Page 54 of Mytho Investigations: Side Stories

CHAPTER 8

The werewolf watchers on the forum were all over the news about the unicorn in San Francisco. One less place that the half-shifted existed, some lamented. Adam had spent the afternoon reading about other cities where magic had appeared and what that meant. Too many of the people who called themselves werewolf lovers were not happy when the werewolves were able to shift again.

There were a few pictures posted of what werewolves looked like in their true form, which was human-ish. And then he’d fallen into a rabbit hole until he forced himself to put down his phone and go to the gym.

It was clear that Jake, like the other werewolves in the city, could now shift, which meant he no longer looked like the Jake he knew. The man he’d fallen for…

And he wanted to say that it didn’t matter, but he wasn’t sure.

So he spent thirty minutes on the treadmill berating himself for being a shallow asshat. Would he stop liking Jake if he got injured and lost a limb?

No.

If he got dementia?

No, and he saw how hard that was for his mother every goddamn day.

He should be happy for Jake. He should be happy for them. They’d be able to go out to more places. That he seemed more human meant that when, not if—he refused to think that was a possibility—the bill passed, Jake would be classified as a person.

Except there were stuck werewolves all over the country, and the government couldn’t say only werewolves with the ability to shift were people. Could they?

People on the forum had discussed the best places to find werewolves still in their half-shifted form. He wasn’t like those people. He didn’t want to chase werewolf tail. Or was he?

It had been his curiosity and then involvement that had spurred him to be brave enough to approach Jake. He’d seen others in that bar, but it had been Jake who’d caught his eye.

He was still convinced he was an asshole when Jake texted just after eight that the meeting was over, and Adam almost considered not going, but then Jake might assume the worst, and there’d be no coming back from that.

So Adam grabbed a couple of meals of Italian takeout and garlic bread and headed to Creature Hollow to find out if he had a boyfriend or not. Because they were either dating or over. He didn’t want them to be over. His heart wanted Jake. Though neither of them had said those three little words.

Damn, he always hated these types of conversations. Every relationship had them. Were they fuck buddies or more? Were they exclusive or open? Even though he wanted to know, his stomach wouldn’t settle, and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to eat a bite of the pastas he brought around.

He knocked when Jake didn’t open the door after hearing his footsteps or smelling him enter the building. That was weird.

“It’s open,” Jake called. His voice was familiar, even though his behavior was strange.

Adam let himself in and shut the door.

The man sitting on the sofa wasn’t the one he was used to seeing, but he could tell it was Jake from the way he sat when he worried. Elbows on knees, staring at the floor.

He glanced up. “The increase in magic means I can shift, not that I’ve tried.”

Adam put the food on the coffee table, as there was a puzzle on the dining table. “Is this what you looked like on Tariko?”

“I guess.” Jake shrugged. “This isn’t what you want.”

Adam sat on the coffee table and held Jake’s hands. His palms were smooth, and his short, thick fingers were still tipped with claws. Jake glanced at him, his eyes the same wild gold, but instead of being filled with desire, they were full of worry. His face was mostly human-looking. In a crowd, a glance would skip over him. A second glance would note the more pronounced jaw and pointed ears. He liked what he saw, just as much as he’d liked what Jake had looked like before. “I still want you.”

Jake’s lips twisted into a smile. “You don’t have to say that. This is weird for me. I contemplated leaving the city to revert to what I know for a bit.” He pulled a hand free and swiped at his cheek. “Everyone else is so fucking thrilled, and I don’t even know myself when I look in the mirror.”

“You won’t be the only one privately struggling.”

“I’m expected to be excited. The children who’ve never seen anything different freaked out and cried and begged to go back to half-shifted at the meeting, and I envied them because they got away with saying it.” He bared his teeth, all tiny and pointed. “And then with you… I couldn’t bring myself to say anything⁠—”

“I wish you had. I read about it⁠—”

“I’m sure your forum is full of talk about it.” There was a snap of bitterness that made Adam wince.

“Yes. And it’s true I was attracted to you because of the way you looked, but I fell in love with you as a half-shifted werewolf, and I still love you even if you’re not as big and hairy.”