Prince of Cats (18 page)

When he realized that she was having a nightmare and he was not only the cause but the demon
as well he’d been physically ill.
  He was supposed to be her protector, her savior, her mate.  Now, he was nothing.  Less than nothing.  Worse than ignoring hi
m, Neomee was terrified of him.

He didn’t know how to fix what he’d done
.  Ne
om
ee’s anger and fear were justified and that only hurt him more.  Compounding matters was the fact that he still hadn’t
scent marked her, which meant the same thing could happen again if she weren’t careful.

Why did I try to force it?  To rush her?  She’d come to me freely the night before and after what I’ve done she’ll never come near me again!

He could try forcing her again as any other Cat would but it wasn’t in him.  He wanted her to come to him
,
to feel safe
,
and to want to be marked
,
not forced into it. 
She’s a slave!  She’s already been forced to endure enough.
  He plowed an angry hand into his thick black hair.
  I’ve got to find a way to fix this.

Chapte
r 18

Curled up on the divan Neomee snuggled deeper into the
fur
she’d pulled from Bray’s bed
before he’d returned from his guard station
. 

She could hear his restless breathing as he lay on the bed.  She knew he hadn’t slept well since the incident.  That’s what she referred to it as when she thought of it, ‘the incident’. 
After the incident
, Bray had followed her around for days, n
o
t saying anything, just following her and watching her closely.  She’d sneak out at night to the garden and w
alk the perimeter of the garden
only to find Bray trailing behind her.  During the day,
she
roamed the temple and often turned
a corner to run into the solid
wall
of
his
chest.  Finally,
after many days
Bray returned to his station guarding the temple. 

He
spent most of the day on the temple wall, standing guard against any would-be assailants.  Neomee assumed he’d returned to his duties in an effort to avoid the guilt he felt over his actions.  Regardless of the reason,
she
was finally able to breathe a little easier without Bray constantly underfoot.
  However, each day before he went on duty he issued a harsh warning. 

“Stay in this room Neomee. 
You’re refusal to carry my scent makes you vulnerable to another attack.”

The first time he’d made the comment she’d quickly hurled back, “From you or from them?”  When his expression darkened dangerously she’d dropped her head and whispered an apology.  He’d left without another word.
 

At night when Bray returned from his station, Neomee was always curled up on the divan feigning sleep.  She didn’t want to talk, she didn’t have anything to s
ay.  Her pain and
fear
were
nothing compared to her anger.  She couldn’t understand why he would try to force something from her that she’d been willing to give freely the night before.  The attack had been terrifying
but when Bray turned on her too it was more than she could bear.  She felt betrayed and alone and she hated the feeling.  She was more angry with herself for having actually believed that Bray had some loyalty to her. 
Just a slave.
  She should have known better.

Glaring out the window, Neomee couldn’t help but wonder how she’d gotten herself into this
predicament.  Just a few short weeks ago, she was a
simple
temple slave, unnoticed and unassuming.  She’d been planning her escape and was working towards her freedom.  Now, she’d been beaten, bound, and
nearly
taken against her will
…twice!
 

U
g
h
h
,
Neomee sighed. 
Such an ugly memory, it
just
does
n’t seem to fit the Bray I know.  The
Bray I thought I knew
.
She wasn’t sure how she could be so hurt over his
attempted
claiming when she’d offered herself to him the night before it had happened
.  I’d wanted him.  Desperately
wanted him
.
  But it had been different in the catacombs.  He hadn’t attempted to mount her out of desire, passion, or love, it had been out of his need to keep any other Cat from doing so.  It had been cold and unfeeling and an attempt done out of his misguided sense of
protection. 
He thought it would keep me safe.
 

She couldn’t figure out why she kept defending Bray. 
Honestly
she couldn’t help but admit that she actually felt bad for
him
.  He wa
s so remorseful, so apologetic
that she actually felt like
she’d
done something wrong
, overreacted at
the very
least
. 

Neomee gritted her teeth, trying to figure out why she couldn’t just be mad at Bray like she wanted to be.  She wanted to
hate him with every fiber of her
being, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t bring herself to feel that particular emotion
in
regard to him. 
Maybe it’s this binding thing.  Perhaps it has affects on not only my scent, but my emotions as well.
 

She was trying to be angry and hateful and she was confused at her inability to do so. 
It only makes sense that I should hate the man who
tried to
force himself on me
, who
tried
to…to…

Her cheeks flamed when her body instantly reacted to the
mental
image of Bray
mount
ing her.  After the initial shock wore off she couldn’t help but find the thought of being claimed by him in
the catacombs highly erotic.  Of course she’d never admit it.  Still, he should have asked her, seduced her.  Only she knew that she would have complied.  She wasn’t as hurt by what he’d attempted but more by her lack of choice in the matter.  She despised being a slave because she was always forced to do things she didn’t want to do and she hadn’t expected Bray to pick up where the Slave Master had left off.  
 

After
attempting to
claim
her in the tunnels, Bray
found her in their quarters sobbing uncontrollably.  He’d grabbed her and held her
in his arms
until she stopped fighting him.  Then h
e gently
laid her on the bed, climbed in behind
her
,
and pulled her body back into t
he cocoon of his warmth where hi
s strong arms cradled her as he kissed her cheek
and apologiz
ed repeatedly until she’d finally cried herself to sleep.
 

He’d
tried
explaining
that
he was only hoping to keep her safe
,
but
Neomee decided
then and there that
she needed
to leave.  She had to escape the temple, her enslavement, but most importantly him.  She needed to distance herself from this Cat that did funny things to her
head
and even funnier things to her
heart
, t
his Cat that
had no qualms about binding her to him for all eternity
. 

She’d decided to wait
until
nightfall
and simply
walk out of the temple
.
  She’d seen other Cats’ mates
leaving the temple freely
during the day, and they were never stopped or questioned.
  The
only
problem
with her plan
was
that
at first
Bray
rarely
left her side
.  She’d take a walk and
there he was, she’d turn a cor
ner and there he was.  She knew he could smell her fear, but she prayed he interpreted it as fear of him and not the actual cause, which was the fear he’d discover her plan. 

Finally, he’d returned to his guard station
but it was
on the wall, which meant that if she tried to leave while he was on-duty he’d see her go.

Her mind told her that Bray couldn’t be trusted, but her heart was constantly defending him.  She had to get away before her heart won the war. 
I’ve got to
focus.  I’ve got to get out of here, get free, BE free
. 
She knew the consequence
of being caught trying to escape, her back was still healing
from her first attempt, b
ut being bound to a Cat
seemed to promote her status, if ever so slightly. 
I’ll take full advantage of my elevated status..
.the
way he t
ried to take
advantage of me.
  The memory stung her heart.

Chapter 1
9

“I’ve got to attend training this morning
.
” Bray growled without looking at Neomee.
 
“
The men need to get back
to routine.  They’ve avoided me long enough.
”

Neomee looked over her shoulder and nodded before turning back to stare out the window.  She jumped when Bray’s hands gently grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him. 

“I must report for guard duty after training, but whe
n I return tonight we need to talk.”

“O-okay.”

He
slid a hand up over the collar at her throat a
nd used a thumb
to caress her cheek.  Neomee couldn’t help but think that his eyes looked haunted and she chastised herself for wanting to do something, anything to get rid of that look.

He released her and left their quarters and Neomee waited only a few moments before exiting their room.  She didn’t bother with provisions this time, knowing that there wouldn’t be an excuse for her to be seen leaving with anything.  Instead, she
casually strode down the long corridor that led away from the training arena and to the mouth of the temple.

Her gut twisted at the prospect of getting caught or worse, being discovered by Bray. 
What would he do if he knew?
  She had to fight to keep from racing out the front entrance.

Approaching the mouth
of the temple
she intentionally slowed her pace in hopes of seeming more casual
.  Stepping out into the sun she could see out of her periphery gua
rdian Cats pacing along the tall
stone walls that lined either side of the entrance.

Lifting her head a notch she feigned confidence as she walked the length of the entryway.  She only had to
pass through one small tunnel and then she was home free.  Following the several individuals ahead of her as they were funneled toward the small entrance/exit, her heart
rate spiked when she stepped into the shadow of the tunnel.  She’d never seen inside the tunnel and prayed that it was just a small unmanned entrance point.

Ushered through by the
group of people at her back, she was forced forward even after she attempted to stop.  Her eyes locked on the two guardian Cats that held spears crossed over the entrance of the tunnel.

“State your business,” one of the Cats barked at
the woman who stood at the head of the line.

“I am Akila of Karnak,” she spoke loudly, “I came to the temple to deliver
my wine to the Priest.  Our business is complete.”

Both Cats leaned forward and their nostrils flared before the
y
relaxed back and uncrossed their spears allowing the woman to pass.

Amon!
  Neomee turned and tried to press her way back through the mill of people shoving her forward.  “Excuse me, I’ve
forgotten
something,” she lied, “I have to go back.”

“Turn around!” One woman chastised.

“You can’t go back,” another man declared, “you must go forward!”

A fine sweat coated Neomee’s suddenly flushed skin.  “
I just got lost is all,” she offered lamely.  “I don’t want to leave.”

“Hey!” A deep voice from the front of the line rumbled, “What is the problem there?”

Neomee slowly turned to peer over her shoulder.  Her heart hammered in her chest when she saw one of the guardian Cats eyeing her angrily.