Gryphon sucks in a sharp breath. “You think we got it wrong?”
I nod grimly. “I think we have.”
“What are you saying?” Bethany asks with a frown. “I’m not getting it.”
“She thinks that her mother may never have been there at all,” Gryphon explains. I gladly let him do the talking. My mind is far too chaotic right now to form coherent sentences. “We assumed it was her mother because it was the scent of a jaguar shifter and very similar to that of Kat. She thought she remembered it as that of her mother. But what if we all got it wrong? What if it was the clone who killed the cats?”
Bethany gasps. “I don’t believe that. I mean, look at her. She’s tiny, she’s vulnerable, she’s young. She wouldn’t be able to kill two grown cats, let alone kidnap six kittens.”
“She’s a shifter,” I say quietly. “She may look like a little girl, but she is much stronger than you think. At her age, the Pack taught me to kill. If she’s been with them since birth, who knows how well they’ve trained her already.”
“But you said you smelled your mother’s scent,” Bethany insists.
"I thought that it was hers. Now, I'm not so sure. The girl doesn't have exactly the same scent as I do, but it's very similar. It's been a long time since I last saw my mother. My memory could have deceived me. It was the most logical conclusion at the time, but now that we know that she's my... that she's not really my sister, it's all starting to make sense."
"Let's say it was her," Gryphon says, running his hands over his stubbly beard. "Then why would she kidnap kittens? What's the point? What would the Pack want with a bunch of baby cats?"
I shrug. "Your guess is as good as mine. The Pack has many layers, who knows what they're planning. I was their only cat shifter and some of their researchers were fascinated with me. Luckily, I was one of the best at my job, so they didn't get to prod and examine me as much as they wanted to."
"Maybe that's why they created a clone. To have the time and opportunity to study another cat shifter. They've seen you in action, they know what you can do, but they haven't been able to tame you. Otherwise, we wouldn't all be in this room just now."
I grimace. "They certainly tried to tame me, but you're right, they never controlled me like they did the others. I think some of them preferred that, because I was able to change strategy if something went wrong during a job. The others would just follow the commands of their leaders, unable or unwilling to use their own brains."
"So now they've created a miniature you," he says thoughtfully. "They've got her under complete control. Maybe that collar was custom made for her, based on whatever observations they did on you. But if they liked you because you were able to think for yourself, then why completely subdue her?"
"That's why I have Benjamin watching her," Bethany says quickly. "I don't think that she's as harmless as she seems. She might have orders to wait and act at the perfect moment. Or maybe she was sent to infiltrate us. The Pack knows about us, knows about you, Kat. Harming some local cats would have been the perfect way to draw you out."
I scoff. "If they wanted me to face them, they could have sent me a message. Half the criminals in this town have my business card by now."
"That's exactly what they don't want," Gryphon mutters. "They didn't want you to know. They probably hoped that you'd jump to the most plausible conclusion: that the girl is your sister, or maybe a cousin. They wouldn't have expected us to immediately figure out that she's a clone."
"I was the one who figured it out," Bethany interjects. "Don't forget that. And be sure to tell Lily when she returns that I'm the queen of the lab now. She can assist me occasionally, if she asks nicely."
I can't suppress an amused snort. "You can let her know yourself. I won't get in between the two of you. Do that cat fight on your own."
"Nice pun," Gryphon says, but he's not smiling. "But what do we do now? The girl has seen where you live. She's seen Lennox, Bethany, Benjamin and me. She can tell them that you don't work alone. She might look like she's a zombie, but I bet she's taking in every detail around her, ready to tell her masters everything."
I swallow hard, trying to get this image he's painting in line with the little girl that carries my genes. She doesn't look like a spy, but he's right, that's exactly the point. Who would suspect a child, one looking so thin and helpless at that. The Pack will have realised during the Kindler case that I seem to have a soft spot for children. Even though it was the Fangs who'd organised the whole thing, the Pack were involved, I'm convinced of that. We may have killed all the Fang contacts we found in town, but I bet there are others lurking in the shadows.
“Lennox is trying to get the key to open her collar. If we manage to remove it, we might be able to have a proper conversation with her, or at least find out if she’s just following orders or if they’ve brainwashed her to really be a threat to us. Right now, we don’t have the full picture. For now, we keep an eye on her and don’t let her leave the living room. I don’t want her to see the rest of the house, if she is indeed sent as a spy.”
Gryphon nods. “Let’s hope your wolf will find a key. Are there any other ways to open a collar? I know a welder who might be able to cut it open.”
“No, that would kill her,” I say, remembering the pain every attempt to get the collar off resulted in. “The collar is programmed to torture its wearer unless it’s opened with the correct key. Trust me, we tried everything to get rid of them.”
Bethany shudders. “Have I ever told you that I’m grateful not to be a shifter? I might not get all fluffy and cute like you do, but at least nobody is trying to enslave me.”
“Fluffy? Cute?” I give her a playful growl. “You’re talking to a predator, not a pussy cat.”
“And that’s exactly why I’m worried,” Gryphon says, not cracking a smile. “That girl is a predator. She may look cute, but until we know her intentions, we have to treat her like an enemy.”
Everything inside of me fights against the idea of the girl, my clone, being a threat, but I know he’s right. His logic is sound.
“Alright, I’m going back in there to see if I can get any more information out of her. She seems to be programmed to follow any command given to her, so I hope all her answers are truthful.”
“Unless that’s what they want you to think,” Gryphon interjects.
Bethany rolls her eyes. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re very pessimistic?”
“Cautious,” he corrects. “There’s a difference. If you’d experienced what I have, you’d be the same.”
“Want to expand on that?”
“No.” His expression immediately hardens. Damn that man, he wants us to trust him but he doesn’t tell us anything about himself. At least we know now that he’s got some medical knowledge. That might come in handy.
“Guys!”
We exchange a look, then follow Benjamin’s shout into the living room. He’s lying on the ground, the girl on his chest, a knife pressed against his throat. Where the fuck did she get a knife from? I’m sure Gryphon would have found it when he examined her. She must have taken it from somewhere in the room while nobody was watching. Damn.
“Let him go,” I command, but she doesn’t even look at me. So much for her having to follow orders. Not ours, obviously.
Slowly, very slowly, I reach for the bundle of poisoned arrows attached to the inside of my belt. The deadly ones are on the right, but I take one that will only put her to sleep. I have no intentions of killing her. She holds too many answers for that, and besides, I’m starting to accept that I have a soft spot for kids.
“Put down the knife,” I say as firmly as I can. Last chance.
She doesn’t react. The blade is pressed hard against Benjamin’s neck. It would only need a bit more pressure to break his skin. I need to be careful about this. I don’t want to lose my thief. There’s no way back from a cut throat. A stabbing wound somewhere else, yes, maybe, but not with his aorta cut and his windpipe injure
d. My sleep darts take about a second to take effect. That would be long enough for her to act, so I need to distract her somehow.
I reach for my panther, ignoring the pain. I’m not going to shift, I’m not suicidal, but I connect with her enough to let out a loud meow. Not a threatening sound, more of a greeting.
The girl whirls around, looking at me in surprise, giving me the opening to throw my dart. It hits her in the neck, just where I intended. Her eyes widen and for a second, I can see the girl behind the collar, frightened and angry. Then the poison starts to act and she collapses on top of Benjamin.
“Thanks,” he groans and rolls her off him. “Next time, warn me if I’m guarding a psychopath. I was trying to get her to play with me and suddenly she’s holding a knife to my throat. Crazy.”
He rubs his neck. There’s a tiny cut, but it’s negligible.
I pick up the knife, examining it closely. It’s one of mine, one of several that are stashed all around the house. I thought they were hidden well, but apparently this girl was able to find one with ease. I get on my knees by her side and search her for weapons. There’s another knife down her sleeve, but this one isn’t mine.
I show it to the others. “Does this belong to one of you?”
Gryphon’s eyes widen and he snatches it from my hand. “She must have taken it while I was carrying her here. Guess that proves that she’s been playing us.”
“We’ve been fools,” Bethany sighs. “What are we going to do now?”
I look down at the little girl, who seems to be sleeping peacefully. The poison will keep her asleep for at least two hours, unless I give her the antidote. Hopefully, Lennox will return by then. Otherwise, I’ll have to drug her again. Having her conscious is too much of a risk.
“Now, we come up with a plan.”
Chapter Thirteen
Ryker returns, but Lennox doesn’t. I’m going to give him another hour, and if he’s not back by then, I’m going to figure out how to contact the daughter of my mysterious benefactor. I somehow doubt that she knows about the key or what it looks like, but it’s our only other way to get the collar off the girl. Unless we break into the Pack headquarters and steal one from there. Unlikely. I’m not going anywhere near the Pack until I know what they’re after. I have no idea about cloning, but I assume that the girl was born as a baby, not somehow created as a child, which would mean that they started planning this many years ago, while I was still part of the Pack. That makes it even more frightening. There are so many variables that we don’t know.
She might be tasked with drawing me out just now, but that’s not what she was created for. Did she take those kittens simply to get my attention or is there another reason? What would anyone use kittens for? It’s not like cats taste particularly good. They’re not like dogs either who often suffer from Stockholm syndrome. No, cats don’t forget if they were mistreated. These kittens will never willingly stay with their captors. They will always try to get back home. Especially Pumpkin, who knows his father will be out there, looking for him.
My heart aches when I think of the kitten. He’s full of spunk and courage, but he’s still only a child.
Ryker gives the tied-up girl a questioning look, rubbing against her thigh.
“She’s not as innocent as she looks,” I say with a sigh and explain what happened. When I get to the part of us thinking that it might have been the girl who killed Mila and Haru, he hisses and jumps away from her. He looks at me, his eyes full of pain.
“I’m sorry,” I mutter. “I know it was easier to think that it was my mother, an adult gone crazy, blinded with grief, whatever. Now we’re stuck with a five-year-old child who may have killed cats and kidnapped kittens, who was sent here to spy on me. It’s hard to swallow.”
He meows questioningly and I think I understand what he’s asking.
“Keep your cats looking for her scent. Maybe that will give us some indication on where she’s been or what she’s done. If we’re lucky, she didn’t bring the kittens to the Pack headquarters but hid them somewhere.”
He nods and runs out of the room; I assume to talk to his family and give them new instructions.
“Wait, Ryker!”
A meow, then he’s back.
“Do you have someone following Lennox?”
He nods, giving me a glare that tells me that I’m asking stupid questions, again.
“We need him to hurry up. Have your cats show him that it’s urgent. Maybe some scratches and a bite or two.”
Bethany chuckles. “Are you asking him to have your boyfriend tortured?”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” I growl. “And if you insinuate that one more time, I’m going to get every cat in this town to harass you.”
She mutters something under her breath, too quiet for even me to hear. I don’t think it’s a compliment, but I ignore her.
Ryker leaves and this time, I let him. Now it’s just the Meow team left. Benjamin, Bethany and me. I kind of miss Lily. She’s missing out on a lot. I doubt her succubus festival is as exciting as what’s happening here. Probably a lot less deadly, too.
I watch the girl as her chest gently lifts with every breath. She’s sleeping peacefully and seems more relaxed than when we got her here. Must be the poison’s effect. Once again, I’m struck by how similar she is to me. I wonder what her name is. Did they call her Katriona the second? Did they even give her a proper name or does she have a number?
Even though she threatened to kill Benjamin, I still feel for her. I know what wearing a collar felt like, even though it never controlled me as much as it did everyone else. It dampens your emotions, makes it harder to think. When someone tells you to do something, it feels as if there’s no other way but to do it.
Benjamin enters the room, covered in cat hair. “The kittens are fine,” he says with a sheepish smile. I hope this is him apologising for shouting at me. When I told him who the girl is, he got a little upset that I brought a kitten thief into our headquarters, a house that is currently home to seven kittens. I mean, he’s got a point, but that’s irrelevant. It’s not like we could have left her all alone in that shed, and we didn’t know she was the cat killer until later, anyway.
A sound outside makes me sit up straight, but I relax a little when his scent hits my nose. Lennox. Finally.
I jump off the sofa and go to meet him.
“Did you get the key?” I shout before he’s even entered the house.
He steps through the door and triumphantly waves a small object in his hand. Relief floods me. Finally, something good is happening. Now we just need to hope that the key works on this new kind of collar.
* * *
Lennox looks worried after I’ve explained what’s happened. “Do you think there are more clones?”
“I’ve not thought of that,” I admit. “There could be, for all I know. Until we know why they made her, we need to assume anything and everything.”
“Imagine, a hundred little Kats,” he mutters. “Not sure if that’s fun or the stuff of nightmares.”
“For me, nightmares. I like there being just one of me.”
He avoids my eyes. “I know. You like being on your own.”
I don’t deign him with a reply. At some point, we might have to talk about what happened, but for now, I’m very happy ignoring it. We have more important things to deal with, anyway.
“Shall we wake her up first or do it with her asleep?” he asks, handing me the key. It doesn’t look what I imagined at all. No key as such, but a smooth palm-sized stone with strange markings engraved in it. I’m not sure what it’s made from, but it doesn’t look like any mineral I know of. It’s cold to the touch and heavier than it should be.
“Let’s do it while she’s asleep,” I say, remembering how irritating it can be when a collar is removed. When they did it to us as children, they chained us to a chair, making sure that we couldn’t move at all. Back when Mystery Man removed my collar, it was only because he somehow knew how to make me
focus, that I didn’t go crazy.
“Good idea. I went feral for a long time,” Lennox mutters, his expression pained. “And we don’t know what she’s like without a collar.”
“Exactly. She could be a trained killing machine without a conscience.” I’m not quite believing that though, not after I saw her eyes just before she fell unconscious. There was life in there. Hope.
"How do I do this?" I ask, kneeling by the girl's side. I barely remember how my own collar was removed.
"Hold the key in one hand and try and open the clasp at the back of the collar with your other," Lennox instructs. "I think that's all you need to do. Everyone, get ready, who knows what will happen when the collar gets removed."
Gryphon lazily swirls a knife in his hand, looking seemingly relaxed, but the underlying tension in his body shows that he's ready to attack. Bethany and Benjamin stand behind him. Neither of them are experts at fighting in hand to hand combat - Beth much prefers to do her killing with poisons and Benjamin isn't much of an assassin at all - but the more of us, the better, even if it's just for blocking the door so she can't escape.
Ryker is by my side, so close that his fur touches my legs. If he was human, I'd have pushed him away long ago, but as a cat, he has certain privileges.
"Let's hope this works," I mutter, and reach out to touch the collar. It's cold, colder than the stone that I'm clutching in my other hand. The girl's skin is red and chafed where the collar sits, but I doubt she even feels it in that strange zombie state she's in.
I fumble for the clutch that keeps the collar in place. When I touch it, a jolt of electricity runs through it from the collar right into the hand that's holding the key. The clutch is smaller than the one on my own collar used to be, but even so, it's easy enough to open with one hand.
With a clicking sound, the collar jumps open and slides off the girl's neck. I gently pull it off her, waiting to see how she'll react. She's still sleeping and her arms and legs are tied, but that doesn't mean that something won't happen.
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