by Tara Lain
The slim, silky black body crept under the sash and into the room. He padded down the hall until he came to the bedroom. Home. Happy.
He slid through the small opening left by the partly open door. The scent of sadness filled his nose and his heart. He heard the soft breaths and followed them.
With a leap, landing so softly he barely wrinkled the covers, he crept up beside the sleeping man. The lean body smelled of salt, fear, and pain.
Heartache.
Aloysius pressed next to the man, willing the pain into his own body. Protect. Defend.
Luke.
Love.
Chapter Fourteen
“ARE WE sure there are only four of them?” Killian uncrossed his legs and crossed them the opposite direction, his version of pacing. Jimmy did the real version of pacing in front of the fireplace. Blaine lay on the couch looking relaxed, but his energy vibrated like a bowstring.
Aloysius stared out the window. Killian had seen him creep back in their window early that morning.
Jimmy shook his head as he walked. “No. Not for sure. Everyone I’ve spoken to has only reported seeing the two females and one blond and one dark-haired male, but we can’t be certain there aren’t others. Especially now that they have their sights on Aloysius.”
“Merwaor.”
Killian turned and looked at the cat. The terrible sadness flowed off him in waves. Still, it was obvious he was devoted to the protection of him and Blaine and wouldn’t leave them with lowered defenses.
Blaine sat up and stared at Al, then looked at Killian. “What are we going to do? Too many witches know how important Aloysius is to your power. If he leaves, you and the whole community are vulnerable. But we can’t ask Al to sacrifice his life for ours.”
Killian sighed. “I’m still the most powerful male witch in ten generations. That has to be worth something. Even without Sammy, I should be able to rally our coven to withstand their attack.”
“Shit. And spend the rest of our lives fighting. Maybe.” Yes, maybe.
Killian wiped a hand across his face. “Besides. I don’t quite know how to restore Aloysius to his human form.”
“Merwaowr.”
The silky black feline padded across the room, jumped up, and crept onto Killian’s lap. Heartbreaking. Al wasn’t usually affectionate with anyone but Blaine. Now he needed comfort. “I’m so sorry, my friend. I wish I had an easy solution to this.”
“Merwaooooowr.”
Jimmy perched on the couch beside Blaine. “As long as we have Aloysius, they’re going to fight us to get him.”
Killian blew out air. “And if we don’t have him, they’ll fight us to win.”
Blaine shook his head. “Don’t forget. Luke saw Alain change to Aloysius. If a mere human can see it, I’m pretty sure those damned witches didn’t miss a thing.”
“Which means nobody’s safe, anywhere, ever.” Jimmy hung his head.
Killian sat up. “I’m truly sorry, Jimmy. I know you and Lavender have barely had any time to be newlyweds, but I need you both to go back into negotiations with the European covens.”
Jimmy frowned. “What have we got to parlay with?”
“I suspect none of the Europeans know how strong or weak we are. They’ll be slow to align with the rebels if they think we’re going to win. You and Lavender let them know we have a secret power that we’re not disclosing. One so terrible we hesitate to use it, but we will if we have to.”
“Sammy?”
“Yes.”
“But he says he’s got much less power without Aloysius.”
“They don’t know that anyone but me is affected by Aloysius. And as you say”—he ran his hand over the soft fur—“we have him now.”
LUKE PULLED into the parking lot. Another day he didn’t want to go to work, which kind of meant a day he didn’t want to live. Come on, asshole. This is the life you worked so hard to create. Get with it.
He dragged his backpack off the passenger seat and opened the door. The buzzing of his phone sent shivers up his back. He grabbed it from his pocket and looked.
“Hi, Ruben.”
“Hey, Luke. Where the hell is Alain?”
“What?”
“Where is he? I told him not to go anywhere. I keep calling his phone and no answer. We need him to keep Nicky in jail.”
“Uh, I don’t know.”
“What do you mean, you don’t know? Doesn’t he live with you? Aren’t you his hero?”
Ruben’s voice dripped sarcasm, but it still cut straight to Luke’s heart. “No. We split up. He’s gone.”
“Shit, baby boy, we could lose this case. Nicky could walk.”
Luke frowned. “You’ve got a boatload of drugs. What the hell else do you need?”
“Nicky maintains he had no idea there was heroin in those lettuce heads. Without Alain to say differently, he could walk. We need your boy, or you may find yourself with a whole lot of Nicky up your ass.”
“Shitfire.”
“I guess. Sounds like it’s time for some serious reconciliation.”
His throat tightened. “No. He’s gone for good.” He heard his voice crack. Damn. Ruben probably heard it too.
“Hey, I’m sorry, baby boy. Maybe he’ll come back.”
Was his heart even beating? “No. I don’t think so.”
“I thought he was something special.”
Luke wiped a hand over his face. “That’s one way of putting it.”
“Tell me if there’s anything I can do.”
“Just try to keep Nicky in jail.”
Ruben sighed. “I’ll do my best.”
Luke clicked off.
Crap. He’d forgotten that Alain had made a mark in this world. One that couldn’t exactly be continued by a… cat.
He slammed the car door and looked around for Nicky. No, he didn’t have to do that anymore—or maybe he did.
He couldn’t seem to make his feet move fast. The parking lot felt as long as a football field. Finally, he pushed open the door to the clinic.
Amy looked up and smiled. “Hi, boss. How’s it hanging?”
He turned up the corners of his mouth. That was what a smile looked like, right?
Amy’s cute face fell, but she recovered quickly. “How come Amelia’s in a dog cage?”
Shit. Amelia! He ran through the door to the back and straight to the boarding room. Sure enough, there she was. A tiny ball of gray fur in a large cage meant for a big dog. Her back was turned, but her head was up. Not asleep. Oh, bad sign.
“Amelia?”
More fuzzy back.
He looked down at the pit bull in the large cage on the lower row. “Urrrrrr.”
What the fuck? He stared at the kitten’s back. “Amelia, I’m sorry.” Gently, he opened the cage door and reached in a hand. In one move, the kitten leaped in the air, spun around, and landed with her tail bristled and ears flat.
“Hssss.”
Well, hell. “Come on, it’s not my fault. I didn’t turn him into a cat.”
“Merwaaar.” She flashed out a paw and scratched the side of his hand.
“Ow. Damn.” All around the boarding room, animals glared at him. God, he felt like he’d been kicked in the heart. “All right, you guys. If that’s how it is, so be it. Somebody else can take care of you.”
He slammed out of the room and made it all the way to his office before he sagged. They’d turned on him. Because of Alain. They wanted Alain. He shook his head to get rid of the heat behind his eyes. Damn, the truth was he wanted Alain too.
He puffed his cheeks. When did this happen? This needing another person?
Who was no person. Who was a cat.
A soft tap on the door made him straighten his back. “Yeah?”
The door opened, and Madeline looked in. “I just wanted to tell you that Mrs. Torkerson isn’t coming in. She canceled her appointment.”
“Oh, okay.”
Madeline turned to walk away, but she looked funny. Tense.
>
“Uh, is there anything wrong?”
She stopped but didn’t look toward him. “Kind of.”
“What?” Shit, it wasn’t like her to be coy.
“You better come see this.” She walked away.
What the fuck now? He ran a hand over his face and followed her down the hall. She pushed open the door to the waiting room. It was empty. She walked over and picked up the newspaper, turned to an inside page, then held it out to him.
He was pretty sure that paper was a snake. He didn’t want to touch it. “What is it?”
She cocked her head. “I didn’t know you were a rent boy.”
He sighed and took the paper. So it had finally happened. Somebody had tracked down the story. Why the fuck should anyone care about a small-time vet?
He looked down at the page. So that was why. A big picture of Luke holding tightly to Alain’s arm as they ran out of the back of the police station. The headline read “Top NYC Rent Boy Helps Snag Drug Dealer/Pimp.”
Shitfire.
He sat on the cheap, phony leather. Madeline sat beside him. “Mrs. Torkerson said she didn’t think you were trustworthy to take care of Puppypoo.”
Luke frowned. His most devoted client.
“I told her she should be so lucky to have that fuzzy rat cared for by a brilliant vet like you.”
His lips didn’t make it to a smile. “Thanks.” God, the room felt like it was spinning again. Everything he’d worked for. All those years selling his body, giving away pieces of his soul so he could have this practice. Do what he wanted. Be with animals and help them. Gone. Gone because he’d broken his own rules and allowed himself to be publicly exposed. He’d allowed himself to get involved with people.
He shook his head.
Madeline leaned forward and stared at him. “Where’s Alain?”
Just the name felt like a stake in his heart. Did stakes kill witches? “Gone. He’s not coming back.”
She sat back. “I see.” Hell no, she didn’t. She pointed at the newspaper. “Was it over this event? Sounds to me like he was pretty heroic. You too, for that matter.”
Don’t scream. He gritted his teeth. “What I didn’t realize when I went running after him was that he knew all along that Nicky was bad news. He went with the bastard on purpose under some misguided impression he could protect me. After, I told him to stay low-key, not make a fuss. I worked everything out. It was going fine. I had the clinic and—”
The front door opened. By itself. A black cat walked through the opening, padded to the middle of the room in front of Luke, and sat. The blue eyes felt like lasers.
Madeline stared at the door, then looked back at Luke. “What the hell. How did that cat get in here?”
“I-I must have left the door ajar.” Luke’s heart beat so hard it deafened him.
The cat crossed one paw over the other. Waiting. A sheen reflected on his wide eyes. Eyes just like…. Shit!
Too much. Luke couldn’t breathe. His whole body felt like an open wound. He couldn’t hear. Words clogged his throat. Have to hold them back. Crazy. He didn’t do crazy—much!
All he could see was blue eyes—boring into his soul. He shrieked. “You did this.” He picked up the paper and threw it at Aloysius. “I begged you not to make waves, not to do your damned superhero shit, but you didn’t listen. You had to do everything your way, and now it’s gone. Gone.” Holy shit. His face was wet. “You did this!” He leaped to his feet. “I’m gone.”
Luke ran through the open door. The door the cat had opened with witchcraft. The cat who was his lover. The cat who was a witch.
He raced across the lot and hauled open the car door, got in, ground the ignition, and tore out of the parking lot. Shit! He hit the brakes, barely missing a cab. The driver screamed at him in some Middle Eastern language.
The whole fucking world was crazy.
LUKE LAY huddled on the couch—the couch Alain had moved, decorated, and made comfortable in the apartment that screamed of his special power and sweetness in every corner. Alain, who couldn’t stay hidden, couldn’t stop protecting, couldn’t keep his pretty nose out of others’ business. The little superhero.
No. The fucking cat.
He pulled a pillow over his face. This was ridiculous. Such things didn’t happen. His crazy mother’s wild-eyed face came into his mind. Maybe that was it. He’d followed his mother over the edge. If they gave him meds, all this would go away.
The witches. The cat.
Alain.
A sob exploded from his lips. What the hell?
Alain had already gone away.
And he felt… how? God-awful.
Witchcraft or abandonment. It all ended up the same. No Alain. No companion. No friend. No… love.
That couldn’t be right. Could it? Love? Had he ever loved anyone in his life?
Anyone?
A drip fell on his hand. Another.
No! He couldn’t love someone who had screwed up the life he’d worked so hard for. He couldn’t love someone who messed around with crazy people. People who claimed to be things that didn’t exist.
He threw the pillow across the room and sat up. Okay, quit this shit. What the hell did he really think about all this?
And there was the truth, laid out across his heart like a fucking tattoo.
A-L-A-I-N.
He wiped a hand over his eyes. He would believe in witches. Hell, he would believe in Bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster if he could have Alain back.
This could not be happening. He threw his hands over his head. This could not be happening!
A sound.
He looked over his shoulder. What the fuck? He stared at the window.
Slowly the sash rose. Inch by inch. No hand on it.
The silky feline jumped up onto the sill. “Merwaorwr.”
God, he was so beautiful. Funny that Luke hadn’t known Alain was a cat from the first moment. The boy moved like this feline, all sinuous grace. They shared the big balls—and the eyes. They looked straight into your soul. Aloysius was clearly more than a cat, just as Alain had been more than a man.
The cat jumped down from the window and moved gracefully to the couch. He leaped up beside Luke, sat, and crossed his paws.
Luke shook his head. “I don’t get how this all works, Aloysius. They say you’re a familiar. You don’t have power of your own, but you can open doors and windows.”
The cat sighed. The silky sides clearly expanded and contracted.
“I know. I have to be nuts to be talking to a cat. Of course, I’ve always believed cats were smarter than people, so I guess it’s not such a leap. But believing you’re the man I held in my arms, the man I kissed and made love to….” His voice broke. “That’s a one-way ticket to insanity.”
“Mewoow.”
Luke wiped a hand across his eyes. “Why me? Why did you have to come to my clinic? Couldn’t you have found somebody else to rope into your fucking life?”
“Merwaowr. Waor.”
The cat looked at him with those blue eyes, and he cried. No, tears didn’t fall, but as certainly as Luke continued to breathe, the cat was crying.
A crack lined its way through Luke’s heart.
Aloysius wiped a paw over his face, just as Luke had, then took a deep breath. He backed off the couch and crossed to the window with his head hanging. He jumped up. “Merwaorwr.” He’d given up.
Leap. Gone.
Luke’s heart stopped. His breath stilled. One thing was true. Without Alain he didn’t care if he ever breathed again. “Aloysius! Wait.”
Luke jumped up and ran to the window.
Sitting on the fire escape, facing him, sat Aloysius.
“Please. Don’t go.”
One paw crossed over the other.
“I don’t know what to say.”
The sigh again.
Luke climbed through the window and sat on the sill, leaning out. The honks and rattles of cars, trucks, vans, and bicycles grew too big to be con
tained by the narrow alley walls. Aloysius formed a single point of stillness in the chaos.
That was the truth. Luke’s point of stillness.
Luke looked at the sky. “I can’t kid you. I knew from the first moment I saw Alain that he, uh, you were different. I wouldn’t let myself explore that uniqueness, but I knew. And I wanted you. Him. I wanted all that specialness for myself. I told myself I could keep him contained, holed up, all for me, but I knew that was crazy. Alain is something too fine, brilliant, and good for me. But I want him anyway.”
Aloysius lay on his stomach and folded his paws in front of him.
“But now I suppose I’ve lost him.” He drew in a breath and it shuddered. “And I find that hard to bear.” He stared at his folded hands. Sweet God, that was true. “For the first time in my life, I actually cared about a person, and now he’s gone.”
He looked at the cat. “But you’re here. It’s hard not to blame you for taking Alain away from me, but I know that’s stupid. You didn’t ask for this to happen any more than I did.” He pointed toward the living room.
“Would you come back inside?”
Aloysius stood. Luke swung back into the room, and the graceful cat followed him. Luke blew out his breath and crossed over to sit on the couch.
Aloysius jumped up beside Luke and sat staring at him.
Luke leaned back on the side cushion. What did he want from this creature? “I know you have responsibilities I can’t even imagine. But the thing is, if you’re here, then Alain is sort of here too. So maybe you could come and see me sometimes? I’ve always liked animals more than people, and in this case I guess I hit the jackpot, because you’re both.” He shook his head. “I can barely believe I’m saying this, but I accept that you’re both Aloysius and Alain. Not because I saw you change into a cat, but because I feel Alain here now.” He swallowed the sob that wanted to escape. “I know my kitten is here, and I don’t feel so lonely.”
“Merwaowr.”
“Do you miss me too?”
Aloysius walked toward Luke, crawled on his lap, and laid his furry head against Luke’s chest.
Sadness and sweetness flowed through Luke in equal measures.
