by Marilynn Fae
Then, Shadow tips her back and she is wearing a jacket that smells like him. "It's okay," he says. "It's okay. I'll be your new Master, if you want, love. I won't leave. Shh... It's okay," he says.
She doesn't want a new master. She already has one. Her throat feels raw as she tries to tumble through some words. Stop. Go away. You're not my Master. Thank you. None of them come out except her hiccuping sobs and even though she's shoving at him, she's pulling him close at the same time, a juxtaposition that doesn't seem to bother him. He keeps holding her.
"It's alright. I'm here. I've got you," he says.
There's a clink of glass and the sound of running water, and then Melissa is squatting down by their side too. "You've got to get her to drink something," she says. "I'll come and check on you later, okay?" she combs a hand through Anna's hair, scratching behind her ears with a low hum. "Shadow's a good boy. He'll take care of you."
Shadow is too old to be a boy. He's at least thirty. She sniffs when she hears Melissa leave the house, taking her scent with her, though she can smell all the things she had managed to cook in the kitchen. It smells like a small feast in there.
She doesn't think she's up to eating anything though. It feels too nice right here.
The warmth of Shadow's weight is right there, pressing up against her and she doesn't want to let go to drink the water even though she's feeling thirsty and she's all out of tears. He pulls her back slightly, hand on the back of her neck in a way that makes all the muscles on her body seize up a little bit. "Drink," he says in a tone that tells her she shouldn't even try to argue. She takes the glass in his hands and downs all of it so quickly that water drips down her chin.
He sighs. "I'm really sorry, doll. I didn't know my father had you under his care. I wouldn't have kept you locked up in a cage if I had known."
She nods and lets him tip her face up. He wipes her chin with his palm, and then, as if he can't quite help himself, leans forward to lick the rest of her water dripping off her face. He cleans her cheeks too, licking away her tears. It feels nice. Master doesn't groom her like this unless they're both shifted, him in his half wolf form and her in her full cat shift. His tongue is warm against her skin, soft, a contrast compared to the tight pinch of his fingers on her chin to keep her from moving away.
It's not as though she would look away. She likes being groomed like this.
When he's done, he pulls back and blinks like he's surprise he had done something like that in the first place. Her whole body shudders and a sound escapes her, a whimper, small and frightened.
He keeps his hand on her thigh, unintentionally pressing onto her tail as well since she still has it curled around her body.
"I'm sorry," she says, feeling like a burden. "I know- I know you don't want me," she continues, looking anywhere but at him. The warmth of his hand, his skin pressing to hers, soaks in and spreads out. She tries not to focus too much on it, but it's comforting and makes her feel less alone.
"I never said I didn't want you," he says.
It's implied. She bites her tongue. She's one of a miniscule group of lucky half-shifts who are able to talk. They hadn't known that when they were selling her to Master, otherwise she would have been worth so much more. The other owners are very envious of her Master. Master brought her to meet with a few other half shifts like her, but they can't talk at all. She sort of understands what they're trying to say, though. She has playdates with them sometimes.
She wonders if Shadow will let other cat shifters visit her, or if their Masters will let Shadow bring her for visits.
"Were you serious?" she asks. "About being my new Master?"
"Yes." He says this, short and terse, like it's being forced out of him. "The old man trusted me to take care of you," he says. "And I will. It's dangerous out there for people like you. You're unclaimed, unmarked. The old man- has he told you why he keeps you hidden?"
She shudders in a breath and nods. She doesn't need him to clarify what he means when he says unclaimed. She's a virgin. "Will you keep me safe?" she asks.
"Yes," he says.
"Are you going to mate me?"
There is a flicker in his eyes and she knows what it means when she scents arousal coming from the older man. Would he be interested in mounting her? Her heat is coming up soon and it's always an awkward affair for everyone involved when it does. Master keeps her locked up and away from the rest of the staff because she would press her face into the pillows and beg to be mounted. It's an embarrassing time for everyone involved.
There's a long, slow moment where she can hear him breathe in and then out. She can't look at him, afraid of what she will find. Afraid and excited all at once.
"I won't if you don't want me to," he says.
Chapter Five: Domestic
Anna hasn't felt this free for a long time. Her old Master loves her, but he's old and ailing and he's terribly possessive. He thinks of her as his cub even though they're not even the same species and he doesn't let her leave the house at all. She doesn't mind too terribly that she's kept so close in his territory though. It's a giant place and she hasn't actually finished exploring everywhere yet.
Her new Master is different. He's younger and stronger and he's not afraid of anybody. He is Alpha, big and powerful and nobody in their right mind would dare challenge him in order to get to her, so he takes her out of the apartment like it's not a big deal. He introduces her to his neighbors downstairs and upstairs, lets the security guard at the reception desk at the bottom floor know that she's living here now, so they should never let strangers close.
He shows her a world that she has only ever seen in the little phone that her old Master lets her play with for a few hours a day. There are rules, of course. She's not allowed to stray too far from her new Master and she's not allowed to talk to anyone. Not that the problem has ever occurred during any of their rare excursions. Everyone's too scared of Alpha to get close to her and then even if they are close, they are never brave enough to talk to her. She's too timid to stray very far from her Master too. She is under no delusion that people leave her alone because they want to. No. They're doing it purely out of fear of her Master.
It's because she smells like her Alpha's mate even though he hasn't yet mated her. He pets her and rubs his cheek against hers, leaving his scent all over her so that anyone looking at her would think she belongs to him.
They don't go out very often, though. She doesn't like it outside, where it smells like strangers and confusion, where people are trying to catch glimpses of her without getting caught by her Master. They smell like lust and envy, like anger too, like they think they can do better than her. Or maybe they're thinking of how much money she's worth if they get their hands on her. She stays close to her Master and makes sure the doors are locked when her Master leaves her alone.
She sees herself in the news sometimes, people saying that her old Master must've been crazy to leave so much money to her. But money doesn't mean anything to her at all. When she asked him if she should donate the money, he had smiled at her sadly and told him that his father hadn't let him money. He left her things that can't be dealt with so easily. There are lawyers who would want to talk to her and discuss matters. When she started to look panicked, he petted her head and told her he would take care of things.
Shadow's very good at taking care of things, she learns very quickly. Her new Master seems to enjoy solving problems and getting things to work the way he wants them to. Exactly the way he wants them to.
Sometimes, she worries he only keeps her because she's another puzzle for him, something else he could fix, but as time passes by and he doesn't seem to mind anything she does and just lets her continue scratching little holes into the sides of his couch, she begins to relax. He doesn't seem that keen on changing anything about her. She's not something else he intends to fix.
She wakes a few weeks after moving into her new place and luxuriates in her human form. It's nice to be able to stretch out her
fingers and toes even though she has a wear a silly nightgown. Her tail unfurls from her body and she climbs out of the bed to get a comb so she can work on fluffing up her fur. Her new Master insists that she wear clothes even though there's nobody else in the apartment aside from them.
She thinks it has something to do with the way he smells like desire when he sees her, but that could just be wistful thinking. She doesn't mind if he wants her, though. Old Master wanted her for companionship and New Master wants her as something else. She thinks she'll be happy to be his mate if that's what he wants.
He's a good provider. She washes her face, brushes her teeth, and then tiptoes into the kitchen. He's already eating his breakfast. It looks healthy and gross.
"Good morning, love," he says, looking up at her and flashing her a bright grin that sends pleasant tingles all the way to the tips of her toes.
She blushes, unused to his easy smiles. "Morning, Master," she whispers and steps towards him shyly.
"Where do you want breakfast today?" he asks.
He always asks. It's nice. "Can I sit by your feet?" she asks in return.
"If that's what you want," he smiles, indulgent and kind.
She curls up at the base of his chair, purring happily as she rubs her cheek to his pants. It's probably really expensive. His clothes are always so soft.
"Here," he says and waits for her to tilt her head up before capturing her chin between his forefinger and thumb. "Open," he says and waits for her to part her lips before pressing in a serving if caviar on top of a lightly salted caviar.
She purrs happily as she chew and smiles at him.
"Good girl," he says, leaning down to lick up her lips.
She startles a little. She's still not used to how tactile her new Master is and how easily he grooms her. She wants to groom him back too, leaning up to lick his lips back, but he pulls away too quickly.
"Another?" he offers instead.
She pouts and nods, opening her mouth and letting him slide another piece in. She licks his fingers clean, tasting the slightly salty crumbs clinging to his fingertips, and then, she leans back to enjoy the second bite of the caviar. She can taste it better now that her taste buds are no longer tainted by toothpaste. The texture and taste explodes in her mouth and she curls up at his feet, tail wrapped around his ankles as she leans her cheek against his legs. She chews slowly and considers another nap. It's tasty, but not tasty enough to keep her awake.
"Open, darling," he says, curling a warm hand on the back of her neck and pulling her head back when she takes too long to respond. "Open," he repeats in a lower growl, one that makes her bones tremble. She flutters her lids when she glances up at him and opens her mouth dutifully. "Good girl," he says, swiping his thumb over her bottom lip deliberately as he places another bite on her tongue.
He manages to coax her into eating a few more mouthfuls as she sulks at his feet. "I have to go to work now, pet," he says and she sulks even more.
She knows she's utterly spoiled, but she hates it when he's not paying attention to her and when he leaves to do other things. He always comes back smelling like strange things and outside.
She unfurls from around his feet and glares pointedly away from him. "Come here, darling," he chuckles, hoisting her up with his hands underneath her armpit and depositing her neatly into his lap. He rubs his cheek against hers, and then does it to her other cheek, rumbling as he does so. "You be good, okay?" he says, eyeing the mostly ruined couch cushions that she had been scratching up over the past several weeks.
"I'm always good," she says and he leans forward so that their foreheads are touching. His eyes are very pretty. "I'll be good," she tells him softly and blushes when the corners of his lips tilt upwards to form a small smile.
"Good girl," he praises and she preens again, only to continue pouting a second later when he lifts her up completely and deposits her onto the couch.
The house is always so quiet after Master leaves her alone.
She fusses with the pillows and then brings one down with her to the nearest patch of light and dozes.
Chapter Six: Strangers
Her new Master's apartment is nice, but not very well protected.
She's basking in a patch of sun from the window in the bedroom when she finds this out. She has the curtains pulled all the way opened and is so busy listening to the birds chirping happily on the other side of the glass window that she almost doesn't notice it at first - a little buzzing noise from the door. She lifts her head up and frowns at it for a few seconds. the buzzing stops.
That's odd. Then again, Master is peculiar in that he doesn't mind sharing the space with neighbors. Her old Master would never have allowed anyone so close. There are people living downstairs and upstairs of the apartment too. She lays back down, fully intent on going back to sleep because it's nice in the apartment today. Well. It's nice everyday, but today's particularly nice cause Master kissed her cheek before leaving for work. If she focuses, she thinks she can still feel his lips on her cheek, a phantom sensation of his lips pressing against her skin. She smiles a little thinking about it.
She should've been paying more attention to the door because it happens so abruptly that she doesn't react in time. The door gets blasted open and then several things happens at once. A small ball rolls into the room and she tries to leap at it and bat it out, but it bursts open first, hissing as it releases a white smoke in the air. The sweet scent fills her nose and goes straight into her lungs, infiltrating all her nervous systems and taking control before she can stop breathing. She reels back, stumbling away until she's as far away from the source as she can get, but she's limited by the space in the apartment and the fact that her body is no longer doing what she wants to.
Instantly, she knows they're here for her because she's smelled this exact combination before. It she knows is meant specifically for her because she's smelled it before. It triggers a memory of her in the first home, the one where she's confused all the time and has no idea what's happening to her, why she's no longer with her family and why there are unfamiliar faces everywhere. She didn't know what she was feeling was wrong until Master brought her home.
Her heart doesn't even get the chance to speed up before she inhales and is breathing in the air that makes her relaxed and tired, too lethargic to move even though she knows she should be panicking and running the opposite way.
The men that walks into the apartment makes her grimace and flinch though. She remembers that man. He's older now and even though she knows logically that she's older too, she feels even smaller. Even through the cloyingly sweet scent from the bottle, she can smell that the men coming in are entering with ill-intent. They smell like medicine and danger, like something unpleasant and a little bit violent. One of the men is wearing a mask and it doesn't take her long to recognize him as the same man her Master had tried to save her from.
She looks up and finds herself staring directly into his eyes, pupils dilated and upper lip pulled back under the mask like he's trying to inhale the scent, but the mask is in the way. He's wearing a wolf hide like a cap over his tailored black suit, a deliberate challenge against her Master. But he doesn't even have to decency to challenge her Master properly and fight for her.
He's doing this when her Master is gone.
"Hello there, kitten," he says in a tone he probably reserves for people he think is beneath him. She's heard that tone before in her first home. People talk to her like that all the time.
"You're not supposed to be here," she says, or at least, she tries to say. What comes out of her mouth is instead a keening meowing sound that escapes entirely unbidden.
"Look how you've grown," he drawls. He eyes her up and down.
She's glad Master made her put on proper clothes in the morning. She has on a baby blue dress with thin straps that had fallen over her arm, exposing her shoulder blade down her chest. She pulls the strap of her dress up and wills her tears away. "Mrawl," she voices, aware of how pathet
ic she sounds the moment the keening whine leaves her lips. He is bigger now, no less intimidating not just because of the wolf pelt he's wearing, but because her Master isn't here with her and there's no one to save her.
"You're a lovely little thing, aren't you?" he says, squatting down in front of her, a clawed hand closing around her neck, pinning her down onto the grown firmly. She doesn't even have the power in herself to fight back. It's like all the muscles in her body has turned to mush. "What did they day your name was again? Anna?" he growls. His voice is too deep, too growly, like he's trying to talk through a mouthful of fangs.
She clenches her eyes shut, too afraid to peek through them and see if he's shifted. She's never been very good at fighting but she thinks she owes it to her Master to fight back, if only a little. Master wants her as his mate. She grasps at the hand pinning her head to the floor with clawed fingers and tries to pry it away. His fingers tighten, closing the airflow to her lungs and she chokes, making soft whining noises.
"Pretty little thing," he says, wiping his palm across her cheek. "I'm going to have a lot of fun breaking you in," he growls in her ear, sounding breathless and smelling so thickly of arousal that she thinks she could choke from it. His voice is distorted by the mask, making him sound even less human. The look of fear on her face seems to turn in on because his grip on her tightens and he shifts on top of her, pinning her onto the ground with the full weight of his body, straddling her easily.
Her eyes widen in fear, her lungs feeling crushed. She's not sure if he knows he's so much heavier and stronger than her. He shouldn't sit on her like this. She struggles again, kicking and clawing at him as much as she can.
She doesn't know when she's started to cry. She's aware that there are people around them, looking and doing something to the apartment. Setting up traps, she thinks with a panicked sort of detachment. They're setting up traps for her Master, for when he comes back later. She mewls at the man and scratches at his wrists with her claws, trying to get herself free. He pulls his lips back again, scenting the air but unable to because of the mask he's wearing over his mouth.
