Blood: The Third Course

Chapter Twenty-One

August pulled at the neck of his t-shirt, grimacing as he trudged across the uneven ground towards the barn. He'd not been out here in a long time, and he'd certainly never been invited out to the farm house the wolf pack called home. The last time he'd been here he'd been practically chased off the land, and he'd never gotten anywhere near the barn. Luckily, he didn't think any of the current wolves had been around to see it. Thomas and William trailed at his heels, Thomas lugging two duffel bags of medical supplies, and William carrying the clunky machine they'd fetched to perform this little experiment in supernatural science.

Inside the barn, the small group of wolves had gathered in their human forms. Kaleb, the Alpha, Jemima, his wife, and Carson, the pack-wife's brother and the instigator of this whole debacle. A few others August didn't know the names of, nor cared enough to learn them, had been dismissed to the house. They didn't need more people than absolutely necessary for this.

The non-wolf, Vince, lay on a long trestle table, one of two that had been set up in the barn. From the smell of it, the thing usually belonged in a green house, the smell of soil and the sharp tang of tomatoes fresh from the vine hung in the air. August was also very surprised to find that the scent of humans was nestled further into the back of the barn, though it was hidden by the overwhelming stench of horses. The trestle tables had been covered in a sheet of plastic, a few cushions propped beneath it to make it more comfortable for the boy who imagined himself prince. The other table had been laid out the same way, but August noted that heavy chains also adorned this second table, curling from underneath and wrapped around the wooden planks. He also noted that the chains were very similar to the ones his vampires had used to detain the wolves on the unfortunate night where the idiots had decided to attempt to take down a wolf for fun. After having William remove one of their arms, not to mention that they had lost said fight rather abysmally, he was sure the idiots would never try something so stupid again.

Thomas sidled past him, waving William forwards to place the transfusion machine on a small crate between the two tables. Large circular pumps stuck out on either side, looking to August like some sort of bizarre old-fashioned jukebox. August kept a small smirk to himself, wondering how entertaining it would be to see blood spin to popular tunes. The seventies and disco would, in particular, be most amusing.

"Bet you thought you'd never be doing this, huh, doctor boy?" Vince asked, propping himself up on his elbows. "Think, you're part of medical history. Creating a new werewolf."

He chuckled, glancing at his parents, and then August, before turning his attention back onto Thomas.

"It was going to happen. Eddie called me a 'dark wolf' not long after meeting me. She must have known your kind would give in and help. All to get back your precious Spencer."

August gritted his teeth and stared resolutely at Thomas, watching the young vampire work hooking up tubes and testing the machine.

"Hey, where is Spencer, anyway?" Vince asked. August could see the smirk out of the corner of his eye, no matter how he tried to avoid it while keeping an eye on Thomas. "I'd have thought he'd be here to see this. He promised to see me turned, after all. I'd hate to think of him missing out. Though, he did nothing to get me here, did he? He let you clean up his mess."

"Vince, give it a rest," Carson snarled.

Even August didn't miss how quickly the boy's mother came to stand in front of her brother, turning her back on him and protecting her son from his suggestions he hold his tongue. Personally, August would have rather seen said tongue ripped from his mouth.

Vince let out a sneering laugh and flopped back onto the cushions, letting his arm fall out to his side, ready for a needle from Thomas. At that moment, August wanted to jab the sharp point through the boy's eye and tell him it worked better this way. But with his parents, wolf alpha and mate, watching on, he figured it was best to let Thomas, and his quiet bedside manner, do the hard work.