“I’ll see if the babies are hungry,” I announce. “Girls, clean up the hallway. Lily, make sure the house is secure just in case Delaney decides to do something stupid. And tell Bethany to prepare an antidote for Heltaskelter Juice. I doubt they have that at the local hospital.”
“Kat!” Gryphon calls from the living room. “The mayor wants to talk to you!”
I sigh. Guess the babies will have to wait a little while longer before they can tear into my boobs.
Lady Lara has an amazing phone voice. I could imagine her working at a call centre, easily charming people into buying useless products with a few simple words.
“Kat, I was going to call you today. Are you available for a chat? There’s an issue I’d like your opinion on.”
Typical, no greeting, no small talk. A woman after my own heart.
“I need to have a shower and change to make sure I don’t have poison on my clothes, but then I could come over, yes.”
“Lovely. Say in two hours?”
“Want to give me an inkling on what this is about?”
“Not over the phone, no. I’ll let the receptionist know to expect you.”
She hangs up without another word. I stare at the phone, curiosity warring with the desire to sit on the sofa and do nothing for a while.
Something wet touches my chest. I look down only to see a wet patch on my right boob. Great, I’m leaking again. With four babies to feed, my breasts are producing enough milk to rival a cow. I sometimes pump it into bottles to use while I’m not home, but once they’ve had their fill, there’s rarely enough left for that. My babies are insatiable.
I head upstairs into the nursery. The three girls are sleeping, curled up around each other, but Tailie is awake, looking at me with his beautiful yellow eyes. He reminds me a bit of Ryker. Except for the tail. When shifted, Ryker’s tail is thick and bushy, and when he’s human…well, he’s still thick.
I wish he was back already so that we can continue our moment from earlier. Maybe in the shower; we both need to clean up anyway.
Tailie reaches out to me and I pick him up, smiling when his tail immediately wraps around my arm. He’s such a cute little thing. I can’t believe I once saw them as parasites. Now, they’re my babies, my flesh and blood. They’ll never find out how they were conceived. I’ll tell them that the guys are their fathers. Superfecundation will explain why they don’t all look the same. For all I know, I may have the same reproductive ability as cats, being able to have my eggs fertilised by several different males.
“What shall I call you, little one?” I mutter and run my hand over his head. His black hair is growing nicely, the same colour as Furrie’s fur. The twin girls have brown hair with a reddish tint, almost ginger. Their eyes are green, while Furrie’s are a bright ocean blue. They were all born with the same blue eyes, but after the first two weeks, they started to change.
Tailie mews softly and I pull up my shirt, exposing my breast. Faint purple bruises tell of their last feeding. Thank the Great Kitty in the Sky that I heal fast. It still hurts, though, and I envy any human mother who doesn’t have to contend with fangs.
He starts suckling greedily. His tiny hands hold on tight and once again I’m glad that the babies weren’t born with claws. I sit down in the armchair in the corner and get comfortable. This is going to take a while.
By the time I get to the town hall, it’s late afternoon. Ryker returned with the two poisoned humans just before I left, carried by some guys the mayor sent. Gryphon and Bethany are looking after them now, while Lily is playing babysitter. I sent Benjamin back to the manor to gather any intelligence he can find, hoping we might discover something new about the Fangs.
I never got the chance to have that shower with Ryker, but on the way out I told him in no uncertain terms that I expect him in my bed tonight. I still have my hammock for when I want to wallow in nostalgia, but most nights I sleep in a bed with one or more of the guys.
Lennox is still busy researching shifter babies. He’s made a lot of new contacts in the past few weeks that may help us with other issues, too. His actual results have been meagre though, to say the least. Most of what he finds refers to wolf shifter pups and it seems they develop differently depending on how much wolf shifter DNA is still within their lineage. Wolves have fated mates and those are not always shifters themselves. Lennox told me that there are now some packs that have more humans and hybrids unable to shift than pure wolves. It’s kind of stupid of evolution. One day, there may be no more wolf shifters left. Luckily, us cats can decide who we take as mates.
Lennox keeps saying that he’s close to a breakthrough, but so far, that hasn’t happened. Maybe we just have to accept that we won’t know how the babies will develop until they get older and we see it first-hand. So far, they’ve not given us any cause to worry, bar the fact that Vamp and Biter could one day bite off my nipples. It’s one of the reasons why Bethany is trying to synthesise my breast milk. For now, I have enough for the four of them, but they’re growing fast and I doubt my body will be able to keep up with the milk production. I’m not a milk cow.
The receptionist gives me a wave and I step right into the elevator carrying me up to the top floor. A guard awaits me. I know he was vetted and trained by my guys. It was one of the things they did in exchange for Lady Lara’s help in searching for me. In the end, I’d escaped myself without their help, but I appreciate the effort they put into it.
The guard gives me a sharp look but it’s clear that he recognises me. He inclines his head and nods towards the mayor’s office. I walk in without knocking, well aware that Lady Lara already knows I’m here. Nothing happens in the town hall without her knowing. After I was almost killed in this very office, she improved security.
I walk into her office without knocking. She's behind her desk as always, not in the slightest surprised that it's me, just as I predicted. Her frown turns into a smile and she gets up, pointing towards the two leather armchairs in a corner. It's her place for informal meetings and I keep wanting to steal one of those chairs for myself.
"Lovely to see you, Kat. Only an hour late, I think that's a record." She grins, clearly not offended at my lateness. She's used to it and I really needed that shower after feeding the babies.
"I've ordered us some tea and biscuits. Did I tell you I've got a new cook? She does the most amazing lemon butter biscuits, you'll love them."
I lick my lips in anticipation. I didn't have time to eat more than a quick sandwich and could do with something more substantial, but those biscuits do sound delicious.
We sit on the chairs - they're even comfier than I remembered - and look at each other in silence. We've only met twice since I returned to Attenburgh. The first time, I was still confined to bed and was slightly delirious. I have no idea what we talked about if we even had a proper conversation. The second time was a week ago when she came to our home to talk about her security detail with the guys. That used to be my job, but of course, the guys took over while I was gone. For now, I've not tried to take over again, but it did feel strange to have Lady Lara at our headquarters yet not visiting me. She did come into the office and we talked a little, but today is our first proper meeting.
She studies me as if she's looking for signs of illness or vulnerability. I do my best to look awake - even though I'm exhausted and would much rather be on my sofa at home - and look at her in return. Is that a grey hair tucked behind her right ear? Maybe it's a trick of the light. Her black hair is perfectly styled as always, shimmering just like her ebony skin. It must be some kind of cream she uses on her skin that makes her sparkle like a unicorn. Well, not quite as much, but I always love imagining that she's not quite human. She's too clever and powerful to be a simple human.
"See something you like?" she asks.
I'm tempted to reply with yes, but I'm not sure if that would constitute as flirting.
Instead, I ask, "Why am I here?"
Talking business is always a safer ground
with her. When I'm around Lady Lara, I never quite know what to think. I admire her as a woman, as a politician, and I can't deny that she's stunning. Plus intelligent, sneaky and fearless. All attributes I'd want in a friend. Not that my friends have to be beautiful, but looking at some eye candy during our business meetings is rather nice.
"Let's wait until our tea arrives. I wouldn't want anyone to overhear what I'm about to tell you."
"You really know how to create suspense. I'll be disappointed if this is some boring politics stuff."
"No politics, I promise, at least not the kind you're thinking. In the end, everything is politics. Even when you do your work, that's politics."
"How so?"
"You decide who lives and dies. You can take or reject a contract, which means you make a choice that influences the lives of others."
"Making choices isn't politics. I don't care about the consequences. I just do this for the money."
She raises a perfectly manicured eyebrow. When does she even have time to go to a beauty salon? Or does she have her own stylist who visits her here? If so, I should better make sure they're vetted and not a security risk.
"I don't believe that. I thought we'd agreed not to lie to each other?"
I shrug. "It's not a lie if you believe it yourself. Or try to."
Lady Lara smiles warmly. "You're a better person than you think you are, Kat. But don't worry, I won't tell anyone, I know that would be bad for business."
A knock on the door interrupts our conversation. A maid sets a tray on the little table between our armchairs and disappears, closing the door behind her.
With a slowness that grinds against my patience, the mayor pours us some tea, then lays a biscuit on both our saucers. It's thin, elegant pottery that would break way too easily to be allowed in my household.
I almost rip the cup from her hand when she offers it to me.
"Tell me. Now."
She smirks, leans back and slowly sips her tea. This woman is trying to get killed.
"Maybe you should try meditation," she says innocently. "Mindfulness is supposed to help with controlling one's temper."
"I don't have a temper," I snap.
"Of course, you don't." She rolls her eyes in a very non-mayor like way, then puts her cup back on the table and rummages in her breast pocket. I try not to stare at her chest. Her breasts press against her azure blouse, perfectly shaped just like the rest of her.
What's wrong with me? Am I going into heat again? I shouldn't be ogling someone that isn't one of my three guys, least of all the mayor of Attenburgh.
She holds out her hand and I look away from her boobs at what she's showing me.
A very familiar bronze coin lies on her palm.
"Fuck."
Chapter Seven
I roll the coin back and forth, staring at the symbol carved into the metal. A square with a vertical dash cutting through it like a knife. I have no idea what the symbol means, but I know exactly who this coin belongs to.
The Fangs.
I tried to forget they exist. I've not had any problem with them since I moved to Attenburgh, or if I did, then I didn't know the people I dealt with were Fangs. I'd hoped I'd never have to get involved with them again.
"You recognise it," Lady Lara says quietly.
"I do. They poisoned shifter children back in my hometown. Well, not themselves, but they got others to do it for them. We found a coin like that when we raided a lab. They'd put poison in sweets that would only affect children with the shifter gene. We managed to distribute an antidote, but it was too late for some."
Mystery man's granddaughter, for example. Even though I now know he wasn't the benefactor he seemed, I still feel sorry for the girl's death. He may have deceived me my entire life, but that doesn't mean I can't have empathy for his relatives, especially a shifter like me.
"I remember, you told me once. It's awful, but not surprising. From the little I've learned about their organisation, they try to eliminate anyone that could threaten their power. Shifters can't be as easily influenced by their powers as humans, so you're seen as the biggest threat. Still, targeting children...that's abominable."
"Where did you get the coin?" I ask her.
"A murdered woman. The sixth that's been found dead in this part of town in the past month or so. Five women, two men. All of them had a Fang coin placed on their chests. I called Benjamin back when you were on your way back here, but I assume he didn't say anything?"
I shake my head. "I guess me arriving half-dead and with four new-born babies must have shocked him too much to remember."
"Yes, I can see why that would happen. I've tried to give you some time and have the police deal with it, but they're not getting any further. Besides, I can't tell them about the Fangs or sirens. I'm sure there are some sirens within the police force, but most of them are humans with no idea that anything supernatural even exists."
"So now you want me to find the murderer."
The mayor nods. "Obviously. The police haven't even been able to establish whether there's a connection between the victims or whether they were randomly targeted. The only common denominator is that they were all killed within half a mile of this building. I think it's a message to me. They wouldn't leave the Fang coins on the corpses otherwise."
"Have you had any strange letters? Phone calls? Anything that may be connected?"
"No. Nothing out of the ordinary. No one has been in touch about this. If they're trying to tell me something, I don't know what."
I take a sip of tea, then dunk my lemon biscuit in it. Dunking biscuits is an art. You have to leave them in the hot liquid for just long enough for the biscuit to grow soft, but not too long or it will fall apart and you'll end up with sludge at the bottom of your cup. It's a matter of patience and experience. I think it should be part of every assassin's training. Dunking biscuits is almost like plunging a knife into someone's chest with the intention of keeping them alive. Having a knife stuck between your ribs is a great incentive to get you talking.
"Any idea what they might be doing?" Lady Lara asks. "Do you know if they've ever done something like that before?"
"No, the only time I ever engaged with them was the poisoning thing. My sisters may know more though. Ivy and Four knew about the Fangs when I first met them, but I never asked them why. It didn't seem important anymore after I left them so they could go to school and have a slightly normal life."
Lady Lara chuckles. "I wonder what you define as a normal life."
"One that doesn't involve being experimented on, killing others or having to depend on stealing for survival," I say immediately.
"You know that's kind of sad, right? Most people would have said something very different."
I shrug. "I'm not most people. But back to the killings. Are the bodies still around?"
"Yes, I had the police keep them in their morgue. Some of the relatives have been petitioning me to return them for burial, but I wanted to wait until you're well enough to take a look. I'll let the police chief know that someone will come to inspect the victims."
Me in a police station. That's never happened before.
"Make sure that nobody will be in the morgue with us. I may have to shift to find extra clues."
"Of course. But I will come with you. I want to see you work."
"Don't you have better things to do? Like ruling the city?"
Lady Lara tsks. "I don't rule. I just make sure everything works the way it's supposed to by giving others a little push in the right direction."
"Sure. And I'm a wonderful person who also gives people a push into a direction...towards death." I roll my eyes at her. "You're a ruler, there's no doubt about that. Authority is basically oozing from your pores. I'd understand your objections if I'd called you a dictator, but that's not what I said."
"This town has a council," she lectures me. "I'm just the public figurehead. I can't take all decisions by myself. As you said, it's not a dictatorship. But that's
not what we were discussing. I'll join you in the police morgue. I'll also instruct one of my guards to show you the sites of the murders. Of course, the police have inspected everything there, but I assume you have other methods than them."
I can't resist a chuckle. "Indeed. Very different methods. Don't be surprised if you see more cats than usual running around the area in the coming days. They like to feel involved."
The mayor shrugs. "If one of them wants to join me in here for cuddles, she's very welcome. My grandma's cat used to lie on my feet in the winter; I remember how cosy that was."
I don't ask her if I can be said cat, even though the thought of curling up around her gives me warm, fuzzy feelings in my stomach. I breathe in deep and suddenly notice something that's so far not registered in my mind.
"Do you have your period today?"
She gapes at me. "What?"
"Your period. You know, the devil's waterfall. Blood running from your vagina. Days of pain. Rings a bell?"
"Why on-" She sighs. "I don't even want to know why you're asking. Yes. Happy?"
That explains it. Why I suddenly feel so attracted to her. Must be her pheromones messing with my head. I smile in relief. I don't have to worry about my heart splitting into four rather than three pieces. It's just her body confusing my own. It'll be over the next time we meet. I hope.
"Did each murder victim have a Fang coin?" I ask quickly to change the topic.
"Yes. I didn't know at first; the police only told me about it after the third victim had the same coin on them. They didn't know what it was."
"Did you tell them?"
"No, obviously not. I don't need to involve the police in a siren-led criminal organisation aiming for world domination."
I laugh. "Some people would say that this is exactly what the police is for."
"Some people are idiots. This is better handled by agents outside the law, like you and M.E.O.W. Just make sure you'll leave one or two alive so the police can arrest them and feel like they've done something good."
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