A Cat's Tale (2 page)

“No,
Mistress, please,” the cat pleaded. “All wolves aren’t the same. This one is
submissive. He claims no pack; I asked him myself. He’s traveling alone. Only a
low status wolf driven out of his pack would do so. I believe he’s some pack’s
castoff Omega.”

“Where
do you come by your information?” the vampire demanded, sounding skeptical.

“I
did some research,” the cat said. “I saw a documentary on wolves and I looked
it up on the Internet. Please, believe me. Give him a chance. He can be trained
to fulfill your needs.”

From
his posture of dead opossum, Jared almost blew it then and there. He developed
a painful stitch in his side and bit the inside of his mouth to stop the
laughter.

“I
don’t think…” The vampire trailed off, voice full of temptation and doubt. “Werewolf
blood is said to be a rare delicacy.”

Jared
chose that moment to issue a dramatic moan and roll over. He opened his eyes to
survey his surroundings. The room was no more than three-hundred square feet.
He was inside of a smaller iron-barred cell with walls but no windows. The cell
contained a cot and a folding chair. A small doorway showed a bathroom with a
toilet, sink, and countertop with a chipped rectangular mirror. There were
wall-mounted security cameras outside the cells.

Jared
grabbed hold of the iron bars and exerted his massive strength. They held. He
would not be able to bust out using conventional werewolf tactics. Both women
fell silent, watching him.

Across
the hall, the werecat occupied an identical area. The cat paced near the bars
and no longer looked human. She had shifted to a form midway between human and
feline. She wore no clothing, but remained bipedal with arms and legs, hands
and feet. Her fur was short and fine; cream-colored on her main body and dark
on her face, ears, legs, and tail. From the look of it, she was a seal point
Siamese. Oh, and a fucking anamorphic wet dream. Screw the stupid schoolgirl
uniform.

Jared
stared at the vampire through the bars. She was no more than five feet tall and
of slender build and willowy limbs. Her straight chestnut hair fell past her
shoulders and parted in the middle at her widow’s peak. She wore an
old-fashioned rose-colored chiffon dress. Her floral perfume could not mask the
underlying scent of death and decay.

The
vampire’s eyes were light brown and Jared met her gaze without hesitation. He
more than halfway expected to feel something—awe, hypnosis, or a contest of
wills. “Heh, not even tingles,” he bragged with a wolfish grin.

The
vampire pursed her lips and glared harder, staring him straight in the eyes,
hoping to accomplish…something. Finally, she sighed in disappointment and
rolled her eyes.

“What’s
wrong? Can’t command me?”

“Cats
are my animal,” she said. “Don’t let it go to your head, wolf. The silver
bracelets will prevent you from shifting and, if you are unwise enough to
persist, then they will cut off your hands.”

Jared
glanced at the silver bands on each wrist. “Good to know,” he said with a
careless shrug. “What’s your name?”

The
vampire betrayed her surprise. “You’re not what I expected for a werewolf.”

He
mustered a weak smile. “I’m Omega, right? Omegas are the most subservient of
wolves. Miss Kitty seems to have me all figured out, so what’s the point of
faking a display of aggression or defiance? The bars are too strong to break,
so I’m gonna do whatever you say anyway.”

The
vampire frowned. “You could be lying.” Her doubt betrayed her youth and
impotence. Older vampires could smell a lie. Jared made note of the
information; no doubt it would prove useful.

“Lying
about what?” Jared asked. “If I were a dominant then I’d be making threats and
ripping out the fixtures.”

“Why
aren’t you?” the vampire asked. He noticed the hunger in her expression when
she looked at him. Her gaze lingered on his throat at the pulse point.

He
put his hands on the bars and attempted to shake them. “This feels damn solid
to me, so it’s obvious I’m not going anywhere. I have to live in here so if I
trash it, then I’m hurting myself. Besides, if I were to get out, I’d have to
get past you, the other vamps, and the silver jewelry that stops me from
changing. So it seems like I’m stuck.”

“I
find your agreeable attitude pleasing, wolf,” the vampire admitted with a
smile. “I am Evangeline.”

Jared
gripped the bars in the both hands and leaned forward, pressing his face close
to the bars. “Pleasure to meet you, Evangeline. I’m Jared.”

“Are
you hungry, Jared?” As she spoke, fangs peeked from beneath her upper lip.
Clearly, her focus on food stemmed from a personal interest.

“Hungry
enough,” Jared responded. His posture appeared relaxed, his long body at ease.
She couldn’t dominate him, but he wondered how he might affect her. Deciding to
test the waters, the werewolf allowed his power to seep into the room, casting
his net.

The
vampire met his gaze and then fell under the sway of his magnetism. “You have
the most remarkable eyes,” Evangeline murmured, strolling closer.

“Have
you ever sampled a werewolf before?” Jared asked, careful not to push too hard.
A vampire was not a human to be manipulated or cowed. If Evangeline realized
his game, it was all over.

The
flash of greed on Evangeline’s face betrayed her. “I have heard it is a…powerful
elixir.”

“I’ll
tell you what,” he said. “I’d like to demonstrate my cooperation. If I submit
and allow you to feed from me, then I’d ask for a token in exchange.”

Evangeline
licked her lips. The vampire’s eyes flashed red, and she could not disguise her
bloodlust. “What do you want?”

“I
want the cat who betrayed me. I overheard your conversation. You’re going to
kill her anyway and I’d like to play with her before I eat her.” Jared turned
his head to stare straight at the treacherous cat.

The
werecat flinched in fear, and her fur rose across her entire body. The cat’s
eyes widened with absolute terror and she emitted a long hiss. “No, Mistress,
please. I beg of you!”

Jared
glared at the cat. “I will make you pay,” he promised. The scent of her fear
was delicious.

Evangeline
smirked. “Done.”

****

Josephine
huddled in the corner of her cell, watching with horror as the werewolf bargained
with the vampire. The wolf’s power was greater than Josephine had imagined. How
he had hidden it? The enormity of her miscalculation frightened her senseless.
Jared’s stare was hard, cold, and blood-thirsty. Once the bars were no longer
between them, those topaz eyes promised to exact an awful vengeance for her
duplicity.

“Put
your arm out through the bars,” Evangeline commanded the wolf, “and bare your
wrist.”

“Really?
You don’t prefer a major artery on the neck or inner thigh?” Jared teased with an
easy charm. The werewolf was confident and seductive, radiating a casual
self-assurance. Unfortunately, Evangeline was too stupid, too greedy, and too
far under his spell to see it.

“Maybe
after I’m sure you’re submissive to me,” Evangeline purred.

“It’s
sweet, you taking your time with me since I’m a virgin to this,” Jared quipped.
He shoved his arm between the bars of the cell as instructed, wrist angled up.
The vampire caught his arm in both hands, one holding his wrist, the other his
forearm. She flashed fang, eyes glowing red, and hissed serpent-like. Then she
bent and sank her teeth into Jared’s flesh.

Jared
grimaced and the wolf flashed across his features. Josephine witnessed
everything that Evangeline missed—the elongation of his teeth, the golden glow
of his eyes, and the ripple of muscle beneath skin as the transformation began
and then halted. Through an amazing act of will, Jared reversed the change,
grinding his teeth, and submitted as the vampire sucked his blood.

As
the vampire fed, Jared turned his malevolent gaze toward Josephine. “Gonna
getcha, cat,” he mouthed, sending chills up her spine.

Evangeline
released him and emitted a long, satisfied hiss. The vampire glowed in
blood-sated pleasure. Jared yanked his arm back, giving the bite wound a
cursory examination. “I’ll need to eat to keep my strength up, especially if
you want to feed often,” he said.

The
besotted vampire smiled. “I’ll have food brought,” Evangeline promised. She
went to the wall and pressed the intercom. “Carl, come here now.”

Silence
reigned as they waited. Carl arrived with two other minions. “The wolf is now
my favored pet,” Evangeline declared. “See to it that he is fed twice a day.”
The vampire began to leave and Josephine held her breath, hoping and praying
she had been forgotten.

Evangeline
paused at the base of the stairs, her foot hovering over the first step. She
glanced back at Josephine with an evil smile. “Oh, and give him the cat.” Then
she departed, moving faster than the feline eye could follow.

Terrified,
Josephine backed into the farthest corner of her cell, sinking to a crouch. Her
fur rose as her tail puffed and lashed in anger. She hissed and yowled as the
cell door opened and the three men approached her. Carl held a cattle prod,
which he shoved toward Josephine, delivering a nasty jolt of electricity. The
attack rendered her senseless, and she dangled in the men’s grip as they
dragged her from the cell.

“Stand
back,” Carl warned Jared. The human servant waved the cattle prod at the
werewolf through the bars. Jared moved back into the cell and the vampire’s
servants swung the door open. They tossed in Josephine, slammed the door shut, and
locked it. Amazingly, Jared caught her slight form midair and held her limp
body against his chest.

“Thanks,
guys,” Jared drawled. “So, does this count as my first meal or can you get me
some cheeseburgers?”

Carl
glared at Jared’s insolence but the servant knew his place. He would not risk
the wrath of his capricious mistress. “Any preferences?”

“Not
really,” Jared said. “Oh, and don’t forget fries. And a chocolate milkshake.”

Josephine
trembled as the servants departed, leaving her alone in the grip of the wolf.
She fought to hold back tears but failed. His hands were strong and intimate on
her skin as he lowered her to the bed. Jared sat on the edge and leaned
forward, inspecting the burn mark on her shoulder.

“Shh,
don’t cry,” he said, strong fingers wiping a tear from her cheek. “I won’t hurt
you. I promise.”

“I
don’t believe you,” Josephine hissed as more tears fell. She hated herself for
being so weak. “Sooner or later you’ll tire of this game and then you’ll hurt
me.”

Jared
sat back and smiled. “Well, then,” he said, “it’s in your best interest to
appease me. Right? So I don’t get bored too soon.” He leaned forward and
Josephine flinched, expecting a blow that never came. “What’s your name, little
one?”

She
bit her lower lip and decided to be compliant as he had suggested. It might
keep her alive a while longer, at least until she could figure out how to get
herself out of this mess. “Josephine.” She gritted her teeth, tasting
bitterness. Names were very personal for her people, and she did not want him
knowing hers or using it.

“Josephine,”
he said, testing it out. Then he grinned. “Seriously? Josie the Cat?”

Josephine
emitted a loud, miserable cry of protest at being demeaned. “It’s Josephine.”
She trembled and yawned, fighting heavy eyelids. She was exhausted, hurt, and
her body required sleep.

“Josephine,”
Jared repeated with an amused chuckle. He pulled a blanket over her and tucked
it under her chin.

Those
amazing topaz eyes gazed down at her from a face so handsome she ached. Why,
just once, couldn’t life be kind? She needed a hero, not some sarcastic,
sadistic wolf.

Right
before she fell asleep, she felt his warm lips against her forehead. “Sleep
tight, Josie Cat.”

****

Josephine
awoke, stretching and yawning long before she opened her eyes. Memory returned
through the haze of lethargy and then the scent of food inundated her nostrils,
bringing her to complete alertness. Sniffing, she sat up and followed her nose
to the edge of the bed until her vision focused on Jared with a white paper
bag. He had an open cheese-burger wrapper in his hand and a container of fresh
French fries on his lap. She froze and stared.

“Hey,”
he said, “are you hungry?”

She
hissed in response and backed up on the bed. Jared gazed at her and then
sighed. His topaz eyes were sorrowful as if he had witnessed far too much
suffering for one life. She hardened her heart. She would not fall for his sad
face.

“Yeah,
well, in case you change your mind.” Jared set a cheeseburger on the edge of
the bed. Then he left his chair and moved away.

Josephine
waited, paranoid and scared, expecting him to jump her the second she let her
guard down and displayed an interest in the food. Besides, it was junk. She had
no interest in a greasy hamburger and French fries. She waited, nose twitching
and stomach growling in protest. It smelled so…delicious. Finally, her
willpower crumbled and she pounced, snatching and devouring the cheeseburger so
fast she ate at least two bites of paper wrapper.