After waking Mike up that morning, licking his face with her huge cat tongue, she’d really enjoyed teasing him. She had refused to Shift back and had kept talking to him, putting her words in his mind. He’d found himself having this long conversation with a cat and after several minutes, when it was obvious she wasn’t going to behave, he’d gone over and unlocked her bedroom door. He’d then yelled for her parents to come and discipline her, which of course meant he’d had to explain why he was even there, why she was in her cat form, why he could understand what she was saying, and all this while Missy came out and then ran around the house, leaping onto furniture and acting as naughty and outrageous as she possibly could.
Hours later, after she’d finally Changed -- and had devoured two huge breakfast portions -- they both had gone back to visit Michelle. As soon as they had walked in, several hospital staff members had come up to Missy. This was the same hospital where Missy had been brought in by ambulance a year ago, with her broken leg. The one she’d then healed in four days. She’d never explained to anyone how she’d managed to do that but had merely flaunted herself, posing for photos in her lifeguard bathing suit and had insisted they take x-rays to prove her full recovery.
Someone had recognized her the night before and had spread the word. Not only had Doctor Messina been there, asking for an explanation, but several others had all been crowding around hoping to talk to her as well. She’d been very gracious and had joked about “not being a normal girl” but had stonewalled them all, not giving them anything at all.
Her EMT friend James Murray had shown up; he’d heard about her being back the night before, once again making magic. That’s what the doctors, nurses and interns had all been saying about the way she’d healed Michelle. Doctor Lisiewski, who had been the one to set her broken leg, had also been there. Missy had gone up to these two, planting a kiss on the Doctor’s cheek and whispering something into James Murray’s ear, making him laugh. When Mike had looked at her, she’d told him silently, in his mind. I told him not to tell on me being an alien, Mike.
Then, they’d gone up to see Michelle. Aaron had just left, finally, and she’d been sitting up and had been very happy to see them. When her eyes had met Missy’s, something had passed between the two of them. Missy had then gone over and they’d hugged each other for a long while, without anyone saying a word. Mike had finally cleared his throat, getting their attention, and Missy had backed away so Mike could hug his sister. They’d enjoyed a nice visit and had talked about a lot of things. But, as for how Missy had done what she’d done, which Michelle had by that time fully learned all about, Missy would only smile and shake her head. She had explained to Mike ahead of time that, unlike with Alice and Mark, she had no intention of sharing her werecat identity with Michelle and Aaron. Let them just think of her as having some sort of mysterious abilities and leave it at that.
Missy knew her bond with Mike was special and that he didn’t need to share her secrets with anyone else. She had a very different bond with Michelle. For her, she somehow didn’t feel any need to explain any of her mysteries. They were just fine together and Michelle seemed willing to fully accept Missy just the way she was. Michelle wasn’t hiding anything from Aaron since she just didn’t know any answers. She didn’t need any answers. Missy was simply her very close friend. And, she was very thrilled Missy and her brother had managed to magically bond together. She was quite comfortable believing in magic.
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Rafe Santiago knocked on the door and when Carlos told him to enter, he went in to see his boss. “There’s this girl on the phone, asking for you, insisting she’ll only tell you about her reason for calling. She also says to tell you she’s the one from the State Forest in Andover. Does that mean anything to you, Carlos?”
Rafe was the only one that Carlos completely trusted and he was number two in the East Boston organization that Carlos had taken over now that Frank McCarthy was in prison. Rafe had been one of the ones to come up with Carlos to Miami from South America and he’d managed to fully earn his number two position, which he’d held for the last seven years. He was also the only one to whom Carlos had revealed his werecat identity.
“I don’t know any … wait! Wait. Did you say State Forest? That might be her, Rafe. The one I told you about. Put her through to my private line here and make sure no one else can listen in.” Carlos looked at Rafe and smiled. This might be a very interesting phone call, if it was really her.
After the call was put through, he answered, “Hello? This is Carlos. Who is this?”
“I think you know exactly who I am, Carlos. But, I’ve arranged for a package to be delivered … why don’t you check with your guys? It should be there already. I’ll just hold on and wait until you’ve opened it.” Missy was using one of the throw away “burner phones” that Robert had provided her with. He’d also provided her with the phone number for reaching Carlos and had arranged for the delivery of her package by messenger service. Delivery had been timed to coincide with her call and, of course, was at the correct location. Having resources was indeed nice.
Carlos called Rafe back in and then had him go check. Sure enough, there was a small package being delivered outside. It took a few minutes while his security guys examined this but then Rafe brought it in for him to open. When he did, it was merely a cotton handkerchief. What was she up to? Then, he caught her clear scent on that handkerchief and he knew. Yeah, this was from her alright. The mysterious female werecat he’d been wanting to locate for a few weeks now. Very clever.
“Okay, you definitely have my attention, whoever you are.” He didn’t know if she was recording this call and he didn’t want to say anything more than that. He did switch his recorder on, of course, so he’d have his record of this conversation.
Missy laughed. “Good! Now that we’ve established who I am … can I ask if I’m on speaker phone? Can we talk freely? You know … about stuff?” She also was recording this call.
“Sure, go ahead, you can talk freely. I’m not planning to give you any information but you can feel free to give me information. How about your name, for starters?” Carlos was amused at her tone and he appreciated her caution. She wasn’t just blurting things out that might embarrass him but was checking first.
“Okay, then. As one cat to another, I thought we should talk. Since you recently moved up here and have invaded my territory and everything, you probably have been wondering what my reaction might be. I’m sure you had to have noticed, right? That you’re in my territory?” Missy was hoping to draw him out a little, poke and prod him, so she could get some measure of just who he was.
Carlos said, “You’re trying to claim territory? Since you’ve managed to find me and get my phone number and deliver this little package of yours … you obviously must know who I am. So, let’s not play games. You’ll have to forfeit all claims for any territory. Why don’t you come see me and we can discuss what I might be willing to share?”
“You mean, come see you before you find me? Forfeit my territory? Those sound like threats, Carlos. I don’t like threats. You’re in my territory and I want you to leave. Go back to South America.” Missy was figuring her best defense was to now go on the offense and challenge him.
“You dare to make demands? To me? What the hell …!” He then sputtered angrily in Spanish with what she assumed were expletives.
“I don’t want you here, Carlos. I don’t want you causing problems for me. So, leave. Or, I’ll find ways to cause problems for you. You’ve got three weeks. If you’re still here after that? You’ll regret it. Are we clear?” When Missy started hearing more expletives from Carlos she hung up on him.
Missy had explained to Robert the only way she now could be comfortable was to force Carlos to leave. She wouldn’t risk going off to West Point in a month, with her family vulnerable to whatever whims Carlos might have. He was a threat she just couldn’t live with. She was even willing to fight for this, if that became necessary. If “P”
Branch wouldn’t interfere, arrest and hold Carlos the way they were now holding Marco, she would somehow force the issue.
-----
Carlos was not happy with how that phone call had gone. Not happy at all. When she hung up on him, he got really upset. “Rafe, I want that woman found. This is unacceptable.” He’d played the tape for Rafe to hear, three times. “What have you come up with so far?” He had assigned Rafe the task of finding her right after he’d first noticed her scent and it had been weeks now. Getting this call from her was indeed rankling. He now wanted her found, top priority.
Rafe explained, “I just don’t have anything to go on. Some mysterious female. Somewhere on the North Shore. She might even be coming down from Maine or New Hampshire. You say she must be young, based on her scent. Her voice sounded young, assuming it’s not been disguised. Still … she seems to have some very good resources, to find you. And, those didn’t sound like any idle threats. So I’m not so sure that really makes her all that young. That girl sounded very experienced.”
Carlos said, “It’s really pissing me off that she has those resources. All the more reason for finding her. Before? I was only curious. I figured she might be interesting … I just never heard about any female werecats. Now? She’s a threat and I don’t like it. What if those resources of hers can create problems for me here? You already know how crazy things have been since Marco and those other guys disappeared.”
“Yeah, the Feds have been all over us. It’s obvious someone’s been talking. That’s why we haven’t been able to focus on finding her. We’ve been too busy handling all these other problems, keeping guys in line and making sure no one else rolls over. And, it’s not like we can tell our guys who we’re trying to find, exactly.”
“Okay, okay. I understand.” Carlos was very frustrated. But, he didn’t intend on going back to South America. Maybe she’d show up in three weeks. He’d deal with her then.
Chapter Thirteen
May 2018
Missy was really excited and her sister Heather was losing patience with her. Heather had come home for the weekend, just so she could do Missy’s hair and help with any last minute adjustments her dress might need. Senior prom. Yes, it was a big deal. Missy would be saying goodbye to a lot of her friends. The remaining school days would be much too hectic for doing that. They’d all be graduating in a couple of weeks and there were now so many activities with so little time remaining.
Missy wanted to wear her hair cascading down its full length with only a few tiny braids crisscrossing at her crown, something Heather was an expert at making look really nice. Missy’s gorgeous red hair now reached all the way to her waist when she let it down. And, she wanted to show it off this one last time. She planned to have her hair cut just before reporting to West Point; either a short pixie cut or maybe a page boy cut. That way, she wouldn’t need to pin it up to meet the Army’s requirement for hair not extending below her collar.
Tonight, she just couldn’t manage sitting still long enough for Heather to complete her special touches and Heather finally called for their Mom to come up. Missy was not wearing any slip since the dress had one built in. She was seated on a stool in her bedroom, wearing thong panties and a pushup bra, waiting for Heather to be done. When their Mom came in, that calmed her down. Finally, Heather declared her task was done and said Missy could pull on her dress.
Missy’s body was definitely at her voluptuous best and this dress had been fitted for her accordingly. She’d bulked up during her gym workouts, as planned, increasing her weight to 155 pounds. She’d get down to her 150 pound goal by Shifting a few times later on. The energy bursts for those would strip away mostly body fat, leaving her ripped and shredded with all her muscles clearly defined. But those extra pounds she was now carrying on her tall sturdy frame were in all the right places and she was really looking great.
Her dress was black and strapless. Her pushup bra combined with the low cut of her dress to reveal all her luscious curves up top to full advantage, with some marvelous cleavage. The way the dress flowed over her wide hips, flaring from her narrow waist, was showing off her curvy body down below in an equally flattering manner. Her movements, walking on four inch heels, were mesmerizing. Missy was looking more stunning and beautiful this night than ever before.
Her Mom and Heather watched as she now strutted around, flexing various muscles as she got used to the feel of her gown and how it hugged her in some places and flowed freely in other places. “Does my ass look too big?” she asked. “I can Shift and Change back in an hour now, if I need to … there’s still time, right?
Heather immediately exclaimed, “No!” in her most exasperated voice. “Your butt looks absolutely perfect and especially in this dress. I told you it would, as long as you wore the thong panties, right? Everything that shows through this filmy black fabric is one hundred percent Missy McCrae flesh, firm and taut from hours of running and working out.”
Her Mom laughed and said, “Mike’s not going to wait around if the only reason you’re not ready is something silly like that. Now, put on my pearl necklace … I want to see how it goes with the dress.” She was loaning Missy her necklace and her matching pearl earrings, definitely the most valuable jewelry she owned. Seeing how lovely Missy looked wearing these items was special and filled her heart with pride.
Her Dad yelled, “Mike’s here!” and her brother Patrick chimed in right after, mimicking him in his best voice imitation, only an octave higher, saying the same thing. “Mike’s here, Mike’s here!” This was followed by lots of muted male laughter.
“Okay, okay. I’m making my grand entrance now! Mike, here I come! Patrick? You’d better hide!” Missy walked to the top of the stairs and then started down, stepping slowly and regally, holding her gown out with both hands to avoid catching and tripping on any portion of her hem. Halfway down, she paused and looked around, a queen surveying her subjects. The ooh’s and aah’s of appreciation from below made her preen and, to show her audience that she was pleased, she pushed out an energy pulse which everyone felt. That caused an even bigger reaction and made her laugh. Sometimes, it was such fun being a girl.
Mike greeted her with a chaste kiss on the cheek, not wanting to mess up whatever makeup she might have applied, and he presented her with the corsage he’d selected for her, special. A black orchid. Now it was Missy who ooh’ed and aah’ed.
Then he stepped back to look at her closely, from head to toe and back again. “That dress looks fantastic, Missy! Wow! I really love those ruffles.” Although the gown closely hugged her figure all the way down, showing all her curves, it then had large ruffles starting at mid thigh that flared out and made it appear as though she was rising from a large black mist swirling around her legs.
Missy was happy that Mike liked her dress and was thrilled at how handsome he looked. Mike was wearing an all white tux, just to show off her gown that much more. With his height and wide shoulders, they certainly would make a striking pair. He had a black flower for his boutonniere and a black cumberbund. Missy slid her arm inside of his and hugged it close, brushing it up against the side of her breast and clinging to him. She noticed him react and a little thrill spiked right through her body, warming her insides. They then had to get through posing for photos, both inside the house and outside by Mike’s car. The weather was cooperating and it was a glorious day. Missy had a shawl but only carried it across her arm, leaving herself exposed.
Then, at last they said goodbye and drove away from her house, heading for the hotel where her prom was being held. Mike had booked them a room for later and Missy was looking forward to once again spending the night with his arms around her and waking up in the morning, cuddled inside his warm embrace. Their lovemaking had become such a wonderful part of her life now and she just loved opportunities like this, when they could truly be a couple.
So much seemed to have happened for her in the three months they’d been bonded. She just felt so much more complete with her en
ergy always right there, strong and powerful. Her constant awareness of Mike, whether he was close by or far away, was now another part of her and who she had become. She was constantly sending her thoughts out, pushing them into his mind. It made her happy, being able to touch him even if he was miles away. She’d fine tuned this experience for herself and could now receive some feedback. Not his thoughts but instead, his emotions.
She had always been affected by his emotions and had also been able to affect him, right from their first times together. This all began when she finally had started actually dating him. After all those months when she’d ignored him, once she’d opened herself to Mike, they’d both begun to really feed off one another. This had never happened for her with anyone else and she doubted it ever would. Somehow, her entity had recognized Mike and things had continued to grow stronger and stronger between them ever since. She now realized she’d never once doubted him or the strange resonance they seemed to have. She looked at him and smiled.
Mike was watching the road and carefully driving along, making sure they’d get there safely. The recent scare with his sister was still fresh in his mind. Then, Missy’s words were there. Mike, I love you. In case I forget to say that later, I’m saying it now. I love you. These words definitely required a response and he quickly glanced at her and then looked back at the road. “I love you too, Missy. You know that. Thanks for telling me how you feel. That means the world to me.”
He glanced at her again and marveled at how lucky he was. She was such a unique, wonderful person, a creature so beautiful in every way it made his heart ache, anytime he was separated from her. Thank goodness for the strange way she was now constantly inside his mind, sharing her thoughts and feelings throughout the day. What initially had seemed a bit of a distraction had quickly evolved. She was a drug for him, an addiction he’d never get enough of, and experiencing her in this special and magical manner was something he now depended on. Whatever he could give her in return, he would always be striving to give. He knew she really did need him and could always tell when she was drawing strength and sustenance from him, something she seemed able to do even when he was miles away.
Missy Goes to West Point Page 12