Sunshine: Tales of an Assassin

Chapter Thirteen

(Author's Note: Brief over view of most of the events from the time that Nathanial picked up Katrina till the end of that last chapter and moving on, sensitive adult stuff...may as well just expect potential violence, and other adult themes the rest of the way through this story, these guys are all just brawling nonstop in my head.)

***Nathanial's POV***

    I arrived at the location where I set up for Katrina to meet me, I know she wouldn't answer to the name right now, but I still liked it better than Sunshine, and I could get the faint scent of her, making my panther purr softly in my head.  She'd asked me to wear something a master would wear, and while it wasn't something I'd normally wear, I found a way to make due.  Knocking on the door, I waited for her to come to me so we could get this started, I'd feel more comfortable being done with this, and while I had sparred with her, I still didn't like this, but felt she'd be safer if she went with me so I could keep an eye on her.

       "You wanted a pet for the night, and looks like you might have found a stray that needs taming." I felt the leather pants get tighter in front looking at her in the outfit she picked, and could understand for a moment why people found this fetish wear interesting.  My panther was admiring her as well, enjoying her fire while I enjoyed her smart mouth, mocking what people called her.

    "I think I may be able to tame a stray kitten so she only claws when she's been given permission, for now, it's time for the kitten to see where we will play tonight and catch some filthy little rats." I smirked and thought for a moment of how she might purr and claw if I stroked her the right way, but that would come later, for now it was all about keeping her safe and getting Gabriel's operation shut down in my territory.

    When we reached the club and sat down, she hadn't sat as I expected she would, but had acted more like the submissive she was pretending to be, eager to please, and since we were supposed to be putting on a show, I pulled her leash, wondering how far she would go, but still enjoying what I was getting at the moment.  Her hands left tingles on my thighs, and nothing had ever felt as right and good as she had touching me, and I could feel her breath teasing my stomach.

    I kept pushing, wondering how far she would go, and as I felt her lips on my skin, I wanted to haul her out right that minute and claim her, my panther on edge, urging me to do so and I couldn't help but allow for a pleased purr to rumble through me, which she hadn't heard but felt and thought it was a growl.

    Control your cat, you wanted realistic, I'm giving that, but your cat needs to know this is a job and I'm not sure why it's so riled up. For one moment, I was trying to understand what was going on, why she thought that my panther was upset, and then realized she thought my beast was growling at her getting to close.  He and I did growl at her calling us a job, it was more than that, so much more.

     "As my cat and I were rather enjoying that feel, we'd rather not be referred to as a job while you touch us like that, kitten." I'd pulled her close to tell her that, nipping her ear in warning, before releasing her, her body rubbing against mine as she slid down again, and I needed to do something to burn off this energy before I took her right now against this table.

    Thankfully that was when the suit showed up, and after some brief discussion where he tried to separate Katrina from me before giving up, he took us to the first room we were trying to find, Katrina commenting that she'd be able to handle the electronic locks without a problem.  I just focused on the shifters and others that were back here, and as we approached the ring, how to keep an eye on her the best while doing this fight.  I knew that we'd have to put on a show, me of being weak, and her of looking for escape from me, but as the half breed entered the ring and started eyeing her, I felt myself getting more and more aggressive, even more so than when I'd had to deal with the wolf or vampire, my beast at least respected them to some point, while the witch was annoying but stupid and beneath our notice.

    I kept the fight going as long as I could, pulling hits and moving slower than usual, trying to keep up the act that I wasn't that strong, I knew I'd have to let him get in a few hits to keep that act up, but as he kept eyeing her my rage was growing, and my beast didn't like her watching anyone but us, while I knew why, his focus was that she wasn't watching him and it made him angry.

    Frustrated by the situation, I'd pushed her away a little harder than intended when we needed to go other ways.  She'd update me then go silent, and as I watched other fights happen, I couldn't reach her or feel her at all when she'd do that, but I did feel a growing darkness, my panther pacing and watching for something, putting me further on edge as the silence continued.  Then I felt a slight tinge of power, the lights all flickered for a split second and she confirmed what she had done, random fights started breaking out in random areas of the room, spreading chaos in their wake, sometimes getting guards involved, sometimes not.  Seemed that her team had come through and was starting the distraction we needed, while I saw Gabriel and the suit dragging another man behind them, I'd warned Katrina that she could only have him if she caught him first, and it looked like he was going to be my prey since I didn't see her anywhere around. 

    After dodging some fights and helping some others get worse, I finally made my way across the room to the hall where I'd seen them walking, only to be confronted by two other shifters trying to block my way.  I was preparing to fight and end them as quickly as possible, the dark feeling growing making my beast far more restless and edgy, when I heard her behind me, her scent filling my nose.

    "Please wait I need..." the sound of something being cut, a grunt of pain, and a voice that switched from pitiful to excited in a split second."...you to stand still."  

    I glanced behind me, and Katrina was there two scythes attached by a chain and both dripping blood, she started spinning one, a joyful smile on her face and oblivious to the drops of blood she was flinging as she walked toward the two guards and me, out of the corner of my eye, I saw them bolt, but at the moment I was more concerned for the woman in front of me.  The need to check her over and make sure she was alright was almost overpowering, but she still had the silver blades out, and getting silver poisoning at this moment wasn't the best idea.

    She noticed my look and found something to clean the blades before putting them away,  the chain hanging on the back of her neck, and she asked where the warlocks were, I pointed the way they headed, unable to form words at that moment as I fought with my beast, my instincts, and my own urges.  The bloody woman was insane, and I was just as bad since I hadn't hauled this human out of here yet, instead she was walking towards the growing darkness, and I snapped, grabbing her and pulling her close to me for a moment, I had to hold her, know that she was really there, even if it was only a moment.

    I said something, trying to explain, but I couldn't really hear myself over the pounding of my own heart and the feel of sparks dancing between our bodies as I held her for that moment, my beast had accepted her, I was well on my way to accepting her, but we couldn't claim her, not yet anyways.

      "I'm fine and right now this is wasting time where we should be saving an innocent that can't protect themselves, get your head in the game."  With that she broke away, heading down the hall directly towards the darkness, and my beast took control, forcing me to shift as I watched her walk head on into what I knew on some level was a form of pure evil.  She stopped and knelt for a moment and I took the moment to race past her in panther form, ripping down the door to the room the warlock had entered, the two men there standing with a third, human from his smell, strapped to the table bleeding.

    Katrina came in after me, launching a bottle of some sort with liquid at their feet, and as the glass exploded,  the room was suddenly overpowered with an herbal scent, the warlocks screaming and brushing at their legs, but the feeling of evil and darkness was dispelling in the room while the herbal scent remained, not taking any chances though, I advanced on Gabriel,  before pouncing on him and pinning him to the ground.

    "I guess I wasn't a good little pet."  Katrina's voice was back to the sickeningly sweet and cheerful voice that she had used before,  and I could smell fresh urine in the air, bothering my nose, while I heard a cheerful laugh.  "Oh my oh my, looks like it won't take too much to break you, which is such a shame, I had so many plans for you, try to do better, I don't want to end the fun too soon."

    She moved into my line of sight, the chain off her neck again, and she had one blade out, while the other was still sheathed, but being swung in a circle, the chain humming softly in the air, and that bright smile on her face.  I decided at that moment, I'd rather receive a nickname like being a stooge than be on the receiving side of that smile, human woman or not, it was slightly terrifying.

    As Katrina was advancing on him, another man came into the room, eyeing the situation with a sigh before finding something to use as a shield, just in case.

    "Agent Sunshine, the guards have been captured, and the captives in the room rescued.  Once we get these two loaded up and get this man into an ambulance we will be done here.  We were asked to remind you to collect the electronic data if possible, all paperwork will be collected soon."  

    The unopened blade swung towards the new man suddenly, shattering the shield he'd been hiding behind, and Katrina just smiled looking back at the second warlock.  "I'd really been looking forward to doing that to your balls, regardless of whatever shriveled little marbles they must be on a scumbag like you.  Run along to your new master pet, and if you are a good little boy, they may not let me play anymore."

    The warlock turned a sickly gray, not putting up a fight anymore, and fled to the new agents that were filling the area.  I growled at Gabriel, and he trembled beneath me, but when the agents came to collect him, I finally backed off, but not without making a show of stretching, showing teeth and claws to full extent.  I couldn't shift back for the moment, seeing as my clothing was shredded, and given what I saw, I wasn't willing to expose myself to Katrina that way while she was riding this mood, I wasn't sure what other tricks she had.

    I watched her sit in a chair, and she fiddled with her boot for a moment, two small USB keys falling out into her hand from the heel of her boot, which explains where she may have had the bottle.  I moved a little closer, watching her cautiously as I eased closer to her.  She had plugged in the two keys, and typed a few commands on the computer before sitting back in the chair.  Closing in I eased my head into her lap, wondering how she would react, and hoping she didn't decide to bring out a blade again.

    Katrina started for a moment, then looked at me, a hand raised almost in question, till I bumped my head against her hand, causing a small, almost shy smile to form on her face, a look of wonder in her eyes.

    "Well, usually when I am around shifters, I only get to see their human form, or their beast at a distance, I've never had a chance to touch one of you like this before."  I settled my head in her lap and relaxed into her touch and smell.  "I must say, your panther is definitely the most handsome one of your kind I've ever seen, and honestly with how amazing it feels touching you I wish I could cuddle up to you for the night, I bet I wouldn't have to worry about getting cold."  The last she said with a slight chuckle, her finders still working magic as they stroked and sometimes scratched my head.

    I wished at that moment that I could spend the night curled up in bed with her as well, though I doubt her thoughts and mine were the same at that moment.