Chapter 3 Episode 3

The no-fur that, up until this morning, had belonged to the Martelli family took his time as he meandered through the estate garden. Because of his innate magical ability and his skill with floral design, he had lived a fairly pleasant life for an uncollared no-fur. The family had at least twenty no-furs in the stable at any time and he only had to service the disgusting Gran once or twice a month because the free-loader was very fickle about which no-furs he requested from his cousin's stable.

Gran's cousin and the man behind the powerful mob family, Liam Martelli, wasn't interested in the no-fur past what he could do to set up a banquet room for an event. Liam was happily married to one of the sexiest chefs in the world, a sleek Gray-furred delight called Cook. He had no use for any of the many no-furs his family owned for any of their common uses. Liam had a strong distaste for the whole no-fur trade and never dabbled in it beyond the bare necessity his position demanded.

The mafia don had gone so far as to give the no-fur an affectionate nickname, Turquoise. Liam had always been kind, as had his second-in-command. Gran had forgotten to mention to the occult consultant that the dead feline was Terras Macaster, Liam's beloved right hand tom.

Terras had been poisoned by a flower aura. Not a potion or tincture made by an artisan. There was only one way to murder someone that subtly but brutally. A tom had to know how to wield flower magick or he had to use a no-fur who was born with that particular gift. Even Turquoise wasn't entirely clear how Terras had met his fate. It seemed he was the only one capable of wielding that brand of magic, though he could do little with it unless he had an Elementalist partner. Which he did not.

He needed to remember. Needed to fill the blur in his mind from talking to the grooming boy to seeing Gran standing over Terras's body, screaming at him to get out.

Turquoise laid down in a field of pansies and stared at the sky. He breathed in the scent and called on the flower aura to heal him. He couldn't wield anything at someone or attack something without an Elementalist, but he still had his own connection and could use it on himself with effort. Something he made sure none of the toms knew or he'd suffer a worse fate than playing dumb and obedient to Gran and being treated like an artistic savant by Liam.

The no-fur rolled over on his side. Connecting was hard today and for the silliest of reasons. Hades. After how many times his body had been used when he wasn't in omega cycle before he'd been offered to the Martellis as a gift, the no-fur had lost his interest in sex. While it had been considerable in his early teens, he'd found the act to be dull and disappointing. Nothing like the euphoric union that he had been lead to believe it would be in his youth.

One look at Hades and there was a reason he'd been beaten soundly when Gran got him back to the estate. The erection he was sporting was not for the fat tom. The juices dripping from his seeding pocket had nothing to do with Gran's greasy fur or slouching frame. No, it was all for Hades. The no-fur had silently been hoping for Gran to order him to suck the tantalizing problem-fixer's cock right there at the speakeasy. He did it so often in business dealings, why couldn't it be fun for once?

He rolled over the other way careful not to crush a single flower. He was going to miss the garden most of all. He had to remind himself that the flowers would be fine. He'd doted on them and taught the gardener about their various needs and tips to keep them well. Liam was too proud of the gardens to let them fade.

A wide shadow fell over him. "You do know to keep your mouth shut?"

The no-fur looked up into Gran's crazed eyes. He moved to sit up but Gran put his shoe on his chest and kept him there. He turned his gaze to the side, frowning that the flowers were being crushed under the large tom's foot.

"I don't know anything." He said weakly. The flowers around him begin to whisper, to remind him of things he'd forgotten. Things he was starting to think about before Gran invaded his space.

Gran couldn't connect with the pansies so he didn't know they were telling the no-fur the story of how Terras got murdered. But he did know the no-fur had some bizarre flower fetish. He crouched down and tore several blooms from the ground and crushed them in his hands.

Connected to the aura of those dying painfully, the no-fur thrashed, knocking Gran's foot off of him. He sat up, his pink eyes blazing.

"Murderer!"

The word carried two meanings, one about Gran's careless slaughter of the pansies and one referring to Turquoise's unencumbered memory of what had happen the day and night of Terras's murder.

Gran laughed. "See, I knew you were craftier than Liam realized. But that's why we can't have you around, isn't it? You might try to protect him. You might start telling tales." He grabbed the no-fur's face. "Maybe I should take your tongue now, just in case."

The no-fur wanted to use his connection to the various flowers to defend himself but to harm his Tawny master in any way would be a bullet in the head immediately and with no questions asked. He glared at Gran. Turquoise's eyes were clouded, almost waxy. Like candles that had yet to be lit.

"Whatever I say would be seen as lies, Master Gran. As you have pointed out, I am no fool. My place ensures my silence. A well-behaved no-fur lives better than an insane, rebellious one." When Gran let him go, he knelt among the pansies, placed his hands on his thighs and bowed his head like the most obedient no-fur.

Gran made a sound that set the no-fur's teeth on edge. "Such a good boy. Maybe there's time for you to show me you truly know your place. While I fuck your mouth, I'll tell you exactly what I'm planning for that idiot Liam. It's not like you'll be running to tattle to anyone."

On one hand, the no-fur would rather not suck his master's cock ever again. On the other, he might learn enough to keep Liam out of Gran's cross-hairs.

"A no-fur like me is here simply to please, Master." He spoke with a shame he knew Gran found intoxicating.

It was the wrong move. Gran slapped him hard across the face, snarling. The big man produced his pocket knife. "Yes, yes you are. And it would please me to never hear your voice again. I need to be sure. What if that occult conman gets any ideas?"

Gran snarled some inaudible words to himself before he pressed the knife close to Turquoise's lips. "Hold still and let me have your tongue or it will be your throat."

The no-fur had to stifle the flower auras swirling around him, readying themselves to protect him. The no-fur had to remind the spirits in the flowers that he was not worth their lives. The whole garden would be turned up if Gran was found dead by auric flower magick less than two days after Terras had died just a few feet from here. He opened his mouth, shaking as he watched Gran bring the knife closer.

"Sir! Sir! Your ten o'clock appointment is waiting... Well, not waiting... In the foyer." Gran's housekeeper was running across the lawn.

The no-fur breathed a sigh of relief. Hades was following the housekeeper out. Gran had a certain image to keep up, even if he and the problem solver had agreed on the stupidity of worrying about one no-fur. He still had the housekeeper to think about. The help could talk and if the wrong words found the wrong ears, Gran's play for power would be over before it started.

His knife was quickly stowed away as he turned around.

"Why hello, Hades! We weren't expecting you for another half-hour or so." Gran also put away the menace he wore on his face a moment before.

"Yeah." Hades scratched his ear, looking thoughtful. "Well, I was looking at the road ahead and you wouldn't believe the construction we gotta go through. Honestly, there's so many detours I'm starting to think you hired me just because you didn't want to go through the hassle of dead stop traffic. So, I wanted to get a head start. Hope that's not a problem."