Smoke & Mirrors by Charlie Cochet

The roar of an animal in agony. This was it. He was going to die.
    “What the hell?”
    “What the fuck is going on?”
    “Just hold him!”
    “Dex, think of Sloane.”
    Sparks?
    “Empty your mind and think of nothing but Sloane.” She put her hand to Dex’s brow. “Think of the first time he told you he loved you.”
    Dex closed his eyes and gritted his teeth so tight his jaw hurt. His heart was going to beat out of his chest. No. Think of Sloane. Dex thought about the first time he saw Sloane sparring with Ash in Sparta. His smile had blown Dex away. Dex thought of all the fun they’d had in the office, his time teasing Sloane, driving him crazy, playing pranks on him. He recalled all the times Sloane got his payback. He thought of their first kiss, the first time they’d had sex, then made love. He thought about Sloane telling Dex he loved him.
    “That’s it. Breathe. All you see is Sloane.”
    Dex moaned. His body hurt. It was broken. His bones felt broken. He thought of Sloane on the couch with him, his head on Dex’s lap as they watched movies. He’d made Sloane purr again in Human form. Sloane pouted, and Dex laughed.
    Something pricked Dex’s arm, and he flinched. He was tired, so tired. His eyelids grew heavy, and he appreciated the gentle fingers brushing through his hair, comforting. It was odd. Comfort wasn’t a word he’d ever associated with Sparks.
    “Good. You did good.” Sparks’s voice was quiet when she turned away, but Dex heard her as if she’d been speaking in his ear. “Keep an eye on him. He has to make it through this. I don’t think I need to stress how important he is. Make sure he’s comfortable, and that he doesn’t remember this when he wakes up.”
    Like that was going to happen. There was no way Dex wouldn’t remember this. He felt something cool against his skin, felt the prick of another needle before everything went black.
     
     
    MUSIC. FAMILIAR and soothing.
    Dex stirred with a smile. Journey.
    He rolled over onto his left side and snuggled closer against his pillow. The music stopped, and he frowned. Why did it sound so far away? It started up again, and Dex rolled over to the other side, his face and body falling, then hitting something hard.
    “Ouch.” Dex opened his eyes, blinking a few times to get them to focus. Why was he on the floor? With a frown, he sat up. Journey was playing, and it took him a second to realize it was coming from his phone. He grabbed it off the coffee table and turned to flop against the couch while he swiped the screen. His heart skipped a beat when he heard Sloane’s voice.
    “Hey, babe. You okay? Were you sleeping?”
    “Yeah, on the couch. I uh….” Dex frowned. “I guess I fell asleep after you left.”
    “You guess?” Sloane said with a chuckle. “Did the pillow accidently land under your head?”
    Dex took note of his pillow and fluffy blanket on the couch. Had they been there when Sloane left for work? They must have if Sloane remembered the pillow. “Something like that.” He pushed himself to his feet and stretched. Man, his body hurt. He must have fallen asleep at a funny angle.
    “You okay?”
    “Must have been a bit out of it. I remember you leaving, and then I think I went to the kitchen for something. Next thing I know, I’m on the floor.”
    “What do you mean on the floor?” Sloane asked worriedly.
    “I fell off the couch.”
    “Oh.” Sloane laughed softly. “Do I need to get you one of those toddler rails?”
    “Ha. Funny.” Dex sat on the couch and pulled his legs up before wrapping himself in his blanket. “At least I fell of my own free will and wasn’t pushed.”
    “Aw, come on. I didn’t do it on purpose.”
    Dex could hear the amusement in Sloane’s voice. He narrowed his eyes even though Sloane couldn’t see him. “Really? Do you know how far I had to travel to make it to the edge of the bed? Our bed is not small. It’s king-size. Therian king-size.”
    “You move around a lot