Faline

They both leave, a snick of a lock has my eyes rolling. The room is enclosed glass for Christ's sake, unless bulletproof, I'm sure if I really wanted, I could break it. I turn with a sniff, raising my tail high as I go back into the interior. Giving a last small show if they're still watching.

After waiting a few minutes to make sure they've left, I go back to the door and start following the wall around. Has to have another door right? One to lead outside or even the other side of the house? Surely it's that big. I look up but I still can't see the top, the treetops are that thick with intertwined branches and leafy greens.

I stay as close to the glass wall as I can. It's pretty dark outside, I can tell that, but that's pretty much it since the glass is etched, clouded. Looking up, I can't see a moon anywhere...can't see the sky at all.

Kierra pops into my head, is she a Werewolf now? She'd lived through Anthony's attack, but later on, couldn't be found. Is she in hiding? She couldn't be dead, I refuse to believe that, I feel that, so she has to be somewhere.

I do eventually find another door, looks like it might lead out into a patio-like area, but it's hard to tell when the glass panels are clouded as well. It's sealed, glass thick. That's one thing I noticed while looking, the glass is at least three inches thick. I'd need some serious force to break anything. Only way coming to mind right now is to topple one of the trees, and I don't see that happening.

Continuing on with my search, I'm so intent on the walls that I almost miss the soft sniffle. I stop and listen, not hearing anything for another couple minutes. I keep still, sure it was a soft cry I'd heard. There again, another sound finds me, giving me a direction.

Putting off my search while getting led further into the interior, it gets to a point where confusion fills me before I figure out I need to look up. Sure enough, I see a woman stuffed into the bowl-shaped crotch of a tree. Pretty high up, enough to stay hidden, if you're not making noise that is. Not wanting to scare the poor thing to death by looking like I'm after her, I look around at the trees around this one.

A couple of trees away sees me up and following the tree highway back towards her. Don't want to make noise and frighten her away, but at the same time, don't want to pop up out of nowhere next to her. It's a conundrum. I softly land in her tree, the branch I'm on leading around to the spot where she's tucked herself.

Head buried in her hands as she weeps, it looks like she's been doing so for a while and I'm catching the end of it. No matter what I do I'm going to end up scaring her, so I just sit there. A small sound moves through my throat to get her attention, and as soon as her head shoots up, I recognize her.

She's the one I'd seen when getting carried to the green room. Her long hair falls around her, no longer bound. A black that looks really dull and uncared for.

Raised and scared hazel eyes look like they're about to burst into another bout of tears, face holding a tinge of red, but otherwise, her skin is like ivory. She's so thin, looking almost bird-like. I'm thin, but I have a little curve to me at least.

Her hands fall to her thighs as she stares at me with fear. Other undead may get off on that, but I don't. I slowly lay down, trying out my non-threatening, 'pet my belly' pose. First time doing it, I think it looks right. Her tear-filled eyes are wary, I don't think she recognizes me.

I meow softly, remembering too late that the sounds that emit from me are always deep and constantly bordering on sounding aggressive. I'd roll around, but I don't want to fall off the limb I'm on. With my back feet, I push myself closer to her, aware of how much space I have to me.

Her loincloth is caught between her thighs, the nipple clamps still on. I try closing my eyes and purring. Still sounds scary but hopefully she gets what I'm trying to do, or not do rather.

I even go so far as to widening my legs in a half roll so she can see I'm not male. From what I've seen on Nicolaus' cougar, it's pretty obvious a cat is male when the underside is laid out. No dangly bits here.

I open my eyes just as she reaches for me, it doesn't stop her as she tentatively touches at my belly. My fur isn't really short, but it's not long either. More on the smaller size of medium? Pushing with my feet once again towards her, her hand sinks into my soft underbelly.

Now that I'm more than halfway into the hollow of the tree, I roll slowly back onto my stomach, rubbing my head on her knee. Fear having sent her into the pose I'd seen her in before, I lay there and let her pet me for a few minutes before I move back a bit, sitting up. Thinking about it, it isn't a hard decision. With Nicolaus and Anthony nowhere around, I slip back into my human skin.

I regret it instantly. No pain finds my limbs, yet there's a clawing feeling deep within me. My hunger washes over and through as I gasp, my body finishing it's contorting. Crouched down as I am, I keep my head down with my eyes clenched shut tight as I try to get control.

Breathing heavily as my mind begins to haze over, I think my companion realizes what's wrong, for as I start raising my head, she has her head tilted to the side, baring a pale neck as she sits there rather calmly. A low moan escapes my unused human throat as I see the blood flowing through her body.

I reach out slowly, hand shaking as fingertips touch on the thick vein. Gripping hold of her throat and pulling her to me more roughly than I intend, my eyes are fixed, then close as my teeth sink deep. As the first gush hits my tongue, I pull her closer to my body, an arm going around the bird-like girl while the other holds her head.

At that first explosion of liquid fire, my hunger overtakes me. I try being as gentle as I can, but I went too long, expended too much energy, to be as nice as I want to be. Almost instantly her memories flow into my head. Not yet adept enough to understand and see everything, I catch just the more recent happenings, other memories flashing past too quick to see.

She'd been crying over a woman who was close to her, who'd been killed recently from an overzealous Vampire feeding too deep. I can't see any desire to run away, to escape, Stockholm syndrome goes deep in this woman. A captive since she was really young.

For the most part being treated fairly, beating only comes when she disobeys or refuses anyone's advances. From what I can gather, this house is run much like a bordello and safe house combined. Vampires, Were-animals, and Shifters are all welcome as long as they follow the rules. Said rules being enforced by the Lady of the house.

One sick puppy that one. The knowledge comes across that the Mistress is a major player in the BDSM circles. Her tempered bloodlust known by just about everyone. One image I catch, I can't let go fast enough.

The woman I had briefly seen at the stairs a couple of days ago, she's the one who runs the place, as well as everything and everyone in it. In the memory of this woman, the slave girl is in a room as her Mistress takes her pleasures from Anthony in his tall 'monster' form. Sick puppy indeed, that was not a visual I needed.

I let it go before I can catch any more details. Feeling the submissives heart labor, I get myself to pull back with some effort. Laving my tongue over the punctures I made to seal them closed, I lower her to lean back against the tree trunk. Staying close to make sure I haven't killed her, I watch on a little worried.

Whispering my apologies over and over to her, my own tears start to burn in my eyes. I was able to pull back, but was it in time? She has a confused look on her face as she looks at me, probably not used to anything apologizing to her. If it was done at all. Clearing my throat, I ask her for her name.

"Avina. My name is Avina."

I bob my head, managing a small smile.

"My name is Faline, and I swear I didn't mean to hurt you. I spent too much time as a cat. I've seen you around before."

She nods at me, pulling her legs under her.

"The one everyone is calling Kitten. Not many saw you getting carried around, but it was spread around pretty fast."

What the fuck. I fall back onto my heels. Trying to not be angry at her as being one of them who had seen. That I don't really care about, it's the damn name.

"I am not his Kitten."

She nods again, her head going low in a bow. Looking her over, it takes me a minute to realize she thinks I'm going to strike her. I reach forward and pull her face back up till her eyes look at me. Giving her a smile to show it's okay.

"I'm not like the others around here. At least I hope not. I haven't been a Vampire for very long, I'm just trying to survive the one who made me. Waiting for the time I can be free again."

At the mention of being free, her neutral expression falls into that of fear. She reaches forward and grips ahold of my hand.

"You must banish those thoughts, they only bring pain. I've been in the Lady's service for years, freedom is not what everyone seems to think. An older woman years ago had taken me with her as she 'escaped'. She kept me with her for two days before leaving me in an alley. I almost died in that alley as many men went through, taking my body. Only way I survived it was one of them passing through knew the Mistress and recognized me."

She shakes her head and lowers it once more, hands retreating back to her lap.

"He took what he wanted first, then brought me back here, telling her he had found me exactly how I was. She knew he was lying, but didn't say anything. I wasn't blamed for leaving since it wasn't my idea. Coming back here is what keeps me safe."

She pauses for a moment, then continues as I look her over.

"Later that year I was summoned into one of the Mistress' playrooms. The man that had brought me back was hanging from the ceiling. Held up by hooks buried in his back and chest. I had went in scared, but she calmed me. Talking to him, asking him if he really thought her so stupid as to not recognize his scent on me. She gave me a choice to go or stay, I stayed. I watched her strip his skin from his bones, let him heal, then do it all over again. I tried to feel pity for him, but I couldn't. I did however, at one point when I was alone with him, tell him that I was grateful that he brought me back home. I don't think he believed me, but I was and still am, very grateful."

Avina looks up at me, her voice had gone firm. Can't honestly say I'd do anything different than what she had, so I tell her that. The woman lets out a small sigh.

"Mistress had him burned after a couple months. She told me his screams no longer brought her any pleasure, so he became useless."

I nod slowly, still not sure if I'd do anything different, but the whole part about his screams gives me a chill. While she'd been talking, I took the time to look her over. There are many scars that speak of hard use, most of them faint. The newer ones from patrons I'm assuming she 'took care of'.

She may be a well-treated slave, but slave she is. She just doesn't see it, thinking she's beholden to the woman who runs the place. With the stubborn conviction Avina has, there is no 'outside' for her. To her, this place is her home, and the goings-on just a typical day just like any other. I have to be very careful about what I say around her.

"What about the one who you were crying for? What happens to the one who had killed her?"

Hazel eyes tear up once more, but she visibly swallows them down.

"Mistress is taking care of it, I'm not sure what will happen. Since she trusts me to never leave, she lets me come in here when I have no more chores to do or between clients."

I desperately want to ask her to open one of the doors out of here, but with my mention of wanting freedom earlier, I seriously doubt she will. Not that it matters anyway, as I hear Nicolaus calling me, his voice carrying through the trees. I heave a sigh. Avina looks scared again, so I pat her knee.

I thank her for letting me feed from her, making her again look shocked, and tell her that I'll lure him away so she can leave if she wishes. When she nods and moves to climb down, I touch her shoulder lightly, when she looks at me, I ask her if I can feed from her again if I need to.

It was hard getting the question out and felt all sorts of wrong. It looks like she understands as she gives a small smile and nod, telling me hurriedly that she can mostly be found on the third or fourth floors. As she makes her way down the tree, I call my cat back to me.

Walking along the tree branch highway as the change takes over my body, I jump to the ground on four paws and mosey away from the direction she went. I can hear the deep chuff of Nicolaus' cat as he comes looking for me. Having not shown up right when he called will probably have consequences.

I can't even care about that too much as I feel so much better than I have in days. The fresh blood coursing through me bursting with energy and life. I'm still really hungry, more than what I would deem healthy, but there's something in me now.