“Do you wound Kitty? Does she enjoy it though she isn’t bhresya?”
“I try to be careful but I have marked Kitty on a few occasions. She healed all before starting her day. The bed has fared worse than she.”
“The bed?”
Melchior yelled, “Stop!” He sliced his arm across the air. “Go patrol, Hell Hound.”
Chigaru stood his ground. Melchior ruled Nexeu and its inhabitants but Serenity ruled the Hell Hounds. She nodded and waved him away. Chigaru bowed before following the path Lidan had taken. Chigaru foresaw strife on the horizon for the royal couple.
In the past, a part of him would have rejoiced in the knowledge that Serenity was angry with Melchior because that meant she would seek comfort with Chigaru. Now, Chigaru felt guilt at having upset Serenity and causing a rift. He would alert Nym since she would be who Serenity turned to next.
He came upon Lidan standing among the trees watching Melchior and Serenity. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
Chigaru shook his head. “We should have told her. Melchior has been holding back so as not to hurt her. If his reservation has impeded her ability to become pregnant again, Serenity will blame us all for not educating her properly.”
Lidan snorted. “I still haven’t gotten used to how much you talk now. In the past, I would be holding a one-sided conversation with you.”
“Kitty prefers I speak. It is habit-forming.”
They both watched as Melchior tried to embrace Serenity but she pushed him away. Whatever their words, Chigaru couldn’t hear them because of the distance and the wind. He didn’t think he wanted to hear them. He knew from Serenity’s angered expression she wasn’t speaking in a normal tone.
Lidan asked, “What about Alexa and Theyn? She’s had two sets of children with a third on the way. I have seen her. She isn’t marked. Theyn and she aren’t mated, so she wouldn’t heal quickly if he had marked her.”
“That means nothing. Alexa is good at hiding things. I had not known of her jealousy toward Theyn’s attention to Serenity until Haige and Nym mentioned hearing Alexa and Theyn arguing about it. She is another to whom I must speak. Alexa’s many children indicate she is aware of the ways to bring a bhresya to fulfillment. Serenity will direct her anger at all who knew but didn’t tell her.”
“I’ve heard tales of Serenity’s anger.”
“They are not exaggerated and in no way prepare you. No matter how hot her anger, our duty remains.”
“Always.”
“Come then.” Chigaru started forward. The argument between Serenity and Melchior seemed to have reached a standstill with Serenity staring off in the distance as she ignored whatever Melchior said to her.
Melchior glared at Chigaru and Lidan when they returned. He growled and blew out an angered breath before he said, “I must attend another matter.”
Chigaru and Lidan bowed as Melchior left. Before either man could speak, soft sniffles drew their attention. Serenity whirled and her angered expression turned frantic. “Nilam?”
Erezion joined the group, carrying Nilam. The little girl cried with her hands covering her face. Erezion said as he handed Nilam to Serenity, “I found her like this. She won’t tell me what upset her.”
Serenity gathered Nilam close and made shushing noises while patting the little girl’s back. “What’s wrong, my jewel? What happened?”
“Kitty,” Nilam sobbed.
Chigaru stiffened and met Serenity’s gaze over Nilam’s head.
Serenity asked, “What about her? Was she hurt in practice?”
Nilam shook her head. “She never went. She won’t come out of her room. I knocked and knocked but she didn’t answer. She’s ignoring me.” She lifted her head and showed her mother big watery eyes. “Was I bad?”
“No, my precious jewel. No. You aren’t bad. Kitty must have a reason.” Serenity nudged Nilam’s head against her shoulder and rocked her.
Chigaru asked Erezion, “She was outside my door when you found her?”
Erezion nodded. “Yes. I waited with the performers at the end of the royal wing and let Nilam run ahead. That is our usual custom. I grew worried when she didn’t return with Kitty. I found her knocking on the door and crying.”
“Did you check the room?”
“There was no answer. Princess Nilam ordered me not to enter because Kitty told her to wait.”
“So she was there when Nilam went to get her?”
Erezion nodded. “That’s what Nilam said.”
Nilam sniffed loudly. “She was. I heard her. She told me to wait and I did but she never came out.”
Anxiety made Chigaru shift his weight and clutch the hilt of his sword. Why hadn’t Kitty answered the door?
Lidan said, “Go check, Chigaru. Erezion is here. We can watch Serenity.”
He didn’t move. He wanted to. The urge to run full speed to his room was hard to ignore. Transporting would be faster. He did neither.
Serenity said, “Go.”
He stared at her.
She nodded.
“Thank you.” Chigaru bowed and jogged a few steps away before he employed the magic needed to appear in his room. Kitty wasn’t there.
He checked the bathroom and the large closet. He didn’t find her and nothing in the room gave any indication of where she had gone. Cold crept up his spine.
She couldn’t have returned to Earth. Silny said the bond of true mates wouldn’t allow them to be separated. Perhaps Silny had an answer.
Chigaru rushed to the dresser where Kitty kept the orb. His feet tangled with a discarded sheet. He kicked it out of the way but stopped when his foot contacted something solid. Tossing the sheet aside, he stared down at the orb. Why was it on the ground? Had Kitty used it to contact Silny? Was Kitty with Silny now? Why?
None of his questions would be answered while he stared at the orb. He picked it up. After forcing himself to take a calming breath, he said, “Silny.”
The female appeared in the orb a moment later. “Ah, Hell Hound, I thought I would hear from you soon.”
“Where is she?”
“Here, of course.”
“Why?”
“She had a crisis and sought me out to help.”
“What kind of crisis would warrant your help?”
“See for yourself.”
Kitty appeared beside Chigaru with a soft pop. He almost dropped the orb and grabbed her to make sure she was really there but checked the urge. “Kristar?”
Silny said, “Good day.” Her image faded from the orb.
Chigaru asked, “Why did you go to Silny? Why did you leave Nilam without a word?”
Kitty sighed as she undid the ties of the cloak she wore and then shrugged out of it. “This.”
He stared at the orange skin covering her side. Skin that matched his. “What is this?”
“You. More specifically the part of you left in me the day you got shot.”
“The flesh? Silny said it was dormant.”
“She was wrong.”
Chigaru dropped the orb and rushed to Kitty so he could cup her cheek. “Are you well?”
She smiled at him. “Great. It’s not killing me. It’s turning me into a bhresya.”
“What?”
“Yes, you heard me right. I’m turning into a bhresya and have been for the last month. The orange skin is the first outward indication. Silny and Trent say my muscles all resemble a bhresya’s now, which explains why I’m so much stronger.”
Chigaru glanced at the wound that had taken most of the morning to heal. He’d been right to think no human could cause such damage and no human had.
Kitty watched him with a small amount of worry creasing her brow. “Is this okay? Are you going to freak out? It’s gross, right?”
“You are not gross, Kristar, and you never will be.” He curved his hand around the back of her head and pulled her close so her lips met his. She sagged against him with a relieved sigh and Chigaru knew Kitty had worried about his reaction.
When the kiss ended, Kitty said, “Sorry for disappearing. I freaked out when I saw my new skin and couldn’t think of what else to do besides call Silny.”
“You did the right thing, though next time leave a note.”
She snorted. “Yeah, I’ll do that.”
“Nilam thinks you are ignoring her.”
“Poor baby. I forgot all about her. I gotta apologize.” She started to pull away and then stopped. “I hope everyone doesn’t start acting weird. I know they will. This is really weird.”
“I’ll be beside you.”
“The fact that you didn’t disagree with me doesn’t make me feel better.”
Chigaru gave her a squeeze.
Kitty sighed. “Let me get dressed.”
Though reluctant, Chigaru released her and tamped down the urge to follow her. He stayed put as she entered the closet. Counting his breaths and assuring himself Kitty was still here kept him from checking on her.
She exited the closet while lacing the front of her long, fitted blouse. Tight pants finished the outfit. Kitty had chosen clothing that covered her changed skin. “Ready. I guess.”
Chigaru held his hand out to her. When she neared his side, he rested his arm around her waist and then ushered her out of the room. “Come.”
Kitty hesitated and walked slow as they made their way to the garden. The closer they got, the slower her pace became. Chigaru had to take her hand in his and pull her along.
Serenity and the others looked their way as they approached. “Good. Kitty is well.”
Kitty snorted. “That’s up for debate.” She stepped forward and lifted her shirt, presenting her altered side to Serenity.
“What is that?”
Chigaru said, “Me. The flesh Silny thought dormant has started to spread within Kitty. She has strength close to a bhresya’s now. That is how she was able to mark me last night.”
After lowering her shirt, Kitty touched his shoulder. “Sorry about that. I got a little too into it.” She grinned up at him. “But hey, this means you can stop shredding the bed.” To Serenity, she said, “I was worried about how many beds we were going through until I figured the people of the palace must be used to it by now, seeing as how Melchior probably does the same thing.”
Serenity’s expression clouded and she said in a hard voice, “Our bed has never needed replacing.”
“Really? How can you sleep on all that damage? Chi and I—”
“Kitty,” Chigaru said.
Kitty covered her mouth with a grin. “Oops. Sorry. Complete lack of modesty. Don’t mind me.”
Lidan asked in a hurried manner, “Will your whole body turn orange, Kitty?”
She shook her head. “Silny and Trent didn’t know. It’s a wait-and-see situation. This happened overnight. It’s anyone’s guess how I’ll look tomorrow.” She sighed. “I should go show Hestra and the others. It might be a good idea for me to opt out of dancing for a while. At least until we see how far this goes. I don’t want to scare anyone.”
Serenity said, “Opting out is unnecessary, Kitty. I am not in the mood to be entertained. I doubt Melchior is either.” She lowered Nilam to the ground. “I have something to discuss with Alexa. Kitty, please see to Nilam today. I am cancelling her lessons while I deal with another matter.”
“Sure.” Kitty held her hand out to Nilam, who ran over and hugged Kitty tight. Kitty returned the hug. “Sorry about this morning, bitty blue. I didn’t mean to leave you. I got a little scared at my new appearance and had to make sure I wasn’t in danger. Forgive me?”
Nilam nodded. “Don’t do it again.”
“I won’t. Promise.”
“Good. I forgive you.”
Serenity walked away. Over her shoulder she said, “Lidan, Erezion, with me. Chigaru, you stay with Nilam.”
Chigaru nodded as he suppressed a sigh. Serenity was angry with him, not that he blamed her. He and the others had left out an important detail in her education about bhresyas. That detail now caused her pain and possibly self-doubt. He hoped Alexa had an answer to Serenity’s issue, because he had none and Serenity couldn’t repeat Kitty’s solution.
Kitty said to Chigaru, “I should disappear more often if it means she’ll give you up for the day.”
Nilam jerked away from Kitty and put her hands on her hips before yelling, “You promised.”
“I’m joking. I’m joking.” Kitty waved her hands in a placating manner. “Yes, I promised. I won’t go anywhere without telling you. Not willingly.”
Chigaru said, “Your disappearance has nothing to do with Serenity’s decision to have me watch Princess Nilam.”
Kitty turned her attention to him. “Really? So what’s up? And is it my imagination or did she look upset?”
“It’s not your imagination and this isn’t a topic we can discuss now.” He nodded his head to Nilam.
“Got it.” Kitty clasped hands with Nilam. “Let’s go see Hestra and the others.”
Chigaru followed after Kitty and Nilam as they walked to the far side of the garden where the other entertainers waited, probably wondering about Kitty’s tardiness. His thoughts strayed to Serenity. Her anger was high, but he hoped she approached this situation with sound judgment. Considering the scene he’d witnessed earlier between her and Melchior, that might not be the case.
Hestra and the others rushed to Kitty the moment they saw her. Ceimed, Majuke and Jalel stopped short when they noticed Chigaru. All three males appeared nervous. Chigaru already knew why. Kitty had related their continued apprehension about Chigaru’s reaction to her touching their horns.
While the situation did make him jealous, he knew Kitty did it as part of her performance and not out of intimacy. Besides, it was good the male’s feared Chigaru’s reaction. That meant they wouldn’t develop feelings for Kitty beyond simple camaraderie.
Ceimed gestured to Kitty. “Changing your outfit, Kitty?”
“No.” She lifted her shirt again. “Hiding my skin. I’m in the middle of changing colors.”
“Humans change colors? I wasn’t aware.”
“Because we don’t. This is unique to me.” She took a breath. “It seems my connection with Chigaru is manifesting itself in a physical manner.”
Chigaru heard the stiffness of Kitty’s words and knew she recited an explanation Silny or Trent had prepared for her. Her words weren’t a lie. The changes were a direct result of their bond as true mates.
Hestra said, “We have not seen such a change in our queen.”
Jalel nodded. “But she is always covered in human fashion. We have not seen enough of her skin to know if she is changing.”
Chigaru said, “Queen Serenity has not changed, nor shall she. As Kitty already said, this situation is unique to her. You need no other details beyond that.”
They nodded quickly.
Kitty said, “So listen, we have Nilam for the day. How about we teach her some flips?”
Nilam cheered, bouncing in place and clapping her hands.
Majuke asked, “Should we not practice the new routine?”
“Nope. Seems the royals are having some issue or another. Serenity already said she wasn’t in the mood to watch us. If that changes, we can always do an old routine. Think of today as a day of rest. I know I need one after the morning I’ve had.”
Jalel said, “A day of rest sounds good to me.”
The others added their agreement.
Kitty said, “Good. You all take charge of Nilam. I need to talk to Chigaru real quick.” She grabbed his hand and tried to lead him away.
Chigaru didn’t budge. “I cannot leave Nilam.”
“We aren’t. Just come.” Kitty dragged him to the tree line. “There. You see? You haven’t left Nilam and we have some privacy. Now what the hell did I miss?”
Chigaru explained the situation in a quick concise manner. “I was unaware Melchior held back. Such actions would explain why Serenity has not become pregnant again.”
“If tha
t’s all she needed, I would be pregnant by now too. I’ve been scratching you up since we started having sex.”
“How do you know you’re not pregnant? We have been together every night for a month. Your cycle has not started.”
“I know I’m not pregnant because Silny or Trent would have mentioned it while they were examining me. And my cycle has always been irregular. Besides, we’re not talking about me. We’re talking about Serenity. The last thing we want is for me to be pregnant. That’ll probably just piss her off more.”
The thought of Kitty pregnant with his child sent a warm sensation through his chest. He’d never thought of children before this moment. He asked in a soft voice, “Will the growth of my flesh within you impede a pregnancy?”
“Chi, focus damn it.” She snapped her fingers in front of his face. “We’ll worry about me if it looks like this thing I’m going through might affect baby-making. For the time being, let’s focus on Serenity and her issue. Ideas?”
“She is consulting Alexa as we speak. Alexa has three children with another on the way. She and Theyn must have figured out how to secure Theyn’s satisfaction without the wounds.”
Kitty shrugged. “No clue. I didn’t know it was an issue.” She grinned. “But then I’ve always been a scratcher. I lost a boyfriend behind it. I fucked up his back bad enough he needed a giant gauze pad over it for a little over a week while he healed. He wasn’t happy, and we broke up soon after.”
“You may scratch me all you like.”
“Oh, I know that already.” She grabbed his horns, pulled herself up and kissed his nose. After letting go, she said, “Now then. That’s settled. Back to Nilam. The rest will have to wait until we see Serenity again. Maybe Alexa’s solution will solve the problem.”
Chigaru had to rein in the instant wave of lust flowing through him thanks to Kitty’s show of affection. He had to focus on his duty. But tonight was a different matter. He wanted to know how strong his flesh had made her. For the first time, he might try marking her as well.
An involuntary grunt left him as his lower body responded to the possibility. He let Kitty leave his side and rejoin the others while he stayed near the tree line. He could see more of the area from there and it kept the others from discovering his arousal.
Kristar (Bookstrand Publishing Romance) Page 18
