Chapter 24
The Vision
Iawoke much earlier than usual, the blue digital display of the VCR flashing two thirty in the morning, which meant it was two hours later since no one in the house actually knew how to set the clock.
Sleep had mostly eluded me, and I lay next to Roscoe while staring at the psychedelic posters he’d crookedly tacked to the walls.
The black light on the other side of the room gave everything this hippie-nightclub vibe that was starting to grow on me.
I threw off the covers and scooted toward the end of the bed, not really worried about disturbing Roscoe, since nothing short of an asteroid impact could wake him this early.
The sheets and mattress had the werewolf’s signature smell, but I was tired of harping on about it.
Even Darryl, as clean as he was from swimming in the ocean all day, had a rather interesting funk to him when we stayed in his little beach house.
Actually, it was similar in some ways to Mosavi.
That kind of smell was just something that wouldn’t wash off, but with Roscoe, it was always worse to my human nose.
When the smell came directly from the source, it didn’t seem to bother me that much; when it rubbed off onto fabric, it was awful.
Roscoe’s hoodie was almost back to its original state, and I couldn’t get near him when he had it on.
Adam didn’t seem to mind at all; in fact, I’d catch him sniffing that ragged orange thing after Roscoe put it on the coat rack.
Since he was so close to turning, he probably had a much different sense of smell than I did.
Today was the half-turn’s twentieth birthday, and I wondered if Austin would forget, even after all the not-so-subtle hints Adam had scattered around the house from notes to hand-drawn posters.
Roscoe was actually excited because a birthday meant cake and booze.
Since I knew Willa had Mosavi pretty much under control, I’d let them drink a little bit.
Who was I kidding? Neither werewolf understood the concept of ‘a little bit.’
The floorboards made their usual light creaking sounds as I tiptoed through the hall and stopped at Adam and Austin’s bedroom door, which was cracked open. Adam was sprawled out on the bed with Austin lying next to him. Even here, I couldn’t escape the smells.
I gently closed the door and made my way into the kitchen to begin my coffee-making ritual. I was going to need to be properly caffeinated for what my day would entail.
After making sure I hadn’t been followed, I grabbed a step stool and placed it in front of the stove to open a high cabinet.
Powdered spirulina, dried vegetables, and jars of Marmite were like scarecrows to curious werewolves, keeping them away from what was hidden behind it.
My gourmet coffee sat undisturbed in the corner, and I grabbed it, sniffing the contents while climbing down.
This really was the best part of waking up.
Four large scoops of black gold landed into the filter, and I filled up the chamber with filtered water. Eventually Roscoe was going to grow suspicious of all the untouched gross shit in that cabinet, and I’d need to find another place to hide my precious. No one could be trusted.
While scrolling through my phone, I made my way into the dining room and plopped down on a chair.
Willa had texted me her number, even though I’d never given her mine.
It didn’t surprise me anymore considering they knew everything about us anyways.
I finally set the number as a contact and laid the phone off to the side while staring into the darkened living room, which was lit only by a nightlight from the hall and the incandescent glow from above the range in the kitchen.
Between Austin and me—and maybe a little bit of Roscoe and Adam—we had somehow managed to turn this place into a home.
While Roscoe’s taste clashed with the rest of the house, I wasn’t allowed to change anything.
Not that I would have. After so many decades of living on the streets, he’d finally made a place where he felt comfortable and safe.
Even though the room was ours, it was his little den.
A part of me loved it—mostly because I loved sitting next to him on that couch.
It was hard to imagine not wanting this to happen months ago—that I’d fall for someone who had begged me for spare change. Roscoe wasn’t going away anytime soon, at least not while I was half-turn.
Then there was Adam. Austin had fallen into his role in the pack, but Adam was a wild card.
With the way we clashed, he felt more like an annoying little brother than a friend, and that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Though I’d grown to think of him as family, I couldn’t shake the feeling that all this was temporary for him.
He’d never really cared to make our house a home.
This was all transitory. A means to an end before the change.
I dozed off right as the coffee maker beeped, startling me back awake. Before grabbing a cup, I opened the living room window, letting in the crispness of autumn as it mixed with the rich brew from the kitchen. If anything, the cold air and coffee would keep me awake.
I sat back down with a full mug and grabbed the phone as it vibrated once against the table.
what r u doing up?
I guess I hadn’t been as quiet as I thought I was, but I also wasn’t the only one not able to get a full night’s sleep.
Coffee. Want some?
There was a five-minute lull between that last message and the door to Adam’s bedroom slowly squealing open. The half-turn crept into the hall and closed the door before stumbling to the kitchen.
“Rough night?” I asked, talking over his loud rummaging through the cabinet.
Adam grunted in response. Several spoonfuls of sugar and creamer later, he slowly made his way to the dining room table, spilling some on the floor.
“You just ruined that coffee, and we’re gonna get ants,” I muttered as he sat across from me.
“I’ll clean it later,” he said, taking a sip that was likely lukewarm.
“Are you okay?”
“I guess.” He took another sip before setting his mug on the table. “I just want this to be over with.”
“The transformation or your birthday?” That question prompted an immediate look of annoyance. “Happy birthday, by the way.”
“Thanks.” He took another sip and stared into his cup. “I’m just tired of being like this. I want to be bigger and stronger, and I want to be the one to tell Austin what to do.”
“You can still—”
“I want whatever you have,” he snapped. “Sorry, I can’t let this go. It’s been driving me crazy all night.”
“Why are you so hung up on this? You can’t use the vironoct, and you’re going to need to get over it.”
Adam’s sharper, white canines slipped from behind his upper lip as he put the mug up to his mouth again.
“I’m visiting Mosavi this morning, like I said I would. I haven’t been able to sleep right lately.” Adam still didn’t respond, so I softened my tone a little more. “I just want to help.”
“By stealing my kuu mate?”
“Dude, come on.”
“That’s what this feels like!” Adam scooted back from the table and folded his arms. “You might not have done it intentionally, but you did it.” He looked down at his hands. “I was going to leave him the moment I changed, but now I’m having second thoughts.”
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said. He’s gotten softer, and he’s all I think about lately. I’m scared of being alone, and fuck… I think I’ve actually got feelings for him.”
“You’re never going to be alone, Adam. Just because you turn doesn’t mean you have to leave here. I don’t want you to leave.”
“That’s not what I mean.” He tugged at the choker around his neck. “I’m afraid that if Austin rejects me, I won’t be able to find anyone else. If I can’t give him what he wants, he’s not gonna stay with me.”
“Listen, I want you guys to stay together, but not like this. You shouldn’t want to be with him out of some obligation or fear. If it doesn’t work, there are plenty of other werewolves and half-turns.”
“You’re not understanding this.”
“Then explain it in simpler terms.”
He slammed his hand against the table but stifled his voice.
“I don’t know, either. I’ve never felt this before.
” His eyes changed to a lighter color before dimming back to blood orange.
“I have to stay with Austin. So I have to learn what you did, and if you and Darryl won’t teach it to me, I’ll learn it from someone else. ”
“How did you find out about Darryl?”
“I’ve known for a while. He hardly ever does it, but I have seen him use it to break up fights. Before we moved, I tried to get him to teach it to me so I could punish Austin, but he gave me the same excuse you did. It’s dangerous, and I’d just fuck it up if I had it.”
I stood up from the table. “You don’t want whatever this is. No one should have it, not even me, and I’m not using it anymore after you turn. When you become a werewolf, you’ll be big enough to give him what he wants. But that’s not going to work if you both want the same thing.”
“I don’t,” he muttered. “I hate being small.” The half-turn glared at me. “And I hate being treated like some kid.”
“I wouldn’t treat you like one if you didn’t act like one.”
“Okay, so I’m not a sixty-year-old geezer trapped in a twenty-three-year-old’s body, and I don’t have some ancient alpha mojo. But I’m twenty now, and I expect you to treat me like that.”
I looked down at the floor. “A mature adult would have cleaned up what he spilled earlier.”
“It’s just driving you nuts, isn’t it?” Adam said with a smug grin. “I left it there to prove a point. You keep staring at that spill. The ants aren’t going to infest the house after a few minutes, Cody.”