A Seacat's Love (Oceanan Trilogy Book 1) (11 page)

Parked at the corner of McCall’s block sat a well-groomed man in a red, classic convertible. He turned off his cellular phone and made himself comfortable in the leather seat. Through fashionable dark shades, he focused on Rick’s driveway.

Okay, McCall, what sort of mess have you gotten yourself into this time? I know you were involved with what happened at the lab. No one else would be crazy enough to pull a stunt like that. I only hope I’m not too late to keep you from flushing your career down the toilet
.

A glimpse at his Rolex revealed it was 7:10 p.m.
I say in about two seconds that garage door will open and…
Dark shades returned to the
white door as it automatically lifted. A shiny, black spider rolled out with three occupants cramped inside.
Bingo. Look at what we have here. McCall, you never told me you were having guests over. I’m hurt
.

Lance pulled out of his spot at a leisure pace. He conveniently situated his convertible eight cars behind Rick’s sports car. From this distance, he could not tell if the two passengers were the aliens. He figured who else could they be. Who else showed any concern for the aliens’ safety and was in the position to act upon it?

McCall was not the sort to follow rules and regulations. He went more around the lines of morals and values. Scruples he called it. He made his own rules and regulations as he went along.

Lance nodded.
Yep. You are the only person who could’ve accomplished it all with no one suspecting you. That is, except me. I know you too well
.

Rick peeked at his Movado sports watch. It was now fifteen past the hour. His sights riveted to the rearview mirror. His eagle eyes spotted the red convertible. They narrowed. “He’s following us.”

“What! Who?” his passengers chimed in response. Both turned to look out the tinted back window.

“Don’t look back! We’ll take him for a little spin and then dump him.”

“Who is he?” asked Tigif.

“Lance Blaisdale.”

“Lance Blaisdale? You mean the male I saw you with last night?” asked Leonora from the back seat.

“That’s right. How did you make the connection?”

“He has been interrogating us since we have been captured,” she replied.

Rick looked forward to the highway in front of him.

“Who is he to you?” she asked.

“He’s my commanding officer.”

Leonora remained quiet.

Tigif pointed to the back window. “What makes you think it is him back there?”

Rick’s attention switched to Blaisdale’s car as he answered, “Let’s just say I have a hunch.”

“A
hunch
?”

The sarcasm in Tigif’s voice was not lost on either Rick or Leonora. Rick slowly faced the cat. “Yeah, a hunch. You have a problem with that?”

“Yes. Actually, I do.” Tigif wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “I do not like the idea of my life and that of Nora’s having to depend on some human’s hunch.”

“Yeah, well, the next time I’m stranded on your planet, we’ll play by your rules. Right now, we’ll be playing by mine, okay?”

“That is enough!” shouted Leonora from her folded position in the back seat. She was not a tall feline at five foot three. It was the reason the overgrown tiger sat beside Rick instead of her. “I am sick and tired of hearing the two of you argue all the time. Both of you seem to have forgotten we are in this together. If we are to survive, we need to stick together, not fight among ourselves and against them as well.” She extended a claw and deliberately poked Tigif on his left shoulder. “And you have forgotten your place.”

Tigif scowled at her daring. “No, I have not…
Leonora.”

Rick glanced at them and smiled.
Good. I hope you’re as miserable as I am
.

He played follow the leader with Lance for fifteen minutes, until he grew bored. He then easily ditched his boss and headed on west to California without a tail.

“You have a beautiful planet,” said Leonora. “If only your species knew how lucky they truly are. It would surprise you to know how many planets there are where the inhabitants would do anything to have their home half as beautiful or livable as this one.” She met his gaze through the rearview mirror.

Rick remained silent. He was still fuming from the latest verbal confrontation with Tigif. The cat slept beside him. Rick eyed his shirt.
Why does he drool so much? Is he sick? The first chance I get I have to check those logs
.

His stomach swooshed to one side. He returned his attention to the road before
he
got sick.
He sure has a lot of nerve. Doesn’t he realize I’m going out on a limb here? Bloody hell, why am I even bothering? It’s not as if I’m getting anything out of this, other than grief and heartache. Maybe I should do what Blaisdale advised and forget what I saw
.

Rick watched Leonora stare out at the mountainous scene through a well-positioned rearview mirror.
I was right. Now that she’s cleaned up, she is pretty
.

He enjoyed how the sun shone off her returning curls. The emotions that danced across her features as she enjoyed the scenery placed a foolish grin on his face. Like a blind man at his first moment of sight, Rick was awed by the brightness of her eyes in the daylight.

His finger traced the scar on his cheek. He must remember his promise. She belonged to Tigif. And she was not human. Rick stared at her full pout. He finally admitted what his gut had known all along. He found Leonora to be utterly attractive.

It was difficult not to think about how she sat in the back seat with only his shirt on. He could not forget the glimpse he had gotten of her breasts, how shapely her legs were, and of their kiss. His unmerciful imagination created intimate scenes with those sensual legs wrapped around his hips.

His eyes closed briefly.
How would that feel?
He continued to daydream while he drove. Within minutes, he shifted in his seat.
I better get her some clothes and fast, or I’ll be in a lot of trouble. Not to mention more embarrassed than I’ve ever been
.

Further down the highway, he noticed a service sign. It was time to make a pit stop. Rick jumped out of his car before it came to a complete stop and sprinted to the building. He spotted a gift shop to the left of the entrance and prayed they sold more than just souvenirs. It took him longer to order food than it did to buy each alien several articles of clothing.

Outside, Leonora and Tigif waited anxiously for his return.

“Here you go.” He handed each alien a bag.

“What is this?” Leonora opened the plastic bag and peeked inside.

“Clothes,” answered Rick. “I also bought food.” She met his gaze. He lifted the third bag he carried for her to see. “Get dressed so you can eat.”

Leonora nodded. She crawled into the backseat of the black sports car. Rick and Tigif moved a few feet away to give her the privacy she needed to change. A short time later, she called out that she was done. The men retook their seats.

Rick reached over and gave Leonora a chicken sandwich. “This is yours,” he said with a genuine smile. He took out another sandwich then gave Tigif the bag.

Leonora’s heart melted. It was the first decent meal she had since her capture. The only food her tormentors had given her were scraps of rotten flesh. Rick turned on the ignition and rolled out of the parking spot. She watched him eat his sandwich while he drove. She no longer cared if he ignored her. He had bought her the food she held. He had bought her the pants she wore. He had sacrificed so much and asked for nothing in return.

Her pale gaze landed on long, golden strands of hair tied neatly at the nape with a black rubber band.
Amazing. He dares to go against his government and his own commanding officer to aid us. Strangers. Aliens from another world
. She felt a spark ignite in her chest. Its flames flickered close to the rim of her heart. Its warmth began to heal her injured soul.
He truly is a noble male like you, Challen. You would approve
.

Leonora took a hearty bite of her sandwich and relished the taste of having fresh meat to eat. She knew it would make her sick, but who cared? She now had something decent in her cramping stomach, thanks to a very special man.

The car’s motion lulled Leonora off to darkness. From a distance, she heard a faint, familiar voice. A dear voice. It pained her, yet she desperately wanted to see his sweet face again. She concentrated on his baritone voice, and the blurred surroundings shifted into focus. She detected the scent of decaying flesh and harsh chemicals. Horror exploded within her.
The laboratory!
She was back inside her cage.

“Leonora! Leonora! What is wrong?” Tamiron shouted as he vigorously shook her shoulders. “Tigif, what is wrong with her?”

Leonora, drenched in perspiration, pretended to be unconscious in the back, right corner of the filthy cage.

“What happened?” asked Tigif.

“I do not know,” replied the bobcat. “Help me wake her.”

Tigif played along, while Leonora remained unresponsive. “Leonora, speak to me.” He cradled her in his arms. “My pet, you must wake up. Answer me, please.”

“Leonora, listen to me.” Tamiron lifted the lioness into a sitting position. “You must fight this poison in your system.”

“What’s going on in there?” The voice came from the opposite side of the bars.

A resounding click signified the cage doors being opened.

“Great moons of Oceana, she is convulsing!” shouted Tigif.

Side by side, the human scientists tentatively entered the cage with their weapons pointed at the kneeling Oceanans. The younger male remained at the door in case one of the cats tried to escape.

“I repeat, what’s going on in here?” The graying human inched closer to the bobcat and tiger. “You two move away from her. Over there.” He directed them to the other side of the cramped cage.

Watchful of both aliens, he knelt on one knee to examine Leonora, whose body had stopped jolting. With his gun aimed at the male cats, he searched for a pulse with his right hand. He touched her neck. Her eyes snapped open. He gasped and changed his target, but was too slow.

Leonora, with her teeth bared in an evil snarl, eyes shining bright, stopped the gun in midair with her right hand. Razor-sharp claws extended from her left hand as she clasped his pudgy neck. Piercing the skin, she tore out his throat.

With a look of pure disbelief, the male touched the gaping hole where his throat used to be. He stumbled a few short steps back before he slumped to the ground.

Instead of firing his gun at the prisoners, the young assistant made a mad dash for the alarms. Tigif leapt after him as he was about to relock the doors. Tigif managed to grab a hold of his enemy’s lab coat and tackled him to the ground. They wrestled with each other until the oversized tiger managed to get the upper hand.

The human immediately pointed his gun at the striped head above him and pulled the trigger. Tigif moved his head sideways, and the bullet flew into the light that hung overhead. With eyes aglow, Tigif roared. His right arm rose above his head. He extended his claws and made a quick downward motion, slashing the man’s throat into bloody strips.

Unfortunately, the shot was enough to alert the two MPs who stood outside the lab. The officer who entered first immediately
began to shoot at the cat-like creature bent over the lifeless form. The second officer went to sound the alarms.

While Tigif was a moving target at a firing arcade, Leonora stealthily moved into striking position. Within seconds, the soldier’s lifeblood splattered everything.

Tamiron appeared behind the MP who reached for the alarm button. Before the soldier could press the button, the bobcat swiftly disposed of him. “I have dedicated my life to saving lives.” Tamiron spoke to the jerking corpse. “Why have you forced me to do this? Why?”

Leonora overheard his soft-spoken words. She walked up behind him and tapped him on his back, drawing his attention to her. “Can we go now?”

He cupped her cheek and sighed. “Of course, my dear.”

Outside the lab, all three heads whipped to the left. What they saw made their spirits plunge even lower than when they were imprisoned in the cell.