A Lost Kitten Read online

  “The Sword of Power,” repeated Asher from the back of the room. “What’s that?”

  “A magical sword created by a powerful feline sorceress. This sword was given to my ancestors during the Dark Ages of Oceana. It had helped lead the feline race to victory against its enemies. This sword was passed down through the generations. Challen was the sword’s last keeper. When we lost him, we lost the sword. When Challen was knighted, the Seacats became virtually unbeatable. They were suddenly faster and stronger. It was discovered that the sword was the source of the Seacats’ enhanced speed and strength. Oren knew that if he lost Challen, his felines would become ordinary soldiers once again.”

  The Starr men exchanged glances. Jasira’s sympathetic focus remained on John.

  “Once Karla died, all pretenses were off,” continued John. “Still, Oren didn’t banish us. He needed Challen and Leonora. He needed the sword. We, the younger generation, wanted to leave the planet. The elders kept telling us to be patient and understanding with the Oceanans, to do nothing if we were assaulted. “Don’t give the Oceanans a reason to hate you,” they kept telling us. We did as instructed. But the Oceanans didn’t need a reason to hate us. They hated us simply because we existed.”

  John shifted over to Jasira’s right. He faced the giant blank monitor while he continued to speak. “A group of Oceanans, most of whom were Seacats, broke into our home one afternoon. They beat my father and godfather to a mere inch of their lives. They tried to rape the women in my family.” He smiled wickedly at his companions. “We boys weren’t about to let them get away with it. We unleashed our fury. In the end, not one Oceanan lived to regret it.” John shrugged. “Our secrets were out.”

  “Secrets?” asked a stun Sirius.

  “The first secret being our mutant abilities.” John briefly met Sirius’s eyes. “The second being that Challen had taught us how to fight.” His attention returned to the monitor. “Oren was behind it. He had kept my mother, uncle, and godmother Concheetah busy at work during the attack. He had thought his Seacats were enough to kill three Earthlings and several half-breed cubs. When he found out the half-breed cubs killed his warriors, he sentenced us to death.”

  Jasira gasped. The Medlothians were speechless.

  “When the Mage Elders were informed of what happened, they immediately made a visit to Oren and voiced their disapproval. To keep from going to war with the Mages, Oren retracted his sentence and banished us instead. Those of us who were attacked that day vowed never to return to Oceanan lands.” John stared into Jasira’s eyes. “I do this for you.”

  Jasira rushed forward. She wrapped her arms around John’s neck. “I’m so sorry.”

  John buried his face in his wife’s hair. He inhaled her delicious scent. “I’ll do anything for you.”

  Sirius placed a firm hand on John’s shoulder. “We now understand why you initially refused to come here.”

  John raised his head and took another deep breath. “This is not Oren’s home, but it feels the same because it’s now Oceanan land.”

  Jasira touched his cheek. “This is really hard for you.”

  “We are sorry to force you back,” spoke Andros from his seat. “But Sev is our freond, not just an ally to Space Control. We had to make sure both he and his peple were safe. You do understand.”

  “That depends,” replied John. “What’s freond and peple?”

  Chuckling, Sirius patted John’s shoulder.

  “Fend and peepuhl, John,” Jasira translated with a smile.

  “Right,” said John. He was not about to insult Jasira by telling her that her translation was not any better.

  “Things happen for a reason.”

  John glanced over at Asher. The Medlothian stood with his arms crossed and his bottom leaning against the communication terminal.

  “Perhaps things have changed now that Oren is gone and Sev is king,” he said. “After all, Sev is your cosin. He will welcome you hom.”

  John pointed to him and said, “Cousin, right?”

  Asher exhaled a long breath.

  Sirius smirked at his little brother. “Yes.”

  “He might,” continued John. “But I doubt any of the Oceanans will like it, especially those whose relatives I killed when I was six.”

  “They deserved it.”

  John was surprised to hear Jasira say such a thing. “You do have a mean streak.”

  Andros smiled. “Tell us something we don’t know.”

  Jasira crossed her arms. “Well, they tried to kill youngsters for no reason but their prejudice. They got what they deserved. I only wish it was your fahder who had done it. You were too young to lose your blood innocence. You all were.”

  “I agree,” said Sirius. “It must have been traumatic.”

  “It was,” John went on, thinking back on that horrid day. “We boys were so angry we wanted to run out of the house and kill every feline on the planet. What kept us from leaving were our weeping sisters. They were almost raped. That’s every woman’s nightmare.” He peeked at Jasira. Even though she had been as mist all her life, he was sure she would understand what he meant.

  Jasira’s sights dropped to the floor.

  “Their clothes were torn off their bodies. They were covered in blood and bruises. The sight of our sisters like that made us vow to never again allow anyone to touch them.” John paused. He remembered something he had forgotten. He fingered his mouth and took several steps away from the group, deep in thought.

  He stopped beside Asher who watched him closely. “What’s wrong?”

  “I just remembered something. Something I completely forgot…or didn’t want to remember…or accept.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Sev.”

  “What about him?”

  “Sev was infatuated with my sister Areo from the day she was born.” He met Asher’s stare for a moment. “Literally. He claimed she was his soulmate and spoke about marrying her once she was of age. He spent most of his time at our house, playing with us, training with us, and courting Areo. Oren hated it, but to make his beloved son and heir happy, he allowed it.”

  John shook his head. “Sev didn’t show up for practice on the day of the attack. We hated him for it. He showed up after the deed was done. My brother Mathew clobbered him for not being around to help protect Areo.”

  He rubbed the right side of his neck. “Sev swore he didn’t know anything about the planned attack. He claimed he was late because his father tried to keep him home studying. He became suspicious when his pile of homework kept growing and his father posted two Seacats outside of his bedroom to make sure he stayed in his room. Sev claimed he snuck out of the castle by climbing out of his bedroom window.” John deeply inhaled. “We didn’t believe him.”

  “Why not?” asked Andros.

  John turned around to face the others. “Because he was Oren’s son.” He shook his head. “Sev has no blood ties to us. Why should he care what happens to us?”

  “He cared for your sisder Areo,” Jasira reminded him.

  “That’s why we hated him. He should have been there to protect her.”

  “You said it yourself,” inserted Asher. “He was kept prisoner in his bedroom.”

  “Like I said, we didn’t believe him. Even when he saw Areo’s condition and lost it, we didn’t believe he was genuine. After he helped Areo clean up and dress, he left without saying a word to any of us boys.” John dropped his sights to the metal floor. “Later that day, my Uncles Challen and Jugar went with the Mage Elders to Oren’s castle. We heard from Jugar that Sev had confronted his father. He accused Oren of knowing. He declared his love for Areo and said he hated his father for trying to kill his soulmate. Jugar said a Mage had to restrain Challen. He had tried to kill Oren after seeing Sev.”

  John’s sights briefly touched everyone in the room. “Sev was hospitalized. He was severely beaten by his father for his audacious disrespect.” He averted his eyes. “And we still didn’t believe him.�
� John shrugged once more. “I still don’t know what to believe.”

  “John!” exclaimed Jasira. “I believe he told you the truth.” John met Jasira’s unwavering stare. “Sev confronted his fahder. He told him how he felt about Areo. He endured a beating for it. That shows me where his loyalties lie.”

  “Jasira’s right,” spoke Andros from his seat. “Don’t let your anger blind you to the truth. Sev is one of you. You guys rubbed off on him.”

  “Just like you rubbed off on us,” added Asher.

  John viewed Asher’s smile but did not reciprocate. “Maybe. Maybe not. I guess only time will tell.”

  Asher’s smile faded. He glanced at his brothers.

  “He’s with the Seacats, John.”

  John took in Sirius’s stern features.

  “The Sea-anan Seacats. If he stood against you, he never would have left Oceanica. You said it yourself. If the Oceanans don’t see feline features, they turn their backs on you.” Sirius shook his head. “Sev didn’t. He left his Oceanan felines to help you fight this war. He could have easily stayed here to protect Oceanica, but he didn’t.” He pointed at John. “He went to your side of space to fight alongside your Seacats. The Sea-anan Seacats. His brethren.”

  The others nodded their agreement. John still had his doubts. Or perhaps it was fear. All John knew for certain was that he was of mixed blood, and the purebloods had made certain that he knew he was not welcomed or accepted amongst them. It was something they made certain he could not forget.

  John pressed his lips together. “Only time will tell.” He walked back to the main control terminal. “Let’s get those computers up and running, Andros.”

  Andros returned to his typing. “Right.”

  “While you guys play with your computers, I am going to take Jasira to a nearby bedroom so she can rest.” Asher walked up to Jasira and clasped her elbow. “I feel she is too pale and should be in bed resting.”

  “I’m all right, Asher.”

  “No, you are not.”

  “Asher is right,” John said. “Go on ahead. I’ll meet you in a bit.”

  Jasira sighed. “All right.” She allowed her old friend to lead her out of the room.

  Once the door closed, John’s attention switched over to Andros. He closely watched on as the young Medlothian hacked into the main computers. He was grateful they did not continue with their previous topic. Prejudice was something John had grown up with. It was a living, breathing entity that he and his family had dealt with since the beginning. It was not something he could just forget and put aside. It would take time—maybe even a lifetime—to get over it.

  From over Andros’s shoulder, John carefully read the encryption codes to the castle’s security system and main database. He could tell Andros was having difficulty cracking through the levels of security. Out of respect, he remained quiet. He did not want to insult the Guardian as he had when Andros tried to spar with him. John checked the time. Two hours had passed, and they were getting nowhere fast.

  “Miko is a genius.” Andros scratched his head. “He really knows what he’s doing.”

  John would have laughed if he had not seen how Andros was struggling. If Andros thought this was tough, he should try hacking into one of his brother Bob’s creations.

  “Who’s Miko?”

  “According to these codes, the smartest Seacat who lives here.” Sirius nudged his brother’s shoulder. “Come on, I thought you were up for the challenge.”

  “Hey, if you think this is easy, then you try.”

  John saw that as his opportunity. “Let me try. Uncle Brian trained us on hacking computers. It was part of his job when he worked as a spy on Earth.” He did not add that their training included trying to hack into his brother Bob’s creations, even though no one had ever succeeded.

  Andros stood from his seat. “By all means.” He moved to one side and gestured to the chair. “But I have to warn you, Miko linked each code to the next. If you break one code and fail to break the next, the entire security system resets itself and you have to start over.”

  John sat in the chair. “I know. I’ve been watching you start over for two hours.” He started typing.

  Andros and Sirius watched on. The further John got through the security codes, the more dumbfounded their expressions became. Before they could string a thought together, a low hum sounded in the room. The lights came on. The terminals lit up. The dashboards began to flash a multitude of colors. The main monitor switched on and the scenery outside filled the screen.

  Andros faced John. “You know, if I didn’t like you, I would truly hate you.”

  Great, thought John. Perhaps he should have typed slower. “Sorry.”

  Sirius crossed his arms. “Why didn’t you tell us it would only take you ten minutes?”

  John searched for the right words. Living amongst Mages, he had learned that the truth was always his best option. “I didn’t want to repeat our sparring moment. It’s nothing, really.” He pointed to Andros. “If you’d had the same training, I’m sure you could have done it in five minutes. It’s not all that complicated.” He gestured to the computer with his thumb. “My ten-year-old sister could have hacked this.”

  Sirius’s hand landed on John’s shoulder. John stopped talking and looked up at him as he lowered his face closer to John’s ear and said, “You should have left it at sparring.”

  John quickly understood what he meant. He met Andros’s stony scowl. “Andros, I’m sorry. I really am. I didn’t mean anything by that. You’re a smart guy. I—”

  “Maybe I do hate you.”

  John stood from his seat. “Man, I’m really, really sorry. I meant no insult. You have to believe me.” Not knowing what else to say, he stopped talking. When Andros continued to glare at him without saying a word, John pointed to the door and said, “I’d better go check on Jasira.” He bowed his head and hurried out of the room, leaving the computer job to Andros.

  In the corridor, John paused beside the closed door. He thought of Andros and Sirius. He needed to be more cautious, patient, and humble around them. Being away from the Mages for two years seemed to be causing him to forget his lessons. His adoptive uncles Gillian and Derek would not approve.

  Switching his thoughts to his other problem, John tilted his head back and sniffed the stuffy, stale air. Jasira’s scent reached his nose within seconds. He followed the lingering trail of vanilla through the castle. It seemed Asher had found a bedroom on the same level, but in the second building.

  John entered the room unannounced to find Asher placing a wet cloth on Jasira’s forehead.

  Asher spared him a quick look. “Luckily we came when we did. Jasira threw up her breakfast.” He smoothed out the cloth over her forehead.

  Jasira released a long, anguished moan.

  John gently sat beside her on the bed. During the peaks of her sickness, Jasira hated it when the bed moved too much. He gently stroked her cheek with his left index finger. “How do you feel?”

  Jasira released another long moan.

  Asher placed his fists on his hips. “Does that answer your question?”

  John observed Asher’s angry countenance. It appeared that the Medlothian had a soft spot for Jasira. He wondered where it stemmed from.

  “You and I need to speak outside,” Asher said. “But first, Jasira has something to tell you.”

  “What?”

  “Nothing,” she said.

  John heard how weak his wife’s voice sounded. His worries intensified.

  “Jasira, he needs to know.” Asher addressed John. “I will wait outside.” He left the room.

  John studied Jasira’s face. She seemed paler, if that was possible. Her cheekbones were more pronounced. There were small cracks on her ashen lips. Faint dark circles were apparent under her eyes. Perhaps Asher was right. Jasira did need a doctor. If only his warriors were there. Jasira would get modern medical care at its best. Alas, it will take them six and a half months to reach Oceani
ca traveling at hyperspeed. He would have to do his best to care for her until then. He will not subject his wife to the Oceanans’ prejudice.

  “What is Asher talking about?”

  Jasira took a deep breath. “After I threw up, I collapsed in the bathroom. Asher touched my stomach as he lifted me and placed me in bed. He said airsickness was not my only problem.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She was slow in responding. “It seems that twice is enough.”

  John tried to understand what she meant, but she was not making any sense to him. “What are you talking about?”

  Peeking from underneath her lashes, Jasira reached for John’s hand and placed it on her belly. John’s heart stopped beating.

  He shook his head, refusing to hope. “I’m not getting you.”

  Jasira closed her eyes. “I’m pregnuhnt, John.” She placed the towel over her eyelids.

  John quickly eyed Jasira’s stomach. “What? That’s not possible. You’ve been too sick for us to be together.”

  Jasira lifted a corner of the rag and opened her left eye. “John, really—was it that forgettable?” She raised her left hand and gestured to her legs. “I bear marks here.”

  “But…that was three months ago.” He gently passed his hand around Jasira’s belly. “You’re not showing. And you’ve lost weight. You can’t be pregnant.”

  “According to Asher, I am.” She closed her eye and lowered the towel.

  “He’s wrong.”

  Jasira inhaled. “John, you can walk through walls and breathe underwater. Asher is a Medlothian. He has his special gifts, too.”

  “Such as? He’s not psychic, is he?”

  Jasira used her left hand to shoo John away from her. “Go speak to him about it. Talking is making me nauseous again.”