Chapter 37: Mandy and the Lady

I didn't bother getting dressed. If Mandy was in the mind state I was sure she was in, then clothes would only slow things down. There were three other doors in the hallway and no signs of anyone else in the house.

The first door opened to a bathroom that was in desperate need of cleaning. I checked the shower anyway to make sure no one was hiding behind the curtain. Nothing. The next door led to another bedroom, though less furnished than the one Mom and Monique were in. Again, nothing.

The last door was locked. The door knob was still there, but it didn't want to turn. I had the strength to twist it off, but that wouldn't get me into the room. Then something big hit the door from the other side. I could hear scratching and low growls, but other than that, nothing. Apparently I had found Mandy. It made me wonder where Ryan was. Then a flash of Mandy kissing Ryan back at the mall a couple of days prior entered my mind. Maybe Randal had tried to use Ryan to set Mandy off, if he knew her secret. Maybe not. I couldn't see how, unless he had been able to hear her thoughts. I shook my head and focused on the task at hand. Trying to understand what Randal was doing would have to wait.

"Mandy! Stand back from the door!" I called out. There was more scratching and then nothing. Another lock-breaking kick and I was in. Almost as quick, something hit me and knocked me to the floor.

I rolled away and tried to get on my feet but it was on me again. I couldn't see, pinned face down to the floor, but I could feel the heat of its breath. I still couldn't feel Mandy, but the growling voice somewhat resembled hers. Then I heard another door open and gasps. Then the weight was off me. I knew what was happening.

My adrenaline kicked in and everything slowed down to a crawl. Mom and Monique were pale and wide eyed, staring at the thing that had knocked me down. It was in mid-air, having already launched itself at them. I moved up quickly, even though it looked like everyone was caught in freeze-frame, and knocked the thing into the wall. It may have had better strength than most humans, but it couldn't match mine or my speed.

I looked into the stunned face. Though feral, it was Mandy. Not only had she returned to her cat form, further details had been added. She had canines again, and her hands were curled into sharp claws. She was far more dangerous than she had ever been before.

I was still moving so fast no one else would know I was there. I turned, grabbed Mom and Monique like two mannequins, and carried them out to the front yard, then went back. Mandy would have to be subdued so she wouldn't hurt anyone, or worse, herself.

Mandy had half rolled back to her hands and feet. She would move on all fours like a real cat. She was only reacting instinctually, which was why I couldn't feel her as I'd guessed earlier. Those higher emotions of a human just weren't present, and neither was the intelligence to communicate. All she understood were the basics: hunger, survival, and hopefully, mating.

I stood in front of her, braced for her next attack. She had been hurt and would be ready for a fight. I didn't want to hurt her, but she would have no compunctions about me. So, it was self defense.

Don't ask what made me do it, sometimes I don't understand my powers and other times I wonder if somehow they have motives separate from mine. Sometimes, like now, I wondered if my subconscious used my powers in ways I didn't consciously understand, to achieve my goals. Whatever the case, my Charm reached out to her. I watched her pace pick up as I relaxed into what I needed to do but then she stopped and her nostrils flared, sniffing the air.

"Mandy, it's Ral. Can you smell me?"

She growled at me but smelled the air again.

I got down on all fours. Not lower than her, but low enough that I wouldn't seem such a threat. I didn't bother speaking, that would only gain me more growls. She knew my scent. As animalistic as she was, it should have told her I wasn't a threat. Sure enough as I got closer, she met my eyes, still sniffing the air and beginning to understand the scent was mine. She didn't smile as I had hoped but she didn't growl or attack either.

When dealing with a cat, think like a cat. I moved up beside her, rubbing my face against hers, then my body along hers. She reciprocated and sniffed at me more. Her fur was damp and not just with sweat. I looked back and blood was smeared along my body. I moved back around and as I moved along her body again, I observed her sides. There didn't seem to be any wounds which probably meant it wasn't her blood.

My Charm continued to work on her, and she dropped to the floor, with her hips raised up in the air. She let out a loud cry, like a house cat in heat. I didn't hesitate but moved up and over her. Immediately, I bit the back of her neck and held her there as I pressed myself into her. I wasn't turned on by any means. She was too far gone for this to be fun, but she needed it to be brought back. Apparently, my Charm could work on me as well: I felt the need to give in to the mating I had initiated.

I held her tight, keeping her pinned to the floor as I drove into her. She constantly tested her boundaries but I made sure she never got a chance to fight back.

The feel of Mandy's fur had always added something extra to our sex. The way it couldn't be rubbed the wrong way made it work with us completely. There was also the fact that she was turned on by being petted most anywhere. With my body rocking above hers, rubbing all along her back, she arched and stopped fighting what was happening. I could feel her return to herself; feel the complex human emotions fill her. By the time I was pounding my way to a huge orgasm inside her she was calling my name and howling in a human voice for me to fuck her.

When I finished, I rolled to my side and pulled her to me. She was back to looking completely human and was just as naked as I.

For a moment our panting was the only sound in the house. Mandy curled up in my arms and seemed withdrawn. Then she said, "Ral... ?"

I kissed her delicate shoulder and answered. "Yes."

"I ... I think I did ... did something horrible."

I sat up and looked down at her. Tears were surging from her eyes. "What? Tell me."

She glanced down and I looked back at the doorway from where she had come. I started to get up, to go look and she grabbed my hand. "No. Don't."

I stopped and looked back at her. I was on a knee, ready to stand and she was sitting on the floor holding my hand to her chest. The fear in her eyes was plain to see. I turned to her and stroked her cheek. "I'm only going to look. To see if I can fix what happened."

She shook her head. "You can't. Not this."

Her fear was becoming contagious. I was beginning to wonder what she had done.

"No matter how bad it is, or how bad you think it is, I'm not going to let anything like this happen again. Okay?"

She shook her head. "You can't. You can't stop it. I can feel that now."

I continued to look back into her eyes. "What? What can you feel?"

She looked away. "I ... I feel different. Not like I used to. Not like how you made me."

"Do you mean your shifting?"

She nodded.

"Randal has amplified what you become. It's temporary. It won't happen again."

She looked back at me, so much like a little girl suddenly. "Are you sure?"

"I promise."

She nodded and pulled my hand up to kiss my fingers.

"I have to go see what happened okay?"

She nodded and let go, but didn't look up again. She was ashamed, that was obvious, but of what?

I got up and went to the room. It was another bedroom and it looked like a big cat had been trapped in her for a while. Everything was broken or shredded. Mandy had tested every wall, even the window, trying to find a way to escape. How the window was still intact I wasn't sure. She should have been more than capable of knocking it out. I went to it and knocked on it. It must have been a half inch thick rather than normal windowpane thickness.