Chapter 5 #2
“Eventually, you’ve gotta stop giving a shit what other people think.
We’re not human anymore, and other humans either like us, hate us, or shit themselves when they see us.
We either stop caring or it’ll drive us nuts.
The half-turn phase is important, and how you handle things now determines what kind of werewolf you’ll turn out to be. ”
“I didn’t know that.”
Darryl reached for my head and ran his clawed fingers over my earrings.
“The kuu’s not just for werewolves getting free places to live. Half-turns need werewolf companions, and these things help keep your urges and anger under control—or whatever.”
“Speaking of,” I said, wondering how I’d word this without him misinterpreting it.
“I sometimes see red, like I’m gonna lose control or something.
When I’m… with a werewolf, it goes away.
” This was an embarrassing topic for a complete stranger, but he was a werewolf, and he would probably give me better answers than Roscoe often did. “Is that normal?”
“Pretty much. Every time it happens, you get a little closer to being a werewolf.”
“So, if I want to be a full werewolf, I just need to have more sex?”
Darryl scratched his head. “I don’t really know how it all works, but I know it helps. It’s why we’re so damn horny all the time. I got fucked a lot as a half-turn. Like… a lot. Man, I was a huge slut.” The werewolf smirked at me. “Still am.”
Now I was starting to understand all the rumors about him. “How long have you been a lifeguard?”
“Couple decades. I did a lot of surfing when I was human and half-turn and just didn’t feel right ever leaving the ocean.
My life’s here, and I wasn’t gonna let being a werewolf determine where I’d end up.
I bought this tiny chunk of beach, built a house on it, and now I live every day in paradise doing what I love.
” He raised his beer and drank the last of it.
“You should strip naked tonight and come for a swim.”
“I, uh… I don’t know how to swim.”
Using his pointer claw, he opened the other bottle he’d grabbed. “Well, you’re in luck, bud! I give adult swimming lessons too.”
“Adult?”
Darryl took another drink. “I’ve got a lesson plan with a one hundred percent success rate.” He paused and let out a contemplative hum. “Okay, more like ninety-five percent. I got one guy who’s a special case.”
“That’s tempting and all, but I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“You sure? It’s a reeeeally good lesson plan, and everyone should learn how to swim.”
I opened my mouth to respond but was interrupted by Roscoe calling from the boardwalk. He carried my backpack over one arm, which was so full he couldn’t zip it all the way back up. He also carried four cases of beer, two in each hand and two under each arm.
“Daddy Darryl’s drinkin’ on the job?” Roscoe asked as he climbed up the deck steps. “I didn’t think you did that anymore after you got in trouble that one time.”
Darryl raised his bottle. “It’s my day off. I was just filling in for someone earlier.” He let out a sudden snarl, which startled me. “I also think you’re misremembering who got in trouble.”
Roscoe’s ears fell as he cleared his throat again. “Gettin’ to know my new roomie?” Roscoe sat the cases on the deck and began tearing into them, placing each bottle into the cooler.
“Roomie?” He glanced at my earrings. “Probably more like a mark. Didn’t you say the whole kuu thing was dumb?”
“That was before they started promising houses. I’ll get to sit in my own home and smoke as much weed as I want, and no one’s sayin’ shit!”
“You do realize they’re probably going to make you get a job, right?” I said as Roscoe moved onto the sausages.
“We’ll see about that. I’m pretty fuckin’ useless.” He smirked and closed the cooler lid. “And that’s me not even trying. Just think of how useless I could be if I applied myself.”
“When you apply yourself, things go missing,” Darryl said, his eyes now aggressively wide as he stared Roscoe down.
The atmosphere began to grow more uncomfortable, but the larger werewolf relaxed and looked back at me.
“No one holds a candle to Roscoe when it comes to being useless,” Darryl said in a tone that sounded like he was trying to hold back his anger.
“I think he’s been kicked out of every house he’s ever lived in, including mine.
” He turned back to Roscoe, who was now in a more submissive posture.
“Which brings me to my next question—why the fuck are you back?”
Roscoe scratched his head. “Uh, did you kick me out? I don’t remember.”
“Of course you don’t remember. I’m surprised your brain still functions after all the drugs.”
I glared at Roscoe.
“Oh,” he said, letting out a nervous laugh. “Kinda forgot about that. I’m clean as a newborn now. I swear.”
Darryl stood up, towering over Roscoe who was over a foot shorter than him. “You’re not here to bribe me with beer and brats, are you?”
“And a bratty half-turn.” He nodded to me with that shitty grin of his.
I shot up out of the chair. “Now wait just a minute!”
“Eh, you’ve been checkin’ him out since we got here.” Roscoe put his arm around my neck and looked over at Darryl. “I’ll never forget the look on that one guy’s face after you shot yer load in his ass. Fuck that was hot, but you sure messed him up.”
The taller werewolf stroked the patch of fur on his chin while looking me over.
“You’re a real piece of shit,” I said, shoving Roscoe away. “I regret this whole thing.”
“Relax, you don’t gotta do anything,” Roscoe said. I glanced up in time to see him wink at Darryl. “The truth is, uh, we’re gonna need a place to crash for a week or so until the government housing thing’s finalized.”
Darryl didn’t respond.
“You don’t wanna see this poor guy out in the cold, do ya?” He wrapped his arm around my neck, pulling me close. My vision started turning red again, and I think Darryl noticed. His disposition changed from aggressive to something a lot gentler.
“I hate your guts, but Cody seems pretty cool. Just bought a California king, so we got enough room. I just got one condition,” Darryl said, turning toward me again.
“I can keep the house clean,” I said, trying not to sound desperate. “I can pay my fair share once the money comes in, too.”
“Relax. You don’t have to do any of that, but you do have to take swimming lessons, and you have to swim naked in the ocean at least once.”
That wasn’t quite what I expected him to say, but at least he was pretty laid back now and not ready to rip Roscoe’s head off.
“Sure, okay,” I said, relieved as I sat back down on the chair.
“We’ll start tonight,” Darryl said, pulling out a package of bratwurst before tossing it to Roscoe. “I’m hungry. Work your magic, chef.”
Roscoe’s tail wagged as he pulled an old apron from my backpack, shook it out, and put it on. It had the words kiss the cook in bold capital letters, only the ‘o’ next to the ‘k’ had been purposely scratched out to look like a ‘c.’
“You just keep getting classier,” I muttered before turning my attention back to Darryl. “Why tonight?”
“I wanna get to know you a little better.”
“I don’t know about this,” I said, looking down at the empty pool illuminated by a glowing light down at the deep end. The pool belonged to the condo nearby, but Darryl somehow had the keys. “What if someone comes out here?”
“It’s empty,” Darryl replied. “No one’s gonna see, so go ahead and strip.”
Roscoe watched us while laying on a lounge chair next to the pool. I didn’t expect to actually swim, so I didn’t bring a suit. After removing my shirt, I kicked off my sandals and pulled off my shorts and underwear.
“Damn,” Darryl said, sucking back the drool that had roped along the corners of his mouth.
“You’re just teaching me how to swim, right?”
“Yeah, sure.” The tall werewolf prodded me toward the steps going down into the pool. “We’ll start out in the shallow end.”
I stepped down into the surprisingly warm water and waded into it, keeping my feet on the rough bottom. Darryl followed, getting uncomfortably close.
“All right. First thing you’re gonna learn is how to float,” he said in his deep tone before placing one hand on my back, supporting me as he pushed me flat with the other.
I panicked for a moment as my feet left the bottom of the pool, and I thrashed around.
“Relax. I’m not gonna let you sink. Just imagine yourself as a piece of driftwood.”
My entire body tensed as I struggled to keep calm, but as soon as I was oriented, I allowed myself to loosen up. As long as I could feel his arms supporting my back, I was okay. He grabbed a pool noodle floating behind him and placed it under my neck to keep my head from sinking.
“See? Like a duck to water,” he said, gently stroking my chest. He removed one of his hands from my back but the other still supported my rear. The noodle kept my upper body from sinking, but I also couldn’t move much or I’d start to panic. “Close your eyes and keep thinking of wood.”
I raised an eyebrow at that.
“Driftwood,” he added.
I did as he said.
“Now kick your feet a little bit.”
There was something both comfortable and uncomfortable about the way he touched me, and I kind of knew what the werewolf was doing. As if sensing my unease, he chilled out on the physical contact and focused more on the lesson.
I kicked my feet, but each time I raised one leg, I’d sink. His large hand supported my back again, and I started to move.
“This is kinda fun,” I said, now swimming without his support.
Roscoe snored, having fallen asleep while lying in the chair, and Darryl looked back for a moment before returning his attention to me.
“Okay, this is bothering the hell out of me. How did someone like you end up with that trainwreck?”
I maneuvered myself upright and waded to the steps before sitting, still halfway submerged in the warm water. Darryl took his place next to me.