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He hung up and turned to his mother and the officer. "He's fine. He met with a girl at the lab yesterday—apparently they really hit it off and he went back to her place. He fell asleep and his phone died." Danny ran a hand through his hair, looking both relieved and exasperated. "I didn't even know he was seeing anyone."

"A girl?" Danny's mother repeated, her expression shifting from worry to curiosity in an instant. "Who is she? Did he say?"

"Someone from his organic chemistry class," Danny said. "Alicia? I don't know. He was kind of embarrassed about the whole thing."

Officer Martinez closed his notebook. "Well, that resolves that. Glad your son is safe, Mrs. Jacobson."

As the officer left, I felt some of the tension in my shoulders ease, but not all of it. Something still felt wrong. I caught Kaylan's eye, and he nodded slightly, confirming he felt it too.

"I should make some coffee," Danny's mom said, bustling around the kitchen. "You boys must be ready for one after rushing over here."

"That would be great, Mom," Danny said, though his eyes were on me, clearly registering my continued alertness. "Why don't you show Bayer and Kaylan the living room? I'll get it started."

I followed his lead, letting Mrs. Jacobson guide us to a small, well-worn living room filled with family photos. As soon as she was back in the kitchen with Danny, I turned to Kaylan.

"You smell it?" I kept my voice low.

"Yeah," he confirmed. "Something's been here. Not human, not shifter." He moved to the front window, scanning the street. "But it's faint. Like it was here and gone."

I nodded, examining the room more carefully. The corrupted smell that had nearly gagged me wasn’t here. My eyes landed on a few family photos—one was Danny with his arms around a younger boy who must’ve been Logan, their mother between them, and a sullen-looking young man I recognized as Shane. They were standing in front of this very house, maybe a year or two ago.

"We need to check the perimeter," I murmured.

"Already on it," Kaylan replied, slipping out the front door and holding his phone as if he was going to make a call.

Danny returned with his mother, carrying a tray of coffee cups. His eyes immediately went to the empty space where Kaylan had been.

"Where's your friend?" Mrs. Jacobson asked, setting down the tray.

"Just stepped out to take a call," I said smoothly, accepting a cup. "Thank you for the coffee, Mrs. Jacobson."

"Please, call me Stella," she insisted, her smile warm, though strain still showed around her eyes. "Any friend of Danny's is welcome here."

I caught Danny's slight blush at the word "friend" and had to suppress a smile of my own. Friend was certainly one way of describing it, but I knew we needed to talk.

I listened as Danny explained what had happened to the two girls in town, and Stella was immediately worried. Danny—much to my instant horror—told her not to worry as he was home now, so she wouldn't be on her own. My consternation must have shown on my face, because she sent me an amused look Danny missed, then reminded him she'd just worked her last shift for ten days and she was going to stay with his Auntie Carol in Dunston, as Marianne was also away and didn't need her help, and she hadn't visited since her niece Audrey had finally had her baby.

I could have kissed Stella when she said she didn't want Danny staying here on his own, and I immediately said he was welcome to stay with Emery, then didn't dare look him in the face in case I'd made him mad, but he seemed too worried over Logan to get prickly with me.

We went to check if Logan was okay first, before any of us would feel at ease. Danny's mom wouldn't take no for an answer, so she followed us in her car to Logan's apartment, which was a small two-room place off campus.

When he opened the door, I immediately saw the family resemblance. He was taller than Danny but had the same expressive eyes, though his were more serious. He looked tired, dark circles under his eyes, but otherwise unharmed.

"I said I was fine," he protested as his mother engulfed him in a hug. "You didn't all need to come check on me."

"Like hell we didn't," Danny snapped, though relief was evident in his voice. "Since when do you stay out all night without telling anyone?"

Logan's face flushed. "I told you, I met someone. My phone died."

I hung back with Kaylan, both of us scanning the apartment while the family reunion played out. Nothing seemed out of place—just the typical college student mess of textbooks and empty energy drink cans. Most importantly, I detected none of the wrongness we'd sensed at the Jacobson house.

"You don't just disappear," Stella was saying. "Not with everything going on in town."

"What's going on?" Logan asked, frowning.

Danny quickly explained about the attacks, and Logan's face paled. "That's...that's why you called the cops? You thought I was—"

"We didn't know what to think," Danny interrupted. "Just promise you'll keep your phone charged from now on."