by S. E. Smith
With painful slowness, she crawled back until she was pressed against the wall. Rising partially to her feet, she moved to the end of a small decorative area. With a press of her nose, a panel opened near the bottom, and she slipped through the opening and disappeared into the hidden passage, the panel automatically sealing behind her.
Shifting, she held her stomach with one hand and the wall with the other. She carefully followed the winding maze of hidden staircases and narrow corridors until she reached the entrance to the room she was seeking. The sharp pains had returned, and she knew she was in labor.
Mia stumbled forward until she reached the end of the staircase. Ahead of her was the chamber Aikaterina had shown her when she was a child. She walked to the far wall and pulled on the lever that opened the secret door. The panel silently slid open, and Mia stepped inside. Her breathing sounded loud in the large room. She panted as she tried to control the pain from her contractions.
She gazed around the chamber. The room had a soft glow, radiating upward from a central pedestal. The light reflected off the white ceiling and walls. A pool of clear liquid surrounded the pedestal, and on top of the pedestal was an ornate basin. A series of rocks created a bridge that led to the treasure concealed in the shallow, curved basin.
Mia slowly walked around the edge of the pool, then paused and shifted again. Her tiger emitted a soft, rumbling groan as another contraction swept through her. Her stomach tightened, and she panted.
We are almost there. I cannot reach the center. Only you can, she reminded her cat.
Her cat grunted in response. Her shimmering silver eyes focused on the first step. With a graceful leap, she landed on the rock. The stepping stone moved, and she whipped her tail to steady herself.
She waited until the rock stopped moving before she jumped to the next one. With another leap, she landed on the next rock. Once again, the stone shifted. This time the movement caused a slight wave and some of the liquid splashed up onto her front paw. She quickly lifted her foot and shook it when she received a painful burn. The liquid looked like water, but it was a corrosive acid pool designed to keep the Heart of the Cat safe.
Hurt, her cat whimpered, nursing her paw against her chest.
I know. You must be careful, Mia replied.
I try. Cub coming, her cat panted.
Mia didn’t respond. She focused on calming the cub. The infant was squirming in distress. She couldn’t come yet. It was too dangerous. She needed to get to the center area and safety.
Placing her injured paw on the stone, she focused on her next leap. Time was running out. She heard footsteps approaching, and her fear threatened to choke her. Somehow, the High Lord had discovered the secret passage.
You must hurry. We have to get to the Heart before it is too late, Mia desperately ordered.
They smaller. I miss…, her cat protested.
We will die anyway. They have found us—and the Heart, Mia whispered in resignation.
Her cat turned and hissed when nearly a dozen men entered the sacred chamber from the secret passage. She snarled and flashed her teeth as the last man entered, the High Lord who led them all. His tall form was covered in a cloak, and his face was hidden by the hood. Airabus and two other traitorous palace guards stood by his side.
“Bring her to me and retrieve the Heart,” the High Lord ordered.
Mia could feel the determination of her cat as she turned her head and crouched. She realized that her cat was planning on jumping from the stone they were on to the center platform. Such a jump would be extremely difficult from this distance for even the most agile cat. To do it while heavily pregnant and in labor was suicide. Even though she knew they were likely to die anyway, the thought of dying by falling into the acid pool sent terror through her.
No! Mia gasped in horror as her cat leaped.
A strangled cry escaped her when they landed safely and rolled. Her stomach tightened, and she felt warm liquid against her back legs as her water broke. Shifting back into her human form, she placed one hand on her stomach and gripped the edge of the basin with the other. She pulled herself up and leaned back against it. The traitors hadn’t yet reached the first stone of the pool. Turning her gaze to the cloaked figure, she wearily lifted her chin in defiance.
“You will never have the Heart of the Cat,” she informed him.
The High Lord reached up with both hands, pulled back his hood, and removed the cover over his mouth that had been distorting his voice. Mia’s chin trembled, and her knees threatened to give out, a soft cry of distress escaping her when she saw his face. Raul. How could he be the one who was responsible for the destruction of the Kingdom of the Forest and the death of so many of their people? Her grip on the lip of the basin tightened as she shook her head.
“How could it be you? You… You were… I saw you fall,” her throat tightened as overwhelming grief and pain ricocheted through her.
“The Heart of the Cat belongs to us, Mia. Only you can retrieve it. Bring it to me, my love. With this power, we will control the three worlds,” he cooed.
“That is not what was agreed upon, Sarafin. The gem is part of the collection,” the Curizan warrior standing several feet away growled.
“Kill them,” Raul ordered with a wave of his hand, not taking his eyes off of Mia.
“Raffvin warned that you might betray us, Sarafin,” the Valdier warrior snarled.
Mia watched as the Valdier warrior shifted. A charcoal and white dragon appeared, blowing flames as the Curizan sent out shafts of shimmering white energy toward the group of Sarafin warriors. They were vastly outnumbered, but their abilities gave them an advantage that Mia had been unaware they possessed.
Several Sarafin warriors retreated from the dragon’s flames while two more fought to keep from being impaled by the mysterious spears of white energy. One of the men stepped too close to the edge of the pool. He teetered there before one of the energy spears struck him, knocking him backwards. His screams of pain did not last long as his body dissolved in the shallow pool filled with clear acid.
Mia clumsily crouched and moved around to the far side of the pedestal. Her fingers trembled as she dipped her hand into the clear liquid. Tears blinded her as she lifted the crystal-clear gem out of the basin. She ignored the roar of the dragon and the snarls of the huge cats as they fought back. She looked up at the man who had once held her own heart in his hands.
“Give me the Heart, Mia,” Raul quietly ordered, his words barely piercing the pain wracking her body.
“You betrayed me. You betrayed your daughter. You have betrayed your people,” she responded, her heart feeling as if it were being ripped from her body.
“We will rule together, my love,” Raul murmured, jumping onto the first stone.
Mia looked into his eyes and saw the lie. As much as it hurt to accept, she would not deny what was right in front of her. She and Raul were not on the same side. Her body trembled as she cupped the Heart of the Cat in her hands. She slowly rose to her feet and lifted the stone above her head.
“Aikaterina, I beg of you, save my people,” she whispered.
“No!” Raul growled, jumping to another stone.
A white bolt of energy struck her, and Mia bowed in sudden shock, pressing her hand to her chest. Behind Raul, the Curizan returned her shocked gaze with one of triumph. His glee at striking her was short-lived when two Sarafin warriors struck him from behind and sent him into the shallow pool.
The man screamed as the acid wrapped around him and he grabbed at the stone that Raul was standing on. The rock shifted, and Raul slipped. His right arm sank into the liquid up to his elbow as he tried to keep from being catapulted into the pool of acid. Mia swayed as her mate screamed in pain and struggled to keep from falling. He yanked what remained of his arm out of the pool of acid and gripped the stump with his left hand. Swaying, he jumped and clumsily landed on the next step as the Curizan disappeared beneath the clear liquid.
“Mia,” he hoarsel
y choked. Despite the agony he must have been feeling, his glittering eyes were focused not on her face, but on the stone she held above her head. “Together, my love. We will rule the galaxy.”
“Never, Raul,” Mia whispered. The crystal-clear gem of the Heart of the Cat turned red with her blood as she gripped it with both hands again. “I give this burden to our daughter. I will not live long enough to shoulder it, and there is no other who can. May she live and one day bring peace to our people—a peace that her father sought to destroy.”
Mia could feel her life fading away, even as the pain in her abdomen intensified. Tears streamed down her face as her knees buckled, and she sank down to kneel on the platform.
Her eyes remained locked on her mate as he jumped a step closer. The ghastly remains of his partially dissolved arm hung limply by his side, the stump already sealed by the burning acid. She felt like she was seeing him for the first time. He was no longer the handsome warrior who she had admired from afar as she was growing up and then joined with less than a year ago. Instead, she saw him for what he was—a cold, heartless traitor who would sacrifice his own people for power.
“Please… do not let him… harm our… child,” she whispered, fighting to live long enough to give her daughter a chance.
Warmth from the Heart of the Cat’s magic surrounded her and her soon-to-be-born child as the Goddess answered her plea for help. Waves of gold surrounded the pedestal, protecting them in its warm cocoon. Relief washed through Mia. The Heart of the Cat would be protected. The certainty of that knowledge soothed the tears from her cheeks as she closed her eyes. Her mate could not reach her now.
Please, protect my people… and my cub, Mia silently pleaded as another contraction tightened her body.
They will be safe, a soothing voice said inside her mind.
Mia wasn’t sure if the Goddess was really there or if it was the power of the Heart of the Cat. She didn’t care which one it might be as long as it protected her people and her child from the man who would have destroyed them all. Her lips parted with a cry as another intense wave of pain surged through her.
She pressed her back to the pillar and panted as pain twisted her lower abdomen. Another strangled cry escaped her, and she reached down between her legs, barely catching the tiny infant that slipped from her body.
Mia opened her eyes and looked at Raul’s enraged face. A tired smile parted her lips when she heard her daughter’s first cry. She struggled to lift the newborn infant into her arms. Once she did, she cradled the baby against her breast. She immediately felt the love from the spark she had carried in her womb wash over her, giving her renewed strength.
“Trescina, my beautiful, beautiful, little cub,” she murmured, caressing the infant’s cheek with her fingers.
“Mia…,” Raul hoarsely called.
Mia lifted her cold eyes and stared at her mate. “You will never have the Heart of the Cat… or know the love of our daughter,” she weakly vowed.
Mia felt the power of the gem she still held in her hand engulf her and Trescina. The golden glow turned to a blood red. Mia fought against the darkness that rose up to swallow them. A strange and wonderful magic enveloped her and Trescina, and she knew the Goddess had answered her plea.
Her life here was over. Her last wish was that her daughter would never experience the heartache of knowing the truth about her father’s betrayal, but she feared that was one wish that would be impossible for her to keep—unless Aikaterina sent them far, far away where they would never be found.
Chapter One
Earth: Centuries later
Siberia, Russia
* * *
Trescina Bukov laughed as she chased her younger half-sister through the forest. Ahead of her, Katarina darted around a thick tree and hid. Trescina slowed and looked around, her eyes twinkling with mischief.
Katarina’s breathing sounded loud to Trescina. On silent feet, she crept forward until she rounded the large tree trunk and pounced on her sister, sending her tumbling into the freshly fallen snow. She released a pleased sneeze when Katarina’s arms wrapped around her neck, and her sister tightly hugged her.
“Oh, Trescina, I wish I could shift into a tiger like you can,” Katarina sighed.
Trescina ran her sandpaper tongue along her sister’s cheek. The affectionate caress drew a loud squeal of disgust from Katarina. Trescina gave her sister a toothy grin before she shifted back to her human form and rolled to the side until they were both lying in the snow staring up at the barren trees.
“You were doing good until you bolted. If you had stayed in your hiding spot, I probably wouldn’t have found you,” Trescina teased.
Katarina sat up and gave her an indignant look. “Of course, you would have found me. You always do, no matter how good a hiding place I find,” Katarina good-naturedly complained.
Trescina lifted her legs in the air and then gracefully dropped them so she could roll to her feet. Katarina mimicked her movement. They both brushed the soft snow off of their heavy clothing.
“You are getting much better. It took me twice as long to find you as it did the last time,” Trescina said.
“Trescina, why can you shift into a tiger, and I can’t?” Katarina asked for the hundredth time. “I can hear you and Momma when you talk, and I can talk to the tigers that Momma and Papa care for, but….” she trailed off sadly.
Trescina wrapped her arms around her sister. Her heart ached for Katarina.
“I don’t know. Momma said she would explain when the time was right,” Trescina murmured.
They jumped and pulled apart when they heard a series of popping sounds. It almost sounded like firecrackers, but those were not allowed on their property. Trescina stepped in front of Katarina and frowned.
“What was that?” Katarina asked, gripping her arm.
Trescina was about to answer when she heard the sounds again. They both started forward when they heard their mother’s cry. Trescina stumbled back a step when Katarina grabbed her arm.
Hide! their mother warned them telepathically.
Momma, Trescina called.
Protect your sister, Trescina, their mother instructed as the popping sounds came again.
Trescina turned and gripped Katarina’s gloved hand. Pulling her sister behind her, she ran clumsily through the snow. They made their way deeper into the forest until they reached a river that was partially frozen. Along the bank were the skeletal remains of trees that had become entangled when they washed down during the spring thaw.
“Climb inside and stay there,” Trescina said, pushing her six-year-old sister toward the cluster of dead trees.
“What are you going to do?” Katarina asked, climbing between the jagged limbs.
“I have to help Momma. Papa is not here,” Trescina replied, picking up several broken branches and covering the spot where Katarina was crouching.
“But… Momma said that we must hide,” Katarina protested, grabbing the branch Trescina was about to place in front of her.
Trescina looked at Katarina. They were as different as night and day. Katarina’s hair was strawberry red, and her skin was almost as pale as the snow, just like their father. Trescina’s long black hair was thick, and its texture reminded her of the mane of the lions she petted at the zoo they had visited a few months before. Her olive complexion was even darker than their mother’s.
They had several traits in common, though. They both could communicate with the large cats on the reserve, and they were both stubborn like their mother—at least, that was what their dad liked to say when they got into mischief.
When Trescina heard yelling and a loud, masculine scream rip through the air, she quickly turned and looked back toward their home. Her cat hissed. Fear swelled in her at the thought of her mother facing danger alone.
“I’ll be back,” Trescina said.
She impatiently looked over her shoulder when she felt Katarina’s hand on her arm. She pulled free with a shake of her head and too
k off at a run through the snow, shifting into her tiger so she could move faster. Ahead of her, she could hear the echoes of popping again.
Dodging trees and ducking under fallen branches, she focused on running as fast as she could. She hoped their father had heard the sounds as well. He had gone to check his hidden cameras along the mountain where he had seen lynx tracks.
Trescina broke through the line of trees onto the tundra. In the distance, she could see flames rising from their house. A flash of black caught her attention. Charging forward, she ran faster than she had ever run before. She emitted a low cry when she saw two men dragging the body of a large Siberian tiger toward a truck.
The flash of black was back. This time her mother attacked one of the men aiming his weapon at a Manul, also called a Pallas cat. This smaller species of cat was a furry wild cat that normally lived in the Altai and Buryatia steppes near the Russian-Mongolian border, but this one had been brought to the reserve after it was injured in a poacher’s trap. Trescina and Katarina loved to play with the small cat in the evenings and early mornings after it had been fed.
Momma, behind you, Trescina warned as a second man lifted his rifle to shoot her mother.
Leaping through the air, she rammed her compact body into the man’s side. Her claws cut through his leather jacket and into his skin. She twisted, and the powerful attack, combined with her momentum, knocked the man off-balance. With a sharp report, the rifle fired harmlessly into the air instead of at her mother.
The man fell to the ground. Trescina rolled several times before she surged back to her feet. Her cat hissed a warning when one of the men turned from the back of the truck with a gun and aimed it at her.
She darted forward as the man she had knocked down sat up. The man from the truck fired three rounds at her. One hit the ground in front of her while the other two struck the man she had attacked earlier as she moved behind him.
The man jerked each time a bullet hit his chest. A loud curse exploded from the man standing next to the shooter. Trescina’s mother turned her head and hissed. Blood dripped from her mother’s chin and coated parts of her fur.
