I snatched the opal out of his hand and pointed at the bed, but not before a jolt of electricity shot through me in waves, causing me to stumble backward. The sensation intensified so much that I was thrown to the floor as the room darkened back to normal.
Roscoe crawled toward me, his eyes returning to their usual honey amber.
“God damn! What the hell’s goin’ on?”
“I don’t know,” I groaned, still shaking as I sat upright before examining theopalthat now lay shattered on the floor. “Aw shit.” I picked through the pieces, shaking my head. “There goes our protection.”
“Look at that,” Roscoe said, pointing at the gold lighter that had fallen to the floor. It glowed a molten orange for a moment before turning black. I tried to pick it up, but it crumbled like soot.
“It’s gone.”
“I kinda had a hunch,” Roscoe said, picking up a piece of the broken gem. “I think I remember something. They protectagainst witchcraft. There aren’t that many things that’ll scare a feral werewolf, but witches sure do.”
“How the hell is a werewolf using witchcraft?”
Roscoe shook his head. “He ain’t. Witches can’t be male the same way werewolves can’t be female. And witches sure as hell can’t be werewolves.” He went silent for a moment. “I bet there’s a witch in this town.” He scrambled to his feet. “Hell, it’s in the town’s name. Nor-WITCH. Why didn’t I see it?”
“Okay, now you’re going all tinfoil hat on me.”
“You don’t know, Cody.”
“And you don’t remember. So, let’s calm down and try to get some answers.”
The door to our bedroom flung open, and Austin strode in, wearing nothing but a wet boner and an earnest expression.
“Fuck dude! You scared the shit outta me,” Roscoe yelled, holding his chest.
Austin greeted us with a salute. “The target’s been neutralized and is safely asleep, sir!”
“Oh, what the hell now?” Roscoe whispered under his breath.
“Uh… good work, soldier,” I said with a bit of hesitation as his creepy blue eyes locked with mine.
“Awaiting your next command, sir.”
“Damn, Mosavi really fucked him up good, didn’t he?”
“This one may have been my fault. He does anything he’s told, and… I kinda didn’t know it would last this long.”
The older werewolf cracked a sly grin. “Seriously? He’ll do anything he’s told?” He walked up to Austin, eyeing the larger werewolf’s empty blue stare. “Oh boy.”
“Leave him alone,” I said, before turning back to the other werewolf. “Austin, why don’t you—”
“Clean my dick with yer tongue. That’s an order, soldier!”
“Roscoe, stop!”
“What? This shit’s funny as hell.”
Austin’s eyes dimmed to a familiar blood orange, his brows furrowing as his large fingers wrapped around Roscoe’s neck.
“What did you just tell me to do, fatty?”
“I—is that how you talk to yer superior officer, sold—”
The larger werewolf shoved Roscoe against the wall, leaving another head-sized dent in it. “You ever speak to me like that again and you’ll be eating through a straw until your teeth grow back!” He released the older werewolf and looked over at me. “I’m going to my garage.”
“Take the still apart,” I called back to him.
