Dear Onyx,
I am so sorry for your loss. We may never understand why your parents were taken from this earth too soon, or why they had to leave without saying good-bye, but little by little, I pray you will remember not just the pain of loss but also that they lived. Know they loved you and gave you many good memories too beautiful to forget.
Professor Radcliff.
She dropped the card and watched it flutter to the bed. Professor Radcliff sent these to her. Not the school. He personally sent them. And such beautiful words. What would he think if he knew she was a cat? She had always fantasized that maybe one day after graduation, she would come back to campus to seduce her favorite professor. He wouldn't want her if he knew what a freak she was. It didn't matter; she couldn't have him because she was expected to mate with Denny. When she realized she was crying again she set the flowers down and wiped at her eyes.
School. She hadn't thought about it in four days now. How much time off would she be allowed? The thought of making that drive back and forth—with no one to come home to—hurt. There was no way she would drop out though. Her parents wouldn't want that. They had been so proud of her. Would they have relented and allowed her to live on campus after her change? All this time, they had been so overprotective for her own good. Imagine if she had undergone the change while living in a dorm room, with a roommate.
She wished they’d explained it to her just once.
She sat at her desk and logged into her school email. Her inbox overflowed with sympathetic messages from fellow students and a few faculty members. It touched her to know people outside of her small community…her clowder cared about her
A message from Mrs. Clark grabbed her attention.
The Dean of Students has provided all of your professors and supervisors with an electronic letter notifying them of the reason for your absence. You will be allowed to make up any missed assignments. Please come back when you are ready.
Professor Radcliff had also sent her his notes from class and some reading material. “When you are up to it,” he had written in the body of the email. That was sweet. A few other professors also offered their sympathy and class notes. It made her feel good to know she was a part of another supportive community; not just this werecat clowder. She didn't have to be bound here forever. In fact, she was more determined than ever to leave Catcall Falls. She could visit her friends, or they could come visit her at school, but there was no longer any reason she needed to be here. Mating be damned.
She couldn't deal with any of that right now. Her bed called out to her and before she knew it she was curled up and sound asleep.
A week later, Onyx was on the road back to school. She cried most of the way there, then sat in her car wiping her face before her first class. A knock on her window startled her. She turned and fond Professor Radcliffe staring down at her.
Something in her body responded very strangely to the sexy professor. She grabbed her bag and slid out of the car very aware of his nearness, his scent, his body. The sudden urge to rip off his shirt and lick him all over consumed her. This was bad. Maybe she wasn't ready to come back to school after all.
He eyed her cautiously and she was afraid he was somehow able to sense her inappropriate thoughts.
“How are you, Onyx? You didn't have to come back so soon.”
She shook her head and tried to stop staring at his chest. “I need the distraction.” And God help her, he was very distracting. He reached out to touch her hand and she jumped from the electricity that crackled between them. Was he able to feel it too?
He frowned and took his hand back.
“Thank you for the roses,” she blurted out.
“You're welcome.” He kept staring at her through narrowed eyes.
“I, uh, better get to Sociology.”
He didn't say anything, but she felt his eyes on her back the whole way to class. Their strange encounter made her hesitate to go to his class. But he already knew she was on campus. It would be weird if she didn't show up, right?
The minute she walked in the room, she felt that strange pull again. Parts of her that she had never acknowledged seemed to be waking up whenever he was near. Her body was trying to tell her something her mind did not want to hear. Why didn't she react this way to Denny? She had been around him every day for the last week and hadn't felt this stirring.
A few of her classmates welcomed her back and gave her sympathetic hugs. She didn't realize anyone really knew who she was or...cared. It was a strange feeling to receive sympathy from outsiders. Her whole world had been her clowder—she was still having trouble getting used to this new word—for so long now. What would it be like to be a normal girl, who did normal things, with her normal friends?
She'd never know, because she wasn't normal.
Onyx's presence in his classroom both surprised and sidetracked Cole. He'd been distracted and intrigued by her for the last year and a half, so that was nothing new. But she had never quite affected him the way she had this morning.
It was their magic.
As he was a powerful sorcerer, with over a hundred years of magic behind him, it was only natural that her magic would call to his. Even though he tried to use his magic as little as possible, sooner or later this was bound to happen. Catcall Falls wasn't far from this quiet university. Eventually one of their kittens would end up in his class. Yes, he'd known all along what Onyx was. What she would become.
It must have been horrible to not only lose her parents but also learn something so life-altering about herself. How he wished he could have been there to help her. What had her change been like? She was probably a beautiful cat. She was already stunning in human form. Her flowing jet-black hair fell down her back, straight and impossibly shiny. He shifted uncomfortably, thinking about her body, because it was quite spectacular, even though she tried very hard not to draw attention to her large breasts, tiny waist and very feminine hips. Though her body was quite luscious, it was her eyes that preoccupied him every damn time. They were the brightest jade green and contrasted against her alabaster skin beautifully.
He steeled himself. Compared to him, she was just a baby. A kitten. That thought made him smirk. Given how outspoken she was in class, she was probably more like a baby tiger.
What would her crazy clan have planned for her now? As the daughter of the beta, surely they expected her to mate soon. The thought bothered him for reasons he didn’t want to admit.
It was no accident Cole ended up in River Edge, teaching at the local university. He moved from school to school because eventually people asked why he never seemed to age much. The close proximity to Catcall Falls and the magical power harnessed there was perfect for him. He'd only been there twice in the fifteen or so years he'd lived in the area. It was too difficult to get in and out undetected. The elders could easily sense what he was. Although there had been a truce between the shifters and magic makers for ages, there was still a lot of distrust. Especially in a place like Catcall Falls, where they had closed themselves off for so long. He understood they had been trying to bring new blood into the pack for years. Onyx was a good example of that. Her mother, Jade, was from another pack far out West. It saddened him to think Onyx's mother had died before she could share all these things with her daughter. Jade had also been beautiful; something Cole tried hard to forget.
Since he couldn't concentrate, he handed out a pop quiz. His students groaned good-naturedly. It was a small class. No one was taking it who didn't want to be here. Everyone enjoyed the subject matter.
As he passed by Onyx, he winked at her. “Just do your best,” he encouraged. He felt bad putting her on the spot her first day back.
Onyx knew she aced the quiz. Bet Professor Radcliff will be surprised. On her drive home she obsessed over why his approval meant so much to her. Or why she was suddenly obsessed with finding out what he looked like naked. No one knew how old he was, although the common consensus on campus was he was around thirty-six. Onyx was ba
d at guessing peoples' ages but that sounded about right. As far as anyone knew he was single. He lived near the university and walked to work every morning. She itched to run her fingers through his curly brown hair and press her lips against his full, sensual mouth. She wanted to rub herself against him. She wanted him to take off all his clothes and show her if he really was as magnificent under his nerdy professor wear as she imagined.
What was wrong with her? She couldn't concentrate on anything. She was so distracted she was afraid she would drive off the road. When she finally pulled into her driveway, Denny and Bessie were waiting for her on the front porch. They looked so good together, Onyx didn't understand why they couldn't be a couple instead. Denny reached out to pull her into his arms and she felt nothing. Well, not nothing. She felt affection, sweet and safe love for her friend. There was no electric spark. No tingles in her girly bits.
“What's up?” she asked.
“We just wanted to check in and see how your first day back at school went,” Bessie said wrinkling her nose. She had gone to work at her parents' diner immediately after they graduated from high school. She hated school and couldn't fathom why Onyx wanted to subject herself to more of it. Denny had gotten a two-year degree from the local community college in Civil Engineering Technology. He'd landed a pretty decent job with the county highway department after graduation. As far as husbands went, Onyx could certainly do worse.
“Do you want to talk about anything?” Denny asked.
“Sure, come on in.”
Bessie busied herself making coffee and arranging a snack cake on the table while Onyx put her stuff away. Denny pulled out a chair and urged her to sit next to him.
“So, do you have any questions about our feline side? I thought you might want to talk to us instead of, you know, my parents.”
“Okay. How long have you known?” Still feeling a little betrayed by her friends, Onyx decided to start with the most obvious question first.
Denny hesitated and looked at her carefully before answering. “I've always known. Well, at least since Marie and Wilson adopted me. My parents died in a car crash when I was five, so I have been able to change since then.”
“Oh, Denny, I'm sorry. I didn't know.”
“How could you? You were just a baby when I came to live here. I barely remember it myself. It has just always been a part of me.” She squeezed Denny's hand and turned to look at Bess.
“Bessie?”
Bessie leaned against the counter and crossed her arms over her chest. “Well, a couple months before my birthday my mom started talking to me about it in, you know, the abstract.” She waved a hand in the air for emphasis before continuing.
“Then the week of my birthday she started telling me what would happen. Of course I thought she was nuts. Like a good daughter, I indulged her stories. She wasn't fucking kidding either. It hit me with a wallop. It's been super-fun though. I couldn't wait to share it with you.” She paused and frowned. “But I never wanted it to happen this way. It's so unfair. Your birthday is so close.”
Onyx shivered when she thought about her upcoming birthday. Twenty. No longer a teenager. She'd be an adult. Sort of. Who was she kidding—she had been through more adult stuff in the last month than most people ever go through.
“Do you want to go prowl together?” Bessie asked.
“Prowl?”
“Yeah, you know; change and go wander around the neighborhood. It's a real kick seeing everything at a different angle. Sneaking up on people. Listening in on the gossip.”
“Okay.” It was the first thing that sounded like fun since all of this had happened.
At once Denny and Bessie morphed into cats. Denny was a large, orange tabby and Bessie, a beautiful snowy white. Onyx wondered what the link between human and cat appearance was. She changed and was instantly eye to eye with her friends. They nudged and rubbed against her and she was startled by the touching at first, but then she leaned into it and rubbed them back. It was comforting. Bessie purred loudly and it tickled as she brushed up against Onyx's ear.
You're just as beautiful in cat form. That came from Denny. She didn't know how, but she knew. Could he hear all her thoughts?
He must have sensed her kitty-confusion. Just think it and direct it at me.
Don't worry, we can only hear what you push at us, Bessie clarified.
Well, that was a relief.
This is too weird. Onyx mentally nudged the thought toward her friends.
Good. You got it. Let's go. Denny led the way, and already Onyx didn’t enjoy him being the leader. This is what her life would be like from now on and the view from behind was not pretty. She trotted up alongside him. They slipped out the front door, which had a tiny kitty door embedded in it. For some unfathomable reason, Onyx had never managed to notice the door in her nineteen years of living here. How weird was that?
They ran down the driveway and onto the sidewalk. Onyx kept stopping to sniff everything. The air was alive with sights and sounds she had never noticed before.
It's a rush, isn't it? Bessie asked.
“Mwrar.”
Onyx didn't know where they were headed, but it was fun to be out and free. She looked at things she had seen her whole life in a completely new way. They wandered into Denny's back yard. They romped and played in the grass. Onyx chased a butterfly and pounced on an unsuspecting chipmunk. How were there any chipmunks left in this town?
Marie came outside and saw the three of them fooling around and laughed. “Have fun kids, and stay out of trouble.”
Denny meowed at her and they headed to Bessie's diner. Her parents set out saucers of cream for them. Onyx didn't realize she was hungry until it was in front of her, then she lapped it up with joy. The flavors of the cream were so vibrant, Onyx couldn't get enough. Bessie sat and licked her paws delicately when she was finished.
Now what?
I need to get ready for the dinner shift, Bessie told them.
I need to go home and pack. I'm going to be at a conference for the next two days, Denny informed them.
Just as she was starting to enjoy this, her friends were abandoning her. She said her goodbyes and headed home. Once home, she went to her room and changed back into herself. She slipped on a robe and sat and stared at herself in the mirror. Now what? For the first time she felt the weight of being alone pressing down on her. There was no one here to talk to. It had felt so freeing running around exploring with her friends. It was the first time Onyx had felt alive in far too long.
As soon as the sun went down, Onyx slipped into cat form and walked the neighborhood. Cloaked in darkness, peace surrounded her for the first time in weeks. She found her way to Denny's house and decided to give him a scare. They’d been pulling pranks on each other for as long as she could remember. This cat-shifting thing added all sorts of new possibilities to their tricks.
His car was missing from the driveway. Disappointed, she assumed he left for his conference early. She was just about to head home when she caught the sound of her name. Marie and Wilson were arguing—loudly. As soundlessly as possible she walked to their back door. Surprise, it also had a kitty door. She was too afraid to use it. She'd stick out like a sore thumb in their bright, lemon yellow kitchen. Instead she hovered by the screen door, where she could hear everything they said crystal clear.
“Halloween is only a few days away. Onyx doesn't seem to be coming around to the idea of mating. She seems to think she can still keep on with her life, going to school and ignoring her obligations.” Marie was clearly exasperated with her.
Onyx was miffed at Marie's tone. Well, excuse me for being so difficult to deal with. Her whole life she had done what was asked of her. However, she drew the line at a forced mating. No way.
“We'll just have to make sure they're together. Once the heat comes, she won't be able to resist. We'll lock them in the basement and everything will be fine. We can have the ceremony the next day. Their mating is what's key. Calm down, woman.” U
ncle Wilson's voice came through clear and rational as always.
“What if she gets her hands on some CR-1 and is able to suppress the heat?” Marie asked.
“How the hell is she even going to know what that is or where to find it?” Uncle Wilson's voice turned threatening. What he would do if he knew that Marie had already talked to her about the drug when she told her about the heat?
“She could walk into any house in this town and pull it out of a medicine chest. Maybe Bessie could give it to her, who knows?”
“You took it out of the house, right?” Wilson demanded.
“Of course, I still couldn't find that damn book though. God knows where Jade hid it.” Onyx flinched at the sound of Marie's palm slapping the counter for emphasis.
What book were they so worried about? And Onyx really, really did not like the tone Marie used when discussing her mother. She let out a barely audible hiss.
“One thing is for sure, she can't keep going to school. They'll put all sorts of funny ideas in her head. What were Max and Jade thinking letting her go off to college like that? Ridiculous. That girl needs to learn her place is here with her people. She can't be gallivanting all over the place,” Marie continued.
“She won't be going anywhere soon. I'll have Denny talk to her, if that doesn't work, there's always the basement. A few days down there won't kill the girl.”
How could the man she'd loved and respected, thought of as her uncle all her life talk about her so callously? They moved out of the kitchen. Onyx could still hear them if she wanted to, but she'd heard enough to feel sick. She raced home as fast as her paws would take her.
4
Onyx had no way of knowing when they would come for her. When would they decide it was too risky to keep letting her leave the town to go to school every day? She couldn't imagine being locked up in a basement for days, while they, what? Waited for her to get so horny she'd jump her friend? How cruel. One thing for certain, she needed to locate some CR-1.