Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle Lia Connor All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2008 Lia Connor
Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is
illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary
gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison
and a fine of $250,000.
ISBN: 978-1-59596-576-9
Formats Available:
HTML, Adobe PDF,
MobiPocket, Microsoft Reader
Publisher:
Changeling Press LLC
PO Box 1046
Martinsburg, WV 25402-1046
www.ChangelingPress.com
Editor: Margaret Riley
Cover Artist: Reneé George
This e-book file contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language which some may find offensive and which is not appropriate for a young audience. Changeling Press E-Books are for sale to adults, only, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle Lia Connor While the cat’s away… Tony likes to think of himself as a good guy. Nothing special, but a decent enough man. He has his kinks and he likes it kinda rough, but outside of the bedroom he treats his women with respect and makes a good buddy to his friends. And his life, as a result, is in serious need of some sizzle. He’s about to get lucky. With his sisters Gabriella and Marnie carried off by the Catkind to protect them against hostile humans, Tony’s left to run their bar, Gatos. He won’t be alone, though -- a couple of misfit “alley cats” Catkind named Samaelle and David have joined forces with him and won’t be parted from his side. Or stop coming on to him, either of them. So what’s a good guy gonna do when he’s saddled with two stubborn sexy Cats? For one thing, learn how to play when the bigger cats are away…
Chapter One The baritone growl of a car in desperate need of a tune-up got Tony’s attention right away. Sounded like his girlfriend Danielle’s old Ford, which was at least twice her age. She loved that car more than her own papa. More than she loved Tony, or so he figured given the way things had turned out for them. Tony scowled, not wanting to see her again, and kept working, hauling crates of Mocteczuma beer from storage to the back room inside Gatos. He loved the feeling of the hot Tex-Mex sun on his back and shoulders, and the burn he got in his muscles from hard labor. He did most of the grunt tasks for Gatos when he could. Today, he didn’t have a choice. He hadn’t heard from Gabriella or Marnie in two days, and when ladies as talkative as his sisters didn’t get in touch it worried Tony. Madre de Dios, the last thing he needed right now was Danielle paying a visit. Still, his abuela, rest her soul, hadn’t raised him to be rude. Tony put the brakes on his dolly, squinted against the bright sunlight to make sure it really was Danielle, and waited for her. He propped his foot on the dolly and rested his forearms across the handle. Danielle parked haphazardly across two spaces. She waved to him out of her open driver’s side window. “Tony, mi corazon!” Tony nodded back at her. “What are you doing here this early?” he called, admiring Danielle as she disembarked gracefully. The woman had legs that went on for half of forever, a full pink mouth and silky dark hair. Kinda made it a shame that she never stuck to anything long enough to try and make it work, but Tony figured you couldn’t ask for everything. Even if they wanted to.
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
-6-
Danielle slid on a pair of sunglasses as she approached him, her stride lazy and swaying. Woman knew she was all that, and she knew how to work it. “Tony, baby, we need to talk.” “Huh.” Tony readjusted his stance, leaning more heavily on the dolly -- not out of dread, but out of relief. Much as he needed someone in his life to love, he’d known for a while now that it wasn’t Danielle. He played his part all the same. “That’s kind of a scary start to a conversation,” he said, giving her the opening she wanted. He flexed his shoulders, working out a nasty tense kink starting in his neck. “Is something wrong?” Danielle tapped her lips with one of her sharp, tapered nails. It reminded him of a claw. “Tony, sweetheart, if you don’t know what’s going on, you’re nowhere near as smart as I thought you are.” Tony bristled. Damn it, but he was tired of people thinking he was stupid because he liked getting his hands dirty instead of sitting behind a desk all day. The irritation sharpened his tongue. “I’m gonna guess you came here to say your last goodbyes to me. Is that about the size of it?” Danielle’s smile flashed dazzling white between her deep red lips. “Tony, baby, if I’d seen that kind of fire in you before, we might not be doing this now!” She came close enough to pat him on the arm, making a little noise of appreciation when she stroked over his muscles. Tony fought the urge to laugh. Whatever else she might be, Danielle was a horny little bunny and she was honest about it. Impulsively, he covered her hand with his own work-roughened one. His skin looked pale next to hers. Unlike his sisters, he took after his white father. “So you’re on your way out of town, huh?” Danielle nodded, still smiling. She squeezed his fingers. “We had fun, so no hard feelings, okay?” Tony shook his head. “No hard feelings. Where are you headed?” “Out there somewhere,” she said, pointing toward the horizon. “Maybe the big city. Turn a few tricks --”
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
-7-
“Hey! Don’t waste yourself on that.” “Tony, honey, I’m kidding. I figure I can wait tables or whatever, enjoy the big city, live somewhere with a lot of new faces.” She freed her hand and used it to caress his cheek. “You knew I wouldn’t stay here forever.” And he had. Danielle had blown into town one day in the same old Chevy. When she’d hit on him, he’d been out of his mind with excitement over such a gorgeous, sexy lady being interested in him. He’d always been on the lookout for forever, though, and she wasn’t it. Tony turned his head to kiss the palm of her hand. “Take care of yourself, Danielle. I’ll light a candle for you.” Danielle’s lips pouted. “Aw, Tony.” She stood on tiptoe to kiss his forehead. “It didn’t work out between us, no. You deserve the best of the best, and I’m gonna wish like hell for your princess to come. In the meantime, would you do something for me?” “If I can.” “Fine. You need to start giving yourself some credit, understand? You don’t think you’re good enough, smart enough, tough enough, whatever. You’ll miss your true love because you’re too busy looking down in shame. So stop it, are we clear? Stop it or I’ll wring your nuts off.” Tony swatted at her, laughing. “Crazy woman.” “I’m not wrong.” Blushing, he stepped back and waved her off. “Go on, get out of here.” Danielle dodged his fake swat, giggling. “Take care, babe.” Tony watched her get into her car and rev the engine without mercy. He stood where she’d left him until he couldn’t see her or hear that degenerating motor anymore, then stretched his arms and legs and got back to work.
*** Tony held the cell phone away from his ear, wincing at the volume at which his sister was wailing. “Lucia, would you calm down? Lucia! Let me get a word in edgewise!”
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
-8-
Lucia ignored him, rattling on at the other end of the connection. His sister was a born motor mouth, but not even she usually talked this fast, all the words running together in one big panicked shrill. Frankly, it was scaring him, especially since she was confirming his worries about Gabriella and Marnie. “-- haven’t heard from Gabriella for two days! She hasn’t called once and that’s so not like her. I swear I never would have made that stupid bet if I’d thought for one second she would actually take me up on it. I mean, Madre de Dios! Catkind? What the hell was she thinking, going off with two Catkind?” “Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Tony tossed his broom down and ran his hand through the short bristles of his hair. “Catkind? What are you talking about, Catkind?” He’d seen the news, and some gazette articles with pictures of the cats who walked and talked like humans. He hadn’t made up his mind about them yet -- didn’t know enough -- but he’d heard they could be dangerous. Tony cussed under his breath. His sisters never kept him in the loop, yet they always expected him to patch up their scrapes. “Lucia, you’d better start making sense. You’re telling me Gabriella has disappeared with two Catkind who came into Gatos?” Lucia wailed. “Tony, swear to the Virgin, I didn’t mean for her to get in trouble. All I know is that we made a bet, ’cause she’s so frigid sometimes, you know?” “Jesus, Lucia, too much information.” Tony swallowed hard. “Tell me you’re joking. You hooked Gabriella up with two of those Cats for a one-night-stand?” “I didn’t mean to! Madre de Dios.” Lucia sobbed, her breath rattling. “Okay, yeah. That’s the last I saw of her.” Tony made up his mind. It wouldn’t have mattered to him if Gabriella had gone off with humans instead; two days missing after leaving a bar with a couple of strange guys were two days too long. “I’m calling the cops.” “No!” Lucia shrieked. “If she’s with the Catkind, you think they’ll be happy with that? And Marnie, ay, Marnie! You know what Rafael is like about the Catkind.”
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
-9-
Tony made an ugly face. He had about as much use for the slimy, rat-faced Rafael as he did for the lumps of chewing gum he sometimes found stuck under the tables at Gatos. “You think he’s mixed up in this?” “I don’t know.” Lucia was winding down. “Look, Tony… give it one more day. All right? She’s gotta be gone for 72 hours for the cops to get involved. Maybe she’ll come back before then.” “Lucia, no. She’s our sister.” Tony’s head hurt, and it was barely noon. “Come over here and we’ll go together.” “Uh-uh. No way, nuh-uh, not gonna happen.” Lucia hesitated, then blurted out, “I’m driving to Santa Fatima airport this afternoon and getting a flight out of here.” “What?” Tony didn’t believe his ears. “You’re leaving?” “As fast as I can. I trust you to find Gabriella if she doesn’t come back, but Tony, I’m scared of the Catkind. Scared of Rafael, too, if he’s part of this. I gotta get out. You’ll take care of it all, won’t you, Tony?” she wheedled. “Right, Tony?” Tony counted to ten, slowly, in Spanish and then in English. Lucia apparently took his silence for agreement. “Te amo, Tony. I’ll call you when my flight lands.” “Where are you going?” Tony demanded -- to a dial tone. She’d hung up on him! He stared at his flip phone, unable to believe what his little sister had just dumped on him. Tony liked to think he had a pretty long fuse. When his temper went off, though, it went boom! With an effort, he got himself under control, tamping down both his worry and his anger. He had Gatos to open and to run all by himself. No time to find anyone to help out, and if he was going to have to take off to find and help Gabriella and Marnie, he’d need all the extra cash he could lay his hands on. He’d deposited the weekend’s take to make sure the checks didn’t bounce, which meant that all he had handy was in his wallet, with barely enough to seed the cash box.
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 10 -
Calmer, he tucked his phone in the back pocket of his jeans. “Okay,” he muttered to himself as he kicked the broom’s handle up into his hand, then propped it against the bar. “So far, the day’s not going like I hoped.” He shook his head, darkly amused. “Better get back to work, eh?” By his count, they still needed another keg of beer. Hot days made for thirsty drinkers. He took a look around to make sure the inside of Gatos was as clean as he could get the place, nodded in satisfaction, and snagged the keys for the shed, jingling them in his palm. Tony made the trek out to the shed on autopilot, idly tossing the keys up and down. His thoughts were totally focused on the Catkind, trying to dig up every scrap of information he’d ever heard about them to chew over in case he needed the intel. He was so focused on dredging up memories that at first, when he looked up, he thought he was seeing things. A second look told him he hadn’t mistaken what he thought he’d seen. It was still there, perched on a pile of rubble and large rocks by the shed. Waving at him, with what he guessed to be a big smile. A Catkind! Tony stopped in his tracks, gaping at the Catkind. He couldn’t help himself. Who could blame him? He’d never seen one in person before. This Catkind grinned back, seeming just fine with letting him stare as much as he wanted. It twined its dark, whippy tail with a white tip around its shapely leg, tickling the top of its bare foot. It -- nah. She, unless he was seriously mistaken. One hundred percent she with the full hips, soft belly and full, enticing breasts, the sort that always got him fired up. She was colored exactly like a calico, which almost made him laugh. Weren’t the Catkind supposed to be all these noble kings of the jungle, lions and tigers and panthers and so forth? This Lady Cat looked like an ordinary household kitty, except life-size and with the head of a woman. Curly red hair spilled down her back like a mane. Her face was
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 11 -
human under the velvety-soft-looking calico, her features pointed and pretty. She had wide-set green eyes and a smile that warmed him from the inside out. Tony wiped away a delighted grin, trying to act tough, like a guy of his size and build should, not like a horny kid or a gleeful idiot. Madre de Dios, no one had ever told him the Catkind were hot! The Lady Cat stood, her cat’s tail waving through the air at her side. Tony gulped as he realized she was naked, not wearing a single thing. Damn him, but she was very female, wasn’t she? Her nakedness didn’t seem to bother the Lady Cat one bit. She waved at him a second time, tilted her head to one side and called out to him. “Looks like hot work. Do you need a hand?” Tony’s jaw dropped. “Say what, now?” “Need a hand?” she repeated, giggling. “I’m not too good to work. Neither is my friend.” She whipped the tip of her tail behind her, snapping it. A male voice grumbled and swore at her. She rolled her eyes. “Ignore David until he wakes up. He’s always a cranky jerk after he’s taken a, well, a cat nap.” She winked at Tony. He couldn’t help it. He liked her already. A second Catkind uncurled from the rocks, standing up long and tall, at least six inches taller than the Lady Cat. Tony tried his hardest not to stare. Just as there was no mistaking the calico Catkind was female, no one with eyes could miss how male this guy was. Peppery-gray and striped exactly like a garden-variety tabby, his dark-silver hair flopping over his forehead and hiding his pointed cat’s ears, he looked both wary and fierce at the same time. “Samaelle?” he asked, dropping his hand to the calico Lady Cat’s shoulder. “Are you sure?” “I’m completely sure.” She patted his hand. “We come in peace. Can we help carry beer? Maybe come in for a saucer of cream?”
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 12 -
Tony’s cock jerked behind his zipper, an ache zinging through his balls. The Catkind wasn’t just hot, she was gorgeous, and she turned him on like no one he’d ever met before. It might be the worst mistake of his life, yeah, but no way could he let her walk away. If the gray tabby Tomcat, David, came with her, then he could deal. “Yeah,” he said roughly. “Yeah, I could use some help.” Samaelle beamed at Tony, making him feel like he’d just hung the moon. He didn’t know what he might be getting himself into, but damn, it’d be one to remember. He beckoned for them to follow and tried grinning back at Samaelle. “This way, then. C’mon.”
Chapter Two Samaelle breathed in deeply and held the air in her lungs. Her nose twitched. Ooh, I love the way he smells, she thought in appreciation. And it wasn’t just her feline whiskers tingling when she looked at the big, delicious man she and David had followed their noses to. His rich, musky smell of sweat and salt and beer went right to her head, making her dizzy. He was the one she and David had been looking for. She knew it had to be him. Their mate. The third they’d hunted since they met up in Portugal, two misfit multibreeds in a world full of proud, purebred Catkind. This man, tall and strong and so muscled that he made her tingle all over, was their mate. Samaelle tugged at David’s hand as the big guy turned to lead them into his tumbledown bar. “I told you,” she enthused, whispering. “Didn’t I tell you?” “You told me, all right.” David squeezed her fingers lightly, grinning down at her. “I didn’t believe you the first thousand times, but you know, I think I’m starting to.” “Jerk.” Samaelle tickled his ribs, giggling when he hissed and tried to dodge. “I love you so much, David. Thank you for trusting me.” David’s ears swiveled, tipping back in the Catkind body language indicating embarrassment. He didn’t respond well to praise or thanks, and it softened Samaelle’s heart to mush every single time. She’d have loved to show her claws to everyone who’d made David’s life hell while growing up as a misfit tabby. Of course, David had often talked about stringing up the bastards who’d done the same to her, so they were evenly matched there.
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 14 -
However, they both knew what the rest of the world didn’t, although they should have -- the female of the species was far deadlier than the male. You did not mess with a Lady Cat without good reason regardless of your species, not if you wanted to make it out with your balls intact. So thinking, Samaelle released the claws on her free hand and admired their sharp points. She’d given her bullies what-for and then some. David jostled her. “Put those away,” he hissed. “Do you want to give this guy a heart attack?” “If he didn’t freak out at the sight of a human-sized calico and a long, tall tabby, I don’t think a few claws are going to make him stroke out.” David shook his head. “Fine. If we end up on the wrong side of a shotgun or something, don’t blame me.” To soften the sting, he bent and kissed her quickly, his lips grazing over hers far too quickly to satisfy her growing need. She whimpered, trying to chase his mouth and take more. Going into heat could be rough on a Catkind female when she didn’t have a complete triad. Sex with David -and whoo, did she ever love sex with David -- kept the craving for a full mating partnership at bay. Still, he was only one of her mates, not both. Until she had the two men fate intended for her, she’d always be aching for more. Well, with this gorgeous man in her sights, she wouldn’t have to wait for much longer, would she? “What’s your name?” she called ahead to him, swinging her hand in David’s. “I should have something to call you. Besides, you already know what our names are and it’s not fair for you to keep us in the dark, is it?” When he turned, his grin wide and amazed, she wrinkled her nose at him and pricked her ears forward. “Tony,” he said. “My name’s Tony. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” “The pleasure’s all mine, Tony,” Samaelle purred. “And David’s, too.” She liked the way Tony’s gaze ran slowly over her -- and quickly, almost bashfully, over David. Good! If they were going to do this right, and they had no choice
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 15 -
now that her hormones had imprinted on Tony as well as David, Tony would have to mate with David as well. For David, it wouldn’t be a problem. Even if he hadn’t been born and raised knowing that he’d mate as part of a ménage one day, he’d probably have wanted that anyway. David saw beauty in both men and women. And ooh, it got her hot to see him enjoying cock. Some of her favorite memories involved David on his stomach, a big, beautiful man mounting him from behind. Or vice, versa, with David’s thighs clenched around a slim, pretty guy, thrusting hard and fast into his willing ass. Samaelle’s pussy muscles clenched. She squeezed her thighs together, keening softly. Oh, she shouldn’t have gotten started thinking about those good times when she was in heat like this. Her body demanded that she claim Tony right away, no waiting, but she wasn’t stupid. She couldn’t just tackle him to the dirt and climb aboard his cock. Well, she could, but that wasn’t anywhere near ladylike, was it? Beside her, David cleared his throat. Samaelle blinked out of her trance and looked up at him. He was barely holding back a fit of chuckles, the jerk. She grimaced at Tony and waved her tail at him. “Sorry. It’s, um, it’s hot out here,” she improvised. Going one step further, she fanned herself with her free hand, claws retracted. “I’m not used to weather like this.” “You’re not?” Tony frowned. “I thought Catkind came from hotter places than the Southwest border.” Oh-oh. Samaelle’s ears heated. “Most do. I don’t. At least, not originally.” She shut her mouth with an effort. She’d always talked too much. “David?” “We’ve been traveling for a while,” David cut in smoothly. There was more than one reason why she loved him. “It gets to you if you haven’t rested in the shade often enough.” Whew! Tony accepted that. He extended a hand, squinting at them in the noonday heat, nodding. “Come rest inside, then. I won’t put you to work right away.”
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 16 -
He winked to let her know he was teasing, although he didn’t need to. Samaelle had his number already: a big, muscled softie. I’m so glad he’s our mate, she thought happily. Not only do I need him and want him, but I like him, and I think I’m going to fall in love with him. Out loud, she said, “That’d be wonderful!”
*** Once inside, Samaelle collapsed in one of the cool wooden booths at the back of… what was it called, Gatos? That had to be a sign from above. She wanted to clap her hands with glee. Instead, she contented herself with twining her tail around her calf and leaning forward to lay her cheek on the gorgeous, smooth table. She sighed, pleased. Tony laughed. She liked his laugh, deep and rumbly. “You weren’t kidding about being tired, huh?” David slid into the booth next to Samaelle, rubbing her back. He kissed the top of her head, ruffling up her curls. “Lucky her, she’s got me around to take care of her.” “Oh.” Tony sounded disappointed. Samaelle knew exactly what was going through his head -- humans could be so strange about relationship boundaries, and if she had Tony pegged right, which she knew she did, he was a gentleman. She kicked David’s ankle under the table and sat up, beaming at Tony. “We’re open,” she volunteered. Tony stared at her. “Excuse me?” David kicked her this time. “I think Samaelle might need some cool water. She gets a little funny when she’s been out in the sun too long.” Now, Tony looked amused. “I like her anyway,” he said, pinkened, and turned away. Aww! Samaelle’s heart melted. A gentleman in every way, then. She wanted to hug him. And fuck him. Until he came so deeply inside her that he’d be a part of her forever.
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 17 -
But that could wait, or would have to until they’d broken him in and gotten him used to his fate as the third part of a Catkind-and-human triad mating. Samaelle wiggled uncomfortably, the heat pooling between her thighs and the pulse beating rapidly in her pussy starting to grow too intense for her to just push aside and forget about. Oh-oh. She understood now. A Lady Cat’s heat chose its own times to demand sex, and now that she’d gotten revved up she wouldn’t be able to calm down the way she needed to without getting her itch scratched. So to speak. Clearing her throat, Samaelle slipped her hand under the table to draw a squiggle on David’s hip, her sign to him that she needed some assistance. David, who’d been studying Tony with the same intensity that Tony studied him when he didn’t think David was watching, flinched irritably. Samaelle half thought David was going to argue with her, but when he turned to her he must have seen her need written across her face. He sighed, stroked her back -drawing the answering “yes” symbol beneath her shoulder blade -- and addressed Tony. “Actually, do you have a shower, or maybe a bathtub she could use?” Tony blinked. “Sure. Behind the storeroom.” He pointed. “I, um… I didn’t think Cats liked water.” Samaelle’s limbs were weak with relief. Honest to Pete, if she didn’t get to ride David’s cock within the next few minutes, she knew she would knock Tony down and climb on board. Frankly, that was sounding better and better all the time. Looking at him, seeing the heat he tried to hide when he looked back, she was starting to think he wouldn’t mind. At all. Still, she’d agreed to take it slow, slow as a Lady Cat in heat could. There’d be time for loving every inch of Tony soon enough. “Your average house cat, no. Catkind? We love water. I’ll help her back there,” David said, standing, turning quickly away from Tony so that Tony wouldn’t see the stiffness of David’s erection, his swollen cock standing up hard and curved toward his
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 18 -
lower belly. His dark tabby-striped fur was beaded with clear stickiness bubbling from the head. Samaelle’s mouth watered. She had to have her some of that right now. “Do you… do you need any help?” Tony volunteered. Samaelle took a peek at him, finding his embarrassed rubbing at the back of his neck completely adorable. He licked his lower lip, the tip of his pink tongue begging to be sucked on. She nudged David, hoping she got her meaning across. Yes. If he wants it, then bring it on, she gabbled at him inside her head, praying that for once in her life she’d find the Catkind wavelength that purebreds communicated on and that she, as a multibreed calico, had never gotten a handle on. David, calling David. Do you read me? Gorgeous human, our mate, asking us in his cute roundabout way if he can join us. Ten-four, good buddy. Let’s party. David coughed. He wrapped his arm tightly around her. Now, of all times, his voice griped inside her head. Samaelle managed -- just -- not to bounce from excitement. Her pussy clenched, the thrill of mental communication and the rich, gorgeous, musky smells of passion hazing the air around both Tony and David giving her a better buzz than any tequila ever could and turning her on. David, can we? she entreated, giving him her best liquid, kittenish gaze, the one he could never resist. Please? He returned her stare flatly. Am I really not good enough for you all by myself? he asked, surprising her. Samaelle reached up to cup his cheeks in her palms. Oh, David. If two and only two could mate, you know we’d have set up our own pride already, and you would be one hundred percent for me. But… She stopped, biting her lip, hoping he’d understand. David sighed and stroked her hair. I know, sweet Samaelle. Samaelle relaxed, relieved. Don’t tell me you don’t want him, too, she teased. I can smell how much you’re burning for his cock. Samaelle! Talk like a lady, David chided, despite the twinkling of his eyes.
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 19 -
Tony cleared his throat. “Are you two okay?” he asked, sheepish and slightly stiff. “Look, can I ask you a question?” Samaelle turned to him, knowing she was glowing. “Anything, Tony.” “Don’t make that offer unless you plan to deliver,” he tried joking, kneading the back of his neck. He dropped his hand, drew a deep breath, and faced her properly, head up like the proud, sturdy man she knew him to be. “Maybe I’m crazy, and this is the last thing I should have on my mind right now, but am I imagining what’s going on here between us?” He hadn’t said “you and I,” David excluded, Samaelle couldn’t help but notice. Better yet, he’d picked up on the unspoken cues. Such a perfect guy. Everything she had ever dreamed of since they’d heard the rumors that third parts of Catkind triads could be found amongst the humans. Her heart bounded for joy. “You’re not imagining anything,” she said, hearing her voice emerge husky. She cocked her hip at Tony and crooked a finger at him. “David and I were planning to have a quick fuck in the bathroom to take the edge off, but I’d much rather take my time out here with you. What do you say?”
Chapter Three “What do I say?” Tony asked her hoarsely. “Jesus, lady. What would any redblooded man say when a woman like you asks him that kind of question?” “He’d say yes,” Samaelle informed him, twitching the tip of her tail and twitching her feline whiskers. “You are going to say yes, aren’t you?” Tony’s hands clenched, then relaxed, then clenched again. He was frowning. Not what Samaelle had been hoping for. “What’s wrong?” she asked, suddenly nervous. What if she’d been completely off target? No, no, that wasn’t possible. A Lady Cat’s heat didn’t lie. But if they had to convince Tony… Samaelle thought she might self-combust with the power of her need for his cock before they got all the explanations wrangled out between them. She wiggled, moaning low in her throat. Tony’s pupils dilated. “Madre de Dios, you’re something else,” he whispered. “I’ve never seen anyone who’s so completely made up of sex.” She giggled, her tension easing. “Is that a compliment?” Tony shuffled, gesturing to the very promising bulge behind his zipper. “What do you think?” “Then what’s wrong?” Samaelle crossed her fingers, hoping for the best. “Is it me?” David asked directly, capturing Tony’s attention. Sometimes people forgot about David, so much of an omega all his life that he’d learned to fade into the background even with Samaelle on his arm. When he wanted to, though, he made himself known. He coiled his long Catkind tail around his forearm and addressed Tony directly, his quiet tones ringing clearly. “Are you uncomfortable about being with a man?”
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 21 -
“What?” Tony’s eyes widened, darting from David to Samaelle and back again. “Okay. Yeah. Both of you?” Samaelle nodded, nervous. Please, please, let him not be homophobic. Not that David couldn’t charm a priest into dropping his shorts, but i can’t wait much longer! “I’ve, um… I’ve never…” Tony looked embarrassed. “Does that mean you wouldn’t ever want to?” David asked calmly, applying no pressure. Tony glanced away, muttering, “No. ‘Haven’t ever’ doesn’t mean ‘won’t’.” He looked back at them. “Just one question, and answer me honestly, okay? If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s a lie.” Samaelle nodded, composing herself. “Why me?” he asked, suddenly seeming lost and confused. “Look at the two of you. You’re unbelievable. Why do you want me?” Samaelle sagged with relief, then straightened in annoyance. David’s hand on her arm, squeezing her in warning, kept her from shooting off at the mouth and saying something dumb. Then, David surprised her. He never took the lead -- it wasn’t in his omega nature -- but now he did, approaching Tony silently and gracefully. He didn’t stop until he’d breached Tony’s personal space, their shoulders nearly touching. Tony didn’t back away, even if he did look briefly like a deer in the headlights. Samaelle approved. Absently, she cupped her breasts and began to roll the nipples. She dropped one hand almost immediately and began to card through the thick thatch of red curls surrounding her pussy. If this wasn’t so hot, she’d tell them to get a move on. As it was, she’d even fight back her heat to see David staking his own claim. Two men marking each other was sooo sexy! David seized Tony by the back of his head and forced him to look up, Tony’s throat arched. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. He wasn’t alarmed,
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 22 -
though. Samaelle was sure of it. The brief panic had heated and now simmered with lust that was unexpected but fiercely embraced. “We’re a matched set,” David informed Tony, his free hand gripping Tony’s hip, then sliding around to grasp and squeeze Tony’s ass. Tony jerked sharply. “Samaelle and I. The alley cats. Take us both or no deal.” The corner of Tony’s mouth lifted in a James Dean curl that made Samaelle hiss in appreciation, wet warmth trickling from her pussy to slick her inner thighs. “Both,” Tony said recklessly, grabbing David’s Catkind tail at its base. He ran his fist down the length as if he would use that to jerk David off -- which, if he only knew, you could do. Tails were sensitive and sexual in their own right. He pushed forward with his hips and tugged David to him, aligning their erections. “I’m completely out of my mind, but I want both of you. So bring it on.” He bucked David’s hand off his head and bit at the juncture of David’s throat. “Let’s go.” David gasped, back arching. Tony had hit one of his hot spots without even knowing about it. “Samaelle…” he beckoned, voice ragged. She was already on her way, hurrying to them. “Let me in there,” she insisted, nudging and poking the two apart far enough for her to squeeze between them. Tony laughed, sounding delighted. When she was snuggled precisely where she wanted to be, enjoying the delicious pressure of David’s heavy Catkind cock hard against her ass and Tony’s impressively long and weighty human cock pushed against her bare belly, she sighed happily and wound her arms around Tony’s neck. She tilted her face up for his mouth. “Kiss me,” she demanded just in case he didn’t know what she wanted. The last shreds of Tony’s control shattered before the final syllable slipped off her tongue. Tony held her hips hard, kneading deep, and devoured her with his kiss. Samaelle gasped and let him take control, riding the wave. Holy cow, did he ever know how to kiss! Not too hard, not too soft, not too wet -- just right, hot and firm and demanding without ordering. He sucked her lower lip between his teeth, then nibbled at the softer underside, commanding her to open.
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 23 -
So very absolutely, Samaelle thought, ecstatic. Out loud, she moaned, parting her lips on the breathy sound to let him in. Once again, she wasn’t disappointed in the least. Tony had tongue-fucking down to an art, dancing lightly over the roof of her mouth, licking the back of her teeth, curling around the small, sharp Catkind fangs in her mouth, and inviting her to play in return. Dizzy with excitement and horny as hell, Samaelle clung to his shoulders and enjoyed the heck out of herself. Soon, it wasn’t enough. Her pussy needed something to clamp down on. She whimpered, lifting her leg to hook her knee over Tony’s hip. He groaned into her mouth and drew back, breathing hard, grasping her knee and holding her in place. “Damn, Samaelle. You’re on fire, aren’t you?” “For you,” she purred, rocking happily into the firm lump of his erection. Impatient to see it, she wiggled her hand between them and hooked her fingers under the waist of his jeans. “May I?” Tony swore under his breath. “Always with the dumb questions.” She swatted him with her tail. “Funny guy. So that means yes?” “That means hell, yes.” Tony tried to guide her hand, but Samaelle knew what she was doing. Nimbly, despite her fingers shaking from the mix of arousal and hunger, she flipped open the button and drew his zipper down. Then, like a lady, she stepped back precisely two inches -- not so coincidentally more firmly rubbing her ass over David’s outstanding, already exposed erect cock -- to give Tony room to get those jeans off. Tony laughed breathlessly. “Need a little more --” he tried to protest, shoving at the uncooperative denim. “Can’t wait to be inside you, but you’ve gotta let me get undressed, eh?” “If I promised to suck you, would it get you to move any faster?” David rumbled over Samaelle’s shoulder. He wasn’t even looking at Samaelle, and she could feel the scorching heat in his challenging stare at Tony. “Fuck me,” Tony breathed, awed.
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 24 -
“After you fuck Samaelle,” David promised darkly. He wrapped his arms around Samaelle and cupped her breasts, lifting them and offering them to Tony. She moaned, grateful, and rocked her head against his chest when he rolled her swollen nipples between thumb and forefinger. “She’s desperate for it, Tony. See?” Samaelle gasped as she got a Catkind peek inside David’s thoughts. Oh, he wouldn’t. Would he? Yes, he would. David brought his tail around, nudging it at her aching pussy. Samaelle parted her legs, frantic for what she now knew he was going to do. Tony stopped breathing for a moment when David slid the tip of his tail inside Samaelle, stroking in and out, stretching her for Tony’s cock. Samaelle didn’t have any qualms about letting him know, loudly, how good it felt. “Unreal,” Tony muttered, hurrying to shove his jeans and the plain black boxers he wore underneath out of the way. “Un-fucking-real. You’re amazing.” “Mm-hmm,” Samaelle said, drunken on the slick, friction-filled slide of David’s Catkind tail fucking her pussy. “Gonna let him have all the fun?” “Hell, no.” Finally naked -- and Samaelle planned to keep him that way -- he took action she approved of. He tugged at David’s tail; David, the wonderful man, let Tony draw the Catkind tail-tip out of her needy cunt. David, the wonderful, wicked man, one-upped Tony then, trailing the wet tip up Tony’s torso and chest, flicking it beneath his nose and over his lips. That was seriously perverted. Samaelle thought she could come from the mere sight. She almost did come when Tony took a deep breath and caught David’s tail-tip between his lips, sucking it between them. From David’s startled gasp and grunt, not to mention the twitch of his cock against her ass, she knew it was a pretty near thing for him, too. “Don’t,” David gritted out, pulling his tail free of Tony’s mouth. He moaned when Tony licked his lips, the drugged glaze in his eyes telling its erotic tail. He’d gotten off on that, all right.
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 25 -
Missing the firm pressure of his cock, Samaelle fitted her body to his once more, hooking her knee exactly where she’d decided she liked it. “Fuck me,” she coaxed, rocking into his rigid cock. Too impatient to wait, she grasped the stiff organ and aligned it with her pussy, hitching forward. Tony buried his face in her shoulder and groaned as if he was dying as he slid home in her cunt, balls-deep before he stopped thrusting and Samaelle stopped jerking forward. David plunged his face to the opposite side of Samaelle’s throat, mouthing hungrily at her nape. “More,” Samaelle breathed, rocking first forward, then back. “More. Hard. Now.” Tony growled. Samaelle reveled in the sound, the noise of a man who had had enough and was going to take what he wanted, no more waiting. “David, hold her,” he ordered raggedly. “Samaelle? Hold me. Hold on tight.” She went above and beyond, hopping and wrapping both her legs around his waist. He made a stifled noise of surprise and gave a grunt of pain. Samaelle winced, realizing that probably hadn’t been the best move to make when he was balls-deep inside her, but hey, after the first shock it didn’t slow him down. Wow, did it ever not slow him down! Samaelle loved a man who fucked like he was drilling for oil, and Tony didn’t hold back a single thing. He invested every ounce of his being in making fast, frantic love to her, hands sweeping over every inch of her body he could reach, fingers digging in, kneading, his mouth never stopping in its quest to nip and kiss, laving away the sting afterwards. Gliding slickly on her abundant cream, he pounded her without mercy. Not a small man in any way, Tony stretched her burningwide with his cock and made her crave more, more, more. Best of all, Tony growled mid-thrust and reached for David, clawing until he caught the Catkind man’s wrist. “You too,” he ordered, voice thick with lust. “Want you to come with me, her, us.” David’s claws dug in to Samaelle’s waist, almost painfully. “I can’t fuck your ass, not the way I want to. I don’t have any lube,” he said, then swore. “Hang on -- hang on
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 26 -
--” He slid his cock between the cheeks of Samaelle’s ass, making her jump and hiss, then moan in appreciation. “Need me to draw you a picture, Tony?” he challenged. Samaelle might have been tempted to roll her eyes. Honestly. Men! Always making everything about who had the bigger sac. Well, she was there to say they were deliciously, wonderfully, perfectly matched, and they had better things to do with their dicks than compare and contrast. She grunted impatiently, wriggling between them. They got her point, and she got both of theirs. Groaning with the effort, they see sawed Samaelle between them, thrusting her from cock to cock. Even if she couldn’t have David as deep in her ass as Tony was in her pussy, the slide of his cock on its own slick pre-come made her tingle. She caught her breath as she sensed, deep inside, the moment when everything went click, the three of them falling into their places as a truly mated triad. Her heat, with no more reason not to swallow her whole, filled Samaelle’s mind and blurred out her vision with a red haze. She came, screaming first Tony’s name and then David’s, clutching at any part of either she could reach. The spasms in her pussy, or maybe the power of the mating, were too much for Tony -- and for David. Tony swore a truly creative oath and gripped her hips so hard she knew she’d have gorgeous bruises later, hips jerking as he shot sticky-hot bursts of come over her cervix. David came up with something equally filthy and squeezed her breasts firmly enough to give her matching bruises. His come erupted from him, coating her ass. Trails of overflow from both ran down to meet under her perineum, blending, binding them all together. Samaelle gasped, blinking to try and see through the red fog. When she had her vision back, she found herself staring into Tony’s eyes. She had never in her life seen such satisfaction mixed with amazement mixed with delight. His weary, thrilled grin made her want to lick it, so she did. He laughed into her mouth. “Your tongue!” Samaelle trilled back, purring. “Cats, remember?”
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 27 -
“How could I forget?” Tony kissed her, tenderly, and thumbed her cheek. He reached past her, making her proud enough of him to pop when she heard David start to purr and knew Tony had done the same for him. Such a good, good human. Oh, but they’d be wonderful together, all of them. Life was so utterly sweet when you knew you’d found your place in this world. Still purring, Samaelle nuzzled under Tony’s chin and asked, teasing, “Was it good for you, too?” She reveled in Tony’s laughter. Yes. She’d finally found her home.
Chapter Four “Want to try again?” Tony asked, brushing a curl off Samaelle’s cheek. She relaxed in his arms, happy as a clam. How happy are clams, anyway? she wondered. I’m even happier than that. “Try what again?” Tony kissed her forehead, the tenderness of the touch melting her heart. “You volunteered to help with the bar, but we got sort of… distracted.” He lightly tickled his way up her side, drawing a purr from her. “I can teach you how to open bottle caps like a pro.” Samaelle thought back to a couple of X-rated movies she’d seen in which women found interesting ways to open beer bottles, boy howdy, and burst into giggles. Apparently, Tony had seen the same movies. He groaned and buried his face in her shoulder. “I’m going to have to watch myself around you, I can see that already.” David reached over Samaelle to caress Tony’s head. Samaelle, watching thoughtfully, saw in the gentleness of David’s touch that her strong, mostly silent tabby Cat had already fallen for Tony, too. Well, who wouldn’t? Tony was everything a Tomcat -- or Lady Cat -- could ever want. Kind, lusty, handsome. Even better for alley cats like them, he wasn’t afraid of getting his hands dirty, and he understood what it was like to always be on the outside looking in. It didn’t hurt that he was a demon king when it came to sex. Granted, she was biased there. They’d go a long way, the three of them. Samaelle just knew it. She kissed the top of Tony’s head, right under David’s thumb, then gave him a playful shake. “C’mon,” she ordered, slipping out of her yummy manwich with a little regret. “You’ve got a bar to run and we want to be useful.”
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 29 -
David straightened up behind her, resting his hands on her shoulders as was his habit when he faced down something new, reminding her that they’d face it together or not at all. “We do. Where do we start?” “Maybe by letting me get decent again.” Tony made a sheepish face and bent to pull his jeans up, tucking himself away and raising the zipper. Samaelle helped. What? They could just call her a Good Samaritan. “Okay!” She clasped her hands behind her back and bounced on her heels. “Now what? Should we sweep?” Tony snorted with all good humor. “I’m thinking opening the windows, first of all. Smells like a bordello in here, not a bar. Not that I’m complaining,” he hurried to add, cupping Samaelle’s chin in his hand. Oh, she did like him. Love him. She shook herself out of her fugue. Her need to mate had calmed down a little, enough to let her get on with other things. She wanted to go again, right now, but they had time. Although if she could get Tony alone or maybe surprise him under the bar… yum. David squeezed Samaelle around the waist and went to do as he’d been told, dexterously finding window latches and sliding the old glass up. Desert air, scorchedsmelling and aridly dry, rolled through Gatos like a storm. Puffs of dust and sand came with a gust of wind that blew over a stack of paper napkins. Samaelle wrinkled her nose. Out of the two options, she thought she preferred the smell of sex. No, scratch that. She knew she liked the aromas of their mating more than the arid desert. “That’s good,” Tony said after glancing at Samaelle’s unhappy face. “Shut them again, all but one. Leave one cracked open just a couple of inches. The air conditioning’ll escape.” Sure, that was what he said. Samaelle knew it was mostly for her sake. Gleeful, she stood up on tippy-toes and nibbled on his ear. “What next?”
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 30 -
“Umm…” Tony threw his arm around her shoulders, stroking her arm. She could already tell it was going to be an unconscious habit with him. Not that she’d complain, ever! “Do you know how to sweep?” “I do.” She tilted her head. “But I thought you were going to teach us how to work opening bottles and maybe even serving drinks.” Tony looked embarrassed. “I was. Thing is, Samaelle… ah, hell.” He let go and turned to face her, reverently running his fingers down her downy calico Catkind pelt, teasing the short fur into standing up in the wrong direction, then smoothing it down with his palm. He seemed to particularly like one russet spot under her left breast. “I keep my hair this short for a reason,” he said. Samaelle figured he’d be going somewhere with his non sequitur, and simply nodded. “I don’t think they make hair nets this big,” he admitted ruefully. “It’s health codes. Also, I don’t think the guys who come in here at night would really appreciate cat hair in their beer.” Samaelle had to laugh, tipping her head back and giggling for all she was worth. “Is that what’s stopping us from getting to play Cocktail? Silly man.” Tony shook his head at her. “Okay, what have I missed now?” “Samaelle.” David gave her a pointed glance, knowing exactly what she was thinking, asking if she was sure she wanted to do this. Samaelle turned the tables on him, using their ever-strengthening mental bond -maybe their developing powers came from finally sealing the deal on their triad. If he’s keeping us and we’re keeping him, what’s the point in keeping anything secret? she asked. He’ll have to find out sooner or later, and besides, I want to see the look on his face when he gets an eyeful of this. David covered his smile with his fingers. You’re still such a kitten, Samaelle. Samaelle stuck her tongue out at him, not caring that it proved his point, and turned back to Tony. “You’re worried about cat hair? Then worry no more.” Striking a
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 31 -
pose like a stage magician, she raised her arms above her head and snapped her fingers while concentrating on the shift between forms. Catkind pelt became smooth, pale mocha human flesh. Her ears flattened and lay down, hidden by her hair. Fangs retreated behind ordinary human teeth. Her Catkind tail, long and slender and oh-so-mobile, was the only thing left to distinguish her from an ordinary human, at least at first glance, and she could hide that down the leg of some loose-fitting jeans if she needed to. She suspected she would. It was a sure bet Tony wouldn’t want a naked woman pulling the taps. Gatos wasn’t that kind of bar. Not that she’d want to. David and Tony were the only ones who’d get to see her undressed from now on, whether in Catkind form or when playing human. She belonged to her mates and she didn’t want any other greedy eyes on her breasts or her pussy. Tony stared at her, eyes wide and round. “Holy shit,” he breathed. “I didn’t know the Catkind could do that.” She returned to her familiar bipedal Catkind form. “It’s not something we let a lot of people know about.” David casually made his way between them and leaned on the bar. “You can guess why.” Tony wasn’t stupid. He made the connection right away, swearing a second time. “We all thought -- ordinary humans, I mean -- that the Catkind were only just now coming out to humans. But if you can look that much like one of us, then you’ve been around all this time, haven’t you?” “Only a few, and never many at a time, but yes, you get my meaning.” David tapped his tail-tip on the bar. “I’ve only heard of a couple in my life. Samaelle and I haven’t ever done this in front of a human before.” Tony quirked an eyebrow. “So what did I do to rate the special treatment?” “You mean besides taking us in out of the blistering heat and not-so-incidentally giving me one of the best orgasms ever?” Samaelle twined her Catkind tail around her calf and slinked forward to cuddle Tony. “Mmm, I don’t know. You might just be lucky.”
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 32 -
Tony’s laughter was made to accompany her purring, she decided, cozying into him. He put his arm around her waist to hold her close and addressed David. “Is that the only trick you’ve got up your sleeve, either of you?” David sent Samaelle a quick mental query. She fired back a reply, excitement humming in her veins. Oh, yes! I bet he’d love it. “I can show you something else,” David volunteered casually, pushing off of the bar. “Have you ever seen the Catkind in their third shape? The one everyone says is our only other shape?” Tony inhaled sharply. “You mean… you mean your big cat form?” David nodded. “Even alley cats like us can pull it off.” “Why do you keep calling yourselves alley cats?” Tony didn’t sound pleased. “It sounds like a put-down. Don’t do it again.” Samaelle could tell he wouldn’t be crossed on this. “Think of something else if you’ve got to, but no more of that.” After glancing at Samaelle, David spread his hands in apology and acceptance. “Fine. Do you still want to see?” “Yeah, I do.” Tony rubbed his thumb in circles over the small of Samaelle’s back. “Give me what you’ve got, hot-shot.” David chuckled. “If you’re thinking about going into poetry, don’t quit your day job.” “My day job involves picking gum off the underside of tables. Maybe I need some poetry to keep myself from going nuts.” “I think we can do that for you now.” Samaelle nibbled at the shallow dip between Tony’s collarbones. “On the count of three, David? One -- two -- three!” David didn’t bother with theatrics as Samaelle had done; they weren’t his style. He simply changed, dropping gracefully to all fours. Between the moment when he started to go down and the moment when he’d landed, David had become a long, tall, lean cat, salt-and-pepper gray marked with velvety-soft black stripes. Samaelle admired her handsome mate. He made such a gorgeous Cat in all his forms that it always,
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 33 -
always got her buttery between her thighs. She wiggled to relieve the pressure, and discovered a interesting, rising hardness in Tony’s jeans. Well, now! Looks like someone enjoyed that. Samaelle ran a fingernail down the hard line behind Tony’s zipper, gleefully enjoying the hiss he made. She parted her lips to tease him about it, and maybe to make an offer he couldn’t refuse; the words were forming on her tongue when a loud crash from the back of Gatos demanded their attention. The door slammed open with such violence that it almost smashed into the wall. Tony stiffened, and not in the good way -- that actually deflated a little, damn it. Guarding Samaelle, he pivoted toward the door. His jaw dropped. “Lucia?” Samaelle peeked out under his arm. Oh, crap. Crap, crap, crap. This probably wasn’t good, for Tony to be caught snuggling with a naked stranger in the middle of his bar. Possibly even less good was the giant cat sitting on its haunches, tail whipping the bar floor. Samaelle knew how to read feline expressions and knew David was only curious, albeit with a healthy dollop of her same dismayed reaction at the sight of the stranger. Thing was, she’d also learned to interpret human reactions and figured from the look on this lady’s face, appalled horror, that she thought David was planning to eat her unless she put him down first. Her lips curled back over her teeth. Ailurophobe, Cat-hater! Despite her best intentions, Samaelle hissed at the intruder. “Sammi, don’t.” Tony held her closer, trying to shield her nakedness. “Lucia, what are you doing here? I thought you were on your way the hell out of Dodge.” The woman, who Samaelle thought to be overly made-up and fussy, the kind of lady who cared more about whether or not her hair was curled right than doing an honest day’s work, slammed her bright pink purse on the bar top and huffed at Tony.
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 34 -
“Si, I was. Then you made me feel guilty, and so I came back. But what do I find, eh?” She gesticulated at Samaelle and David. Samaelle had to give David credit for his balls. He hadn’t changed back. She caught a whiff of philosophical resignation from him, and watched as he sank down with his paws before him Sphinx-style, resting his huge gray head on them and watching -- what was her name, Lucia? Lucia. The name tasted sour to Samaelle. Who was she, anyway? A stray thought made Samaelle’s heart beat too quickly. Lucia wasn’t… wasn’t Tony’s wife, was she? Oh, oh, she hoped not! David blinked at her. She could barely understand what he was sending over their mental connection, as things got so garbled between wholly Cat and nearlyhuman, but she got the gist: she was being an idiot. Tony wasn’t the kind of man who’d cheat. On anyone. “Tony, what in the hell do you think you’re doing?” the woman Lucia demanded, scandalized. “Those are Catkind! You have Catkind in our bar!” “Our bar?” Tony scowled darkly at her. “So now it’s our bar, when a couple of hours ago you were leaving it all behind? If I remember right, you indicated that Gatos was all mine. No?” The woman’s lips, slathered in red lipstick, quivered. “But Tony, I didn’t mean…” “Then what did you mean?” Tony extended his hand for David, who rose with a huge pink yawn, stretched and padded to him, bumping his massive head into Tony’s hip. “The way I figure it, you gave up your right to tell me what I could and couldn’t do in here, and you have no right at all to tell me how to live my life.” “Tony,” she wailed. “Catkind? They’re not even human!” “I noticed,” Tony said dryly. To prove his point, David purred, the sound more like a rasping chainsaw when coming from a full Cat. He stropped his jaw on Tony’s leg.
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 35 -
Tony’s refusal to back down struck exactly the wrong notes with this Lucia person. Her shoulders stiffened and her red mouth drew into a thin line. “Fine. You want to play with the pussies? Go right ahead. I’m not bailing you out when this all blows up in your face.” “Do you mean that literally, Lucy?” Tony drawled quietly. “‘Cause I’ve heard a few stories about what humans do to Catkind they don’t like, for no other reason than because they’re Cats. I was always more of a dog person, but I think I’ve changed my mind now.” Lucia paled under her rouge. “You’re not accusing me of --” “Maybe. I’d like to think my sister’s better than that.” Sister? Samaelle looked back and forth between them. They barely looked a thing alike. “Half-sister,” Lucia sniffed. “And now I think maybe we’re not family at all, if this is the way you’re going to act.” Tony stood his ground. “I’m not choosing between you. Don’t you ask me to.” “I’m not.” Lucia snatched her purse and stuffed it under her arm. “I have no brother, now, and you can do whatever the hell you want to with Gatos. Me, I’m going to take care of what you seem to have forgotten all about: finding Gabriella and Marnie. And when I do, I’m making sure they know every last bit about this.” “Do what you have to do.” Tony rested his cheek atop Samaelle’s head. “Goodbye, Lucia.” Lucia gaped at him. Clearly, she’d expected Tony to back down, but he didn’t. Samaelle was so proud of him that she could have popped. She supported his weight on her shoulders as Lucia delivered a fast, furious barrage of Spanish that she figured had to be cussing worse than any sailor could ever come up with, and twined her tail around Tony’s leg in silent sympathy when Lucia stormed out, slamming the door so hard the bell fell down, its hollow ring loud in their ears. Before Tony could start to get all gloomy or even worse, Samaelle wiggled out from under his protective grasp and threw her arms around his neck and her legs
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 36 -
around his waist. “My hero!” She pressed her lips to his, suggesting that she had a reward for the victor if he’d like to claim it. Tony stood still for a moment before seizing control of the kiss, snagging a handful of curls and holding her head firmly still, all the better for him to devour her mouth. Below them, David purred heavily and leaned his full weight on Tony’s legs. “I’ve been wanting to do that for years,” Tony mumbled between kisses. “How about we celebrate?” Sounded like an excellent idea to Samaelle.
Chapter Five “Mmm.” Samaelle broke their kiss off in the middle, far sooner than she’d have liked if a thought hadn’t just occurred to her. “Tony?” He mumbled a nonverbal response, being too busy pressing his lips to the pulse in her throat. She stroked his back, running her fingers up the curve of his spine, pleased as punch when he groaned and pushed into her touch. “Tony,” she repeated, drawing it out in a sing-song. “Tooooonyyyyy.” Tony growled, sounding like a real Catkind. “What?” Samaelle rewarded him by tickling over the tight round of his ass with the tip of her tail. “Nice as this is -- and don’t get me wrong, it’s very nice -- how about we move the party somewhere else?” She crinkled her whiskers at him when he pulled back, confused by lust and not getting what she meant. “I don’t want another dust bath from open windows and I really don’t want her to come charging back in here and start screeching. Especially since she’d probably barge in right at the best part, and -- yipe!” Tony, chortling, interrupted her in the middle of her monologue to hoist her over his shoulder. “Is that the only way to get a word in edgewise?” he teased, sending David such a broad wink that people must have gotten it from miles away. He turned, bouncing Samaelle, and locked the back door. All the same, she lashed him with her tail, strong and mobile enough to be used for more than titillating. “Tony, you ass. Put me down!” He smacked her hip. “Don’t think so, beautiful.” Oh, now. Looked like someone got their rocks off on a taste of alpha domination, didn’t they? She could work with that. She started kicking, not hard enough to cause any damage, and wiggled in Tony’s grip, making sure to rub her breasts over his back.
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 38 -
“Let me go right now!” she shrieked in pretend indignation. “Put me down or I’ll scream!” Tony nuzzled her side. “Promise?” Oooh, Samaelle liked that. She undulated over him, purring. “Thought so. I’ve got a room behind the bar. I sleep there most nights.” Tony shifted Samaelle’s weight around so he could reach down and scratch David’s Cat head, behind the ears. “Come with me?” You bet I will, Samaelle thought smugly. All of us will. Let’s go! She thumped Tony with her fist. “Get a move on!” Tony roared, tickled to pieces. “Follow me. And no, I’m not letting go of you for one second, missy,” he informed Samaelle. “I’m not in the mood for playing cat and mouse, not when I’ve already got a pussy to enjoy.” If Catkind could have rolled their eyes and groaned while in full feline shape, Samaelle knew David would have. He sat down on his haunches and curled his lip at Tony instead. All the same, when Tony bounced Samaelle on his shoulder and led them out of the bar, David followed. Neither of her men were dummies, no sir. Samaelle couldn’t really see where they were going, only where they’d been, but she noted everything they passed with great interest. Looked like this place was as tumbledown and worn-at-heel as the ramshackle outside indicated, but she could also tell that Tony took care of it as best as he could. Everything was clean as a good oldfashioned whistle, even where it had been worn down with time and use. She got the feeling -- okay, possibly because she hated Lucia on sight -- that Tony’s sisters took him and all he did for granted. Well, she and David would just have to appreciate him and his hard work triply more. Samaelle didn’t think that would be hard to do. Tony shouldered open a plain wooden door and ushered them into a room that smelled of him, aromas and fragrances of man’s dreams and desires that only a sensitive Catkind nose would have been able to detect; the place was tidier than tidy.
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 39 -
Not for long, she thought, self-satisfied. She squealed as Tony rolled her off his shoulder, tossing her safely square in the middle of a full-sized bed covered in an old crazy quilt of blue and green. She bounced, delighted, already opening her arms for him. Rather than falling into them right away, Tony rubbed David’s large head. The two men locked eyes. Samaelle didn’t think there was any way for them to communicate on a mental wavelength, so it was probably just some weird, annoying male bonding thing going on when they both grinned in the same evil way. She eek-ed and scrambled back on the bed. “What are you two cooking up?” “Nothing,” Tony said, innocent as a lamb. Way too open and guileless. Samaelle shivered with anticipation. “Why don’t I believe you? Oh, wait. Maybe because I wasn’t born yesterday?” David purred roughly, head-butting Tony’s calf. Smoothly as before, he shifted forms into the midway point between Catkind and human, man-shaped and covered in a soft gray tabby pelt with a shock of black hair tumbling over his eyes. “Samaelle, lose the humanity,” he requested, the tone of his voice making clear that she didn’t have a choice. She trembled, excited by the note of command. “I think Tony likes us best when we’re the best of both worlds.” Samaelle glanced at Tony, noting his shudder when David spoke. She stretched, letting the transformation wash over her. Catly again, she lay full-length on the bed and crooked her finger at Tony. “Are you going to make me wait?” “Maybe for a minute or two.” She raised herself on one elbow to peer at him. “Why?” Tony’s ears had reddened, and he looked away, gnawing at his full bottom lip. He scratched his jaw. “I want…” Samaelle perked up. He wanted something he was almost too embarrassed to say out loud. This should be good. “What do you need, Tony?” she purred, sitting up and bracing her weight on her hands. She parted her legs, exposing her pussy to him.
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 40 -
Raising her hips, Samaelle offered him what she dearly hoped he’d take advantage of, although she knew it wasn’t all he was asking for. “What do you need?” David’s nostrils flared. He pressed his nose to Tony’s thigh and trailed his way up to the ridge of Tony’s hip peeking out over the waist of his jeans. He flicked out his tongue and licked almost but not quite over the straining bulge of their mate’s deliciously promising hard-on. “David?” Samaelle asked, getting excited as she clued in. Oh, yes, yes, yes! Please let that be what he wants. It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten to enjoy a show, and it’ll be the best one ever with both of my mates playing! David mouthed over Tony’s erection, very promising, and then just like a man almost had to ruin it by asking, albeit in a low, sexy rumble, “You’re sure?” Samaelle could have smacked him. Luckily for all of them, Tony swallowed hard and jerked his head in a choppy nod. “Oh, yeah,” he said hoarsely. “But I don’t know how. You have to show me what to do.” A dark light flashed in David’s eyes. Gleeful, Samaelle settled back to watch. She hardly ever got to see David’s dominant side come out to play, but when it did? Whoo, momma! “You don’t know anything?” David crooned, standing fluidly. He laid his lips on Tony’s jaw, licking the tender flesh underneath, rasping over it with his rough Catkind tongue. From the way Tony shuddered, it’d be one of his new favorite foreplay moves. Samaelle hoped David would blow him. She’d love to see how Tony reacted to a Catkind tongue on his cock! Tony’s eyelids slid halfway shut as he turned into David for more of the TLC. Hesitantly, he combed his fingers through David’s soft, dark hair. “Almost nothing.” “Almost?” David palmed Tony’s erection, kneading gently. Tony groaned, bucking into his hand. “You never fantasized about anything?” Tony’s blush answered the question for him. David purred. He thrust his hand down Tony’s jeans and massaged his cock, gorgeously obscene as viewed by their eager audience. Samaelle licked her lips. Because
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 41 -
there was no reason not to -- as well as needing some relief from her own fast-heating arousal -- she stroked her pussy, wetting her fingers with her juices and painting them over her clit. Tony, bless him, didn’t miss out on that. He gasped, stilling. “Me lleva la chingada,” he said after an intense pause. “Don’t make me embarrass myself like I’m a teenager again.” David loved that. He bit Tony’s ear while drawing down the man’s zipper, following that up by pushing the denim off his hips. “Get naked,” he purred. “Now. I hope you have something in here we can use, because I’m going to take your ass so you’ll always remember who was there first.” “Fuck.” Tony shoved him. “Do you want this over that fast? ‘Cause if you keep talking that way --” David chuckled in Tony’s ear. “It won’t be over for me.” Samaelle hugged herself with excitement. Tony glared at David, albeit with a smile, and allowed David to help him get those pesky clothes of his out of the way. Samaelle fingered her pussy as she watched the show, alternating pushing fingers inside with tweaks to her pulsating clit. She hadn’t had much of a chance to really get a good look at Tony earlier, and oh, but she liked what she saw. Their mate was one hell of a sexy guy. Samaelle couldn’t have been better pleased with him and all his muscles, every one of them perfectly shaped for a hard working man. Cream dripped from her, wetting the quilt. David didn’t bother hiding his own growing need, not that he’d have been able to. Clear stickiness beaded at the swollen head of his cock. He yanked Tony to him, fitting his cock beside Tony’s -- and didn’t Tony have a fantastic one? -- and gyrating his hips to rock their erections together. Tony muttered something low and desperate in Spanish. Samaelle had no idea what he’d just said, but she got the general idea, all right. Fuck me didn’t really need a literal translation.
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 42 -
“Planning on it,” David murmured, licking over Tony’s mouth, laughing lowly when Tony tried to catch his tongue. “Samaelle, the bedside table is usually where humans keep these things.” “Aye, aye!” Samaelle reluctantly stopped stroking herself closer and closer to orgasm and leaned over to rummage through the lopsided drawer of Tony’s nightstand. She hooted in triumph and waved a new tube of unscented lotion plus a condom in its shiny wrapper at David. “Got you covered.” David and Tony both groaned. “Enough with the puns,” David scolded, opening his hand for Samaelle to toss the supplies into. He caught both neatly, then challenged her with a smoldering stare. “As you were.” Samaelle shivered and did as she’d been told, taking the initiative to please by spreading her legs wide and pushing her fingers deep in her pussy. Tony stared at her as if she was the only source of fresh water in a world of deserts. That kind of thing could go to a girl’s head, and Samaelle didn’t see why she shouldn’t let it. She let herself moan and arch into her fingers, lifting the other hand to pinch her nipples and knead her breast. Enjoying herself that way made it a little harder to keep a good watch on the show, but hey, audience participation was all part of the interactive experience. Samaelle watched, drunk on lust, as David taught Tony bit by bit, coaxing and commanding, teasing out confessions of having jerk-off fantasies about cocks up his ass. Ooh, their Tony was a kinky one, wasn’t he? Yum. She climaxed for the first time when David guided Tony into leaning over the foot of the bed, his ass raised for David to do what he wanted with. Her orgasm rushed over her in a wave, leaving her deliciously drunk, while she watched Tony’s hands curl into fists on the blanket as David fingered him open. David whispered trash in Tony’s ear through every second of stretching him, getting especially filthy every time they had to stop for Tony to adjust.
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 43 -
“Virgin to this,” David purred in approval, rubbing Tony’s back. Tony was breathing like a bellows, or maybe a steam engine, his lips slack and just the tiniest hint of uncertainty in his eyes making this all the better. On an impulse, Samaelle forced her rubbery legs to cooperate and rose to a kneel, bouncing her way closer to Tony. She slicked her fingers in her pussy and pressed them to his lips. “Suck,” she invited, rippling with aftershocks and looking forward to more. “Suck on these while he takes you.” Tony groaned. He drew her fingers into his mouth, lashing them with his tongue for every trace of her flavor. “Ready for me?” David asked, gripping Tony’s hip with one hand and using the other presumably to line his cock up with Tony’s stretched ass. Their mate grunted around Samaelle’s fingers, nodding urgently. “Good. Because ready or not, here I come anyway.” David braced Tony for it and pushed. Tony drew up taut, hissing. Samaelle crooned and petted his hair, murmuring sweet nothings. “Breathe through it,” she encouraged, the thrumming beat in her pussy picking up speed. Unable to bear being empty, she returned the fingers of her free hand to her channel, fucking herself hard and fast. “Breathe, and let it happen.” Tony bit her fingers, luckily not breaking the skin. Samaelle laughed and tickled the roof of his mouth, distracting him enough for him to relax. David groaned in relief, hitching deeper one short push at a time, not stopping until Samaelle heard the sticky slap of his balls against Tony’s ass. The sound shocked her into a second, unexpected climax, the cream dripping heavily from her pussy. When the aroma reached Tony, he squeezed his eyes tightly shut and tried to reach under himself to grab his cock and tug. “Shh, shh,” Samaelle soothed him shakily, still flying high. “David, you take care of him.” David growled as if to let her know she didn’t need to teach him anything about this, and as if he’d had this planned all along began to lift Tony off his position braced
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 44 -
on the bed. As soon as he was satisfied that Samaelle could see clearly, he wrapped his broad palm around Tony’s cock and began to pump him with fast strokes while rocking his hips, thrusting deep in Tony’s ass. No mercy for the virgin, hurray! Tony bit his lip, white dents appearing around his teeth. “Madre de Dios,” he groaned, following that up with more Spanish. Samaelle thought she caught the word “faster” and she was sure she heard him beg for “harder”. He loved it! Samaelle shuddered happily through a third, milder but no less enjoyable orgasm, reveling in the last ripples when David’s fast-pumping hand finally produced results. Tony cried out hoarsely, the noise seeming to come from the heart of him, spasmed in David’s grip and spurted thick white ropes of semen over the Catkind man’s hand, heavy pearls spattering down to the quilt. Quick as a flash, Samaelle dove beneath to lick them up. She linked fingers with David and milked out every drop Tony had to give. Then, because she was just that wicked -- and proud of it -- she rose up on her knees and reached around to squeeze David’s ass. Samaelle flushed with pride and excitement, as did for David. He raised the roof with his roars and grasped Tony hard enough to leave fingerprint-shaped bruises to remember this by later, pumping his hips in short jerks as he poured out his orgasm. Tony collapsed forward in their mingled wet spots, David’s cock slipping out of him. Samaelle gathered his head in her lap, rocking him. David, nearly cross-eyed with exhaustion, crawled after Tony, curling around the both of them. When Tony had caught his breath enough to speak, he licked the inside of Samaelle’s thigh and murmured, “Madre de Dios. Can’t believe I got lucky enough for two Cats like you to walk out of nowhere into my bar.” “We didn’t come out of nowhere,” Samaelle corrected him. “We came to find you and claim you.” Tony’s eyebrows drew together. “What?”
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 45 -
“We’re not stalkers,” she hastened to explain, trying to ignore David’s urgent jabbing at her knee. She shook him off and went on. “Lady Cats go into heat the same as ordinary cats. We caught your scent and --” “And I was a convenient cock.” Tony sat up abruptly. The hard anger in his eyes startled Samaelle into scooting back. David groaned against her leg, not a sound of pleasure at all. Samaelle figured out why when Tony pushed himself off the bed and stood, hands balling into fists. “Great. You got what you came here for. A fuck. So if that’s all, how about you get out?”
Chapter Six Stunned confusion quickly gave way to horror as Tony’s words sank in. As soon as they did, Samaelle scrambled off the bed, nearly tripping on her own tail in her rush. “Tony, no. That’s not what this was all about.” Tony ignored her, bending to snatch his scattered clothes off the bedroom floor. He discarded boxers and socks, dressing simply in jeans and shirt, every movement efficient and so angry it frightened Samaelle. David wasn’t any help. He’d arranged himself in a cross-legged position on the bed, looking away from her. It was like she was the bad guy here or something, and Samaelle would be damned if she knew what to do about it. “Tony,” she tried, reaching for him. He caught her wrist and held it tight, shooting her a warning glare. Samaelle, not one to be put off by a dirty look, wiggled her fingers in an attempt to reach him. “Would you just stop and listen to me? You’ve got it all mixed up.” “What’s to mix up? You came looking for a convenient fuck. Any dick would do, right?” “Tony, that’s not the way it was at all!” Tony put her hand aside, throwing it back in her lap. Still doing up the zipper on his jeans, he strode to the bedroom door. He showed no trace of hesitation in turning the knob and walking out, his head held high, his hands fisted, and his shoulders squared. No way Samaelle was going to let him get away with that. She wasn’t a Catkind for nothing. What kind of Cat couldn’t stalk and bring down its chosen prey -- even an enthusiastic klutz like her? Samaelle gathered her legs beneath her, testing the muscles, ready for --
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 47 -
“Samaelle, don’t you do it!” David barked in alarm, reaching out to grab her and stop her. Ha, ha, sucker! Too late. Geronimo! Samaelle hurled herself at Tony, landing on his back and hanging on. And while Tony was a big, strong guy, no one could withstand a sneak attack from the back. It’d be like standing up to a cannonball in the shoulder, except with fur and claws instead of metal and fire in this case. Her metaphors could use some work, Samaelle knew. She’d think about them later. Right now, her main goal was nicely accomplished: stop that Tony! She rode him with the balance of the most graceful of Cats for once in her life, clinging tight all the way to the ground. When he hit bottom, the breath knocked out of him with a gasp that made her wince in sympathy, she spread herself over him starfish style and hung on. Tony struggled to breathe. Samaelle decided to take advantage of that. Tucking her chin over Tony’s shoulder, she whispered in his ear. “Are you going to listen to me now? Even if you don’t want to, you’re going to. I could knock you down again and again.” Behind her, David groaned. What? she demanded, exasperated. Nothing. David flopped down full-length on the bed. If you want to convince him that you’re not up to no good, that a quickie taste of dick wasn’t the plan, then pouncing on him like a toy mouse might not have been the best way to go. But that’s okay. I’m sure threats will make it all better. When did you get so good at this? Samaelle curled her lip at him, careful not to budge an inch lest Tony start to struggle. And do you have any better ideas? I think I surpassed you in skill right about when you abandoned every last drop of common sense, David commented lackadaisically. And yes, I do think I could do a better job with this. Want to step aside and let me have a try? Think fast -- he’s starting to growl. What’ll it be? Samaelle struggled to grasp Tony’s arms and hold them tight. How about both of us? I’ll keep him here while you do what you want to do.
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 48 -
David sat up, shaking his head at her. Good lord, Cat. You know what? I’ve had it. David, what are you -- EEK! Samaelle tucked and rolled, scrambling away from Tony as quickly as she could, but not fast enough. David’s tackling pounce came from seemingly nowhere, the male Cat moving too rapidly for her to anticipate and avoid. He pinned her with one hand between her breasts and darted down for a quick, fiery kiss. She chased him automatically, the lingering traces of heat speedily jumping at a chase for more. “No,” he said quietly, pressing her down. “Later.” If there is a later. Samaelle’s lip quivered. She’d heard stories of triad matings that crumbled for one reason or another, and while they’d all been with full Catkind, once a mating triad dissolved or was broken the Cats remaining either slunk off to the wilds to die or shriveled in on themselves, turning old and gray and sour long before their time. Sometimes, they went insane. David’s hand gentled on her. “I know,” he said, telling her that he, too, was recalling the old stories. “Let me.” Samaelle subsided, hoping David would be able to save the day. From start to finish, the entire exchange had only taken a couple of minutes. Tony shifted, groaning, and rolled over to flop on his back. “What the hell,” he grouched, rubbing at a rising knot on his head. “Fuck if I’m not gonna find out if there’s more than one way to skin a cat.” Samaelle winced in sympathy for the bump. That one had to have hurt. As for the skinning threat, that she ignored. No matter how pissed off Tony got, he wouldn’t hurt them. He wasn’t that kind of man. Samaelle knew that as surely as she knew her own name. Tony was one of the good guys. David had better be able to pull this off. If he didn’t and they lost Tony, Samaelle knew she’d understand, with awful clarity, why cast aside triad members didn’t last outside their bond. “First things first,” David said, annoyingly calm. “Samaelle, apologize to Tony. For everything.”
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 49 -
She groaned. “I’m sorry I knocked you down, Tony. It’s a Catkind thing.” “Bowling someone over and damn near concussing them?” he barked, not at all the kind of sound a Cat liked to hear, prodding gingerly at his forehead. “Ow!” “Don’t poke it if it hurts,” she snapped. “Samaelle.” David flicked her arm. “Try again.” “David, this is stupid. Fine, fine, don’t look at me that way.” Samaelle twisted to get a better view of Tony and to try to meet his eyes. “Tony…” she reached for him, aching for the feel of his skin under her fingers, warm and loved and reassuring. “I really am sorry. I didn’t think.” Tony grumbled under his breath. “Samaelle.” David drew his thumb down her cheek. “Apologize for everything, I said.” She wrinkled her forehead. “What are you talking about?” He regarded her with a calm, unrelenting stare. Samaelle stared back, utterly confused. “Samaelle, what is Tony really angry about?” David prompted. The figurative light bulb burst into glow over her head. Oh. Abashed, she caught Tony’s hand and hung on tight. “I’m sorry we didn’t tell you the truth. The whole truth, I mean. We -- I -- no, screw that, we -- you’re not innocent here, David, so where do you get off acting all holier-than-thou? -- anyway, we should have been honest with you from the start.” She drew a deep breath, her lungs aching from rattling all that off with barely a pause. “I wish I’d done this differently. I didn’t mean to insult you.” David looked properly chastened. “I’m sorry, too,” he said, stroking Tony’s chest. Tony grimaced and looked away. Samaelle thought, from the way his jaw tightened, that he was trying to hold a grudge despite his nature that made him want to forgive. She studied him closely, trying to understand why. “People try and fool you all the time, don’t they?” she realized out loud. “Oh, no. People don’t tell you the truth because they think you won’t understand. Tony.”
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 50 -
Tony refused to look back at her. Samaelle wasn’t having any of that. Shaking David off, she clambered on Tony, throwing a leg over and straddling his waist. Careful to be gentle and keep her claws retracted, she placed her palms on his cheeks and turned him so that he faced her. “Tony, even if it wasn’t for this mating imperative, I’d have wanted you anyway.” He snorted. “Stop that. What’s there not to want about you? You’re kind, you’re eager, you’re handsome… wow, are you ever handsome. Hot. Sexy. Kinky, even.” She tickled him with the tip of her tail, delighted when a boyish grin brightened his face -- only for a moment before he scowled it away, true, but she decided that meant she was getting somewhere. “I think I’d fall in love with you no matter how we met, or why.” Tony sighed. Almost reluctantly, he laid his hands atop her thighs and stroked them. “It’s not the first time,” he admitted. Samaelle didn’t need David’s sudden, warning touch to tell her to keep quiet now. She nodded, waiting, not letting Tony look away. He shrugged, uncomfortable. “I’ve been a walking dildo for more than one bored senorita out here at the edge of nowhere. Nothing else to do and nowhere to go unless they think they’re brave enough to try living in the big cities. Bartenders are sexy, so they say, and hard-working-men who won’t beat on a lady are few and far between. So they say. The first few times, they had me fooled, you know?” Samaelle didn’t need to hear the rest. She bent, lightly brushing his lips. This time, her unspoken apology came deep from the heart. “I’ll give you the whole story,” she said, sharing his breath. “I promise. And I promise you that I’ll never lie to you again, either, whether it’s deliberate or omission or just me being a ditz. Okay?” Tony hedged. “My sisters. I don’t have time for this. Lucia was right -- I let myself forget they could be in trouble.” Samaelle exchanged a glance with David, who nodded. “That’s something else we have to tell you,” she said, trying to break it gently to Tony. “I think I know where
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 51 -
they are, and they’re safe. My hand to God,” she hastened to add when he tensed in concern. “They’re probably safer than we are right now. Will you let us fill you in on everything? It’ll all be clear when we’re done.” Tony took one hand off Samaelle’s thigh to rub the bridge of his nose. “Maybe. Do you think you could also promise not to tackle me this time? Once is one thing, but twice and I’ll start to think it’s a habit.” Samaelle threw her head back and laughed, delighted, doubly delighted when Tony chuckled beneath her. They might just be okay. It’d take work, sure, but she had hopes once more.
Chapter Seven Tony scanned the bottles of hard liquor he kept on high mirrored shelves behind the bar. Not too many, and none of them fancy. Johnnie Walker, Jack Daniels, Jose Cuervo, and, for the really hoity-toity, Absolut. He considered his options, knowing he was stalling. When his deliberations went on long enough for him to get disgusted with himself, he snagged a bottle of Cuervo and three clean shot glasses, took a deep breath, and turned back to the two Catkind who had, in less than one afternoon, turned his life upside-down and inside-out. And I keep asking myself what I’m freaked out about. Who wouldn’t want to turn tail and run after a day like this? He wouldn’t, though. He’d stood up to challenges that would leave most men crying for their mommas, not the least of which was shouldering primary responsibility for a bar and parental authority over three wild sisters -- not that they ever knew what he was doing. How he tried to watch out for them. Get it together, Tony. You can do this. Give them a chance. Tony hesitated, not wanting to think, you love them. Don’t let them get away. How was that even possible, to fall for someone -- let alone two someones -- in a handful of hours, most of them spent fucking? Well, when you put it that way… Tony tried to act cool as he approached the round wooden table where he’d parked Samaelle and David. David watched him calmly, gray-tabby-furred arms crossed in front of him. The male Catkind had one heck of a poker face. He’d clean up at Texas Hold ‘Em. Tony wasn’t sure if that got on his nerves or not. Either way, he had an incredible urge to try and shake the stoic out of David and he was torn as to whether he wanted to pounce the guy like Samaelle had jumped him, spreading David open and having his way with the Cat, or just sit down and do shots until David loosened up.
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 53 -
He suspected he’d rather jump David. That, there, was an entirely new set of mind-boggling worries. He’d fantasized every now and again, sure, maybe shoved a finger or two up his ass when masturbating, but making such a fast trip from jerk-off daydreams to begging for David’s cock? To distract himself from those worries, Tony turned to Samaelle, oddly yet reassuringly female despite everything else. Ah, hell. Samaelle looked as if she was on the verge of crying, following his every move with wide, anxious eyes over her sad, down turned lips. The sight tugged at his heart. She might be a lunatic and she might have the fastest motor mouth west of the Pecos, but he couldn’t stand seeing her so miserable. “I’m listening,” he said gruffly, expertly opening the bottle of Cuervo and pouring out three equal shots. “You might not want this, but I do.” “Salt and lime?” Samaelle asked hopefully, answering his unspoken question about whether or not Catkind enjoyed booze. Tony tossed back his shot and came up without a grimace, a trick he’d taught himself a long time ago and was still proud of. “Maybe later. Right now, I think you should start talking.” David took his shot, not a whisker out of place when the fiery liquor went down his throat. Saving the day for Tony’s pride, Samaelle sputtered and stuck her tongue out after her shot. She wiped tears from her eyes and glared at them. “What? I’m not used to this. And there’s no --” She stopped, sulking. Her pouty lips begged to be kissed. Tony managed to stay strong. He poured out a second round of shots and gestured to David. “Start talking.” David inclined his head. “First, your sisters. Family means a lot to the Catkind, more than you might think, and more to us than to others. I think I know where Gabriella and Marnie might be, and if they’re with who I think they’re with, they’re safe.”
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 54 -
“You only think?” Tony asked, suspicious. “I’m not the Amazing Kreskin. As far as I know, they’re with some of our kind. The Catkind. We’re not the only pair who’s come this way recently. I can smell their scent, the ones who were here. Derek and Benjamin, or at least that’s what they go by around humans. Their scent markings tell me they were with the oldest of your sisters.” “You might not be Kreskin, but if you can tell all that from a sniff you’re better than a Miss Cleo.” Tony ran his finger around the rim of his shot glass. Gabriella could take care of herself, he knew that. She was the toughest and most level-headed of his sisters. But with Cats, who knew? David saluted him. “It’s a long story, and I’ll make it as short as I can. The Catkind are a dying race. No, don’t interrupt me. Let me finish. The Elders are too proud, too hidebound to even think about forming alliances, much less crossbreeding between species. Or, the horror, looking to humans to help us survive. Derek and Benjamin were among the first to realize we didn’t have a choice, there. We need you.” Tony’s mind worked rapidly, coming to a stunned conclusion. “Those two would have taken Gabriella off to be their mate?” “Their Empress, actually. Derek and Benjamin are the closest to royalty that those of us who are willing to color outside the lines will allow.” “Hijo de la chingada! Madre de Dios. Ay.” Tony sat heavily back. After a moment, he started to chuckle. “Heaven help us all. She’ll really think she’s a princess now.” David responded in kind, his wry, quiet laughter mixed with a throaty purr. “I suspect she’ll be a good Empress. Derek and Benjamin were born for great things, even if they don’t strike you that way at first, and the Catkind imperative, well…” David downed his tequila in one long, smooth swallow, his throat working. Watching him, Tony couldn’t help but follow the sinuous ripple as the Cuervo went down, no more than he could stop himself from wanting to lay his mouth over David’s throat or wonder if it looked any different when he sucked cock.
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 55 -
Samaelle tipped back her shot, only coughing a little this time, and hopefully offered Tony her empty glass. Tony was starting to understand why people always said threesomes were difficult, needing to pay equal attention to both your partners at the same time. Huh. I’m thinking about this like we’re going to stay together. Tony poured more tequila and cleared his throat before speaking up. “And Marnie?” “Marnie, I’m not so sure about, but I do know that I can smell another female human leaving with the older woman and Derek and Benjamin. Her scent is nervous, but it doesn’t seem to me that she was frightened. The odor isn’t strong enough for that. I’d say she’s with Gabriella, and that means she’ll be all right.” David shrugged. “That’s all I know.” Tony nodded thoughtfully, taking a minute to process before he went on. “Fine. Now, tell me more about the ‘imperative’ thing. If my sisters are safe, then that’s what I need to know about next.” “Samaelle needs to explain this,” David said, laying his hand over her smaller, calico one. “It’s her story to tell.” Samaelle looked woefully at him. Tony couldn’t take it anymore. He took the hand David didn’t have a claim to and clasped it between both of his. “It’s all right,” he said quietly. “I should apologize, too, for acting like a total asshole.” She giggled despite her obvious surprise at his words. “Fresh start?” she asked hopefully. “Clean slate?” Tony squeezed her fingers, then moved his top hand to card through her long red curls, marveling at their silky texture. “Even Steven,” he agreed. “Hit me with your best shot.” “It’s not complicated. I just got so wound up when we met you and I realized you were the one.” “Explain that to me.”
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 56 -
“Catkind…” Samaelle fluttered her hands. Her tail lashed the rung of her chair. “We’ve mated in threes for generations. There aren’t many females born, and the men fight over the ones that do make it.” Clarity struck. “But not you.” Tony rubbed his hand over her bright, domesticcat pelt. Calico. “Because you’re not like the rest of them.” “I’m a freak,” Samaelle said, looking down at their hands. “David and I, we’re genetic mistakes. When we found each other, we hung on tight, you know? We didn’t think we’d ever form part of a mating triad unless we found a third…” She trailed off. More and more was becoming clear to Tony. “A third misfit.” The word didn’t sting. “And when you found out about Derek and Benjamin getting mixed up with humans, you both jumped on the chance to get out.” Samaelle sighed. “Yep. We came here first to try looking for Derek and Benjamin, to pledge ourselves to them. They wouldn’t mind two alley cats like us --” Tony covered her mouth with his fingers. “What did I tell you about that?” he warned. “You can’t change everything overnight,” David said quietly. “For you, we’ll do our best, but it’ll take time.” “Fair enough.” Tony thumbed Samaelle’s tempting lower lip and backed off. “You had your plans,” he said, putting all the pieces together, “and then you saw me.” “And Samaelle was in heat,” David added -- as if that didn’t shake Tony’s newfound composure to hell and back again. He’d seen enough Tomcats and Lady Cats to know exactly what “heat” meant, and why, and what the inevitable results were. Oddly, after the first shock and a moment’s ball-numbing panic, Tony found that it didn’t bother him anywhere near as much as he’d thought it might. “I would have fallen for you anyway,” Samaelle swore, leaning close to him. The scent of sex and woman overpowered the sharpness of tequila. “You’re a good man. I was being honest when I said that, all of it. I love you. Maybe you could learn to love me and David, too.”
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 57 -
Tony closed the space between them and kissed her lightly. This was insane, all of it, but he was tired of fighting it. Every minute they weren’t bound together as a unit wore on his nerves. Maybe it wasn’t what he’d have chosen for himself -- or maybe it was. However he sliced it, this was his life now and he’d do his best, same as always, same as ever. No take-backs or do-overs. And, to be honest, he did love them, goofy Samaelle and stoic David, even if they drove him up a wall half of the time. “Okay,” he said, emotion roughening his voice. He grasped Samaelle’s hand, and then David’s, squeezing both of them. “Okay. I’m in. Let’s do this.” He’d never seen a finer sight than Samaelle lighting up like a Christmas tree, squealing and flinging herself over the table to wrap her arms around him. Her breasts nestled firmly against his chest and her tail waved excitedly as a -- maybe not a puppy’s, but it was the same general idea. As he held her tight, eyes closed with relief and a strange sense of homecoming, he heard the scrape of David pushing his chair back. A moment later, David’s solid warmth blanketed him from behind, the male Cat’s strong chin tucked over his shoulder. Together, the tabby and the calico purred in Tony’s ears, whispering promises and thanks. Tony held on to both, knowing he’d be happy to stay there for hours. It all fit, in his mind. The three outsiders joining as one. For the first time in a long time, his future looked bright. He’d just raised his head, pressing a kiss first to Samaelle and then to David’s waiting lips, and started to speak when a ferocious pounding on the door to Gatos startled them all into flinching. “Tony! Tony, let me in, let me in! Please! They’re after me. You have to help me!” Tony’s heart lodged in his throat. “Marnie?”
Chapter Eight “I thought you said she was safe!” Tony accused, standing up too quickly. The tequila he’d drunk rushed straight to his head, his stomach flipped in a twist of nausea and alarm, and the violence of his rising knocked the chair over behind him. “That’s your sister?” Samaelle asked, staring at the door. She sniffed the air. “I don’t smell any traces of Catkind on her.” “Quit with the sniffing -- it’s creeping me out.” Tony ran his hand through his hair, tugging on his scalp. “You played me again. Lied to me. I’ve had it. I’m done. Get out.” “Tony, no,” Samaelle protested. Tony sneered at her. “Why should I believe you? Give me one good reason.” David caught him by the arm, shaking it. “Here’s a reason for you. Samaelle doesn’t smell any Catkind on the woman out there, and neither do I.” “So?” Tony pushed him off. “You said it yourself -- you don’t know for sure. Madre de Dios, what an idiot to fall for that, to think for a second that my sisters weren’t in any danger.” He pointed at the back exit from Gatos. “Get. Out.” David drew himself up stiffly, chin jutting. “No. Not until you’ve calmed down and thought twice. And let me add a ‘hell, no’ because whoever is out there smells of sweat, drugs and darkness. Not Catkind.” The banging on the door started up again, faster and more frantic. “Tony! Tony, please!” Tony hesitated, damning the Catkind in front of him. He found himself straining his ears, trying to reassure himself that that was Marnie’s voice… and not being able to. Female, shrill, heavily accented, terrified. How could he know for sure? How could he tell?
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 59 -
“Tony, for the love of su hermanas, please!” The woman began scratching and kicking at the door. “They’re after me, and they have Gabriella too!” Hell with it. Tony’s doubts snapped and his uneasiness fled. He didn’t have any more time to waste on David or Samaelle. “Stay out of this,” he warned, hurrying to the front door. David’s words only reached Tony when his hand was on the knob and it was already too late. “Tony, is that door even locked? It wasn’t before.” “Wouldn’t your sister have a key?” Samaelle added. He might have stopped, then, but he’d already flung the door open wide. A tiny woman dressed in the rags of a black metal band T-shirt and cut-offs took one look at him through a messy raccoon mask of dripping mascara and eyeliner, then flung herself into his arms, screaming and sobbing on his chest. “No grite, no grite, no grite,” he tried to soothe, awkwardly petting her hair. Don’t cry. He couldn’t help comparing the limp, greasy strands stiff with old gel to the soft lushness of Samaelle’s red curls. Making a face, he looked over his shoulder at the two Catkind, finding them standing shoulder-to-shoulder. Samaelle looked fierce, as if -what, she was jealous? Ha! David looked furious. “Tony, this is wrong. There’s danger. I can smell it.” Tony shook off the sense of worry that came with David’s words. “I told you to get out.” “No.” David stood his ground, chin high. Samaelle wrapped her arms around his waist, holding on tight. She butted her head against his chest as if she was afraid, but the anger flashing over her told a different story. “Fine!” Tony snapped, trying not to believe them. “You don’t want to go, then don’t go. Just leave me alone until I have time to deal with you.” He turned back to the small, sobbing human soaking his T-shirt with her tears and awkwardly patted her back. He could feel every knob on her spine. Over the sound of her increasingly hysterical wails, Tony heard Samaelle say, “Come with me, David. Leave him to it.”
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 60 -
“Samaelle --” “I said, leave him!” Tony recognized that kind of angry rejection from listening to his sisters scorn ex-boyfriends. He guessed he knew where he stood with them now. Mating forever, his ass. He ignored them with an effort of will; it took a greater, physical effort to pry the woman off him and hold her out to get a look at her face. Not Marnie. Gracias a Dios. Not Marnie. Tony’s breathing eased. “Who are you? What’s your name? Who’s after you?” The woman sniffled, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. She dabbed at the mess of eye makeup on her cheeks, her fingers stained yellow with nicotine. “I’m Suela,” she faltered. “I’m Marnie’s friend. Don’t you recognize me?” Tony bit his tongue to prevent himself from saying that considering the kind of condition she was in, her own mother probably wouldn’t have known who she was. “Marnie’s friend. All right. You said they had Gabriella? Who has her?” “And Marnie,” Suela snuffled. “They have Marnie, too. They’re evil, Tony, evil. They pretend to be your friends and show you all these wonderful things, but then when they get hungry…” Her rambling dissolved into a wail. She nose-dived him, skinny fingers scrabbling at his back as she clung tighter than a tick. Tony barely noticed, his blood running cold. “You’re saying they eat humans?” he asked, his voice not sounding like his own to him. “The Catkind? They’re hunting us?” Suela sobbed and nodded jerkily. “I got away. They didn’t tie me as good as the others. No time to try and get Marnie and Gabriella free. They told me to run, as fast as I could, and find you at Gatos. To get you to come back with me, with your friends and with guns. We have to kill them before they kill your sisters.” Tony couldn’t have said why the questions leapt off his tongue: “Did you hear any names? Do you know who’s keeping them?” “Josh. Tracey.” She shivered. “Derek. Benjamin. They eat when the sun goes down, Tony. We have to hurry.”
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 61 -
Derek. Benjamin. The confirmation turned Tony’s already knotted-up stomach. “All right. Let me get the keys, my cell phone --” “No time!” Suela shook her head fast enough to wing it off her shoulders. She jittered in place with impatience and worry. “Marnie’s my best friend. Please, let’s go now. They’ll hurt her.” “I have to get my truck keys at least, or we aren’t going anywhere.” “Hurry,” she sobbed, tugging her hair. Tony made record time to the bar, digging underneath on the shelf that held their cash box and retrieving his emergency spare key. The memory of Gabriella laughing at him for being so unoriginal stabbed pain through his heart, as did Marnie’s quieter, more fretful worries about what’d happen if they were truly robbed. They all needed his truck. He sped back to Suela, fist tight around the key. “Let’s go.” “Wait.” Her eyes had widened, the whites visible all the way around her dark brown irises. “There’s a quicker way. The way I came.” Tony drew back, frowning. “You said they said to come with trucks and backup and guns.” “I know, I know.” Suela scratched her cheek, ragged nails leaving welts behind. Tony winced. Didn’t that hurt her? “I don’t want to leave them any longer than we have to. We can get them out and come back later with all the other stuff. Come with me? Please?” His nerves jangled in the face of Suela’s hysteria, and despite having a growing sense of a bad feeling about this, Tony nodded and shoved his key in the pocket of his jeans. “Fine. Lead the way.” “Gracias,” she babbled, over and over. Her skinny fingers fastened to the edge of his T-shirt and pulled. “Follow me. Out behind Gatos and past the shed. In the arroyo beyond.” Tony knew the place. It’d be perfect for keeping hostages. “I’m going after them,” he breathed, running ahead of Suela. “Catch up with me as soon as you can!”
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 62 -
Suela shouted something Tony didn’t catch. He didn’t bother asking her to repeat herself. Gabriella, Marnie, I’m so sorry I was such a fool. I’m coming for you. Hold on, hold on, hold on -Fear seemed to give his feet wings. He’d rounded Gatos and come around the back side in the twinkling of an eye, barely giving the rocks by the storage shed, where he’d met Samaelle and David, a second glance when he passed them. He only recognized the blunt impact to his chest when all the air rushed from his lungs, and only knew he was falling when his head hit the hard-packed sand of the desert. He didn’t understand what had happened until a narrow, dark face loomed over him, blocking out the sun and laughed at him. Tony squinted to see the person more clearly. “I know you,” he said, wheezing. “How do I know you? Why did you --” Pressure spiked over his breastbone. Flicking his baffled gaze down, Tony saw the man had planted his foot on his chest and was leaning on it. “You’ve seen me around before,” the man said, gloating. “Usually when you were telling me to get my skinny ass out of Gatos. Not such a high-and-mighty son of a bitch now, are you?” Tony remembered him at last. He swore. “Rafael.” “So you do know me.” Rafael spat at him. “You’re as dumb as you look, Tony, to fall for that trick. You actually believed that stupid crack whore Suela?” He cackled, displaying his yellow teeth, one of the incisors missing. “Madre de Dios, what a waste of skin.” “Gabriella,” Tony said shortly, forcing the word out despite the pressure of Rafael’s foot making it harder to breathe. “Marnie. Bastard. What have you done with them?” “Gabriella? Not a damn thing. I don’t even know where that cunt is. Hiding with her filthy Cat men, probably. Marnie, though…” Rafael’s ugly face darkened. “She’s mine, and she thinks she can run away with some fucking Cats? The hell she will. She’s going down, Tony, and the rest of those abominations with her.” He leered. “See, I
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 63 -
thought I was going to get a chance to kill two Cats for their skins, but then I found a whole bunch of them.” “Skinning them?” Tony said, repulsed. “You’re sick.” Rafael shrugged. “Maybe, but I’m also going to be very, very rich. Men pay a lot for Cat skins. I’m gonna be very, very happy, too, getting rid of those diablos.” He spat again, making a sound like hot grease on a stove. “They’re going to take us over, Tony. They’re gonna ruin the human race. It’s my job, and men like me, our job to get rid of them before they taint us.” Tony kept quiet, too revolted to think of any response. Rafael mistook his silence for agreement or something even worse. He took his foot off Tony’s chest. “You can join us if you want. We’ll overlook what your sisters have done. We gotta kill them, yeah, except for Marnie, maybe -- she’s still mine -- but - ” “The hell you will.” Tony twisted, rolling his full weight into Rafael. Rafael swore viciously, arms wind milling, lost his balance and fell on his ass. Despite the fierce ache in his limbs and his shortness of breath, Tony swung up and over Rafael, straddling him. “Why are you doing this? Huh? Why are you playing with me?” Rafael giggled, high-pitched and shrill. “You think it’s about you, Tony? It was never about you.” He smirked in the direction of Gatos. “I just wanted those two Cats you’ve got stashed inside.” Tony froze. “Samaelle. David.” Rafael laughed in his face. “Already on their way to dead, Tony. I figure I can use their cooked meat instead of their skins for a change. Don’t you smell the smoke?” Quick decisions weren’t usually Tony’s forte, but he’d had an unusual day. His fist connected Rafael’s face with a loud crunch. Rafael screamed, coughing and choking around the blood that spurted from his nose. Tony poured all his frustration into his second punch, and after that one Rafael lay still.
***
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 64 -
Gatos was on fire. As soon as Tony emerged from behind the storage shed, he could see it for himself. Flames licked along the old wood, curling over windows and climbing to the roof. And as far as he knew, Samaelle and David were still inside. Tony shouted for them at the top of his lungs as he ran, churning up the distance between the storage shed and the bar. It wasn’t very far at all, but it seemed to take forever to get from one point to the other, frantically scanning for any signs of his Cats all the while. He loved them, and he couldn’t lose them now, not to the monsters the humans had turned out to be. Stopping at the back entrance to Gatos, Tony had to step back from the billowing waves of heat. He could hear the crispy noise of his hair singing. “Samaelle!” he bellowed, coughing from the influx of smoke in lungs too recently abused. “David!” No sign or sound of them answered him. Terrible images filled Tony’s mind. Rafael wouldn’t have just arranged for the fire to be set without making sure they wouldn’t be able to go anywhere. He wouldn’t let that happen. Not when he’d betrayed the Cats by believing someone else over them. If nothing else, there was no way he’d let a burning bar be their final resting place. “If you can hear me, I’m coming!” he roared before skinning out of his T-shirt and tying the ends around his face, covering his nose and mouth. Be alive. Please, still be alive. The smoke had turned black and greasy, making it hard to see, choking him regardless of his impromptu mask. Tony gagged, forcing himself forward one staggering step at a time, calling out their names. “Tony?” David called back when he made it to the main room of the bar.
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 65 -
“David!” Tony shouted, hurrying. The gray Catkind knelt beside Samaelle, who lay on her side. For a terrible second Tony thought she was dead, until she moaned and coughed. As for David himself, blood trickled from a nasty gash on the side of his head. “Help us. I can’t keep my balance. I can’t carry her.” “It’s okay. I’ve got her.” Tony knelt, hissing at the heat of the floor, scooping Samaelle up in his arms. He smelled it, then, the traces of tequila spilled from her shot glass. Raising wide, terrified eyes to David, he saw that David had understood all along what’d happen. When the liquor caught fire, the explosion would blow Gatos to kingdom come. “Get out of here,” Tony rasped. “Go. Now!” “I can’t balance,” David repeated far too calmly. “Leave me here.” That was it. The last straw. “I’m not leaving either of you,” Tony snarled. He caught David by the arm and hauled him to his feet. Ignoring the Catkind’s curses and bitten-back shouts of pain, refusing to let go of either of his mates, he set his sights on the back exit of Gatos and didn’t let himself stop until they burst out into the fresh air. David sagged, then, and would have fallen if Tony hadn’t been on the lookout for that. “Further,” he insisted, not stopping. “Fast as you can.” They had made it maybe ten feet beyond the storage shed -- Rafael had disappeared, damn him -- when Gatos exploded. Tony hit the dirt, dragging David and Samaelle down with him, trying to shield them with his body. In the aftermath, his ears still ringing, he pressed his ear between Samaelle’s breasts and held his breath. Her heart still beat. Tony sagged over her with relief, fumbling blindly for David’s hand. David’s downy fingers twined with his, squeezing weakly. They were alive. All of them, still alive.
Epilogue Later that night… Samaelle relaxed, the stacked pillows propping her up soft, if not fluffy, covered with clean blue cases. The knock to the head she’d taken -- and wow, hadn’t that jerk had a mean left hook? -- still made her dizzy when she sat up too quickly. Lucky, lucky her that she had both a David and a Tony to nurse her back to health. She purred, muscles rippling gently as she stretched, then giggled as Tony sat up straight and scowled at her. “I’m being careful, honest. I’m comfortable, that’s all, and this is what comfy kitties do.” She bounced a little, testing the mattress. This side-of-theroad no-tell motel that they’d been able to reach on foot wasn’t much, but it suited her just find as a port in the storm. “See? Cozy pussy.” Tony rubbed his face. Samaelle bit her lip, worried that he’d be angry. When he laughed, she exhaled in relief. “Samaelle, you’re going to give me gray hairs long before I’m old,” he said, settling back down at ease. He propped his bare feet up on the motel bed, clean toes brushing her side. His expression changed, shifting from amused to concern mixed with frustrated affection. “Don’t ever scare me like that again, okay?” “If you promise you’ll never jump to stupid conclusions,” she replied archly. “We’re all in trouble, then,” David remarked, limping out of the motel’s small, pokey bathroom, more of a glorified partition between the toilet and the bed. Samaelle held her hand out to him, swinging it when he grasped her fingers and moving over to give him room to collapse next to her.
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 67 -
She expected Tony to fuss at both of them for jostling her. Honestly. Besides the bump on her head -- wow, was it embarrassing to admit a clumsy human had gotten the jump on her -- she wasn’t even hurt. However, she wouldn’t turn down any TLC on offer. Although if she could finally coax Tony into trying some good old sexual healing, that would be much, much better. Increasing the volume of her purrs, she turned carefully on her side and beckoned him with one curled finger. “I know what you’re up to.” Tony heaved himself out of his chair nonetheless and crawled on the bed, flanking her as David did on her other side. He drew her head to his chest and stroked her hair. “Are you pulling your weird mind tricks again? No fair.” Samaelle kissed him. “Nope, it’s not, but we weren’t.” Tony grumbled, his protests losing strength. “We shouldn’t.” Samaelle wiggled, accidentally-on-purpose bumping his cock. “This says differently,” she teased, grasping the half-hard length and running her thumb over the head. “I like what this says.” “Samaelle…” Tony protested half-heartedly. He was lying through his teeth, bless him. Cradled in Samaelle’s palm, his cock swelled and grew. “One of the advantages to being in a mated triad,” she crooned, “are those good old-fashioned pheromones. If one’s in the mood, we’re all in the mood.” “Good to know.” Tony hissed, hips jerking. “I should tell you to stop.” “Why? I’m a big kitty. You won’t hurt me. Or David.” “David concurs,” David said, nestling closer to Samaelle. “It’s affirmation of life.” Samaelle groaned in harmony with Tony. “David, you brainiac, shut up and kiss me.” That, he could do, and did very well, as Samaelle was happy to tell anyone. As his mouth moved down her neck, hot and wet and eager, he insinuated his tail between
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 68 -
her legs and wound around her ankle. Pressing closer, he aligned his own nicely impressive erection along the cleft of her ass and began rocking her slowly and smoothly. Samaelle lifted her leg to give him better access, not so incidentally offering her eagerly wet pussy to Tony. “Come on,” she urged. “You know you want to. I know I want to.” Tony muttered something in Spanish. Samaelle understood him well enough without a translation, especially when he pulled her to him, chest to breasts, and tickled her pussy lips with the head of his cock. “You asked for it,” he breathed into her mouth, thrusting deep without any warning. Samaelle squeaked and held on tight, thrilled to pieces. “Hard,” she urged, slapping David with her tail to tell him she wouldn’t mind his picking up the pace either. “Do it right, Tony. I’m yours.” “You’re mine. And David’s.” Tony bit her shoulder. “Hush.” For once in her life, Samaelle was happy to zip her lips. She clung to Tony with her arms and to David with her tail, riding the thrust-and-jerk between their two bodies. Tony caught her areole between his lips and sucked, biting down when his cock swelled within her and he came, his shouts muffled in her skin. David sank his teeth in the back of her neck, spurting wet and messy over her ass. As they came down from the high, Samaelle giggled from relief and glee. Oh, she’d needed that! She snuggled her two men closely, purring and stroking them with long, slow sweeps until they’d dozed off. The only one left awake, she had time to think over everything, both good and bad. This wasn’t over yet. Rafael and his crew were still out there. They hadn’t been able to touch base with Gabriella or Marnie. No one knew if Lucia had caught her plane or if she’d stayed put. Gatos was no more. All bad things.
Lia Connor
Cat O’ Nines 3: Cat’s Cradle
- 69 -
Yet they had each other. Samaelle was sure, in her heart, that their Catkind mates had Gabriella and Marnie hidden safely away, too, and that they’d have known enough to run away from the wreckage of Gatos if they tried to come back and saw what had happened. Lucia was the only wild card left, and they’d start looking for her as soon as possible. For now, they’d rest and recover. After all, Samaelle thought, smiling, if even alley cats like us can find a home, we all have a chance at a happy ending. And as Scarlett says, ‘tomorrow is another day.’ Tomorrow, the Catkind will win this fight. Wait and see.
Lia Connor Lia Connor supposedly lives in the South, but her job takes her almost everywhere but there. Her laptop is her best friend as she travels. She’s thrilled to be working with Changeling Press. She loves to write about BBW’s, hot, hot, hot threesomes and were-animals. Lia would love to hear from you. You can contact her at
[email protected].
