Liger

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Praise for the writing of Stephanie Burke

Liger

Ligeris one of Stephanie Burke's best works yet. You feel the despair of the heroine, and suffer with her. The hero He-o is yummy enough for me to feel a small amount of sympathy for even the villainess' lust for him. I was completely sucked in, and couldn't stop reading! -- Lena Austin, author ofAfter the Flood 1: Blood and Magic (available now from Loose Id)

There is absolutely no other author besides Stephanie Burke who can take the letters of the alphabet and turn them into pure music...andit’s music with passion, with soul and heart.Liger is beautiful...one of those stories you pick up, glance at the first couple of paragraphs and suddenly realize you are hooked until the very last word. Every time I read one of her stories, I am captured completely by the power of her writing. -- Kate Douglas, author of68 & Climbing (available now from Loose Id)

In a characteristic display of out of this world imagery and sizzling passion, Stephanie Burke has done it again. Once more, she spins a tale that pulls you into her world and won't let you go until you are done. Liger is one book that you do NOT want to miss. -- Melissa Schroeder, author ofHard Habit to Break (available now from Loose Id)


LIGER

Stephanie Burke


www.loose-id.com

Warning

This e-book contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language and may be considered offensive to some readers. Loose Id e-books are for sale to adults ONLY, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers. ***** This book is rated:

For explicit sensuality, graphic language and mild violence.

Liger Stephanie Burke

This e-book is a work of fiction. While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.


Published by Loose Id LLC 1802 N Carson Street, Suite 212-29 Carson City NV 89701-1215 www.loose-id.com

Copyright © January 2005 by Stephanie Burke All rights reserved. This copy is intended for the purchaser of this e-book ONLY. No part of this e-book may be reproduced or shared in any form, including, but not limited to printing, photocopying, faxing, or emailing without prior written permission from Loose Id LLC.

ISBN 1-59632-027-3 Available in Adobe PDF, HTML,MobiPocket , and MS Reader

Printed in the United States of America

Editor: Karen Williams Cover Artist: Bryan Keller

www.loose-id.com


Chapter One

My time is approaching,she thought as she lay on the large pillow, glaring out at the world. It was not a well-known fact, but her people went through two seasons of fertility. If a woman was not impregnated within those two seasons, she became unable to produce children to continue her line. Some women chose to ignore the discomfort and frustration of being in season, wanting to be sterile for a specific purpose, but most, like her, wanted children and family. But that was no longer an option for her. She was the last of her kind. She had been a little girl when she was taken, her people destroyed by those who lived on the far side of the planet. She remembered her mother’s mutilated body, torn apart by the hounds that were sent to hunt them down. She could still hear her father’s fierce war cry as he fought off the hellhounds, to no avail. Her great father, the invincible warrior, had died protecting his child. A child that was captured and brought back to the invaders’ palace, a slave.And ever since that time, she had been the beautiful, exotic, embittered property of the ruling family, the king and his queen. She sighed as she thought back to the days when she was free. Her mother, like her, had been tall and lithe, a beautiful woman with silvery hair and bronze-gold skin. Like her mother, and generations of females before them, she possessed eyes of a stunning shade of gold, a shade that had been passed through generations of their mystics -- proof of the power that dwelled within them, released only when they each met their counterpart. Her father hadn’t been her mother’s true counterpart, but then, who knows how fate decreed these things. Her mother had never found her counterpart, but she had found a true and abiding love with her mate, a love that was eagerly shared with their children. She remembered having an older brother, but he was given to a secret society of warriors when she was still just a small child. She remembered him, more than her other brothers and sisters, because of the strange markings that he had been born with. One half of his body had been covered in those strange markings, markings that had developed even more after puberty; markings that set him apart from every other young man in the village. Little more than a baby herself, she recalled his calm and thoughtful actions. This remembered brother always had time to pick her a flower, to carry her around on his shoulders while his peers ran off and hunted and played. He showed no shame in protecting a small girl as they romped around the treetop homes in their village. This brother was not like any of the other boys that she knew. True, he had the same silvery blond hair as their mother, but his eyes were as black as the nails that tipped his fingers, blacker than night and twice as deep. He moved with an uncommon grace, uncommon even for the feline-like people they were born to, each movement an economy of motion, not one move wasted. He taught her how best to balance with her tail, how to race with the wind, how to respect the trees that housed them, how to care for the


earth. And then, one day, he was gone. “He was chosen by the warrior class, daughter; chosen before his birth,” her mother soothed as she raced to her in tears because her beloved brother was gone. As she gently rocked her daughter, she said, “It is a great honor, and we will see him from time to time.” But that time never came. The next night, theOthers , the people from the far side of the planet, had invaded, and by the next morning, nothing was left. She saw her mother, her father, her other brothers and sisters, all slaughtered, and the trees that protected them, the precious trees, burned to the ground. She still remembered the shock and pain as the jeweled collar was placed around her neck, remembered how she had hissed and bit and fought to be free, to reach the bodies of her family; then she remembered the pain as something slammed into her head. When she awoke, she was at this palace, a small girl, still a child, locked in a large glass room with two observers staring at her. “Poor little thing,” the female gushed as she tried to open the glass door and enter. “Don’t!” the man ordered sternly. “She might be dangerous.” She remembered sitting in the corner, all but naked in the rags that once were her favorite morning dress, her tail clutched in her hand as she stared, big-eyed, at theOthers who were staring at her. “I want her!” the female said. “I need a new pet, and that one will do!” “Well,” the man hedged, “she is the last of her species. But I guessit’s okay for you to have such an exotic pet.” And that began her life as a pampered ornament, paraded out to impress visiting dignitaries, the perfect lap pet for a queen. But now, as she lay on that large, fluffy pillow, a long waterfall of silvery blond hair cascading over her bronze-gold skin, her tail wrapped tightly around her waist, her triangular ears pierced with several rare and expensive jewels, she realized that the hate was not gone. Yes, she was entering heat for a second time, and she knew that after this time, there would be no way they could cross breed her, as they had talked about earlier. When she was a child, like other females in her pack she had longed for cubs, children of her own. Now that she was grown, she had put those wonderful fantasies aside for a brutal and painful reality. She would give them no more of her people to enslave. She would deprive them of more beautiful pets to call their own, deny their fondest wishes. She had not spoken a word since she was taken, and they did not know that she could speak. But even if she did talk to these civilized barbarians, she would not tell them of her season.


Small revenge, she thought.Small, but wickedly delicious. She turned her small head to shoot golden daggers with her eyes at the couple who sat high on their thrones of flesh and blood. She was impotent to do more than that, with the slave collar still around her neck and several guards watching. But she felt the power building up inside of her and knew that she would attempt to use it, even without her counterpart. It might destroy her, but she didn’t care. She would choose her perfect time and place. She had given up all hope, and now she would give them a small taste of revenge, a small portion of the pain that she had been living with since her childhood, with a bit of humiliation thrown in for good measure. She had no other reason to live, and her hate sustained her. She purred lightly in her throat as she lay on her large pillow beside the queen. Yes, her time was coming soon, and if she did nothing else, she would take the queen down with her in destruction. She would make the king suffer. She would die with a bit of solace in her soul, but she would die. Of that, she had no doubt.

Chapter Two

“What is wrong with her?” the queen demanded of the harried groomers as she watched her most prized pet languish on her pillows. “Why is she acting this way?” She almost danced from foot to foot, so worried wasshe. Her pet was one of her only pleasures left in life, and she didn’t want to lose her. The groomer and the kingdom’s best naturalist had conferred earlier, and now they stood before the distraught woman, their faces grim. “We believe that she has come into her season, My Lady Queen.” One of the men looked down at the smirking feline creature. “If you are going to get a litter out of her, you had better find a stud now.” “But she is the last of her kind!” the queen wailed. “There are no more like her!” “Then she will have to ride out this season in misery, Lady,” the naturalist said.“Unless you have a similar species that may match her genetically.” “Do we?” The queen looked up at her husband as tears formed in her eyes. “Do we have to wait another year to mate her?” After a moment, the king turned to his wife and smiled. “Well, I had planned this as a surprise for later, but seeing that your pet project is so important to you, I shall have it brought around today.”


Surprise, she thought as she lay, listening to their words, noting how they talked about her as if she didn’t exist.Nothing can help you now! I am the last, and soon there will be none. She glared from her brightly colored pillows, curled up in a ball, and she silently laughed as the power built. Where would be the appropriate place to end this? Why, the throne room, of course. When he brought in his wife’s new toy, the thing that was supposed to save the queen’s precious plaything, she would unleash the past twenty years of anger and frustration. What better place to end it all, what better place to heap great shame and dishonor upon them than in the place where they felt the most safe and secure? She closed her eyes and waited. Her tail was wrapped tightly around her waist, her long, silvery hair hiding her amused yet jaded eyes, and blank face. What was a few more hours, when for this taste of revenge, she had waited years?

***** She was groomed to within an inch of her life. It was actually a part of her existence that she didn’t mind. Her groomers bathed her gently, using a special soap on her skin, making it as soft as the rose petals the queen sometimes lined her pillow with. Her nails, both fingers and toes, were buffed to a high sheen. Her claws had been regularly clipped since she was a child and had tried to end her own life with a well-placed thrust to the neck. She had been too weak and devastated by grief to do much damage then. That and, secretly, she wanted to live, to avenge her family. Her tail was long andgolden, the same dark gold as her skin, but it was tipped with a tuft of silver fur, a perfect accent to her uncommon beauty. Her gold eyes shone blankly, glassy and dazed, as if she were broken, but if one looked beneath the surface, they would find a keen intelligence and an animal-like cunning. No one ever looked. She was dressed in the leather-and-silk halter, the breast bands holding her less than generous endowments down. They made her seem more androgynous and less feminine, less humanoid. This was paired with a tiny loincloth of white silk and a short skirt of the same leather-silk blend. It was specially made to emphasize her tail, to make her differences more apparent. Around her ankles and wrists were hundreds of tiny gold chains, complete with glittering jewels in every shade known to these people. Hidden among those precious stones were little bells that tinkled when she walked, a degrading sound that brought home to her with each movement that she was a slave, less than human, a creature to be belled lest it get away from its master’s benevolence and do itself harm. Around her neck she wore a thick collar of gold. Encrusted with jewels, the thick plate rested warmly against her skin, but was solid enough not to be mistaken for jewelry. It was a royal stamp of ownership,


a sign to all who saw her that she was the queen’s property and, therefore, something to be gawked at and envied. Around her head lay a gold-link cap. The thin chain of metal encircled her ears, bringing them into focus, then trailed down her back. Three longer chains, tipped with blood-red jewels, hung down across her forehead, the longest, in the center, hanging between her eyes. She was an exotic and beautiful ornament! She hated it. Still, it was a fitting shroud for one such as her. She was led, bells tinkling, to her spot, a low cluster of pillows at the queen’s feet. Her groomers arranged her to perfection as she mutely looked at them with dazed eyes. They would suspectnothing, right up until the end was upon them. She drifted, lost in her own thoughts, and let the conversation swirl around her, paying it no attention,until ... First, there was a tingling in her spine. Lying supine as she was, the tingle caused her tojump, making her bells tinkle, but no one noticed her reaction. Next, there was a sizzle in the air, as if lightning had been released and its power was slowly fading. Her stomach clenched as she felt the power in her leap and roll to the surface of her control, not threatening to break free, but in acknowledgment of something. Then she heard it, the loud roar, the snarls, the growls that echoed around the room. All conversation ceased in the court as the large double doors were flung open and a small woman entered. “YourMajesty!” She bowed to the king. “Lady,” he replied as the woman rose to her feet. “I have found him, and I will gladly release him into your care.” The roaring became louder as he was brought closer and closer to the room. She lay now, still keeping up her disinterested façade, but inside, her heart was pounding, her stomach was in knots, and her head was reeling with signals that she had not felt before. There was a long clang, the sound of heavy chains, and a few muffled curses as his handlers struggled with him. Then he walked into the room, straight and proud, his handlers looking haggard and rough.


She gasped, but her small sound was lost in the echoes of those more important than she. Her eyes grew wide and her breath hitched in her throat. He was like her! He was one of her people ... and then again, he was not. Golden eyes roamed the room as his head lifted slightly, scenting, not missing anything in the room. Then his eyes, his molten eyes sparkling with flashes of silver, zeroed in on her. Unconsciously, she arched her back, a small hiss escaping her mouth as she felt his attention. He stood there, a frozen statue, a golden god, and examined her from tail to head, slowly. He tilted his head to the side, carefully, slightly, so slight a gesture that it went unnoticed by those who gawked at him. My, my, my! What have we here? His voice poured into her brain,sizzling her ears, making her eyes water, even though his lips moved not at all. She gawked at him. He was speaking inside her mind! She blinked rapidly, tears forming faster as she fought to hold them back. He was speaking inside her mind. He was like her! She was not alone!

Chapter Three

His markings,she thought in a daze.His markings are so beautiful. They covered the left side of his body, a body that was only clothed in the tiniest of loincloths. His hair was long and wild, hanging past his waist in a profusion of tangled waves, and his fur-tufted tail lashed back and forth impatiently. What?Nothing to say to me? His voice rumbled in her head, opening doors that were closed, filling her full to bursting with thoughts and ideas, with life that she had thought died years ago. Still nothing.He chuckled as he turned his head and observed his “trainers.” He growled low in his throat and laughed as they both jumped, almost losing their grip on the chain that bound his hands and wrapped around his waist. But then the queen spoke. “You can’t let that brute near my precious! He is too wild for her! He will harm her!” At the words, she turned to glare at the stupid woman. Harm her? As if the harm these people had already done was nothing! Again his rolling laugh startled her.


So it was you! I felt it; you are planning suicide. But if you can hold off on blowing us all to the next side, I think I may get us out of this. How is he speaking in my head?She stared at the man, her body relaxing back into the pillows. Your voice is so clear to me.He turned once again to zero in on her, making the small hairs on the back of her neck stand at attention.You think it, and I will hear you. He then turned to the royal pair and grinned, showing all of his teeth. The queen sucked in a deep breath and then hissed at her mate, “No! He will harm her! I want no part of this!” “If you want to mate her, this is your only chance. This species, so genetically close to your pet, is a rare find. He is being shipped out next week for our scientists to examine. He will not survive the tests, I tell you. You had better make up your mind now.” Generous of them.He watched the royal pair debate.They’ll give me one final thrill before my carcass is cut to bits. He didn’t seem at all worried. Are we ... are you real? At last! She speaks!He chuckled.For weeks, all we have been hearing is how you were planning on blowing yourself to the next realm, and when I get here to help you -- nothing. There are more of you? You can hear me? There are more of us. We never knew you existed until I felt your power. And no, not all of us can hear you.Just me ... and one other. She gaped at the man, but the words of the king drew her attention once more. “We will clean him up, and then we will mate them. You can watch if you’d like, but the naturalist said that they will not perform with an audience.” “But how can I protect her?” “We will put them in a natural habitat. If she accepts him, she will breed with him. If not, then she can run away. But I don’t think he will harm her. Most males go into season as the female enters her cycle.” There are more of you?sheasked, turning her golden eyes to his. Yes. Then get me out of here. Suddenly, I have a taste for living, even if I can’t slit that ... that ... thing’s throat.She hissed, nodding slightly in the direction of the queen. With pleasure.He lunged in her direction.


The handlers tried to hold him back, but he broke free and darted toward the royal pair. The guards brought up their weapons to halt him, the naturalist screamed not to injure him, and he collapsed at her feet, his head resting on her pillow. Now behave like an interested mate, lost one. The sooner we are left alone in the enclosure, the sooner we can leave. She hesitated a moment, looking confused at his unkempt state. But beyond that, there were the black markings. They outlined one eye, thin and almost fragile-looking, as if an artist had painted him with a fine brush. They emphasized the broad spade of his nose while drawing attention to his full lower lip. They highlighted his cheekbones and strong, stubborn chin, before trailing down his neck in an artistic scrawl. Here they became deeper and more intricate, flowing down his body, emphasizing the strength of his corded muscle. What?he grumbled, waiting for her to act appropriately. You stink! I am rather ripe. Days of captivity will do that to a man. I don’t know what to do. Didn’t they teach you anything? They who? Never mind! Stick your nose in my face and get a good whiff. Groaning, she leaned forward, her bells tinkling with her movements, and got really close to him. Very good,he praised.And stop wrinkling your nose. You had better get used to the scent. Fighting an urge to turn away and demand some water and soap, she leaned closer to him, her hair falling around her shoulders and face to hide their heads from view. But before he could instruct her more, some odd instinct took over. Purring deep in her throat, she ran her nose along his face, burying it in his hair. His smell was notall stink. Under that was an intoxicating smell.A smell of musk and wild trees that she wanted to take into her body and remember always. It was a smell similar to hers, but different in a stomach-clenching way. Purring, she buried her face under his chin, into his neck, mingling their hair and their scents. She didn’t know what came over her, but suddenly she wanted to roll under him and have his body caress her, to have his naked flesh pressed against hers. I was not mistaken,he whispered in her mind as his eyes began to glow. But she said nothing, losing herself in the touch of another of her kind, in the scent and feel of him. “I believe we will prepare him and send him to her this evening,” the king declared as he watched the two pets twine around each other. “We shall make a fortune off of her first litter.”


The male said nothing, but struggled a little as the handlers tried to pull him away to be groomed. It was she who protested, snarling and baring her teeth at the men who were taking her ... herhim away! Not now!hegrowled in her head.Hold it, before they decide not to do this thing. If we are to escape together, we must be put in a place of solitude. But ...She didn't understand her reaction. She felt so close to him, almost one with him. And now they were taking him away! Later, lost one,he purred.You can still speak with me, but you must control it. Soon, we will be free of this place and all explanations will be spoken. She shuddered as the power rolled through her form, making her shiver in sudden cold and whimper softly. You are close,he whispered, looking distressed as he took in her condition.Hold it, he urged as he was led from the room.Remember, I can hear your thoughts, and if it gets bad, talk to me. What do I ask?Her body was shuddering as she fought to maintain her former look of dignity. She tossed her hair back and tried to still the pounding of her heart. How about my name? What is your name? He-o. He-o? It means freedom. Freedom,she purred, rolling this small bit of his around her mind, tasting it for flavor.To be free. Her voice sounded wishful, as if hope was being renewed. With me, you will be free,he said, as he resisted long enough to stare at her again, to reassure her with his eyes, and then he was gone. “Prepare the room,” the king ordered as he patted his queen’s hands. “Your pet will be mated and the scientists will search out this new species.” “But I worry.” The queen stared at her pet. “I don’t want to lose her.” “Where will she go?” The king laughed, and the members of the court followed. “You worry too much. You get what you want, I get what I want, and she gets what she wants. All will be well." But she was not listening to the king and queen.Freedom.Soon.


Chapter Four

He-o snarled as he was shoved into a tiny, tile-covered room. His gold eyes flashed silver as he tugged at his chains and snarled at the frightened handlers. This was almost fun ...Well, it would be fun if so much were not resting on this operation. If he failed ... if they failed ... their people -But those thoughts were for later, he decided, as he tugged on the chains and almost succeeded in pulling one handler into the alcove of the room with him. “Damn, the beast is strong!” the man shouted as he let go of the chain rather than be pulled into what was a sure death at the hands of that creature. “Just start the waters,” the naturalist complained, staring into the eyes of the beast. He was like the others, the naturalist thought as she took in the masculine form, the deeply golden skin, the long black mane that matched the tuft of hair on the tail. But the most remarkable thing was those markings. Aside from the markings, whose purpose she deduced was camouflage, it was amazingly like the creatures they had accidentally wiped out while trying to get a decent mating pair. They almost looked human, she thought as she watched the male taunt the handlers. But she knew better. They could be used as pets if they were caught early enough, as in the case of the queen’s play toy, but if they were allowed to roam, unchecked, they would turn into a ravenous, murderous plague that would overrun civilized society. It was her job to study these beasts, and to ensure that day would never happen. She watched as the water began to spray down from the ceiling, covering the snarling, hissing male in its warm wetness, sliding down that perfect but alien musculature. Her breath began to quicken and, unconsciously, her hand went to her chest, feeling the increase of her heartbeat. A most magnificent beast, hard and firm, and the way the water forced the material of that loincloth to conform to every inch of his body, his thick muscular thighs, the large mass of hiscock ... Shaking her head, she pulled herself out of her dazed fantasy. These creatures were dangerous. Her reaction to this male was a perfect example of why they had to be controlled. How perverse was she to become aroused by watchingthat ... Oh! He was tugging at the wet loincloth, ripping it from his body, exposing his -Turning on her heel, she quickly exited the observation area. These things were dangerous. They had to be controlled.


He-o snickered to himself as the woman left. He had felt her watching him, smelled the arousal that poured off of her body. She wanted him. She desired his masculinity, his sex, his appeal, and his dominating presence. And that was probably the driving force behind her trying to eradicate their race. Too beautiful, too exotic, too much like theOthers , but with a tantalizing new twist -- they were sensually pleasing to these people’s weak and passionless senses. She was a hypocrite, like most of her kind, and he took great delight in pulling off the bits of clothing they had given him to hide his manhood, teasing her and taunting her with what her uptight morals told her she could not have. And, as expected, the little bitch turned tail and ran. Snorting, he lifted his face to the waterspouts shooting warm, soapy cleanser down on him and enjoyed the almost medicinal smell of the stuff washing away the stink and dirt of his contrived captivity. Then the washers came. It was expected and he was not going to fight them. He had wanted to be clean for days, and with a nose as sensitive as his, the washers were a blessing in disguise, saving him from his own stink. They came with long, soft brushes and cautiously began to scrub at his back and chest while the handlers reclaimed their chains and held him fast. But he was not fighting. It felt so damn good, this rough cleaning. Some substance was poured into his hair, and with a tug on his chains, he was forced to his knees. He ignored that as one washer approached and began to run impersonal fingers roughly through his hair, massaging his scalp and making it feel cleaner than it had been since he’d left Haven. He didn’t even mind the tentative hands that reached down to lift his cock and run a cloth over his heavy balls. He purred, not caring if the others saw his enjoyment. He was getting squeaky clean. There was one rough moment when one of his intrepid bathers tried to lift his tail to scrub underneath it, but a warning growl sent the man on to cleansing other parts. He even endured the parting of his hind cheeks and the rough cloth that scrubbed between, but no one tried again to lift his tail! It caused two reactions in a male in his prime -- mate or fight. And since none of these creatures were his type, he would have torn someone’s throat out before noticing that he was doing it. It was all instinctual, and he respected his roots and his nature enough to try and protect them. All too soon, the bathing came to an end, the warm water rinsed away the soap, his bathers scurried off, and his handlers tugged him to his feet. He was led out of that room, docile and placid because of the much-needed scrubbing, and even willingly lay on a large table to have his hair groomed and his skin oiled. They seemed fascinated by his markings, but they would never learn the secret, the meaning behind them. An attempt to trim his claws was stopped before it began, and not by him. “The naturalist said that we were to clean him only. His nails may be used in mating, and the scientists


want him in as natural a state as they can keep him.” Shrugging, the groomer left well-enough alone and concentrated on rubbing oil into the rough pads of his feet. The groomer was fascinated by this creature, and by the other one, but secretly, he felt it was not right to hold them in captivity. But since this was his job to do, he did it quickly and efficiently. Soon, the male was groomed and ready to be put in the habitat with the queen’s female. The groomer’s job was done. He only hoped that he got to care for the cubs before the king sold them all off. The thought of having a family unit broken up saddened him again, but he said nothing. He didn’t have the power to influence things.

Chapter Five

Something was wrong with her. She knew not what it was, but it was clawing at her, making her want to scratch at her arms and howl at the moon. There was a tingling -- no, more of an ache -- in the pit of her stomach that seemed to grow and intensify as her scant clothing pressed against her skin. It was an itchy feeling, a feeling that was growing every second, gnawing at her and making her ache for something she could not name or understand. After he had been taken away, she’d had to fight with everything in her not to attack the handlers and drag him back where he belonged. In her arms. She fought against the urge to squeal and screech and howl as she was taken away from him to the bathing room and given a rough scrubbing to remove the male’s filth from her skin, her ornaments taken away and her scant clothing removed. Now, she sat in the large, warm area they’d set aside for her ... waiting. They had said they would bring him back to her, that he was on his way, but the knowledge just made the ache worse, made it turn into a dull pain, an aching pain that was slowly taking over her mind. Her clipped claws dug at the soft dirt on the fragrant ground and she realized she was in the conservatory. The lush, earthy smell of the place only made her wish to run free, to climb trees, to scream wildly, and made the urge to force him to come to her even stronger. It was her right to be wild and free, and this need would have it no other way, would be satisfied with nothing less. But for now, she curled up in a small ball, as deep in the trees as she could get, and waited. She wanted to be alone, alone except for him. For him, she was waiting, was biding her time, was longing and pining, and a lot of other things she could not understand or explain. Her eyes were glassy and she felt almost drugged, a lethargy taking over her naked body that only made the ache all the more apparent. As she heard the first squeaks of the doors being opened, her heart lurched in her chest and her eyes sought out the opening, looking for him. It made her grow wet, there, between her legs, where the swelling was the worst. Her breasts ached,


her nipples hard buttons that begged for something that she could not give. Whimpering, she gently cupped each one, lifting it to take away the weight, to attempt to sooth the gnawing ache. It was not helping. But that was the first sight He-o saw as he was pushed into the area, the handlers quickly retreating as they dropped his restraints and slammed the door closed. She looked up, confusion in her eyes as she stared at the male. The reactions of her body, on the other hand, were anything but confused. His approach was met with a gush of wetness and an almost painful throbbing in her groin. She whimpered as her body crouched low, her hard nipples crushing against the leaf-covered ground. Her tail lashed hypnotically, rolling gently from side to side, drawing and holding his attention. “You didn’t wait for me,” he purred as he dropped to his knees, carefully crawling toward her. Please!Her mental voice sounded both eager and scared as her rear lifted into the air, the heady, musky scent of her filling his nostrils. “Soon,” he purred low in his throat as he began to circle her. Her body was a thing of beauty, not at all what he was used to -- softer, but very feminine. Her soft, glowing golden eyes met his, a plea and a demand in them as she sniffed the air, marking his arousal for her and keeping him within her sight. She might be in heat, but that was when a female was both most vulnerable and most dangerous. And, for a woman who contained the powers he felt she had, more desirable. Her eyes followed him, marked his every move even as her whimpering increased. As her ass lifted further into the submissive offering position, he could see the sweetly swollen lips of her sex dripping with her need, almost pulsing in her want. Yet he still held back, knowing that any female needed more. I offer you me,she purred, watching him as he circled her.I offer you everything that I am. “You offer me much, female,” he returned. “Yet you have not offered me your name.” What good is a name? I am in agony! You said you would fix this. Fix it! “Demanding creature,” he chuckled as he moved in and finally nuzzled at her neck. Ohh!she managed as a shaft of pure desire flowed through her belly and forced her knees to shake. Please! He moved to carefully hover over her, nuzzling aside her long, silver-blond hair and licking his rough tongue over the sensitive skin of her neck. Then, just as suddenly, she lashed out at him, a low hiss his only warning. She struck blindly, instincts taking over, as she began to fight him, forcing him to defend himself and prove his worth. He hissed, arching back and barely avoiding the brush of her blunted nails. They might not be sharp, but


at this level of closeness, she could tear out an eye or smash in his sensitive nose. His ears lowered tightly against his head as he growled, fire flying to his cock and pushing it from the sheath that housed him. His female was fiery and tempestuous. Good. No one liked a tame ride, and from the way her body writhed beneath his, this ride would be most enjoyable. Fool!she grumbled, eyes narrowing as her tail lashed faster. He narrowly evaded her swing, her right hand barely brushing against his skin, before that arm was captured and used to spin her around onto her back. “Eager,” he returned as he swiftly moved to cover her body with his own. “I like that.” Then there was no more room for talk. He buried his head in her neck, imprinting her scent on his brain as he pinned both her arms at her sides. She howled and bucked, but he held her fast, not allowing her to move an inch as his teeth clamped onto her neck. “Ah!” she squeaked, mentally purring as the muscles in her body froze. She was still dripping wet and eager for his touch, but his bite began to calm her. He purred at her, and she found herself returning the sound as he ran his face, his chin, over her body, marking her with his scent. He held his position, dominant atop her, pinning her down as his tongue lashed out to taste her soft golden skin. Lower and lower he lapped, roughly caressing her nipples with his tongue before sucking one deep into his mouth. A rolling hiss flowed from her, her body arching up into his caresses as light exploded behind her eyelids. More!she demanded.Give me more! Growling in pleasure, he released her nipple, letting the hardened tip get even more sensitive in the humid air of the conservatory as he moved to her other one, pulling it deeply into his mouth, nipping at it with gentle fangs. Her whole body writhed under his, arching and trying to get as much skin-to-skin contact as she could. She could feel his hard cock, unsheathed and still growing, pressed against her abdomen, too far away from where she needed his touch the most. Slowly, licking all the way, he began to lower himself, making a feast out of tasting her stomach, his tongue playfully dipping into her navel before he began to lap at her neatly trimmed pubic hair. Here, her scent was most heady, more powerful, more entrancing. He cautiously released one of her hands, wincing when she immediately buried it in his hair, pulling his head downward. Never one to ignore an invitation, he lowered his head further, his nose nuzzling at her clit before brushing against her swollen lips. She growled and purred at his light caresses, needing more to sate the fire boiling in her veins. She spread her legs wide, showing him where he was needed, demanding fulfillment with her actions. “Soon,” he purred. “Let me taste. I want to drink you down.”


Then his tongue was slowly lapping up her sweet wetness from her thighs, ghosting near her swollen lips but not quite touching. “Argh!” she growled as he pulled back to blow cool air across her swollen skin. His chuckle was felt more than heard against her sex, but still it made her claws dig into the rich earth, made her hips arch up in need. “I must taste you.” He lowered his head, his shoulders pushing her thighs wider apart, and allowed his tongue to foray into her sleek sex. What are you doing to me? Her mental words were slurred withpassion, her eyes wide open as sensations swamped her body. Her stomach tightened and her spine tingled. She itched and she burned. “You taste divine,” he purred, before putting his whole face in her pussy, lapping up her juices, and ravaging her flesh with his tongue. Her head whipped from side to side as she tried to ride out these incredible feelings. But it was too much; it was consuming her! She got some relief with the mewling cries that erupted from her throat, but the sounds only made her hungry for something else, something more. She wanted penetration. In me, now! She buried her hands in his hair as he tormented her. His hands gripped her hips, lifting her to gain better access to her pussy and clit. He growled as he shook his head from side to side, covering himself in her musk, getting her scent and taste all over his body. Her body arched into a tight bow, her hands gripping his head as tears rolled down her cheeks. Her eyes clenched shut, her body trembling in the passion that he aroused in her but still wanting more. He-o rolled the taste of her around his mouth. She was sweet, so damn sweet and hot. She was spicy, a treat for his taste buds. He drank her down. He had not known! He had not known that he was dying of thirst until his thirst was quenched with her. He felt his cock fully emerge from its sheath, the wet head quivering as it expanded just a little, and his balls churned within their sac. The primal need to thrust, totake, to penetrate soon took over his mind and body. He had his mate. Now it was time to claim her. He pulled back, one hand releasing her, to stroke the head of his cock where the bittersweet droplets of hisprecum pooled. His thumb slowly massaged the fluid into his skin, his fingers stroking his hardness as he stared intently at her pink, pulsing pussy. Finally, he leaned over her, supporting his weight with both hands, his face right above hers. Her hands, still tangled in his hair, began tugging, urging him closer. She mewled, her whole body instinctively arching up toward his as he covered her. She could feel his heat, his hardness, and knew that he was exactly what her body needed.


“This will not hurt,” he whispered. “There is never pain between a true mating.” She ignored his words. Her hands moved down to grip his shoulders, her blunt nails dimpling his skin. Sweat covered them both and their hair flung wildly as the mating dance began to consume them. “Inside!”She could not wait any longer. She needed fulfillment and she knew it would be found within his body. His hips pressed to hers. He supported himself on one hand as the other sought out his swollen cock and guided it to her wet heat. She was tight. She was tight and wet and she was sucking him in as if she couldn’t get enough. For a moment, He-o stopped, savoring the exquisite heat that surrounded his cock. He growled low as he clenched his eyes and his fists, struggling not to erupt within her before she was properly breached. She gasped at his intrusion, but the welcoming stretch of his manhood inside her sent shivers down her spine. Her legs wrapped around his waist and pulled. It was such a good burn, him sliding slowly within her. But she was sure it would feel so much better if only he would move! He gritted his teeth and gasped as he felt the flange around the head of his cock snap open, trapping him inside of her until the pressure of her release freed him. His eyes still closed, he slid further, now biting his lip as her body started to wiggle and churn beneath him. All too soon, he was fully inside, pressed as far as he could go, buried to his base, his balls slapping gently against her ass. Once he reached this depth, he paused, trying to relearn how to breathe as he tossed his head back, flinging tendrils of hair and sweat out of his eyes. His tail lifted and wrapped tightly around her thigh, binding her to him as surely as the flange of his cock held them joined. Her whimpers and the small thrusting movements of her hips were driving him mad! He struggled to hold onto his control, knowing that there would be no climax for him until she was completely satisfied. Her tail lashed wildly, finally settling around his arm, tightening as the urgency in her grew. Move! Even mentally, he could hear that hiss in her voice. He opened his eyes and looked down to see her gold,slitted eyes boring into him. They began to glow with an inner power and strength as she tightened her inner muscles around him. A purr burst from his throat, sending vibrations through his body straight down into hers, touching all the delicate places that his hooded cock missed. She hissed in response, her head going back, offering her throat in a form of submission. His purr turned into a growl as he lowered his head and accepted her submission, his teeth latching into her neck, breaking the skin as the sweet, hot taste of her blood filled his mouth. Ah!Her scream was low and pulsing, sending an answering vibration through his body. It was too much! He released her flesh and his hips began to move, thrusting him deeply inside her.


She was screaming now, her voice rising in pitch as he slammed home, his purr and the flange of his cock sending ecstasy spiraling through her body. Faster and faster he moved, and she arched her hips upward, taking all of him as deeply and as quickly as she could. She could feel the magic in her rising, rising up and spilling over. But something was holding her back. She sobbed in frustration, her nails digging into his back as her legs tightened even more around his waist. His tail unwrapped from around her thigh, the bushy tip lashing as it settled between her legs. She shrieked as the soft hair brushed rhythmically against her clit, adding fuel to her inner fire and sending shudders though her body. Then it was gone, caressing her back passage and the gold cuff that encircled the base of her tail. Ican’t! her mental voice sang to him.I ca-can’t! Oh, please. This is killing me! Then his tail wrapped around hers, tightening at the base and sending a new flash of pleasure through her body. It was enough. With his tail ruffling her, his cock rubbing againstshocky , sensitive places deep inside, with his huge body dominating hers, his scent filling her nostrils, she felt herself fall. The power in her surged up as her head jerked further back, her eyes and mouth open on a silent scream. Her muscles locked and her body froze as his pumping, pulsing cock sent her over the edge. Creator, yes!he bellowed, his voice loud in her mind as her passion pulled him under on a wave of ecstasy. Her muscles rhythmically clenched around his cock, massaging his head, forcing the blood in his flange to send a signal straight to his balls. They clenched up tight, his cock thickened, and then he was exploding, sending shot after shot of white-hot seed deep into her body. Reflexively, his cock continued to thrust deep within her as his hips jerked uncontrollably with the sensation of his own climax. She was now whimpering underneath him, her tail tightly entwined with his, her heart racing in her chest. All she could see was him, her male, her savior, her mate. The power within her tightened one last time, causing her inner muscles to contract.The bond she felt within in her mind, his tickling presence, became a solid, almost tangible, thing. For the moment, he was her world. His scent covered her; his taste was rich on her tongue, the sound of his purring soothing even as he jerked wildly on top of her. There was one last thing to do. Her instincts drove her to it. She looked over the corded muscles of his neck, saw the veins pulsing beneath his skin, and gave in to the urge to bite. Her teeth sinking deeply into his flesh sent one final shot of fire through his system. It defeated him, knowing that she was claiming him as he claimed her. His body collapsed on top of hers, his purr growing louder as she pulled her teeth free, licking the small wound she’d made in his flesh. Mine!her voice mentally trilled as she settled into the warm heat of his body, post-coital bliss taking over.Mine. “As you are mine,” he whispered back, dropping his head to the rich earth that cradled them, and letting


his arms tighten around her.“As you are mine.”

Chapter Six

“They are coming for us.” He-o’swords drew her out of her sexual lethargy and forced her to concentrate. They were coming? Who? Surely not them?Not the hated ones with their banal laughter and their skewed reasoning that refused to see her as a sentient being, worthy of respect and freedom? Her tail tightened around his thigh, pulling him in closer to her, trying to protect him as well as hide them both. It was confusing, this wanting to run and hide, wanting him to run with her, but knowing that he would rather fight to the death. But she didn’t want his death, didn’t want him to fight an enemy that she knew he could not defeat. She knew these beings, these creatures that looked like humans and walked like humans, but were more monstrous than any creature she could ever recall in her wild life before she was brought here. Fight, flee, run,hide ! Her mind was screaming at her; her heart was pounding; her breath rasped in her throat. Too many conflicting emotions, too much after just having the power torn from her in such an electrifying climax! Then her eyes narrowed in anger; her breathing hitched as she began to growl. All that information, all the signals her body was sending to her brain, it all added up to one thing in her mind. Fight! She would kill them! She would kill them all! She would rend them to shreds and bathe in their blood! Where were they? “Calm down, wildcat,” He-o whispered, not wanting to add to her already tattered emotions. “I don’t think it is something you need to worry about.” She didn’t realize she had sent her thoughts to him, but she turned to face her mate, all of that chaotic emotion bearing straight down on him. “Shh,” he soothed, his tail wrapping around her waist as he slowly eased one hand into her thick, tangled hair, rubbing the back of her head and the base of her neck as he rolled to ease her down to rest on his chest, his other hand stroking her back. “Shh. It’s safe, lost one. It’s safe. These are friends.” Friends? She deliberately sent this time, having someone actually be able to hear her something new and exciting. She turned her attention toward He-o and tried to control her racing heart.


“Yes, my lost one.Friends. I can feel them approach.” Feel?Yet I feel nothing! “It is not for you to feel, lost one.” Her eyebrows wrinkled in annoyance. Why did he insist on calling her that weird name? All thought of theOthers vanished as she relaxed in his confidence. Really, she had no idea she was following his subtle lead, allowing his actions to dictate her own. Why must you call me that? “Why do you not speak to me?” I am. “Use your voice.” I ... I can’t. "Why?” I ...She began to fidget a little, turning her head to the side so that he could not see her eyes.I ... But anything she would have thought was washed from her mind as their scent, the smell of the intruders, exploded over her senses. Instantly, her hackles rose as her gaze darted around the greenery, peering into the shadows and around the humid chamber. “It’s okay, little lost one,” he purred, running his fingers along her back as he eased his tail from around her waist and rolled on top of her, shielding her with his body. “Come no further,” he whispered. She struggled as she sensedthem coming closer, three of them -- and she felt them! After so many years of feeling nothing, to first hear him in her mind, and now ... now ... All of her senses were coming alive and her body didn’t know how to react. “Spirited one, isn’t she?” She could hear the amused voice as the presence stopped beside them. “Have I ever thanked you for sending me out to investigate those strange power upsurges?” There was a grin in He-o’svoice, but there was also a thread of warning, an unspoken command to back off. “He-o!” another, more feminine, voice groused. “Are you planning on letting her up so that we can get out of here, or is it your plan to soothe her to death so that it doesn’t matter?” That voice sent a shockwave of panic down her back. That was a female! She wasn’t alone!


But theOthers , the evil Others, liked females! She had to warn the female about them, to make them protect her! Make them go!she sent frantically to him.It is not safe! “Shh, Little One,” he soothed, his fingers still caressing the back of her neck. “We are safe for now. We will all go.” But the female! They will take her! They will harm her! “Hush, Little One,” he breathed. His grip on her tightened, pulling her face into his neck, making sure his chest pressed flush against hers. Then he began to purr low in his chest. The soothing rumbles reverberated through his body and enveloped her whole being.When she calmed somewhat, He-o turned worried eyes to his companions. “Is the way clear?” “For the next few moments,” a deep voice intoned. This voice was much stronger and carried an air of unmistakable leadership, and was all the more powerful for its soft tone. “Kobaye?”He-owhispered, amazement in his voice. “Quickly, dress the female so that we may be off. You know that this is just the beginning of her cycle, and it will take several more times before this mooning is over.” The voice jerked him into action. He looked down at his mate and a broad smile spread across his mouth. “Turn away, if you will. I will need clothing for her.” A bundle landed beside them, and there were slight shuffling sounds as the trio turned away and blended into the dark shadows cast by the foliage. “We must hurry, little one.” He-o rose up over her and reached for the bundle of clothing. Shaking it loose, he pulled out from the tangle of dark cloth a pair of long, dark pants and a tight band top. Both were designed to protect vulnerable parts of the body while allowing the skin to breathe. The band top was perfect for holding the breasts tightly where a bounce could cause pain and distraction that could hinder their escape. But she sat there, not touching the clothing, confused and a bit frightened. The prospect of freedom was like an abstract dream, one she had never thought she would achieve. Her freedom, in her mind, came with her death and the deaths of those who had tortured her, demoralized her,treated her as if she were less than an animal. Never had the concept developed to the point where she saw herself outside of the confines of this compound. This was not death, the freedom of oblivion, the freedom from decision-making and choices. This new freedom, this liberation, was as heady as it was frightening. And she had no idea how to don those clothes! "As much as I love the look of you naked and wanting,” He-o purred, “we really need to dress so that we may leave this kind hospitality behind.”


I-I don’t know how! Her frustration and exasperation were clear. These clothes were foreign to her. This man, He-o, as pleasurable as her time spent with him had been thus far, was still as alien to her as those leather strips. She reached out a quivering hand to take the larger garment from him. It held none of the ties and jewels that she was used to. Were those long tubes for her legs? Why was it such a dark color? The curious kit in her wanted to know. “Kittling,” He-o sighed. “Work with me here. Put the pants on. They slide up your legs and the lacing at the top will hold them in place around your hips.” But I am still sticky with you!He wanted her to put on clothing without first bathing? “I promise you, we will stop to bathe at the first stream we cross. But please, little lost one, put the pants on. I will bind your breasts.” Although it pained him to say so, their need to escape was more important than a longer view of those perfect orbs bared for display. She marveled at the clothing as it slid onto her body. It was a bit uncomfortable, different than what she was used to, but it fit. There was even a hole for her tail to slide through, though her gold cuff at the base got caught. She rose to her feet, twisting to the side and admiring the dark cloth against her pale skin. She looked up as He-o approached with the bindings, quickly wrapping her breasts firmly, but not too tightly. She smiled at the effect. She was being supported and covered at the same time. This new form of clothing was wonderful! And so warm, she decided as the leather began to heat up with her body’s temperature. Ignoring her delight, because if he watched her for much longer primping in the poorly made traveling clothes, he would go mad, He-o quickly donned the pants that were provided for him and gripped her hand. “Time to go, kittling,” he whispered and made his way into the deep foliage of the atrium. Freedomawaited , and he was anxious to release his woman into the wild.

Chapter Seven

Their way out was simple. Follow the scent of those who went before to the tiny tunnel beneath the retaining wall. It was simple -- or rather, it would have been simple, He-o mused, if his mate were not intent on sniffing at everything, touching the undergrowth as if she had never seen greenery before, or questioning him every second. He-o?What is that smell?she sent, looking in the direction of a compost heap.It is not very pleasant. “Compost,” he whispered, trying to be patient but losing his composure and fast losing his temper. “It is


compiled of decaying leaves and organic waste products. It is used to feed the plants.” At his words, she jerked back from a huge green leaf she was fingering. Plants eat?Organic things? Are we not organic? She shied away from a clump of underbrush he held for her to pass, shaking her head as if she expected the stuff to hop up and eat her whole. “Not the organic things the plant needs, little one.” He sighed and gestured her through. “And you have to hurry, unless you want to be part of the breeding program.” Blinking large golden eyes at him, she nodded and cautiously, almost timidly, passed though. She came up against a small concrete barrier that had held out the outside world for years. It was covered in vines and greenery and looked impossible to penetrate. How ...?she began, but he lifted his head, scented the air, and pointed her toward a shadowy corner. Once he pulled his body through the small opening, he gripped her hand and pulled her toward the shadows. “If you pay close attention, and if you scent just so, you can feel the fresh air currents.Kobaye and the others are waiting on the outside.” The female? Again, there was a touch of fear in her voice, but determination to get the woman away from this place remained. “Yes, the female, and the others.” He-o dug his fingers through the tangle of vines and unearthed a small, shallow pit. “In you go.” In there?she asked, raising her eyebrows as she turned to look back at him in confusion.In that hole? “Tunnel,” he responded and gave her a little shove. Deciding to trust him a bit -- since the others were there, it was proof that one could leave -- she placed one tentative hand on the edge of the divot and peered inside. “Oh, for ...” she heard, before hands on her bottom gave her a hard shove and she fell face-forward into the pit. If she could have screamed, the whole of the castle would have heard her complaining yowls, but instead, only a surprised gasp left her throat. She landed face-first in the dirt, soft soil falling to land in her silvery blond hair and to slide beneath her breast bindings, Stupid male!she mentally castigated him, her hands scrambling to find purchase in the soft, dirty ... dirt! Insensitive cur! But then there was an arm reaching in, a hand feeling around for her. It ... the scent was what he used. It smelled vaguely familiar. Maybe it was the smell of her people, she decided as the large appendage felt around in the soft dirt. She realized that she was shying away and cursed herself mentally. There was nothing to fear here; they


were letting her out. Besides, was she not the female who, mere hours ago, had sworn to die and to kill as many of the murderers as the build-up of energies within her body could possibly kill? She was brave, she reminded herself, despite these new and unsettling circumstances. “Will you move?” He-o hissed, sounding a bit worried as he urged her to go through. “They will be checking on us soon!” Biting back a whimper that wanted to slide out of her throat, she gathered her courage,squinted her eyes shut, and reached for the hand. She felt the large, callused palm and the tight grip before she was hauled forward. Strength, she decided. This person possessed great strength. Then she felt something that was like a pressure drop, like the weight of the world had passed from her shoulders, like she had brushed off her mantle of worries and problems. The shadow of the wall, almost a dark presence, passed over her head as she was raised up, as other hands gripped at her arms and pulled. Then her head was rising, like swimming up from her bathing pool. The darkness that had held her imprisoned for so long, that had slowly sucked the life from her body, was sliding away an inch at a time. And then there was this new air, this cooler, enveloping air that surrounded her body. It smelled strange and it was filled with sounds! She quivered, her ears dropping flat against her head as these new, unfamiliar sounds attacked her senses. There were flying creatures and the sounds of things running through the jungle. There was the breathing and the whispered words of her companions. It tasted odd, this air, not like the stuff that she was used to breathing, the stuff tainted with the scent of theOthers and their artificial perfumes and their hairless bodies. This was different. It all was. And it was glorious! She was aware, in some part of her mind, that she was placed onto the damp grass, grass wet with waters that smelled cool and refreshing and crisp. She was vaguely aware, in some other part of herbrain, that her mate, the one named He-o, was behind her; she could scent him and the leather he wore. And she was aware of the others. She could feel the weight of their stares as she knelt on the wet grasses. But she didn’t care! She didn’t care! She was finally free. At last, she was free! She slowly opened her eyes and gasped as she saw before her what previously her mind could only attempt to conceive. There were trees, yes, and grasses, yes, and her own people! And over there, there was a female, one of her kind. She was not alone! Tears suddenly sprouted and ran unchecked down her face. A sound caught in her throat, but she held it back. She was free.Blessedly and completely free. She turned to look at the others, but got only vague impressions. There was the one who had lifted her from the hole, the impatient one, He-o, but then her eyes went flying back to the female. Disbelievingly, she reached one hand out, one wondering,quivering hand. She reached out to the female,


and slowly her own hand was enveloped in thefemale’s , smaller than the males, but just as tough and calloused. A small, high-pitched moan left her throat as their hands touched. Then she closed her eyes, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably. She was free. And she was not the only one of her kind. There was another female. She was not alone. “Kind ofscrawny,ain’t she?” a feminine voice hissed as the hand was tossed aside. That broke the spell for her. She opened her eyes and stared in disbelief at the scorn on the other female’s face. “Not worth the trouble,” the green-eyed female hissed again, then turned to make her way into the encroaching jungle. She knelt there, her tears drying on her face and disbelief in her eyes.Why? Her voice exploded into He-o’smind, along with the waves of grief and confusion that filled her mind. “BecauseJihi is a bitch.” Her world crumbled, just a little. It crumbled and the taste of freedom suddenly was not as sweet as it appeared.

***** “This is not proper.” Kobaye’swords, though short, conveyed the feelings of each one in the search-and-rescue party as they stealthily made their way through the jungles ofKazaba . AfterJihi’s unwarranted outburst, silence had fallen upon the group, silence and a confused sadness that seemed to emanate from the lost one. She walked quietly ahead, struggling to keep up with the pace thatKobaye set and not complain. Her mental voice was quiet, but her face was drawn and confused. For someone used to composing her face into a blank mask, it was telling that such emotion showed. She plodded along, arms crossed over her chest in a defensive position, as if the vocal rebuke was a physical attack. Jihi, for her part, slid in and out of the shadows, her darker skin and hair blending perfectly. But all could see the glitter of her green eyes as she glared at the useless female, watching like a hungrysherpa for her to make a mistake. He-o walked beside his mate, wondering what the hell was going on.Kobaye’s words struck a chord with him, and he mentally reviewed all that had happened,all that would makeJihi behave this way. He turned to their other companion,Eza , and wondered at the angry look on the man’s face. “What the hell happened?” he asked, looking from both women to both men. “What did I miss?”


“Nothing!”Jihisnapped. “I’ll scout ahead.” And then she was gone, her chocolate-colored hair and skin blending with the shadows. His mate, of course, said nothing, but winced at the scathing toneJihi used, and the glare she shot at her. Kobaye sighed, his massive shoulders shrugging as they watchedJihi storm off. His black eyes were almost lost in the markings that completely covered his body and face. The broad waves and swirls accented his high cheekbones and strong jaw, while the dark lines that trailed down from the inside corners of his eyes, the tear lines, seemed to wave and move with his confusion. His seven-foot body was covered in the same liquid tattoos that seemed to flow as he moved, accenting his muscles and powerful frame. Like the other males, he wore only dark leather pants, but the deep gold of his skin, combined with the broken patterns of his markings, made him almost disappear into the jungle as they moved. His long, dark hair was looped and twisted into a war knot at the back of his head, a place where no enemy could grab it and use it as a weapon. And just in case some enterprising enemy tried it,Joba thorns, poisonous and deadly to those who were not of this planet, were woven throughout, ensuring a long and painful death to oneso bold as to touch his hair. It was not likeKobaye to leave the village; it was an occurrence that only happened with the direst of situations.Kobaye was their strength, the one they all drew their powers from, and for their most honored and sacred being to go on this simple retrieval ... It was singular. Eza, on the other hand, was known for his stealth and skills in outsmarting the aliens that had brought ruin to their planet.Eza was shorter than He-o, but only by a few inches. His markings covered the left half of his face and body, the patterns almost delicate and amazingly thin, and as unusual as his amber-colored eyes. His eyes constantly moved, taking in the surrounding area as they traversed deeper into the forest, quickly leaving the Others’ territory. Eza, as usual, paid little or no attention to the internal struggles that were going on around him. He was a soldier, and his job was to get them all, especiallyKobaye and the female, back to their home territory safely. He was not about to fail. So He-o’squestion went mostly unanswered as they plodded through the darkness, trying to get as much space as possible between theOthers and themselves before the night gave way to the dawn. They traveled a mile or more. She stumbled a bit, but bit her lip in determination. She would not be a burden; she would not be a liability. She would not get them caught. It was an uncomfortable mission, made even more so by the estrangement. No one could understand how it started or why it was so important. Finally, as the blackness of the jungle was starting to give way to the deep purple of dawn,Kobaye called a halt. “There are caves, I believe,” he spoke, his deep, soft voice commanding, but his words polite. How does he know?She asked the first words since she had pulled herself together to get to their destination. She looked curiously over at her mate. “Because he just does,” He-o answered, his voice filled with respect. “Kobayeis one with the land, with Mother Earth. She speaks to him.”


***** That morning, she tried to close her eyes and rest as she had been told, but it was hard. The ground was cold; the daylight was calling to her, even in the dim recesses of the cavern that they all shared. The sounds outside were so strange. Never, while trapped in her opulent cell, had she ever seen sunlight that was not filtered through windows. The breeze carried the smells of life. The sounds during the day were even more amazing than the ones at night. And the feel of the other bodies around her ... How could she sleep and miss out on a single second of this? But He-o insisted. So now she lay in a pile of other bodies while her mate was out doing something called “watch.” The largest male,Kobaye , the one with the living markings on his body, lay closest to the door, protective of this small band. The other male lay closer toKobaye , who shifted furtively in his sleep. The hostile female ...Jihi was as far away from her as she could get without leaving the cave. She still had no idea why. She could feel the thoughts of hermate, feel his emotions as he cautiously prowled around the area that they had chosen for this daytime rest. But why could she still not relax and sleep? She sighed and stretched, her tail going out straight back as she raised her arms as far as she could reach them over her head. Tendons and joints popped quietly, reminding her that her body had done more work in the previous night than ever before in her entire life. Her muscles ached in places, but it was a good ache. Her feet were the real problem. She stretched her legs out and extended her toes, rolling them, trying to relieve some of the dull ache that had settled there. “You are all but useless.” The hissed words surprised her enough to make her jump, causing the men to stiffen slightly in their slumber before returning to a more relaxed sleep. She turned her golden eyes to the one who was speaking to her as if she were the lowest of the low. Green eyes glittered back at her, no compassion or guilt at the harsh words. All she could read were malice and anger. She sighed and shook her head at the other female. Why did this creature hate her so? She had done nothing to her, and yet the female seemed to loathe her very presence! “You are nothing.” The words cut deep inside her, playing upon her deepest self-doubts and insecurities. “I pity you.”


At those words, she cringed, curling into herself, trying to hide from the scorn that was being shot in her direction. Jihirolled to her knees, one magnificent, graceful move, her eyes set steadily on the cringing female. She moved closer, her eyes mere slits, so narrow were they, intent on intimidating her. She tried to face this new threat bravely, but her mind was screaming at her to move, to run, to defend or flee. She never got to do any of those things, because just as her panicked mind was forcing her to make some decision, He-o returned, his slide into the mouth of the cave showing his urgency. “Eza,Kobaye , hunters are approaching. We have to ...Jihi ?” He noticed the woman’s position, the attack stance, and looked around to see what had grabbed the female’s attention. The only thing in the room, besides the leader and the warrior,was ... “What is the meaning of this?” he hissed, turning his flashing gold eyes ontoJihi , noticing how she cringed back but still shot his mate dirty looks. “What is it?”Kobaye’s calm voice inserted. “The way you rushed inside ...” “The Others.”He-o turned his attention from the female and his mate to look at their leader. His dark markings were swirling around him, showing his agitation and unease. Like uneasy waves on the ocean, they ebbed and flowed around his body, twisting into sharp, angry hills and spikes before they calmed somewhat. “Yes?”Kobaye asked,then froze, his eyes going wide and blank for a moment. Finally, he blinked rapidly and slowly nodded. “I understand.” He spoke softly, as if to a person, but he clearly addressed no one in the cavern. “We have to leave now.” He gracefully moved to his feet, his gaze taking in the small party that now stood awake and alert. “He-o,” he continued. “You and your mate will head east, circle around the Great River, and take the less direct route to our people.Eza and I will go west and draw their attention.Jihi will go with you, He-o.” “No!” the dark female hissed, her green eyes narrowed in anger. “I will stay with you!” Suddenly, it was as if the temperature in the cave dropped several degrees. The tattoos that slowly moved about his body froze andKobaye’s dark eyes zeroed in onJihi . “You will do as I say,” he hissed, his voice low with a definite growling undertone. The markings around his eyes widened and darkened until it seemed the whole of his eyes were lost in an endless sea of black. “Are my words acknowledged?” Instantly,Jihi , He-o, andEza were on their knees, heads nearly touching the ground, bowing before the barely contained power withinKobaye .


“I meant ...”Jihi began, but was swiftly cut off. “I know what you meant, and what you have been doing,Jihi . Now you know this: I will not tolerate this insolence, this disregard for others’ emotional needs. I will not tolerate this insane jealousy. She has done nothing to you to warrant this behavior. If anything, you should be thanking the Creators that we retrieved our lost sister.” Jihiflinched under that stare and quickly dropped her eyes back toward the ground. “As penance, you will travel with He-o and She Who Has YetTo Be Named. You will endeavor to teach her our ways. You have two days before your party will reach the People. By that time, she will know the basics of our life and the history of our people.” Jihinodded, though the sullen look never left her face. “She was willing to sacrifice her freedom to see you,Jihi , another female, not end up as she has.” Inside,Jihi winced a bit at this, her mind going over all the things that the others could do easily that eluded her, but her face remained calm and impassive. “I understand,”Jihi muttered.Kobaye let out a small chuckle, the dark bands around his eyes lightening and thinning until they appeared to be his more normal, cheerful grouping of markings, flowing gently round his body. “No, you do not, kittling, but you will, one day.” AsKobaye’s anger eased,Eza and He-o slowly rose to their feet and approached their leader. “We need to leave now,” He-o said respectfully. “They are near the base of this mountain range, and daylight is not a good thing to hide us all in shadows.” Kobayenodded at He-o and extended one thickly muscled forearm. Instantly, He-o extended his, resting arm against arm. “Brother.”Kobaye nodded as the bands around his arm wavered, thickened, and slowly rose from his skin. The living marks wrapped around He-o’sarm, making the skin tighten and shiver; then the markings that covered the left side of He-o’sbody swirled and quivered in return. Her eyes widened as she observed this, wondering what it was all about. It was almost too much. First, she had to confront the huge male who seemed to radiate comfort and warmth, but whose strange living markings seemed to be constantly caressing his body. Then, there was the irate female, who seemed to hate her for no apparent reason. Finally, there was the silent male warrior who still hadn’t said a word. Now this! He-o’smarkings were alive and apparently pleased at the contact with the huge male. What was with these people? Her eyes widened and she began to shake as reaction set in. First the escape, then the march to Creator-knows-where, the near attack -- for she was sureJihi was going to do her physical harm -- and now they were going to split up and run again? Maybe she would


have been safer just self-destructing and ending it all. That would have been a lot easier! In her distress, she never even realized that she was backing up, moving closer to the entrance,a small whimper rolling from her throat. At that sound, He-o turned his attention away from their leader, his gold eyes zeroing in on her, his markings swirling about his body, slowly coming to life. It was just too much! Her tail raised high, her hair standing on end, she hissed,then jerked her body around to escape the cave and all of its strange inhabitants who were now quite scary to her confused mind. She never even realized she was moving. Her mind had shut down and her body was reacting, moving by pure instinct. She raced down the mountain, heading roughly east, but haphazardly, tearing up the underbrush with flailing arms and frantic feet, leaving a clear trail to mark her passing. Escape,her instincts told her.Flee! No more! No more! Mindlessly, she obeyed. She was not aware of He-o biting out a harsh curse and tearing away fromKobaye to follow, or the sullenJihi shooting their leader a smug look beforeshe , too, tore out after the whining female. All she was aware of was the bright sun above, the fresh air swirling past her body as she raced away from the frustration- and confusion-causing beings, and the fact that, finally, she was escaping all that tormented her. She raced ahead so hard that she never even noticed the man, one of theOthers , stepping out from behind a boulder, capture net in hand. But as she hit the ground hard, her breath leaving her in a rush, tangled in the thick, silky, sticky threads of his net, her frozen mind flashed to lucid and she realized something else. Freedom was fleeting and easily taken away.

Chapter Eight

“Damn them!” He-o’sgold eyes simmered like lava as he watched the strange man report on a small device, tightening his grip on the bound female’s net. “What are you going to do?”Jihi growled as the two ducked behind some boulders, mere footsteps away from the struggling captive female and the man who dared to trap her. “You should just leave her and ...” “Hush!” he hissed, his eyes narrowed, his ears swiveling forward to listen in on the words the man was saying. “...captured . The queen will be pleased. I am fifteenflegs from the base of theHasit Mountain range. Expect extraction team in three turns of the dial.Will remain on alert.Received.”


“They are coming for her.” He-o’svoice was low and growling, his golden eyes burning as he watched the man kneel down and stroke his captive’s leg. “Looks all too human to me,” the soldier chuckled, touching her more as she squirmed away from his touch, helpless to even scream at him to let her be. “Let them take her back,”Jihi insisted, tugging on He-o’sarms as they crouched in the dubious shielding of the huge pile of rocks. “She will be better there. This life we lead will kill her!” “Remove yourself from my person!” He-o suddenly snapped, jerking away from the darker female, mindless of the fact that mere footsteps away, the enemy waited on alert. “You will help me or you will go! I have no need of a jealous bitch-cat hanging onto my tail. If you do not wish to be here,Jihi , then absent yourself. Whom I take to mate is none of your affair, anyway, and I don’t like the way you are treating my mate!” He-o blocked out any response thatJihi could make. He did not want to hear the spiteful words of the odd female. The only feminine voice he wanted to hear was his mate’s, and she was silent on that front. All he could read from his position was horrifying fear, frustration, and a vague sense of confusion. She was panicking, twisting and spitting in thenet, her ears laid back and ready to fight. “Damn them, I have to help her!” He-o growled, rising to his feet, not caring about any advanced weapons that theOthers possessed. He just wanted his mate back. He wanted her safe and purring in his arms! IgnoringJihi’s attempts to stop him, He-o rounded the boulders at a run, his vision narrowed in on the spectacle of the other male trying to subdue He-o’smate, caressing her legs and looking around worriedly. He should have been more worried. With a roar of rage, He-o launched himself at the soldier, throwing all of his body weight into the lunge, taking the unprepared man down before he could move. “Animals, are we, to trap and torment?” He hissed in the man’s face as they hit the ground, the fallen soldier on the bottom. He-o bared his fangs and narrowed his eyes at the man, his hands grappling with the soldier’s, holding him firmly on his back. “Mother of God!” the soldier cried out, his eyes wide in shock as he felt his bladder release. “You can talk!” He whimpered as the strange man-beast slapped him across the face, leaving bruises in his wake. “And I can kill you so easily.” He-o allowed his claws to escape from their sheaths,then slammed them deeply into the rock right beside the man’s face. Paying no heed to the chips of stone that sprayed the soldier, cutting into hisface, He-o ripped his claws out and pressed them to the whimpering man’s throat. He could smell the fear running off ofhim, see death of his making reflected back at him in eyes so wide that it looked painful and unnatural.


“Please ...” the man whimpered. “I don’t want to die.” “Then you should have never placed your hands on my mate!” “Orders!”The man squealed as He-o tightened his grip. “I was only following orders!” “Then you can follow them into the afterlife!” he hissed, drawing back his fist to deliver the fatal plunge. He-o? That voice stilled his hand. His head jerked to the side and golden eyes glimmered back at him. He-o?I’m so scared! His mate! She needed him. Growling in frustration, He-o balled his fist, and instead of delivering a death blow, knocked the man unconscious. He had to deal with his mate, and he was sure that the smell of blood would only make her more skittish. “Shh, little one,” he purred, rising and inelegantly kicking the man aside. “I am here.” He-o? “Here,” he breathed as he crossed over to his mate. “I’m here, kittling.” Her face looked so fragile, so confused and scared through the web of sticky netting that held her. Grumbling, he unsheathed his claws again and began the arduous task of picking and slicing the netting away and freeing his mate. “We have to hurry,”Jihi murmured as she stealthily slipped up to his side. “They are coming.” “Let them wait!” He snarled, turning his wild-eyed gaze to the dark cat. “Keepwatch or get out of my way,Jihi . I have no time for your foolishness!” He went back to tearing the net and easing his mate free. He paid no attention asJihi sighed and scrambled up the rocky path to keep watch. All of his attention was on his mate. “Why did you run?” he whispered as he ripped another network of webbing, getting her one step closer to freedom. Confusion.So much hate and anger and ... He-o, I don’t like this freedom. Tears filled her eyes, but she quickly blinked them back. Her whole body shook in reaction, but again she would not give in, though the desire to wail like a youngling was evident in her expression. “This is not freedom, little one,” he murmured as he tore enough of the netting to ease her upper body free. “This is liberation. Freedom comes after we get away from theOthers .” Still trying to control her trembling, she used her hands to push the netting away and slowly crawled from its sticky confines. She turned her head away from him, not wanting to look at him and remember how


the markings on his body trembled and swirled about. She didn’t want to remember how the other female had hissed and been mere seconds away from attacking her. She didn’t want to think about the scent of the big one or the deadly silence of the quiet one. She just wanted some peace! “Come, kittling,” he purred. He helped her to her feet and wrapped one protective arm about her waist. “We have to get moving.” “Soon,”Jihi called, turning around when she sensed that He-o was on his feet. She made her way back toward him. “We must make haste. He has put out a call and ... Behind!” She suddenly hissed, spitting and raising her hackles. Instinctively, He-o swirled to his right, pushing his mate behind him, and saw the once-unconscious soldier staggering to his feet, a strange weapon in his hand, pointed in their direction. “Don’t move!” He swayed, one hand on the side of his head, his eyes spitting fury at the trio. “I swear I will kill her!” Then in a move faster than she could follow with her naked eyes, He-o reached up and ripped at something from his left arm. His hand came up, trailing a thick line of black that sizzled and hissed in the still air. That made the soldier pause, distracting him enough to give He-o the chance he needed. They all watched in horrified fascination as he tossed his hand in a wide arc, the marking surrounding his arms lifting cleanly off of his skin. The dark marks, black as death, sang through the air as He-o flicked his wrist, snapping out with unbelievable speed to wrap around the barrel of the weapon and jerk it free of the man’s hands. Before the soldier could do more than stare at his hands, terror on his face, the lash whipped out again, wrapping around his neck and squeezing tightly. The man gurgled as both hands tore at the strange black thing that was slowly strangling the life from him. “You dare threaten us?” He-o hissed,his eyes narrowed in anger as he flexed his hands, jerking the soldier off of his feet even as the bindings tightened further. “You take what is mine, you touch what is mine, and you dare to threaten our lives?” A low growl began deep in his cheat, a growl that grew louder and louder until a roar filled the morning air. “Die!” He-o tightened the bindings more, leaning back to add his weight to the struggling man, making the man’s eyes bulge and his tongue protrude as his life slowly leaked from his body. He-o steadily pulled back on the markings. No! The mental cry washed away some of the angry red haze that clouded He-o’smind. His mate’s sweet, soothing tones were now raised in fright as she gripped the muscles bulging with strain in his upper arms. Please, let him go! “He deserves to die!” He-o hissed, easing up a bit but keeping the struggling man at their feet. “And theOthers will come, and then they will burn the woods to the forest floor trying to find us.”Jihi’s words were serious and the most mature thing to come out of her mouth since this trip had begun. “He is not worth that, He-o. Even your precious mate is not worth that.”


“He deserves ...” “Kill him and murder us as a people, or let the man go.”Jihi growled, stepping away from the dying soldier, from the quite worthless female, from the spitting warrior who was letting sex and a protective mating instinct cloud his better judgment. “Kill him and be done with it, or let us leave! TheOthers are sure to follow quickly, and I do not wish to fight them all this day.” She turned on her heel and strode toward the timberline that surrounded this particular mountain range. Giving a short snarl, He-o cursed silently under his breath and opened his right hand, releasing the dark bands that used to encircle his wrist. He watched as they retracted to slowly, almost lovingly, crawl back to his skin. ”Come,” he sighed, tugging her from behind his back as he turned to followJihi . “For once, the female actually makes sense.” But before they left, he turned, bent, and hefted the strange weapon in his hand. The fallen soldier gasped as He-o pointed the weapon in his direction. Then with a snarl, he curled his upper lip, a move that exposed one sharp fang, and threw the weapon as hard as he could against the unforgiving stone. The energy weapon exploded with a hiss and a shower of metal and electricalcomponents, then lay still in a smoking pile. “If you wish to continue to breathe, you will tell the Others not to follow, that my mate is now free and I will kill to protect her.” That said, he placed his hand at his mate’s back and eased her onto the path. The soldier sat, shaken and wet, and watched as the two disappeared from his sight. In fact, they seemed to bleed into the foliage of the forest, blending so seamlessly that not even a shadow of where they moved could be discerned. He was still there, counting his blessings and thanking his Creator that he was alive, when the extraction unit, complete with the naturalist, arrived. “What happened here?” she asked, bending down to touch the young man’s face, noting that he was in a state of extreme shock. “They can talk,” he said, surprising a few of the team’s people with this bit of knowledge. “You must be mistaken.” The naturalist sighed, rising to her feet. “They are somewhat human, but they are still animals.” “They can speak,” the man repeated, looking up into the dark eyes of his supervisor. “They talk, and the male warned me off. He said that he would kill us if we tried to get her back.” “Nonsense!”The naturalist growled, looking exasperated as she surveyed the area. “They are animals, simple animals that must be brought to heel before their population overruns our civilized way of life! There are so many perverts out there who see their human characteristics, who try doing things to them, soldier -- unnatural things. It is our job to protect these creatures and ensure that they neither start a population explosion nor fall into the wrong hands.” “I know what I heard, what I saw!” the man argued, rising to his feet. His knees were still shaky and


weak, but his voice was strong. “They speak, doctor. They speak and they have strange powers. They attacked me, they freed the female, and they just seemed to vanish into the forest. They’re not what we thought!” “Well, they could not have gone far.” The doctor waved away the man’s words with a negligent hand. “You will help us lead the expedition to retrieve them from the jungles.” “Are you listening, lady?” the soldier shouted, suddenly steadying his legs and taking a few wobbly steps in her direction. “The thing nearly killed me! He warned me off and, lady, I listen well..You want those creatures, you go and get them. I am going home; I have too much to live for!” “You can’t abandon this mission!” The naturalisthissed, her eyes wide in shock. Her eyes narrowed in anger as she watched the man retreat, his wet clothing and shaky stature telling more of his fright than any words he could have possibly said. “Watch me.” He turned and began making his way back toward civilization, where animals were kept in cages and on leashes and didn’t talk back! “If you’re smart, you’ll abandon this expedition and do the same thing!” The naturalist watched him go, fighting back the urge to curse and swear. Then she remembered she had something a bit better than human ingenuity and tracking. She had a computerized marvel ofscience -- a mobile tracker. “Let him go.” She turned to the remaining three members of her party. “He’s obviously too shaken up to be any good to us anyway. It’s time to take out some of the human error in this chase. I want my mobile tracker set up; I want it in tuned in to the female. She is still in heat. If I know the science behind these strange beasts’ estrus cycle, the female should be fertile for many days to come. If we manage to catch her, she may already be impregnated. When we catch them, we will have the queen’s pet and the kittens she wanted. We may even be able to recover the male for further research.” “But ... He said they were talking!” one of the soldiers protested. “The man is obviously suffering from some sort of post-traumatic stress and his word cannot be trusted. We shall carry on with our plan, and with the rewards we reap from the queen, we shall be able to fulfill our dream of creating a sanctuary for these noble beasts.” Nodding, the others went to prepare the device while the naturalist walked over to the shredded net. Smiling, she lifted it and started to hand it to a passing assistant, but changed her mind. The female’s scent should be entwined with the small white hairs that were left in the netting. Examining the strands closer, she tried to imagine the strength it would take to tear the thick strings of the net. Had his muscles flexed as he strained against the material? Had his breath panted in his chest, his eyes feral and impassioned as he beat back her soldier? Had his body been shiny with sweat, his long hair flowing about his body, his cockstraining ... She caught herself, her breath tearing in her throat and a distinct wetness between her legs, before a low moan erupted from her mouth. Looking around, she saw that no one was paying any attention to her. They were all too busy setting up equipment and getting ready for the chase. “Soon,” she whispered. Turning, she handed the net off and glared into the foliage of the jungle. “Soon, my pet, I will have you back where you belong.”


Chapter Nine

They were running. She knew theOthers were out there, but she was too tired to care. He-o supported her as they made their way through the tangled vines and the foliage that seemed to be a never-ending maze. How He-o andJihi navigated it, she would never know. But she placed one foot in front of the other, striving on despite the gnawing hunger and exhaustion that dogged her every step. “It won’t be long now,” he assured her. “We can take a break and you can have a rest.” He-o could feel the waves of determination vying with the tiredness that consumed her mind. It wasn’t too often that he could almost read her thoughts like this, but for her to broadcast her feelings so strongly, she had to be mentally and physically drained. She said nothing, nodding in agreement. She tried to pull away from his supporting strength. She could do this on her own. Jihisaid nothing, scouting ahead, occasionally disappearing into the rich plant life above them, and then returning to tell He-o that the way was clear. Finally, after it seemed like another eternity of dodging branches and clinging vines, they reached a break in the jungle. She could smell it first, and it perked her up a bit. Fresh, cool, and flowing, the scent of water was unmistakable. Even scenting it made her realize how dry her throat was. She made an effort to move faster, almost pushing He-o aside in her haste. “Wait a moment, kittling,” he cautioned, holding her back. “We have to make sure that it’s safe.” She pouted her lips a bit, disappointed that this nagging need would not be immediately seen to, but content to wait since she knew she would soon be quenching her thirst. He-o hunkered down and eased her against the trunk of a huge tree before he gave a soft whistle. There was a rustling in the leaves behind them, and thenJihi , almost as if by magic, appeared at their side. “I will go and investigate. You will stay with her.” Jihisniffed but said nothing else as she settled down beside the despised woman. She narrowed her eyes a bit, pulling them away from the disappearing form of her mate, and tried to examineJihi without the other female knowing. Jihiwas beautiful, she decided. Her skin was a deep shade of brown, almost black, and her form was well muscled and tight. She looked down at her own larger curves and sighed as she saw that there was very little musculature to be had. Jihi’seyes were a glittering green, bright at times, and at others as dark as the densest part of the jungle.


Her own were just a strange deep gold. Jihimoved with confidence and precision, while she just managed to lumber along like a wounded land beast. Her sense of self-worth seemed to drop at each comprehension. She lifted one arm, examining the slight build-up of muscle and palms that were so soft that even pushing aside some of the many branches that blocked their path put welts and sore spots on them. Even her claws were filed down, not sharp and as useful as the others were. She was as out of place with her people, it seemed, as she was with theOthers . She sighed deeply again, but this time it didn’t go unnoticed. “Yes, you are a rather useless female,”Jihi groaned, turning her head to let the other female know that she was aware of the scrutiny she was under. “And I am the luckless one who has been left with the challenge to train you.” She raised her eyebrow, curious as to whatJihi meant. Then she remembered something the large, warm-smelling one had said. She had to be trained in their history and how to adapt. Mental stimulation she could handle! She sat up eagerly and waved her hand, as if askingJihi to continue. “Useless female,”Jihi hissed before she turned to watch the lake that apparently was ahead of them. “Our history is one of constant change and adaptation. We are one with the planet; it talks to those of us deemed special. It shows in the males as the markings that cover some of their bodies. In the female, it is a build-up of magical powers that ensure fertility to the whole clan. If that power is not released, we die. Stupid system, but not really knowing our true origins, we make do.” She nodded. This was interesting! She wanted to know more. “The males with the marks were taken away from their homes when they reached the appropriate age and were housed with the men, to become esotericwwarriors or some nonsense. That is the way it had always been and would still be if not for theOthers .” She sat forward excitedly. She had more than enough experience dealing with theOthers . They had ruined her life and almost destroyed her sanity. She shuddered as she remembered the sounds of the laser blasts and the shrilling of the women and men, the crying of the children, and the sound of their homes being destroyed. If she closed her eyes, she could still smell the burning flesh of herpeople, still hear her mother’s parting words admonishing her to flee for safety. Jihi’swords brought her back before she was too far gone in her memories. She latched onto that, a lifeline to bring her back to the present. “... and they came out of the night sky. No one knew that they were coming or what they intended, but the night they landed, the night sky turned red with fires they set. When our people went to investigate, we drew their attention. And in return, they slaughtered us by the hundreds. The only good thing was that the warrior acolytes had already joined the men, so they were spared. But everyone else -- males, females,kittlings -- all were destroyed. I have no idea why you were spared. But my whole family was destroyed. By nature of my darker skin, I was able to blend into the shadows that my mother shoved me into before she was cut down.”Jihi’s eyes glittered with anger as she turned the full force of her gaze onto


her. “I watched them cut my mother in half, you useless female, and I stayed hidden until theOthers left and the warrior class came to retrieve me. And it made me wonder why they spared you.” Jihileapt to her feet and began to swiftly pace, her tail lashing in annoyance. “You were taken in and raised like a pampered pet. You were given food and water, and a safe place to sleep at night. You were given comfort and attention and affection ...” She shook her head rapidly, damning herself for not being able to communicate with the bitter female. Did she not know the injustices served upon her person? Did she not know that she spent every waking moment with theOthers praying for death? Did she know that theydeclawed her to prevent her from taking her own life? ButJihi was still ranting. “There was no reason to spare you; or did you purr up to them, lifting your tail and begging for scraps of attention? I have no idea and He-o seems to be entranced with you, but when I look at you, all I see is a useless, spoiled bitch-cat who manipulates those around her to get what she wants. Why did my parents, my sisters, have to die, when they kept a worthless creature like you?” Jihiswirled, and the look she gave her encompassed all of the hate and disgust she felt. She felt like curling into a ball and hiding from the maliciousness that wrapped around her fromJihi . She tried to make herself as small a target as possible and hoped that whateverJihi was feeling would not boil over into the physical. “Don’t worry, little she-cat. I won’t hurt you.Kobaye and He-o seem to like your type. But I will not pity you, and Iwill teach you, if I have to kill you to get your lessons across. I have never run from a challenge, and I am not about to now. When He-o gets back and you go off and heat all over him, you had better remember that I own your tail for the other, non-mating aspects of this life. He-o said you wanted freedom? Well, freedom has to be earned by proper sweat and blood.”Jihi leaned into her face and nearly spat the last words. “And I expect you to pay for a lot.” That said,Jihi sat down on the leafy ground, eyes forward, and dared her to make a sound. Petrified, and more than a little concerned forJihi’s sanity, she sat and waited for her mate to return, with more questions to replace the ones that had been answered.

***** He-o was pleased. The small river they had scented was indeed the river that led to their people. They were only a day or so away and then she would be safe. Further along the river, he spotted the waterfall that he and the other hunters often used as a camping ground to rest and recover when out on an expedition. There was safety there, water, adequate foods, and a place where they could rest until nightfall. He stepped over fallen branches, padding lightly on the leaf-softened ground, as he approached his mate andJihi . As expected, the moment he scented them,Jihi scented him in return. As he came upon the tree where they rested,Jihi leapt to her feet and was gone in a flash, calling over her shoulder, “I will return when the screaming and clawing are over.” “Ignore her.” He noted how she seemed a bit more despondent and upset. “Jihihas always been a


contrary cat.” She hates me. Her softly spoken words filled his mind with the despair she was still feeling. He shook his head sadly. This rescue was not going as well as he had anticipated. “Jihiis ... strange.” He spoke to her out loud, hoping to encourage a similar response, but all he got was a tired stare in return. “I will take us to the falls to rest.” Falls? “Yes, we can rest and recuperate there.” She nodded. It seemed like a great idea to her. She was tired and still thirsty and felt like things were spinning too far out of her control. Maybe after a rest, she could deal with all of these new changes better. She closed her eyes, relaxed her guard, and let He-o lead her to the falls.

***** The overwhelming smell of fresh, clean water made her mouth seem all the more dry. Stop! She had been patient long enough. It was time for her to stop some of her suffering. Together He-o and she had walked slowly to the river and begun to follow the riverbank down toward a roaring sound that grew louder with each step. “We are almost there,” He-o protested, trying to tug her further. I said stop! Her mental voice bellowed at He-o, causing him to stumble a bit as he looked at her in surprise. Had she just raised her voice to him? I want water and I want it now! And from the look on her face, she meant it. Her eyes were narrowed into golden slits and her tail lashed rapidly back and forth. I followed you to freedom and safety. You assured me that I would have freedom and safety. But instead, I was almost attacked by another female, dragged through a jungle, met more strange people than I had ever expected to meet in my short life, and saw those things on your body come to life! Not to mention the large male’s markings seem to have a life of their own. I have tried to be gracious and take everything in stride, but He-o, there is water not two feet away, and unless


you intend to drag my unconscious body to these falls, you will stop and allow me to drink! He-o blinked at the longest string of words he’d heard her speak since he first started receiving her thoughts. “Water?” Yes! She stomped her foot and then winced. She’d forgotten she had a few painful bruises and blisters there. “Fine,” He-o agreed. He looked a bit confused, but happy. She didn’t realize that He-o had become more and more worried about her meek acceptance of her situation. Where was the female who was planning on killing herself and as many people as she could to gain her freedom? Her backbone and fortitude seemed to have weakened a little with their narrow escape, but now it seemed to be stiffening up again, and just in time, too. He had been ready to think that she had been mentally affected by it all. So there was a smile on his lips as he led her to the water and carefully lowered her to drink. She wasted no time, cupping both hands and bringing a mouthful of the cool, clear water to her mouth, ignoring the damp, grassy riverbank that began to stick to her clothing. This water was pure ambrosia. “You know ...” He-o began as she tilted her head to the side to observe him even while she brought mouthful after mouthful of water to her mouth. “I never expected to mate.” At his words, she recognized the throbbing in her lower abdomen that signaled a build-up of power. She had no idea how long she had been affected by the lack of mating, since her other miseries had seemed to overshadow the mating urge, but now that she had rested a bit and was filling her stomach with cool liquid, she recognized that the urge was back. Her eyes took on a hungry gleam as she stared at her mate, barely paying attention to his words as eagerness began to fill her. “I only came here by chance, to follow up on the rumors our runners were hearing in the woods. Then Kobaye sent me out to track them down and I began to hear your lovely voice.” He closed his eyes, his expression thoughtful as he recalled their first meeting. “I thought that letting myself become captured would be the perfect way to see inside, and I knew thatKobaye would get my message about what I was doing. The earth always speaks toKobaye . All I had to do was whisper my plan and I knew that someone would be there, digging that tunnel to freedom. I did not expectKobaye orJihi . And I definitely didn’t expect to come out of this mission mated. But I am not complaining.” He chuckled as she stopped drinking and began to splash water on her face, slicking back the hair hanging over her forehead and leaving her skin glistening in the growing warmth of the day. She heard his words and mentally saved them for later analysis, but now that one need was slaked, she was ready to see to her other, more pressing needs. “How are you feel--Yip! ” He never saw the attack coming. In a leap worthy of a trained warrior, she flew through the air, her upper body landing right in the center of his chest, knocking him backward. There was a shocked look on his face and he landed on his back, narrowly missing crunching his tail.


“Kittling!?” he gasped, then he could say nothing as her mouth covered his, her soft lips pressing against his, her tongue invading and filling his mouth with the sweet taste of his mate. Her pheromones began to flow, her scent filling his nose and his mind. “You are in heat,” he managed between licks and bites as she took command of his mouth. She growled, glaring at him with glassy eyes, before her hands went to the leggings that were hiding her mate from her. She wanted to see him, to smell him, to taste him. She ran her face over his chest, one soft cheek caressing a turgid nipple again and again, making it harder as he gasped and bucked in her clutches. “We should go to ... oh, Creator, yes ... cover,” he gasped as her tongue began retracing the path her cheeks took, scenting and tasting him all at once. Mine!her mental voice hissed as he again began to fight with the ties of his leggings. Yours,he agreed, shuddering as her teeth began to take nips at his chest as her frustration mounted. “But let’s go to safety.” Her hands had given up on the ties, and she was caressing him through the leather, her hands stroking his bulge roughly, making him release from his sheath, as if she were trying to kill him with pleasure in the process. With an unearthly show of strength, he gripped her hair, stopped her from purring and rubbing her face all over his groin, and pushed her aside.“Water wall, now!” Then they were racing, flying around a network of stalagmites and into a vast cavern. The wall of water distorted the view of the outside, but it also created a soothing roar that eased overly sensitive senses. There were a few furs arranged neatly around a fire pit, waiting for the next hunting party or traveler to partake. She dragged He-o, her eyes not seeing the beauty of the small cavern or the majesty of nature in this contained bit of space. All she saw was her mate’s cock, still trapped in leather and away from her hungry grasp. She began to whimper as she dropped to her knees before him, her blunted nails scrabbling at the leather, an almost pitiful look in her eyes as the plaything she scented was kept from her. Off!the mental voice insisted as again she ran her face over his groin, inhaling his masculine scent, her hands playing along the muscles of his thighs. “Off,” he agreed, his hands tearing at the knots she made of his laces and widening the waistband of his leggings. She was in them before he could blink, her soft warm hand reaching in to lift him out of his leathery confines. Her mouth watered; her eyes were bright as she watched him slowly emerge completely from his sheath. “You know ...” he began, but his words choked in his throat as her wet tongue lapped at the flaring head of his cock. She growled as the first bittersweet droplets of hisprecum coated her tongue, and she rolled the flavor of


him around her mouth. Mine,she repeated, bending lower, her tongue caressing his length from the base of his sheath to the tip of his crown, her tongue playing with all the ridges and bumps that made him a male. His head dropped back on his shoulders as a grumbling groan filled the cavern. She was enjoying herself, enjoying the taste and feel of her mate. Her hands dipped low to caress his ball sac, feeling the twin orbs roll inside their furry covering. She rolled them in her hands, some instinct forcing her to be careful here as she teased and pulled. “You are going to kill me,” he hissed, lifting his head and raising his eyes just in time to see her open her mouth wide and suck the head of him inside. Hot! Wet! Tight! These words exploded in his head and an almost painful blot of fire traveled from his spine to his brain. His legs began to tremble and shake and he struggled to maintain his balance and his grip on his sanity. His hips began to shift, just small thrusting movements, but they increased the pleasure a hundredfold. “Now!” he moaned, finally pulling back as she felt his blood-engorged cock swell even further. His hood was trying to open up, and that could be dangerous when in her mouth. But she was enjoying herself far too much to quit. He tasted of ambrosia and lust. Wetness began to flow from between her thighs, but now she knew what it was. Her hands impatiently ripped off her leggings and she plunged two fingers into her pussy, searching deep as she drew hard on his cock, stroking her insides as her thumb caressed her burning clit. “Oh, baby, fuck yourself,” he purred as he pulled away and eased her to rest on her back. Her legs spread wide, showing him everything as she licked the stickiness of his need from her lips. Her head fell back and her hips arched as she began to slam her fingers deeply inside herself. Animalistic grunts and growls rolled from her throat. Then she did the one thing guaranteed to break his control -she glared at him, hungrily, from between lowered lids. He was on her in a flash, his hands tearing her fingers away from her wet pussy and suckling them deeply into his own mouth, swallowing down her essence and purring in pleasure. His hips spread her even further as his hands gripped her ass, lifting her for a deep thrust, then he paused. Grinning wickedly, his fangs showing, he quickly rolled her over onto her knees, one hand reaching for her excitedly whipping tail and lifting it as he fit hiscockhead to her cunt. In one hard shove, he slammed himself home, his hood snapping open, and he relished the sound of her impassioned screams. Move!she hissed, her hips thrusting backward, trying to get him in deeper. He gave in to her command, his own tail wrapping around hers, holding it out of the way as he let go, slamming and pushing into his mate. The faster and harder he moved, the more she screamed and pushed back into him. They set up a pounding rhythm that both knew could not last.


Finally, as one of his hands dropped down to thrum at the swollen, throbbing flesh of her clit, she exploded, her inner muscles clenching around his thickness, dragging him along with her into an explosion of ecstasy. As he began to come, He-o allowed himself to relinquish his control. His cock pushed deep within her, swelled even larger, the hood extending it further; then he let go. Spurt after spurt of his hot seed flooded her, drowning him in his own liquid fire, his brain reeling light-years away. He collapsed onto her back, then quickly rolled to the side, taking his considerable weight off of her. “That,” he breathed in her ear, “was wild.” But she could not express what she felt. With his arms around her, she curled up and fell asleep, sated with sex and quite pleased with herself.

***** When she next opened her eyes, she discovered that she was alone in the cave, her mate having disappeared somewhere, and night was rapidly falling. She stretched, her ears and her tail standing on end, as she tried to flex and contract every muscle in her body, relishing the delicious soreness between her legs. A smile on her lips, she crawled to the edge of the water, her naked body a pale beacon behind the clear, falling wall. Reaching out, she cupped a handful of the liquid relief and greedily drank it down, ignoring the droplets that splashed onto her person. The cool waters felt good running down her body, reminding her of what she had shared earlier with her mate. She was so relaxed that she jumped when a voice hissed at her from behind. “If you are through with your carnality, I think it is time you learned how to behave as a proper pack female.”Jihi looked refreshed, clear-eyed and rested, but the nasty attitude was still the same. Sighing, she slowly rose to her feet, her tail swaying relaxed behind her as she walked over to the damp pile of leather that was her clothing. Ignoring the chill of the material against her skin, she shook it out as best she could, then donned the drawstring pants and tied the banded top, as well. “If you are done primping?” Primping?she thought as she snorted atJihi .If you think this is primping, you should see what they do to me before I am summoned to the royal chambers to sit at the queen’s feet and get fed scraps from her hand. But, of course,Jihi could not hear her, so she just shrugged and waved forJihi to carry on. “This,”Jihi said in a condescending tone as she threw something down beside her, “is a dead animal.” She looked down at the carcass of some small, furry thing with a long tail and small, beady black eyes that remained open in death. Then she looked up atJihi , whose expression was clearly sarcastic.


“This is meat in its unprocessed form. Your job is to process it.” She gaveJihi a confused look, then stared down at the thing, then back up atJihi . “I mean, you skin it!” She nodded,then turned to stare back up atJihi . “With your claws!”Jihisighed, before settling beside her, a smirk playing at her lips. With a grin of her own, she extended her claws, lettingJihi see for herself the blunted ends. “What the hell?”Jihi reached out and gripped her hand, pulling it closer to her, staring at her mutilated claws. “Well ... damnation!” She shrugged and pulled her hand back.Jihi looked kind of ill. “I guess I’ll describe ... I’ll show you what to do. But that does not let you out of lessons.” Some of the irritation leaked out ofJihi’s voice, and the woman got straight down to the business of skinning the creature she called azamo , giving clear and concise instructions as she went. “We can get you a blade of some kind,”Jihi said as she finished skinning the hapless creature and rose to her feet to rinse it off under the flow off the waterfall. “I will show you how to start a fire.”Jihi dropped the meat into the other female’s hands and wiped her own hands dry on the leather of her pants. Jihiwent over to a small pit in the floor of the cave and placed some shaved pieces of wood and dried leaves inside. “I use a flint,”Jihi continued in lesson mode, “and even a soft-headed female like you should be able to learn quickly.” She said nothing, but watched as the dark female set about building a fire and hanging the meat over it with an interesting collection of sticks and branches. There was also a liberal use of stones that seemed to glow red-hot and radiate heat as the fire continued to burn. “You add wood to the fire to keep it going.”Jihi turned up her nose as she delivered these newest sarcastic comments. “You can do that, I assume?” But at this time, she was rested, well sexed, and had had just about enough ofJihi’s barbs. She knew not how, but from inside where she balled up all of her frustration, helplessness, and anger, something began to build.Fire? The bitch wanted fire? She wanted wood and claws and meat and perfection and Creator-damned fire! Unknown and unfelt by her, her eyes began to glow golden and red, like molten fire, and her hair began to stand on end. She glared at a spot next to thepit, just where the small pile of woodJihi had gathered sat, and felt her anger simmer over. She wants me to be something I cannot be,she thought, refusing to look up atJihi lest she use her weak muscles to attack the darker female. “Are you listening to me, female?”Jihi insisted, narrowing her eyes at the quiet reaction of the female.


Maybe she was broken. “Female?” Just as she was about to reach out and touch the stubborn kittling,Jihi felt a sudden heat around her, making her pull back her hand quickly. “Female?” Just asJihi regrouped and pushed aside any thoughts of the heat rising from the feminine form before her to the back of her mind as some twisted part of her imagination, the wood pile where the female was staring began to smolder. BeforeJihi could move, or react, or say anything, the small bits of dried wood exploded into flame. “He-o!”Jihibellowed, leaping to her feet and backing away from the demon-possessed female.“He-o!” She blinked, noting that the pressure and the red haze that had momentarily covered her vision were gone. She blinked again and stared up at the screechingJihi . What had happened? She looked around, searching for danger, but there was nothing, other than the pile of burning wood next to the fire pit. He-o?she cautiously sent. Just then, He-o exploded through the waterfall, sending streams of clear water everywhere as he landed on his feet in a crouched position, his deadly claws out to their fullest extent. He quickly scanned the cave for trouble, and finding none, extended his senses further. Still discovering no evil, no danger, he slowly rose to his feet. “What goes on in here?” His words seemed to break the spell that his arrival had cast on the two women. Jihiwas staring at her brother-in-arms, mouth hanging open as she realized that He-o was pretty sexually stimulating to the eyes. She gave herself a full-body shake and turned, pointing to the female still crouched before the fire pits. “She is a freak!” She just stared at hermate, her eyes taking on a hungry glimmer as she carefully examined what clear water did for his musculature. Her eyes followed a droplet as it caressed his bare chest and disappeared into the wet leather of his pants. His hair was plastered to his body, giving him a rough and wanton appearance. “Kittling?”He took a few steps toward his seemingly stunned and catatonic mate,then glared over atJihi . “What did you do to her?” ”Me?I did nothing to the little freak! The question should be,what did she do to me? She tried to burn me to ashes, He-o! The bitch is dangerous!”Jihi meant every word she said, her chest heaving in receding fear and in outrage as she glared at He-o. For his part, He-o just turned the incredulous look he fought to hide onto his mate, his eyes trailing over her voluptuous but not very strong body and the innocent look in her dazed eyes. Then he shot a disbelieving look atJihi .


“I mean it!” she hissed. “Look at the fire she set! She tried to burn me.” The fire in the woodpile, now lacking the female’s inadvertent attention, had fizzled and faded away, just giving a small puff of smoke to signal that it had ever been. Unfortunately forJihi , it also looked like a stray spark had leapt from the fire and died on the small pile of dried sticks and twigs. He-o once again turned a disbelieving look onJihi . Had the stress of this mission been too much for the dark female? “I know what it looks like, but she started a fire in that wood, He-o!” NowJihi was defensive, crossing her arms over her chest, her tail lashing from side to side in agitation. “I am not crazy!” “Um, I am sure that there is a reasonable explanation ...” ‘There is! She is trying to kill me!” At his continued disbelieving look,Jihi snarled at them, bared her teeth, and then dashed out of the cave. “Was it something I said?” he asked. She just shrugged.

Chapter Ten

The naturalist looked upon her creation and smiled. This machine was perfection. Designed with nothing other than tracking in mind, it would be an asset to finding and protecting those poor creatures who were now in danger, running wild about the planet. That they had lived this way for centuries was disregarded as the naturalist made her plans. She would catch them, then she would observe a mating ritual -- several mating rituals -- at which time she would determine if their pheromones were dangerous or arousing to humans, as she suspected them to be. Then she would isolate the male for private study, as he appeared to bealpha . She would ensure the health of the queen’s female during her subsequent pregnancy and delivery, at which time she would determine the size of the litter and if the female could be successfully spayed, if they reproduced in large numbers. If the progeny were small in number, then she would encourage the queen to offer up the female for othermatings with other males to increase the stock and the gene pool. That they might form life-bonds was something that was contemplated and dismissed as unimportant. Survival of the species and maintaining their numbers at a comfortable level were much more important. The fate of the original species, all unfortunately euthanized before study could be made, was a tragedy that would not be repeated with these close cousins of the original creatures. Science would save them, and the human population, from making the mistakes their predecessors made. “Madame!” one of her three assistants called out. “The machine, it is flashing numbers!”


Quickly, the naturalist pulled herself out of her thought loop and turned her attention to her pet machine. “So it is,” she murmured, and her smile grew even wider. “It is time to move out. The sensors have picked up a faint trail leading east. If fortune smiles upon us, we may have our wayward beast back within our custody before tomorrow -- and the queen’s treasure, as well.” Nodding, the small group moved out in silence, making their way into uncharted parts of the jungle, carefully, chemically marking their way back to their base near the caves.

***** Jihifinally got herself under control and made her way back to the falls. What the female had done had alarmed and frightened her, with good reason, but now she had her emotions under tighter rein. The female was already mated and bonded. They probably could not break that bond, though she was not totally sure. But there was protection and food and rest behind the falls, and no useless female of lust-besotted make was going to keep her from her rightful due. She made her way through the side entrance, contemplating and disregarding the water entrance as too messy. She had no desire to try and wear wet leather or don it after it dried out, since the material would shrink as it dried. She would prefer to bathe sans clothing and back with her pack. When she loped inside, the fire was still burning. He-o was nowhere around, but the freakish female was observing her carefully. “What?”Jihi snarled, making her way to the fire and throwing herself down beside it. Wordlessly, the female held out both palms, the roasted meats of the beast they had earlier prepared resting there on some dark green leaves. The female was offering her portion of the meal. Huffing,Jihi snatched the food and tore into it with delicate fangs, her eyes never leaving the pale creature that eagerly looked at her. “You are still useless,” she hissed between chewing down hunks she tore off the leg section of the beast. Sighing, the female nodded in agreement and pointed at her arm. Sighing again, she shook her head and pointed toJihi’s more muscular limbs. “At least you understand what a hindrance caring for you will be.” She rolled her eyes, as if sayingI know, you told me already, and daintily picked off a piece of the tough meat and popped it into her mouth without wasting any of the juices on her person. Jihiblinked at that. That movement, it was kind of neat, very feminine. “How did you do that?” she finally asked, after trying to emulate the pale female and her moves and


winding up with a mangled leg joint and fat smeared all over her hands. Looking up, the female delicately pulled a piece of meat off her portion and popped it into her mouth. Narrowing her eyes,Jihi tried again, this time ending up with a shredded mess on her hands as the meat refused to tear neatly.Kobaye might like a female who was not so much of a warrior all of the time -- or at least it seemed that way from his reaction to the creature there. If she could master this, then it would make her more attractive to the leader. But she couldn’t do it! It seemed so simple, too, and yet she had a shredded mess on her hands. She looked up as a hand gently covered hers. The female placed her hands overJihi’s and gently showed her how to tear with the grain of the meat, not against it. Then she showed her how to roll the long strand of flesh into a small ball before popping the whole thing into her mouth. It was simple. “This just means that you are not as useless as I originally thought,”Jihi mumbled. “But caring for you and teaching youis still going to be a pain in the tail!” The female shrugged, looking pleased that she could help in some way and maybe pay back a little of the debt she’d incurred while traveling with them. She gracefully made her way back to her place before the fire and picked up her own leaf plate. “I guess you learned that stuff playing with theOthers ?How to look so damn useless and cute?” Again, she shrugged and continued to consume her meal. “That’s the stuff that I thinkKobaye likes about you, that you are useless. It fuels the male-dominated need to feel useful.” She rolled her eyes at that. WhatKobaye thought or felt was no concern of hers. Just as what her mate thought was of no real consequence. Now that she had rested and fed, it was time to take control of her own destiny! She would be her own female, even if she were as useless as she appeared, and her mate could either follow along or go hump ...Kobaye ! Rising to her feet, she tossed the bones of her meal into the fire and walked over to the wall of water to cleanse her hands, all under the suspicious eye ofJihi . When that was done, she set out to finger-comb her hair in preparation for sleep. She was always groomed before she retired, and she felt uncomfortable if she were not cleaned a little. “What are you doing?”Jihi asked as she began to twist her pale hair into some kind of knots.Jihi looked at her own long, dark mane, noting that it hung clean and free down her back, as always. The female just looked at her as she continued to loop and knot her hair, making it into one long rope. That completed, she walked over toJihi and showed her the braid, holding the end to prevent it from unraveling. “How did you do that?”Jihi asked, dropping the remains of her meal into the fire and reaching out to touch. She snatched her hair back and pointed toJihi’s hands.


Anembarrassed blush suffusedJihi’s cheeks as she stared down at her dirt-smudged fingers. Quietly, she walked over to the wall of water and scrubbed her hands properly. Then she returned to the paler female, seeing that she was using a bit of jungle vine to wrap around the end of her braid. Once the makeshift fastener was secured, she held out the mane of silvery hair forJihi to examine. “Looks like something you would do to make stronger rope,”Jihi commented as she gently stroked the braid; then her hands went to her own hair. “I can do the same if I wanted to,” she sniffed, but her eyes remained glued to the braid. She nodded, sat down, and motionedJihi to turn around and sit, as well. Looking warily over her shoulder,Jihi complied and instantly felt soft, gentle fingers combing through her dark mane. She said nothing as the maybe-not-so-useless female began to rope andknot her hair into two long, twisty things. She saw her reaching for more of the vine, and after a tugging in her scalp, she was released, her hair in two neat braids that hung behind each ear. A look of awe filledJihi’s face as she picked up her own fancy hair and examined the beauty of it. It was like she had never seen it before! It was tangle-free, and the practical side of her knew that twigs and leaves would be more difficult to get in her hair as long as she wore it this way. “I see you are now getting along,” a deep voice intoned from the hidden entrance, and both females turned to see He-o standing there. She nodded andblushed a little, and He-o smiled in return. We are helping each other. “She is helping you and you are helping her,” He-o informedJihi as he took a seat by the fire. His leathers were damp, but infinitely drier than before, when he’d made his explosive entrance into the cave. His hair was also a bit damp, but tangle-free, and he appeared calm. “She is all but useless,”Jihi sniffed. “But she can be taught.” “About that fire thing --” He-o began, butJihi cut him off. “I know what I saw and I still say she did it! But let’s bring it to the elders. They may know more. I am going to sleep, for night will fall soon.” “Yes,” He-o nodded. “We leave at second dark.” “The faster we get home, the faster the elders and the other females can deal with her.”Jihi didn’t shoot her a hostile look this time. Instead, whatJihi gave was more like the confused look that the paler female had worn most of the day and the night before. She is in so much pain,she reported to He-o as they both watchedJihi turn her back to the fire and curl herself up into a ball.They, theOthers , they hurt her so much. “They hurt you more,” He-o stated as he reached down and brought her to his side.


They hurt her differently. I do not believe there is a more or less hurt when you watch your family destroyed. “True, but look how you suffered.”He brought up her small hand and pressed the pads on her fingertips. Her blunted nails slowly emerged and then receded as he released the pressure. “They mangled you, subjugated you, and treated you as if you were some beast for their amusement.” But I had a warm place to sleep, all the food I could manage, and I got it all without having to work for it. It was granted to me as the right of a privileged pet. She looked down at her arms that were not as muscular and her legs that were not as strong. Jihiwas right in that I never had to work for anything. I am a burden to you both, to all of our people. Maybe it is best that I go off on my own, but I know that they will find a way to use me to get to you. So maybe it is better if I died. But I sense that that distresses you, so maybe I should be locked away in your village, with your pack, so that I can bring no harm to others. “I would never allow that to happen.Kobaye would never allow that to happen. You are a part of me, and if they cannot accept that, then we leave. We will strike out on our own and form a new pack.” And when our children have no other mates? Should we encourage inbreeding? Without protection, how will they stay safe? You have to hunt, to do the things that a warrior does, so that leaves me, the useless female, to fend for our cubs. And who will train them, teach them the things that I don’t know? Who will see that they learn the things that I have not? That is unrealistic, He-o. I am at the mercy of you and of your people. “Our people,” he insisted as he lay down and pulled his mate comfortably to his chest.“Our people.” They seem so much likeyourpeople. I am not even sure I will fit in. She looked up at his face and saw the determination in his eyes. If she was not accepted, he would strike out on his own with her. It seemed to be part of his nature, and it could get him killed.But I will try. She snuggled deeper against his chest and gave in to the small purr that rolled from her chest. She would contemplate tomorrow, tomorrow. For now, she was warm and safe. She was well fed and surrounded by her mate. It was enough.

Chapter Eleven

As the sky darkened to the point where it would be too dangerous to continue, the naturalist called a halt to their jungle trek. “We begin again at first light. According to my machine, the scent is getting stronger; thus, we must be getting nearer to the queen’s female. Hopefully before this time tomorrow, we will be on our way back to the castle.” There were pleased murmurs as her three remaining assistants began to unpack their carrying cases and carefully pack up the scenting device. The electronic nose was not heavy, just awkward, but luckily the


naturalist handled it with ease. Soon, small tents were raised and meal rations were opened and shared. The naturalist made her way to her own tent, after bidding the others goodnight, and undressed as much as she dared. She removed her boots and her thick foot covers, carefully examining the bottoms of her feet for cracks and sores. Finding none, she peeled off her long-sleeved work shirt and ran a portable delouser over her body and her clothing. The strong ultraviolet rays would pick up any organism riding on her person, and the high-pitched sound, silent to humans, would kill any pests. Once she was reasonably clean, she set perimeter alarms around her tent, checked on her head-sized, circular scent machine, and climbed into bed. I will have my pretty male back, and soon,she thought, closing her eyes and losing herself in the thoughts of that muscular, thick body. Here, in the privacy of her own company, she allowed the small fantasies of him to emerge. His eyes, how they flashed with dark fire! His hair, framing that perfect physique that no ... human of her meeting could ever hope to achieve. His exotic looks drew her, as did the wildness that existed in his soul. Her underwear became damp, then wet, as she continued to think of him, of the growls he’d emitted as he struggled against the chains that held him. How he’d tossed back his head, each tendon standing up through his skin as his damp muscles strained and glistened. She moaned as she imagined that body straining over her, his thick, meaty cock sliding free of its protective sheath and plunging into her boiling-hot pussy. She whimpered, one hand dipping low to caress her throbbing need through her clothing, feeling the wetness that saturated her clothing. Soon that touch was not enough. Lost in her own emotions, she slipped her hand under the waist of her loose pants, inside her underwear, touching the hot, swollen flesh of her clit, hissing as the feeling exploded in her brain. Her fingers reached down further, searching through the flowing juices of her arousal to touch her puffed-up and swollen lips. She moaned and pressed, intensifying the feeling as her thumb found her throbbing clitoris. She rubbed herself in circles, pressing deep as her imagination flew with the thoughts of that creature holding her in submission, taking her, rising above and dominating her. She whimpered into her blankets, her hands moving faster, pressing deeper as an itching burn began deep in the pit of her stomach. Her legs spread, parting wider, as wide as the pants would allow, as she pleasured herself, whimpering and gasping as images of him riding her hard sent her senses spiraling. “Yes,” she gasped quietly, tears running down the side of her face as her arousal rose and rose until it reached a peak that sent her hips arching up in the air, her head flying back, her muscles stiff as her inner walls began to quiver. “Oh! Oh, yes!” she sobbed as the pleasure building in her exploded, tore through her body, wringing out an ecstasy that was almost pain. She thrashed and whimpered, imagining riding under that magnificent beast as her climax peaked, then slowly waned. It was then, her breath rasping in her throat, the afterglow leaving her limp as an overcookedBaza


noodle, that the guilt began to set in.See? , her mind screamed at her.This is why the creatures must be locked away! If you, with your stern control and knowledge of animals, can lose yourself like that, imagine what can happen to the masses. Tears rolled down her cheeks, tears of weakness and shame, and soaked into her blankets as she tried to bury her head, to hide from herself. They are an abomination. They have to be protected for their own good and for the good of the people! You can show the females, and then only on a limited basis, but the males you would have to lock away foryour ... for their own good! Her mind made up, her decision and her pathclear, she shuddered, forcing the shame and the guilt behind her. She closed her eyes and drifted into deep sleep, images of a wild, tangled mane covering her whole body, carrying her off to the forbidden fantasies of her dreams.

***** Second dark. Jihiand He-o both snapped awake, some internal alarm system that aided them on the hunt awakening them at almost at the same time. She remained asleep, nestled against her mate’s chest, purring lightly, safe and warm. The fire had died down to embers, casting an eerie red glow around the cavern. It was time to move. “You awaken the female.”Jihi sighed as she gracefully rolled to her feet. “I shall gather berries and see if there is any fish to be had.” “I don’t think we have time,” He-o softly objected. Now that his main goal of delivering them safely to their pack was almost within his grasp, he would not rest easy until they were back with a larger group. “She needs the rest,”Jihi argued, unthinkingly standing up for the useless female. “You begin to like her,” He-o teased. “I am doing no such thing. It is practical for her to get as much rest as possible. Otherwise, I will be carrying her useless tail back to the village, and that leaves us one warrior short if it comes to a fight.” It made perfect sense to her. And it had nothing to do with the weak constitution of the troublesome female. “If you say so.”He-o grinned, his white fangs still gleaming whitely in the dim light, his black eyes all but glowing. With a huff,Jihi exited the cave, giving him time to wake his mate. She was not doing anything for the female, especially not because she had fashionedJihi’s hair or shown her a more attractive way to eat. Maybe, she thought as she picked her way down the path, her eyes narrowing into vertical slits as they


adjusted to the almost total darkness, the pale female could be used to help an unmated female attract a mate. Everyone had to have a purpose! He-o stared down at his mate, a smile tugging at his lips. His little kittling was starting to make conquests out of the most hardened of them and without actually trying. He realized that she never felt sorry for herself. She just adapted. Others’ opinions might hurt her, but she never allowed them to stop her from reaching her main goal, her freedom. She was so proud and strong-willed! Now that she’d rested a bit, she had begun to reassert herself, her forceful personality coming to the front. He snuggled her tighter, hating to have to wake her, but knowing that they needed to move, to get closer to the village and to safety. “Kittling?” he crooned, purring in his chest. “Little lost one, it is time to wake.” At his insistent purring and his deep voice calling to her, she forced her eyesopen, blinking in the dim light as she slowly began to reorient herself. She was in her mate’s arms. His scent surrounded her, the feel of his muscular body cushioning her. They were in the cavern, the dim roar of the water and the smell of the free-flowing liquid affording her another measure of comfort. Apparently, it was time to rise. She lifted her head and sought out the dim, broken light that shined through the wall of water, noting that it reflected nothing but darkness. She turned and shifted, looking up at her mate, and purred as she saw his glittering eyes and the feral gleam of his fangs. The throbbing feeling in the pit of her stomach returned with a vengeance, and she found herself crawling up his body, attaching her lips to his, forcing her tongue between his fangs, and getting a real good taste of He-o. But this time, the feelings that flowed through her were gentler, softer in a way. She was warm and covered in his scent, and she didn’t want to move away from his protective arms. His kisses were so ... so vital. A slow smile spread across his lips as he bent to take sips from her mouth, teasing tastes that made his protective instincts rise to the surface. His hands traveled up her warm back, touching her soft skin and drawing a purr from deep within her throat. “Soft and beautiful, kittling,” he whispered as his tender lips traveled over her face, his teeth nipping at her chin before he buried his face in her neck. He released a purr and rubbed his face into her skin, scenting her with his face even as he inhaled her essence. Her hands tangled in his hair, massaging his scalp gently as the warm feelings continued to flow. Her legs parted and tangled with his, her tail softly stroking the skin of his ass and thighs with the tufted tip. No words were exchanged as deep black eyes bore into gold. He-o moved in close, close enough to inhale the air she breathed out, taking even this part of her intohimself . She braced her hands on either


side of him, lifting herself just a little to stare into his eyes. Mine,she sent him, a grin on her lips as he bent low to lap at the tip of her nose. He-o grinned in response and tightened his hands around her waist, melding her lower body against his growing erection as it emerged from its warm, protective sheath. Her hips began a slow, gentle grind against his, pressing firmly against his cock as more feelings enfolded her. Her mate!Her man.Hers. Tossing her hair over her shoulders, she threw her head back and let a low sound of arousal trill from her throat.Purrrr... In one quick move, He-o flipped them over, settling her underneath his body. He buried his face in her neck, inhaling her scent again, and pressed his tongue against the twin marks of his fangs from their earlier coupling, caressing the marks of ownership. “As you are mine,” he returned, his fingers tangling in her hair, holding her still before his mouth moved onto hers. It was a slow kiss, a deep kiss, where his tongue slid against hers, caressing the roof of her mouth and gently licking at her jaw, drinking in the flavor of her. His tongue coaxed hers into a slippery, hot, wet game of tag, caressing her fangs and getting grunts of pleasure for his efforts. All too soon, his hips were grinding against hers, mimicking the movements of tongue and mouth as they exchanged wet, sloppy kisses. “We have to be quick,” he growled, closing his eyes as she arched sharply against him. He could sense herneed, feel the wet heat of her liquid desire as her body prepared itself for his invasion. Then take me now,she sent, ready, and unwilling to wait anymore. “I possess you, my mate, with care and devotion.” He sighed as he felt his cock swell fully and emerge from its sheath, its hood trembling with desire to be buried deep inside her perfect walls. Being inside her was like being one with the Creator. With one hand, he positioned himself against her wet lips, felt the soft brush of her nether bush against his fingers, and slowly traversed the gates of heaven. Hot and wet, she pulsed around him, hungrily sucking him in and demanding more. Her legs lifted and clasped around his waist, her tail running up his back at the intensity of the feelings he evoked in her. He-o lowered his head, moaning at the slow, comfortable glide that took him deep inside his mate, shuddering as he felt enveloped within the hottest, most perfect flesh he had ever taken. Her body, so responsive, trembled under his hand, her eyes narrowing in an expression that almost appeared to be pain, but the sounds emerging from her throat were all pure pleasure. Pulling out slowly, he quickly slammed himself back in, rotating his hips, caressing all of her walls as his balls gently slapped against her ass. More,she moaned, her eyes squeezing shut as the white-hot fire of need took control. Soon they were rising and falling to one rhythm, as one being, striving toward unparalleled delights. His


thrusts came harder, almost pounding, as his hands cupped her shoulders, holding her still for maximum penetration with each thrust. He lowered his chest so that his muscledpecs and his hardened nipples brushed against the hard peaks of hers, making the berry-colored nubs stand out in stark relief. They pressed into his skin and sent more of the electric need through his system. Then he was growling, his fangsbared as he began to break, as his hips moved in a flurry of thrusts and lunges, parries and retreats. He slammed into his mate, took her as if she were the last thing on this world holding him together “God, yes ... Tight ...” he panted.“Lit ... kittling!” Then savage sounds roared from both their throats. The end was approaching, and it was a speeding cataclysm of passion and lust that swept over them both. “Yes, kittling, give it to me!” he shouted between snarls and moans. “Take what I offer. Give me your all!” He changed the angle of his approach, just an inch, and suddenly the thick meat of him was pressing against her clit, running over it, adding to the feelings sweeping through her as his hood expanded to its fullest and dragged against every nerve ending in her pussy. She threw back her head and screamed, the long, shrill sound announcing her dive into the great void. Her muscles tightened around his cock, milking it as she reached her completion. Her head thrashed back and forth in the tangled, scented furs they lay in, her legs tightening around his body, her blunted nails digging into the sweat-dampened skin of his shoulders as the muscles heaved underneath his skin. He-o felt her release, felt her body clutch and clench around his, and let his vision go white. Control was a thing of the past as his teeth latched onto the skin of her neck and he began to pound into her as hard and as fast as he could. Slam after slam filled the cavern with the sounds and scents of hot, ribald sex. He surrounded himself with her, felt her releaserelease him, and gave up his seed with a long howl. He collapsed onto her, pressing her against the slightly damp furs, now saturated with the scents of their rutting. “Good, so good,” he whispered, a low purr rumbling in his chest. He was squashing her, but at the moment, she didn’t care. For now, she was warm and safe, and in her mate’s arms. All too soon, they would have to go and face the world that seemed determined to toss every disaster in their direction, to face the unknown, and try to deal with a future that was as scary as it was exciting. But for now, she was content to rest under her mate, beside the water wall, andlinger in the afterglow.

***** Jihiblanched at some of the sounds that emanated from the cave. She hoped the act was not as painful as it sounded, but with all the screeching and yelling, she could never tell. She looked down at the brace of large fish she had strung together, and was grateful that she had tickled


them out of the water before He-o and the female began their sexual ritual. Maybe she would have the female teach her how to makeKobaye howl like that. It would certainly repay her debt, in full! Grinning, she looked up into the sky, reminding herself that the dark wouldn’t hold forever, and rushed to gather berries. They would have a full meal, and then they would leave. Hopefully, because theOthers could not see well in the dark, it would give them more time to get further into the jungles, to the place no Other’s eyes had ever seen.

***** The naturalist rounded her troops together and broke camp while it was still dark. “The best way to catch these creatures is to get them when they least expect us.” “You are endowing them with human attributes,” one assistant spoke, yawning and wanting nothing more than to climb back into the bedroll. “It almost gives credence to what that crazed soldier spoke of earlier.” All fell silent as the naturalist’s eyes zeroed in on the sleepy man. “What we have here are animals.” Her voice was clipped and her tone serious as she took a step closer to the man. The others backed away, but the one protester, unfortunately, had her undivided attention. “Not only are we tracking animals, good sir, we are tracking hunters.” Her eyes narrowed and she almost spat her words at the man who had stopped yawning and started looking worried. “We are tracking skilled hunters who managed to elude us for years. These beasts almost have a cunning that would hint at human intelligence. But we all know that is impossible, so we are dealing with advanced instincts. We have hunters, sir, hunters who will find the easiest, most trouble-free way to get their prey. That means before the prey is up and moving during the night. We have no idea if these creatures are nocturnal or not, because the queen’s pet went by the castle’s schedule and we do not know if it is a learned response. We know that the male was captured at night. That means the female was trained, the male is unusual, or they have the ability to adapt. I am betting on the third. “But despite all the advanced instincts, we have the edge, sir. We have human intelligence, not a protective instinct that will mimic it. We think, sir, not merely react. So if we rise before the beasts, we can catch them at a hunt. They are hiding, which means they will move during the night. Ergo, the night is the best time to search for them, as they will have stop to find a den or a place of rest during the day. Does that meet with your approval, sir?” The assistant nodded dumbly and rushed away to double-check his roll and to get away from the seeming madwoman! How she could go from sedate scientist and conservationist to bellowing tyrant confused him. The others offered no objection but quickly packed and, within minutes, they were on their way, the naturalist in the lead with her machine.

Chapter Twelve


Jihiremained quiet as the trio picked their way through the darkness of the jungle. Dense underbrush was no match for He-o’sclaws orJihi’s experienced slither. The pair of warriors moved like a well-oiled machine, slipping through underbrush as if they were born to it. And indeed they were! Their only weak link was the pale female, who tried her best to keep up with the two while fighting down the feelings of inadequacy that hung like a dark cloud in the back of her mind. Well rested and well loved, the golden female felt out of place as she moved with the others, confused and still frightened about the twists and turns her future was taking, but determined to live whatever she and fate wrought for her. She would not be a simpering, quivering, useless thing! She would forge her way with her mate. His confidence in her was unshakeable, so she would not let her own confidence lag. They remained silent during this trek. She used her mental link with He-o to communicate, whileJihi used elaborate hand signals and gestures. Over rocky terrain they traveled as time swiftly wore on, until the environment began to change, growing more hot and humid with each step. They had traversed the rough, damp terrain, moving as swiftly as they could with her being a novice at jungle travel, when the first hint that something was not right appeared to them. First, the jungle became eerily silent. As they traveled through the forest, the creatures chirped and chattered, welcoming them as a natural part of the landscape. That living backdrop added a soundtrack for their travel, but it also created white noise that comforted and eased their senses as they moved. Suddenly, they all seemed to realize that the comforting blanket of sound was missing. Then a tension began to build in the air, pressing in on their senses and makingJihi’s ears twitch. She paused in her scouting and dropped back with He-o and his mate as her senses went on high alert. A low growl began in He-o’sthroat as his ears perked up, his tail lifting in an alert position even as he waved the females on further. What is it?she sent him, her own skin crawling as her nerves went into overdrive. “Move,” he hissed, crouching lower to the ground, almost becoming part of the plant-strewn landscape. Jihifollowed his example, sinking as low as possible, using her tail as a counterbalance as she gripped the female’s arm and urged her forward. Both of their postures shouted “danger.” And as a people used to following their instincts for survival, they quickly took a defensive stance, waiting for an attack. It was not long in coming. The second hint that something wasn’t quite right was the low, mechanical-sounding hum that softly filled the air. It was a sound they could have easily missed if the denizens of the jungle had not gone silent. But now that all was quiet, the low humming sound could be heard, though just barely. “Move,” He-o urged as he lifted his head. His mouth partially opened as he both scented and tasted the air.“The Others.” A look of fear quickly crossedJihi’s face but was buried under the anger and determination that took its place.


The golden female shuddered, remembering her life at their merciless hands. She would die before going back. He-o’sbattle-experienced face showed nothing of his thoughts, but she could read the tension flowing from him. He would die before he gave his mate up to their clutches, and he would see that as many of them as he could manage would die with him, even if it meant playing the beast until he was before their king and queen, their so-called rulers. Then he would slit their throats and laugh as they bled out. He would watch them die and slaughter them until they discovered the means to take him down. Falling in behind the females, He-o cautiously watched their path, letting the stealthierJihi guide them over fallen trees and clinging vines. But their persistence was no match for a scent-based technology. The naturalist and her three assistants remained on their trail, following behind in a less-than-graceful manner, but keeping up with them because of the machine. It’s me they want!she finally managed as they flowed over the landscape, dragging her right along with them.Let me go back and you can find me later. If you are captured, then there is no hope for any of us! “I am not sacrificing you to them!” He-o hissed, forgetting to use the mental bond, causingJihi to jerk at his words. “I promised you freedom, and on my honor, I shall deliver to you what you fought so hard for!” Jihilooked at the female with new respect. It was a mark of a warrior, to give yourself over so that your compatriots might live. It was unexpected in the strange creature that He-o had taken to mate. She respected the thoughts and the intent. But she would rather not face a grief-tormented male after his mate had been torn away from him. She gripped the female’s arm tighter and urged her onward. “Less talking, more moving,” she hissed and pulled her even faster, increasing their pace and widening the distance between them and theOthers . Only ...,the paler femalethought,...please letKobaye and the others find us before the Others do. Jihiwas scared, even if she only admitted it to herself. The quintessential female warrior was scared. And that she was didn’t bode well for them in the future.

***** The naturalist was pleased. Their little machine was making great headway in the search for her missing creatures. Already it had led them though some parts of the jungle that they would have thought impossible to traverse. Tricky, these creatures were, she mused as she smiled lovingly at her prototype. If not for the scent-monitoring abilities of this machine, they would have been lost a long time ago, and moreover, they would have never even made it this far through the dangers of this environment. The creatures left no trails behind,no markers to show where they had passed, so it would have been


quite easy to walk into some natural or creature-made trap. The precision of this machine kept them on the right path, avoiding that falling cliff, a spot of soft ground that would have swallowed them whole, and the nest of poisonousnipa vines. When she returned to the castle and the king and queen gave her leave and monies to continue her research, she would duplicate this prototype and offer them only to the scientific elite, those who would hunt these creatures down to protect them with manmade environments. That way, they would be safe from those treacherous people who would do them harm, and the society could learn about these beautiful and majestic beasts that so mimicked human beings. There would not be a repeat of the incident which cost the lives of thousands and drove the breed to the point of extinction. The naturalist grinned, pride filling her as the day began to lighten. She would be responsible for the capture and protection of these creatures. She was doing blessed work, and soon the whole planet would know of these marvelous beasts. Soon, everyone would understand why they had to be protected from man and from themselves. These jungles were dangerous! They would be better off in a nice, safe habitat, where all of their needs could be seen to and where the people could observe them in an almost natural setting. And she would have access to that male and all the experiments they could perform and the breeding programsand ... The beeping of the machine drew her attention to the colorful device she hefted in her arms. “Quiet!” she hissed, motioning for her three to surround her. “According to this reading, they are not far ahead. The scent is concentrated, and that means the air has not dissipated it. We are just behind them. Get your weapon-- Get your capture gear ready. We get them back before full daylight!” There were pleased murmurs as stun poles and projectile nets were brought out. “Remember,” she cautioned, “the male will be in a mating ...” She choked on the word, a blush staining her cheeks, before she got herself under control. “He will be in a mating frenzy, and the female will more than likely hide behind him until we get her into the net. Then I expect her to put up a fierce fight. The mating urge seems to be strong in these creatures, and we had better be prepared for anything.” Nodding, her crew again fanned out in a triangular pattern, the naturalist with her machine taking point as they moved though the underbrush.

***** She was desperate. She knew she was holding them up, that without her they could have taken to the trees or fled like shadows through the underbrush. NeitherJihi nor He-o had protested, but because of her, they were limited in their escape routes. She could not climb trees likeJihi or show the explosive strength of He-o. She knew that theOthers were going to catch up to them with their weapons and their sticky nets.


But there was one thing she could do. Stop!she bellowed in He-o’smind, making the man freeze in his steps. “We must move!” he urged. ButJihi hissed, pulled from her headlong flight by her grip on the female’s arm as she dug her heels in and refused to move. We must plan! We can run to the ends of this planet, and they will find a way to track you. We have to outsmart them. “Explain.” He-o stared down at his mate, looking at the calculating expression that filled her face. I know their weakness. “And that is?” Contemptible arrogance. “Pardon me?” They think they know everything, that they are the only creatures that the Creator ever gave life to. Their arrogance will be their downfall. “How?” Capture or kill? “We don’t have time for this,”Jihi was quick to remind them. “They are gaining on us! I can almost taste their stench! It is a smell I will never forget!” “Capture or kill?” He-o asked again. “Capture will save us from hiding. This close to our pack, they can easily destroy us by fire or by bomb blasts. It would do us better to capture and relocate theOthers . If we take away their toy, I doubt that they could find their way back this far. Then this is what we do.” “I am finding the others!”Jihi insisted. “They can help.” “Get the others,” He-o commanded. “Tell them what we do here. She is right; it would be foolish to lead them back to our village when we can make a stand here, where they’re at a disadvantage.” That said,he turned to his mate, his voice harsh. “What do we do now?” We give them what they want. Chapter Thirteen

It was the whimpering that drew their attention to her.


The naturalist waved a hand back, holding off her people as they spotted the gold-colored creature lying under a tree, pitiful whimpering coming from her throat. She lay on her side, almost in the fetal position, with both hands wrapped around her ankle. She looked wildly around her, the small squeals of pain and confusion sounding loudly in the quiet forest. “It’s a trap,” one of her assistants, the naysayer from before, said as he looked at the pitiful tableau she made. “You are assigning them human attributes again,” the naturalist explained, her eyes eagerly taking in the injured creature while keeping an ear out, listening for the male. “She is wearing clothing,” he shouted back. “Those are not the garments the queen decreed to be created for her. Those had to come from somewhere!” “They emulate us!” The naturalist turned on her assistant, growing impatient with the man and his doubts. His radical ideas could sway the others and damage all of humanity’s cause. He was becoming dangerous. “They are animals in human guise. They are creatures that need our protection. Their species is in danger. She lies there, injured, yet they have abandoned her. That is an animal trait, sir, to leave the weak link behind for the better of the whole group. A human would never leave a fallen comrade behind.” “Unless it was a trap.” “God take you and your traps!” she finally snarled, losing her patience with the man. He lacked vision and was tainting the rest of her people. “If you want to sit and whine about philosophy and genetic emulation, then be my guest! I am going to rescue the queen’s pet and any cubs she might carry.”

***** She lay still and tried to look convincing as she waited to see who would approach. Her ears automatically swirled in the direction of the faint footsteps, and a familiar scent filled her nostrils. It was the femaleOther who had brought He-o to her. And her scent was wrong. There was lust and arousal in her scent. There was eagerness and there was anger.Anger? What had she to be angry about? She was free and safe and the cat-people were the hunted! The naturalist and her kind had made them the prey, had made her kind no better than the beasts of the jungle. It was not right that the naturalist should feel anger. Just those thoughts made her head swim and her eyes narrow even more. Determination filled her. They would capture this creature, and they would take her far away, so that she could never harm another. And they had better capture her soon, or the female would lose her control and kill the woman. Unaware of the poisonous thoughts that rolled through the golden female’s head, the naturalist crept slowly toward her, making soothing noises as soon as that magnificent head and those raised ears swiveled in her direction. “It’s okay,” she soothed. “It’s okay. Soon I will have you back safe where you belong.”


She hissed, hunching over deeper, a low growl in her chest. “It’s okay. You want to go home, yes? Home to the queen and to the handlers that so love you? You want your hair ... fur groomed, yes? You want your tail curried? You want wonderful treats, yes?” She hissed harder as she felt her blunted claws emerge from her mutilated fingers. Her tail whipped furiously as her golden eyes narrowed in on the female of theOthers . “Yes, you do.” The naturalist purred. “Yes, you want to get away from that beast. You want to get away from that bad creature.” She sniffed and growled as theOther reached one hand out to touch her, as she motioned to her remaining two obedient assistants to bring the net. TheOther smelled of lust and arousal. It only increased when she made mention of He-o. Jealousy roiled with the anger in her soul as she visibly trembled with the desire to tear, rend, and chew that false smile off of the depraved Other’s face. That furless creature wanted her mate! No matter what the naturalist said, in that moment, the golden female knew that everything the esteemed naturalist of theOthers preached was lies. She was hunting them down for the lust of He-o. She had made the others help her through her lies and deceit. ThisOther was a sick, depraved beast! All her instincts seemed to activate at once, giving her the command to put the sick one out of her misery. But common sense prevailed and she remembered that she had to play her part. She had to draw out all three for the attack to be effective. So she closed her eyes and whimpered again, curling tighter into herself, hiding the loathing in her face by tucking her chin into her shoulder. She just prayed that He-o could pull this attack off. She shuddered as she felt the hypocritical female touch her shoulder, running a nauseatingly gentle hand over her shoulders and back. “Shh,” she crooned. “Soon we will have you back where you belong,” “She belongs with me!” The words were nearly roared as the two assistants stopped at the naturalist’s side. All three jerked at the sound, turning to see who followed them this far and deep into the jungle. They never expected to see the tall, broad form of their previous captive standing in the shadows. Before they could react, there was a lashing sound and the net that one assistant held went flying, only to explode against the side of a nearby tree. There was a second lashing sound, so close to the first that they almost sounded as one, and the second device, the stun gun, met the fate of its brother machine. “What ...” the naturalist managed, throwing herself in front of the golden female as if trying to protect her find, while staring in awe at the figure that towered over them both. The assistants scrambled to get into position to defend as their attacker stepped forward.


“When will you learn to leave us alone?” The words were bellowed as the shadows seemed to part and the massive body stepped forward. He-o seemed to separate from the darkness that held his identity secret. His long hair flowed wildly around his body, his eyes flashing gold; the markings that covered his left side swirled madly. One assistant reached for a weapon of some kind at her side, but with a quick movement of his wrist, He-o ripped a marking from his body and a long, thin blade buried itself in the woman’s wrist. She fell to the ground, howling, as she pulled at the dart that refused to move. The second assistant growled and moved into a defensive stance, ready to physically attack the beast, but with a practiced movement, He-o pulled a long rope of thick black material from his body and flung it at the man. It wrapped around his body before he could take his first step, and tightened enough to drop him to the ground, immobilizing his movements. “I said --” He-o stepped closer to the now cowering naturalist, his face twisted in anger. “-- leave us alone.” “You ... You can speak!” She gasped, backing up a step and tripping over the female, falling onto her butt and bouncing as she stared in startled amazement at the male beast that hovered over her. “I can speak,” he replied as he stepped closer, snorting at the man struggling in the net and rolling his eyes at the woman who clutched her wrist and whimpered in pain as she writhed on the ground. The markings on his body shifted in shape and form, making his agitation apparent as he examined the Other who had caused so many of his recent woes. “How?” the naturalist stuttered. “The female never ...” “What my mate does is none of your concern,” he spat as he knelt beside the writhing female. “Don’t kill her!” the naturalist hissed. “If you must kill someone, take me instead!” Take you, indeed!the female hissed, rising to her feet and spitting on the ground at the naturalist’s feet. Her stink of lust and desire sickens me. This female is in heat over you, He-o, and I am not happy about it. “You are correct, kittling,” he soothed as he reached out and placed his left arm against the assistant’s wrist. The black dart oozed from her body and flowed back into his arm, blending with the rapidly swirling marks, returning to the one who controlled it. “She does stink of sexual desire and has since the moment I allowed myself to be captured.” “Who are you speaking to?” the naturalist asked, ignoring the words in amazement that he had actually spoken. “My mate, the one your precious queen held for years.” His left arm flexed and a rolling rope of the black substance flowed from his body to coil around the stunned female assistant, effectively binding her so that all but the smallest movements were impossible. “She does not speak! In all of my years observing her ...”


“She does not speak to you. But she is my mate, my kittling, and I understand her clearly.” The golden female sniffed and tightened her hands into fists, ready to do damage to theOther who was aroused over her mate. “Impossible! It is not possible!” “No, impossible is the total destruction of a whole race in order to make way to build your buildings and pollute our areas with your filth.” The naturalist blinked at that. “I was never in charge of groundbreaking or relocation. I only desire to aid your ... kind.” “Here I stand, speaking to you, understanding your language, and you can only see me as an animal.” He shook his head. “Your kind truly is sad.” He rose to his feet, towering over them all, and again the naturalist spoke. “Don’t kill them! Kill me!” “I do not kill unless it is to save my life, unlike your murderous kind,” He-o hissed. “That is too ... human of a trait for my ... people.” “What do you want?” she asked. “What are you going to do to me?” “Nothing,” he stated as he observed the woman, who in the face of outright defeat, still tried to act as if she were in control. “But ...” Not what you want, bitch,the female hissed in her mind, growling as He-o stepped up to the naturalist, one of theOthers who represented her whole disastrous life. She drew back her fist and let itfly, striking out at the creature who symbolically represented all that had destroyed her life and her people. The naturalist looked wide-eyed at the usually docile female who had risen up against her, then blinked ... twice. She did not expect that of that creature. But the female was not done. There were many years of anger and torment built up inside her. Instead of relieving the tensions, that one punch seemed to release something deep inside her, something animalistic and savage. She wanted blood! He-o reached around and grabbed her as her body language clearly told him that his delicate female was out to do murder. Tell her!She growled, struggling as he drew her to his body, his long arms wrapping around her.Tell her that I would kill her kind -- that I would wipe them all off of the face of this planet! Tears welled up in her eyes and spilled over as all the frustration, the anger, the abuse she had been forced to endure doubled back and sought release of some kind or another. Tell her that they killed my family, my people! That they took everything away from me! That they stole myidentity, made me something lower than the lowest ground beast! That she stole my


humanity!Tears rolled down her face as she struggled in her mate’s hands.Tell her! Tell her what she did to me, what she stole from me, what she has forced me to become!

***** The male assistant, the one who had refused to act against these creatures, stood in theshadows . His mind was awhirl with emotions that he had never expected to feel on this expedition.Pity, anger, frustration, anger, and sadness. These creatures were speaking; they had an understanding of what was going on around them. They were not animals; they were just different. The naturalist had it all wrong. These were not beasts to be tamed or placed in some type of protective custody. They were almost ... well, human.Just different. He stood there. His body refused to move; his mind wouldn’t let it. So he just stood there and observed, curious to see how all of this played out.

***** “She wants you to know ...” He-o started, purring in his chest as he sought to comfort his mate. “She wants you to know what hell you made of her life.” “I only sought to preserve it!” The naturalist hissed, sitting there on her ass in the dirt. “I only did what anyone would have done to protect a beautiful creature.” “And who gave you the hold of her life and death? What made you the one to decide what is good and fair and just in our lives? Here I stand, speaking to you, understanding what you are saying, having an intelligent conversation with you, and yet you refuse to look deeper than ears and an extra appendage.” His tail flicked up to wrap around his mate’s waist as he spoke, noting that the female of theOthers stared at it in rapt attention. The scent of her arousal increased. “You are a sad species,” he stated, sharply enough to draw her eyes up to his. “You look for reasons to subjugate when you only want to hide your own desires.” “I do not ...” “Female, I can smell your heat. She can smell it. We all can smell it. You have no shame, hunting down a whole species, plotting to pen us up like wild animals so that you can slake your lust on my body.” “You ... You hold a high opinion of your worth,” she growled, her eyes going to her two assistants, who observed the exchange carefully. “Yet you don’t deny it. And you wonder why my mate is so aggressive toward you?” He turned to the two bound soldiers, the assistants that the naturalist had managed to coerce into believing her false words and misconceptions. “And you? Do you see us as something inhuman, animals


to be hunted?” There was silence on that front, but they were carefully, very carefully, listening to his words. “You are just animals who learned a new trick.” The naturalist smiled. “From you and your people?” “Yes” she insisted. “There is no way that you could even hope to comprehend the vast...” “I tell you what I can comprehend,” He-o growled. “I can comprehend that my mate watched her family die before her eyes, that it traumatized her so much she has not spoken a word since she was a child. I understand that there are others of my kind, cousins, if you will, who watched as their mothers were cut in half, raped, and tortured by your people. I understand that you attempt to justify nearly wiping out a whole race -- race, damn you, not species -- just because you wanted to invade, when asking for permission would have been so much easier. I understand that you attempted to cover up your guilt and your evilness by compounding that evil, by trying to trap us like beasts for your people to gawk at. If you laid hands on my mate, would she ever even get a chance to see any young she may be carrying before they were whisked away from her, divided up like so many trade goods, and she put to stud with the next thing that even resembles our race, our kind?” Silence. “You disgust me,” he hissed, releasing his mate, who stood there and growled at the naturalist. “If I had my way, I would wipe you all off the face of this planet. But that would be more dangerous than letting you run wild. You are being -- what is the word you used so many times? -- relocated to a place where you can do less damage, though it would be justice to take you back to my people, tie you up like the animals you have convinced others to believe that we are, and let my people gawk at the tame, hairless, tailless creatures who have invaded our world and destroyed our culture and way of life.” Again, silence. He-o huffed as he turned toward the two on the ground. “You will leave, yes?” Numbly, the two nodded, wondering what they had been convinced to do,minds whirling at the images that the beast -- the man -- had painted with his words. Nodding in agreement, He-o knelt beside the injured female, pressing his left wrist against her side, forcing the living black substance, which still bound her, from her body and back onto his arm, releasing her. He turned and did the same with the male, who sat up cautiously, eyeing the man, with his strange abilities, in some consternation. “I will lead you back to the edge of the jungle, and you should be able to find your way back to your people from there.” The two nodded, thinking for themselves for once. They rose to their feet, the female still clutching her wrist, amazed that there was no blood flowing from the wound. Noticing her stare, He-o smiled, the markings on his face flowing less ominously and seeming to radiate amusement.


“I can penetrate your flesh and cause you pain without drawing blood,” he informed her. “As soon as your nerves recover from the shock of the piercing, your body will return to normal, with no residual effects. I am not out to maim anyone. It would not be honorable when facing an opponent who is less well prepared.” The female snorted, rolling her eyes, but kept a respectful distance. That was an ability that she had never seen, had never even dreamed of. She didn’t want to see what he could do if he decided to be less honorable. But the naturalist lay on the ground, glaring at them all. Her plans, her beautiful plans, were falling apart before her eyes! The queen’s pet was getting away. The magnificent specimen of a male was getting away. That could not be allowed. But a sound turned her attention to the shadows of the jungles behind her. “About time,” a feminine voice purred. At those words, the naturalist turned and saw what remained of her master plan fall to pieces. The queen’s pet was not the last one! There were others! Her theories were correct in one respect. There were many more of these cat-creatures. Humans didn’t have that strange black substance that flowed from their bodies to attack. No matter what the creatures said, this was unnatural and dangerous. If there was one female, then there were more. The threat of overpopulation was a reality. She had to end this threat. There could be thousands, just waiting to attack them. They were not human. “No!” the naturalist screamed, lurching to her feet and backing away from them. “It’s over,” He-o growled, eyes blazing at the woman of theOthers . “No!” she screamed again, reaching toward her belt. “It can’t be over! I won’t let it be over! I have to fix this. I have to fix everything.” The stun gun she reached for was not the usual capture and retrieval device. This was forher own personal protection and was designed to kill. “It’s not over until I say it’s over!” she bellowed. “Give it up!” He-o pulled his mate defensively behind him. “You have lost!” “I have not lost! This isn’t over!” she yelled, tears welling up in her eyes and rolling down her cheeks. “Can’t you see? I only want to help! I have to help!” This creature, this man-beast, had ruined everything. Before he had set eyes on the queen’s pet, she was docile and meek, accepting her station in life, willing to do whatever to please. But he had changed her, had changed everything. He even influenced the way the female’s body behaved. How could she have ever lusted after such a thing? This proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that these things had to be controlled. This male had to be controlled!


She didn’t need him, her twisted mind decided as she watched the dark-haired male in his aggressive stance, his tail whipping madly around behind him. This wasall his fault! If not for him, the queen’s pet would have remained a unique being. Because of him, she found herself reacting to his exotic looks too damn much. The naturalist longed to capture him instead of putting him down. He had done this to her. If she rid the world of him, then things would go back to normal. Yes, he had to go. He was the instrument of her destruction! “This is all because of you!” she hissed, narrowing her eyes as she stared at the male. “Why don’t you go back where you belong?”Jihi grew tired of the exchange of words. She wanted this creature gone before she lost control and slit the Other’s throat. They and their kind had no place here! TheOthers were bringing more chaos and disorder. The whining female of theOthers had to go. These words drew the naturalist’s eyes back toJihi’s . Oh, yes. She had almost forgotten about her, the dark female. This creature had to go, as well. It was a matter of securing the safety of her people. This female was proof that they were breeding. They could overwhelm them with their numbers if the females were not culled. These cat-creatures were too dangerous to have out of their control. Not onlythat, but the appearance of this feminine creature blew her theories apart. The queen’s pet was not the only one left. That meant that her research funds would be cut. That meant she would not hold the honor and prestige of being the world’s only specialist in the cat-creatures. This would mean that others could study these damnable creatures and challenge the hypotheses that took her years to conclude. This could not be allowed to happen. “You!” the naturalist spat, eyes narrowed as all her attention settled onJihi . “You are an anomaly that should not be here.” From where she was standing,Jihi could not see the eyes of the naturalist, could not see the madness that seemed to grow and gain control of her mind. But the golden female could. “You have no place here!”Jihi continued, stepping forward as the woman reached up and leveled her stun gun at the dark female’s chest. It could kill her,the female thought, eyes wide as she watched the unfolding tableau. One shot from that thing would burnJihi to death! She tried to tug on He-o’sarm, to get his attention before he totally lost his temper, but the he-cat was more concerned with keeping her out of view than anything she had to say. She jerked at him, only to have him shove her further behind him, almost totally obscuring her view. No!she thought asJihi watched the woman approach closer.She is dangerous! Her throat tightened andspasmed as she tried to communicate the danger toJihi , a danger that she had never experienced before.But no one paid any mind to her. She let out a mental scream as the naturalist leveled the gun atJihi , aiming for a spot right in the center of


her chest. No!she tried to yell out. “Run!” The word sounded rough and raw and was enough to drawJihi’s attention, as well as the attention of the others in the group. Jihiturned to the useless female, wondering why she urged her to run. Then she blinked as she realized that the female had spoken. She turned toward her, intent on finding out what was going on, when the female of theOthers let out a tight laugh and grinned. There was another voice shouting, and thenJihi found herself flying through the air. “NO!” Before she could move,Jihi felt something slam into her chest that knocked her off her feet and sent her falling back painfully onto her tail. At first she felt nothing, her whole body going numb. But then a fierce pain exploded in the center of her body. That voice, she thought. That second voice was one that she never thought to ever hear speaking in more than a quiet tone. Then the agony slammed into her, making her body writhe with the pain. She could not speak; she could not control the trembling of her limbs. She was in the center of a fierce fire, and oh, how it burned.

Chapter Fourteen

Time seemed to stand still. In slow motion, the two assistants leapt on their leader, trying to prevent her from doing more damage. Her stun gun was knocked from her hands as the two struggled to hold the screaming madwoman. In slow motion, He-o leapt upon the body of his mate, the queen’s pet, knocking her to the ground and barely missing a shot that the deranged bitch made in their direction. He covered his mate protectively with his body, a look of horror on his face as he stared at the downedJihi . Time seemed to slow down, and in surreal movement, the trees seemed to come alive as several of the cat-creatures emerged from the darkness. Outrage was in their expressions as they stared at the remaining Others, shock and fury wanting to take a physical form as their body markings swirled, their eyes glowing like fire. Slowly, the darkness parted and expelled a monstrously huge male covered in black markings that seemed to whirl around his body like miniature dark storms. “No!” he bellowed as he raced to the side of the fallenJihi , his hands reaching for her, and then tangling in his own hair as he watched her die, unable to touch her without causing more pain. He dropped to his knees beside her quivering body, felt the life force flowing from her, and threw back his head and screamed. The earth shook with his fury. The shadows gained life as the markings on his


body exploded forth, lashing out with an audible crack. Some anchored themselves into the ground, sending up huge piles of leaves and dirt, while others speared the trees around them, attaching and spreading until a thick rope of black webbing filled the air. They flowed from his body, this thick, viscous substance, lashing and stabbing anything and everything in their path. They turned the world into a dark, twisted spider web, holding captive the ones who had wrought this disaster with their careless and thoughtless actions. All shuddered beforeKobaye’s grief and rage.All around them, hell grew and blossomed, fed on the anger of the one who had the deepest connection with the planet. “They are dangerous!” The naturalist screamed as she struggled within the grasp of her two assistants. “They have to be destroyed!” “Shut up!” the female assistant bellowed, fear making her voice high and tight. “Just shut the hell up!” “Off!” a raw voice croaked. He-o looked down at his female, sheltered within the confines of his body, and blinked in amazement. “You spoke.” “Off!” She shoved at him, her blunt nails raking against the bare skin on his arms.“Move!” Rolling to the side, He-o allowed his female to sit up and take in what was going on around them. “He will kill them,” He-o stated calmly, watching as the dark marks seemed to encircle theOthers lying fearfully on the ground. I want themdead,she spoke in her mate’s mind, her throat aching with disuse at her attempts to speak. But not this way! You said they would destroy us. They will. No one knew what to do.Kobaye’s grief was tangible as he hovered over the female he cared for. Neither the warriors they brought with them nor any of theOthers had a clue how to end this. Jihi’sbodyspasmed on the ground, and finally,Kobaye reached out and gripped her small hand in his large one. “You are not to leave me,” he whispered, tears flowing down his face as his black marks swirled around them, seemingly with a mind of their own. “It is not your time!” Jihilooked up at the voice, looked up and saw the man that she had always wanted, grieving for her. “I ... knew y-you cared,” she managed, struggling with the pain that consumed her whole being. Her vision was growing dark,Kobaye filling her sight. “I care,” he whispered, dropping his head next to her face, purring and nuzzling at her, as if trying to impart to her some of his life force.


Jihiwhimpered in pain, her head rolling away as cold tears rolled down her cheeks. She was losing the feeling in her legs. At her pained sound,Kobaye’s visage twisted to one of extreme hate. His eyes sought out those of the Others , pinning them where they lay. Even the naturalist had enough remaining sanity to quiet her yowls of protest. There was nothing comforting in the face that glared at them, his eyes glowing gold as the ribbons of black found their target. The blackness roared as they ceased their aimless lashing and began to wrap around the terrified trio. The naturalist and her assistants didn’t know what to do. They knew begging for their lives would not helpanything, that they were all going to die in some horrid, painful way. The naturalist stared in shocked confusion. This was not how her plans were supposed to go. She was supposed to go back a hero. She was to return the queen’s pet and keep the male for herself. This was not how things were supposed to happen. Then she began to scream as the tendrils of black flowed around her feet, wrapping around her, cocooning her in a sea of darkness. “You will suffer,”Kobayegrowled, his voice low and dangerous. “You have taken from me for the last time. You and all of your people will die!” “NO!” Again, all turned to face the pale female. Her eyes wereglowing an eerie gold, and her hair seemed to stand on end. She slowly rose to her feet, as if drawn by some great magic, and she approachedJihi . The black ribbons seemed to part before her, sliding away to let her pass. He-o leapt to his feet, going to stop her from approaching a grief-maddenedKobaye , but the ribbons swirled around again, preventing him from touching her. “There is another way.” As she spoke, her hands began to glow yellow, then gold, and finally red as she knelt beside the fallen female. “Going ... going to ... burn my b-body?”Jihi managed, her eyes glued to the glowing hands of the other female. “Shut up!” she snapped, grinning as the words she had wanted to scream atJihi for so long flowed through her sore throat. Kobayerose to stop her, to aid her, no one knew, but he did move back fromJihi’s body, the black tendrils slowing down their consumption of theOthers . She didn’t know what had come over her. Something inside told her that she had to touchJihi . She was powerless to ignore the impulse. She raised her hand above the burning wound, ignoring the scent of charred flesh and leather that brought back so many painful memories for her. She ignored the specters of her past, the tears that flowed from her eyes, theOthers , the tendrils that flowed fromKobaye , connecting him to everything, and just concentrated onJihi .


The female was a bitch, but she didn’t deserve to die. She placed her hand above thewound, ignoringJihi’s pained gasps and whimpers, and willed the glowing light to enterJihi’s body. They all watched, amazed, as the female paled but kept the glowing light pouring intoJihi’s body. She watched as pink flesh began to fill in the crater the stun gun blast had created inJihi’s chest. She watched as bone sank back into its proper place, as the skin formed over the wound and darkened from a fleshy pink to a deep brown. She watched asJihi was slowly healed, as her breathing came easier and the pained lines in her face smoothed out. She held that glowing light toJihi’s body until the darkness enveloped her, turning her muscles into mush. She collapsed overJihi’s form. “How?”Jihisighed as her eyes fluttered and closed. But it was a natural sleep, a healing sleep. Kobayestared, amazed at what the pale female had done, his anger wearing away as he realized he actually had a chance to show the stubborn female warrior how he felt. “Kobaye!”The shouted words made the leader turn around. He saw He-o struggling with the tendrils of black, wanting to reach his mate. With a thought and a silent command, the black ribbons began to retract, floating swiftly back to his body. He-o raced toward the fallen people, his eyes on his mate. What had happened? Why was she down? The others began to murmur, and a few approached the fallen duo, shocked into stillness by the passing events. Even the naturalist hadn’t foreseen this event. How fortuitous! The queen’s pet had a healing ability. If the rest of the females had such atalent ... “You have to come back with me!” she found herself calling, ignoring the incredulous looks her two assistants shot her. “We need you! Your skill could be ...” “The downfall of us all,”Kobaye snarled. He-o lifted his mate, noting that she just appeared exhausted, and glared at the female of theOthers . “Haven’t you caused enough pain?” The naturalist winced at his words. She never meant to cause any trouble, her confused mind told her. She just wanted to help. “But she could benefit all of our people,” she argued from her place at their feet. “So now we are people?” He-o snapped. “I meant ...” “I should kill you all,”Kobaye snarled, hefting the limp form ofJihi in his arms. “I see no reason to let you remain alive. You will carry your tales back to theOthers and then they will begin to hunt us more actively than they do now.”


“You would kill us?” the naturalist asked as the cold look filledKobaye’s eyes once more. “That would be ...” “The act of an animal?”He hissed. He stared into herface, let her see the death that awaited her in his eyes. Then he turned and walked away, clutching his precious burden to his chest. “The warriors will show you the way,” He-o snarled, recognizingEza and nodding to him to get the Others out of their jungle. “But ...” “You leave with your life, despite the fact that letting you live will cause us more harm than good,” He-o snapped. “Take this as a gift for keeping my mate alive until I could find her. But hear my words, woman of theOthers : This is the only present that you will ever receive from me or my kind.” That said, He-o turned and followedKobaye into the jungle, the shadows closing over them, hiding them as if they had never been there at all. “This is not over,” the naturalist spat before she schooled her features into benign boredom and allowed her assistants to help her to her feet. “Not by any stretch of the imagination.” “You can count me out,” the male said, drawing her attention to him. “These people want to be left alone. If that is an example of what all of them can do, then leave me out of it.” The female assistant agreed, looking wearily at the men who surrounded her, yet spoke not a word. They gestured for theOthers to move forward, and silently she complied, never once looking back at the naturalist. “I will return,” the naturalist whispered, before she too turned and followed the men back through the trees and vines. “This is not over until I say it is.”

***** The first thing the female saw, when next she opened her eyes, was a pair of furious green orbs blazing down at her. “I suppose this makes you happy?” a condescending voice hissed. She blinked golden eyes, dismayed and a little disoriented. The last thing she remembered was being in that clearing filled withblack death and the feeling of fire pouring through her veins. But it was a good fire, similar to what she felt when mating with He-o, but less intense. “I suppose I should thank you for my life,”Jihi added. “But it would have been kinder to let me die than to subject me to a life without a heart.” That brought her instantly alert. She looked around the room they were in and gasped.


So familiar to her, the house could have been straight out of her memories. There was the hard wooden floor beneath her. She knew it would be slightly damp in the humidity of the jungle, and thatdestra flowers would be dropped every morning to absorb the moisture, then swept up in the afternoon, leaving behind a fresh, clean, bacteria-free surface. The ceiling was made of huge, intertwined green leaves, creating a cool, living canopy that could release the heat of a hot day, yet turn over and repel the fiercest of rain storms. It could also provide fresh, clean air and keep it circulating for those who lived beneath its natural arms. There were hide coverings over the window cut-outs and several wooden chests in the corners. There were no cooking areas, as all meals would be prepared at a central location and consumed there every night. If this place was like her home, the cooking area would bebespelled by the magic of the village women, making it and the open wooden canopy that covered the fire pits flame retardant. Truly a meal in a village such as this was a family affair, all of the people coming out to meet and eat and share stories and problems and receive help in creating the solutions. All of this created a warm, loving society -- that is, if this was a village like the ones she remembered from her youth. “Are you even listening to me?”Jihi’s words brought her out of her dazed stupor, and she once again focused on the dark female. She shrugged to show that she had no idea what the female was speaking of. “They saw you. They all saw you. Have you any idea how long they have been waiting for a female of power? Whatever bond you hold with He-o will not be enough against the council. They will want to see two of our greatest powers united to protect our people. They will tear you away from your mate and give you toKobaye .” What? Shock and pain lanced though her heart, followed quickly by indignant anger. No one would take her He-o away from her! There was a true bonding of both spirit and mind. These people were crazy if they thought she would allow that to happen. If this is what they did to people, then this place was nothing like the warm, loving village in her memories. This place was no better than the castle of theOthers ! “And why would they do that?” A deep mellow voice cut into her mental tirade, and both females turned their heads to see a hulkingKobaye enter quietly to stand at the door’s entrance. “Kobaye...”Jihi’s voice trailed off as she turned to stare at the man who now seemed to dwarf the doorway. “I repeat, why would they break up a mating?” “To combine two of the greatest powers that ever ... Why are you laughing?” It was true.Kobaye was clutching his sides in laughter. It was unexpected and pleasant, as it was a sound that didn’t often come from his mouth. But now it was


getting annoying! Jihi’sbrows lowered as she began to glare at the male. Why did he find this so humorous? Was he mocking her? Did he know how she felt about him? There were not too many things that she could remember about that time, but she swore she could recallKobaye screaming and crying over her. Or was that a dream? “You mock me?” she asked, a hiss in her voice as her confusion turned into anger. “No I would not, littleTigon ,” he chuckled, his markings flowing madly around his body, as if they, too, were amused. “Tigon?”Jihiand the paler female stared atKobaye , the alien-sounding word still on his lips. “Tigon.It is what you and your people are.Tigons are the people of war,Jihi . I thought you knew your history.” “People of war?”Jihisat on the female’s bed and patiently awaited an explanation. “Yes, littleTigon , people of war. TheTigonare the warrior race, the protectors of our people. The Ligers are of magic and things unknown.” “I thought we all were the same, just different tribes.” The pale female looked more alert, nodding her head atJihi's words, she, too, wanting an explanation. “No, theTigonare the warriors, the protectors. The Ligers are the mystics. They were separate in their positions in the clan, but are still of one people, one Creator.” “But you ...” “Yes, I am a Liger,”Kobaye smiled. “I am one of the few remaining males.” “What ... How?”Jihi asked, almost afraid of what she would hear. “Sometimes, a male Liger is born with the markings, making him aTigon in form and a Liger in nature. I am sure you noticed that only maleTigons have markings. Male Ligers usually lack the physical ability to possess the Dark Mark and the mental acuity to yield it. But when a Liger is born with these markings, he is sent off to train with theTigons , to be both adept in mind and body.” “You were sent away,”Jihi breathed. “When they attacked us, when theOthers attacked, you were already sent away!” Kobayenodded solemnly. “I was away at training. I had not even been given a name when the attacks occurred. Therefore, I never got a chance to say farewell to my family, my littermates,my ... siblings.” As he spoke that last word, his eyes bore into the pale female’s, waiting ... waiting. Jihistared at the two, her eyes traveling from the male to the female. What was going on? “What exactly is it between the two of you?” she hissed. “From the moment you pulled that useless female out of the pit, you have been treating her oddly and she has been strangely accepting around you. Is this a magic thing?”


“I ...” the female began, shaking her head.“No ... magic.” “You savedJihi’s life, and for that I am in your debt ... sibling.” She sucked in a great blast of air at those words. Her eyes widened and her heart began to pound. “Si-sibling?”Her right hand went to her chest, as if to hold her heart in its proper place as she frantically scented the air, recalling that familiar scent she’d first noticed around the leader of theTigon . Hope blossomed in her chest,then exploded as she thought of her older sibling, the one who had taught her to run into the trees, who had shown her how to hide from their parents and the proper way to use her tail. Her sibling, who had been sent away hours before theOthers had arrived and her life, as she had known it, ceased to be. Her sibling, whom she pined over, cried over, and then nearly forgot as her childhood was torn away and she was forced to become someone else entirely to survive. Her sibling ... was alive! “Ko-Ko-Kobaye?” He could read the recognition in her eyes, eyes that were so much like his mother’s, eyes thatteared up and overflowed, now in happiness, for him. “My sibling.”Then he was across the room, tugging her into his arms, burying his face in her hair, inhaling her fresh, magical, familiar scent. “Mate me!”Jihigasped, her eyes wide at this little revelation. There was no way in the universe that they would force siblings to mate, and there was no way in the world that the golden female had ever been a threat toJihi’s place inKobaye’s eyes. “Well, mate me!” “Too late, I have a mate,” a chuckling voice from behind her whispered as He-o entered the room. “And if my leader would unhand her ...” ”He-o, this female is my sister. And if I choose to maul her, neither you nor your words will stop me.” She chuckled and held her brother tighter, tears still running freely down her cheeks. She had a family! She had a mate, the possibility of cubs, a lost sibling returned! She had everything she needed. Not exactly,her mate mentally sent to her. In her excitement, she didn’t even know she was broadcasting. “What ... need?” She forced her sore throat to produce the words. “A name.” “Name?” “We can’t keep calling you ‘she’ or ‘her.’ It would confuse the little ones.” He-o chuckled, moving to sit


beside his mate and her sibling, to peel her out ofKobaye’s arms and snuffle at her neck, rubbing his scent into her skin and marking her yet again. “I like ‘useless female.’”Jihi snickered, and rolled her eyes at the triple glare she received in return. “He-otra,” He-o crowed.“Belonging to He-o.” “And she will never have an identity of her own,”Jihi snorted. “My sibling will have a name worthy of her,”Kobaye intoned, looking very wise and sage. “What do you want in a name?”Jihi asked, waving aside the males with a flick of her wrist. “It should be your decision.” She sat and thought about it for a moment. She grinned as she realized that she was indeed surrounded by her family, the people she cared for, the people she loved and was in the process of learning to love. Then she smiled, the perfect name coming to her. “Fayline,” she managed, smiling at the nods of approval. “Rebirth of hope.”He-o smiled. “It also means rebirth of the magic,”Kobaye pointed out. “A magic that you possess, as did our mother, but have never learned to control.” When there was no answer to his comment,Kobaye looked around and smiled. His sibling and her mate were not paying attention at all. They were lost in each other’s gazes, scenting and rubbing each other, their love and respect apparent. “You are wasting your time, trying to get through to them.”Jihi rose to her feet and gestured for her leader to follow her.“So. She is your sibling.” “That is right, little hell-cat,”Kobaye agreed as they eased out of the hut that was filled with love and quickly becoming overfilled with excess pheromones. His sibling was still in heat, and he wanted to be as far away from her as possible when the fur began to fly. “So, you love her ... like a littermate.” “Of course.” he agreed, walking through the small village filled with natural huts and laughing people. The patrol had bound the female of theOthers , and her people, and led them back toward the city, taking many twists and turns to confuse them all. There had been signs of another, a male of theOthers , who hid in the woods and watched, but they could find no trace of where he had gone. Maybe he had followed the patrol or had become lost in the jungle and the predators found him. Either way,Kobaye set a tighter and wider patrol around their chosen area.


The trees and the rocks and the very earth had told him so. And because he believed, he acted swiftly and decisively. It would not do for theOthers to find this village. It was one of the few remaining villages of both theTigon and the Liger. “So, your heart is not claimed,” she hinted, wanting him to give her a clue about his feelings for her. “I didn’t say that,” he grinned, noting the expectant expression on her face. “Then who ...”Jihi took a deep breath and closed her eyes as his thumb gently caressed her cheek. “Who has your heart?” When there was no reply, she opened her eyes only to see ... nothing. Kobayewas gone, vanished into thin air, or into the trees, or blended back into the shadows. But then she smiled again as she recalled the feel of his touch, the gentle caress of that callused hand. Her smile grew broader as she turned and skipped off to find something to do, to announce to the village that Useless had a name, to find a place to run and scream and rid herself of the excess emotions his touch had garnered within her. The smile turned malicious and conniving as she turned once again to stare in the direction that she thoughtKobaye had gone. ‘The hunt is on,” she whispered, and in a flash was gone. “Hunt engaged,”Kobaye returned from where he observed her in the shadows. “May the best warrior win. ”

Stephanie Burke

Stephanie Burke, known as Flash, is just your typical housewife who keeps a collection of slave-type males in her attic, leather and bondage gear in her living room, dimensional portals in the downstairs bathroom, and a few dozen worlds in the basement where they tend to collect dust and require vacuuming every now and again.


Stephanie has no pets; she has a husband and two little ones instead, gardens when weather permits, forces family members and loved ones to pose for her paintings, and has an unfounded reputation for assaulting waiters!(Big untruth! No one has documented proof!) In between maintaining her own little piece of the universe (the sky really is magenta there), she writes constantly, travels to conventions, is actually paid to give lectures (go figure), and devises new ways to try and push the envelope, any envelope, just a little bit further. Find Flash’s chat group at groups.yahoo.com/group/FlameKeeper or contact her at [email protected]. ***** Read on for a tantalizing glimpse of

Marked byEvangeline Anderson and Jay Douglas

Available Now from Loose Id Marked

I smiled back, feeling more comfortable with him. “You know, when you first came in the ER, I thought you were wearing some kind of aftershave because of how you smelled. But you don't, do you? Wear aftershave?” I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. Connor rubbed his hand over his whiskers.“No, darlin'. Where would I get it?” I could taste his amusement, tart and sweet, not bitter like his embarrassment, in my mouth. I rolled it over my tongue. He grinned and asked, “Why? What did I smell like?” “Good. Well, you always smell good. Like leather and some kind of spice. Sometimes I think it's citrus, or pine or, I don't know.Something wild. I can't quite put my finger on it ...” Suddenly I became shy. “I guess it's just your natural smell,” I finished, my voice almost too low to hear. I hugged my knees tighter against my chest. “Glad you like it.” The heat was back in his voice, rushing over my skin in a burning wave and making the step we were sitting on feel much too small. I stood and faced him, putting some distance between us. I crossed my arms over my chest again, hugging myself and wanting both to touch him and to be as far away as possible from him. I tried to think of some way to get the conversation back on track. “So, if I was a perfume, what notes would I have?” To my relief, I felt the heat ease down like a banked fire, and he looked thoughtful.


“Hmm.The middle notes are easy.” He counted on his fingers, ticking them off, still slouching comfortably on the bottom step.“Vanilla, cinnamon, warm honey.” “You make me sound like a sugar cookie,” I protested, half laughing. “Yeah, but that's just the middle. Now your top note, that's hard to describe.” He was silent for a moment, concentrating. “Remember that last night at the hospital, sitting on the bench outside by the bushes?” “Yeah.”What I remembered was the warm feeling of his wet tongue on my knee. My whole body flushed at once, and I tried not to look at him. “There was this bush out there by the bench, it had these delicate, white flowers, and I remember thinking that was what you smelled like.Soft and pretty and sweet.” His green eyes were unreadable as he straightened up a little on the step, raising his head to look at me. I remembered smelling the fragrance of the bush that night and thinking that my great-gram had a bush in her yard when I was small that smelled like that ... “Jasmine! Night-blooming jasmine,” I said triumphantly. “So that's it? Sugar cookie and jasmine?” “Nah.You'reforgettin ' the base note,” he said, seriously. “Sorry.Can't forget that. So what's my base note?” I expected him to say something else about flowers or cookie ingredients, but he surprised me. “Musk,” he said simply. “Musk?Like a goodmusk, or a bad musk?” It didn't sound like a good thing to me. “Good, definitely.Delicate and feminine, butit's there. It's the base that all the rest is built on.Totally and uniquely you, Red. I could live to be a thousand and never see you again, and I'd never forget your scent. You could be in a roomful of people, and even if I was blindfolded, I could still pick you out by your sweet aroma. It's like nothing else in the world.” Connor stood up with unnerving speed, suddenly right in front of me, so close I could feel his body as if we were connected. He took my left arm, unfolding it from across my chest and held it up to his face. He rubbed the tender underside of my forearm across the scratchiness of his cheek and the softness of that full mouth and then inhaled deeply. His eyes got a faraway look in them, as though he was remembering the best meal he'd ever eaten ... or the most erotic experience he'd ever had. I let him smell me for a moment, mesmerized by the feeling of his cheek and mouth against my arm and the deep hunger that was coming from him. It reached inside my body and stroked things he shouldn't have been able to reach, making my breath catch in my throat. Reluctantly I pulled my hand away, afraid of being burned by his heat, consumed by that hunger. “What else can you tell about people by their smell?” I asked, desperate to change the subject, which seemed to be getting too personal again. Connor shook himself, and his eyes cleared as though he were coming out of a trance.


“Sorry, Red. It's just that you smell so damn good.” He took a deep breath. “What else can I tell about people by their smell?Hmm. Where they've been, who they've been with, what they've been doing. Like that.” His eyes still had a little of that far-away look, and, hoping to keep the conversation impersonal, I continued to lead him. “Give me an example. What about ... um ... Sylvie? You could smell her when she came in, right?” He nodded. “Well, where had she been?” I asked. Connor grinned, showing sharp, white teeth and looking extremely feral for a moment. “Well, she's mostly been in bed, as far as I can smell, darlin'.” Amusement was thick in his voice. I felt myself blush once again at his words even as I tasted that now familiar sweet-tart flavor like orange candy. “You can smell that?” I asked, not daring to meet his vivid eyes. If he could smell sex, then could he also smell desire? I fervently hoped not. “Sex?Oh, yeah, darlin'. I can't miss it. Your little friend there has got the mark of another man all over her. It's like a ‘Keep Out, Private Property' sign. I'd never bother her, smelling like that.Even if I wasn't already interested in someone else.” The conversation was getting onto dangerous ground yet again. I tried to keep going. “How can you do that? Smell all those things and interpret the smells accurately?” Connor shrugged. “I don't know. How can I hear better than most people or see in the dark? I don't remember much of anything about myself, but I know most people can't see, hear or smell what I can. I know I'm different. How can you feel what other people are feeling?” “I don't know,” I said softly, wrapping my arms tightly around myself and looking down. “I still don't understand how you could tell that about me when no else but my great-grandmother ever knew. She warned me not to tell anyone until I found someone else like me. But I didn't even have to tell you. You just knew.” Connor grinned at me. “Did you know I was different right away? 'Cause I certainly sensed something different about you right off the bat, though it took me a while to figure out what it was exactly.” “I knew the minute I touched you in the ER that you weren't like anyone else I'd ever met,” I said, still unable to meet his eyes. “I think that's the reason I went after you last night. All my life I've been waiting to meet someone as different as I am, and when I found you, I wasn't ready to let you go.” It surprised me to hear myself admitting this, but Connor's next words surprised me more. “But you're not ready to let me in yet, either? Isn't that right?” He lifted my chin gently, his large hand warm and sure, forcing me to look at him. His eyes searched mine. I felt my face color for what seemed like the thousandth time that day. I was at a loss for words. Connor put one large hand on my waist and pulled me close to him, so close I could feel every hard angle of his body pressing along the length of mine. Heat rushed over me in a stinging, devouring wave, and I gasped, unable to help myself. I braced my hands against his broad chest and tried to push away, but he wouldn't let me. Holding me tightly, he buried his face in my hair. His warm breath, blowing over the nape of my neck,


sent me into a helpless spasm of goose bumps and caused my nipples to become hot little pebbles at the tips of my breasts. I knew Connor must be feeling them press against his chest where I was crushed against him. Panic, like dry cotton, was at the back of my throat, and I stiffened against him, trying to let him know I wasn't interested. But he continued to hold me until I relaxed, going almost limp in his arms, his uniquely masculine scent of leather and spice filling my nose. My hands were trembling helplessly, and I couldn't get a deep enough breath. I tasted the salt of his need like sweat or blood in my mouth, and my heart was beating so hard I could feel it in every part of my body at once.Could hear it drumming in my ears. “Connor ...” I whispered. “Connor, please ...” I had no idea what exactly I was begging him for. My body wanted his, pressed so warm and hard against me. I was almost shaking with desire, an urgency I had never felt before I met him, and yet ... I just couldn't. I couldn't getDouglas 's parting words out of my mind. I felt frightened, helpless, lost. “Please what, darlin'?” Connor's voice was low, almost a snarl in my ear. Hot waves of desire-hunger-wanting washed over me again, stroking my body, burning me up. I felt his mouth, hot and slow along the length of my throat and his sharp teeth biting me lightly as he kissed and sucked the sensitive curve where my neck and shoulder met. I shivered helplessly against him, digging my fingernails into his heavily muscled shoulders, gouging him through the plain white T-shirt. “Please don't. Don't ... don't do this to me. Not now.” “Which should I listen to, Red?Your words or your body? They're sending me two different messages,” he growled, his words drenched in crimson.

*****

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