To the ones who read the last chapter; yes, I did steal the acquiesing a request line from Pirates of the Carribean. I just didn't add the disclaimer, and it fitted the situation so well.
Without further ado; the next chapter!
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Alone Chapter Seven: The Compromise
She smiled politely, though still a bit defensively, and tried to get to her feet, which were still unresponsive. The werecat fell back on the log, her anger starting to return.
"It was nice talking to you, Mr. Gikkingen, but I need to get going now. The Cat King's still looking for me, and I can't stay in one place long enough to be found by one of his people." She tried to get up again, but the Cat Lord placed one hand on her shoulder.
"I told you 'Baron' was fine. You mean to say that even after stripping away your former life…?"
She laughed bitterly.
"Yep, that was partially why he made me a werecat and deposited me in the village on a full moon night. He wanted my old fiancé to dump me so that I'd be up for grabs, and give me a loathing for humans so that I would want to marry him instead. Lights are on in his head, but no one's been home for years." She shook her head in disgust, her legs only beginning to have feeling in them, the bruises from the night before throbbing painfully. Baron stood up and began pacing in front of the log angrily.
"He's even worse than Muta described him. The Cat King has absolutely no right to do this kind of thing, especially to someone outside his kingdom!"
Haru raised one hand tentatively to distract him.
"I sort of am from his kingdom now, but that makes humiliating him all the sweeter. I hope Prince Lune takes the throne soon; he has a lot more sense than his father." She tried to get up again, but Baron swept her into his arms and headed back to the castle.
"I will deal with the Cat King when the opportunity comes."
She stiffened in his arms, wondering if he had gotten her point yet. She guessed not.
"You do know you're doing the same thing he did, right?"
He looked at her sharply, shocked that she could see a resemblance between him and that despicable rogue.
"You're just imposing your will on me, even though you have no authority over me." Her low tone said plainly that if her emotions and vocal chords weren't shot, she'd be screaming every syllable. Right now, Haru was thinking that the only differences between this guy and the feline monarch were their appearance and how they talked.
"I'll just escape again, and I won't bother playing nice with anyone. Nobody has the right to tell me what to do but me. I don't care what you have, what you're in charge of, or that you're a half cat like me. I'm not interested in you. We don't know each other, and I doubt I could ever have a successful relationship with someone that uses children for bait. It's very simple; let me go or I'll let myself go, most likely with severe casualties on your side." From the way her body was tensed up, he could believe that she'd try to escape that minute, if she just had the energy for it.
This guy had no clue how lucky he was; that she was too tired to even spit on him. But her strength would return, and he would be toast when it did.
Baron opened his mouth to protest, but found that he couldn't. He may not have kidnapped her, but Toto did on his behalf, since she couldn't understand what was going on. He had forced her to stay and reveal her secret, with much forceful coaxing from his two best friends. Now that he thought about it, the witch had just said that he would recognize his mate for life, not that everything would be smooth-sailing afterwards. Wasn't he worrying only last week that the girl would fall over him for being wealthy and reasonably young? One thing was crystal clear; Haru would like nothing better than for him to put her down and go home alone.
But…he had been waiting nine years for her! There was no way on earth he was going to let her go so easily, but he didn't doubt for a second that she would follow through with her threat of escaping, though slightly skeptical about her ability to cause the amount of pain she was describing. But the fact that she was so willing to promise it…he couldn't help but find it attractive, after years of seeing girls that could be won without even meeting him.
They were in a deadlock. He would do everything in his power to keep her, and she would do everything in her power to escape. How long ago did Muta say the CK incident occurred, two and a half years? Just what had Haru lived through since then, to end up on the opposite side of the continent, and to react like she was running for her life instead of her single status when her secret was revealed? She was so cold, both spiritually and physically; if she would just give him a chance, he could prove that he had nothing in common with the Cat King. He could warm her soul, if she'd let him. He knew she had a good heart, or she would have just let Henry fall. The more he saw of her character, the more he wanted to know about her.
If he didn't do something fast, all chances for sharing a genuine love with his mate would fly out the window. He sighed, rounding a tree.
"You're right."
Haru blinked at him disbelievingly.
"Excuse me?"
"You're completely right. I don't have authority over you, and no one should but yourself. I guess it was a bit foolish on my part to think I could figuratively sweep you off your feet as well as literally. And we don't really know anything about each other." Except that they had matching stubborn streaks. The werecat was staring at him like the bridge between their languages had already collapsed, and he was speaking gibberish again.
"In my defense, Muta didn't tell me what he was planning to get you to reveal yourself. I was surprised as everyone else when Henry jumped."
The brunette's hard eyes softened slightly, but the Cat Lord could still see the iron will beneath. Okay, she was more willing to listen to him, and he only had one shot to get her to agree to let him at least prove that he was different from her last suitor. An agreement…
"It's obvious that neither of us is willing to back down concerning this, so I suggest a compromise."
She cocked her head at him.
"What kind of compromise?"
He smiled at her; unknowingly making her heart beat faster.
"If you stay at my castle for six months with an open mind and heart, I won't make you stay afterwards if you don't want to." By then if she didn't want to, forcing her to stay anyway would be pointless. She thought about it before another blush stained her cheeks.
"Are you asking me to move in with you?"
He blushed too, but quickly composed himself.
"You'll be in a completely separate wing, and there are more than enough servants around to act as chaperones. I know I've done wrong by you, but I want to make it up. Please, give me a chance to prove myself."
Haru was a little intimidated by the amount of emotion in his voice, his eyes begging her to accept.
"Just trust me."
She looked away and closed her eyes to clear her mind.
The werecat's thoughts ever since the Cat Kingdom incident was that she would be spending the rest of her life alone and running from bloodthirsty villagers, since it was preferable to being the Cat Queen, and she had greatly doubted that any guy would look at her that way when they knew about her cat side. But Baron seemed like a nice guy now that she's talked to him, and if anyone could understand her cat side, it would definitely be him.
Would it be possible for her to learn to trust anyone again, let alone the level he was asking of her?
Out of all the guys in her life, he was the one that showed the most consideration for her in either form, the stitches in her arm nagging at her conscience. Baron was definitely the only suitor that tried to come to an agreement with her, since even her old fiancé would just decide things without telling her first. She tried never to even think his name, if she could help it.
But then, who said that a first love had to be an only love?
"You're just going to hunt me down if I try to run, aren't you?"
He nodded.
"There's that, and… perhaps you'd enjoy a break from running. It must be old by now. And Muta would keep all other cats far from the area for an extra plate of food every night." He held her a little tighter, as if he was worried she would escape again.
Haru stared at him, wondering if he could read her thoughts. She was tired of running, beyond anyone's imagining. A vacation from it would be heavenly.
She laughed lightly, not exactly being in a position to turn him down. Who knows? Maybe this could work, if she was willing to let it. And if nothing else, it felt good to be embraced again, to have someone care that she was alive. Her mother always used to tell her that it took a real and mentally strong man to admit that he was wrong, let alone try to fix his mistake…
She sighed, recognizing a lost battle when she saw it. The slim brunette had lied when she said that she had absolute zero interest in him anyway.
"I guess I better start making an effort to learn the local language then."
Baron beamed at her and squeezed. Haru let herself relax a little in his arms, still tired from the past two days.
"Was there anything you wanted to get from your home?" he asked her, stepping around another fallen tree.
"Not really. I keep all the stuff I care about in here just in case I need to flee another mob." She patted the bag that was still tied to her hips. His expression darkened as he rounded another tree, thinking about the faceless villagers that left his Haru mentally scarred, her tone suggesting that it happened so often that she didn't even turn a hair anymore. No wonder she ran when her secret was revealed.
"That is a predicament that will never rise again, if I have any say in the matter."
She smiled, wishing it were that easy to avoid.
"So, how come you're a cat?"
He smiled ironically.
"My grandfather had a disagreement with a sorcerer, and you're looking at the result of their feud. He and Father married normal human girls, so you took me off guard." He hugged her again as the castle came into view, Toto and Muta pacing the grounds in front of the entrance. She stiffened a bit when the bird looked at her, but he just laughed and said something she couldn't understand. The cat criminal was shaking his head sadly.
"I'm disappointed, Chicky; I betted that you would evade Baron for at least another hour."
She glared at him.
"If you don't want to lose bets, then stay away from the gambling table."
The orange cat laughed as he walked past the two.
"She has a good point, Muta."
The crow said something as he flew over their heads towards the castle, a note of question in his tone. Baron repeated what Haru had said, which sent the bird into another fit of laughter, Muta glaring at him. Toto said something else, which Baron translated for Haru.
"He says he already likes you, and he forgives you for the dirt."
She cringed a bit.
"It was nothing personal; he was just too good at keeping me from escaping. Could you tell him I'm sorry anyway?"
He grinned broadly as he did so, two guards opening the huge gate for them, both smirking widely at the brunette cat.
"Baron, is the little boy still in the garden?"
He shook his head, still smiling widely. Muta answered for him.
"Bird-brain here got the kid out after you fell through the trap door; he's probably in bed right now."
The castle was fast approaching them.
"I feel better now." She curled up a bit as the tall half-cat looked at her with amusement. "I think I can walk the rest of the way," she continued, hoping he would catch the hint. It would be a little too embarrassing to walk into a castle full of people in a man's arms. The Cat Lord grinned at her.
"Perhaps, but I'm not about to take the risk." He squeezed her again as she privately thought that he was just enjoying the excuse to hold her. All this affection would take a bit of getting used to, after two and a half years of being alone.
When Baron walked through the doors, a huge crowd had gathered to greet him and his companions, the children noticeably missing and probably in bed. Everyone got really excited at seeing Haru in their master's arms. She blushed deeply, guessing what they were saying as they tried to crowd around her to get a closer look. Baron took a step back from them, noting her discomfort.
"Please, friends; Miss Haru's nerves are already shot and she's exhausted. She's agreed to a trial period, so let's try to be gentle with her. Mrs. Jennes, I'm putting her under your charge." He regretfully put the brunette down as a matronly woman came forward, a warm smile on her face for the slight girl. "She's expressed a desire to learn our language, but she doubtlessly wants to make an acquaintance with a pillow right now."
The werecat nodded her head enthusiastically, making everyone laugh. She grinned, glad that some things didn't need to be translated.
Mrs. Jennes walked up to Haru and held her hand out, saying something warm and pleasant to the ears. The young woman glanced at the Cat Lord, who nodded his head and smiled encouragingly at her. Hesitantly, she grabbed the woman's hand, and she was led away from the crowd and down a long corridor. After she was gone, the crowd started to fire questions at their lord, desperately wanting to know more about their future mistress. Toto and Muta kept to one side, being solitary creatures by nature.
The dark bird was glad that he wasn't on babysitting duty anymore, but the cat criminal was disappointed in more that the fact that Haru was captured quicker than he expected. He knew another secret about the Yoshioka girl, and was a bit sad that he couldn't see if the rumors about her 'other' physical abilities were as good as professed to be. He grinned evilly, thinking about how his master would react when he found out.
"One thing's for sure; Baron's new girlfriend will make life around here more interesting."