Chapter 2
Logan slapped his hand blindly across the bed covers searching for his blaring phone. This had better be important; otherwise whoever was calling was a dead man. Logan had barely shut his eyes minutes before after a long, long day. Their pack’s new house in Tuscaloosa was still barely habitable, even after almost a full day of hauling and sweating most of their combined worldly belongings. To add insult to injury, they’d been down a man, too.
Izzy had come down with some sort of stomach bug on the ride up from Florida that they had all assumed was simple car sickness. Once they arrived though, Ryan’s mate had spent most of the morning worshiping the porcelain goddess. By the time the vomiting had subsided, Izzy had still been weak as a kitten. Logan had insisted they unload the couple’s furniture from the moving truck first. Once it was assembled, complete with fresh sheets, Izzy was put to bed. Izzy had tried to argue, but he was too exhausted to do more than pretend to put up a fight.
It was bizarre, to say the least. Shifters rarely got sick, even turned shifters. Ryan had been distracted all day, disappearing to check on his mate repeatedly throughout the unloading process. Thankfully, Izzy seemed to be recovering by midday, but none of them were willing to risk a relapse by letting him help.
Logan finally found his phone and groaned. His arm muscles screamed how much they hated him just from the simple act of bringing his phone up to his ear. He probably pushed himself more than he should have, he realized as his arm still sang its displeasure.
“Hello?” Logan mumbled, refusing to open his eyes without good reason.
“Hey, Logan. Remember me?” The thick southern drawl was unmistakable. Logan’s brain was instantly on alert and a shiver of unease ran down his spine.
“Kai. Any idea what time it is?” Logan asked calmly, faking his lack of concern for the warlock’s unexpected call. The warlock coughed out a laugh.
“Still early for me, but maybe not for you? I thought you wolves were all nocturnal,” Kai responded. “Come on, Logan. Get the fuck up. It’s time to pay the piper. If you don’t want me to wake the rest of your pack you better get here before I start pushing this bell.” Before Logan could argue further, the line disconnected.
“Fucking hell,” Logan grumbled, but he got up to do as he was told. Logan jogged to the front door in just his boxers, unwilling to risk Kai’s interpretation of patience. Logan barely opened the door a crack before the warlock pushed inside, something snarling and hissing inside the large crate Kai carried in both hands. Kai set the crate down in the entryway and stepped back, holding one hand over an obvious wound on the other forearm. Kai briefly closed his eyes and mumbled unintelligible words under his breath. When he pulled his hand away, the warlock’s wound was gone.
Kai shook out both arms and approached with an overly friendly smile. When his moves started to reflect an incoming hug, Logan stepped back and widened the distance between them again.
“Oh, come on now, Logan. Is that any way to greet an old friend?” Kai asked. Logan frowned at the warlock’s attempt at deflection. No way would he allow himself to get distracted from the elephant in the room.
“What the hell is that?” Logan asked, pointing to the crate as it shook and rattled on the floor. The feral sounds emerging from within made the hairs on the back of Logan’s neck stand on end. Logan was not easily worried, but whatever was in that crate was broadcasting its need to destroy loud enough that even Logan’s wolf was whining uncomfortably.
“That is your end of our deal,” Kai said, turning the crate so Logan could see inside. A huge mangy feline stared out with mismatched eyes, one green and one blue. The creature’s mouth opened in a fang-filled hiss.
“Logan meet Judas. Judas, Logan. I have to be gone for a while for a job and I need you to take care of my cat,” Kai said. As if understanding his master’s words, the hissing and spitting intensified inside the crate.
“Fuck that! I can’t keep your cat. Did you forget I’m a werewolf? We don’t keep pets, especially cats. They are all terrified of us and with good reason. He’ll run away the first chance he gets or my wolf will eat him,” Logan argued. “Either way this isn’t going to end well.”
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed yet, Logan, but Judas is not your ordinary cat. He’s a warlock’s cat. He’ll be fine. Now here’s a list of instructions regarding his care and feeding,” Kai said, handing over several pages as if the matter was settled.
“Take good care of him. I mean it, Logan. Keep your wolf under control with him. If you hurt so much as a hair on his head, you’ll regret it.” Kai bent and blew a kiss to the cat who only hissed and spit even more impressively in response. Kai laughed as if this was expected and was just as quickly out the door. Logan’s head was still spinning, as he chased the warlock outside.
“Wait, Kai, seriously. You can’t just leave him here. When are you coming back?” Logan continued to argue as the warlock strode down the sidewalk.
“At least a few months. Maybe more. Quit worrying, Logan. Just follow the directions and you’ll both be fine,” Kai said, his back still turned as he widened the distance between them like Logan was standing still. Logan opened his mouth to argue again but before he could utter another word, a loud crash from inside the house had his attention. When he turned back, the warlock was gone.
Logan stared momentarily where the warlock had been, but quickly gave up hope he’d be coming back anytime soon. He cursed Kai for the devil and turned back to the house, easily making out the cat’s continued vocalizations even through their solid-core front door. Logan had no idea how this was going to work, but it seemed like he had no choice. He almost cursed himself for making a deal with a warlock in the first place but stopped himself when he remembered how happy Izzy made Ryan. Sighing dejectedly, Logan walked through the front door and found four wolves staring into the crate hungrily.
“Just fucking great,” Logan muttered.
Logan was finally forced to shift to get his pack to calm down. Izzy’s white wolf had been the easiest to get under control. Logan figured he was still under the weather from his mysterious illness. Izzy’s wolf mostly maintained his human half’s easy temperament anyway, though. For this, Logan was hugely grateful, especially since the other three wolves were being pig-headed enough all on their own. Once Izzy was human again, the rest followed in short order. Once they had all shifted again, however, Logan honestly wasn’t sure if that was actually the safer option. Apparently, humans were stupid for cats. Logan stared unbelieving while Adam made baby talk at the snarling ball of fur.
“Poor whittle kitty. Stuck in the cage. It’s okay, sweet boy. Adam will take care of you,” Adam crooned at the cat. Before Logan could warn him off, Adam reached for the crate latch and quickly pulled his hand back bleeding.
“Damn it, Logan,” Ben growled, examining the three parallel scratches on his mate’s hand. “What the fuck is that thing and where did he come from?”
“Guys, meet Judas. Kai’s cat. You remember Kai, don’t you?” Logan snarled aiming pointed looks at the members of his small pack. “I’m cat-sitting for him as payment for our deal earlier.”
Ryan and Izzy both looked at the floor guiltily, readily admitting what Logan had sacrificed for their happiness. Adam and Ben were suspiciously silent, however. When Logan looked to find them huddled together trying to hide their laughter, he knew why. Logan’s own answering grin was feral.
“That’s so sweet of you guys for volunteering to watch over Judas while I run to the store and get his supplies,” Logan said sarcastically, making sure Ben and Adam were fully aware he was talking to them. Adam blushed while Ben just nodded in agreement, still silently shaking with laughter.
“Assholes,” Logan muttered. He returned to his room and sniffed his shirt before pulling it overhead. He added locating the box holding his clean clothes to his mental to-do list. As he walked through the kitchen, Logan grabbed the cat’s care instructions and his keys off the counter.
“I’ll go with you, Logan. This territory is too new. You don’t know what’s out there yet,” Ryan offered as he pulled on his sneakers. Ryan looked as rumpled as Logan felt, but he was right. It wasn’t safe to be out at night alone yet. Logan once again reminded himself his sacrifice for Ryan’s sake had been worth it. The other man always had his back and was an irreplaceable asset to their small pack.
“Good idea. Ben, you’re in charge while I’m gone. Izzy, you still need to get some rest. If I come back and you’ve unpacked the entire kitchen, I’m going to be pissed. Got it?” Logan ordered. Izzy huffed and crossed his arms over his chest which Logan took as reluctant agreement.
“What about me, boss? What do I have to do?” Adam asked sarcastically. Logan frowned as he admitted Adam’s smart mouth only seemed to get worse as his brother’s mate grew in self-confidence. Logan wasn’t surprised to see Adam was the only one in the room still naked. He still used any excuse to ditch his clothes at the drop of a hat.
“First, go put some fucking clothes on, Adam. I only have one simple job for you to do tonight otherwise. Are you listening?” When Adam rolled his eyes, Logan took that as an affirmative.
“Your only job is to try not to get your boyfriend in any more fucking trouble tonight!” Logan groused. Adam huffed and stalked away with more sway to his hips than absolutely necessary, his middle finger held aloft in a silent salute.
“What the fuck are we supposed to do with a cat, Logan? Werewolves don’t raise pets. And if they did, it sure as hell wouldn’t be feline. What was Kai thinking?” Ryan asked once they were alone in the truck.
“I know. I tried to explain that to him, but he wouldn’t listen. Actually, I think that’s part of the fun for him, you know. He gets to torture me a little more this way,” Logan answered. Ryan clenched his fist where it rested on his thigh. Ryan sighed dejectedly and stared out the passenger window for several moments before turning back to face Logan directly.
“I’m really sorry you got stuck in this mess because of us, Logan. But know that Izzy and I will never forget it. We will forever be in your debt. I just wish warlocks weren’t such assholes,” Ryan said.
“You’re right there. I mean about the warlocks being assholes thing. Not about the other. It’s my job to take care of my pack. I wouldn’t know any other way to be. You guys don’t owe me a thing for it,” Logan said.
Two hours and several hundred dollars later, Logan and Ryan were home again. It took several trips to bring in all the things Judas would need to survive at their house. Logan realized “surviving” was the accurate term here. He didn’t imagine the cat would be ‘living’ at their house, at all. No, that was impossibility. If their relationship ever progressed from natural enemies to anything less violent, Logan would take that as a win.
When Logan brought in the last bag, he finally noticed the highly suspicious silence that permeated the house like its own entity. Logan scanned the room taking note of three guilty faces sitting all in a row on the couch. Adam blushed and broke eye contact first and Logan immediately knew Adam had done something epically stupid.
“Where’s Judas?” Logan asked softly. If you didn’t know Logan, you might have thought the quiet way he asked was reassuring. You would be wrong.
When no one answered, Logan snarled, “Fuck it all, Adam. Where’s the damn cat?” Adam flushed instantly and crossed his arms over his chest. His stubborn chin shot up and he met Logan’s icy blue gaze directly as if this was all Logan’s fault anyway.
“He was so upset being in that crate, Logan. Back when I was a kid, I had a cat for a while, you know. He was fine except when we had to take him to the vet or travelled and we put him in his carrier. Once he was outside of the crate again, he was a nice normal cat. Inside though, he acted just like that,” Adam explained, pointing to the now empty pet carrier.
“So you thought it would be a bright idea to let him out?” Logan asked. “And you both let him?” Logan glared at the others hotly.
When no one answered, Logan continued, “I take it that didn’t go well?”
All three shook their heads slightly and refused to meet his gaze. Logan paced and ran both hands through his unruly black hair, making it stand up even crazier than normal. He finally stopped in the middle of the room, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. Finding his center, Logan opened his eyes and scanned the guilty parties’ faces one more time.
“Well, he couldn’t have gotten out of the house, so where is he?” Logan asked, forcing himself to stay calm. It had already been a hard enough day for all of them. If Logan continued his tirade, he knew it would only add to his pack’s growing anxiety. As long as the cat hadn’t escaped the house, it would be fine. At least that’s what Logan would keep telling himself, he decided.
When Adam’s blush turned scarlet and he ducked his head even further to avoid Logan’s eyes, though, Logan’s lip turned up in a silent snarl. He felt his eyes narrowing to slits. Someone better start fucking talking soon or else, Logan thought.
“Um, we trapped him in your room,” Ben answered, taking the attention off his mate. While Logan was proud of Ben for defending his mate, Logan still had to remind himself not to punch his brother in the face right then.
“Motherfucker!” Logan continued cursing all the way down the hall to his room. Being the de facto alpha of their small group, Logan had claimed the master bedroom with its attached bathroom. When he threw the door wide, he found the feral cat bathing his nuts smack in the middle of his king-sized bed. Logan scanned the room and saw widespread evidence of the cat’s presence. Parallel gouges ran down every leg of his desk and puncture marks studded both arms of his leather recliner. A suspicious stain was slowly spreading across the rug at the foot of his bed. Logan glared at the cat and growled, almost welcoming his wolf forth to kill the little demon. The cat simply glared back and returned to licking his privates.
“Let’s set some ground rules, Judas. This is my room, not yours. If you enjoy breathing, I’d also suggest you stay the fuck off my bed!” Logan was vibrating with anger at the violation of his personal space. His reaction became even more lethal at the cat’s continued nonchalance. Logan doubted there had never been a cleaner pair of testicles than that fucking cat’s right then.
Logan lunged toward the bed and the cat finally ran. A fuzzy brownish-grey streak flew through the door and down the hall. Honestly, Logan didn’t care where it went as long as the cat was out of his room. A wicked grin broke out on his face as he imagined Judas making himself at home on Adam’s pillow. It would serve the man right. Even better if Adam turned out to be allergic.
Dawn was breaking by the time the entire pack made it back to bed. No one had seen hide nor hair of the cat again. Logan knew they could easily find Judas if they really wanted to, but nobody had any desire to interact with the beast anymore until they were better rested.
Logan had gotten almost too good of a look at the cat while it was splayed out on his bed, performing the basest of personal hygiene. The cat was easily the ugliest feline Logan had ever seen. Judas’ mottled grey and brown fur was short, except around his face where it stuck out in odd patches like some version of a feline mad scientist. His mismatched blue and green eyes should have been intriguing, but the hateful way the cat glared just emphasized his ugliness, both inside and out. And, if Judas was any less than twenty pounds, Logan would eat his own tail. That eliminated any inclination Adam might have to call the cat “cute”. To top it all off, if there had been any doubt about the cat’s gender; Judas’ gigantic balls would be a dead giveaway. How those things didn’t drag the ground, Logan had no idea.
Refusing to feel sorry for the homely creature, Logan set up the cat’s food and water bowls in the kitchen, stuffing down his residual silent rage. Logan also made Adam assemble the litter box in the laundry room and assigned the other man the duty of cleaning it permanently. Adam readily accepted his punishment, not uttering even a single sound of complaint. When Logan caught Ben preparing to argue about his mate’s sentence, Logan’s glare must have been enough to make his brother know this was a battle he wouldn’t win. Finally the work was done and the pack dispersed to their separate rooms. Logan for one was ready to see the inside of his own eyelids for at least the next eight hours.
Stripping back down to his boxers, Logan settled into his bed for the second time that evening. He sincerely hoped this time he managed to actually get some sleep. Logan switched off the bedside lamp and sighed in relief as his head hit the pillow.
Just as his eyes slid shut, plaintive meowing sounded right outside his bedroom door. The faint scratching of claws on wood was like nails on a chalkboard to Logan’s fragile psyche. Logan groaned aloud and forced himself to ignore it, hoping the cat would take the hint and go away. After ten minutes of nonstop meowing, Logan’s phone signaled an incoming text.
Ben: Please make it stop. I’m begging you.
Logan sighed loudly and threw his covers to the side. When he opened the door a crack, the ugly cat looked up at him; his mismatched eyes seemed to be sparkling with a combination of mischief and hope. .
“Fine, but if you piss on any more of my stuff, I’ll end you.”
Logan stepped back and the cat slowly weaved its way past the edge of the door. Logan climbed into bed while Judas made himself at home on the recliner. Logan could feel the cat staring at him creepily. Hoping the cat would just leave him alone for a while if nothing else; Logan rolled over and forced himself to decisively give in to his exhaustion.