I hate you.
No you don’t,Drew said silently as he sat himself down in an armchair.Otherwise you’d be trying much harder to get home.
Zach didn’t dispute this, but he did jump up into Drew’s lap, circling several times before he sat down, ensuring he’d stood heavily on every sensitive part of Drew’s anatomy before doing so.Asshole,Drew thought at him, wincing.
Zach purred smugly at him.
They settled down to work but were interrupted half an hour later by the arrival of Drew’s least favourite person—his high-school bully, Edward Masters. When Drew had first started uni, he’d been crushed when he learned that Edward had also applied to VIU. Drew had honestly thought it wasn’t prestigious enough for the spoiled rich boy and he’d head either to the States, Vancouver, or even Montreal for university. It turned out that Edward’s mother had insisted he stay close to home, and so he’d agreed to stay on the island. Drew had hoped the campus would bebusy enough that he’d manage to avoid him altogether, but unfortunately, Edward was doing his MBA as well, so they saw each other frequently. Any hopes of Edward maturing to the point where he didn’t feel the need to belittle or tease Drew every five seconds had been dashed very early on, but at least the pushing and shoving had ceased. Drew did his best to ignore the jibes and snide remarks, but some days it still got him down.
“Hey, everyone,” Edward said as he waltzed in like he owned the place. His auburn hair was cut in an expensive style, and every piece of clothing he was wearing had an expensive brand plastered across it. His hazel eyes fell on Drew and a mean grin lit up his face. “No one told me Phillips got a cat. What’s it like, loser, to finally get some pussy? It’s the only sort you’ll ever get!”
Drew rolled his eyes. “Very funny, Edward. First-class humour.”
“I know you want to finally pop your cherry, Phillips, but just remember, bestiality is a crime.” Edward snorted at his own remark and then sat down on the couch, knocking one of Gwen’s books to the ground as he did so and not bothering to pick it up. This earned him a glare as she retrieved it, but as usual, Edward ignored anything that wasn’t someone fawning over him.
Who the fuck is this douche?Zach demanded.
No one. Just ignore him,Drew begged, hoping Zach wouldn’t give any credence to the virgin comment. He was almost positive he was the only person in his class who hadn’t had sex yet, and up until a week ago he hadn’t been too bothered by it. Sex simply hadn’t interested him. Now, however, he could feel his cheeks reddening and he felt ashamed of his innocence. From the hints and comments Zach had dropped, it was obvious he was a sexual being, and being a demon hadn’t dampened his allure. He already thought Drew was naive, but this would only cause him to think even more poorly about him. Drew had been embarrassed enough as it was that morning when he’d woken up with a leg slung over Zach’s hip and his morning wood sitting snug against a taut stomach. If Zachlearned just how inexperienced he was, Drew was sure he wouldn’t survive the humiliation.
Zach sat on Drew’s lap, kneading his thighs and glaring across the room at Edward. Oblivious to the creature’s displeasure, Edward launched into an embellished story about the older woman he’d picked up in a bar the night before. Drew, Dom, and Gwen ignored him, but the others in the group were drawn into the conversation and they got very little in the way of study done. By the time Edward finally took out his own book and started reading, it was almost time for them to head to their afternoon lecture.
Drew’s stomach grumbled, and he fished out the PB&J sandwich he’d been sure to make before leaving that morning. Zach hadn’t been overly impressed by his choice of lunch, but was at least happy Drew was planning to eat at all. When Drew broke off a little and held it out to Zach to try, the cat narrowed its eyes at him and looked away haughtily.Suit yourself,Drew said silently. He was beginning to understand that Zach didn’t actuallyneedto eat, he just did so because he enjoyed food. That was lucky because Drew knew he couldn’t afford to buy cat food, and even if he could, he didn’t think his demon would be impressed by a tin of Fancy Feast. Trying to explain why he was feeding his cat only the finest steak would be difficult, so it was fortuitous that eating was a choice and not a necessity for Zach.
Dom began to pack up his books and Drew brushed crumbs off his hands and followed suit. “Did you want a lift to campus?” Dom asked.
“Uh, sure. That would be great,” Drew said with a smile.
“Cool. I’m gonna stop and grab a coffee on the way,” Dom told everyone else. “Anyone want to join me?”
“Sure,” Gwen agreed, and most of the others joined in.
Get one as well,Zach instructed.A cup of joe isn’t going to max out my credit card.
I didn’t know you had a limit on your card,Drew snarked back in hishead.
Zach sighed audibly.Don’t be ridiculous, of course I don’t. Which is even more reason for you to stop being a martyr and use my damn card!
I can’t decide if you’re bossier when you’re in your cat form or not.
Don’t make me scratch you again.
You’re enough of an asshole that you actually would make me bleed just to convince me to get a coffee, aren’t you?
Do you even need an answer to that?Zach asked.
Drew didn’t reply, just picked Zach up and shoved him bodily into the backpack. “Sure, I’ll grab a coffee with you,” he told the group.
“You been working the streets, Phillips?” Edward asked. “Got yourself a nice disposable income?”
“Yeah, your momma tips real well,” Drew snapped at him.
Dom crowed and slapped Drew on the back. “Ha ha, nice comeback! Come on, we need to get a move on if we don’t want to be late.”
Drew shoved his way past Edward, enjoying the offended look on his face, and was in a buoyant mood the entire drive over to campus and then the short walk to the Starbucks near the library. He didn’t even feel guilty as he ordered a large peppermint mocha and handed over Zach’s credit card. Zach purred loudly at him from the bag, and Drew reached inside to scritch at the top of his head. A rough tongue darted out and licked at Drew’s finger and he wondered how much of the animal form influenced Zach in this state. Was he aware he’d just licked Drew, and had chosen to do it? Or was it all instinct? The barista called his name, and at the first sip of his beverage the question faded from his mind as he got lost in his enjoyment.
When his final lecture for the day and also the week was over, Drew sighed in relief and headed home. He’d not gotten as much work done on his assignments as he’d wanted to at the study group, but it was enough that he’d have most of the weekend free. There were things he needed to research and people he needed to track down. He was going to be busy.
As soon as they entered his tiny apartment, Zach leapt from the backpack and transformed before Drew’s eyes into his human-like form. He stretched—not unlike a cat— his back arching and pulling taut the crisp button-up that was tucked into his form-fitting tailored pants. Drew briefly hoped the shirt would pull free from its confines and ride up to show off some of the tan skin he knew was beneath, but it didn’t. The stretch was soon over, and Zach was looking at him with a knowing smile on his lips.
