained quiet.

“Similar to a personal log, your forefathers kept detailed records on events that occurred during their rein that eventually led to the creation of the laws we have today. My grandsires were radicals and made me memorize a passage when I was a kitten. I sectioned off the part for you to read. I think it will explain without a
doubt why the law states that no Oceanan should ever take an alien as a permanent mate. Why you must return to your rightful place as our king and forget about that alien half-breed.” Miko handed Sev the royal book.

Sev snarled as he snatched the book from Miko’s claws. He started to read. Slowly, he felt the life drain from his body through the soles of his feet. He felt as if he were living a nightmare and prayed for someone to end his torment. Unable to meet anyone’s eyes, he rushed over to Jugar and handed him the book with the highlighted passages.

Jugar was also a shade paler once he finished reading. “But this was so many generations ago,” he argued. “Certainly, after everything that’s happened, our race has matured. We are now living on a planet with foreign neighbors. If it weren’t for these aliens, we would have never survived on Oceanica.”

Jugar had seen the looks shared by Sev and Areo. They were the same heartfelt glances that Challen had shared with his soulmate. Jugar feared that with Sev’s history, if he were forced to leave Areo, the same final outcome would occur. He did not want to lose another loved one to the downsides of love.

“Our race has matured, Jugar, but that does not change what nearly happened so long ago. What will happen again if word of this,”—Theo pointed to Sev—“gets out.”

Sev had his back turned to everyone. His focus seemed to be on the floor.

“We here swear on our honor that we will never disclose the one who has placed those scars on your back, Sire. You now understand why you must end this relationship before word of it leaks out.” Angel retrieved the royal law book. “The future queen will naturally have to be told, but she too will be sworn to secrecy.”

Jugar stood from his seat. “But Areo is his soulmate. You can’t separate a male from his intended female—the one born to share his soul. That is unnatural. Unfair.”

“And an uprising is natural and fair?” asked Uma.

“Jugar, you read the passages. If he remains with this half-breed, the citizens of Oceana will rebel and start an uprising,”
Angel interjected. “Oceana will be no more. On any planet! Our race and our way of life will cease to exist. Is that what you want?”

“Of course not! Don’t insult me. I’m as loyal to the feline race as you are. But surely Oceanans today are not like their superstitious ancestors were. Not after making so many alien friends. They might be open-minded enough to accept a half-blooded feline as their queen. At least give them a chance.”

“To do so would mean to disclose Sev’s soulscars,” continued Angel. “What will happen if they refuse to accept her? What do you think our citizens will do? Are you willing to risk our existence for a half-breed?”

Jugar spoke. “Challen saved my life when I was a cub. I grew up idolizing him. My parents never had another litter. In my eyes, Challen was my brother. The McCalls are my family. I love them all dearly. They are Seacats, Angel, pure and true, all the way down to their core. Great Onssa! They built an empire using the Code of Oceana as its foundation. That has to mean something!”

“I am sorry, Jugar.” Miko walked over to where Sev stood. “I am sorry, Sev. But we cannot risk starting a revolution over a female.” He held out the Sword of Power and Sev’s insignia for Sev to take. “I believe these belong to you, Lord of the Seacats.”

“Miko, you are asking Sev to choose between the female he loves and his own race. I beseech you, don’t do this. I am certain that if we try, we can find another solution to this problem. Don’t force him to do what his soul doesn’t want to.”

“This is the only way, and you know it. Sev has to choose. He is aware of what will happen to the Oceanan race if he proceeds down this path. Just like his forefather, Sev, too, will make the right choice.”

Through bleary eyes, a throbbing head, and a horror felt straight to his core, Sev watched his trembling hands retake possession of his sword and insignia while his heart and soul shouted in protest.

“All hail the Lord of the Seacats. Long live Sev, the King of Oceanica,” said the Seacats in unison.

From a distance, Sev numbly watched everyone salute and bow. He saw Jugar also pay his respects. Sev could not restrain the impulse any longer. He hurried out of the room.

Later that evening, Mike found Sev staring out a corridor window into space. “Man, you look like hell. What’s wrong? Don’t tell me Areo stopped talking to you again, even after the meeting.”

Mike was in better spirits since the arrival of more clan members. He was once again full of hope for the future. Sev remained in a trancelike state, unaware that someone was beside him.

“Sev?” After the third try, Mike placed his hand on Sev’s shoulder and gently shook it. “Sev, what’s wrong?”

“Mike,” Sev croaked. “I have to…” His eyes closed. His features crumbled as if he was in agony.

Mike sobered immediately. “Has something happened that I don’t know about? Has something happened to Areo?”

“My kitten…”

Mike saw tears creep down Sev’s cheeks. Sev gripped the window’s edge to keep from collapsing to the ground. “OK, you’re coming with me.”

Mike discreetly escorted Sev to his chambers. Once he had Sev situated on the small sofa, he poured Sev a drink. He handed Sev the glass of red liquid.

“What’s this?

“Aanari wine. Drink it. It’ll relax you.”

“You Seacats have kept up with Oceanan traditions, I see.” Sev drank the wine, barely tasting its full, rich body.

Mike sat beside the tortured-looking cat. “We may have never been acknowledged as Oceanans, but in our hearts we have always felt as pure as you.”

Sev lowered the glass from his lips and swallowed. “I know.”

“So tell me, what has you so distraught?”

Sev explained all that Miko had revealed to him.

Mike’s gaze turned a stormy gray. He took several gulps of wine to control his anger. “They think this will happen again.”

Sev nodded.

“Blast it all! It doesn’t seem like it’s going to end. No matter what we do, no matter how many times we try to prove ourselves, we will never be good enough for those blast-it purebreds. Damn it all!”

Mike paused in his ranting and studied Sev. The cat sat beside him, sulking. Sev had already drunk ten glasses of wine. Luckily, a person could not get drunk on Aanari wine, only extremely mellow.

“I see you’ve made your choice.”

Sev looked at him.

“You have my father’s sword strapped to your waist, plus you’re wearing your old insignia. That tells me Areo got the short end of the stick.”

Sev shook his head. “No. I need the Sword of Power if I’m to protect Areo, and I’m more comfortable with this sword than with the one you gave me.” His eyes closed briefly. “The insignia is so no one questions my authority. I can’t walk around claiming to be the king and not wear an insignia.”

“I see.” Mike had his doubts. Still, he saw that Sev suffered. His heart went out to the big cat. “Does Areo know yet?”

Again, Sev’s eyes closed. He responded with a negative shake of his head and a large gulp of wine.

Mike squeezed his shoulders. “I’m sure there’s something we can do. I mean, it can’t end like this.”

Sev placed the empty glass down and massaged his temples. “Mike, please tell me you have something we felines can take for a migraine.”

“Sure. I’ll get it for you.”

Mike entered his bedroom and headed for the bathroom. Returning with a bottle of pills, he paused at the doorway to his bedroom. It was there he saw Sev in a different light.
He really does love her. There has to be a way they can remain together. If Areo has to leave him…
Mike could not go on. The memory of his mother entered his mind.
I don’t think my family can survive that a second time.

Sev groaned into his hands. He rocked back and forth in his seat. He could not understand how life could be so cruel and
unfair. Thoughts and distorted images popped in and out of his mind. He felt as if his grip on sanity was slipping. Jumping out of his seat suddenly, he cried, “I have to go!”

“Sev!” shouted Mike. “Wait!” By the time he made it to the front door, Sev was gone. “Blast it! Bloody hell!”

After taking medication for a splitting headache, Areo lay in bed with a cold compress on her forehead. She had cried so much that she could no longer breathe through her nose, see through her eyes, or move her head. Her mind was on the precious moments she had shared with her dream lover. It pained her to know that she would have to return to thinking of Sev as such—just a dream.

She heard a gasp. Areo opened her eyes as much as their swollenness would allow. She found Sev scanning her features. He took hold of her chin to move her face sideways for a better view of her swollen, bruised cheek. She saw how quickly hatred could flare up in those copper orbs.

“Who did this?” he said through clenched teeth. “Tell me, so I can kill him.”

“That’s not important.” She traced his cheek. “What is important is that you’re here and you’re safe. I love you. No matter what they demand, or what happens between us, I will always be your wife. My heart will forever be branded yours. Our souls will be intertwined forever, never to be separated. No matter how many lifetimes we revisit, we will always be as one.”