by Cara Bristol
But maybe it was fortunate she had messed up so she had been free to meet Tigre, the man she was destined to love. The one chosen by fate and biology to be hers.
Except, now he wasn’t free. Kat finished off her second drink and poured a third. She didn’t deserve him, but she’d spend the rest of her life making it up to him—if he didn’t get convicted for vehicular assault and go to prison.
Don’t think about that. If the worst happened, she’d lose it. No, she’d dig a tunnel under the prison and break him loose, and they’d live life on the lam. Maybe they’d fly away with his friend Mysk to find the lost ’Topians. Okay, at least they had options. She took a big gulp of vodka and realized she might be the tiniest bit drunk.
She rarely drank—Vegas being an exception—and the alcohol had hit her hard on an empty stomach. She’d never gotten breakfast, only ate a vending machine power bar because Matt had shoved it in front of her, and food hadn’t appealed when she’d gotten home an hour ago. I should eat something before I drink any more. She took another sip. Screw it.
Thankfully, she’d conveyed to Tigre the divorce had been a mistake, and she loved him, but she wished she’d had the time to explain how it had happened, how grateful she was to have him in her life.
Please give me another chance to make it right with him. She sent her plea spiraling into the universe and then plunked her empty glass on the side table. Drinking wouldn’t solve anything, and she needed to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the morning so she could face the day and figure out how to help Tigre. Amanda Blake meowed a protest when she shifted her off her lap and stood up. The room tilted as Kat drunkenly picked her way to the bedroom.
* * * *
“Second-degree murder?” Kat gaped at the DA, unable to believe her ears. This couldn’t be happening! She’d been told Tigre was being released. She’d raced to the jail to pick him up, only to be intercepted by the deputy district attorney. “He didn’t kill anybody!”
“Actually, he did. Liam Baynes died this morning from the internal injuries sustained when Tigre rammed into him with the hover scooter.”
“He didn’t intend to kill him. He was defending me! Liam was the criminal—he was about to shoot me!” Her head pounded to the beat of the hammering going on in an adjacent corridor. Renovations were underway to increase the size of the jail.
“Well, that’s the argument the public defender will present, I’m sure. Tigre is being arraigned this afternoon.”
Thwack. Thwack. Thwack. The damn pounding! Couldn’t the construction crew take a break for one minute?
“Liam got injured while committing multiple felonies,” she argued. “He intended to kill me! He operated a burglary ring. If not for Tigre’s action, I’d be dead.” How could this be happening? I’ve ruined his life. Why was I so stubborn? Why did I file those damn divorce papers! If she hadn’t, Tigre would have been home, Liam’s gang probably would have passed on the farmhouse, Liam would be alive, and Tigre would be free. This is all my fault.
“I’m telling you where things stand out of professional courtesy, but I can’t discuss the case with you. You’re a witness.” He walked away.
Thwack. Thwack. Thwack!
Kat clapped her hands over her ears. “Stop it!” she shouted.
With a jolt, she sprang up in bed. Disoriented, she blinked at dawn’s light screaming through the window. Just a nightmare. She pressed a hand to her thudding heart. Wasn’t it? Or had Tigre been charged with murder? What time was it? She rolled over and grabbed her phone from the nightstand to check the day and time—9 a.m. Saturday morning. Tigre had been arrested yesterday. She hadn’t talked to the DA.
So, no murder charge. Just a bad dream—she hoped, still uncertain. The dream had seemed so real. She wracked her brain, recalling getting drunk and falling into bed in the wee hours. Her mouth felt fuzzy. Her stomach churned.
Thwack. Thwack.
Not a headache—someone was banging on the front door.
“Kat! Kat! Are you home?”
Tigre? She bolted out of bed, flew to the front door, and yanked it open so hard, it slammed into the wall and knocked a hole in the plaster. Tigre, weary and worn, stood outside.
Her heart clenched. “You’re here!” She flung herself into his arms. “I can’t believe you’re here. What happened?” She squeezed his biceps, reassuring herself he was solid and real. If this was a dream, and she awakened to discover he was still in custody, she wouldn’t be able to stand it.
“First thing this morning, they let me go.”
So Liam was still alive. It had been a dream—but Tigre’s release offered only a reprieve. She knew how the system worked. The DA might be collecting evidence to build his case before formally charging him. If Tigre got arrested again, she vowed to hire the best criminal defense attorney money could buy. She’d sell her house if she had to. No way would she risk his future on a well-intentioned but overworked public defender. But hopefully the matter was settled.
“How did you get here?” she asked.
“I hired a taxi.” He grimaced. “Um, could you pay him? I don’t have any money or a credit card on me.”
“Of course!” She peered around him at the cab idling at the curb and realized she wore only a nightgown. She held up her index finger in a signal for the cabbie to wait then dragged Tigre inside. She pulled on a robe and grabbed her wallet and ran and paid the driver then dashed inside.
She hugged Tigre tight, burying her head against his chest. “I am so sorry. For everything. For taking so long to realize what was important, for the divorce papers, for you getting arrested and jailed. I didn’t send those papers,” she rushed on, anxious to explain again, this time in more detail. Recent events had proven some matters should not be left unsaid.
“Right after we got married—before I came to my senses—I admit I considered an annulment, and when I realized I didn’t have appropriate grounds, I met with an attorney to initiate divorce proceedings—but then I called it off. Except he didn’t get the message. I am so sorry. I had no idea it was still in the works. I don’t want a divorce.” Her heart clenched with remorse and trepidation. Maybe he didn’t love her anymore; she’d proven what a bad risk she was. She lifted her head to meet his gaze “Unless you do. I’ve only brought trouble into your life—”
“You’ve completed my life,” he said. “I love you.”
“I need to brush my teeth.”
He blinked.
“I mean, I love you, too. I want to kiss you, but my mouth is fuzzy and icky, and I have bad breath.”
A smile slid over his handsome striped face. “I should brush my teeth, too.”
Sssss! Sssss…grrrr… Amanda Blake crept low on the floor, hissing and growling. Her ears flattened, and her tail swished as she prepared for attack.
“Amanda Blake, no!” Kat stamped her foot while Tigre whipped around and roared.
Near-comical surprise flashed across the cat’s face as she leaped three feet into the air and then scrambled across the floor and dove out the pet door.
“You showed her who’s boss.”
“I am sorry for frightening your pet, but—”
“No, you did what you needed to be done. I don’t know what her problem is. She’s never acted this way.” Tigre was her husband. Kat couldn’t allow her cat to attack every time she saw him. She’d have to confer with the vet and figure something out. They had obedience school for dogs. Maybe similar training existed for cats? Maybe she could send the cat to a pet psychologist. However, long-term solutions could be figured out later. For now, a simple closed door would have to suffice.
“Let’s go brush our teeth.” She waggled her eyebrows suggestively. The couple who brushes their teeth together, stays together.
Because of Amanda Blake, he’d never spent the night at her house, so he didn’t even have a toothbrush at her place, but Kat found a new one still in the wrapper, and they stood at her bathroom sink and cle
aned their teeth. Just like an old married couple.
She had a serious case of bedhead and wore a shapeless natty robe and nightgown. Tigre himself appeared equally rumpled—freed-from-jail rumpled. She grinned a foamy smile as she brushed. His eyes met hers in the mirror, and he smiled, too. They spit and rinsed, and then they came together, fusing their lips in a minty kiss.
The feral fever ignited but with it came a surge of love and gratitude for second chances. “Have you eaten? Are you hungry?” she asked like a wife whose husband had just gotten out of jail.
“Only for you,” he replied like a newlywed besotted with his bride. “I should bathe.”
“That can be arranged.”
They showered together then toweled off and tumbled into bed, passion flaring, their desire hot and heartfelt. Kat tugged at his mane as he pressed heated kisses to her neck and shoulders. She roamed her hands over the hard contours of his body, mapping out his muscular chest, washboard abs, and bulging biceps. He cupped and suckled her breasts and stroked between her legs, his fingers homing in on just the right spot to make her writhe with need.
Feral fever wasn’t a curse, it was a gift. Like icing on the cake. Life is short. Eat dessert first. She twisted away from his sensual caresses to take him in her mouth. His low growls resonated deep in her core, eliciting tremors of impending ecstasy. She pressed her thighs together. Not yet. Not yet.
He allowed her to play and then he broke away, flipping her over and entering her from behind.
“You like this position, don’t you?” She groaned with satisfaction. She’d always been a face-to-face girl until Tigre had demonstrated the benefits of doggie style, which she’d come to think of as Tigre style.
“What’s not to like?”
“Good point,” she groaned as he buried himself balls deep while fondling her clit. Her breasts swung with the rhythm. She tossed her head and pressed backward, her buttocks nesting in the cradle of his pelvis.
The first orgasm hit hot and fast, ricocheting in a blaze of sensation. She shuddered as her pussy convulsed around his cock in exquisite pleasure, followed by a second, more powerful climax as Tigre’s hips slapped against her buttocks, and he bellowed as he orgasmed.
They collapsed on the bed, rolled, and spooned into a familiar cuddle. Lazily, he caressed her breasts and tummy. We’re already establishing patterns. Finding our beat.
In the hall, Amanda Blake hissed and scratched to get in, whereupon she would no doubt attempt to rip Tigre’s face off. Not happening, kitty. Much more from you, and you’ll be on your way to feline military school.
Tigre’s breathing leveled out, his roving hand stilled, and his body relaxed as he drifted off.
Her own eyelids drooped, and, wrapped in his secure embrace, she surrendered to sleep.
* * * *
Tigre awakened to find Kat peering down at him with a soft, loving expression.
“I didn’t mean to wake you. I just wanted to look at you, reassure myself you’re really here,” she said.
His being filled with the contentment and warmth from having genetics and heart united. He felt whole. He tucked her tangled hair behind her ear, the better to see her face. “How long was I asleep?”
“About an hour. I don’t suppose you slept well in jail.”
“No.” He shook his head. “It was too noisy. There were too many people. The bunk was uncomfortable, and all I could think about was getting home to you. I didn’t sleep at all.”
“What did they say when they released you?”
“Just that no charges had been filed, and I was free to go.”
“Did they treat you okay?”
“Yes. I had left my phone at the farmhouse, so I had no way to contact anybody to come get me. The sergeant at the front desk called the taxi for me. He said to say hi.”
“If there are any further repercussions, I know some good defense attorneys.”
He caught the gist. He hoped he never saw the inside of a police station or jail again, but, in truth, he wouldn’t hesitate to do it all over again. “I had to act. Liam was going to shoot you.”
“You saved my life. I can’t ever thank you enough.”
“I never should have run out on you. A man does not leave his genmate.” If he hadn’t done that, none of this would have happened. Kat would have been at work when Liam’s gang arrived. A divorce wouldn’t have changed anything in a substantive way. They were bonded for life. No piece of paper altered that.
“I never should have given you reason to,” she said. “And you came back.” Then she thumped his chest. “However, you did ruin the big surprise I had planned.”
His whiskers twitched. “Oh?”
“The trip to Victoria your brothers and mates took? It was for our wedding.”
He scrunched up his face. “I don’t understand. We’re already married.”
“I wanted us to get married again, this time when we were both sober. When it meant something. So, I’d planned another ceremony.”
“But you said you couldn’t get off work to go to Victoria!”
“It was a ruse! I couldn’t take the entire day, but I’d intended to leave at noon. Then I’d planned to pick you up, spirit you away to the Spokane airport, fly to Vancouver, where we would catch a ferry to Victoria. I had the tickets all purchased. Your brothers and their mates were waiting for us.”
He was stunned, humbled. “You were going to do that for me?”
“Yes! After everything I put you through, I intended to show you how much I love you, not just tell you.”
“You already have shown me. Us being together—that means everything to me.” Her previous contrariness, ambivalence that had so frustrated him, faded to insignificance. How they had come together didn’t matter, only that they had. He pressed his lips to hers in a sweet, lingering kiss. “I messed it up by getting arrested, didn’t I?” He grinned.
“Little bit.” She punched his shoulder lightly. “We can reschedule at a later date. Maybe do it at Kevanne’s lavender farm? Have a big party?”
“I can get us the gazebo. I have connections.” He winked but then sobered. While he didn’t need an Earth ritual to clarify or certify what was in his heart, to have family and friends share in the joy of their union, to stand in support of him and Kat carried its own blessing. He had attended his brothers’ weddings to their genmates and seen the benefits.
He and his fellow castaways had found a home, formed a family, and united with genmates. They had not only survived but prospered.
“Where are my brothers and their genmates now?”
“They’re on the way back to Argent. I contacted them yesterday to tell them about the burglary and your arrest and that we had to cancel the ceremony. They would have been home sooner, but they had to wait for the ferry to the mainland and collect their hover scooters.”
Sssss. Grrr… Amanda Blake hissed, growled, and clawed at the bedroom door. His own Kat had once hissed and spit at him the same way her pet did. He chuckled, recalling when he’d despaired of finding a genmate, psychic Mandy Ellison had suggested he adopt a cat. He now had two cats.
“I’m so sorry.” Kat shook her head. “I don’t know why she dislikes you so much. I think she’s possessed and needs an exorcism.”
“She’ll come around.” He winked. “You did.”
Epilogue
Six weeks later
Kat entered the farmhouse with Amanda Blake securely contained in her carrier. Psy was alone in the great room. “Where’s Tigre?”
“On the patio. We figured it would be best if he stayed away when you released the cat. She’d focus on him, and I’ll have a better chance of communicating with her if she’s not agitated and angry.”
“Makes sense. Okay, let’s do this!” Kat unlatched the door and released the cat. She poked her head out, scoped out the scene, and scurried from of the cage. Cautiously, she prowled around the room.
At her wit�
�s end, Kat had no more options. If this didn’t work, she didn’t know what to do. Co-workers had advised her to get rid of the cat—although none had volunteered to take her. No one desired to adopt an animal that could turn feral in a heartbeat. But she couldn’t do it anyway; she loved Amanda Blake. You didn’t get rid of somebody or something you loved because it caused a little trouble.
However, Amanda Blake wreaked havoc. Tigre couldn’t leave any possessions out because the cat would destroy them. The bedroom door bore deep gouges where the cat clawed to get in. If they watched TV, they had to lock her in another room. They always had to be on guard against a sniper attack. The cat’s animosity hadn’t waned an iota.
Her genmate had been understanding—more so than Kat, whose patience had worn thin. She wanted them to be able to live a normal married life! Everything else had worked out.
Tigre had been cleared of any wrongdoing, Liam and his band of thieves had been indicted, and she and Tigre had remarried at the lavender farm with all their friends in attendance. They’d taken a two-week idyllic honeymoon visiting Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Park.
And then came home to Amanda Blake.
Hopefully, the exorcism would work.
She supposed Psy’s reading wouldn’t technically qualify as an exorcism since it was doubtful the cat was actually possessed, but damn if she didn’t act like it. It wouldn’t have surprised Kat if Amanda Blake’s head spun a three-sixty. Hopefully, Psy could discover the source of the animosity and drive it out of the cat.
Psy stroked Amanda Blake as he carried her to the sofa. “You’re a good kitty.”
Kat snorted. She’d tried flattery. It didn’t work.
When Psy had heard about their problems with the cat, he had offered his services. “I can attempt to figure out what she’s feeling and maybe change her mind. I’ve only worked with humanoids, so I can’t promise I’ll be successful in changing her behavior, but I’m willing to give it a go.”
