The Manx Cat Guardians Boxed Set

by J P Sayle

  And when I get my hands on the scrawny witch’s neck, I’ll…

  His fingers played with the frosty glass holding his beer, knowing it wasn’t her fault, well, not totally. Ever since his memories started to resurface, he’d been on a slippery slope straight into hell. It was as if his feelings were the same as newly formed snow at the top of a mountain. Soft and gentle to start with until the small layer of snow thickens and the weight becomes too much and causes it to shift. Then you find it gathers momentum, and the sheer amount of snow becomes unruly, creating an avalanche, burying everything in its path. Pretty much like his sudden declaration. Only Nick wasn’t buried in snow, just all of Brody’s unruly feelings of love.

  He shifted uncomfortably in his seat when Nick emptied his glass. His Adam’s apple bobbed furiously, and his eyes were firmly fixed on the table.

  Unsure of himself and what he should do, Brody willed himself to say something to fix the awkward silence between them.

  Brody started. His hand slipped lifelessly from the glass he’d been playing with when Nick braced himself against the table.

  “I love you too…”

  Brody’s breath whooshed out at the whispered confession. His chair crashed into the wall, thudding behind him as he stood. Nick’s flushed cheeks and wide-eyed stare forced him to take a breath before sitting down again. His hands balled when his heart, his soul, complained bitterly at not being able to hold Nick.

  Brody paid no mind to the people watching him with curiousness. He didn’t give a fuck what they thought. His mind was whirling, and his veins buzzed with joy. His worry about his feelings being one-sided faded when Nick carried on talking quietly.

  “I’ve loved you since the first time we met. I was only eleven, but I somehow knew you were it for me.” He chuckled. “You were always the yardstick I used to measure my boyfriends by.”

  Brody snarled at the mention of ex-boyfriends. His hands clamped together with the urge to punch these faceless, nameless dickheads.

  Nick’s laughed quietly. His gut relaxed until he registered what he was saying.

  “You wouldn’t be getting all growly over exes, would you? Hmm, especially after a certain ex paid us a visit.”

  Brody grumbled an apology when Nick raised his brows and widened his eyes.

  Frank’s return gave him a moment to collect himself and calm his arse down. When Frank walked away with their orders of roast beef and all the trimmings, Brody leant forward, took Nick’s hands, and looked him directly in the eye.

  Yesterday, after they’d lounged talking for hours about nothing and everything, he’d noticed Nick’s avoidance of some of his questions. He felt a wall between them like an impenetrable shield, blocking him from Nick’s past hurts. Brody got it to a certain degree—everyone wanted to keep shit hidden. But if they wanted to make this work, then Nick needed to be honest with him. And playing the avoiding game wasn’t going to work for Brody, not now he’d declared his true feelings. And yes, he was still struggling with what his fifteen-year-old self had felt for Nick. But fuck it. He was a man now, and wasn’t that what counted?

  He spoke gently, not wanting to spook Nick. “On a couple of occasions, you’ve mentioned struggles you’ve had in your past when talkin’ about Christina.” He tightened his hands a little when Nick pulled away. A sad expression wormed its way over his face, and Brody considered stopping.

  He exhaled when his heart wanted to know what caused the sorrow and wouldn’t let him stop.

  “Please. I need to know. I promise I won’t judge you. You know me, Squirt. I would never hurt you.” Brody paused when Nick’s brow shot up. “Okay, let me rephrase that. I wouldn’t hurt you on purpose.”

  When Nick relaxed a little and the lines around his mouth disappeared, Brody offered a reassuring smile before asking, “So what did you mean when you said Christina always seemed to pop up when you were having a crisis?” Brody made a massive effort to contain the anger at seeing shame in Nick’s eyes before he lowered his lashes.

  “The night after I saw you in the forest with Aaden was the first time I met Christina. And as you can imagine I wasn’t sure whether I was losing it. Anyway, when I got home, I was consumed with hate towards Aaden for kissing you. I had all these pictures in my mind of what you too had got up to.”

  Indignant, Brody interjected, sputtering, “I told you we didn’t get up to anything…”

  “Shut up, will you. For God’s sake. You asked me to spill my guts. Let me finish, then you can get all grumpy. Where was I?”

  Nick’s hissed frustration made him shut his mouth.

  He kept his eyes on Nick’s, seeing the moment his eyes lost focus, going distant as if he was no longer present but somewhere stuck in the past.

  When Nick spoke, Brody shivered at his dejected tone.

  “I see now that she used the pictures of you and Aaden against me. Put them in my head so I’d distance myself from you both. Hindsight and years of therapy it took to get me to that conclusion.” Nick gave a self-deprecating laugh.

  Brody stroked his fingers over Nick’s hand, offering what little comfort he could in such a public place. The urge to tell Nick to stop and wait till they got back to Aaden’s died when the story captured Brody’s full attention. It drew him in and pulled at his heartstrings. He grieved for the lost little boy who didn’t know if he was a girl or a boy.

  The story unfolded as their meal came, and they ate as Nick continued to build a picture of the lost child he’d been, with a side of crazy witch who, it would seem, wanted Nick to change into a female so she could take over his soul.

  Speechless, Brody sat back after plonking his cutlery on his half-empty plate. His food forgotten, Brody lowered his eyes to his plate, unable to take it anymore. The anger pulsed and fired his temper to breaking point at the cruelty Christina had intentionally inflicted onto Nick. It scared him when he struggled to see past the rage and help Nick.

  He took a breath and then another, allowing Nick’s familiar scent to settle his churning gut. The food sat heavily.

  He lifted his head, keeping his trembling hands in his lap. Nick’s hurt expression cut him to the bone. The sudden realism Nick thought he was angry at him hit.

  Fucking hell. You arse.

  Brody stood up, walked around the table, and crouched beside Nick’s chair. He gripped Nick’s chin, making him look at him. The upset, wide-eyed stare made him itch to lift and sit Nick on his lap. He hissed in frustration. He comforted himself he would do that very thing the moment they had some privacy.

  He spoke quietly, “I’m sorry. I’m not mad at you. I promise nothing has changed. I love you. This”—Brody nodded his head between them—“what is between us is what counts. She couldn’t steal what was destined. Remember what she said. We’re soulmates. Not that I know what that really means, but it has to mean something special. Martin and Brad, Stuart and Joe, not forgetting Aaden and Greg, they’re all soulmates and look how well that turned out for them.”

  He stopped. He wanted to find the right words to make this moment right. “The past is just that, the past. You’re not the same person you were. None of us are. I confessed to feeling like a perv, and you didn’t judge me, even when I judged myself. So I get that you feel you have to lug some heavy baggage around.

  “And yeah, I know it’s a part of your past, but can’t you see? You’re more than all of that crap she piled on you. She took your personal self-discovery and turned it into something that wasn’t real. Twisted the innocent. Yeah, you might have been transgender but that was for you to decide and not her. I’m betting your counsellor will have told you that numerous times.”

  Brody’s lips twitched when Nick’s nose crinkled adorably. “I see I’m right. You realised, even with all the crap she pulled on you, that you’re gay. Only you have an added extra side of gorgeousness thrown in.” Brody shrugged, looking around to make sure no one was listening before turning back and finishing, “You like to feel feminine. What’s wrong with
that? I’ll tell you. Nothing. As far as I can see, you’re perfect just the way you are. And on a purely selfish note, I love the side benefits and can’t wait to explore more of them.”

  Brody’s face lit with humour when Nick went from pink to scarlet. Nick’s heated cheeks didn’t detract from the relief shining out of his eyes. Brody leant forward for a sweet kiss. He edged back when Nick moaned into his mouth. As the heat pooled between his legs, Brody scowled and realised his mistake. He cursed his stupidity for crouching down where anyone could see the predicament tenting his trousers. His only saving grace was that his body was angled away from the prying eyes behind him.

  He lowered his hand, willing his body to cooperate as he did complicated maths in his head to distract himself from the lingering taste of Nick on his lips.

  When he had himself back under control, he rose, offering Nick his hand. “You ready to leave?” The question was filled with heated promise, and much to Brody’s pleasure, Nick jumped quickly out of his chair and grabbed his discarded jacket.

  He eyed their half-empty plates with regret as he walked to the bar with Nick. Paying the bill, he thanked Frank for the lovely meal. Not that he’d tasted much of it with Nick’s story souring his enjoyment. And for that, he left a hefty tip in apology, knowing it wasn’t the meal at fault.

  The drive home seemed to take forever, even when Nick drove at speeds that rivalled Martin. The man was a menace behind the wheel of his high-powered sports car Brody had discovered on his previous visit. Martin was Aaden’s neighbour and friend. And, Brody found to his peril, lost all common sense when it came to his fiancé, Brad. He went from straight-laced businessman to raving lunatic, and if that involved driving, then you’d better watch out.

  He chuckled as he recalled the debacle before Christmas. Martin, he was told, pissed off Brad by referring to his car as his baby when Brad accidentally hit it with his own car. At the same time, there’d been some sort of fight between Stuart and Joe about clothing. Anyway, they all headed out, not telling anyone where they were going or what they were up to, resulting in both Martin and Stuart charging over to Aaden’s, spitting mad when neither Brad nor Joe would answer their phone.

  After trying to call Greg and Nick and getting no response, Aaden had one of his strange intuition trances, figuring out where the boys were, and decided to chase after them. Brody had offered to follow everyone, just to keep the peace.

  Hell, at the time Brody had thought it was funny as fuck, seeing all these big guys running around like headless chickens after their boyfriends. Now, watching Nick pull up outside Aaden’s, he didn’t feel as smug. In fact, he swallowed hard at the reality he’d do anything to please Nick. Isn’t that a kicker? He was just as whipped as everyone else.

  His hand hovered over the door handle. Now he came to think about it, he couldn’t remember a time when Nick’s happiness wasn’t important to him. He opened the door and quickly stepped out, inhaling a big gulp of freezing air. He let the iciness fill his chest while his head and heart adjusted to this new truth. A rightness settled warmly in his heart and soul. The shift, though subtle, reverberated through him. The earlier remnants of panic at declaring his of love fled under the waves of positive emotions flooding his body.

  Have I always known deep down that Nick was mine?

  The sound of Aaden’s front door opening distracted Brody from finding an answer.

  He glanced over his shoulder at the open door, frowning when Aaden’s stiff features caused his stomach to drop. Now what is it?

  “It’s good you’re home. We have a visitor.”

  Brody tensed at Aaden’s harsh tone and cryptic statement.

  Unsure why his stomach jittered with apprehension, Brody strolled to Nick as he exited the van, acting as casual as possible. He hoped he didn’t reveal how concerned he was about the unexpected visitor waiting inside for them.

  He had a sudden feeling he knew exactly who was sitting inside the house, and that neither Nick nor he was going to be happy about it.

  Gripping Nick’s hand, he guided him towards the house, hoping he didn’t notice his sweaty palm.

  Silently he questioned Aaden, his eyes asking if he should be worried. Seeing Aaden’s clenched fists and grim mouth, his eyes narrowed on the empty hall behind Aaden. Brody braced for what was coming before stepping into the hall.

  He exhaled and walked into the lounge with a sense of dread. He felt Nick’s hand grip his, cutting off the circulation, at the sight of Christina sitting cross-legged on the soft grey leather sofa. Her long, flowing auburn hair glinted in the pale afternoon light coming from the window behind her. She wore a figure-hugging forest-green top which matched the trousers she wore. Her deep brown knee-length boots finished off the outfit and gave her a sexy appeal Brody was convinced many men would find irresistible.

  The anger he’d felt over lunch returned full force at the tentative smile she offered. Bile rose in his throat, burning a path as it mixed with his resentment. He gently loosened Nick’s grip on his hand, offering him a smile he didn’t feel but unable to do more. He stepped forward and right in between Nick and Christina. It was only when he noticed Max and Princess sitting on the varnished floor watching him intently did he pause.

  Keeping a tight rein on his temper, he spoke, “What do you want, Christina? Come to wreck more lives with your nasty, conniving ways?” Okay, maybe not as tight a hold as he thought.

  Fuck it.

  He flung his arms up in the air. She deserved his anger and so much more. If he wasn’t such a gentleman and had been taught never to hit women, he’d punch her right in the gob.

  “Christina, what do you want?”

  The quietly spoken defeat in Nick’s voice zapped all of Brody’s anger. He whirled back round and lifted Nick off the floor. He sighed in pleasure when Nick’s legs wrapped around his waist. Then Nick tucked his head under Brody’s chin, burrowing into him. Small puffs of air tickled his neck, distracting him for a second from hearing Christina’s answer.

  “I’ve come to firstly say sorry. I should’ve done that last time after I’d explained what I’d done to Nick. I’m sorry I ran away and didn’t stay to face the music.”

  Brody arched his brow, unconvinced.

  “No, really I am. I’ve had a lot of time to think about the error of my ways. And a certain little pussy cat has been more than willing to point out all my flaws.”

  Christina paused, staring down at Princess when she heard her muttering inside her head about the many flaws she had. Christina resisted giving a bitchy reply. Just. She rolled her eyes when Princess smirked and her whiskers twitched almost as if she was getting ready to laugh, though there was no evidence of humour in her blue eyes.

  “Anyway, I’ve come to make amends in whatever manner you see fit.” Christina kept her shaky hands hidden in her lap. The words cost her more than she let on. Morgana had been very strict: offer to do anything and see what came of it. Hopefully it would be enough for her to gain back her magic.

  Brody gave her a sceptical look before he lifted Nick’s chin up, instantly seeing a wariness which didn’t please Brody in the slightest. An idea formed in his mind how they could make the little witch pay.

  He mulled it over. The idea grew with real possibility. Maybe her offer could kill two birds with one stone. He narrowed his gaze and turned to face a silent Aaden, who was standing in the doorway. “Can you give Martin and Stuart a call? I think I have a solution to all our problems.”

  Aaden’s dark onyx eyes gleamed with understanding. His lips quirked up before he winked, turned, and left the room; Brody assumed to make a call.

  Brody smothered the laughter wanting to escape his chest. Clenching his white teeth together, he sat on the two-seater leather sofa, keeping Nick ensconced tightly against him. He revelled at the feel of his weight in his lap. He made sure to stay as far away from Christina as possible as he was still a little unsure he wouldn’t decide to punch her in the mouth and live with the consequences.


  He whispered in Nick’s ear so she couldn’t hear, “You up for a bit of fun?”

  Nick tilted his head towards him, his bottom lip poking out in a pout. Brody couldn’t resist dropping a light kiss on his sweet mouth. The soft lips opened under his, encouraging Brody to take more.

  He sunk into the kiss, sliding his tongue into the cavern of Nick’s mouth, tasting a hint of the meal he’d eaten. He suckled on Nick’s tongue, sliding them deeper into the kiss. The moans and whimpers mixed with the hungry wet sounds of their lips devouring each other.

  Brody exhaled when Nick ground down on his arousal. His eyes crossed when Nick managed to trap his cock in the folds of his backside and squeeze tightly.

  Breathless, Brody forced himself to pull back when a cough disturbed them. The thought of coming in his trousers right then appealed. Then his brain reengaged and his cock wilted at the thought of doing that in front of Christina.

  Nick whimpered, and he quickly offered a pledge, “Later, Squirt, I promise.” He cast his eyes in Christina’s direction, making sure Nick understood why he was delaying. The light of understanding was enough to quell Nick’s look of disappointment.

  The sound of the doorbell and Aaden’s heavy tread as he went to the door finally made him turn and look at Christina. Seeing her dazed red face, he struggled not to laugh.

  “Now. Let’s see how genuine your offer is.”

  King Manannán

  Manny sat back on his throne, shifting slightly to ease his numb backside.

  His large hand absently stroked the silky fur of the small ginger cat sitting in his lap. A companionable silence settled over them, only breaking occasionally with the sounds of the wood crackling and spitting as it burnt in the hearth.

  The flames flickered and rose in the massive chimney, drawing his attention to the scene unfolding in the flames of the fire. He’d lifted the veil between worlds, and his heart clenched when he listened intently to Brody explain to everyone crowded into the tiny room what he wanted Christina to do.