They're just cats.
Onyx jumped at the intrusive voice inside her head. Someone had understood her, but where was he?
Of course, I understood you. You're practically shouting.
Where are you? Onyx scrutinized each of the cats around her, but none of them seemed to be the source of the voice. Fear snaked down her spine.
For cryin' out loud, you don't have to be scared of me.
At once, the swarm of cats surrounding her parted, and the gray cat from earlier came into view.
You!
I sensed you were more than human. That's why I was trying to get your attention.
He cocked his head to the side.
What did you bury before?
Onyx was still wary of this stranger. Both caution and joy at finding another shifter warred inside of her.
None of your damn business. Caution won because her statement came out a little harsher than she intended. She hated to be rude, but she was sensitive about her little ritual. Cole knew, but that was different. She shared everything with him. This was a stranger.
I'm Kipp. Now we're not strangers. Onyx hissed in annoyance at his intrusion into her thoughts again.
You haven't been doing this long, have you? You're a very loud broadcaster.
She relaxed her posture, feeling a bit foolish. She looked around wondering who else might have picked up her thoughts.
Don't worry, we're the only shifters here. I've been here for a few weeks. I know everyone. That's how I spotted you so easily.
Before Onyx had a chance to answer him, strong hands plucked her off the ground. She struggled for a moment before realizing it was Cole then snuggled into his embrace. Kipp followed along at Cole's feet.
Wait! Your boyfriend's a magic-maker, isn't he? I need his help.
Onyx pressed her paws against Cole's chest and wriggled out of his grasp, twisting midair to land on her feet in front of Kipp.
How do you know that?
I can sense it. Any shifter worth his fur can smell a magic-maker a mile away.
Onyx wondered how much she endangered Cole just by being with him. What do you need?
Listen, it will be easier if we can talk in our human forms. You're running from the elders in your clowder right? That's why you're here?
Onyx was stunned. It wasn't quite the truth, but she had run from her elders.
Not quite, but close.
Well, there is a bunch of us back in the states who are in hiding—rebelling from the elders and their forced matings. We could really use your help. Especially if you're connected to a magic-maker.
Onyx considered her next thought before she pushed it in Kipp's direction. Cole doesn't do much magic these days.
Bullshit. I can smell the magic pouring off him.
“Onyx, is everything okay?” Cole knelt down and whispered, keeping one eye trained on Kipp.
Purrs rumbled through her body, and she rubbed against Cole hoping he would get the message.
“I take it this is another were?” His voice was so low that only Onyx's super-sonic kitty ears could pick it up.
She responded with more purring and rubbing. Kipp head-butted Cole's hand.
I like him. He's sharp. Something akin to a snort of laughter filled her head. She bristled at the thought he was making fun of Cole.
Relax kid. Onyx wished she was in human form so she could kick him. She was far from a kid.
Feisty, I like it.
Onyx shook her head. Why don't we plan a place to meet? You can tell me all about it then. I'm Onyx, by the way.
I kind of figured. Let's meet back here this evening.
“I'm not sure what he expects you to do for the group.” Onyx didn't miss the skepticism in Cole's voice.
They had returned to their hotel room right after parting with Kipp. She tried to fill him in on their conversation, but was frustrated to realize she had learned very little. Excitement at the thought of meeting other cats in her predicament raced through her. After one chance encounter, vacationing was the last thing on her mind.
“I think it's more about what you can do for them.”
“Nyx, you know I like to use magic as little as possible. The protection spells for you are—
“What?”
He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I've been keeping a constant protection spell over you. It's the only way I can stand to let you out of my sight since you were taken.”
“Oh, Cole.” He was always so strong for her. A pang of guilt for not considering how much his life had been altered because of her prickled her skin. “Thank you.”
He pulled her close and brushed his lips over hers. “I love you too much. I can't let anything happen to you ever again. That's why I have to tell you I'm a little concerned about this. Between our bizarre run-in with Isobel the other night and now this new were cat, I'm worried we haven't flown under the radar as much as we ought to have.”
Onyx paused to consider his words and their implications. She didn't have the depth of experience Cole did, but deep down she didn't suspect Kipp had bad intentions. Isobel, on the other hand, was a whole other kettle of fish. But the way Onyx saw it, the old witch was Cole's problem, not hers. Now, how to phrase that so it didn't come out too bitchy?
“I can appreciate your concerns,” she said, echoing his words. “However, I didn't get the sense Kipp wanted to do me harm. As for Isobel, I don't know enough about her to comment.” There. All bases covered.
Cole scrunched his lips and narrowed his eyes. A look she'd noticed he fell into when deep in thought. “I'm not sure how much you were able to pick up in the conversation, but Isobel seemed to have an unnatural amount of curiosity about you.”
That didn't surprise Onyx, but she knew there could be another explanation. “Maybe she was just jealous of the competition.”
One corner of Cole's mouth curved up in a wry smile. “She did seem stuck on your age. She mentioned your dual nature, but mostly it was your youth that she spoke of.”
“See? Problem solved.” As far as Onyx was concerned, she wasn't going to waste precious seconds of her vacation worrying about some jealous witch.
Chapter Five
Onyx scanned the open area until her gaze fell on Kipp. He waited patiently on one of the concrete park benches. She wasn't sure how she knew it was him, but she did. Almost as if a spotlight lit the way right to him. Cole's body tensed beside her. He must be able to recognize Kipp too. Onyx took his hand in hers and held tight.
“Kipp?”
He jumped up and took a step back. “Onyx. Wow. Uh, yeah.”
Onyx squeezed Cole's hand a little harder. Her palms were getting sweaty, and she hoped he hadn’t noticed.
She looked Kipp over. Damn, he was cute! More than enough muscles stretched his faded T-shirt over his chest. Unlike the gray fur of his cat form, his hair was a bright, shining blond that he kept short and neat. Cole squeezed her hand, and she realized she had been staring, and no one had spoken in a few moments. Embarrassed, Onyx shook her head. “So, Kipp, tell me your story.”
“Sit down.” He gestured to the bench. Onyx let go of Cole's hand and sat down. Cole walked around to the back of the bench and leaned against the low stone wall behind them. He was still close enough to hear everything, but far enough away to give them space.
“Tell me why you're here first.”
Onyx turned her head to look at Cole before answering. “We're here on vacation.”
“How is it you're with a magic-maker instead of mated to someone from your clowder?”
Onyx hesitated. He sure got right to the point. While she was excited to have found another shifter and didn't think he meant her harm, she didn't quite trust him yet either. No way could it be prudent to reveal such personal details yet. Cole seemed to sense her indecision and answered for her.
“Just tell us your story, Kipp,” he said, his tone firm, but not harsh.
Kipp looked from Cole to Onyx for a mom
ent then seemed to come to a decision. “Okay, I can guess. You haven't been a shifter for very long. You're probably about twenty,” he stated, his voice strong. He wasn't intimidated by either of them.
He gestured to Onyx and Cole. “I'm guessing you guys were dating.” He pointed a finger at Cole, “You probably knew what she was all along.”
He turned to look at Onyx. “Anyway, twentieth birthday—bam! You learn you're a shifter. Find out the elders have already picked out a mate for you. Tell you to stop seeing Mr. Wizard? Am I close?”
Onyx groaned. “You're in the ballpark,” she answered.
Kipp flashed a grin at them. “Okay. Fine. You're not alone. There are shifters all over coming of age. They are rebelling against the forced matings. Sometimes the disobedience is met with force. The hierarchy does not take kindly to dissenting teenagers.” His voice was sarcastic but held an underlying sadness. Onyx wondered if he had lost someone close to him.
“So what are they doing?” Onyx prompted him to continue.
“We're leaving. Forming our own groups. Technology is an amazing thing. We've set up private forums online so we can meet with one another. My parents chased my girlfriend and me down. They sent trackers after us. We split after that. I came here to hide out. I'm not sure where she is, but we're going to meet up with some friends in a few weeks. We Skype once a week, but keep our locations secret from each other for now. The minute I saw you my curiosity was piqued. I haven't seen another shifter here. I was afraid you might have been sent by my parents.” He stopped and eyed Cole again. “But no way would the hierarchy sanction a were/magic-maker pairing. So I knew you had to be on the run as well.”
Onyx fought to control the panic rising inside of her. If what Kipp was telling her was true, the possibilities were frightening. Onyx had never considered that there might be a hierarchy outside of her own clowder. Without a doubt, by now they knew all about her defection. Her rejection of her chosen mate had probably made her enemies she couldn't even fathom. What about Denny and Bess? Had they hooked up with some of these other rebel shifters? Where were they? Like Kipp and his girlfriend, they spoke once in a while, but they never told Onyx where they were.
Kipp had shared a lot with her, and it was time to return the favor. “In truth, I'm not on-the-run. My parents were killed in what I thought was an accident. My father was the beta of our clowder. He had promised me to the alpha's son, Denny. Denny is in love with my best friend, Bess, and I never felt that way about him. When his parents tried to...” This part was hard for Onyx to say. She still couldn't get the picture of Bessie, bloody and lifeless, out of her head.
Kipp placed his hand over hers and squeezed, giving her the courage to continue.
“Kill Bess and force a mating by locking us in the basement.”
“I'm sorry to tell you that is not uncommon.”
She took a deep breath. Kipp still held her hand, and the warmth comforted her. “Cole saved Bess. They left our hometown, and I've stayed with Cole. I don't know what happened to our alpha and his wife. They took off.” She finished the story in a rush, relieved to get it all out.
“I haven't been back other than quick trips to grab things from my house and go, but the town seems more or less the same. I don't know if another elder took over, or if they are happier with our Alpha gone. I never paid much attention to what went on around me.”
Onyx suffered a lot of guilt for her ignorance. Her whole life she had been focused on getting out of Catcall Falls. She hadn't made any effort to know many of her neighbors her age or otherwise. The small school they attended treated the kids from Catcall Falls like lepers, so besides Denny and Bessie, she hadn't made many friends.
Her sole focus had been on getting out of that oppressive small town. Cole tried to assure her that behavior wasn't unusual. Cats were only social to a certain extent, but still the shame of being so oblivious her whole life plagued her. Maybe if she had thought to ask more questions, things would have turned out another way.
“Why do you say you 'thought' your parents’ death was an accident?” Kipp asked.
Onyx gave him a level stare. “My mother was against the mating. She wanted me to finish college, maybe travel. I think that got in the way of the Alphas' plan for me. After what they tried to do to Bessie it wasn't hard to connect the dots.” She didn't mention her mother's journal to Kipp. There were some things still too personal to discuss with the newbie.
Kipp's eyes widened with shock. “There were rumors of accidental deaths not being so accidental, but no one ever believed they were capable of killing other members...” his voice trailed off, and Onyx almost felt bad for him. It was as if she was ripping off the final bit of a carefully placed bandage.
With narrowed eyes, Cole watched Onyx and Kipp closely. He wasn't threatened by the younger were. Not really. Never mind Kipp would be a far better match for Onyx than he was. Not for the first time, he wondered if she would be better off with someone her own age, someone of her kind. Fuck, their age difference was so apparent, even the flight attendant had commented on it. Isobel's words were also still rattling around inside his head adding to his doubt. Was he being selfish keeping her all to himself? Did Kipp have to sit so close to Onyx, and did he need to keep holding her hand like that?
Cole wanted to kick himself. He should have worked harder to locate other weres for her to socialize with. If he just stopped being so stubborn and paid more attention to the magical community, he might have known that there was a rebellion afoot. Just as the doubts started to weigh him down, Onyx turned and focused her gaze on him.
Those beautiful jade-green eyes were so full of love. How could he doubt that they should be together? No woman had ever affected him so deeply. That's why these bursts of protectiveness kept coming. There wasn't one thing he wouldn't do to keep her safe. Then she turned and focused her gaze on Kipp. The spark of envy returned. Kipp watched Onyx with a worshipful look on his face. Cole would have thought it was cute if he didn't find it so annoying.
They continued sharing details about their respective families. Cole fiddled with the change in his pocket, wishing he could take off, but not wanting to leave her alone with Kipp.
“Are you okay?” Onyx was looking at him again, her voice full of concern. What a jackass he was for wallowing and making her worry. He should be taking care of her, not the other way around.
“I'm fine, darling.” He leaned over and put his hand on her shoulder. He stifled a glimmer of triumph when Kipp let go of Onyx's hand and sat back. “What do you want to do?”
Ever thoughtful, she didn't answer him right away. “I've waited my whole life to get out of Catcall Falls. I've wanted to come here since...well, you know why. Let's finish our vacation then go home with Kipp to meet the others.”
Go home with Kipp. There he was being jealous again. Was it jealousy? Cole couldn't quite identify the irritable feeling. He was too old to be jealous of some young tomcat, wasn't he?
Right now, Onyx's happiness was all that mattered to him. “Sounds like a plan.”
Later in their room, Onyx laid her suitcase on the bed and began flipping through outfits. “Kipp said he'd take me out to see some of the local nightclubs. It gets pretty crazy around here on the weekends.”
Her furrowed brow, narrowed eyes, and pursed lips told him she found her clothing unsuitable for clubbing. He bit the inside of his mouth to stop himself from smiling. He sensed a shopping trip in the immediate future.
Cole fought for a way to tell her he didn't want her to be alone with Kipp without sounding like a caveman. Onyx hadn't noticed his silence yet. She plowed ahead with her observations of the marvelous Kipp.
“Can you believe the crazy shit Kipp said?” It more of a statement than a question. “He's so cute too. I bet they wanted him to mate with the prettiest girl in the clan to make some pretty little kitties.” Onyx giggled at her joke. Much to his annoyance, she remained jazzed from their meeting with the young werecat.
?
??Yes. I think we witnessed plenty of our own crazy shit firsthand,” the words came out of his mouth sounding more severe than he intended.
She stopped and stared at him. “You're mad.”
“I'm not mad. I just didn't enjoy watching you and Kipp make googly eyes at each other for an hour.” Damn. Why did he say that?
She thrust her bottom lip out in a pout. Now he really wished he'd kept his mouth shut. Stupid, stupid!
“How can you say that?” Her eyes were wide, and he could tell she was close to crying. Dear God, he never wanted to be the cause of her tears. But he'd opened this Pandora's Box, and he couldn't stop himself now.
“It's so obvious that he likes you. Then of course, you can't deny he'd be a better match for you. He's younger, a werecat, and you're clearly attracted to him as well...” Cole trailed off. What the fuck was wrong with him? Why didn't he know when to keep his damn mouth shut?
His words had the intended effect because Onyx wasn't on the verge of tears any more. Nope, now she was pissed. He watched as her eyes narrowed, and her face flushed. Since she was usually so sweet natured, he hadn't seen that look very often, and it had never been directed at him before. Her mouth opened and closed for a minute, but no words came out. He paused to admire how cute she looked when flustered. Too bad she was also furious.
“How dare you!” She was beautiful in her wrath. If only it wasn't intended for him.
“Onyx—”
She threw up her hand in front of her face and turned away from him. “No. You've said enough. Talking portion of this argument is over. I'm leaving. Maybe you'd be better off with your brilliant witch, Isobel. Someone your age.” She backed away to the door and grabbed her purse.
Where had that come from? He tried again, “Onyx, wait—”
“No. You're right. I'm going to see if I can find Kipp. Maybe I'll fuck his brains out. Will that make you happy?”
“That's not what I meant. I shouldn't have said it.”
“No. You shouldn't have.”