Cataclysmic Shift

by Tara Lain

  “I’m not sure.”

  Luke took the place mats. “I explained to the guys before you came in, Killian. Alain has a type of amnesia. He’s staying with me and working for me while we try to find out where his family is.”

  “Extraordinary.”

  “Yes. Well, we haven’t had any luck so far, but he’s remembering bits and pieces. We’re hoping it will all come back in time.”

  Killian stuck out his hand. Let’s see what we can see, pretty boy.

  Alain reached out and their fingers touched. Wham! A flood of images, memories, half thoughts poured through Killian’s mind. Hold it together. A flash that looked like his old apartment. An image of a beautiful male surrounded by red. Could that be Lucien, the witch who had nearly defeated Killian? Too fast. Couldn’t keep up. And over it all, a connection so deep it twined in his guts.

  The boy’s eyes widened, and he pulled his hand back. No fear. Just amazement showed on his pretty face. Perhaps he’d felt some of the same things.

  Luke touched Alain’s shoulder and turned him around. “And this is Blaine Genneau, Killian’s husband.”

  Killian could only see the side of the young man’s face, but the smile that cracked his cheeks shone with near adoration. What the hells?

  Alain extended his hand and stepped closer to Blaine. “Hello. I’m so glad to see you.”

  Blaine frowned a little, probably at the odd word choice, but he still responded to that beaming grin. “Glad to meet you too.”

  Blaine glanced at Killian with wide eyes as Alain pulled his hand away. Even he felt it. The boy was… unusual, for lack of a better word.

  Luke pointed them toward the couch and chairs where Bill and Homer were already sitting. Rock seemed to like pacing, so he stayed upright.

  Killian sat beside Blaine on the couch while Luke brought in wine and a couple of beer bottles for refills and set them on the table, then sat on the end of the couch closest to the kitchen. Alain plopped cross-legged on a cushion between the couch and the chairs. A tiny gray kitten crawled into his lap the minute he was settled, made a circle, and closed its eyes with a sigh. Alain scratched under its chin and looked up at Killian with a soft smile.

  The spinach dip had been laid out on the coffee table along with some sandwich makings and salad. The guys were helping themselves.

  Killian glanced around. “Your place is great, Luke. It kind of reminds me of ours.” He poured wine for Blaine and himself. He preferred champagne, but pinot grigio would have to do.

  Blaine rested a hand on Killian’s leg. “I agree on the decorating. I was thinking that as I walked in. But I don’t remember it being like this when I was here before.”

  Luke held up his hands. “It wasn’t. Alain really did it all. He’s struck up some kind of secret liaison with the superintendent of my building.” He grinned. “All this pretty stuff keeps showing up, impressing on me what a decorating dud I am.”

  Alain gazed up at Luke, and his expression looked a lot more affectionate than that of an average houseguest. “I have to repay you somehow for your kindness.”

  Rock laughed, and Luke looked up at him with a sharp frown. “Does everyone have drinks? Let’s get started. Homer, we were talking about your relationship with your son last meeting. How’s that going?”

  As Homer launched into his teenage son’s battle with the homophobia of his peers, Killian let power flow out toward Alain. The young man had magnetism to spare but no discernible power. Gods, no matter how he sliced it, Alain was human. How could his memories be entwined with Killian’s? Maybe they weren’t. Maybe when Killian grasped Alain’s hand, he just saw his own memories and thoughts projected on the screen of the other man’s mind. This Witch Master stuff was so complicated.

  The conversation expanded to family members and their varying reactions to having a gay man in their midst. Killian listened idly but kept probing Alain.

  “What about you, Killian?” Bill pointed a cracker laden with cheese toward Killian. “Is your family supportive?”

  Interesting question. “I never knew my father, but my mother fought the idea for years. She even tried to marry me off to a woman in an arrangement, but then I met Blaine and had something to fight for. I wasn’t such a compliant son anymore.” He didn’t mention he’d had to rain lightning down on the whole Witches’ Council, including his mother, to make his point.

  Rock leaned over the back of the couch and tried to bump fists with Killian, which resulted in a pretty awkward crossing of arms. “Way to go, man.”

  Since quite a bit of wine had gone down with the dip and sandwiches, the topics took a raunchier turn. Bill, who looked mild-mannered, complained that his boyfriend refused to rim him, and Bill apparently loved the practice. “I rim that guy like a son of a bitch, but he never returns the favor.”

  Homer sipped a little more chardonnay. “Maybe he has a favorite you don’t like to do. You can have an adventure night. You can deep-throat him, and he can rim you. Start out in the tub together, so you’re both real clean. I’ll bet that’ll loosen him up.”

  “Uh, pardon me. What is rimming?”

  Everyone looked at Alain like they’d forgotten he was there.

  Luke swallowed visibly. There was more going on here than charity and compassion. “I’ll tell you later.”

  “Nawww.” Rock stumbled slightly and then managed to sit heavily next to Alain, who looked at him with clear eyes. The boy’s mane of hair fell down his back like black fur.

  “Okay, you know where your asshole is, right?”

  Bill laughed, Luke blushed, but Alain just nodded.

  “So imagine you lean over and you don’t have any clothes on, right?”

  Another affirmative nod.

  “So let’s say someone, you know, like Luke, came over and separated your buttcheeks real wide. Then he sticks his tongue right against that asshole real soft-like.” Rock stuck out his tongue, and Alain’s blue eyes crossed looking at it. Wait! Crossed. A face flashed in his mind, but it was Aloysius’s, not human. What the hells?

  Rock sucked his tongue back in his mouth with a slurp. “Then the guy rolls his tongue—” Again, he demonstrated. “—and pushes it right into your cute little butthole, and it feels so good you about pass out.”

  Luke jumped up from the couch. “Excuse me.” He headed for the back hall like hounds were after him.

  Rock chuckled. “That, my friend, is rimming.”

  Those blue eyes were so wide they could suck in galaxies. “Oh. Thank you.”

  “Anytime.” He flopped back on the floor, lay for a second, and then popped up. “And if you want to know what deep-throating is—”

  Homer held up a hand. “Enough, Rock. You’ve done your Gay Boy 101 instruction for the night.”

  “Okay.” Rock returned to the supine position with an arm behind his head.

  They shifted the conversation, thank gods. Luke came back in the room, and Alain looked none the worse for his educational experience, but he kept staring at Killian. His eyes would flick to the person talking and then back to Killian, with a stop on Blaine, over and over.

  Homer leaned over toward Luke. “Are you going to have a booth at the pride parade?”

  Luke nodded. “I’m thinking about it. It could support the community and help build my business.”

  Alain perked up. “A booth, like at a fair?”

  “Yes, sort of. We could give out tips for pet care and free dog treats or something.”

  That prompted Alain’s biggest smile, which was something to see. His slightly crooked teeth somehow made his perfect face even better. “I could help you build it.”

  Luke curled his nose. “It’s not for a few months. We might find your family by then.”

  Dear gods, the boy looked like he’d been hit.

  Rock chose that moment to sit up and lurch to his feet, then move erratically toward the kitchen.

  Alain stared at Luke. “But… but I’ll still work for you, right? With the animals?�
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  Some kind of tumult was going on in Luke’s head. Killian could feel the energy pouring off him. The refrigerator door rattled, and cans hitting the counter punctuated the little drama in the living room.

  Blaine called out, “Hey, Rock, would you get me a beer too?”

  The war in Luke’s eyes reached some minor armistice. “Sure, you’ll still work with the animals if you want to.”

  Alain smiled. “Good. Then I can build the—”

  Rock leaned over the counter. “Heads up!”

  Rock threw the beer can hard in Blaine’s general direction. Blaine reached up to grab it and missed, though he sideswiped the can. The metal can looped and swung straight toward Killian’s head. Hells, he could stop it with magic, but—

  Like some kind of intercontinental missile, Alain leaped in the air, soared across the coffee table, and grabbed the can in midflight. Then, in a roll, he disappeared behind the couch with a soft thud.

  “Holy shit!” Blaine fell against the couch back.

  Killian grabbed his chest. “Gods.”

  Luke leaped to his feet. “Alain!”

  Blaine jumped up and leaned over the couch; then he dropped his head and shook it. “You did not really land on your feet.”

  Alain stood up shyly and extended the can toward Blaine. “I couldn’t let it hit Killian. I had to protect him. It was important.”

  Chapter Six

  “THANKS SO much for hosting, Luke. Great to meet you, Alain.” Killian pulled the door of the car closed and smiled as they drove away.

  As soon as they were out of sight, Blaine grabbed his arm. “Holy shit, are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

  Killian frowned. “Probably. But don’t jump to conclusions. I want to try the spell again.” He drove away from the curb, took a deep breath, and focused. The car turned right, drove a block, then right again, then two blocks past the one-way street, then right again.

  He looked around. They were back in front of Luke’s apartment. Hells. He put up a hand. “Let me think for a minute.” Damn. He stepped on the gas and glanced over at Blaine, who stared at him like he’d seen… a cat.

  Killian peered out the windshield but barely saw the street or the traffic. “Alain’s human. That’s certain.”

  “I don’t care. I know what I know.”

  Hells, if Blaine was certain, how could he doubt it? Blaine quivered like a bowstring in the passenger seat. He wasn’t alone. Could it possibly be what it appeared? If it was, what could they do about it?

  His cell rang and connected to the car’s wireless. Killian hit the button. “Hello, Jimmy.”

  “Hi, Killian. I have news. Maybe better to talk face-to-face.”

  “We’re on our way home from Blaine’s men’s group. Why don’t you meet us there?”

  “I’m close by. I hoped you’d be free.”

  “We’re almost home. See you there.”

  He clicked off and glanced at Blaine. “We can talk about all of it at home with Jimmy.”

  Blaine pointed through the windshield. “You mean that Jimmy?”

  Jimmy waited at the curb in front of the antique store that stood under their second-floor apartment. He jiggled his phone in his hand. Killian waved and pulled into the alley that led to the garage. In the mirror, he saw Jimmy jogging behind them. They parked, and Blaine climbed out, carrying the glass bowls that had held the very popular spinach dip, empty and clean now. Killian hopped out and looked over at Jimmy.

  Jimmy peered into the bowls. “Looks like I missed something good.” He was tall and lean. Probably still growing.

  Killian walked around the car, and Blaine looked up. “Come on, Kill. I’m about to freak out!”

  “No, my darling, you’re unfreakable.”

  He shook his head. “Not this time.” He strode around the building to the door to the apartment in the side wall. Killian and Jimmy ran to catch up.

  Jimmy cocked his head at Killian. “What’s going on?”

  “We’ll tell you all about it. I want your opinion anyway.”

  “And I’ve got stuff to tell you.”

  They walked up the long staircase to the apartment. Blaine was already inside, and Killian led Jimmy into the elegant entry and beyond to the beautiful living room decorated in an eclectic mix of modern and antique furniture. He remembered thinking he would gladly spend his life in this place.

  He flipped on the lamps in the living room and heard Blaine rattling in the kitchen. “Bringing tea, darling?”

  “And coffee too,” Blaine called from the other room. “Don’t start without me.”

  Killian and Jimmy stared at each other while clanks and bangs came from the kitchen. Jimmy looked distracted.

  Blaine walked in with a tray, and Jimmy instantly started talking. “So it is the Europeans. That damned coven in Prague is determined to take over witchery, or that’s what I hear.”

  Killian slammed a hand on the couch. “Damn.”

  Blaine handed out cups of steaming liquid, but his shaking hands were making the china rattle.

  Jimmy picked up his cup and sipped. “They found these two female witches. Apparently they’d been living in a small town in Eastern Europe and pretty much running the joint. The coven recognized their power and offered them the moon to become leaders in their group with the idea that they would have big positions in the new witch world order.”

  Killian frowned. “If Lucien Eshel, a fallen angel, couldn’t defeat us, how in hells do they think some pair of female witches is going to?”

  “They have a plan to increase their power exponentially.”

  He started to speak again, but Blaine burst in. “Look, you guys. You can talk witch strategy for the whole damned night, and I’ll keep serving you hot drinks while you do it, but I need to talk about that kid. I need to know if you saw what I saw. Shit! I feel like I’m going nuts.” He ran a hand through his always-too-long brown hair.

  Killian took a deep breath. “Okay, darling. Tell me what you saw.”

  “You first. I don’t want to sound crazy.”

  “Oh, right. And I always sound crazy.”

  Blaine grinned. “Something like that.”

  Jimmy clapped hands on his knees. “I’m dying here, you guys. What the fuck is going on?”

  Killian stared seriously at his husband. “I want you to tell me, Blaine. It’s important.”

  He puffed his cheeks and blew out breath. “I saw a young guy who is presumably a human with amnesia, right? But he’s gorgeous in the way that Killian is gorgeous.”

  “Yes.”

  “So first I’m thinking that he’s a witch.”

  “As best I can tell, he’s human.” Killian sipped his tea but barely tasted it.

  “Yeah, well, that was just the beginning of my thoughts. Then I see him acting in a way that most humans don’t act. Like that stunt grabbing the beer can in midair and landing on his feet.”

  Killian nodded. “He acted more like a….” He stretched out a hand encouragingly.

  “Cat. He acted more like a cat.” Blaine shook his head.

  Jimmy wrinkled his forehead. “What?”

  Blaine sighed. “And he kept staring at us. Especially you, Kill. And the first thing he said was ‘Do I know you?’ And he couldn’t let you get hurt. And he has black hair and blue eyes, and he looks like—”

  Jimmy breathed out the word. “Aloysius.”

  Killian leaned back against the cushions. “Yes. I’m fairly certain that something in the witches’ attack has caused Aloysius to turn into a human. Which is why he disappeared at the veterinary clinic, Blaine. I don’t know why for certain, but I suspect Al may have started life as a human and was spelled into his role as a familiar. I heard such a rumor once from Ozmandiasin, the man who procured Aloysius for my mother.”

  Blaine fell back on the couch. “Well, shit! Does he want to be human? Does it hurt him?” His face contorted. “And what does that mean for you? God, Al’s been instrumental in your defeat
of the Witches’ Council and that fucking madman angel. How vulnerable are you without him?”

  That was a question. “Some. But perhaps if we can talk to Alain and get him to remember who he really is, he can help us figure out a way to get our feline friend back.”

  Blaine ran a hand over his forehead. “He might even be able to help us determine what those witches want from you. Why they attacked.”

  Jimmy sighed and massaged a hand over the back of his neck. “I already know what they want. They want more power.”

  Blaine looked up anxiously. “What?”

  “They want Aloysius.”

  Blaine collapsed against the cushions and screamed. “Shiiiit!”

  Killian closed his mouth, then opened it again. “Of course, that makes sense. They don’t know anyone else was involved in the defeat of Lucien Eshel. They think it was just me and Al. They believe I was able to wake from the poisoning coma and prevail just because of Aloysius. They assume he is hugely powerful.”

  Jimmy nodded. “Which he is, but not quite the super cat they think.”

  “I also understand why they looked so horrified and why they ran. When the witches saw Aloysius fall, they assumed he was dead. They believed they’d failed in their quest.”

  Jimmy’s mouth hardened into a line. “Yeah, well, they don’t think so now. I asked around among the students. They said two women were inquiring about what happened to the cat. The students told the females that he was unconscious but still alive.”

  Blaine sat forward. “So they’ll be looking for him.”

  “That’s my guess.” Jimmy stared down at his hands.

  “Then he’s safer being a human.”

  Killian shook his head. “Is anyone ever safer being a human?”

  ALAIN SAT cross-legged on the bed. These pajama pants Luke bought him were pretty comfortable. What a strange night. Who were those men to him? Killian and Blaine? They seemed very important. The urge to protect Killian had wiped out every thought and feeling he had. Still, they hadn’t recognized him. That was disappointing, but he didn’t know why.

  He sighed. Luke. The man wanted to get rid of him. Couldn’t blame him. Alain had come in and interfered with his privacy. He should leave, but that felt so wrong. And he wanted to be friends with Luke. He could feel the man’s loneliness like a well of darkness, but when he tried to be friends, his big penis kept getting in the way. Like last night. He just wanted to have Luke’s company in that bed, but he kept waking up with his member hard and hurting. It didn’t feel all that relaxed right now.