Sari

by Middleton, Rose

  The old doc gave a nod. “The wounds are deep and he’s lost a lot of blood, but it’s not fatal. Cats are incredible healers. He’ll be right soon enough.”

  “So why is he caught half and half like that?” Stevens asked, wearing an expression of disgust.

  Rex wanted to roll his eyes. Had the sergeant learned nothing? “It’s the shock.” The outcome, though, quite ghastly. Good thing it wore off after a while. Rex turned to Tom. “Did she say anything?”

  “Not a word.”

  Much as he expected. She’d said all she needed to by clawing the young man and allowing him to come home. He suspected she didn’t feel threatened by Tom and expected to defeat Rex when they finally came face to face again, but he still had a few surprises up his sleeve. If he could encourage her complacency, he’d gain an advantage.

  “Stevens, I want eyes on her at all times. Tracking her movements purely by satellite isn’t enough.”

  “But—”

  Rex held up his hand to quiet the young man. “I want people I trust watching her day in, day out. Right now, she knows we’re onto her, and while there’s no hurry to bring her in, she could go underground. I don’t want to lose her. Make sure no one tips her off and see that she settles back into her daily routine. Now, walk with me.”

  Rex turned and pushed through the swinging doors to the corridor. A moment later, Stevens fell into step beside him as he strolled down the central walkway to the room containing the sedated Pitch.

  “The Failures think Pitch is their leader, and for now, we must let that misconception fester. Pitch is weak, his intelligence scattered. He couldn’t lead himself out of a paper bag, let alone a ragtag of misfits for whom time is limited. But you must be vigilant when doing your rounds on SL 8. Mystery’s powers of perception are growing as she ages, she knows what you think. Focus on Pitch, and don’t even think of Sari when you are near Mystery.”

  Stevens nodded. “Sir, it seems Sari is more dangerous than I thought, and she’s a significant risk. She could alert the authorities to us. Why don’t we bring her in now?”

  “She’s been out there on her own for two years and gives the impression that she wants to forget this place and move on with her life. You must trust in that. Besides, we have the edge on her and always will.”

  “May I ask a question?”

  Rex gave a single nod of permission.

  “You class Sari as a Failure, but I don’t see why. Granted, she’d escaped before I arrived so I never met her but so far, she seems to exhibit no side effects to the procedure.”

  “All of the Failures developed some unfortunate problems after the surgery, making them weak. Like Mystery and her accelerated aging process. Or Pitch and his failing eyesight. But when it comes to Sari, you are almost right. She is the most advanced of the Failures, an efficient stalker, superb hunter. She has an uncanny killer instinct. Her body, however, isn’t strong enough. Her immune system, though better than yours and mine, is quite weak in feline terms.

  “You see, Mystery isn’t dead because while her body ages at a faster rate, her boosted immune system reverses most of the damage on a daily basis. You’ll notice that Pitch’s leg has already healed. And Tom? He’ll be fine by tomorrow. Sari, on the other hand, takes longer to heal and would be easily felled by those kinds of injuries. In particular, she’s susceptible to viral infection.”

  “But she survived the attack when she escaped.”

  That she did, surprising them all. Her wounds should have killed her. “She didn’t succumb to infection simply because she refused to die.”

  Rex allowed a smile to curve his lips. His secret weapon would take Sari out in a heartbeat. When it came down to who held the balance of power, Sari was most definitely outranked. The bonus was that she didn’t know it, and what she didn’t know would kill her.

  “If it’s true what they say about cats having nine lives, then I’m sure Sari has used up most of them.”

  Sari woke with a silent scream, jolting upright. Fear pounded through her veins while her heart skittered about her chest. Sweat poured off her, stinging her eyes. She swallowed the scream and tried to work out where the hell she was. The dark room confused her, and it took several minutes before she found her bearings. The events of the last twelve hours rushed back to her but she shoved them aside.

  The nightmare—the memory—crowded her mind. Sari buried her head in her hands and squeezed her eyes closed. The other cat hadn’t tried to kill her, but she’d felt his malevolence as sure as the night sky was black. As dangerous as prowling in cat form was, resisting the instincts and urges was near impossible. In two years, she hadn’t come across another hybrid, but last night changed everything. He’d said he was sent to deliver a warning, that Zimmerman would end her freedom soon. Sari’s anger got the better of her, and if the cat had made it back to The Facility, he’d take her message with him.

  She only prayed Zimmerman would get the hint that she would fight to the death before letting him cage her again. He represented a time she didn’t want to remember and experiences she wished had never happened. A shudder passed through her body and she became aware of the throbbing in her arm. Slowly, she lifted her head, took a deep breath, and forced her heart to slow down. Her body began to cool, and she had to resist the urge to check for fur. Who knew how powerful the arousal and shock of her dream were?

  As she settled, she heard voices outside the motel window. She turned to listen to the man and woman outside. The man was Kai, though she didn’t recognize the woman’s voice. Despite the two keeping their voices low and the sound of traffic filtering in from the road, Sari heard them loud and clear.

  Finally, her feline hearing came in handy.

  “Why won’t you tell me who she is?” the woman demanded.

  “It’s best you don’t know the details. Just do this favor for me, Sarah, and I’ll owe you for the rest of my life.”

  The woman, Sarah, held up her hand, something trapped between her fingertips. Sari’s eyesight narrowed, zoomed past the flimsy curtain and filthy window to lock on to the target. Though Kai and the woman stood outside in the dark night, the object in question shone like a beacon in Sari’s super night vision.

  Kai had given away the microchip. Fear gripped her, adrenaline quickened her heartbeat. The small wound on her arm throbbed again, and she forcibly held the urge to throw up at bay. What the hell was he doing, sneaking around behind her back? She ought to march right out there and insist on an explanation. Had she been a fool to trust him in even the slightest way?

  “Why won’t you tell me what this is?”

  “You don’t need to know. Just trust me, Sarah, and do as I ask. Follow the pattern of movements I explained. It’s important, but I can’t give you any more details than that.”

  Sarah shook her head and sighed. Blond ringlets danced around before she turned and peered through the window. Right at Sari. But she couldn’t see Sari, not with the darkness and not with the curtain blocking her way.

  “She must be one special girl, Harrison. I swear, you’ve never done anything nice for your girlfriends before.”

  “She’s my colleague.”

  Sarah gasped and slapped his shoulder. “Oh my God. You’re bonking a co-worker. You know, just because I love you like a brother doesn’t mean I condone this sort of behavior. Your folks raised you better than that.”

  Kai’s laugh sounded bittersweet. “My parents raised me to find a trust fund baby and marry the rich brat. In the meantime, my father has had two affairs and my mother carries on with the gardener. Don’t preach to me, Sarah. I may be a scallywag with women at times, but there’s something about her that makes me want to start over.”

  Sarah’s hand on Kai’s shoulder roused an unfamiliar instinct in Sari’s gut. The hairs on her forearms prickled, and she had to fight the hiss welling in her throat. She tensed, all her senses on high alert, ready to pounce should she need to protect him.

  “You’re a complicated nerd, H
arrison. I don’t pretend to understand you but I accept your geeky ways. When will you guys be back?”

  “Friday night. Just leave it at the apartment and get on with your weekend.”

  She patted his arm twice, kissed him on the cheek and chuckled, sounding amused. “See ya, freak.”

  Kai stood for a moment and watched his friend leave. It gave Sari a chance to study his figure. Those broad shoulders had felt so strong and his big arms easily enveloped her in the warmest embrace. She remembered the rhythmic beat of his heart when she laid her cheek against his chest, its steady lub-dub comforting and soothing. With her sensitive hearing, it had sounded like a jungle drum, calling to her.

  Earlier, when he’d held her, she soaked up his strength and power, using it to replenish her lost stores. The ghost of his embrace surrounded her now, reminding her of the lack of gentle human contact she’d experienced in her life. She tried not to think of her parents’ deaths or of the abusive hand of her uncle, and for the most part, succeeded. What she would never forget was the vice-like grip of the men who held her down and forced this altered existence upon her.

  “Hey, you’re awake.”

  Kai’s smooth voice pulled her back to the present without a jolt, much to Sari’s surprise. She hadn’t seen him come back in or sit on the edge of the bed. When he switched on the bedside lamp, she squinted against the bright light and waited for her eyes to adjust.

  “Who were you talking to?”

  “Sarah Makepeace. A friend of mine. She’ll help.”

  Sari frowned. “Help?”

  With a nod, Kai reached forward and rubbed her knee, his touch a welcome sensation. “She’s going to mimic your movements until we get back. I figured if someone wants to keep an eye on you with a tracking device, then the minute you divert from your routine alarm bells will go off.”

  Her throat tightened and her hand rose to it. Hot tears stung her eyes as the genuineness of his gesture sank in. As he looked at her, a warm smile spread across his full lips, as if he knew he’d touched her in a way that mattered to her. A voice in the back of Sari’s mind scolded her, sure his ploy was designed to catch her with her guard down to take advantage of her, but a stronger voice drowned it out. No matter how much she wanted to believe in Kai’s goodness, it didn’t tip the scales in his favor. Years of broken promises, shattered dreams, and disastrous moments damned his efforts.

  “Thank you.”

  “You don’t need to thank me,” he whispered, a reassuring squeeze of her knee reminding Sari of the contact. “Besides, we’re on a mission, and I don’t want to be interrupted. Once we find the big cats, we’ll sort you out. Deal?”

  He was sure in for one hell of a shock, but how could he possibly realize she and the big cats were related?

  “There’s nothing to sort out, Kai.”

  “Ah, so tracers embedded in your flesh are normal, run of the mill stuff for you?” A twinkle in his eye eased the panic that teased her insides.

  “You showed a lot of faith in me today. I don’t want to lose that.”

  “Just be honest with me.”

  “Easier said than done, Kai. The truth of my life is surreal.”

  He nodded. “Start with something small, something that’s not so strange.”

  Sari fought the need to pull away from Kai. He hadn’t lied to her yet, hadn’t given her a reason to doubt him. She could do this. “I grew up in Auckland, New Zealand.”

  “Really? You have no accent at all.”

  “After my parents were killed in a car accident, I went to live with an aunt and uncle. They were Australian, and I was young and eager to win their affections.” Not that it worked.

  “Did you like Auckland?”

  Sari shrugged. Until she was twelve, life didn’t give her a chance to appreciate the scenery. She was too busy ducking for cover. “It was okay. I like Melbourne much better.”

  “See, I think Melbourne’s pretty ordinary. Nothing special. No harbor vistas like Sydney, or sun-blessed beaches like in Queensland.”

  Spoilt rich boy, wasn’t he? Molly-coddled by over-protective parents trying to make up for their shortcomings. He wanted flash and dazzle, not comfortable and livable. Sari would settle for safe and clean, where no one would beat her when she slipped up.

  “To each their own.” She sighed. “My arm feels good.”

  “I should probably take a look at it again. You bled quite a lot while you slept. Are you sure it’s not too painful? I mean, a couple of ibuprofen hardly seems enough considering how deep I had to cut.”

  Lifting her arm, she rotated it outwards to expose the bandaged wound. It stood white against her skin, not a drop of blood in sight. No need for it to come off. She couldn’t let him see the wound too soon, not with her accelerated healing abilities. Granted, she had nothing on the other hybrids, who healed in a matter of hours. Or Mystery, who seemed the quickest of them all. If he saw the incision was almost completely normal, he’d ask more questions. Sari needed to save them both from those questions. The less she had to lie to him, the better.

  “It’ll be okay, Kai.”

  With an amused chuff, he caught her arm in his warm hands and the contrast between their body heat made her suck in a hurried breath. Usually she was the abnormally warm person, but it seemed Kai took that honor tonight.

  “Really.” She tried to tug her arm out of his grasp. “It’s fine.”

  “Sari, I cut you open with a scalpel. I drew blood and I know it hurt. Let me make it better.”

  Her breath caught in her throat as he slid nearer. She didn’t think herself weak or helpless around men, but when he molded his hands to her hips and tugged her closer, she didn’t stop him. Only when the tips of her nipples grazed his chest did the fog lift from her mind, but the closeness of his firm body roused the feline heat. Blood sped though her veins and before she could stop herself, she leaned in to him and tipped her face up to his to receive the kiss she sensed was coming.

  When his lips touched hers and their heat mingled, she slid her arms around his torso and she held on. It wasn’t in her plan to initiate the contact, but neither was it to turn it away when he offered.

  She mewled at the feel of his palms curving around her face and caught herself before she rubbed her cheek against him. If she started to act like a cat, he’d get suspicious. Still, the intimate contact fuelled a deep desire within her and refraining from jumping his bones took more effort than usual.

  “Kai, we shouldn’t.” She pushed against his chest, but his hands kept her in place.

  “Yeah, we should. I’m feeling very close to you right now, like this whole crazy situation is drawing us together, and I don’t just mean sex.”

  That surprised her. “What do you mean?”

  His genuine smile slipped beneath her defenses to reach her vulnerable heart. Alarm bells should have gone off. “Let me hold you, keep you warm though the night. Let me protect you.”

  “You’re sweet, Kai.” She touched a fingertip to the end of his nose. “But you don’t need to protect me. I’m perfectly capable of looking after myself—microchip capers aside.”

  “I never said you couldn’t take care of yourself. I just asked that you let me do it for you, at least for tonight. What do you say?”

  Sure. So long as I don’t turn into a cat halfway through the night. What do you say?

  Chapter Three

  Thick, lush green forest closed in around them. The canopy overhead virtually blocked out the winter sunlight, making the valley dark, damp, and quite chilly. Kai could smell the earth beneath his feet, but he made no sound when he walked. With the fallen leaves and moss and dirt moistened by the region’s high rainfall, he wasn’t crunching through tinder-dry scrub. He marveled at the thought that half the country withered in the worst drought for nearly ninety years while pockets of tropical, sub-tropical, and rainforest ecosystems dotting the landscape prospered against reason.

  The valley cradled them like a cocoon, with steep,
ragged cliffs on both sides. The odd twitter of birdlife pierced the still air at infrequent intervals. The map, though accurate, lacked some details. Like the trickling spring of water that flowed down the gully and the sharp rocks cutting through the steep sides.

  Slowing to a stop, he stared up at the muddy, vine-entangled wall of rock and shook his head. This wasn’t the same route he took last time but with such an enormous area to cover, he’d had to spread out his search. The first time, he came in via a southern route. He had found nothing except rabbit holes and wombat burrows. When he tried from the north, the forest was so thick he only got a couple of kilometers in before tiring of hacking through the scrub. It was like looking for the proverbial needle in the biggest haystack he could find on the planet.

  Some days he wondered if he’d ever find Rebecca or, at the very least, what happened to her. He shuddered to think that she could be a pile of bones buried somewhere in this alien place, but he couldn’t deny that was a possibility. Despite the ten year age difference between them, they’d always been close. Sure their parents had been better at their job with Rebecca than with him, but that didn’t matter anymore. For too long he’d naively thought that finding Rebecca would bring their family back together. As time went by, his hopes faded. His parents drifted further apart from each other and from him.

  That was when he decided to move out of the royal palace and start building a life of his own. Despite giving up on his folks, he never gave up on Rebecca. He might not have any evidence of her whereabouts or even whether she was alive, but Kai refused to just let her go. Like his mother did. Like his father had done. Deep down, he believed she was alive. Not knowing how he knew that threatened to drive him crazy, but he didn’t question it.

  This time, with Sari’s insight, he’d find her. He was certain of it. Sari’s distance and perspective had shown him he hadn’t considered this route before. Somehow, she read maps better than he did, and damn, he needed her light to show him the way.