The Dehumanization of Ethan Brown

Leslie called Ethan on Wednesday afternoon, sounding very sad. “I’ll meet you at a bar and we’ll talk,\" Ethan said.

“There’s nothing you can say. I have to tell Carl and my father.”

“What happened?”

“We\'ll talk at the bar.”

Ethan gave her the address of a bar near his house. “I’ll meet you there.” Ethan greeted Leslie at the door.

Leslie kissed Ethan briefly. “How is your wife?”

“Fine. According to Camilla, she has two more weeks.”

“Has she seen a doctor?” Leslie led Ethan to a table.

“Werewolves don’t believe in doctors. We deliver our own.”

Leslie hugged Ethan before Ethan sat at the table. “You’re getting a little hairy.”

“My captain thinks the scruffy look will help me blend in at crack houses. Besides, the wife likes it.”

“So you’re no longer wearing blue.”

“Not since Monday’s bust.”

“I’m glad for you.”

“We could order sandwiches.”

“The pills the doctor gave me kill my appetite,” Leslie complained. Leslie lit a cigarette and coughed with her first puff.

“You need to eat.” Ethan put his hand on Leslie’s shoulder.

Ryan walked into the bar.

“Join us,” Ethan shouted walking toward him. “Leslie, this is Ryan. His family lives in my house.”

“I don’t want to know how many families are staying in your single family home. You wouldn’t want me to report you to children services,” Leslie teased.

“Four if you count Ria and I as a family. Natalie moved in so maybe you can count it as five,” Ethan said.

“Nici and I have only one daughter so far,” Ryan said.

“He smells like your family.\" Leslie must have been able to smell the doglike odor on Ryan or it could just be that werewolves didn\'t have to bath for hygiene purposes and tended to smell muskier.

“Second cousin. Leslie has a good sense of smell,” Ethan said. He was a cousin of his cousin and they weren\'t related by blood except that Ryan was Jacob Sr. was the same line from the thirteenth century Jewish shopkeeper and being a small pack they were all closely related although neither Ryan nor Ethan could draw the lines where their paths met.

Ryan said, “Why are you so blue? Did your boyfriend leave you?”

“If it was only that,” Leslie said. “Are all your relatives assholes?”

“Bonnie is nice,” Ethan said.

“She only ruined your career,” Leslie said, “and my reputation.” Bonnie had arrived after the shooting at the university. She blamed Leslie for shoddy police work and inadvertently informed the school and press that Ethan had got involved with a police investigation. Ethan was on a thin rope with the university and his involvement with a shooting causing three deaths and much destruction of campus property, causing the school to withdraw his admittance into the doctorial program.

“She isn\'t well,” Ethan whispered to Ryan.

“Shit,” Ryan said. “I’m sorry, man.”

“Yes, shit. What do you care about me falling prey to alcoholism and having a persistent cough and constant fatigue? Wallace says if my work doesn\'t improve I\'m gone. You laugh at ptomaine.” Leslie put her fist against the table breaking her cigarette then started to hack again.

“It isn’t like that,” Ryan said. “We don’t laugh at people getting sick.” Alcohol didn\'t affect werewolves like humans. They could get a shorved ved buzz but they didn\'t get alcohol poisoning or any long-term effects.

“Sure, you eat out of garbage cans.” Leslie walked to the bar.

The waitress asked Ethan and Ryan if they wanted drinks. Ryan flashed his fake ID. They both ordered beers before Ethan walked over to Leslie. “Ryan didn’t mean to be cruel. He\'s only nineteen. Come back to the table.”

“So he’s using a fake ID to drink.”

“There’s no point busting a werewolf for underage drinking.”

“I know the laws don’t apply to your kind. I don’t need you laughing at the stupid woman that is drinking herself to death because her boyfriend left her and her best friend just happens to be a monster.”

“Mike probably left due to your drinking,” Ethan said.

“He drinks as much as I but it doesn\'t make him an alcoholic. He drinks when he\'s with drinkers and is sober around teetotalers.” Leslie drank her beer. “I shouldn’t mix alcohol with the pills I’m on but I don’t fucking care anymore.”

“Where is Mike? Maybe you should talk to him,\" Ethan said. \"He could help you. The police department has counseling for stress.\"

“He works afternoon shift. Most of shit in Vice goes down between dark and the wee hours of the morning,” Leslie said. \"I can\'t tell a therapist that my previous roommate is a werewolf. Although magic is generally accepted, most humans don\'t believe you exist.\"

“It must be lonely,” Ryan said. \"We try not to let people know of our existence. We had a bit of internal conflict in recent years and our numbers in the States and Canada have dropped considerably. If humans wanted to eliminate us, we could have a war and I\'m not sure who would be the victor.\"

\"I wouldn\'t want to fight anyone that bullets don\'t kill,\" Leslie said. \"I think it\'s best if we peacefully co-exist.\"

\"Many packs live in fringe societies inside cities: swatting in abandoned building, eating out of garbage cans and wearing clothes left for the poor,\" Ethan said. \"I wish I could write about them in my sociology papers. They\'re as invisible as the rest of the cities homeless.\"

\"Why don’t you guys raid garbage cans and leave this fragile woman alone?” Leslie said.

“We all grow old and die,” Ethan said.

“Let her sit here and feel sorry for herself,” Ryan said. “We need to find a Spanish gypsy curse.”

“I’m sorry that I left Buffalo but Juan was getting on my last nerve,” Ethan said.

“He’s like that. You didn’t grow up living under his shadow,” Ryan said.

“Did you take the job as his right hand man? I told him that I wasn’t qualified.” Ethan put his hand on Ryan’s shoulder.

“He must think that you are. Ethan, I’m barely more than an adolescent. I’m not up to that responsibility. Jake has been doing it for years and Emilio doesn’t have the skill. Our brother Tobias doesn’t like to be involved in pack politics.”

“Talk to Tobias about doing it. Ryan, Juan would be stupid to put me in charge of pack politics.” Ethan took Ryan’s hand and started licking it.

“I don’t bend that way.” Ryan pulled his hand away.

“Your loss.” Ethan left the table and joined Leslie who already had two drinks on the counter in front of her.

“I ordered you a Coors.”

“Thanks.” Ethan took Leslie’s hand in his and started to lick it.

“Your girl is pregnant.”

“I’m not.” Ethan moved closer to Leslie and took a sip of beer, and causally put his hand on Leslie’s thigh. Ethan moved his hand up Leslie’s leg pitching gently as he did.

“Oh,” Leslie moaned.

Ethan laughed and put his hand on Leslie’s crouch. “You’re so hot.” Ethan blew in Leslie’s ear and started to nibble on her ear.

“Ethan, I don\'t want your attention.”

Ethan licked Leslie’s finger in delight. \"I\'m learning control. I won\'t hurt you now.\"

“I\'m not interested in having sex with a monster.” Leslie pulled her hand out of Ethan’s grasp. \"You have a new car.\"

Ethan walked over to Ryan and handed him the keys. “Ryan, take the Saturn home and put it in the garage.”

“Will do,” Ryan said.

“Thanks,” Ethan said before walking back to Leslie. “Taken care of. Ryan won’t have to walk back to the house now.” Ethan followed Leslie to her truck. Ethan leaned against Leslie in the truck and played with her right arm.

“Juan has been corrupting you.”

“Just find us a hotel room.”

“Mike moved out. We can do it your old room.” Leslie stopped in front of the apartment. Ethan’s clothes were off before they got to the bedroom. Leslie poured them both drinks. Leslie stroked Ethan’s chest hair. “I think you’re hairier.”

“I might be.” Ethan took a sip of his gin and tonic before nibbling on Leslie’s chest.

“Control isn’t a problem.”

“That depends on your definition.” Ethan moved his tongue over Leslie’s tiny breasts.

“Do you change during sex?” Leslie asked pulling away from Ethan’s kisses.

“Not usually. Let me tell you Ria is a fucking animal in bed.” Ethan returned to kissing Leslie’s body.

“Why are you here then?”

“I like variety.” Ethan pulled Leslie into a deep kiss. “You smell so good.” Ethan moved down to Leslie’s pussy, taking her clit into his mouth and fingered Leslie’s perineum. He planted his other hand on Leslie’s firm butt cheek.

“Get some Astroglide. You’re scratching me.” Leslie reached over and handed Ethan a bottle.

Ethan put some on his fingers and cock and returned to fucking Leslie with his fingers while giving her cunnilingus.

“Fuck me.” Leslie panted.

“Not yet.” Ethan took a sip of his drink, rolled Leslie over, and kissed Leslie’s back still fingering Leslie’s ass.

Leslie moaned softly. “You’re a tease.”

Ethan entered Leslie slowly making sure that she was very wet not wanting to hurt Leslie’s delicate human flesh. With Ria or Juan, he didn’t need to be careful. Ethan came almost immediately after penetrating Leslie. “Shit.” Ethan finished his drink and dressed.

“Stay for dinner.”

“I’ll eat at home.” Ethan headed to the door.

“How will you get there?”

“It’s a nice night for a walk.”

Leslie shook her head; it was over three miles to Ethan’s house. Ethan was out the door.