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Cat
Scratch Fever
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Tom Black prowled the streets, lurking in the shadows
of the alleys, watching over the citizens and patrons
of Hell's Kitchen, deep in the heart of Manhattan. Tangy
flavors of Chinese, French, Thai and Greek food filled
the air around him, mingling with car exhaust and cigarette
smoke. Couples strolled hand in hand, laughing and talking,
their voices hushed in the late-night air, the sounds
of honking horns filling the gaps of silence in their
conversations. In this sprawling, eclectic section of
New York City, Saturday night appeared to be on its
way to being normal and uneventful. But then the clock
had only just struck midnight. All the Cinderellas had
yet to head home. All the monsters of darkness had yet
to show their ugly faces.
Although his pride had won the right to live, work
and play in this part of the city, he didn't take anything
for granted. Encroachers infiltrated their territory
at least once a week, if not more often. Usually on
busy nights like tonight. To keep the streets and tourists
who ventured out at night safe, he and his people took
turns patrolling the avenues, searching for rogues bent
on stirring up trouble.
He scented her before he saw her, headed home from
her job as a waitress at the Singing Java shop around
the corner from where he stood. Her high heels tapped
against the pavement, echoing off the brick and concrete
buildings. She walked this route every night alone.
Her pale blonde hair hung straight down her back like
a curtain of silk, her ivory skin appeared almost ethereal
in the light from the street lamps.
Her songs haunted his nights as she sat on the fire
escape landing a floor below his apartment, plucking
the strings of her guitar, her voice sweet and so pure
against the grunge of the city. Every time she sang,
his heart swelled with yearning for what he couldn't
have. A normal life with a beautiful woman by his side.
A human like Lilly. As she drew nearer, his groin tightened,
the animal filling him, forcing blood to flow in a heaving
rush south to fill his cock. He fought the urge to follow
and stake his claim on her, to mark her as his. But
Lilly was forbidden fruit to be admired for her beauty
but not tasted.
Forbidden Fruit. That was Lilly and he'd do best
remember that. His oil wouldn't mix with her water,
no matter how sweet she was, or how pure her songs and
laughter. Forget about how hard he got, or how much
he wanted to plunge into her, milking the cream of her
womb, making her cry out for him.
As she passed by, her gaze swung toward the shadowy
alley where he stood, leaning against the side of a
building.
Had he moved to draw her attention? Could she sense
his need or smell his desire? His breath caught in his
throat as he held steady, willing his heart rate to
level, and his cock not to strain so hard against his
jeans. If she came toward him, he doubted he could keep
from rubbing up against her, or stop his hands from
reaching out to hold her.
Her attention shifted to the street corner and she
turned, disappearing out of sight.
Tom sucked a harsh breath between his teeth, filling
his lungs with enough air to feed his starving brain
cells. Fuck. He had it bad for his neighbor and he couldn't-no,
shouldn't-do anything about it. She wasn't his type,
much more…she wasn't his species.
But that didn't stop him from wanting her and imagining
what a life with Lilly would be like. There would be
fights over the remote control and what movie they'd
watch. There would be nights sitting on the fire escape
landing, watching the cars pass, just holding her hand
and later, they'd lie in their bed, naked, exploring
every inch of each other…
A scream penetrated his fantasy, slicing through the
normal sounds of horns honking and people talking, sending
adrenaline pumping through Tom's veins. What scared
him was the fact the scream came from the direction
Lilly had disappeared.
He leaped from the shadows and raced to the end
of the street. When he turned at the corner, he couldn't
see Lilly anywhere among the pedestrians walking along
the sidewalks.
Partygoers only briefly looked around for the source
of the woman's scream, before they hurried along their
way, anxious to get off the street, out of perceived,
yet unseen danger.
Where the fuck had she gone? For a brief moment,
he closed his eyes and lifted his sensitive nose to
the sky. He could smell the soft scent of her skin,
the delicate fragrance of her hair. His eyes opened
and he headed for the dark alley halfway down the street.
"Please, go away. Leave me alone." Her
voice carried in the humid night air, bouncing off the
tall sides of the buildings. "Please, someone help
me," she cried.
Tom ground to a halt at the end of the alley, keeping
to the shadows while shedding first his jeans and then
his shirt. A woman gasped and hurried past. He barely
noted her affronted comment, "Freak."
"Nice kitties. Please don't hurt me."
Lilly stood with her back to him, surrounded by three
man-sized cats with viciously long teeth bared at her.
"You really don't want me for dinner. Someone at
the zoo needs to be fired." These last words she
said through gritted teeth.
Up until now, the rogue cougars had only darted
in and out of sight. The unwritten law of the shifter
kingdom was to leave the humans in ignorant bliss of
their existence. These cougars crossed the lines too
many times in the past few weeks and all within Hell's
Kitchen territory. Now they threatened Lilly.
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