Chapter 8 #2
Margaret crouched down in front of Gary, taking his hands in hers. “Yes. We know that you’re wiped out. It’s stupid to take an unnecessary risk when you’re exhausted.”
His gaze softened, and she saw exactly what his father had warned: love. She returned that love a hundred-fold. But hers wasn’t a sexual love, and Gary shouldn’t have to settle for anything less with his romantic partner. No one should.
“You don’t have to be afraid,” he whispered. “Not of me as a bear.”
“Oh my God!” she snapped, irritated by his stupidity. “I’m not afraid of you. I’m afraid for you.” She pushed upright and did her best to tower over him. “You can’t walk if you’re dead. So tell me the risks. I know you asked.”
He grimaced, then admitted what she was afraid of.
“There’s not much data either way. Maybe the serum kills me, maybe it doesn’t.
Maybe shifting kills me, maybe it doesn’t.
Maybe I get what I want, maybe I end up worse off.
No way to know unless I try.” He matched her glare for glare.
“She just said if I’m going to do it, I should do it soon. ”
“So, try,” said Vic from behind them. “Life only gives you so many chances. It’s bad if you screw them up—trust me, I know about that. But it’s worse if you don’t even try.”
Gary nodded. “Exactly what I was thinking.”
Margaret wanted to scream. Talk about bullshit male bonding. Though neither man moved, Margaret felt towels snapping and locker room high-fives as if they were happening before her eyes. In this one affirmation, Gary had found a brother.
“Okay…,” she said slowly, as if they both had head wounds. “Maybe you should try, but after you get some rest. That’s only logical.”
“And not at home,” Vic added. “It’s got to be here, where we can contain things if it goes bad.”
Margaret shuddered. She didn’t want Gary “contained if it went bad.” She wanted him helped. She wanted him whole. She wanted him happy.
“It’s okay, Margaret,” Mr. Baldner said. “We know how to take care of our own without hurting him.”
Vic chuckled. “We’ve got tranquilizer guns.”
God, Margaret didn’t even want to think of them shooting Gary.
“Let’s come back tomorrow,” she said, but Gary shook his head.
“Too long. I’m not waiting—”
“Yes, you are,” interrupted Vic. “Last thing I need is to accidentally kill our newest shifter. Why don’t you take a nap upstairs? There’s a guest bedroom. It’s pretty basic, but it’s quieter and more private than down here.”
Gary shook his head. “I—”
Vic squatted so that their eyes were level. “You’re part of the clan now, and you need to understand we’ve got a command structure. Simon’s on top—he’s alpha and you’ll meet him later. I’m his beta. That means we give the orders and you guys obey. Always.”
Gary looked mutinous. “I’m not joining a paramilitary organization. I’m just—”
“Here to get your legs back. I get that, and I get that it needs to be soon. But you need to listen. If I say you wait, you wait. You hear me? I’m the one who’ll make sure you’re looked after. I’m also the one who knows where the serum is.”
Gary’s jaw clenched. He said nothing.
His father spoke up. “It’s clan rules, son. The alpha and beta make the big decisions—for the good of everyone. And we shifters need our clans.”
Vic nodded, then looked a bit more forgiving. “Don’t worry. We’ll do this soon. I know how important it is for you to try. I just want you to rest for a bit.”
“You promise you’ll give the serum to me?”
“Yes, Gary. It’s yours when you’ve rested. I’ll set it out on the counter by the refrigerator, right next to the gallon jugs of tainted tap water.”
Mr. Baldner gasped. “Why would you save—?”
“Because it’s like a triple espresso times ten to us hybrids. I’m not saying I’m drinking it every morning, Ray. But it’s good to have on hand. In case there’s an attack.”
Gary looked at his father, whose eyes were narrowed.
“You’re talking like we’re at war, Vic. We’re not. We’re just—”
“Under quarantine because of a shifter-targeting poison in our water system, there are hybrids going crazy out there, every fool in Detroit has a gun, and Nanook thought wolves were behind it all.”
“Nanook was paranoid.”
“Doesn’t mean he was wrong.” There was steely-eyed determination in Vic, and Margaret could see him as a commander now.
Mr. Baldner gave a dark frown. “What aren’t you telling us?”
Vic waved the question away. “Nothing.” He gave a too casual smile. “There’s nothing going on right now, at least not around here. So it’s a perfect time to rest up.”
Silence fell. Gary was clearly weighing his options, so Margaret added her two cents. She once again took his hands in hers and held them tight. “Please. Be smart about this.”
He froze, his eyes trained on hers, and then his body softened. His mouth flattened in acceptance and his chin dipped. And when she thought he was going to nod, he instead pulled her close and whispered hot words in her ear.
“I’ll wait, I promise. Now tell me the truth.”
She pulled back. “What?”
“How bad is your asthma? Do you need to go home?”
She jolted, startled by the weird non sequitur. Then she remembered that Gary noticed everything about her, including her asthma, even while deep in his own crisis. “It’s not bad. In fact, it will probably ease up if we get some rest.”
Gary nodded. “Then let’s go upstairs. We’ll take care of each other.”