Petting Them: An Anthology of Claw-ver Tails

by Tate James

  "No. I never considered being one as a possibility, so I didn’t research them," I explain. I know full well I’m an idiot for that mistake now.

  "Well, you are in for a surprise. Starting with the three guys you are going to be living with," she tells me.

  "Wait, what?" I ask. “Guys? Three of them?”

  "They are yummy. Like seriously hot, but they don't talk to anyone but themselves. Every familiar girl is going to be jealous of you when they find out you are going to be living with them," she tells me. I don’t want that. I like to stay in the crowd, getting along without causing trouble.

  "Even you?" I ask.

  "I have two boyfriends; my hands are full. Literally," she says with a teasing tone.

  "Two?" I question. I’ve never met anyone with more than one boyfriend or girlfriend. That’s frowned upon in the small church ordinated village I used to live in with Grandma Dawn.

  "Yep. Twins," she says, winking at me, and I can't help but laugh. "I will take you out tomorrow night to show you around and introduce you to my guys."

  "Sounds like fun," I reply, leaning back in my seat and thinking about how I'm going to be living with three guys. I hope they clean up after themselves, because I do not want to spend the rest of my life cleaning up after three guys, no matter how attractive they are.

  "It will be," she simply says, and I know it might be a good idea to let her show me around and get introduced to people. If this community is as small as I’m getting the impression it is, I need to make friends. We don't talk much throughout the drive, and I nearly drift off to sleep when buildings come into view. There is a little town right in the middle of the woods that you don’t see until you come around the corner because of all the trees. It looks cute with its small wooden houses, stone pathways and dozens of people walking around. There are various animals around as well, making the place almost seem like a zoo.

  "That's the main town, full of shops. Dad will be sorting your bank details out and depositing money in there for your work as a nurse. The only bonus to being a small community is that anyone here will give you what you want and just get you to come back to pay for it later," she tells me. I couldn’t imagine that. If you don’t have money out there, then you don’t get what you want. It is that simple.

  "I have some money already, what I saved for living at college. I worked at a pub for a few years, cleaning dishes and glasses in the back," I explain, and I know my purse is in my bag. Only problem, I have no clue where my bag is.

  "You should treat yourself then. I couldn't help but notice you don't have a lot of winter clothes in that suitcase of yours. It is only going to get colder soon. I sense it in the air," she tells me. I would usually be bothered by the thought of anyone going through my stuff, but I am relieved it was her and not her dad who got my underwear out.

  "Thanks for the advice," I reply. "How long have you lived here?"

  "My whole life. Both my parents are familiars, so the odds of me being one were extremely high. Kiwi and my mark happened on my eighth birthday," she explains, and I frown, peeling my eyes away from the many trees we are passing to look at her. I wasn’t sure familiars could have children, and I’ve never heard of anyone born a familiar. Though it makes a lot of sense. If you have familiar parents, there must be a higher chance you will be one. I know, in the early days, they couldn’t figure out what made the DNA change so rapidly and suddenly. I’m sure there is a lot more to it that I don’t remember from TV shows and the little my school talked of familiars though.

  "Are there a lot of children here?" I ask.

  "No, having a child is rare, but we live longer than humans, so plenty of time for trying," she says, wagging her eyebrows at me, and we both laugh. I look ahead as we get to a gate which is open, and Raine slows down as she drives in. On either side of the gravel road are cabins every half a mile. Each one is different in shape, some tall and a few levels, whereas others are clearly one big room.

  Raine drives us right down to the end of the road, at least a mile away from the rest of the cabins. The cabin at the end is massive, a monster compared to any of the cabins I’ve seen before. It towers up into the trees in a triangle shape, with a deck leading up to the door in the middle, and its three windows show me there are three layers. The lights are on inside, and my suitcase is right outside the front door, with my bag on top.

  "Welcome home," Raine tells me as she stops the car, leaving the engine on though, so I know she isn’t coming in with me. I have to take this step alone and introduce myself to my new roommates.

  "Home," I mutter to myself, staring at the cabin and knowing it feels nothing like home. I may have whispered the word more to myself than her, but Raine catches it.

  "I've not got any sisters or any clue what it is like out there, but this empire is a good place to be. We look after our own, we have animals for best friends, and we will look after you," she tells me, and I look her way. I run my eyes over her hair, button face and to the mark on her hand. It’s not her fault I don’t feel at home, but I know it will take a while for me to settle.

  "It's just a lot to take in," I find myself replying.

  "I bet," she says, and we both turn to look at the house as the door is pulled open, and the shadow of a man stands under the doorframe, holding onto the top with his muscular arms. "Now hold your head high, and don't let them push you around. Good luck."

  8

  Tall, dark and likely dangerous

  Anastasia

  I say goodbye to Raine before opening the car door and jumping out. I shut the door and wave one more time before she reverses, swerves the car around and drives off. I slowly turn, crossing my arms over my chest as I walk up the steps leading to the decking. The light glows warmly from some outside lights and the windows. There is nothing but the smell of trees and a faint trace of diesel from the car. The closer I get, the more I can see the guy in the doorway, the one I wish wasn’t still stood there staring at me. He has dark skin, black braided hair which is short, messy almost, but it works for him. This guy reminds me of the bad guy from Black Panther. He was gorgeous, and even though he was the bad guy, I still had a crush on him. I pull my eyes from his features to his clothes, seeing he has a tight black shirt on and jeans that hang extremely low on his hips. I end up sucking in a breath as I stop right in front of him, taking in his brown eyes that are so bright and alluring.

  "Who are you?" he asks, his voice is deep, husky, and it throws me for a moment. I didn’t expect him to have a sexy voice to go with his appearance.

  "Anastasia," I reply after a long pause. I step back when he lowers his arms from the top of the door frame to his sides and steps even closer to me. He steps so close that I have to arch my neck to look up at him. He is a giant.

  "An-a-tas-ia," he slowly pronounces my name, making it sound far more seductive than it is.

  "And you are?" I ask.

  "Alexander. Now, why are you here?" he asks. “We don’t like having guests.”

  "She's the new roommate, the one you would have heard about if you hadn't gone for a run," another man says, and Alexander turns aside, keeping his eyes on me as he answers.

  "Roommate? Are they fucking serious, Liam?" Alexander growls out, finally pulling his eyes from me to Liam who steps forward. Liam grins at me, a playful one, as he offers me a hand to shake. I’m beyond relieved to see a friendly face here.

  "Ana, nice to meet you," he says, ignoring Alexander's outburst, and I shake his hand, taking in his curly blond hair that looks soft, his bright green eyes and the layer of freckles on his tanned face. He has that cheeky guy grin, and there are even dimples as he smiles. Hot damn. I drop his hand and clear my throat. A cold breeze pushes my hair to the side, making me shiver.

  "Can I come inside? It's freakin' freezing out here," I ask, looking between Liam and Alex who are having a silent conversation of some kind.

  "Yes," Liam says at the same time Alexander says no. Liam only elbows Alexander in the stomach befo
re grabbing my suitcase with my bag on top and wheeling it inside, with me following him in. The warmth of the room hits me straight away before I even see the giant fireplace in the middle of the room. It is made of stone, stretching all the way up to the top of the cabin. I’m sure it keeps the whole place warm. The bottom part has an open fire blasting heat into the room, and three brown sofas surround it with a rug in front of one. I spot two doors behind the fireplace, going off somewhere, and a door leading outside to what looks like some decking. Liam places my suitcase and bag by the bottom of the stairs as I look around. The door slamming shut behind me makes me jump, and I look back, seeing Alexander has left the cabin.

  "What is his problem?" I ask Liam, who scratches the back of his neck as he clearly thinks of an answer while he walks to my side. I glance at his black jumper that tightly fits him and grey joggers, knowing he must have an awesome body under those clothes.

  "Alex is like a brother to me, but he is an asshole at the best of times. He doesn't like change, and you are certainly a big change," he tells me, which I guess makes some sense, and Liam quickly changes the subject. "Can I get you a hot chocolate and something to eat? I bet you haven't eaten since you woke up."

  "No, I haven't eaten, so that would be amazing. It's all been a bit of a rush," I explain to him, rubbing my arms.

  "I get it. We've all been there. It's best you eat now though before our familiars come back from their hunt. They will just be trying to steal your food otherwise," he explains with a grin then nods his head for me to follow him. I run my eyes over his toned back and slim waist under his black jumper, noting how very attractive he is. What is in the water here? Hot guy serum or something? I beg my cheeks to not be red when he looks back at me as he pushes the door open and holds it for me to walk in.

  The room on the other side is a kitchen, and when I get into the room, I can see how large it is. It's a long room with wooden cabinets on either side that match the wooden floor in colour. I would even go so far as to think they are made of the same wood. There is a large double cooker in the middle of the room and a sink with piles of dishes and glasses in and at the side of it. Liam is making his way toward a fancy looking coffee maker on the side, with a holder full of different pods.

  "Grandma Dawn—well not my actual grandmother—had one of those," I muse as he picks up a hot chocolate pod, clicking it into the top.

  "Who is that?" he asks, opening the cabinet in front of him and picking out a red mug.

  "My foster carer, though she is more like a grandma to us," I explain to him as he clicks the machine on. He seems to think on my answer as he goes to the fridge, getting some milk out while I slide onto the counter behind me, sitting down.

  "Us?" he asks, running his eyes up my legs until he gets to my face as he comes back, placing the milk on the side.

  "My sisters and I," I answer, rubbing my nails in a nervous motion as I think about my sisters. I can only see Phoebe crying as I got on the train and how upset she will be when Bethany tells her everything. Then I think about Bethany, the look on her face before I passed out. Her screams for me.

  "I have a sister on the outside too," he tells me. "It was difficult to be made to leave her, but she is older, settled with a fiancé. I know she doesn't need me. Are your sisters older?"

  "One is older, another is only eleven," I explain to him. There is an awkward silence, only filled by the noise of the coffee machine as Liam flashes me a sympathetic look. I don’t need his sympathy; I will get to see them once more.

  "I'm sorry you were forced to leave them. Sometimes being a familiar comes at such a high cost. My mum used to say that only the best changes in life are the hard ones. The ones that are easy can never bring about the best," Liam tells me, and we seem to just stare at each other, stuck in a strange moment of understanding before the machine beeps, telling us it is done. Liam shakes his head as he looks away and pours the milk in before handing me the drink.

  "Hugh promised if I bond with Shadow and do six months as a nurse here, I can see them," I say, and Liam looks at me strangely before going to the fridge again.

  "He promised, huh?" he asks, looking shocked.

  "Yeah...was he lying?" I ask. If he was, I am going to try and escape. I can’t live a life never seeing my sisters again. They are my family.

  "Hugh doesn't lie, it's just that isn't the usual rule. Most have to wait a year at least," he explains to me. "I would keep his promise a secret around here. Most familiars have waited a long time to see relatives."

  "I will," I reply as he pulls out some sandwich meat, cheese and butter. I stare out the window at the trees as their leaves sway in the breeze. Why would Hugh give me special treatment? The only conclusion I can come to is because of Shadow. I know there is something being kept from me, and I think the best way to find out is to ask Raine a load of questions tomorrow night.

  "I'm sorry we don't have much else. Tomorrow is the food shop for the week, and we all eat a lot," he explains, looking a bit embarrassed.

  "I'd eat anything right now, so don’t worry," I explain, not caring what he gives me. I feel like I haven't eaten in years. “I grew up knowing how expensive food is, and sandwiches are a good meal.”

  "I thought you might be hungry, but I still wish I had more than a sandwich for you. When the police darted me, keeping me asleep for a day, it made me hungry. Must be the drugs," he explains, taking the food over to a wooden platter where there is a loaf of bread just behind it. Well, not a loaf, just two pieces left, by the looks of it.

  "I can make my own if you have other things to do," I suggest, pausing when I see the familiar mark on his hand. I don't even hear his answer as I stare at the glowing purple mark that is the same colour as mine. His is a fox though, a large one that covers as much of his hand as mine does.

  "My fox is called Silver. You will see why when you meet her," he tells me as he spreads butter on the bread.

  "My wolf is called Shadow. How come our marks are the same colour?" I ask him.

  "How big is Shadow?" he asks rather than answering my question.

  "Bigger than me by about two feet," I answer, taking a wild guess.

  "He is an ancient then, just like Silver. We all have large familiar animals, and some people call them ancients. We all also have glowing purple marks that are bigger than anyone else’s," he tells me. "That is why they have placed you with us." I stare at Liam in silence for a moment as I process that there is something odd about me and these guys. So much for fitting into the crowd.

  "What animals do the other two have? I was told three guys live here," I ask.

  "I will let you see them yourself. Though Alex's animal doesn’t like to sleep in the house, so you won't see her until tomorrow morning," he explains.

  "Isn't it too cold outside for any animal all night?" I ask.

  "Ah no, it isn’t, her kind digs holes and sleeps in the ground. She used to do it by the cabin, but after we realised she might bring the cabin down burying new holes all the time, she goes a little out of the way now," he says as he finishes the sandwich and hands me it. The familiar must be a mole or something along those lines. I eat in silence, well aware of Liam watching me, trying to figure something out by the look on his face. When I’m finished, I put the plate with the others and make a mental note to find time to wash up tomorrow. It will take at least an hour with all these plates.

  "I can help out with cleaning. I mean, I don't mind washing up, but I hate drying or putting them away," I explain, and Liam grins, placing his hands on his hips.

  "We all hate washing up, Miss Bossy, but we will happily dry and put things away," he states, grinning just as there is a bang on the door. I sense Shadow near, like a warm feeling deep in my chest.

  "Shadow is here."

  "Good, so is Silver. I hope they get along and don't fight. Our last roommate had to move out because Silver kept being a little shit," he says, beaming in what I can only guess as excitement while that just worries me as he walks
out the door.

  9

  Trust and lust should never mix

  Anastasia

  Liam jogs across the room, effortlessly leaping over the sofa to get to the door as I follow him. I can't seem to pull my eyes from him until he opens the door, and Shadow tucks his head as he comes into the room. Liam's eyes watch Shadow in awe as he comes right up to me, choosing to sit at my side as I place my hand on his side. I look up into Shadow’s eyes, knowing that he’s happy with himself.

  "Hey, Shadow, you smell like...well, dead things. I assume hunting went well," I say, and he huffs.

  "Silver, come in here, gorgeous," Liam calls, and I watch as a large silver fox comes into the room, stroking her tail around Liam's shoulders as she ducks to come in. Silver is a stunning animal with white fur that almost has a silver tone to it and a massive bushy white tail. Every inch of her is beautiful, and she reflects Liam’s natural features. They are both cute. With these two giant animals in the room, it now feels tiny.

  "She is gorgeous. I get the nickname now," I tell Liam, and Shadow growls low, pushing himself into me to get closer and nearly knocking me over. I chuckle and pat his shoulder, stroking his fur. "You are just as handsome, don't worry." Silver purrs lightly, walking around us and jumping onto the sofa. She stretches out as we all watch her.

  "Seems Silver doesn't mind Shadow one bit," Liam comments, and Shadow pushes his head against me gently before walking away, going to lie down in front of the fire on the blue rug.

  "Is he okay to sleep in here?" I ask Liam.

  "Yeah, Silver always sleeps down here, so she will like the company. Mason's familiar sleeps in his room on the top floor, and I've already said where Alex's familiar sleeps," he tells me.

  "Still not going to tell me what they are then?" I ask, and he shakes his head. “I thought I could catch you out there.”