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Bonds Unbroken Ch. 02

By: Cia81



"You called for me, Velaku?"

Mishtar was a strong warrior, his form slim like all bird Carthera but with long, lean muscles cording his body and magnificent black and brown wings held proudly behind him. He was the epitome of our warriors, a Carthera most worthy of respect. He had risen through the ranks quickly after he mated and became the leader for the Falcons at just twenty six, younger than any before him. I had always looked up to him as the Falcon I wanted to be.

Today, he was dressed in black jeans and a special leather jerkin that left his wings free to move behind him. He was armed; the attack on my father had the clans on high alert. His chest was crossed by blades and throwing stars to use from his preferred place to attack; flying above his enemies to rain down death from the skies.

"My father was murdered by a lynx Carthera working with humans," I said bitterly, my rage burning brighter just from saying the words. I fought to control my anger, digging my new talons into my legs in an attempt to pull me away from the urge to enter hunting mode and kill everyone in my way until my father's murderers lay dead before me.

Mishtar eyed my wings twitching behind me. The snowy white wings arched behind my head and the feathers made a ruffling noise as I fought to keep them folded. 

"Are these local humans?" Mishtar asked fiercely. "Do you know who betrayed your father? Was it one of the local Lynx pack?" 

"I'm not sure." 

The humans that lived nearby were our allies; we worked with them to improve the life of the Carthera in their society, not against them. In the past we had to hide who we were and live on the fringes in game preserves or hidden eyries. That had all changed in the last generation. Humans and Carthera in our region had found a way to make peace. The thought that some of the men that my father had met with, that he had helped, and been helped by in return, was enough made me sick. 

That a member of the local Lynx clan would go against my father, the leader of all Carthera in our region, would be even more unthinkable.

We were not animals but we obeyed a hierarchy that was as instinctual as our animal brethren. In nature, a falcon would not defeat a lynx but the benefit of a human brain mixed with the advantage our wings gave us in battle made the Falcon Clan the deadliest of our kind. We could not deny all aspects of our nature even as we became more civilized. Fights for power, position, for land, had always been our way but things were slowly changing.

Obviously someone was trying to stage a coup of some sort to overthrow my father's leadership of the local Carthera clans. There had been signs of something big happening that my father had hid from the Council, the clan leaders that made up his advisors. I knew more than my mother supposed, my father having begun my instruction some time before his death. I thought I was prepared for whatever we faced but I never expected my father to die. 

I hadn't known about the overwhelming surge of hormones that would hit me when my wings came out though. I had no way of knowing if every newly transformed Falcon felt this way and I was too afraid to ask. Carthera transform when they mate, during a complex ceremony held in front of the clan. My transformation occurred with no warning, no mating. I was a freak and what if this rage was a sign to others that I was unfit for leadership? 

I couldn't let my father's plans fail. 

It was hard; I could barely stop the killing rage from overtaking me from moment to moment. I struggled with myself to keep it out of my voice but I would not fail my father or our people. I would keep it together. 

I would save my people no matter what the cost was to me personally. 

"I need you and your wing squad to find them. It won't be easy, this happened far from here, on the outskirts of our territory near southern Oregon. Find out who killed my father and bring them to me if you can. I will be satisfied with their deaths but I need much more information than I have. Someone is behind all this, directing the troubles that have been cropping up all over our land. My father told me this before he left. 

"That... That is why he was traveling, trying to find out who was behind the attacks when he was killed." 

My voice rose in volume as I stood up, pounding my fist on the desk in front of me. "I want answers. I want retribution. I want their deaths!"

I had to stop. I was breathing hard as I closed my eyes and bowed my head, fighting the urge to dig my talons into the beautifully carved desk that my father had sat at for so many years but would never sit at again. I heard the sound of a fist striking a strong chest. 

I looked up, opening my eyes to see Mishtar bowed before me, honoring me even though he was a seasoned warrior and leader of the Falcons and I nothing but an untrained boy. 

"Your father trained me himself; I will not let his memory down. I swear the Falcons will not rest until we have the answers you seek." His face was hard as he swore his oath, a deadly promise. I knew he would avenge my father as I couldn't even as I struggled with my desire to be the one who led the attack against our enemies. 

I stared into his eyes, at the promise burning so fiercely, then returned his salute. I watched silently as he walked away.

He needed no more orders than I gave him. Mishtar would track down all the intel available and then plan his next moves without any need of more orders for me. I sank down in the chair and thought of all the decisions my father made in this room, all the times he sent men off on dangerous missions. It was hard to trust that Mishtar would know the best way to handle the investigation but I had to let him do it his own way.

My father had ruled over the many groups of Carthera that owed him allegiance and lived in the territory he claimed and protected. He always told me to issues as few orders as possible; the more you told a person what to do and how to do it the more you would have to. I held those treasured bits of advice already shared but knew I had lost the bulk of my father's wisdom with his death. My sorrow swelled and I stood up abruptly, unable to sit at his place any longer. I sought out my mother.

The remainder of my evening was spent with her, sharing our memories of my father and tears to lessened the sadness of his passing. The next day would be the formal death ceremony for our clan; all those who lived in our eyrie would attend. There was no reason to delay the ceremony, even though we didn't have his body, but I wanted to hold off on an enclave of the Carthera leaders to give formal announcement of death. I couldn't tell them what I didn't know until I had heard back from Mishtar. So many questions were still unanswered.

Full of anger and pain, I didn't sleep at all that night.

       ***

The fledglings that I had known all my life held back from me at the ceremony. I was no longer one of them, though not much bigger in form yet. My wings seemed larger by comparison to my slim and sleek body than the other youth I stood among. Their unusual coloring, the stark white and red, stood out among the wings of the men of our tribe, most of which were rich browns, yellows, and blacks like our bird cousins.

I stood on the edge of the cliff where I had mourned my father alone just two days before and watched the flight of the women of our tribe as they looped and danced in the air celebrating the life that my father lived. The men provided the beat with their feet before launching into the air, swirling and diving among the lighter colors of the women. The youth and younglings kept stomping and joined in with a low chant.

Above it all rose the keening call of my mother as she sang the ululating death song of our tribe. She held the final note until all the dancers had set down, her body still hovering above the ground with her head thrown back to the sky. Wings settled as the last note echoed into a deep silence as she finally ended the song to honor my father. She slowly drifted to the ground, crumpling to her knees. I knelt next to her and wrapped her in my arms as her tears silently flowed down her cheeks.

One by one the people of our tribe came and touched us, soothing gestures of love and comfort, reminding us we weren't alone, that our nest mate was gone but we remained firmly in the land of the living. We were still connected to our clan. When the last person left, we still sat together rocking with our eyes closed. It was some time later before my mother's tears finally slowed and came to a shuddery halt. I hugged her as tight as I could and she hugged me back in an equally fierce grip before finally before sitting up and wiping her eyes.

"Let's go home, Velaku." 

Keeping our arms around each other, we slowly walked to our house on the center ledge. We spent the day speaking softly of my father again, remembering the love and protection he had shared so freely. I went to bed and fell into a deep sleep, exhausted from lack of sleep and the catharsis of the ceremony. 

I woke up whimpering in terror. My dream had returned. I didn't scream this time though; my fear was too great for that. I had been in locked in a pitch black darkness, feeling my body twist and change, and then an agonizing pain in my back and sides. My hands shook and I whimpered as I moved. I hurt even now. 

What was happening to me?

       ***

The next day gave me an odd feeling of dichotomy. People returned to the normal routine their jobs and their lives even though mine felt like it was destroyed. The fledglings were gathered on the grassy lawn for their Jintue lesson before it was time to leave for class. We had integrated into the public school system some years before I entered grade school and quickly found that our smaller size often made bullies think they could prey on us. 

But we were Carthera and not weak. 

From almost the first moment we could walk we were taught Jintue. It was a fighting style specifically suited to our smaller, lighter bodies. We moved fast, attacking and blurring away before returning to hit the next weak point until our larger prey was down. Other Carthera came close to our speed but none truly matched it. Coupled with our wings and talons after we matured, we were a force like no other. The humans quickly came to know this and their children began to respect our fledglings and the bullying mostly stopped. 

But still we trained.

At the same time that the fledglings learned ground maneuvers, the youths trained at flying and weapons under the tutelage of several retired members of the Falcons. They called out instructions and orders to the pairs learning to fly together in loud voices. This was where the Jintue lessons became the basis of the true fighting style of our clans. The youths learned to dive through the air to strike and then dart away; their body, wings, and weapons a harmonious blend that brought death to those who tried to strike or stand against it. Each youth trained with their mate, learned to fight with them, and how to protect each other. 

It was to this area of the training field I made my way that strange morning, sent away by the fledgling instructor.

"Velaku!" An older man with grizzled hair and pale brown wings approached me slowly. Dorvan was a very old friend of my father's. I trusted him like I trust no other in our clan. "You are here to train?"

"Yes. I am... uncomfortable in my new form and find myself quickly changing." My pants had been tight this morning and a bit short. My jerkin had no longer closed over my chest and stomach. My muscles were much more defined, if still small. The changes brought about by my transformation were rapidly maturing my body and mind but the effects were not instant. I tugged on my leather jerkin again. 

"I need to learn to use these too," I said, pointing at my wings. I had longed to fly my whole life, all fledglings did. I just wished...

"I've just the partner for you, Ningaven's mate is ill today. You can partner with her."

Ningaven was a friend, though a few years older than me. She had found her mate a few months before. I nodded my agreement as I fit on my wrist and ankle sheaths. They held only dull practice blades since the first thing every youth had to learn was how to fly without falling on their butt. I thought I was prepared for that but Ningaven and Dorvan taught me differently. Ningaven's high ringing laugh pealed out of her mouth when I first tried to take off. I forgot to close my eyes and the dirt kicked up by my wings blinded me.

I scowled and tried again, remembering to close my eyes until I got a set of eye covers. My wings swept down, once, twice, and I lifted into the air. I thought I was secure so I tried to turn around to give her a smug look. My right wing didn't beat properly and I ended up almost on my side in the air. I panicked and my wings fluttered wildly before I crashed back onto the ground to land in a twisted heap.

I groaned, ignoring her giggles as I flopped over onto my stomach and gave my tender wings a shake. 

"Laugh it up, Ningaven."

"Oh, I will," she managed to squeeze out in between fits of laughter. She smiled at me. "Don't worry, Tallsin and I both tumbled the first time we tried to fly too." Ningaven managed to stop laughing finally but her eyes still twinkled in amusement as she grinned at me.

"We made the same mistake. You can't hover that low to the ground unless you have a lot more momentum built up. Up higher you have the air currents to glide on; they help keep you from getting too tired or falling straight down when you lose the beat. 

C'mon, I'll show you!" She took a few steps away from me, stretching out her wings.

I stood up and watched her take off. I could see the muscles in her lean legs flex and bunch before she gave a leap and shot into the air rising upward by powerful thrusts of her gray and black wings. She rose quickly before swooping back down toward me.

"What are you waiting for, come on! Fly!"

I bent my knees and shoved hard against the earth, leaving its support for the freedom of the skies. This time I kept going until I felt the warm winds buffet me. I was grinning from the excitement of my first real flight. Every fledgling dreamed of the day he found his mate and got his wings. I loved the feeling of flying but felt the lack of a mate as I took a few moments to look at the pairs around me before Ningaven called over to me. 

"Open up your wings a bit more and catch this updraft." 

She soared away and I beat my wings up and down, stretching them wide to catch the thrust of a warm updraft send me shooting after her. I quickly caught up to her before she swooped away again, whooping and laughing. I mimicked her movements, my body twisting and dipping along the constantly shifting winds, reaching out and snagging a handful of her jerkin before I darted away. 

We played tag in the air and I quickly learned how to shift my wings and body to maneuver through the skies. In the air, there was a freedom of body that I had never really been able to come close to imagining my daydreaming of mating and transformation.

"Alright you two, time to stop playing around. Let's put him through the beginning exercises, Ningaven," Dorvan bellowed from the ground.

We stopped our game and hovered obediently about thirty feet up in the air. I was breathing hard but quickly recovered.

"Do you remember the first balance exercise from Jintue?" Ningaven asked.

"Of course." 

I held out my hands, palms flat and facing her. Ningaven put her hands against mine and then gave a great beat of her wings to shove against me. I instantly lost contact with her hands, unable to flow backward gracefully with her forward movement. It took a moment of beating my wings quickly to regain control. 

"Huh, that's a lot harder up here," I said with a frown.

"Try again!" Dorvan called. 

When the same thing happened he yelled up at us, "Again, again!" until I began to learn to adjust my wings and flow backwards with the force Ningaven exerted without letting our hands lose contact. Soon I was pressing back against her in return, following her as she gave gracefully before coming to a stop, with our hands still resting palm to palm.

"Good! Balance is the key when fighting in the air. You can't do the throws and body jabs that you learned for combat on the ground but there is much else to learn," Dorvan said in a pleased voice.

He continued to put us through the basic workout I had seen the youths do each day long past the normal time, keeping us working until the sun rose high in the sky. I wasn't going to school where my transformation and hormones would be a dangerous mixed with the humans. 

Ningaven stayed to train with me, her mate unable to escort her to college. Carthera males were very protective of our females. By the time we were permitted to land I was trembling and panting with exhaustion. I didn't feel too bad about my condition though; Ningaven looked a little worse for the wear too.

"Go, eat some lunch and rest. I am sure Tallsin is wondering when you are going to show up, Ningaven. Velaku, come back this afternoon at three; I will be available then for the private instruction you requested."

"Bye, Velaku." Ningaven waved at me over her shoulder. She was already walking away to find Tallsin. Newly mated couples did not spend much time apart. 

"Thanks Ningaven!" I waved back to her and then turned to the exacting instructor who had pushed me so hard all morning.

I turned back to my instructor. "Thank you Dorvan, I just feel that I need to learn as much as I can as fast as I can."

Dorvan clasped me on the shoulder.

"I understand. Your father would be very proud of you, I am. Remember, three o'clock. You won't like what happens if you are late."

I nodded, somber at the mention of my father. I would avenge him, no matter how much work I had to do. I had no mate and the Carthera council would not convene for another two months unless I called an emergency session. Nothing else mattered but training and finding his killers.

Bonds Unbroken Ch. 03



Every day that week I threw myself into my training. But no matter how hard I worked the nightmares continued to grow. I couldn't see or hear anything in the dreams but now all they were was pain. Constantly punishing, never-ending pain was pierced by moments of agony so intense that it stopped my breath. 

Worse, the emotions were consuming me, terror, resignation, and hatred surged inside me. I felt those emotions after my father's death of course but these were so intense, so vividly real they felt more acute than what I experienced awake.

Every night I woke up writhing on my bed, gasping and crying. I longed for my father, for the comfort of his arms and his wings. I tried desperately to remember what he taught me, that the dreams were not real but they were so vivid that I had trouble getting them out of my mind. 

It was getting to the point that I couldn't sleep more than an hour at a time. The lack of sleep was beginning to take its toll on my mind and my body. 

I couldn't figure out why I had these dreams and why they kept getting worse as I got older, instead of better. I desperately needed a good night's sleep but that wasn't possible. In the end I did what I had to do, I went on with my life and endured.

My best friend in the clan, Alseliol, brought my work from school. I was so close to graduating that I couldn't afford to fall behind. Alseliol was a few years older, but still a fledgling. He hadn't met his mate yet. He stayed to let me borrow his notes from class while I studied and I kept catching him staring at my wings.

"What?" I asked.

"Did... Did that hurt?" he asked, nodding at my wings.

I didn't like to talk about them. I pretended not to notice but I saw the glances and heard the whispers every time I left the house. The fledglings I understood; it was pure curiosity and wonder on their part. I knew how fascinating it was to see someone who had newly got their wings while they still waited. The youths tended to be very welcoming, including me in their training though I had no partner to share it with. 

It was the adults that I minded the most. The whispers about my strangeness and the coloring of my wings coupled with the sidelong looks inflamed my already volatile temper.

I'd be glad when my body leveled out and finished changing. 

I met his eyes, looking at the innocent look in his eyes with a bit of fear. He had heard the stories everyone was whispering. Alseliol was my closest friend and I owed him so I put down my pencil and told him what I could. I left out the dreams though, I had never told anyone about what actually happened in them. I could see the description of the pain I felt and the sudden sensation of my wings busting from my back scared him a bit.

"I don't know what it is really like when it comes down to it though, Alseliol. My wings didn't come after I found my mate like they normally do. No one knows why this happened." I looked down. I didn't want to remind him that I was a freak but I also didn't like the look of fear I saw in his eyes. 

"You know what they say; the high of finding your mate is so overwhelming that you don't even notice. I don't know, maybe it feels good. The youths and the adults won't talk about it; they say it's just too private."

The fear on Alseliol's face turned to sadness. "I'm sorry this happened to you Velaku. Do you think you will have a mate someday?"

"I don't know." I had always sort of secretly hoped not, though it was my duty to the clan to have an heir to take over guardianship of the Carthera clans in our territory. I never wanted to mate with a female of our clan. They were too fragile, too small, too, well... female. Not even Alseliol knew of the crush I had on Natham. I hid it from everyone.

He had been a student at our school for all too short a time. By the energy he exuded, a sleek sinuous predatory sense I had every time I saw him, I could tell he was Carthera.

One day I was trying to pull my overfull backpack out of my locker where it was wedged. I misjudged the last big tug and when it came free with a jerk I fell backward into the strong arms of someone I could not see. I felt a deep shiver in the chest of the person holding me and I tilted my head back, strangely unwilling to pull away like I would normally have done if anyone grabbed hold of me like that. 

It was Natham and his face was strangely slack but his eyes burned into mine with intensity. His were a deep dark brown that looked almost black. His pupils were dilated as wide as they would go and his nose quivered as his mouth fell open. He took in a deep breath and exhaled sharply.

"You're a bird!" He looked shocked. I could smell him this close and finally figured out what he was.

"And you're a cat, what of it?" I suddenly realized we were in a crowded hallway and pulled away. For an instant I felt the arms around me tighten before they let me go and Natham took a step back. I turned and looked up at him, his tawny skin and dark eyes were complimented by the brown hair with russet highlights he had pulled into a long braid that fell down his back.

"What is your name? Your clan?" Natham demanded to know, leaning toward me with his big hands flexing as if he wanted to grab me again.

"I don't see why I should tell you that since you are being so rude. I mean, thanks for catching me but what is your problem?" I was acting indignant, trying to cover up how much I liked it when he had his arms around me.

"I..." he paused with a frown, "I'm sorry. I need to know your name, your clan, please."

I relented when he spoke in a quieter, backing away from the demanding tone he had used before. I saw how his hands were twisted and tugging at the hem of his t-shirt and that prompted me to speak before he tore it in his odd anxiety.

"My name is Velaku and I am of the Falcon Clan. My father is Keserem, the leader of all the Carthera in this territory."

"My name is Natham." He didn't offer his clan and I didn't ask. I was too busy inching closer to him to see his downturned eyes. It was my turn to catch my breath when he looked up, the heat in his eyes piercing me. He licked his lips and my breath caught. 

"Will you meet me at lunch down by the spruce tree? The little one by the shop building?"

I considered for a moment. If he was into dominance games he would find me no easy prey. I was anything but weak though I had little doubt he would win in the end. Like all of the bird Carthera, I was small and slight, barely coming to the top of his shoulder. He carried within him all the grace and power of whatever cat he was, full of sleek strength and deadly capability.

I cocked my head to the side, considering him for a long moment until the bell rang, startling us from our frozen positions. 

I made a snap decision, prompted by a feeling I couldn't really name.

"I'll meet you. Lunch at the spruce tree." I picked up my backpack and walked away, barely resisting the urge to look back at him.

I had met him that day for lunch and we talked the entire hour, each topic flowing smoothly into the next; at least after the first few awkward minutes while we both assessed the other. Thankfully right then neither of us was more than fledgling or young in our clans, the aggression level we carried toward outsiders and Carthera not of our clan was relatively low. We had been so engrossed in each other we completely missed the bell signaling return to class and spent two more hours getting to know each other.

We had been sitting on the grass part in the sun and part in the shade of the spruce tree. I had my back to the tree, trying to stay out of the sun with my fair skin and he was facing me. Our non-stop talking ahd fallen into a bit of an awkward silence after I asked him about his family. He had told me his clan but other than the fact he was a lynx I knew nothing. 

I had told him all about my father and mother but the second I asked about his he shut down. His face went blank and his slanted eyes shuttered. The abrupt change from the open and happy youth to the quiet, almost frightened kid had the skin on my back tightening as I reacted instinctively to whatever had scared him.

I reached out and touched his cheek, pushing some of his hair that had escaped his braid back behind his ear. He nuzzled my wrist, a deep rumble in his chest sounding an awful lot like a purr. He looked up, his dark eyes capturing me 

and holding me motionless with my hand still against his face. I forgot how to breathe out when he leaned forward and his lips touched mine gently. I had let out the breath I was holding in a quiet keening noise, suddenly moving into his space and onto his lap, bring my other hand up and holding his face still as I sucked and licked at his lips and he tried to devour my tongue. 

A distant bell brought students in school t-shirts and shorts onto the field for Phys Ed and broke us apart. One boy in particular was staring at us, a heavyset older student that glared balefully. When Natham saw him he blanched and then jumped up, knocking me to the ground. He rushed off, ignoring my calls for him to wait.

That had been the last time I had seen him. He hadn't come back to school and all the questions I had asked at the office were answered with 'he moved and we can't release his information to another student'. I had felt oddly bereft.

But I never forgot him. 

Often his eyes and his voice starred in my dreams, at least the ones that were not nightmares. The last few months since that fateful day had passed oddly slow as if I waited for something important to happen. It was like I was not quite all there, always one part of me looking or listening for something only I could sense coming. 

Since the day I heard of my father's death and my wings had burst forth so suddenly, the days hadn't been nearly long enough though. Spending hours each day on the practice field, doing my schoolwork, meeting with my father's advisors and comforting my mother had me up from dawn until I passed out at night unable to stay awake any longer. 

I usually managed to stay awake until I heard from the daily messenger from Mishtar before falling face down on my bed only to wake up from nightmares over and over each night.

Then, on the eigth day since news of my father's death reached us Mishtar himself returned, dragging with him a pair of surly humans and an unconscious Carthera. 

The humans were guarded by a single Falcon in a corner of the office. The Carthera had been dumped on the floor in front of my father's desk where I sat with an awful pit of some emotion I couldn't name burning in my stomach. Roused by a sharp kick to his ribs, he opened swollen eyes that darted around the room before he drew himself up into a ball to protect his vulnerable midsection. He writhed and hissed his anger when the two Falcon lieutenants grabbed him from the ground and suspended him between them before he slumped weakly with his head down. He seemed to hover on the edge of consciousness. 

Mishtar stood behind them and grabbed him by his long filthy hair to pull his head up. The Carthera snarled and ripped his head and body away so violently that Sameer, one of the lieutenants, lost his grip. The lynx's greater size and weight overbalanced Leiiu, the other lieutenant, and they fell in a heap. Twisting his body, the lynx landed on top of them. His claws came out and slashed with such blinding speed before even Mishtar could react.

With a leap so fast all I saw was a blur, he was suddenly on top of me. Both of his hands tipped by those gleaming white claws gripped my neck while his body covered mine. I heard him snarl and felt him jerk before he went limp. I was shocked beyond words and movement as I stared at his battered face lying next to mine. I barely registered on the floor where we had fallen behind the desk.

"Velaku! Velaku! Are you okay? Subdue those men!" Mishtar was shouting but I ignored him. My hands had come up instinctively as I had always been taught. I had grabbed at the attacking lynx's back as I fell under his weight, feeling my talons puncture deep into the muscles near his spine. I had flared my wings for balance but tripped over the chair behind me, focusing more on going for a spine severing hold when he attacked me.

I was suddenly aware that I was piercing his skin and in danger of damaging his spine. I gasped and yanked my talons out of his back, hoping I hadn't severely damaged him. I felt a large patch of wetness growing under my palms and I could smell the blood. When I moved my hands where I could see them over his shoulders I was shocked to see bright red blood covering my palms and beginning to run in rivulets down my arms.

"Get the doctor!" I screamed. 

I heard one Falcon rush away as he flew directly out one of the large windows to find Dr. Pannar. I shrieked at Mishtar and slashed one taloned hand at him when he came to drag the lynx off me and he backed away when he caught a glimpse of the naked fury on my face. I wrapped my wings possessively around his lower back, trying to avoid his bleeding wounds.

I closed my eyes and drew in a breath, trying to calm the protective anger that surged in me. 

"Velaku, are you hurt?" Mishtar moved into my line of sight when I opened my eyes. 

"No. Tell me what just happened," I ordered.

"When the lynx started to break from his guards Tartel was distracted. He tried to help us and one of the humans drew a hidden knife. He moved almost as fast as we do! I barely had a chance to glimpse the knife before he threw it. I would never have reached him or you in time. 

"This... lynx," the word was said with a curled lip of disgust, "saved your life."

"I am not surprised," I murmured, "it won't be the first time he has protected me from getting hurt."

Mishtar looked at me with his mouth open in shock, "You know him?"

"I do. I met him months ago at school. His father was some sort of traveling business man or something. I..." I stopped paused, not sure of what to say. "I talked to him for hours one day and then he just disappeared." 

I stared in wonder at Natham's face, his beautiful strong face, all sharp lines and tilted eyes. He was skinny, too skinny. His long arms ended in bony wrists and he didn't feel nearly as heavy as he should feel. There was an ashy pale undertone to his naturally tawny skin, as if he had been kept indoors for too long and denied the freedom to roam that all Carthera needed to thrive.

I could feel his heartbeat slowing and his breaths becoming shallower. I barely held in the panic that I felt swamping me.

"Where in the hell is that doctor?" I swore.

Not a moment too soon he entered the office from the doorway, folding his wings behind him. "You sent for me, Velaku? Are you injured?"Dr. Pannar watched me carefully as he approached. 

"He needs..." I gestured cautiously toward the knife I had so gingerly explored with my hands while we waited. I was still under him, too scared to move him without the doctor telling me it was alright. Even covered in injuries, reeking of blood and sweat I was getting some sort of weird vibe that urged me to keep him close to me.

The doctor moved swiftly when I spoke coherently. He'd probably been attacked by more than his fair share of our injured kind. "He is a Carthera?"

"A lynx," I answered.

The doctor was moving his hands along the body on top of me. He looked at me and I waited desperately to hear the prognosis.My stomach was clenching in fear.

"I need to call an ambulance. We must take him to the hospital. This is beyond my skills to treat here but he should survive."

I didn't even have to consider the choice. I'd rather humans came to the eyrie than lose Natham.

"Fine, but you go and handle his care personally, whatever it takes. I will not have pure humans using him as a guinea pig for any reason." One still heard stories of humans trapping Carthera and doing things to them. I would not allow anymore harm to come to Natham, no matter what. 

"And I'm going with you."

               ***

Mishtar insisted on sending two of his men with us to the hospital when he protested my going. Being my father's son, I refused to listen and stay at home where it was safer. Besides, I had to stay with Natham and I wasn't going to question that feeling.  

Apparently deciding that I wouldn't be budged from my decision, Mishtar stayed with the rest of the Falcon guards to question the humans that had survived the raid on the hiding place where they had gone to ground. The guards and I had flown above the ambulance as it made its way to the closest hospital. 

It was a struggle to hold myself back so that I didn't overtake the vehicle as I willed them to drive faster. If another bird Carthera had been able to fit in the ambulance I would have been by his side but with the human paramedics and Dr. Pannar there simply wasn't room for my wings.

Just another reason for me to curse them.

I caught a glimpse of bloody stained sheets and Natham's pale face as the paramedics raced him through the hall and into the ER trauma bay where I couldn't follow. Unable to sit still as we waited, I paced the small family room that was crowded with chairs and benches while the two bodyguards simply stood silently vigilant. 

One stood by the door watching and the other leaned against the wall in a corner under the TV and watched me. The hard molded plastic chairs laid out in rows gave me a serpentine shaped pattern to walk as I waited impatiently for news of Natham's condition. I was close to shrieking in frustration when Dr. Pannar opened the door.

"How is he? Is he okay?" I rushed over to the doctor who sat down wearily.

"He is stable for the moment but we are having a really hard time keeping him unconscious. It is taking dangerous levels of medication just to keep him mostly unaware. We removed the knife from his back and sewed the wound shut. 

"Fortunately there were no internal injuries to his organs or spine, the angle was just right so that knife lodged in one of his ribs instead. The punctures wounds in his back were deep but also avoided anything major. We were able to close each of those with just a stitch or two."

I felt really bad that I had hurt him at all, especially since it was clear that he had thrown himself at my body to protect me from the knife that the human had wielded. About forty five minutes before Dr. Pannar came out, Mishtar had called me, sharing the entire horrific tale of what Natham had been subjected to for the last few months since I saw him last. The worst outrage was who had done it to him. 

I burned inside, desperately wanting to seek retribution.

"I'm much more concerned about the starvation and dehydration that we found. He's been badly beaten, multiple attacks over at least a few months and some signs of a very brutal beating recently but he will heal if we can just get him properly nourished so that he has the energy to heal. The problem is that he keeps waking up enough to rip out the tubes we have in him and make attempts to get out of bed."

Dr. Pannar sighed in exhaustion, stretching his wings out and then folded them back behind him. "I don't want to keep him sedated, it's not safe for long periods of time for Carthera but I don't know what else to do."

"Can I see him? I might..." I paused, I wasn't sure if I wanted to tell the doctor my suspicions yet. "Maybe a friendly voice from someone he knows will make him feel more secure."

"You can try, but the visit must be brief. I don't want him agitated more than he already is. Your guards will have to stay outside as well as the sight of anyone with wings makes him struggle more."

I readily agreed though I could see that made them angry. I didn't care. I was nearly bouncing with each step, my wings flapping a little in my nervous energy as we walked down the hall toward Natham's room. When we got there I walked in behind the doctor. The medical equipment was the same for a human as for a Carthera, the I.V., monitor leads, and catheter tube coming from under the sheet were all exactly what I expected from watching all those medical shows.




Bonds Unbroken Ch. 03



As soon as I entered the rooms one of the beeping sounds on his monitors began to get faster. The doctor quickly walked over to the panels and started tapping the readouts on the machine. I hesitated but something inside me compelled me forward. I stopped when I stood next to Natham's body on the bed. 

Still unsure but unable to resist I slowly put my hand down on his where it rested upturned on the blanket. The monitor went wild and Natham opened his eyes.

They were the same beautiful brown that was almost black, flecks of the dark chocolate color floating in the iris. They started slowly scanning the room and its occupants before locking onto me. One guard stood by the door, facing in while the other stood outside and faced the hall. The doctor was to one side and behind his head but somehow I knew that Natham could tell he was there. It was the wariness of his shoulders and the closed expression on his face. His fingers wound through mine, his grip almost painfully tight. 

His eyes kept flicking to the guard by the door and then back to me. I could feel the tension in his grip and the monitors weren't settling down like I would expect. The heart rate was still racing. I had to get him calmed down, and fast. He was using up energy that he needed to heal. 

"Doctor Pannar, is any of this necessary right now?" I asked.

"No, nothing that can't wait a little while. I could use a bit of a rest and some coffee. If there is a problem, press the call button here to get a nurse. If it is serious they will send someone for me instantly." Natham hissed at the doctor when he came into view. He moved restlessly on the bed and mewled as pain flashed across his face. I crooned at him and he stopped moving, staring at me again. I watched his nostril's flare as he took in my scent.

"Thank you." I briefly glanced at the doctor as he walked out of the room but then shifted my eyes back to Natham. He was staring back with equally intense look. I heard feet shifting and looked over my shoulder to glare narrowly at the guard inside the room.

"You can leave now too."

"But Mishtar told us to not let you out of our sight," he protested.

"I am on the 4th story of a building with bulletproof glass windows and no locks on the doors." I pulled a gun out of the back of my pants with my off hand and had it leveled at him before his pistol had a chance to clear his holster. I looked at him with one eyebrow arched and he flushed.

"You can watch the hall from outside and if someone breaks in through the window somehow it will only take moments for you to get in here. I think I can defend myself that long. Not to mention Mishtar isn't in charge, I am. Now get out!" I said sharply.

The Falcon's mouth was a white line as he pursed his lips but he saluted with his fist to his chest and walked backward out of the room, shutting the door behind him. I waited for it to click before I turned to the lynx lying in the bed.

"I don't know what is going on Natham," I moved up closer to him and sat on the edge of his bed, "but I don't like what I've heard." Natham flinched away from my angry tone and dropped my hand. I was upset by the wounds on his body and the gaunt look on his face but that didn't excuse my tone.

"Velaku?" 

His voice was tiny and almost broken, his expression completely confused. I moved to touch his face and he jerked away from me, mewling at the pain from his wounds.

"No, no, shh, it's okay. I won't hurt you." I made an effort to smooth out the roughness in my voice from my anger and anxiety. "I am not mad or upset at you, but at the people who have hurt you. I hate seeing you like this." I watched as a tear slipped from his eye. I wanted to wipe it away but I really didn't want to make him jerk away again. "Shhh, try not to cry, I am sure none of these machines would like that and then we'd have the nurses in here."

He was staring at me, his head cocked as far as he could manage. He didn't seem like he really understood what I was saying but he had stopped trying to move away from me. I laughed a bit ruefully. 

"Alright, I wouldn't like it either," I said.

He blinked.

"Where am I?" His words were slow and halting, a bit slurred from the anesthesia and pain medication but I understood what he said.

"You're in the hospital in town. The human surgeons took care of your injuries but you need lots of help to get better still. We're going to get you healthy again. Don't worry, you're safe."

I could see him struggling to understand what I was saying. "Safe?" he asked.

"Yes, you're safe. I promise, no one will hurt you here."

"Nooo," he said slowly and shook his head as he shakily brought one hand up to brush against my wing. "Are you safe?" He spoke slowly and as distinctly as possible. I smiled at him. Starved, injured, just out of surgery, and doped to his cute pointed ears and he was worried about me.

When he smiled back I saw the other signs I had missed before... his teeth, framed by dainty white points before, were now bracketed by large threatening fangs. I turned over his hand and pressed on his fingertip, triggering the release of a sharp gleaming claw from the tip. He was not furred like some of the other mammal Carthera but his skin did carry faint markings, as if he had bands of color like a natural lynx would. 

Obviously Natham had matured as well in our time apart. It only reinforced my thoughts and my fears. 

He didn't need to worry about them yet though, he needed to heal. 

"I am very safe. I'm not alright though." 

He looked anxious at my words and I reassured him.

"I won't be alright until you are better and out of here so do what the doctors say, okay? Leave all the tubes and monitor leads alone, they're helping you get better."

Natham nodded and yawned. "Okay." His eyes were barely open slits and he mewed a bit as he shifted.

He snuggled into his pillow, curling up on his side into a ball despite the injuries in his back. I stroked my hand down his smooth hair and he purred in a deep throaty sound that got fainter until he fell asleep. I sat looking at him for a few more moments before I quietly got up.

I shut the door softly behind me, instructing one of the Falcons to stay and guard Natham. I stopped at the nurse's station and asked to be kept informed of Natham's condition and any changes immediately. The female tried to protest based on my age but my guard quickly informed her of exactly who I was. She blanched, readily agreeing to whatever I wanted.

News of my father's death had rocked even the humans in our area. 

I couldn't help but think about her reaction on the way home. I would be very glad when the final stage passed and I was fully matured. I was not sure of exactly when that would be, my change being so unusual nothing was certain. I could see the differences in my body each day and a new maturity had settled on me, my mind growing in leaps and bounds. Normal mated Carthera, at least in my clan, were fully matured within days after their wings were sung out and they bonded with their mates. 

In the midst of everything else I was fiercely praying that I was not to be stuck in some quasi-adolescent stage. Would I ever have a true mate or was destiny just screwing me over?



Bonds Unbroken Ch. 04



The next day brought little change to Natham's condition. He was still heavily medicated but had stopped hissing at the staff and let them touch him in order to help him without being sedated. I sat with him for a few hours. He kept waking up when I shifted but after a quick check to make sure I was still there, he would knead my hand caught between his, purring as he drifted back to sleep. His trust and gentleness with me was astounding. 

His distress when I had to leave upset me. I had the nurse track down his surgeon so that I could speak to him before I left. The human doctor had worked well with Dr. Pannar but most humans had no idea who I was.

"I want to take Natham home tomorrow." 

Prepared for a fight, I crossed my arms over my chest and drew myself up to what would seem to be my full height, a very unimpressive 5 foot 7 inches. I raised one eyebrow and waited for the doctor's argument to begin. 

"Alright." The doctor looked thoughtful. "I know Dr. Pannar has just about everything that Natham will need over the next few days but I'll order a different pain medication for after he's settled in. It is a lower dose and should allow him to come out of the drug induced haze he is under. I think he'll be fine once he is out of here and with you."

I stared at the doctor in shock, my arms fallen to my sides. I must have made some noise because he looked up from the tablet he was writing notes on.

"What?" he said, frowning at me.

I smoothed the disgruntled look from my face. Taking a breath and letting it out, I shook my head and smiled ruefully. "I was expecting an argument actually."

"Well, Natham looked really bad when he was brought in and he lost a lot of blood. Fortunately we have donated Carthera blood from many different clans here and he got a full transfusion of lynx blood overnight. His wounds are beginning to heal rapidly and I think that he will recover more naturally away from an institutional setting. He is most comfortable with you so I think going to your home will be the best for him."

I nodded. "I plan to take care of him personally." 

I had laid awake in bed for hours last night thinking. I had decided to have Natham installed in my suite of rooms and had rearranged the furniture that morning before I came to the hospital.

"Then ask Dr. Pannar to show you how to hook up and take care of his IV. He's going to need a steady drip to supplement his eating. He will need that for a few more days unfortunately. He will have a pump that regulates the flow but with the energy his body needs to heal and his shrunken stomach there is no way he could eat enough to sustain the weight he is now much less gain to where he needs to be."

"I understand. Thank you, Doctor." I shook his hand and then left the hospital. 

Once home I informed Dr. Pannar of my plans as well as Mishtar. My mother was more difficult as I wasn't sure exactly what to tell her about Natham. I left it where he was a good friend and a victim much as I was but I could tell from look on her face that she knew I had not given her the full story. She was not the same since she lost my father, leaving most of the clan decisions up to me.

That night I slept fitfully as I suffered from my nightmare repeatedly only to wake up and begin again. No pain in this one but fear, loathing, and rage pierced my dreams. Finally I laid there awake as the predawn sun began to lighten the sky. I hugged a pillow to my bare chest; I had never felt as alone as I did lying in my bed that night. I sensed that I shouldn't be and it was throwing me off. 

I rolled over and gazed over at my parent's picture on my nightstand. The night was quiet other than the sound of my voice as I talked to my dad and told him about my hopes and fears. I knew that wherever his essence was soaring he heard my words and would watch over me. The thought brought a measure of comfort. I was finally able to slip away into a restful sleep just before the sun rose over the lip of the cliff to chase away the shadows of the night sky.

***

It was hard to enter my father's rooms but it was necessary. My mother wasn't even able to go in there. While she was out, I raided my father's closet in order to find clothes for Natham. Ordinarily even those would not have fit him but his emaciated frame was almost as thin as one of us. 

When he put them on at the hospital, his ankles and wrists still stuck out of the shirt and pants but his own clothes had been cut off him leaving him with nothing to wear. Though, between the filth already on them and the blood from his wounds, they hadn't been fit for anything but rags anyway. Natham was much more alert today and he watched me as I talked to the doctor and nurses before they released him.

"Where are you taking me?" Natham was sitting in a wheelchair out by the front entrance as we waited with the two guards Mishtar still insisted I keep with me at all times when I was away from the eyrie. I stood beside his chair and the guards flanked us, one on either side.

"I'm taking you home." I smiled at him to reassure him.

"Home?"

"Of course. I want you to stay with me and my mother. Is that okay?"

"As long as I am with you," he said as he shrugged. 

He hissed and winced in pain at the movement and I stroked his shoulder, giving it a firm little squeeze. He sighed and then took in the fresh air like he hadn't breathed any in years. It had to hurt, he taking deep breaths of the chilly air as if to clear the stink of the hospital antiseptic from his nose. I could feel him wincing a little with each breath but he kept doing it. The scents from the hospital were very strong to sensitive Carthera noses, most human scents were. It was why we tended to live amongst our own kind.

All of a sudden there was a loud squeal of tires from the parking lot and a car that surged toward us. My guards went into action, pushing me roughly back and standing in front of me with their wings flared. They were on high alert with their weapons pointed at the oncoming SUV. 

Their wings relaxed slightly when the vehicle passed us and pulled up to the emergency entrance. 

My guards shifted to the right to stay in front of me but when a man ran around the front of the car to help a very pregnant woman out of the passenger side they pointed their weapons at the ground. They were still cautious though and didn't put them away as we watched carefully.

Obviously Mishtar expected me to be attacked like my father had been. He didn't like me going to the hospital and I'd overheard him threaten my guards if anything happened to me. I understood the seriousness of the situation but I just couldn't focus on it. Since he brought Natham into my office, my focus had been on him.

I let out a sigh of relief and then suddenly became aware of hands on my shoulders and a low hissing in my ear. I could smell the natural warm, spicy scent Natham had and patted him on one hand.

"It's okay, there's no threat," I reassured him. "You need to sit back down before you fall."

The small threatening sound didn't stop though. I turned a little to glance at him without breaking contact, and I could see his eyes were fixed on my guards who were still standing close, almost touching me as they protected me from possible attack. One guard turned and saw Natham's grip on me. 

His hand gripping his gun began to lift and he stepped back to get the room he'd need to take a shot. Natham's mouth opened and his white fangs gleamed in the sun as he let out a louder hiss. He pulled me tighter against his body, wrapping one arm around my waist and one up around my chest. I could feel his body vibrating with the force of his need to assert his claim. 

Oh yeah, I was sure now. Natham was definitely my mate. A cat and a bird. 

If the situation wasn't so tense I would have snorted at the irony.

"Hold! He is not attacking me. Step back!" I barked.

"Sir! We can't..." The other guard had spun around and was now holding his weapon pointed at the ground but only because he was unable to find a clear shot at Natham without risking me.

"You can and will. He is not attacking me, he's threatening you. NOW STEP BACK!" My guards were reluctant but each took several steps backward away from me. Natham began to relax and his grip eased until he was just gently holding me, his hands stroking my chest. He was still watching the guards warily and hissed quietly when they shifted.

"Natham... It's okay, they're not going to touch me. You're fine, I'm fine." I soothed him, leaning into his embrace and rubbing his arms so that he knew I wasn't going to try and get away. He tightened his grip briefly and I felt his mouth and his tongue caressing my neck as he marked me with his scent, rubbing his cheek over my shoulder.

"Mine," he said, his voice low and distorted. I felt it vibrate in the sensitive bones behind my ear and fought back a moan. My body agreed, becoming limp and heavy.

"Yours," I said softly. That prompted a new sound to erupt, a sexy erotic purr that threatened to make my knees fail. "But you have to accept that others might touch me sometimes. Especially to protect me."

"You're mine!" he insisted but he relaxed and resumed purring when I agreed that I was his again. The deep rumbling purr vibrated in his chest and I could feel it against my wings. It felt good and was very distracting. I was unable to get him to sit back down so he was still holding me and purring when the car pulled up. The third guard driving saw Natham holding me and the alert posture of the guards. He came to a quick stop and then got out of the car, his hand hovering over his gun in his hip holster

"Is there a problem here?" His eyebrow was raised as he looked at me then at the guards standing at some distance from me, much farther than the distance Mishtar would allow for guarding in an open area.

"Just a little misunderstanding. C'mon Natham, let's get in the car, okay." I managed to get him to let go of me but kept a hold of his hand which seemed to please him. He seemed to forget the pain of his injuries when he felt challenged but he was still very hurt. I needed to get him to rest as soon as we returned home.

Natham was still purring and rubbing my hand with his as he nodded, following me into the backseat and sitting close. I let him hold me during the ride home and he sat quietly kneading my hand. The small pricks of his claws as they flex in and out didn't hut but felt strangely good. 

The quick trip exhausted him though and it was easy to convince him to lie down once we got home. I helped him straight into my bed. I sat on the edge and stroked his hair back from his face to ease him until he fell asleep snuggled into the pillow I normally used. When I was certain he wouldn't wake I stood up to go find Mishtar; I knew he would have questions for me.

***

"What exactly is going on?" Mishtar demanded as soon as he walked into the office.

"Excuse me?" I arched one eyebrow and frowned. I was expecting questions but his tone was not acceptable in the slightest.

Mishtar heard the warning in my voice and saw the way my wings flared a bit in anger. He relaxed from his rigid pose in front of my desk and sat down in one of the chairs.

"What I need to know is why exactly I have a territorial lynx threatening my men when they try to protect you. Your ease with him behaving that way says that you know more than you are telling me. I have to be able to protect you!" He pushed a hand through his hair in frustration. "You know that this is far from over."

I sighed. "I know, Mishtar, I really was paying attention when you called me yesterday. What did you do with our human guests?"

"They were turned into the local police once we finished questioning them."

"Good. They will be prosecuted and since Natham is going to be staying here that just makes it easier if they need him for their trial. Humans and their justice system." I shook my head; their long drawn out system of justice was anathema to us Carthera.  

Our justice was swift and often brutal but when dealing with what amounted to animals at times, it was necessary.

"What don't you want to tell me? You don't usually stall like this."

I had to resist the urge to squirm. "I think that Natham and I are mates." I had put it a bit baldly but after all there was no real way to sugar coat the situation. It was almost unheard of for Carthera to cross-species mate. I had never even heard of a bird and a predator mammal mating. 

"Well, it's more than just a thought. I'm sure we are."

Mishtar gaped at me. "How is that even possible? You haven't seen him for months, you said so yourself. We have to be physically with our mates and our families in order for our wings to be sung out and the blood bond to be formed."

"I think we have been bound for a very long time. I have had these nightmares as long as I can remember; in them I feel fear and pain enough to terrorize me though I believed it wasn't real. I never knew when they were coming or why but they haunted my sleep. They became more and more vivid until the night I found out about my father's death. I was dreaming when my wings burst. I think that's when Natham and I bonded."

"Oh gods, that fits." Mishtar was rubbing his face. 

"Fits what?"

"The humans said that the man in charge, Natham's father, drugged him and goaded him into killing your father. From what I understand, a lynx Carthera only matures when he has made a kill for the first time and then they bond with their mate. They bound your father and left him for the slaughter. That night must have been Natham's initiation. I don't understand how it worked on you though, being another species."

I had stood back up, pacing the room in my agitation. 

"Don't you get it? They used my father and his blood tie to me. When Natham killed him it was like when we blood bond. That must have been why they attacked him. The damn human cops down there must be in on it. They told us he was dead before my wings came out. If my father wasn't killed until Natham and I bonded, they must have known it was going to happen and how." I was close to shrieking in my anger. I hadn't thought of that aspect before Mishtar talked about turning over the humans we captured with Natham to the police. Now I wanted them back. I wanted to tear them to pieces myself.

"But how did they know about your bond? Who is Natham's father? The local Lynx clan has no knowledge of him, I'm sure of it. None of the humans we captured knew who he was either."

I thought hard, trying to think of the times I had been around Natham before my father's death. All of a sudden that afternoon on the field flashed in my mind as well as the kiss we shared. Even more vivid was the look of fear on Natham's face when he saw the other boy watching us. 

"I know!"

"What?" Mishtar had been watching me pace silently but now he leaned forward.

"The day before he moved away, Natham and I were um... well; we were kissing on the field. Some kids came on the field for phys. ed and one was glaring at us. I didn't recognize him. The second Natham saw him he took off.

"I didn't know cross species bonds happened. I knew he was a lynx but I just thought... well, I don't know. But we must have begun the bond that day and that kid must have known him and his father somehow. Natham never came back to school and now that I think of it, neither did that guy. That's the only thing that makes sense."

"But you have no idea who this kid was or who Natham's father could be?"

I shook my head, sitting back in my chair and sighed in frustration; Mishtar slumped back as well. We knew a little more now about what happened but we still had no real idea what the motive behind all of this was. Was it a simply a personal attack, some grudge against my family? Was Natham's father trying to take over the territory and what would that gain him? The other leaders across the country would band together and eliminate him.

"We need to talk to Natham," Mishtar said.

"I know but right now he just isn't able to talk. I don't think his mind is really recovered from all that has happened to him. He needs time."

"We might not have time," Mishtar reminded me. I sat back down in my chair heavily.

"I know. Look, give me a few days to get him healed up and trusting me before we try to pick his brain. I promise if he says anything you will be the first to know." I wasn't trying to bury my head in the sand but I felt a need to be with my mate and the thought of distressing Natham right now went against every protective instinct I had.

My mate. I marveled at the words but under the amazement and feelings of joy was a deep sense of unease. We were different species.

Would we be able to truly bond?

Mishtar didn't look happy but he nodded slowly.

"Keep investigating. See if you can find more information on who contacted my mother and found my father's body. I would bet my left talons that they will be involved."

"Good idea." Mishtar stood and bowed. I came to my feet and returned the gesture. I barely waited for him to leave the room before I was headed back to my own. I couldn't help but hurry back to the sleeping cat in my bed. Now that I knew for sure what it was, the bond to my mate was calling me. 

The next few days were a rollercoaster of emotions. It was by turns stressful and blissful. Being with Natham was a joy, the connection that we felt that let us talk comfortably for hours the one time we met before was still there. I couldn't believe I hadn't realized it was the bond mates feel when they meet but cross-species mating was just something he hadn't heard of before. We talked about just about anything they could think of but by unspoken agreement, recent events went unmentioned. I treasured the time he spent next to Natham, gently touching and getting to know him though he was in pain and slept a lot. 

I used those times to practice my combat techniques and to talk with Mishtar. His men were working on finding out the identity of the police conspirators and they kept running into a lot of roadblocks. Grants Pass was toward the southern edge of our territory and not many Carthera lived there. Many of the clans had moved northward to be closer to the center of the land my father had claimed. The local humans were used to us here and we had very little problems between our kinds. 

That was due to my father and his tireless work to get the humans to understand the different Carthera clans and to elect government and police officials that were sympathetic to the discrimination that Carthera came up against all the time. He had told me many times that my birth was what really galvanized him into action. He wanted me to grow up in a world safe for Carthera and humans both.

I wanted to continue my father's work but I was afraid that whoever Natham's dad was, he would continue to come after him and me. 

More and more the idea that my father's death was part of some bigger plot played in my mind. I had held Mishtar off for two days so that Natham could heal and become more at ease around me. To my shock, my mother took pity on him rather than hating him when she met him the second day he had been recovering with me. He had been sitting in one corner of the office near my desk when the door slammed open and my mother stormed in, raging and shrieking about my father's murderer being in her home.

I had looked up at her in shock but her anger had suddenly died before I could say a word. Instead she looked stricken as she stared toward where Natham had been sitting. I looked over at him and darted out of my chair to kneel beside him. His body had been frozen into a submissive posture and all I could see only stark terror on his face when I pried it off the floor. When he saw my mother looking at him he curled up tighter and started shaking, putting up his hands as if to ward off a blow.




Bonds Unbroken Ch. 04



Natham had to outweigh my mother and me by forty pounds, most of that pure muscle, even in the extremely thin state he was in now. He had fangs and claws and all the skills a silent predator brings to the hunt. But the very instant she burst into the room, her anger an almost palpable force, he became more submissive than the smallest child among my clan. 

T

he visible fear and panic that held him motionless shocked us both. I wrapped my arms around him and held him tight as he buried his face in my neck. 

I wrapped my wings around his back gently stroking him and stared at her, defying her to not show compassion and understanding when it was so clearly needed. When he was so clearly not someone who had maliciously killed my father and planned to kill us in our sleep; the ridiculous accusation she had been shrieking when she burst into the office.

Her eyes had filled with tears and I knew then that she saw Natham, not a cruel vicious monster who had killed my father. No one who was capable of such a thing in cold blood would have reacted to her approach that way. She came closer and Natham mewled in fear, shrinking away from her touch. 

She lost the battle with her tears and they streamed down her face. Shaking her head, she stood up. She had mouthed an apology at me and then slipped out of my office, leaving me to calm Natham. I had held him and stroked him with my wings until he was able to stop shaking and stand up. Soothing him with quiet words and gently stripping him I put him to bed; he never said a word, just watched me with broken eyes. 

Stroking his hair with one hand, I wiped the silent tears that slid down his cheeks from time to time until he fell asleep. I had planned on calling Mishtar and meeting with him and Natham that afternoon but the trauma of meeting my mother had sent him someplace in his mind that undid most of the work I had accomplished on getting him to open up. 

He wasn't ready and I was so jumpy only sliding in next to him on the bed and cuddling him had calmed me down.

Two days later, I could no longer put it off. I called Mishtar in the morning and asked him to come by right after lunch. Natham had been healing very well and each hour that we spent together brought more and more life back to his eyes. I had talked to him quietly while holding him in bed before the meeting. The closeness my body yearned for was not as important as healing the damage done to him so I focused on comfort and not the heat I felt when I touched his bare skin. 

When we finally got around to talking about my father he understood, I saw his eyes darken when I mentioned what Mishtar had found out so far. He had shuddered and cried, holding onto me and whispering he was sorry over and over. Nothing I could say would ease the pain we both felt over his death but crying together seemed to purge some of the turbulent emotions and brought us closer.

My hunch was right about his father wanting to take over my clan's land. During the meeting, Natham was able to give Mishtar names that the leader of the Falcons recognized from their investigations, though the Carthera and humans he mentioned were not local. Mishtar had recognized the name of one of the humans as one of the police detectives, not the man that had called my mother with details on my father's death but he worked for the same task force. 

We were now that much closer to finally figuring out what was going on. Natham was exhausted and shaking by the time he was done talking, telling us about the degradation and pain he had been raised in and the absolute ruthlessness of the man he called Father. He'd been conditioned since childhood to obey without question. Most nights ended with beatings and then being locked into a tiny dark room. 

For years Natham had been beaten and forced to listen to his father's rants over the way the Carthera were treated. It turned out his brother had been the boy who saw our kiss and that is when they moved away to plan this attack. He'd recognized the mate bond between us, even if we didn't.

For the months we'd been apart Natham was drugged and then beaten and goaded until he passed out. He didn't remember much of that night because by the time they set their plan in motion he was unable to use his human mind, completely feral. When he lashed out at the person who was shoved into the small cage he had been penned in, he had not known it wasn't another of the Carthera who had been tormenting him for months. 

The shock of the blood and the ritual his father led his clan in performing had roared through him and then through me bringing our bond to life and brought both him and me to maturity. Somehow the link from my father to me and the mental tie that it seemed Natham and I had shared since we were children had created a completely unique bonding. Over time and distance our bodies had bonded and we became mates. 

He remembered my scent but it was only the touch of my body to his that brought him back from the mindless ferocity he had been broken to. 

"But we're not like other mates," I said, "and how do we have this connection? How have I dreamed about you since I was a fledgling? How does all of this fit in with whatever his plan is?" 

"He never told me," Natham said. "I'm sorry. No one should have had to feel that pain." 

"You shouldn't have had to feel it either," I said angrily. Natham's grip on my hand tightened and I squeezed him back. "Sorry, I just feel like for every answer we find we get two more questions." 

"I bet he was trying to bring you into your bond and maturity so that you would lead your clan against him. That type of open warfare between the clans would frighten and possibly drive away our human allies. Our people would be left to the slaughter if he had enough support from the other Carthera clans, the hyenas and the snake clans especially. He relied on your youth and your fury coupled with the turbulent hormones a youngling is subject to goad you into acting rashly before we could discover his plans."

I nodded, it made sense. "I almost did too," I said ruefully, "if it wasn't for my mother and Dr. Pannar I might very well have damned us by doing exactly that."

"But you didn't," Natham pointed out. "Your men found me and the humans and brought us back to your eyrie to interrogate."

"No, I didn't." I agreed, "but even then you had to save me." I stroked his hand. "You do that a lot." 

Natham's eyes dilated. "I like saving you," he said huskily. 

My wings rustled from the shiver that went up my spine as I met his eyes and saw the lust in them that mirrored my own. I swallowed hard.

Mishtar cleared his throat and I had to look away. It took a few breaths before I could speak again. I had to keep my mind focused, for my mate's sake. 

I took a deep breath. "It's time to bring that bastard down. Mishtar, you know what to do. Find out all you can and then we will come up with a battle strategy. This time we will attack."

Mishtar's eyes lit up with a grim purpose. His smile held the promise of death coming for our enemies. "Consider it done." 

He stood and bowed with one fist to his chest, then left the room to begin contacting the Falcons immediately.

I looked over at Natham who looked frightened. 

"Don't worry; it'll be our side that wins. No matter how many people you father might be blackmailing or bribing into helping him we have many more allied to us through bonds of friendship and loyalty. I don't even think we will have to call in our allies among the different Carthera clans." 

My smile was sharp; I wanted to take Natham's father down myself. 

Natham still looked a little frightened so I shook myself, relaxing my posture so that he would stay calm. I was talking about going up against a man who had indoctrinated Natham in fear since he was a small child. I understood and didn't judge Natham for that.

Mishtar would work on finding them wherever they were hiding; we needed to work on our bond. Standing up, I pulled Natham to his feet.

"Alright, I think we need to take you shopping," I said, looking at the clothes that didn't quite fit him. They were getting smaller as his body filled back out with good food and rest. Not that the shirts stretching across his broad shoulders weren't fun to look at but I wanted my mate comfortable. 

Shopping would be a good distraction for both of us.

***

The trip to the mall was quiet. We talked softly in the backseat while two of the Falcons sat up front. I pulled Natham into the mall, holding his hand when he flinched at the noise. The guards trailed behind us at a discreet distance. There were some stares, his eyes were striking and he moved with a feline grace though not everyone would be able to tell he was Carthera until they got closer. At least the humans wouldn't, the few Carthera we saw recognized both of us for what we were instantly and typically bowed then backed away. 

My wings drew far more attention from the humans. Their pure white color and the blood red drops on the end of each feather seemed to fascinate people. It was annoying but most strangers kept their distance. The children I tried to smile for though; their eyes held an innocent curiosity.

Taking Natham into stores was another story altogether. Female clerks kept trying to pull him away from me and 'help' him to the dressing rooms but he never let go of my hand. We picked out an assortment of things for him to try on after I finally managed to run off the last annoying salesgirl by flapping my wings threateningly and issuing a firm command for her to leave us. 

She was intimidated by me enough to listen thankfully. 

The bird Carthera clans, the Falcons and Eagles, were showy but rarely feared as some of clans with features that were a more obvious threat. The large cat clans like the Jaguar, Lynx, and Tigers were beautiful to humans but given wide berth because of their fangs and claws. The fearsome looking Snake clan was small as their numbers had dwindled almost to extinction. Both humans and other Carthera were biased against them. Scaly skin, fangs and a forked tongue were hard to hide.

"Here, go try these on. I'll be right here outside the door." 

I handed Natham a stack of clothes, jeans, t-shirts and tank tops for the most part. I almost drooled when he came out, low rise jeans hugging his thighs and ass. The light blue t-shirt fit snugly across his shoulders and just covered the tops of the firm muscles of his biceps. The color was perfect to highlight his tan skin and his long hair that he had left to fall straight down his back.

He blushed when he saw the look on my face. "You like it then?"

"Mmhmm," I smiled and winked at him, "I think I need to take you home."

The heat in his eyes burned me and I squirmed a little, trying to make more room behind my zipper as I shifted myself discreetly. We had been sleeping together but hadn't done anything yet, his frailties and our shyness had kept our underwear on and our caresses and kisses had slowly become heated but we hadn't gone farther. It was a form of slow torture that had me on a constant simmer. 

The clothes he wore hid the muscles and sleek body that I had seen nearly naked each night in bed but something about the way they clung to him made it more erotic than seeing him unclothed.

He purred, "I think that would be a very good idea. Let's go now."

I shook my head and gave a small laugh. "Tempting... but no. You need to get a few more things and I want to get a pretzel before we head home."

Natham pouted and crossed his arms over his strong chest. "But I don't want to." His personality had been slowly coming back, especially when we were alone. He wasn't afraid of me. 

"I think I want to take these off," he ran his hands down his chest and sides to rest in the waistband of the jeans, "and get in bed with you." He winked. "For a nap, of course."

Oh man, I was going to need new jeans to replace the ones my erection was about to put a hole through if he didn't stop. I cleared my throat.

"Tough. If we don't do it now we will have to do it later. Do you want to come back?" I raised my eyebrow at him.

He grimaced and then shrugged like it was my loss, giving in and going back into the dressing room, shaking his ass a little as he looked over his shoulder with a small glare. That made me smile, though I made sure to hide my smug grin until he shut the door. He came back out a few minutes later in a pair of tan slacks and a loose button up in a dark green that highlighted his exotic striped patterned skin and shining hair.

I gasped when he strutted in front of me and it took me a moment to remember how to talk. "Oh, you need to keep that on." I eyed him hungrily and it was his turn to grin. His eyes flared and his walk turned predatory as he stalked toward me. His nose flared as he took in my scent and began purring, a quiet low purr that sounded like it resonated right out of his chest. 

He stopped when he stood less than a foot from me.

"I think we should go," he said in a deep voice. He brought one calloused hand up and instead of brushing it along my face like I expected he stroked the top part of my wing that rose above my shoulders. It was a light touch, almost tickling me but the shiver that traced down my spine made me want to do anything but laugh.

"Umm, yeah. Let's just grab that shirt and the t-shirt in a few colors plus some more of the pants." I made him turn around so that I could pull the tag off the shirt and pants, unable to resist kissing the soft skin at the back of his neck as I turned the tag out to look at the size. It was his turn to shiver but his moan did things to my stomach, making it flip in anticipation.

He grabbed the clothes he wore to the mall out of the dressing room along with the jeans and t-shirt he tried on first. We grabbed a few more in the same size and paid for them. Natham blushed and frowned a little when I paid but we had talked about that on the way over. We knew we were mates. What was mine was his and what was his was mine. He might not like it but he accepted it. For now.

Leaving the mall we went past the food court to get my pretzel. I had told Natham we could wait but when my stomach growled he insisted on getting me food. I was licking off the salt and taking small bites when my arm was jostled and I dropped it. I looked up to glare at the person who was standing too close to me but gasped instead. It was a Carthera male, some sort of cat though not a lynx like Natham. 

His claws extended, he wrapped his arm around my neck, his palm muffling my mouth so I couldn't call out. His claws bit into my face and I could feel small trickles of blood sliding down my cheeks. His other arm closed around my chest, pinning my arms to my sides. I was helpless as he picked me up off the floor and began to hustle me away swiftly.

I tried to fight, to use my training, but I was caught unaware and my wings and arms were pinned to my body so they and my talons were useless. I heard Natham's enraged hiss before the sound was choked off. Two cats had a hold of him and he was fighting their hold which alerted my guards still getting their pretzels. They shot up into the air as they flew fast, trying to reach us. 

Our abductors were too fast and the guards too far behind to catch up before they hustled us through the mall doors and into a van that was parked on the sidewalk right in front of the doors. The humans gaped at us but stayed out of the way, unsure of what was happening.

My wings were bent under me and I fought the pain and tried to get free. I managed to rake my talons down someone's soft skin; I heard swearing and felt a prick in my arm. I wrenched my face away from the hand held over my mouth, feeling my skin tear from the cat's claws. I could feel Natham's fury and I turned my head to try and find him. It suddenly felt as though the air was thick and I had to fight to just move my head. I saw him held tight between two men and could hear him hissing and spitting as he fought them.

"Thought you were going to get away from us didn't you, kitten?" One of the men laughed; the sound a hideous hissing noise that sent a chill down my spine. "I got a shipment of new toys while you were away. You know how much I love to play with you, little cat."

Fear and anger warred in Natham. I could smell his scent move to complete and utter terror when the man spoke again.

"The first thing I unwrapped was our new cane. You know how much you loved the smooth one? This one has studs. The pain will be exquisite." The man licking his lips as he watched Natham break disgusted me. I was beyond rage and only my body forced into immobility by whatever they injected me prevented me from ripping his face off with my talons.

I tried to catch Natham's eyes, to reassure him I was here and he wasn't alone but he didn't see me. I don't think he saw anything or anyone in front of him anymore. He was now locked somewhere in his head, sent there by the man's words. I had seen part of his life through my dreams and I knew it was a very bad place. 

Tears slipped down my face at the sheer torture he was already experiencing while I watched. I had promised to protect him and I failed. That bitter thought was the last thing in my mind before the drugs sent me into the blackness.



Bonds Unbroken Ch. 05



**Reader Caution: This chapter has violent content.**



I had no way to tell how long I had been out or where we were when I woke up. My mouth tasted awful, a bitter metallic flavor coated my tongue and my head was pounding. My hands were completely encased in cotton and seemed to be fastened together behind my back. My wings ached where I was laying on them and the cuts on my face throbbed. I tried to stay still to hear something from our captors that might give me some idea of where we were but I grunted when we went around a corner and my weight shifted painfully, alerting them to the fact I was awake.

The man who had taunted Natham leaned over the seat I was dumped on and smirked at me.

"Well, well, look who's awake." His eyes were dead and cold and I shivered as I met his slit pupil gaze. 

Snake. 

He was one of the Snake clan. I remained silent as I silently promised him his death. He hissed at me and I sneered. Let him underestimate me based on my size. My retribution would be all the sweeter.

"Not long now, baby bird. We'll soon have you exactly where we want you and your clan and your land will be ours. I saw your mother once with your father. She's a delectable little tidbit. Do you think she'd sing for me while I use her before passing her to our human accomplices?"

I could not remain silent. "You stay away from my mother!" 

I fought against my bonds but I couldn't move them an inch, my struggles earning me only pain in my wrists from the metal cutting into my skin. He gave that little hissing laugh, as if he could feel the pain and relished it. I wanted nothing more than to kill the bastard. His head moved away from my line of sight and I could hear small sounds in the backseat where Natham had been. 

I thumped my head back against the seat, feeling tears burn in my eyes. The men who had killed my father and tortured my mate were torturing him again and I could do nothing to stop it. I strained against my bonds, not caring when I felt hot fluid begin to drip down my wrists. I was so lost in my hate and self-recrimination that I didn't even feel the sting of another shot before I was sucked back into unconsciousness by the drug's insidious pull.

***

This time when I woke up we were no longer moving and my arms were no longer bound together behind my back. Instead I was hanging from the ceiling, suspended by thick, cold metal bands that dug into my wrists. 

My shoulders and elbows screamed in protest from holding all my weight while my feet hung several inches above the floor and my wing tips just brushed the cold concrete floor.

I couldn't move my wings at all; someone had bound them to my body and I was unable to break the restraint. I struggled wildly and finally had to stop from the pain in my already cut wrists. I rested, panting and slumping as far as my bonds allowed me.

I heard the sound of footsteps approaching and I brought my head up to glare at one of my captors entering the room. Captive or not, I was the leader of my clan and all the clans in my territory. 

I would not cower or show weakness!

A tall man was coming toward me with a lazy stroll, his eyes gleaming covetously at me, as if he had a new toy and all the time in the world to play with it. He was a cat and I caught the musky scent that accompanied a leopard. His skin was a golden yellow and his eyes were pitch black, reflecting the light like shiny black onyx. Finger long teeth glistened in the harsh fluorescent light when he sneered at me.

"The son is not nearly as impressive as the father." 

He spoke to someone behind me. It wasn't until then that I realized I wasn't alone; realized that my struggles and failure to free myself had been witnessed. The thought made me burn in anger and my fingers curved in the urge to rake my talons down the smug faces of my captors.

The man who moved around from behind me was the cat Carthera had originally grabbed me from the mall. He moved toward the other man aggressively but his manner held a hint of subservience. I could tell this new cat, the leopard, was important. The door he had come in was left open and I debated struggling again in an attempt to get free and reach it. It was unlikely I would be able to break the thick metal so trying to escape right then was futile. I decided to conserve my strength and listen to discover whatever I could. 

As long as they didn't kill me first I might find out more about these ferals and their operation to take over my territory. With the door open I could hear strange sounds coming from the hall but I was distracted from them when the cat who had grabbed Natham and me from the mall started speaking.

"It was simple. The plan went off perfectly," he said smugly. "Now, I expect to be paid."

"Of course the plan was perfect; it was mine!" the leopard hissed. "If your mercenaries hadn't failed at the warehouse in the first place none of this would have been necessary. Now I have to finesse the situation to prevent the other clans from banding together even with their leader missing. Your incompetence has made my job that much harder. You will be compensated when his clan gives up their rights to their territory and hands over their accounts, not one second before. Your job is not over yet; there are still the Falcons to be considered. They are fearful opponents!"

"I fear nothing!" the mercenary scoffed. "The warriors with Keserem were no trouble."

"You had the advantage in numbers and the police had secured them before they knew anything was up. Don't get cocky!" the leopard snarled at him.

"The Falcon clan has held supremacy over the other clans because they are both smart and ferocious in battle. You would be wise to remember that they may be small but they are not weak."

The man eyed me and the cuts on my face from his claws. "Their leader is," he said cockily.

"A youngling not fully matured? Yeah, big challenge," The leopard scoffed. "He is not important of himself, other than a good way to torture my wayward son and to get control of his clan. If those Falcons hadn't raided the center and stolen Natham they both would have died by now and I would have been able to take over the clans days ago."

I was confused; this leopard was Natham's father? 

How was that possible when they were different clans? 

I blanched at the thought of the thought of dying but he was right. As badly starved as Natham was when the Falcons found him, the continued abuse on his body would have killed him in another day or two. Carthera are strong and we heal quickly but that comes at a price. Our bodies need a lot of fuel and most clans are very social and tactile. Sensory deprivation coupled with physical abuse, along with starvation would have killed Natham if my men hadn't found him and brought him to the eyrie.

If Natham hadn't been rescued, I would have died along with my mate, though we never exchanged a blood bond in person. The clans would have fallen into disarray and my father's territory would have been easy pickings. This Carthera was cowardly, using abuse and torture on someone he claimed as family in order to gain power. I was furious that my father died at his dishonorable hand by trickery and a shriek of fury I could not hold back was smothered by the foul gag they must have shoved in my mouth the last time I was unconscious.

The sound was still audible and made them turn their attention to me. 

"Oh, don't like that idea do you, little bird?" 

The leopard and the other cat laughed maliciously. "Don't worry. You won't have to worry about that much longer." I expected them to beat me or continue gloat over my bound body but they didn't. The leopard stroked his claws across the exposed flesh of my stomach, creating four shallow cuts that welled up with blood. He licked one claw daintily, tasting me.

"Hmm, delicious. I always enjoyed a young tender morsel for dinner." He cleaned his other claws, lapping delicately at them with his rough pink tongue as he savored my blood while watching me. I could feel my eyes open wide and my breath came faster as panic began to set in. 

I did not want to be eaten!

The other cat Carthera watched avidly, his nose practically quivering as he took in the scent of my blood and the stink of my fear and anger. The pink tip of his tongue came out and he quickly licked his lips was he watched the small cuts drip blood that ran in trails to soak into the waistband of my pants. His eyes gleamed and he practically quivered in want as I shuddered. My nose was not as good as other Carthera species but I didn't need to smell his scent to know that he lusted after me.

The bulge in his pants was more than enough. Sick, sadistic bastard.

"We'll be back, little bird. Don't worry, we won't leave you all alone here; not for long anyway." With an evil smirk the leopard stalked from the room, snapping orders to someone as he entered the hall. The mercenary cat was still staring at me as he backed out of the room, pulling the door shut at the last moment. The way his eyes had lingered over where my pants hung on my hips had me worried. Though I was pretty sure being raped would really hurt more than being eaten I didn't want to experience either. The light in the room shut off and I was plunged into darkness. 

I could no longer hear any sounds with the thick door closed. I was alone in a cold dark room and hanging painfully from the ceiling. The metal manacles were digging into my wrists and I could feel small trickles of blood running down my arms from my raw wrists as I struggled repeatedly to break loose. I worked at the foul material held in my mouth by a strip of tape, trying to dislodge it or at least compress it so that my jaw wasn't quite as stretched. 

I slumped in my bonds, sucking in air through my nose, trying not to lose control over my panic and fear.

A small square of light came in a small hole in the door, the only 'window' the room had. The dark was so reminiscent of my dreams that it was almost impossible to fight down the panic that urged me to scream. I knew if I started I wouldn't be able to stop. I couldn't afford that type of weakness. I focused on the small square of light as if my life depended on it; certainly my sanity did. I wasn't sure how long I would be kept there or what Natham's father would do to me but I could imagine it all too well.

Hours must have passed as I hung there. I dozed off once and jerked when I woke up, fiery pain from the shackles rubbing my raw wrists made me groan into the soaked fabric gag still stuffing my mouth. I could not believe I fell asleep when I was facing certain torture and death. I tried to keep my eyes open and focused on that small light but the demands of my body for sleep were simply too much. Soon my chin hung to my chest and I slipped into my dreams.

***

If one's waking world is nightmarish it only stands to reason that your dreams should be pleasant and full of hope to give you an escape. 

But that is a child's view of things. Bad things don't just happen to bad people and you aren't going to receive something 'good' just because you feel you deserve it. So of course when I could no longer fight my body's need for sleep I slipped not into pleasant dreams of my family and better times, but into my familiar nightmare.

This time it was not all dark; it was more vivid and real, almost as if it were happening to me in person. I could see rough stones and feel the cold of a slab beneath my body. I strained to move but I was trapped, unable to twitch even a finger. A line of pain, sharp and hot, lanced across my back to join other stripes already burning from my shoulders to my knees. I shuddered and realized that I was being whipped, the skin flayed from the back of my body by someone with the precision of a long time torturer.

This time words came also, hissing insults and threats, spiteful gloating and hatred spewing from the person whipping me. He grabbed me by my long braid and jerked my head up to spit in my face. It was in that moment I fully realized what this was, what my nightmares had always been. I was within Natham; feeling what he felt as if we shared one body. The fear and pain that had made me scream as a child had always been his, but the reality was so much worse than I had imagined.

I hated the fact that he had known a life like this. I was sad for him and furious at the torture my mate had been forced to endure for years. I would not allow this to continue. We were mates, we were supposed to be bonded, no matter what the strange circumstances that had begun our bond. 

I willed strength into Natham through the dream. I tried to share with him my courage and fortitude. I sent him love and the promise of retribution. 

I was filled with an icy resolve. I would make these men pay and pay dearly for harming those I loved.

I could faintly sense his surprise and then a surge of love came back at me. It held the taint of resignation and a sense of absolute despair that shocked and scared me. I tried to send reassurance but I could feel the spark that made Natham into who he was slowly fading. He had been recovering nicely the last few days but his tormentors had done too good a job on his mind as well as his body. 

He was on the brink of the death of his soul. 

I struggled to send him a sense of hope that I barely could feel myself.

I jerked in my chains as I woke suddenly to cold water being flung over me. 

I shook my wet hair from my eyes and glared at the men who entered my cell. It was the cat from before of course, and another lackey of Natham's father, one I recognized as the creature who had been driving the van. What surprised me was that he was human. Then I noticed his stance and his posture, ramrod straight with his thumbs hooked into his belt. 

It was the service style revolver tucked into a hip holster that clinched it for me. The man was a cop, one of the crooked humans that had to have helped these Carthera kill my father. I lunged at him, hating him with every fiber of my being as I strained to reach him. Just a moment free and the man's guts would spill from his fat stomach to tangle at his feet.

"Oh the pretty little bird wants to play does he?" The mercenary laughed as he tore the tape off my face. He stepped back as I spit out the sodden fabric, my tongue and mouth aching from the sudden change in position.

"Fuck you!" I worked my jaw and glared at them.

"Oh no, I think the opposite really," he said as he smirked at me and his eyes ran down my body to be stopped at my pants. "Those really have to go before we can get to business." 

The cat gestured for the human to come closer to me. "Take off his pants."

"Are you sure it's safe, Trest?" The cop was eyeing me warily. "The other one put up quite a fight. I don't want to end up with a broken arm like Stevens just because I want to get my jollies off inside one of these sissy birds."

"Don't be stupid. Look at him, he's a youngling," Trest scoffed. "He's small, thin, and weak."

For a long awful moment I thought they were speaking of Natham. My breath froze and I wailed inside, not for the fear of what was to come for myself but for the violation of my mate. I was still awash with his feelings, his bitter despair and the thought that it was because they had raped him stunned me. My adversaries paid no attention to my bound body and continued arguing. I no longer feared them for myself; I felt nothing but a fiery rage that consumed me.

I wanted them to come closer so I could tear them apart for harming my mate.

I shrieked, the sound interrupting their argument and making the human back up. My eyes glowed red and I could feel my talons growing longer and sharpening into razor sharp claws that were ready to rend my opponents belly's open in one swipe. My wings flexed and this time the bindings didn't stand a chance. I had entered full hunting mode; there was nothing and no one who would stop me from avenging my mate and freeing him from further torture.

"His wings are free, help me!" Trest yelled. They rushed toward me, Trest hanging back a little like the cowardly bastard he was, ordering a human to do his dirty work.

The human ran straight at me though and I flexed my stomach muscles bringing up my feet. My shoes and socks had fallen or been torn off long before and his eyes widened when he saw the lethal four inch blade like talons coming for him. Lashing out with one long leg, I laid his belly open from sternum to groin, shredding his shirt and skin both like they were paper. Blood gushed from his torso as he screamed and fell to the ground, curling around his wounded belly. Bulging from the fatal tears in his skin were the pink curves of his intestines and other organs that should never be seen outside the human body. He was wailing in agony, as good as dead as his life flowed out of him with every beat of his heart.

Trest managed to stop before he got within range though I swiped at him with my other foot as I shrieked. 

"Come and get me, you coward!"

He laughed. "Oh, I don't think so. I was worried that you'd be able to get away with your wings free but you're still dangling there like the weak little bird that you are." 

I swiped at him with my feet again, even though I wouldn't be able to reach him.

He leered at me. "Keep fighting, I'm going to enjoy your struggles so much more that way. I do so like breaking my victims before I take them. Do you think you can really prevent this? I'm going to have you, one way or the other. All you did was get rid of one weak human."

I shrieked and he laughed again, the sound grating across my senses. 

"I don't like the smell of carrion stinking up the place. I'll be right back, little bird. Don't go away now." His overconfidence, turning his back on me with just my arms bound would be his mistake. 

His last mistake.

I strained my wings to open up farther than ever before and thrust downward in a powerful sweeping motion, pushing my body toward the shackles hanging from the beam in the ceiling. It was an open beam ceiling and the manacles were connected by a long chain that actually strung through a hook buried in the solid wood beam. Getting a good grip with my hands I pulled backward, using my wings to create enough force. I used my wings in ways I had not known I could, my muscles straining, and with one final surge I managed to pull the hook from the wood beam. I felt a sharp stab of triumph. 

Just then Trest came back in the room, a coil of rough rope over his shoulder and a long leather whip in his hands.

He took one step in the room and his eyes widened as I dove for him. I longed to rip his body to pieces slowly but he was bigger and stronger than me. Instead of flying into his body and trying to knock him down I went over his head to drop behind him. In the close quarters of the room I couldn't afford to fight him hand to hand. I managed to loop the chain still binding my two wrists together around his neck as I flipped over his head. Crossing my arms, I used my wings to fly backward and pull hard on the chain. Bracing my feet against his back, I dug my talons in and pulled as he gasped for air as he twisted and tried to reach me. 

I pulled harder, my face locked into a vicious snarl. 

He began to falter and stumble, falling to his knees as he tried to reach me with his arms. I yanked hard on the chain, a muffled pop the only sound aside from my grunting. When he finally went down I held on for a while longer to make sure he wasn't faking. When he was no longer even twitching I uncrossed my arms to straighten the chains and let his head fall to the stone floor. Panting, I focused on breathing for a minute, folding my wings behind me.

Pulling him over onto his back I looked in satisfaction down at his purple face, his eyes bulging and the look of shocked horror on his face still recognizable. My fury was still controlling me and I quickly slashed his throat open to ensure that he was truly dead and would never be able to rape and torture anyone else. Blood trickled from one end of the wound sluggishly. I searched in his belt and found the key to the manacles still locked around my wrists, my fury still so intense I didn't even feel the pain as the metal cuffs fell away.




Bonds Unbroken Ch. 05



Suddenly, I could feel the pull of my mate. I needed him and he needed me.

Peering out into the corridor I made sure no one was there. I figured the strange sounds I had heard earlier were probably from Natham, he had to be close by. My wings fluttered, I curled my talons into the flesh of my hands, the pain from the small pricks bringing me focus and clearing my mind. If anyone was with him they were going to die. 

I only hoped it would be his father. 

That Carthera was going to die one way or the other but I dearly wanted it to be by my own hand. No one was in sight so I went right down the hall, away from the big door at the end. I could see a few more doors on either side of the corridor and I stopped to listen at each one.

I stopped suddenly and took two steps back. There were only faint sounds coming from behind the thick door I had just passed but even that small sound was enough. I could hear a mocking voice and a whimpering sound. The sound was enough to bring back the consuming rage and tint my vision red. I tensed and sent my talons into my palms again as I wrestled for the control I needed. 

If there was more than one person in the room with Natham I would have to be very careful.

I threw open the door and took in the room in a swift glance. It was the same size as my cell had been and the same chains hung from the ceiling but Natham was not in them. He was on his stomach on a table that dominated the middle of the floor. His body was limp and he even though he was facing the door with his eyes open I didn't think he could see me. His back and sides were coated in blood and splatters had landed on his face. His beautiful hair was tangled around him. I had to force myself to look away after barely a second taking in his condition. I would not be able to help him until I killed the Carthera hurting him.

His torturer was the snake Carthera, the same one who had taunted him in the van when we were captured. He was naked from the waist up with his back turned to the door. I could see a line of shiny brown and yellow scales going up his spine and flaring out across his shoulders into a hood with two yellow and black rings of each side like a giant eye. Cobra clan; the strongest of the snake clans. He was thin, lean almost to the point of emaciation but most snakes were. I wasn't that much smaller than he was so I would have a chance in the crowded cell in hand to hand combat. The ceiling was too low to try flying.

He was still in the process of turning toward the door to see who came in when I launched myself at him. He was surprised but didn't drop the studded cane that was in his hand. He swung at me as I shoved my talons into the thin flesh of his chest seeking his heart. I grunted when the cane came down hard on one of my shoulders. He had been aiming for my head but the blow went to one side as I dodge it. I could still feel my arm but it started throbbing painfully while we were still in mid air.

He fell over backward from the force of our bodies colliding and I followed him down to the ground. He tried twisting us but I used my wings to keep him from pinning me down. I knocked the cane out of his hand with my uninjured arm and sent it skittering across the floor. The metal of the studs chimed as it rolled across the stone floor to bang into the table Natham was still laying without moving but I couldn't focus on him, I had to focus on the life or death struggle I was now locked in.

The snake was hissing at me as we struggled. 

He was trying to maneuver his head so that he could bite me. He inched closer and closer as he twisted his body; he moved almost as if he was boneless as a real snake. I struggled to keep him from flipping me under him or biting me.

"You're going to die..." he whispered as I fought to keep him from my neck.

"No," I choked out in fierce denial, "you are." 

I would not leave Natham to this monster. I would not let him have either of us. I had both hands pushed talon deep in his shoulders to hold him down as we struggled and I began inching them upward toward his neck. I lost my leverage on his body and he began to turn us over even as I ripped large tears in his flesh as I sought his jugular. I felt as if things had slowed down as he slowly flowed toward me with his fangs descended and dripping and my talons were digging into his flesh.

My gaze narrowed and focused on that rapidly beating pulse. Just before his lips touched my neck I reached that throbbing point and drove my claws into it. I ripped and tore at his flesh and the gaping wound I made began pumping blood on my face. He let out a wet gasp as he pulled away from me, his eyes wide in shock and panic. 

I stared into those yellow eyes with their narrow slit pupil and drove my talons into his chest again as he fell onto his back on the floor. I was mindlessly focused on killing him, digging through the muscle and bone of his chest until I saw his heart. It was no longer beating but I pulled it out and viciously tore it to pieces. I was panting when I was finally able to shove myself back from his body, my blood lust sated.

I was no longer seeing red from the hunting instinct that affected my clan but I was from the blood that flowed across the floor to pool in the dips and cracks in the stones. I was covered in it. My hands and arms were coated in so much blood it looked like I was wearing gloves and I could taste the heavy, metallic flavor it in my mouth. As much as I hated touching the snake's body I did not want to touch Natham with all that blood on my hands. I wiped as much off as I could on the Snake's pants.

Shaking, I reached for Natham. I avoided touching his raw back, the sight of the torn and bruised flesh made it hard to breathe. I wanted to kill the snake Carthera again, slower this time, flaying him slice by slice until his blood ran across the floor in rivers. I held tight to my rage to keep my fear and sorrow at bay. I tried to take comfort in the fact that the damage seemed to be focused just on his back. He had been whipped methodically, his body crisscrossed with stripes that had barely an inch between them.

The methodical sadistic nature a person had to have to inflict such marks in such a way was beyond my comprehension.

His back was nearly black in places and purple in the others. Raw red stripes were gaping wounds an inch or more across in places and narrow strips in the other. The curves of his backside were not whipped but they were swollen and deep purple. His thighs showed red marks that I couldn't place but I resisted looking at the things hanging on the walls. I could see Natham's eyes staring at me and his mouth open and shut.

"Shhh, babe. It's okay. He's dead." I had to touch him, I couldn't see him and feel our bond as mates and not touch him, even as hurt as he was. I softly ran my fingers down his cheek over and over and watched as his eyes filled with tears until they overflowed and wet my fingers. 

"I'm here, Natham. You're not alone."

His mouth was moving but I couldn't hear him. 

Turning my head so that my ear right in front of his mouth I finally caught what he was saying, the sound of his words barely louder than a breath.

"Oh gods, no Natham! I won't go. No matter what happened, I will never leave you. You are mine."

He struggled to speak louder. "You must go." His voice was a thready whisper that broke as he panted between each word.

"I will not go without you. We need to get you up." I told him. I stood up, reaching for his shoulder. His fingers twitched.

"I can't... move," he whispered, "Venom." More tears spilled down his cheeks.

***

Our bond was doing its job as I tried to send strength to Natham. He was weak, almost as weak as when Mishtar first brought him back to me but he was still moving with the cobra venom coursing in his veins. I could almost feel his determination and drive to get out through our bond, though we were both awake. He would not let anything keep him in these cold stone halls. I noticed the route just for reference if we had to come back with the Falcons. If I didn't know better I would think that we were trapped back in medieval times in the dungeon of some evil tyrant bent on taking over the known world. 

I guessed that thought wasn't that far from the reality though. Mishtar's men had found out a lot about Natham's father and his plot to first take over my father's territory and then start a war against the humans that would decimate them and us. We would survive, we were much stronger than the humans, but many of our kind would be lost and the world would never recover. My father believed living with the humans was our only chance for survival and growth as a species; I could not let his vision be shredded by insane rogues. 

I would not let that happen, no matter what the cost.

"Do you know where we are?" I asked as we made our slow way up the narrow stairway.

"An old winery. I can smell the scents of the casks and the juices like hints of perfume in the air when the currents shift. My father liked it because of the cells. They used to store the wine in the..." he paused painfully and closed his eyes, panting a little, "the rooms we were in. The original owners built underground so they would be temperature controlled naturally. The look appealed to my father's... nature." 

I suppose I had noticed those scents but they didn't mean much to me. I shuddered to think of the type of person who saw stone walls and immediately thought of chains and torture. "I'm going to get you out of here and away from him. He won't hurt you ever again," I swore.

Natham snorted a little. "I know you mean well but you've said that before." He grunted in pain as he stumbled a bit on the stairs. I heard the unspoken 'Look at me now' as I silently bore his weight and his comment. I felt anger but it was muted under the pain. I was a leader for my people, all my people. I was a Falcon, the Falcon.

The fact that my own mate thought me too weak to protect him galled me and pierced my heart with shame. I wasn't angry with him though. 

He was right. 

I had failed him. 

I felt my resolve stiffen as we kept going. We made our way past a wide landing and then up a final flight of steps. I stared up at the door at the end of the stairs. No matter what stood behind that door we were going through it and out of this place. I would get Natham to safety and then I would come back with my Falcons. I would call the Panther clan for their deadly ability to stalk and ambush their prey in lethal silence and the Wolf clan for their ability to scent their quarry even better than the cat clans. The Carthera clans under my leadership would send their best warriors and we would raze this place to the ground. Then we would track down every man and Carthera who ever used it to torment and betray our people. I would see these feral traitors pay and I would not stop until each one turned dead, sightless eyes to a world safer with them taken out of it.

I had already killed a man; I would not hesitate to do it again and again until my people, all my people, were safe. The litany of those I planned to end was running through my head so I was paying less attention than I should and had to shift quickly to catch Natham as he stumbled. My mind was focused less on our surroundings and more on my thoughts of revenge. I had to pull myself together; we would be the ones to die before these traitors would if we were caught by surprise. 

I was a little shocked we hadn't come across any other guards yet but I didn't want to risk asking Natham how many men he thought his men had and where they could be in case someone heard us.

My body was alert and wary as we approached the gray metal door cautiously. It was a welcome bit of modern architecture among the stone and concrete underground where we were trapped. We paused a foot or so from it and listened. I looked at Natham and pointed to my ear and nose. He shook his head; he could not hear or smell anyone on the other side. My sense of smell and hearing was less than his; all I could smell was his blood. 

I frowned, considering our options 

"Do you think you can stand on your own?" I asked him in a barely audible whisper.

"Maybe," he said softly, then winced as I gently eased him against the wall. 

I made sure he was safely leaning on his side. Any pressure on his flayed back would have been excruciating for him. He was already oozing blood from some of the deeper wounds and if the smaller ones broke open he would lose more blood than he could safely part with. He put one trembling palm against the wall to balance himself as his free hand wrapped around his bruised torso. He took a small, shaky breath and then nodded at me.

I stepped up to the door and grasped the handle. My heart was hammering in my chest and I had no idea what was on the other side. 



Bonds Unbroken Ch. 06



My muscles were tight and I took a moment to do a quick Jintue breathing exercise to calm myself. I had to be ready for anything on the other side of the door; I glanced back at Natham. From my distance of a few steps up we were almost face level. I looked into his dark eyes, so full of pain, his full lips pulled tight and flat. As screwed up as this situation was, all I wanted was to be close to him. My fury rose hot and fierce when I saw blood dripping from his back to the floor. I would kill them all for him if I had to, in order to make him safe with me.

I turned back to the door. It was hard to turn the handle of the door with my talons stiff and ready but I managed. The door swung on its hinges outward and I shoved it open sharply in case someone was hiding behind it. I rushed through the room and quickly spun in a circle looking for anyone coming for me from behind.

I was in a large room, narrow but long. The floor was still concrete but the walls were metal and I could just barely see in the dim light that filtered through the grimy windows set high up in the walls. There were large circular scars on the floor, white rings in regular patterns running up and down each long side of the hall. Large boxes were set here and there and there were a lot of vehicles parked inside.

I could clearly see the van that the Carthera who abducted us used as well as several trucks, SUV's and a very fancy sports car. I could see a large roll up door in the far side of the wall with a smaller opening beside it. That had to lead outside. I felt a moment's relief. Escaping was turning out far easier than I thought it would be.

I turned to go back to Natham and saw his eyes widen as he looked over my shoulder. I instantly dropped to the floor. I heard a whirr and a thunk. Pushing up with an arm, I looked up at the wood door jamb and saw a circular blade buried deep in the tan trim. I quickly rolled onto my back and sprang to my feet. I could see several men coming for me. Quickly scanning each one I revised that.

One large man, obviously a cop since he was still in uniform, was coming for me along with four Carthera.

"Stay there Natham," I said urgently. He'd had a hard time making it up the stairs. Fighting was beyond him. 

"Don't give me that shit. If you are taken they'll capture me again too. How many?" he asked.

A momentary pride in my mate's fierce nature didn't distract me from the approach of our attackers. Still...

"We have a bit of a roadblock. Don't worry; I'll take care of it." I missed my weapons; I hadn't armed with more than a knife before heading to the mall and they had taken even that from me. Pulling the circular blade out of the wall, I ignored the stinging cut I got on my palm. I didn't wait for them to circle me as I launched myself in the air. The effort of pulling my shackles off the ceiling made itself felt in my sore muscles but after having been bound I relished the freedom I had in the air.

I hovered near the ceiling about thirty feet off the ground. Small movements of my wings made my body a constantly moving target as I studied my opponents. Which one had thrown the blade?

The brief pause to assess each other ended as human fired at me and I dropped toward him, dodging the bullet. I could not see the other Carthera holding guns so I needed to take him out first. I tucked my wings in close to my body, darting at the stocky cop as I dropped from the height of the tall ceiling. He frantically tried to sight on me, moving his gun jerkily.

I easily dodged the next few shots he took and then snapped my wings out, flying in the gap between the human and the Carthera a few feet from him. Twisting my body, I swiftly reached out and drew razor sharp talons across his neck. Red bloomed beneath my claws and his eyes widened. He dropped his gun as he fell choking to the ground, his eyes still wide in disbelief.

I felt a deep pain in my lower back as I flew higher and away from the attacking Carthera. I cried out as the strong movements made the pain grow worse. Reaching back I felt the handle of a knife. I knew I wasn't going to be able to fight or fly long with it in my back so with a grimace I pulled it out and my wings faltered at the searing pain, and I plummeted a few feet before I managed to catch myself on a beam running along the ceiling.

I felt warm trails begin to roll down my back and with a fierce shriek; I drove the pain from my mind by diving right for the Carthera who had targeted me. He was a Hyena; his clan easy to tell from the short stature, broad shoulders, and wide sloping forehead with a jutting jaw. They were cunning creatures in certain situations but easy to confuse in the midst of battle. They tended to be followers rather than leaders.

The hyena's mistake was to look to his leader rather than at me. I was loathe to give up the knife now that I had one so I threw the star blade like a frisbee, the deadly edges twirling around and around. My aim was true and a red line appeared across his throat before his eyes widened and he felt the cut. He had time to bring up one hand to the wound before he fell to the ground. I hoped that the wound was deep enough to keep him from recovering before his heart or lungs gave out but I still had three more Carthera after me.

I was pleased that none were bird clans so the advantage was in my favor but I was not assured victory. They had more weapons and I was weakened from hanging in the chains and fighting off the pain and despair my mate had been broadcasting.

I saw one move toward the doorway where Natham waited on the other side and I instantly flew at him, my body an arrow of deadly wrath. I used my talons this time to tear deep gashes in his flesh, aiming for his belly and throat as I drove him from the one path to my mate. I hovered over the doorway, now facing the two hale Carthera and one wounded, angry beast. 

They couldn't move forward without me attacking them and three were not quite enough to overpower me while I still had the air. A full grown Carthera with mature wings would be able to stay in the air indefinitely. My wings were lightweight and immature and based on my energy levels now I would not be able to hold them off for long. I vowed not to let them know that. I would not fail.

They were creeping closer when my entire plan changed.

"Stop right there!" The voice came from behind me where I'd left Natham on the stairs. A chill shot up my spine as I recognized it. I had last heard that deep rumbling voice as it snapped orders at Trest. I half-turned to look quickly; I didn't want to take my attention off the Carthera still facing me for very long.

"Come down," he shouted.

I was frozen, my attention no longer on those behind me but focused solely on Natham where he stood in front of his father. His naked body was still bleeding and his left arm was wrenched up behind his back in a position that had to be painful. His expression was blank, his muscles slack, but his eyes were worst of all. Once again my promise had been proven false; he'd been captured by his father. The pain, mental and physical, must have been too much.

Worse than the fear, worse than anger and fury, was the look of total apathy. Bad things were going to happen again, things he couldn't stop, and in order to protect some small vestige of himself he had given up again.

I was instantly angry with him and then felt sick and guilty for that anger. I was risking everything to save us and he kept giving up on me; giving up on us. Even if I died it would be fighting to revenge my father and my mate. If my mate didn't feel that I was worth the same I had nothing left. I desperately wanted to feel him along our bond but he had shut it down and I could not focus long enough to force it open.

"I said come down, now!" roared the leopard. "If you don't, I will break his arm!"

He pulled up on Natham's arm until my mate was on his tiptoes and crying out from pain. The tears coursing down Natham's cheeks broke the last ounce of my self-control. I shrieked my fury and attacked. Diving straight at them, I clawed at the jaguar's face. He hissed at the men who tried to interfere and they moved back. That gave me enough time to wheel around and dive for him again. This time, I managed to rake my talons in two deep scores from his forehead to his chin.

My shriek of triumph echoed from the corners of the warehouse as I hovered about Natham's father. 

"You're going to die!" I shrieked.

To protect his eyes he had dropped Natham's arm and then pushed him away. He crouched and then sprang at me, his muscles working in ways I had never seen and was unprepared for. He grabbed me around my knees and dug in his claws. I fought to stay in the air, my wings beating harder than ever before but I couldn't support his weight as he shredded my thighs. I was unable to stop us as we fell together to the hard concrete floor.

I screamed in pain as I hit the ground first and felt the delicate bones along the top of my wings snap under the weight of his heavy body. The agony blinded me as they lay twisted beneath my body.

The leopard laughed cruelly. He jerked his claws out of my legs and knelt on top of me. He pressed down on my shoulders, grinding my wings into the concrete. My screamed echoed louder than my shriek from before as I writhed in agony. I was unable to fight back; the pain was so great I was close to passing out. I couldn't breathe, much less think. The feel of claws tracing a burning path from my neck to my waist barely even registered but the sick gloating voice hissing in my ear pierced the fog.

"You made me bleed youngling. Not even your father managed that much before I gave him to my men and then had him killed by your own mate. Now I'm going to make you pay for that. I'm going to really enjoy making you pay for that." He bit my ear, the blood mixing with his dripping onto my shoulder. He lapped it up eagerly.

I whimpered.

His claws dug into my jeans over my crotch, pricking my skin before he twisted and ripped the fabric. I felt his hand on me and the cold air of the warehouse hitting my exposed flesh. I choked and bucked my hips, trying to struggle, ignoring even with the pain in my wings. He leaned down, his mouth opening and his inch long fangs shined in the light. I tried to push him away, my arms shoving ineffectually against his chest.

He casually backhanded me and my head rocked to the side. I lay stunned, unable to move as he bit into my chest right below my nipple. I felt his teeth sink in as he yanked with his hand still buried in the cloth of my jeans. I screamed in pain and fear as I felt his claws dig into the flesh of my lower stomach just as he took a bite of me.

He leaned up, chewed noisily and then spoke in a throaty whisper, like a lover in my ear, "Mmm, you taste like fear and sweet young meat. I wonder if you will taste as good down here." He gave a throaty chuckle, as if the thought turned him on as his tapped along the length of my limp penis.

In horror, my screams filled the empty building as I felt his claws begin to caress my flesh exposed by the gaping rip in my pants. They began to dig in; denting my skin until with small inaudible pops the razor sharp points of his claws pierced me and began to curl in. I shook and I screamed, no longer even fighting as I was completely broken in horror and fear.

Suddenly his weight was torn off my body. Consumed by my terror, I could do nothing but curl onto my side and roll into a ball. I didn't hear the breaking glass and screaming metal or the furious sounds of battle raging all around me. I was locked in the broken parts of my mind, the fear that I was going to be eaten; starting with those most vulnerable bits of my body had been enough to damage my mind and erase all thoughts of fighting back.

I shuddered over and over. Trying to protect my vulnerable spots, I tucked my knees up and grabbed them. I could hear hoarse cries in the room but ignored them, keeping my eyes closed tight. I didn't want to see them coming to eat me bite by bite. I jerked away from the hands that reached for my shoulders, shoving myself back. I cried out as I hit the wall but it was safety from one side. I curled back up and locked my arms around my knees.

"No... No... No...," I squeezed myself tighter.

"Don't touch him!" I heard a voice growl. 'He's mine."

I moaned in fear.

"Velaku," the voice said softly from in front of me, "It's me, Natham. Please look at me."

I shook my head. It was a trick. Natham had given up on me; he had left me to face the monster.

"I'm sorry," the voice sobbed, "I didn't mean to leave you alone." I felt a hand softly touch my face and stroke my cheek. "Please look at me, please. I won't leave you again, I swear. Don't you give up either."

I was confused by the touch that didn't hurt. I wanted to believe that it was Natham and he was protecting me but I couldn't risk this being a trick of the leopard, just another one of his sick tortures. I was silent, refusing to answer.

"Just a trick," I muttered.

I jerked my arm away from the hand trying to pull it away from my knees, tucking my face down farther. A loud noise and a scream made me hyperventilate, my breath coming in short, sharp gasps as I panicked again.

"This is not a trick. It's me, really it's me." I was tight up to the wall; I couldn't pull away as I felt strong warm arms close around me and hug me tight.

It hurt but not like before.

One hand began to stroke my hair away from my face. I took a deep breath as I caught the scent of the man holding me. The smell was right. The feel of the body was right. I rubbed my face into the warm chest in front of me, strong muscles covered in soft skin.

I remembered that feeling from our times spent snuggled in my bed with my mate.

I shuddered. "Natham?" I whispered.

"Yes, love, I'm here. You're going to be okay." I was squeezed into an even tighter embrace.

I whimpered at the pain. "Hurts. I... I can't..." I shuddered again and again and my breath began to speed up again. My body was locked into a reaction I couldn't seem to control even as my mind raced.

"Shhh," he whispered, "just hush. Breathe, its okay now. You're okay now."

I shook my head, too hurt and scared to believe I was safe. 

"I'm here, we're safe. Look at me, Velaku. Look at me and you'll know it's me."

I gathered what was left of my courage, the tattered shreds just enough and opened my eyes. I knew I needed to see him before I would believe. In the back of my mind this could somehow still all be a trick. I tried to roll off my side to look up at the face of the man holding me; the man I hoped was my mate. I screamed and writhed in blinding pain when my weight landed on my broken wings before the darkness fell over me as I passed out.

***

I woke up lying on my stomach. I could feel pain radiating from my wings and back and I tried to stay motionless until I figured out where I was. A pillow was cushioning my head from the mattress and it felt like a soft sheet was pulled up to my waist.

The only scents I could smell were mine and Natham's. It felt like my bed at home but the last thing I remembered was being on the cold concrete floor of the warehouse with Carthera surrounding me. I wasn't sure if I could trust my senses. I wasn't sure if I could trust anything like I once had.

"Velaku?" a voice whispered in my ear, pushing my hair back from my eyes. I flinched away.

"Can you open your eyes and look at me? We're safe. You're hurt, but not too bad. Just don't move until the doctor can get here."

I shook a little.

I pulled in a deep breath.

I could smell his warm scent just inches away, a bit of the musky scent of a cat and the comforting scent of my mate. I could still smell a hint of blood but not the heavy blanketing scent from before.

He spoke again, "Trust me."

I squinted my eyes shut tight and drew in a big breath. As I let it out, I opened my eyes to look into deep brown pools so dark they looked black overshadowed by strong eyebrows drawn down in worry. "There you are," he said, relieved. His full lips curved up in a smile.

"I was somewhere else?" I said hoarsely. My throat was sore and I couldn't speak above a whisper. I touched it and then grimaced as I tried to swallow.

"Here, have a sip." Natham held out a cup of water with a straw. I lifted my head and took a few small sips of the lukewarm water, wincing as muscles pulled in my back as I moved. "Is that better?" he asked.

I whimpered as I finally swallowed. My throat felt raw. "What happened to my throat?" I asked.

"You... you've had some nightmares since we were rescued. You kept screaming." He looked distressed and tears glistened in his eyes. I put my hand on his cheek, shuddering as I felt his warm flesh and knew he was really with me and alive.

I remembered my dreams; just as I always had. Images of him being tortured, being eaten before my eyes even as I was slowly devoured bite by bite; watching as he was tortured by the sadistic Snake with whips and canes. Seeing his violation and experiencing mine over and over. They flashed through my mind again and I shuddered. With images like that in my head, I wasn't surprised I was screaming though I resented the fact it didn't wake me from the nightmares as it usually did.

Tears began to spill down my cheeks and I sniffled."I'm sorry."

He pulled me gently toward him and cradled my head in his neck, just under his chin. "Shhh, don't be sorry, love. Don't be sorry." I could feel the deep breaths he took and the hot tears that fell to mingle with mine as we cried together. We cried in guilt, in sorrow, and in relief.

Somehow we had come out of this together. I could feel his breath easing out and his body going lax just as my eyes closed and I fell asleep with his arms still cradling me.

***

We slept for an unknown length of time, the darkness of my room competed with the darkness in my dreams as my eyes snapped open. The sound of my door opening and a male voice startled me from the ever present nightmares. I was instantly awake and reacting to what I felt like a threat.

But instead of attacking, I shrieked and attempted to fly backward off the bed. My instinct was to put the wall to my back and hide.

"What? What is it?" Natham said in alarm. His voice was thick with sleep.

My shriek coupled with my sudden lunge away from him had woken Natham. He looked around to see what had scared me, his cat eyes shining a yellow green in the darkness. I let out a strangled sound as my wings shifted against my back as I half jumped and half fell off the bed.

"Oh gods," I gasped. I hadn't felt the cuts in my legs earlier but I could now. It felt like blood was dripping down my thighs.

"Velaku!" my mother cried.

I didn't look up when the light was flicked on. The lamps on the nightstands would cast enough light to see by, shining off the polished stone walls of my room. I hid my face against the bed; in pain and too afraid to move. I wept silent tears, my shoulders trembling. I'd been dreaming of my father. I had a nightmare and he was sitting in my room, comforting me as I huddled into his warm strength. Then he was ripped away by a sadistic man with a mocking laugh.

I knew I was awake but I missed my father's comfort fiercely and without his strength I huddled on the floor like a small fledgling, unable to overcome the tremors I still shook with.

I felt hands on me and I jerked away, shoving against the corner between the nightstand and the wall. I whimpered at the pain but didn't move. I stared at the people in the room wide eyed, tears still hanging on my eyelashes. Natham was crouched on the edge of the bed, Dr. Pannar was standing by the door and my mother was on her knees on the blue and white rug she'd made me that looked like the sky.




Bonds Unbroken Ch. 06



She had one hand over her mouth and tears were streaming down her face. She had been the one to try and put her arms around me. I ignored the arm still outstretched toward me. I kept looking back and forth between all of them, unable to calm down even though no one was trying to touch me anymore. My mother's arm slowly lowered and I watched the way her talons dug into the fabric of the rug.

Natham shifted and I was instantly aware of him but he didn't come any closer to me. He sat back on the bed but held out one hand.

"Velaku," Natham said softly, "it's okay. We're home." I stared at him blankly. "Come up here to me, you're fine now, it's safe. Let me hold you." I licked my lips and tasted blood. One side of my bottom lip stung. I must have bitten it earlier. I flicked my gaze between Dr. Pannar and my mother. I leaned past the nightstand and looked up at Natham. He smiled gently at me and I reached for his hand. His dark eyes promised love and safety.

I knew he would keep me safe. I could feel my whole body yearning for my mate. He represented the comfort my body wanted even if my mind wasn't quite able to accept it yet. I whimpered as I slowly stretched up and climbed back into the bed with my mate.

Natham scooted back, leaning up against the curved wood headboard, his abused back supported on several soft pillows, though I had no idea how he stood the contact with the cuts and bruises. He let me hide my head in his lap as I stretched out on my stomach to lie draped across his legs. He stroked my blond curls as I took a few minutes to calm myself. I soaked in the comfort of his aura. Finally letting out the last of the tension in my muscles, I turned my head to look up at him as I laid a gentle kiss on his thigh.

He smiled tenderly at me, a gentle purr vibrating his body.

Dr. Pannar cleared his throat from where he stood watching by the door. "I came to check on your injuries." He set down a black doctor's bag on my nightstand. "Can I touch you Velaku?" he asked politely.

I nodded and tried to hold still as he touched and moved my wings. I broke into a sweat from the pain and grit my teeth to hold in the moan when he manipulated a particularly sore area near the buds they grew out on my back. Natham murmured soft words to me in a crooning monotone that I allowed to fill my ears and distract my mind. 

He suggested my mother leave the room for the worst part; the numbing shot and the stitches he put in my back and thighs were painful but it was humiliating when he checked my groin and penis for damage from the leopard's claws.

I stayed motionless, Natham stroking my hair, when the doctor placed a sheet over me.

"You will be fine with some rest," he said softly. "Your body needs fuel so try to eat. After the wounds seal the stitches will dissolve. It should only take a day; you may take a warm shower after that, the water will be good on your bruised muscles." The doctor paused before he left.

"I'm glad you are alright," he said, "both of you."

I could hear my mother thanking him as she led him out the door. Natham shifted his body to lie down on his side. He gently drew me back into his arms. I buried my face in his chest, breathing in his scent until we drifted back to sleep.

***

The next few days I was quiet as my body healed. I knew I was confusing Natham and my mother but my mind was still in the warehouse. I woke in terror every time I fell asleep; dreaming the worst even though I knew the danger was past. For the first time, the pain and terror in my nightmares was solely my own but that didn't make them any easier to bear.

I didn't join back in with the Jintue practice after my wings recovered, though Natham did under Dorvan's supervision. He seemed to enjoy his workouts, coming back to the eyrie from the practice field sweaty and calm. I worked in my office, going over the paperwork and the petitions sent to me as head of the clans. My father's death had slowed the tide but nothing could stop it. The Convocation where I would be confirmed as leader was coming just over a month. I'd already had the leaders of the clan send envoys pledging their loyalty so it was formality but there was a lot to prepare.

I had plenty of excuses for my preoccupation. Or so I thought.

It was about two weeks after we were rescued when Natham confronted me after dinner.

He walked into my office just after I got off the phone with Cavel, the leader of the Jaguar clan in my territory. He pushed my chair back from the desk, leaning over me and nuzzling against my head with his cheek.

"Can we talk?" he asked. He sat on the edge of my desk as he captured my hand, his claws gently extending and kneading my palm. I started to feel nervous.

"Sure," I said.

"Not here," Natham said slowly. He stood up, tugging on my arm as he led me toward our bedroom. I resisted a little, balking at the idea of both of us in there, awake, at the same time. I had been going to bed late each night, waiting until after Natham had curled up into bed and dozed off. He relished the soft bed just as much as I did and I enjoyed sleeping cuddled in his arms.

But I was fighting to be the man my father had been, I was dedicated to my people and making sure they had strong leadership and a safe territory to live in. I had to stay focused.

"Please?" Natham looked at me with his dark eyes smoldering. I could feel my heart hammering but I gave in, following him as he purred in pleasure at his victory. It wasn't until he tried to tow me over to the bed that I pulled my hand from his and took a step backward. He looked at me, clearly unhappy as he sat on the edge of the bed.

I stretched my wings out and shook them, trying to ease the tension in my back. The silence was deafening in all that Natham wasn't saying. "You wanted to talk?" I said finally as he stared at me.

"Not so much wanted to. I think we need to though." His solemn voice calmed me. Maybe I had misjudged his intentions with the bed.

"About what?"

"Us," he said simply.

I panicked, my heart rate doubling as it raced. "Us?" I asked unsteadily.

He answered my question with one of his own. "Why are you resisting our mating?"

"I... uh... I," I stammered.

"You don't touch me unless you think I'm asleep, you don't kiss me first. If we are alone together you are nervous and make excuses to leave as soon as possible. You're avoiding any talk of us and our future." He pulled his knees up as he sat back on the bed, resting his chin on his knees. His dark eyes looked shiny, as if he held back tears.

"You know that's not true. I talk about the future all the time."

"The future of the clans," he pointed out. "Not our future, OURS together."

I shook my head, my mouth dry. I glanced at the door and then back at Natham, edging backwards just a tiny bit.

His eyes closed and his shoulders slumped.

"I'm sorry I'm not bird clan like you, that I can never be one of your Falcons. I know I'm not what you wanted, but I'm trying hard to fit in with your clan, to learn to fight with you if you'd ever practice with me. Your mother has been very good to me. I have been patient but I don't know what else I can do to prove I am worthy of being your mate."

Natham's voice was broken and he ducked his head into his arm, subtly wiping at his eyes.

I was shocked. Natham thought he wasn't good enough for me?

"I know you probably dreamed of meeting your mate, another Falcon like you. The blood bond ceremony is something we can't share. I have no clan to sing for me and you already have your wings. I wish I could take a First Flight with you but I will never be able to join you in the sky. I'm can't be the mate you thought you would have and I'm sorry."

"No!" I said sharply.

He jumped at the sudden crack of my voice and flinched backward. I made an effort to calm myself. This wasn't right and I couldn't let him go on thinking for one minute that he wasn't more than good enough for me.

"You are more than I could have ever dreamed of in a mate," I said softly. Natham shook his head, still hiding his face.

"You are," I insisted. "I never thought that you would believe that you were anything but a dream come true for me. If I could have asked the gods for a mate, everything that makes you who you are would be in my prayer. You are brave and strong, protective and loving. Your smile makes others around you trust you naturally and when I see you stalk across a room toward me the want I feel is so strong I lose my breath. I could never have imagined wanting anyone as much as I want you."

Natham was peering over his arm at me, rubbing his chin back and forth in an unconscious denial. "Then why? Why haven't we finished our bond? I spoke with the elders of the clan leader to the East. Their leader is Bear clan. They have long histories, mostly oral. One elder remember a tale of a cross-species mating.

"No one has ever heard of a bond like ours but she said that we had to join before we could finish our bond."

I blushed. I had spoken with them too, but my question had been if we could dissolve the bond, since it wasn't complete. The same elder had reminded me that all mated pairs were intimate after their bonding ceremony. It was like a human marriage and then we had our own version of a honeymoon. I wanted that more than anything, but...

I was the one shaking now; afraid of what he would think, afraid that he would judge me unworthy. I looked at the vulnerability in his eyes, knowing he had opened his soul to me and I could do no less.

"I failed," I said finally.

He stared at me, his head tilted. "Failed?"

"To save you, save us. Your fa..." I stopped when I saw him flinch, "that man took me down with hardly a blink of his eye. He held a knife to your throat and when I tried to protect my mate I was unable to even save myself. He... He took a bite out of me, ate my flesh. The pain and horror," I shook, my voice breaking as I let out a sob.

My legs gave out, my knees hitting the stone with a sharp crack. I buried my hands in the rug in front of me, stabbing my talons in the fabric as I tried to hold on to it, to ground myself in reality and not in that memory that still haunted me. I gasped and coughed, struggling to draw a breath as the sobs grew worse. Natham was out of the bed with a flash and kneeling in front of me. He captured my eyes with his as he reached for one of my hands.

The rug tore but he managed to untangle it from my hand. I was too lost to try and pull away.

He pulled me forward, putting my palm flat on his chest and our foreheads together. "Breathe, Velaku," he said softly, "feel my breath, smell my scent. I am here, we're alone and there is no one else. Breathe."

I managed a small breath in, the warm musk of cat a soothing undertone to Natham's natural scent. This was the scent that covered my bedding. I carried it myself, every time he chin and cheek marked me when we came close during the day to reinforce his claim. It meant safety, comfort, and far more than I was comfortable with, attraction.

I stayed on my knees, focusing on his heartbeat under my palm. I longed to crawl into his arms and hide there but I couldn't. Not yet. When I calmed I gave him a small nod, leaning back though I didn't let go of his hand. I would give him honesty and maybe, just maybe, he would accept that his mate was a failure.

"I froze in battle," I said, looking down in shame.

"What?" Natham looked confused. He shook his head. "I don't understand."

"When he... when he said he was going to eat me I didn't think about you or fighting back. I froze. I did the worst thing any fighter can do and I gave up mentally and he bested me. I was weak. You didn't give up that easily, at a single small wound like I did.

"Over your life, you endured repeated abuse and even outright torture and when I saw you under that Snake's whip your first thought was not of yourself, it was of me getting away. You are worth more than I am able to give you." I fell silent. I had nothing left to say, the truth now laid bare between us in all its ugly harshness.

"Velaku," Natham said chidingly, "oh Velaku, what will I do with you? You've judged yourself so harshly. I see a brave man who fought against overwhelming odds not just to save himself but to save me. There is nothing you went through that was less than what I experienced. We were both tortured and brutalized in ways that no one should ever have to live through."

He paused.

"But we did live, we survived. We're here and they are gone. You killed a lot of them with your bare hands and a few small weapons. You used your cunning and your skills to get us to a point where we could be saved. If I had been locked in that room with... with that Snake," Natham shook his head. "I would have died the second he heard the fight when Natham showed up. Before that I would have endured violations that would have made me welcome that death." It was Natham's turn to shudder.

I looked up suddenly. "That doesn't matter!" I said fiercely. "That's not anything I would ever think less of you for!" I needed him to know that I was sincere. "The things they did... what happened when you were tied down and helpless is not a shame you bear."

"You saved me that," Natham said. "You. You saved me that." He stared into my eyes.

"They tried to with... but he didn't..." I stammered.

"No," he said firmly. "But if they had, or anything had happened to you, it wouldn't matter to me either."

I didn't know if I could believe him, but when he leaned forward and kissed me I stopped thinking, stopped worrying. I had laid out my inadequacies before him and he had swept them aside. He had trusted me with caring for his soul and I hadn't returned that trust. I had failed him these past weeks; I would not fail him again.

I straightened my fingers, sliding the sharp edges of my talons slowly, inch by inch, down the front of his shirt. The cloth tore with a soft sound that was drowned out by the quiet moans as I felt his slightly rough tongue licking at my lips. I opened my mouth as I pushed the sides his shirt apart and he shrugged it off his shoulders. I slid my hands up his chest, fingertips tracing the strong muscles to slide around his neck. I inched closer as my fingers played with the strong column of his neck.

His tongue swirled and rolled in my mouth, caressing me even as I wrapped my wings around his bare back to stroke his soft skin.

Finally needing to breathe, I pulled back with a strangled whimper to meet my mate's eyes. They were filled with love and lust. I knew the same was shining back at him from my eyes. I took a shaky breath and said what I really felt. "I want you. I think I have since the first moment we met. I knew when you caught me in the hall at the high school that I felt something for you. I know what that is now. It's more than that, more than the attraction of my mate.

"I love you."

His hands clenched in my shirt and I stroked his back with my wings, making him shudder.

"The wanting hasn't gone away though. If anything I want you more. Tonight and forever. I want our bond complete and I want you to make me your mate."

***

I never expected his tenderness. Cats were said to be fierce lovers, mating with passion once their bonds were formed. With Natham and me... nothing was as it 'usually was'. Our bond, our differing clans, and the attack we both survived from his father had delayed our mating. I felt so close to him it was hard to remember that we had met only once before our bond was formed. A courtship normally went on much longer with both our species.

I had resisted Natham foolishly. I could no longer push him away; I didn't want to. I had asked him to take me and then I was overcome with shyness. We were both still, sitting motionless, staring at each other. Natham laughed softly, a warm masculine sound. I shivered; his deep voice had always aroused me. He stood up, drawing me to my feet along with him. He let go of me to move toward the door, shutting it firmly before he turned to look at me.

"Take off your shirt," he said huskily.

My eyes flared open. His voice... I moaned.

It was just his voice but it had the same effect as his hands on me did. I wanted to do the same to him, make his cock as hard as mine was without even touching him. I didn't know how to act sexy but Falcon had a long history of displaying ourselves for our females. We strutted and posed for them, courting them with our bodies. My hips began to sway as I slid my hands up my body to bury in my hair.

I let my head fall back, exposing my neck. I knew how much he loved nuzzling it, kissing and sucking. I used the tips of my talons, tracing down my neck and chest and across my stomach. I caressed my hips before sliding my hands into my waistband and pulling my shirt, easing it slowly until it pulled free.

I teasingly bared only an inch of my stomach before letting the hem fall back down to cover the pale expanse of my skin. I slid my fingers up the line of buttons, circling each with in a slow movement until I reached the top. I slipped the button from the hole and a small vee appeared at my neck exposing the pale, white hollow of my throat.

I didn't move on to the next button. I slid my fingers into the exposed triangle at the base of my neck and swirled my fingers across the warm flesh. I could hear Natham's breath hitch and I smiled coyly. I began to carefully slip each button out of the hole all the way to the bottom.

When the last button was open I paused. I'd been looking down as I began to bare my body for my mate, unable to see Natham's reaction but for this I had to see his face. I slowly raised my eyes, up his strong legs to the thick bulge behind his zipper and up his bare chest with to his pulse pounding in his throat.

His soft lips distracted me, the dark pink curves barely parted so that I could see the tip of his tongue. I craved them; his kisses made my head spin. His eyes were what really drew me in though. A dark brown that was almost black, they shone like obsidian. They were hungry and full of desire, as he watched me with a predatory gaze.

I smiled invitingly and then lifted my arms. Slowly I stretched my wings out behind me, lifting them out until they reached past my arms. My shirt spread open so the rippling muscles of my stomach gleamed in the light. 

Natham's nostrils flared and he took a step toward me.

I held up one hand and he stopped. Capturing his gaze, I pulled my wings back in and then snapped them open. The air swirled in the room and my shirt ripped right down the back. One shrug of my shoulders and both halves slid down my outstretched arms to flutter to the floor. My black pants were fastened so low they hung on my hips, exposing my six pack to Natham's hungry gaze.

He took two rapid steps to me and yanked me into his arms. He fisted one hand in my hair while the other wrapped around my waist to drag my hips against him. He ground against me as he claimed my mouth, kissing me until I was weak in the knees and panting.

"God that was hot," he said breathily. "I have to touch you."

Instead of devouring my mouth again, Natham began hungrily nuzzling my neck with his cheeks and nibbling on me. He held me firmly to his body rocking his hips against me as he used his rough tongue to swirl around the sensitive skin behind my ear. When I whimpered in pleasure he began purring, the deep rumble vibrating his chest against mine. His hand behind my back was flexing; I could feel the small pricks as his claws extended and dug into my low back over and over. I shuddered against him, thrusting my hips forward into his in a sharp movement, driving a small mewl from his own throat.

I knew he could feel how hard I was. If he didn't take my pants off soon I just might drill a hole in them.




Bonds Unbroken Ch. 06



Walking me backward, Natham eased me down until I was lying on the bed with my legs dangling off the edge. My wings were folded under me but the snow white curves cushioned my head. He began kissing down my body, laving each nipple with the soft tip of his tongue and then licking with the broad flat that was rough and rasping. I shuddered at the contrast and then moaned when Natham closed his mouth over one sensitive nub and sucked hard.

"Ohhh, that feels good," I moaned. Natham looked up at me and grinned. He switched to my other nipple, sending shocks of pleasure through me. I writhed as he kept teasing it until I was whimpering.

"Please."

He gave my nipple a sudden nip before pulling off. Sitting up, his legs straddled my hips close to the edge of my bed. His hands caressed my face as he stared down at me.

"I've been waiting for this for a long time."

"No more waiting," I said, "I want you now."

He leaned down and gently kissed me, his lips caressing mine and his tongue entering my mouth to swirl delicately around my tongue. I closed my eyes and clutched at his shoulders, caged by his body and loving it. "Mmm, you taste good," he said, pulling back to caress my body with his hands.

"Natham," I whispered, my senses overcome. My hands slid up his back and then down his chest and back up again. My fingers traced swirling paths along his golden skin until I reached up and pulled the tie out of his hair, letting it fall in a dark cascade all around us. He made a pleased sound as I caressed it.

"What do you want?" he asked me as I slid my fingers through the waterfall of his hair. I couldn't think, too lost in the feelings and sensations he was giving me. His hair sliding along tickling my skin, the warm prickle of his claws kneading my chest and the slight rub of his hips on mine all made me shudder in need.

Too slow, we were going too slow.

"More, please!" I begged.

"Are you ready for me to take you?" he asked. "Once I bare your body I won't be able to stop myself. Your scent, the sounds coming from your lovely throat are already too much and if I see you--" Natham broke off with a groan as I jerked my hips up into him.

"No more talking. I want you now," I said as I did it again.

His eyes went wide and then narrowed as he let out a lust fueled snarl. Then the gentleness ended. His claws came out and sliced through my belt. Standing up swiftly, Natham yanked my pants and underwear down my legs and then tore his own off until he stood before me fully naked.

His cock jutted out toward me. I stared at it as I slid backward on the bed to fall against the pillows at the head. Natham's muscles flared and moved sinuously as he stalked across the mattress to me on his hands and knees. He loomed over me, his body so much bigger than mine.

He laughed throatily.

His hands and mouth were everywhere, touching and probing my body. I was moaning continuously as he brought me to the brink of orgasm over and over. I was barely aware, lost in the pleasure surging through my body, when he flipped me over and moved a pillow under my stomach. I ground the front of my body into the silky softness and he chuckled.

"Oh no you don't. You're not cumming until I'm inside you," he said, stilling me with firm hands on my hips. I whimpered as I lost the friction that had sent such lovely shocks of pleasure into my body. My legs were parted and he knelt between them. He ran his hands up and down my back as I backed away from the edge of my orgasm. I caught my breath as I felt him press his erection against me and push forward. The head slipped in and I winced a little, tensing my body.

He began kissing my shoulders and neck, keeping his hips still until I relaxed. He pulled back, still sucking at my neck. I felt him slip back out and then his hands tilted my hips just a little more. When he pushed forward and pushed into me, he held my hips still. I tensed and whimpered until I felt him bite down on my neck. My instincts relaxed me as soon as he bit down and he slowly slid inside my body until his hips were nestled against the curves of my ass.

I felt a shivering warmth and fullness, pain and pleasure together from the bite and my body stretching for my mate. His heavy weight blanketed my body and I felt safe and cherished. I let out a small cry when he began purring; the vibration rumbled through his body and teased my sensitive nerve endings. I arched under him and began to move. His teeth slid from my skin and he began to kiss and soothe the mark on my neck and caressing me with his hands.

My hips moved back and forth with his rhythm, the sharp pleasure of him taking me combining with the silky caress of the pillow had me crying out breathily with each stroke. His voice joined mine as we began to move faster, pleasure building as we raced to that final peak. It was only minutes from the first joining before our voices rose in tandem, my shriek blending with his roar as our skin slapped together one final time and our climax flared over us. 

Our bond snapped into place. I felt my body shifting slightly as it finished changing and the sudden heat behind me indicated a spike in Natham's body temperature. The faint feelings and sensations I'd felt before through the link became crystal clear. I could feel his pride from claiming me and the pleasure of his climax still rocking him even as he shared my shuddering finish. We were locked together for long minutes in a loop of pleasure as our minds met and blended together. When it pulled back and left us each within our own minds again we collapsed on the bed, sweaty and panting.

Relaxing from the intense physical and emotional release we snuggled up together on the middle of the bed. I lay on my side and Natham was curled up in front of me, one arm under my body and the other stroking my wings that rose above my shoulders. He was experimenting with the new physical side of our bond, catching his breath when he touched a sensitive area. I nuzzled his chest creating a soft pleasure for both of us.

"I should confess..." he began.

My looked up in alarm. I could feel his hesitancy and some anxiety through our bond.

He took a deep breath. "I didn't know if this would work between us, a real bond," he admitted. "I was afraid you would reject me so that you could find a true mate with one of your own kind. I doubted your feelings."

I smiled up at him. "I had doubts of many things. But this... with you." I blushed, unable to say what we had just done out loud. Natham smiled tenderly at me and I was able to go on.

"I asked questions too. I was told it should work but when it came down to it, I didn't care if it worked to complete our bond or not. I wanted you; I've wanted you since I fell into your arms in the hallway at school the first day we met." I ducked my head into his chest, enjoying the musky scent of cat. "I could feel you, all of you at the end. Do you still doubt me or our bond?"

"No. This is real, our bond, as unusual as it is. You have me," he said as he stroked my hair, "and I have you. We are meant to be together. You will rule the clans and I will stand beside you."

"Always?" I asked with my face still buried in his chest. I wanted this more than anything I had ever wanted before. Now that our bond was complete I wasn't sure if I could ever live without it; the love, the pleasure, the feeling of never being alone to face the harshness of the world. I needed Natham as much as I needed to breathe.

His hand came up and lifted my face so that he could stare into my eyes. I sighed at the look of love and devotion, feeling both flow from him through our bond. 

"For as long as my heart beats," Natham vowed.

The End.