Josh flashed the guy his middle finger as he shoved himself upright. Half his muscles ached from the lousy position he’d been in. The other half were nonresponsive because of lack of blood flow. He growled low and deep in his throat as he moved, his annoyance put to sound. And then he froze as he realized what he’d done.
Shit. He sounded like Savannah’s dog when facing off with the neighbor’s Chihuahua. Wiz chuckled, clearly unimpressed, and Josh had to agree. The truth was, he sounded more like the Chihuahua than Savannah’s bulldog. So rather than try a different insult, Josh headed upstairs for a bathroom and food.
He found both as well as just about everyone else. Stratos sat hunched over a mug of coffee. Happy, aka Laddin, was humming as he buttered toast. Pretty Boy chewed methodically on a carrot stick. The captain was enjoying her own omelet, and Wiz wandered up the stairs as Josh grabbed a bagel and threw the pieces in the toaster.
Except for Nero, everyone was here, which made this the best time to say his piece.
He cleared his throat. “I’ve spent the last day researching,” he said. “I read fast, and there were things I wanted to know.”
Everyone looked up at him—for a moment—then returned to their food.
“The thing is,” he continued, “they can’t keep us here. Not after we master our ability to shift. And there are lots of werewolf packs throughout the world.”
“Bad idea,” said the captain. “We’re like the police. They’re like cults. Nutjob, drink-the-Kool-Aid, David Koresh-like psychos.”
“Not all of them,” Wiz added. “Some of them just require absolute adherence to the alpha’s demands. Whatever they may be.”
Laddin frowned. “All of them?”
Stratos spoke up, though she never looked up from her coffee. “From what I read last night? Yes. It doesn’t matter how they start. Eventually a nutjob alpha takes over and Wulf, Inc. has to take them down.”
Josh agreed. It’s what he’d read last night too. Which brought him to his next point. “They’re not lying that they need help. Their numbers have never been huge, and their ranks have been thinning fast. They’ve only got two doctors, and both died thanks to a pestilence demon a month ago.”
The captain straightened up as she glared at Wiz. “Just how much of our library did you let him read?”
“The case files,” Josh answered. Then he looked at the new recruits, catching the eyes of each one in turn. “I was pissed about getting recruited or activated or whatever without my consent, but it doesn’t change the facts. They need support, and what they’ve been doing is good stuff, as far as I can see.” He took a deep breath and really committed out loud. “I’m a chemist, and I’ve decided to help. My guess is all of you have special skills too.”
Stratos’s lips curved, and this time she did look up from her mug. He saw the dark circles under her eyes, but also a flash of excitement. She’d been reading right along beside him, probably lots of the same files. “I’m a programmer,” she said. “And yeah, I’m in too.”
He glanced at Happy. The guy was grinning. “I’m organized,” he said. Then he shrugged. “And I can blow up anything. I grew up doing demolitions.”
Really? That was not at all what he’d expected. “Someone needs to organize their database. Their library—”
“I’m already on that,” Stratos interrupted. When he looked at her, she shrugged. “I looked at your notes while you were asleep. Already started a basic sorting program.”
Cool. That would be massively helpful. Meanwhile Happy gestured to the captain. “And I’m already helping her. If you think the library is a mess, you should see her office.” His shudder looked like it came from the bottom of his feet and went all the way up his body.
That left Pretty Boy. But when Josh looked at him, the actor didn’t answer. He just rolled the remains of his carrot forward and back between his fingers. Fine. He could keep his secrets, but Josh already knew about the guy’s hypnotic stare.
“Okay, we’re invested.” At least three of them were. He looked at the captain. “And fair warning, I’m planning on changing your recruitment methods.”
The captain shrugged. “If you can find a way without breaking the accord, then I’m all for it.”
Great. He added “Read the Paranormal Accord” to his To-Do list. “What’s the next step?”
She opened her mouth to answer, but Happy was there before her, practically leaping over the counter to tell them the news. “Today is one more rest day; then tomorrow we try to change into wolves. They’ve got exercises to bring out our doggie side. And then we change back. That’s it! As often as possible until we get comfortable with it. Comfortable and in control. Those are her words.” Then he spun around, looking at everyone in turn. “Afterwards, she’ll tell us about our jobs, our pay, and benefits and the like.” He did a little hop. “They have full dental!”
“Yeah, but do they have a dentist?” Josh asked.
Wiz snorted. “We have a dentist, but he’s doubling as our medic right now. And believe me, you don’t want him in your mouth or in a wound.”
“Really?” the captain snapped. “How are those healing spells coming along,Wizard?”
“Pretty slow, considering I’ve been babysitting new recruits.And I’m not a cleric.” He paused and Josh took a moment to realize he was referring to traditional D&D structure. Wizards had magic spells; clerics had healing spells. Then Wiz flashed a truly creepy smile. “But the necromancy text has been really enlightening.”
At those words, everyone stared at Wiz. Necromancy? The idea gave him the chills. Meanwhile, Happy was busy being cheerful.
“Anyway, in a few weeks to a month, we should be all sorted out. Full werewolves with jobs and—”
