She wanted to scream. She wasn’t a child, and she was VoT tired of being treated like one. Jumping off the edge of Leeky’s desk, Kitrina headed for the door.
“Just where do you think you’re going?” Zander yelled.
She glanced over her shoulder and glared. “To take a shit. Do you mind?”
Apparently not, for no one followed.
****
Kitrina slammed the door to the room she and Zander shared so hard the walls shook with the force of it. She didn’t care. The whole prison of an Academy could fall down around her ears into a huge pile of rubble as far as she was concerned, and she wouldn’t lift a finger to rebuild it.
Drop any classes she might possibly get hurt in? Keep her protection spell up at all times as if she were a simpleton? Double her guards? Take a frigging flower-arranging class? Never!
She lay upon the bed, threw an arm across her face, and tried to think. What was she going to do? If she wasn’t careful and a whole lot smarter than she’d been lately, her protectors were going to get her and probably themselves killed with their kindness. A fact she couldn’t even begin to hope to get through their thick skulls. She could see it in their faces, in the arrogance of their eyes. They felt they were doing what was best for her, especially Zander.
But they weren’t. Even Leeky who knew her abilities to be exceptional was acting as if she were made of porcelain and as inexperienced as some green first-year rogue student who had never even held a dagger, let alone knew precisely how to poison tip one.
How was she ever going to draw out the three commanders coming after her and deal with them if the men in her life lost their minds every time she got a tiny little scratch? Let alone allow her to do her job when it came time to use herself as bait? With the bloodhound pack mentality they were all exhibiting today, she’d fail. They’d scare away anyone who came within ten feet of her. They’d scare them all the way to Castle Kuropkat, to her parents, and to her little sisters. That couldn’t be allowed to happen. Something had to change.
How though? They didn’t respect her as an equal. How was she going to get through to them? How would she make them listen?
She was a rogue, for God Draka’s sake, and a VoT good one. If she’d been born male like they were, none of this would be happening. Not only would she have had the authority behind her as the heir to the leadership of the Paladins of Albrath, but none of them would’ve thought twice about offering her up as bait. Yes, if she were a man, it would’ve been her calling the shots and making the decisions. Instead, no one paid any mind to what a lass said, let alone what one thought.
Then a conversation she’d once overheard between her parents came to mind and Kitrina grimaced. It had been a dreadfully cold afternoon a couple of years back in the dead middle of winter, and they’d all been huddled before the roaring fire in her mother’s solar, trying to stay warm.
Her mother and father had been arguing for what seemed like forever about the need to better insulate the castle. Her mother being on the side of modernization, and her father, preferring to keep to the traditional style he’d worked so hard to rebuild.
Her mother had raised her chin and looked her husband straight in the eye. “Perhaps you’re right, dear. After all, what’s the warmth and comfort of your children compared to the importance of preserving this keep as originally built? The girls can always put on thicker layers of clothing, I suppose. Or even wear blankets around. They won’t mind and winter won’t last forever. After all, what’s a little sniffle and chest congestion as long as you’re happy?” Then she’d smiled a gentle smile, went back to the garment she was mending, and never mentioned it again.
Kitrina had been so angry with her mother. She couldn’t understand why an adult, any adult, wouldn’t just come right out and say what they wanted without dancing around a subject and using female wiles and manipulation to get their way. She herself had always been a blunt person and preferred others to be just as direct with her. It kept life simple. But being blunt obviously wasn’t working for her now.
Before spring even had a chance to think about thawing the frozen landscape around the grounds of Castle Kuropkat that year, every seam between every stone forming the entire keep had not only been insulated but tightly sealed. The castle was ridiculously warm.
Kitrina pondered the choices before her. Since being blunt hadn’t worked, and she was, after all, female and couldn’t change that fact about herself even if she wanted to, would it be so terribly wrong to practice some of those feminine wiles her mother was so good at? Perhaps it would be worth a try. What she’d done up to this point certainly wasn’t working.
Rolling to her side, Kitrina yawned and snuggled into the thick fur that covered the bed. Though it had been her father she’d spent most of her time looking up to as she grew into adulthood, perhaps she should’ve spent more time emulating her mother. Kitrina sighed. She sure wouldn’t mind a little advice and some words of wisdom from the woman who had given her life.
****
The door banged open, startling her awake, and Kitrina bolted upright.
“Come out here and face me, you little she-devil.” He roared. “You can’t hide forever, Kitrina. I will find you.” He ran his hand through his hair as his eyes darted around the room. “This isn’t funny anymore.”
She glared up at Zander and opened her mouth to tell him to stop being an idiot, when all that came out was “Meow.” Kitrina gulped and looked down at her cat body. Not now. Fuck. How was she going to get out of this one?
He sat heavily on the edge of the bed, picked her up into his arms, and stroked her fur. “So, where’s your mistress gotten herself off to this time, Cat?” He pointed to the clothing lying across the bed that she’d been wearing when she’d fallen asleep, then caressed the fur of her neck. “It looks as if she’s at least been here and changed.”
All Kitrina could manage was to curl closer into his embrace and purr as Zander’s long strong fingers ran the length of her spine all the way to the tip of her swishing tail. Her fur crackled with energy beneath his touch, and warmth infused her all the way to her claws. Lord God Draka, this was wonderful. This was amazing. She didn’t want it to stop.
Even as a child, she’d never really been petted. While in cat form, her parents had occasionally patted her on the head, but for the most part, other than chasing after her when she was doing something dangerous or trying to bribe her to come out of a tight hiding place, for the most part, they’d allowed her to frolic and play as any kitten would. As long as she stayed within their sight.
She glanced up at Zander. He looked worried, and she wanted to comfort him. Kitrina did the only thing she could think to do except shift back into human form. She licked his chin. His salty, sensual essence coated her rough tongue, and she rubbed her head against his hand.
He chuckled. “I wish your mistress liked me as much and trusted me even half as much as you do, Cat. I swear she’s going to be the death of me yet.” He nuzzled the fur around the cat’s neck and sighed. “What am I going to do with her? How can I keep her safe if she keeps running away from me?”
Kitrina lifted a paw and stroked Zander’s cheek, and he laughed.
“You’re bored I take it and want someone to play with, don’t you? Perhaps later. Right now, I need to continue my search for your owner.” He sat Kitrina back on the bed and picked up the tunic she’d been wearing. She watched fear fill his eyes as his fingers touched the bloodstains left from the cut she’d gotten earlier.
He glanced at her once more and sighed. “Just between us, Cat. I…care for that stubborn woman so much I can’t seem to think straight most days. I always have.” Zander shook his head and sighed. “My head knows she can never truly be mine. We both have responsibilities we can’t avoid. But some days, my stupid heart refuses to accept it. What am I to do?”
Kitrina meowed, and her heart pounded in her chest. He…cared for her? Was that anywhere near to loving her as she did him? And what if
it was? What good could it do either of them? He was right. They both had responsibilities that ultimately would keep them worlds apart.
Zander tossed the tunic back on the bed and backed away toward the door. “Oh, and Cat. Let’s keep this little discussion between us, okay? God Draka help me if she ever finds out how I really feel. I can hardly get her to be cooperative as it is. I’d sure hate to give the little minx more power over me than she already has.”
Again, Kitrina meowed. It was either that or burst into tears. Earlier, she’d almost decided to come clean with Zander. To tell him not only of her feelings but also about her ability to shape-shift. Both were out of the question now. This quest was difficult enough without adding in the distraction of a fledgling love that had nowhere to go or seeing the look of betrayal on Zander’s face when he found out just who he’d been confessing his feelings to.
The door had no sooner shut before Kitrina shifted back into human form. She grabbed up the Dragon Heart Opal that had slid mostly beneath her pillow while she’d dozed and slipped the leather thong it was attached to securely over her head. It settled safe and warm between her breasts, nestled itself against the heat of her skin, and thrummed softly to a beat matching her heart.
Thank Draka Zander hadn’t seen it. If he had, he would have known for certain Kitrina was near, or he, at the very least, would’ve thought her to be. Since he wasn’t aware of her cat form, there was no way he could know what happened to the stone when she shifted. It was the only time the Dragon Heart Opal felt no particular affinity for her.
Kitrina’s legs suddenly wobbled and her knees threatened to buckle as the ramifications of what she’d just realized hit her. She sat on the edge of the bed and gripped its side to steady herself. A thought more terrifying than her own death shuddered through her. What if? What would happen to the stone, to her family, if she somehow became trapped in cat form…again?
It had happened once before, and Kitrina had tried her best to drive it from her memory. Only in her nightmares did she relive it. She’d been fifteen and simply playing as children do. Hiding from her little sisters, teasing them, tormenting them.
It had only been a game.
The space behind the two loose slabs of stone at the back of the pantry had been much too tempting to resist. Kitrina knew if she moved the slabs to the side and shifted into Cat, she could hide there as long as she wanted or until her sisters finally gave up looking for her.
So, that was what she’d done.
She’d been so smart, so clever. She’d even remembered to drag the Dragon Heart Opal and her tunic into the hole with her so no one would see them and guess where she was. At least she thought herself smart. Until a maid came into the pantry to retrieve something, noticed the stones were not quite straight, and fixed them.
Darkness enveloped her to the point Kitrina had been sure she would suffocate from it. She tried to push the slabs back out, her tiny paws becoming sore and torn with the effort. But in kitty-cat form, she wasn’t strong enough. She tried to shift back into a human over and over, but the small space prevented it. She meowed until her throat ached, and she scratched until she was beyond exhausted, but still no one came.
Just when she was about to give up hope, the panty door opened and someone tossed in a bag of potatoes. They hit the back wall, knocking one of the slabs askew, and Kitrina squeezed through the small opening. She took deep gulps of air into her feline lungs before her legs took control of her brain. She ran as if demons from within the Valley of Torment were hot on her tail. Through the pantry door and across the stone tiles of the castle, she skittered. Out into the open bailey and over the meadow, she sprinted. Down into the valley and up onto an outcropping facing the mountains, she scampered. Only then did she slow, only then did she stop, only then did the panic begin to subside.
She sat there, staring out until the sun dipped low in the sky. She simply breathed in and breathed out, over and over until her small, black fur covered legs no longer trembled and her heart no longer raced. Then, she headed for home.
It was only after she’d returned to the castle and entered her own chamber that it hit her. The moment she shifted back into human form, the Dragon Heart Opal materialized about her neck. But the stone hadn’t sought her out at all while she’d been a cat, no matter how far away from it she had run.
So, what would happen if one of the commanders discovered her secret? If they somehow got their hands on the Dragon Heart Opal while she was in cat form, could they then possess it without it dematerializing and attaching itself to the next in line? Of course they could, as long as they prevented her from becoming human again. After all, she wouldn’t be dead, just trapped.
Kitrina shuddered. Since the day of the game when she’d become trapped, she now had a desperate fear of small, closed, tight places. Even the thought of being locked away for a short period of time and not being able to get out had her heart pounding. What would it be like to be imprisoned for the rest of her life?
What if the Dragon Heart Opal and the Stone of Anthion really were one and the same? They certainly could be.
Though surrendering herself to the enemy would take every ounce of courage she could muster, it would be a reasonable solution to the dilemma if somehow they failed to stop the coming threat.
But then, did she truly have that much courage? Could she actually go through with it if presented with no other choice? Would she be strong enough to sacrifice herself to a lifetime locked in a cage if it was the only option left to safeguard her family?
Kitrina stiffened her spine. Of course, she could, and if it came to that, she would. Her family meant everything to her, and there was nothing on Albrath she wouldn’t do to protect them.
Still, she couldn’t prevent the tears from coursing down her cheeks. She had never told her parents the stone didn’t follow her when she was in cat form. She’d always been afraid they would forbid her to shift if they knew.
The tears fell harder with the knowledge that her family probably would never know what really happened to her if she did have to give in to the demands of the commanders the only way she could. And though she had no doubt they would search for the rest of their lives for her, it wouldn’t be a stray cat locked in a cold dark cage they would be looking for.
And Zander, would he search? He’d at least want to and probably would for a while. She was certain of that. But when he didn’t find her, when the years went by, would he simply go back to his castle in Alaria and take a barbarian bride. Of course, he would.
And that is just as she was when, a moment later, the door once more opened and Zander found her.
Buck ass naked, except for the Dragon Heart Opal around her neck.
Sprawled in the middle of his bed, on top of the fur covering.
Crying.
Chapter Seven
Zander shut the door, quickly crossed the floor, and wrapped Kitrina within the safe confines of his arms.
She sniffled.
He stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head. “It can’t be as bad as all that, my lady.” He whispered against her cheek. “Where were you? I’ve looked everywhere, Kitrina. I was worried.”
She stiffened, and Zander took a deep breath before tilting her chin upwards and forcing her to look at him. Tear-misted eyes stared back at him, and they held such desolation the sight broke his heart. “Talk to me, Kitrina, please.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want to talk about it right now. I can’t.” She laid her fingers against his lips. “Make love to me, Zander. Fuck me so hard I’ll forget all about obligations and stones and dreams that can never come true. Just for a little while. Then we’ll talk.”
He sighed as his lips captured hers. How could he deny her anything? He knew he couldn’t. As efficiently as possible, Zander divested himself of his tunic, breeks, and boots. His cock was already throbbing, wanting, ready. He fought the demands of his own body and tamped down his desires. This time was for Kitrina, and before he
was through, there would be no doubt in her mind that, even though he could never make her his wife, she was and had always been his queen. This day, she would know she’d been worshiped.
He kissed her forehead, her eyes, and then her nose, her chin, and then her ears. He captured her lips, then nuzzled her neck. Over and over, he made love to her face, her neck, her shoulders.
His lips and tongue teased her compliant mouth, then kissed and darted into her ears before his teeth nipped the point on her neck where her pounding pulse was visible. She shuddered beneath him, and he smiled. God Draka, she was beautiful.
His hand cupped her right breast as his lips tormented her raspberry-red nipple into pebbly hardness. She bucked against him and squirmed. He licked and nipped the other nipple even harder and sucked it until his balls tightened uncomfortably and his cock expanded more than he thought possible against her undulations.
Her legs wrapped around his, and her pussylips stroked the length of his cock, seeking. Still, he forced himself to go slow. He fondled her hip and grabbed her ass, squeezing, kneading, massaging.
“For the love of God Draka, Zander. Quit torturing me, and put that VoT thing where it belongs,” Kitrina growled.
Zander chuckled. “You wish is my command, my lady.” He flipped her over until her face rested against the pillow. Her elbows at her side, her knees firmly against the mattress, ass straight up in the air. And what a sweet ass it was.
Smiling, he positioned himself behind her and kissed the curvy cheeks of her ass, then gave a quick nip to both before parting the folds of her moist pussy and thrusting his cock to the hilt.
He pounded into her mercilessly, and she answered with forceful lunges of her own. Time lost all meaning, and nothing else in all Albrath mattered as they fucked, hard. Him giving all he had to give and her receiving the gift of what his body offered.
Tamed by the Fire Page 9
