A Forgotten Kitten (Sea-anan Saga Book 2) (37 page)

Areo was unable to catch her breath. The dirt floor beneath her blurred. Besides her breathing, the only noise she heard was the roar of her blood rushing through her veins. Her heart banged against her ribs so fiercely it actually caused her pain. She was genuinely afraid.

Not knowing was the bad part. It was the not knowing that made a person’s mind conjure up the worst. Her mind was no
exception. In fact, it had already pictured the most grim scenario possible.

Yanked to a halt, Areo did not move from where they placed her. She was in the center of a very large, dark room. One of her escorts returned her translator before taking a few steps back. Areo quickly hooked the small device around her right ear and scanned the area from beneath her hooded cape. She regretted doing so. It was a scene right out of a horror movie.

The walls were painted blood red. The floor and ceiling were black. There were no seats, only large, gray boulders, many of which had jagged edges and eerie shapes to them. Some resembled bodies sprawled on the floor, twisted in agony. A fine grayish-white mist hovered above the ground. Areo could hear the hiss of gas escaping, but from where she could not discern. The scent of rotten flesh in the air made her gag.

“Greetings, Areo. Welcome to Morlon…”

It dawned on Areo that her imaginings had not come close to the reality. She heard a voice then—a deep, resounding voice.
Daehog.
An enormous chair rose from the ground a few feet before her. It continued to rise until it was on an elevated platform. Areo presumed it was his throne. Daehog spun his chair to face her. Areo stopped breathing. Daehog was speaking to her, yet she heard nothing, for Daehog was the spitting image of evil incarnate. Every hope of surviving left her numb body.

While Daehog spoke to her, Areo’s terror-filled gaze moved from the tips of his thick, dark-gray, curved ram horns down to his ruby red face. Daehog possessed a long, beaklike nose, a permanent sneer, and an eerie yellow glow to his eyes. His massive neck pulsed with protruding blood vessels, and his bulging arms and bare, hulking torso glistened with moisture. Black claws served as fingernails. Areo quickly scanned his lower half. He had gigantic batlike wings, enormous, muscular thighs and legs, but no goat’s feet. It was a small consolation, considering Daehog was at least nine feet tall and definitely a monster.

Areo jumped out of her skin at someone’s touch. Wild-eyed and frozen, she did not protest when her escorts removed the
thick robe shielding her appearance from the demon. She swallowed several times, trying to bring moisture back into her parched mouth, but failed.

The expression that appeared on Daehog’s hideous face at her spider dress sent more tremors of trepidation down her small frame. Areo thought to utilize her most powerful gift to destroy the frightening image. Concentrating, she braced for the release of a gigantic energy blast that would come forth from her hands. She pulled her arms back.

Someone poured ice-cold water over her already frozen body. Areo looked at her wrists. Her eyes expressed horror when realization struck: her wrists were still bonded. Her breath escaped in forced spurts. She was at this monster’s mercy, which was no mercy at all. Despite her intense fear, she managed to register the last of what Daehog said.

“…My scion will inherit your powers as well as my strength, speed, and endurance. He will be invincible. Nothing will stop him from entering other dimensions and conquering them. He will be even greater than I, thanks to you, the Bracelets of Foresight, and your resilient felines.”

Areo automatically shook her head. She did not need to hear everything Daehog said to get a clear understanding of his intentions. She now understood what Mikkoa was talking about. Mikkoa had sealed everyone’s fate in an act that was unforgivable, even by Seacat standards.

Finding her voice, Areo hissed at him and took several steps backward. “I will not bear your bastard son!”

Daehog sat straighter in his chair.

“I will rip him from my own womb if need be. I will not give birth to a monster like you! Never!” Areo spun on her bare heels and blindly ran out of the room.

Daehog watched her run off in the direction she had entered. His deep, hearty laughter vibrated through the corridors. He found it humorous that she would attempt to escape a fate that was clearly her destiny. A destiny foretold in the stars. No one could alter it, not even a pigheaded feline queen.

He pressed a button on his seat’s left armrest. Areo’s holographic image appeared within the nearest mist. Gleefully, Daehog watched as Areo raced down corridor after corridor, frantically searching for a way out of the fortress. He laughed at her clumsiness when she tripped and fell, only to stagger to her feet and limp off. He delighted in the fear he instilled in the hearts of those he came across, and this feline was no exception.

“Where do you think you are running off to,
lifemate?”
Daehog spoke to the holographic image. “You cannot escape me. You will never find the entrance to my stronghold. Can you not see this is your destiny? You were created to fulfill
my
destiny. To
aid me
in becoming the sole ruler of all creation.”

Areo trembled at the sound of his horrid voice. While she forced oxygen into her burning lungs, her soul cried out to the one who had always protected her, even as she despaired of his absence.
Sev! Sev!
Tears flowed down her cheeks.

She listened to Daehog’s words and cringed at their meaning. The images that popped into her mind spurred her onward. Daehog’s repeated laughter rattled her nerves. His words galled her, making her more desperate to escape his clutches.

Plastering her back against the cold steel wall, Areo covered her ears and yelled, “Never! I will never let you touch me! You monster! You bastard! You will never impregnate me! Never!”

Daehog’s response was robust laughter. Holding nothing back, Areo vented all her fears in one thunderous scream. In the end, she was out of breath. She covered her face and sobbed harder. After a few minutes, she raised her tear-covered face and resumed racing down another winding tunnel. All the while, she tried to drown out Daehog’s taunting voice and belittling laughter.

He’s just trying to distract me. I must be getting closer to the exit.
Daehog continued to speak to her, taunting her, making fun of her desperate pleas.
I have to get out of here.
The words drummed repeatedly in her aching head.

At the end of the long corridor, Areo entered a circular room. Spinning in place, she scanned all around her. Her eyes dulled.
Dear Onssa, I’m going in circles! Where am I? How am I going to get out of here?

She heard the sound of heavy footsteps. They were headed in her direction.
Sev! Sev!
Areo deliriously whimpered against the back of her right hand. Her heart threatened to stop. Her lungs protested. She finally collapsed in the center of the room.

Wheezing and covered in a fine, cold sweat, Areo viewed the large room as she huddled on the floor.
Why did he stop taunting me? Sev! Oh, Sev!
Areo placed her forehead on the black, cold soil. Her trembling body shivered in response to that dreaded voice starting up again. That was, until her frightened senses registered how close it sounded.

“I told you, you cannot escape me.”

Areo’s head snapped upward. Her mind whirled at the sight of her worst nightmare. Daehog had arrived to claim his bride.

Sev’s first attack was met head-on by Orions and Braqarians determined to destroy the alien intruders. The Dominion was not about to allow the opposition access to their master’s home. This battle would determine the fate of every living creature. Sev gave the order to destroy everything. He held nothing back. The Sword of Power aided them forward.

Clank. Clank. Clank.
The sounds of clashing metal were accompanied by ferocious roars and shouts. Laser blasts and power-charged weapons erupted in each direction. The whizzing sounds of staffs, blades, and axes sailing through the air filled the room. Explosions sent forth by mutant hands added to the chaos. The enemy was strong. Formidable. But the collective efforts of the Aligned Worlds led by the ruling clan proved to be a force worth fearing.

After cutting down another adversary, Sev spared a quick glance around him. Everyone was paired off. Some were having an easier time with their combatants than others.

Suddenly, a freezing chill seized his soul, making him gasp. Spinning in place, he searched for the source. He spotted a translucent image of his beloved kitten to one side of the room.

He reached out toward it. “Areo?”

The image started to fade. Sev’s lips parted. He immediately remembered Challen’s teachings. The ghost was Areo’s soul reaching out to him, telling him she was in mortal danger. The image vanished. Beyond the ghost’s location there was a doorway. Over the battle cries, Sev heard a gut-wrenching scream.

“No!” He ran toward the corridor unaware that both Miko and Mike raced after him.

A curtain of mist obediently parted as Daehog approached Areo. Another torrent of tears fell freely from her puffy, red eyes. They regained their focus and received the vile image of Daehog. The only clothing the creature wore was a black loincloth, which amazingly intensified her horror even more. He stood tall, proud, powerful, and arrogant, but most of all, terrifyingly huge.

“No.”

“Oh yes.” He deliberately made his way over to her. “Don’t try to fight it, Areo. It is your destiny. You are meant to conceive the greatest being who will ever live.”

Areo was not about to give in that easily. She pushed herself onto her knees. Try as she might, her legs were unable to support her weight. Both her fear and asthma weakened her spirit as well as her body. She inched her way backward, crawling away from Daehog’s advancing form.

“You are meant to conceive here on Morlon—the epicenter of power. And I am destined to be the sire. Many would kill to become the host for my offshoot. You should feel honored.”

What Areo felt was bile rising in her throat.

Trailing a few feet behind the fast running lion, Mike shouted, “Sev, stop!”

Sev did stop. Just long enough to sniff the air in all directions. The spirit had lured him to this tunnel. Now he had to figure out the reason why.

“Sev, where are you going? What are you doing?” Miko sniffed and eyed their surroundings for a possible ambush.

“Areo…” Sev pointed with his chin. “She’s down this passageway.”

Mike looked at him. “How can you be so sure?”

Sev thought of the warning, of its meaning. His lip curled. “I can smell her.”

Mike sniffed the air for his cousin’s scent.

“This entire fortress is saturated with it.” Sev’s grip tightened around the hilt of his sword. “And it’s mixed with great fear.
Her
fear.” Without another word, he rushed in the direction his wife’s scent was most powerful.

“He’s right,” said Mike before running down the tunnel.

Miko shot off after him. All three Seacats raced down the dark, twisting corridor. They skidded to a halt. Sev stood in front, flanked by Mike and Miko. Blocking their path stood a Dominion troop, a mixture of Orion, Braqarian, Ailatineg, traitors, and new additions—Mormoc warriors.