Were-Geeks Save Wisconsin

by Kathy Lyons

  Nero had survived. Better yet, the entire pack had survived.

  Josh stumbled to a walk and shot back his own howl. It wasn’t a strong as theirs. He was still breathless and had to get to them immediately, but he needed to answer. That was what packmates did.

  They’d survived!

  He broke into a run again and saw them long before he made it to their sides. All five in their naked human forms. Pauly and Cream had obviously survived and then shifted to human as soon as they could. And now they surrounded a pink, blobby thing that was bleeding orange blood. Gross.

  “Don’t. Kill it!” he bellowed. And when everybody turned to look at him in shock, he repeated it. “Don’t kill it.”

  Nero said something that even wolf ears couldn’t catch, but Josh could guess what it was. Something along the lines of “Are you crazy?” He wasn’t, though he could understand why they thought that way.

  He picked up the pace again and finished the last of the distance. God, he had to get back on the calisthenics wagon, because huffing and puffing like this was embarrassing. Fortunately they waited for him. And when the blobby thing tried to make a run for it, one of the pack was there to shove it back.

  “You could have shifted,” Nero said when Josh got close enough. “You’re a lot faster as a wolf.”

  “I know, but it would have been harder to carry this.” He pulled Mother’s Glock out of his back pocket. “I haven’t yet mastered the art of carrying something in my wolf mouth without slobbering all over it.”

  “Give me that!” Mother cried as she reached for the weapon, but Josh held it out to Nero instead.

  “Remember when I was trying to tell you about this thing?” He gestured at the demon. “About how it’s a local legend that started from a dime novel?”

  Nero nodded, but he had his get-to-the-point face on.

  “In the book, the thing keeps coming back. They stab it, burn it, even chop off its head, but it keeps coming back.”

  Nero’s eyes widened, and he looked back at the demon. “But—”

  “Then the hero shoots it between its eyes with a magic bullet he got from a fairy prince.”

  Nero’s eyes widened. “Seriously?”

  “Fortunately we both know one.” He pulled out what looked like a normal bullet except that it had the image of a twisted tree imprinted on the casing. He’d gotten it from Bitterroot, the same time the guy had given him the book. “Care to do the honors?” Josh asked. He figured that out of all of them, Nero deserved the right to end this particular legend himself.

  Apparently Nero agreed. He grabbed the bullet and the gun and quickly loaded the chamber. The demon wasn’t lying still for this. He tried to make a break for it, but given that he was mostly torn to pieces, it was easy for Coffee to restrain him. Cream helped by grabbing hold of the thing’s head and holding it still in an impressive display of strength.

  “Don’t miss,” Cream growled.

  “Not planning on it,” Nero said. Then he pulled the trigger.

  A dead shot right between the eyes. Josh would have cheered, except he had his hands over his ears in pain. He really needed to get used to big bangs.

  Then, best of all, the demon poofed into ash, just like in the book.

  Hallelujah!

  That was when another sound intruded. Someone was clapping. And since it took him a bit to hear the sound, the others had turned around by the time Josh managed to look behind him. There, grinning at them like a proud papa, was the diminutive Bitterroot.

  “Well done, well done,” he was saying. From the looks on everyone’s faces, they all knew him and felt varying degrees of hatred toward him. However, no one looked as murderous as Mother.

  “What do you want?” she snapped. That wasn’t exactly what she said. Josh wasn’t hearing well yet, but he could read the curse words off her lips and guessed at the rest. And then his ears cleared enough that he could hear Nero’s grim response.

  “He’s here for me.”

  “Actually, he’s not,” Josh said. Then he grinned at everyone. “Well, it was fun while it lasted.”

  Nero’s face took on a horrified expression. “What did you do?”

  “I convinced him that one geek was way better than one meathead, so I swapped in for you.” He gestured at Nero’s pack. “You’d die without them. You were dying every day that you were apart.”

  “That’s not true. Not after….”

  “Not after we connected. I know. But like you said, they came first. And since I’ve pretty much cut ties with my family, I’m free to choose where I want to go and what I want to do.” His expression hardened as he invested determination in his words. “I like who I am now. I will not have it all erased and go back to who I was. I won’t allow it.”

  “We can recruit you again—” Nero argued, but Josh cut him off.

  “It’s done. Besides, he said their Fairyland is way better than Disney’s version. It could be fun.” Josh was proud of himself for sounding so calm. In truth, the idea of going to Fairyland scared the shit out of him, but if it would give Nero back his pack, then it was worth it. The guy deserved some happiness, and Josh wanted to be the one to give it to him.

  Plus, his lovelorn side got off on the drama of it. He got to act out his very own noble sacrifice, just like at the end of his favorite movies. Of course, with the reality of it staring him in the face, he could admit that he was weak-at-the-knees terrified, but right now he was determined to put on a brave face. Nero, however, had his stubborn one on.

  “No,” Nero said. “No way are you taking my place—”

  Bitterroot held up his hand. “Your debt is paid,” the fairy said calmly. “But if you’d like to negotiate—”

  “No!” All four of Nero’s packmates said the word loud and clear, even though Nero had shaped his mouth into a yes.

  Mother’s tone was sharp. “We do not negotiate with fairies!”

  Bitterroot grinned. “And yet here we are.” Then, before anyone could call him more crude names, he slapped his hands together and addressed Nero. “Hurry up and choose. The authorities will be here soon, and I wish to be gone by then.”

  “Choose?” Nero frowned at the fae prince. “Choose who pays my debt? It’s me—”

  “No,” Bitterroot said with a heavy sigh. “Choose which timeline you wish to exist in.”

  This time it was Pauly who asked the obvious question. “Come again?”

  “Did you think time travel was easy? You have created two timelines that exist simultaneously. In one timeline, your pack dies, you recruit Josh and have many nights of sweet passion. In this timeline, you kill the demon and they survive. You may choose to be in this timeline with them.” He gestured to the pack. “Or you can be in the one where Josh plays with your diddle all the ding-dong day.” He didn’t even look at Josh as his face hardened. “You cannot be in both. So choose.”

  “Wait!” Josh gasped. “You can’t mean that both timelines exist. I thought I’d be erased. I thought….”

  “Is it my fault that you never studied string theory? Yes, both timelines exist in parallel dimensions.”

  Well, hell. Josh grimaced as he played through scenarios in his head. He still would have done the exact same thing, but it would have been nice to know his options. Meanwhile, Bitterroot was still talking, his voice as pompous as it was condescending.

  “What will you pick, Nero? Your pack, which you have worked so hard to save? Or your boyfriend?”

  Josh shook his head. “We’re not—”

  “The hell we aren’t,” Nero growled.

  “Goddammit!” Mother abruptly interrupted. “You went and fell in love in a timeline where we don’t exist. We didn’t get to see it!” She sounded like that was the most horrible part of it all. The others murmured their agreement. But there were also a few sly smiles, and Cream gave Josh a surreptitious thumbs-up.

  Meanwhile, Nero was staring at his team with his heart in his eyes. The agony in him was palpable—or maybe Josh
was feeling his own—so he cut in with the obvious answer. It would hurt too much to hear Nero say it aloud.

  “He picks them,” Josh said. Hadn’t Nero said that this very morning? That they were first. That they came first. “I’m going to be off in Fairyland, so stay with them. There’s no point in us both being miserable.”

  Bitterroot sniffed audibly. “Some people do enjoy being in my employ.”

  Mother snorted. “Only the masochists and the mentally ill.”

  “I take exception to that,” Bitterroot countered.

  “I’m sure you do,” she agreed.

  And that was a whole lot of banter that Josh knew indicated a history between these two. Unfortunately he had no time to delve into that, especially as Nero grabbed Mother’s hand.

  “You were always my favorite,” he said, interrupting what was probably another witty comeback. And then he looked at the others in turn. “Just like you. And you. And you.”

  “Aw, fuck,” Pauly said. “He really is in love.”

  “You’re alive,” Nero continued, “and that’s all I ever wanted. Even if it’s in a different parallel dimension from me.”

  “Shit,” Coffee murmured.

  “It’s been an honor and a privilege. I—” His words choked off as he stared at his team. Then he squared his shoulders and turned to Bitterroot. “I pick Josh’s timeline.”

  It took a moment for Josh to understand what was happening, and even longer for the reality to penetrate. There were two timelines, and Nero had picked the one with Josh in it. Not his pack, not the dead demon, but the one where his pack died and Josh came in to save the day. “What?” he gasped. “No!” He took an abrupt step forward. “Don’t be stupid. I’ll be in Fairyland, and your pack means everything to you. You said so.”

  Nero turned to him with a shrug. “Turns out you mean more.”

  “But I’ll be in Fairyland.”

  “What if I’m with you?” He eyed Bitterroot. “What do you think? Two of us is better than one. We make a good team. We’ll both serve the sentence at half the time.”

  “No!” Josh said. Well, that’s what he tried to say, but his throat had closed down. Nero had chosen him over his pack, and the magnitude of that cut off every sound, every breath, and every thought except gratitude.

  “Well, that is an interesting thought,” Bitterroot said. “Especially since we have to address the subject of you reneging on our contract.”

  “What?” Nero jolted. “I did no such thing!”

  “I believe our contract required secrecy. That means you couldn’t tell anyone about our deal.” He arched a brow at Josh. “And yet you told him.”

  “That’s different. Josh had to know. He had to get the shields and the jackets—”

  “It doesn’t matter why you broke the deal.” Bitterroot smirked. “Only that you did.”

  “And this is why we never make fairy deals,” Mother huffed. “Because there’s always a fucking catch.”

  Nero advanced on Bitterroot. His hands were clenched and his brow furrowed. He towered over the diminutive fairy in the most intimidating way. Unfortunately Bitterroot didn’t seem the least bit cowed.

  “You owed me a favor!” Nero barked.

  “Which is why you aren’t right now covered in fairy boils. But a contract is a contract—”

  Mother cut in, her voice unusually subdued. “I’ll take his time,” she said, and suddenly she had 100 percent of Bitterroot’s attention.

  “What?” he asked, his voice airy light, but there was an intensity to the question that could not be denied.

  Mother folded her arms across her chest. “How long is Josh’s employment contract for?”

  Josh spoke up, his voice thick but still able to say the number that had been bouncing around his brain since the moment he’d made the deal. “Forty-nine human years.”

  “I’ll do it—” Mother said.

  “No!” Both he and Nero were emphatic. And in stereo.

  “—I’ll serve their sentence for them, but I’m not doing forty-nine years. I’ll do one, because a woman has got to be worth at least forty-nine of these losers.”

  “Forty,” Bitterroot offered.

  “One.”

  “Forty-two and I’ll pay you in rubies.”

  “One. And I’ll take human money in my bank account.”

  “Thirty-five, and you’ll be my consort.”

  “One, and I’ll be your employee. Separate living quarters and duties we both agree on.”

  “You will be obedient to me and me alone?”

  She swallowed. “I’ll perform duties we agree upon ahead of time. For one human year.”

  Bitterroot glanced to the side, and his smile widened. Josh didn’t even know what he was looking at until he spoke. “You may be my dragon master,” he said.

  She snorted. “Since when do you have dragons?”

  “Since now,” he said, and he moved quickly over to one of the blackened shields. Bending down, he gently sifted through the partially melted framework and ash to where that egg had been. A moment later he was gingerly lifting up a tiny dragon no larger than the palm of his hand. Then he walked it back to Mother, using one hand to lift hers, palm-side up, before gently setting the ruby-red creature in her hand.

  “Wow,” Coffee whispered. “You totally Game of Thrones-ed it.”

  Josh had to agree. All of them crowded closer to see, but Mother was the most entranced of all, her eyes wide as she stared at the delicate creature.

  “There’s more,” Bitterroot said as he went to the debris of shields littered on the ground. One in each pile of ash, all different jewel colors. He gathered each one, warning Cream away from a shield with a dark glare and a snapped order to “Stay back. They’re delicate and take special handling.” Then he reverently set each one in Mother’s hands. And when they spilled past her palms, he used her wrists and put one on her shoulder.

  “They’re gorgeous,” she breathed.

  “So you agree? You’ll be in my dragon master?”

  “I don’t know anything about dragons.”

  “I’ll teach you. And at the end of a year, you may keep one for your own.”

  Her head shot up, tears in her eyes. “One year?” she whispered.

  “And I will pay you with a dragon.”

  “Yes.” The word came so fast, Josh wondered if she’d spoken before she could change her mind.

  “Yes,” Bitterroot echoed. And then right before their eyes, he changed. Where there once had stood a condescending youth, there now stood a tall, dark fairy prince with a shimmering butterfly tattoo. His hair was sleek black, his eyes even more so. And when he touched her cheek, Mother shivered. Her lips parted in shock or fear, or maybe just a riot of emotions that flashed through her eyes too fast to catch.

  The new Bitterroot smiled. It was a dark looked filled with a danger that sucked the heat from the air.

  Then they were gone.

  And so was Wisconsin, because just as quickly, Nero and Josh were back in Indianapolis, standing in the park on a brilliant winter morning.

  Chapter 28

  NERO DIDN’T stumble so much as reel. Everything had changed so fast. And when he looked at Josh’s wide, startled eyes, he realized that they had collapsed against each other, that Josh was in his arms and they were holding each other so tight, not even a fairy crowbar could come between them.

  Josh’s eyes were bright, the sunlight sparking in the hazel color making them first blue, then green, then back. Nero knew he could get lost in those eyes, in the changing colors and the emotions they revealed. But mostly, he knew he could get lost in Josh. The man who had made him whole when every part of him felt broken.

  “So it’s done?” Josh asked. “We’re… free?”

  “I think so.” Nero wasn’t the smart one here, so he had to talk it through just to make sure he understood it. “I went back in time and killed that fucker demon.”

  Josh nodded. “I went with you and made sure y
ou killed it right.”

  “Yeah. And thanks.”

  Josh grinned. “You can thank me with sex.”

  Nero had no problem with that, but his mind was still stumbling past everything that had happened. “So I created a new timeline, one with my team alive.”

  Josh’s voice softened. “They’re alive, Nero. You saved them.”

  “We saved them,” he said. “And they’re going to kick ass over there.”

  Josh nodded. “But now we’re back in the original timeline. The one where I was recruited to save your ass.”

  “And I thank you with sex.” He dropped his forehead against Josh’s. “Of course I picked you.”

  Josh whispered, “Thank you,” so softly that Nero almost missed it. But they were pressed so close together that even if the words hadn’t had sound, he would have felt it straight from Josh’s heart to his own.

  “Thank you for saving me,” he whispered, and he meant it in more than the physical sense. He’d have lost himself in grief if it hadn’t been for Josh. And now he knew how much more he could feel, how much richer life was with Josh in it.

  Meanwhile, Josh was picking up the tale. “But someone had to pay Bitterroot. I was willing to do it.”

  “So was I.”

  “But Mother—”

  Nero gulped. Mother had taken the hit for both of them. She’d agreed to serve Bitterroot for a year in their stead. “She wanted to. She has a thing for dragons. She’s going to get to raise dragons.”

  “Wow,” Josh murmured, and Nero echoed the sound. And though his heart ached that she had to pay for his choices, he remembered the look of awe on her face as she held those tiny dragons. Her year’s employment wasn’t going to be as awful as he feared. She might even love it.

  “But what about—” Josh said. Nero didn’t let him finish. He kissed him quick and hard. And when Josh melted into him, Nero let his body surround his lover and cradle him the way he hadn’t been able to before now. He held Josh with his whole heart and soul.

  Then he whispered into Josh’s ear. “No buts. No questions. Not yet. There will be time enough later. I just want to hold you.”

  Josh returned the hug, squeezing him until he felt breathless. And then Josh whispered back. “Can we do a bit more than hold each other? I mean, if you want….”