Chapter 10
Tyr pushed open the kitchen door of the Residence, and stopped short. His twin brother stood at the counter, methodically loading items into a cardboard box.
Baking soda. White vinegar. Liquid dish soap.
Tyr's eyebrows rose as Tobi added red and yellow food coloring to the growing collection. A container of glitter sparkled under the kitchen lights as it joined the other items. Play-Doh and a small plastic water bottle completed the bizarre assembly.
"Have you finally lost what's left of your mind?" Tyr crossed his arms, leaning against the doorframe. "What in seven hells is all this?"
Tobi looked up, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "Oh, hey there!"
His grin turned slightly sheepish as he continued packing up the supplies.
"Did you know there are like a million videos online about cool science experiments for kids?
This one's supposed to be awesome - a lava volcano - the baking soda and vinegar make it foam up, and then with the food coloring and glitter.
.." He gestured enthusiastically. "Instant lava! "
"And you're doing this because...?" Tyr prompted, though he had a suspicion he knew where this was heading.
Tobi ducked his head, suddenly very interested in adjusting the Play-Doh container. "I might have... offered to watch Yousuf tonight." He glanced up through his bangs. "Beth and Layla wanted to go out with Katerina - you know, girls' night or whatever."
"So you volunteered to babysit." Tyr couldn't quite keep the amusement out of his voice.
"Hey, I figured making volcanoes beats sitting around watching cartoons all night." Tobi straightened defensively. "Besides, the kid needs some fun. And what's more fun than explosions?"
"Controlled explosions," Tyr corrected automatically. "Very small, very contained explosions."
"Obviously." Tobi rolled his eyes. "Give me some credit. I got plastic sheeting to put down and everything." He paused, then added with a grin, "Though maybe don't mention the explosion part to Layla."
Tyr narrowed his eyes, studying his twin's suddenly defensive posture. "You're not... using the kid to get closer to Layla, are you?"
Tobi's head snapped up, genuine hurt flashing across his features.
"What? No! How could you even think that?
" He slammed the box down on the counter with more force than necessary.
"Yousuf's a great kid. Smart as hell, curious about everything.
And yeah, maybe I want to show him some cool science stuff, help him feel safe and have some fun. Is that such a crime?"
"Did you know what happened to him? He was four years old - four - when they crept in and stole him from his mother's side while they slept.
" Tobi's knuckles went white against the counter.
"Snatched him and a bunch of other kids in the dead of night, loaded them into trucks, and drove them out into the Moroccan desert in the blazing summer heat.
Dumped them there to die because they weren't 'worthy' of growing up to breed more caracal shifters. "
His face contorted with a fury that stripped away his humanity, revealing the dangerous apex predator beneath.
"They left babies to die in the desert, Tyr.
Four-year-olds. Like garbage." His voice turned deadly quiet.
"So, yeah, if I want to spend an evening making volcanoes explode with glitter and showing that sweet kid that not all men are monsters, I'm going to do exactly that. "
Tyr flinched at the broken fury in his brother's voice. He'd known the basics of what happened at the compound, but hearing it laid out so starkly...
Clearing his throat, Tyr sought to change the subject to something lighter. He picked up a box from the counter, turning it over in his hands. 'Brownie mix?'"
Tobi shrugged, continuing to arrange his science experiment supplies. "Kids like that stuff. Figured we could make them together after the volcano thing."
"But you don't bake." Tyr stared at his brother in disbelief. In seven centuries, he'd never seen Tobi so much as boil water.
"Well, how hard can it be?" Tobi grabbed the box back, gesturing at the instructions printed on the side. "There's directions on it and everything. Add eggs, oil, water, stir, pour in pan, stick it in the oven." He grinned. "Even I can handle that."
"Says you, who once managed to burn soup," Tyr muttered, remembering their early attempts at maintaining human appearances by pretending to cook.
"That was almost seven hundred years ago!" Tobi protested.
Tyr picked up a printed sheet covered in colorful diagrams, scanning the instructions. "Volcano Science Experiment for Kids" blazed across the top in bold letters, followed by step-by-step directions and safety warnings.
"I found a different version using yeast and hydrogen peroxide," Tobi said, arranging bottles of food coloring. "But I figured vinegar and baking soda would be safer for a kid his age. Less chance of anything going wrong."
Tyr nodded absently, still reading. The diagrams showed how to build a volcano base from Play-Doh, then create the chemical reaction inside. Simple but effective. His interest piqued as he noticed additional variations listed - different combinations of ingredients to create various effects.
"This is actually pretty clever," he admitted, looking up at his brother. "Mind if I tag along? Could be fun to help out."
"Seriously?" Tobi's face lit up. "Yeah, that'd be great! Between the two of us, we can make sure nothing gets too out of hand." He grinned. "Plus, having backup means we can try multiple versions. See which one makes the best explosion."
"Controlled reaction," Tyr corrected automatically, but he was already mentally calculating the best ratios of vinegar to baking soda for maximum effect.
Tyr helped Tobi load the last of the supplies into the cardboard box, carefully arranging the bottles so nothing would spill during transport. Through the kitchen windows, they could see snow beginning to fall outside, coating everything in a pristine white blanket.
"Truck's probably smarter tonight," Tyr said, glancing out the window. "These roads will get slick fast."
"Plus we've got all this stuff to haul." Tobi grabbed the keys from the counter. "I'll drive."
The twins made their way to Tobi's black pickup, their boots crunching through fresh powder. The truck's headlights cut through the swirling snow as they headed toward the pack house where Layla and Yousuf lived.
Warm light spilled from the windows when they pulled up. Before they could reach the door, it flew open and Yousuf bounded out onto the porch.
"Tobi! Tyr!" The boy's face lit up with excitement. "You both came!"
"Careful on those steps," Tobi called as Yousuf navigated the snow-dusted porch. "They might be slippery."
Layla appeared in the doorway, wrapped in a thick sweater. "Come in, come in! It's freezing out there." Her smile was warm and relaxed.
"Thanks for watching him tonight," she said as they stomped snow from their boots in the entryway. "It means so much to have a night out with my friends."
"Our pleasure," Tobi assured her while carefully setting down the box where Yousuf couldn't peek inside. "We'll have a great time."
"What's in the box?" Yousuf tried to peer around Tobi's legs.
"Just some stuff for later," Tyr deflected smoothly. "It's a surprise."
Layla gathered her purse and coat, practically glowing with anticipation. "Beth should be here any minute to pick me up. He loves chicken nuggets, he can tell you how to make them, it's really simple. And his bedtime is-"
"Eight o'clock, we know," Tobi finished with a grin. "Go have fun. We've got this covered."
A car horn sounded outside, and Layla hurried to kiss Yousuf goodbye. "Be good for Tobi and Tyr, ibni. I love you."
"Love you too, Mama!" Yousuf waved as she hurried out into the snow.
Shutting the door, Tobi led the way to the pack house kitchen. It was large, but not so large as the Residence had.
Tobi clapped his hands together. "Okay, first things first - dinner. Can't do science experiments on an empty stomach."
"Chicken nuggies!" Yousuf bounced on his toes, darting to the freezer. He yanked open the door and pointed to a bag of dinosaur-shaped nuggets. "These ones!"
Tyr peered at them. "Dinosaur shaped?"
"Yeah, they're the best!" Yousuf enthused, grabbing a plate from a lower cabinet.
"You have to put them in the microwave for two minutes," Yousuf instructed seriously. "And spread them out in a circle."
Tyr leaned against the counter, watching as his brother arranged the frozen nuggets with exaggerated care. Tobi punched in the time - five minutes instead of two.
"Uh, Tobi..." Tyr started, but his brother had already hit start.
The microwave hummed. At the three-minute mark, a burning smell filled the kitchen. When Tobi finally pulled out the plate, the nuggets had transformed into small, hardened rocks.
"I don't think they're supposed to look like that," Yousuf said diplomatically.
Tyr couldn't contain his snicker. "Nice work. I'm sure prehistoric creatures were exactly that fossilized."
"Oh, shut up." Tobi set them aside, and pulled out the box of frozen nuggets, shaking out another bunch. "Let me try again."
This time, Yousuf supervised more closely. "Two minutes," he repeated firmly. "And you have to stop halfway to flip them over."
Under the boy's careful direction, the second batch came out perfectly golden and dinosaur-shaped. Yousuf beamed with pride as he showed Tobi how to squirt ketchup in the shape of a smiley face next to them.
"See? Not so hard when you listen to the expert," Tyr teased, ruffling Yousuf's hair.
Tyr watched Yousuf polish off the last dinosaur nugget with obvious enjoyment. The boy's table manners were impeccable - no doubt Layla's influence. He used his napkin without prompting and carefully gathered his dishes.
"Here, let me help with that." Tyr opened the dishwasher while Yousuf handed him the plate and utensils.