A Forgotten Kitten (Sea-anan Saga Book 2) Read online

  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 t
o 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.

  Serena was reluctant to break patient confidentiality, but Sev had no qualms about using his authority to his advantage. The leopardess caved in and sung like a canary, telling him everything from Areo’s date of birth to the severity of her injuries. He was also informed of exactly where each wound was located. Every time Sev thought about Areo’s suffering, he grew enraged.

  He admired the way the sun shone off Areo’s features. She possessed a round face with thick, dark eyebrows, rosebud lips, and a petite, celestial nose. Her eyes were soft brown and had a slight, upward curve at the outer corners. She was stunning. Sev could remain there all day staring at her, inhaling her scent that the gentle wind unselfishly shared with him.

  “Great. Just great,” she grumbled.

  “What is?”

  Areo yelped and slapped a hand over her heart. “Jeezum, you scared me. I didn’t even hear you come in.” She left the window and made her way to him, moving catlike.

  She approved the snug fit of Sev’s black pants. He wore his dark-purple shirt open in the front, with the ends tucked into the waist. His impressive musculature left no doubt he was a powerful man, and his comportment showed that he held a position of importance. Sev looked very much the part of king. And like all felines, he looked human. The difference was in his tawny complexion, catlike eyes, and pointy ears.

  Areo recognized the sword Sev wore at his left side. She had grown up seeing it daily. Only then, it had been worn on different hips. A string of questions filled her head. It was time to get them answered, but she would have to tread carefully. She cannot reveal who she was. To do so would be like opening Pandora’s Box. She was already in the middle of one war. She did not want to start a second war with her childhood crush in the middle of it.

  “Where have you been?”

  Sev frowned at her. “At Limbo’s Lookout. Didn’t my cats tell you?”

  Areo folded her arms. Standing only two steps away from Sev, she had to tilt her head back to meet his coppery stare. “No. Jugar is still in town overseeing the new construction, and the others are not very chatty with me. I wish they had. Then I wouldn’t have looked like a fool searching for you,” she snapped.

  “How strange. I told them to keep an eye on you. To make certain you rested and ate properly, and to inform you that I would return from Limbo’s Lookout in a few weeks.”

  “Yeah, well…they left that last bit of information out when I asked.” Areo stepped back several paces. Sev’s scent was over-whelming—too powerful for her to deal with at close range.

  “I apologize. I’m at a loss as to why they didn’t tell you. Are you feeling well? You look stronger.”

  Areo bit back a growl. “That’s because I’m angry and frustrated.”

  “Why?”

  His confusion annoyed her even more. Areo placed her fists on her hips. “Because I need some questions answered, and everyone keeps telling me that I have to speak to you about them. And guess what? You’re nowhere to be found!”

  Sev stared at her. “Again, forgive me. I am here now. I didn’t think you would miss me so soon,” he teased with a smile.

  “Hmph.” Areo was in no mood to play. She turned her back to him and crossed her arms under her breasts. Her right foot tapped on the wooden floor.

  “I really am sorry, Areo. How about we sit down? You can ask me all the questions you’d like.”

  Areo peeked over her right shoulder and saw Sev pointing to the council table. She stomped over to the nearest chair and plopped down. She pretended to stare at her interlaced fingers when she was actually watching Sev’s every move.

  Sev took the seat at the head of the table and openly stared at her. Areo fought the urge to finger the tingling spots left behind by his heated gaze. She was relieved, yet also disappointed, when he looked away.

  “So…what is on your mind?”

  It was Areo’s turn to focus on him. “Well, the others had said this is not your homeworld. They weren’t comfortable talking about it to me.” She shrugged. “Maybe because I’m not one of you. But I still would like to know what happened.”

  “I see.” Sev regarded the Oceanan symbol at the center of the table while he spoke. “Our homeworld was Oceana, located far away from here. It had slipped out of her orbit and drifted in the direction of her sun. Consequently, she was caught by its gravitational pull and they eventually collided.”

  “I see.” Areo averted her eyes. So typical of the feline race, she thought, her indignation rising quickly. Still, I expected Sev to know better. Uncle Challen never taught him to be pretentious. “So you took it upon yourself to change this planet’s name and call it your own. That was quite arrogant of you, don’t you think?”

  Sev shifted in his seat. “No,” he replied. His face took on a more stern expression. “When I arrived, this untamed planet didn’t have a name. With the consent of the civilized natives, I christened her Oceanica.”

  “I see.” Skeptical, Areo searched his eyes for the truth. “They were actually all for this?”

  Sev sat straighter. “Yes, they were.”

  Areo responded with a respectful nod. After all, Oren’s death made Sev the new king. “Are the cats in the castle the only ones here on Oceanica?”

  “No. There are thirty clans residing here. Hopefully, there are many more on the way.”

  “Only thirty?”

  The number broke Areo’s heart. She could not keep her feelings from showing on her face. She held no love for the Oceanan race, but she did not wish for their annihilation. The hard lines around Sev’s mouth softened, as did his voice.

  “For now. I’m sure more escaped Oceana’s destruction. You see, our fleet was only capable of flying on warp speed three, so we do not expect them for another two years. We are optimistic, and we keep a diligent watch over the stars for them.”

  “I see. How many Seacats reside at the castle?”

  “A total of seven, including myself. Several more choose to live with their families in the nearby villages.”

  “That’s all?”

  “For now, as I said before. More will come. I’m sure of it.”

  His optimism and strength touched her soul. Areo lowered her gaze to the table. Sev’s stare was more intense than she remembered. In their youth, she
had been the bolder of the two. Now she found herself being the one to shy away.

  “How long have you been living here?”

  “Almost three years.”

  Her eyes met his in a hurry. “Three years! Where were you living before that?” Belatedly, she caught herself and lowered her voice several notches as she tried to cover-up her slip. “I mean, how old were you when Oceana collided with her sun?”

  Sev regarded her from behind half-lowered lids. “Eleven.”

  “So you were eleven when she exploded. And you lived here for three years. Where did you live during the years prior to arriving here?”

  Sev’s lids lowered further.

  “Sev?”

  “That’s a long story.”

  Areo glanced around the room. “I don’t see myself going anywhere. Do you have a place to be?”

  She caught sight of his jaw muscles tightening. Apparently, he did not want to relive his past. Her heart went out to him, but she had to know what had happened after she was taken away.

  Sev sat forward and laced his fingers. “I was eleven when I was told I had to leave my home. There was an emergency evacuation of the entire planet. There was chaos everywhere. The Seacats did their best to maintain order. They made sure everyone was assigned to a Starship. I was in my chambers asleep when the leading Seacat burst into my room. Challen saved my life by dragging me aboard my sire’s ship, the Emerald Tiger.”

  The regretful look on his handsome face caused Areo’s heart to ache.

  “Unfortunately, while Challen aided me, my sire was left unassisted. He was killed during an earthquake. It was just one of the many disasters plaguing Oceana. During our liftoff, I saw that other ships were able to escape. That’s how I know that many are still in transit. The Emerald Tiger was the fastest ship in our fleet, the only one capable of flying at warp speed five, which was why we arrived first. While we were on board, Jugar studied the star charts and found this planet to be the nearest livable one to Oceana.”

  At Sev’s disclosure, Areo’s anger flared. Uncle Jugar, how could you? Her fingers curled into fists.

  “He relayed the information to the fleet to ensure they weren’t left to wander in space. It was a great distance to travel, and we didn’t have enough food on board to sustain life for that duration.” He shrugged. “Since there was no place along the way to obtain more food, we had no choice but to use our life-support capsules and enter a cold sleep while traveling at top warp speed for the entire trip. So, Jugar plotted the shortest course to this planet, and we all went to sleep after that.”