by Kaje Harper
“One more than me. You sure you want an audience for it, though?”
“Poor Jasper. Unwanted. Overlooked. Judged.”
Silas nudged him. “Stop that.”
“It’s all right.” Darien turned to face the front and let his shoulder press against Silas’s. “I won’t talk about lessons with him for… at least a month? Maybe two?”
“No, you can invite Jasper now, if you like. Or study with him. I may be an idiot, but you shouldn’t indulge me in that. I promise I’ll do better. It’ll just take time.”
“How long do you think you’ll need, to get the hang of being us?”
Silas shifted into first gear, and pulled away from the curb. “A lifetime,” he muttered. “That might be just long enough.”
A lifetime sounds good to me. Darien closed his hand on Silas’s knee. “Step on it, James. It sounds like we have a lot of homework to do.”
Chapter 10 – Grim
Grim leaped from the back of the Studebaker and stretched his back and then each paw luxuriously. The rocking and off-balance feeling of a long drive was not his favorite thing. Silas mounted the front steps of the mansion ahead of them, turning down the door wards with a finger touch, then forcing the key into the sticky lock. The chill air had Grim pressing close to his heels, slipping inside the house at the first opportunity. Ah, warm, not moving, smells like mine.
“Is this home?” Pip-the-idiot bounded in after him. “Is this our house? It’s a big house, isn’t it?” His dancing nails clicked loudly on the polished wood floor. The pup whirled in a circle, then stared after Silas and Darien, who were ascending the stairs at a speed Grim already recognized. “Is there more upstairs? Should I go too?”
Grim snared the pup and kept him from following with a paw-hook to one back leg, which sent the rat terrier skidding across the floor. “Not right now, pup.”
“Why not? Okay, can I explore? Are there lots of rooms? I smell mice.”
“Come on, puppy.” Grim sighed to himself. The kid was foolish as all the hells, but at least he meant well. Grim glared up at the top of the stairs, where Silas and Darien had disappeared. I hope you appreciate me keeping the pup at bay for you.
He’d heard them murmuring those suggestive words as they neared the house, smelled the arousal building. He had no doubt what “Let’s get in another lesson” meant when said in that tone. For a moment he amused himself imagining their looks if he sent Pip up with a suggestion to check out the bed. Luckily for them, I’m too dignified for such pranks.
Pip pranced around him. “Where are we going?”
“Let’s start with the kitchen. I’ll show you how to open the fridge. We’ll get a little snack, and then we’ll see if the name ‘rat terrier’ actually means anything.”
“Ooh. That sounds like fun.” Pip angled his head toward the stairs one more time. “You’re sure they don’t need us? I worry about my man.”
“They’re fine.” Grim pulled in a slow breath, remembering the vision he’d had, darkness, smothering, sinking. A chest too tight for air, for breath. Damned visions are no help when that’s all the detail I get. I almost lost him.
But Silas had survived it. In small part, thanks to this obnoxiously perky accidental familiar and his Fetch. And his courage, crossing that bridge when it could have dumped him in the River if it failed. There were probably worse familiars Darien could’ve come up with.
Pip suddenly looked left. Grim spotted the mouse a second before Pip dove at it. The mouse ducked into the hole at the base of the wainscotting, as Grim had expected. Pip slid face first into the wall, yelped, then regained his balance. “Missed!”
There were probably better familiars Darien could have found. Too late now. Grim allowed himself a long-suffering sigh. “Come on, boy. Let me give you the five-cent tour. Follow me.” He trotted off, with the youngster clippeting along behind him. The sound of nails on floor didn’t quite drown out the cry of “Jesus, yes. Love that!” from overhead. With luck, the pup thought their men were holding a prayer meeting. There were some things Silas could not pay Grim enough to explain.
“Come along,” he repeated. “If you’re going to be part of this household for a long time to come—” And I pray to all the ancient gods that Silas gets to keep Darien forever, which means you too, for my sins. “—then it’s time you learned to be useful. The first rule of this household is, ‘Listen to Grim. He always knows best.’”
“After Darien,” Pip yipped. “Because he’s my man and I love him.”
There’s a lot of that going around. Grim growled, as if displeased, but his heart felt warmer and lighter than it had in many long years. Human love, able to build a bridge across the River Styx. I guess there are still wonders in the world I haven’t seen. And those two men up there are finding the glory of it. If he’d been human, there might’ve been a touch of envy in that thought, but Grim was a familiar and a cat, so he just licked his shoulder once or twice and then trotted off to show the pup the wonders and glory of a full refrigerator.
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About the Author
I get asked about my name a lot. It’s not something exotic, though. “Kaje” is pronounced just like “cage” – it’s an old nickname, and my pronouns are she/her/hers. I was born in Montreal but I’ve lived for 30 years in Minnesota, where the two seasons are Snow-removal and Road-repair, where the mosquito is the state bird, and where winter can be breathtakingly beautiful. Minnesota’s a kind, quiet (if sometimes chilly) place and it’s home.
I’ve been writing far longer than I care to admit (*whispers – forty-five years*), mostly for my own entertainment, usually M/M romance (with added mystery, fantasy, historical, sci-fi…) I also have a few Young Adult stories (under the pen name Kira Harp).
My first professionally published book, Life Lessons, came out from MLR Press in May 2011. I have a weakness for closeted cops with honest hearts and teachers who speak their minds, and I was delighted and encouraged by the reception Mac and Tony received.
I now have a good-sized backlist in ebooks and print, including Amazon bestseller The Rebuilding Year and Rainbow Award winner for “Best Mystery-Thriller” Tracefinder: Contact. Readers can find a complete list of my books with links on my website at https://kajeharper.com/books/
I’m always pleased to have readers find me online:
Website: https://kajeharper.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KajeHarper
Facebook group: Kaje’s Conversation Corner: https://www.facebook.com/groups/208207893795147/
Goodreads Author page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4769304.Kaje_Harper
Other Books by Kaje Harper
Self-Published/Indie:
Changes Coming Down (Changes #1)
Changes Going On (Changes #2)
Tracefinder: Contact (Tracefinder #1)
Tracefinder: Changes (Tracefinder #2)
Tracefinder: Choices (Tracefinder #3)
The Family We’re Born With (Finding Family #1) – free novella
The Family We Make (Finding Family #2)
Rejoice, Dammit
Unfair in Love and War
(in the charity anthology Another Place in Time)
Not Your Grandfather’s Magic
(in the charity anthology Wish Come True)
Don’t Plan to Stay
Love and Lint Rollers
Second Act
Marked by Death (Necromancer #1)
Audiobooks:
Into Deep Waters – Narrated by Kaleo Griffith
The Rebuilding Year – Narrated by Gomez Pugh
Life, Some Assembly Required – Narrated by Gomez Pugh
Building Forever – Narrated by Gomez Pugh
Re-releases:
The Rebuilding Year (Rebuilding Year #1)
Life, Some Assembly Required (Rebuilding Year #2)
Building Forever (Rebuilding Year #2.5)
Sole Support
Gift of the Goddess
Fa
ir Isn’t Life
From MLR Press:
Life Lessons (Life Lessons #1)
Breaking Cover (Life Lessons #2)
Home Work (Life Lessons #3)
Learning Curve (Life Lessons #4)
Unacceptable Risk (Hidden Wolves #1)
Unexpected Demands (Hidden Wolves #2)
Unjustified Claims (Hidden Wolves #3)
Unsafe Exposure (Hidden Wolves #4)
Storming Love: Nelson & Caleb
Full Circle
Where the Heart Is
Ghosts and Flames
Possibilities
Tumbling Dreams (currently out of print)
Free series stories:
And To All a Good Night (Life Lessons #1.5)
Getting It Right (Life Lessons #1.8)
Compensations (Life Lessons #3.5)
Unsettled Interlude (Hidden Wolves #1.15)
Unwanted Appeal (Hidden Wolves #2.5)
Can’t Hurt to Believe (Into Deep Waters #1.005)
Stand-alone free novels:
Into Deep Waters
Nor Iron Bars a Cage
Chasing Death Metal Dreams
Lies and Consequences
Laser Visions
Stand-alone free short stories:
Like the Taste of Summer
Show Me Yours
Within Reach
Shooting Star
A full list with blurbs, and download and buy links can be found at:
http://www.kajeharper.com/books/