“Be thankful for that,” Wulfric said. Then he took a deep breath. “The apple gave you power. Think of it like electricity. You have a store of it inside you now. Like a big battery.”
Great. That wasn’t disturbing at all. “What do I do with it?”
Wulfric rolled his eyes. “You create a light bulb.”
“A light bulb?”
“Yes. One that will save the world.”
“And how do I do that?”
Wulfric shrugged. “I can’t tell you that. You have to figure it out.”
“A light bulb.”
“Make it a big one, because that demon is growing stronger every day.”
Great. “Any other helpful advice?” He invested his words with as much sarcasm as he could manage.
“Yeah. Drink the smoothie. You’re running on empty, and I’m lactose intolerant.”
Nero was right. The guy was an asshole. “Me too,” Bruce said. Then he grabbed the sports drink and chugged.
Chapter 19
WHEN SUPERHEROES TAKE OFF THEIR CAPES
LADDIN THUMBED off his phone and let his hand, phone, and entire body drop onto the mattress. It had been an hour since Nero had taken Bruce to see Wulfric, and that was too long. Didn’t they see that the man was doing everything he could to help out? And under extraordinary circumstances too. He’d become a werewolf, been attacked by two sets of fairies, gotten handed the responsibility for saving the world, and now had to report to Wulfric as if he were a schoolboy being sent to the principal.
It took all of Laddin’s self-control not to storm into Wulfric’s room and chew him and Nero out. The only thing that stopped him was the knowledge that it wouldn’t help Bruce one bit. The man had to find his own way with the higher-ups. But still, it pissed Laddin off.
So he’d grabbed all the distraction techniques he could think of. He’d taken his shower, organized his suitcase from the mess it had been, stopped by the kitchen, and even phoned Captain M to give his report and express his opinion on Bruce loud and clear—that he was a good guy and would be a great asset to Wulf, Inc. if they would stop treating him like a traitor. She hadn’t been any more impressed by his assessment than Nero had been.
So now all he could do was lie on the bed and stew—
The door opened and Bruce tiptoed in.
“Do you seriously think I’m asleep?” Laddin asked. “What happened? Are you all right?”
Bruce stepped into the light. He looked a little wild around the eyes but otherwise okay. “I’m fine. Why aren’t you sleeping?”
Laddin sat up. “Because I was worried about you. What did Wulfric want?”
“Medical attention. He’s got a fairy glamour that makes him look good even though he’s at death’s door.”
“He’s dying?” Laddin asked, alarm shooting through him. Wulfric was the cornerstone of Wulf, Inc. Sure, he rarely interfered with the day-to-day activities, but he was the one who guided the company, who said what was and wasn’t important, and who…. “Is that why everyone adores him? Because of the fairy glamour?”
“Probably. Because honestly, he’s kind of an ass.” Bruce dropped down on the edge of the bed. “He says I have to make a light bulb.”
“Incandescent, fluorescent, halogen, or LED?”
Bruce laughed and the tension in his shoulders eased with the sound. “Metaphorical. He says I’ve got fairy electricity inside me. I have to create a light bulb that uses it.”
“Oh. Got any ideas on how to do that?”
“Nope.”
Laddin sat up and faced Bruce. “Well, I’ve been thinking—”
“Of course you have—”
“Shut up and listen. You’ve been going nonstop. One of us has to process, and I’m the most organized thinker here.”
“You are?” Bruce challenged.
Laddin rolled his eyes. “Please. I’m the most organized person everywhere.”
Bruce tilted his head. “Really??”
“Let’s say unfolded socks make me insane.”
“Good to know.”
“So, listen. You’ve eaten the apple and the cherry, and everybody says you’ll find the demon.”
“By Thursday.”
“Two days from now. Awesome.” Not. “You’ve got this fairy electricity inside you, and you’ve got to figure out how to create a light bulb.”
“You’re repeating me.”
“Because I’m wired. I had a triple espresso while I waited for you.”
Bruce perked up. “They have an espresso machine here?”
“Focus. Why don’t you build your light bulb at the lake where everyone says the demon is? We’ve been running around behind the scenes here, but we need to be on the front lines. You have to use your juice to—”
“Shine a light on the demon. Got it.” He pushed to his feet. “So let’s get me some espresso, and then we can head out to Lake Wacka Wacka.”
“That’s not its name.”
“It’s what Nero calls it.”
“Nero can’t remember names for shit. It took him three weeks to call me anything but Mr. Happy.”
Bruce smiled. “You are chronically perky.”
“God bless caffeine. And before you go in search of that espresso, I have to tell you something. We can’t go to the lake right now.”
“Why not?”
“Remember those phantom kangaroos that smashed Nero’s face?”
“Not really.”
“Doesn’t matter. Captain M told me they’re back… with reinforcements. They’re being ridden by Haunchies.”
“By what?”
“Some Wisconsin thing. They’re little people whose goal is to cut everyone down to their size. So they’re smashing equipment and slicing up people’s legs.”
Bruce frowned as he looked out the window. “They’ll need paramedics.”
“Not you. You have to build your light bulb.”
“I don’t know how to build a freaking light bulb.” He sighed, and Laddin could see the frustration that chewed away at his confidence. Bruce wanted to help. Hell, the man wanted to save the world, but he hadn’t the foggiest idea how.
“One step at a time. How do you usually figure things out?”
“YouTube video.”
“This isn’t going to be on the internet.”
“Yeah, I figured.” He blew out a breath. “I’m a hands-on kind of guy. I usually work things out by doing them.”
“So do something. Anything.”
Bruce stared at him, his hands lax by his side. As the seconds ticked by, his forehead furrowed, his breath shortened, and his hands slowly tightened into fists.
Laddin waited
