Adam perked up.
David continued, “It’s”—he made a wild gesture with his hand—“fucking crazy. I’ve never felt like I was myself again since the day we were turned. No constant worry of losing control…”
Adam understood what that was like. Constant struggle for control. Their hatred for Jacoby had bred a deep, gnawing anger within them. And when they’d made that pact with Azazel, somehow that anger had manifested when they’d shifted into their beastly forms. Their killings against Azazel’s enemies had been brutal and unmerciful. Now they were no longer serving Azazel, but the anger remained. Caged. Like their inner beast.
Adam preferred to be in his human form all the time. Each time he surrendered to his primal instinct, it felt so good to be bounding on four paws, feeding the urge of his inhuman side. His inner beast hadn’t been satisfied for a long time. It had fed on the fear of his victims when they had served Azazel. Now that they had ceased being someone else’s dog, the beasts still demanded violence. They wanted to rip, maul and tear someone’s flesh from their bones.
A week before his resignation, Adam had almost had an accident. He was having a power lunch with a client and his attorney when an unbearable urge to shift overcame him. Adam was ready to swing his hand full of claws and shred those two men in pieces for no reason. He realised he was a danger to people around him. Unlike David and Calvin, who still possessed most of their control, his was diminishing with each passing day.
“Then tonight is my turn,” Adam said.
They each had agreed on taking turns of spending the night with Samantha. He was the last, on account he was unsure this whole scheme would work.
“I’m sure Calvin won’t mind. I didn’t see him anywhere. Did he come—”
David words were cut off in mid-sentence when they heard someone screaming.
It came from Samantha’s bedroom.
Adam caught David’s gaze. The two of them raced there. Samantha burst out from the door, clad in a bathrobe, before they could reach her room. “There’s something in the closet. It’s huge. And black. And its eyes glow…”
Adam comforted her. The poor girl was shaky. “There’s nothing in the closet. You’re imagining things.”
“I swear I’m not lying.”
“Nobody called you a liar, sweetie,” David said. “Let me check, okay?” He strode into the bedroom with his hands fisted.
“There’s no bogeyman in the closet,” Adam added.
“But…”
“Ssh. You’re just tired from last night.” Adam ushered her back to her bedroom.
David was closing the window and latching it securely when they entered. There was no one else but them in the room. The door to the walk-in closet was wide open. The light was on.
“See? No bogeyman here.”
Samantha calmed a bit. “I thought…”
“You’re just tired. That’s all.”
David took her hand and tugged her into a chair. She sat. “You’re pale.” He studied her. “Why don’t I ask Nigel to get you a cup of tea?”
“T—that sounds like a good idea.”
“I’ll tell Nigel.” Adam turned on his heels and stormed outside.
That idiot.
After making a brief stop at the kitchen, Adam headed to the study room to confront Samantha’s bogeyman. As he suspected, he found Calvin Neutzel in there, naked, busy mixing drinks at the mini-bar.
“What the hell did you do?” Adam demanded.
“I was curious,” Calvin answered without turning his head. “I went to see her but she was in the shower.”
“And you shifted?” Adam rolled his eyes. “We want her to accept us. Not to scare her.”
“Sorry,” Calvin bit back. “Her scent was overwhelming. So I took a few sniffs here and there.” He drained his glass in several large gulps. “Smelt David’s too. That son of a bitch.”