Free Empath (Book 1 of the Empath Trilogy) by HK Savage

family was there with us, I looked up at Tara.  “Can all of you do that?”
     
    “Yes.”  Tara narrowed her eyes suspiciously.  “Are you not afraid of us?”
     
    “Not of Stephen.  He wouldn’t touch me.”  I put the emphasis on the ‘he’, not being so sure of the others.  Stephen had said they all had gifts, he wasn’t kidding.
     
    Tonya giggled, a totally girlie giggle and added, “She’s got that right.” 
     
    I shot her a look.  Not everyone could look like her but she didn’t have to be rude.  But then got distracted when I caught sight of the pictures out of the corner of my eye.  “Is that why you guys don’t age?”
    Troy spoke up from the couch, still sitting very calmly at his original perch, “We do age, just at a much slower rate than humans.  Our change brings our bodies to physical maturity, and then we slow our aging significantly.  It is not uncommon to live several human lifetimes without significant changes in our appearance.” 
     
    There it was, ‘humans.’  They were not human.  Even though I was looking at real purring proof of that, knowing that my only friend was the biggest cat I’d ever seen outside of a zoo, it was fairly hair-raising to hear him referred to as a non-human. 
     
    “What are you guys?  I know you aren’t werewolves since you aren’t wolves.  What are you called if you turn into cats?”
     
    Their patriarch answered patiently, “We are werecats; there are a number of different kinds of wereanimals.  Werewolves are just the kind Hollywood decided to exploit.”  Troy sounded almost offended, as if he wanted to have been in the group made popular.  Odd, I hadn’t pegged him as a glory hound.  Or glory cat?
     
    He must have seen what I was thinking in my expression because he went on to clarify, “The werewolves are fine, but they have gotten progressively more difficult to handle since becoming celebrities.  They were quite proud to have been singled out by the movie and book industries.  Now, they are impossible to work with when the situation demands.”
     
    Funny, I had a picture in my head of a party and the werewolves strutting around, noses in the air, snubbing all of the other groups.  I couldn’t resist a giggle.
     
    As this new knowledge filed itself into my consciousness, I had more questions.  “So, since you guys are giant cats, what could you possibly be afraid of from this other family?  Are they werecats too or are they some other animal?”
    Troy and Tonya exchanged a glance and Tara suddenly had an urge to straighten the pictures on the wall, taking all of her concentration.  Stephen walked into the kitchen again and I felt the tingle on my skin again as I heard a small popping sound.  I watched the doorway expectantly.  Within about a minute, Stephen came back through the doorway behind Tonya, running his hand through his hair and tugging his shirt down.  Wow, rapid dressing; another one of his talents.  He was the one to answer me.
     
    “The wereanimals are not an issue.  We are ruled by a council, which disallows clans from fighting amongst themselves.  All grievances are brought before the Council which rules on what actions must be taken to resolve the issue in the best interest of the community.”
     
    This just got weirder by the minute.  Wereanimals, snobby werewolves, a Council to handle fighting; it was so civilized.  “You guys have your own little world.”
     
    Tara bristled, “It is not a little world, thank you.  We have existed for as long as humans.  And since the inception of the Council a thousand years ago, we have lived a far more civilized existence than you people have managed, I might add.”
     
    “She means no harm,” Troy shot a cautionary glance at Tara on my behalf.  I had one more ally it seemed. 
     
    Trying to placate her, I apologized, “I’m sorry, Tara, I didn’t mean any offense.”
     
    She shrugged, obviously still huffy.  Turning back to