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  "Nope, succubi only have female offspring," Lily repeats. "We use human men to get us pregnant, but then they're no longer needed and it's all down to the women. Usually, several generations of succubi live together and help look after each others' daughters."

  "Does that mean you don't know your father?"

  "No idea who he is. He was a sperm donor, basically. I don't really care about who he was, although I'm rather grateful for his good genes. My mum is tiny so I must get my tallness from him."

  "And there's actually an academy for succubi?" I ask with a laugh. "Is it basically one big sex thing?"

  She shakes her head. "Sex is the smallest part of it all. We don't actually need to sleep with the people we feed off. Seduction can be much more efficient. Imagine it as the main course. Play with their feelings, get their hopes up, flirt a little, increase the tension, then fuck them for dessert."

  "Sounds fun."

  She grins, reminding me of the predator that she is. "Totally. I may have dropped out of the academy, but I'm an expert at seduction nonetheless. Sadly, it only works on humans, otherwise, I would have been able to take my holiday without divulging all my secrets."

  She winks at me. "Can I go? It's only going to be a couple of days. Unless I find some boy toys to play with, obviously. I'm thinking some rich guys to get some money from to repaint my bedroom."

  "Again?" I groan. "You've redecorated that at least four times in as many months."

  Lily shrugs. "I like to change things up a little. Having the same colour walls gets boring."

  Right now, her room is entirely black with some dark red drapings in the corners. Not really my style. I'd go for all black.

  The sound of the front door opening interrupts our conversation. I sniff the air. Gryphon. His scent is easy to recognise. Full of testosterone and suppressed anger. He's a bowstring waiting to snap. I'm going to have to make sure I'm not in the way when it happens. He seems all funny and jovial when he talks to me, but my cat senses keep warning me about the tension in him. There's something he's hiding, and I need to find out what it is.

  I don't like secrets, at least not when it's other people having them. I'm full of secrets, but that's a good thing. It's boring to tell other people everything about your life. Where's the fun in that? Besides, there are some things I'm not proud of, and that says a lot.

  "Who is it?" Lily asks, reminding me that she doesn't have the same shifter senses that I have. I'll have to ask her about her succubus skills later on. Is it just seduction or is there more to it?

  "Me."

  Gryphon enters the room before I can answer. He's all in black as usual, but rather than having his dark hair in a ponytail or in a bun, it falls onto his shoulders and ends around his collarbones. That answers the question I've had ever since I met him. Yes, his hair is longer than mine. Impressive. It's silkier than mine too. Mine would probably be shinier if I washed it more often, but my looks aren't very important to me. The dead don't care if their killer wore makeup or had frizzy hair.

  "I shall leave you to it."

  Lily slips out of the door before I can ask her to stay. Damn. I'd hoped not to be alone with Gryphon. He makes me feel uneasy. Not in a bad way, necessarily, but I don't know how to act around him. Yes, he makes me insecure. I admit it. Question is how to deal with that. Avoiding being alone with him has worked until now, but with Lily gone, I'll have to woman up and face him.

  He sits down on the sofa opposite me, then gets up again, removing an empty crisp bag from below his bum. I never claimed that anyone in this house is tidy or cleans up after themselves.

  "Why are you here?" I ask, a little surprised at how hostile I sound. I need to tone it down. I don't want him to realise how uncomfortable he makes me feel.

  "I was in the neighbourhood and thought I'd pop in," he says with a disarming grin. "How are things?"

  "I can smell your lie," I retort, giving him a stern stare. "Why did you really come?"

  His grin widens. "I was bored."

  I sigh. "Lie, again. Tell me the truth or I'll throw you out. I'm busy enough as it is."

  "You're not a very gracious host, you know that, right?"

  "I'm not a polite person," I snap back. "Now get out before I practice my knife throwing skills on you."

  He snickers. "Touchy. I guess it might make you happy to hear that I need your help."

  I raise an eyebrow. "You? My help?"

  Gryphon laughs. "Yes, me. Trust me, this wasn't my idea, but since you're the only assassin who comes close my own level of perfection-"

  "Close?!" I interrupt him. "I'm miles better than you."

  I catch the dart he throws at me just before it pricks my shoulder. Lucky for me, he's not as quick and my dart nips his chin. A drop of blood falls onto his black shirt. Bingo.

  Then I realise that we both threw darts at the same time. Like we think in a similar way. Nope. Not going down that route. I've worked hard to be different from others, even other assassins. It's the only way to stay unpredictable. Let's hope this was just a coincidence and not the start of a pattern.

  "Poisoned?" he asks and sniffs at the dart.

  "No, you'll be fine." I lean back and cross my arms behind my head. "What do you need my help with?"

  Now that I bested him, I feel a lot more confident. He wants my help, which gives me the upper hand. Maybe I'll have him grovel on the floor, kissing my feet. After that, he wouldn't think that he's better than me.

  "It's a girl," he begins and I stare at him in disbelief.

  "You want dating advice from me?"

  He laughs. "No, not that kind of girl. She's definitely not my type. She's too... innocent. She's a neighbour and someone's stolen her necklace."

  I shake my head. "I don't do investigating. That was a one-off, from now on it's back to killing. No more cases to solve, no more riddles, no more headaches."

  "If you find who the thief is, you get to kill them," he offers.

  I laugh. "I was told the same thing last time too. If I'd listened, you'd be dead now."

  He looks a little disappointed. "I'm sure I could find some cash if you need a reward."

  "I've got enough darems for now, thanks. I'm really not interested. I just want things to go back to how they were."

  "Mindless killing?" He smiles knowingly, although the disappointment is still evident in his voice.

  "Exactly. Someone tells me who to kill, I do it, I get paid. Easy. No running around searching for clues, no interrogating, no conspiracies. Just look at the chaos this investigation has left us with. Even now, there are still ends to tie up. No, I don't want this again. Sorry." I smile at him to soften my words a little. I've seen other people do that so it's worth a try. Not sure why curving your lips has such an effect on people, but oh well, I'm used to not understanding why they behave the way they do. In a perfect world, everyone would just say what they mean and not rely on meaningless gestures and smiles. "I'm sure you can find someone else to look into it."

  He stares at me intently, as if he's deciding whether this is my final word or not. I meet his eyes confidently. I'm not going to back down. I've already given Lily a favour by letting her take a holiday. Now it's time to be selfish. I've been behaving too human recently. I need to find my inner cat again.

  Gryphon nods curtly and gets up. "You know where to find me if you change your mind."

  He leaves me with a strange feeling. Guilt? Nah, that can't be. There's nothing I should have to feel guilty for. And no, I'm not feeling lonely either. I don't want him to stay and talk and become friends. Not in the slightest.

  Luckily, a meow distracts me from my thoughts. It's Nyx, her beautiful white fur all silky and shiny. If she was a human, I bet everyone would ask her what kind of product she uses on her hair. Since she's a cat... guess her saliva is particularly good.

  "What's up?" I ask her as she rubs against my legs, purring in contentment. "Have you been fed?"

  She purrs her affirmation. I'm surprised. In
her place, I would have said no to get more food. An honest cat, who would have thought.

  Nyx meows and jumps onto the sofa, looking at me expectantly.

  "Ryker?" I ask and she nods. Damn it. I'd hoped I would have more time. I sigh and get up. Of course, Nyx immediately takes my place, stretching out on the warm sofa. Cats. They know how to indulge.

  Ryker is waiting for me in the backyard. None of the other cats are here, it's just the two of us.

  He's even more impressive than I remember him. His fur around his neck is so bushy that it resembles a lion's mane. His yellow eyes stare at me with an intensity that makes a shiver run down my back. It’s time to face the music.

  I sigh and shift, my body stretching in ways entirely unnatural. When whiskers pop out of my cheeks, I swipe at them with my oversized paws. It tickles, although I kind of love having whiskers. They add an entirely new sense to the mix.

  “I’ve been told you want to talk to me,” Ryker says in his deep, melodious voice. “What’s this about?”

  Is he pretending not to know? I thought that he was avoiding me the past few days, but now that he’s there, I see no avoidance in those golden eyes of his. On the contrary, he’s staring at me with both respect and curiosity.

  “You lied to me,” I start, then realise that actually, he didn’t. “Or at least you omitted the truth.”

  His ears flick in confusion. “What are you talking about? I keep a lot of secrets as part of looking after my family, but none of them concern you enough to make you this upset.”

  Upset? Well, maybe I am. Shifters should identify themselves to each other. It’s easy to spot shifters walking around in their human form, but as animals, they’re much harder to find. Right now, so shortly after shifting, other shifters would know because I still smell of human, but after a couple of hours, that scent will have mostly disappeared.

  “What’s wrong?” Ryker asks again. I don’t know how to respond. For once in my life, I’m lost for words. I don’t want to lose his support and loyalty, but I also can’t stay quiet and just let him get away with it.

  “You didn’t tell me what you are,” I finally say. “It would have been nice to know.”

  He blinks at me. “What I am? Isn’t it obvious?”

  “It wasn’t to me. You should have told me.” I suppress a growl.

  He shakes his head. “I still don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m a cat. I thought every idiot could see that. Look, I have a tail.” He flicks it in an almost alluring manner. I curse my mind for interpreting his movement in that way.

  This time, I growl, the sound echoing in the enclosed space. “You’re not just a cat though, are you.”

  Instead of explaining himself, he starts to laugh. It’s a beautiful and very rare sound. Cats seldom laugh. Their lives are too sombre for that.

  “I’m a cat. Nothing but a cat. I was born a cat and I will die a cat. Now please, explain what the noisy kittens you’re on about.”

  Noisy kittens? Of course, Ryker would be too posh to swear. He’s that kind of cat.

  Guess there’s no way around it. “You’re a shifter,” I throw at him accusingly. “You’re like me and you never said.”

  His laugh stops and he stares at me, blinking several times. “Where on earth did you get that idea?”

  “Your blood. Lily tested it and it shows that you’ve got the shifter gene. You’re the same as me. Now stop denying it and shift! I want to have a proper conversation with you, not this charade you’ve been keeping up.”

  Ryker takes a step back. His fur gets even more bushy as he takes on a pounce-ready stance.

  “I’m not,” he stutters, his confidence all but gone. “I’m a cat.” He looks down at his paws and extends his claws. “See? I’m a cat. I’ve always been a cat. I’m not like you. I’m a cat. I’m a cat.”

  He continues to repeat it and that’s what convinces me that he really didn’t know. I’m good enough at reading both cats and humans to see his confusion for what it is.

  “You’re wrong,” he mutters. “It can’t be. I’d know.”

  I don’t know what to do. Of all the different scenarios I’d imagined, this wasn’t one of them. I’d thought he might deny it, but because he didn’t want me to know, not because he didn’t have a clue himself.

  “Blood doesn’t lie,” I say gently. “You’re a shifter. How can you not know? Your parents must have been shifters, they must have told you?”

  He looks at me, his eyes suddenly filled with sadness. “I’m a stray. I grew up on the streets, I never knew my parents. I’ve never had anything to do with humans or shifters until I met you. I’m a cat, I’m telling you. Take more of my blood. Test it again.”

  The urge to get closer, to rub my body against his in a gesture of comfort, is getting strong but I resist it. He needs to get through this on his own. I won’t be of any help to him. Well, I can already see that I’ll need to help him a lot to become a proper shifter, but right in this moment, he needs to deal with reality on his own.

  “We can do that,” I reply calmly, “but I doubt it will change anything. I’ve always thought you were too aware, too intelligent for a cat. Too empathetic. Normal cats wouldn’t start a family and look after abandoned kittens. You doing that is proof that you’re not just a cat. You’ve got a human side to you that we need to explore.”

  “We?” he asks sharply, but then sighs. “I guess you’re right. There have been times when I felt out of place, like I was different from the other cats. I ignored it most of the time, but now that I think of it…”

  Without warning, he jumps up the wall. He turns and looks down at me with his intense yellow eyes.

  “I need some time to mull it over. I’ll be back.”

  With that, he’s gone, leaving me more confused than ever.

  How the fuck am I going to turn a cat into a shifter?

  Chapter Three

  Life is complicated. Some days, I wish I was nothing but a cat. A panther. Whatever. Sunbathing, eating, relaxing, snoozing the day away. Hunting butterflies, rubbing against a random stranger's legs, then some more sleeping.

  Instead, I'm pacing back and forth, trying to sort out my thoughts. I'm alone in the house and I'm glad about it. I don't want any of the others to see me in this state of confusion. I'm always composed, always got a cool exterior, but now... I'm not sure if I want to throw something, kill someone or eat mountains of ice cream. Probably all three at the same time. Throw ice cream at someone to kill them, then eat it.

  I'm going crazy. Thinking of using ice cream as a murder weapon. How terribly inefficient. Not even a complete beginner would come up with such a rubbish idea. Something's really wrong with me. I need to get back into the zone, get rid of all the confusing thoughts and feelings.

  I run into my office and take a random file from my stack. I need to kill.

  It's a simple assassination, a businessman who's got involved with the wrong people. They pay well and it sounds easy enough. They'd prefer poison but anything goes as long as it doesn't leave a giant mess. No problem. I open the hidden cabinet behind a horrendous painting of a highland cow (it came with the house) and take some knives and darts. I always have a few poison darts sewn into my clothes anyway, but it's always good to have more than I need. You never know who you might meet out there.

  Equipped with more knives than most people have in their kitchen drawers, I leave the house, immediately taking to the roofs. It's late afternoon and not the perfect day for a hit, but I don't want to wait any longer. I need the rush of adrenaline, the feeling of complete control as I make my body jump from roof to roof, balancing along gables as easily as if I was down on solid ground.

  The fresh air helps calm my mind. It smells like rain. I better get this done soon so I get home before the roofs are too wet to be safe. Even I have limits. To have a good footing on wet tiles, I'd have to shift, but I can't do that in daylight. People might raise an eyebrow at a human running on rooftops, but if they saw a
panther... well, it wouldn't end well.

  My mark lives quite a distance away from the Meow headquarters and by the time I get there, I feel a lot more like myself. This is routine. Something I'm used to. I know how to act in this situation. Now all I have to do is scout the area, see if anyone else is in the house and then do the kill. Easy. I lick my lips as my panther rises to the surface. Maybe I'll be a little more violent than planned.

  I crouch down on the roof opposite my mark’s house, extending my senses. Only one person in the house, so the chances it’s the man I want to kill are high. Even if it’s someone else… I’m in the kind of mood that doesn’t leave survivors. Killing is a great way to soothe a troubled mind.

  When I’ve made sure everything is as it should be, I step back a bit to give me space. I take a deep breath, then run and jump off the roof – and right onto the house on the other side of the street. Nothing a human could ever do, but luckily, I’m not human. Never have been, never wanted to be. Despite all the hardship my shifter nature gave me, I wouldn’t give it up. And if I had to choose, I’d decide to be a panther, not a human.

  The roof is in a bad state and I have a hard time keeping tiles from slipping beneath my feet. Going back to solid ground it is. I don’t want to alert my mark by strange noises on his ceiling. With a backflip, I vault myself off the roof until I land on all fours in the small garden. Daisies sprinkle the grass and their smell fills my nostrils. I smile. Another thing that most humans will never experience. The fragrant smell of daisies.

  There are noises on the other side of the house, giving me the confidence to stand up tall and pick the lock of the back door. It’s an old, rusty lock that gives way without much encouragement. The door opens with a slight squeak that even I can’t suppress. Oh well. If the man hears it, I’ll just have to confront him face to face. I’d actually prefer that. A bit of combat, panicked yelling, then a well-aimed kick at his throat. Or a knife between the ribs. I chuckle when I realise how bloodthirsty I am. All this investigating has left me craving for blood.