Epilogue
One year later
"Happy birthday!"
The words echo through the garden as they're roared by everyone. This family isn't exactly known for being quiet.
Liat claps his hand in excitement while his tail is wrapped around my neck. He's got heavy, almost too heavy to carry for extended periods, but I love him too much to put him down. I used to be able to walk around with two or more of my children clinging to me, but that's over now, no matter how much they complain. They grow too fast, way faster than human babies. Some days, I wish they'd slow down so I can enjoy every single day of their childhood, but then I remember how nice it is for us parents to see them grow out of their nappies at record speed. They all use the potty now and Donna has even started using the proper toilet, much to the disdain of her twin sister. Bella prefers us doing everything for her, including cleaning her potty. That little diva is going to be the death of me.
Lily drops into a chair by my side and grins at me. "Great party, right?"
I know she's fishing for compliments. It was her idea. Together with Caitlin, she's put on the biggest party I've ever been part of. Turns out my family is big and if you put us all in one place, it's kind of overwhelming. Luckily, our new house has a big garden. Lily has put up a pavilion to cover the buffet, just in case it starts to rain, but the weather couldn't be better. The sun is slowly setting, painting the surrounding forest in warm light.
"You've done well," I admit. "The kids are loving it."
Liat laughs happily and claps again in approval. He doesn't speak much, even though he can. His sisters are the opposite, they never shut up.
"Auntie Rose says she's going to teach them how to make pancakes," Lily says with a chuckle. "I told her they're a little young for that, but she says they need to learn how to feed themselves if their parents are away on jobs. She seems to be convinced that your happy-family-at-home-time will end soon."
"No idea why she'd think that," I mutter. "I'm being the perfect housewife."
Lily sniggers. "Of course, you are. Don't think I don't know about the little excursion you did last week. Pumpkin spotted you in town. I just wish you'd have dropped by for a visit."
"I didn't want a lecture. You know the guys insisted on having this one year without any killing." I sigh. "It's getting harder and harder. I miss it, Lily. It's part of me. I'm not made to simply sit at home and play with the litter. They're getting more and more independent and soon, they're going to want to do their first kills."
"Kat, they're a year old today. They're not going to kill anything for a while. Maybe a mouse at most, and even that I can't imagine. It's not like they're very good at shifting."
Ah, yes. Of course, she has to rub it in. While all four have had their first complete shift, they seem completely helpless as kittens. Like new-borns, basically. Definitely not ready to hunt and kill mice. It's strange how different their development is shifted versus human, but even after a year of trying to find information on cat shifter babies, we've drawn a blank. It's all going to be wait and see. I suppose I've always liked surprises.
"Aunt Rose also said she wants us to come for a visit. Now that Gryphon's sister has moved out, she's got more space in her house. I bet the twins would love to have you over."
"I doubt she'll have enough space for four adults and four children," I say with a smile. "But I'll thank her for the offer nonetheless."
"You really have changed," Lily muses. "When I first met you, you'd never have thanked anyone for anything. Now look at you."
I shrug, feeling a little uncomfortable at that statement. Am I losing my assassin cred? Just because I haven't killed anyone in a while doesn't mean I've turned ordinary. And even if I have learned some manners, so what. I'm still the same old me.
"Mum, Shade's bit me!" Bella comes running and jumps on my lap, ignoring that her brother is already clinging to me. Kids. They have no sense of other people around them.
Liat growls at his sister and wraps his tail even tighter around my throat. I know he doesn't mean it, but he's getting into strangling territory now.
"What did you do to Shade before she bit you?" I ask Bella, fixing her with a stern glance. I don't believe for a second that little Bella is innocent. She may look like a fanged angel, but she's a little demon inside, just like all four of them.
"She took the last piece of chocolate cake!" Shade shouts, running towards us. "Mum, I wanted chocolate cake!"
"So did I. Who's eaten it all?"
Bella points at my guys. Gryphon's lips are dark with cocoa powder. Traitors.
"We're going to force Caitlin to make us another cake, alright? Just for us girls."
Liat growls again. "Yes, and for you. And if Lily comes to visit, she gets a slice too."
"I appreciate it," Lily chuckles. "Don't worry, I'm planning to visit again soon. It's getting less busy now that we've got M.E.O.W. up and running again. Benjamin's been great with getting on top of the bills, by the way. Maybe give him a raise. Feeding that deer of his must be expensive."
"A raise? What do you think I am, a nice boss?"
"The best. Now hand me my little nephew and get yourself some cake before it's all gone. A party isn't a party without a belly full of cake."
I hand her Liat and head over to the buffet, followed by my girls. I scan the garden for Donna until I find her sitting with Sophie and the twins. Looks like she's trying to be part of the cool crowd. This is the first time Sophie's met Ivy and Four, and they've immediately become the best of friends. I told them yesterday not to comment on her missing eye, but it wouldn't have been necessary. Living with Aunt Rose has been good for the twins. They seem younger, more carefree now. Hopefully, they'll be able to regain their lost childhood, just like Sophie. Caitlin sits nearby, watching her younger siblings. Pumpkin is by her side, talking rapidly. I could concentrate and listen to what he's saying, but I'll leave them their privacy. The two teenagers have been growing close – it’s adorable. Young love at its best.
"Kat, we saved you some truffles!" Lennox waves a cellophane bag. Yummy. I’m by his side in an instant.
"Do they contain catnip?"
"No, but I may have some catnip biscuits hidden in my pocket." He grins. "They cost one kiss each."
"That's extortion!"
"No, it's business. Would you like one?"
He snakes an arm around my waist and pulls me close.
"How can I resist - even with those abhorrent prices."
He laughs and pulls out a biscuit. It's already crumbled away at the edges. It's high time it lands in this cat's greedy stomach. I open up wide and he feeds me, chuckling when I lick his fingers. I munch the biscuit with delight, purring a little when the catnip rush hits me.
I want to rub something. The urge to rub against a leg is so strong that I drop to the ground and press myself against Lennox's leg. I push against him, rolling from side to side, completely oblivious to the world. This is the best state of cat.
Hours later, when the children have gone to bed, it's just the guys and me. We sit on a large fallen tree in the garden, enjoying the pleasant night air. It was there when we bought the house and we never bothered to have it removed. It makes the perfect bench, big enough for all four of us. The sounds of the forest are soothing, reminding me once again that we're in our own little paradise.
Ryker snakes his arm around my waist and I lean my head on his shoulder, exhausted from the long day of partying. Gryphon yawns, clearly having the same sentiment.
"The stars are beautiful tonight," Lennox says quietly, craning his neck back. "It's the new moon. That's when they're always the brightest."
Ryker points at a group of stars to our right. "Back when I thought I was a cat, we called that constellation the Great Purr. If you draw some lines between the stars, it looks like the sound a purr makes."
"How does a sound look like a purr?" Gryphon asks, echoing my confusion. "Don't tell me cats have an alphabet?"
"We s
ee the world a little differently from others. Sometimes, sounds form images." He shrugs as if that's supposed to make sense.
I stare up at the sky, trying to see a purr. It's ridiculous, but it's not the weirdest thing we've ever done.
"I think there's a meow over there," I say after a while and point to a particularly bright star. "Yes, definitely a meow."
Ryker elbows me in the ribs. "I was serious."
"So am I." I laugh. "Or maybe not."
We sit there in silence, enjoying each other's company under the sparkling night sky, until Lennox shouts out in excitement.
"Look, a shooting star!"
He's right. Not just one. An entire swarm of shooting stars paint streaks across the darkness.
"Make a wish," my wolf whispers.
I think for a moment, then I turn and smile at him.
"I don't need to. Life is exactly how I want it."
* * *
THE END
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And if you want to know more about how the sirens came to be, read on for a sample of Song of Souls, set many years before the events in Catnip Assassins.
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Finally, I have written a bonus scene about the moment Pumpkin first shifted. You can find it here: skyemackinnon.com/pumpkin
About the Author
Skye MacKinnon is a USA Today & International Bestselling Author whose books are filled with strong heroines who don't have to choose.
She embraces her Scottishness with fantastical Scottish settings and a dash of mythology, no matter if she's writing about Celtic gods, cat shifters, or the streets of Edinburgh.
When she's not typing away at her favourite cafe, Skye loves dried mango, as much exotic tea as she can squeeze into her cupboards, and being covered in pet hair by her tiny demonic cat.
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Nobody can resist his call…. not even her…
* * *
The Piper’s music is alive, drawing souls from the world of the living to the domain of Death. Those who hear him have no choice but to follow - when the Piper calls you, you will do as you are told.
* * *
Everything changes…even the unchangeable…
* * *
Autumn is on the run from the Cult of the Hundred after witnessing something she should never have seen. She's fighting for survival; she doesn’t have time for distractions. That is, until she meets a man nobody but her can see. When he speaks, her body does what the Piper commands, but she’s not going to accept that. Not at all.
* * *
A new song has begun…
* * *
He’s played his tune for a hundred years, but no living human has ever seen him. Until Autumn. His music is only supposed to control those destined to leave this world, but to make Autumn stay with him, he might have to change the rules. Forever.
Prologue
It has been one hundred years since our children left.
Mothers wept.
Families were torn apart.
They all searched for them.
Not a single child was ever found.
And amongst it all, the question, the oldest question there is.
Why?
Chapter One
Him
Time has lost all importance. It's a leaf on the wind, carried away into oblivion.
Only the music counts. The Song guides me from town to town, compels me to do my work before leading me to the next place. It has been one hundred years since the day I first set foot on Earth, yet most of the time it feels like only a day has passed. Only sometimes do I feel the heavy burden of time, when I give in to the very human sensation of boredom.
Every day follows the same pattern. It is reassuring that way. I don't have to change my ways. The Song never ends. And on and on I go, travelling the land, never seen, never noticed. Even the humans with the Song inside of them can't see me. They follow my call, eager and willing, yet they never get to know who's herding them to their destiny.
I'm not a vain person, yet sometimes, I wish they could see me. I have not spoken to anyone since I was placed in this world. Lie. I have spoken to humans, whispered into their ears, but they never reply. They cannot hear me. I exist in the corner of their eye, in the shadows they fear, never seen. Some feel my presence, a shiver running down their back, the feeling of being watched, but none of them sees me.
I understand why it has to be that way. They would never follow my call if they knew it was me. Most of their stories are wrong, but they have described my looks in many of them. The horns, the glowing eyes that resemble burning coals. I am not the devil in their fairy tales, but I certainly look like him. For a while, I styled my beard into a goatee to match their descriptions, but that got boring after some time since nobody could see it anyway.
Today, the Song leads me to a village I've not been to before. That is becoming increasingly rare. It's a small hamlet, no more than twenty houses, all of them huddled together in defence of the wild lands surrounding it. It's taken me an entire day on horseback to reach it. A hundred years ago, I travelled on the back of the music, faster than the wind, but I have become tired of that recently. I wished for a horse and it came into existence, a large, black steed with fiery eyes and an insatiable appetite for apples. He doesn't need earthly food, just like myself, but apples help motivate him on dreary days like today. I have a couple of them stashed in the saddlebags, in case he throws yet another tantrum. He's a magnificent stallion, but he's also strong-willed and temperamental. Some days, I leave him in the stable and later wish him to wherever I've ended up. He doesn't like it, but it's not like I care.
I stopped caring a long time ago.
The village's gloomy atmosphere makes me want to move on and find a prettier place, but the Song doesn't allow for that. If I don't follow it, it'll make me pay. The Song is always hungry, always looking for its next victim, and I'm its tool, nothing more. The Song decides who I will lead from this world and into the next. I can't resist it any more than the humans can.
I jump off my steed and offer him another apple. There's no need to bind him to a tree; he won't leave. He knows I'd just wish him back to wherever I am. He's more intelligent than mortal horses, although I sometimes wish that wasn't the case. He judges me for what I do, I know it. His fiery eyes hold disappointment whenever the Song leads me to a child. I've told him that I cannot fight the Song, but his disdain for my actions doesn't waver.
Just a horse. His opinion doesn't matter.
I walk into the village until I get to the house the Song points out. It's the biggest one with a sturdy, freshly patched roof. I walk through the closed door and two walls until I see the human I'm here to take. An old woman, at the edge of death. Those are my favourites. They don't have long to live anyway. Me pulling them into another world won't change much. It's a very different case when it comes to children. Those are hard.
I take out my pipe and gently stroke it. I love it as much as I loathe it. The music it produces is beautiful, yet I hate what it does to people.
As soon as I hold the pipe to my lips, the song fades. It always does that, now that it’s sure I will follow its command. It's like it isn't needed once I play the pipe and create my own music. My fingers dance on the smooth wood without my intervention. I never learned to play the pipe. It's almost like it plays me.
Today's melody is slow and wistful. It matches the movements of the old lady as she gets up from her armchair and walks towards me. Her eyes are blank, enchanted by the music. I don't know if humans are aware of what's happening when they're controlled by me and my pipe. If they are, they don't show any signs of struggle. Most have passive expressions, but some relax, even smile. It makes me feel better about it all.
This woman doesn't
smile, but she looks relaxed as if she's dreaming about something nice. No nightmares for her.
I never stop playing as I leave the house, trusting on the old lady to follow me. She shuffles along, barefoot and in nothing but her nightgown. It doesn't matter; her neighbours won't stop her. Once I play the pipe, humans will ignore my victim. They still see her, but they don't care that she's not dressed properly and is randomly walking down the street. It's a strange magic which means that families will never get to say goodbye to their loved ones.
I have to walk slow to match the woman's pace. I want to be away from the village before I turn her over to the Song. It feels wrong to do it in such close vicinity to other humans, even if they can't see me. If they knew I existed, they'd be scared. Their entire lives would be different. They'd know that they could be taken from their life at any moment and that there's nothing they can do about it. Being powerless is one of the worst feelings in the world. I know it all too well.
When we're far enough from the village, I stop and turn around, but don't end my tune. It's turned mournful, tearing at my heartstrings. I may not be human, but I do have a heart. The remains of one, broken and frozen in mid-beat.
I look down at the woman with regret. I can't help what's about to happen. The Song is in control. I'm just the instrument, just like the pipe I'm playing.
As soon as I decide that it's time, the tune changes into something that I can only describe as pure power. It's no more just one instrument playing a melody; it's an entire orchestra and choir that's thundering from all around us, so loud it almost hurts. The air in front of us begins to shimmer until a glass gate appears between the old woman and me. It looks like just an arch, which it is for me, but for her, it's a gate that will take her away from this world and into another.
Roar Page 17