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Rain ran, and the tom followed.
His musky stench filled the crisp midnight air, always one step too close no matter the distance between them. Rain's feet skidded on the damp pavement. She kept going. Her heart threatened to burst free from her chest. She kept running. Her womb begged her to surrender, begged her to let him take her, begged her to let him claim her. She ran faster, legs pumping as hard as they'd go. She'd run until they fell off if she had to, would then crawl on her hands until death to free herself from him.
The burn in her legs and her lungs said the end would come sooner rather than later.
After what felt like forever, she spotted an alley, and prayed to the gods for a queendom inside it. If she found a Queen's court, she might also find sanctuary. If she ended up trapped, she'd regret it.
Luck was on her side. At the end of the alley stood a tall, wooden fence, with a large crown painted in silver upon it. Alley cats. She might have a chance after all.
Just a few more steps, she told her exhausted body as she bolted toward the fence. Just a few more...
She jumped at the fence, but misjudged the distance, and she slammed hard against it. Splinters dug into her palms as she clung to the top, desperately kicking her legs for more traction. Gods, she was so close, just a few feet from freedom, and he was already almost upon her.
With the last of her strength, she yanked herself up. His hands closed around her calves, his sharp claws digging into her skin. Rain kicked at him, legs getting torn to shreds, and one foot met his face with a satisfying crunch. He howled and yanked his hands away. Rain lost her grip and plummeted over the fence.
Her back met the pavement with a bone-jarring thud.
Outside the fence, the tom shouted obscenities and threats. Rain lay on her back, panting, eyes clenched against the harsh glow of the overhead streetlight. The tom didn't matter now. Few toms dared to try to breach the walls of a queendom. Not like the dogs, who...
No, she didn't want to think of dogs now. She was alive, and as safe as she could be in an unfamiliar Alley.
She turned her attention to her body, and cataloged her injuries. Nothing seemed broken, thank goodness, just bruised or scratched and throbbing. She'd catch hell from it all in the morning. That would be later. She blew out a relieved breath. Like always, she'd survive.
As she regained her bearings, she heard footsteps coming toward her. Her ears pricked up, and she sniffed the air, but she was still too dazed to assess any threat. Slowly, Rain raised her head, her neck protesting vehemently. A gray tabby who was missing part of an ear approached, her tail standing tall. When she saw Rain watching, she smiled, the fine lines around her brilliant eyes crinkling.
Rain rolled over, and pushed herself up on her wobbly feet with a groan. Her legs screamed at her, knees nearly buckling under the strain, but the tabby rushed to her side and caught her easily, before she could fall.
"Careful," the tabby said, helping Rain to her feet. "I've got you."
Up close, Rain could see fine, white hairs scattered throughout the tabby's fur and the long hair on her head. As her senses came back, Rain felt the gazes of other cats surrounding her, smelled the many women lurking in the shadows. The tabby nearly drowned out the rest with the scent of her power.
Fragments of stories came together in Rain's mind. A beautiful gray tabby, missing part of an ear, older, and carrying herself with an unmistakable air of authority. A frisson of fear ran through Rain. The pieces fit.
She'd landed in Feral Alley, and the woman, no doubt, was the Queen.
They stared at each other, silently sizing up one another. The Queen's inquisitive green eyes seemed kind, but wary. She didn't seem to pose a threat. Still, Rain was on edge, still catching her breath and itching to flee.
The Queen inhaled deeply, taking in Rain's scents—the fear, the Heat, the adrenaline. From the way her gaze softened, she must have detected the ever-present grief as well. She smelled of compassion, not pity, and her scent was laced with sincerity.
Still, Rain expected to be torn to shreds when the Queen snapped her fingers and called out, "Take care of our visitor, my loves."
Feline women of all colors rushed from their shadowy hideouts, bound not for Rain, but for the fence. She watched, astonished, as they disappeared over it. Someone screamed—the tom, it sounded like—and was abruptly cut off with a sickening gurgle. The nauseating scent of fresh blood flooded the air. Rain slammed her eyes closed.
Something pressed against her shoulder, and Rain jerked away, hissing, her hackles rising.
"I'm sorry, friend." The Queen held up her hands, a placating gesture. "I mean you no harm." She curtsied for Rain, then took a cautious step toward her. "I know you're scared, but there is no need to be. We're not as bad as everyone thinks."
Rain tensed, ready to lash out, nerves on edge. She bared her teeth and her claws.
The Queen didn't flinch. "I'm not going to hurt you," she insisted, taking another slow step, and another. "As long as you don't hurt me or my court." She glanced down at Rain's calves. "You've been wounded."
"I'm fine."
"There's no shame in not being fine—not here." She reached out, tentative, not seeming to care if Rain struck her. Rain closed her eyes, forcing herself to stay still, and the Queen laid her hand on Rain's shoulder once more. "Breathe. Just breathe. We care for each other here."
Rain couldn't remember who'd last touched her so gently—her mother, her sisters, her lovers? Had it been Noire as she'd kissed Rain's neck, or Luna relieving her last Heat?
Nor could she recall the last time anyone had spoken so kindly to her. We care for each other here. Such pretty words. Did anyone care about anyone anymore?
"No one is going to hurt you now," the Queen said, rubbing Rain's shoulder and arm, the touch echoing all the way down to Rain's gut. "You're safe."
Safe. Right. Rain resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
"Will you tell me your name?"
Nerves darted about in Rain's stomach, and though the Queen's scent of sincerity never wavered, Rain decided she'd just play along. She let her hands fall to her sides, retracting her claws. "I'm sorry," she said. Her muscles still trembled with tension. "I've just—"
"I think we've all had unpleasant encounters with toms while in Heat," the Queen said, with a wry grin, and let go of Rain's arm. "No need to explain."
"That's not why—" Rain cut herself off, biting her lip. Playing along. Just playing along. That was all she was doing. There was more to her story, but if word got back to the Hounds that they'd left a survivor, they'd come after her. Rain wasn't about to tell her life story to a stranger.
"I know," the Queen said. "I can tell." Then, she tilted her head, and began circling around Rain, sniffing again. "Are you a stray?" she asked, her body brushing against Rain's. "Or do you belong to an Alley? I'm afraid I don't recognize you. Where are you from?"
Rain flinched. Damn. Common, almost obligatory questions, but it still gave Rain a start every time she heard them, still opened the gaping void in her heart open a little wider. The one story she didn't want to tell, and in the chaos, had forgotten she'd have to. Outside of an Alley, she'd lie. But most Queens didn't take kindly to liars.
"I used to," Rain replied, around the lump tightening in her throat. Keep it vague, she told herself, and tried to swallow the tension in her throat. It didn't budge. "The name's Rain."
"Rain..." The Queen pursed her lips. "You wouldn't happen to be Princess Rain, of Narrow Alley, would you?"
Rain didn't answer, but something must have shown on her face. The Queen sucked a sharp breath through her teeth. "You are, aren't you?"
After a moment, Rain forced herself to nod.
"My condolences for your loss, Princess Rain." She bowed her head. "I heard what happened. Everyone thought you had died with the others. How on earth did you—"
"Long story," Rain said, her hand going to the scars on her belly—long-healed but still raw nonetheless. "One I'd rather not talk about, if that's okay. Let's just say some of us have nine lives and leave it at that." Then, she nodded toward the thick, jagged lines stretching from the Queen's neck down past her chest, only a few of the many scars etched on her torso. "Don't we, your majesty?"
"Feather," the Queen said, extending a hand. There were more scars on her arm, from teeth and from claws, and maybe a burn. "Please, we are both royals—if I may call you Rain, you may call me Feather."
Rain took Feather's hand, expecting a handshake. Instead, Feather brought it to her lips for a light kiss. Rain shivered.
"Welcome to my queendom, Rain," Feather said. "Let's get you cleaned up and taken care of, shall we?"
Feather led Rain upstairs in an abandoned building, easily supporting Rain as she limped, and into a room that smelled damp and old beneath the fruity tang of lit candles. "Not much," Feather said, and helped Rain settle into a rickety wooden chair, "but it's mine. And this—" Feather perched on the edge of a table. "—is my throne."
After, Feather took control of Rain's care herself. As she plucked the splinters from Rain's palm, Rain kept glancing between her, the door, and the broken windows, poised to run. But Feather's tone remained soothing whenever she spoke, and she made no moves toward a weapon or toward baring her claws.
Slowly, Rain grew more at ease, until Feather started licking Rain's sore hands. The droning hyperawareness and tension inside flared back to life, intense and heady, and Rain's cunt grew wetter with every healing lick. She crossed her legs, hoping to relieve some of the discomfort with the pressure, but that didn't help.
Feather surely noticed, but she didn't seem bothered. She kept grooming Rain, leading her over to a tub of soapy water and helping to wash the dirt and the blood from Rain's skin and wiry brown fur. Soon, Rain smelled clean and strongly of lavender soap, until Feather rinsed her. Then, Feather led her to a bed covered in large and colorful pillows, and licked away the clear water left behind on Rain's fur.
Rain was certain she'd never felt so turned on before.
Once satisfied, Feather asked, "Are you hungry?"
Not for food, Rain wanted to joke, but she didn't. Her blood simmered, nerves sizzling with the need for sex. No matter how much her empty belly ached for food, the hot pain of lust drowned it out.
Rain breathed deep, trying to push the arousal aside. "No," she replied. Her stomach clenched hard in protest. Her Heat told it to shut up.
Feather let out a noncommittal, "Hm," and sat beside her. "What about comfort?" She placed a hand on Rain's back, between Rain's shoulders. Rain shivered at the touch. "Or...something else, perhaps?"
Biting her lip, Rain turned to her, eyes wide. A new scent melded with the others hanging in the air—desire. Feather's desire. Rain licked her lips. "You would do that?"
"I—" Before Feather could finish, someone knocked on the door. Feather looked disappointed. "A queen's work is never done," she muttered, then, in a louder, brighter tone, she called out, "Come in!"
The door creaked open, and a one-eyed longhair with ruddy fur stepped inside. She bowed in front of Feather, and Rain noticed the longhair was missing part of her tail. None of her business.
The longhair gave both Feather and Rain a courteous nod. "We've taken care of our visitor, your majesty, as you requested," she said, and a thrill of fear ran through Rain's chest.
Feather must have noticed Rain tense. She began rubbing gentle circles on Rain's back, and she leaned in and murmured, "You're not a visitor. You're a guest. Big difference." Aloud, Feather said, "Injuries?"
"None," the longhair replied, and grinned, showing off her sharp teeth before licking her lips. "Not on our side, anyway."
Feather nodded her head once, looking satisfied, and she motioned for the longhair to stand. "Thank you, General Sunshine. Come to me."
The General leaned in, and Feather gave her a slow, tender kiss on the lips. "You are such a good girl, Sunny," she said, and General Sunshine purred. "Now go, my lovely girl. Enjoy the rest of your watch, and give Lieutenant Velvet a good and filthy kiss for me when she's through teaching the kittens."
Once General Sunshine was gone, Feather turned her attention back to Rain. "Now, where were we?" Feather asked. "Ah, yes. You were wondering if I would help you with your...issues." She glanced at Rain's groin, then back up to her. "And my answer is yes, I would."
Feather moved her hand, and Rain missed it immediately, until it settled against the back of her head. "We all need to be cared for every once in a while. You need someone to take care of you now." Feather scratched the sensitive place behind Rain's ears, while her other hand slid between Rain's thighs, inches from Rain's aching cunt. "Someone to give you some relief from this wretched world."
The words weren't questions, but Rain still replied with, "Yes, please," and purred as Feather nuzzled her with her nose. But she couldn't shake her apprehension. "Why you, though? You're the Queen."
Feather's huff of a laugh was warm against Rain's ear. "A good queen always takes care of her subjects—you know that." She playfully nipped Rain's ear, just hard enough to sting. Rain gasped. "And I am a very good queen."
In one fluid, graceful motion, Feather straddled Rain's thighs, and without missing a beat, pulled Rain into a kiss. Rain moaned, and her eyes fell closed. As Feather's lips slid against Rain's, Feather cradled the back of Rain's head in her hands, guiding her gently. Her tail coiling around Feather's, Rain surrendered to the salt taste of Feather's lush mouth, to the hot weight of Feather on her lap, the frenzied glide of lips and tongues against each other.
If this was how Feather treated her subjects, Rain would gladly bow to her. She pulled Feather closer, closer, until she lay on her back with Feather stretched atop her. Her fingers dug into Feather's back, hands cushioned by the sleek silver fur, and she arched against Feather, seeking the delicious contact she craved, but it wasn't enough. Having Feather so close, the friction of Feather's sweat-damp breasts and firm belly pressing down on her own, the kiss—none of it helped. Her body ached to be fucked, wringing her smoldering gut into knots she couldn't untie. Not by herself.
Reluctantly, Rain pulled away from the kiss, and whispered, "Touch me," upon Feather's lips. "Please."
Without a word, Feather kissed her again, slipping a hand between them, and she pressed her palm firmly against Rain's swollen cunt. Rain moaned. Gods, she could almost come from that touch alone, from the simple pressure of one callused hand. She thrust against Feather's hand, grinding her hips against it, half expecting Feather to pull away. Instead, Feather chuckled into her mouth, and teased Rain's most sensitive skin with her fingers, avoiding her clit, moving as much as the cramped space between them allowed.
Small whimpers escaped Rain's throat, and Feather seemed to swallow them greedily, kissing harder whenever Rain made another sound. Feather's purr rumbled between them, the rich sound reverberating down to the marrow of Rain's bones, fueling the pounding of her heart and the throb of her cunt. Rain tried angling her hips just right, tried to urge Feather's fingers between her wet folds, and was almost there...
Feather broke away from the kiss, and dragged her lips along the jut of Rain's jaw. "Not yet," she said, voice rough and low on Rain's skin. "I have something better than that. Something from my own special collection."
Rain couldn't help a small cry of frustration. She was so close it hurt, so desperate for release that her universe had compressed into the hot need within her belly. "Please," she said, begging with her eyes. "Feather, please."
Feather slithered down the length of Rain's body, dragging her lush lips and rough tongue over Rain's skin, skin that cried out to be touched. Every rasp of wet tongue, every scrape of sharp teeth made Rain writhe, made her push herself toward that gorgeous mouth and then pull away, overwhelmed by sensation and need.
Then Feather got to her feet, and Rain immediately mourned her absence, letting out a low mewl of protest as cool air and emptiness hit her sweaty skin.
"I'll be back," Feather said, pressing a kiss to a scar on Rain's belly. Then, with a wicked gleam in her eyes, Feather raised her hand to her mouth and licked. Rain shivered.
Feather's pink tongue curled around her fingers in deliberate, lingering swipes that cleaned Rain's wetness from her skin and stole the breath from Rain's lungs. So easy to imagine that tongue elsewhere, rough against Rain's most delicate skin, confident as it explored.
If she didn't come soon, she was certain she'd die.
The air felt heavy around them, dense with the scents of sex and her Heat, with the tiny noises of pleasure from Feather sucking on her fingers and scorching Rain's nerves. All Rain could do was watch, unable to bring herself to move even if she wanted. She didn't want. She wanted Feather to touch her, was ready to beg until the end of her life to get Feather to fuck her.
Gods, Feather was beautiful. Rain desperately wanted her. Wanted Feather's buried tongue in the depths of her cunt, wanted Feather splayed out on the bed so Rain could taste her scars and her strength, wanted to consume and be consumed. And from the way Feather looked at her, Feather knew.
Feather untangled her tail from Rain's and trailed it over Rain's leg, pausing once to let it wrap affectionately around Rain's ankle, and she walked to her dresser. Rain watched her, transfixed by the slinking sway of Feather's round hips and the lazy wave of her sleek tail.
From a drawer, Feather pulled out a simple, black stick. Its glossy surface shone in the flickering candlelight. "Humans have some good ideas," Feather said, reverently stroking the thick length. "Like sex toys."
Rain licked the inside of her dry mouth, and tried to find her voice. All she could come up with was a flippant, "And no spikes on their dicks."
Feather laughed softly, and said, "True," as she made her way back toward the bed. Stretching out atop Rain, she explained, "This one is called a 'vibrator.'"
"A vibrator." Rain swallowed. Excitement fluttered in her stomach. Vibrator. She liked the sound of that.
"Yes. And I'm sure you can guess—" Feather paused and flicked a tiny switch on the end of the toy, and the vibrator buzzed to life, quivering in Feather's hand. "—what it does."
Before it even touched her, Rain moaned. Feather chuckled. "Aren't you a lovely creature," she said, in a fond tone, and traced the toy lightly over Rain's cunt. "You need this so badly, don't you?"
Rain saw stars. Imagination paled in comparison to the vibrations against her sensitized skin, to the gut-wrenching burn in her nerves and the near-overwhelming want in her belly. She arched off the bed with a guttural groan. "Oh, fuck," she whispered. "Oh, fuck."
"Good?" Feather asked, pulling the toy away. Rain could only reply with an undignified whimper, one that made Feather laugh. "I wonder just how much it will take to undo you. Or how little."
She dragged it over Rain's cunt again, lingering, making Rain squirm. It was the most exquisite torture, hot and beautiful and so good, so good. Nothing mattered but the maddening vibrations, the need of the Heat, the tension spreading through Rain's body, curling her toes, twisting her fists in the pillows beneath her, clenching her eyes shut. All Rain could think was a litany of yes, please, don't stop, as Feather trailed the toy back and forth across Rain's flesh.
"Don't stop," Rain choked out between ragged breaths, her words and her body quaking. "Please, please, please..."
But Feather did, pulling it away with a teasing grin, and Rain thought she would die. She unleashed a torrent of swears, cursing Feather's name and queendom, and all else she could think of. Not the wisest of words, but Feather looked on with amusement in her lust darkened eyes, and she moved the toy closer, so close to Rain's cunt, but not enough to touch.
"I wish you could see this," Feather said. "You are so beautiful when you beg."
"Do it," Rain said, through gritted teeth. "Fucking Gods, please. Inside. Your majesty..."
Feigning nonchalance, Feather airily said, "Well, if you insist..." and eased the vibrator between Rain's folds. It was so good it hurt, painful and too fucking much and never enough, and then Feather thrust it in. All Rain could think was an emphatic fuck as she clenched and throbbed around the buzzing length, as the in and out slide of the hard toy dragged her deeper and deeper, closer and closer, so godsdamned close.
Something rough pressed against Rain's clit, and rubbed circles around it. A knuckle, Feather's knuckle, moving in swift, firm strokes against sex-slick skin, until...there.
Rain froze. A place deep in her mind shattered. Release crashed into her, flooding her body, stealing her breath. Warm calm spread from her core through her veins, relaxing every inch of her at once. She gave in, moaning hard as she finally came undone.
Panting, Rain collapsed into the depths of the pillows, and let herself fall into a gorgeous daze. Aftershocks ran from her cunt to her toes, a live wire sparking beneath her skin. Slowly, Feather withdrew the vibrator, and it made a wet sound as she pulled it free.
Rain didn't care. All that mattered now was peace.
In the still life of the afterglow, they existed together, lying side by side with legs and tails tangled. Feather ran her fingers down Rain's back, combing through the fur along Rain's spine, making Rain shiver. Rain let out a contented sigh, and purred.
"You can stay as long as you like," Feather said, breaking the comfortable silence with soft words. She nuzzled the side of Rain's head. "I think I'd like it if you stayed a while, though. I'm always in need of someone who understands our side of a queendom."
Drowsy, Rain said, "You just met me. I've just met you." And yet she'd let Feather touch her, had let Feather see her at her most vulnerable, had bared her belly and her cunt and had neither slashed open. Instead, Feather seemed as gentle as her namesake, and for once, Rain wasn't afraid.
"I have good instincts about these things." Feather kissed Rain's shoulder, and, with an almost shy smile, she added, "You don't have to make up your mind yet—or ever, if you wish. But my nose tells me you'd be a very good fit around here, and anyone who can survive the Hounds is somebody I want in my corner."
The pang of memories came back in Rain's chest. Would it ever go away, she wondered. Doubtful, but maybe it could become easier to bear. Maybe if she stopped running. Maybe if she could finally stop.
"You'll think about it," Feather said, "yes?"
Rain decided to take that step. "Yeah," she said, and wrapped an arm around Feather, pulled her in closer. "I'll think about it."