Authors: Shelley Munro
Eva glanced at Saber, who shook his head.
“No, your majesty.”
“No mind,” the king said. “They come to
visit fairly often. I’ll send word when next they come, and maybe we could
journey to your resort. I’ll tell Turlow to make a note. Turlow will also
summon you to court tomorrow once this matter is settled.” And with that, the
king rose from his throne and enjoyed a mighty stretch. “I’ll have someone
bring you some clothes and show you out.”
A short time later, Saber now dressed, they
were escorted from the palace.
“The king intends to visit your resort,”
Robbie said, clearly awestruck, large eyes blinking from beneath the jagged
hank of hair that flopped over his face. “Once that becomes known, your success
will be ensured.”
Wrapping his arm around Eva’s waist, Saber
said, “He seems a fair ruler.”
“He’s known for being just. I wish I’d
thought of seeking an audience before,” Eva replied.
“You didn’t have enough proof,” Robbie
said. “They can’t refute the charges against them now. The king must agree,
otherwise he wouldn’t have placed them under house arrest.”
Saber growled at the back of his throat and
wide-eyed Robbie sprang away until a foot separated them. His cane dropped to
the floor, and he clumsily stooped to pick it up. “Did you know he could do
that?”
“Do what?” Eva asked, yawning.
“That…that cat thing,” Robbie said.
“Yes. Don’t worry. He won’t hurt you. He’s
a pussy cat.”
“Meow,” Saber said, and Eva started
laughing. She didn’t stop for a long time.
Eva spent the next few hours at the
original market restaurant, preparing for opening the following day. She mended
broken shelves, scrubbed the kitchen from top to bottom then went to buy fresh
fruit and other supplies. Saber followed as bodyguard and helper. She spent the
rest of the afternoon and early evening making sauces and stocks for the
following day.
Her work ethic was incredible, impressing
Saber and creating a sense of pride. As he pitched in, he found himself smiling
and enjoying seeing this part of her.
His mate.
Pleasure suffused him at the thought. He’d
never felt this level of emotion with Lori. He’d loved her, respected her.
They’d been compatible in bed, but not to the same extent as him and Eva.
“Where have you gone?” Eva asked, poking him
in the ribs.
He felt a silly grin form on his lips and
couldn’t stop himself from reaching for her hand and entwining their fingers.
“I was thinking about Lori.”
A frown creased her forehead for a
nanosecond before she smoothed out her reaction, but Saber saw. Understood.
“No, not like that. I was thinking that
you’re more important to me.”
“Oh,” she said, still not looking at him.
She didn’t understand the depths of his
feelings for her, but he had plenty of time to prove himself. Still, might as
well start reinforcing his groundwork. He didn’t intend to leave her in Dalcon.
She
would
return to Middlemarch Resort with him.
“What do you intend to do with the
restaurants?”
Eva didn’t hesitate, which told him she’d
thought about her future, maybe their future, and the thought pleased him. “I’m
going to sell them. The new one—I might keep that until I can sell it as a
going concern.”
Saber nodded. “Good plan.” He checked his
timepiece. “It’s getting late. You need some rest.”
“I wanted to finish the prep for tomorrow.”
“I’ll help you in the morning. It can
wait,” Saber said, and tugged her to the door. He flicked off the lights,
locked the door and pocketed the key. He took her arm and it trembled slightly
as he led her out into the dimly lit alley. Surely she wasn’t frightened of
him?
Outside, the market bustled with activity.
Ladies of various species offered their wares, a gambling den lured in punters
with offers of quick riches, and the scent of roast meat wafted through the
air.
“Hey, Eva!” A beefy man gave a cheery wave.
Eva started at the shout, although she
returned the greeting. When another man hailed her, and she jumped again, Saber
started to add the clues together.
“Eva—did someone harm you?”
She flinched again but didn’t say anything.
“The Dearbhorgaills?”
“I think so. The attacker was interrupted
before anything happened.”
A woman shouted out and waved, and Eva
returned the acknowledgment.
“Fuck,” Saber snapped. “We must’ve scared
you silly when we snatched you from your room.”
Her chin lifted. “I bit your brother, and
in the jungle, I kicked Bone Nose in the groin.”
“You did a good job, kitten.”
“Why did you snatch me like that, anyway?”
Hell. Now wasn’t the time to fess up. “We
like to give some women a real capture experience.”
“But why, when you have all the different
rooms and fantasy experiences? I don’t understand.”
Yeah, explain that, Saber
. They’d reached the outskirts of the market area where the
buildings bore a coat of respectability. The doors sported bright, welcoming
colors and the windows sparkled during the solar day. Now, they glinted with
muted welcome, the businesses still open doing a steady trade.
The hair at the back of his neck prickled
without warning, foreboding roaring through his gut. “Eva…” His hand tightened
on Eva’s forearm and he drew her close, eyes scanning the groups of people, the
dark corners. If there was danger, he couldn’t see where the threat was coming
from.
“What is it?” she whispered, traces of fear
threading into her voice.
Saber cocked his head, sniffed the air. “I
don’t know.” His gaze raked the shadows where illumination from the street
lamps didn’t reach.
A shot fired, the harsh bark of sound
booming through an alley.
“This way,” Saber ordered, a burst of fury
pulsing through his veins. Fuckin’ Dearbhorgaills. It had to be them. Nothing
else made sense. Market people loved Eva. None of them would endanger her life.
He wrapped his arm around Eva’s shoulders and hustled her away from the
direction of the weapon fire.
A second shot boomed. Much closer. Eva
bucked against his chest, cried out. Saber smelled the blood and fear weakened
his knees. He staggered, regained his balance. “Eva!”
Eva had gone limp, and the scent of coppery
blood filled his nostrils. His animalistic shriek of fury rang out. His cry
resounded as he dragged Eva to shelter, heart pounding. He heard the thud of
retreating footsteps, then only harsh breathing. His.
“Where are you hit?” His hands ran up and
down her body.
“Arm hurts.”
Illumination flooded the street.
“What is it? Who’s there?” a timid feminine
voice called out.
“Call the security force. Someone shot my
mate,” Saber replied in a harsh voice. “Where, Eva? Let me see.”
“Hurts.”
“I know, kitten.” His voice was gentle
despite the fear pulsing against his skin. His feline struggled for freedom,
for the need to chase after the coward and exact revenge.
Maim.
Punish
.
Mate!
“
Let me see,
kitten.” He peeled away her fingers, which where clamped down on her upper arm,
and surveyed the wound. Still bleeding, but it looked as if the weapon charge
had grazed rather than penetrated. “It’s gonna be all right,” he crooned. “It’s
just a scratch.”
“Hurts.”
“I’ve called security,” the woman called,
her demeanor more confident now. “Can I help?”
“I need cloth, something to stop the
bleeding.” He hauled Eva farther into light and their helper gasped. Blood
trickled down Eva’s arm, seeped into her clothing. Saber saw her face was paler
than usual.
“Am I gonna die?”
“No, kitten. Not tonight.”
Maim.
Punish
.
Mate!
His feline continued to buck beneath his
skin and a growl leaked out, harsh and menacing.
The woman returned with cloth as a security
vehicle purred through the air and settled on the street.
“I’ll tend to her,” the woman said. “You
talk to security.”
Saber was loath to release her, had to
force himself to shift aside and let the woman with her cloth and bowl of water
tend Eva.
“What happened?” a lean man in a black
security uniform asked. The badge on his sleeve indicated his captain status,
and his no-nonsense manner and the way he surveyed the scene told of his
expertise. An underling stood at his side, silent apart from the tap of fingers
on a genic tab as he recorded the scene.
“Someone shot at us. The charge hit my
mate.”
“Did you see them?”
“No. They kept to the shadows over there. They
ran in that direction and took the lane to the left,” Saber said.
The captain’s eyes narrowed beneath the
peak of his hat. “How do you know if you didn’t see them?”
“I heard them,” Saber said. “I have a dual
nature. My other form is feline.” He growled, unable to restrain his anger.
“I’ll catch them soon enough once I follow the scent trail.”
“We’ll check it out.”
“I will aid your search once I settle my
mate safely at home.” Saber’s tone brooked no refusal. He intended to catch
this coward with or without their help. “This afternoon we had an audience with
the king. I suspect the family we accused of a crime is attempting to subvert
justice by killing my mate. She’s been attacked in the market before. Someone
means her harm.”
The captain nodded slowly. “We’ll wait for
you. Wouldn’t want to trample over the trail.”
Saber nodded, appreciating a man who
assimilated facts in a swift manner.
“We’ll escort you home and wait while you
settle your mate. Does she require medical care?”
“No. The charge nicked her arm. She will
recover.”
Saber thanked the woman for tending Eva and
scooped up his mate, carrying her to the security vehicle. A short time later,
they arrived at Eva’s home, and he carried her inside.
“Help yourselves to a drink,” he told the
captain and his underling and hustled Eva up the stairs to her bedroom.
In the bedroom, he unwound the hasty
bandage the woman had tied around Eva’s arm. “The bleeding has stopped,” he
said, relived to see the rough edges were already knitting together. Everything
he remembered about mates seemed to be true.
Maim.
Punish
.
Mate!
Saber subdued his feline with difficulty,
batting him down with a cranky inward snarl. “Do you have painkillers? They’ll
help you sleep while I go out with the captain to follow the trail.”
“There’s a bottle in the drawer over there.
Do you think the Dearbhorgaills arranged this?”
“I’m sure of it,” Saber said, rising to get
the bottle and a glass of water. “They’ll have several men on hire to do their
dirty work. We’ll get proof. Don’t worry.” He handed her two tabs and the
water, placed a kiss on her temple. “Do you need anything else before I go?”
“No. Saber?”
“Yes, kitten?”
“Come back safe.”
“I promise,” he said, unable to resist
kissing her lips. He forced himself to keep the kiss slow and easy, even though
his feline squirmed beneath his skin, subtly demanding he imprint them both on
their mate with a hard kiss and lusty sex. Saber fought the inner battle and
forced himself to step away. “Sleep well, kitten.”
* * * * *
The trail was simple to follow, and Saber
made short work of leading the captain to the culprit. The skinny man—hell, he
was a kid—strutted around a dim and dingy pub on the edges of the market. His
eyes were alive still with bloodlust, the excitement of taking another life, unaware
he’d failed.
Maim.
Punish.
Mate!
Saber cut through the darkness in feline
form, almost on the kid before anyone noticed. When the kid saw him, he backed
up but Saber kept coming.
“Get away from me!” he cried out.
Not so cocky now.
Saber snarled in the kid’s face, displayed his sharp canines.
All
the better to rip you limb from limb
.
“Back off. Leave him to us.” The captain
pushed past Saber and grasped the kid by his skinny biceps.
Saber snarled, the human part of him
recognizing he needed to let this kid live. He gave the captain space and
shifted to human.
The other patrons of the pub gasped at his
transformation. A few commented about his nakedness. Saber didn’t give a fuck.
“Who paid you to kill my mate?”
“Don’t know what ya talking ’bout,” the kid
said.
“Where were you an hour ago?” the captain
demanded.
“I be here.”
“Lie,” Saber snapped. “I can smell it on
him.”
“You ask
them
.” The kid jerked his
thumb at the other customers.
Saber leaned closer, his nostrils flaring.
“The weapon is in his pocket.”
Panic flared in the kid’s eyes. “Get your
hands off me! I got rights, I do.”
“Empty your pockets,” the captain ordered.
“I got rights!”
“Who hired you?” Saber demanded.
“Let me handle this,” the captain snapped.
“Fuck,” Saber muttered and shifted back to
cat. By the time he sat on his haunches in front of the kid, half the pub had
cleared of customers. He kept his gaze on the kid, his mouth open and his sharp
canines on display.
“Who hired you?” the captain asked as he
confiscated the weapon.
“Some hoity servant,” the kid said.
Saber growled.
“Said he’d pay me if I offed the woman.”
“Would you recognize him again?” the
captain asked.
The kid gave an emphatic nod. “I have to
meet him tomorrow. Get the rest of my fee.”
“Very well,” the captain said, and turned
to his underling. “Restrain him. We’ll get his statement at the tower.”
Saber transformed again. “We need to learn
the identity of the servant, determine if he works for the Dearbhorgaills.”
“Tell me about the audience with the king.”
Saber ran through the series of events
while they waited for their transport to arrive.
The captain nodded. “And if you prove the
Dearbhorgaills were behind this too, they’ll be sent to prison.”
The security transport appeared and settled
on the road outside the pub. Two underlings secured the kid while the captain
handed Saber his clothes.
Saber donned them rapidly.
“We’ll arrange for the kid to make the meet
tomorrow and identify the servant. I’ll send word. If you’ve already left for
the palace, I’ll make sure I’m there myself to give a verbal statement.”
“Thank you,” Saber said.
“If you’re interested in a job, I have one
with your name on it,” the captain said.
“Thanks, but I live on Tiraq. Have a
business there with my family.”
“Offer’s there if you ever return to
Dalcon,” the captain said easily and shook Saber’s hand.
He saw them off before heading to Eva’s
home, pleased with his night’s work. The Dearbhorgaills would rue the moment
they’d decided to go after Eva. He’d make sure of it.
* * * * *
Eva woke up with Saber curled around her,
warm and solid. She hadn’t heard him return.
“You’re awake,” he said, tugging a lock of
her hair, a hint of mischief dancing in his eyes.
“Did you get him?”
“We did.” Satisfaction coated his tone. “A
servant hired him to do the job. The captain and I are confident we can tie him
to the Dearbhorgaills.”