The Mark of the Leopard

Patty's Life

I'm just going to be frank. My life is hectic. So I am sorry for ALL late chapters. However many there may be.

The picture is of Kazi's aunt Liza.

~~Pattrick's P.O.V.~~

Kazi hauls Rainy out of the cellar and of course, me being me, I just stand there like a dumb person.

"Jedson Brad Donovan. Get in here now!" I hear Kazi roar.

"Crap. Ma why did you have to tell him Nala wasn't sick?" Jed asks kissing Kazi's aunt, who looks to be mid to late thirties, on the cheek.

"Sorry but, I'm not going to lie just to save your butt." She replies. Jed chuckles and speed-walks out the door Birayn and Kazi went out.

Jed's mom glides over to me. "You must be her Beta." She says circling me. "Tell me, have you found your mate?" She inquires coming to a stop in front of me again.

"Ma'am you shouldn't ask such personal questions like that." Hannah says coming up behind her, and takes her coat and hat.

"I don't mind." I put my hands behind my back. "Truth is madam. I met my mate at the age of seven, she was five. And she left me on the day before my eighth birthday. Without so much as a good-bye." I answer her question with a forced smile.

She grimces. "Ouch sorry."

"I'm not." I shake my head. "I'm happy with the time I had with her. And I will find her again, one day." I genuinely smile "I will get her back."

She bores into my eyes. "I like the way you think." She remarks. "My nephew should be more like you." Turning on her heel, she walks over to the water bottle tray, grabs two, comes back, hands me one, takes a sip of her's and asks. "What's her name?"

I shift my feet. "Jenna Norwo-" I stop myself. "Jenna."

Something flashes across her face, however a little to fast for me to get a read on it sadly. "Pretty name." She coments.

"And a pretty girl. Though I admit I haven't seen her in fourteen years. I believe she is still the prettiest of all. Then again, no matter how she looks, I'm sure I will believe that."

"How do you figure that?" She tilts her head.

"Because Jenna is my other half. She is what makes me whole. I doubt I will or can, think of her as anywhere near average, let alone ugly." 

"So that makes you twenty-two." I nod confirming her assumption. She grins. "Man I really wish that nephew of mine will learn something form you. Oh please forgive my manners." She offers her hand. "Eliza Donovan."

I grasp her hand. "Pattrick Cambull." She tightly shakes my hand. "Is your father Samuel Cambull?" I nod. She hits her head with her other hand. "That's why you look so familar. You look just like your father. Gosh, I haven't seen him since... well since you were born."

"I don't mean to be rude, but, how old are you?"

She smirks. "How old do I look?"

"Thirty-six."

"That's the best I've gotten yet." She laughs. "I'm fifty-two."

Stopping my jaw from hitting the floor, I clear my throat. "One more thing. Why doesn't Kazi look anything like you?"

"I got our father looks, while Dalmar, Kazi's father, took after our mother." She answers. Turning around she goes over to the door, opens it and looks back at me. "Good-day."

I incline my head. "Good-day madam."

As soon as she's out the door, I turn on my heel and go back over to the picture of the wood nymph. I pick it up and bring it over to Hannah, who's tidying up one of the side rooms. "Do you know who the nymph in this picture is?" I ask her.

She glances at the photo, while picking up books and putting them in a bin. "That would be the Nymph Princess of the Saeva Woods. May I ask why you want to know?" She questions lifting the bin up, placing it on her hip.

"Just curious." I turn around and set the picture back where it was. Hannah comes out of the side room and Harold takes the bin from her. "I can carry it. I'm not incapable of lifting stuff yet. I still got months to go." She tries to get the bin back.

She's pregnant.

"I don't care. I don't think you should carry it. I'm going to."

"But, I am perfectly capa-"

"I agree with him." I butt in. "You shoudn't hold anything more then fifteen pounds. Considering how many books are in that bin, he's right you shouldn't carry it." Especially not up thoes stairs I saw through a crack in the door that says 'workers only'. "And if I had known you were pregnant, I would have taken it from you in that side room." I tell her.

"How do you know fifteen pounds is the limit?" She asks astonished.

"I have two sisters, one older, one younger. Both of them are pregnant. My older sister's having her fourth baby. You could say I know a little." Her mouth makes an O. "In fact, I can carry something for you." I offer.

"No. It's fine. I can ge-"

Harold interrupts. "Will you get that box over there, please?" He points to the corner.

"Sure." I go over and pick up the box.

Hannah sighs picking up a basket with clothes. "Thank you for your help. Not many people these days are nice enough to offer like that." She smiles. "Please follow us." Harold opens the 'workers only' door and stands back to let Hannah go in first.

Walking behind them, going up the stairs and through a door at the top we come to a hallway. They go to the right and enter the first door on the left. I go in after and find a nursery. Green and yellow with monkey decorations.

"It was to early to know what sex the baby is so we chose uni-sex colors. The box can go right here. Thank you again." Hannah says moving a pile of baby clothes and putting them in her basket.

"No problem." I place the box down. "The room looks nice." Then my stomach desides to tell me it's hungry.

"Oh my, you must be starving. And here we are dragging you around the house. I'll go make you something right now." She says going to rush out of the room. But I hold up my hand.

"It's fine. I can get my own food." I turn to go out and stop. "Will you just tell me how to get to the kitchen?" She gives me derections. After roughly three minutes of walking I end up in the kitchen and see Kazi and Jed sitting at the table.

"Hey." I walk over and notice Rainy's not with them. "Where's Rainy?"

"With Nala." Kazi sighs. "She's been with Nala for the past twenty-seven minutes." He slumps. Jed rolls his eyes. "It can't be that bad." He says. I sit down. "Actually Kazi's quite blessed. It could be worse, a lot worse. Some shifters never find their mate, others witness their mate die."

"What about your mate?" Jed asks.

I smile. "I'll find her." Again.

"I'm gonna go get Birayn. I feel dead without her next to me." Kazi gets up and exits out a swinging door.

I know the feeling.

I talk with Jed about this and that, eveyday life, Obama, and the high gas prices that he brought with him. By the end of our conversation we were in agreement. Obama should not be president. Jed stands up and says. "Well I'm going to go find the woman of my life."

My brows nit to gether. "I thought the King is the only one that has a mate" I say.

"He is." He smirks. "I just fell in love. In fact I'm engaged."

"Congratulations." My stomach growls at me again.

He chuckles. "Thanks. There's food in the fridge. You can have anything, except the Jones bottles. Thoes are Nala's and she will kill anyone who drinks one without permission." He leaves out another door.

I rise and go over to the fridge. I open it take a look at what they have.  "Who the heck are you? And who said you could eat our food?" I hear someone demand from behind me.

~~~End of Chapter~~~