The Manx Cat Guardians Boxed Set

by J P Sayle

  Joe didn’t seem to care what he wore, his clothes all seemed to have some form of a hole or rip, not that Joe noticed. It was only when he got cold that he seemed to think about it. Stuart chuckled when his hands caught in Joe’s jeans, catching his attention. The jeans were black, or they were once, now, more grey than black, having had too many washes and wears, the seams had frayed, creating little holes. His favourite rips were the ones he’d caught his hand on, just below his ass cheeks. Sinking his hands lower his cold fingers met with a cool bare ass cheek. Flabbergasted he stared down at Joe.

  “Did you go commando to meet your friend?” All but shouting the question, Joe’s eyes shot sparks at him. Stuart ignored the warning signs, getting into Joe’s face. “I asked you a question, did you go commando to meet your friend?” Each word punctuated with a hip pulse as Stuart ground against Joe. The angry flush morphing into heated desire in seconds, Stuart could feel the change in Joe when he ground his hardening cock into his thigh.

  Joe gripped his hips pulling him closer. His whispered words had Stuart’s legs wanting to buckle. “No. I went commando for you, so when you got your scrawny ass home from work, it would be quicker to get naked for you.” The dark chuckle had his cock leaking.

  Aaden’s husky voice intruding on the heated moment, “I hope I’m not interrupting?” The implication behind his question clearly indicated that he knew he was. Two pairs of startled eyes turned towards him. Aaden could smell the sexual tension drifting off the pair of them. It was the only reason he hadn’t intervened when Stuart had gotten into Joe’s face.

  Aaden was happy to see his friend seemed to have gotten over the issues Joel had caused when he’d messed with Joe’s head. It was a pity it hadn’t been earlier, he would have loved to have had the little man pinned under him a time or two.

  Aaden’s thoughts halted when he watched Stuart pull Joe closer. Stuart’s ‘he belongs to me’ glare pinned him to the spot. Sensing it was more than just sex, Aaden gave a small smirk to wind him up before finally nodding in acquis.

  Max had been clear Joe was not his soul mate, even if Aaden had hoped he was. Joe seemed more than perfect for him, though the fates seemed to want to torture him some more before he was forgiven for his past mistakes. Aaden shook off the melancholy, looking around at what was going to be his new home.

  Joe’s arms pulled him in for a hug stopping his perusal.

  “It’s good to see you, man. I’d like to introduce you officially to Stuart.”

  Aaden turned, giving Stuart his full attention.

  The overtly friendly way in which Joe had referred to him had Stuart grinning from ear to ear. He couldn’t help it, even if Aaden’s undertone said that he was aware of their issues. The knowing stare seconds later confirmed Stuart’s thoughts. Holding out his hand he tried to be magnanimous.

  “Hi, it’s nice to meet any friend of Joe’s.” The words conveyed the unspoken question.

  Aaden choose to overlook the silent question for now taking the offered hand and shaking it firmly. His attention was caught by the slight smell of lemongrass, stepping closer, the scent teased his senses. Familiar, yet it did not belong on this man. Stuart’s underlying woodsy scent was more masculine, and so different from the effeminate smell clinging to his clothes.

  Using his other senses, he took a few seconds to pull up Stuart’s recent memories. There, Aaden felt the sparks ignite as he captured the memory that went with the smell. Aaden pulled his hand back, feeling out of sorts but not entirely sure why by the memory of the red headed man. Stuart’s shocked expression and the hand he was now frantically rubbing against his leg, let Aaden know he had not pulled out of his mind quickly enough. He sighed, trying to remember some people were more sensitive than others to his probing.

  Stuart frowned, what the fucking hell was that? It was as if Aaden had been inside his head just for a second, the scorching feeling on his hand imprinted on his mind. The burning tingle had Stuart casting a quick glance at his hand, surprised when he could see nothing. Feeling a little silly, maybe the stress he was feeling was playing tricks on his mind. No one could read your thoughts. Well, that is unless you were an X-man then anything was possible, chuckling at his errant thinking.

  Stuart stepped back avoiding any more body contact. “We should probably head home so you can get settled.” He grabbed Joe’s hand, pulling him away from Aaden. He came, if not a little unwillingly.

  “Where’s your car?” Joe’s question sounding more like an accusation, had him hide his smile.

  “I left it parked in my work’s car park. I thought I could catch a lift with you.” His confident smile dropped a notch when Joe squelched that idea.

  “That’s alright because you can go in Aaden’s van with him, so he doesn’t get lost.”

  Aaden’s arched brow and Joe’s ‘don’t you dare say anything’ look he didn’t hide, had Stuart sagging into his coat when Aaden accepted without putting up the fight he’d seen on his face. The sat nav would have got him there just as easy, but for whatever reason Joe wanted to punish Stuart. Reassuring himself that it was only going to be a short journey. What could possibly go wrong in twenty minutes?

  Aaden jumped out of the van his temper not often riled, but then he didn’t normally spend twenty fucking minutes with Max and Stuart who had pushed him to his very limit. How much could one man sneeze, and what the fuck was wrong with Max hissing and growling the whole fucking time? Aaden let Max out to stretch his legs, hoping that his mood would improve out of the confines of the van.

  The loud squeal followed by hissing had Aaden springing around in time to witness a little flying black cat launch herself at Max’s big white body, claws digging deep before it sprang back. What on earth? Unsure why Max stayed still not moving, he saw blood seep through his white fur. Aaden dashed forward scooping up his baby. Searching to see what damage there was, chaos ruled around them as Joe grabbed the small hissing cat, Stuart sneezed and yelled at Princess which he assumed was the cat.

  Great, this looks like it is going to be a fun. He couldn’t for the life of him grasp what the fuck was wrong with this place, but there was something!

  Princess

  Princess felt something touch the island, a strong force that made her body strain. Anxiously she had prowled the house and the street waiting for Joe to return. Something was coming; no it was here. Princess jumped in fright when Joe’s van pulled into the drive.

  The sight of the van behind Joe’s had her on high alert. The minute the van opened and that thing had prowled out, like he owned the place, her temper had taken over. The scent of him enticed, driving her mad as understanding hit her.

  Attack was her first response, she was sorry for it now that she could see she’d drawn blood, but her temper was hard to control when unleashed. Cuddling in Joe’s arms, she whimpered, hoping it would help the situation she currently found herself in. Knowing Stuart would make this an excuse to punish her, not that he tried before. Well, besides the sneezing and snotting all over her, wasn’t that punishment enough?

  Princess’s eyes locked with the bi-coloured ones, his warning clear, keep away or else. Sniffing she raised her head holding it high, they’d see about that.

  Joe

  Joe fussed over Princess. He couldn’t for the life of him understand what on earth had come over her. Christ, she had appeared to be spitting mad for no apparent reason. Joe put her down inside the house and quickly closed the door, not wanting any further skirmishes. As it was, he was going to have to offer at least to pay for the vet’s bill. Heaving a sigh, he collapsed into the kitchen chair.

  Staring down at Princess, “What on earth was that all about, hey?” Joe opened his arms as she jumped into his lap, her head pushing under his hand. Silky fur vibrated as he stroked her little back. “You can’t just go around attacking other animals; it’s naughty.” Joe hid his chuckle when she burrowed into his stomach, burying her head under his arm. Hell, she almost looked contrite, rolling his eyes at
the thought.

  The sound of the slamming door had him sitting up straighter. Figuring that Stuart’s non-existent tolerance for Princess was about to cause a massive fight between them. He braced himself for what was coming.

  Joe’s mouth hung open incredulously, he stared up at Stuart convinced his face was as bemused as Princess’s was. Watching Stuart stroll nonchalantly into the kitchen, giving Princess a quick pet. His smile stretched wide across his face, his charcoal eyes beamed with satisfaction. “You go, Princess, kick his big fat ugly ass,” his pride evident in every word.

  What the heck?

  “What?” Stuart shrugged, walking away and whistling as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

  Joe stared down at Princess with a bemused expression. “Oh well, that went better than expected.” His deep musical lilt giving away his amusement, Joe settled Princess on her cushion. “I better go face the music, wish me well, and if I don’t see you again, it was a pleasure knowing you.” His dramatic words got a loud purr in response.

  Joe’s nervous giggle did nothing to settle his uneasiness as he headed for the front door. He was going to shout to let Stuart know where he was going, thinking it was probably pointless when he heard the shower switch on. Shrugging, he was sure Stuart would know where he had gone anyway.

  Heading out the door, Joe berated himself for being a crappy friend, abandoning Max and Aaden straight after their arrival, even if it had been to remove Princess. Heaving a sigh when he couldn’t figure out what Princess’s problem was. Brad plainly would have told him if she had a habit of striking other cats?

  He knocked on Miss Stevens’s old front door. He was appreciative of the fact she’d left the island. As far as he was concerned, it meant one less homophobic asshole to deal with, and he’d dealt with a few over the years.

  Taking his time to examine the house, having ignored it after all he’d heard about the owner. Letting his gaze wonder, he could see it probably suited the evil witch. It was the smallest of the five. Painted a drab grey, it sat back slightly, not directly overlooking any of the other four homes. Darkened windows were covered with dreary brown curtains. Peering closer he cringed, realising the colour looked like actual shit.

  The air of disuse seemed to create an almost sinister feel to the place, feeling slightly alarmed by the clenching in his gut, he pulled back afraid to touch the place.

  The wind picked up, causing a chill to seep through his hole-ridden woolly jumper. Shivering, Joe looked up at the darkening sky. The winter, he suspected, would be here sooner than expected if the naked trees were any indication. The late Indian summer well and truly gone, October it appeared, was racing them quickly into winter. Wondering if he had time to go back and grab a jacket, the door opened.

  Joe quickly pushed inside to get out of the wind. “Take your time, man. It’s bloody freezing out there, and cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey.”

  Taking in Aaden’s stony expression had him thinking that he maybe should have gone with an apology first. Joe shifted from foot to foot in the hallway, deciding to jump right in and get the apology over and done with.

  “I’m sorry, man. I had no idea that Princess would go off like that. Brad never said she would attack other cats. Is Max alright?” His nerves had his voice sounding squeaky. The silence stretched as Aaden glowered down at him.

  “He is fine, though he is now sulking in the back garden. I can’t get him to come in.”

  Joe felt Aaden’s frustration roll off him as he moved. “Though, I can’t say I blame him, Joe, this place feels and smells of pure evil.”

  Joe’s eyes jumped to Aaden’s face, was he serious? Could you feel and smell evil? There were times he had just narrowly missed Joel catching him, but somehow his body had told him something was off. Just as it had outside this house before he’d entered, but he was doubtful that he would personally be able to smell or really feel evil in there.

  Joe gazed about, though he had to say the décor, on the other hand, could be classed as criminal to the eyes. The shit brown curtains were the best thing about the décor. The amount of dark flocked wallpaper made him shudder. It appeared to be everywhere. Well, that and the dark, ugly mahogany furniture which was causing him to feel a real case depression. He’d bet the rest of the place wasn’t much better.

  Joe shuddered in distress at his friend having to stay there. It only got worse as they moved through to the dismal kitchen, fuck it looked like it belonged in the 1950’s. In fact, Joe doubted it had changed since the house had been built. The dark laminated cupboards, even though yellow, were not in the slightest bit sunny. The yellow appeared dull and lifeless. The fridge, cooker, and washing machine not much better, the stainless steel looked grey and lacklustre. The shit brown theme continued with yet more hideous brown curtains blocking out the light.

  Joe gave Aaden a severe look. “How much can you do with the place within the terms of your lease? Because, Aaden, my man, this place needs a serious overhaul. Never mind your creepy evil vibes. The colour scheme is enough to give anyone the willies. For fuck sake, who would have shit brown as a colour theme?”

  Aaden’s booming laughter filled the kitchen, “don’t hold back there, will you; give me your honest opinion.”

  Joe cast him a sheepish look, he may have been a little harsh, but hey, shit brown was shit brown. The loud meow that rumbled next to his leg had him jumping in surprise. Where the hell had Max come from? For such a massive white cat he certainly moved silently. Joe supposed it was something natural, the need to be silent to catch their prey.

  Stroking in between his shoulder blades knowing that was the spot Max loved the most. Over the years he’d gotten to know Aaden, he had been surprised when he’d visited his home to find Aaden was a cat lover. Not sure why he found it odd, but Joe just couldn’t see Aaden with a cat, a big ass dog yes, but not big fat fluffy Manx cat, nope. He again wondered how Max got so big, hell he was three times bigger than Princess and much larger than most other cats, he’d seen for that matter.

  Without thought, Joe spoke what was on his mind. “What the hell do you feed him, man? Hell, if he gets any bigger you’ll need a dog flap never mind a cat flap.” The words barely out his mouth, the loud snarl had him yanking back his hand. Max’s bicoloured eyes held him captive; the meaning conveyed clear, stop before it was too late.

  “Max is very sensitive about his size, so you may not want to mention it again, especially if you value your hands.” Aaden chuckled at the distinct look of a rabbit caught in the headlights Joe had when he tucked his hands into his jeans, out of harm’s way.

  Aaden looked down at Max, pleased he looked none the worse for wear after his tussle with Princess. “It looks like your offer is redundant, Max seems fine now, aren’t you, baby?” Aaden bent down checking him over, just to make sure. His silky white fur glowed like a beacon in the dismal coloured room.

  “You’re okay aren’t you, boy, it would take more than one tiny little pussycat to hurt my big bad boy, hey.” His chuckle was met with a disdainful glare as Max flounced away.

  Aaden turned to the insistent knocking that filled the house, hiding a grin at Joe’s mournful sigh.

  Joe would have taken bets on who was at the other side of the door. Aaden opened it and let Stuart past with an unrepentant Princess at his heels. Joe rushed forward to stop them both from coming in any further. “No, no way, Princess and you need to get on back home. I can’t be doing with any more fighting today.” Sounding prissy to his own ears only pissed Joe off further, cringing he continued moving forward. Too scared of another fight to worry about how he looked or sounded.

  Their smug joint looks had him bending, picking up Princess before pushing Stuart back to the front door. “Come on, you pair. Before you both get me into more hot water, and I can’t afford to lose a hand, or anything else for that matter, if we get on the wrong side of Max.” Joe gave an apologetic wave to Aaden as he pushed Stuart towards the door.

  “
Give me a holler if you need a pair of hands. You are most definitely going to need help getting rid of the shit in here. I’ll be over in the morning once you’re settled, well if that’s at all possible to do that in here.” Casting another quick glance around, hoping it would improve with another look. He walked to the door, unable to stop the jolt of disgust.

  It always amazed him what people could live with. He counted himself lucky that Stuart had such good taste. Stuart’s style reflected beautiful warmth that was welcoming, whereas this place was the exact opposite, the antichrist. Shuddering as a feeling of unease skimmed up his spine, looking around the cul-de-sac unsure what it was. He shook of the uneasy feeling the house was giving him. Joe hurriedly stepped away, glad not to be inside any longer.

  Joe waved once more when Aaden acknowledged his offer, lugging Princess in his arms and pulling Stuart behind him. He didn’t have to see the self-satisfied smile to know he’d brought Princess over with the primary aim to get him away from Aaden. The jealousy should have him wanting to punch Stuart’s lights out, yet secretly he couldn’t help feeling a little smug Stuart had chased after him. Not wanting to think too hard about that after all his issues with Joel, he pretended to be angry instead.

  Dropping Princess as they entered Stuart’s home, he gave them both a hard stare. “You should know better than to antagonise someone who is bigger than you; Max could hurt you.” Princess’s upturned nose pushed him to breaking point. Watching her waltz out of the room with an ‘as if’ look.

  Joe turned his angry glare at the stupid fool grinning at him. Pointing, “If Max had hurt her, it would have been on your head. That was an idiotic thing to do because Brad and Martin would have had your guts for garters and I would have gladly held Martin’s jacket while he kicked your ass.”