Slave (18 page)

Fortunately, they weren’t quite as big as your average bear, being more along the lines of a large dog.

“Where is your pulse pistol?” Cat asked, calmly ignoring my question.

“Well, I don’t have it on me, if that’s what you’re asking,” I replied grimly. “If you haven’t got it, I’d say that it’s probably in the lock-up on the other side of the droid.”

Cat nodded. “Climb up on top of the storage unit,” he directed. “Try to get to it from above if you are able.”

“I’ll give it my best shot,” I said. I did my best to move slowly, but obviously it wasn’t slowly enough, because one of the little buggers circled around to face me, effectively trapping me underneath the droid; there was simply no way I could have crawled out and climbed up on the droid quickly enough to avoid being attacked. I couldn’t get out by backing up and going out the other end, either, because the detachable helper-droid was standing there—which I had, unfortunately, powered down to save the batteries while we were working on the drive belt, or I could have simply told it
to move out of the way. Making a mental note to never, ever, turn the damned thing off again unless I was stowing it in the hold, I yelled: “I can’t get out, Cat!

They’ve got me trapped under here!”

“Stay there, then,” he said. I could hear him moving around to the open end of the storage unit. The pack inched along with him, apparently, because by the time I could see his boots, I could see them, as well—all five of them. They were standing there snapping their jaws and grunting, seemingly waiting for Cat to make the first move, when all of a sudden, two of them lunged forward.

One went high, aiming for Cat’s throat while the other went low, taking a snap at his right leg and tearing through the leather as if it had been made from the same flimsy material as my dress. Cat parried the attack of the first creature with the machete, drawing blood and making the thing squeal in anger. Kicking the other one out of the way, Cat repositioned himself as they with-drew for a moment and milled about as though taking the time to consult with one another and reevaluate their opponent.

Moments later, they began their next assault, returning in a group of three this time. As Cat fended off each of them, they seemed to rotate their numbers, for when one retreated, another took its place, always leaving two held in reserve while the other three were on the offensive. It was an effective strategy, prompting me to grudgingly admit that they were a little smarter than the average bear. I crawled up as close to the outside as I dared, hoping to get a dig into one of them with the pointed end of my crowbar, but Cat had taken up a
position just far enough away that I wasn’t likely to get one unless they were to break through his defense.

And it was quite a defense! Honestly, if I hadn’t been so scared, I might have been sitting there admiring his form and footwork. The boy definitely knew how to handle a sword, and he moved with all of the fluid, but deadly, grace that one might expect from a feline sword-master. If the animals’ aim was to wear him out before going in for the kill, it was becoming increasingly obvious that they just might wind up giving up the fight before he did.

They might have been a determined bunch, but Cat had a longer reach, and soon had all of them bleeding from a variety of wounds. Cat, himself, had a scratch or two on him, but he fought like a machine—working steadily, parrying, thrusting, and spinning easily to face each new opponent. Oh, yeah, he was a warrior, all right, and he was absolutely magnificent to watch in action. With a wide-legged fighting stance, his hair flying and blade flashing, he was the embodiment of every hero from Agamemnon right on down to—well, depending on what planet you happen to be from, just about anyone else you’d care to name. I caught a glimpse of his expression a time or two as he spun around to take on another beast and saw that he had a rather satisfied smirk on his face. This was what he did best, it seemed, and, in spite of the danger, he appeared to be enjoying himself!

Finally, having fought with them long enough to take their measure and find the weak spot in their attack, he took them out, one by one, right straight through the
throat with his blade. Then, turning toward me in triumph, he reached out a hand to help me up and then yanked me into his arms for a kiss.

“Oh, way to go, Kittycat!” I murmured against his lips. “You are one truly cool cat!”

Taking a long lick on the side of my neck as though he planned to eat me alive, he said, “I believe we will be eating well tonight.”

“Want a little roasted beastie, do you?” I inquired curiously. Then it occurred to me that this whole thing might have been deliberate. “Is that why you threw out your lunch? To use as bait?”

“No, my lovely master,” he purred. “I would not put you in such peril. If I had known of these beasts, I would not have done such a thing. It is my duty to protect you.”

“Well, I’m all for that!” I agreed. “And speaking of which, since you’re the one wearing the pants, you need to carry the pulse pistol—all the time! Obviously, we should have been a lot more cautious on this trip that we have been so far. I suppose it would have been asking too much for that damned Delamar to warn us. Of course, I think every word he told us was a lie, anyway, so his information probably would have been pretty useless.” I took a deep breath and surveyed the area. The dead tiger-bear-pigs were scattered all over the place, and the droid was just sitting there in the middle of the road. “Well, then, Kittycat, I guess that’s that! What do you say we pack up our droid and get the heck out of Dodge?”

He just looked at me and laughed.

“Another old Earth expression,” I explained, “essentially meaning let’s get going before more of the bad
guys show up and we have to do this all over again.”

“I believe that would be…prudent,” Cat agreed.

“Yeah, and it would be ‘prudent’ not to throw out anymore bait for those damned bear-pigs!” I said dryly.

“You know, I ought to jerk a knot in your tail for that, Kittycat! We could have gotten killed!”

“I do not have a tail,” he reminded me again.

“I know,” I remarked, “but it sure would be fun trying to find it.”

Slave 221107.qxd 1/30/08 4:36 PM Page 162

THE SUN WAS SINKING LOW ON THE HORIZON WHEN WE

stopped for the night and, since we were still in the deepest, creepiest part of the jungle, we opted to sleep in a tent this time. My tent, having the Auto-Erector function built right in, went up quickly and the droid built us a fire to roast one of those critters Cat had killed. Of course, if I’d had any idea just how many truly hideous insects our campfire would attract, I’d have never agreed to cook the damn thing. As it was, I sprayed so much repellent around that Cat started sneezing.

“Sorry, Kittycat,” I apologized, “but I have no desire to get drugged into a stupor by another bug bite!”

“And I would not want you to,” he agreed. “I want you awake and filled with passion.”

I’ll have to say, the way he was looking at me almost made me forget what a lousy day it had been. It also made me curse that damned mosquito even more, because the night before we had been in such a beautiful, idyllic setting, whereas tonight we would be stuck inside a stuffy tent with God knows what buzzing around outside. Cat had said he wanted me awake, which shouldn’t be too hard since I doubted that I would sleep a wink because of all the bugs, but being filled with passion wasn’t something I was sure I could manage at that point. No, the way I saw it, he’d missed his golden opportunity that morning
in the pool. It would serve him right for making me wait, I thought irritably, because I just wasn’t in the mood!

Our roast beast took forever to cook, too, and I felt like I was plumb starving to death by the time it was done. It didn’t taste too bad—at least not once I’d doused it with a healthy dose of Tiranian hot pepper sauce. Cat didn’t seem to like the hot stuff very much, possibly because he hadn’t eaten anything with much flavor while he’d been enslaved; so he ate his plain, but I thought it tasted pretty gamey myself.

It was well after nightfall when we finished our dinner, and by then, the onslaught of insects had reached the point that I was about to lose my sanity altogether. I know it was just a few bugs, but honest to God, when one of them makes your foot and tongue swell up like balloons, the last thing you want to see or hear for a while is another skeeter!

We decided to leave most of the cleaning up until morning, and, having doused our campfire, got inside the tent together. I hadn’t said anything to Cat about feeling so out of sorts, but he might have guessed it. Of course, that didn’t stop him from trying to change my mind, chiefly by nuzzling me and rumbling like a mountain lion on the prowl. But I was tired and dirty and sticky with sweat, having spent a fair amount of the day groveling in the dirt underneath the pack-droid in my underwear. Aside from that, my back and my feet were killing me, and that roast beast wasn’t setting so well on my stomach. I didn’t feel the least bit sexy or pretty or alluring or any of those things I wanted to be feeling the first time I made love with Cat; it simply was not the right time!
The trouble was, despite what I was telling myself, Cat could smell my pheromones or whatever it was that he called my “desire”—and it had him hard as a rock and he would
not
leave me alone!

“Cat, I swear, if you don’t get away from me, I’m going to get Tex out and shoot you!” I warned him. I was sweating like a horse at the end of a mile and a quarter and the damn bugs were dive-bombing the tent to the point that I didn’t think I could take much more before exploding.

“But you want me,” he began. “How can I not—?”

“I said, back off!” I growled at him. “Don’t touch me!”

Cat retreated to the other side of the tent, but I could still hear him purring, even over all the buzzing against the tent from the insects. Curling up on my pallet with my back to him, I tried to shut out the incessant noise and Cat’s purring the best I could, but then he tried again, spooning up against me from behind and licking my ear.

“Please, Cat, I don’t want you to think I don’t want you, because I do. But right now, I’m tired and hot and dirty and I just can’t do it.”

“I do not mind that you are dirty,” he said, “and I like it when you are overheated with desire.” He paused then, tracing a fingertip down my side and over my hip. “I believe you have been thinking too much, Jacinth, and now you are afraid.”

“Hell, yes, I’m afraid!” I exclaimed. “We’re out here in the middle of the jungle, it’s been one life and death ordeal after another today, and you, well, you’re the one who wouldn’t do it this morning, who insisted that I think about it all day to increase my desire. Well, Cat, it
backfired on you! I was ready and willing this morning, but right now, I just want some sleep!”

“And do you believe that you will be able to sleep with large insects hitting the tent all night?”

I sighed, stretching my shoulders as I felt my spine popping in several places. “Probably not,” I conceded.

“And I
need
to sleep! I feel like I’ve been rode hard and put up wet, as the saying goes.”

“Jacinth, do you love me?” he asked.

I rolled over to face him, and though the tent was so dark I couldn’t see a hand in front of my face, I could see his glowing eyes. “Yes, I do, Kittycat,” I said gently. “I love you dearly. You’re my big, strong, brave hero, and even if you weren’t, I’d still love you with all my heart.”

“Then if you will be awake, and if you love me as I love you…” His voice trailed off in the darkness, and suddenly, I felt his breath on my face as he moved closer.

“Kiss me, then, my lovely master, and we will spend this night, and every night hereafter, together. Forever.”

“You won’t fall in love with my sister and run away on me, will you?” I blurted out. Having actually said that aloud, thus exposing my worst fear, was evidence that I was pretty well near the breaking point.

“No,” he replied. “I will not fall in love with your sister and run away. I will be with you, and only you, until you are old and your life has reached its end.”

“Oh, Cat…” I sighed.

It was very dark, and his eyes must have been closed, shutting out their light, so I don’t know who moved first, but a moment later, his lips were melting into mine and suddenly I didn’t give a damn that I was tired or dirty or
scared or irritated. I didn’t even have to remind myself that I’d called myself every kind of fool that very morning for resisting him so long, because I wasn’t going to resist anymore. I was going to shut down the thinking part of my brain and simply
feel
.

And when I put my hands on him, he felt so good it made me want to cry, but no more so than when he put his own upon me. He was kissing and caressing me, but he was also massaging me deeply, pushing away the pain, the exhaustion, and replacing it with the soft glow of desire, paving the way for the heat of passion. I did the same to him, kneading the muscles of his back, his shoulders, his chest. I couldn’t get enough of him.

Reaching lower, I took his backside in my hands and pulled him closer.

The chorus outside the tent fell silent as the wind increased and a cooling, soothing rain began to fall, pattering lightly on the roof of our tent, sending a wave of soft air swirling over us. I relaxed completely then, and as I did so, I could feel the need for Cat building up inside me. He’d been right, of course. My desire for him had been there all along; it had simply been buried under all the baggage I had been carrying with me throughout my life. But now, I laid it aside for a time. I would pick it up again, perhaps—but not tonight. Tonight I would think about nothing but my love, my Cat.

I focused solely on my feelings, how it felt to take Cat in my arms, how it felt to kiss him, how it felt to caress his body until he groaned with pleasure. I even knew the precise moment when the warmth of desire gave way to the heat of passion, and soon, every cell in my body was
on fire, clamoring for him to help me find my release.

Every erogenous zone I possessed, from lips to nipples to clitoris, was aching with need.