The Black Devil Omegaverse

Shadwell Sebastian Woolsey stomped aimlessly through the rain. He had a destination but he was in no hurry to get there.

His shoes needed replacing, he noted as water crept in from a puddle he had not managed to avoid. He hated getting wet. Some might say he was a walking stereotype but he had never met another tom who hated it as much as he did. Hell, a fair amount of them used water as their first introduction to the Elemental arts.

Not Shadwell, though. As a Black-fur, he couldn't create an affinity for such a healing Element to use in his magick. His gifts - if you could call them that - were of a much more complicated and forbidden nature. He could scratch the surface of his potential and did fine for himself with what he could do. However, Black-furs could only access their core magick by using a no-fur conduit.

Which was something Shadwell was never going to be able to do. Collaring a no-fur was a luxury for the most elite of Elementalists, something that Black-furs definitely were not. Beyond the prohibitive cost of just owning one, if an Elementalist wished to use a no-fur as part of their magick practice, there was a very expensive licensing process. Only the talented and affluent Calicoes would have the resources to have a collared no-fur. From what Shadwell had heard, most of them who showed any inclination towards Elemental magick when they came of age were gifted a no-fur of their own to use and abuse.

Black-furs like Shadwell were about as far from Calicoes in the social pecking order as no-furs were from toms. His jewel green eyes and thick soot-colored coat marked him as a Cursed One. Which, while still being better than being born a no-fur, was not the easiest of lives. Not that Shadwell was going to ask for pity for how he'd been born.

He'd always been clever and was born with a knack for reading auras, allowing him to see the motives of most toms. What had started when he was young as a hustle to keep himself fed had become a real career with real clients who paid well for his less-than-legal talents. It also allowed him to have an office that doubled as an apartment and featured a gorgeous antique stained glass lamp that he'd gotten cheap because it had never worked. Like every other feline Elementalist, Shadwell enjoyed shiny things. Unlike most of them, Shadwell often got himself into trouble because he could become fixated and obsessed with shiny things.

He couldn't afford many of those these days as his ability to attract clients was uncertain at best. Keeping his apartment office in the City took most of his coin. The office didn't need much anyway. It was a place to keep a few precious treasures and a couch to crash on. Most of his clients preferred to meet in clandestine alleys and bars so they weren't actually seen going into the Infernal Affurs office. Shadwell's best friend Jinx swore it was because of the awful pun in the name, but it had to be the reputation that Shadwell had on the streets.

Even with a solid success rate and reasonable prices, you blow up one small parking lot by accidentally opening a demonic gate and you are suddenly a pariah.

Oh, they'll still pay for your services, but they'd prefer it not to get out that they did. Which made word of mouth a hard sales tactic.

Tonight, like most nights, Shadwell was meeting someone Jinx had set him up with. Thank the gods for Jinx. The Orangelo owned a barely-this-side-of-legal speakeasy in the heart of the City. In exchange for keeping him in rich clients, Shadwell kept the speakeasy cloaked in a shadow spell so it stayed off the radars of the authorities that might like to break up the illegal gambling and smuggling that Jinx allowed to happen in the back rooms.

The whole demon gate incident had also had earned the Black-fur the street name of Hades. His proper name was such a pretentious mouthful and the moniker suited his line of work. Hades didn't just work the underground, he basically ran it as far as the uptown toms were concerned. He investigated the stomach-turning bad things that toms did to each other. For a price. Needed to figure out who had cursed you? Hades did that for a price. Need to find some dirt on a rival business or break up an illegal gambling circle? Hades did that too, for a price.

If he were completely honest, there was very little that Hades wouldn't do for the right amount of money.

Hades stepped into Jinx's bar and made a beeline for the booth where he always did business. Jinx nodded to him as he crossed the room, acknowledging Hades's presence. That also meant that the tom would be here with a drink as soon as he could get away from tending bar. Hades leaned back, making himself comfortable as he waited. He stared at the familiar copper ceiling tiles emblazoned with pictures of mystical places. He relaxed as he watched the cozy lights dance on the tiles.

Shiny things really were the best.

A mixed drink just to his tastes appeared moments before his new client. The Tawny fur was from money, that was for sure. No feline had that wide a waistline and didn't have money. Also his suit was tailored to flatter his giant frame. Hades didn't recognize him as any of the uptown toms he'd worked with before, so chances were he knew Jinx through one of his shadier dealings. He was so large Hades almost didn't notice the no-fur being dragged along on a leash behind him.

He only let his eyes fall on the no-fur for a moment. The money tom had dressed him in a mockery of the suit he wore. The no-fur had on very, very short pants that barely hid anything and a collar with a small tie hanging from it that matched the one the big tom wore. What little fur he had on his head was a mix of blue and greens. Dyed to be more appealing to his master no doubt. His eyes held the blush pink glow that signified an omega who was ripe for breeding.

"Hard not to admire, isn't he?" The fat tom caught Hades trying not to look. "It doesn't bother me. I have a stable of them."

He wrapped the no-fur's leash around a post. The pretty but too thin creature knelt down and put his hands on his thighs as he bowed his head in obedience.

"Another one of whatever he's having for him, bourbon straight for me," Fat Tom said to the waiter who appeared. Once they were alone again, the fat feline finally introduced himself. "I am Gran Martelli of the Martelli Syndicate. Relax, I am not that Martelli. I'm his cousin. There are some odd things going down at my totally legit warehouse and I think I may have gotten tangled up in a big ball of yarn, if you know what I mean."

Hades sighed. "Let me guess, you got into it with a Teffald or you got it on with a Teffald and your rival families are angry."

"Nothing like that." Gran rubbed the sweat off his glass nervously. "That might be easier to deal with."

"Well, out with it! I can't agree on my price if I don't know the job." Hades sipped his drink but had the look of someone about to jet.

"There's been a murder." The fat tom cut right to it. "But that's not what I need you for."

Hades waited for it. Everything about this tom said that whatever the job was, it would be unpleasant. He sipped his drink and resisted the urge to ask for Jinx to bring something for the shivering and obviously hungry omega.

"Feel free to get on with it." He finally sighed. "I know my reputation proceeds me. You can't be wondering if you've come to the right place."

"I need this no-fur to disappear."

And there it was.

Where had so many felines gotten the idea Hades had no morals? Hades reminded himself to never ask that question anywhere Jinx could hear him.

"Sir, with due respect I'm not called Hades because I actually am an eight-headed Death demon who breathes fire and sends toms to the Underworld."

"No, no, my good tom. It's purely a business transaction. I need him brought upstate to a breeding house. I'm heartbroken, I truly am. But it's the only way to get any good money out of him now. There are... things that point to the absolutely unbelievable idea that he might have killed the tom in question. I don't believe it, of course, but toms talk."

The fat feline gave a broad laugh, very out of place with the tale he was telling.

Hades was reading between the lines and it didn't sit well with him. He turned his sharp green gaze to the kneeling creature. "Did you kill the feline, no-fur?"

"Go on, answer him." Gran said, graciously allowing the no-fur to speak.

"No, sir."

Wide pink eyes met Hades's glowing green orbs as the Elementalist read the little creature's aura to see whether the omega was lying or not. What Hades saw was a fear that hurt even his jaded heart.

"I was watering the roses when-"

"That's enough." The fat tom cut his no-fur off in a way that made Hades's fur stand on end. "Part of your job, Hades, will be to keep to the law."

"Goes without saying." Hades had to calm himself. The more destructive nature of his magic rattled within his bones. It wouldn't be professional to send this blight of a feline through the demon gate. But it would be satisfying.

He needed the money, the devil on his shoulder goaded him. Seducing him further with an image of what might happen to the pretty no-fur omega if Gran didn't find a way to remove him from his house, the little devil pointed out that he might be the no-fur's last chance if he didn't take the job. The no-fur might be found ten years from now, his corpse decaying in a field.

The angel on his other shoulder jumped right on that bandwagon. It was always bad when they were in agreement. It meant he was about to do something dumb.

Hades leaned forward. "So, how much are you offering? And let me be clear on your expectations. You want me to take him to the breeding farm and pick up the lump sum they pay for ripe no-fur omegas who, for whatever reasons, aren't suited to be collared so they can pen him and use him to keep putting out kits? By the law, I am to take anything he says to me as the lie of a desperate no-fur, basically nonsense. Until, no doubt, upstate will use electrical therapy to turn his brain to mush so he is still good for breeding, just not so much for conversation."

The fat tom fidgeted nervously. "Those are the worst of rumors. Upstate is the best place to send a no-fur omega you can't sell privately. But if he stays with the house, someone will eventually come for him as the murderer. And we both know what his fate will be then."

Hades had to remind himself to keep his cool. If he wanted to get this job, he had to play this better than he had so far. "You mistake me for caring." He pushed past the part of him that knew his words were about to terrify the shivering no-fur but would ingratiate him to the fat tom across from him.

Taking a deep swallow of his throat-burning cocktail, Hades made his move. "I have no reason to jeopardize my reputation further by worrying about a no-fur whore who will be just as useful on his stomach filled with seed whether or not he has his wits or tongue. Seems like a simple job to me. I'll procure a car trunk pen and some sedatives so I don't have to listen to his desperate nonsense."

"But," Hades held up a paw to stop the rich, fat, disgusting tom from talking. "It won't be cheap because you know a lot of Elementalists have bleeding hearts and wouldn't take your money. Also, I am well aware that you can't hire anyone legitimate because it will look like a cover up."

"100,000 jewels." Gran had his own game to play as Hades fought to maintain his poker face. "Forty now in coin, the rest transferred to the account of your choosing on delivery as per my order at the facility. Then another twenty thousand jewels when he is mounted successfully the first time. And ten thousand each time after that. It's hardly a fraction of what I get for my trouble every time he squeezes out a litter."

The tom's demeanor had changed. Hades's tactical move to present himself as being as sick as the Tawny had made him more relaxed and more willing to show his hand and his true character. Hades needed to end this conversation before he put his paw through this asshole's face.

As if he needed to make the point of how much money he was offering the Black-fur, Gran stuffed his chubby paw into a pocket of his jacket and pulled out forty thousand jewels worth of coins and dropped them on the table as if they were nothing. It took everything in Hades to lean back in his chair and not leap across the table and rip the smug look from the Tawny bastard's face.

"That's a lot of money." Hades didn't have to lie about that. "I'd be crazy not to take the job."

Hades quickly collected the coins from the table and slipped them inside his jacket pockets. He was going to have to beg Jinx for something to carry these back to his apartment. He couldn't go into his neighborhood with his pockets rattling with this much coin.

"You can pick him up at this address tomorrow. And just between you and me, if you want to use his mouth for your pleasure before you deliver him, I wouldn't blame you. I've had him trained quite thoroughly. It's a shame I can't keep him." Gran slid slowly out of the booth and unwrapped the leash before scolding the no-fur for some imagined infraction.

Hades considered for a moment how good the no-fur's mouth on his cock would be. There was a bit of truth in his words as he finalized the deal. "I just might do that. At least once before I lock him in the trunk. It is a long drive."

The fat cat had barely gotten out of the door when Hades accepted another drink and an unwarranted visit from Jinx.

His old friend had some advice he really wasn't inclined to hear. "So, you're no saint but that was harsh, even for you. You plan to leave the little thing's lips swollen and his throat raw?"

Hades shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Jinx was forcing him to think about the erection he was trying to ignore. He'd gone for a very long time without the pleasure of a no-fur and this one made his balls ache with just one look. He was no doubt going to go home and think about fucking that mouth half the night.

"It's not like that, Jinxsy." Hades assured his friend as much as he tried to convince himself.

"They give off a scent, pal. When their eyes go pink like that." Jinx used his paws to hold open his own eyes to make them wider. "And it's a long way upstate. Careful, or you might fall for him."

"Not likely. He tries to enchant me, I'll leave him in a field myself." Hades shrugged.

"I could go with you." Hades's dearest friend made the offer with a smirk. "In case you need someone to hide the body or help you elope to Persiana."

"I am this close to cursing you, Jinx." Hades warned good-naturedly as he inclined his drink towards where Jinx sat. "I think I can handle one timid little no-fur."

"Famous last words, pal. But I got your back when you are calling me when you need to hide from the family because you kept him." Jinx leaned back and used his long tail to curl around and steal Hades's cocktail. "BUT I'm cutting you off. You have made enough bad decisions for one day. Go home to your desk and lamp and get yourself off so you can face tomorrow with a clear head."

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."