by K A Belle
We resumed our trek down the alley. When he turned left and continued down the sidewalk, we did the same. He glanced down at us and frowned. “D-don’t you have a home?”
Cat meowed at him. The sound was low and pathetic.
The gruff man’s expression softened, but his stride remained the same. “I-I guess if you’re coming home with me, I should at least in-in―” The man paused and took a deep breath. “―introduce myself. I’m Beau. Beau Madigan.
Cat meowed again. Translation: Nice to meet you, Beau. We are Colby and Cat.
We walked along with our mate until we came to an older well-kept house about ten minutes from the center of town. It reminded me of a gingerbread house from a storybook I read as a child. The picket fence surrounding the front lawn was an adorable touch. Beau opened the gate. The yard was completely dark. The porch light off. There were no Halloween decorations anywhere. Regardless of how cute the property was, the whole place screamed keep away, all are not welcome here.
I wondered what our mate’s story was. Had he always stuttered or was it the result of whatever caused his injuries? I knew he had a big caring heart by the way he stepped in to help what he assumed was an ordinary cat. So, why did he want to shut out the world when he was filled with humanity?
Beau turned on the lamp by the door when we entered the house. We waltzed in like we owned the place, then I waited while Cat explored every nook and cranny in the living room before joining our mate in the kitchen.
“I hope you like chicken.”
The smell of roasted chicken hung in the air making our stomach growl.
Beau set a small plate of chicken on the floor in front of us. I loathed eating like an animal, especially in front of our mate. Cat didn’t have the same issue. He scarfed the food down as if it were our last meal.
We joined our mate on the sofa. Cat groomed himself while Beau ate his sandwich.
“If you’re going to st-stick around, I need to give you a name.”
Cat huffed. “We have a name.”
“He doesn’t know that. Now hush.”
Beau studied us with a pensive expression. “W-what do you think about Whiskers or Midnight?”
“Is he fucking serious? Midnight is so cliché. And Whiskers? Don’t get me started.” Cat didn’t wait for my response. He turned on Beau and hissed.
Beau held his hands up. “Woah. Okay. I’ll give it more thought.”
“I like our mate,” Cat said happily. “He listens to me.”
Cat stretched then settled against Beau’s thigh. Our mate ran his fingers through our fur. A purr rumbled through us at his gentle, soothing touch. I should have paid more attention when Cat rolled over and nuzzled our mate’s thigh, but I was too lost in Beau’s scent. Beau’s large hand landed on our stomach. Cat bunny kicked our mate’s arm then bit Beau before I could stop him.
“No. No, no, no. Holy shit. What did you do?”
“He touched the belly.”
“Did you draw blood? Please tell me you didn’t.”
“Um. I can’t.”
I looked up at our mate. He frowned and sucked on the skin between his thumb and finger.
“Damn. You g-g-got me good. Guess it’s true what they say a-about rubbing a cat’s stomach. You really don’t like that, huh?” He chuckled. “I always thought it was a m-m-myth since I’ve never had a cat or really be-been around them. We had dogs when I was a kid.” He huffed out a breath and shook his head. “Why the hell am I t-talking to you? It’s not like you can understand me.”
“Damnit, cat! We just claimed our mate without his consent.”
“I didn’t mean to. If it was anyone’s fault, it was his. Everyone knows the belly trap is real. It’s what we do. Touch my belly. Pet my belly. Don’t touch me there. Kick. Bite.”
I growled in frustration. This could turn out so bad.
“Colby?”
“What?”
“I want to bite him again. He tastes as good as he smells.”
I sighed. “Yeah. He does.”
“I think I’ll call you F-fang.” Cat chuffed at his sardonic tone. “Since I’m keeping you, even though y-y-you are a biter, I’ll need to run to the s-store in the morning and grab supplies. You wouldn’t have su-sunk your sharp as fuck teeth into me if you knew what a strain l-leaving my house two days in a row is on my mental health. Worse. I’ll have to a-ask for help with what food to buy. I don’t want to purchase crap. If it’s Nosy Norman, the en…entire town will know I’ve adopted a c-cat by lunchtime.”
Nope. I drew the line at cat food. That shit was horrid. As much as I feared what my mate would think of me shifting into a man, I couldn’t spend my life as his pet and eating Fancy Feast.
Cat agreed and jumped to the floor. With our nose and tail in the air, we left the room.
“Was it something I said, p-pretty kitty?” Beau called after me. “Hey? W-where are you going?”
To bed. I was exhausted, and I had plans to make. I needed to figure out how to tell our mate who we were and what Cat had done. We found Beau’s room easily enough. We inhaled. It smelled like him. Cat hopped up on the bed.
Beau entered the room moments later. He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned at me. “I sup…posed this means you think you’re bunking with me?”
Cat rolled to his side and gave him a lazy look. If Beau thought we were moving from this spot, he was insane. In fact, I wanted to roll around in his sheets and soak up my mate’s scent.
“Yes. Let’s. Excellent idea, Colby.”
“If you-you steal the covers, you’re out.” He pointed at the head of the bed and indicated the pillow on the right. “That one’s mine. Stay off it.”
Beau shook his head and grumbled to himself as he headed toward the open door on the wall opposite the foot of the bed. I assumed it was the bathroom. “If somebody c-caught me talking to a fucking cat as if it could under-understand me, they’d finally commit my ass.”
“Over our dead body,” Cat snarled. “No one is taking our mate anywhere.”
“Damn fucking straight.”
Chapter 4
beau
Someone or something was watching me. I could feel it. The hairs on my arms stood on end. I kept my eyes closed and didn’t dare move until I assessed the situation. The house felt secure. The alarm would have gone off if someone broke in. There was the faint scent of something sweet in the air. I took a shallow breath. That’s when I finally noticed the heavy weight on my body. Even though the presence felt much larger, it had to be the fucking cat.
Cautiously I cracked open my lids. My gaze landed on a familiar pair of blue eyes, only they didn’t belong to my adopted furry friend, but a beautiful blond man who reminded me of an angel.
“W-w-what the f-f-fuck?” I pushed the man off of me and scrambled out of bed. “Who the fuck are y-y-you and how did you get in-in my house?”
The beautiful and extremely naked intruder stretched his arms over his head. He grinned up at me as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “You let me in.”
“I did not.”
“Well, you let my other half in. I wanted to tell you a different way. I had a whole plan. I didn’t expect you to wake up so soon.”
“I-I-I don’t know what cra-azy farm you escaped from, but-but you need to find your way back there. You have t-t-ten seconds to put your clothes on and leave my home before I-I-I call the police and have you charged with br-br-breaking and entering and-and assault.”
“I did not break into your house nor did I assault you.”
“You were l-laying on top of me while nake-naked without my consent.” I took a menacing step toward him. “What el-else did you do to me?”
“Nothing. I shifted in the middle of the night. When we’re asleep and feel safe, we often go back to our human form.”
“You’re fucking insane.” I grabbed my phone off the night table, then dropped it immediately. I jumped back wh
en the man disappeared and the cat from last night took his place.
“Oh, f-f-fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. I’ve completely l-lost it. I’m hal-hal-hallucinating.” I slid to the floor and closed my eyes. I went through all the coping techniques my therapist taught me when I was having an episode. I repeated my mantra. “This isn’t real. I am in my h-h-house. I am in my bedroom. In my bed-bedroom I have a dresser, a bed, a lamp, a―”
I froze when a gentle hand landed on my shoulder.
“You aren’t hallucinating, Beau. I promise. There are more than humans in this world. Amazing creatures. My name is Colby Dyer. I am a cat shifter. Maine Coon to be precise. I am also your mate.”
“Colby Dyer. Claws comic b-book series?”
“Graphic novels, but yes. That’s the most important detail you took from everything I just told you?”
“I’m ig-ignoring the part where you s-said you were a cat and my m-mate―whatever that means. I’ve o-obviously had some type of psychotic b-break that’s manifested itself into some weird fan-fanboy delusion.” I clamped my jaw together. Fucking stutter.
“You’re a fan?” He beamed at me. The pure joy on his face stole my breath.
“I’m n-not talking to you anymore. You aren’t re-re-real.”
The gorgeous naked figment of my imagination huffed an impatient breath. “You aren’t hallucinating. I swear.”
“That’s exactly something a ha-hallucination would say. Ty…Tyler Durden convinced everyone he was real too. We a-a-all know how that ended.”
“A Fight Club analogy. Really?”
My doorbell rang. Then a moment later someone pounded on the front door. Fuck. Was I hearing things now?
“Are you going to get that?”
I shrugged. “Is…Is it real if y-you hear it too?”
Mirage Colby stood and glared down at me. I was mesmerized by his beauty. Fine facial bones. Full pouty lips. Fair skin. Shoulder-length blond hair hung in waves brushing his shoulders. He truly did remind me of an angel. His body was compact, slim but not scrawny. What he lacked in size he more than made up for in attitude. I wondered if the real Colby Dyer in any way favored my manifestation of a perfect male specimen.
“Why did fate hand me such a stubborn ass mate? If you don’t answer the door, I will. And I’ll do it just like this.” He waved a hand at his long, slender, and… holy shit… erect cock.
Something snapped deep inside my gut. I felt almost jealous at the idea of anyone seeing him naked. I jumped to my feet. I snatched up the pair of jeans and t-shirt I left on the chair in the corner the night before. I hastily threw them on and stomped out of the room.
When I reached the front door, I jerked it open. “W-what the fu―” Shit.
Sheriff Tyler jerked back, and his hand went immediately to his sidearm. Eyeing me with caution, he nodded. “Beau. Have a minute?”
“S-sure, Sheriff. S-sorry for how I answered the door. I haven’t ha-had my coffee yet.” Plus, I’ve been seeing naked men who turn into cats since I opened my eyes.
His shoulders relaxed, and he chuckled. “I understand. Boy do I ever. I can’t function in the morning without a jolt of caffeine.”
“What b-brings you by?”
“I received some calls this morning from a few angry parents. They said you threatened their boys last night.”
I nodded. Tension leeched from my shoulders. I felt slightly better knowing that at least part of last night actually happened. “I sure as h-hell did. Three teenagers a-around thirteen or fourteen. One was the C-Cullen’s oldest boy. The oth-other two were the Ferris boy and the Sumner’s y-y-youngest.”
“Damnit, Beau. You realize you just admitted to a crime.”
“The hell I did. I c-caught those little bastards te-te-terrorizing a cat. They were throwing rocks at it.”
“Since I know you don’t own a pet, I assume you’re talking about your new friend.” The sheriff nodded at my feet.
I looked down. Sure enough, my large, furry, black guest sat in the open doorway. “Y-you can see him?”
“Am I not supposed to be able to?”
“I guess you are.” I smirked at the older man I’d known since I was a kid. “A-anyway. They were attacking the little guy. I intervened. I m-may have put the fear of god into them, but I d-d-didn’t touch them. Little guy followed me h-home.”
“Must have made an impression,” Sheriff Tyler chuckled.
I looked down again, but the cat was gone. If the sheriff hadn’t mentioned him, I would swear I was seeing things again. I jerked when I felt someone touch my back.
“Hey, Beau, who are you talking to?” Colby leaned around me and smiled. He had a blanket wrapped around his naked body. I glanced at the sheriff who stared at Colby in shock. Holy shit. The little guy was real.
“Oh.” Colby smiled at my visitor. He clutched the blanket closed with one hand and stuck out the other. “Hi, I’m Colby. A friend of Beau’s. I’m sorry I interrupted your conversation.” He looked up at me and winked. “I’ll just wait for you in the living room.”
Sheriff Tyler stuck his thumbs in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “I didn’t realize you had company, Beau. I’ll uh, just tell Finn, Steve, and Marshall’s parents that they’re lucky I’m not arresting their boys for animal cruelty. I’ll see about getting them into some sort of program. I don’t like the fact that they didn’t see anything wrong with attacking an animal.”
“Those boys need to learn c-consequences.”
“They will. Next time, call me if you witness a crime.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Have a good day, Beau.” He paused. “I’m happy to see you putting yourself out there again. A boyfriend and a pet. Good for you.”
“Thank you, Sheriff.”
He headed down the porch steps and waved at him as he climbed into his vehicle. I shut the door and turned to Colby who was still wrapped in the throw blanket and sitting the sofa. “So, I’m really not c-crazy?” He shook his head. “I think you n-need to start from the beginning.”
Colby flashed me another incredible smile, he opened his mouth, and eventually, the most amazing story came pouring out.
Chapter 5
colby
Shifting back into a cat and backing Beau’s account regarding last night’s events had been a no-brainer. I would not allow those assholes to cause problems for my mate, especially since Beau was the hero in the story. Shifting back and greeting the sheriff in nothing but a blanket had been risky, but also necessary. It seemed my mate didn’t believe I was real. The only way I could think to convince Beau I was not a figment of his imagination was to let someone else see me. Thank goddess it worked, and our mate no longer thought he was crazy. Something we needed to address later.
I couldn’t stop staring at him. Correction. I didn’t want to stop looking at my mate. Beau was perfect. He was tall and strong. He kept his medium brown hair short on the sides and back and the top long enough to style. He kept the scarred side of his face turned away. Definitely something we’d need to work on. My mate shouldn’t hide any part of himself. Not only because we were mates, but because there was no reason to. I allowed my eyes to travel from his face over the rest of his body. Wide shoulders, muscular arms, dense chest, tapered waist, and thick thighs. His bare feet stuck out from under the hem of his jeans. I sighed. I never knew feet could be sexy.
Beau cleared his throat jerking me back to the task at hand. I knew I was blushing. I felt the heat in my cheeks.
“Sorry.” Not sorry. “I can’t stop looking at you. I never thought I’d have a mate. I guess a part of me is afraid you’ll disappear if I don’t keep my eyes on you.”
“I’m not going anywhere. Now that I know you’re real, I guess y-you aren’t either.” His soft full lips tilted in a half grin.
“Not unless you make us leave. We hope you won’t.” Please don’t sent us away. Don’t abandon us like everyone else in our lives.
“For shifters, a mate is the one person in the entire world who was made just for you. We recognize our mate by scent.”
I giggled when Beau sniffed his shirt. He shot me a look, clearly not appreciate my amusement. “I don’t sm-smell anything.”
“I do. You smell awesome. Like mint and lemons.” His scent was like a cozy catnip filled hug.
“Okay then.” Beau’s cheeks pinked. I found my mate’s blush endearing. He cleared his throat. “You’re a s-successful author. You seem like a genuinely good person. You’re good l-looking. Why did you think you’d nev-never have a mate?”
“We are a black cat with blue eyes.”
“Your response leaves more que-questions than it answers.”
“Our family, actually our entire clowder, are zealots. I had my first shift when I was thirteen. When they saw Cat, they gave me five minutes to pack a bag then kicked me out. They believe black cats are cursed.” I shrugged. Even a decade my family’s abandonment shredded me. “Our parents feared the evil would infect the clowder.”
“I think your eyes are b-beautiful. Your cat is awfully c-cute with his black fur and startling blue eyes.”
“Thank you. He’s preening right now. Cat shifter characteristics are the same as our natural cousins when it comes to eye color. My eye color should change when I shift. Cat has dark fur. His eyes should be yellow or golden. I think our blue eyes made my family’s reaction worse or maybe not. Who knows? Fanaticism is a disease.”
Beau frowned and anger filled his eyes. I didn’t feel threatened. In fact, I wanted to smile. It was nice to have someone express anger on my behalf. “I want to m-make sure I understand. Your p-parents, who turn into cats themselves, threw you out of y-your house when you were a fucking child because your cat had bla…black fur.”
I nodded. Beau stood and began pacing. His movements were jerky and agitated.
“B-backwards. Ig-ig-ignorant. Speciest.” With each word he spat my smile grew bigger. Beau may not have accepted us as his mate yet, but his instinct to protect and defend us had already kicked in.