Teaching Topaz - 1

Teaching Topaz

By Tory Temple

One

“Room Two is ready for you, Dr. Myers.”
Alexander Myers glanced up from where he was

measuring out thyroid medication for Abby Johnson.
The Pekinese had been overweight with a skin problem
for years, but the little green pills had slimmed her down
considerably.

“Thank you, Annie.” He finished putting the pills in a

bottle, slapped a label on it, and stuck the bottle in the
“to be picked up today” box. Then he took the clipboard
from the holder on the back of the door to Exam Room
Two.

Ah, it was Rosie Metcalfe and her owner, John. Not a

bad way to start his day, as far as patients went.

Alex opened the door to Room Two, clipboard and

chart in hand. He smiled at John. “Hey, happy Friday.
How’s she doing?”

A large bearded dragon gazed back at him from the

confines of her travel cage. Cold, it thought. Alex
nodded in sympathy.

“Better,” the young man replied, reaching in to take

Rosie out. “Those sulfa drugs really seemed to do the
trick.”

The lizard had been suffering from a parasite

infection that Alex had easily diagnosed by analyzing a
sample of its droppings. Of course, the vague vibes of
stomach hungry stomach hurt tipped him off
immediately, but Alex never relied completely on his
unique talent to diagnose an animal.

It sure had helped to get him through veterinary

school, though. Alex couldn’t deny that much.

Teaching Topaz - 2

The simple fact that he could hear the thoughts of

animals had always been just that -- a simple fact. Alex
and his twin sister Tabitha were both born with the same
odd ability, though Alex’s was far more developed than
his sister’s. Tabitha could only hear them if she
concentrated, which most of the time she didn’t. But
Alex had spent his life around various vet clinics and
animal shelters before finishing vet school, so his talent
was a bit more refined.

He’d always known he wanted to pursue veterinary

medicine. A true love for animals, coupled with the
desire to heal the sick or injured ones, had put him on
that track when he was still in high school. And after
years of working at shelters and emergency clinics, Alex
was finally admitted to one of the top five vet schools in
the country.

Aside from being a fantastic school, it was also local.

Alex had experienced a huge amount of relief at being
accepted there.

“And best of all, I don’t have to move,” he’d

announced triumphantly to Dylan.

Dylan Travers, dressed for work in his tan animal

control officer’s uniform, had grinned across the
breakfast table and saluted Alex with his juice glass. “A
definite plus,” Dylan had agreed, “but you know I’d
have gone with you if you’d gotten into an out-of-state
school, too.”

“I know. But we don’t have to worry about it, thank

God.” Alex had leaned over to kiss Dylan, who tasted of
maple syrup and banana waffles. They’d celebrated
Alex’s admissions letter on the floor of the kitchen,
totally unplanned.

So Alex had gone to vet school and learned under

some of the most talented animal doctors in the world.
He’d learned how to do a cesarean section on a horse

Teaching Topaz - 3

and what shamrock toxicity was in cats. He’d been
taught what to do when a flying squirrel fractured a
vertebra and when a dog suffered from White Shaker
Dog Syndrome.

And through all of it, his odd ability to “hear” the

thoughts of animals had kept him at the top of his class.
Alex didn’t consider it cheating. It just helped him to
pinpoint a problem when they worked in labs with live
animals. He still had to study, just like everyone else.

Graduation had seen at least four offers from local

vet clinics to come and work for them, so Alex had his
pick. After much deliberation (and consulting with
Dylan, who knew most of the area clinics well), he’d
decided on a small but well-known animal hospital that
specialized in exotic animals. It was not unusual for a
client to bring in their pet raccoon or rare species of
bird.

His current patient was no longer emanating vibes of

stomach pain, so this was a relief. Alex took the lizard
from her owner and set her gently on the steel table. He
prodded her belly a couple of times to see if she was
disturbed by the poking, but all he could hear from her
was a general sense of cold. That wasn’t unusual. The
reptiles were always cold.

“You look good,” Alex informed her. Rosie didn’t

care, but her owner was pleased.

“Thanks.” John smiled and rubbed his forefinger over

Rosie’s head. “She hasn’t been so lethargic, and she’s
eating a lot more.”

“Good to know.” Alex made one more note on the

chart and flipped it closed. “I’d like to see her once more
in two weeks, and then you’re done. Sound good?”

“Two weeks, got it.” John hefted the lizard and

placed her gently back into her travel cage. “Thanks, Dr.

Teaching Topaz - 4

Myers. You know what you’re doing.” He opened the
second door that led to the outer office.

Alex laughed. “Sometimes. See you, John.” He left

through the door on the opposite side of the exam room,
winding up in the hallway that led to his small office.

He handed the chart to one of the front desk girls that

were passing through. She would bring it to the front
and charge John for his visit, and Alex headed back to
the office that he shared with two other doctors, one of
whom owned the hospital.

His rolling chair was pushed under the desk, but

before Alex could drag it out, he heard a “Wait! Taffy’s
under there!”

Dr. Lin rushed forward and bent down. She was

small and slight, with waist-length, shiny black hair that
never seemed to be out of a ponytail.

“What kind of taffy?” Alex loved the chewy stuff.
“No, no.” Dr. Lin straightened up again with a little

black bundle. “This is Taffy.”

A young cat, probably no older than a year, peered at

Alex from Dr. Lin’s arms. Mouse, was the first thing
Alex heard. Its eyes were an odd amber color that leaned
more toward brown than yellow. Alex’s mother had a
topaz necklace that would match those eyes.

“What’s it doing in the office? Does Sean know it’s

here?” Sean Baker was the chief vet and owner of the
clinic. He didn’t have many rules, but one of them was
‘no animals in the back office’.

Dr. Lin -- Amy -- shook her head. Her ponytail

swung with the motion, and the cat’s attention was
caught by the silky strands. Play, Alex heard it think.
String.

“Watch out.” Alex reached over in time to rescue

Amy’s hair from the cat’s sharp claws.

Teaching Topaz - 5

“Thanks.” She put the cat on the wide, two-person

desk that she and Alex shared and watched it sniff
around at the various files and folders. “No, he doesn’t
know yet. He won’t be back from the conference in
Topeka until tomorrow.” Dr. Baker was always being
asked to speak at various animal conventions around the
country; a true testament to his skill and talent in
veterinary medicine.

Taffy sat down on Alex’s current pile of call-back

messages and blinked his odd topaz eyes. Mouse.

“I’m not a mouse,” Alex informed him, although he

had a feeling that the cat was referring to one of the wild
critters that often made their way into the animal
hospital at night. They set humane traps once a week
and usually found one or two of the rodents inside. “And
why the heck did you call it Taffy?”

Amy shrugged and petted the cat’s smooth fur. “I

don’t know. I had a black horse named Taffy when I
was young. I’m not attached to the name or anything.”

“Don’t get attached to the cat, either, unless you’re

taking it home. Sean won’t let it stay here.”

“Oh, no way.” Amy pulled a regretful face. “I have

two elderly cats at home already. This young thing
would give them fits.”

For a moment, Alex felt a pang of missing Macavity.

His own cat had passed away from kidney disease a year
before Alex had finished vet school, and the empty
space Macavity had left was still there.

Not that Karma hadn’t done her best to fill it, of

course.

The thought of his small, white ferret made Alex

reject the idea of taking this cat home. Karma was six
now, a senior citizen in ferret years. She was still
playful, but the little creature had slowed down a lot in
the past few months. Alex remembered the days when

Teaching Topaz - 6

Karma would streak from room to room and no amount
of chasing, by cat or human, could catch her until she
was ready to be caught. Macavity was always thinking
Karma food eat Karma eat, and Alex knew that meant
Karma would have become a meal for the cat if he’d
ever caught her.

This black cat would have no trouble hunting and

catching Karma now, since the little ferret walked more
than she ran and Alex -- or Dylan -- would often find her
asleep under the sofa. She had her own four-story cage
with various sleeping hammocks and plastic tubes, but
Karma always preferred to be out.

“So, where’d he come from?” Alex watched the

black cat step on his computer keyboard and was glad
the thing was powered off. “Back door drop off?”
Neighborhood people were forever leaving unwanted
animals at the back door of the clinic, as if the hospital
was an animal shelter that could care for them. The truth
was that the hospital barely stayed above the red most of
the time, and doing pro bono work for abandoned
animals didn’t help that situation.

“Oh, it was a drop off, all right.” Amy grinned at him

and petted the cat again. Alex couldn’t think of it as
‘Taffy’. The name just didn’t suit.

“Don’t tell me. Mrs. Kramer.” Alex liked the elderly

lady who made it her business to rescue every stray she
found, but her habit of bringing them to the hospital got
wearisome when she was doing it three times a week.
He kept trying to steer her toward the animal shelter
instead.

Amy shook her head. “No. Your own personal

animal control officer dropped him off this morning. He
said you’d know what to do with it.”

Oh, didn’t that just figure? Alex pulled out his desk

chair and sat down with a thunk. “Tell me he didn’t.”

Teaching Topaz - 7

“He did,” Amy confirmed. “This cat was one of four

that they found inside the warehouse that caught fire last
night.”

The story had been on the news this morning, but

Alex had barely paid attention to it while he was getting
a really good blowjob from Dylan. The TV was just
background noise. “That still doesn’t make sense. Dylan
knows we can’t bring a cat home now; not while
Karma’s still around.”

“Dr. Lin? Dr. Baker’s on the phone for you, and

Room Three is ready.” One of the young girls who
worked at the desk poked her head into the office.

Amy nodded at her and then shrugged at Alex.

“Can’t tell you why he dropped the kitty off. Just that he
seemed to know that you’d take care of it.” She smiled
as she watched the black cat hop down into Alex’s lap.
“He’s healthy. And really sweet.”

She disappeared into the back room where Alex

knew she was taking the call from Sean. He looked
down at the cat in his lap and winced a little when the
cat unsheathed his claws and started to knead. “Ouch.”

Friend.
“Oh, you think so?” Alex raised a brow and watched

those odd, topaz eyes narrow to slits. “And how do you
know that? I take animals’ temperatures the hard way.”
He didn’t, really. The vet techs did that before Alex ever
walked into the exam room. But still.

Mouse. Friend.
Cats were weird.

Teaching Topaz - 8

Two

Alex ended up putting the cat in one of the boarding

cages for the night. He was worried that it might give a
distress or alarm vibe, thereby inducing one of Alex’s
famous migraine headaches, but it just sniffed around
the stainless steel cage and then curled up in the
cardboard box that was lined with a towel.

Sleep.
“I wish my life was that easy,” he informed the cat,

and turned the lights off before he left.

He made it home before Dylan’s shift ended, so Alex

pulled out a jar of homemade pasta sauce and started
water on the stove to boil. They took turns cooking,
although Dylan’s meals tended to be slightly more
gourmet than Alex’s. While the water heated, he went to
check on Karma.

She was asleep in one of her hammocks, but as soon

as Alex unclipped the latches on the cage door, she
poked her little white head over the side.

Play.
“You haven’t changed,” Alex laughed. “Come on

out. You can roam the house for a while.”

He wouldn’t have let her do it while Macavity was

still alive, though Karma escaped with alarming
frequency anyway. Now there was more freedom for her
to slink around under the furniture and steal the drink
coasters on the coffee table.

Karma stretched her long body out until she was

dangling from the hammock, then she yawned again and
just hung there, half-in and half-out. “Fine, take your
time,” Alex informed her. He left the cage door open
and went back to the kitchen. She’d shimmy down the
ramp to the floor of the room.

Teaching Topaz - 9

Sure enough, before too long Alex caught a glimpse

of her sniffing along the edge of the kitchen cabinets.

Food. Food. Play.
“You have a full food dish. I saw it.” Still, he reached

into the cupboard for the box of raisins and dropped two
on the floor. She sniffed her way to them and then
stuffed both into her mouth at the same time.

Eat. Karma treat eat eat.
Alex had to admit that he was fond of the primitive

way animals communicated their thoughts. No hidden
agendas, no secrets. Animals had base urges and simple
needs, mostly centering around food, playtime, and
companionship. It was a refreshing change from the
human race.

He was pouring the pasta into the colander when he

heard the front door open. A moment later, Dylan was
pressing up against him from behind, one arm circling
Alex’s waist and soft lips touching the nape of his neck.

Goose bumps rose on his arms, and Alex grinned. “I

do love a man in uniform.” He left the spaghetti in the
sink to drain and turned in Dylan’s arms. “Hi.”

Dylan kissed him gently and touched his forehead to

Alex’s. “Hi. I’m starving.”

“Me, too. Do you want meatballs with this?” Alex

was a vegetarian, but he wasn’t above cooking Dylan
some meat once in a while.

“No. Leave that for a minute.” Dylan tugged on

Alex’s waistband and began walking backward toward
the short hallway that led to the bedrooms.

Alex followed. “Okay. Really? You said you were

hungry. I can have it ready in ten minutes, if you help
me with the salad.”

“Just come on.” Dylan let go of Alex’s jeans and took

his hand instead. He entered the bedroom and pushed

Teaching Topaz - 10

the door shut with his foot. “I really, really want to suck
you.”

Alex blinked. He wasn’t about to argue, but it hadn’t

been what he was expecting. His cock wasn’t going to
argue either, apparently, since it had firmed up at the
word ‘suck’.

“That’s not like you,” he laughed. Dylan’s approach

was usually more subtle, but he was pushing Alex down
onto the ocean-colored comforter and tugging Alex’s
jeans off.

“I dreamed about you last night. You were gone

before I got up. I’ve been thinking about you all day.”
Dylan didn’t bother pulling Alex’s pants all the way off
before climbing onto the bed and swallowing Alex deep.

“I -- oh!” Alex made a grab for the bedspread and

arched up. “Okay then,” he gasped. Surprises were
good.

Dylan wasted no time in getting down to business.

Long strokes of his tongue and tight pulls with his
mouth had Alex moaning and trying to find purchase
with his feet on the slippery bedclothes. When he lifted
his head to see, he was hard and glistening in Dylan’s
mouth.

It would have been nice to make it last a bit longer,

since their conflicting schedules meant they hadn’t
really had sex in a few days, but Alex was trembling and
aching for release before Dylan had gone more than a
few minutes.

“Please,” he finally begged, his entire body tight and

waiting.

The tip of one of Dylan’s fingers pushed inside

Alex’s hole, and he came with an indrawn breath. Pulses
of light matched the beat of his heart as he shuddered
and spent himself inside Dylan’s mouth, so relieved and
satisfied after only a few minutes of being teased.

Teaching Topaz - 11

He was in enough of a daze to barely register the fact

that Dylan had undone his khaki uniform slacks and was
jerking off above him. Just as Alex realized what was
happening and made a move to help, Dylan gasped and
began spilling warm ribbons of come over Alex’s groin
and abdomen.

When the moment had passed, their gazes met and

they both started laughing. “What the heck was that?”
Alex asked. “I mean, I liked it, but I don’t think you’ve
ever come home like that before.”

Dylan blushed, which was very cute, and lay down

next to Alex. “I don’t know. I’ve been missing you, I
guess. Our schedules have sucked lately. Jerking off just
doesn’t do it for me.”

Alex snorted. “Yeah, I know what you mean.” He’d

jacked off in the shower alone last night when Dylan’s
shift had kept him out until midnight. “Hey, I’m fine
with being pounced, as long as you’re fine with waiting
for dinner.”

“I can survive.” Dylan kissed him sweetly and sat up

with a groan. “I need to shower. Give me ten minutes.”
He headed for the bathroom that was just off their
bedroom.

The tissue box was within reach, so Alex snagged it

and wiped off his stomach. He cleaned up as best he
could and dug out a clean T-shirt from his drawer, gave
up the jeans in favor of sweats, and whistled on his way
to the kitchen to salvage the spaghetti.

He could hear banging behind one of the cupboard

doors, which meant Karma had snaked her way up into
one of the lower cabinets and was fighting with the
plastic storage bowls that Alex kept in there just for that
reason. Several of her toys were in there, too, so he and
Dylan had given up that cupboard long ago.

Teaching Topaz - 12

Alex bent down now and opened the door. He looked

inside and Karma peered back from where she was
tussling with a plastic lid. Alex could see the teeth
marks on it.

Karma fight. Fight. Toy.
“Go for it,” he agreed, and shut the door.
Dylan came in, smelling of shower gel and shampoo.

He took a beer from the refrigerator and leaned on the
counter while Alex finished preparing dinner. “Is that
your mom’s sauce?”

“Yeah. Sundried tomato, she said.” Alex’s mom was

the best cook he knew, but he hadn’t inherited much of
her natural talent in the kitchen. Following a recipe was
as complicated as he got.

An audible growl from Dylan’s stomach carried

across the kitchen. “I missed lunch,” he sighed. “We
seized a bunch of kittens from that hoarder lady again.
She just keeps getting more.” He sat down at the table
with his beer and grinned as Alex set a steaming plate of
pasta in front of him.

Alex was grateful that he only heard about some of

the things Dylan had to deal with on the job, rather than
see them with his own eyes. The resulting headaches
probably would have killed him. Dealing with sick or
hurt animals in the vet clinic was stressful enough, but
Alex knew there was a huge difference between them
and the abused or neglected pets. The abused ones were
so… hopeless and beaten down. To hear their pleading
thoughts was sickening.

He twirled some pasta around his fork and took a bite

before responding. “Speaking of cats,” Alex mused.
“Amy Lin was holding this little black one today. Know
anything about that?”

Teaching Topaz - 13

Dylan wiped his mouth and took a long pull from his

beer bottle. “Maybe.” His eyes twinkled. Alex
recognized the mischievous look. “He was cute, right?”

“He was cute.” Alex stopped eating altogether and

leaned back in his chair. “What were you thinking,
though? We can’t have a cat here while Karma’s still
around.”

The ferret heard her name from inside the cupboard

and came slinking out with a plastic lid firmly clamped
in her teeth. She crossed the kitchen floor with it and
dropped it under the table.

Dylan reached down and picked her up. “Come here,

you.”

Friend. Friend. Dylan play. Dylan.
“She wants to play.” Alex watched them together and

smiled slightly. He had kept his talent a secret from
Dylan for months, and when Alex had finally revealed
what he could do, Dylan hadn’t believed him. It had
taken a lot of discussion and demonstration to convince
Dylan that Alex could not only understand animals, but
hear what they were thinking. Sometimes Alex thought
that Dylan still doubted him, but who could blame him?
Talking to animals was something you only saw in
stupid movies like Dr. Doolittle.

In any case, Alex didn’t really talk to them. Animals

couldn’t understand him; it seemed to be just a one-way
communication. He could hear what they were thinking,
but not one animal had ever responded to Alex’s
thoughts in kind.

“She always wants to play.” Dylan stroked Karma’s

sleek, white fur. “Or sleep.”

“Sleeping more and more these days.” He watched as

Karma lay in the crook of Dylan’s arm and blinked her
eyes slowly. “So, about the cat.” It wasn’t like Dylan to

Teaching Topaz - 14

avoid a subject, but he clearly was. “I can’t bring him
home.”

“I think you could.” Dylan gave Karma one more pet

and then set her on the floor under the table, next to her
plastic lid.

Alex watched as she seized it in her teeth again and

dragged it toward the living room. She would hide it
under the couch with the rest of her stash. “Any cat I
bring home would think Karma is their own personal
play toy. Karma’s too old now to spend her days
escaping.”

Dylan finished his spaghetti and began clearing the

table. “So, teach it not to bother her. Cats can learn. And
with you listening to him, you’ll be one step ahead of
him if he tries anything.”

That was essentially true, but it didn’t answer the

question of why Dylan was so insistent about this
particular cat. “What if it doesn’t learn? That’s not fair
to Karma, especially if we have to keep her locked in
her room. Karma’s a senior citizen and deserves as
much freedom as she wants.” Not to mention the fact
that she probably only had another year or two to live, at
most. Ferrets rarely lived past seven or eight years of
age.

“Then we’ll figure out what to do. I think that cat

deserves a chance, though.” Dylan finished stacking the
dishes in the dishwasher and crossed the kitchen to
where Alex was still seated at the table. Dylan crouched
down and leaned his arms on Alex’s legs. “There’s just
something about it. And you know what people think of
black cats.”

Oh, Alex knew. People tended to be superstitious. At

best, they refused to adopt black cats from the shelter.
At worst, black cats were tortured or abused.

Teaching Topaz - 15

Alex looked down at Dylan’s face and felt a warm

rush of emotion. It wasn’t like Dylan to want to save a
stray. His job put him in contact with too many
homeless animals, and he had to draw the line
somewhere. So, if Dylan felt there was something
remarkable about this cat, then maybe there was.

“All right,” Alex relented. He leaned forward and

kissed Dylan softly. “But I’m leaving the teaching part
up to you. My job is to keep Karma out of clawing
range.”

“Deal.”

Teaching Topaz - 16

Three

Alex did a thorough check-up of the black cat the

next day. He appeared healthy in all respects. A quick
scan with the microchip system showed that he had no
identifying chip, although Alex knew that Dylan would
have done that already when he picked the cat up.

“Where did you come from, cat?” Alex watched him

sit down on the exam table and curl his tail around his
feet. The cat blinked those odd, topaz eyes.

Mouse. Play. …… Burn.
That was a new one. Alex tilted his head and listened

again, but the cat did not repeat himself. He lay down on
the table instead and closed his eyes to slits.

“Guess you’re coming home with me,” Alex

murmured, stroking the soft, black head. “But I’m not
calling you Taffy. I’ll call you Topaz, instead.”

Topaz appeared unaffected by this change in name

and began to purr. Alex chuckled and lifted the cat back
into a boarding cage until the end of the day.

After the clinic closed for the day and Alex had done

his client call-backs, he loaded Topaz into a travel
carrier and put it in the front seat of his car. Alex
anticipated a quiet ride home, but as soon as he turned
the ignition on, the cat set up a chorus of wails that
made it sound as if there were seven of him in there.

Out. Out. Out. Out.
Alex received the repeated message all the way

home, despite attempts to block it out. Topaz was
radiating a moderate amount of distress, so by the time
Alex finally pulled into the driveway, he had the
beginnings of a real headache.

“Good lord,” Alex muttered to the cat, as he took the

carrier from the car. “Why does your kind always sound

Teaching Topaz - 17

like it’s being tortured just from a car ride?” Macavity
had done the same thing.

He unlocked the front door and was pleased to note

Dylan’s keys already hanging on the hook. “We’re
home,” he called.

Out, Topaz thought at him. Out. Eat. Smell and sniff,

smell and sniff. Eat.

“In a minute,” Alex replied, though the cat wouldn’t

understand him.

Dylan appeared in the front hallway. “Hi.” His eyes

lit on the travel carrier, and he bent down to look inside
the wire front. “Hey, you.”

The cat had stopped yowling, but Alex could still

hear him thinking.

Eat? Eat? Play. Eat.
“He’s hungry.” Alex set the carrier down and kissed

Dylan as he did. “Karma’s in her cage?”

“Yeah.” Dylan nodded and knelt in the hallway. “I

want to let him out. There’s a litter box set up in the
guest bathroom, like Macavity’s was.”

Alex knelt down, too. “Thank you. We’ll put him in

there for tonight so he knows where to go.”

The metal door swung open when Dylan sprung the

latch, and they both watched as Topaz sniffed the air a
little.

Strange place. Strange. Mouse. Mouse.
“No mice,” Alex informed him. The cat was probably

smelling Karma and identifying the ferret as a mouse.
That was bad.

Dylan was busy flicking his gaze back and forth

between Topaz and Alex. “You can hear him? What’s
he saying?”

Alex sat back, cross-legged, and waited for Topaz to

decide if he was leaving the safety of the carrier. “He

Teaching Topaz - 18

smells Karma, I think. He thinks she’s a mouse. And
he’s also hungry.”

“I stopped and bought the food you told me to.” He

had called Alex at lunchtime and asked what the best cat
food was. Alex asked if Dylan had ever paid attention to
the bag of Macavity’s cat food that had been in the
cupboard for years and then laughed when Dylan
sheepishly admitted he hadn’t.

“Okay. We’ll feed him in a while. First let him

explore the area.”

It didn’t take long for Topaz to put one dainty, black

paw down on the carpeted floor and peek around the
side of the carrier.

Careful. Danger. Take care. Creep. Careful.
Another paw followed the first. The cat emerged

from the carrier and sniffed the air, tail twitching. He
sniffed at Alex’s leg and began creeping down the
hallway.

Explore. Listen. Learn. New new place. New.
“Do we follow him?” Dylan asked. He was poised to

get up and chase after Topaz, but Alex put a hand on his
thigh.

“No, leave him. He’ll explore and sniff around. Let’s

put a food bowl in the kitchen and he’ll eventually come
back to eat. You’re sure Karma’s door is closed?”

“I double checked, I promise,” Dylan laughed. “The

food’s on the kitchen counter.”

They both got up and headed to the kitchen. “We’ll

find something for him to eat out of,” Alex began, and
then saw the bowl on the counter.

Blue ceramic with “Spoiled Cat” written on the front.

Macavity’s bowl. Alex hadn’t been able to make himself
get rid of it after Macavity had died, but he never
thought he’d be using it for another cat. “Oh,” he said,
and picked it up. “I guess we can use this one.”

Teaching Topaz - 19

Dylan paused in opening the cat food bag. “Can we?

I didn’t think; I’m sorry. We can use one of our cereal
bowls in the meantime, until we get him a bowl of his
own.”

“No.” Alex shook his head. “This one’s fine. I mean,

it’s been three years. Use this one.” He slid it closer to
Dylan and watched as the food pellets rattled into the
blue bowl. Macavity was gone, and now there was a
new cat in the house. One that Alex could hear thinking
eat smell new new under bed dark safe.

“Should we put this up on the counter like we did for

Macavity?”

Karma had had a bad habit of eating Macavity’s food

when the bowl was on the floor, so Alex had moved it to
the countertop so the cat could eat in peace. “Leave it
down for now,” he said thoughtfully. “Karma doesn’t
come out that often. We can pick the bowl up when she
does.”

The blue bowl went on a place mat in the corner,

along with a water dish. Alex had to admit that it was
kind of nice to see cat dishes in the kitchen again. Dylan
put the bag of food into the small pantry and looked
around. “Should we go and find him? He needs a name,
too.”

“He’s under the bed.” Alex could still hear dark dark

safe, so he assumed that was where the cat had hidden
himself. “And I sort of already named him.”

“Oh, really?” Dylan paused on his way out of the

kitchen and raised an eyebrow. “You already named
him, Mr. We-Can’t-Have-Another-Cat?”

Alex shrugged and felt his cheeks turning warm. “Dr.

Lin was calling him Taffy. I couldn’t let it stick.”

Dylan chuckled. “I get it. Taffy, stick. Funny man.

What are we calling him, then?”

Teaching Topaz - 20

“His eyes. They’re that amber color, you know? Kind

of like the topaz necklace I gave my mom for her
birthday. I started calling him Topaz.” Alex paused and
rubbed his bottom lip. “He didn’t seem to mind.”

“Topaz.” Dylan seemed to be turning the name over

in his head. “Topaz. Sure, why not? It’s as good as any
other. Is he still under the bed?”

It only took a moment of concentration for Alex to

hear the cat again.

Dark. Sleep. Sleep here. Dark.
“Either under the bed or in the closet,” Alex

confirmed. “Somewhere dark.”

In the bedroom, they got down on their knees

together and lifted the bed skirt. Sure enough, a pair of
glowing, topaz eyes blinked back.

Safe.
“He feels safe under there,” Alex translated for

Dylan. “Let’s leave him for a little while. He’ll come out
on his own.”

Dylan appeared reluctant, but dropped the bed skirt

back into place and got to his feet. “If you’re sure.”

Alex stood, too. He pressed a kiss to Dylan’s cheek

and slid his arms around Dylan’s neck. “I’m sure. If he
hasn’t come out by bedtime, we’ll coax him with treats
or something.”

Neither of them wanted to cook, so dinner turned out

to be thick-crust pizza from their favorite delivery place.
Alex ate four pieces and groaned when he was finished.
“Why? Why do you let me eat the fourth piece every
time?”

“You’re asking me?” Dylan had eaten four pieces, as

well, and looked vaguely ill. “What the heck do they put
in that crust? They must bake it with butter or
something. I can’t stop eating it -- oh, hey.” His voice
softened, and Alex turned to see what he was looking at.

Teaching Topaz - 21

The black cat had emerged from his safe haven under

the bed and was edging his way into the kitchen. He
took cautious steps, but Alex could hear him thinking
curious thoughts and knew the cat wanted to explore the
new area. “You can come in,” he told it. Hopefully,
Topaz would discover his food in the corner.

Dylan scooted his chair back so he could watch

Topaz check out the kitchen. “He didn’t hide long.
That’s good, right?”

Alex nodded. “He doesn’t sound like he’s overly

nervous. Just a regular cat.” He watched the cat rub his
cheek along the edge of the cabinets to leave his scent.

Topaz wandered around the kitchen for a moment or

two before discovering the bowl of food.

Eat. Eat. Thirsty.
Despite the obvious hunger and thirst, Alex was not

surprised to see Topaz sniff at the food and then ignore
it. The cat was still too concerned about his environment
and was being cautious before letting his guard down to
eat.

Dylan got up slowly and took the plates to the sink.

He kept an eye on Topaz as he rinsed them, and Alex
could tell how badly Dylan wanted to get down on the
ground and pet him. “Will he go back under the bed?”

“He might. But I’m serious, he doesn’t seem too

scared. Just cautious, like all cats are.”

Pee.
Damn! Alex had been so preoccupied with making

sure Karma was safe and the cat was comfortable that
he’d forgotten all about introducing him to the location
of his litter box.

Without giving Topaz any warning, Alex moved out

of his chair and scooped the cat up. “He needs his box,”
he told Dylan. “Guest bathroom, right?” He was already
moving down the hallway.

Teaching Topaz - 22

“Right.” Dylan followed. “Why isn’t he struggling?”
“I’ve been holding him a lot at the clinic. He’s used

to me.” Alex opened the bathroom door and swept back
the shower curtain. There was a brand new, covered
litter box that even had a plastic privacy flap. “Wow,
fancy.” He grinned at Dylan and deposited Topaz inside
the box. “Come on, he needs privacy.”

He closed the shower curtain, and they exited the

bathroom, leaving the door open a bit. “The pet store
lady said that some cats don’t like covered boxes,”
Dylan fretted. “But the internet said some do. I’ve never
had a cat. Just Macavity, and that wasn’t for long.” Alex
had already owned Macavity for years before they’d
moved in with Dylan.

Alex laughed. “Don’t worry so much about it. Really.

He’ll be fine with what you got him.”

They went to the living room and flopped onto the

couch together, and soon enough Topaz appeared again.

Hungry. Eat. Eat.
“In the kitchen,” Alex reminded him, though he knew

Topaz couldn’t understand. “Food and water in there.”

The cat’s twitching whiskers were a sign that he was

sniffing the air again. He disappeared into the kitchen,
and after a short pause, Alex could hear the distinct
sound of cat food being crunched by sharp teeth.

“He’s eating,” Dylan said unnecessarily. He grinned

and seemed quite relieved.

“I told you, he’ll be fine,” Alex chuckled.
Dylan leaned in for a kiss. “You’re smart. And totally

hot.”

“You’re--”
Out. OUT. Play play KARMA OUT.
Shit. Alex sighed and leaned his forehead against

Dylan’s. “Karma’s awake. And in a playful mood.”

Teaching Topaz - 23

Dylan snorted a laugh and kissed Alex again. “So am

I. Who wins?”

“No contest.” Alex smiled and licked the corner of

Dylan’s mouth. Topaz was happily eating, and Karma
would go back to sleep.

PLAY PLAY KARMA OUT.
Eventually.

Teaching Topaz - 24

Four

After two weeks of watching Topaz carefully and

listening to almost every thought the cat had, Alex
started to relax a little.

Although all cats could be considered predators, Alex

knew from experience that some were more aggressive
than others. He’d seen cats flee in terror from smaller
animals like birds or mice, but he’d also seen ordinary
house cats turn into sleek killing machines as soon as
they spotted a squirrel in the yard.

Topaz seemed to be neither of these extremes. During

the first three days of living with Alex and Dylan, Alex
had caught him sitting outside Karma’s door several
times.

Mouse, Topaz would think, but other than the slow

twitch of his tail, he showed no interest in getting inside
the room to explore.

On the fourth day, Alex picked up the cat and held

him tightly as he entered Karma’s room. He brought
Topaz right to the cage and showed him the sleeping
animal inside. “See? No mouse. Ferret. That’s Karma.”

Instantly the thoughts of mouse vanished as Topaz

sniffed the bars of the cage. Karma woke up and stuck
her head over the side of her hammock.

Play. Play Karma out Alex play.
Being a predator herself, Karma was not alarmed by

the presence of the cat. She had spent years mercilessly
teasing Macavity, and this new playmate would likely be
no different. Of course, Topaz was young and moved
quickly, while Macavity had been older and not as spry.

Now, two weeks after his arrival, Topaz seemed

much less interested in Karma than Alex had thought
he’d be.

Teaching Topaz - 25

Dylan was triumphant. “See? I knew he’d be fine. I

told you that you could teach him.”

Alex laughed at Dylan’s victorious expression. “I

haven’t taught him anything. We’ve just been careful.
And Karma’s barely been out of her room.” He wanted
to take her out today, actually. She needed the exercise.

“He can go in the bedroom for a while when she’s

out.” Dylan smiled and stroked Topaz, who had taken up
residence on his lap.

Friend pet. Pet, Alex could hear him thinking.
“Okay. Let’s try the bedroom. If he sets up a fuss, I’ll

let you know.” Alex could ignore the audible yowls
much better than the unspoken thoughts of distress.

Dylan went to shut Topaz in the bedroom while Alex

retrieved Karma from her cage.

Play play Karma sad alone play Alex friend.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered into her fur, as he carried

her to the living room. He wasn’t hearing the actual
word “sad” so much as he was getting the vibe from her
that she was lonely. “We were getting the kitty used to
the house. I’ll pay more attention to you, old lady.” Alex
set her down on the living room rug and watched her
take a moment to get her bearings.

True to form, after a few seconds of assessing the

room, she began to dance merrily around and then
disappeared under the sofa. He could hear her thinking
mine Karma toys mine as she discovered the treasures
she’d previously hidden there.

“He jumped on your dresser and went to sleep up

there,” Dylan said as he reappeared. “Didn’t seem too
concerned.”

“Good.” Alex tried tuning into the cat’s frequency,

but couldn’t hear anything. That often happened when
animals were asleep. “Popcorn?” He’d rented the latest

Teaching Topaz - 26

action DVD and was looking forward to pretending to
watch it while they made out on the couch.

“Yeah.” Dylan grinned, clearly picking up Alex’s

message. Their movie nights often wound up with both
of them sticky and sated and the need to watch the
whole movie again to catch the plot.

“I’ll make it.” Alex went to the kitchen to find the

popcorn. He could still hear Karma thinking possessive
thoughts about her stash under the sofa and was
reminded of Gollum from Lord of the Rings.

He returned to find Karma dancing around Dylan’s

foot and then leaping on it with great abandon, teeth
bared. Dylan shook her off, and she did it again, over
and over as long as someone was playing with her.

Alex put the disc into the player, and they settled in

together to watch. Karma’s attention was distracted by
something else, as it often was, and she nosed her way
along the wall into the kitchen. He smiled as he watched
her disappear around the corner.

“How long do I have to watch this before I make my

move?” Dylan asked. His body was long and lean next
to Alex’s on the sofa. Alex could feel the warmth
radiating between them.

“We already watched enough,” Alex said, as the

opening credits flashed. “I don’t have to return it until
Tuesday.”

“Good enough.” Dylan turned and immediately

straddled Alex’s hips. “Kiss me.” He bent his head and
took what he was after without waiting for an answer.

Alex’s cock responded at once. Both of them were

forceful in bed, at times, but somehow Alex found it so
much hotter when Dylan did it. Maybe it was because
Alex knew he was a uniformed officer with a firearm.

They kissed lazily for several minutes, both of them

warming themselves up but not in a rush to get where

Teaching Topaz - 27

they were going just yet. Kissing was one of Alex’s
favorite things, right up there with blow jobs and
rimming. He could get completely turned on just by
kissing Dylan for a few minutes and had in fact
experienced more than one orgasm just from making
out.

He shifted his hips and wanted something more solid

to rub against, so Alex put his hands on Dylan’s waist
and forcibly moved him. When their groins were in
closer contact, Alex sighed and went back to kissing
Dylan.

Dylan grinned against Alex’s mouth and rolled his

hips downward a bit. Their erections ground together,
and both of them gasped softly. “Stay right there,” Alex
whispered. His fingers gripped Dylan’s waistband.

“But then I can’t fuck you.” Dylan pulled back a little

and met Alex’s gaze. “And I really, really want to.”

“Okay,” Alex responded automatically. He would

have been embarrassed at his quick response, but his
cock had leaped inside his sweats and firmed up even
more. There was no denying what he wanted.

Dylan made a pleased sound and reached into the

drawer of the coffee table. They kept several blister
packs of lube inside, safely away from Karma’s sharp
teeth. Regular testing had long ago eliminated the need
for condoms, and they were both relieved at one less
thing to fiddle with when they were in the moment.
Besides, skin on skin was just an incredible feeling.

No zippers or buttons on their sweats made things

easy to remove. Alex shoved at his pants and then tried
to get Dylan’s track pants down too, but his shaking
hands made that difficult. Dylan chuckled and helped,
but his fingers were clumsy, too, and their clothes ended
up tangled together in a pile.

Teaching Topaz - 28

“My favorite,” Dylan murmured, as he settled

himself onto Alex again. “Just skin. Love it.”

“Love you,” Alex whispered back. “I want you.”
Thankfully, Dylan wasn’t in a teasing mood. He

nodded and tore open a packet of lube with his teeth and
coated two fingers with it. Sinking down to his knees on
the floor, he pushed Alex’s legs back and took a long,
wet lick along Alex’s crack before tickling his hole with
slick fingers.

“Oh, fuck!” Alex’s eyes rolled back, and he gripped

the edge of the sofa. “Warn a guy!”

“Then it’s not as much fun.” Dylan blew at the wet

spot before sliding his fingers inside as gently as he
could. He circled them around, and Alex could feel him
spreading them a bit, just for prep.

He tried to control his breathing, but Dylan’s fingers

were sending electric tingles all the way up his spine and
making little sparks behind his eyes. His cock was
touching his belly and felt so heavy and hot, all Alex
wanted to do was grab it and start stroking off. “Dyl,” he
warned. “I’ll be done before you get inside. I’m ready.”

Dylan spent a few more seconds stretching and

opening Alex’s entrance before finally pulling his
fingers out. Alex lifted his head and watched Dylan
spread more of the glistening lube on himself before
taking position. “Sure you’re ready?” he growled.

“Christ, yes.” Alex reached for Dylan and secured his

hands around Dylan’s waist. “Inside.”

It seemed to be all the permission Dylan was looking

for. He surged forward and sank halfway into Alex,
making both of them groan. He paused there, and Alex
could tell he was looking for some semblance of control.

“It’s okay,” Alex urged. The sooner Dylan lost

control, the sooner they both could come. Alex was
aching to.

Teaching Topaz - 29

There was a slight push, and then Dylan was all the

way in, balls touching Alex’s skin. Alex took his cock in
hand and squeezed carefully. Too much pressure and
he’d spill, just from holding himself.

When Dylan began to move, however, all of Alex’s

good intentions went out the window. Dylan’s angle was
perfect, and the sounds of pleasure he was making were
turning Alex on even more. It was clear that even though
this might have started out slowly, things were winding
up fast and hard.

Dylan was taking the short, quick strokes that meant

he was close to coming, so Alex gripped himself more
tightly and matched the rhythm. The only sounds in the
room were the slick ones of skin touching skin and their
erratic breathing.

Less than a minute later, Dylan cried out and buried

himself as deeply as he could. “God, yes,” Alex could
hear him mumbling, and feel a rush of warmth as Dylan
shot in his ass.

Alex took one more stroke and then, finally, let his

body take over. His orgasm rushed up and out, and his
cock throbbed with relief as he spilled over his fist.
Alex’s muscles trembled as he strained to get those little
aftershocks of pleasure. Finally, when there was no
more in him, he fell back against the couch, totally
spent.

Dylan’s weight sank down on him, and they lay

together in a warm, sticky cuddle. From what seemed
like a great distance, Alex could hear faint explosions
coming from the television.

“Missed our movie,” he whispered. “Again.”
“Can’t really bring myself to care.” Dylan didn’t

move except to kiss Alex’s collarbone.

Alex didn’t care, either. He enjoyed the feel of Dylan

lying atop him until the need to move and clean up

Teaching Topaz - 30

became a necessity. They did so with gentle hands and a
few kisses, wiping at each other and using rare
tenderness.

When they were relatively clean and clothed, Alex

turned his attention to Karma. He hadn’t noticed if she’d
come out of the kitchen while he and Dylan were
fooling around, so Alex concentrated and listened hard.

Hunt. Stalk. Hunt it.
That was decidedly not Karma he was hearing. Alex

shot up off the couch, startling Dylan. “What?” Dylan
asked with alarm.

“Topaz got out.” He headed for the kitchen. A glance

down the hallway confirmed that the bedroom door was
indeed open. God damn that door that didn’t latch all the
way.

Dylan was close on Alex’s heels as he entered the

kitchen. He didn’t see the cat until Dylan pointed and
said “There!” just as Karma’s little white head poked out
from her favorite cabinet.

Topaz was perched on top of the counter, directly

above Karma’s cupboard. The tip of his tail was
twitching, and his amber eyes were narrowed in
concentration.

Get it. Play play hunt it. Get.
“No!” Alex shouted. He clapped his hands sharply,

and Karma disappeared back into the cabinet. Topaz
immediately leaped down from the counter and took off
like a shot with Dylan in tow.

Heart pounding, Alex opened the cupboard door and

moved some of the plastic bowls aside. Karma had
another lid between her teeth and gave no sign that she
knew she’d nearly been pounced on.

Mine my toy mine play.
Alex reached in and wrapped his hand around her

warm, wiggly body. She held fast to the lid in her teeth

Teaching Topaz - 31

as he withdrew her. “Enough playtime,” he said. He let
her keep the lid as he carried her back to her room and
put Karma in her cage. “Sleep,” Alex said unnecessarily,
since she was clearly preparing to do just that.

When he came out of Karma’s room, Dylan was just

emerging from the bedroom. “He’s under the bed and
won’t come out.”

“Good,” Alex said shortly. “He’ll recover, trust me.”

Cats were always startled by loud noises and didn’t
suffer ill effects. Nine lives, after all.

“He’s just learning,” Dylan said quietly. “I still don’t

think he would have hurt her. Karma’s tough.”

“She’s not as tough as a young cat with sharp claws

and teeth. I told you to be careful with him, Dylan. You
can’t predict what he’ll do.” Alex knew he was being
pissy, but he’d seen the damage a cat could do to a
smaller animal. Animal patients were brought to the
clinic all the time, suffering from wounds that had been
inflicted by cat claws.

“You’re right.” Dylan face was unreadable, his green

eyes calm. “But I thought you could.”

“I…” Alex paused, unsure of what to say. The truth

was that he could predict what an animal might do, just
based on the animal’s thoughts. It wasn’t a foolproof
method, but Alex knew he had an edge over the rest of
the population in that area. Still, Dylan had seemed so
sure that the cat could learn not to stalk Karma. Alex
shouldn’t have trusted him so implicitly. “I can only
guess. Same as you.”

“Bullshit. It took an awful lot of convincing from you

and your sister that you could do what you say you can.
Now you’re trying to tell me that it’s not what I think it
is? That’s fucked, Alex.”

Alex blinked. Dylan was clearly pissed, despite his

calm exterior. And since Dylan rarely got angry or even

Teaching Topaz - 32

used profanity, he was sending a clear message. Alex
didn’t need to hear his thoughts to know that. “Why?”
Alex asked stubbornly. “What’s so fucked about it?”

Dylan shook his head in disgust. “Why the hell do

you think I brought that cat to you? I know how much
you miss Macavity. I know what you’re like, how much
you want to save all the strays, how dedicated you are to
the sick and hurt ones. I know what kind of headaches
you get just by being near an animal in distress, but you
work through the pain so you can help them.”

It was true, but since Dylan still sounded more angry

than not, Alex wisely chose to keep silent.

“I brought you that cat because he lived through the

warehouse fire,” Dylan continued. “Someone tossed him
in there with the others. He’s strong, like you are, and
you should understand each other. Listen to him, Alex.
He’s just being a cat. You, of all people, should get
that.”

Just being a cat. Alex let the words sink in. His

thoughts turned to Topaz, and Alex listened hard for
him.

Dark hide safe safe hide.
Under the bed again, or maybe in the closet. Topaz

was hiding, and he hadn’t done that for two weeks. A
small amount of guilt began to creep in. The fact
remained that Topaz was simply an animal, and animals
acted on instinct. The burden to protect Karma lay with
Alex, not Topaz.

But admitting Dylan was right was still a bitter pill to

swallow. “Can we talk about it tomorrow?” Alex asked.
“It’s late. We both have to work in the morning.”

“Sure,” Dylan said tiredly. “Tomorrow.” He turned

and went back to the bedroom. Through the open door,
Alex could see him crouch down and peek under the
bed.

Teaching Topaz - 33

Hide. Safe dark dark.

Teaching Topaz - 34

Five

They didn’t talk about it the next day, or the day after

that. The subject wasn’t really brought up again at all.

They did make up, though. Alex was relieved when

he approached Dylan at dinner two days later and
humbly apologized for his shitty attitude, and Dylan
kissed him with warmth.

But the subject of Topaz remained off limits.
Alex resumed his diligence in listening to Topaz.

Once he thought he heard mouse again, but it turned out
to be Alex’s snake, Violet, instead. Mostly he heard play
sleep eat pet pet lap sleep.

Only once did he find Topaz outside of Karma’s

room, head cocked and appearing quite inquisitive about
the banging noise Karma was making in one of her pipe
tunnels. Alex listened hard, but couldn’t pick up any
type of hunting instinct from the cat. Just curiosity.

“You know what killed the cat,” Alex warned, as he

bent to stroke Topaz’s head. “Don’t try and get in
there.”

Topaz purred as he wound himself in and out of

Alex’s legs.

Friend. Pet.
Dylan took special care to ensure Topaz was securely

shut in the bathroom when it was Karma’s turn to come
out and play. Alex was torn between laughing at
Karma’s joyful play Karma play when she was allowed
loose in the living room, and wincing at Topaz’s pitiful
yowling from where he was locked up.

No room out out no! Out!
He usually wound up with a stellar headache from

listening to the cat for an hour. Dylan made sympathetic
faces and rubbed Alex’s neck for him, but didn’t say one

Teaching Topaz - 35

word about trying to have both animals out at the same
time. Alex knew he was thinking it, though.

Things fell into an easy routine after that. Karma was

allowed out of her room several times a week, but only
if Topaz was locked up. The cat had the run of the house
the rest of the time, and the only other situation where
Topaz was forbidden access to a room was when Alex
and Dylan were having sex.

“I can’t concentrate,” Alex had whispered, despite

the very good job Dylan was doing of jacking him off.
Topaz was sitting on Dylan’s dresser, eyeing them.

Toy. String. Toy play toy.
“He wants the new toy you brought home,” Alex

explained.

Dylan had thrown the cat out of the bedroom and

then proceeded to give Alex a very thorough hand job.
Alex reciprocated by sucking Dylan off, and from then
on, the bedroom was off-limits to Topaz.

Alex smiled now as he thought about it. It was

probably the only time he had smiled that day, come to
think of it. Work had been one clusterfuck after another.
It was Dr. Lin’s day off, so Alex and Dr. Baker were the
only ones in the office to deal with the madness. It had
started with a minor incident in the reception area with
the bird who had unclipped wings and wasn’t in a cage,
for some reason. Two of the office girls and the owner
had spent twenty minutes trying to coax it down from
the window rail.

Then, while Dr. Baker was at lunch, an emergency

call came through that involved a Boston terrier and the
metal staples he’d decided to snack on. The poor dog
was radiating such waves of pain that Alex had
staggered back from the force of it. He’d managed to get
himself under control after a moment or two, but it had
started him on the path to a fierce headache.

Teaching Topaz - 36

He still had it, in fact. Alex rubbed the back of his

neck in an attempt to loosen some of the tight muscles
there, but to no avail. The three pain relievers he’d taken
earlier hadn’t done much, either. Looked like this one
would only be cured with food and sleep.

Luckily, the front doors were locked for the day. All

Alex and Dr. Baker had to do was return some calls and
finish up some paperwork.

They worked quietly together in the office while the

rest of the staff wiped down the exam rooms and tidied
the operating area in the back. Alex could hear them
talking to the pets that were being boarded by their
owners and giving the last medications for the night.
Slowly, the tension of the day began to drain.

Just as Alex made his last phone call and jotted down

information on Tigger Harris’ chart, he heard the
buzzing of the back door. He and Dr. Baker groaned in
unison. It could only mean one thing: Animal Control
was bringing something in.

Both of them rose. “I’ll get it,” Sean said. “You go on

home.”

As much as Alex wanted to, he couldn’t just leave

Sean to deal with the emergency by himself. It was
Sean’s clinic, but Alex was invested in it too. Besides,
walking away from a wounded or sick animal was
against his entire nature. “Let me just see what it is,” he
said. “If you can handle it alone, I’ll go.”

Sean didn’t argue, which was a testament to how

tired he was. Alex followed him to the back door, and
they opened it for the officer.

A slight girl of about thirty stood at the door. Elisa,

Alex thought her name was. In any case, he recognized
her from the times he’d been to visit Dylan at work. “In
the truck.”

Teaching Topaz - 37

Alex grimaced. When the officers didn’t bring the

animal to the door, it meant they were too injured or sick
to walk. Many times, that was the result of an animal
cruelty case.

Sean headed to the truck, and Alex followed warily.

He didn’t catch any distress vibes, which was promising.
He went immediately to the side of the truck, expecting
the officer to open one of the built-in cages, but she
shook her head.

“In the cab.”
Since animals were placed in one of the air

conditioned cages when they were picked up, Alex was
confused. “They’re not allowed in the cab,” he said.

“I know. But… well, look.” Elisa gestured to the cab

of the truck.

In the passenger seat sat an enormous Great Dane

with a solemn expression.

Home. Home. Eat.
Alex blinked. The dog was unfamiliar to him. He

surely would have remembered seeing it before,
considering it had to weigh over one hundred fifty
pounds. It was tall enough for its head to reach the
ceiling of the truck.

“No chip,” Elisa explained, and Alex and Sean

nodded. If a stray pet had no identifying microchip, it
was brought to the animal shelter immediately. Unless it
was…

“Is he hurt?” Alex peered in the window of the truck,

but couldn’t see a problem.

Elisa crawled in the driver’s side and gently lifted the

dog’s tail. The end of it looked like it had been caught in
some type of trap and then pulled free. “He wasn’t
caught in anything when I found him, but it looks like it
hurts.”

Teaching Topaz - 38

The Great Dane was impervious to the fact that his

tail looked like it had been chewed by badgers. He gave
Alex another solemn look and pricked his ears forward.

Eat. Home. Home. Ball.
“Okay,” Alex laughed. He reached in the window

and gave the dog a scratch. “Come on, let’s go inside.”

Once they managed to coax the gigantic dog inside

the clinic, Sean pushed Alex’s hands away from where
he was reaching for his stethoscope. “No, no. This is
easy. Go home; I’ll take care of this guy.”

The hard-working, eager to please part of him wanted

to protest. Alex hated leaving work for others to do. On
the other hand, he was anxious to leave this hectic day
behind him. His head hadn’t stopped aching, and all he
wanted to do was go home and curl up with Dylan on
the couch. Things between them had been a little weird
lately.

“Okay,” Alex finally agreed, before he could change

his own mind. “Have a good day off tomorrow. I’ll see
you Thursday.”

The ride home did nothing for his headache. Angry,

rush-hour drivers, all in a hurry to get where they were
going after a long day, made the drive interminable.

With a sigh of relief, Alex pulled into his and Dylan’s

driveway. Hopefully they’d have a quiet evening
together with no disagreements about Karma or Topaz.

Before Alex even reached the front door, he could

hear Karma’s blissful thoughts of freedom.

Out Karma out play friend play out!
He smiled, feeling better already. Dylan must have

let her out to play. Alex unlocked the door and stepped
inside, where his ankle was immediately attacked by
sharp teeth.

“Hey!” he yelped. Thank God for khakis and thick

socks.

Teaching Topaz - 39

Karma clung to him fiercely with her teeth and nails

until Alex reached down and detached her. “That wasn’t
nice,” he informed her, and set her down on the ground.
She danced away down the hall.

“Hi,” Dylan called from the living room.
Alex followed the sound. The house smelled like a

fantastic combination of lasagna and garlic bread.
“Hey.” He smiled when he reached the living room.
Dylan was sprawled on the sofa, looking delicious.
“God, I’m glad to see you. What a crazy day.”

Friend pet home friend home.
That didn’t sound like Karma. Too calm, for one.
Out of the corner of his eye, Alex saw a small, black

body leap down from the top of the entertainment
center, then jump to the arm of the couch next to Dylan.
Topaz came to the edge of the arm and looked
expectantly at Alex, waiting for a scratch behind the
ears.

Alex looked at him, then at Dylan. “You have them

both out at the same time?” he asked carefully.

“Yes.” Dylan looked back, but not in a challenging

way.

“You know how I feel about that.” Alex stroked

Topaz’s silky head and tried not to let his exhaustion
overwhelm his emotion.

“I know. But I’ve had them out together all day. He

has to learn somehow, Alex. We have to teach him how
to get along with Karma.” Dylan sounded calm and sure
of himself, and for the first time, Alex felt a tiny stab of
doubt about the position he’d upheld for so long.

Karma chose that moment to nose her way into the

living room along the wall. Topaz turned his head to
watch her, whiskers twitching. At once, Alex’s sensors
went on full alert, and he listened to Topaz as hard as he
could.

Teaching Topaz - 40

Watch. Hide run watch watch.
“He’s keeping an eye on her,” Alex said thoughtfully.

“In case she tries to get him or something.”

Topaz was indeed keeping a wary eye on Karma as

she sniffed her way around the living room and
disappeared beneath the couch.

“And does he want to eat her?” One corner of

Dylan’s mouth was curved upward.

“As far as I can tell… no.” Alex blinked and rubbed

the cat’s cheek. “He just wants to watch her so she
doesn’t bite.”

Topaz began to purr at the attention and closed his

eyes to little slits. He rubbed his face along Alex’s
fingers.

Friend. Home.
“Is this what you’ve been doing all day?” Alex asked

Dylan. “Teaching Topaz?”

“Some of it. Mostly I’ve just been waiting for you.”

Dylan reached out a hand and tugged Alex down to the
couch.

Alex fell on top of him. “Now that’s something to

come home to,” he murmured, before kissing Dylan
with an open mouth. “I think it’s time for Karma to go
back to her cage and Topaz to visit his favorite
bathroom.”

“I thought you’d never ask.”
They rose together and collected the various four-

legged creatures that were in the room with them.
Karma didn’t complain when Alex put her back in her
cage, which meant she was likely very tired.

Sleep, he could hear her thinking. Sleep bed my bed

sleep. She curled herself into a tiny ball in one of her
hammocks and was asleep almost instantly.

Teaching Topaz - 41

He shut the door to her room and met Dylan in the

hallway. Oddly enough, it was quiet behind the closed
door to the bathroom.

“Did you drown him?” Alex teased.
Dylan first answered him with a kiss that left Alex

breathless. “No,” Dylan murmured against Alex’s
mouth. “But I did buy him new treats today.”

“Bribery is good.” Alex grinned and took Dylan’s

hand. They walked slowly to the bedroom, and Alex
could feel his stomach get fluttery in anticipation.
“Luckily, it works on me, too.”

“I already knew that.” Dylan pushed him down to the

bed and lay on top of him. He licked a smooth path up
Alex’s neck to his ear, then blew on the wet skin. “Cats
aren’t easy to teach,” Dylan whispered. “But I am.”

Alex shivered and clutched at the warm body that lay

on him. “We both are,” Alex whispered back. “In the
right situation.”

Dylan chuckled and kissed Alex again. “Listen to

your instincts. They don’t steer you wrong.”

“I know.” Alex opened his eyes and looked up at

Dylan’s familiar, loved face. “They brought me to you.”

End

Teaching Topaz - 42

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and
incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or
are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events,
locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely
coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or the
publisher.

Teaching Topaz
BIRTHSTONES
An imprint of Torquere Press Publishers
PO Box 2545
Round Rock, TX 78680
Copyright © 2011 by Tory Temple
Cover illustration by Alessia Brio
Published with permission

ISBN: 978-1-61040-539-3

www.torquerepress.com

All rights reserved, which includes the right to reproduce this
book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever except as
provided by the U.S. Copyright Law. For information address
Torquere Press. Inc., PO Box 2545, Round Rock, TX 78680.
First Torquere Press Printing: November 2011
Printed in the USA

Teaching Topaz - 43