My Cat Nap

by Shelley Munro

  “You make me hunger,” the master said. “You bring joy and soothe the anger inside me.”

  Confusion filled him. What did the master mean?

  The master laughed, a genuine sound that made Kiran’s eyes widen. “You look surprised, but even my family have remarked upon my recent even temper.”

  With purpose he shifted and lined his cock up with Kiran’s entrance. He pushed forward, the head of his cock forging through the resistance until he filled Kiran. Kiran tried to hold himself apart, tried not to enjoy the master’s possession, but the fires of lust rampaged his body. His body arched into each stroke, and when the master leaned down to kiss him for the first time, he moaned his pleasure at the unheralded intimacy.

  The pleasure grew with each stroke, flinging him into such rapture he didn’t think he’d ever escape…

  Kiran jerked awake, fear pounding through him while his cock pulsed with hunger. Sweat covered his body, and he picked up the corner of the cotton sheet to wipe his face. Before the thought even formed, he found himself standing at the door of Rohan’s room. He opened the door, slid inside and shut it firmly after him.

  “Kiran?”

  “I…can I sleep in your bed?” He hated the need in his voice but couldn’t shake the residual fear chasing in circles through his mind.

  “Sure,” Rohan said. “You okay?”

  “Dreams.” Kiran crawled into the bed, edging close to Rohan and seeking his warmth despite the evening humidity.

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  “I was a prisoner.”

  “A prisoner?” Rohan drew Kiran against his chest and wrapped an arm around his waist. Some of the tension eased from Kiran’s muscles. “Do you think it was a dream or your memories?”

  “I don’t know.” Kiran swallowed, feeling tears well at his eyes. “I hope it was just a dream because people died.” With stumbling words, Kiran recounted his dream, the horror of the slave’s blood sending renewed shudders through him. “It must be a dream, right?”

  “I don’t know,” Rohan said. “It could be a mixture of truth and fiction. It could be your mind struggling to recall the past. Why don’t we visit the doctor tomorrow? See what he makes of the dreams.”

  “You’d come with me?”

  “Hell, yeah.” A flash of white teeth and a tightening of Rohan’s arms reassured Kiran. “I’m not letting any of those Middlemarch men or women get any ideas about you. Not when I’ve just found you,” Rohan said.

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah. You wanna fool around, or do you want to sleep?”

  Fresh on the heels of the dream the last thing Kiran wanted was to think about sex despite the nagging ache in his balls. But he also needed a fresh image to overlay the one burned into his mind. “Can we do both?”

  “Ah, the perfect answer.”

  “Good. Yeah, let me feel your cock rub against mine. Get some friction going.”

  Rohan rocked his pelvis and brought their erections into contact.

  The air hissed from Kiran’s mouth, the electric sensation of the curving glans sliding against Rohan, claiming his attention. Blindly, he sought Rohan’s mouth. Their lips met in a collision, both moving their hips in an urgent tempo. Need for reassurance flared into incredible pleasure, contentment at Rohan’s touch. Rohan’s presence soothed the panic caused by the dream.

  “Damn, that feels good. Your cock against mine,” Rohan said.

  Kiran grunted, jerking his hips, sliding their shafts together. His stomach hollowed, his breathing going shallow. Heat and pressure galloped through him, growing big and bright until he exploded into orgasm, the spasms going on for long moments. He was vaguely aware of Rohan coming, spurts of semen painting his stomach.

  Gradually their breathing slowed, and they took the time for a leisurely kiss, a meeting of mouths and minds.

  Kiran tried to show Rohan without words how much his embrace anchored him, how much he appreciated his concern and how much he wanted to stay in the home he’d found with the Patel brother and sister. He’d like nothing better.

  Chapter Four

  Rohan told Ambar about Kiran’s nightmare while Kiran was in the shower.

  “You should take him to see Gavin Finley today. He should have a proper checkup anyway, especially if you’re gonna bump dangly parts. We don’t know if he still has drugs in his system or something worse.”

  Rohan glanced toward the bathroom, noting the water had shut off. “I don’t like leaving you on your own during our opening day.” He ignored his sister’s precocious remark about sex to concentrate on the main message. A checkup for Kiran.

  “This is important,” Ambar said. “Especially if you intend to keep him, and don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it. I’m not blind. I can see how it is between the two of you.”

  “You don’t keep people.”

  Ambar waved her hand in an airy motion. “A figure of speech. You know what I mean.”

  “Are you sure you can cope on your own?”

  “It’s not as if you’re going to take all day. Even if he does tests, it shouldn’t take longer than an hour. Besides, I can call you if I run into problems. Here, pour some coffee.” Ambar handed him three mugs and acted as though they’d settled everything.

  Rohan hid a grin and followed her orders. His sister had bloomed recently, and it made him realize how smothered she must have felt with their parents. As a son, he’d had a lot more freedom, and he’d felt choked by their strict upbringing. Ambar must have felt much worse. While he missed his father and mother and knew Ambar did too, the independence was a real bonus. She deserved to enjoy their freedom.

  Ambar walked over to the phone and rang a number. “Hello. Yes, I’d like to make an appointment. Is there a free slot this morning? This afternoon? Three? That will be fine. The appointment is for a friend. His name is Kiran. Okay. Thanks.” She hung up and beamed. “There. All done. I’m sure it will be busier this morning. Things will settle down by the time you and Kiran need to leave for your appointment.”

  “How did you know the number?”

  “I figured Kiran should go to the doctor and looked it up earlier,” Ambar said.

  Kiran walked into the kitchen, smelling of soap and man. Rohan’s nostrils twitched and he stilled, inhaling his scent deep into his lungs.

  “You have an appointment at the doctor’s at three,” Ambar said.

  “I’m not going on my own,” Kiran said, his voice flat. He looked trapped and searched the exits from the room as if he might make a run for it.

  “No, I’m going with you,” Rohan said. “Hopefully it won’t take long. Ambar and I would both feel happier if we knew you were okay.”

  “Because you’re worried I might hurt you? Spread a disease or something?”

  Ambar shunted Kiran toward a seat and plucked one of the mugs of coffee Rohan had poured off the counter. She placed it in front of him. “Don’t be silly,” she said. “We both feel a bit guilty about not insisting you see someone when we were in Auckland. We want to ease our consciences and make sure we haven’t caused you any harm.”

  Rohan held his breath, only letting it ease out when Kiran’s shoulders lost their tension. Silently, he blessed his sister’s quick thinking. Kiran needed to feel he mattered rather than thinking he was a burden.

  “Besides,” he added with a wink at Ambar. “If we intend to keep working you as hard as we have during the last few days we want to make sure you’re healthy. We don’t want our slave labor to croak.” He could have kicked himself when he used the word slave, but Kiran didn’t react, sipping his coffee instead.

  Ambar sent him a chiding look.

  “What’s for breakfast?” Rohan asked.

  “Scrambled eggs and toast,” Ambar said. “And you needn’t think I’m going to do all the cooking. One or both of you can cook tomorrow.”

  “I don’t know if I can cook,” Kiran pointed out. “I might have helped with the stew last night but nothing was familiar.�
�

  “I suspect we’re about to learn athe extent of your cooking skills,” Rohan said cheerfully. “If I have to cook so do you.”

  Ambar served the scrambled eggs and handed plates to both men before joining them at the table.

  An hour later they opened their new business to the public. Business was brisk from the moment the front door opened.

  “What’s with all the single men?” Kiran asked in an undertone.

  Rohan watched a pair of males around his age scope out Ambar while dropping groceries into a shopping basket. “They’re checking out the new woman in town.”

  “As long as they’re not checking out the new male,” Kiran said, moving closer to Rohan and growling under his breath.

  “Not much chance of that,” Rohan said. “I’m only interested in one male.”

  “Even though I don’t know anything about my past?”

  Rohan slid his hand around Kiran’s shoulders. “I know all I need to know.” Rohan’s fingers caressed Kiran’s butt and gave him a sly pinch. “Stop worrying.”

  * * * * *

  Kiran liked Gavin Finley straightaway. The feline doctor was calm and gave off an air of competence. He gave him a thorough physical and took blood tests.

  Kiran put his shirt back on and sat beside Rohan. “I’ve been having dreams.”

  “More like nightmares,” Rohan added.

  “And you can’t remember anything about your past?” Gavin asked, tapping a pen on top of the small desk he sat behind. He peered at the screen of his laptop and added in a note.

  “No.”

  “Do the dreams make sense or are they disjointed fragments?”

  Kiran tensed, thinking about the events in his dream. “They’re more like scenes.” He barely suppressed a shudder of horror when he recalled the blood and the master’s uncaring attitude.

  “And you say he collapsed?”

  Rohan nodded. “My sister saw him collapse and realized he was a shifter like us. We sprung him from hospital and suspect someone pumped him full of drugs.”

  “I’ll know more once I take a look at your bloodwork. The dreams could be your mind’s way of helping you remember. It might help to keep a dream journal. Write down as many details as you can before you forget them.”

  “I don’t want to be the man I am in the dreams,” Kiran blurted. His impassioned words hung in the air between the three men, and embarrassment filled him. He hated the helpless feeling, the worry that he might bring danger to his new friends. The master—the man in his dreams—was a monster. Although he seemed to treat Kiran well, he cared nothing for the other slaves. Kiran sensed the master wasn’t a man who liked opposition, and if he were real, all hell would break loose if he tried to recover his favorite slave.

  Swallowing the wave of panic, he risked a glance at the doctor and put his greatest fear into words. “What if I’m dangerous? Or the people in my dreams are real and they’re dangerous?”

  Fleeting sympathy rippled across Gavin’s face. “The not knowing must be difficult. Have you spoken with Saber Mitchell?”

  “No, but we’re going to a barbecue at the Mitchells’ house tonight,” Rohan answered for him. “We intended to talk to him anyway.”

  “Good, depending on what Saber thinks, you might also like to talk to the cops. They’re both human but have shifter mates. Charlie McKenzie, one of my mates, is a cop.”

  “You have two mates?” Kiran asked.

  “Yeah. Charlie and Leticia.” Gavin’s features softened and it was easy to see the love in his green eyes. “We’re going to the barbecue tonight so you’ll meet them there.”

  “We’re looking forward to meeting everyone,” Rohan said.

  Kiran wasn’t so sure. He’d noticed the mass of scars on his body, on his back, one arm and his wrists. He also bore the strange round brand-like mark on the left side of his chest. The doctor had noticed them too, his mouth hardening faintly during the physical, although he hadn’t said anything. Abuse hovered in his background, and Kiran had to wonder if the loss of his memory was a means of coping with reality.

  * * * * *

  Rohan pulled up in front of the sprawling house and parked beside the other cars.

  Ambar leaned forward between the front seats to speak to them. “I’m excited to meet everyone but nervous too.” Both emotions bubbled in her voice, and Rohan knew exactly how she felt. It was important for the Mitchells and their friends to like them and Kiran represented a possible snag in their acceptance. Not that he’d considered leaving the man in Auckland. Although they didn’t know each other well, it would have felt like leaving part of him behind.

  “That makes two of us,” Kiran said. “What if they think I’m a danger to them?”

  Rohan forced a laugh. “Both of you stop it. This is a social occasion. It’s not a firing squad. Everyone will like us.” He winked at Kiran. “What’s not to like? We’re tiger shifters. We’re pretty and we’re big and strong. Besides if they don’t like us we’ll just beat their arses.”

  There was a moment of startled silence when Rohan could swear he heard the grass growing.

  Ambar spluttered, her mouth closing and opening. “I’m pretty, but have you looked in the mirror lately? You have black shadows under your eyes. Are you getting enough sleep?”

  “Hey, I think he’s pretty,” Kiran said, his voice dropping to smoky and seductive.

  Ambar rolled her eyes. “Don’t even think about making out in the car. We want to make a good impression.” With a snort of disgust, she opened the door and climbed from their vehicle.

  Rohan grinned at Kiran and leaned over to brush a kiss on his lips. “Guess we’d better go and face the people.”

  “You’ll stay with me while I talk to Saber?”

  Rohan’s heart turned over at the note of vulnerability in Kiran’s voice. “Sure thing. You know Ambar and I researched Middlemarch before we moved here? We wouldn’t have moved if we’d thought the natives were hostile.”

  Kiran gave a clipped nod and exited the vehicle. Rohan sighed. He knew demons haunted Kiran. Hell, if he’d lost his memory he’d worry about hidden monsters in his past. It was only natural.

  Another vehicle pulled up as Rohan climbed out of the car. It was Gavin Finley and his mates.

  “Hi,” Gavin said. “Rohan, Kiran this is Leticia and Charlie, my mates. You must be Ambar,” he added, smiling in Ambar’s direction.

  Leticia was slender, somewhat frail in appearance, but with a bright smile and very short blonde hair. She held a bunch of multi-colored roses, their perfume drifting to Rohan. Charlie, the cop, had equally short dark blonde hair and blue eyes. Rohan studied the pair and shook their hands. He eyed Gavin’s black hair. It was cropped and a similar length as his mates’ hair. Weird. Maybe it was a fashion statement. At least the natives seemed friendly.

  After introductions, they all headed for the front door of the house. It opened before they could knock.

  “Good! You’re here,” Emily said, her right hand resting on her belly. “We’ve been waiting for you. They’re here, Saber,” she called over her shoulder. “Come in.”

  “Sorry we’re late, Emily,” Leticia said, handing the roses over to Emily. “From our garden. Charlie had a callout and held us up.”

  “Yep, blame me,” Charlie said, looking unconcerned, his eyes twinkling with good humor.

  “We’re not exactly on time,” Rohan said. “The shop was busy. I think every single male in the district came to check out Ambar. We had an unanticipated run on microwave meals.”

  “I had fun.” Ambar wrinkled her nose at him.

  Rohan growled under his breath, the indignant feline sound making them all laugh.

  “I hope you took note of names,” Leticia said.

  “Definitely,” Emily agreed. “We’ll give you the lowdown on each of them. Since it’s so mild we’re sitting out in the courtyard.” She made shooing motions with her free hand. “Go through so I can shut the door and put these flowers i
n water. They’re beautiful and smell devine. Saber will organize drinks for everyone.”

  “Sounds good. It’s been a busy day.” Gavin ushered his female mate through the door, and Rohan noticed the affectionate stroke he gave her on the back. He stretched out his hand and his male mate took it without hesitation.

  Ambar followed the others, but Rohan saw Kiran hesitated. He grasped Kiran’s arm and drew him into the house. “Come on. We’re invited,” Rohan murmured. “No one is judging you.”

  Although Kiran followed him, Rohan sensed his tension. It was unwarranted. The Mitchells and their friends were warm and made them welcome, running through rapid introductions.

  They met Saber in person—his authority as part of the Feline council obvious in his level, assessing feline-green stare. He shook each of their hands and nodded. His brothers Felix and Leo bore the same black hair and green eyes. Felix’s features were almost harsh until he smiled while in Leo everything knit together into perfection. Kissed by the angels, Rohan’s mother would have said.

  Tomasine, Felix’s mate, was petite with long black hair and a friendly smile. Isabella, an attractive blonde, was Leo’s mate, and although she smiled in welcome, something about her demeanor screamed danger.

  Emily arrived bearing a tray of glasses. Saber followed with a bottle of white wine and several cans of beer. He handed around drinks while Emily dispersed glasses.

  “A toast,” Saber said. “I want to officially welcome our new arrivals Rohan and Ambar Patel and their friend Kiran.”

  “You just want to marry off either Joe or Sly,” Felix said. “That’s why you’re so happy.”

  Everyone laughed, and Emily said, “They’ll have to hurry. Ambar said every single male in the area visited their store today.”

  “I’m sure Joe and Sly can take care of themselves,” Saber said. “Although I’m glad they’ve settled a bit. I couldn’t take any more gray hair.”