Prince of Cats (4 page)

It seemed to take forever for the hall to finally quiet enough indicating to the slaves that it was now time to serve the Cats.  Neomee followed the procession of women to the kitchen area on the opposite side of the wall.  The line of females was
speechless
as the
y made their way through, each picking up a
platter
of food
, carafe of wine
or henqet—a date flavored drink made from fermented bread and
grain—or
faience
pitchers
of water.  The platters typically consisted of
bread, figs, fish and various
fruits and
vegetables.
  Two platters were provided to each table and after the Cats had their fill, the remaining food was taken to the slave quarters and divided among the slaves.

Neomee watched
the line in front of her
as two of the other females assigned to her table each snagged a platter.  She
felt ill thinking of having to re-pour the Prince Cat’s wine, but she exhaled a sharp sigh of relief when the fourth female assigned to their table grabbed a carafe of
wine and smiled at Neomee knowingly.  Neomee dipped her head in silent appreciation and her teeth
dented her bottom lip when
she saw how her hands trembled when it was finally her
turn to reach for a pitcher
of water.
 
 

Inside the dining hall, Neomee approached the Prince Cat’s table. 
With
still
trembling hand
s she
tried to steady the
large pitcher
, but it
s
contents
sloshed as she
slowly
approached the table.  She kept her eyes locked on the floor and was exceedingly careful as she leaned around each Cat to
pour their w
ater
.
  Each Cat was provided one cup, and if they wanted wine instead of water, they’d simply cover a large hand over their cup when the slave with the
pitcher
of water came around and vice versa.
 

When
Neomee
approached the Prince Cat
she considered skipping his cup and hoping he’d assume she’d become confused and thought he’d wanted wine, but she knew the wine carafe had already gone around
and
the Prince Cat’s cup was still empty. 
Damn
!
  She’d already offended him once, she wouldn’t chance it again. 

Leani
ng
in from behind
the Prince Cat, Neomee was hopeful that he wouldn’t know it was her until after she’d poured his drink.  She was
careful not to spill this time
as she reached for his cup instead of simply pouring the water into it while it still sat on the table as the slaves were instructed to do
.  She
gasped as his hand snaked out and caught her wrist as she reached for his cup. 

The other slaves
continued with their chores
, not even looking her way
.  Neomee froze. 
She
lifted her eyes from her captured wrist
to
stare at
the
Slave Master
who was glaring at her from across the room. 
He
was clearly annoyed, but
did
nothing because he could not. 

The Prince Cat slid
his fingers back and forth up and down her
smooth
arm
then let his
forefinger and index finger rest on the pulse that beat rapidly at her wrist.  Feeling the tempo accelerate, Neomee jerked out of the Prince Cat’s grasp.

“Apologies
!
I’ll
find a replacement that is less…
distracting.”
  Turning from the Prince, Neomee heard a
fierce
growl before she was jerked back. 
The pitcher of w
ater
crashed to the floor drawing the momentary gaze of the other Cats. 

The Prince had her in his lap as she shoved against his chest without making eye contact. 

The
other Cats at the table
, disinterested in the Prince’s game, returned their attention to their
morning
meal.

“Look at me.”  The Prince
growled his
dem
and
. 

Neomee struggled against him, refusing to meet his gaze.

“Look
.
A
t
.
M
e!
”

Neomee
stilled
, her breathing heavy.  Slowly, she looked up and met his amused gaze with an angry one of her own.
  Instantly, the
odd sensation
was back.  Neomee cou
ld feel it coursing through her
.

She knew she
shouldn’t have fought against him, but for some reason her traitorous body never seemed to do as her mind commanded.  She looked at him and watched as his eyes transitioned from impossibl
y
dark to a near yellow.  Her heart rate picked up and she was mesmerized.  He was so handsome, so strong, so virile
.  She felt small and feminine in his arms, and the way he looked at her made her remember that she wasn’t just a lowly slave
, s
he was
a beautiful young
woman as well.

Cradling her in his arms, the Prince slowly leaned in and licked Neomee’s lips. 

Her mouth parted in shock and s
he
bit her bottom lip in response as she felt the at
mosphere change in the room. 

From out of
nowhere,
d
esire welled in her belly and
it was so foreign to her that it actually took a moment to register the emotion. 
Neomee’s heart raced as she fought to keep her composure.
Suddenly she didn’t care what the Slave Master thought of her actions.  It was almost as if she’d forgotten that everyone else in the room
even
existed.  She
wanted the Prince Cat
and that realization was more than startling, it was terrifying.  She was a slave and had trained herself over the years to yearn for nothing.  The less she had the less that could be stripped away.  Now, for the first time in many years she w
ished she could have something…
someone
.

The Prince sni
ffed her and moaned
,
“Careful
my sweet
smelling
lily
, or the other Cats will want a bite.”

Neomee tore her eyes from the Prince to look
at the other men
.  Every Cat
at the table
was eyeing
her with the same
lust
that the Prince had worn days
earlier
when she’d spilled the wine on him. 

The Prince
slowly
stood and placed Neomee on her feet, “Back to your quarters!”

Wordlessly, she dropped her eyes and
rushed from
the dining hall without a backward glance.  Once
she hit
the hall she ran back to the slav
e quarters as fast as her legs c
ould carry her.
  She raced through the room and dashed into the slave bathing quarters, which was the furthest point
fro
m the door.  The small room housed two l
ong benches and dozens of water-
filled jars lined the walls.

Amon, what just happened
?
  She paced as she wrung her hands together and eyed the doorway praying she wasn’t followed. 
She rubbed her hands over her arms still feeling the
effects of the Prince
Cat’s touch.  W
hen he’d touched her, her body had instantly responded.  Compounding matters was the fact that the other Cats apparently sensed her desire.  She dropped her
face
into her hands and shook her head. 
I just need to steer clear of him
for
a few more weeks. 
The Honoring of Osiris festival was drawing near.
 
Just a few more weeks!

Chapter
4

Bray knew he
needed to stop toying with the slave.  He’d found out her name was Neomee.  He’d discovered
as much as he could about her from the few sources he had that knew information about the slaves.  He’d
become “obsessed” as Madu put it, and he couldn’t deny that it wasn’t the truth. 
For some inexplicable reason h
e couldn’t leave her alone.  He’d had a firm talk with himself and was fully prepared to
ignor
e
her
at the morning meal but once she’d
got
ten
within reach his Cat
surged
forth and pounce
d
on its prey.  It was almost instinctual and aside from the fact that Bray greatly enjoyed the interaction with Neomee he couldn’t deny that it was distracting and disconcerting in that she was clearly displeased with the sport. 

He couldn’t understand her reaction.  He knew he was appealing to the eye and a great catch for any woman especially a slave.  That line of logic had him questioning whether she was bound to another.  Once the thought was conjured up,
he couldn’t let it rest until he had the answer.  Jealousy wasn’t an emotion he enjoyed feeling.

He stormed through the temple, knowing he’d find Madu stationed on guard duty a
top the thick stone wall that surrounded the temple and the garden plots.

Spotting his friend he began speaking before he’d e
ven reached him, “Madu?  Is Neom
ee mated?”

Startled, Madu bristled before a smile broke his features.  “Bray!  Good to see you my friend.”

“Is Neomee mated?” The words were bit out from between clenched teeth.

“Neomee?” Confusion was clear on Madu’s features.

“From the dining hall.  The slave!” Bray’s tone was clipped with impatience.

“
Ahhh
, Neomee.”

Bray could tell that Madu was toying with him.  “Madu!” he threatened.

“Alright!” Madu threw up his hands in mock surrender.  “No your slave is not mated, nor have any of the Cats I’ve spoken to
ever mounted
her. 
Apparently she is fairly new to the temple.”

“How can she be new?” Bray barked, “The Slave Master is too familiar with her.”

Madu smiled, “It is said that she is not good at submission.  She has been punished frequently since her arrival for various infractions.”

Punished?
  The thought of her being hurt called forth an overwhelming surge of anger.

“Calm my friend,” Madu caught Brays’ reaction
. 
He didn’t get to placate his friend further as a horn sounded indicating that it was time for the noon training session.

***

The late day sun beat down relentlessly on the sand covered training arena of the great Cats of Thebes.

“Again,” Bray growled as sweat
glistened on
his hard rounded shoulders and blood dripped from the
knuckles of his clenched fists.  As Prince of Cats, it was his responsibility to ensure that the Cats were frequently and properly trained.

“Easy,” Madu whispered through a smile beside his friend, “if you continue to train like this with the men, they’ll stop coming to training altogether.” 

Bray growled.  He reveled in the
exercises
.  It was a distraction from his now empty life and it gave him an excuse to get out some of his pent-up aggression.  A wicked grin curled his full lips to display even white teeth that shone brightly from his sun-bronzed skin.  His silky, long, black hair was pulled back tight into a waist length braid.  Dark eyes squint
ed against the scorching afternoon
sun as he pinned his gaze on his retreating foes. 

He watched his two opponents slink back into the ranks of the other guardians, the Cats of Thebes.  “Seems they’ve had enough,” he smirked eyeing Madu.  “You
wanna
go?”

Madu threw up his hands and smiled broadly, “Not when you’re in one of these moods. I know better.”
  Madu turned his face toward the sun, “You’ve worked them through the
mid-day meal.  Perhaps you should call it a day.”

Bray’s smile faltered.  He knew he was especially sour today, but it was because he’d dreamt of Sanura last night.  She’d called to him and touched him, and when he woke without her in his arms he knew today would be extraordinarily difficult.