Chapter Three
"Talking"
'Thoughts'
"Bond"
When Ulysses had hung up, Abi had many questions to ask. One of the foremost ones, was why he was so upset hearing from his grandmother? She'd thought at first there was bad news from his family, like a death, but as the conversation went on she realized something more was going on.
Though she really couldn't hear his grandmother, his side of the conversation was strange to say the least. What was all that about 'watchers' and that his training was lax? What kind of training?
She stared at his face in concern. His facial expression was a cross between dismay and concern. What had her even more confused was the sense of intense worry she could almost feel in her own body. She needed answers and it was obvious, he needed comforting. Reaching out, she touched his nearest shoulder and began caressing it in a soothing rhythm and was pleased when she felt him begin to relax.
Feral felt his body ease from her gentle touch and his mind calm a little. Smiling, he leaned down and placed his head on her shoulder near her neck, nuzzling it.
Pleased to have been able to ease his heart, Abi leaned into his nuzzling while raising an arm to his back and began an up and down stroking motion. They stayed like that for several minutes before Feral sighed and carefully pulled away.
He turned his body so they faced each other. Staring into her concerned eyes, he wrestled with himself. He knew he had to tell her what he was before the clan came to question her. He didn't want her to hear of it from the them first.
As her bondmate, he had that right. But he was concerned how Abi would take the news they were mated, much less the even greater news that he wasn't a Kat at all.
He hoped she wouldn't get too angry with him. 'Though, I wouldn't blame her if she did. I can't believe I lost all control that way. Taking her should have been done correctly, with her knowing everything about me so she could accept it better. Ah well, too late for that,' he mused, unhappily to himself.
Clearing his throat, he took her paws in his. "Abi, there's something very important I must tell you. You may not like it and it could also shock you, but please hear me out," he begged her softly.
Now she was even more worried but didn't say anything, just nodded her head for him to go on.
"For starters, my real name is Jimmu Yuudai, I'm a Saharas, and I'm a member of the Yuudai Clan. When I came to live in Megakat City, I chose the name Ulysses Feral as my Kat name," he said, solemnly.
For a long instant, Abi could only gape at him, her paws forgotten in his. When it sunk in, she jerked her paws away and shook her head in denial. "No, that's not possible...that species is extinct...records show they died out when Kat kind killed and collected them for their blood."
"No we did not. Our race escaped and went into hiding. I know this is hard for you to believe so I'll have to prove it to you." Feral said quietly climbing off the bed to stand beside it.
Abi watch in shocked fascination as Feral took a deep breath then let it out slowly to relax his body. In the next instant, he suddenly became stiff as his muscles went rigid. The sound of bones cracking filled the room as they shifted into a different configuration. Within moments, Feral went from a biped to a four footed animal. One that was that was three times the size of the Sabertooth cat brought to life by the Pastmaster and that had attacked her and Briggs. But unlike the Sabertooth cat, Feral didn't have those same long sharp canines but they were longer than a Kats
His physical appearance was striking, with long black strips on his body down to his long tail that had a black tip. His head was massive and had short pointed black ears that swivel toward her. His body was still dark brown and his massive paws were as big as dinner plates with only the barest tip of the claws showing but she was certain they would be long and very sharp when extended.
She knew Saharas could shapeshift into a primal form which was what she was looking at right now. This form helped them escape their enemies, fight when necessary, and hide in the wilds when they became the hunted themselves. The last known record of them was during the Dark Ages. On top of their impressive appearance and ability to shapeshift was their strength, cunning, and sheer deadliness.
Her scientific mind drank in the sight of this supposedly extinct species while her personal mind tried to cope with the fact she'd been in an intimate relationship with one of them for quite a while.
Her silence made him uneasy, so Feral moved closer to her and reared up to place his huge paws on the bed beside her.
She jerked away reflexively then chastised herself for behaving that way. Ulysses would never hurt her.
"Sorry, just an instinctual reaction," she apologized, not wanting him to think less of her.
She stared at him uncomfortably. "So you're really a Sahara," she breathed reaching out with her paw to touch his head. She marveled at how soft and plush his fur felt under her fingers. As she caressed one of those huge ears, he began to purr making her laugh a little.
"Ulysses this is stunning news. To think Saharas are still alive and living among us but not openly, apparently," she surmised thoughtfully. He gave his massive head a heavy nod, his eyes staring into hers intently.
She sighed, a little crestfallen at that. "What a pity. And I'll wager you are at some risk telling me, aren't you?"
She really didn't expect him to answer her. What a discovery! And she could say nothing about it. It was like finding the Ark of the Covenant and being told it could never be brought into the light of day if it was ever found.
But no matter how unhappy she felt about keeping such a secret, the look in his eyes told her he trusted her explicitly to do just that. Shaking her head, she leaned forward and rubbed her forehead against his for a moment.
"I will never tell a soul about what you are. I will never betray your trust in me. It will hurt to keep such a secret especially from my colleagues but I understand how dangerous it is for your kind to be discovered alive. Kats being who they are, will not hesitate to hunt you down again no matter how civilized they think they are," she murmured softly into his ear.
"Thank you! I knew you could be trusted and I'm sorry you can't say anything about it." came his familiar deep rumbling voice.
She jerked her head back and stared at him in shock. "I know you didn't just speak that aloud as your mouth is incapable of speech, so how..."
"We're linked, mind to mind. We can talk to each other without speaking aloud." he said mildly amused.
"That's fantastic...telepathy isn't it?" She asked excitedly. "So can all Saharas do this form of communication?"
"No, only bonded pairs can talk and feel emotions this way."
"Bonded?" She said hesitantly, he nodded his head, suddenly wary of her reaction.
"When did we do that?...Wait...last night...you bit me! How could you do that without my permission?" she demanded, suddenly very upset and angry. She backed away from him and glared reaching up and feeling where he had bitten her. She suddenly remembered seeing something about bonding in the ancient scrolls she'd been studying. None had mentioned telepathy but they did speak of lifemating.
All the time they'd spent together over the past year had been building up to this. It explained so much of his behavior; the protectiveness, his seemingly greater strength than a normal Kat, and the speed with which he could be by her side to protect her from danger. All of it made sense now but that still didn't excuse him from doing it without asking her first.
Feral winced as he felt Abi's feelings of shock, confusion, and then anger through their new bond. He moved off the bed and stepped back from her to give her some breathing space. He tried to send feelings of calmness and love through the bond to try and ease her but it backfired, causing her to recoil and lash out with feelings of hurt, upset and betrayal.
"Abi, I'm sorry! I tried to control myself but…" he begged her forgiveness.
"Stop! Just stop!" Abi cried out her paws to her head as if that would shut him out.
Now very upset himself, Feral returned to his Kat form. Once the change was complete he got on the bed and crawled toward her slowly. When she made no move to slap at him, he reached out and pulled her close to his chest wrapping his arms protectively around her.
"Please Abi, I'm sorry! Last night I lost control because since the first time we made love I knew you were my life mate. However, I truly wanted to tell you what I was first but the need to bond was too strong," he murmured anxiously sending waves of remorse through the bond.
Though truly upset with him, Abi nevertheless, understood some of what he was trying to tell her. That still didn't make it right and she wanted some time to think about this. She could feel just how much he loved her and that made things a little easier to bear. His self-shame and anger at himself came through loud and clear as well. So he hadn't done this deliberately, that was good to know. She sighed and closed her eyes as she held him too burying her face in his chest for a long moment as she tried to marshal her rioting thoughts.
"Ulysses…I'm just not sure how to react to all of this. Please, I need time to think this over...alone," she finally said quietly pushing away from him gently.
Feral sighed unhappily but let her go. "I understand."
He could only sit there and watch as Abi slid off the bed and proceeded to collect her clothing from the floor then left for the bathroom after giving him one last lingering look before disappearing through the door.
He laid down on the bed, cursing himself for acting so recklessly and possibly pushing Abi away from him. His mind tried to think of ways to be with Abi yet give her the space and time she needed to think about what happened.
His ears pricked up when he heard his apartment door open then close firmly some ten minutes later. Apparently, she had decided to forego a shower and had opted for taking one at home rather than stay here any longer.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid," he repeated bitterly to himself grabbing a pillow and hiding his head under it.
The rest of the day passed with Feral never leaving his apartment. After chastising himself for another half hour, he finally climbed out of bed and went to shower. He dressed in clean jeans and tee shirt, made himself a light meal then took it to the living room and planted himself before the TV. His mind wasn't on the show playing before him, though.
It kept drifting back to the events of the afternoon and how they could have played out better than the true outcome. He ordered dinner but barely touched it. The rest of the evening passed without him really noticing and when it came to bedtime he had no desire to sleep in a bed that was empty of the warmth of his mate.
He sat up until he was too tired then went to bed reluctantly but only ended up tossing and turning restlessly all night long. Earlier he had tried to reach out to Abi through the bond but though he could feel her, he couldn't break through what seemed to be a very good barrier. He wondered how she'd figured out how to do that. However she'd learned it, he was effectively shut out and that hurt even more.
The next morning shone bright but for Ulysses, it might as well still be night. He was beginning to feel the anxiety and discomfort separation from his mate caused. It would only grow worse as time passed. He had to find some way for them to be together for the next week before they both succumbed to pain and sickness.
Climbing from bed, he went to shower and get ready for work. He skipped breakfast and left his apartment in a tense mood. Reaching his car, he climbed in and raced away through the early morning traffic.
Reaching the enforcer building, Feral parked his car out front then climbed out. Walking up the stairs at a near run, he hurried across the lobby, not inviting any intrusion from anyone as he took the next elevator that was, thankfully, empty.
When the elevator reached the top floor, he stepped out and made for his office. He barely acknowledged his secretary's greeting as he went into his office and shut the door behind him. He'd barely made it to his desk when his assistant charged into the room.
'Great! This can't be good.' Feral thought bitterly.
"What is it Sergeant?" he asked gruffly.
"Sir, Mayor Manx is demanding you report to his office right away...sorry sir, he made me repeat that word for word," Sergeant Owen Newman said, unhappily.
He really hated delivering messages like that. It was sure to piss the Commander off badly. And this morning, he could already tell, his superior was in a bad mood already so this wasn't going to help matters. Geeze, he hated working with the boss when he was this way. The off white and gray tom sighed mentally and geared himself for a really shitty day.
Feral sighed bringing up a paw to pinch the bridge of his nose, "What for?"
Sgt. Owen winced as he said, "To discuss the enforcer budget, sir!" 'Oh yeah. A bad day all around if his fur rises like that,' he sighed mentally.
"Not this again! Any more cut backs and he might as well disband the Enforcers!" Feral growled his distress levels rising even more.
Sensing more than the early morning meeting with the Mayor was bothering his boss, Owen could only murmur a heartfelt, "Sorry, sir."
Feral just waved off his Sergeant's attempt to commiserate with him and said in resignation, "Fine, tell Manx I'll be there in about twenty minutes."
"Yes, sir!" Owen said briskly, then about faced and left.
Shaking his head, Feral went back out the door of his office. Once at city hall, he found himself spending the next three hours arguing with Manx about his desperately lean budget and getting no satisfaction, as usual. The only thing he got out of it was a headache to add to his growing anxiety at being separated from his mate.
Gritting his teeth, he paused a moment beside his car, taking several deep breaths to try and relax himself but it didn't do much good. He knew if he didn't see Abi within the next forty-eight hours, he would become a danger to everyone in the city he came in contact with. It didn't help that he knew Abi was also beginning to feel the effects of separation but she wasn't aware why she was feeling so anxious. This just increased his upset.
Shaking his head, which really didn't help, Feral climbed into his car and drove back to his office. Though he worked hard to keep control of his emotions, by the day's end he was about ready to bite some head off and that wasn't figuratively either. Time to get out of here for the day.
He tossed the finished cases in his out basket and locked away the one that still needed his attention. Getting up, he made his way to the coat rack and pulled on his coat. Stepping through the door, he locked it behind him then made for the elevator.
As he rode down, his cell rang. Pulling it from his pocket he raised it to his ear and barked, "Feral here!"
"Whoa! What's got your tail in a twist?" A jaunty voice asked.
Feral blinked in shock. "Kazuma? What are you doing calling me? You know phones aren't allowed in the village."
Kazuma snorted, "Come on buddy, you know me better than that. You really must be uptight about something to try and treat me like a kitten. Anyway, I called to wish you my congratulations."
"Oh, sorry, I'm am a bit tense. Thank you but I really can't talk right now," Feral said, regretfully preparing to severe the call. The elevator had delivered him to the main lobby and he was walking across it as he spoke.
"Now hang on there, Ace...what's got you so down? You found your life mate, that should have you flying on cloud nine by now." Kazuma asked a bit concerned.
"I would be if we were with each other right now...which we're not," he admitted unhappily. He'd reached his vehicle and climbed in so he could talk privately.
"Eh, why not? Did something happen?" Kazuma asked even more concerned.
"Uh, you could say she wasn't happy about being bonded," Feral said, not really able to hide the pain he was feeling from his voice.
"Was it because you revealed yourself to be a Saharas? Strange, I would have thought she would have been thrilled to meet an extinct species though a little unhappy about not being to tell anyone about it. Maybe you should go a few more rounds with her," Kazuma said lightly.
Feral's ears went up in surprise. "You know who Abi is? And what she and I do alone is none of your business!" He said tartly.
"Easy, there tiger! I was just pulling your tail. And yes, I do know about Abi…I'm the one being sent to test her," Kazuma said in a more serious tone.
Holding his phone away and staring at it for a second, Feral felt his heart lurch in his chest. Though Kazuma was his best friend, he knew very well, the Sahara's male would not go easy on Abi. He might be a happy go lucky soul but when it came to clan business he was all serious and focused.
He put his phone back to his ear and said, hesitantly, "Kazuma…"
His friend didn't let him finish as he said with finality, "See you in two days, buddy!" Then hung up on Feral.