Downs, Jana - Cat and Mouse [Beast Games 1] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove)

by Jana Downs

  * * * *

  Master Flavius’s personal servant? Well, let it never be said I don’t like the best of the best. Cassisus tightened his grip on the other man and held the man to him. Tobias kissed like a dream, and the cat that he was wasn’t inclined to give up his prize. He didn’t know what had set off the possessive instincts inside him, but he knew that he would attack anyone who dared to take Tobias from him.

  “Cassisus, I asked you a question.” Flavius’s annoying voice cut into his contemplations of the man in his arms.

  “He’s mine,” Cassisus heard himself say, barely sparing the other man a second. Realization struck him. Christ, Tobias is my mate. He’d heard other shifters talk about finding the one person whom their animals attached to within seconds of meeting, but he’d never been around any mated couples himself. None of the gladiators in Flavius’s gladiatorial school were mated.

  Cassisus watched as Tobias scrunched up his face and turned a sickly shade of white. What was his problem? Cass made a noise of comfort and rubbed his cheek against Tobias’s cheek.

  “Tobias is a member of the main house, Cassisus. He is not available for purchase or for your pleasure. If you want, I can purchase an appropriate bedmate for you when we get to the first circuit in Europe. Would you like that?” Flavius was still talking. Why was he still talking?

  Cass raised his lip and hissed at the human. “I don’t want anyone else. He’s mine.”

  “Cassisus, I will not ask you again to let Tobias go.” Flavius’s voice took on a hard edge. Cass just snorted. Master or not, the human was no threat to him.

  “Cass,” Corbin said in warning. Cass growled again and petted his mate’s cheek with one hand.

  “Tell them you’re mine, little one. Tell them that you don’t need them to protect you,” Cass encouraged, stroking Tobias’s face in an effort to get him to open his eyes.

  Corbin made a noise of frustration. “Master?”

  “Deal with him,” Flavius said coldly. Cass tensed as he felt his lanista move behind him. If he touched Tobias he was going to rip him to shreds. Friend or not, if Corbin took his Tobias, he was going to freak out.

  “Wait!” Faustus’s voice sounded. “I can get him to let the boy go. I promise.”

  Cass raised his head and saw Faustus on his knees before Flavius. The rest of the gladiators were standing in a tight line in the sand, shifting uneasily. Cass could smell the tension in the room.

  “I suggest you get his attention quickly,” Flavius bit off. He’d apparently gotten his panties in a wad over Cass’s disobedience. He’d just have to get over it. This boy was his, the only thing in the world that was his and his alone. Didn’t they understand why that was important?

  He tensed as Faustus approached him and maneuvered so that half his body was between Tobias and his brother. Faustus noted the action with a quick flick of his vibrant blue eyes.

  “Brother, the little mouse doesn’t belong to you,” he said, moving slowly closer.

  Cass’s cat gave a feline sound of annoyance at the suggestion.

  “Come on, Cass. You’re scaring the little mouse.”

  Mouse? Where was the mouse? Cass, perplexed, took a deep whiff of his mate. Underneath the undeniable scent of mate there was an odor that was familiar. Prey. His mate was a mouse? Holy shit.

  “He’s mine, Faustus,” Cass managed, his mind reeling at the implications. Maybe he’d imagined the mate thing. Who had ever heard of a cat mating a mouse? He shook his head. It was a fluke, something that his subconscious had made up. The more he thought about the fact that the man in his arms was a mouse, the less it made sense. Out of all the matings he’d heard of, none of them was between species so different. Besides, he was a gladiator, and this boy was a member of Flavius’s main house. It didn’t make sense that his cat would claim someone who was clearly not his equal.

  Faustus spoke again, and his voice was the only thing that really made sense to Cass. “Cassisus, the master asked you to put him down.”

  Reluctantly, Cassisus put the boy away from him and took a step back. He glanced at the relieved expression on his brother’s face and then back to the brown-haired, brown-eyed mouse who had so thoroughly captured his attention. He was adorable. Long, dark lashes framed deep, soulful brown eyes that seemed to take up his whole face. He was tiny in comparison to Cass’s massive frame, barely grazing his sternum when they stood against one another. He had excellent tone though, probably from a life spent scurrying around and eating simple meals. His cat urged him to get closer to the boy again, to rub against him, and to take him back to his cell. He shook his head. There was no way that he was doing that. What had he been thinking?

  “He’s back,” Faustus announced, clapping a hand on Cass’s shoulder. The concern in his brother’s eyes said that they’d talk about this later. “Come on, Cassisus. Let’s get lined up for the master’s guest.”

  Cass nodded, frowning. He tore his eyes away from Tobias and turned toward the sand. He stepped down into the pit and took his place in the front of the gladiators where his fellow warriors had left enough room for him and Faustus to get into line. He fell into the saluting posture he’d been taught since he was a kit, his hands clasped behind his back and his legs splayed to display the muscles of his thighs and calves. Since they only wore what amounted to as a loincloth to practice, every muscle he had was on exhibit. Usually before a presentation they were oiled as well so that everything looked even more defined, but apparently Flavius had counted on the exorbitant amount of sweat that was shed during practice to do the job.

  Flavius stepped down into the sand pit followed closely by another blond that Cass had never seen before.

  “Are they always so headstrong, Flavius?” the stranger asked as Corbin took his place slightly behind them. The bear looked beyond pissed, and Cass knew that after Master Flavius left, he was going to get it big time.

  “Not usually, but then Cassisus is my prize fighter, so he is often…harder to manage than some of the others, thus why my father got his brother, Faustus. Faustus tends to temper Cassisus’s somewhat stubborn temperament,” Flavius explained as they walked down the line of fighters. They stopped in front of Cass, and the stranger had the gall to feel of his thighs like he was testing the tone, much the same way one would do a horse at auction.

  “He’s got strong limbs,” the stranger complimented, his hand creeping higher. “I wonder what else he’s got.” Cass felt a deep rumble of disapproval making its way up his throat. He wondered how much trouble he’d be in if he struck the grubby little human. He was saved from the contemplation when Flavius reached out and snatched the stranger’s hand off of him.

  “He’s strong everywhere, I assure you.” Flavius’s words were casual, but there was an underpinning of warning that Cassisus appreciated.

  “Too bad the Beast Protection Act is still in place. Can you imagine how much he’d fetch if you rented him out by the hour?” the stranger asked, a longing expression plastered over his face. Cassisus did growl then. Faustus stomped on his foot, and pain shot up his leg. Cass winced but resisted the urge to dance around on one foot like he wanted to. Damn that hurt!

  “The BPA is in place for a reason. We’re supposed to be the animals’ keepers, not their predators. Besides, the half-breeds that were produced from the unions sort of defied the boxes we put the species in,” Flavius said, pulling the stranger down the line and away from Cass.

  The stranger snorted. “They’re no different from mutts. Just because they happen to be half-human doesn’t mean they’re not animals.” He looked back at Cassisus before moving on to Gregori, who scowled menacingly in his direction. “He’s certainly a unique one.” Another cursory glance of the assembled gladiators. “You’ve got quite a stable, Flavius.” He tapped his chin thoughtfully. “I may come to you in the future with an offer for stud fees. Like I said, I have been considering breeding.”

  Cassisus smelled the anger permeate the air, and Cass noted the tic tha
t had begun in the master’s jaw. He didn’t like the idea at all. It made Cassisus wonder exactly what the master was doing in the company of such a jackass, and not the shape-shifting kind.

  “I look forward to the offer,” Flavius said, belying the scent he’d perfumed the air with.

  The stranger grinned. “Good. I’m done here. Would you like to take lunch before I leave for the airport?”

  “Of course. Tobias?” Flavius asked. The little mouse stepped forward, and Cassisus had to grip his hands tightly into fists to keep from moving toward him.

  “Yes, Master?”

  Cassisus glared. Mine, his cat declared.

  Flavius reached out and ruffled his mouse’s hair. “Run along to the house and have the kitchen prepare a light repast for Justin and me. Something warm I think.”

  “Of course, Master.” Tobias gave a half bow and practically fled down the hallway away from the arena. Only the hand on Cass’s arm that was clasped in a death grip kept him from following. The pinch actually helped him focus a bit. It was a mouse. It wasn’t, couldn’t, and certainly wouldn’t be his mate.

  “Corbin, I expect you to deal with Cassisus’s disobedience?” Flavius asked.

  Corbin gave a curt nod and met Cass’s eyes. “Yes, Master. I plan to.”

  Oh shit. I’m in such trouble.

  “Excellent. Send me an e-mail of the daily report at your convenience after supper.” Flavius waved to the gladiators before steering his guest in the direction of the exit.

  Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when the two of them were out of sight. That had certainly been the most exciting thing to happen in the practice room in months. Cassisus gave it ten seconds before Faustus, Corbin, or both of them lit into him about his behavior.

  “What the hell were you thinking?” Faustus snarled the question, slapping a palm on Cassisus’s well-muscled chest.

  “Um, that he smelled really, really good?” Cassisus suggested, giving his brother a sheepish grin.

  His brother’s lips pulled back and he bared his teeth at him. “In front of Flavius? For real? What the hell, man!”

  “You showed your ass in front of Master Flavius.” Corbin growled, joining the make-Cass-feel-like-a-dumbass party. “Since you woke up today, you have been a pain in mine, and I promise you that you will feel it tonight. So when you’re sore tomorrow, it’ll make you realize the stupidity of your actions!”

  Okay, maybe he’d really fucked up today. “Look, Corbin, my cat went a little nuts. I mean, I just kept thinking that the mouse was mine and that he was my mate and that I didn’t have to nor would I share with anyone—”

  Corbin’s eyes bulged. “What did you say?”

  Cass sighed. “I said my cat went a little nuts. Something inside me kept screaming about how Tobias belonged to me and—”

  “Did you just say he was your mate?” Corbin interrupted again. It was an annoying fucking habit.

  Cass glared. “Yeah. My cat certainly thought so. But, then I started thinking about how fucked up it would be for a cat and a mouse to be mated, and I realized logically that my cat just needed some kitty Prozac or something.”

  A string of curses followed his statement as Corbin stomped over to the table and snatched up his giant jangle of keys. “Gladiators, take a break. I’ll be back shortly. Return to your cells, and I’ll send the servants with something to snack on.”

  Cassisus’s mouth hung open. Was he really getting away with this? Granted, he’d been a little out of control, but he’d expected some sort of repercussions, like no TV in his cell or running outside until he puked, probably the latter because Corbin was an asshole that way. He caught sight of Faustus, who wore an unfathomable expression.

  “What?” he asked his brother, tilting his head to the side as he queried in a true feline fashion.

  “That little mouse is really your mate?” Faustus asked softly.

  Cass shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, I thought I was sure when I was touching him, but it doesn’t make sense. You know?”

  Faustus shook his head. “I don’t know, man. I really don’t know.”

  “Move it, ladies!” Corbin rumbled, ushering the gladiators to put their weaponry in the correct place, so that the shields and metal bits could be cleaned properly. He and Faustus were spurned into action and began gathering and removing the shields that Corbin had had them try on as well as the practice weapons they’d tossed onto the sands when they’d taken their last break.

  Cass helped Faustus pull off the new armor and then let him help Cass pull off his own. The weapons they’d used were put on the rotating rack. By the time they were done, most of the gladiators were meandering back toward the cells, chatting idly with one another as they discussed what had come over Corbin to call a halt in the middle of their practice. Cassisus was too distracted to enjoy the break, though. His mind constantly strayed back to Tobias and the way his lips had felt against his own. His cat paced back and forth in his mind, eager to get the lead out and go find the man the feline had claimed.

  “Come on, brother,” Faustus said, tugging Cass toward the hallway. “You want to watch the new True Blood?” The show had radically transformed since its original incarnation, which still aired regularly on HBO. Shifters were actually cast as shifters nowadays, and their owners made a mint off their good acting skills.

  “Nah,” Cass said after a moment’s contemplation. “I think I’ll just go read for a bit. I’ve got a new thriller waiting on me.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Yeah. Some historic piece about court intrigue and assassinations, all sorts of craziness.” And alone he could try to untangle all the wants circulating through his mind in a never-ending reel. Maybe he’d just shift into his cat for a bit. That would be a nice way to unwind.

  “You sure you don’t want to hang in my cell and grab some tube? It’ll be the last few days we have DVR until we get back from the European circuit.” Faustus dangled the information like an enticement. It really came down to the fact that Faustus didn’t like being alone. When they’d hit sixteen and been put in separate rooms for the first time, Faustus had been the one to suffer for it. Unfortunately, Cassisus wasn’t in the mood to be enticed.

  “Nah,” he repeated. Faustus nodded and didn’t make any more comments as they walked back down the hallway.

  “We getting showers sometime today, Corbin?” Hadrian asked as they each stood in front of their respective cells. For a lion, the guy was fastidious as hell and liked water almost as much as Cassisus and Faustus did.

  “Yeah. When I get back you guys will have shower time, but until then, cool your heels,” Corbin said, motioning the gladiators to go into their cells. He locked the doors behind each of them. When he got to Cassisus’s room, he paused. Cass leaned against the bars, looking him in the eye as Corbin considered him.

  “What’s up?” Cass asked. He really wanted to be left alone. His cat wanted to come out and lounge for a bit.

  Corbin locked the door. “I want you to tell me honestly, Cassisus, did you feel like the mouse was your mate?” The question was unexpected. What does it matter? It wasn’t like they’d let him actually keep Tobias anyways. He knew some gladiators owned other shifters as servants or whatever, but Flavius didn’t allow it in his house, never had. It was a tradition left over from when Flavius’s father, Flavius the first, had been in charge of the Ludus.

  “I felt a pull toward him, Corbin. I’m not going to lie. But, it doesn’t matter. A cat and a mouse can’t be mates. Right?” Cassisus asked a little bitterly. He didn’t know why the idea that Tobias wasn’t really his bothered him so much.

  Corbin shrugged. “There are stranger things on heaven and Earth, Horatio.”

  Cass frowned. “Who the hell is Horatio?”

  “It’s Shakespeare.”

  “Who is Shakespeare?” Cassisus asked, his confusion growing.

  Corbin looked wounded for a half second before his face smoothed over and he sighed. “We’ve lost s
o much in captivity. Makes me wonder if we’re really becoming the animals they’ve labeled us as.”

  What an odd thing to say, Cassisus thought as Corbin turned and walked toward the side exit of the Ludus. He turned from his cell bars with a sigh. Corbin was always saying weird things. And what was with the twenty questions about how Cass felt about Tobias? Really, it didn’t make a difference in the end, right? Cass was a gladiator, and he was a tiger. Tobias was a personal servant to Cass’s master and a mouse. Their worlds were so vastly different that they might as well be on two separate stars. So why did Cassisus want to know the other man so badly? And why did he want Tobias to be his?

  Chapter Three

  Tobias was aching. He didn’t know how else to describe it, but his body felt tingly and tight, and he’d had to excuse himself to the restroom to rearrange himself in order to not be obscene in front of the master and his guest. He’d never been so hard in his life.

  “Was good to see you, Justin,” Flavius said as he opened the front door, and Justin and his servants hauled his half ton of luggage toward the waiting limousine.

  Justin motioned the rest of his servants out the door and paused at the doorframe. “I’ll be seeing you soon, Flavius. Take care.” With that, he left in the same obnoxious manner which he came in.

  Flavius shut the door and leaned against the polished wood surface. “If I never see him again it’ll be too damn soon. God, he is not the guy I remember from prep school.” He glanced up as if just realizing that Tobias was still in the room. He pushed off the door with a sigh and took a step in Tobias’s direction. The mouse’s eyes immediately hit the cherrywood floors. He’d been taught from an early age to look down when the master’s eyes were on him.

  A hand tipped up his chin, and Tobias met the gaze of his green-eyed master. “Tobias, you and I grew up in the same house. Don’t you think that formality is a little passé at this point?”

  Tobias took a step back, fear spearing his gut. “No, Master. No. Your station is far removed from mine. We may have grown up in the same house, but we are far from equals in any capacity.”