Chapter 6
The hot spray sliding over his hair felt incredible. For the past hour, Teddy had Callum standing beneath a cascade of water that beat the gross stuff out of his fur. He peered at the floor and saw chunky brown goop swirling down the drain. He knew he should be embarrassed, but the feeling of being clean trumped any shame he would normally feel.
And then there were Teddy’s hands. Big, thick, powerful. They moved deftly, running up and down Callum’s legs, changing the once-grimy, blackened fur back to its natural reddish color. After he seemed satisfied, Teddy took towels and dried Callum off. Just when he thought they were finished, Teddy brought out a hairdryer and brush, and proceeded to remove tangles that had picked up all manner of nasty things from the labs.
When he finished his ministrations, Teddy stood back and smiled. “You look… stunning,” Teddy whispered in Callum’s ear. “It’s hard to believe how much different you are. I thought you were beautiful before, but now? It’s night and day.” He ran a hand along Callum’s flank, which made Callum shiver almost as much as Teddy saying he was beautiful. “We just need to help you put on a few pounds, because I’ll be honest, you’re looking way too skinny.”
Callum wanted to snort. He’d never been muscular. That had been Cooper. No, Callum had been chunky. He never thought it looked bad on him, even when other people taunted him. He actually liked his broader hips and thicker thighs. They went well with his full and pouty lips. Sure, he wasn’t going to win a beauty contest, but for the most part, Callum was comfortable in his skin.
“Are you feeling better?” Teddy asked near Callum’s ear.
He bounced his head up and down. It had been the first time he’d been truly clean for years. He stood, chest out. He knew with the amount of food Hyde’s people had given him, he was probably gaunt as hell, but right now he didn’t care. Teddy was taking care of him, like he promised. The fear that he’d lived under constantly since being brought to this hellhole started to slip away.
And the man beaming at him had everything to do with it.
Callum wished he could shift back. He wanted to know where Cooper was, wanted to tell him he was okay. Even if they hadn’t always gotten along, he knew Cooper was worried for him.
“I talked with Mal and Alp. If you promise me you’ll eat, Dr. Hamilton says we can start introducing more food for you to choose from. She said you’re at least a hundred pounds underweight for a Highland bull, so if we want to get you healthy, we have to get you fed up. Plus, she thinks the nutrients will help to remove what’s remaining of the garbage they used out of your system.”
In the past, Callum had only eaten when he had no choice. Food was a rarity, but more often than not, it was only given when they wanted to do something to him. Once he’d refused to eat, figuring it was better to starve than undergo another experiment. They’d fed him intravenously, then tortured him.
Now? Knowing that Teddy said it was okay, Callum would eat. And he’d do it happily. Though, if he was honest, he wanted to sit with Teddy and enjoy a meal, not stand there chewing noisily like a cow does with his food.
“Can I tell you something?” Teddy stepped closer. “I’d like to take you out to dinner one night, if you want. We could have pizza and root beer, and after, we can go get some ice cream.” He stroked a hand over Callum’s ear. “I know we haven’t been able to talk yet, but you say more words with your eyes than most people do with their mouths. And I’m certain you’re telling me the truth.” He stroked a thumb over Callum’s jaw. “I can see you want to shift. To come sit and eat with me, to watch the sun set and rise. You want us to be friends.”
Callum’s heart thumped a bit harder. He nudged Teddy’s hand, grateful when those amazing fingers of his went back to scratching the skin through the fur. Before he was taken, Callum had fully acknowledged being gay. When he’d told his parents, they’d seemed relieved, then said it was because he’d never pass their genes on to others. They’d always told him that Cooper was the only one who should have kids, because…. Well, it didn’t matter. His parents weren’t awful people, but they weren’t doting either.
Except for when it came to Cooper. Anything he wanted, they’d make happen. And that was fine. Callum much preferred to keep his head down and fly under the radar. Especially once he decided on the course his life would take.
That didn’t go so well.
Nope, not at all. Still, he kept his eyes on the prize, and with Mrs. Haskins in his corner, he was poised to break free from his family and forge a life of his own.
Then came Hyde and his people.
Gone were the nights that Callum could sit in the woods near their house and stare up at the stars. Gone too was the opportunity to learn more from his teacher about baking. The few friends he’d had probably wondered—briefly—what happened to him, then went on with their lives.
“Everyone decent?”
“We are. Come in, Alp.”
From around the corner, a tiny man appeared. He smiled at Callum, who nodded at him. It was when he turned that Callum noticed his missing hand. He didn’t even have to ask, because he knew what happened.
“Callum, I would like you to meet Alp. He’s the First mate of the Wald pack.”
Knowing propriety, Callum dipped his head.
Alp came closer. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Callum. I wish I had been able to do it earlier, but Dr. Hamilton said we should give you some space for a bit. Teddy tells us you’re doing well. I’m glad to hear it.”
Callum sniffed Alp’s arm, then pulled away.
“Yeah, I know. Sucks, don’t it? It was a present from Hyde, who swore that if he cut it off, it would regrow. Newsflash, it didn’t.” He turned and took a seat on the bench. “So, listen. I wanted to come down and let you know that if—when—you shift back, you are welcome to stay with us as long as you want. We don’t know about your life outside this place, but we do know a lot of our people who’ve tried to go out into the world again had ended up coming back, because it was too weird out there for them. They couldn’t take the stares and whispers, so they returned to the place they felt safe. We want that for you, if you think you need it.”
All Callum wanted was to see Cooper. He wished he could tell them what he needed.
“Anyway, that’s all I had to say.” He stood, then cocked his head. “Would you be okay if…. I mean, would you mind….” He grinned. “You’re just the most beautiful bull I’ve ever seen. I was hoping you wouldn’t mind if I felt your hair.”
Callum snorted. This guy was funny. He leaned in, and a shudder ran through him when Alp stroked his hand over Callum’s head.
“You’re magnificent, you know. I’ve only seen Highland bulls in pictures. Close up, you’re way more incredible. I like the red hair. Are you a redhead in your human form?”
More like a plethora of shades, with copper and mahogany being the most prevalent, but strands of strawberry and crimson also easily seen. Either way, Callum nodded.
“I’m jealous. Always wanted to have red hair. They say blonds have more fun, but I think it’s redheads.” He stepped away. “Okay, I have to go. Almost story time. And we have a surprise for you, Callum. Thanks to Teddy, we have the pen you’re in wired for sound. If you want to hear the story when I read it to the kids, you’ll be able to listen in. Plus, we’ve got it so you can call out if you need someone. Teddy will show you how to do that.”
And then, in a frenetic dash of energy, he was gone.
“And that’s our bunny,” Teddy said with a chuckle. “I think you’ll like him. He’s very caring about his people, just like his mate is.”
He also offered Callum something he wasn’t sure he ever truly had.
A home.
“How’s it going?” Mal poked his head into Teddy’s makeshift office.
“About as well as one can expect. These people were absolute freaks with their need to keep every single scrap of paper.”
“They are… were … scientists. I still wonder where it all went wrong for them. Some of them seemed brilliant, but then they went off the rails and descended into crackpot theories and the like.”
“They definitely were nuts. I’m going through each file, then scanning it and sorting them into folders. They had really screwed-up notions about what shifters are.”
“Yeah, tell me about it.” He sighed. “I have to go. Damon’s arriving, and we’re going to tour the place while his kids do their thing. If you need me, give a shout.”
“Will do. Thanks.”
Mal stepped out of the room, and Teddy went back to it. He pulled open the top drawer of the filing cabinet that stood in the corner of his office. Well, one of them. He had at least six others scattered throughout. Hyde may have been a psychopath, but the man kept every goddamn scrap of paper, as if losing a receipt to Value Village would be a problem.
He grinned. He loved doing this. Yeah, it was mostly busy work, but it was soothing in a weird way. It didn’t require a lot of concentration so he was free to let his mind wander. He thought about Callum and how they’d gotten closer in the last four days. One thing was certain, that guy loved being brushed. Teddy would go to the stall, and the first thing Callum would do was grab the brush and hand it to Teddy. That was fine. It made Callum happy, which made Teddy happy.
He still wondered what they’d done to Callum. When he washed the thick hair, Teddy could see the scars buried there, right below his ear. At some point, it appeared as though they’d done surgery on him. When he brought it up to Dr. Hamilton, she said there was definitely scar tissue, but she couldn’t guess as to what it was. His X-rays were clean as far as she could see.
It worried Teddy that they’d done things he couldn’t find paperwork for. They had a trove of documents, and he hoped that he’d be able to find out. Maybe something in this mess was the key to helping Callum return to human.
He toiled for forty-five minutes, sorting things into piles, before he scanned them and slipped them into the folders he’d created on the computer. When he flipped the page of a bound document, Teddy’s blood ran cold. At the top of the page were the names Callum and Cooper. He had to read the file four times, because no fucking way….
But the truth was there in black and white. Teddy’s stomach burbled, and he tasted the bile a moment before he threw up. The more he thought about what he’d read, the worse it got.
When the door opened, Teddy waved to whoever it was, not wanting them to see him like this.
“Teddy?”
Alp. Of course. It had to be the bunny.
A hand rubbed his back. “Are you okay?”
Teddy wanted to say something, but he heaved again. Tears streamed down his face. His whole life he’d wanted to acquire knowledge. He liked being the smart one. The brainy one. Now he wished he had never set foot in this place.
“Can you tell me what's wrong?”
How could he? What could he possibly say to Alp that wouldn’t terrify the gentle little man?
“Mal!” Alp shouted. “I need you.”
A moment later, the door banged open. “What’s wrong?” Mal rumbled.
“Teddy is sick or something. I found him like this.”
Mal strode forward, the heavy tread of his boots loud on the tiles. A moment later, Teddy found himself lifted from the floor and held to Mal’s big body. “Damon is in my office,” he said. “Go get him.”
Alp scurried away.
“Don’t let Alp be here,” Teddy croaked out. “He can’t know.”
“Know what? What’s wrong?”
Before he could answer, Damon Walker hurried into the room. “Teddy? What’s going on?”
“Alp? Can you go get him some water?”
“There’s some in the fridge,” Alp said.
“No, I need you to go get him some from the kitchen. Take a few minutes, okay?”
Alp frowned. “Oh. Oh, okay.”
A moment later the door closed with a soft snick.
“Tell me what’s this about?” Damon ordered.
Teddy pointed to the folder. Damon picked it up and his gaze traveled over the page. “No,” he whispered.
“What’s going on?” Mal demanded. “Why is this being kept from Alp?”
Damon cleared his throat. “Mal... Hyde... he....” A deep breath. “He and his people wanted to know if shifters tasted like the animals they were. This report talks about them having eaten some of them.”
The door opened again, and everyone froze. Alp entered the room, a glass in hand. He placed it down in front of Teddy, then turned to Mal. “Okay, what’s going on?”
Mal cleared his throat, but his voice still sounded scratchy. “I need you to go be with the kids, okay?”
Alp stomped his foot like an angry rabbit and glared at Mal. “No. I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m your mate, and anything that happens here is my business too.”
“Alp, please…,” Damon wheedled.
“No, Damon. I’m not some shrinking violet. If something is wrong, I can?—”
Mal handed him the folder. Teddy cringed when the high-pitched whine started a moment later. That was followed by a strangled cry. Mal grabbed for him, but Alp dodged him and threw the folder onto the floor, scattering the papers.
“Why? What the fuck? How could they do something so disgusting?”
“Alp, come here. Now.”
Mal opened his arms. Alp hesitated for only a moment before he lunged at his mate, who closed his arms tight, peppering kisses in Alp’s hair.
“It’ll be okay, baby. I have you.”
“It gets worse,” Teddy said, his heart in a vise. “One of the shifters they ate was Callum’s brother.”