Chapter 18

Trae felt Kat join him in his silent reflections.

‘What happened, Trae?’ Kat asked him.

‘I know who I am and I don’t wish to be that person,’ he replied sadly.

‘Why? Are you a bad person? I don’t believe that you are. I have never felt that in you,’ she replied.

Trae sighed and hugged her and the cuttails who seemed to have joined him in a field of flowers beside a stream that he had placed himself in. He knew the place was one of his favourites in his valley and he felt he had conjured it for its peacefulness.

‘No, I don’t regret anything I have done. I regret that I know who I am and of the death of my parents because of what I am,’ he said.

‘What is it about you that is so bad that you don’t wish to be who you are?’ she asked him as she gently brushed her fingers through his soft hair.

‘I am the heir,’ he told her with deep sadness.

She was so shocked that she felt herself retreat from him. She blinked and found herself back in the room with Vera and Raymond. She looked down into her beloved’s eyes. “I love you, no matter who you are, Trae,” she said softly and gently kissed him.

Trae hungrily took her lips and the joy he felt knowing her love was true filled his body to overflowing and eased his soul to some extent. Kat released his lips, and reluctantly Trae sat up. He got to his feet and helped Kat rise to her’s.

The two cuttails jumped back onto the couch and curled up together. They had left room for Kat and Trae to sit back beside them. Trae joined them and gently stroked the pair of cubs. Their people were a problem for another day. He wasn’t sure how long he had to sort out his other problems but he felt that he would need to take them home soon.

Kitty growled at him, and he had to chuckle. ‘Apparently not,’ he thought. He felt he had to go home but Kitty had told him that they wanted to stay with him and Kat. He looked up as two young women joined them.

He grinned, now he knew why he had to go home.

Raymond stood and introduced his daughters to Kat and Trae.

The two young women seemed very shy and it was hard to believe that they had been the little wantons and had done the things they had been accused of. They sat demurely on the two-seater couch and looked at their guests.

They were both shocked and amazed at the two creatures curled up beside Trae. They were even more shocked when Trae said, “Raymond, I think it’s best that your daughters do leave Hilton City for a time.”

“I agree, that was why I asked dad if he would take them,” Raymond replied. He hated to let them go but he and Vera felt it was best for the girls. Now that he knew more of what had happened to them, he felt a greater need to get them away from here.

Teresa, the oldest by fifteen minutes, said, “Are you taking us to Wing City?”

Her father had warned them that he planned to send them away but it was still a shock to hear that it was going to happen. She and Tamara were of two minds. They had both been ostracised from their society since the party that neither of them had any real memories of. However, to leave home and all they knew was frightening for them.

The girls were surprised when Trae shook his head, “No, I’m going to take you to my home. Raymond, I believe you and Vera should also go with them. I have a feeling things are going to get a bit ugly here in Hilton in the near future and I would feel better if you four were not here when it does.”

“You will be safe in my valley with Tom and Paul and the people who hurt your daughters will not be able to use you to get to Kat and me. Kat, we need to get Jim and Nala too. I’ll be able to do what I need to if I know they are all safe,” he said.

“What do you think will happen when the Lords find out who you are?” Kat asked him.

Trae chuckled, “Apparently, they tried to get rid of me once before but I’m a lot tougher than they realise. It is time for retribution and I will find the people responsible for what happened to my parents and to the girls. Kat are you sure you wish to stay with me?”

“We are stronger together and my place is at your side,” Kat replied with a hardness in her voice.

Trae knew that she wouldn’t be swayed. He looked at the cuttails. “Kitty, I know you and Sampson wish to stay with us but you are vulnerable in this environment. I wish at this time for you two to stay with the boys and protect Kat’s family. Will you do this for me?”

Kitty looked at her master and meowed softly. “Thank you, my daughter. Hopefully, we will not have to be away from you and Sampson any longer than we have to be,” Trae said and hugged Kitty and then Sampson.

Except for Kat, the others all looked at him strangely, and he couldn’t blame them. His life had just been turned upside down. Kat’s reassuring smile however anchored him and gave him the strength to go forth.

Personally, he wished he could go back to his valley and pretend that he didn’t know what he now did. However, he had never been one to back down from a fight and his responsibilities had taken on new dimensions with the knowledge that he had regained. He wasn’t sure he was ready for his future but as long as he had Kat, he felt he could weather it.

He chuckled ruefully at the new hat he would have to wear.

The family discussed logistics during dinner.

Trae was a little surprised that Vera and Raymond hadn’t put up a fight about them going too. Raymond was a little worried about leaving in the lurch, the students he was supposed to teach this term but he was also upset that the University hadn’t wanted him to pursue the investigation into his daughters change in behaviour.

They hadn’t wanted to use the Shields to investigate and he now knew why, thanks to Edward. They had simply blamed his daughters, called them sluts and removed them, while the boys who had been involved had not been subjected to the same indignities. Even Francine had been given dispensation because of her rank.

As much as he loved teaching, he had been dissatisfied with how the University was run for some years. The preferential treatment of some because of whom they were related to, had irked him. He had been involved with several disagreements over his marking of assessments.

When he found out that morning that two students he had failed the year before suddenly had passing grades in his class, he was infuriated. If Master Tate hadn’t come and got him when he had, he was sure that his tirade, had it been delivered, would have ended his career.

Now that he knew about the coercion spells being used, his dissatisfaction was even greater. Trae assured him that he and Kat would set this issue right. Raymond found that he was tired of the whole business and when Trae had informed him that he wanted him and Vera as far from here as possible, he felt that it was a good time for him to take a vacation too.

He felt that his daughters needed him and Vera at this time and they were far more important to him than his job. Vera had cut back on her workload and she informed them that she could work on her experiments anywhere.

Raymond was surprised that when Trae and Kat talked about their valley, both of his daughters had perked up and a little of their old fun spirit had shone through. They had been depressed for months and had barely left the house. He was delighted to see them excited about something.

They broke up the discussions of moving and headed off to bed. Trae and Kat had elected to stay in the flatbed for tonight. Kat had a lot of fun topping up Trae’s depleted magic from his use of it that day and Trae had no objections to her using the skills she had developed, to assist him.

When Kat had applied her skills of fellation and brought him to climax, he had been overwhelmed by the intensity of it. It hadn’t taken her long to work out what got him off. After he came back to the land of the living, he returned the favour and practised his cunnilingus skills on Kat.

Trae was delighted that Kat had appreciated his efforts. She had darn near bounced him off the bed when she had come for him and her screams of passion were still vibrating his eardrums as he entered her. Both were glad that the slapping of flesh, grunts, squeals and gasping that followed couldn’t be heard outside of the flatbed.

They were both well sated when they fell into a dreamless sleep with Trae curled around the woman he loved.

The happy couple joined the family for breakfast to plan the day ahead.

Raymond had to go to work. He had written his letter of resignation the night before. Vera had suggested applying for leave due to family reasons but Raymond disagreed. Unless a lot happened to change the culture that had developed, he no longer wished to work there. He wanted a clean break.

Trae had mentioned that he would like to see more Universities set up in the other large cities like Pixville or even Catton. Catton was at a major crossroad. To the west, south and east where many small towns and the three nearest small cities were all within a couple of hundred kilometres from it.

Universities also brought in new opportunities for employment and Catton needed the educational opportunities, as well as the stimulus to its economy. Trae had mentioned that many families couldn’t afford the costs of sending their children to Hilton and had become disadvantaged as a result.

Raymond knew of several colleagues who were also dissatisfied and of several others who had left. He felt fired up by the possibilities of starting his own University and he knew he would have a very stimulating day’s at work.

He had planned to ask for an interview with Director Matilda de Canis to hand in his resignation. However, a note on his desk demanded that he report to the Director upon his arrival. He wondered what she wanted and knew it wasn’t good. They had butted heads several times over the last thirty years, and generally, they avoided each other.

After he arrived at her office, he was told to sit and wait. He waited for over thirty minutes, before being shown in. No one had entered or left the office at that time, so he knew it was just Matilda being a bitch. He was glad that classes didn’t start until the following week, as he still had a lot of work to do before then to sort out his affairs.

“How may I assist you Director de Canis?” he said after he had entered her office. He knew not to sit until invited. It was one more of her annoying habits. She had even had her desk raised on a platform so that she could look down on the person in her presence.

Matilda boasted she was pure Pix. She barely stood at 110cm tall, and she had not aged well. He still didn’t know how a Novice had managed to become the Director of the University. She had been at least a hundred before she even got a ring and in the forty years she had been Director here, she had never achieved anything higher.