I woke to the familiar darkness of my apartment. Its bckness punctuated by the cool blue lights of my kitchen appliances and the other LEDs of my waiting electronics. Reaching for my phone, I immediately encountered an unexpected impediment to my dexterity when I attempted to tap in my pin with my thumb and my nail hit the gss way too early. Tossing my covers aside, I rolled out of bed and flicked on the light.

  Cws protruded from each of my fingertips. Well sorta. More half inch long nails except they had definite taper to them and were this awful dull bck color from the bed to the tips. “Gross.” I told the room as I stared at my hands. I couldn’t go to work these!

  I threw open the closet and dug through the stuff in the back until I found one of junk boxes from when a now very ex-girlfriend had moved in. Nestled among scraps of clothing and random toiletries were two bottles of nail polish. Gold and a deep cobalt. I shook them hard and prayed they were still good. Both opened with a crackle, but the paint inside remained workable, if a little lumpy. I wasn’t entirely sure if that happened usually or not.

  Only once I began waving both hands through the air in the vague hope that they’d dry faster did I that thought return. I’d never painted my nails before. Why the hell was I doing it now? I stopped and looked at my hands. They were perfectly normal, human hands, but they weren’t my hands. They bordered on being outsized for my thin wrists and when I stretched them wide my fingers curled backwards to a disturbing degree. I really hoped that nobody at work knew my hands like I did. Nothing to do about it. The cobalt blue wasn’t great either. I pondered going out to the store to get a few more colors and some remover, but the idea of starting over didn’t appeal either. They’d do.

  I showered and inspected my altered nethers. It kind of looked as if I still wore the tiger striped panties, fur covered every inch they’d covered before, plus a couple more ensheathing each leg, as if I had furry boxer briefs adhered to my skin. I opened my dresser drawers to find all the underwear I’d bought Xianta waiting for me. “Yes mistress,” I murmured to myself, and slipped on the teal pair with a golden lily pattern. The act generated a candle like warmth radiating in my depths. My little six inch long tail did not like getting crammed down the left leg of my pants. Worse it looked like I was smuggling a sausage. Maybe if I picked up a slightly rger pair at work?

  Sighing, I finished readying for the commute and inspected myself in the mirror. I looked like me. Well, except for the red leather colr with the weird padlock and I still wasn’t happy with the nails. They needed a little more fre. Fortunately, I had woken up way early and had plenty of time to add golden stripes to that cobalt base. That fixed them! They looked pretty striking actually. Xianta would be pleased. I pce my hand against the mirror of my closet door. The surface rippled beneath my fingers. I could push through again. I knew how now.

  Freddy, though, he’d worry if I didn’t show up for work. And the Mistress, she needed something here in this world. Not that she’d said anything about it but more than chaos, there was a whiff of decay on that ship. Maybe she gained something while being docked at my closet door. For her and Freddy, I had to go to work.

  —————————————————————————

  “Gavin!”

  I hadn’t even gotten out of my car when I heard Freddy call out to me. He stood in the doorway of his truck, which made him the tallest thing in the parking lot. His red hair shined in the morning sunlight. Had he been waiting for me?

  “Morning!” I waved at him, wiggling my fingers so the gold of my nails twinkled.

  He hopped down and hurried over. Gncing at the store, he stepped close and whispered, “I see you got the,” he paused to chuckle, “pawblem mostly fixed.”

  “Yup my m-” I cmped my lips closed to prevent the word from escaping and corrected, “my friend was able to help. Totally back to normal.”

  Freddy eyebrows raised, as he carefully examined my face. “What did you give to fix it? Those arn’t your hands. News fsh buddy, you don’t have long nails.”

  I stared into his eyes for a moment, cataloguing the way worried bunched up around them and Xianta’s voice came back to me. Be sure to show off those lovely cws.

  The morning repyed through my mind, and heat crawled under my skin. I’d not only obeyed her command or suggestion without question, but as if it were a fundamental part of my personality. The thought of going to work without painting my nails set my skin crawling. I curled my fingers to examine my shiny nails, this wasn’t me. The damn MDA would be sure to note something like an employee suddenly showing up with fabulous nails.

  “Uhh do you have clippers?” My stomach churned with the prospect of trimming them and it wouldn’t solve the coloration problem. Maybe paint them a more normal color and the paint them back again for Xianta when I got home?

  “Hang on.” Freddy returned to his truck and dug around for a minute before returning with a pair of toenail clippers. “Try these.”

  I tasted bile as I took them, pced the bdes across a thumb nail and squeezed. The clipper bit into the polish but even as the handles touched, they did not click. I sighed with relief and handed them back.

  “Have to keep my hands in my pockets when that goon’s around.” I told him, my tail giving a happy twitch against my leg. I remembered reading something about Rasahaka’s in my demonology book: They possessed cws that could rip through steel.

  “Why are you smiling about this?” Freddy asked, frustration coloring his cheeks and highlighting his freckles.

  “I’m… not really sure.” I answered honestly. Did I like my nails because Xianta had told me to? Or was possessing a Rasahaka’s sex doing things to my head? A bit of fear stirred in me. Xianta had warned me that she’d change things about me if I’d failed her tasks. I mean, if Freddy thought the nails were strange, wait until I showed him my tail.

  With that, I felt my clit perk up within my folds and my breath caught.

  Freddy grabbed my shoulders and turned me to face him.

  “Look,” He said, almost baring teeth down at me. Were his canines sharper than usual? “We’re going to get through the workday, afterwards we’re going to Ted’s and then your going to tell me what the fuck’s going on. I wanna help but I gotta know.” His eyes bored down on me but my eyes were fixed on his lips as my own tingled with a want to kiss them.

  “Okay, after work.” I agreed.

  He let me go. I turned away, massaging my chest, which contained a thumping heart. Could I actually tell him the truth? What would I tell him otherwise?

  “Come on, let's clock in.” He said, and I followed him into the building.

  I tried to keep my nails out of sight when I could, but I don’t get much time to stand around with my hands in my pockets on the job. Several customers commented on my nails in passing and I couldn’t help feeling pleased. Additionally, my dyboner didn’t go away, it was like an incredibly sensitive pea between my legs. Minute by minute the need grew. Nothing compared to the heat Xianta had forced on me the previous night but was plenty distracting. I got a little careless hiding my nails.

  “O-M-Gee, Gavin what have you done to yourself?”

  I snapped up from whatever I’d been restocking to find Car in full gem grin mode.

  “Aaah hi.” I stammered, “What brings you to electronics Car.”

  Her expression softened into a smirk, “Heard there was a rumor of a dude with sexy nails somewhere around here.”

  “Hahaha.” I ughed woodenly. Guess the cws were out.

  “Why you nervous? Those are absolutely gorgeous. Where’d you get them done?” She stepped closer and held out her hand. I offered my nails so she could take a look.

  “I did them myself.” I said, pride puffing out my chest.

  “No shit?” She turned my hand slightly side to side, so the over head lights glowed in the glossy enamel. “What kit did you use for the press ons? I can’t even see the seam.”

  “Oh just something I ordered online.” I smiled back and looked to the side, every part of my body heating with the warmth of her compliments. “I know I shouldn’t be… experimenting while the MDA is here, but… I can’t seem to help myself.”

  Her face fell, “Yeah probably, but sometimes these things have to be done. I always thought you were a little repressed and I’ll vouch for that. Not that I’ll have any weight with them since.” She ran the tip of her tongue over her jeweled teeth and started to give a half shrug when she froze. “Speak of the devil. Here he comes.”

  I quickly crossed my arms, hiding the nails, and turned. I had a shot at expining them away, the tail I had no chance. Agent Boon walked toward us with a slight scowl. Shit, had someone told him about me? Was he going to interrogate me? My tail strained to raise against the confinement of my pants and my fingers tensed.

  “Hello Mr. Trebic. Please excuse me, but Car and I need to have a chat.” The scowl twitched as his shades swung towards her. “You have some expining to do. Don’t you dare smile at me.”

  “Yes sir.” Car paled visibly. “What’s this about?”

  “I think there are few details about the testimony you submitted that we need to go over. One clear soul to another. Let's go to my office.” He started walking away without waiting for her to agree.

  Car bit her lip, and with a nervous nod, followed the man. “S-see you ter Gavin.”

  I bore teeth as at the agent’s back as I considered violence. Once they turned the corner, I shook myself out. Car would be fine. She’s was tough and she had nothing to do with Xianta. I had to worry about myself for now. Boon’s appearance had momentarily damped the effect of Car’s flirtation but the want returned swiftly once he’d disappeared. I returned to work, but by the time lunch rolled around, my panties were damp and my fingers scratched at the waistband of my pants. I found myself stalking through housegoods looking for Freddy. I found him half-heartedly straightening a pallet of screwdrivers.

  “Hey wanna get lunch,” I asked, it finally dawning on me the real reason I’d gone looking for him. Maybe I could make to the end of the day, but then what? Rush to Xianta? I needed someone to help me out.

  “Sure.” Freddy eyed me warily and then with surprise as I took his hand.

  “I gotta show you something.” I said and led him to the most private area in the store. The machine room sandwiched between the loading dock and the food preparation area. It contained a huge fuse box and an even rger furnace.

  The door clicked closed behind us and Freddy leaned against it, one hand on the handle. “Ooookay man, what's this about that you gotta bring me to the best pce in the store to stash a body.”

  “I got my hands back but there is a catch.” I said speaking loudly to be heard over the furnace and walking forward to give him space.

  “There’s always a catch when it comes to magic.” He ughed. “I found that one out early.”

  “I think, I hope, you’d enjoy the catch.” The surface of my cheeks were heating to the point I feared my face might ignite. I undid my pants, and pushed both them and my panties down my legs. My short tail sprang upward as I bent over, exposing my pussy to my best friend and really hoping I didn’t hear the tch of the door opening next.

  Instead, silence. Exposed to the air, anticipation amped me up even further.

  “I’m not allowed to touch it. Otherwise it will get worse but I need some one to- Uh, fuck me.” Every word I spoke spread the need, the itch reaching up into me.

  “Damn, your like… dripping dude.” Freddy said, awe in his tone.

  “I… You…” I started to pant, “Doesn’t have to be your cock if your not turned on. You could use your fingers, or maybe get… a stick or some-”

  A hand touched my right buttock and my body tensed as he… pet me. “Alice is going to have a fucking field day with this.”

  “We don’t teeeeeee.” My word was stretched out to needy sound as two fingers entered me, moving up and down the length of my slit. Yes! I needed more of that but it stopped.

  “Bro, you have a huge ass tiger pussy. You know that?” He chuckled.

  “Just shut up and fuck it.” I snapped, “Before somebody finds us.”

  “Okay you better brace against something.” He said. His pants fell to the floor with the soft jangle of his keys. “Floor’s a bit grimy, ya know.”

  Standing up and turning around I found Freddy, his eyes sparkled with excitement as he stepped out of his underwear, cock at full salute. Yet, I didn’t want just that. I wanted him, every piece of his skinny body. I remember all those times I’d gotten this fleeting urge to kiss him. Now I had no reason to stop.

  I grabbed his shirt and twisted it in my fist to pull him down to my level and deliver a kiss.

  His eyes opened wide even as his lips yielded to my questing tongue. He had this subtle salty fvor that spurred me on. I reached down, squeezed his cock and used it to drive him ft against the wall.

  “Gav!?” He gasped as the kiss broke, only for me to move my attention down his jaw to the side of his neck, showering him with a flutter of kisses, nibbles and an occasional bite, “What? Aaaah.”

  My hips ground against him, his long legs made for a misalignment, the furry border of my waist teasing the base of his cock. The need knew what to do and I let it guide my hands to reach up past his shoulders. My nails sunk into the cinderblock wall behind Freddy as if it were soft butter. Growling with effort, I dragged myself up his body then rowled, kitten like, as his cock parted my folds and slid up inside me.

  “Holy mother!” Freddy gasped in my ear as he grabbed hold of my ass with both hands, supporting the majority of my weight. Bracing my knees against the wall on either side of him, I levered my hips, moving the base of his cock back and forth along the length of my slit. It felt wonderful to scratch the itch inside of me at my own frantic pace. A bliss, an ecstasy built with every movement that spurred me faster and faster but that was only half of it. As he stiffened and swelled inside me, I felt a pulsing energy rise within him, gathering within his nethers. That, whatever that was, it made my innards howl and cw at each other in hunger.

  “Give it to me.” I told him, my tongue pping at neck. “I want it.”

  His jaw worked, but it only produced little tortured grunts.

  I let myself fall back, straightening my arms so I could see into his wide, adoring eyes. This improved the angle, allowing him to thrust up into me. Deeper.

  “Gaaav!” He cried my name as parched desert traveler. Delicious wetness exploded in my loins, but with it came an electric warmth that rushed up through me. Freddy’s entire body flickered. For an instant, I saw a chest covered with shiny red fur, a rge bck nose at the end of cute snoot. Then Freddy was back, panting, sun browned skin drenched with sweat and lips parted. I kissed those lips and followed him as he slid down to the floor.

  On his lips I tasted more of the stuff that roiled within my body and an eagerness to give me more, but I declined. I didn’t need more. Sated. No hunger or want. It wouldn’t st, but I savored the sensation. Drawing back from the kiss I crossed my arms around his head and gently squeezed him to my chest. As we breathed niggles of worry worked their way in. Had I hurt him? I really was becoming some sort of sex charged demon wasn’t I?

  A wheezy chuckle interrupted my thoughts.

  “I didn’t see that coming.” Freddy said. “Stripes not just for show.”

  “Sorry, uh. I got a little carried away.” Flushing with embarrassment, I pulled myself off him and stood. I found him looking back at me with a bemused smile and slightly unfocused eyes.

  “What you apologizing for? That the best fuck I’ve ever had.” His eyes narrowed to a curious squint, “Did your fur spread.”

  “Oh no.” I said and looked down. The stripes had cimed a two thirds of my thighs and a triangle of white fur had colonized my belly button. Damn it! I’d hoped that so long as I didn’t touch myself, it wouldn’t spread. I slid my hand around my buttcheek to check my tail and the travel time was significantly longer than I remembered. My ass had gone round. When I’d fucked myself into a tiger, my butt had dissolved away, not plumped out. Apparently Rasahaka’s had very shapely rears.

  “Its something to do with that chaos Demon ain’t it?” Freddy asked in a low whisper and I felt my colr warm around my neck.

  “I’m… Not sure I can talk about it.” I said, adverting my eyes as he slowly pushed himself up to a standing position.

  “How much danger you in?” Freddy asked, bending over to grab his pants. His shirt fell forward so I saw red fur growing along his spine. It ended in a small broad tail nestled between his buttcheeks.

  “A tail? You’ve got a tail?” I asked.

  “Yep,” He ughed and the tail wriggled before he pulled on his pants and stood back up. “Little nub. Surprise, I’m fey touched. There’s a reason I like fishing so much. You’re avoiding the question.”

  Little nub? That didn’t look like a nub. I watched him wiggle his feet into his sneakers and noticed his jeans bunching around his ankles. Other things too, everything about him seemed a notch rounder, from nky to lithe. Did I do that?

  He crossed his arms and sighed, “You might as well tell me. Not like I can run to the MDA.”

  I nodded, and pulled at my colr. “We’re pying the game. When it came my turn to py a game with a fey, I declined like good boy. I couldn’t say no the second time.” Maybe I didn’t do that to him. Maybe he just shrank a little when he had sex? Perhaps he was hoping I didn’t notice.

  “Right, the game.” He uncrossed his arms. “Weird, if she’s pying it here, but she’s not quite the same as the fey. You be careful.”

  “I will, thanks for the help.” I said.

  A grin split his face, “Anytime, tiger butt.”

  I winced.

  “Prefer tiger tail? Stripy puss? Bedroom tigress?”

  Making a retching sound, I told him to get out. Which he did, tell me to meet him in the food court for lunch. I gathered my things and walked back into the store. There, I pretended everything was normal. It was easier now. The mental pressure of lust and need didn’t trouble me. I only felt the barest tingles of it as the day wore on. More troubling was Car’s new fashion accessory, the bright day glow colr of a Fey Touched on probation. I found myself growling over that. Maybe Xianta would know what to do about Agent Boon.

  MisterNibs