by Eve Langlais
“Dom, what are you doing?” she hissed.
“I can’t help myself. It’s sooooo good.” The words emerged on a low growl. For a second, it worried him. A man did not growl in public. He saved it for the bedroom when pleasuring his lady.
He held the plant away from his mouth. It didn’t look appetizing. Yet, every time he took a breath, he wanted more.
Maybe just one more bite.
Anika wouldn’t let him. She tugged at the pot. “You can’t just start chomping on the plant in the store.”
She didn’t understand. It was delicious. He didn’t just want another bite. He needed it.
Needed.
He retook possession of his plant.
Chomp.
“Dom! No!”
Once more, she tried to steal it.
Mine. He held it firmly and growled. It shocked him enough that he managed to push down the pressure inside him trying to burst free.
He had to keep control.
Needed to not scare Anika.
Might be too late. Her wide eyes showed that she was pretty freaked out.
A guy approached, reed-thin, with a hooked nose. “Sir, I have to ask that you not eat the plant.” He dared to hold out his hand.
Dom snarled, and the clerk recoiled. Pussy. He could eat him if he wanted.
“Sir. You need to leave the store.”
He would but only because he wanted to take his plants home. He snared a second pot and, with one in each hand, headed for the exit. Feeling more and more strange.
His clothes chafed.
“Sir, what are you doing? You haven’t paid for those. I’m going to call the cops.”
He heard his female murmuring behind him. He exited the store and hit the light rain. Lifted his face to it with a grimace.
He hated getting wet. But his plant liked it. The smell deepened. Tempted.
Mmm.
He chewed another leaf and then an entire shoot to the stalk.
His female exited. “What the hell was that about? You’re now banned from the store because the guy thinks you’re high on something.”
I am.
He remained cognizant enough to realize the catnip plant did something to him. Felt good. Amazing. Drowsy. Seriously, though his eyes remained open, it was as if he fell asleep mentally.
“Get me home.” Somewhere safe so he could nap.
“You don’t look good.” Alarm spiked her scent.
He glanced at his arms. Covered in dark fuzz. “Wass happenin’?” The words emerged with a rolling burr.
“Get in the car.” She opened the door for him, and he sat in the seat, plants in his lap.
So nice. He petted the leaves. Took another bite when she wasn’t looking.
Finished swallowing by the time she sat down beside him.
His body pulsed. Pushed him to close off his consciousness.
He pushed back. He couldn’t go to sleep now. Not with his female angry.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” she hissed as she drove them away.
He managed a slurred, “Canna stop.” He really couldn’t, even as he knew it was wrong.
“You’re behaving really weird,” she stated as she drove. “Do you think this is what happened to your brother? Maybe a sensitivity to catnip is a family thing.”
“Not related to Tyson,” he mumbled, staring at his hands. Noticed the nails elongating. Felt his jaw popping. And he really hated his clothes right now.
“Maybe it’s because of the environment where you were raised. Something in the water.”
He didn’t know what ailed him. He still felt good but itchy. More than itchy.
Confined.
“Stopppp!” he barked.
Even before she’d pulled to the side of the road near a construction site for new housing, he was opening the door and throwing himself out. He hit the ground and dropped the plants. He didn’t care that they spilled. He pulled at his shirt. His pants.
Get it off.
Off!
The moment he could stretch, he roared. Then he was running, hands and feet, fleet of foot. Keen of sight.
Ready to hunt.
16
As the panther—that used to be Dom until he went all Transformer—suddenly raced off, Anika blinked.
What. The. Fuck just happened? Surely, she’d not seen a man, naked as the day he was born, suddenly scrabbling on all fours, his body reshaping into something hairy with a tail.
A fucking tail.
Perhaps she dreamed—she pinched herself.
Ouch.
Did it again, just in case.
Definitely awake. She got out of the car and breathed deeply. She had just about calmed down when the panther stalked out from behind the bulldozer and leapt up onto the shovel.
“Dom?” A tremulous syllable.
The feline head turned her way, and they locked gazes. Her heart stopped.
The panther leapt down and trotted farther into the construction site.
“Dom, come back!” She didn’t understand what’d happened. People did not turn into cats. Seeing the plants on the ground, she scowled.
“I blame you,” she growled before picking them up. Dominick had acted oddly from the moment he started sniffing them. Not to mention, what possessed him to eat them to begin with?
He obviously reacted to the catnip. Or was she the one drugged? Because, after all, she’d seen a man turn into a cat.
Again. What. The. Fuck?
She glanced at the mostly quiet construction site with its heaps of supplies, a trailer for management, and a few dormant machines. Last she’d heard via the rumor mill, it’d gotten shut down because of COVID-19. After all the mandatory closures, it had tried to stay afloat, and then the heavily conditioned reopening rules happened. Some places could survive the restrictions, but some found it easier to fold. It didn’t help that each time someone tested positive or came into contact with someone positive, the contract tracing closed them down. It made for angry clients. The company ended up throwing in the towel.
It happened all too often. Pity, because she’d heard they were supposed to build an apartment building geared toward those with lower incomes.
The closure meant high metal struts set up and waiting for concrete to be poured.
Dom—the cat—could be anywhere. And, honestly, she was kind of scared to find him. It. What the fuck?
She took a few steps and stooped to grab his clothes, the shirt torn in his desperation to remove it.
The shoes exploded as the paws and claws had torn through them.
Paws.
She sat on her haunches and hung her head, breathing hard. This had to be a dream. This kind of thing didn’t happen.
I saw it with my own eyes.
I’m not crazy.
Dominick was out there somewhere. Possibly scared. Maybe she could coax him back into being a man?
She took a few steps into the construction yard. “Dom? Are you there? Can you hear me?”
No reply, but she felt watched. She glanced around at the various spots he could hide. Him…something else.
She shivered. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to confront a panther alone. Problem being, how was she to get help while not coming across as crazy when she explained what she’d seen?
She placed his clothes in the car along with the surviving plant. She still didn’t get it. She found the aroma off-putting. It made Dom’s behavior that much odder.
If it doesn’t affect me, then maybe there really is something in the water at his house. Two genetically unrelated people, reacting oddly to the same non-psychotropic substance?
His family needed to know. It was the right thing to do, even as she grimaced on the way there.
She practiced what she’d say to his mom. “So, hey, Dom had an incident with catnip. He is now a panther.”
Not thought he was a giant cat, actually fucking was a massive pussy.
She parked in the driveway and groaned. No one would
ever believe her.
Someone needed to know, though.
Getting out of the car, with the plant in hand, she knocked on the front door of the house. No one answered.
She banged again, only now realizing that she was the only car. She bit her lip. “Fuck.” Now what?
A staticky sound preceded a brusque, “Dom’s not here.”
Raymond! The reclusive brother in the basement.
She couldn’t see whatever camera he used and hoped it had sound. “I know Dom’s not. He was with me. But… Um… Something happened. He needs help.”
“Come inside. I’m in the basement.” Bzzt. The door unlocked.
She entered and made three wrong guesses before finding a door with stairs going down. The wooden steps appeared archaic, yet the setup once she reached the floor was anything but.
The walls and even the ceiling appeared covered in padding, dimpled where it was pinned in place. The floor bore a smooth laminate. On one side of the basement lurked a furnace, hot water tank, and the electrical box. Under the stairs, boxes labelled Xmas. Against one wall, about a dozen bearing the letter D.
Which left two more walls, lined with screens, each displaying something different. Under them, a series of desks pushed to run along the wall, littered with an assortment of shit. Beakers. Electronics. Test tubes, and what looked like a fridge and a strange metal oven.
There was a cot in the room, and a gaming chair on wheels. Nothing else for comfort.
Sitting on the moving seat, Raymond spun to eye her.
“Where’s my brother? What’s wrong with him?”
She held out the catnip pot that’d survived, and Raymond’s nose twitched. “What is that?”
“Catnip. Dom started eating it in the store and got a little crazy.”
“Was he arrested?”
She shook her head. “Actually, it’s weirder than that.”
“Let me guess, he turned into a wild animal.”
17
Raymond knew.
How did he know?
“What the fuck is going on?” she exclaimed.
“It’s what I’ve been trying to figure out. It all started with me thinking my drones were hacked. Because who turns from a boy into a cat? Not my little brother Tyson. Problem is, no one broke into my machines. Which means, the video had to be real.”
“What video? You’ll need to explain better because you’re not making any sense.”
Raymond spun from her and began typing. “The drone footage I got last night. It’s easier to show you.” A video feed appeared, perspective from above, showing a grainy image done in hues of green. A night vision camera that showed a human shape turning into something four-legged with a tail.
“That’s your little brother?”
“I know it’s hard to tell. I really need to upgrade my camera, but I’ve been investing in other stuff,” he grumbled. He changed the video feeds on screen to what appeared to be lab results.
“What is that?” She pointed.
“Something Stefan suggested when I showed the video to him this morning. Bloodwork results for our family. Stefan had them done, all of us except for Daeve, Maeve’s twin, and his other sister, Jessie. They’ve been busy the last little while.”
“And? What does this have to do with that footage?”
“Just that, despite not being bound by blood, every single Hubbard kid has a similar mutation.”
“What are you talking about? What kind of mutation?”
“I don’t know yet. I won’t make any hypotheses without further study, other than to predict that catnip is a trigger for it in both Tyson’s and Dominick’s cases.”
She glanced at the plant in her hand. “No shit.” Catnip was Dominick’s spinach. The inanest comparison to come to mind. Still, both were green. Although, in Popeye’s case, he got stronger and saved Olive.
In hers, Dom went furry and ran away.
Dear God.
She’d slept with him. Bestiality was a crime. Only he was a man when it’d happened.
And he’d not worn a condom the last times. She couldn’t help but panic, even though she was on the pill.
“I’m just surprised he’s susceptible,” he mused aloud. “After all, this isn’t the first time he’d have been exposed.”
“Unless you own a cat or hang out with someone who does, not really. I mean, I know of catnip, and this is the first time I’ve ever seen the plant.” She waggled it.
Raymond swallowed. “Would you mind putting that thing across the room? It’s distracting.”
“Hold on, you’re allergic to it, too?” An adverse reaction. That had to be it.
“Told you, we all share the same genetic twist. Kind of. We each have slight variations to it.”
“You’re not making any sense.”
“Because it doesn’t make sense.” Raymond raked a hand through his hair, making it stand on end.
“Listen, I don’t know what’s wrong with your family. What I do know is Dominick turned into a panther and ran off.” There, she’d said it aloud.
Raymond didn’t mock her. “Where?”
“Some construction site in town. I left because I didn’t know what to do.”
Ray grimaced. “Me, either. I assume he didn’t bring his phone with him?”
She shook her head. “I’ve got his stuff in the car. He kind of half-stripped, half-exploded out of his clothes when he changed.”
“Damn.” Raymond rubbed his chin. “That makes finding him complicated.”
“And what will we do when we find him? How do we change him back?”
“I don’t know.” It was the most chilling answer of all.
“How do we find him?”
“We need to go back to where he took off on you.”
“Now?” A stupid reply, and yet her alarm went off, a reminder set on her phone in case she got distracted so she wasn’t late for work.
How could she go to work when Dom was lost? Still, she couldn’t afford to lose a day’s pay.
Sounded callous to even think it, and yet, she had bills that wouldn’t take a break. And, realistically, what could she do? Dom had turned into a panther. Didn’t they tend to maul people?
Her mind flashed to Thomas. Attacked by a wild cat, he’d said.
Oh, fuck.
Should she tell Raymond? It might make a difference. “I think he’s done this before. Turned into a panther.”
“When? What makes you think that?”
“My ex got attacked last night by what he claims was a wild panther.”
Raymond’s mouth rounded. “Shit. That’s not good. What if he goes after someone else? Animal control would be called. He’d get shot.”
“We have to find him.” We because she had to help.
“Let’s start with that construction zone.”
It didn’t take long to drive there.
Raymond got out of her car and frowned at the machinery and the barren ground. “I doubt he’d have stayed here long. Shitty hunting and too exposed. Add in the fact I’m not getting pinged about any reports of a cat on any emergency channels, and it seems safe to say he’s moved on.”
“How are we supposed to know where he went?” She glanced around. Where to start?
“If he’s a cat, is he moving by instinct, or is he still cognizant inside?”
She remembered what he’d said about his blackouts. “I don’t think he knows what’s happening.”
“So, instinct then.” Raymond glanced around and frowned. “What does an animal do if dropped into unfamiliar territory?”
“He heads for home.” The answer slipped from her lips.
“Maybe. But if he doesn’t, then it makes sense for us to split up. I’ll see if I can find his trail on this end, and you go to the house and wait.”
“Leave you here? How will you get back?”
“I’ve already texted Stefan to help.”
“Oh.” It occurred to her how many people would know the crazy secre
t she’d imparted. What if she were mistaken? “Won’t your family find it weird if they see me parked at your house?”
“Mom’s gonna be gone for at least another hour or so. Maybe we can find him before she knows something’s wrong. Maeve already left for work. Given she just got that job, I won’t bug her quite yet. Plus, your laundry is still there. It gives you the perfect excuse. I tossed it into the dryer, by the way.”
“Thank you. Sorry. Dom kind of insisted we go to the pet store.”
“It’s fine. If you’re with my brother, then that makes you a new sister.”
She wanted to say they weren’t together, only to realize the idea sat very well with her. She wouldn’t mind trying it out for a bit.
“What do I do if he comes back?”
“Depends on what shape he’s in. If he’s a naked man, toss him a blanket.”
“And if he’s not?” If he remained a jungle cat with big teeth and claws?
“Open a can of tuna.”
Not the most reassuring advice. Still, at least she had a plan. She drove back to the farm and sat in her parked car for a minute.
This was crazy.
She should leave now. Run away from the guy who transformed when around catnip.
But then she remembered the man. Who swaggered to her defense. Who said the stupidest things, and yet could be the sweetest when he talked about how he felt about her.
Then she thought of the fact that, if the roles were reversed, he’d most definitely be looking for her.
She eyed the forest by his place. Did she dare go into the trees?
No, but she could sit by the edge and call for him.
Sitting with her legs lotus-style, she put her hands on her knees and closed her eyes, took some deep, cleansing breaths. A calming exercise she’d learned in therapy, usually to deal with her Thomas anxiety, but it worked on other kinds, as well.
She heard nothing but the gentle sloughing of the wind through the branches. She couldn’t have said how long she waited. She’d heard a motorcycle at one point—someone arriving at the farmhouse. But she didn’t turn.
Didn’t want to deal with someone mocking what she’d told Raymond. It was hard to believe that it’d even happened. It was such a gorgeous autumn day. The sun shone. The bugs still hummed here and there—not as copious as in spring. The leaves on the trees hadn’t yet started to fall but had begun their shift from green to red and yellow.