“That’s rich coming from a guy that uses his jail as a sex dungeon,” I muttered, turning away. “If you and Willa can work together in harmony, why couldn’t we work out some kind of way to live together with the witches and the ferals?”
Mosavi rubbed his forehead. “What you’re suggesting would damn us. When I arrived in this country, I had never met a witch before, but I was lured into their clutches. All my memories from that time are gone, and I lived only to be used as a never-ending font of magic and pleasure. The pleasure was all theirs, and all I can recall from then was a blue, formless mental torment. Whether it was because she was greedy or she fell in love, Willa broke her ties to the coven and pulled me back into the conscious world. She told me what I really was and where I should go, but I also owed her my life. She would grow old and die being away from her kind, so we made a pact. I would learn the secrets of the elders, enhancing what I was, and in return, I would also give her what she needed.”
He turned to me and grabbed my chin.
“There is noliving togetherwith witches of the wild. Most have been driven mad by their magic, and they would not hesitate to pull werewolves into their webs, making eternal meals of us.”
Mosavi’s shirt started to tear again, and he scrambled to his feet before mashing out a quick text on his phone. Like last time, he could only maintain human form for so long, and from the painful expression on his face, he was struggling to hold it back.
“Why do you have to keep hiding behind a human face?” I asked, standing to meet his eyes. “Are you ashamed to be a werewolf?”
“Far from it,” he said. I followed him to the road as a black Mercedes drove by before pulling over. “I’ve explained this before, and I have my reasons.” The seams of his blazer popped as muscles grew thicker. “I hadn’t intended to use this time for a history lesson, but I did want to tell you that you handled your werewolves nicely. You need to learn how to tap into the vironoct’s true power, and that is only something you can learn from an elder.”
“I don’t like your methods,” I said nervously. “You really messed up Austin.”
“Maladjusted werewolves have been culled throughout history or have had their wills stripped using vironoct rituals. He is lucky I decided to leave his fate to you,” he said in a deeper voice. “You unlocked something the other night that you need to learn to control. If you want to be stubborn, I’ll let you learn the hard way—Willa’s way.”
He climbed into the back of his car and shut the door. The window tint was so dark, but I saw a silhouette of Mosavi growing larger, his head morphing into that of a beast as the vehicle sped away.
The house was surprisingly cleaner than when I left, the strong scent of pine cleaner stinging my nostrils as I hung my coatnext to Roscoe’s orange hoodie. The television was streaming a movie, but the volume was too low to hear anything. A heavy snore drew my attention to a pair of huge furry legs dangling from the arm of the sofa.
Adam lay on top of Austin with his eyes closed and a comfortable smile in place of his usual discomfort. The scene had me scrambling for my phone so I could snap a picture. The flash went off and a shutter sound woke Adam as he gently pulled away, careful not to wake his kuu mate.
“You’re a light sleeper,” I whispered, motioning to the hallway. “Wanna sit outside?”
Adam nodded and tiptoed behind me until we passed my bedroom. Roscoe was also taking a nap with the windows open. Fresh air and pine replaced the musty smell that usually overpowered this part of the house. What universe had I just fallen into? Mosavi wasn’t behaving like a psychopath, Austin and Adam were getting along, and Roscoe had actually cleaned something. If this was a dream, I’d be happy to never wake up again.
We stepped outside, and I gently closed the door behind me.
“It’s a pretty day,” I said, following the other half-turn to the fire pit and sitting across from him. “This town may be creepy sometimes, but this area sure is quiet.”
“Cut the shit,” Adam muttered. “Austin’s eyes were blue when we were in the bedroom. They turn blue when you tell him to do something. I want to know if any of this is real, or if you’re doing something fucky again.”
“Were his eyes blue when he was holding you?”
“Well, no. But they are most of the time. I get this feeling everyone’s doing what they’re doing out of pity.” He glared at me. “Or guilt.”
“Didn’t you guys talk?”
“Making small talk about the weather and asking me how I’m feeling isn’t exactly talking,” he said with a sigh. “But it’s better than nothing, I guess.”
“Give him some time, and he’ll open up.”
“Like he opened up to you?” Adam leaned in, staring wide-eyed at me. Even though we’d talked about this many times, he was never going to let it go. “You seem like you know more about him than anyone. He’s obviously fallen in love with you.”
“Not exactly,” I said, turning away. “I don’t know how many times I have to go over this. He’s got a lot of issues he’s trying to work through, and you know he won’t talk to a shrink, so I’ve been trying to help him the best I can. I don’t think he’s in love with me, but we do have a weird thing going on.”
“I knew it!” Adam shouted.
“No, you don’t,” I said calmly. “It’s nothing like what you’re thinking. That night, Mosavi did something to Austin, which I think was an indirect lesson for me. It changed everything. Austin’s become dependent on—”
“Magic?” Adam interrupted, raising an eyebrow and leaning closer.
“Yeah, but that’s only part of it. Once you guys talk about this, you’ll understand—maybe. It’s weird, but I don’t want to judge.”
Adam folded his arms.
“Okay, I don’t judge all the time.” I sighed. There was no point in making this conversation easily digestible, especially to Adam. “You know what? Fuck it. Austin likes to be told what to do. I’m not going to get into the details, but this could be something you could use.”
