Adam peeked around the corner. “What tools?”
“I had to keep them in storage because we didn’t have any room in that shitty little apartment.”
The half-turn stomped on a small roach skittering past his foot. “Ugh. I can’t live here.”
“They’re just bugs, damn. Try sharing a dumpster with rats some time,” Austin said, closing the garage door. “This place can be a palace, especially if you’ve ever lived on the streets. Ain’t that right?” He gave Roscoe a nudge.
“Palace it is.” Roscoe peeked into both bedrooms before examining the one bathroom we’d all end up sharing. “Just needs some cleaning and a bit o’ love.” He looked over at me. “You okay?”
“I…” I trailed off, letting out a sigh before walking toward the door. “Let’s just get our beds. We’ll deal with this tomorrow.”
Later that night
“Yer not seein’ the possibilities,” Roscoe whispered. “I bet we’ll have this place looking like home in a few weeks.”
“I’m almost afraid to look at the town now.”
He tightened his arms around me. “It’s an adventure, Cody. You gotta live in the moment and think about the cool shit wecan do here.” He leaned in, his cold, wet snout settling on the crook of my neck. “And yer lucky you ain’t gotta go through the tough times alone. Having those two living with us is pretty lucky, too. We got two sources of income now. When you hit yer full turn, you want to be around other werewolves more, especially the older you get.”
“When do you think I’ll get to be a werewolf?”
“Hmm…” Roscoe slipped his hand under my pants, running his finger along the cleft of my ass. “You don’t have a little tail, and there ain’t a lot of fur, so it’ll be a while. I know it ain’t fun, and sometimes it can hurt, but try to enjoy the good parts.” He pulled at the fabric until it ripped.
“Damn it, Roscoe. I’m running out of underwear.” I pushed his hand away. “And I’m not in the mood.”
“You’ll feel better. Trust me.” Roscoe’s long tongue trailed along my neck. “When have I ever been wrong about this?” He lifted me on top of him before sliding my boxers off. There wasn’t as much pain as the broad tip of his cock slipped inside.
The light flipped on, and Austin walked into the room, furiously sniffing the air.
“Looks fun. Got room for another?”
“Hell yeah,” Roscoe said, catching himself as I grabbed a tuft of fur on his neck. “Uh, that’s if it’s okay with Cody.”
“Get the hell out of here!” I shouted, throwing a pillow at the werewolf’s head. Austin snorted and left the room, closing the door behind him.
“Is it too late to kick them out?”
Adam and I spent much of the morning cleaning the layers of grime and rust from the kitchen and bathroom, while Roscoeworked on the floors. Austin was busy patching the walls; he’d need to head into town later to buy paint and necessities with the little money we had left.
After tossing the scrub brush into a blue plastic bucket, I rinsed my hands and walked through the hallway out the back door. I hadn’t really gotten a good look at the entire yard yet, but as the late morning sun unveiled what was hidden last night, a smile crossed my face.
The backyard was wild and overgrown but had a vine-covered firepit in the middle. Where the backyard ended, the woods began. It was pretty, and as Roscoe had said, I could kind of see the possibilities. Maybe I’d make a garden, and we could clean up the firepit. Perhaps we’d meet more people and invite them over for games and drinking.
“What’s with that look?” Adam asked. I hadn’t noticed him creeping up behind me.
“I haven’t had a yard since I was a kid.”
Adam kicked a small rotten log out of the way. “I want to go back to the city.”
“Well, nothing’s stopping you,” I muttered, walking the perimeter of the property. Adam trailed behind.
“I bet there’s not even a nightclub in this town. Just a bunch of old-people bars.”
“You don’t have to sell this town to me. I’m already liking it.”
Adam huffed like a child throwing a tantrum.
“I’m just trying to look on the bright side for once, and you’re not helping.” I pointed to the woods. “You think it’s really haunted?”
