“Your voice changes. It’s not as compelling as when you’re being honest.”
Nero felt his jaw drop and made an effort to snap it closed. He didn’t know where to examine that statement first. That he had compulsion in his voice or that it went out when he was lying. Or that Josh could tell one from the other. It wasn’t possible, but then again, this was a new day and age. All the normal rules—what few there were—seemed to be on their head right now.
“Josh—”
“Save it. I’m going to assume I’m a prisoner, what with the cages and all. So, are you going to feed me, or do I make a break for the nearest McDonald’s?”
“It’d be a long, cold walk. Nearest one is thirty miles away.”
“So where’s the kitchen?”
“This way.” Nero walked ahead of him, knowing he was on borrowed time. Eventually Josh was going to make a break for it. It was his job to start laying out the breadcrumbs and making sure that Josh gobbled them up. But first things first. They made it to the large kitchen with a center island and long dining room table. Waiting in the oven was a massive dish of shepherd’s pie. It had everything the new werewolf could want: meat, meat, and more meat layered over with cheesy mashed potatoes. He pulled it out and dished up a huge plate, which he kept for himself. He pushed the remainder of the casserole straight at Josh. Given the rumbling in the guy’s stomach, it was a miracle he’d waited long enough to grab silverware.
Josh ate with speed. That was part of the glory of shepherd’s pie. You didn’t really even need to chew. Water from the filtered tap was next, as well as a dish of green beans. All of it went down Josh’s gullet, which wasn’t a surprise.
What did surprise Nero was the way he seemed to be taking in all his surroundings even while he was shoveling food in his mouth. The guy’s eyes were never still, and he even picked up his dish to eat while walking around. Nero followed, fighting the urge to sit and let the guy run for it. Nero was drooping with fatigue, and frankly he doubted Josh could make it out of the estate, past the gate, and out into the world. But it wasn’t worth the risk, so he dug deep and tried to be persuasive.
“So while you’re checking out the mansion, how about I go through who we are and what we want you to do for us?” It was a rhetorical question, but Josh nodded anyway. “The company’s called Wulf, Inc. We’re all werewolves, except for Gelpack. We fight paranormal baddies. That’s mostly demons, but there are rogue vampires, evil fairies, and shifters who can’t control who and what they are.”
Josh gave him a wide-eyed look, but he didn’t stop eating. And when Nero paused to finish his own meal, Josh tried to slide open a glass door to the back lawn. It didn’t work, of course. It was locked and the glass was bulletproof.
“You might take note of what I said,” Nero said. “If you don’t stay here long enough to learn how to control your new abilities, it’ll be my job to hunt you down and force you through our training course.”
“And if I refuse?”
“We have permanent cages at a different facility. Sorry, but it’s for your own safety and everyone else’s.” He set down his plate. “But we’re hoping you’ll pick up the basics pretty fast and then help us out with a problem we have.”
Josh tilted his head as if he were listening closer, but Nero suspected he was looking out of the corner of his eye to their entertainment setup. The lounge was right beyond the kitchen, and it included a widescreen TV, couches, and several gaming systems. It was pretty sweet, and he wondered if Josh was tempted to forget everything and lose himself in video games. Nero certainly had been, especially lately.
Nero let himself wallow in yearning for a moment. Grief was still his constant companion, but work helped. As would video games, if he had the time. But his whole focus was on finding a way to defeat the plasma fire so he could go back in time and kill the demon bastard. That meant bringing Josh and the others up to speed. Surely one of them could figure it out, but they’d have to work fast. The fairy mulligan was available for seven weeks, and the clock was ticking.
A sound interrupted his thoughts, and he came back to the present with a lurch.
Holy shit, Josh was gagging. It began as a small cough but quickly progressed. Nero got to his side in a second, but it was too late. Josh’s body was rejecting the food. The guy was about to projectile hurl.
He half dragged, half carried Josh to the kitchen sink. They barely made it in time before Josh started heaving. His body convulsed and his hands gripped the counter until his fingers were white. Nero turned on the water and the garbage disposal, but beyond that, there was nothing he could do. He held the man, supporting his slender shoulders while his body rejected every bit of food he’d consumed. And he’d consumed a lot.
“You’re okay,” Nero murmured. “This happens sometimes. Let it go. You just need to get grounded a different way. Coming back to human is always hard, especially the first time.” He kept speaking like that. Soothing bullshit. The truth was that some wolves had troubleeverytime, but it did no good to tell Josh that now. He held the man while Josh’s body wrung itself out. And when it was done, Nero handed the man a glass of water and a paper towel, supporting Josh’s weight as the man rinsed, spit, and shuddered with revulsion.
“What. The. Hell,” Josh finally said. He was leaning heavily against the side of the sink, and his skin looked wan and dotted with sweat. Nero had a pretty good idea what was going on, but before he answered, he tried an experiment.
He rubbed his hand up and down Josh’s back in a soothing caress. The man shuddered and closed his eyes, clearly appreciating the touch.
Yeah, Josh was one ofthose, and it was going to be fucking hell on his own psyche to do what came next, but Josh was the important one here.
“Come on, let’s get you onto the couch.” He’d rather get the guy to bed, but that was too far away, and Josh needed care ASAP. “So look,” he said as he guided Josh in tiny steps to the nearest game room couch. Thank God it was the middle of the night and no one else was around. This could be really embarrassing for them both otherwise. “When you shift from human to wolf or back, you go through an energy state. Not everyone does, but most of us do, including you. Everyone has to learn how to settle into the body again afterwards. I think the Earth helps in the wolf state. There’s something about being an animal that connects you closer to Mother Earth. Don’t roll your eyes at me like that. I don’t fucking understand the details. I just know that no one has trouble grounding in their wolf state. In fact, many prefer being lupine instead of human.”
They’d made it to the couch, and Josh half sat, half collapsed onto it. Nero joined him there, keeping a hand on his arm as he settled in as close to the man as possible without full-on embracing. That would have to come next.
“Grounding back in your human form is harder. Wiz thinks it’s because we’re so much in our heads that we don’t really know our bodies that well. At least not the way we should. So coming back to human form requires some form of grounding.”
He pulled his hand away from Josh, watching closely for the effect. The guy visibly paled, wavering in his seat. Nero quickly returned to him, not only stroking his arm, but twisting him slightly on the couch so that he could fall more fully against Nero’s chest.
“For me,” Nero continued, “I eat a lot of food. The more meat, the better. I love food in every way, shape, or form, so for me, going human means eating. Obviously that doesn’t work for you.”
Josh released a low moan. “Obviously.”
“That’s because you’re all about touch. That’s why your clothes are so old, right? Because they’re soft. New stuff doesn’t feel right, and you have to wash them like ten times before you like them.”
