Favored by Felix (13 page)

She swallowed. “Let’s risk the clothes. Can’t
be worse than a cooking pot.”

Wondering what the heck
that
meant, Felix
stood back while Saber hustled Eva into the shuttle. He saw the way Saber
placed a solicitous hand at the small of her back. Felix also noticed a
softness to his brother’s features that hadn’t been present for a long time, as
if he’d found what he was looking for after a long search. He saw contentment,
and was pleased for Saber.

It made him even more determined to get to
the bottom of the reasons why Casey was resisting him so hard.

Felix waited until the shuttle took off.
The ridiculous blue bird, which looked like the offspring of the long-extinct
dodo and a goose, didn’t struggle but when he stopped stroking the bird’s back,
it let out anxious honk.

Laurence sidled closer, and Felix got a
whiff of shuttle fuel. “Who was the woman with Saber?”

“Eva, Saber’s mate.” Felix shot Laurence a
hard look. “Don’t make trouble for him. He deserves some happiness.”

“What about Lori?” Laurence snarled and his
eyes shifted.

Felix snarled back and advanced on him.
Bluebird gave an anxious honk, but Felix didn’t stop until his face was right
in Laurence’s. “You stay away from Saber. It wasn’t his fault Lori died. We’ve
all lost friends, loved ones. If I hear you mouthing off about his mate, you’ll
have
me
to deal with.”

Laurence took a rapid step back, shifted
his gaze and drooped into a submissive pose. Asshole. When Laurence didn’t look
at him again, Felix relaxed. He stroked the bird, waited a beat.

“I’ll look into your complaints, along with
the others.”

Laurence gave a stiff nod and retreated.

Felix smoothed his hand over the bird’s
head and hurried off to find Scarlett and pass off his responsibility.

“Hey, Ma. Where’s Scarlett?”

Anna grinned at the bird he carried under
his arm. “She probably saw you coming. I take it you want her to look after the
bird?”

“Yeah. Saber left it before he took off for
Dalcon. He had Eva with him, and she threatened me with bodily harm if I didn’t
look after the bird.”

“I like her already,” Anna said. “Did Saber
look happy?”

“Yeah, he did. I’ve never seen him look like
this—not even with Lori.” Felix paused. “Ma, do you know anything about a male
biting a female and leaving a mark?”

Anna’s eyes narrowed. “A mating mark? Why?”

“Tell me what you know. Please.”

“Centuries ago, male shifters would bite
their mates high on the shoulder. If a couple was compatible mates, the urge to
bite would become so overwhelming the male didn’t have any choice but to mark
his mate. At least that’s what I’ve learned from my research. I believe the
original feline shifters who lived in New Zealand all mated this way, but
somehow during the passing years, the urge has been lost. It didn’t seem to
make any difference to the way couples paired up, so the medical types didn’t
worry too much about the loss of the tradition. Now tell me why you want to
know.”

“Eva has one of these mating marks. It’s
not very big, but it’s shaped like a black cat.”

“Really?” Interest sparked in Anna’s eyes. “Did
you ask Saber about it?”

Felix snorted. “He got a bit edgy when I
got too close to Eva. I made a joke and he snarled at me, so I backed off and
figured I’d talk to you.”

“Interesting.” Anna pursed her lips,
obviously deep in thought.

“How long has it been since the marks were
evident?”

“I’ll have to do some research, but my
grandmother didn’t have one. I don’t know if David’s mother had one. A cat, you
say?
Very
interesting. Let me research my books.” She picked her reader
off the corner of her desk, and started tapping to bring up copies of her
research books.

Felix rolled his eyes. And he’d lost her
already. His mother kept the Mitchell genealogical records and had a vast
collection of historical treatises that related to their settlement in New
Zealand from Scotland. “Ma. Ma!”

“Yes, Felix?” she asked in an absent voice.

“There’s something else. I bit Casey…and
she
has the same mark as Eva.”

His mother’s attention jerked from her
reader, her eyes wide and full of wonder. Her lips curled into a teary smile.
“Oh Felix. You too?”

* * * * *

Casey’s com-circle was full of messages.
Her stomach flipped and she set the round unit down with a hard click. The
messages could wait.

Clothes. She should pack, get ready to
depart. She should leave today, before the general decided to send someone to
retrieve her from the resort.

Her com buzzed and she stared at it for an
instant. No, not yet. She wasn’t ready. Casey grabbed clothes at random and
went to wash, perfectly aware she was putting off the inevitable.

Finally, after she’d packed, washed and
changed, she faced the fact she’d run out of excuses not to check her com-circle.

“Captain Seonaid, this is Owen Nelson, the
general’s aide. Please contact this office to reschedule your medical
appointment.”

Casey deleted the message.

“Captain Seonaid, this is the general’s aide.
He is most anxious for you to contact this office when you receive this
message.”

“Captain Seonaid, the general is worried
about your health. You are not helping yourself by refusing to acknowledge my
messages. Please contact me so medical assistance may be sought.”

Delete. Delete.
Delete.

“Captain Seonaid.” Casey jerked at the
sound of the general’s voice barking through her com. “I insist you report to
the medical facility for a meeting immediately. If you choose not to arrive for
your appointment there will be consequences.”

He couldn’t even bring himself to call her by
name. Casey deleted the rest of her messages without listening to them and
slammed her com down.

A knock sounded on the door. “Casey, are
you there?” Her aunt’s voice came through the door and Casey hurried to answer.

“Aunt Elsa.” Casey didn’t have to pretend
pleasure at her aunt’s visit. “I thought you might have gone back to Dalcon.”

“No, Anna offered me a position here. I’ve
decided to accept and relocate the business here, as we discussed.” She shot
her niece a concerned look. “What about you, dear? It looks as if you’ve packed
to leave. Surely you’re not following through with the general’s wishes?”

Tears blurred her vision. “Aunt Elsa, what
option do I have?”

“You can tell the general
no
! You
can make his attempts to force you to undergo the process public knowledge. No
man should have that much power. It’s gone to his head. Besides, if you change
from female to male, it won’t make him love you more. He’s cold and
emotionless. Selfish. All he thinks of is himself and what suits
him
.
Please, Casey. Don’t do this.”

“You don’t understand,” Casey said.

“Explain it to me then, Casey,” Felix said
from the open doorway. “Explain to me why you’d leave when we’re meant to be
together.”

Felix stepped inside and shut the door, the
sharp click sounding loud in the taut silence. “Casey,” he prompted.

She cast a panicked glance at her aunt,
received no encouragement from that quarter, and her shoulders rounded into a
defensive slump. “The general is looking for me.”

“Your father.”

She gave a defeated nod.

“Understandable. Parents worry.” Except
maybe not hers. His feline stirred unhappily, and Felix stood ready to fight
the invisible threat to his mate. “I thought we were past this. Explain to me
why you feel you have to leave.” He scowled at Casey’s packed bags. “You
intended to say goodbye, at least?”

A guilty flush suffused her cheeks and a
growl rumbled up his throat.

“Maybe you should go,” he said to Elsa. “I
won’t hurt her.”

“You spanked me,” Casey blurted.

His brows rose. “I believe I explained why.”

Elsa let out a sound, not quite a laugh.
Her eyes twinkled. “Maybe I’ll go and speak with Anna to discuss a new idea I’ve
had for the boutique.”

Felix didn’t take his eyes off Casey. “I owe
you another spanking. I haven’t forgotten. This little stunt of yours might
require more thought though.”

“I have a tracker. Felix, they know where
to find me.”

“Bloody hell.” He straightened and glared
at her. “Don’t you think you should have informed me earlier?”

A sheen of moisture muted the color of her
pretty eyes as she stared at him. “They won’t stop until they retrieve me. Once
the general gets irked enough, he’ll send an extraction team. He will
not
give up until he gets what he wants.” She sank down on the bed as if her legs
could no longer hold her.

“What does he want?” Felix crossed the
distance between them and crouched by her so he could see her face. “I don’t
think familial love is driving this need for your presence.”

“Officially, I’m not in the military any
longer. I received my discharge papers before I came to Tiraq.”

“Okay.” Felix didn’t pretend to understand.
“If you’re no longer military, why would they bother sending an extraction
team? Your family knows they can contact you via your com. They must know you
came to the resort of your own volition.” Felix thought a moment, scowled. “Your
aunt knows.”

“Yes,” Casey whispered, and pain slid over
her face. Misery.

Witnessing it hacked at Felix’s bad mood,
and his temper gave way to concern. “What the fuck could be so bad?”

She gave an audible swallow and a tear
rolled down her face. Felix rose and lifted her, resettling himself on the end
of the sleep-bed with her in his lap. She buried her face against his chest,
her body quivering like treetops during a strong breeze.

Impatience pushed through him, propelled by
his feline, but Felix waited and stroked her back in the same way he’d calmed
Bluebird. Gradually, she settled and the tremors ceased.

She met his gaze again and her face
flushed, a notable contrast to her dull, lifeless eyes. “The general has
arranged an appointment at a military medical facility. He is insisting they
carry out nanotechnology on me.”

“For what? You’re not sick. I’d sense it.”

Her mouth twisted, anguish showing in every
line and shadow on her face. “The general wants me to undergo new technology
that will transform me from female to male.”

Felix stared, his mouth dropping open. “A
sex-change operation? In God’s name,
why
? You’re perfect as you are.”

A laugh barked from Casey. Harsh and loud,
it seemed to come from deep in her chest and claw its way free in an ugly
burst. “The general wants another son. Once the operation is complete, he
intends to welcome me to the world as Arthur Seonaid. Named after
him
,
of course. He seems to think that three strapping sons, all of whom are
successful and have achieved high rank within the military, will add to his
prestige. He hopes to gain a promotion.”

“But you’re successful
now
.” Felix
was having trouble understanding the logic. His mate was perfect. Casey was
gorgeous, intelligent and had already achieved success and rank. She was
talented in design and a loving woman. How could that not be enough for a
father? Fuck, what kind of parent would subject their child to this sort of
emotional torment?

The low-level anger pumping through him
ramped up to cold fury, but he never stopped stroking Casey, never stopped
holding her, never stopped offering her comfort.

“But I’m a female. No female has ever gone
above the rank of captain.”

“If you’re no longer in the military, he
can’t force this experiment on you. What does your mother think? Your brothers?”

“I doubt my brothers were consulted, but my
mother doesn’t care. She said the general knew what was best for us, and I
should follow orders. She said I’d look striking in a military dress uniform,
e-especially if…esp-especially if they f-fixed my-my face.”

“There’s nothing wrong with your face.
You’re gorgeous! You have pretty brown eyes that remind me of whiskey.” He ran
his fingers across her chin. “I like your determined chin and the way you lift
it when you’re trying to challenge me. I like your pert nose and these
beautiful sexy lips.”

“My mother also doesn’t like my hair.”

“What’s wrong with your hair? It’s
perfectly good hair.”

“I cut it short because it was easier to
look after, and for safety reasons. If my hair is short, no one can grab me it
in hand-to-hand combat.”

“Hair is a trapping. Long, short or none at
all. It doesn’t define you, Casey. It’s a person’s heart that makes them
special.” He stroked her cheek and wiped away a tear. “You have a beautiful
one. You’re loving and display so much courage. You have integrity and tact.
That was obvious in the way you dealt with the chief and his people. You’re
loyal and clever, and to me, you’re beautiful. I intend to spend the rest of my
life making you happy because being with you makes me happier than I can ever
remember.”

She gave him a misty smile, but it faded as
her mind did an obvious flit. “The general is determined. He’s already left me
messages, telling me to present myself to the medical facility.”

“What can he do if you refuse?”

“You don’t understand. He
will
send
an extraction team, and he won’t care if anyone gets hurt. I need to go because
I’d never forgive myself if you or your mother or siblings were injured because
of my disagreement with the general.”

It occurred to Felix she almost never
referred to him as her father. It was always the general, and she seldom
mentioned her mother or brothers. When she spoke of family, it was her aunt,
and Felix gave silent thanks to the woman for trying to provide Casey with some
sense of normality.

“This technology—will it wipe your
personality?”

His hands tightened on her shoulders when
she nodded. Her wince had him forcing himself to relax and resume his stroking.
“Sorry, sweetheart.”

Essentially the man was trying to obliterate
his daughter so nothing remained, until he gained a precious son. Felix couldn’t
begin to understand, not when every child—male or female—held value within his
world.

His mouth twisted when the irony struck him.
They were attempting to steal females because they had a shortage, and the
general wanted males. Kinda funny in a warped way.

“Tell me about this tracker you wear.”

“It’s here, beneath the skin.” She fingered
the back of her neck, toward her left shoulder. “They used to place them in the
forearm, but some of the alien species we fight like to hack off arms and legs.
The trackers would be lost, but the soldiers weren’t necessarily dead. They
were then placed in the current position.”

“Very practical,” Felix said. “Let me see.”
He felt the region of her shoulder she indicated, felt the tiny bump beneath
her skin. “Right. We’ll get rid of it. It’s not very deep.” He scooped her off his
knee and placed her on the sleep-bed. He pulled out his com-circle. “Scarlett,
I need you in my suite. Casey has a tracker we need to get rid of.”

He repeated the call to his other brothers
then settled back to wait for them to arrive.

Scarlet arrived first and carried a bag. “Let’s
have a look at the tracker,” she said, her tone brisk. “I might be able to jam
it somehow.”

Casey took off her shirt.

“What a cute cat tattoo,” Scarlett said. “It’s
so tiny. When did you get it?”

“I bit her,” Felix said. “The tracker.”

Scarlett shot him an incredulous look, one
that shouted clearly there
would
be questions, but she kept her
curiosity contained. She ran her fingers over the spot on Casey’s shoulders,
hummed and opened her bag. She pulled out several gadgets, making a
tutting
sound when she ran them over the tracker. “Hmm,” she said.

On hearing a sharp knock, Felix rose to answer
the door and let in Sly and Joe. Leo arrived a few minutes later.

“What’s this about a tracker?” Leo asked.

Shock pelted Felix when he looked at his
brother. He hadn’t seen Leo for a few days, and he’d lost weight in that short
time. There was a gray cast to his skin. Felix opened his mouth to ask
questions, but stopped when Joe elbowed him in the ribs.

“Casey has one in her shoulder. We need to
neutralize or cut it out and destroy the bloody thing.”

“It’s going to need to be cut out,” Scarlet
said. “Nothing I have is strong enough to block the signal.”

“It’s transmitting?” Casey asked.

“Yes,” Scarlet said. “Blocking wouldn’t be
a permanent solution anyway. It would only work if you stayed within range. The
tracker would start transmitting again if you left the resort.”

“Let me see,” Leo said.

Felix struggled with his urge to growl when
Leo placed his hand on Casey’s shoulder.

“Can you move so you’re under the light?”
Leo asked.

Felix got a chair and motioned for Casey to
sit in it. He spotted the exact moment his brothers noticed Casey’s tattoo. His
feline pushed out a warning growl, and his brothers moved carefully, keeping
their gazes downward as they edged around Casey,

“Steady, bro,” Scarlett said, squeezing his
arm. “They’re trying to help.”

Felix took a deep breath and rounded the
chair to face Casey. He sat on the floor at her feet and soothed himself by
pressing up against her leg. Only then did his brothers start to move more
naturally.

“What do you think?” Leo asked Joe and Sly.

“You can feel it just below the surface. I
think we should remove it,” Sly said. “Use one of Ma’s scalpels.”

“Then destroy it,” Felix said.

“No.” A mischievous expression flooded
Scarlett’s face. “I think we should mail it to Earth. The pickup is in an hour.
If we hurry, we could catch the mail shuttle. Think of all the stops it makes,
all the sorting stations the package would go through before it arrived on
Earth. We’ll send it to my friend’s post office box. If the package is
retrieved, it won’t matter.”

“I have to go to Dalcon today,” Leo said. “I’ll
deliver it to the mailing office there so the package doesn’t originate at the
resort.”

“They’ll think I’m obeying orders and
returning,” Casey said.

“I like it,” Felix said.

“I’ll go get Ma’s scalpel,” Joe said.

“I’ll go too and distract Ma,” Sly said. “We
don’t want her demanding answers.”

What none of his brothers or his sister
mentioned were the possible legal repercussions, and Felix was grateful for
their restraint. “Thanks.”

Joe was back in mere minutes. Sly took a
little longer to return, and Leo had already sprayed his hands and the tracker
area with anti-germ.

“It’s gonna hurt,” Scarlett said.

“Do it,” Casey whispered.

“I’ll help,” Felix said and rose to a
kneeling position. He pressed a kiss to her lips and ran his finger over the
marking site.

She moaned, jolted.

“Hold still,” Leo said tersely.

“You can do this,” Felix whispered and
stroked the tattoo again. This time she didn’t move, but her eyes went soft as
she locked her gaze with his.

“Got it,” Leo said a few seconds later. “Fuck,
she’s bleeding a lot. Joe, hand me a pad from Ma’s kit.”

Felix kissed her and rose. “I’ve got it.”
He took the pad from Joe and pressed it to the wound.

Scarlett took the tracker from Leo. “I’ll
package it up. Better wash it first. Don’t want the scent of blood anywhere
near the package.”

Felix lifted the pad and frowned at the
instant beading of blood from the small wound. His gut told him to lick the
wound so he followed instinct. He curled one hand around her other shoulder for
balance, and when she gave a throaty moan, he knew he’d touched the tattoo. He
continued to lazily stroke the spot while he bent his head and ran his tongue
over the cut. The taste of her blood, coppery and so
her
, flooded his
mouth. His eyes closed and he licked again and again until the bleeding slowed
then ceased. When he lifted his head, the small wound was no longer open—only a
bright-pink scar highlighted the spot.

“Amazing,” Joe whispered. “How?”

Leo speared him a glance, curiosity a
contrast to the shadows beneath his green eyes. “How did you know what to do?”

“What’s wrong?” Casey asked.

“Nothing, sweetheart. I didn’t. I listened
to my gut,” Felix said. “Maybe Ma will know. She said she’s doing research.”

“Ah,” Sly said, a hint of laughter in his
voice. “That would be why my distraction methods worked so easily. Her mind was
on her diaries.”

Leo sighed. “I’d better get moving. The
shuttle will arrive soon. I’ll take care of the package for you.”

“Thanks,” Felix said and gave his brother a
swift hug. “That was a fine piece of work.”

“You can return Ma’s scalpel,” Joe said. “Sly
and I did the hard bit.”