THIRDS Beyond the Books Volume 1

by Charlie Cochet

  With a huff, Sloane rolled over and glared at the apple next to him on the bed. Normally he loved apples. They were sweet, juicy, and crunchy. He especially loved sinking his fangs into them before ripping a chunk off. Shultzon didn’t know he could do that. Sloane had been asked if he could draw out his fangs and claws at will while in his Human form. He’d lied. Right now he didn’t want any apples. He wanted turkey. And stuffing.

  Sloane sat up. He was pouting, but he didn’t care. It sucked. Everyone else was in the canteen eating turkey, including Ash, but Sloane was being punished. He’d clawed at one of the lab assistants. It wasn’t his fault. Sloane had been in his Therian form when the stupid jerk kicked Sloane. He’d apparently told Sloane to jump up on the examining table, but Sloane hadn’t been paying attention. When he didn’t do as asked, the guy kicked him. Not hard, but enough to spook Sloane and cause him to lash out, shredding the man’s pant leg and making him bleed.

  “He shouldn’t have kicked me,” Sloane muttered, wrapping his arms around his drawn-up knees and letting his chin rest on them. He gave a sniff and rubbed at his eye. He wasn’t going to cry. So what if everyone was having Thanksgiving dinner? It wasn’t like he cared. They weren’t even his friends. The only one he cared about was Ash. His best friend had wanted to stay, but Sloane had pushed him out of their room, telling him to go. It wouldn’t be fair for Ash to stay and miss all the tasty food because of Sloane.

  In the end, his friend gave in, but he wasn’t happy about it. There would be a little party after dinner, with music and games with all the kids in their wing. Sloane didn’t buy any of it. It didn’t change where they were or what they were put through. Tears welled in Sloane’s eyes, but he quickly brushed them away. One day he was gonna get out of here and they’d be sorry. He was gonna be someone important. Someone people listened to instead of bossed around. He’d be big and strong, maybe a little scary, but not too much, and he’d study hard so he’d be smart. One day he’d find a guy who’d love him like crazy, and they’d have a house and a dog and good friends, and they’d be a family, and they’d live happily together forever and ever. And Ash would be there. Ash would always be there.

  “Are you still moping?”

  Sloane’s head shot up at his best friend’s voice. He couldn’t keep from smiling. He didn’t think Ash would be back so soon. His smile fell away. Had Ash come back just so Sloane wouldn’t be alone? “Don’t you want to go to the party?”

  Ash let out a snort as the door was secured shut behind him. “With those nerds? No way.”

  “But there are girls there. I bet Tanya’s there.” Tanya had just turned fourteen, the same age as him and Ash, and like most of the Therian girls thought Ash was super cute. They dug the whole bad boy thing, even when he wouldn’t give them a second glance. Girls were weird. Then again, so were some of the boys. A few of them thought Ash was the coolest Therian to walk the halls of their wing. Ash, of course, couldn’t care less. He shrugged at Sloane’s statement and walked over to Sloane’s bed. He was wearing his baggy hoodie, a funny smile on his face.

  Sloane peered at him. “What?” What had his best friend done now? That smile could mean anything from he’d stolen a lab assistant’s keycard again to he’d changed into his Therian form and taken a poo outside the security office. Again. Sloane wrinkled his nose. At least the guards thought twice about calling him “kitty.”

  Ash shook his head. “Man, what would you do without me?”

  “Die.”

  Ash stared at him. “Geez, Sloane. Morbid much?”

  “Sorry,” Sloane replied, his grin sheepish. He’d replied without thinking. Mostly because he couldn’t think about not having Ash. “Today’s just kinda sucked.”

  “Well, not totally. I guess I should give you your surprise now before you start writing poetry or some shit.”

  Sloane lunged forward and punched Ash in the arm. “Jerkwad.”

  Ash jumped off the bed and swung an arm out dramatically. “Roses are red. Violets are Blue. My name is Sloane Brodie. Boo hoo.”

  “Screw you,” Sloane grumbled as Ash laughed his face off. “Is this your way of cheering me up?”

  Ash cackled as he reached inside his hoodie. “No, this is how I cheer you up, knucklehead.” He pulled out a brown paper bag and dropped it on the bed in front of Sloane.

  “What is it?” Sloane sniffed, and his eyes went wide. He grabbed the bag and tore through it. Inside was a ziplock bag with something wrapped in aluminum foil. Something thick that smelled so darn good. Sloane swiftly unwrapped it, his vision growing blurry at the sight of the huge turkey sandwich. It had stuffing and cranberry sauce too.

  Ash rolled his eyes. “Geez, it’s a sandwich. Just eat it, okay?”

  Sloane sniffed and took a huge bite out of it. It was so good. He smiled through the giant wad of food in his mouth, his “thank you” barely understandable.

  “Yeah, whatever. Better than you pouting all day.”

  He threw himself on his bed as Sloane ate. That wasn’t why Ash had brought him back a sandwich, but Sloane didn’t say anything. Ash didn’t like it when Sloane made a big deal out of him being nice. Sloane didn’t know why. Ash hated compliments. Hated when someone said something good about him or something he did.

  The room was quiet except for Sloane eating. When he was done, he walked over to the locked refrigerated unit and pressed the buzzer. “May I have some milk, please?”

  The unit beeped, and the little light turned from red to green. He took the small milk carton, and as soon as it was removed the door shut and locked. With a smile, he sat on his bed and drank half the milk.

  “Want the rest?”

  Ash didn’t look at him, just lazily threw a hand out. Sloane held back a smile as he put the carton in Ash’s hand. He sat up and finished off the rest of the milk. His cheeks were kinda flushed, and Sloane waited, his head cocked to one side.

  “You okay?”

  Ash nodded. He walked over to the opposite wall to push the empty milk carton into the tiny trash chute. When he turned, he shoved his hands into his pockets.

  “You know how I was in the gym an extra hour every day last week?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I wasn’t really at the gym.”

  Sloane blinked at him. He sat on the edge of the bed, his legs swinging back and forth, his socked feet barely brushing the floor.

  “I was in the music room.”

  Ash pulled out a small case from his pocket. He tossed it onto Sloane’s bed. Sloane picked it up, staring at it before moving his gaze to Ash, who fidgeted where he stood.

  “You made me a mixtape?”

  “Don’t make a big deal out of it,” Ash grumbled. “You’ve been all mopey so, you know.” He shrugged.

  Sloane’s smile couldn’t get any bigger. He took the cassette out and arched an eyebrow at Ash. “Journey?”

  Ash’s serious expression cracked, and a slow smile crept onto his face. “What? You don’t like Journey?”

  Sloane narrowed his eyes. Ash knew he didn’t. Well, at least his best friend’s heart had been in the right place. “Um, thanks.”

  “I’m kidding, you dork.” Ash ran over and jumped onto the bed next to him, giving him a punch in the shoulder. “It’s rock. Your favorites. Guns N’ Roses, Twisted Sister, the Clash.”

  “Awesome!” Sloane grabbed the cassette radio Shultzon had given him for his last birthday. It was one of Sloane’s few but favorite possessions. He popped the tape in and pressed Play. When Guns N’ Roses’s “Welcome to the Jungle” blasted through the small speakers, Sloane tackle-hugged Ash. They fell onto their sides, and Sloane squeezed Ash tight.

  “Get off,” Ash growled, trying to break free from Sloane’s hug.

  “Shut up and let me hug you or I’ll ask them to play Dirty Dancing for the next movie night.”

  Ash made a loud gagging sound, making Sloane laugh. He stilled in Sloane’s arms.

  “Fine. Man, you’re such a pain in the ass.�
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  “I know,” Sloane said, shutting his eyes tight and pressing his cheek against Ash’s back. He’d never tell his best friend how much he loved him, but judging by Ash’s soft sigh, Sloane figured that maybe not only did Ash know, but maybe he even loved Sloane back. “Happy Thanksgiving, Ash.”

  Ash put his arm over Sloane’s, and they settled in for a turkey-induced nap. “Happy Thanksgiving. Dork.”

  Prompt #25: Awkward breakfast—the first morning after Ash overhears Sloane & Dex having sex upstairs. They thought he’d be in a deep sleep from all the meds.

  LAST NIGHT had been amazing.

  Sloane headed downstairs with a skip in his step. He and Dex had stumbled in last night from Dex’s birthday celebration at Dekatria, both pretty tipsy, and after an unpleasant argument with Ash over drinking booze with his meds, Sloane had joined Dex upstairs in the bedroom. They’d showered and gotten into bed, both of them equally worried about Ash and Cael.

  In the middle of the night, Sloane had woken up to use the bathroom, and when he returned, he’d seen Dex lying there on his stomach, naked. His partner had kicked the covers off like he usually did, and Sloane had been mesmerized by his sleeping form. By the softness of his skin, the curve of his spine, the disheveled state of his hair, those broad shoulders, and that amazing ass.

  Sloane hadn’t been able to help himself. He’d crawled onto the bed and started planting kisses all over Dex, from the top of his head, behind his ears, to his back, down one plump asscheek, followed by his legs to his toes. Dex had rolled over, grabbed him, and pinned Sloane underneath him. Dex might be a zombie in the morning without his coffee, but nothing jolted his partner awake like hot sex in the middle of the night.

  It had been scorching, heavy, and Dex had ridden Sloane until his toes curled. He was pretty sure he’d heard the headboard hit the wall several times. Sloane found himself smiling as he headed into the kitchen. He reminded himself to keep it down since Ash was fast asleep on the couch. Or so he thought. With a low rumble of a growl, his best friend sat up and ran a hand through his hair.

  “Morning, sunshine,” Sloane said cheerfully, receiving a grunt in response. With a chuckle, Sloane went about getting Dex’s frothy bucket-sized cappuccino ready for when his partner dragged himself downstairs. Feeling unusually chipper, Sloane decided to make some pancakes from scratch with plenty of fresh fruit. He set the counter, along with the syrup and butter. He glanced over at the couch and noticed Ash was just sitting there staring at the TV, which wouldn’t concern him had the TV been on.

  Leaving his pancakes for when signs of life could be heard upstairs, Sloane went to see if Ash was okay. It was probably the meds. They seemed to make his best friend a little spacey and subdued. Sloane sat down on the coffee table across from Ash, who dropped his gaze to his fingers.

  “Hey, buddy. You gonna have some breakfast? I’m making pancakes.”

  Ash’s frown deepened.

  Hm. Maybe he should approach from a different angle. “How’d you sleep?”

  To Sloane’s surprise, Ash’s eyes widened slightly and he covered his face with his hands.

  “Ash, talk to me. You’re kinda freaking me out here.”

  Ash mumbled something against his hands, and Sloane leaned in.

  “Were those words or just sounds, because I have no idea.”

  Ash dropped his hands and whispered hoarsely, his face somewhat flushed, “I heard you having sex!”

  Sloane stared at him. “I’m sorry, what?”

  “I heard you and Mr. Fuck-me-harder having loud, headboard-slamming sex!” Ash shook his head at him. “Really, Sloane? I’m right here!” Ash motioned to himself as if Sloane might not have been able to find him had he not made the gesture.

  Sloane cringed. “I’m sorry. We thought your meds would have knocked you out.”

  “Well, I wasn’t out. I was awake. Very awake. Therian hearing, man! How could you?”

  “I’m sorry!” Sloane didn’t know what to say. It’s not like he could do anything to make Ash un-hear what he’d heard. “Come on. It was just sex.”

  “Between two dudes, one of whom is my best friend,” Ash growled.

  Now that Sloane knew about Cael, he was pretty sure what Ash had overheard hadn’t been his first experience with two dudes getting it on. Sloane would bet his job his best friend had thought about sex with Cael.

  “Question. Have you watched any gay porn?” Sloane braced himself.

  “What the fuck? What’s wrong with you? I’ve just been emotionally scarred for life. Again. And now this? What, having sex with that menace in my bathroom wasn’t enough?”

  Sloane held back a smile. “It’s just a question.”

  “Fuck you. It’s a question I’m not going to answer.” Ash folded his arms over his chest and sat back, glaring.

  “I think you just did.”

  “My refusal to answer a question does not automatically imply that the answer is yes.”

  “I think in this case it does. Come on, man. Everyone masturbates.”

  Ash’s jaw nearly became unhinged. “How did we go from watching gay porn to masturbating? Why the fuck am I even having this conversation with you?”

  “I’m trying to help you,” Sloane stated sincerely.

  “Well, you’re failing. Miserably. This right here is the very definition of not helping.”

  “You must have been attracted to other guys before Cael. And then after falling for Cael, I’m sure you….” Sloane motioned down to Ash’s boxers.

  With a gasp, Ash covered his crotch. “This conversation is over. In fact, it never happened. I’m erasing it from my mind. Just like whatever happened upstairs last night. Why’s he gotta be so fucking loud in everything he does?”

  Sloane wriggled his brows. “He’s loud because I know how to make him loud. Just like I know how to leave him speechless. Last night was a loud night.”

  “Screw you, man. I’m shot and hurt, and you’re torturing me with you and your boyfriend’s sexcapades, talk of gay porn, and, and… I don’t want your fucking pancakes. Get me a beer and go away.”

  “Nope.” Sloane opened his mouth when he heard Dex coming down the stairs. With a chuckle, he stood, knowing Ash was watching his every move with a daggered look. Sloane waited for Dex to sit down at the counter before giving him a kiss. “Good morning.”

  Dex grunted, and Sloane hummed as he went about serving Dex his cappuccino and getting started on the pancakes. He heard the TV turn on and quietly watched Ash get up, head to the fridge, and grab a beer. He paused and turned an accusing glare on Dex.

  “It’s all your fault. You’re a jackass.” With that he stomped off to the couch.

  Dex blinked and turned to Sloane. “What did I do now?”

  “He, uh—”Sloane leaned over the counter to whisper. “—heard us having sex.”

  “What?” Dex hissed. “I thought the meds knocked him out?”

  “Guess we were wrong.”

  “Oh God.” Dex let his head fall against the counter. He gasped, and his head popped up. “I know he heard, but he didn’t… hear, did he?”

  “I heard,” Ash growled. “No one’s ever allowed to tell me I say fuck a lot. Not after what came out of butt-boy’s mouth last night.”

  Dex let his head fall back against the counter. “Somebody shoot me.”

  “With pleasure,” Ash pitched in.

  Sloane walked around the counter while doing his best not to laugh at the pair. He slipped his arms around Dex and nuzzled his face against his hair before giving his stubbly cheek a kiss.

  With a smile, he whispered in Dex’s ear, “Personally, I enjoyed your performance.”

  “Yeah? You weren’t too bad yourself.” Dex kissed Sloane, a slow, steamy kiss tasting faintly of cappuccino. Sloane ignored Ash’s grumbling and complaining, promised to get him some headphones, and concentrated on the amazing man in his arms, his heart feeling happy.

  Today was looking to be a good day.


  Exclusive excerpt

  Smoke & Mirrors

  Sequel to Catch a Tiger by the Tail

  THIRDS: Book Seven

  By Charlie Cochet

  Coming Soon to

  www.dreamspinnerpress.com

  Chapter One

  SOUND EXPLODED in Dex’s ears. His head throbbed, and his face hurt. He tasted blood, and his body didn’t feel like his own as he struggled through the lethargy. His limbs felt heavy, like he was swimming in molasses. With a groan, he forced his eyes open. It was dark save for the halo of light floating somewhere above his head. Where was he? The last thing he remembered was Sloane’s strong arms around him, wrapping him up in warmth, holding him close. Sloane had nuzzled his face in Dex’s hair, then kissed him good night, followed by a soft “I love you.”

  Sloane….

  Dex bolted upright, a gasp caught in his throat as he surfaced through the haze. His eyes widened, and his heart beat furiously as he realized his wrists and ankles were zip-tied to a chair.

  “What the hell is this?” He looked up and reeled from the stabbing white light. It seared his vision, and he shut his eyes tight for several seconds, a halo all he could see before he was finally able to focus on the stretch of nothingness around him. Shadows surrounded him on all sides, the only light coming from the lamp hanging over his head. “Hello?” It struck him then.

  They’d taken him from his home.

  Oh God, where was Sloane? His blood ran cold, and he jerked against the restraints. “Somebody answer me!”

  “You’re awake. Good.”

  Dex froze. He peered into the shadows and could just about make out an outline, along with the glow of eyes. A Therian.

  “Who are you? What is this?” Dex demanded, his voice hoarse from his dry throat. It was like his mouth was full of cotton. Most likely a result from whatever they’d given him to knock him out. He did his best to ignore the queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. Someone had broken into his house and taken him from his boyfriend’s arms. He had no idea where Sloane was or the condition he was in. Was he hurt… or worse? Please let him be okay.