Spell of the Cat

Approaching the shelter in the shipyard section of the city, Keth slipped through the hidden entrace in the back. During the workday, the area teemed with activity and people. This late in the day, the place served as a haven for the humans who lived on the edges of society, the castoffs, desperate for a place to sleep and a meal in their bellies.
Once inside the room on the other side of the sliding door, he transformed. He shook his head, shivering slightly as the cool air touched his naked skin. He turned toward the lockers where clothing was stored for incoming Baashi. Just then, a creature leapt from the top of a cabinet onto the floor in front of him. A massive midnight dark cat with sparkling brown eyes that speared Keth gave a low rumbling growl. The animal meowed, revealing sharp teeth in a pink mouth, and padded toward him. Keth allowed it to sniff at his legs. Then the creature transformed, flowing upright, changing into a man with dark hair and skin.
"Keth!" Grinning, the other man held out a hand to clasp Keth's. "It's good to see you again."
"Brask." He took the pack leader's hand in a return grip, then let go. "I'm glad to be home."
Brask's smile disappeared replaced by frowning eyebrows. "You may not feel that way when you find out what's been going on."
Keth tensed. "I sensed something. What's wrong?"
Brask shook his head. "Humans." He spat the word out. "They've become a problem."
Lifting his brows, Keth questioned, "So? They've come close before. They leave. In the meantime, we can make use of them."
"We thought so. But these are different. They deliberately hunt and capture us."
Keth's hackles rose. "If they know about the Baashi…" He trailed off, turning over the ominous possibilities.
"I didn't mean to worry you about this before you even get inside the door.” Brask slapped him on the back. “Come on, you must be anxious to see your vixen of a sister."
Laughing, Keth retorted, "Hey, she's your problem now, my friend."
Brask put a hand over his heart. "I can't believe you, as my friend, didn't warn me!"
In mock surrender, Keth lifted his hands."I tried, man."
They dressed quickly, then walked into the shelter's lobby. A girl with long red hair sat surrounded by a circle of shelter children as she read from the open book on her lap. The children listened, enraptured by her dramatic embellishment of a caterpillar scooting on a leaf.
Keth's pack operated this shelter, giving the homeless a place to sleep, eat, and take refuge. In cat form, the Baashi could roam among them, while living in the upstairs rooms under the guise of being a charitable organization. His people maintained this shelter not only because they needed the energy of the humans, but also to help them. Even though humans no longer consciously recognized the bond with the Baashi, the shifters maintained it secretly.
On the edge of the circle, he and Brask paused watching Farah with affection. Keth admired his sister's rapport with the human children. She was so full of life that she drew attention every time she entered a room.
As the story came to an end, Brask stepped forward, joining the kids' round of applause. Farah looked up, full lips widening in a smile at her mate. When her gaze moved past Brask, her face lit up even more. She exploded out of the chair and flashed across the room to fling herself into Keth's arms.
She threw her arms and legs around him, planting excited kisses on his cheeks and forehead. Laughing, he managed to push her to the floor. "Okay, okay, I get the picture. You missed me." His voice softened. "I missed you too, sis."
Turning the gathering back over to the regular caretaker, Farah followed him and Brask out of the room to the manager's office. Farah and Brask immediately exchanged a sensual kiss. Keth cleared his throat to remind them of his presence. They parted with obvious reluctance. Brask had bonded with his sister before Keth's last trip. He was happy to see that the relationship was strong.
Farah perched on the desk and Brask sat in the chair behind it. Keth sank onto the sagging couch in front of it.
"Did you hear about the humans?" asked Farah with her usual impatience.
"Brask told me a little. What's going on?"