day of darkness gal, Thank you very much! I'm very happy to hear that you are enjoying it. demeterlol, Thank you! Hope you enjoy this new chapter!

Twenty-two

Demeter sighed and padded over to the window of the abandoned cabin. She jumped up onto the sill and stared into the black sky. From the placement of the moon, she could tell that Macavity would return home soon. She pressed her cheek against the cold glass, causing chills to race down her spine. She hated feeling trapped and helpless just as much as she hated going with him to his "meetings" and completing jobs for him. She had become disgusted with herself, but she knew she had to put up with it, for the sake of everyone she loved back at the Junkyard. A few tears slipped from her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away. The last thing she wanted was for Macavity to see her crying.

Demeter jumped off the windowsill and busied herself with tidying up the cabin. She knew how much Macavity loved the spooky, forsaken look, but it unsettled her. She was at the cabin more than he was anyway, so she figured she might as well be comfortable. There wasn't much she could do about the broken roof, windows, and door, but she cleared out the piles of trash that littered the floor and straightened up the blankets and pillows that had been thrown carelessly around. She found a few more candles, which she lit and placed around the room to give it more light. She was moderately pleased with her work when she was finished and flopped down on a large pillow to rest. Just as she closed her eyes to try and fall asleep, a voice rang out from the doorway.

"I'm back, my sweet queen," Macavity purred as he walked into the cabin. "I certainly hope you didn't miss me too terribly." He walked over to where Demeter was lying and sat down beside her. "I see you cleaned up a bit. How… cliché… While the tom is away at work, the queen stays home to care for the home and kittens, minus the kittens in our situation, of course. Although, we could always change that, you know…" He sensually ran a claw down Demeter's back, but the gold and black queen didn't respond. Macavity narrowed his eyes. "Come on now; don't tell me you're still sulking. It's been a week. Can't you recuperate quicker? You're no fun when you do nothing but mope around all damn day."

Demeter scoffed. "You heartless bastard," she growled. "You have no idea what I'm going through. There's no way in hell that I will ever be happy living like this and I will never get over what you are doing to me. If you think that I'm so pathetic and boring, then why don't you just leave me be?"

Macavity's tail flicked with annoyance. "What did you just call me?" he asked through clenched teeth. "I don't think I heard you quite right." He moved closer to Demeter and grabbed her face, forcing her to look at him. "I couldn't have possibly heard you call me a heartless bastard, right my dear? Certainly you're not stupid enough to piss me off so carelessly, right?" He stared into Demeter's eyes for a few seconds before pushing her away from him. Demeter slid a short distance across the wooden floor, and before she could get up, Macavity ran over to her. He grabbed her arms and pinned her to the ground. "Any harm that comes your way is your own damn fault, Demeter," he hissed. "I don't want to hurt you. Oh no… You're too beautiful for that. But, sometimes, you need to be hurt. It's called punishment, love, and let me tell you, I'm not very merciful."

Demeter struggled beneath the ginger tom, but he was much stronger than her, and she wasn't able to push him off. "Get off of me!" she cried out as she wriggled around, trying to free herself. She felt his grip on her wrists tighten, his claws beginning to dig into her arm, and tears sprung to her eyes. "Get off, dammit!"

"You don't give the orders around here," Macavity hissed. "You do what I say, and there's no getting around it, do you understand me?" He moved his face closer to hers, staring into her eyes with rage. "You seem to forget that I have the fate of your beloved Junkyard in my paws," he said with a malicious smile. "One wrong move and every cat you love is done for." He paused, letting his words sink in. Tears slowly slipped down Demeter's cheeks and she nodded. "Good girl," her purred.

He licked the tears off her cheeks, making her shiver with disgust. Macavity, however, took the reaction a different way. He let out a low chuckle, then covered her mouth with his. Demeter squirmed slightly, but she didn't protest. She didn't dare put her friends and family at risk because of her own discomforts. She simply lay rigid beneath the tom as he caressed her body, running his claws through her fur. She let him have his way with her and showed no emotion except for the tears that streamed down her face. When he was done with her, she submissively curled up beside him as he slept.

Macavity woke up, after about an hour of sleep, just as the morning sunlight was pouring into the cabin. He licked Demeter's cheek and wished her a good morning in a soft voice. He stood and stretched his long body out before slipping out of the cabin to find something to eat, leaving Demeter alone once again. The black and gold queen let out a small sigh of relief, happy to see him go, even if it was just for a short time. She quickly groomed herself, trying to get rid of any evidence that something had happened between her and the tom. Then she curled up in a tight ball, wrapping her tail around her body for a sense of security. She had run out of tears and simply wallowed in her disgust and self-loathing. Macavity wasn't gone long, and when he returned, he had four plump mice. Demeter refused to eat, stating that she wasn't feeling well. Macavity simply shrugged off her anguish and ate his fill.

"I have something I want you to do," Macavity said in a smooth voice as he groomed himself after the meal. He didn't look at Demeter while he spoke to her, but his voice was low and commanding.

"What is it?" Demeter asked in a soft voice. She could tell by the way he was speaking that it was another one of his "jobs". She could only imagine what kind of petty crime she would have to complete this time. The last job she had completed had required that she sneak into a human's home and steal some of their fine jewelry. Demeter had argued that it had been a pointless quest because Macavity had no need for diamond necklaces and golden rings encrusted with gems. Macavity, however, had disagreed and demanded that she do as she was told.

"It's nothing too difficult," Macavity said with a casual shrug. "All you have to do is cause a little chaos. Make a little mess. Simple really." He walked circles around Demeter, his tail flicking with excitement and his eyes staring into hers. "And it shouldn't be too hard for you either, considering how familiar you are with this place."

Demeter's eyes widened, her jaw dropping slightly as she realized what he was saying. "No…" she whispered, hoping that she was wrong. However, she could tell from the gleam in his eyes and the malicious smile on his face that she had understood him perfectly. "Please… Don't make me do this to them…" she whimpered.

"I want you go to the Junkyard and I want you to tear it apart," he hissed as if he didn't hear her pleas. "If any cat tries to stop you, I want you to fight. I'll be watching you Demeter. If you hesitate at all, I will intervene and end it myself. And trust me, love… You don't want that to happen…"

"What is the point of this?" Demeter wailed. "What will you gain from watching me destroy my own home?"

Macavity shrugged. "There's nothing to gain, really… I just get bored and am in need of a little amusement. I want to see how far you are willing to go to keep your precious 'family' safe from me."

"I would die for them," Demeter growled, baring her fangs at the ginger tom. "There is nothing that I wouldn't do to keep them safe."

"Then prove it," Macavity replied, moving closer to her until their faces were only inches apart. "Prove how far you are willing to go. Do as I say, and do it right. Otherwise… Watch me tear it apart myself. Either way, I don't really care."

Demeter's ears lay flat against her head and her eyes were wide with desperation. She knew that she had no choice but to do as she was told, but she was going to hate herself more than she already did if she actually went through with it. She sighed sadly and dropped her head, staring at the ground. "Fine…" she said in a small voice. "I'll do it…"

Macavity chuckled and nipped at the queen's ear. "Good girl…" he whispered. "We leave in ten minutes. Ready yourself…"

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Mew Painappuru