That outcome would sadden her. Even as she tried to imagine what life would be like with him if he agreed.
“Queen Eyleen, I would be honored to join with your daughter Krysteena.”
Unsure of how she felt, or how to respond, Krysteena simply gave a quick nod.
~YH~
Still leaning forward, the queen eyed him, her gaze sharp, discerning as it had been when she had cursed him. “It is no longer that simple, Rymingten, son of the Kitcy King.”
Trepidation rattled his core. He was a warrior, a Kitcy male feline who didn’t like feeling anything but confident, in control. “Is it not your wish for me and Krysteena to be together?”
Her chuckle was loud, boisterous, but ended abruptly. “Only if you prove yourself worthy.”
Worthy? A year ago he had assumed nothing else was needed from him, only an affirmative response. Now having been cursed and sent to Earth for a year with her daughter was not enough. This planet seemed to be filled with too many secrets and impulsivity. What else would this queen require?
“How would I do that? Was giving up a year of my life not enough?” He bit out in an attempt to keep his temper reigned in. His patience had been tested and stretched beyond the capability of most warriors from his planet. No one would see fault in him if he merged into cat form, a form he had not taken in too long, and proceeded to tear the planet up until he found a vessel to head for home.
There was a slight tilt to the queen’s head letting him know that maybe he had not subdued the evidence of his temper enough in his tone. “You shall battle her. Spar with her to prove you are strong enough to be her breeder and be joined to her.”
He glanced at Krysteena who stood silent, tall and proud beside her mother not uttering a single word. He could not fault her for that, on Kitcy it would be frowned upon to have someone speak out against the commands of the king. Returning his gaze back to the queen, he said, “I fail to see why a challenge is warranted. I have already given my agreement.”
“On Argona we do not birth weaklings. Every seed brought forth must be viable and capable from conception. This can only happen if the parentage match is equal in strength.”
This was something not done where he came from. Women were precious and honored on Kitcy. Even the thought of a male exerting physical force on one of them, the weaker sex, could be punishable by death and a new match for the woman would be found.
“Can you not take my word? The word of a Kitcy warrior declaring my strength should be enough. For isn’t it the reason you removed me from my planet?” He spread his arms wide, showcasing the height and girth of his form for all to see. If they needed him to, he would merge and display the magnificent beauty of his feline to give more attestation. Everyone across many galaxies trembled at the sight of their animal forms.
“The potency of your issue is at question. It can only be determined in such a way.”
Galaxy gypsies and choking moon dust, what kind of barbaric inhabitants were these. Allowing his hands to drop loudly to his side, he held the queen’s gaze.
With her arms laid flat, one on top of the other at her chest, she returned his stare. “What say you? Agreement or to a prison to labor and toil in the fields for forty years.”
His cat scratched and stretched within him. More than a little agitated it wanted out and to fight. Because no choice again was left to him, he replied, “I will do it.” A hiss followed his words showcasing his and his feline’s displeasure.
Lowering her hands, Queen Eyleen rose. “You will be escorted to the Arena of Valor and given further instructions.” She nodded to someone behind him. “Guards.”
Two women, one with pale brown skin and metallic hair and the other with dark, rich brown skin and cyan hair, both dressed in a short chiton and sandals with their hair braided and hung to the back of their knees. They were striking in looks as were all the Argona inhabitants. The only thing he noticed different was that guards on the planet wore thick silver metal bands around their biceps.
The women took hold of his arms and tugged at him to move the way they led. For a moment he kept his feet rooted to the opulent polished wood floor and stared toward the one woman that mattered. The woman he had been banished with. The one he was expected to battle. The one he would be expected to join and serve for his eternity.
Krysteena met his gaze. Her chin was held high, proud. The long black braid that began at the base or her head rested over one of her shoulders, continued down between her breasts, and ended at her knees. He desired to trace the intricate weavings with his fingers and familiarize himself with the thick wavy texture. Pushing that thought aside, he returned to her face. There was a determined set of her medium brown features. She would obey her queen mother and the rules of her planet. Of that he had no doubt. It wasn’t what he searched for in her gaze, something he didn’t fully comprehend himself, but he still looked. There had to be something more than this between them after a year.
Then he saw it…saw something…a flicker, a shadow that crossed her soft gainsboro-colored eyes. She shifted and turned her face so that he could no longer see it, or decipher its meaning.
“Let’s go, Kitcy cat.” The pale-skinned guard yanked him hard, propelling him in the opposite direction.
Giving in, he moved silently, easily matching his strides to the long length of the two escorting him.
~YH~
Krysteena waited until all of the advisors had left the throne room and only the queen’s attendant remained before she spoke to her mother.
“Mother Queen, a word if I may.” She stepped close to her.
Turning and giving her a smile, the powerful majji gazed at her with eyes as clear at their Argona sea—colorless, but warm. “Of course, Krysteena. You know I always have time for my oldest daughter.” She nodded at her attendant.
Understanding the queen’s message, Tyrea moved away a few paces. She was still within earshot, but she knew better than to comment or repeat what she heard.
“What is it that concerns you?”
Krysteena should have known that her mother would pick up on her warring emotions. Meeting her gaze, both of them standing as tall as all fully matured Argona females. “I wonder if we should return Rymingten back to his planet.”
“Why is this?”
Stroking the length of the long braid hanging over her shoulder, Krysteena admitted, “I’m not all that sure that the warrior will ever give himself over to our way of life. Look how long he was punished and he still gave resistance just now. Perhaps I should scout the other planets and choose another.”
She had chosen Rymingten while on her breeding quest. As she viewed his planet through a vision of hovering above it, taking in one inhabitant male after another, she’d viewed him sparring with other males in a field and had been struck in her core. She hadn’t been sure what it was about the warrior that reached out to her as the others had not. But during her vision, for a star-gazing second, his gaze had met hers through the virtual distance. It was as if he stared directly at her. An impossibility. However, she’d experienced a power and warmth spread throughout her body just the same. It was as if he was in the same revelation chamber as she.
“That is part of the strength we need. If we wanted weaker men for breeding there are a number of the pleasure workers we could have used from other plants. Do you think you cannot win in the arena or that you don’t possess the command to rule over him?”
Did she? On the smaller planet Earth she would say she could easily best him. He was more playful in that form than when he was his true self. However, she recalled the tension she’d felt coming from him even as he pretended to submit himself to her queen. Krysteena was not fooled for a moment by his display. More was going on in the mind of that warrior.
Lifting her chin sharply, she gave her mother a bold, direct look, as the queen would have expected. “I am Argona. All bow at our feet, to our dominance.”
Eyleen’s smile pulled wider over her features.
“Of course they do. So, no discouragement my eldest. You will be victorious in the arena or match him then he will learn soon enough to submit.”
“Yes, queen mother.”
“So, go and prepare yourself for the competition, Krysteena.”
With a nod Krysteena walked away still not convinced. However, she would follow the directive of her queen.
Outside of the throne room, her attendant Morni, a blue-hued female small of stature compared to the Argona people, waited for her. All the attendants on the planet were former inhabitants of Dimu. It was a planet at the end of their galaxy where their grand star had burned out and the cold had set in, killing more than half of the population. While on a voyage for goods exchange, the voyagers had discovered the failing planet and communicated back with the queen. Queen Eyleen had given them permission to rescue the inhabitants and had brought them under Argona protection. In return, the Dimu males and females were employed in various capacities.
Since reaching maturity and inhabiting her own dwelling, Morni had been assigned to her. She and Krysteena had grown close, as most Argona warriors did with their private attendants.
“We are headed for the Arena of Valor.”
“So, you will be matched with the Kitcy?” Morni shuffled, taking two steps to Krysteena’s one.
“Yes.” She allowed her frustration in her words as they moved toward the path in the wild, untamed growth that covered most of Argona.
“Did you not express to the queen your reservations?”
“Of course.” Pressing through the thick foliage that grew at the edge of the path, she glanced behind her to Morni. “Queen Eyleen believes that the resistance I witness in Rymingten is all the more reason I should claim him as mine. As we know, the ability of an Argona female to showcase her power over a breeding mate that is strong is the greatest of honor.”
“As long as my eyes shall open to the shine of the grand stars over your planet I will never understand the custom. I believe the pleasure workers have shown to be better matches and easier to control and dominate. Why you all must cause such hardship on yourselves to subdue males which cannot be subdued easily…” Morni’s words drifted away.
Glancing back into the thin eyes of her attendant, Krysteena gave her a small smile. It was a conversation they’d had many times over their season together. She had missed the diminutive female while she’d been locked on Earth with the Kitcy male. “It is the way of our world. As well it has proven to bring forth strong warriors every millennial generation.”
“Dimus believe in the simple way of things.”
Krysteena understood that well. Dimu people were peaceful and steered clear of strife or conflict. It was the reason they survived well as companions to warriors of Argona.
For the remainder of their trek to the arena they discussed the coming goods festival to celebrate the return of the exploration vessels and all they had collected and exchanged with other planets. It was a jovial time of food, merriment and pleasure. During the activities, and once she had bested the Kitcy male, she would have her joining ceremony. There were always several at that time. Even now the stands would be filled with other females of her planet who sat beside their warriors from various planets. Strong men who had not disrespected the queen and refused a joining. They had realized that once they had been captured it was inevitable.
Krysteena had missed so many of the arena competitions by her fellow warriors and their breeding mates while she’d been on the small planet. However, now it was her turn.
When they finally broke through the wilderness into the clearing she could not help but stand in awe of the massive structure of the arena. It had taken her breath away since she was a youth. Her first tour of it, she, just like the other warrior females, knew they would enter it one day for their own exhibition of strength.
Even though they were educated and trained to protect their planet from encroachment, the training was meant to equip them for their pairing match. For this day.
Morni touched her arm and brought Krysteena out of her thoughts asking, “Are you ready?”
“Yes.” Oh, yes she was ready. If this warrior was going to be the one she would be joined to for the remainder of her existence, then she’d claim him the only way she knew how. By besting him in the arena.
Chapter Two
“You will wait here until it is time for your challenge.” The cyan-haired guard opened a door at the end of a high, wide hall a few yards into the arena. The outside structure appeared massive. However, he didn’t get a chance to see much of it, because he was immediately hustled inside.
Rym entered. The door was shut and bolted, letting him know they did not trust him not to attempt an escape. Wise females.
He stood in some sort of antechamber within the arena. The room was bare and made of wood. In it was a small table mounted to the wall, and a narrow bed. It was obvious to him they didn’t expect anyone to stay long in the place.
Almost immediately the door was opened again.
A short blue male in a long, dark-colored, lightweight cassock walked in carrying a tray.
With a smile and a nod at Rym he moved to the table and began unloading the tray. “Greetings, Rymingten of Kitcy. I am Shen, your attendant for the time you will spend at the arena.”
Folding his arms over his chest, Rym observed the man. He was practically half Rym’s size and the height of the primary inhabitants of Argona. With the slanted eyes of the male and his odd blue skin, Rym could tell he was not the offspring of any of the dominant women.
“Where are you from, Shen?”
Glancing up from his task of pouring thick orange liquid into a cup, Shen blinked his tiny eyes several times as he raised his chin in a show of pride. “I am Dimu.”
“Ah, the planet located in the far reaches of our galaxy.”
“We were. Now it is nothing but a frozen mass.”
Rym recalled the galaxy report that came through several millennial years ago about the planet losing its light and heat source. “I thought you all were extinct. Your pardon.”
“None needed. It is mostly truth what you heard. But we were rescued by Argona voyagers. Thankfully their atmosphere is very similar to our own so we have resided here since, exhibiting our gratitude in service.” Moving around the table he pulled out a chair and waved his hand to it, signaling Rym to take it.
Following the other male’s directive, Rym crossed the room and sat. “I am not much for food at the moment, Shen.”
“Oh, but you must consume. These items are set to give you energy and stamina for your challenge. Trust me, in my time here, I have seen many exhibitions of strength and dominance and it will be of need. Those men that do not consume it...” Shen shook his head slowly and appeared sad. “They did not fare well and found themselves with a long stay in the infirmary.”
“We of Kitcy are not the same as those from other planets. There is more to our strength than what you see before you.” Rym stared down at the green meat, flesh of some sort of animal of the planet, piled high, and frowned at the liquid in the cup. His people normally preferred meat from the water, but occasionally ate other smaller animals and even raised them. Lifting the meat to his nose he sniffed it. It was heavily seasoned with some sort of spice so that he could not clearly detect the animal it came from.
“Oh, Kitcy male… I know much about your kind. Since you first arrived…um…before your banishment. Everyone has whispered about the feline shape you can take. I’ve heard it is quite majestic.”
The wonder in the little attendants eyes and face made Rym pause before taking his first bite. Setting the meat back onto the platter, he asked, “Would you care to see my cat?”
Pure glee lit up the small features. With Rym seated, he and the Dimu male were almost on an equal eye level.
“Could I, warrior? Is it possible?”
“Very much so. Trust me, after a year of Earth time it would be a comfort to me and my true form to be fully free.” Rym ros
e and moved to the center of the room and was happy for the space to shift. Raising his hands high and tilting his head back, he connected his mind and spirit to the Spirit and Power that united all Kitcy people. As he lowered his arms slowly he felt his nails lengthen and his fingers shorten. The fur that sprung forth out of his skin caused a tingling cool sensation from the freedom of his true-self coming outside of flesh. His face burned as his jawline extended and widened and his teeth became razor sharp, able to tear through the flesh and bone of an enemy. His spine stretched as his legs and arms retracted, causing him to drop to all fours, the thick pad of his paws cushioning him against the impact onto the hard floor.
The last part of his cat to appear was what he was most proud of—his tail. It stretched long and waved high into the air. If he chose he could bring it up the length of his body and circle his own neck. During combat, his tail had the dexterity and strength to be used as a weapon, wrapping around a captive like a band. Now in full form he desired to roar and let his presence be known, but he wasn’t trying to bring the guards into the chamber. Only because Kitcy warriors only attacked those they considered to be enemies or those attempting to do them harm.
Argona’s beliefs on breeding were a grave issue to him, but he did not wish them physical harm. It had felt too good to Rym to have his feline back, as well as having all of his abilities restored once they had arrived back on Argona. A neutered fat cat on Earth was no way for a Kitcy male to live.
Turning his massive head, Rym looked for Shen.
The tiny man had his back pressed against the wall, but his lids were stretched and he had his eyes fixed on Rym. He was glad to see astonishment on the Dimu male’s face instead of fear.
“You may apprrrroach if you wishhh.” Rym spoke, his voice hissing and rolling out various letters of words.
“Is it safe?”
“I will caussssse you noooo harrrrrm, Ssshen.” Rym strutted slowly toward the man. The room wasn’t big enough for him to move but so many steps. He hoped the arena would be more accommodating to his size.
Scandalous Heroes Box Set Page 139
