Purrr Read online

  Contents

  Blurb

  A quick word before we get started

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Epilogue

  Author’s Note

  About the Author

  Also By

  Purrr © Copyright 2019 Skye MacKinnon

  All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  * * *

  Cover by Ravenborn Covers.

  Formatting by Gina Wynn.

  Blurb

  Five signs a cat is in heat:

  Rubs against anything male

  Coos over kittens

  Presents her assets as often as possible

  Gets easily distracted

  Loses interest in assassinations

  Kill me now. This is going to be hell.

  * * *

  The third book in this purrfectly exciting urban fantasy series.

  A quick word before we get started

  As you will know from the previous two books, this series is set in a world very similar to our own, but there are some deciding differences. Technology has developed differently, and while there are many devices you may be used to, such as televisions, there are no mobile phones, cars or the internet. No guns, either.

  This book is written in British English and uses some British expressions and idioms. Please don’t see these as spelling mistakes. We say mum rather than mom, use a lot of ‘s’ instead of ‘z’ (cosy, realise, …) and use ‘got’ as the past participle of ‘get’ (instead of ‘gotten’).

  And finally, subscribe to Skye’s newsletter for updates about new releases: skyemackinnon.com/newsletter.

  You’ll even get a free book for subscribing, so it’s totally worth it.

  Dedicated to the Terrace Coffee House, without which many of my books would never get written. Thanks for all the cream on my hot chocolate.

  Chapter One

  “You really need to shave.”

  I blink up at Lily, still too tired to make much sense of what she’s just said. Since when does Lily give me personal hygiene advice?

  “Seriously, look in the mirror and then take a razor. Not mine, though.”

  She dances away, swaying her hips like the succubus she is. Ever since she returned from that convention, she’s been spreading seduction and allure. It’s a miracle that nobody in this house has ended up in bed with her yet. I hope.

  I groan and slide out of my hammock. I’ve been sleeping a lot in the past three days, but it never seems to be enough. My body is changing, turning against me, and I don’t know how to stop it. Right now, Ryker is the only one who can even understand what I’m saying. I still meow every time I open my mouth, which means I rarely speak nowadays. It’s too frustrating to see them trying not to laugh at my frantic meows. And then there’s the purring. My body does it whenever I feel the tiniest flicker of happiness. It’s the reason why I’ve stayed away from the men. They don’t need to know that I’m happy when I’m around them. The exception is Ryker because I need him to translate for me.

  I’ve never been a chatterbox but knowing that I need someone else to pass on my messages has made me think twice about what I want to say. What actually needs to be said. And surprisingly, that’s not a lot at all. My employees know what to do, they don’t need much help or encouragement. They’re running the place while I’m…indisposed. So far, none of them has come to me with any problems, which means either there aren’t any or that they don’t want to bother me. Or they’re scared of me. Who knows.

  I take Lily’s advice and stagger over to the dusty mirror hanging from a nail on one of the wooden posts supporting my hammock. I never really use it. Vanity is for losers. The only thing I care about is looking threatening when I need to. I don’t need to be pretty.

  Still, I can’t help but gasp when I see myself. This must be a nightmare. My face is covered in black hair, as midnight black as my panther fur. Except that I should be human. I shouldn’t have fur on my face. And my eyes shouldn’t be ringed with yellow either.

  Am I turning into some kind of hybrid? Part cat, part human? It’s what I’ve always been inside, especially since my collar was lifted, but it’s not what I should look like. I need to blend in. I can’t do my job looking like a mutant.

  A razor. Lily said I should shave. Where did I put that razor… I’ve not used it in ages. My body has very little hair growth, and I don’t really care about the few tiny hairs on my legs. It’s not as if anyone gets to see them when I’m wearing my black leather trousers. But now, I really need to do something about my hair growth.

  I run a hand over my cheeks. They’re actually furry. No, a razor won’t do much good here. Even my forehead is covered in black hair, about as long as my pinkie nail. I look like a cat on two legs. I shudder. This can’t be happening.

  Even my teeth feel different. I run my tongue over my front incisors. Sharp. Pointy. Panther.

  I groan and go back to my hammock. I’m not going to leave the attic today. Maybe by tomorrow, everything will be back to normal. An assassin can hope.

  * * *

  I smell Ryker’s scent before he sticks his head up the attic trapdoor. I’ve left it open, lacking the energy to get up and close it. I turn away from him and pull my blanket over my head. I don’t want him to see me like this. Maybe I should shift, but who knows what might happen then? I might end up as a furless panther with human skin. That would be even worse than being a hairy human.

  “Lily told me you might want some company,” he says cheerily.

  That bitch. Does she seriously think I’d want anyone to see me in this state? Lily needs a reality check. Not everyone is an exhibitionist like her.

  “Go away,” I meow. At least I can talk to Ryker. He understands my meows, even when he’s human.

  “I don’t think so. I’m bored.”

  Great. A bored cat. There’s nothing worse. Usually, that ends in destroyed curtains and torn open catnip bags.

  He plops down on the bright orange beanbag in the corner. My latest acquisition; it was only delivered two days ago, but I’ve not really been in the mood to enjoy it. In fact, I’ve only sat on it once, then decided moping felt better in my hammock.

  “This is comfy. Now, tell me, what’s wrong?”

  I snort. “Besides being stuck in this state? Besides knowing what I know?”

  He chuckles, ignoring the sarcasm in my voice. “Yes, besides that. We’ll find a solution, don’t worry. You’ll be back to normal in no time.”

  “I’ll never be normal again. All my life has been a lie. I’m not even real.”

  I hear him get up and approach. He’s so close that all I can smell is his intoxicating scent. I try not to breathe it in. It’s intense and makes me want to do things that wouldn’t be appropriate. Ever since he’s turned human for the first time, his scent has
changed. Before, when he was a cat, he wasn’t of interest to my ovaries, but now, when he’s close like this, I have to suppress what I don’t want to feel.

  He puts a hand on my shoulder, and I try not to flinch. I don’t want him to touch me. I’m a clone, an abomination, and right now I’m covered in fur. I just want to be alone and wallow in justified self-pity.

  “What’s wrong?” he repeats. “Talk to me, Kat. You don’t need to go through this alone.”

  I stay quiet. There’s nothing to say. He’s wrong. I have to go through this on my own. Once I’m back to normal, I’m going back to the Pack headquarters to find out the truth about my heritage, to see if there are more of us, more clones, and then I’m going to shut them down once and for all.

  “How’s little Kat?” I ask instead of an answer.

  “Fine, last I heard. She’s been asking to see you though.”

  My clone – no, not my clone, she’s not modelled after me after all – has been staying with Gryphon’s aunt while I’m recovering. I’ve never met that aunt, but if Gryphon thinks she’s trustworthy, then I’m alright with that. None of us has experience with looking after a child. Benjamin is almost a child still himself, Bethany is terribly immature, and Lily is busy running Meow as my second-in-command. Ryker, Lennox and Gryphon have been here at our headquarters almost the entire time, but they’re not fit to parent a child either, no matter how grown up she might act. Little Kat has never had a childhood, she’s never been allowed to play, and Gryphon said that his aunt might help the girl adjust to normal life. Rose, that’s her name. Aunt Rose. She has two grown-up daughters herself so she knows what she’s doing.

  “Shall I tell her she can come to visit?”

  “No,” I snap immediately, sounding harsher than I intended. Ryker hasn’t seen my face yet. He’ll understand when he sees me. If I let him.

  “Okay, don’t get all worked up. Let’s keep a visit for once you’re feeling better. How’s the chest?”

  I rub my sternum where Gryphon managed to crack two of my ribs while resuscitating me. My body isn’t healing as quickly as it should. I’m broken and I don’t know how to fix myself.

  “Getting better,” I lie. It still hurts like hell when I touch it. “I hope Gryphon isn’t feeling guilty still?”

  Ryker chuckles. “I don’t think he’s going to stop feeling guilty until you’re walking around healthy and happy. Lennox is still blaming himself as well. This whole house is filled with nothing but self-pity and self-loathing.”

  He sounds bitter about it, and I realise that I’ve never properly talked to him about his new human self. I’ve simply accepted that he can now shift, that he’s found his human side.

  “How are you?” I ask softly.

  In response, he gently squeezes my shoulder. “It’s confusing. I thought it would be hard to walk on two legs, to talk with humans, but it’s like I’ve been doing it all my life. I still don’t like looking at mirrors though. That face doesn’t belong to me. In my mind, I’m still a cat.”

  “We have that in common,” I mutter. “I don’t want to see myself in the mirror, either.”

  “Show me.” His voice is a quiet demand, hitting my senses at the same time as another burst of his scent.

  I find myself turning before I can stop myself. I swipe my hair out of my face and let him look at me.

  I was expecting surprise. Disgust. Horror at my ugliness. Instead, he slowly reaches out and strokes my cheek.

  “You’re beautiful,” he whispers. “Exquisite.”

  Of all the reactions I imagined, this wasn’t one of them. I don’t know how to respond. I stare at him in confusion.

  He chuckles. “Did you think I’d run away screaming?”

  I nod, unable to speak at seeing the heat in his gaze.

  “It makes your eyes seem brighter,” he whispers and kneels on the floor so that we’re on the same level. His mouth is close to mine, too close, but I’m stuck in my hammock and can’t move away.

  “You’re beautiful,” he repeats. “You shouldn’t try and hide the cat in you. You’re both, cat and human, and you need to give her space to unfold, especially now.”

  “Especially now?” I repeat, confused.

  He quirks an eyebrow. “You don’t know? I can smell it from half a mile away.”

  “What?”

  “Does that mean this doesn’t happen every time? Is it the first time you have this fur on your face?”

  “I have no clue what you’re on about,” I say, repressing a frustrated growl. If he’s not going to tell me what’s going on this very second, I’m going to bite his head off with my overly sharp human teeth. Or maybe some other bits that are easier to bite off than a head.

  “Estrus,” he replies gently. “Surely this isn’t your first time?”

  That word sounds familiar, but I don’t want to believe what I think it means.

  “You’re in heat,” he explains, confirming my fears. “I thought you knew.” He clears his throat. “How can you not know? Every cat in the area will know by now. Your scent is rather strong.”

  I glare at him. “Are you telling me that I smell?”

  He winces. “No, not smell. Your scent is that of the most fragrant rose, delicate and strong at the same time, full of promises of beauty and happiness.” He gives me a small smile, tinged with a trace of embarrassment. “I’ve had my cats spread the message that you’re not a normal female, that you’re out of bounds, but there are dozens of males leaving their marks down below in the courtyard.”

  I squeeze my eyes shut, wanting to escape. And I here I was thinking it couldn’t get any worse. How wrong I was.

  I’m in heat. That would explain the fur, the meowing, how I don’t feel right in my own skin. Maybe it even explains the dream I had while being unconscious, the one where I fucked Gryphon on the floor. I’d blush at the thought if my cheeks weren’t covered in black fur.

  “How?” I stammer. “Why?”

  “I’m not exactly an expert,” Ryker hedges, “but I assume the collar triggered it, or maybe nearly dying. Maybe your body has realised that it’s time to pass on your genes.”

  I open my eyes just in time to see an amused smile spread on his face. “I’m not going to have kittens,” I protest. “My body can stop being in heat and go back to normal. I’m not interested in having offspring.”

  His smile only grows at my words. “I believe humans have ways to prevent having kittens. You don’t need to get pregnant to get better.”

  I stare at him. “Are you saying I need sex to feel better?” I point at my hairy face. “To make this go away?”

  “I think so. It’s not exactly like I’ve got any experience with shifter females in heat, but that’s what normal cats do. If you prolong it, if you don’t give in to your urges, you’ll go crazy, and rub against furniture, spray every street corner, howl all night, that sort of thing. Better to deal with it before it gets worse.”

  “That feels wrong,” I mutter. “Having sex just to get better. I’d feel like I’m exploiting whoever I sleep with.”

  His smile wavers a little. “It wouldn’t have to be the only reason. I know of at least three men who’d be happy to assist you.”

  I’m sure he can see my blush through my fur now. Three men. How did he come to this conclusion?

  Lennox, he probably knows about him. Gryphon… did I say anything when I woke up? Did I moan while being unconscious, while dreaming that I was with him?

  And who’s the third?

  Is it…?

  His lips meet mine.

  Chapter Two

  For someone who’s never kissed before, or at least hasn’t kissed a human, he’s overwhelmingly good. His lips are soft and supple, yet his kiss is hard and passionate. He cups my face, drawing me closer as he claims my mouth. I barely register that he’s touching my furry face; the kiss is too intense to focus on anything else. Our tongues dance in a fight for survival, our breaths meet each other in ragged, short blows. br />
  My entire body is tingling, aching to be touched. I claw at his back, pulling him closer, but then the hammock turns and suddenly we’re on the floor, me on top of him, his hands still on my face, his lips somehow still on mine.

  Laughter breaks from his throat and I smile against his kiss, but I don’t stop. Can’t stop. My skin is on fire, needs to be touched, needs to be soothed. I moan when his hands slip beneath my shirt. Yes, that’s it. More of that. I need more, so much more.

  “Fuck me,” I whisper breathlessly, before devouring his mouth once again. I’m taking control now, I’m the one setting the pace. I straddle him, pushing him flat down onto the floor, rocking against his hips, his hardness. My fingernails turn into claws, sharp and brutal, and I slash away his shirt, leaving red scratches on his dark skin. He can take it. He’s a cat, he knows that we can be wild when it comes to sex.

  His chest is broad, his abs like a marble statue. I run my fingers over his smooth skin, revelling in the sensation. His yellow eyes look up at me, mesmerised.

  “Mine,” I growl, then rip my own shirt from my body, bra and all, until I’m naked for him. My skin is covered in black fur, shimmering in the dim light, but I don’t care. It only turns me on even more, to see what a predator I am. I’m a hunter and he is my prey.

  I bend forward and kiss him once more. Our lips clash, teeth against teeth, tongues against tongues. This isn’t a romantic dance, this is a fight, a war for dominance.