The safe house was a small brick building, about the size of an apartment.
It looked more like a tiny office building than a lived-in house, which
suited them all just fine. Boring brick exterior walls, common black
roofing, typical evergreen hedges out front, and basic white blinds on
every window, shut tight. It was a small, cheap building that the group
only used when they needed it.
All the house had was a minimal kitchen, a tiny bathroom, a bedroom big enough for one, and a living room barely large enough to hold the couch, television, bookshelves, and shackles that it contained. The last were for their 'guest', and Habakkuk escorted him there. The bast, silver, and lead clamps were attached to his arms, legs, and waist. He could sit and lie down with enough comfort, but his waist wasn't going more then about a foot and a half from the wall, and the keys for the shackles were kept out of sight, under a loose board in the floor of the bedroom.
When Taliesin knew Nicodemus was properly restrained, he approached him. "Here are the rules, kid. You behave well, this is the worst that happens to you. Right now, these shackles are fairly comfy. I can tighten them so you are stuck in one position day in and day out, awake or sleeping. I can also let Habakkuk over there hit you. He enjoys the sight of blood enough that he won't mind." Nicodemus paled a little at the word 'blood', but said nothing.
"I am telling you exactly how we are going to guard you, simply because you would figure it out yourself within a few hours anyway. There are going to be two guards in here at all times. One of them is going to be there for fun, maybe sleeping and maybe talking to the other guard. That one, the other guard, is the one you should watch out for, because he's going to be watching you like a hawk the entire time. How long does a shift last? No clue. That'll change constantly, so don't bother trying to figure it out. Any questions?"
"Why am I here?" he asked bluntly.
Guenhyvar sighed. "Taliesin, he doesn't know. If he was one of us, he would have some clue as to why we got him."
"One of you? I don't understand." Nicodemus looked bewildered. Perhaps a little too bewildered. If it was all an act...
"Hmm." Taliesin thought aloud. "Did we break the laws yet?" Guen shook her head. "Then let's do it." He grinned a little, and everyone else smiled back, just a tiny bit.
Slowly, Taliesin let his face transform. The first visible sign was his amber eyes glowing, even as his face elongated. Soon, he had a feline muzzle. His ears slowly pointed as they moved up his head, and fur sprouted all over his body. With a soft crunch his elbows and knees reversed direction, even as his spine lengthened and his muscles grew. He was a fully grown tiger in seconds.
Nicodemus chuckled a little, sounding more bemused than afraid, though his laughter was nervous. "Shapeshifters. I should have known."
Taliesin just looked at him, as his features shifted back to human. There was a look of cautious worry on his face. "Why didn't you sense us before? You were riding in the back of my bike for a really long time. You should have been able to tell fifty feet away what I am. Why didn't you?"
"How would I know? You looked human until you pulled that stunt."
Taliesin hung his head. "Either he's lying or Guen's right. What do we do now?"
"Kill him," Habakkuk said quietly. His deep bass voice was a soft growl. Nicodemus' eyes bulged a little, and the last bit of color on his face sapped away. "You just showed him the truth. We can't keep him around if he knows, and he's not what we want anyway."
"Habakkuk is right," Lenore agreed. "We can go pick someone else up, as soon as we get rid of the body. We might have someone worth taking tonight."
Guenhyvar and Oberon were nodding their heads.
Taliesin shook his head. No! They needed this guy. Taliesin did not understand why, or even what Nicodemus really was, but they could not kill him. "No. This kid has something of us in him. Maybe he could learn your trade," He said to Guen. "I think he has the power to do it."
"I'd sense it if he could."
Taliesin replied, "Not necessarily. I just KNOW this kid has something. Let's wait a week, see what happens. For all we know, he's just a damn good actor and he has what we want." He met each of their eyes as he spoke, and one by one they lowered their heads in deferral. "Good. I'll take first shift, who is with me?" Guenhyvar stepped forward. "The rest of you, go home and get some sleep. Spend some time relaxing." The last was directed at Lenore and Habakkuk with a wink, and they both smiled faintly.
"Can I stay?" Oberon asked. "I'm too short to bike home myself, and I'm not going home with those two." He said it with a wry grin.
Guen nodded, and Oberon smiled as he walked over to the bedroom to get some sleep.
Taliesin sat down on the couch, staring straight ahead in silence. Guen sat next to him for a moment. Almost close enough to touch, and they both knew it. For all the time since they had broken up, they still had chemistry. She was still beautiful. But that didn't change their last fight, a real fight, where she was hurling bolts of pale white energy and wielding a silver dagger, where he leapt menacingly from shadow to shadow as a hulking mass of orange and black fur with sharp and shining teeth.
Taliesin found himself looking at her. Her soft breasts, her slender waist, her... He shouldn't be staring. He fought against himself, won, and looked away. But not before he noticed her glancing at him...
She yawned. "I'm going to go lie down, Tallie."
"Sure, Guen. You need some sleep." She had been scouting the club out for a few hours before everyone else showed up, and she had been up for about a day straight, without anything to eat either. "Why don't you ask Obie to get you some food?"
She smiled gratefully without replying and left for the bedroom. Silence hung in the air for a little while.
"Can I go to the bathroom?" Nicodemus asked quietly.
"Once per shift." Taliesin replied as he walked into the bedroom, grabbed the keys, and crouched so he could unhook the whole piece from the wall so that it all the clasps were still on. Or at least he tried to. Instead, the back of his hand brushed the small of Nicodemus's back when he went to unlock the piece. Nicodemus visibly started, and there was an almost feverish gleam in Taliesin's eyes.
"You feel it too, don't you?" Nicodemus asked softly. His face held a look of dawning understanding.
Taliesin glared, a golden gleam in his amber eyes. "What is it? You know what it is!"
Nicodemus shook his head. "You mean you don't know either?"
Taliesin rocked back on his heels and rose to his feet. Many zoo workers would have recognized the way he paced, the same way tigers often do when nervous or confronted. He looked composed, but for the haunted look on his face.
"What is going on?" Nicodemus asked. He seemed curious, bewildered, but almost too much so. To Taliesin's mind, used to the reserved and hidden behavior of the Night World's denizens, Nicodemus's face emoted, gave away everything too well.
It was an act, a show. Taliesin felt it in his head, but something in his blood disagreed. Too many sensations, too strange. He was never at war with himself, not like this. It was HIS fault! It had to be, some strange power of his. Whatever he was...
"Damn you! You know perfectly well what is going on! How are you doing this?"
Nicodemus looked even more puzzled. "What are you talking about? How many people do you know that give off static electricity?"
Taliesin snarled, lost control of himself. He didn't know what he was doing until he saw fur sprout on his hands, watched his fingernails turn into claws. He was half and half now, just as much a tiger as a man. His face was only a few inches from Nicodemus's; his furry hands, stronger than any human's, normally so steady that he suspected he wouldn't twitch even as he was dying, were shaking like a leaf as they grasped around his throat. Was it the electricity? He couldn't tell. His vision was red and his hands were so badly electrocuted they felt numb. "Tell. Me. Now."
Nicodemus went completely limp in his grasp. He began to turn blue after a moment, and only then did Taliesin let go. He backed up compulsively, almost like letting go had shocked him too. He felt frazzled, like a cat that had been forced to take a bath. Every hair in his body was standing on end, even as he let himself drift back to human form. He then sat down on the couch, watched Nicodemus in an uneasy silence. His breathing was ragged and uneven, every limb ached, and his head hurt. He would have to change shifts soon.
An hour later, as he was lying in the little bunk bed, trying desperately and futilely to sleep, it occurred to him that Nicodemus had never answered.
All the house had was a minimal kitchen, a tiny bathroom, a bedroom big enough for one, and a living room barely large enough to hold the couch, television, bookshelves, and shackles that it contained. The last were for their 'guest', and Habakkuk escorted him there. The bast, silver, and lead clamps were attached to his arms, legs, and waist. He could sit and lie down with enough comfort, but his waist wasn't going more then about a foot and a half from the wall, and the keys for the shackles were kept out of sight, under a loose board in the floor of the bedroom.
When Taliesin knew Nicodemus was properly restrained, he approached him. "Here are the rules, kid. You behave well, this is the worst that happens to you. Right now, these shackles are fairly comfy. I can tighten them so you are stuck in one position day in and day out, awake or sleeping. I can also let Habakkuk over there hit you. He enjoys the sight of blood enough that he won't mind." Nicodemus paled a little at the word 'blood', but said nothing.
"I am telling you exactly how we are going to guard you, simply because you would figure it out yourself within a few hours anyway. There are going to be two guards in here at all times. One of them is going to be there for fun, maybe sleeping and maybe talking to the other guard. That one, the other guard, is the one you should watch out for, because he's going to be watching you like a hawk the entire time. How long does a shift last? No clue. That'll change constantly, so don't bother trying to figure it out. Any questions?"
"Why am I here?" he asked bluntly.
Guenhyvar sighed. "Taliesin, he doesn't know. If he was one of us, he would have some clue as to why we got him."
"One of you? I don't understand." Nicodemus looked bewildered. Perhaps a little too bewildered. If it was all an act...
"Hmm." Taliesin thought aloud. "Did we break the laws yet?" Guen shook her head. "Then let's do it." He grinned a little, and everyone else smiled back, just a tiny bit.
Slowly, Taliesin let his face transform. The first visible sign was his amber eyes glowing, even as his face elongated. Soon, he had a feline muzzle. His ears slowly pointed as they moved up his head, and fur sprouted all over his body. With a soft crunch his elbows and knees reversed direction, even as his spine lengthened and his muscles grew. He was a fully grown tiger in seconds.
Nicodemus chuckled a little, sounding more bemused than afraid, though his laughter was nervous. "Shapeshifters. I should have known."
Taliesin just looked at him, as his features shifted back to human. There was a look of cautious worry on his face. "Why didn't you sense us before? You were riding in the back of my bike for a really long time. You should have been able to tell fifty feet away what I am. Why didn't you?"
"How would I know? You looked human until you pulled that stunt."
Taliesin hung his head. "Either he's lying or Guen's right. What do we do now?"
"Kill him," Habakkuk said quietly. His deep bass voice was a soft growl. Nicodemus' eyes bulged a little, and the last bit of color on his face sapped away. "You just showed him the truth. We can't keep him around if he knows, and he's not what we want anyway."
"Habakkuk is right," Lenore agreed. "We can go pick someone else up, as soon as we get rid of the body. We might have someone worth taking tonight."
Guenhyvar and Oberon were nodding their heads.
Taliesin shook his head. No! They needed this guy. Taliesin did not understand why, or even what Nicodemus really was, but they could not kill him. "No. This kid has something of us in him. Maybe he could learn your trade," He said to Guen. "I think he has the power to do it."
"I'd sense it if he could."
Taliesin replied, "Not necessarily. I just KNOW this kid has something. Let's wait a week, see what happens. For all we know, he's just a damn good actor and he has what we want." He met each of their eyes as he spoke, and one by one they lowered their heads in deferral. "Good. I'll take first shift, who is with me?" Guenhyvar stepped forward. "The rest of you, go home and get some sleep. Spend some time relaxing." The last was directed at Lenore and Habakkuk with a wink, and they both smiled faintly.
"Can I stay?" Oberon asked. "I'm too short to bike home myself, and I'm not going home with those two." He said it with a wry grin.
Guen nodded, and Oberon smiled as he walked over to the bedroom to get some sleep.
Taliesin sat down on the couch, staring straight ahead in silence. Guen sat next to him for a moment. Almost close enough to touch, and they both knew it. For all the time since they had broken up, they still had chemistry. She was still beautiful. But that didn't change their last fight, a real fight, where she was hurling bolts of pale white energy and wielding a silver dagger, where he leapt menacingly from shadow to shadow as a hulking mass of orange and black fur with sharp and shining teeth.
Taliesin found himself looking at her. Her soft breasts, her slender waist, her... He shouldn't be staring. He fought against himself, won, and looked away. But not before he noticed her glancing at him...
She yawned. "I'm going to go lie down, Tallie."
"Sure, Guen. You need some sleep." She had been scouting the club out for a few hours before everyone else showed up, and she had been up for about a day straight, without anything to eat either. "Why don't you ask Obie to get you some food?"
She smiled gratefully without replying and left for the bedroom. Silence hung in the air for a little while.
"Can I go to the bathroom?" Nicodemus asked quietly.
"Once per shift." Taliesin replied as he walked into the bedroom, grabbed the keys, and crouched so he could unhook the whole piece from the wall so that it all the clasps were still on. Or at least he tried to. Instead, the back of his hand brushed the small of Nicodemus's back when he went to unlock the piece. Nicodemus visibly started, and there was an almost feverish gleam in Taliesin's eyes.
"You feel it too, don't you?" Nicodemus asked softly. His face held a look of dawning understanding.
Taliesin glared, a golden gleam in his amber eyes. "What is it? You know what it is!"
Nicodemus shook his head. "You mean you don't know either?"
Taliesin rocked back on his heels and rose to his feet. Many zoo workers would have recognized the way he paced, the same way tigers often do when nervous or confronted. He looked composed, but for the haunted look on his face.
"What is going on?" Nicodemus asked. He seemed curious, bewildered, but almost too much so. To Taliesin's mind, used to the reserved and hidden behavior of the Night World's denizens, Nicodemus's face emoted, gave away everything too well.
It was an act, a show. Taliesin felt it in his head, but something in his blood disagreed. Too many sensations, too strange. He was never at war with himself, not like this. It was HIS fault! It had to be, some strange power of his. Whatever he was...
"Damn you! You know perfectly well what is going on! How are you doing this?"
Nicodemus looked even more puzzled. "What are you talking about? How many people do you know that give off static electricity?"
Taliesin snarled, lost control of himself. He didn't know what he was doing until he saw fur sprout on his hands, watched his fingernails turn into claws. He was half and half now, just as much a tiger as a man. His face was only a few inches from Nicodemus's; his furry hands, stronger than any human's, normally so steady that he suspected he wouldn't twitch even as he was dying, were shaking like a leaf as they grasped around his throat. Was it the electricity? He couldn't tell. His vision was red and his hands were so badly electrocuted they felt numb. "Tell. Me. Now."
Nicodemus went completely limp in his grasp. He began to turn blue after a moment, and only then did Taliesin let go. He backed up compulsively, almost like letting go had shocked him too. He felt frazzled, like a cat that had been forced to take a bath. Every hair in his body was standing on end, even as he let himself drift back to human form. He then sat down on the couch, watched Nicodemus in an uneasy silence. His breathing was ragged and uneven, every limb ached, and his head hurt. He would have to change shifts soon.
An hour later, as he was lying in the little bunk bed, trying desperately and futilely to sleep, it occurred to him that Nicodemus had never answered.