Chapter 7
Jake listened to the news as he cleaned up a mess in the ER. A few people muttered about mythos and the trouble they caused, as if they were to blame for the appearance of wild magic.
Someone muttered about him being a fucking dog, and Jake was half tempted to thrust the mop at him and ask if he’d like to clean up the blood and other bodily fluids the unfortunate person had spilled.
His gaze drifted to the screen as various videos played, showing the chaos happening around town.
Somewhere out there Reyman was leading the wild magic—and his pack—away.
No doubt he’d stopped by Jake’s place to see if he’d join them.
When he’d woken up this morning, he had deliberated, but only for a few seconds.
While the temptation to be able to shift was strong, it wasn’t something he craved like some of the older werewolves because he didn’t remember much of the before.
That was the lie he told himself, anyway.
The truth was he worried about what Adam might say.
He liked him too much to lose him. He was worried about leaving and having to start over somewhere new, and he didn’t like Reyman or trust him.
Those reasons had been enough for him to drag his tail to work instead of getting involved in unicorn drama—which was probably best avoided.
He finished up and was told to take a patient down to x-ray and then bring them back.
By the time he stopped and checked the news again, he was on his dinner break, which was also his break between shifts.
He’d been regretting accepting a second double for the last four hours.
Partly he was going to miss the Samhain celebrations, and while he could turn up late, he’d be too tired.
He messaged Adam to see how he was doing with the chaos. He’d hadn’t expected a reply, especially if Adam was busy, but he got one back as he finished his second cup of coffee and a piece of chocolate cake. He hoped the caffeine and sugar were enough to get him through another eight hours.
Be safe. It’s weird out here.
I know, you should see it where I am.
The ER was full of people who were wild magic affected and had gotten injured as a result.
Have you seen anything like this before?
No. But if you see a unicorn, run. That’s what we were told growing up.
Any other advice?
Don’t make any wishes.
While wild magic was dangerous, it would settle and become stable and then this place would be more like the home he didn’t really remember.
He’d thought the missing memories were part of the collapse damage, but he’d learned it was some kind of trauma response.
Working in a hospital had given him all kinds of insights.
Unlike a lot of others, he didn’t mind rotating to the psych ward because he enjoyed talking to the doctors and nurses, and sure, some of them were curious about werewolves and the before, but learning meant trading knowledge.
While he’d considered going back to school to become a nursing assistant, unless he was classified as a person, there didn’t seem much point. And if the Mythological Persons Bill didn’t pass, he didn’t know what was going to happen to his job.
Or what it might mean for him and Adam.
I don’t think I’ll be finishing on time. I’ll sleep at home.
Okay. Later, maybe?
Jake winced. Was he being too needy?
Tomorrow afternoon?
Sounds good.
Are you going to the mytho party?
I’m already dead on my feet. The only party I’m planning is with my pillow.
That’s a party I want to attend.
Jake smiled. He wasn’t being brushed off. Wild magic had simply gotten in the way of them sharing a bed and snuggling up after too many hours working. He checked the time.
I need to go, break’s over. Good luck.
You too.
Jake tossed his rubbish and made his way back to work, tail drooping. Stupid doubles. He’d swear off them for a few weeks before deciding it wasn’t too bad as he always needed the money.
Jake woke up face down on the bed like he always did, but something was off. He kept his eyes closed as he tried to work out what it was. There was no one in his apartment, and he could hear the people who lived upstairs moving around.
He didn’t feel unwell, but he didn’t feel quite right either.
He pushed aside the feeling, blaming it on exhaustion and the back-to-back doubles. He opened his eyes, ready to force himself up, and stopped. Where there had always been a paw, was now a hand. And clearly his hand as two of his claws were filed short and blunt for fingering Adam.
No brown fur covered the back of his hand. He turned his hand over. No rough pads on his palm or fingers. He flexed his fingers and made a fist. His fingers obeyed, even though the movement felt strange.
He hadn’t seen this hand in over ten years.
He raised his hand to his face, knowing what he’d find but needing to be sure all the same.
Gone was the muzzle and whiskers, though his jaw was a little more pronounced than a human’s.
There was stubble on his jaw. He traced up to his ears, and while they were still pointed, they were no longer furry.
He closed his eyes again, trying to summon up the memory of the last time he’d seen himself in still water. He wouldn’t look like a teen anymore.
Trying to remember his parents was harder.
Slowly, he sat up and flicked back the blankets. His feet seemed to be human feet except for the claws at the end of his toes. The hair on his legs was the same brown as his fur… though not as thick.
He stood, and it took a moment for his heels to settle on the ground.
Being trapped mid-shift was not natural for a werewolf.
The body he was accustomed to had never been truly his.
He took a step and rose onto the balls of his feet without thinking and stumbled.
His balance was off because his tail was wrong.
It was too small, and covered in hair much like his legs… or was it sparse fur?
By the time he crossed the floor to the bathroom, his body had remembered how to walk in this form. They called it human, but it wasn’t. It was humanlike in the way elves and vampires were humanlike.
Or maybe humans were like them but with no magical abilities.
He stepped into the bathroom and stared at the man in the mirror with a confused expression.
His hair stuck up all over the place, tufting out above his ears, in serious need of a trim.
The points of his ears peeked out of his brown hair.
He ran his fingers over one ear as he stepped closer to the mirror.
His eyes were the same gold.
And when he smiled, his teeth were still pointy.
He touched his face again, not sure why he suddenly had it, and why so many werewolves had wanted to go back to this.
Because they remembered.
Those who were younger than him didn’t know what it was like to shift, and those who were older remembered and longed for the old days. He’d been at an awkward age.
And there were plenty of them. Children of the collapse, who only really knew this place as home.
A world without magic. He was one of the oldest, and so he should remember Tariko better.
It should be more than a collection of vague memories of running through the forest or helping his father with the leatherwork.
He frowned, his eyebrows pulling together. Did this mean he could now shift? Then he realized he didn’t know how to shift. He shook his head. That was a problem for another day.
His first question was: how did this happen? Followed by: was he the only one?
He pulled on a pair of track pants that usually fit fine.
The legs were too long and the tail opening too big for the stumpy little thing he had in this form, but he had nothing else to wear.
He pulled on a sweatshirt but didn’t bother with shoes, knowing they wouldn’t fit, grabbed his keys, and then padded out of his apartment and went upstairs.
He knocked on the door of the apartment where he’d heard people moving around.
One of the sisters who lived there opened the door.
For several heartbeats, they stared at each other. She looked like a stranger, but her scent was familiar.
“It’s not just me.” His voice was unchanged, which was a relief.
She shook her head. “Didn’t you hear? The wild magic settled. We can shift again, but they’re saying if we go too far away, we’ll go back to the half-shifted form. Isn’t it exciting?” She put her hand over her heart. “Magic is back, and we can shift.”
So Reyman had failed, and the magic had settled. That was a good thing, but it felt like more changes, and he wasn’t ready. It felt as though he’d only just got his life together, and it was being twisted out of shape again.
Jake licked his lip. Then did it again to familiarize himself with the shape of his mouth. She was part of Xan’s pack, so there was no point in asking her what had happened to Reyman. “I don’t remember how to shift. I’d only just started shifting before the collapse.”
She grinned all sharp teeth. “You won’t be the only one who needs lessons. They’ll be a whole bunch of children who’ve never shifted.”
“They’ll be a bunch of kids who’ve never seen their face like this.” Anyone born after the collapse had only existed in the half-shifted form. They only knew their parents in that form. There was going to be chaos in some houses.
He should be more excited about this, instead he was low-key panicking. What if he got used to shifting and it disappeared again?
And then there was Adam.
“Are you okay?” She put her hand on his arm.
“I woke up like this. I’m still… processing.” And figuring out how this body worked. “I don’t remember this form. Is there anything I need to know?”
She laughed. “This is how we are meant to be.”
Is it? It didn’t feel natural to him, and he was sure there were plenty of people younger than him who’d agree.
“Xan has called a meeting for all werewolves tonight. You should have a text.”
Jake reached for his pocket. “My phone’s downstairs. I’ll go and check.”
He stepped back. He didn’t want to go to a werewolf meeting. Adam was supposed to be coming over. His stomach churned. He wasn’t ready to see Adam.
“Hey… nice seeing you.” She grinned.
Jake nodded and forced a smile, which made his cheeks feel weird. “Yeah. Same.”
He padded back downstairs, knowing he needed to solve his shoe problem before his next shift. That meant he needed to do it today or tomorrow. He checked his phone and saw messages from Xan and Adam.
He couldn’t blow off the werewolf meeting. If Xan was calling all werewolves, that meant something had happened to Reyman.
The meeting was an excuse he could give to avoid seeing Adam until he could figure out what to say. His heart was heavy as he typed up the message, but he couldn’t deal with Adam’s reaction when he was dealing with his own shock and adjustments.
There’s an emergency werewolf meeting at six. I need to attend, and I’m not sure how long it will take. I’m sorry.
Adam wouldn’t be annoyed with him, only disappointed that they weren’t able to get their schedules to line up.
How long until Adam heard either on the news or from someone speaking to someone that werewolves had regained their ability to shift and were now more human-looking? A lump formed in his throat. Someone would talk about it on Adam’s forum. He might already know.
His pointed teeth pressed against his lip as he watched the three little dots form on the screen.
Okay. I’m glad you weren’t at the party as there was some trouble. I hear the magic has settled.
What kind of trouble?
As best as I can tell, it seems as though the unicorn made some people disappear. And there’s a new tree in the Presidio that looks as though it’s been there for the last fifty years.
Were you there?
No, but cops and firefighters talk.
Jake swallowed and stared at his screen. He needed to say something.
The magic settling changes things for mythos… for werewolves.
Before he could explain those things, Adam replied.
Why don’t you text me when your meeting is done, and I’ll come around with some dinner?
Jake closed his eyes, not sure what to say. He should be happy. This is how he was supposed to be. But this wasn’t what Adam liked. And it wasn’t the body Jake was used to.
And he didn’t know what to do or how to respond.
If he broke it off, he wasn’t giving Adam a chance. But he wasn’t sure he could deal with rejection, either. Adam’s lust has been a welcome change from the usual fear and disgust his half-shifted form caused. He didn’t want to lose Adam.
He needed to suck it up and rip off the bandage. Then they’d both knew where they stood.
Okay
But in his heart, Jake suspected it was over. He wasn’t the kind of kinky fuck Adam wanted. He should have kept it to one night instead of falling for the firefighter.