“Isn’t there anything you guys like about each other?”
Adam hummed. “I mean, the sex is pretty good, even the kinkier stuff. He’s huge, so he’s pretty hung, and you know I like me some big werewolves.” He looked away. “He also cries.”
“What?”
“He doesn’t know that I hear him, but he cries just about every night in his sleep. I’m torn because I feel sorry for him, but damn, he makes it so hard to even feel that lately. He’s miserable, and I’m just an easy target.”
I thought back to Austin and Roscoe the other day. Their rivalry was hard to pin down, but they both seemed to enjoy the others’ company.
“Maybe this little fuck-up with the government might be a good thing,” I said, zipping my bag closed. “The city is an awful place for us to live, and maybe Roscoe will be a good influence.”
Adam laughed. “Are you serious?”
“Hey, don’t write the guy off. He surprises me sometimes, and he treats me a hell of a lot better than Austin treats you.”
Adam’s laughter turned to stone silence.
“They both seem to like each other. At least I think they do.”
“Darryl doesn’t,” Adam said. “I think it’s more alpha mentality than personal. After he went full werewolf, Austin got huge and started fights with Darryl every chance he got. In case you haven’t noticed, Darryl’s pretty chill and super friendly, but you don’t want to fuck with him. There’s something weird about the guy. He has this gravity. I can’t explain it.”
“I really like Darryl.”
“Stand in line. He’s pretty cool, and I was really jealous that you were living here with him.” Adam’s smile shifted. “I should probably apologize to him for the other night.”
“Being a half-turn sucks. I’m sure he understands.”
“I want to be carefree like them,” Adam said, plopping on the couch next to me.
“I just want to go back to being human,” I said. “Who the hell starts turning at twenty-two? I thought my life was finally going somewhere.”
“It is going somewhere.” He placed his hand on my back. “To half-turn hell for a while.”
“I wonder why some people turn while most don’t. No one in my family was a werewolf as far as I know.”
Adam shrugged and pointed to Darryl’s bookshelf. “What’s that book say about it?”
“Oh that?” I shook my head. “It was a bunch of nonsense about magic and curses and witches and demons. Oh, and aliens. That part was actually more plausible, if you can believe it.”
“It’s always aliens, isn’t it?” We both sat in silent contemplation for a few moments. “I always had this dream that a portal would open up to a different world once a year some place up north, and that’s where the werewolf curse came from. It’s kind of fun to think about.”
I turned to Adam, impressed there was actual depth to this conversation. “What do you mean?”
“Well, if we understood everything, it takes the mystery out of life. Demons, witches, aliens and gods are a lot more interesting than boring theories from nerds like you.”
Well, I’d thought the conversation had depth. “The universe is pretty strange as it is, without all that stuff, and our understanding of science keeps changing.”
Adam shook his head. “Again, let me reiterate. Nerd.”
An old, unmarked truck slowly rolled onto the beach in front of Darryl’s house, its brakes squealing when it stopped. Roscoewas driving, and Austin sat in the passenger seat. I ran up to the vehicle as the two hopped out.
“I thought you didn’t have a license.”
The werewolf’s only response was his signature grin that would spark worry the moment it slithered up his face.
“Roscoe!”
“You wanna get to Norwich with all yer stuff, right?”
