A Lost Kitten Page 26

  “But, Jasira…” Jasira’s hand shooed him away more insistently. “Alright, I’ll go.” He gently leaned toward her so he could kiss her nose. “Go to sleep. I’ll check on you later.” John saw her give him a thumbs-up. He eased off the bed and went to speak to Asher.

  He found Asher leaning against the wall, to the right of the door.

  “Sirius just contacted me on my voice comm. He wants us to meet him in Council Room three.”

  “Where’s that?

  “First floor. But first, I want to talk to you about Jasira. Did she tell you?”

  “That you said she was pregnant?”

  Asher nodded.

  “Yeah, she did.” He shook his head. “She can’t be pregnant. If she was pregnant, that means she’s three months. She lost weight and she’s not showing. You’re wrong.”

  Asher regarded John silently.

  John lifted his hands, palms upward. “Well, don’t you have anything to say?”

  “How much do you know about Medlothians?”

  “I know enough to know that you’re not psychic.”

  “I don’t need to be one to know when a womman is carrying a cild.”

  “A cild?”

  Asher pressed his lips together. It seemed he was unwilling to explain.

  John smoothed back his hair. “Okay. Listen, don’t get me wrong. If Jasira was pregnant, I would be overjoyed.” John pointed to himself. “I really want that.” He gestured to the room. “But you’ve seen her. Does she look pregnant to you? And she’s been too sick.”

  “She concipere the day you placed your soulscar on her. Not every womman shows physical signs that she’s with cild. Jasira lost weight because of her airsickness. Being parturient is keeping her from getting better, stronger. Even if you stay off a ship, she will continue to be ill, unless her weak body adjusts to the neonate. If not, serious complications can arise. You can’t stay here alone with her without a medical fisicien.”

  “Concipere? Parturient? Fisicien? What the hell are you saying?”

  Asher bolted off the wall. “Put your translator on!” His voice rose in anger. “Jasira’s weak! And she’s dehydrated! If she continues on this path she will die! You will lose both your wif and firstborn! What will you do then?” Asher paused. He looked away, inhaled deep, and resumed speaking more calmly. “I have contacted the ship. A fisicien is on his way to check on her. I suggest you reconsider avoiding the Oceanans.” He walked off. “It’s time to meet Sirius.”

  John eyed the bedroom door. How could Jasira be pregnant? He followed Asher without saying a word to him. The felines back home all showed by two months—granted, they were carrying multiples—but still, they showed. Jasira was thinner, paler. She had no pregnancy glow about her. She was miserable, whereas the women he had been around were all smiles and looking forward to holding their babies.

  The two men entered the elevator without looking at each other. John focused on the floor. Asher watched the numbers above the door change.

  “She can’t be pregnant,” John mumbled.

  Number one appeared above the door. A bell rang. The door swooshed open.

  “She is.” Asher exited, turned right, and walked halfway down the corridor to the conference room. He paused beside the door. “Sirius and Andros are inside. I am going to escort the fisicien to Jasira’s room.” He walked off without another word.

  John watched Asher walk back the way they came, past the elevator, to the main entrance. Maybe he should put his translator back on. The Medlothian’s version of Earthlish was more difficult to understand than the Surrealan’s. Cild. Parturient. Fisicien. It seems he would be adding some new words to his vocabulary once he learned their meaning.

  He raked his fingers through his hair. He refused to believe the Medlothian was right. If Asher was a Mage, then John could believe him. But he was not. He was a Medlothian. John would have to ask the ship’s doctor to reexamine Jasira and see what he finds.

  .

  Chapter 18

  John entered the conference room and viewed the room in one sweep. The room was twenty by twenty feet of silver steel with no decorations. It contained an oval table and ten chairs, all made of solid cherry. At one side of the table sat Sirius and Andros. Opposite them sat two human-looking exotic women and a muscular, well-tanned, bare-chested man.

  Sirius stood from his seat. He walked several steps forward and lifted his right hand, motioning for John to approach them. “John, come in. You would have to put on your translator. They don’t speak Earthlish.”

  John nodded and fished his translator out of his pocket.

  Sirius switched to the Amgarean language as soon as he saw that John was ready. “I would like you to meet the Amgareans. This is Marina, Sonja, and Vitchu.” The Amgareans inclined their heads in greeting. “This is Seacat John McCall.”

  “Seacat?” The one named Vitchu quickly looked at his female companions, then at Sirius. “He is no Seacat, Guardian Sirius.”

  John eyed the half-naked man closer. He wore a thick, gold bangle around each tanned bicep. He had neck-length wavy, raven hair, and dark blue eyes that turned icy when he noticed John observing him.

  “You know the Seacats,” added the woman named Sonja. “They are all felines.”

  John switched his focus to the redhead. Her long hair was pulled back in a neat ponytail. She had pale skin, high cheekbones, and small lips. Her green orbs were as cold and stoic as the man’s beside her.

  “The Seacats you know are Oceanans. I am from the Sea-anan Empire.”

  “Is there a difference?”

  John’s attention jumped to Marina. Her dark brown eyes showed nothing of what she was thinking. Her ash brown shoulder-length hair enhanced her thin eyebrows, slim nose, and well-formed lips. These women were very beautiful, John thought, but very frigid.

  Andros quickly lifted a hand. “Trust us when we tell you, Marina, there is.”

  Marina’s cold eyes defrosted when she addressed Andros. “We trust you, Guardian Andros.” They froze over when her sights return to John. “But we do not trust him.”

  “Why are you here?” clipped John, annoyed by their attitude.

  Sirius answered for the Amgareans. “Their village is an hour’s walk from the castle. They saw our ships fly overhead and thought perhaps Sev had returned.”

  John continued to scrutinize the Amgareans. “What do you want with Sev?”

  “That does not involve you,” said Vitchu, his voice filled with disgust.

  “Then leave,” John snapped.

  “Calm down everyone,” spoke Sirius. “I know you are all strangers, but you have nothing to worry about. We are on the same side.”

  “You think?” John was not so sure. He was not pleased by how the Amgareans were challenging him in his cousin’s home. Since Oren, his family never liked anyone entering their domain and acting like they were the boss. It never ended well.

  “That is the only thing we agree on,” Marina said. “Why is he here?” she asked Sirius.

  John shifted his weight onto both legs. His patience was wearing thin. He agonized over his family and friends in the war and worried about Jasira’s deteriorating health every day. Additionally, arriving on Oceanica made him concerned about what the Oceanans’ attitudes would be once they found out he was back, and he dreaded Sev’s reaction to him being in his house. The last thing John needed or wanted was trouble from three half-naked, backwoods natives.

  “Because I am. If you don’t like it,” he motioned to the door with his head, “get out.”

  The women sat straighter in their chairs. Vitchu bolted out of his seat. His hand reached for the handle of the long blade he wore at his hip. John growled and braced for a fight.

  Sirius grabbed John’s arm. “Stop!”

  “Don’t!” Andros jumped out of his seat. He hurried to stand between Vitchu and John. He addressed John, then the Amgareans. “These are friends of Sev. He is Sev’s kin.”

  “Kin!” all thr
ee exclaimed.

  John wished Andros had not disclosed his relation to Sev. It was uncertain if Sev would welcome him back, let alone accept him as a member of his clan, especially after what had happened the last time they saw each other.

  “You lie!” Sonja accused the Guardian.

  John did not miss Andros’s slight jolt.

  Andros attention latched on to the daring redhead. “What reason do I have for lying?”

  John could tell Andros was insulted, even though the Medlothian managed to keep it from sounding in his voice.

  Marina pointed at John. “He looks nothing like Sev.”

  John snarled.

  “It matters not. They are related,” returned Andros.

  Sirius tugged on John’s arm, placing the Seacat to his left, further away from the Amgareans. “We thank you for looking out for Sev’s home, but you have nothing to worry about.”

  “John has every right to be here. And he will remain here until it’s time for him to leave,” stated Andros.

  John looked at Andros. It seemed Andros understood where his actions stemmed from. He felt the camaraderie between him and Andros growing stronger.

  Sirius pointed to the chairs around the table. “Now, if we can all sit down, I will like to hear what you know about Sev and the war.”

  Andros returned to his seat. Sonja reached for Vitchu’s arm. When he turned to her, she motioned for him to have a seat. He grudgingly did. John opted to sit between Andros and Sirius.

  Sonja began. “All we know is that one day Sev arrived at our village looking for female clothing. He said an unexpected visitor arrived here at the castle, and she was much smaller than Uma and Serena.”

  “Why he did not go to his citizens’ village to get these clothes, we never asked,” continued Marina. “Kari happily gave him several of her items. He thanked her and left.”

  Vitchu jumped in. “Next, Hundra arrived, telling us that Sev was departing with aliens to fight against a tyrant bent on ruling the universe. And she has decided to join forces with him. She then handpicked several of our best warriors and left with these aliens in their black ships.”

  “Black ship?” John’s interest was piqued. That could only mean there were White Stars on Oceanica.

  Marina pointed to herself. “She left me in charge of our people until she returns.”

  “If she returns,” inserted Sonja.

  “Stop saying that!” scolded Marina. “Hundra will return.”

  “Black ship?” John ignored the arguing women and spoke to Sirius. “That means Space Control was right. Sev is with the Sea-anan Seacats.”

  Sirius fought back a smile. “You need to learn how to trust more.”

  John rolled his eyes. “What I don’t understand is, why did they come here? We didn’t even know this planet existed.”

  “They came to retrieve the woman who arrived at the castle.”

  John was surprised Marina volunteered information, considering how icy she was toward him. “Who was this woman?”

  “She was one of them.”

  “Marina, I am not sure if I should mention this…” Sonja sought her companion for reassurance. “But I just remembered something Kari had said to me in confidence that might interest the Guardians.” She motioned to Sirius.

  Marina dipped her head in consent. “Go ahead, Sonja. Our allies need to know everything.”

  “What did Kari tell you, Sonja?” Sirius prodded.

  “I am sorry,” she first said to her companions. “Kari said the real Seacats were angry with Sev.”

  John clenched his hands. He no longer thought the redhead was attractive. In fact, he felt strongly the urge to wring her long neck.

  Andros sat forward in his seat. “Why?”

  “They said Sev abandoned them for the half-breeds.”

  John was not expecting to hear that. He quickly exchanged glances with the Guardians.

  “Half-breeds?” repeated Vitchu.

  “Half Oceanan, half human.” Andros gestured to Vitchu. “You just said Hundra and the others left with Sev.”

  “No.” Sonja clarified. “Kari told me Serena said Sev was tricked and seduced by the half-breed Areo—”

  “Areo!” John jumped forward in his seat. “She was here? Was she all right?”

  He did not care that they called his little sister a half-breed. All John cared about was learning his sister’s status. The last time he had seen Areo, she had been badly injured. He had feared for her life. Deep down, John knew Areo was a tough girl. Still she was prone to getting into trouble. All the women in his family were.

  Sonja did not acknowledge John. She continued to speak to the Guardians as if he were not there. John’s lips pulled back over his teeth, but he remained quiet. He needed to know what had happened next.

  “Serena said Sev left with Areo and her people, leaving Miko and the others here. They felt betrayed and abandoned. Miko said Sev had no plans to return to Oceanica.”

  John’s forehead wrinkled in confusion. “Why would Sev do that?” he wondered aloud.

  “I told Kari she must have misunderstood Miko,” continued Sonja. “Kari assured me that was what Miko said to her.” She glanced at her companions. “She also told me that Miko was made the new king of Oceanica.”

  “What?” blurted Sirius, John, and Andros.

  “Sonja, are you sure about that?”

  Sonja nodded. “Yes, Marina. Another ship arrived afterward, while Hundra and Kari were here at the castle. The Seacats and Hundra boarded that ship and went after Sev. I believe the Seacats planned to convince Sev to return home.”

  Sirius exchanged a puzzled expression with his brother. John’s attention lowered to the table. He reflected hard on what had been revealed to him. What did it all mean? He was not crazy with the answer his mind kept arriving at. Sev left the Oceanans to return with Areo to her home. Sev made Miko the new king of Oceanica. That could only mean one thing. Sev planned to keep his promise to Areo. John gritted his teeth. He hoped he was wrong. He did not want to face the Oceanans in war and fight Daehog at the same time.

  Vitchu drew the Guardians’ attention to him. “What do you know about this supposed war?”

  His words yanked John out of his thoughts. “Supposed?” John clenched his fists tighter to keep from reaching over the table and ripping the man’s throat out. “Races are being extinguished as we speak!”

  Andros and Sirius ignored John’s outburst.

  “So there has not been a visit from the Dominion?” inquired Andros.

  Sonja shook her head. “We have never heard of them.”

  “Guardian Sirius, is there a war going on out there?” asked Marina.

  Sirius’s face showed how serious the situation was in space. “There is, Marina. And I fear that Hundra will not be home for a long time.”

  Sonja and Vitchu shared a worried look. Marina’s eyes showed her fear. She quickly closed them.

  John stood in front of the main monitor. He had been happy to see the Amgareans leave. How could Sev be allies with them? Perhaps Sev had changed since the last time John saw him. Maybe Oren’s genes were stronger than Karla’s in the end. It would explain his choice in friends. Then again, Sev left with Areo. Maybe his love for Areo was stronger than his bond with the Oceanans.

  “Only time will tell,” murmured John as he turned away from the giant monitor in the Control Room.

  “Tell what?” asked Andros.

  “Whether Sev took after his mother or father.” He headed toward the door then hesitated. “Andros, what’s parturient and fisicien?”

  Andros glanced at John’s ear. “Is that translator on?”

  John pressed the tiny button. “It is now.”

  Andros repeated the words and the small translator converted them into Earthlish.

  “Pregnant and Physician. I see.” John stared at the floor. He realized there was no need for him to fetch the doctor. Asher had already done so.

  “Who’s pregnant?”
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  “Asher claims Jasira is.”

  “Congratulations!”

  John lifted his sights and saw Andros’ giant smile. “She can’t be pregnant. You’ve seen her.”

  “John, Medlothians from the north are never wrong about these things. You are going to be a father.”

  John stared at the smiling face unsure if he should allow himself to believe the fates had given up tormenting him. “I better go check on Jasira.” He exited the room.

  He kept his translator hooked on his ear, for he was eager to speak to the doctor about Jasira’s condition. On entering his bedroom, he saw Jasira sleeping. She was connected to an intravenous line. The doctor, a member of the vampiric-looking nation, was adjusting the flow.

  John had learned the race was named Raven. He had stopped asking questions about them when he was told they were also known as ‘The Bringers of Death’. He had enough on his plate to worry about.

  “How is she doing, doctor?”

  The doctor released the tube and headed to the corridor. He motioned for John to follow him. They paused just outside the closed door.

  “Jasira is severely dehydrated. I am administering the fluids she needs with a small dosage of medication to control her nausea. She should feel better in a few days. And do not worry. The medication is mild enough. It should have no affects on the youngling’s development.”

  John was relieved to hear that. What? His attention riveted to the doctor. “Youngling?”

  “Yes. You do know Jasira is expecting?”

  John passed a hand over his mouth. “Asher told me,” were his muffled words.

  The doctor nodded. He made no comment as to how Asher knew. He seemed to accept it as if it was a normal thing. Maybe John needed to look into what else the Medlothian race could do besides casting spells and knowing things with a simple touch.

  “Jasira is resting. I am headed to the castle’s infirmary. I want to check its inventory. If I find anything missing that you will need, I will have it brought over.”

  “You’re not staying?” John pointed to himself. “I’m a warrior, not a doctor. I don’t know anything about medicine.”