Hunting the She-Cat (10 page)

Chapter Nine

As soon as Lugar began his next
evening’s security patrol, he realized Sneal had been close to
Misha’s cabin. Walking in this area. Recently. The scent was fresh.
Fresh enough he could be lurking near here even now. He stilled,
scanning the woods with narrowed eyes.

“Bet you neglected to tell the female
you’ve come to kill her.”

The voice was about ten meters east.
Morning sunlight filtered through the trees making a visual hard to
come by. But he knew Sneal was in cat form.

“You explain to her that if she’d not
gone missing you would not have benefited with a better life,”
Sneal demanded.

“My circumstances with working for
Tryth’s brother had nothing to do with her and everything to do
with Tryth’s disappearance. Tryth hated my father because he spoke
out about how evil Tryth was. What brings you here, Sneal? Thought
my orders were clear enough.”

Still in human form, the other Eliavan,
Zeff, stepped out of the wood, showing himself but remained silent.
From the rigid and disgusted look of Zeff, his loyalties were not
with Sneal.

“You decide she’s the princess yet?”
Sneal asked, leering.

“I have no proof yet of her
parentage.”

Sneal laughed a nasty bark. “That’d
suit your plans just fine. Keep her for yourself. If that’s so, why
didn’t Lord Tryth kill her when she was a child? He would have
recognized the urgency to do so. Only his daughter would be allowed
to live.”

“He didn’t, that’s all we know.” No
reason to betray her dark secret. A good bet Sneal knew or guessed
Tryth had murdered her mother. No reason to inform him the child
had struck first, that Misha had killed Tryth for murdering her
mother. No need for this fool to know that much detail. Let him
continue to underestimate her as a mere female.

“No matter. Gald expects your mission
finished as ordered. Or you will die yourself.”

“Gald and I understand each other.” Not
entirely accurate, as Gald had withheld a crucial thing or two
about the mission from him. Lugar had known he danced with the
devil in dealing with the newly appointed leader of intelligence
gathering, but he’d had no choice. Couldn’t kill him outright and
be done with it.

A twig cracked. Shit. From behind him
Lugar heard a whisper of movement and sensed Misha had left the
cabin and entered the area. Soft and quiet with great natural
stealth in cat shape so that he felt sure the other men had not yet
sensed her stalking there. After overhearing all this, his sneaky
little she-cat probably ached to ask just what his mission was.
Best hope he could explain himself fully before she went for his
throat and asked questions later.

“Commander Rova knows his mission,”
Zeff said. “As I’ve said before, we can back off and trust his
judgment.” Zeff’s eyes had gone dark and deadly cold.

“Huh. She couldn’t last if she came
back -- one way or the other,” Sneal hissed

“Even if she’s the --,” Zeff
began.

“Gald’s grab at political power could
not stand if the lost she-cat came back no matter who she is. The
public retells the story of the lost child and would love to know
she has been found. She’d present a distracting liability for Gald
one way or the other.”

“If she comes back as a girl wronged by
his father, Tryth, might be even worse for Gald,” Lugar
said.

Lugar thought he heard a small, very
feminine gasp at that comment. She’d moved in, far too close for
his peace of mind. He could sense her breathing.

“Doesn’t matter if she’s Tryth’s young
or not,” Sneal continued. “What matters is that Gald looks ruthless
and strong as a leader in taking her out of the picture. The public
won’t know. Those loyal to Gald will.”

“As I’ve said before, I think that’d be
a mistake in strategy,” Zeff said, moving closer to Sneal. “Best to
allow her to live and reap the reflected good PR.”

“As if Gald would ask your
opinion.”

Looking relaxed, Zeff said, “I think he
should.” His eyes were cold as they watched Sneal too
closely.

Casually, Lugar tossed his head around,
jerking it toward the cabin a couple short times, silently
motioning for Misha to retreat, to leave the area, hoping against
hope that the pitiful signal would make it clear to her he was on
her side. He’d be damn disappointed in her if she tried to kill him
for this. He thought he heard a low, feminine growl in reply. And,
worse, not even a whisper of disturbed greenery indicated she’d
obeyed. She watched them in silence, no real surprise
there.

“If you can’t kill her, Lugar, step
aside, or go back home. I will see it finished. I have more
important business back on Eliava.”

Zeff morphed into a big cat. The change
burst over him in preternatural time, his body blurred before
Lugar’s eyes. Lugar thought for a terrifying moment he was coming
toward Misha. There was no time but to make it to her. Lugar lunged
backward to Misha, taking her down and covering her with his body.
“Sh’iabla,” he whispered. He had no one to blame but
himself.

Zeff lunged high in the air. But he
went for Sneal, taking him by total surprise. Judging from the
other man’s open mouth and gaping expression, he too thought Zeff
meant to go for Misha.

Sneal and Zeff struggled, their angry
cries rose and fell in the air around them.

“What on … can’t see. Lugar, you’re
smothering me.”

The woods echoed with a wrenching
crack. Sneal’s neck lolled at an unnatural angle, broken and
savaged, blood spurted and he fell still to the ground.

“Lugar!” Beneath him, Lugar heard
Misha’s cry of his name in horror and shock. He moved to comfort
her, cradling her head in his hands. Overwhelming relief followed
the knowledge that he’d been correct in suspecting Zeff had not
wanted her dead either. Still he wanted to back off with her to
safety.

“Not the little female that needed
killing,” Zeff rasped, breathing hard from the struggle, he looked
at Sneal’s broken and lifeless form. “I expect you’ll want to
arrest me now, commander,” he said, looking into Lugar’s eyes. “Let
me explain first, if you will? The queen asked me to watch this
one. Her heightened instincts once again proved true and worthy of
pride rule.”

“There’s blood on your back, Lugar, so
much blood,” Misha whispered. “Are you hurt?”

“Shhh, I’m all right. You’re all right,
sh’iabla?”

Her lovely eyes were wide with shock.
Remembering.

Joseph Red Bird, in cat shape
accompanied by his pride, stepped quietly out of the
brush.

“We see no grounds for arresting anyone
today. A hecat that protects our Misha is one of us. Hell, from
what we’ve seen of that one so far, looks to me like you deserve a
reward, son. Only a matter of seconds before the lot of us did him
in.” He smiled to Misha. “No one even speaks of killing our baby
girl. We knew more of her kind might spell trouble. You’re not
going to take his freedom away are you, Lugar?” His eyes were
stern. “No one will question the loss of a large cat.”

“Loss of life is to be guarded against.
But, as Zeff said, Sneal left him no choice. I heard enough to
realize Sneal had become lost to reason and sanity. Let’s get this
cleaned up and bury his remains.” Still holding Misha in his arms,
Lugar spoke to the other she-cats. “Walk with her to the house
while we finish here. This violence brings back unpleasant memories
for her.”

Misha had a hand over her mouth to stop
the vomit that wanted to spill out. Lugar was right the trauma of
such a sudden death shook her. Her whole body reacted as it had
after her own kill, so many years ago, when she’d stopped the man
who’d murdered her mother from ever hurting anyone else again. All
the revulsion came back to her now, rocking her, causing her to
relive it.

“Lugar.”

His strong arms tightened around her
and she absorbed his comfort.

“I’m fine,” she said, but her words
were pale and weak.

Just as Zeff had done, she’d known
instinctively her only chance of overcoming and killing Tryth had
been surprise. This man, Sneal, had been half again bigger than
Zeff. God help her, she’d watched Zeff shapeshift, knowing in her
gut what he intended and had remained silent, realizing Sneal
planned to kill her and likely Lugar if he stood in the way. She
took a long breath. No doubt about it. She’d seen the hatred and
resentment, maybe even jealousy in his expression when he’d
challenged Lugar. Sneal would have used every sneaky trick to kill
Lugar. He would not have let him live. She was not sorry Zeff had
stepped in. But, Lugar was correct, her stomach was unsettled by
the violence and all it brought back to her.

As Lugar patted her back and whispered
soothing words to her, the stark knowledge she would do again the
thing that had haunted her so long was oddly soothing to her. The
need to survive and protect others was as strong as
ever.

Diwa appeared at her side. “Come on,
Sweetie, let’s do as your male asks and get you home,” her adopted
sister said. “Your mate will rejoin you as soon as he can. Right
Lugar?” Even the usually sassy bad girl, Gali stood near, looking
subdued by the dark violence. She kept looking at Zeff with real
fear in her eyes.

“Don’t fret, Gali,” Diwa said. “They’re
soldiers doing their work as they see fit. Papa will help them
destroy all evidence so that none of this touches us or ours. In a
couple weeks, Misha, you can go back to that hellacious big city
and back to life as normal. Don’t think about it too hard for now.
We saw this unfold from several yards into the forest, but that man
hated you both. He’d’ve killed you without a qualm, so give him
none.” Diwa took her in her arms for a hug, then urged her toward
the cabin.

“She’s damn right, you know,” Gali said
at last. “But. Damn. That friend of your Lugar’s is cold. Handsome,
but cold. I like that in a male.”

“Gali, you are insane,” Misha said,
shaking her head.

“Yeah, I know I am. But you all love me
anyway.”

“Yes, sister, we do,” Misha and Diwa
spoke at the same time.

“You know, I always feared I had it in
me to kill,” Gali mused, her voice too low for the men to hear.
“Oddly my revulsion and near need to puke is pretty
reassuring.”

“Of course.” Her sister lifted her chin
high. “We’re civilized people. Well, civilized part-people,
part-cats.”

“So is Zeff.”

They’d reached the mudroom. “He saw
that he had a job to do,” Diwa said. “It was an honorable kill by
feline law. We will not speak of it again. Man’s law would not
understand that, right Mish?”

Misha and Gali nodded agreement.
“Right,” Misha answered, emphatically shaking her head, no. “For
sure the local sheriff might not understand the nuances of the
situation.”

* * * *

“So let me see if I understand what
happened.” An hour later, the others had left and Lugar and Misha
sat in her family room at the cabin. Gix lay curled in a compact
ball, happily upside down in Lugar’s lap. “My existence in the
universe worried my possible cousin, Gallom, so much that he wanted
to flex his muscles, prove himself strong, by assassinating me?
Removing the threat to his power on Eliava?”

“Gald, his name is Gald.”

“’
Kay. Gald wanted me dead
sight unseen, right?” He nodded. “And he sent an expert soldier
with killing skills … you … to get the job done?”

He looked away as if seeking
answers.

At last, he stood, sat the dog in his
chair and walked to her with his sexy, fluid grace, he caught her
chin in his warm hand. His eyes were serious. “I am skilled in
protection. I’ve had to kill in the line of service to the Pride
Queen, yes. But on this mission I was, how do you say it?
Underground? I mean to say I had a duplicitous purpose in agreeing
to serve Gald’s mission. The enemy watched is an enemy
controlled.”

“Undercover. You were undercover as a …
double agent?”

“So was Zeff apparently, although, I
did not know it. He was the backup plan, a second layer of
protection for you in case I died in the attempt.”

“Oh, well that’s even better. Mind you,
I was really relieved to think you changed your mind about killing
me. But to know you never intended to do so in the first place is
far better. I think I see the whole picture now. The powers-that-be
on your world wanted me left alone for years and years, so as not
to bring unwarranted attention to your, our, existence as a cat
shaper people? What did you call us, Homo tigon? Causing
unfortunate questions from the non-tigon earthlings. They didn’t
want to kill a woman. What?”

He was shaking his head and looking
longsuffering as if reluctant to tell her more. “More than that.
Much more to it. Complex.”

“Hmpf. If it’s of greater complexity
than all that, I’m afraid to ask what more?”

“You are afraid, Misha?” He gave her an
incredibly sexy, slashing white grin. “No, I think not, not likely.
Perhaps you should have something to eat before we go into it
further.”