Hell's Kitty (Welcome To Hell) (6 page)

Felipe never slept heavily. He was a cat
, AKA a predator, and the first rule any killer with an instinct for self-preservation learned was always keep one eye open, lest something bigger and badder come along and decide you’d make a tasty dinner. Or an awesome fur coat, which, given the rarity of his fur, was an attempt made more often than he liked.

Thus
, when the shadowy figures, stinking of fish left out in the open air too long, drifted into the cave, bypassing his makeshift bed to where Jenny slept, he went on instant alert.

What the hell are these things?
Definitely not dinner. He preferred his sushi more fresh smelling. Not friend because friends usually knocked and didn’t arrive furtively under the cover of darkness. And he highly doubted they meant well. Call it instinct, or the obvious.

Careful to only move once the last one slipped past,
Felipe adopted a kneeling position on the couch and peered over its back. With his enhanced eyesight, which had no issues seeing even in this murky dark, he noted a quad of creatures surrounded the bed. Of more interest, they seemed utterly oblivious to his presence, which meant they probably lacked a sense of smell. No creature with any kind of nose would have ignored the scent of cat permeating the place. He’d wager a further guess, judging by their wet appearance, that they were water based and up to no good.

Crouched on the couch, he planned his next move.
Only idiots boldly rushed in. And Felipe didn’t still own at least seven of his nine lives because he lacked wits. He took careful note of their weapons. They each bore deadly black blades, long and jagged edged, not made of steel according to the lack of gleam, but still solid appearing enough. He also observed their webbed fingers ended in claws, with hooks, which he discovered as one of them drew back the sheet covering Jenny. Sweet, defenseless Jenny wearing only a thin nightgown to cover her delicate skin. She shivered in the cool air, and a spark of irritation lit within Felipe.

How dare they disturb her sleep?

How dare they look upon her at all?
snarled his cat.

H
is small ember of ire grew as one of them braced an arm over her chest and covered her mouth with a hand.

He’s touching her.
It wasn’t just the man who didn’t like that. His kitty took offense too.

Time for a midnight snack.

Before Felipe could spring into action, the creature holding Jenny yanked back his hand with a pained grunt, and Jenny uttered a scream that made even him wince. Gods, the girl, who was neither siren nor mermaid, could make herself heard. It set the dark figures around her yelling as they clapped hands to the stubby ears they bore on the sides of their heads.

Springing to her feet on the mattress, Jenny y
odeled again as she kicked the one nearest to her in the face. Of course, her bare foot probably suffered more damage than the creature, or so he surmised by her cursing—a very colorful stream of words to make even the most seasoned sailor blush.

“Let go of me
, you putrid sushi rejects,” she hollered, kicking out at their lashing hands. She hopped around the bed avoiding their lunges, and Felipe jolted himself from the role of observer to action hero—or should he say kitty?—to the rescue.

Thankfully, Felipe always slept in the nude—a fact Jenny failed to notice given she never once looked his way once she went to
bed.With a roar, he split his skin and let his fur pop through. Fangs descended. His body mass almost tripled in size. It took only a moment to exchange his male shape for that of his hellcat, but a moment was all the enemy needed to finally notice him and turn their attention from Jenny.

Excellent.
Come play with someone more your size.

Hind legs bunched and pushed, propelling him off the couch to land in front of one of the monsters from the deep.

“Meowr!” he snarled.

“Blurgh!” yelled the beast.

And with their challenge uttered, they engaged. Four to one. Great odds. Felipe lashed with his heavy paws, claws out, and left a row of gouges across the torso of one. The wound oozed sluggish black blood, but it didn’t slow the creature down.

From behind, another thought to attack, but his tail, which
Felipe swore had a mind of its own, lashed the enemy much like a whip, the barb on the end catching and snagging a chunk of flesh, a sensitive part he’d wager judging by the bellow.

To his surprise, Jenny wasn’t screaming anymore like most women would do if attacked in
their sleep by a bunch of monsters. On the contrary, once she found a light switch and flicked it on, bathing them all in brilliance that had them all blinking for a second, she shouted encouragement.

“Kick him in the balls,” she screeched.
“Tear out his eyes. Rip off his arm. Stomp his toes.” Blood-thirsty requests that he did his best to accommodate, a task made easier every time Jenny spoke. With every word she uttered, the creatures grew weaker, possibly because they bled from the ears and, in some cases, the two slits that passed for a nose. Jenny’s special power at work.

Felipe had
just finished slitting the throat of the last one when a commotion behind him drew his attention. He whirled to see one of the sirens standing there with a gleaming pitchfork, the tips of the tines covered in gore.

“What in Neptune’s beard is going on?” she exclaimed.

“Aunt Teles! I was attacked.”

“So I see. But it looks like it’s been taken care of by your guest.”

Since his kitty no longer seemed needed, Felipe pulled on his other shape, bones popping and fur shedding until he stood there in the flesh. Bare flesh.

From behind
him, Jenny gasped, and from in front, Teles grinned. “Judging by his equipment, I’d say your cat is capable of taking care of more than just a few Undines.”

“Aunt! Mind your manners,” said a shocked Jenny.

“What? Was it something I said?” The sparkling mirth in Teles eyes let Felipe know she did it on purpose to tease Jenny.

He decided to save
the more delicate sensibilities of his green-haired temptress—with the delectable potty mouth. He grabbed his jeans, which he’d draped over the couch earlier, and slipped them on, even as he tried to ignore the bits of blood and gore sticking to him from the fight.

“Are you al
l right?” A tentative touch had him slowly turning, but not slow enough. Jenny yanked back her hand as if burned.

“Perfectly fine. And you? You’re not harmed?”

She shook her head. “No. I woke up before they could do anything, and then you took care of them.”

“With some help. I saw
you kick one in the face. How’s your foot?”

She shrugged. “A little sore. But I’ll be fine. I heal fast.”

Teles snorted. “Fast is an understatement. Now that we’ve ascertained everyone is just peachy keen, how about we go and check on the others?”

“Where are the other aunts?” Jenny asked, a frown knitting her brow.

“It seems your cave wasn’t the only thing attacked. Several quads of Undines invaded the isle. It is my regret to inform you, giant kitty, that one set unfortunately killed your boatman and sank his vessel.”

“Charon is going to be pissed,” Felipe muttered. “He’s already paying an absurd insurance premium for my trip out here.”

“Not as peeved as Thelxiope will be when she discovers they also took out the entire dock area. It took us years to build the last one to withstand the storms. She is going to have a fit when she finds out.”

Jenny winced. “Not another
mini hurricane. The last one totally messed up the gardens.”

As they spoke, they made their way down the volcano, the low glow of solar lights, shaped like
tiki torches, illuminating their way.

“So how many of these sea creatures in total came ashore? And what did they want?”
Felipe asked as he knotted the sheet toga style, more to keep Jenny from stumbling off a cliff in distraction than out of modesty.

“Looks like there w
ere five groups. Two sabotaged the quay. Another two went after our shanty village, while the last set—”

“
Came after me,” Jenny finished. “But why?”

“That’s obvious,” Felipe
replied. “They were after you.”

“Me? What for?”

“Maybe to prevent you from leaving,” Felipe mused aloud. “They did, after all, destroy our means of departure.”

“
A good theory, but I think the better question to ask is who is behind the attack?” Teles remarked grimly as she marched. “Undines are basic and fairly mindless creatures. They don’t act without orders.”

“Who usually commands them?” Felipe asked.

Jenny and Teles exchanged a look, one that said they knew and really didn’t like it. “Mermaids,” they answered in unison.

And if mermaids were behind it
, then not only did this involve Jenny he’d wager, but it probably had something to do with her mother.

Lucifer, you old devil, what scheme have you dropped me into now
?
Because he sure as fuck didn’t believe in coincidences. If the mermaids were suddenly showing an interest in Jenny at the same time Lucifer was, then something was afoot.

And it didn’t take an inner kitty
’s intrigue for him to suddenly want to know what.

A shiver shook
Jenny as the cool, dead of night air kissed her skin, her fault for having forgotten to grab a shawl before rushing from her cave. A warm and heavy arm draped around her, drawing her close to a distinctly male body. Felipe’s half-naked body. Felipe’s magnificent body, which she swore had burned its imprint on her retina in the glimpse she got before he covered it up in some low, hip hugging jeans.

A proper young lady might have protested his familiarity, but her siren aunts raised her better than that.
After a man saves you from possible death and abduction, it seems stupid to shy away. Especially when he feels sooooo good.

She snuggled closer.
“I saw your cat. He’s quite impressive.” And beautiful with his striped fur, long tusked teeth and feline grace.

“
He’s also vain. So don’t be shy with the compliments.”

A giggle slipped out.
“Does it hurt to change into your hellcat form?”

“Bah, a little discomfort is worth the
result. When I’m in my feline shape, I’m stronger, faster, and my senses are more acute.”

“So why bother ever shifting back?”

“I prefer my food cooked and my sex with a woman who can say more than meow.”

Again, she couldn’t help but laugh. “You are incorrigible.”

“Rhymes with adorable.”

And doable, but she kept that comparison to herself.
“Thanks for coming to my rescue.”

“My pleasure,” he purred against her ear, a soft rumble that sent a shiver through her. The arm around her tightened
, and a spurt of warmth that had nothing to do with body heat and lots to do with the sensual kind shot through her.

“Do you really think they were after me?”

“Yes. Someone doesn’t want you leaving this island.”

“And someone is asking for a serious ass kicking!” Thelxiope grumbled. Arriving behind them on the path, her prickly aunt removed Felipe’s arm from around her and draped a cloak
in its place. Shooting the hellcat a dark look, she grabbed Jenny by the forearm and tugged her ahead.

Felipe seemed more amused than offended by her actions, or so
Jenny surmised by the smile lurking around the corner of his lips. With her grouchy aunt by her side and Teles leading the way, they entered the village where the captives were kept. And she did mean
were
.

The Undine
s had done quite a number on the place. Bodies littered the ground. Poor broken sailors who, bespelled by the sirens and without clear orders to guide them, were like lambs to the slaughter. Jenny gasped and covered her mouth at the carnage. Those poor lost souls. Literally.

Brought over from the mortal plane
, it meant they had been alive. Not any longer. They’d died during the attack, and while their bodies littered the ground, their spirits remained, milling about uselessly, unsure of what to do.

“Well, this is a mess,” Thelxiope complained with her hands planted on her hips.

“I’ve already put a call in to Charon,” Raidne said as she exited a hut, rag in hand, scrubbing at the dark ichor staining her blade. “He’s going to send a boat in the morning to pick the souls up.”

Jenny went to speak, but Teles slapped a hand over her lips. “Shh. Not around the ghosts. We don’t need another set of damned zombies on the island. Thank you very much. Why don’t you go wait for us in Molpe’s
cave. It’s closest. Bring your man with you.”

My man? Hardly.
Although it did have a nice ring.

Inclining her head in his direction,
Jenny led Felipe down yet another tiki-torch-lined path to Molpe’s hole in the ground. While Jenny and most of her aunts lived within the volcano, Molpe had taken over an underground cavern. An old lava tunnel apart from the others and close to the shanty village. It served her well in her task to watch over the captive males.

It also resembled a bordello, or so Thelxiope claimed every time they met there for dinner. Jenny wouldn’t know
, having never visited one.

“Your aunt has interesting taste,” was Felipe’s observation when they finished clambering down the carved steps into the huge cavern.

“If by interesting you mean a fetish for red, gold, and velvet, then yes.” Jenny flopped onto an overstuffed couch with a deep seat and a ridiculous amount of pillows. Despite all the furniture around them, Felipe chose to sit alongside her.

“What was all that back there about zombies and ghosts?” he asked, seeming unperturbed by the fact his thigh pressed against hers.

She noticed it, but the plush seating wouldn’t let her shift away without his notice, so she suffered—and enjoyed—the burning heat of him. “Another side effect of my voice.”

“You’re the reason why that escaped group of souls ended up useless to Lucifer?”

“Yeah, that was kind of my fault. It was foggy, and I was on watch, singing, when they came ashore.  I didn’t know they were there, or I would have stopped. Usually, mortals start screaming when they hear me sing, but apparently the damned are a little different. They ended up turning into zombies.”

“Isn’t that dangerous? I thought
the undead were flesh-eating psychos?”

“Not these ones. I mean, they do eat flesh, dead or alive, but only when ordered. My aunts got permission from Lucifer to keep them for a while to use as a cleanup crew for bodies that wash ashore. It beats burning them.”

“You’ve got a strange power, Jenny.”

“I know,” she said morosely, staring at her toes
, which peeked out from the edge of the cloak. The polish on them was chipped. Imperfect. Just like her.

“Hey, don’t look like that. I didn’t mean it in a bad way.” Calloused fingers tilted her chin up
, and his golden eyes gazed into hers. “There’s nothing wrong with being different. Look at me. The only cat shifter currently in Hell. I revel in my status instead of lamenting it.”

“But it
’s easy for you. I mean, look at you. You’re gorgeous and strong. Your kitty is freaking amazing. You’ve got lots to be proud of.”

“And I think you’re selling yourself short. In you, I see a beautiful
, exotic woman with a power she’s still learning to harness who just needs a little confidence in herself and the realization that unique is good. Different is sexy. And … irresistible.” With that final whispered word, his lips founds hers, another kiss, this one a soft embrace, a sensual seduction.

Jenny melted.
What defective mermaid wouldn’t have? He said all the right things. He pressed all the right buttons. He made her feel
alive.

She couldn’t have said if she threw herself on his lap or he dragged her
on to it. All she knew was she sat on him, squirming against his rigid shaft while their lips slid and tongues danced. Her hands roamed, touching the firm muscles of his arms, gliding along their solid expanse to caress the strong muscles of his shoulders before tangling in the silky softness of his hair. She wasn’t alone in touching. His hands performed an exploration of their own.

One slid the length of her thigh while the other managed to cup a breast, a heavy breast with an aching peak.
Oh to feel his mouth on it.
She would have dragged his head to the spot in erotic demand if not for the cleared throat and titter of an audience.

“Would you like us to leave and come back in half an hour?” Molpe asked in clear amusement.

“Oh please, a randy young pair like that. They only need five, ten minutes tops,” scoffed Raidne.

“Am I the only one disturbed
by the fact our niece is making out with a stranger sent by Lucifer with a mission to steal her from us?” Thelxiope rudely added.

“Lighten
up,” Teles muttered, “you old, jealous hag.”

“Hag! Old
! I’ll show you, beanpole.”

Used to her aunts bickering
, Jenny managed to tune them out but not enough to continue her make-out session with Felipe, enjoyable as she found it. With a sigh of regret, she relinquished his mouth, but when she went to move away to a spot on the couch, his arms tightened around her.

It seemed he didn’t want her going anywhere. Rather than kick up a fuss, she nestled against him and watched her aunts face off.

“Do they do this often?” he murmured against her ear.

“Almost daily.
Sometimes more than once. It’s how they deal with the stress.”

“Stress of what?”

“Knowing we’re a dying breed,” Raidne answered as she ignored her dueling siblings to seat herself across from them. “Once upon a time, sailors were plentiful, and we were fruitful. We had many daughters, and the island was full of life. Now…” She shook her head sadly. “We haven’t seen a babe in over a century. It’s why we so eagerly adopted our dear Jenny. Our visiting sailors have diminished in number, and those we do acquire don’t seem to last as long as they used to. Nor are they able to father more sirens upon us. Something has changed.”

“Something is coming,” was Molpe’
s dire addition.

“You a
nd your portents,” scoffed Thelxiope, tossing her tousled hair over her shoulder and taking a regal seat in the club chair. Never mind the bruise darkening her cheek, or the split lip, she acted as if she hadn’t just indulged in a catfight with Teles, who gripped a hank of hair in her hand and glared daggers at her sister.

“
Laugh if you want, sister, but the signs have been getting clearer and the omens more obvious. Something deadly this way comes. From over the sea.”

“There is nothing past the
Darkling Sea,” Teles said.

“How would you know?” Raidne asked. “No one has ever gone and returned to tell the tale.”

“Perhaps what you sense is coming from the bottom of the sea.” Felipe added his observation, and Jenny bit her lip.

The aunts all laughed.

“What? I don’t see what’s so funny.”

“If there were something in the waves
, we’d know. We know everything about these waters.”

“But you didn’t know the mermaids were planning an attack.” His stark observation shut down the mirth.

“Don’t you have a ball of yarn you should be playing with?”

“I prefer chasing down songbirds.” His lips curled in mischief.

Thelxiope glared. “I don’t like you.”

“Does that mean you won’t scratch me behind the ears?”

Jenny couldn’t help a giggle.

Raidne snorted. “I wouldn’t push her, cat. She’s adept with a skinning knife.”

“And we’re getting off topic.” Teles paced the edge of the living room space. “The cat is right about one thing though. We didn’t have a clue the mermaids were capable of this kind of blatant treachery. I thought we had an understanding. What happened to the truce?”

“Truce?”

Molpe explained it to Felipe. “Sirens and mermaids need males, preferably human ones, to procreate. There was a time when we used to fight over them and, in the process, wasted a lot of potential seamen.”

A snicker escape
d Raidne. “And semen.”

“Anyhow, we came to an agreement.
A boundary of sorts. Ships that sailed into or wrecked in a certain area were ours to keep, those outside of it, theirs. And it’s been that way for centuries,” Molpe said, and then in a more ominous undertone, “Until now.”

“I still can’t believe they dared send their mutant progeny to attack.”

Felipe held up a hand. “Progeny? Hold on a second. I thought you said mermaids had only girls.”

“If they mate with humans. But sometimes the mermaids outnumber the males, and needs must be met. In their fish form, there are other ways of getting pregnant. The results of that are the Undines. Male warriors.
Drones in a sense really with no true sense of self. Born and bred purely for protection of the schools.”

“And now being used to break the peace
,” Raidne added.

“This means war!” Thelxiope declared.

“Oh take a pill. We aren’t going to war with the mermaids, but they will have to answer for their attack.”

“
Could it be Jenny’s mother trying to take her back?” Felipe asked.

The sirens exchanged looks
, and Jenny frowned. “Doubtful,” was Raidne’s careful reply.

“Why doubtful? She dumped me here. Maybe she changed her mind.” Which still didn’t make sense.
While Jenny had never seen mermaids in these waters, it didn’t mean her mother couldn’t have swam to the shores and called for her or given her conch a call.

“Well…” Molpe stretched the word.

“Oh just tell her. It’s about time she knew,” Teles said.

“Are you sure?” Raidne asked.

“Sure of what?” Peering at their faces, Jenny could admit complete confusion.

“Oh for Neptune’s sake. Just spit it out. It wasn’t your mother that dumped you here,” Thelxiope barked.