Chapter 10: An Isle of Safety...or Not?
Feral sighed as he sank into his plane seat and tried to just be. Despite getting a pretty good night's sleep, the last minute things of closing the apartment, the drive out to the airport, check in, and finally boarding had exhausted him.
Aras took his mate's paw and caressed it to soothe him. "Try to take a nap, love. The flights only a couple of hours."
Feral just sighed and tried to get comfortable. The rumble of take off gave way to the constant roar of flight which finally lulled him to sleep.
When there was a distinct change in the engines noise, Feral wakened. He blinked and looked around to get his bearings.
"Good timing, Uly. We're here." Aras smiled warmly when his mate turned to look at him questioningly.
Feral grunted and shook himself more awake. Unfortunately, he didn't feel rested. They deplaned and headed through the airport. The dark tom sighed in annoyance and surprise when he realized where they were.
"Sandaval Bay?"
"Yes. I have a little bungalow on the beach away from everyone." Aras told him cheerfully as he pushed his way to the outdoors and hailed a taxi for them. Feral had no comment to that and resigned himself to enjoying his 'vacation'.
It took about an hour and half to drive to the bungalow Aras had spoken of. It was remote. There wasn't another house for several miles. He had to admit, it did have a spectacular view of the beach from its perched position on a small bluff with shade trees at the sides and front of the building that effectively kept it cool from the scorching sun.
The taxi pulled up into the circle drive and helped them off load. Moments later, they were alone. Aras forbid his mate from carrying their luggage, leaving them sit on the sidewalk as he hustled Ulysses to the front door that he unlocked with a flourish. With a broad smile, Aras made a grand gesture for his mate to go on in.
Sighing at being coddled already, Feral stepped into his temporary new home. The living space was spacious with an open floor plan and it was already furnished. It had a wood floor and across from the front door was a huge picture window that had an incredible view of the bay. Before the window was a conversational area consisting of a huge couch, a special kind of sloop chair and a glass coffee table with a vase of beautiful flowers as its centerpiece. A short distance from the window were some sliding glass doors leading out to a deck he could just see through the closed gauzy curtains.
To the left of the entrance was a small area that held a desk, filing cabinet, and bookcase which, at the moment, was empty.
He was surprised to note, there were some boxes on the floor beside the desk. Curious he went over and found they had come from his home. Aras had the foresight to ship Feral's home office here. It warmed him inside that his mate did this without being asked. It would make his enforced vacation much easier to bear, but then that was probably his reason for doing it.
A curved breakfast bar separated the living area from a fully equipped kitchen. To the right of the entryway was a short hallway leading back to a very large master bedroom resplendent with a huge four poster bed that had curtains draped artfully at both sides. Painting of sea scenes were on a couple of walls while facing the bed was a large flat screen TV mounted on the wall. To the right of that was a doorway.
Feral strolled casually over to it and looked in. It was a marvelously large and decadent bathroom. A privacy window, that allowed one to look out but no one to look in, was to one side of the jetted tub which was big enough for four people. Toward the back of the bathroom was a long counter with two sinks and mirrors. The toilet was to the right, discreetly hidden in a corner cubby. To the left of the sinks was a big walk-in shower with two heads pointing toward each other. Just off the door leading into the bathroom was a walk in closet.
He stepped back out just as Aras arrived with their luggage and went into the closet area setting his burden inside. He would unpack later. He walked back to his mate and spread his arms wide.
"How do you like it?" He asked, grinning.
"It's spectacular." Was the only answer Feral could think of saying. The place was just amazing.
Aras' smile grew wider and he came close for a hug and a kiss which Feral willingly returned. Pulling his face away slowly, Aras murmured, "Only the best for you, my love."
Feral could only hug his mate tighter in response. No one had cared for him on this scale before and he was a bit overwhelmed. 'Of course, pregnancy hormones could be to blame as well for his rather emotional reaction.' He thought with a snort of amusement.
Releasing his mate, Aras took Ulysses' paw and pulled him toward the living room again. He went to the sliding door and lead the dark tom out to the deck. It had a bright canvas awning covering it and there were comfortable outdoor furniture set about.
To a thickly cushioned lounger, Aras pushed his mate. "Now I want you to relax and take a nap. I'll bring you something to drink. The trip would have made you even more tired despite your short nap. No arguments." He said sternly as he made Ulysses comfortable by taking off his jacket and shoes.
Feral sighed and lay down on the lounger. 'Ohhh, this feels nice and comfortable.' He thought in surprise. The cool breeze and warm sun felt good as well. The kitten had been banging around for some time during the trip but seemed to want to rest now, much to its mother's relief.
Aras disappeared inside and returned some ten minutes later, handing Uly a magazine and a glass filled with some kind of juice that was nice and cold.
'Well, I could certainly get used to this type of treatment.' He thought, relaxing and sipping his drink while he studied his surroundings. The sky was a clear aqua and the waters a brilliant blue with small white caps. The sand was nearly blinding and almost pristine. Sea birds soared and called overhead. It was like a dream.
An hour later, Aras had finished unpacking and putting away their clothes as well as setting up Uly's home office then going to the kitchen to prepare them lunch.
Carrying the tray of food out to the deck, he was pleased to see his mate sound asleep. He set the tray on a wood table and sat down on the wicker couch nearby. He relaxed for the first time in days and enjoyed the beauty around him. He was glad he had this place. It was perfect for getting his mate to rest and relax. The pregnancy should be less difficult for him as he de-stressed.
Wouldn't hurt him either. He'd been on heightened alert for far too long and hadn't taken a leave for longer. A break from all their cares and worries was just the thing they needed.
He sighed and stretched his entire body. "Hmm, that feels good." He muttered then reached over
for a sandwich and lazily watched the waters and his mate.
An hour later, Uly woke and hungrily ate the lunch Aras had covered waiting for him. A little later they went down to the water and played like kitten. Feral especially like it because the weight of the kitten was raised off his kidneys, making him feel light.
When the sun began to set they returned to the house where Aras grilled some steaks on the deck and they watched the sunset before going in and rinsing off then making slow love. As the moon rose, they lay in the jetted tub and drank wine while relaxing together.
By the time his head hit his pillow, Feral was feeling very mellow and quite relaxed for the first time in a very long time. 'I guess Aras was right. I needed this.' He sighed as he felt his mate wrap an arm around his chest as he drifted off to sleep.
For the next few weeks, they enjoyed the sun, sand and beach. Feral swam daily, rested and relaxed. He spent only a couple of hours working on enforcer matters before heading out for some other activity that was more enjoyable.
So far, Megakat City was calm and peaceful so Feral had very little to worry about and the spy-helper Aras had left to watch his second in command was doing a fantastic job according to his assistant Sgt Fallon.
Unfortunately, his idyllic enforced vacation was about to hit a bump in the road. Things might have been calm in his home town but that didn't mean other troubles wouldn't come calling for a certain former spy.
They were in town, the third week of their vacation, when Feral had a near fatal accident. He and Aras were shopping in the fresh air market that lined the beach front. Arms full of fresh fruits and vegetables, Feral had begun to walk toward the little jeep parked next to the store. It was a rather odd looking vehicle. Feral suspected it had bulletproof glass and it had some strange button and knobs that you wouldn't normally see on a car's dash either. Aras kept it locked in the garage at their residence.
Out of no where, a small sports car with darkened windows came speeding around a far corner and raced down the street. Just as it past the open air market, it swerved sharply toward the sidewalk and Feral.
His senses sharpened by years of danger in his job, had warned him just seconds before. He'd heard then seen the car out of the corner of his eye. He dropped the bags and leaped backward which placed him between two parked cars.
The sports car violently scrapped against one of the cars, tearing its bumper off then the driver jerked the wheel back toward the street and roared off, turning at the end of the street and vanishing.
Aras had been some feet behind his mate and was just missed by the attacking car. Dropping his own groceries, he hurried to his mate who was struggling to get to his feet. The pregnancy making him awkward and feeling ungainly.
"My love! Are you alright?" He asked, his heart still slamming in his chest at the near miss. He helped Ulysses to his feet and was relieved that the tom had suffered nothing more than scrapes and bruises but he was still concerned since stress wasn't good for the kitten.
"I'm okay, Aras. Just shaken a bit. That looked deliberate." Feral growled in a low voice. He didn't want the people who had gathered around them to hear his comment.
"Yes it did." Aras growled with barely restrained anger. The ones who had witnessed the incident had called the local police so Aras and Feral were forced to wait and speak with them.
Once learning that Feral was a fellow officer, they listened to his professional report, asked only a few questions, then questioned witnesses before allowing them to leave.
But before they could get home, Aras insisted on a stop to see the doctor first. Feral grumbled but knew he wouldn't win this argument. The shop keeper felt badly for them and willingly replaced their perishable groceries. At least they didn't have to shop all over again. Their afternoon was ruined, though, and after Feral was given a clean bill of health, they returned home where Aras insisted Uly take a hot bath to soothe his bruises.
Feral only agreed as long as Aras stayed at his side so they could talk about what had happened. It wasn't long before the tub was filled with hot water and a soothing bath salt was added then the jets turned on. Once Feral was ensconced comfortably, only then was Aras willing to sit down and talk.
"I suspect someone is after you." Feral said shrewdly.
Aras sighed and narrowed his eyes. "Nothing gets past you, does it love?"
"Not usually. None of my enemies knew I was leaving town much less where so I know they aren't after me but you are a spy, even if you're presently inactive." Feral grunted, letting the water soothe away his hurts.
"Well, you're right. Someone is after me though I have no idea who. There are only a few that would use this method, that of going after someone close to me, so that narrows the list a bit. Only those that have a sadistic bent and would get a kick out of seeing me in pain would take this route." Aras said darkly, his brow knitted in thought.
"Hmmm, guessed as much. So it seems we are now on alert again and looking for either an assassin or the enemy himself for a more personal touch." Feral muttered.
"Wish you weren't so astute, my love. Ignorance is bliss and all that but then I wouldn't love you so much." Aras sighed rubbing the bridge of his nose. Looking down at his mate half drowsing in the tub but very much aware, he now wished he knew of a place that he could stash Ulysses but knew there was none except for one.
"I'm not going into a safe house so nix that idea." Feral eerily read his mind.
Aras snorted. "We're far too good at this you know. Can't keep a secret from each other very well, though I did manage to when I took you...both times." He snickered softly, leaning down to kiss his love's mouth.
"I'll concede that. You were down right sneaky alright. So now what?"
Eyes narrowing again, Aras' face reflected anger and determination. "Have to reach out and talk to some of my contacts...see what's in the wind...meanwhile, you stay low and don't make a target of yourself."
"Don't plan on it, but hiding in a house with so many glass windows is not a very good way to stay out of sight." Feral snorted in grim amusement.
Aras sighed in aggravation. "Too true! But I wasn't thinking of that when I bought this place nor when I decided to bring you here. I know you don't like this but there is a really interesting safe house that isn't that onerous that you might not mind staying at for a short time...what do you say?"
"Do I have a choice?...Don't answer that, of course I don't. Leaving tonight?" Feral asked in resignation.
Aras rose to his feet but reached down and caressed his mate's face gently. "Afraid so. Finish your bath, love. I'll pack our bags and we'll be off. By the way, my car is bulletproof and the garage door has an alarm. I'll run a bomb and bug scanner on the car anyway though, so don't worry." He left the room and went to pack.
Feral sank deeper in the water and sighed. 'Some vacation.' He muttered to himself.