Nicholas watches me pace in the kitchen. He doesn’t say anything. What could he say? Haven’t I made him go through enough? He was already lying to everyone he loved. He killed to protect me. And now he was just supposed to sit there and watch more people get killed?
Then I had the audacity to completely lose it in front of him. Who does that? What grown-up adult runs to their best friend crying as soon as a murderer shows up copying their act? That has to be the biggest tragedy about this entire situation.
“Do you want to finish dinner?” Nicholas asks tentatively.
I stop and turn to him. “While a murderer kills pretending to be me?”
Nicholas shrugs. “I don’t think they’re killing right now.” When I narrow my eyes, he continues, “Listen, as far as anyone knows, it was never you. And it’s going to remain that way. I’m on the case, and I’m going to direct the Bureau's investigations towards the new murderer. We will find them.”
He’s right. Unlike last time, when they were looking for the Vigilante Wolf Hunter, they have an edge this time. They know the killer they’re copying. Or at least one of the agents does. Together, Nicholas, Sam, and I can find this person… And what? Kill them too? That’s a bridge we’ll cross when we come to it. Right now, we have a mission.
I nod. We can do this. This doesn’t even need to be a problem. Well, other than the fact that Vigilante Wolf Hunter needs to come back, hopefully without making any fresh kills.
“Let’s eat,” I say.
Nicholas blows out a breath. I must have really freaked him out. That’s enough emoting for a couple of years. Time to get to work. After the food, of course.
As soon as we sit down, Nicholas goes unusually still, then the doorbell rings.
“Sam?” I ask him.
He sighs. “Yup.”
I put my untouched plate back down and rush to the door. Sam looks like he sprinted all the way here.
“What was so important that you used the emergency code?” He shoves his way inside and greets Mickey, who’s excited to meet his new friend again. Sam was just as much of a natural with him as with every human Mickey meets.
He walks over to the armchair and flops down. Mickey leaves him to spend some time with his one true love, his bed. “Oh, good, Nick’s here too. I have sooo many questions for you about your super-secret agency of badass agents. Wait, don’t distract me. Why did you want me to come over? Imean, you guys are hot and all, but I don’t think my man Nick has the temperament to bring in a third. And it’ll be gross. I’m flattered, though.”
“Why would you even think that?” Nicholas blanches.
I park my ass next to Nicholas. I’ve long since developed an immunity to Sam’s random musings. “It’s a fully clothed discussion. I know it’s hard, but try to focus.”
Nicholas’s head snaps to Sam. “Wait, did you say secret agency?” He shoots me a questioning look.
Before I can say anything, Sam interrupts. “I’m so relieved you didn’t call me because you couldn’t keep a secret between the two of you for a single day. That would have forced me to rush-order my Ellick merch. Ooooh, salad. Don’t mind if I do.” He picks up my plate.
Nicholas looks confused.
I shake my head. I knew Sam wasn’t going to let that go. Unfortunately, we have more important things to worry about, like making sure Nicholas doesn't believe I broke his trust. “I didn’t tell him anything. He figured a lot of it out on his own.”
Sam nods, then we wait while he chews the inhumanly large bite he’d just taken ofmysalad. “I’m surprised I hadn’t figured it out already. But once I started looking at the right places, it was hard to miss. My research left a lot of blanks, though. Would you like to fill them?” Sam wiggles his eyebrow.
“Stop flirting with him,” I blurt.
Nicholas’s frown immediately turns into a gleeful smile.
Sam laughs. “So possessive,jeez.”
The distraction doesn’t keep Nicholas off track for long. Giving his abandoned plate a remorseful look, he focuses on Sam. “Okay, how much were you able to figure out?”
Sam slowly chews the vegetables I almost sacrificed my fingerprints to chop. “Our victims didn’t show up on any of the criminal agency databases, but you were actively looking for us. So, you work for someone off the radar. They must focus exclusively on werewolves to have looked closelyenough at these cases to find the pattern.”
Nicholas’s eyes go wide as Sam continues speaking.
“So, maybe a secret werewolf agency. I don’t know how large it is, but from the traces I've found, it must be international and have an entire justice system of its own. But you couldn’t punish any of our victims and almost failed at catching us. I’d say you aren’t the most competent?” He takes another bite. How is he this hungry at twelve at night?
“We’d have eventually arrested everyone you killed. The caseload has been a bit large lately. We’re doing our best,” Nicholas argues.
