The larger werewolf let out a sigh.
“Sex and breakfast,” he muttered.
“You guys are just evil.” Roscoe scooted away, snatching the brush from my hand before pointing it at Austin. “Look at that face. That’s a broken werewolf right there. Promised food and fuckin’ and got double-crossed by two evil twinks.”
“Don’t call me that,” Adam and I snapped in unison as I grabbed the brush again.
“I’m telling you, Roscoe, Mosavi would not let you into his limo smelling like that. It was either I give you a bath, or he does—and I can almost guarantee you wouldn’t have any fur left if he did it.”
Roscoe swallowed hard.
“And I only used the harness because you always put up a fight, and I’m not using the vironoct on you guys anymore.”
“I am gonna get back at you one of these days.” He leaned in close to my ear. “I can give you ashowertoo.”
“Roscoe…” I felt my lower lip curl into my sharper canines. “If you even think about doing that again, I could have Mosavi make your life even more miserable than he’s already going to.”
“All right, all right.” Roscoe pouted, turning away as I continued brushing him.
After I finished, I handed the brush to Adam, then leaned in close to Roscoe. “Who’s my handsome boy?”
Roscoe wrinkled his nose; however, his tail gave him away as always, thudding the cushion behind him.
“Come on. Who’s my handsome boy?”
“It’s me,” he said in a quiet, low voice. “Ireallydon’t like you right now.”
“Is he bringing the guitar?” Austin asked, this time stringing more than a few words together.
“Yeah,” I replied, looking out the window. It was a quarter to nine, and they would be outside of our house within the hour. “Mosavi insisted on hearing Darryl play it.”
“Wonder what he’s gonna say when he gets it back,” Roscoe said. “I’ve been lookin’ for that damn thing for years. I still don’t know if it’ll be enough.”
I brushed a few locks of Roscoe’s mane away from his eyes with my hand. “He forgave you already.”
“He still doesn’t like me. Nothin’ will ever be the way it was between us. That wasn’t just me fuckin’ up, Cody. That was me burnin’ a friendship to ashes, all for a high that wouldn’t even last.”
“Whatever happens, this is the right thing. It’ll be up to Darryl after that,” I said.
“He used to be so carefree. We’d get stoned, and he’d go out and ride the waves or play his guitar. He smiled all the time, but now he ain’t the same. He’s… cautious and downright mean and violent sometimes. Returning his dad’s guitar ain’t gonna bring back the old Darryl.”
“You’re right,” Austin said as we all turned to him. “He’ll never be his old self again, and that’s not always a bad thing.”
The stretch limo pulled to the side of the street in front of our house, and before the driver could open the door, Willa hopped out holding a pie tin wrapped in foil. Mosavi called after her, smacking his head on the frame as he emerged. The driver backed away as the old werewolf roared, cursing loudly in Farsi.
“Oh, he does not look happy,” Adam said, grabbing his bag.
“When does he ever?” Roscoe cut in while opening the front door just as Willa climbed the steps. “Is that pumpkin pie?”
“It sure is,” she said, patting Roscoe’s stomach before handing him the dish.
He turned and glared at me. “I bet she wouldn’t tie me up and force me to bathe.”
“Yeah, you wouldn’t tie him up, would you?” I asked, giving her a knowing grin. Roscoe was going to witness her depravity first-hand soon enough.
Roscoe froze as he was cutting a slice of pie with the claw on his index finger.
“What was that look?” he asked. “What’s goin’ on?”
