“Thanks for getting that stuff at the store, and for trying to make me lunch. No one’s ever done that.”
“What about Adam?”
Austin’s eyes narrowed, and his sad smile disappeared. “Adam’s just a kuu bond, nothing more. He’s made that perfectly clear. He doesn’t care about me.”
I shook my head. “He’s just young and kinda selfish. He needs someone holding his hand otherwise he doesn’t know what to do with himself.”
“I hate that,” he grunted. “Sometimes I just want to be—” He paused and let out a sigh before turning away. “God, I hate this.”
Seeing his increased frustration, I let it go. It was safer that way, even though a part of me wanted to keep prying. However, this was Adam’s place, not mine. It didn’t feel right to goany further with him, especially since he was so emotionally vulnerable.
“All right,” I whispered, wrapping my arm part of the way around him. He was so huge, trying to be the big spoon was awkward. But it seemed to have a positive effect as his tail gently thudded against my leg. “Let’s take a nap.”
Chapter 16
We’ve Got Trouble
Ilay next to Austin, my eyes wide while I brushed the tips of my fingers through his thick mane before slipping over a divot at the base of his skull. Being a werewolf meant being able to heal from just about any injury, but this reminder of a mangled childhood stood defiant.
God’s existence was always such a dubious claim. My grandparents on both sides held fast to their religions. One side was Orthodox Jew and the other was Catholic, and I often wondered how such staunchly religious people could produce children that would grow up to be terrible adults. As bad as my childhood was, the blinders of privilege disappear quickly when you see just how bad it could have been.
Why am I still here?
I couldn’t let go of the terror in his voice. Time had frozen for him all those years ago. He had to grow up in an instant, depending on only himself for strength. And while a single pillar could support a simple structure, it can’t hold up the weight of a skyscraper.
After today, I wasn’t going to let him hide in that garage alone anymore.
The Next Morning
The other side of the bed was empty when I woke up. At first, I thought Austin had retreated to his usual sanctuary, but when I wandered the hall, I noticed the bathroom door was closed.
He was actually showering.
Roscoe would sometimes go a week or more without bathing, and Austin hadn’t so much as looked at a bathtub since I’d met him. While they didn’t smell awful, their fur would attract twigs and dirt from outside, which would build up and get on the furniture.
The old floorboards groaned as I padded through the house to make breakfast, but I stopped when a sheet of paper on the dining room table caught my attention. The wordmicrowavehad been written in thick black marker, and under that were the wordsdon’t touch the stovescribbled with a ballpoint pen.
The house had a residual scent of burned bacon, and in the kitchen, a wrapped plate full of scrambled eggs and pancakes greeted me. I smiled at the unusually thoughtful gesture. To think I had a junk food loving werewolf to thank for this breakthrough. I’d need to remember to buy more white cheddar popcorn in the future.
After heating the meal, I drenched the pancakes in syrup and sat at the table. The eggs were slightly overdone, and the pancakes were broken, but it was a solid five stars compared to anything I could do. I usually just ate a bowl of marshmallow cereal if Roscoe wasn’t around.
Christ, Roscoe was right. I did eat like a child.
The bathroom door opened and clawed footsteps trudged through the hall until a hilariously fluffy Austin appeared in the entryway.
“Holy shit,” I said, nearly choking on my breakfast. “What happened?”
He grunted but said nothing else as he made his way into the kitchen.
“Want me to brush you?”
He poked his head out from around the corner and raised a brow.
“I’ll get the deshedder I use for Roscoe—whenever he lets me,” I continued, making my voice sound enticing.
“You brush Roscoe?”
“Well, yeah. Doesn’t Adam brush you?”
