Howling Moon Read Free Page B

healed from the attack by a vicious cat that had left her parents dead?
    After her shower, she opened the dresser drawers and began rummaging irritably through the contents searching for something to wear. Nothing appealed to her. The garments all seemed so bland, and they positively reeked of fabric softener.
    The logical part of her realized her reaction made no sense. Just yesterday she’d been perfectly happy to wear anything in the drawers. Not today. Today they felt all wrong.
    Finally, at the bottom of her underwear drawer she found what she was looking for, a sleek black bodysuit she’d used in a dance class years ago. She pulled it on, then went to the closet. Near the back she found a blood-red silk blouse that had belonged to her mother but had somehow ended up among Cat’s things. Although Janet and Cat had been blessed with the same j cool blonde looks and dancer’s figures, they’d had wildly different tastes in clothing. Janet had preferred silk and rich, jewel tones, while her daughter dressed almost exclusively in pastels and denim. Still, the red seemed just right for today. She pulled it on, leaving it unbuttoned to fall around her hips. Black flats and a bit of makeup almost completed the look.
    Cat examined her reflection in the mirror. It needed something. Maybe jewelry. She reached into her jewelry box to retrieve her silver earrings and bracelets, only to hiss in pain and drop the hoops on the floor. Her fingers turned red and puffy with what looked like burn blisters – but they disappeared as she watched, healing as fast as they’d appeared.
    Rich, rolling laughter filled her ears, and she looked around frantically for the source, even knowing nobody would be there. No physical body, that is.
    Really, kitten, you know better! Silver? Besides, gold is better for your coloring. But yes, I like the outfit… quite a lot. Very, very nice. You have a magnificent figure. You should definitely show it off.
    “Shut up!” Cat slammed her hands against her ears and then down on the bureau top. She struggled to get back control of her mind from the dark voice – and prayed that Violet hadn’t heard.
    “Catherine, what was that noise? Are you ready to go?”
    Taking a deep breath, she felt the voice recede with a final, creepy chuckle.
    “I’ll be right down,” she called to Violet, and then slumped against the wall. A few deep breaths cleared her head.
    Why should she know better? Why did the silver burn her fingers? There was no time to dwell on it, and she definitely didn’t want her aunt to come upstairs. So she grabbed a pair of gold hoops from the jewelry case, careful to avoid the tangle of silver jewelry, and slid them into her ears.
    She pounded down the stairs to join Violet at the front door, forgetting to hide her lack of a limp. There was no way to hide the fact that her leg wasn’t bandaged, either – the body stocking showed every muscle and curve.
    It almost amused Cat to see her aunt take a long look at her appearance and swallow, hard. “But… you’re not even limping ! How… when – “ She stopped speaking and just stared for a long moment. “I think we should call the doctor.”
    “No.” Cat realized her voice sounded cold, and she didn’t know why. Nor did she care. “I do not want to be poked and prodded like some damned lab rat. We’re calling it a miracle and leaving it at that.”
    She watched her aunt absorb the words. For a moment, it looked like Violet would argue, but apparently she thought the better of it. Good, thought Cat, because I’m not giving in on this. She decided to change the subject: “I’m ready to go now.”
    Another long stare, this time at her clothes. “That’s a different look for you.”
    “Yes. It is.” She waited for her aunt to pass judgment, but the older woman swallowed audibly and held her tongue. Instead, she smiled with false brightness and said, “So, would you rather go to the factory shops or to Cherry Creek?”
    Cat