Regardless of the need to keep the moral high ground, he had a child to protect. And he’d have disappeared behind the curtain right away if he hadn’t spotted Roux gracefully avoiding a punch as he ran toward the stage. Protective feelings flared in Jack, but Roux was an experienced venator, more agile than any of the humans around, and he joined him at the podium, pupils wide and focused only on Jack.
“I came here because I was angry. I wanted to embarrass you, and you… you stupid, wonderful man.” Roux gave Jack a hug, unbothered by Chad squirming between them. His eyes were like two pieces of jade, and Jack wanted to wake up to them glinting at him from the pillow every single morning.
Jack considered giving him a kiss, but the auditorium was full of wild beasts, and he carried Chad backstage instead, blinking when they left the bright lights. He turned around to offer Chad to Drake, but Drake wasn’t where Jack had last seen him.
Father stood in his place.
Chapter 3
Jack’s face throbbed with heat, but he looked straight into Father’s eyes. “Like it or not, this is your grandson.”
Father’s face turned as red as Jack’s felt. “You are unbelievable. I will never accept this abomination! Hand over the Gouger. You don’t deserve it. I can’t believe my own son could have betrayed my trust like this!”
Jack clenched his teeth. Father knew how to hit where it hurt, but Jack wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. He passed Chad to Roux, and the little tarantoid clung to him with all eight legs. Jack took the sword off his back, along with its sheath, and held it out to Father with a heavy heart.
“Take it. I don’t care. A sword is an object. It doesn’t matter the way living beings do, and the fact that you used it to slay a monster doesn’t make it anything special. It’s just a nice sword.”
Father swallowed, his lips shaking. “You’re shaming your entire family. You might as well not come back until you straighten up your act.”
It hurt like a punch, and Jack wondered whether other members of his family would have been more understanding, actually willing to hear why he’d made the choices he’d made. It no longer mattered. “I used to think you were one of the good guys, but you can’t be a good man while wanting to lock away other creatures just because you don’t understand them. Or because you don’t like them. Or because you believe their presence spoiled your vacation. If you’re not willing to see me as my own man, only an extension of you, then you might as well disown me already. I don’t need your specist money. And I don’t want to be connected to your organization in any shape or form.”
“Change your name then. I won’t be associated with a chat-fucker!” Father growled.
Jack snorted. “Are you kidding me? I’m not gonna change my name. Let everyone know your son thinks you’re wrong.”
Roux’s paw stroking his arm only made Jack feel more strongly about his decision. For so long he’d been sliding through life, ducking whenever responsibility flew his way, but it was moments like this that made him feel alive. More like himself. The joy he’d felt when he’d saved the centaur, or rescued Laavan the merman from death was incomparable to the glory Father offered.
Roux smiled and lifted his chin. “Well, you could always change your last name to Chat-Bonnes.”
Father roared with fury and lowered his body as if he wanted to charge at both Roux and Chad, but Jack stepped in between them.
“If you lay a finger on them I will take out ads in every American newspaper to announce my marriage to a chat!”
Father let out a snake-like hiss and turned without another word, in a hurry to put distance between himself and the son who hadn’t turned out the way he wanted.
It was for the better, no matter how heavy Jack’s heart felt when he saw the familiar figure disappear from sight.
Jack’s shoulders slumped, and he was grateful for the weight of Roux’s head. Their eyes met above Chad, but before Jack could have sought refuge in his kitty’s arms, Drake burst out from behind the curtain with a large backpack.
“Are you guys insane? We need to get Chad out before someone gets in here! The crowd is furious.”
Chad reached out to Drake with four legs and Roux passed the tarantoid to his other dad.
Jack swallowed and grabbed a black curtain obscuring the entrance to a back corridor. He ripped it off and crumpled it in his arms so that it could imitate a tarantoid from afar.
“Roux, go with Drake, take Chad to safety, and I’ll distract them! Meet me in the gardens by the Marie Antoinette village” he yelled, and gave Roux a quick kiss.
He ran the other way, only once turning around to make sure Chad was safe on Drake’s back.
He’d never felt more virtuous and he loved it.
Jack Addison wasn’t a scumbag after all.
Chapter 4
Jack breathed out vapor, but he was far enough from the small mob that had formed around him to allow himself a moment of rest. After fleeing the hotel, he climbed the fence surrounding the gardens of Versailles across the street, and since the palace grounds were closed for the night, he took his time, navigating the empty alleys until he found a site map. Away from the grandeur of the formal gardens, the multitude of trees and bushes provided shelter from any guards who might be on patrol. But he’d have to be extremely unlucky to stumble upon one. This place was huge, and staff would walk around with a lamp and could be spotted from afar, anyway.
The cold made him rub his shoulders, but after consulting the map, Jack directed his footsteps toward the hamlet in hopes that Roux would bear good news. Both he and Drake knew how to take care of themselves, but the fact that Jack hadn’t seen Chad boarding a train back to Paris had his stomach in knots.
Paws covered Jack’s eyes from behind like in a game he often played with Roux. Jack was yet to hear Roux approaching no matter how hard he focused.
“Boo!”
He stiffened, grabbing his lover’s hands, and spun around to face him without knowing whether his heart galloped out of love or fright. “There you are!”
Roux sank into him without hesitation. “Chad is safe with Drake and his wife. They’re waiting for us at their hotel in Paris, but tomorrow morning we will all be off to London. I don’t think we would be safe here for a while.”
Jack nodded, mesmerized the way Roux’s fur shone in the moonlight as if it had been scattered with glitter. In the perfect silence of this place, with Roux in his arms, Jack felt peaceful, even though he wasn’t sure whether the relationship he used to share with his family could ever recover. It was a heavy burden on his heart but still less painful than living a lie.
“Roux, you held Chad.”
Roux stilled but then groaned and bumped his head against Jack’s shoulder. “I guess I did. He’s much lighter than I expected. But also, he is a creature, not a monster. And just a baby. He doesn’t deserve hate.”
Jack laughed and gave Roux’s lips a firm kiss. “Thank you. You’ll learn to love him, you’ll see. He asked about ‘Uncle Roux’ earlier,” he said, pulling on Roux’s hand and heading toward the artificial lake.
“I mean… he’s part of you,” Roux said with a straight face, but then laughed. Only when they stepped out of the shadows, Jack noticed that his lover’s ear was ripped.
Anger was like an itch he couldn’t scratch, and he gently touched the fresh wound. “Who did this?”
Roux waved it off with a groan. “This guy, he got me with a piece of broken glass when I was escorting Chad and Drake out. It’s nothing.”
Jack pulled him into a gentle embrace, overcome with tenderness. “I’m sorry. It’s all because of me. I should have just told him no in the first place,” he said with a shake of his head.
Roux looked up, stroking Jack’s sides. “You should have. But maybe it turned out for the better. You caused quite a riot, Jack Addison. I was very impressed.” He purred and gave Jack a kiss.
Jack smiled when the smooth fur rubbed against his cheek. His gaze wandered to the moon, and
then the hamlet on the other side of the lake. “I don’t think it’s safe for us to leave just yet. How about hiding in there?”
Roux nodded and grabbed Jack’s hand, leading the way through the garden and to the small old-timey cottage in the middle of it.
“I’d rather wait till morning. Everyone would have had time to cool off by then.”
Jack squeezed Roux’s hand, his gaze swiping over the bare fruit trees. “I’m not sad. Maybe for Mom. We shall see what she thinks once she finds out.”
“Is she… the same as your father?” Roux asked, and when they approached the heavy wooden door, he casually dipped his claw into the lock, fiddling with it until it clicked open.
Jack whistled but hugged Roux as they entered. It was slightly warmer inside, and when Jack’s gaze adjusted to the lower light, he spotted that some of the furnishings scattered over the room were still packed with paper and cloth, as if they’d recently been moved here. Wallpaper was only present on one of the walls, and the air smelled faintly of glue. The place was in the middle of a restoration.
Jack exhaled. “She’s not as vocal. Maybe not as radical either, but she never argues with him about it.”
Roux hugged him as soon as they locked the door. “You did the right thing, though. You can’t hide who you are forever. And, to be honest, there’s only so long I could respect that. Nobody wants to be a dirty secret.”
Jack nodded and kissed the scab that had formed on Roux’s injured ear, as they explored the cottage, climbing a narrow staircase. “No. I don’t want to hide you. And I won’t.”
“Was the JUSTICE thing just a gimmick because you were high on your self-righteousness or do you really want to join?”
Jack laughed. “Oh, Roux. I definitely want to join. I can be your human poster boy, if you need one. I’m done keeping a low profile. I want to be your ally and use my platform to promote JUSTICE.”
Roux whistled. “Someone’s read our pamphlets.”
Jack frowned, mildly offended. “Of course I did! It’s important to you. And… I also think it’s important for everyone. For… you know, peace.”
Roux pressed the pads on his paws to Jack’s cheek as he kissed him again, gently lapping at his lips. “Peace indeed.”
Jack rested his chin on the top of Roux’s head, enjoying the soothing temperature of the ears against his skin. In contrast to the lower level of the cottage, the renovation of the room above had been completed. Blue wallpaper featuring a delicate pattern covered the walls, and while there were no paintings or curtains to add the final touch, the space was furnished with a vanity and an elegant, if small, bed with a wooden frame carved into a sleigh-like shape, and a canopy of blue taffeta. This would be the perfect place to lay low, and even if the bedding wasn’t warm enough, they had each other to share body heat.
Roux’s fur was always so warm. Jack would never forget how amazing Roux’s hug had felt after lonely minutes in the Siberian snow. Better than any down-filled comforter, it had been a furry radiator that purred its love at him.
Roux slid his hands up Jack’s back. “I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if you hadn’t made the step you did today.”
“What do you mean? You did everything right,” Jack whispered, gravitating toward the bed. Adrenaline was pumping in his veins, and that called for a celebratory fuck. Roux had locked the door downstairs, after all.
“Because no matter how angry I was, I would have probably taken you back, but I would have hated myself for it.”
Warmth splashed through Jack’s chest when the mattress dipped under him. He looked up, rubbing his chin against Roux’s breastbone. With his big, expressive eyes and noble profile, his lover was magnificent. Perfect like a statue that belonged as the centerpiece of the nearby garden.
“I know I’ve broken this promise in the past, but I really want to be the guy you deserve, Roux,” Jack whispered, grateful and happy despite his shame.
A small smile played on Roux’s lips. “You would have come to grovel with those pretty blue eyes, and I wouldn’t have been able to think of a future where I never licked you again. And I’d have said, okay, I’ll take you back if you survive my cock.” He snorted and stroked Jack’s hair.
Jack felt his face flush when Roux’s words triggered a spiral of sexual fantasies. Roux was an eager bottom, so Jack had never broached the topic of switching. Not because he was afraid he’d displease Roux by asking for it, but because when it came to sex they always gravitated to their favorite configuration. But now he couldn’t stop thinking about that cute red cock pushing at his hole.
“I’m sure it would have hardly been a punishment.”
Roux pushed Jack down to the bed and sat in his lap. “The one time I tried it with a human, he panicked and said it was weird. I wouldn’t inflict it on you, Jack. I get it. It might not be as compatible with you as your cock is with me.”
Jack let out a chuckle, amused by the fact that Roux, who’d witnessed Jack getting boned by four werewolves, thought he wouldn’t be up for this challenge. “You’re kidding, right? I thought you just weren’t interested in topping, kitty,” he whispered, his tone dropping instantly when Roux’s pupils dilated.
Roux groaned and pulled his nubby tongue up Jack’s cheek. “No, I just don’t want to cause you pain. It’s extremely embarrassing to have a partner change their mind because they think your dick is weird.”
Jack grinned at him and reached to the front of Roux’s pants, shuddering at the gentle scratch of the damp tongue. “It might come as a surprise, but I love your dick. I love sucking on it, and touching it, and I want to feel it in my ass,” he whispered, keeping their gazes locked.
Roux’s pupils were so big his eyes became two dark wells into his soul. The deep purr he let out was like nothing Jack had ever heard from his chat. “And you’re sure?” But he was already pushing Jack down.
Jack wouldn’t have said it out loud, but Roux’s cock wasn’t particularly large. Perhaps it was, for a chat, but it compared to an average human size, even if its shape was so different. He expected it to cause excitement rather than discomfort.
“Now?” Jack asked, still looking straight at Roux as he rested his hands above his head in submission.
Roux pressed down on his chest with his cute paw-like hands and groaned. “I was just joking, but if you’re up for it? Yes, now. You’re so hot, Jack, it shouldn’t be allowed. Ass, thighs, chest, face, dick, I love all of you.”
Ohh, yes.
Jack was definitely up for that, and these compliments were only making his cock grow faster. “Me too. I love your nubby cock, and I want it to shoot cum deep inside me,” he whispered, pushing his hips up with enough strength to lift Roux.
“Then unbutton your stupid pants, or I’m gonna have to rip them open.”
Jack made a mental note to get snap fasteners on his clothes so that Roux could undress him with ease, but Roux already sat up on Jack’s hips, taking off his jacket and shirt, and revealing his white furry chest.
There went Jack’s self-control. Roux’s agile, slender body never failed to make his blood boil. He wanted it under him and over him. Inside him and around him. He wanted everything Roux could offer.
Blinded by an onslaught of lust, Jack opened his pants and made awkward attempts at kicking them off without having to move Roux. Warmth was already rubbing its invisible hands up his sides, and he desperately needed to get naked. “What kind of top are you? Are you sweet and gentle? Aggressive and demanding? Will you pinch me?”
“I’ll definitely need to make sure I don’t scratch you.” Roux wouldn’t meet Jack’s gaze, too focused on the newly exposed chest. “My dick’s pretty demanding, though. But you already know that. I’ve dreamed about this so many times. It’s feels so good when the nubs are teased.” He rose to his knees over Jack’s hips. “Turn around.”
“You should have said something,” Jack rasped but rolled to his stomach, just like Roux had asked. His brain thudded with arousal when
he imagined Roux on top of him, with bristled fur and his tail stiff. Would Roux bite his nape like a male cat would his partner? He did know Roux wasn’t a cat, but his imagination refused to submit. Unlike his body, which was more than eager, and he spread his legs as soon as Roux pulled Jack’s pants off.
“It’s a sensitive subject.” Roux groaned, but he was on top of Jack in seconds and he nuzzled Jack’s nape with the wet nose.
“So is my hole,” Jack said, glancing at him over his shoulder. He grinned and shook his buttocks in invitation, which only made his dick stir against the expensive taffeta.
Roux laughed and bit on Jack’s nape. “Why did I fall for such an idiot?” But his cock was rock hard when it pressed against Jack’s buttock.
“I don’t know, maybe you like being the smart one,” Jack offered, gleefully spreading his legs as anticipation crawled up his spine. He would get to know a chat’s cock at last. Roux’s cock. What could be better than that? Just thinking of how the nubs had felt on his tongue and how the narrow tip had poked at his throat had him shivering.
Roux pondered that for quite a while, moving his chest against Jack’s back. “Maybe I do. You’re endearing when you confuse a werehog with a boar.”
“And then you can enlighten me,” Jack teased, rocking his hips in an attempt to make the tip of Roux’s cock push into his crack.
“I mean, chat cocks was one of the first things you asked me about, so it’s only fair I enlighten you about that too.” Roux pulled the tips of his claws over the sides of Jack’s body as he slid lower, licking his way down Jack’s spine.
Passion grabbed Jack by the balls, and he uttered a broken sound, arching at the mixture of pain and pleasure. “Show me how you like to fuck,” he whispered, longingly rubbing his calf against his lover’s fur.
Jack Addison vs. a Whole World of Hot Trouble - The Complete Series Page 34