They'd given him a room of his own simply because of the weirdness of what had happened--how else did you explain someone going from coma to nearly healed in three days? Henry appreciated it; he was still coming to grips with his life as it was now.
August. Huh. And here Henry had thought he'd drawn the short straw with fusty old-fashioned names. To August's credit, he certainly didn't look old and fusty; he was young and healthy and vital.
Henry pulled his feet down from the bed and set the crosswords book aside. Sitting forward, he took August's hand and there it was, the same little tingle of awareness he'd experienced with Jo, only stronger.
Up closer, Henry could smell August. Man, yes, but not quite--there was traces of wild things, like cold wind, pine, fur, musk. As a human, he wouldn't have noticed, and if he hadn't already scented Jo, he wouldn't have known what to make of it.
There was something else as well. Nothing physical, more a sense of August's difference. Henry tipped his head a little to the side, considering. He had the oddest urge to bare his throat and that was truly weird.
Henry let go August's hand and nodded to one of the chairs for visitors. "Hi, August," he said. "Yeah, I met Jo last night. Really nice. I'm grateful she got me locked up, and just in time. I hope I didn't make her late getting back to your...pack." It still sounded weird to him, but that was what it was, so he'd get used to it.
He ran a hand through his spiky hair. "A lot of questions. Jo told me I'd change into that...thing every month. No choice at the full moon, and no choice if I completely lose it." Henry pressed is full lips into a straight line for a moment. "As things go, that's a pretty major downside to...this."