Werecat: The Rearing

By Andrew J. Peters

A finalist in the 2016 Romance Review Readers Choice!

For Jacks Dowd, a college senior who feels ungrounded from his family and life in general, an alcohol and sex-infused weekend in Montréal sounds like a pretty good escape. His Spring Break binge takes a detour when he meets Benoit, an admiring drifter with startling green eyes. A hook-up turns into a day, two days, and then a full week in Benoit's hostel, making love and scarfing down take-out food. But at the end of the week, Benoit demands that Jacks make an impossible choice: stay with him forever, or go back to college and never see him again.

There's something dangerous about Benoit, but Jacks has fallen for him brutally. The night before Jacks is supposed to return to college, he finds Benoit in Mont Royal Park, where they first met, to try to work things out. Benoit springs on Jacks an unfathomable secret: he's a mythical creature, half man and half jungle panther. He traps Jacks in an abandoned cabin and performs an occult rite so they will be mated forever.

This action-packed gay shapeshifter romance brings Andrew J. Peters Werecat series to its stunning conclusion. Peters tells fans that his original Werecat romance was an experiment. He asked himself: What would a gothic paranormal romance story look like with gay men in prominent roles? The result is the fast-paced and thrilling urban fantasy Werecat series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Vagabondage Press LLC
• Release date: May 28, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301415519

Book preview

About Werecat: The Rearing

For Jacks Dowd, a college senior who feels ungrounded from his family and life in general, an alcohol and sex-infused weekend in Montréal sounds like a pretty good escape. His Spring Break binge takes a detour when he meets Benoit, an admiring drifter with startling green eyes. A hook-up turns into a day, two days, and then a full week in Benoit's hostel, making love and scarfing down take-out food. But at the end of the week, Benoit demands that Jacks make an impossible choice: stay with him forever, or go back to college and never see him again.

There's something dangerous about Benoit, but Jacks has fallen for him brutally. The night before Jacks is supposed to return to college, he finds Benoit in Mont Royal Park, where they first met, to try to work things out. Benoit springs on Jacks an unfathomable secret: he's a mythical creature, half man and half jungle panther. He traps Jacks in an abandoned cabin and performs an occult rite so they will be mated forever.

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. This book, and parts thereof, may not be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without express written permission. For information, e-mail [e-mail].

Werecat: The Rearing

© 2013 by Andrew J. Peters

Vagabondage Press LLC

PO Box 3563

Apollo Beach, Florida 33572

http://www.vagabondagepress.com

First digital edition

Front cover art Andres Rodriguez & Freder

Werecat:

The Rearing

Andrew J. Peters

Vagabondage Press LLC

Acknowledgements

In August of 2011, I had the honor of participating in Lambda Literary Foundation's Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBT Voices. At the time, the thought of writing a feline shapeshifter story wasn't even the proverbial twinkle in my eye. But being immersed in such a vibrant, talented, and mutually-encouraging community gave me the confidence to keep pushing my projects forward. It bolstered my belief that queer stories, in their infinite varieties, are the beautiful, subversive stuff that dreams are made of. I must acknowledge especially author Allison Moon, whose lesbian werewolf novel provoked my curiosity in the shapeshifter genre. That curiosity grew into a bit of an obsession. If the literary world can have lesbian werewolves, why not gay werecats?

My thanks to Fawn Neun and N. Apythia Morges for helping to bring this story to life. I want to thank my writing partner C.A. Clemmings who considered, critiqued and cheer-led my early drafts. To my friends and my family, I thank you for believing in me. To my tiger-striped tabby Chloë, my werecat muse, I thank you for putting up with my following you around as a self-fashioned feline behaviorist. Most of all, this story would not have been possible without the love and the support of my partner Genaro, who endured, and continues to endure, many nights of my literary moodiness and reclusiveness. I love you.

Table of Contents

About Werecat: The Rearing

Acknowledgements

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

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New York City—Present Day

Coming in from the darkened street, Jacks was assaulted by the all-night bodega's fluorescent lights. Ground-in dirt scored the dull tile floor. Boxed dry goods, probably stocked in another decade, lined grimy, metal shelves. The water-stained drop ceiling encroached in on him from the corners of his vision.

As he approached one of the glass refrigerator cabinets, his reflection glared back. Jacks had told himself he was working a grunge look, but he was crossing into vagrant territory. Thick, unwashed hair framed his scruffily bearded face. His black wool cap didn't make him look hip and counterculture. It made him look destitute and dangerous. He wondered if he traveled in a cloud of body odor, like some comic strip character.

Jacks grabbed some things from the refrigerated section, headed to the canned food aisle and dropped an armful of groceries on the check-out counter.

Farzan, the cashier, smiled at him. He was a handsome Persian guy, probably around Jacks' age. They had made small talk before. Farzan worked the overnight shift while he was going to medical school. His dad owned the shop. He had struck up conversation about American politics and American rock bands, and it turned out they liked a lot of the same music. The guy was cool, but Jacks just wanted to get in and out. He looked like a mess. Besides, he had to be getting back to Benoit.

Farzan's dark, almond eyes narrowed at the sight of Jacks' purchases: five packages of hot dogs, two cartons of milk, a graying plastic envelope of assorted cold cuts, and a half dozen cans of Vienna sausages. His tan face flouted a woeful grimace.

Stocking up on proteins again?

Yeah, Jacks mumbled. He flashed a shy grin and dug into his jeans' pocket for cash. Farzan took his time scanning the items at his old, computerized register. He was probably bored and starved for company. The crooked Bud Light clock on the wall behind the register showed three-fifteen in the morning.

This is no good, Farzan said. You need a complex diet or you will develop a vitamin deficiency. Did you know that overconsumption of animal products has been linked to cancer?

You sound like a doctor already.

"It