While Nero got Pauly into his shield harness, Josh did a thorough job adjusting straps and checking… he had no idea what. Then it was time for Nero go to wolf, but he couldn’t change without saying something to Josh, though he had no idea exactly what.
And when Josh looked up to see him staring, his expression turned surprisingly stubborn, as if he was fighting as much emotion as Nero was and was also refusing to let it out. “I made my own choice,” he said. “It wasn’t a noble sacrifice or a lovesick act of desperation. I’ve found my passion, and I’m not willing to let it all be erased. No matter what happens now”—his eyes glittered sharp with unshed tears—“or between us, this is what I want.”
Nero couldn’t argue with that, especially since he was suddenly struck by the difference between the Josh he’d first met and the one who stood before him now. The Josh from before had been drifting and was a bit of a whiner. The most important thing in his life was putting on a show at a convention in the hopes that he’d get laid that evening. The man before him now vibrated with conviction. He had a strength that was impressive and a determination to walk his path as he saved not only the lives of Nero’s team, but a whole section of Wisconsin too. He was focused and stronger than he’d ever been.
“I’m so proud to know you,” Nero said. “And I’m so grateful for everything, Josh. If it ends today—”
“Shut up. It doesn’t. Get furry so we can get on with it.” Then he took a breath. “Wait! I need a gun first.”
“What? Why?”
“Trust me on this, okay? Do you have a .45 anywhere?”
“Mother’s Glock.” Nero pulled it out of a lockbox and handed it over. Josh checked it over with quick efficiency, then shoved it in the back of his pants. “Thanks. Now get furry.”
Damn, the guy was even issuing orders now. Good for him. So Nero complied. He shifted quickly and stood calmly while Josh strapped a bad-smelling shield onto his wolf body. And if there were extra caresses as Josh worked, moments when Josh burrowed his fingers deep into Nero’s fur and squeezed, then it was only because they’d always communicated better with their bodies than they had with words. And that was why, when all was in place, Nero tilted his head up and licked Josh’s face—a big wet swipe right over his lips.
“Ew!” Josh wiped the slobber off with his hand. “That’s disgusting.” But he was smiling as he said it. And then he reached into his backpack and pulled out his computer plus a headset. He slipped on the headset first. “Okay, everyone, bark if you can hear me.”
Nero jerked sideways at the sudden sound next to his ear. Apparently Josh had put in a tiny speaker, but wolf ears didn’t need anything so loud. He barked loud and sharp at Josh, as did everyone else on the team. And then, when Josh didn’t seem to understand, Nero went right up beside his ear and barked as loud as he could.
“Hey!” Josh exclaimed, and then his eyes widened in surprise. “Oh. Too loud?”
Nero nodded.
Josh quickly tapped on his keyboard. “Better?”
Five wolves yipped in unison.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Then he pointed to his laptop screen. “Okay, I put cameras in your hoodies too, and some sensors, so I can see what’s happening on levels you can’t.” He glanced at Nero. “You can thank Stratos for the programming. I didn’t have a clue.” Then he turned back to his screen. “I’m going to stay here and watch everything. I don’t want to interfere with your attack, but if I tell you to move, you’ve got to listen, okay? Bark if you understand.”
Silence. No one answered because they were all looking to Nero for his decision. Fortunately Nero had no doubt. He yipped once, and then he barked louder for good measure.
That was good enough for his team. They all yipped their agreement, and then it was time for them to go. Nero looked one last time at Josh, who gave him a thumbs-up. Everything was set on his end, and so he turned and began to run for the bastard demon.
It was awkward carrying a shield on his back, and he was grateful for the distance to the lake. It gave him time to test out the added weight, to figure out how to leap and how to strike. It would have been better to have more than a few minutes to do this, especially since he also had to mentally prepare for this attack. But he’d replayed this moment in his head so many times that it was a relief to finally be here. That he had Josh in his ear too made it especially sweet, though the guy sure was chatty.
“So it turns out that back in the fifties, a guy wrote a dime novel based on a real-life serial killer that liked to murder ice fishermen. Must be a Wisconsin thing. Anyway, since he was a horror writer—like an early Stephen King—he made it into a paranormal thing, a demon with weirdly colored skin and orange blood who haunted lakes in order to eat random Wisconsinites. The writer never made it famous, but the locals loved it. They retold the story countless times, and now it’s an urban legend here. I think it’s the origin of your lakeside people-eater. It’s a good thing that I’m a fast reader, because I had like ten seconds to read the ending before I got zapped here. It told me everything we need to know to kill the demon. Bitter—you know who—gave it to me. The writing’s not bad, but—”
Nero did a hard, sharp bark. They were nearing the attack area and needed to focus.
“What? Am I talking too much?”
Another bark, this time lower and more growly.
“Got it. Okay. Go on and take ’em out. Take ’em down. Do your… do your stuff.”
Nero snorted. He doubted anyone else got the reference toIndependence Day, but Nero recognized it from their last movie night. And then there was no more time for memories because he was starting the first attack run.
Chapter 27
JOSH STAREDat his split screen and tried to calm his racing heart. It helped to focus on the five tiny images of the wolves as they ran through the woods, but he still had equal parts excitement and terror zipping through his mind. He couldn’t believe he was actually doing this. He was the tech geek helping to take out a Big Bad. Lives depended on him and his tech, which was terrifying given how many failed attempts there were in any science. And yet he couldn’t deny the thrill. This was him, nerdy Josh Collier, as part of the team.
Or more accurately, part of the pack.
That’s what Nero had said.He’s one of us.And from Nero, that was like being handed the key to his heart. But Josh couldn’t bask in the glow of that because he had to do his job. He grinned. This was hisjob, and he loved it.
He focused in on the action, piecing it together from what he’d learned reading the mission file and watching the recording of Nero’s report to the review board. From what he could tell, right now everything was going exactly as before. They were running in formation, headed toward the demon.
