Hunter reborn.

[dryfter]

Well at least she hadn't been kicked out.

It was almost a relief to feel the tile bathroom floor beneath her padded paws once more, a stiff shaking sending water cascading in every direction and giving Celeste's shins a gentle misting. Siobhan didn't bother to respond in her own kittenish way to the fox mate's misery....choosing instead to listen.....hoping she was making the correct decision.

She was barely noticed, shivering and wet, as Celeste donned a thin nightie that only seemed to accentuate her lusty curves. It certainly wasn't long lived however, as blankets engulfed her....stealing her beauty beneath a non-descript mass.

Mewling softly, Siobhan debated what to do next. The bed looked warm, yet if master discovered her there, she would surely be punished. It wasn't her place to pounce on beds, unless of course....she was invited.

Still....recklessness, curiousity, and misery combined to drive away her fears for now. While Celeste might be warm and at least a little comforted again, poor Siobhan was a mess.....a mess that was about to be introduced to her fellow housemate once more. A tiny whumph later as she came down from her springing leap onto the spongy mattress, and she was curling up against the plush comforter Celeste had chosen....being careful to stay on the outside so as not to further soak its occupant within.....

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Both slept contentedly that evening, barely noticing the sun's rays as they began to filter through the slits of the window blinds. It was a sudden movement rather that caused one sleepy eye to raise slowly.

The surface of the covers was twitching....evidence of a slowly waking Celeste, stretching her aching ligaments, coaxing them back to awareness. Toes moved beneath the cloth as each motion teased the little kitten just a little more. Silently, Siobhan slipped into a crouch....watching the ever shifting bulge in the covers that marked an unsuspecting foot.

Two bounds later, and she had it! Tiny claws gripping just enough to be felt even as she gave a playful nip....her tongue already moving to lick at the covers as if such a tiny little thing could draw blood.

It was a helluva way to be woken up.

 

[TieMeTightly]

Celeste slept silently and the turn of phrase 'like a rock' came into mind. She couldn't help herself. Every bit of her body wanted nothing more than to rest and she was doing it..in a bed as opposed to being unconscious upon a cold floor.

She was slowly and rather reluctantly stirring, only to have that slow stir to be interrupted by something that no one really would 'want' to happen,..but something that she probably should have expected.

Her instinct kicked in first and she recoiled her foot with a groan, drawing it back up to her body as her eyes snapped open, squinting to focus in the light only to look down to where Siobhan was.

"..That's really not very polite you know.."

Not that Celeste had really been the most polite guest but she also didn't go around biting people's feet when they were sleeping.

She huffed quietly as she sat up, again pulling the covers up around herself, wanting to keep herself in the warmth that they provided and certainly not wanting to get out of that comfort zone.

She knew, however that she would need something to eat, if not for herself then for the growing thing inside of her. It would want food, and she would have to feed it something even when nausea plagued her at every moment.

"..Todays goal is not to see Michael at all.." She nodded to herself more than to Shio, though despite the foul mood that she almost seemed permanently in she reached down, slender fingers scratching the cat's head as she tilted her own head to the side curiously.

Siobhan seemed such a simple creature. Be good, avoid punishment, be loved, be punished in a way that she enjoyed..so simple. Just wanting to serve and wanting pleasure and love. Not really the most horrible thing in the world..but then again, she couldn't give him children, and Celeste nearly wished that trait in herself at the moment.

With that thought she drew her hand away, sighing in frustration with her own thoughts. Her mind was hating her at the moment..an everything going through her head was increasingly negative.

 

[dryfter]

"..That's really not very polite you know.."

A plaintive mew was the only response she got, Siobhan already turning back to eye the shifting surface of the covers for another opportunity. It never came, sadly.....Celeste having drawn her feet back towards the center of her body.

Siobhan scurried away fast enough when she sat up suddenly though. She was only playing.....she hadn't meant to anger.....

It was anger she saw reflected in her new friend's eyes, though she couldn't have possibly known that for the moment it wasn't directed at her.

"..Todays goal is not to see Michael at all.."

Siobhan stiffened a little at the words, both alarming and confusing all at the same time. And yet, it was hard to focus on their meaning when Celeste reached down to scratch between her eyes.....drawing out a throaty purr from the little fuzzball.

Something was wrong, that much was evident. Siobhan had ascertained that even before the fox mate removed her hand with a heavy sigh. Her form shimmered gently as she transitioned back to her human form with an ease that would probably cause a small twinge of jealousy from the other woman in the room. She was naked again....though at least by now she was dry.

Even then, she stayed on all fours, looking up at Celeste quizzically before leaning forward to nudge against one shapely calf that had draped itself across the edge of the bed.

"Why are mad at master?"

The question was barely a whisper. Siobhan genuinely didn't want to make Celeste any more angry and upset than what she already appeared to be.

"Are you hungry? Siobhan will fetch food if you like.....if you really don't want to see Master today....."

A small flash of shame colored her face as the catgirl remembered her last fetching of food....

"No drugs....I promise.....I don't have any left.....Master took them all and used them to bring Kira back. Kira!"

Siobhan's eyes widened slightly before swiveling back towards Celeste.

"I've not looked in on her since she was taken to her room. Angel has been tending to her.....I wonder.....I wonder if she's ok....."

The catgirl began to crawl in circles at the edge of the bed.....a feline/human version of pacing.....

"Should I get you something to eat? Will master be mad at me if I do? Why are you mad at master?"

The questions rolled off her tongue.....Celeste's first true experience with the curiousity that fairly boiled beneath her normally shy and submissive persona....

 

[TieMeTightly]

Celeste watched her carefully as she shifted and for just a moment the frown on her face deepened. It was gone just as quickly when she remembered that she didn't want to be this, so she was just as content remaining in her human form for just as long as she possibly could.

Though it was the questions that began that had her glaring at the sheets of the bed and it was in that moment that she was almost upset that Michael hadn't even attempted to check on her.

Surely he knew that if he did she would surely lash out..though she almost wanted him to just so she could try..just so she could tell him what she felt while she was in this state and not the damned lust-filled state that she had been in over the past few days.

It was a terrible thing, really. Since she had been turned into this thing she had wanted nothing more than to be at his side and was seeing this almost as a moment of clarity, her old personality filtering through for the time being and she wanted to take advantage of it for as long as it would last.

"..Shio...stop asking questions please...if you could get me something...I would appreciate it...and I should warn you never to drug anything that I eat again because it might not end well when they wear off...I don't like my mind and body being messed with against my will, yes?"

She smiled reassuringly, however - simply to say that it was a bit of a warning, and ran her fingers through her now dry loose curls, eyeing them curiously though it was obvious that she was just trying to occupy herself with..something other than her thoughts.

"..So..food would be wonderful..thank you..something...that doesn't smell too terrible..I'm not sure what I mean...just...my senses are all..off.." She rubbed at her eyes in frustration, shaking her head. "..I hate this.."

 

[dryfter]

"Its because of the baby isn't it?"

Siobhan flinched as if Celeste had actually struck her when the question drew a harsh glare. Turning slowly, the catgirl felt miserable, powerless to keep it from showing too as she slowly crawled from the room. Celeste was living her dream.....a dream that she would never be able to accomplish.....and seemed to not only be resentful of her current state, but angry and spiteful towards Master as well. If she didn't know better......she might have asked Michael about why that was.

As things stood currently though, she was simply a butler and a hopeful friend. Long minutes passed before she returned, the door nudged open by her head as she dragged a good sized chunk of meat in with her. She didn't understand the concept of meat smelling bad......as long as it was fresh, it shouldn't smell bad, right? And Master always kept fresh meat around for his mates to eat.....

With a soft whimper, Siobhan kept her eyes averted as she dropped the slab of flesh at the edge of the bed. Hopefully she had done well, and Celeste wouldn't be angry with her anymore......

"It's not drugged, I promise......I won't do that again unless Master orders me to."

Almost as an afterthough, the catgirl padded around the room on her hands and knees, looking for a comfortable spot. Spying a sunbeam filtering in through the blinds, Siobhan sought its warmth and solitude.....hoping to keep from drawing any more negative attention as she curled up into the fetal position beneath its warm embrace.......

 

[TieMeTightly]

That was not only a question that she hadn't been expecting, but it was also a question that the answer was all too plain for anyone to see. And the fact that she called it a baby. The thing in her wasn't just a baby..it was a thing..it was part whatever Michael was, or perhaps her own clan,..she couldn't be sure..nor did she want to know.

As soon as Siobhan left she felt tired yet again and she let herself lay upon her back on the bed until the door was opened again, her eyes opening slowly to stare up at the ceiling.

The meat could be smelled as soon as it was brought from the storage, and she scrunched her nose just because it was such a strong scent to her..it was so overwhelming..but she had to eat.

"It's fine, Shio...thank you.."

But Celeste made slow movements toward the food, eventually drawing it to her lips with an obvious reluctance. Her own body was not the one that was hungry. She wasn't eating for herself right now, and she really didn't want to eat because of that.

Despite it, she ate the food silently and quickly, practically forcing it down as quickly as she possibly could.

As Siobhan was resting in the sunlight in the room, Celeste got to her feet and instead of the usual..licking any remains from her hands she went and rinsed them off carefully to remove any trace of the scent before coming back into the room.

She wasn't in there long, eyeing the cat-girl carefully before slipping out of the room. She didn't know where she was going, but she needed to wander. The garden was somewhere that Kira could probably be found and she didn't really want to be found by her, so instead she took to wandering the halls, her gaze focused on nothing but her feet the entire time.

 

[dryfter]

She wasn't asleep, that was for sure. Long hours passed as Celeste first ate, then relaxed again....each one filled with an inner torment that the little catgirl couldn't escape. She could only hope that her jealousy could be contained....as well as this new and unfamiliar feeling......

Contempt.

Though she was careful not to let it show, Siobhan detested the emotions Celeste let show. Why couldn't it have been her that had gotten fixed if this was how she was going to behave? Siobhan had wanted nothing more than to repay her loving master with a child......a child she could never give him.

It was all too easy to pretend to be slumbering.....to let the fox mate slip from her bedchamber to wander to whatever destination she had in mind. Siobhan could use the alone time herself.....to sort through her own confused and pained emotions if nothing else.

The manor lay silent before her, no whimpers, whispers, or even groans could be heard throughout her meandering. Only once did she hear something out of the norm, a sharp and lusty cry echoing down the hallways, followed shortly after by a loud roar of conquest.......Michael seemed far too occupied at the moment to notice her, that was for sure.....

 

[TieMeTightly]

If she had been thinking about it, Celeste probably would have caught the way that she had been looked at by the little feline of a woman. It wouldn't be something difficult to pick up on.

Siobhan was always needing to please Michael, and it was almost understood that given Celeste's mental state at the moment toward her physical state that there would be some resentment, some anger toward her.

She didn't quite care very much, as she had never wanted to be put in this situation so it wasn't as though she could say that she had always wanted to please Michael and give him a child, increase the size of the pack, etcetera. All that she could really do was take it with a grand assault and not really think too much on what Shio thought of her and her actions.

The worst bit of her little journey however was the cry, and the echo of Michael's voice. Still it frustrated her how he could have so many partners and say that he loved each and every one of them. It was such a confusing though to her and probably something that she wouldn't understand as she had to share him despite what she may actually want.

Maybe that was the reasoning behind a good bit of her anger. She probably would be less upset about it be it simply her and Michael, but it wasn't. It was other women as well all trying to do the same thing.

She was actually rather contented when she came upon a room with chairs that looked all too cozy to pass up as well as an old looking fireplace. It wasn't as though it was cold outside for a fire but it was just..nice to have that in a room because it made it a more cheerful setting.

Slender fingers grasped a throw blanket that was draped over a chair and with ease she plopped herself upon one of the rather large arm chairs, drawing her legs up onto it and pulling her knees to her chest, wrapping the blanket about herself. She felt almost like a little kid again, curling up in a chair like this and the room was really quiet enough to just let her be and let her think.

 

[dryfter]

Time dragged on, with no real way of telling how long Celeste had lay there. Yet she wouldn't make the mistake of thinking that the clever fox was asleep. Like herself, she had been through a lot these past few days.....perhaps even too much.....

Wincing slightly, she settled her own battered frame into one of the room's plush chairs, her eyes never leaving the woeful looking Celeste.

"You don't mind if I sit here, do you?"

Her voice was barely above a whisper, though she knew she had been heard, a slight reflexive twitch of one shoulder giving away the other woman's true state of awareness.

"Master told me what you tried to do for me. I just wanted to find you as soon as I could roll out of bed...."

A soft sigh filled the air, though whether it was of relief, or tension filled.....was hard to tell.

"Thank you. I realize your intentions perhaps even more than Master does....and they didn't go unnoticed to me."

A wry smile spread across her face then, despite her best intentions.

"So....you're weren't just disgusted by me after all...."

She wasn't expecting a response, wouldn't be surprised if none were forthcoming. Still....the lanky blonde settled back into the chair despite her still healing wounds. Gaze turned upward towards the ceiling.....the were-cheetah slowly slipped into her own train of thought.....

As silence reigned over the room once more.....

 

[TieMeTightly]

Her eyes opened slowly at the familiar voice, despite the fact that she would have much rather remained alone the break in silence was also a break in her thoughts which seemed welcome at the moment.

Amber colour eyes stared at Kira until she was thanked. Then she looked away again, her brow knitted in what seemed to be frustration and at the later comment she actually flinched, sighing heavily.

It took her a long time to get perhaps the courage to speak as silence seemed to be something that she was quite enjoying both giving and receiving at the moment.

"I hate him, Kira.." She turned her glare to the fireplace now, not wanting Kira to misread it in the slightest.

"What he has done to me far outweighs anything that I had done to him...his want to punish me..I'm not sure what it's turned into...but I hate him. I hate that I want to be near him...and want to kill him at the very same time. I...I hate what he's done to me..the state that I am in, the thing that I am. I'm not this thing..I don't want to be...and I don't want something that I bring into the world to have to suffer the same life and he's taken all of that from me."

She didn't even realize that there were tears pouring down her cheeks again until she closed her eyes tightly and could then feel the moisture.

"I want to go back to how my life used to be and it's not a possibility..it's not even a reality at this point. You all seem to enjoy eachother so much..to enjoy what you are and what he is to you...and I am not like that...I cannot pretend to be like that and I refuse to. It will apparently keep earning me punishment...my independent thinking was what had earned it for me in the first place. My first thought..very first thought was that you loved it here..and you belong here. I don't belong here..I don't love it here. I wanted you to be here and safe where you want to be..a...and that got me a punishment..and a nasty bite..being a good person earned me punishment. Tell me how that is right."

 

[dryfter]

How to respond to that.....

For long minutes, Kira just stared off into space, her eyes drifting across the room's simple colors....soft tones meant to soothe and comfort. Not like they were doing any good now....

"It's never easy when the rules change, is it?"

How long had it been since she had been bitten? While not the first that Michael had claimed, he had been a lycan even longer than he had....hell....most of them were. And here she was, serving a master who didn't really fully understand all the rules himself.....

Celeste had been trying to protect her. The fact was undeniable, she'd realized it from the moment the story had been told to her.

"Think of how he feels as well for a second. Its what I do when I'm trying to sort shit like this out."

A sharp spike of pain threatened to steal the words away as she settled further back into the chair, its plush surface serving to aggravate the angry mess that was still healing.

"From what I've come to understand, he's only been a lycan for two years, Celeste. And to have accomplished this much in such a short amount of time is....well, staggering. He has five beautiful, and for the most part, submissive mates. True, two of them were gifts.....but he's had to kill two werewolves to take myself and Siobhan. I'm not sure you realize how difficult of a feat that is. Though you probably don't care right now."

Kira struggled against her own discomfort, too stubborn to sit back up and give her injuries a brief respite.

"I'd wager anything that he's as overwhelmed as you are. Probably scared to death that this life he's built is going to slip through his fingers. I know for a fact that he's definately terrified of dying.....and not because he wouldn't welcome death."

She wasn't exactly sure when her eyes had closed. Opening them once more, Kira could see Celeste peeking out from underneath the arms she'd huddled beneath, still sniffling softly. At least she had her attention....

"He's scared of what will become of us....of you....if he's not here. That's why I've run from him in my times of heat. I thought to help assuage those fears by serving as a secondary protector, to help him should a time of battle arise."

Kira gave the fox mate a sad smile.

"I'm afraid those times are over too now, huh?"

Long and sensuous legs rose as Kira mirrored Celeste for a moment in a huddled ball of misery. Silence weighed heavily on the room for a long minute before shattering once more.

"I know I mentioned it to you before.....that day out in the Garden. But I don't recall ever telling you how truly scary it is.....and how I'm scared as well. I don't want Master to die, Celeste.....I don't want to feel that pain again."

Slowly, painfully, the were-cheetah extracted herself from the chair once more, her eyes once again looking off into the distance.

"Hate him if you want to, Celeste. You'll learn. You'll learn just how much he truly cares for you. Just.....just don't run, ok? Don't make the same mistake I did.....please? You're part of his world now, that world that he's trying so hard to hold together. The other members of his own clan mock him for being to soft....for giving us far more freedom than we deserve. I'm afraid.....I'm afraid I've caused him no end of pain in that regard. He can't afford to show more weakness than what is already percieved. Try to understand......."

Soft footfalls led to the door.....a soundless goodbye as both women were left to the solitude of their own thoughts.....

 

[TieMeTightly]

Celeste was listening, and she was taking everything in.

The sad part was that she was still seeing this all as a punishment. He had set out to find her and get back at her for what she did, even after he had built this life for himself. What was the point in this? In tormenting her, keeping her in this constant state of hatred and some sick twisted love for him that she didn't even understand.

It was an awful thing that she said when Celeste heard, 'Hate him if you want to, Celeste." Simply the way it was said. Yes it was a terrible and harsh word but what was she supposed to think?

Kira said that she was part of his world yet he was so content to leave her to her punishment..to still think that they all knew about what she had done to him. How could she even think that he cared?

She was carrying his child and not once had he mentioned a thing. He hadn't found her, perhaps attempted to drag her out of the solitude, out of an obvious forming depression.

It wasn't healthy..the state she was in. Certainly her eyes were curious to the actions that the Cheetah had made, but it wasn't as though the words were going to so suddenly draw her from the state she was in or make her glad to be a part of his life.

The silence after she left was once again welcome, and Celeste made no effort to scrub the tears from her face or say anything in protest. She had said what she had had to say, even though Kira seemed to just want to assure her that she was wanted..and that he was there to protect them.

He had only been a lycan for two years, and that was all in thanks to her. She had done that to him - she had been the one to leave him there and of course it should be her to suffer. But this was more than she had done to him and she was not about to back down from that fact.

Exhaustion crept back over her, however - somewhere between her glaring at the carpet and thinking incredibly horrid thoughts about him - she did manage to drift off, curled into a rather tight ball upon the chair. She wasn't stupid. It would be impossible for her to run in the state that she was in..but maybe in time she would be able.

 

[dryfter]

A soft shadow fell upon the plush chair, the room's own dim lighting doing much to soften its contrast as it slipped over her sleeping form. With a gentleness not often encountered by his mates, thick fingers slowly slipped under Celeste's diminutive body....

Michael made sure he had a good and inobtrusive hold on her frame, one that was not likely to wake her. Yet nothing was for certain in such things......

Letting his own muscles do the rest, the fox mate slowly lifted from her position in the chair, still curled up in her original show of misery. He kept his eyes off of her, choosing to read the movements of her body to tell if he had woken her or not. It was said that a person could tell if they were being watched, even in their sleep.....the manor lord didn't want something as simple as his gaze to ruin a long needed slumber.

His torment of her had taken its toll it seemed. And though many of his mates had questioned him out of curiousity, the story he had offered earlier in the basement dungeon......he had told none of them, choosing instead to let Celeste torment herself by thinking he had.

Should they know, life would no doubt be even harder for his ex-partner. Freshly turned, and now pregnant.......while he may have entertained such a thought before, even he had seen her inner turmoils to be enough without needing more crap thrown into her life.

Michael resisted the urge to glance down as the body in his arms stirred softly, his own foot raising to the first of the stairs. One by one, he slowly ascended, hallways and corridors bare and desolate....nobody noticing his passage.....

As the door to her room opened silently at his touch, the wooden aperture swinging wide on well oiled hinges, the first of his mates took notice. It only took a silent cocking of his head to send Siobhan scampering, the obedient little kitten slowing only to turn and close the door behind them.

And yet, as he held her, hovering above her own bed.....Michael was loathe to let her go just yet. The feel of her soft breathing against his chest, her inner warmth, lending just a little more glow to his own flesh....the occasional cute and desirable whimper escaping her lips as she shifted again in his grasp.

The mattress bowed softly beneath her as he leaned forward to settle her in a place more familiar to her. It might be alarming to wake in such a place as the study and not where she had come to at least some what familiarize herself with. A slow and gentle hand slipped beneath the blankets to tug them softly up her body.....

Almost as easily, though ten times more slowly, Michael settled himself on the other side of the bed. Unlike Celeste, he didn't bother with blankets, shedding his pressed linen shirt to sleep bare chested on the bed's surface. Morning would come all too soon....

He'd better get some sleep too.

 

[TieMeTightly]

Celeste had been internally thrilled to have found sleep so easily and she did not want anything disturbing it - of course.

Michael did well to maintain a certain stealthiness. Even as she was lifted from the chair she really barely moved, simply keeping herself in the same position that she had been in, which seemed incredibly welcome in his grasp.

It was odd how the two did fit together. Him with his frame - so easily holding her own in a way that anyone who passed would see as protective - even possibly loving? He took such care not to wake her, though if she had been woken it probably wouldn't have been a very pleasant sight.

Even as he ascended the stairs her movement was only slight - and of course it was instinctive. She pressed herself toward him with the quietest of sighs, seeming to be trying to get comfortable in his grasp, as though the chair had so suddenly had become somewhat less..cushioned. Muscles sort of didn't have the same effect as cushions.

It was quickly replaced by the bed, however, the mattress practically cradling her slight form as she almost immediately was on her side, returning to the familiar with an incredible ease as she curled herself beneath the blankets just after he placed them upon her.

The sleep was deep and dreamless, so much so that her usual shifting did not occur. Celeste wasn't usually the most sound of sleepers, and despite an occasional whimper or sigh, she was silent as well.

It wasn't until her eyes opened did the confusion set in..the panic. It happened far too quickly. Her eyes did not open slowly as she was waking to pleasantries. Instead they snapped open in alarm - as though she knew something was wrong before she even got up. And she did know what it was. She reeked of him, as did the room.

Her amber eyes easily fell upon Michael on the bed and it took but moments for her to push the covers off of herself only to follow the act with almost frightened movements - certainly hurried ones as she attempted to get out of the bed as quickly as she possibly could - not even lending another glance in his direction. Her instincts screamed for her to get out of the room and away, and she was attempting to listen.

 

[dryfter]

For his part, sleep came easily enough. Especially when one found something as delightfully warm and feminine as Celeste curled up against him. For long minutes Michael just lay there, watching the gentle rise and fall of her chest as her slumber deepened. He knew he had taken a chance in moving her here....one that he hadn't completely escaped just yet. Celeste still had to wake up.

But such things were for the morning. For now it was time to fall prey to his own deadening eyelids, their weight more than enough to coax him towards slumber....his own sturdy breathing mingling with her own just minutes later.....

He certainly hadn't expected such a rude awakening.

Blankets and covers exploded around him as awareness returned in an instant. It only took a fraction of a second to determine that he hadn't been woken by a threat of any kind....unless one counted the amorphous blob of blankets that had assaulted him in Celeste's hasty panic. Still...it was enough to slow him down quite a bit if he chose pursuit.

And yet, she didn't seem to be fleeing right away.....though the were-fox obviously desired a certain amount of distance. This he could see instantly in her eyes....when he could finally remove the soft white linen sheet that had been draped so comically over his head.

"Celeste...."

His voice was stern, yet slightly whimsical. He had to look at least slightly humorous. She had reduced the bedspread to a disaster area in a matter of seconds.....a bedspread that he had been laying on up until just seconds ago.

An eyebrow cocked slightly in her direction. He made no attempt to rise just yet, the skittish creature before him more than likely to bolt if he did.

"So now you're scared of me? After I've shown you so much mercy? Or perhaps the one punishment I did hand you was too much for you? No....that can't be it, can it? Nastaja tells me that the two of you had a rather pleasant conversation just last night.....hardly something I can see you engaging in if you thought everyone in this house hated you. Of course....they might yet if they knew just how I came to be. But its my intent to see you fit in with my mates, not become further isolated from them."

Michael could practically see the gears turning in her head...could see the fear that still lingered even as his face settled back to its usual solemnity.

"This is your life now, though you can rebel if you choose. You can hate me if you choose. The dark gods only know how I've hated you all these years, ever since you left me for dead. Neither of which will get you anything but more pain, more torment that I've ever inflicted upon you. And this new punishment.....won't be coming from me. So I'd advise strongly against such thoughts."

Michael frowned as he watched her quake and quiver before him.

"Its good that you're afraid of me, Celeste. You should be. Each of my other mates is just as afraid as you are. But they too have learned....how to avoid my wrath.....to coax my love.....as will you in time."

Finally, he moved towards the bed's edge, rolling over in the direction nearest her before rising with a fluid motion. He was there in an instant, so fast he could see her jump in response, feel it beneath the palm of his hand as he reached to run its smooth skin over one trembling cheek.

"But now that you are mine.....I will always protect you. Remember that."

 

[TieMeTightly]

She should have anticipated him waking simply due to her actions but for some reason it hadn't even crossed his mind so when she so quickly leapt from bed. Her eyes were on him as soon as she heard her name, a name that when spoken by him made her flinch.

It was obvious that he was amused by her actions, which for a brief moment caused her to meet his gaze with a glare though just as quickly it was gone as fear seemed to take hold instead.

The sternness in his voice was something that she hadn't expected - and she took a slight step backward as he began speaking of fear - of the punishment, and of Nastaja. Nothing in this house was sacred, and it made her even more cautious to speak out of turn in the slightest way as saying the wrong thing would simply just be brought back to him.

As soon as the mention of learning 'how he came to be' was spoken her eyes simply widened. He hadn't told them. She could practically feel the relief as that weight was lifted - as he confirmed a thought that she wasn't very sure of herself.

He went on to tell her about her life and she quickly averted her gaze as though he was dashing any sort of false hope that she had of getting out of the life and returning to normal.

She hadn't even realized his movement until his hand was on her cheek and she jumped with a gasp, again focusing her gaze on him.

He spoke but it didn't seem that she was quite listening to it. She had tears in her eyes - eyes that she didn't even remember being the incredible blue - eyes that now were something far more animalistic, another thing that simply reminded her of what she was each time she looked at herself and made her hate this life more.

"You...wanted to punish me.." Her words were quiet and trembling as she pulled away from him, shaking her head. "You've no idea what you've done to me...what..you've reduced me to. You may not like this life, Michael but you've learned...you've dealt with it and you have really incredible people in your home who do love you...I did love you. I...I loved everything about you and that night.."

The tears at this point were freely flowing down her cheeks and it was obvious that she was forcing words through her fear. All that she wanted was to escape but she had a feeling that any movement toward the door at this point would cause him simply to follow.

"That night I was terrified...I didn't know what to do. You and I both know that even if I had stayed it would have made no difference..Why do you think I've turned into this little thing...Small...skittish creature that so perfectly exemplifies why I ran..why I had to flee. I can't change it."

She had to pause, to try to compose herself but her entire body was trembling at this point and she felt her back press to the wall which she was grateful for to stabilize her.

"Your other mates? They don't fear you like they think they do. I love how you choose to believe that...but they would do anything for you..they are grateful for the things you've done for them. I'm not sure what you've turned into..a...and I wouldn't call any of this showing me mercy."

It was then that she looked down, placing her hands on her stomach.

"You've joined me to you in..in ways that I can't change...do you honestly believe that I deserve all of this? You've hated me all these years and do you still? You certainly can't love me. You punished me...for something that was perhaps stupid to the clan but how was I to know your plan. Kira understands...she thanked me..and all I received from you was that you were going to tell them how I left you for dead...left me alone...completely alone and ignoring any hunger that wasn't even mine."

She looked back up at him though it was now with near outrage. "Did you ever think of the possibility of malnourishment for a child? Or were you just too busy hoping that I learned not to disobey you that you forgot that you put this thing inside of me so soon after being told. This...child that I will protect with my life..that I will die for should the fox clan even attempt to take it if it comes to that. I will not let them have it..and I warn you now that it is a likely possibility that if they find a need to come and take it away - I will intercede and...well I'm not sure I care very much what happens to me.."

Celeste smiled somewhat - something incredibly sad as her gaze fell to the floor.

"I did love you, Michael..but this..I don't even know what this is. You call me yours but that is simply out of claim and nothing more.."

"Master..." She shook her head somewhat and seemed to shrink back as far against the wall as possible. The word again sounded like something foreign as she bit her lip, refusing now to look up at him. "Why couldn't you have just killed me for your revenge.." She had made sure she called him Master, though it was rather obvious that she would much rather not call him anything that made her seem as inferior as she already felt toward him - something completely natural as he made her into what she was.

 

[dryfter]

"You've no idea what you've done to me...what..you've reduced me to. You may not like this life, Michael but you've learned...you've dealt with it and you have really incredible people in your home who do love you...I did love you. I...I loved everything about you and that night.. Your other mates? They don't fear you like they think they do. I love how you choose to believe that...but they would do anything for you..they are grateful for the things you've done for them. I'm not sure what you've turned into..a...and I wouldn't call any of this showing me mercy."

An eyebrow cocked slightly out of amusement more than anything else as he listened. When he did finally speak again, if Celeste had been expecting comfort and warmth, it was strangely devoid....

"I've no idea what I've done to you? I've turned you, stolen your humanity, and mated you until I knocked you up. Am I getting close?"

He could see the response written clearly across her face, shock at his obvious bluntness.

"I've thrust you into an unfamiliar environment, forced you to deal with not just one or two, but four other women that you have to acknowledge on a day to day basis....as well as hear me fuck occasionally. Am I getting warmer?"

His face turned much more serious as he continued to regard her, to study each and every shiver as it rippled through Celeste's lithe body.....

"I didn't kill you because there are things so much worse than death. You think I didn't beg for death in the days after I was bitten? Or perhaps you think that being a lycan must have come naturally to me, certainly I didn't have to spend months adjusting to the change....how to hunt....not to mention how to stomach the taste of flesh that once was my own kind?"

His voice dripped sarcasm now, not an ounce of pity showing.

"As for my other mates not fearing me....if you'd like, I could demonstrate their fear for me. Though I suppose not a one of them wouldn't recognize who had brought such condemnation down upon them. How then would you find peace in this house, Celeste? And as for mercy, I've been more than merciful to you. Not only have I spared you from the demonizing you would endure should the others actually know of our past together, but I've also offered you a safe haven here. You pine about the child that you carry, yet try running from this place....just once. The first lycan that finds you and the mark that you carry will not only kill the babe in its eagerness to claim a hot little cunt like you, but might not wait until its born first."

A soft, yet slightly wicked smile painted its way across his lips.

"You think you're frightened now? Let me assure you that your powers of regeneration are more than enough to let you survive being gutted. And as for the babe itself.....I've no worries of its malnourishment as long as it has you to feed off of, and I bet that hurt plenty didn't it?"

For a moment, a long finger raised to brush absently at his temple.

"Now what was I forgetting...? Oh yes...."

For a moment, the fierceness in his gaze faded.....clouded by something much more hesitant, its very presence softening his rigid visage to an even more thoughtful look. Only after long seconds of silence did Michael turn away from her....his voice soft yet firm.....

"I did love you once, Celeste.....and I think some part of me still does. Maybe that's why I didn't kill you. Gods only know I wanted to for the longest time...."

Suddenly aware of his closeness to her, he turned and wandered slowly away, letting her have her distance.

"But I've had two years to think about how you abandoned me, two years for it to fester and rot in my mind. That part of me is twisted.....as if I can never truly trust you again. Perhaps I can yet.....but its not something I am going to be able to change overnight. All I know....is that first night here.....when I woke up to find you watching over me.....caring for me through the silver poisoning....."

He paused, desperately trying to steady himself enough to not look back at her, not let her see the true confliction in his eyes.......and failing as he glanced for the briefest of moments over his shoulder.

"I thought perhaps this could work. Perhaps this time you wouldn't run."

Turning from her once more, Michael cast his gaze towards the ground once more, silence reigning again for long moments.

"I won't let you get away, Celeste. This is your life now, and I expect you to make the most of it. Even if it means you hate me."

 

[TieMeTightly]

When Michael first began to speak the wickedness that seeped from the words made her flinch away and actually waver on her own feet. The cruelty was something she hadn't expected and certainly hadn't wanted. Pity? Perhaps that was something..maybe even an apology but he quickly killed any hopes of that when he spoke it would be from kindness not hatred.

He spoke of the other women in the house, proving his cruelty and their fear of him and she didn't quite know what to say. Instead she just stood there with dangerously wide eyes.

Of course he continued, telling her of what would happen if she did run and she flinched away from him - the fact that he seemed so incredibly satisfied for causing her even more pain.

She still couldn't really grasp it - why he still seemed to be so thrilled in watching her pain - her discomfort, and even causing it. Did he not realize that each time something like that was done she curled into herself even more? She didn't know who to trust and just as she thought perhaps she had done something right and would gain acceptance she had received punishment for it as well as a nasty bite.

When his voice softened she couldn't help but flinch again, almost afraid that more venom would pour from his lips - though instead she was given something about love..something she wasn't sure if she could believe.

When he spoke about the silver poisoning she was staring down at the ground - not even catching the look in his eyes as she attempted perhaps to compose herself, or maybe steady herself as the stress level at the moment seemed to be taking a toll on her balance.

He finished finally, her gaze never lifting from the ground.

Her breathing was labored and it was evident that there was discomfort just by the look on her face. Instead of saying anything, however - she placed her palm against the wall, attempting to guide herself to the bathroom. The upset stomach passed as it always did and she so easily drew her legs to her chest, clammy skin and flushed cheeks claiming her face.

This was nothing like she had ever expected. Her life was in shambles. She was a girl who just weeks ago was hunting what she was right now - and now was pregnant with some creature growing inside of her stomach.

"Michael.."

The voice that escaped her lips sounded so foreign, fragile even as she remained huddled in the bathroom.

But she hadn't actually called his name..just spoken it. No doubt he could hear it but she hadn't really anticipated it. Instead she took just as long of a time to return to the room, to her bed, sitting on the edge of it and staring down at the floor.

"..Why do you still take such..satisfaction in causing me pain...is what you've done not enough? What do...what do you need from me...what do you need to do to me until you can stop. You say you won't let me get away..is this how you'll keep me? Keep me with child..keep me locked up in a cell..is that how you'll do it? Be more creative than that..would you?" She was attempting to be sarcastic but just ended up sounding more tired than anything else.

 

[dryfter]

He had no problems stepping into the doorway of the bathroom to watch her retch pitifully over the toilet there. So it was that her voice carried easily to him, soft as it was, even as she huddled at the porcelain edge she gripped so tightly.

Unsuspecting legs parted ever so slightly to accommodate her misery, she couldn't have possibly expected the feeling of a hand slide between them, pressing her pants firmly against her sex. He could feel her startle, shudder slightly at the sudden touch....a touch that became firmer still as he began to stroke gently.....

The same thing I've always wanted, Celeste. Your complete submission. Just look how you struggle with calling me Master, as if it pains you to do so. You tremble at my touch as if it were about to destroy you. There is more to a dungeon than just locking you up, Celeste. I could keep you down there for a day or two if you like....until pain and pleasure begin to blur just a little. Until my title flows freely from your lips as you climax again and again.

A single digit pressed inward, pushing the fabric of her pants directly against her soft slit despite her squirming.

"I want to break you, Celeste. To rid you of this cowardice, until you will fight for me rather than run....until you will seek out my love rather than have it forced upon you. You might think it not possible, my dear.....but I can....and I will if you continue to resist me."

Thick fingers found the band of her pants....slowly tugging them over her shapely rump. She had allowed herself to be caught in this rather compromising position.....

When she struggled, his other hand closed firmly over the back of her head, forcing it down once more.

"Never know when you might have to throw up again, just stay there."

Teasing fingers ticked her folds, open to view as the fabric fell away. He could almost hear her whine just a little as a long finger gently probed her opening for long seconds before sliding easily inside.....

"Mmmm....Celeste....."

He pushed upward, piercing her deeply on his finger. Had she actually moved against him, inviting him further? Or was that just his imagination....a fantasy run amok?

It didn't matter. She was his, and as such would pleasure him accordingly. She knew this even before the room filled with the sound of his own zipper descending.

"It's not enough to just be a cunt, Celeste. I'll teach you that in time.....you'll learn to want what I do to you.....at any cost."

A firm squeezing of her hair, pushing her back into place, the motion causing her to shift just a little....her ass raising slightly before him.

"Perhaps it is time for something new."

Rather than position himself at the hole he'd used so well since she'd arrived here, Michael instead pressed the head of his cock against her tiny puckered anus.....

"Now hold still, and relax, Celeste....."

 

[TieMeTightly]

She had only attempted to get herself in a more comfortable position when she felt his hand, immediately making her flinch. She had done so well to complete avoid him - to stay away from the touch that made her quake and shudder both in fear of perhaps the worst and anticipation of the best possible outcome. But not now. Now it was mostly frustration..aggravation that he would come at her now.

She had squirmed to get away from the position that she was in, slender fingers grasping the edge of the toilet seat as though it was the only thing that she had to stabilize her which at the moment it very well could have been.

He wanted to rid her of cowardice by breaking her. It was an interesting concept that he seemed to think it possible to completely transform her thinking pattern, to actually seek his love. She of course didn't even think him capable of love, so there would be no reason for her to seek it out.

When he pulled her pants down she immediately flinched, a struggle to free herself only to find him pushing her head back to the bowl. Her hands were firm on the seat and though she was attempting to push against him it was more than obvious that there was no use and she was mostly just wasting energy.

"Stop." It was cut off by a groan that escaped through clenched teeth, his finger pressing in deeply and almost instantly making her body want more even when she wanted none. Her breathing hitched as he spoke..to 'teach' her things. It was almost frightening how much power he actually had over her, and worse even that she quite possibly hadn't noticed as much until these sorts of moments when he so fully and completely dominated her very existence.

Again he forced her head down and another groan was the only response that followed..until she felt his cock pressed firmly against a whole that had quite literally never been used.

Even despite his words to hold still just the feeling made her struggle more. "Don't!" She was trying incredibly hard to push herself away from the toilet, away from possibly the most compromising position she had found herself in as of date. He knew. He knew this wasn't something that she would ever let him even think of touching as human and of course now that 'she was his' he would take what he wanted. She should have expected it..but like this? Now?

She released the porcelain with her hands, trying instead to pull his hand from her head, her breathing and heart beat rapid in her anticipation.

It was a pitiful struggle, really. She was already feeling under the weather from the wonderful little bundle making her rid her body of her stomach's contents, and the fact that she was rather small compared to Michael wasn't helping very much either.

 

[dryfter]

Michael grimaced as she twisted feebly beneath his grasp. He wasn't a fool. To take in in such a way could break her.....but could also drive her further away from him. And so for long seconds he teased her puckered hole, letting her know full well that he could fill her virgin ass at any second as the head of his cock nudged against her again and again.

"Don't?"

His voice was gentle, a reproach in the face of her resistance. Still...now wasn't the time.

"And then what do you suggest, my dear Celeste? Perhaps you should please your master before he simply takes what he wants from you. That is your duty....more so even than bearing children. Your duty....as well as the key to your continued survival."

He gave her bare ass a sharp slap, drawing a startled gasp from the vixen beneath him.

"Perhaps I should give you a second chance, yes? After all, I carried you to your bed last night rather than to the dungeon again. You could have woken up there, I suppose. But I chose to be lenient, as I care for you, despite what you may think."

He could feel her tense slightly, weighing each word as it slipped from him....still denied even looking at him with his hand pushing her downward.

"Tell me then, bitch.....give me one good reason why I shouldn't give it to you hard, right now and in the ass. You have any other suggestions? And you better fucking call me master when you answer, or so help me god I'll put your face further in that crap you just puked up. Don't make me do that, Celeste....don't defy me again...."

 

[TieMeTightly]

As soon as the word had slipped from her lips Celeste knew the mistake, especially in the position that she had gotten herself in. She groaned as he began. As the degradation started..though she knew somewhere that this went far further than degradation to put her in her place. Some part of her understood that this was training.

He pulled back - and she couldn't help but gasp as his hand made contact with her ass, her eyes shut tightly as she attempted to listen to what he was saying instead of struggle as that was getting her nowhere.

This seemed to come so easily to him..as he held her there, threatened her with things that she wouldn't put past him at this point in time. Telling her that it was he that was lenient by taking her to her bed instead of the dungeon..making it immediately her fault that he would have to even debate such a thing.

The whimper was helpless as he continued. His tone became harsh, cruel as he went on, telling her to come up with something that would make him not fuck her in the one hole she had managed to keep untouched.

"Please.." The tears were back - and her fingers were scraping at his hand still an attempt to disentangle it from her hair. "Master.." Forced, weak when spoken but she still managed - feeling the hot tears streaming from her eyes. "I'll do anything else..I don't want...I don't want to be afraid of you but...you keep making me more frightened..I want my Michael back..the one who..who took my jewelry because..it was my memory...the one who made love to me..I would do anything for him..but he keeps disappearing and being replaced with something that wants nothing more than to make me into nothing more than someone to serve you.."

She shut her eyes tightly, trying to calm her breathing as she remained still beneath him. She didn't know what he wanted to hear..she would offer anything to him to keep that part o her untouched - especially by the monstrous dick that he now had thanks to his new form. Being torn in two wasn't really her idea of a good time.

But she offered herself..called him Master - even while her body was slammed against the fine porcelain of the toilet that she was pinned against, her entire slight frame trembling against him.

 

[dryfter]

"Master..."

Michael smiled softly at the gentle submission. He hadn't really doubted her, Celeste was too intelligent to not know who had the upper hand here. It was what she said next that caught him off guard.....prompted thought.....

"I'll do anything else..I don't want...I don't want to be afraid of you but...you keep making me more frightened..I want my Michael back..the one who..who took my jewelry because..it was my memory...the one who made love to me..I would do anything for him..but he keeps disappearing and being replaced with something that wants nothing more than to make me into nothing more than someone to serve you.."

Well this was certainly interesting. Was she going to claim to love him now? And why did this gentle pleading tug at his heart so?

"You seem to be thinking back rather selectively, Celeste. Even then....remember? That night before we left? Where I raped you while you keened in heat? Or perhaps because of that heat you felt you gave yourself willingly to my cock?"

He released his hold on her hair, giving her the leverage to at least pull her head away from the toilet.

"I commanded you sleep that night at my feet, remember? And yet you pleased me by calling me Master. And so you were allowed to sleep on my lap. Was that love? Or a reward for being obedient?"

And yet as his mind played over those few days, his eyes grew just a little mistier.

"Your jewelry....yes....as I mentioned before.....some part of me is still in love with you, Celeste......as much as I don't want to be."

Stern eyes fixed on hers, some of the shaking and trembling gone from her now even as her gaze dipped occasionally to take in the sight of his still erect and gloriously thick cock glistening at the tip with his desire for her.

"Serve me, and there won't be a need to be afraid, Celeste. Continue to resist me, and I'll break you until you're nothing more than a trophy doll.....made to accept the touch of others, no longer caring if its my touch or not."

He backed away from her as the lithe redhead struggled to stand once more. He had lost the stomach to force her like he had intended, instead watching as she avoided his gaze, wondering what she herself might do.

"This is who you are now, Celeste. And for the record, I don't breed you out of spite, but because I have to if we are going to survive. You've yet to see the strength of some of the other clans, but let me assure you in a one on one fight, Lord Vargas himself could splatter me and all with me throughout this manor with very little effort at all. I had very little choice but to accept his proposed alliance, needless to say."

A soft click, an annoyance, the bedrooom door slowly sliding open. A familiar scent....and an unfamiliar one.

"Master...."

A stern growl.

"I'm busy, Nastaja....go away."

And yet, the shadow grew stronger around the bathroom door.

"I'm sorry if I disturbed you, Master....."

Standing fully out of annoyance at being defied, Michael barely gave Celeste a second glance as he stepped back out into the bedroom, fully prepared to give more than just a scolding. What he saw echoed across his face plainly enough for Celeste to see......shock.....alarm......and horror. Seconds later.....the brunette sagged into view, collapsing into his arms, slashed and bloody.....the dark fur of her hybrid form slowly receding......

"Master....."

Nastaja turned in his arms, smiling weakly at the younger fox......a grisly trophy still clutched in one hand.....a hand that raised even now to offer a still beating heart to her newest housemate.

"Celeste needs the strength, Master....please don't be mad at me.....I knew I could win."

The scent of another lycan....that had been the strange scent that he had sensed right away, cloaked within the scent of Nastaja's own blood. Without hesitation, he scooped his mate up.....placing her with a soft groan upon the nearby bed.

"The child.....you're supposed to be protecting the child....."

Another weak smile.

"The babe is still strong, Master. Truth be told I had little choice but defend myself.....Angel and I were set upon in the garden. I ordered her to flee with your child intact while I held off the intruder."

So that was it. Turning back to Celeste, he gave the werefox a deft nod, gesturing towards the grisly morsel Nastaja had carried all this way.

"You have my permission, Celeste. Let's not let this bastard make it back here looking for that fucking thing. Eat it now and be done with him....accept his strength."

 

[TieMeTightly]

She did choose to push memories aside..memories of the punishment she had gotten simply because he had been left to die by her. This went beyond that. She had tried to attempt to tell him so many times that what he did to her now was beyond what she did to him.

Still, she couldn't help but flinch and jerk away from the toilet, her heartbeat still rapid as she attempted to keep herself steady, as having her head forced down for so long easily left her light-headed and a bit dizzy.

He was so easily playing it off, saying that each act was simply a reward for her doing something that pleased him. If it was actually true or not she could never know.

Her amber eyes watched, however as he mentioned the jewelry, some bit of her seeming hopeful - but he quickly dismissed it. He didn't want to be in love with her at all. She was there to love him. To make their clan stronger. That thought alone was almost enough to make her just give up.

And what followed wasn't helping matters.

He was giving her little choice but to give in to him, and at the slow movement of him backing from her she couldn't help but flinch just due to the fact that she wasn't certain what to expect from the movement.

She wavered as she got to her feet and for a moment felt as though she was going to have to sit on the floor again - though she still refused to look at him.

She was glad...grateful for the interruption - and glanced up cautiously - though at the moment could see nothing. When Michael left the room and walked into the bedroom she actually felt the unease slowly leaving her - until she saw the look on his face.

She was frozen where she stood when Nastaja came into view even when the heart was raised toward her. Even still, the first thing out of his mouth was about the child.

The sight of the heart at the moment was repulsing, but the thing inside of her thought otherwise. Michael hadn't even finished saying what he had started before she was sitting, tearing into the beating muscle - blocking out any sounds that followed from whatever this had come from.

She devoured it, through its last beat, the warmth filling her immediately, only to be followed by a careful tongue, cleaning the blood from hands. As predatory as the action was...each time she ate she felt..and looked more human. It was almost frightening how much like the fox she actually was, the skittishness, even the eyes and hair, though at this point - after eating something that she so desperately needed, she couldn't help but feel more like..her old self.

 

[dryfter]

"Now go."

Michael could see the confusion in her face as she looked up from cleaning herself. He only hoped she could see the softness in his eyes, the pleasure she gave him from following his command so quickly and without question. And now....now she was stronger for it.

"I'll see to Nastaja....."

For a second, his mask slipped, the true depth of his own pain surfacing. He had failed again. It was his job to defend them all, to care for them as they did for him.

And he hadn't been there.....couldn't always be there......he was just one man. And here Nastaja was suffering because of his inadequacy. The were-panther trembled slightly at his touch as he stroked a blood matted lock of hair from her face.

"You'll be ok, Nastaja.....you've done well. I'm.....sorry.....I should have been there."

Fortunately there was no response....the soft hazel eyes of the brunette slowly rolling back into her head as the pain of her wounds drove the awareness of her surroundings from her....her body sagging gently against Celeste's mattress as a deep regenerating slumber claimed her.

"Change of plans."

It was tired, pained, and thoroughly exasperated......it was Kira. Her voice holding just a slightly cocky tone to it, as if she could trump his orders. Michael glanced over at the blonde tomboy in annoyance.

"Jackals. Though I'm sure you figured that out from the scent, master."

Kira cocked one hip coquettishly as she locked gazes confidently with Celeste....giving the more buxom housemate a respectful nod.

"Funny bastards, Celeste. They attack in packs....usually three or four. I got there in time to watch the bitch queen here take down their leader.....and it had to have been a helluva fight."

Though her words were cold, the tone in which they were delivered shone with utmost respect for the wounded Nastaja. For a moment, Kira's gaze lingered on the unmoving body, heedless of her master's growing annoyance.

"Usually....when you kill their leader, the rest scatter like cowards. Unless of course...."

Their gazes locked, Michael's own icy blue eyes meeting those of emerald hue and widening almost instantly with understanding. With an almost predatory grace, the lycan lord rose smoothly to his feet....his muscles rippling beneath his skin in a manner that Celeste had only seen herself once.....when he had killed the werefox that had tried to claim her so many weeks ago.

"Unless they come under control of a stronger lycan. How bad is it, Kira?"

The were-cheetah's visage grew grim as her head lowered, shaking slightly.

"Wolf, master."

Michael's blood turned to ice almost instantly. A werewolf.......the only lycan that he had any true fear of.....any real respect for. A fight between them would be the perfect match of canine brutality versus feral viciousness......with the winner always being the more clever of the two.....a true coin flip.

"Master....you need us.....don't hold me back.....please?"

His mind whirled as strategy after strategy was discarded instantly, each taking precious seconds of time before the final answer....the only answer....came to him.

"Celeste.....find Siobhan.....track her by scent if you have to. She's spent enough time in here, I'm sure you can pick it up somewhere. Tell her she is to go with Angel to the nursery, and guard her with her life. The two of them can put up a fight there if it comes to that."

Kira nodded, as if she had come to that conclusion already herself.

"And then stand and help them out there, while we throw down?"

Michael shook his head, giving the diminutive werefox a wistful glance.

"Then when that is done, she is to head immediately for us, joining us in the fight against the intruders."

Kira's eyes widened in pure shock, her jaw dropping.....

"Master.....master, are you sure? She's newly changed! She's not had the chance to gain nearly as much power as...."

"I trust her, Kira.....with my life. Just as I trust you."

The blonde's mouth slammed shut, the surprise lingering however.....her emerald gaze sweeping back and forth between the two of them.

Michael reached with a grimace for his stricken mate....running a finger gently across one gaping wound to collect some of the congealing blood. Reaching for her, a softness shone in his eyes as he regarded her.....possibly for the last time, though he doubt Celeste knew the true severity of the situation. A split second later, and she was looking curiously down at a thick swath of blood as he wiped the substance on first her arm.....then Kira's......then his own. It was all he could do to not chuckle at the look of confusion on her face.

"So you can track us. You have Kira's blood on you as a reference. Ignore it and look for the other traces on these manor grounds, and you'll find us sure enough."

"Master...."

This time his look was one of reproach, sensing the unsurety in the cheetah's tone.

"Celeste was a hunter before she was turned, Kira. If you knew how many lycans she's killed already, you'd not be questioning my decision. Now show me where these cocksuckers showed themselves last. When I make myself seen, I'm sure that'll get this party started."