Tony let out a weary sigh, almost a sob. “Do you know what it’s like growing up... growing up like this?” His fingers flexed on the table and scratched the cheap varnish. “My mother told me it wasn’t from my father, my stepfather, that is. Some dumb fuck she screwed a few times and never to speak of it again.” The right hand lashed out, gripping Bran’s wrist so tightly the skin started to turn white from lack of blood. “She knew it too, as soon as we started talking. I went furry for her, I wanted to show her that we were meant to be together. She was the only woman I’ve ever felt close to.” The fingers increased their grip on Bran’s wrist. “She didn’t understand. She told me that I needed to get help, that it wasn’t normal. Hell, we weren’t normal!”
I spotted a thin line of blood working its way down the side of Bran’s hand onto the counter. Lifting myself partway out of the seat I paused, waiting for a signal of some sort. I don’t know why, I should have launched myself at him right then and there, and hang the consequences but I had more control than this kid and I had to have faith in Bran’s ability to defend himself.
“I hear you.” Bran nodded. “And she said no. No to everything.” He looked down at the hand pressing his wrist into the counter. “Dude, I ain’t going nowhere. Lighten up.”
Tony looked down then released the tension on the tender skin, but he kept Bran’s left wrist trapped under his in an attempt to control the situation.
“So she said no.” Bran continued. “And you got mad. You got furry and you got mad.”
“She shouldn’t have said no, not like that.” Tony shook his head again, the greasy strands flying around his face. “Man, all she had to do was say that we’d talk. Something nice, like that, give me a chance to discuss it. But she just says no and turns to go.”
“You grabbed her. All furry and you grabbed her.” Bran nudged the conversation forward. It wouldn’t be valid in court, but this case wasn’t ever going to see the light of day in a Toronto courtroom.
The teenager let out a sigh, almost a soft cry. “Look, it wasn’t supposed to go that way. I figured that once she knew I was interested that she’d stop playing, give in.” He pushed the coffee cup around in a circle. “She said no, but I knew that wasn’t what she wanted. You know, women. They always say no at first ’cause they want you to work for it.”
“Your stepdad tell you that?” Bran’s words were stoic, neutral.
“Sort of. Hell, everyone knows that. You just push a bit and she gives in. They always do.” He brushed away a thick lock of hair, releasing Bran’s hand. “I don’t know what happened. I mean, we were just talking and then...” Tony shook his head again. “I just grabbed her neck, just wanted to show her that I was serious. I was serious about us. I was worthy, you know?”
Suddenly a breeze shot through the café, prompted by a waitress opening the door at the back. I caught the rogue’s full scent as it smashed into my world. Fear, disgust, anger... lust. He was getting ready to rock someone’s socks off and Bran was right in his sights.
“It happens.” Bran’s voice carried through the air as I popped one of the macaroni bites into my mouth. “I know you feel bad about that. I know you gotta feel crappy.”
Kolanski’s head bobbed slowly, reminding me of those small glass birds that were all the rage years ago. The red fluid went only so far up the neck then the bird would fall forward, bounce for a second or two, returning to his original position, going on as long as you let it.
“I feel bad, don’t get me wrong.” His fingers moved up and down, tapping out a rhythm on the wood. “But it was just so...” He smiled at Bran, a startling cheerful grin. “It was sweet.”
The breeze abruptly shifted again, the front door flying open with the arrival of a gang of teenagers yelling and cajoling each other about some high score on a video game. Right back at the two men.
Tony’s head lifted, nose skyward. His eyes widened as his hand slammed back down on Bran’s wrist. The first small tufts of fur began to spread across the back of his hand, the claws protruding from between his knuckles. Jerking his head to one side, he stared at me then turned back to Bran.
“You’re with her.” It wasn’t a question. Brandon nodded. “Yes. Yes, I am.” He continued to speak, his words carefully chosen and slowly spoken. “She wants to help you. We want to help you.”
“She tried to kill me!” His right hand was now fully Changed. I glanced around the café—no one cared or noticed the conversation. Yet.
“She didn’t know who you were.” Bran murmured as if he were smoothing ointment over a fresh wound. “She thought she was looking for a killer. Someone who killed Janey Winters without provocation or thought.” He put his free hand over the furred one. “That’s not you.”
Tony’s face began to shift, the skin reshaping itself to allow the flatter nose, the small facial hairs sprouting free and turning a light tawny colour as they travelled across his jaw and neck. “But it is.”
Suddenly Kolanski let out a leonine roar, pushing the stool back from the counter and standing up. Grabbing Bran by the trapped right wrist, he threw the hapless man at me with all his strength, picking him off his feet and tossing him like a rag doll.
Bran slammed into my table, and by default, me, like the classic ton of bricks. We crashed to the floor in a pile of kindling and soda, a few mac and cheese balls scattering around us like chaff.
Tony raced out the door as I struggled to get back on my feet, pulling Bran with me. Bran shook his head. “Guess that class in negotiations really wasn’t worth the ‘B’ I got.” His eyes went to the spilled snack. “Oh, man... I was looking forward to those.”
“We’ll be back.” Scrambling over the debris, I raced out, not looking back to see if Bran was behind me. Tony was now fully Changed and in public view—Jess would kill him for that alone, never mind the entire separate issue of murder.
The long shadows stretching across the street signalled the approaching evening, something I was grateful for while I sprinted after the teenager. If we were lucky someone would take him for a costumed clown on his way to the latest birthday party or some sort of frat prank—not one of Brandon’s “freaks” wandering the streets of Toronto.
Tony cut the street corner so sharply I almost skidded off the cement into traffic, my running shoes screaming to try and keep their traction on the sidewalk. At the back of my mind I noted that he was heading, of all places, for his house. No matter how old you are or where you are or what you think, there’s no place like home. Except in this case it wasn’t going to be the sanctuary he was hoping for.
Sure enough, as we reached the edge of the playground, I caught Jess’s scent, fresh and nearby. As if I didn’t have enough to worry about.
The playground equipment stood in the centre of the sand-filled oval, the faux wood and garishly coloured plastic pipes warped and shaped for safety. A varnished rope net hung off of one side of the turret for children to climb up and play on. Tony leapt up onto the shiny metal slide and scurried to the top of the tower. Spinning around, he glared at me as I pulled up just short, my toes digging into the sand.
“Don’t you judge me!” His eyes were wide as he pointed at me. “Don’t you even try to judge me!”
I put up my hand. “Dude, you are so not talking to the right person about that.” Out of the corner of my eye I spotted Jess, a slim shadow in the patch of trees to my right and behind the frazzled teenager. “You’ve got to get some help.” Putting my hand up, palm out, I continued. “Just calm down, pull it together and we’ll talk. There’s nothing here that can’t be fixed.”
“I killed a woman!” The plaintive cry tore at my ears. He bent backward and let out a cross between a roar and a scream.
I winced. There was only so much the neighbours were going to put up with before they called the cops to report the disturbance and, well, we knew where that was going to lead. Even if they didn’t link him to Janey’s death, yelping something like that was bound to get someone’s attention.
<
br /> “Tony, come on down.” Bran appeared behind me, breathless. Seems he wasn’t in as fine condition as he thought he was. “Let them help you.” His hair was askew, his face scarlet from the short run. “They understand. They’re just like you. Give them a chance to make things right before it’s too late!”
Hammersmythe stepped out of the darkness, still in human form. She took a long drag on the half-burnt cigarette in her hand and blew smoke rings into the air as she walked onto the playground. Her cowboy boots reverberated on the old railroad ties before sinking into the sand.
She looked up at the teenager then over at me, and Bran, before returning her attention to the kid. “Turn it off, Tony.” The low rumbling tone came from the bottom of her toes, sending a shiver up my spine. “Get human again. Right now.”
Kolanski stared at Jess for a second, a thin string of drool running out of one side of his mouth. It ran out onto the end of one of the fine whispers before dropping down into the sand. “Who the fuck are you?”
Jess shrugged. “Someone you should listen to.” Taking one last puff on the cigarette, she bent one leg and put the stub out on the bottom of her boot. “Littering. It’s not good.” She tucked the dead butt into a front pocket, not taking her eyes off of the teenager. “I said, dump the fur. Now.” The last word wasn’t a request. I remembered the tone from many a training session back on the Farm.
“Damn, she’s good.” Bran whispered in my ear, one hand on my shoulder. “I’m trying to Change back right now, I’m so scared.” I could tell by the tone in his voice he wasn’t joking.
“You should be,” I said in a stage whisper without taking my eyes off the young man perched at the top of the turret.
“Who the fuck are you?” Tony was still in full Change.
Jess shook her head. “Kid, you need a lesson in control. You need a lot of lessons, but we’ll start with this one.” She pointed a finger at the ground right in front of her. “Down. Now. And Change back.”
Tony laughed, a purring tilt to his voice. Crouching, he pointed a furred finger at the older woman with claws fully extended. “You want to go, bitch? I don’t think you’d be much of a challenge.” He nodded toward me. “Woman’s been a troublemaker, wants to put me in a cage or worse. Not gonna happen.” His lips peeled back, exposing bright, white canines. “Not gonna happen.”
Jess shrugged. “Your call, kit. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She glanced around the playground. Thankfully there wasn’t anyone else nearby, probably the dinner hour for the area, but time wasn’t going to be on our side forever and each second Tony stayed in full Change was a second closer to the Felis being discovered. He was a damned handsome young man, tawny fur covering his entire face with that white streak running down the left side of his nose.
Jess rolled her shoulders back, closing her eyes and let out a long hiss of air. Then she Changed, faster than I had ever seen before.
The light brown-and-white hairs on her head blended perfectly with the light fur on her face, her hands furring up with claws shooting out so fast I winced at the pain. Her nose retreated into her face just slightly, enough to accentuate the long fangs pressing out against her lips. Hammersmythe pulled them back in a vicious smile at the teenager.
The shocked look on the kid’s face was, in a sad way, welcome. Here was an Alpha female in her full glory, someone who Tony had probably been looking for all his life. Question was, was it in time?
The answer came as Kolanski launched himself off the top of the tower with a half cry, half roar onto Hammersmythe. His leather jacket flew open, flapping in the air and exposing the thread-bare t-shirt covering his chest.
Chapter 20
Jess took up a defensive position, not moving an inch. She bent her knees slightly, dropping a fraction with her hands at her sides—palms up and claws ready, her fingers half-closed to allow the sharp nails total freedom. Her pupils had Changed to the slitted feline view with her nose twitching as the musky scent of the attacker crashed over the two of us.
Bran took a step forward. Without turning, I slammed my palm into his chest, pushing him back and behind me. I exhaled, feeling the blood start to pound loudly in my ears. Every breath I took burnt my lungs, Bran’s rich male smell almost overpowering my other senses and threatening to shut them down completely. At the same time I drank in the fight in front of us, the battling Alphas giving off waves of power that I could only dream of.
Tony crashed into Jess at about shoulder level, his hands reaching out to grab at her. Hammersmythe turned to the left as if it had been choreographed, tossing the kit to the ground with a resounding thump.
For his part, Tony rolled to his feet with astonishing speed. I’d forgotten how fast we could be when we’re young.
Grabbing Jess with an angry yell, he grappled with the Board member, both of them searching for a good grip to toss the other to the ground. The claws ripped into Tony’s leather jacket, matched by his return attack through Jess’s overpriced jean shirt. Blood began to show through the tears, running down under the rest of the fabric. The smell hit my nose like a firecracker blast, ratcheting my senses up another level. This wasn’t rabbit blood. This was Felis blood.
Jess wasn’t a fool. You didn’t get to her age and level in the Pride without having a few tricks up your sleeve. Tony’s claws were now firmly imbedded in her arms and trapped there as the older woman pulled and shoved, not letting him pull them out. It must have hurt like hell, but it effectively neutralised the kid’s attack.
Tony’s eyes went wide as he felt himself losing control. He hadn’t learnt one of the first tricks a kit picks up when fighting with claws—the ability to retract. It takes a lot of mental power and more than a little practice to master, but being able to pull your claws back even a fraction of an inch can make the difference between being caught up in skin or clothing and being able to attack again.
Jess punched the kid in the face three times, smashing his nose hard with each hand slap. She didn’t gouge his face, letting the raw power of her punch do the damage. Leaning in she hissed at the startled Felis. “Surrender now. Give it up.”
In response Tony yanked his claws free, ripping long gouges in Jess’s skin.
He leapt to one side, where Bran and I stood.
Pushing me to the ground, he grabbed the startled man beside me, putting his own bloody claws to Hanover’s jugular.
Jess’s pounce stopped in mid-air, the woman landing beside me in the soft sand, dropping to one knee as she stared at the kid.
“Don’t do it.” Her voice was strangely soft and still threatening. “There’s been enough killing.”
Tony had one hand on Bran’s forehead, yanking back as he fell to his knees. The vein pulsed under the rogue’s claws, already bloody from the exchange with Jess.
“What are you going to do, eh?” The kid glanced down at Bran then back at the two of us. “I’ll tell you what you’re going to do—you’re going to let me walk out of here.” He tugged at Bran’s hair, hard. “Unless you don’t care about another dead body.”
“Come on, Tony.” Bran’s hoarse whisper reached our ears, barely decipherable. “You’re smarter than this. You know this isn’t going to work.”
The teenager shook his head, yanking back on Bran’s short hair again. “I don’t know nothing other than I’m a freak!” The sharp nails danced dangerously close to the pulsing skin, scraping across the top layer. “You don’t know anything about me!”
“Tony.” I stepped forward, keeping my hands at my sides. “You’re a Felis. Jess here is the leader of the Pride that your father belongs to. Your real father.” I drew in a deep breath, watching the two closely, Bran’s eyes locked with mine—still defiant. My fingers pulled into a fist, my nails digging into my palm as I continued. “You got into a situation with Janey and overreacted. You need help.” I glanced at Jess for a fast second. “She’s the one to give it to you.”
“She’s going to kill me!” Tears began to flow down Tony’
s furred cheeks. “She’s going to kill me!”
“No.” Jess replied. “If I’d have wanted to kill you you’d be dead already.” She nodded sideways. “Ask her. She knows.”
The ancient scars on my back sent off phantom waves of pain. “She’s right. You’re not all that, kid.” I forced a smile onto my face. “You could learn a thing or two from this one.” I shuffled forward an inch. “Come on, let the guy go. He’s been nice to you. Don’t do something else that you’re going to regret.”
“Don’t move!” Tony screamed, his eyes as wide as they could go, the pupils flashing an eerie green in the dying daylight.
My claws begin to slip out slowly, edging through the newly healed skin between my knuckles. My jaw clenched as I tried not to show the pain. Bran looked at me, giving an almost imperceptible shake of his head.
“Don’t move or he dies!” The rogue screamed again, the claws now pressing hard on Bran’s throat. A thin scarlet line began to form as the blood trickled down, disappearing under his shirt. My nose twitched, processing the new scent.
I drew in a sharp breath, letting it out as a growl. Bran’s eyes went to the size of saucers as he stared at me, a mixture of pride and fear in them. Glancing back and forth from Jess to me to Jess again Tony came back to look at me with a strange expression on his face, one of fear and curiosity.
The world changed. Colours became clearer, the brightness of the playground equipment singing to me. The shadows beckoned me into the cool safety and calmness of the night. The scents of the people around me jumped into vivid clarity. Someone was cooking a cake two blocks over, hot dogs burning on a grill nearby, a couple making love in an upstairs bedroom.
I had Changed. For the first time in over thirty years.
And I was pissed.
Letting out a roar, I leapt at the startled teenager, hands outstretched as I gave him a full look at an enraged female Felis. This was what he had seen from Janey Winters in the last few minutes of her life, a woman fighting to defend what she loved and cared for. She fought for her kids and her husband, to get back to them and defeat what was threatening to keep her from them.
What God and Cats Know Page 24
