A Forgotten Kitten (Sea-anan Saga Book 2) (8 page)

Jugar tapped the odometer. Their eyes popped open. “No way!” exclaimed Sev.

Jugar shrugged. “If Areo’s certain those are the correct coordinates—”

“Jugar!” Areo glared at him. He was taking his acting a little too far.

“I’ll reenter them, and we shall see what comes up.” He did, only to get the same results.

Areo stared at the numbers.

Sev frowned. “How is that possible?”

“Apparently, Areo has a very fast ship.”

“But we have state-of-the-art equipment here, and we still can’t make that distance in less than eight years.”

Areo studied Sev’s expression. “You can’t?”

“No.”

“That’s because we are still using Oceanan technology, Sev— warp speed five,” explained Jugar. “Areo’s ship is a mixture of alien technologies. And remember, we were asleep for eight years. Progress continued without us.”

“Our Starfighters are capable of warp ten, and they’re the slowest in our fleet. I made it here because Sea Base Ten was built two days travel from here,” inserted Areo. “Our White Stars are capable of hyper speed, cutting travel time by half. Plus, there are gateways we use to shorten our trips further.”

Sev responded with a slow inhale.

“At least I’ve gotten two more questions answered,” said Areo disappointedly.

She finally understood why she had never found Sev before the attack on Sea Base Ten. He had traveled in a different direction than her friends and family. She had incorrectly assumed that if he was alive, he would be somewhere on her side of space. She had never dreamt he would be on the opposite end of the galaxy.

“Which questions?” asked Sev.

Areo regarded his beautiful copper eyes for a moment and suddenly said, “I have to go.” She left her seat.

The woeful gleam in Areo’s expressive eyes, the way she rushed out of the room without answering, concerned Sev. Something was deeply bothering her. He headed for the door with the intentions of finding out what it was.

Jugar appeared in front of him with outstretched arms. “We need to talk.”

“Yes, we do, but now is not the time.” Sev went around him, but a very determined Seacat blocked his path.

“Now is the perfect time.”

“Have you forgotten whom you are addressing?”

“No, but you have.”

“What do you mean?”

“You are the Lord of Oceanica,” began Jugar, with the air of a lecturer. “A direct descendant of the first king who ruled our species. The last in a very long line of great leaders. However, there is still much you must learn to live up to their standards.”

“Jugar, I have no time for your lectures. Areo—”

“Areo is fine! She’s gone to the dockyard to send her signal.”

“You don’t know that.”

Jugar lifted his right pointer finger and aimed it at Sev. “I do know this: you need to brush up on the ancient laws of Oceana.” Sev eyed him. “What? Why?”

“You need a refresher course on Oceanan laws. It seems you have forgotten or have chosen to neglect them. Either way, you must remember that you are the king and the upholder of the law. So go and reread
everything.
Then maybe things can go back to the way they were planned.” With an about-face, Jugar left Sev frowning.

The way they were planned? What is he talking about? And what’s the point of studying the laws now? The laws have nothing to do with Areo or what’s going on. He’s speaking foolishness.

Dismissing Jugar’s advice, Sev went to find Areo instead.

Areo entered the enormous room with its dome roof. She found Miko underneath her ship, still fiddling with its circuitry.

“I thought I told you to forget it. Save your brain cells, Miko. You’re not going to be able to solve this.”

“Perhaps,” he said, walking up to her. “But since there is not much else going on right now, I thought I would work on this. That is, if you do not mind.”

She shrugged her shoulders. “Knock yourself out. I don’t care. Just don’t disable my beacon. If you do, then we’ll have a problem.”

“No problem.”

Areo stood beneath her ship and examined the precarious way it hung from ceiling chains. “Is this safe? I mean…is it properly secured? Can I climb in without getting myself killed?”

Miko snorted. “No, it will not fall. That ship is more secured than your mou—” He caught himself when Angel, who appeared behind Areo, cleared his throat.

“Ha-ha,” replied Areo.

She was not insulted. She was accustomed to such verbal attacks from her family. She was about to leap onto her ship when she remembered the watchful eyes on her. Jumping such a height would reveal too much of her heritage. It was best for everyone if these felines never uncovered who she was.

She noticed that neither cat was planning to offer any assistance, which annoyed her. “Can I get a ladder, or should I stand here until I grow wings?”

Both cats stood taller, apparently affronted by her words. Areo knew the reason was her alien blood. Had she been a pureblooded feline, her sarcasm would have been overlooked. She did not fit amongst these purebloods, but it was impossible for her to care. When she was a child, the Oceanan race had never shown any kindness toward her, her family, or her friends. The most Areo was willing to show these felines, in particular, was tolerance. The same they had shown her, the alien living amongst them.

Angel brought her a ladder and held it for her. Areo felt his stare follow her as she climbed up and into the cockpit. His predatory growl floated up to her. Her face nearly exploded in embarrassment. No doubt he had gotten a better view than she would have liked of what lay beneath her skirt. Since she could not do anything about it, she pushed Angel out of her mind and placed the beacon settings on maximum power.

Areo sat back in her seat, thinking of the recent kiss she had shared with Sev. Eight years of sleep had not made him rusty. Or perhaps he had sharpened his skills during the last three years. How many women had it taken for him to perfect his skills? How many of those women had he taken to his bed? Serena was obviously enamored with Sev. Areo had noticed her hopeful, sidelong glances from day one. She wondered if they were headed down that path and stopped because of her.

The idea made her sick. Areo was rubbing her tummy, hoping to soothe it, when she sensed someone to her left. She winced when she saw who it was.

Jugar stoically regarded her. “You don’t seem to learn your lessons, do you?”

Areo lowered her head and listened to Jugar scold her. Through the glass, she did not see Miko or Angel anywhere. No doubt, Jugar had asked them to leave.

“No matter how many times we tell you, no matter how many times we try to drill it into your thick scull, you still defy us! Why?” he hollered.

Tears sprung into her eyes.

“Why, blast it?”

“Because I love him!”

Jugar bared his teeth at her. “How can you still say that when you don’t even know the male he’s become?”

“I don’t care,” Areo whimpered. “He’s still my soulmate. I will love him to the death.”

“You don’t know that.” His eyes narrowed at her. “Unless…”

Areo saw him scan her legs for a scar—the matrimonial mark of the feline race. “I don’t have one. We never got the chance to go that far, remember? I wish we had.”

Jugar slapped her. “Get out of this ship!” He snatched a hold of her left arm and yanked her from her seat. Without releasing her, the two effortlessly jumped to the ground.

“If you were from my loins, I would make certain you wouldn’t be able to sit for a week!” he yelled at her. “How dare you say that, knowing Challen and Carol Ann died because of their stupidity? You know exactly what happened to all of them for allowing their hearts to get the best of them! Everything that was taken from them! Everything they had to endure! All for the blast-it sake of love!”

“Leave me alone!” Areo tried to pull her arm free. “I’m twenty years old! I don’t need you or anyone else telling me what I can or can’t do!”

Jugar refused to let go. “Oh, but I think you do. You have no idea what sort of chaos, what sort of disaster your foolish behavior will get us into this time. Why in the blazes do you think I chose to travel to this planet instead of heading toward Aaren or Laaren? Were the deaths of Challen and Carol Ann not enough for you?
Do you want to destroy us all? You will if you continue down this path. You will destroy all of us, including him.”

Areo’s struggles stopped. “No.”

“Oh yes, even him. He’s now the king.”

“But he doesn’t
remember.”

“That’s why it’s best to leave it alone before you trigger his memories.”

“What you’re asking me…” Her throat closed. She could go no further.

“What I’m asking of you is the same thing we all asked of you when you started walking.
Leave…Sev…alone!
Stay away from him! He is not your soulmate, nor would you ever be deemed worthy of him!”

What was left of Areo’s heart disintegrated into nothingness. Her greatest fear, losing Sev, was placed before her once more. She had tried to put the past behind her for the last eleven years, hoping that everything would be different after she found Sev. But now that she had, she still faced the same unpleasant truth.

“Then nothing has changed.”

Jugar lowered his voice and spoke more gently. “I’m afraid not. It will never change, Areo. I’m sincerely sorry.”

Areo was heartbroken. She raced out of the docking bay, through the back exit, just as Sev entered through the main entrance.

Sev was surprised Miko was not there. He had expected to find the cat tinkering away as usual. He instead found Jugar standing beside the spacecraft, looking grim. He scanned the room, searching for Areo. After having made a quick run to his quarters and the weapons chamber, he had followed her scent to the docking bay. But now she was nowhere in sight. A sinking feeling crept over him.

“What are you doing here, Jugar? Where are the others?” He glanced up at the cockpit. “Where is Areo?”

“I thought I made myself clear. You should be studying, not searching for that
alien.”

Sev stopped in front of Jugar. “Jugar, let’s get one thing perfectly clear between us,” he said. “I am the Lord of Oceanica, not you.
I
give the orders around here, not you. Whatever goes on in
my personal life is just that—
my personal life,
which means”—he stepped closer—
“stay out of my way.”

“I understand that you are king; however,
I am a Seacat.
And whatever you do affects me and
all of Oceanica.
Which means”— Jugar held his angry glare—“that you are not as free or in complete control of everything as you may think.”

“What are you saying?”

“What I am saying is that we Seacats have a word in what goes on around here. You may be the king, and we may be your warriors, but make no mistake, Sev, we are not your puppets. We live by the code of our ancestors, by the laws of Oceana. So do you. Therefore, we must
all
follow what they state,
especially,
the king.”

“Stop speaking in riddles. Say what’s on your mind.”

Jugar backed away. “I said what I had to say for now. Go and reread our law books. The answers you seek are in there.

Sev watched him exit through the main entrance.
What is he talking about? What’s in the law books that he wants me to remember?
He looked around him.
And where is Areo? That’s the only answer I seek.
His anxiety grew. Something was not right.

He reached for the sword at his hip and summoned the jewel to disclose Areo’s location. The swirling columns of color cleared. He saw Areo running away from the castle, through the jungle. His concern skyrocketed. Areo knew nothing about the dangers that lurked in the jungle. She could be killed.

Sev raced out the back doors. He sprinted through the trees, then leapt high into the branches, so Areo would not see him approaching. He was relieved to find her unharmed, but his worry remained. Areo was on the grassy floor, crying.

Sev crouched low on a nearby branch, struggling with his breath. He kept a diligent watch over Areo, for he was not about to let anything happen to her. He longed to comfort her. However, something warned him to stay away.

Jugar.
He snarled. The cougar’s presence in the docking bay meant he’d had his talk with her. Her tears were a result of their conversation.
I will repay you for each tear she sheds, Jugar.

An hour had passed by the time Areo’s sobs subsided. She pushed herself into a sitting position and wiped her face. Sev wondered what she was thinking as she sat there shivering. She eventually stood and began walking away. Her movements were as fluid as a cat’s.

Sev realized where she headed. He hurried past her, careful not to make a sound, to stay down wind, and to remain hidden within the canopy of leaves. He stopped on another branch and waited for her to exit into the clearing a few feet below where he perched.

She paused at the edge of the pool of water. The noon sun made the surface sparkle like sapphires. At the opposite end, a fine mist covered the base of the waterfall that fell from a sixty-foot mountainside. Katt Falls. It was his favorite location to relax under the sun. It was number one on Sev’s list of places to take Areo. That never happened.