Page 16 of Tooth and Nail

“This is my new partner, Aristotle Brown, Derwin.”

Derwin bobbed in the air, and Eoghan was pretty sure the buzzing got even louder.

“He’s not going to hurt you. We just want to get you out of here. You didn’t come in here voluntarily, right?” He looked around, noting how the floors and ceiling had a hexagonal pattern in them just like the honeycomb he couldn’t deal with. “This has to be torture on you, Derwin,” he concluded, looking back at the bee. Derwin’s buzzing got louder, and Eoghan nodded. “Okay, buddy. Can you change back?”

The buzzing got louder, sounding even more desperate and distressed.

“That’s okay. We’re gonna help. Take my hand with your tarsal claw. It’s the only way I can see to get you the hell out of here.” He held out his hand and waited as Derwin slowly reached out with one of his forelegs, hooking its claw into his gauntlet with complete and total trust.

“He just trusts you like that…that you won’t hurt him even with the weapon?” Ari asked.

“I told you. Derwin is a friend, aren’t you, buddy?” The buzzing was painful to hear. “Let’s go. We’re gonna go slow. Hang onto me and don’t let go.” Derwin’s claw curled into the glove. Eoghan could feel the pressure of the sharp clawed hand, but it couldn’t penetrate the gauntlet. He’d never been so grateful for Wordy in his life as he began to pull the buzzing insect out of the gallery. Slowly but surely, he walked a path to the exit, tugging the hovering honeybee behind him. He felt like a child pulling a kite as he led the giant bee to safety. When they finally stepped into the wide-open, white room of the museum’s main room, Derwin finally released his hand. The big yellow and black shifter buzzed up to the ceiling where he hovered as Ari stood beside Eoghan and watched.

Behind him, McGillis and his team entered the gallery to take care of the humans and proceed with cleanup.

As Eoghan watched the poor bee circle the gallery for several minutes, he was glad they were in an enclosed spaceand when he finally settled back to earth beside them, the buzzing had nearly ceased. A moment later, Derwin shifted back. He stood there shaking for a few seconds before suddenly letting out a massive fart. A giant blob of golden yellow honey shot out of his naked rear end.

“Oh, God, that’s so embarrassing!” Derwin cried, looking at them with horror painted all over his features.

“It’s fine, my friend,” Eoghan said, reaching out to pat the poor honeybee on his naked shoulder. He gave Ari a warning glare, daring him to laugh but was relieved to see a somber, if not completely perplexed expression. Reassured, he turned and met Derwin’s miserable gaze with one of his own and then called over to one of McGillis’ team. “Can we get a little help over here please?”

Someone immediately walked over with a bucket and mop, smiling at the bee. “No worries, my man,” the guy said with an understanding shrug. “Shit happens.” Another man walked over with a blanket and draped it over Derwin’s shoulders as Eoghan and Ari waited for the shifter to cover himself.

“You okay, now, buddy?”

“Finally. Thank God you got here, Eoghan. I almost died in there.” He squeezed his eyes tightly shut, keeping his gaze away from the room’s entrance. “Can we get away from there?”

Eoghan put an arm around his shoulders. “Of course, Derwin. What happened? I know you didn’t do that to yourself. Who put you in there?”

“Oh my God. Sheldon! Those monsters wrapped him with flypaper strips and left him in our apartment.”

Ari leaned forward. “You mean like those sticky pest control strips?”

“Yes,” Eoghan replied. “Take a long roll of those and you can do a pretty solid job of trapping any insect shifter for a while.”

“You’re kidding?” Ari asked.

“Unfortunately, no, I’m not kidding. Hang on. Who’s Sheldon?” Eoghan said. “Is he a shifter?”

“He’s my boyfriend, and yes, he’s a shifter too. What if he’s dead?” Derwin’s face scrunched up as he tried not to cry.

“They won’t kill a shifter but they will make them pretty sick if left on there too long since they have a low-level pesticide in them.”

“That’s horrible,” said Ari.

“Bumblebees are bastards of the worst kind,” Derwin said, wiping away tears as he shook with sorrow.

“That’s okay, buddy,” Eoghan said, reaching over and squeezing the honeybee’s shoulder. “We’ll send a team out to your apartment to help Sheldon and have him brought down to the office. After she hears what happened to you, the chief will probably start relocation.”

“Thank you,” Derwin said, letting out a shaky breath.

“You’re gonna be just fine, Derwin,” Ari said, leaning forward and patting him on the shoulder.

“So, tell us what happened, from the start,” said Eoghan.

“It’s kind of a long story, Eoghan.” Derwin looked at him first and then at Ari. “I haven’t seen you before, Brown. You, new?”

He nodded, smiling at him. “Yeah, it’s my first day.”

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