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GRIFFIN
Iwoke up in my bed again, confused about the change. Something was happening to me, and I was beginning to wonder if that fortune teller lady was right about being poisoned.
Morgan stayed with me for a while last night before I passed out. It was weird—when Emily was with me, I felt better. But then she left, and I felt bad again? She was my own good luck charm, healing me by just being in her presence.
At the time, I assumed I was sick because I’d had too much to drink, but that was strange considering most werewolves have a higher tolerance and an easier time holding their liquor. Our immunity was different than humans, similar to how we don’t get colds or the flu.
I was bummed that Emily didn’t stay with me last night, but I understand—she wanted to stay with Cassian. Or was it Ember? Either way, it had been a few days since she’d seen them, and she wanted to spend time with them. While I was glad she patched things up with Cassian—because it crushed me to feel her heartache, and I was tired of her bitching about him—I was envious that Cassian had her attention.
However, I’m a patient man, and I will wait my turn. If that’s what it took to be with her, then I’d do it.
I hadn’t yet mentioned changing my mind about the bond to Morgan, mostly because I was tired of hearing her complain about Emily. But given her recent change in attitude, maybe she would handle it better than I’d assumed.
But why was she being so nice to Emily? I mean, I was happy that she was getting along with her, but it didn’t make sense. I’d known Morgan for years, and she wasn’t exactly the type to let things go so easily. Especially when she was so insistent on ending the bond just a few days ago. Had she really come to terms with the situation, or was it something else?
I’d love to have pondered the thought further, but there was a knock at the door. Emily, Ember, and Cassian were here, presumably to talk about the feral wolf they’d spotted near the warehouse. Emily texted me about it last night and said we’d talk about it some more later.
The first thing Emily did when she came in was make me a healing drink. I graciously took the cup, flashing her a smile that probably looked like death rolled out of bed and bitch slapped my face. Cassian and I shared a nod. We’d have to talk later, but we had more pressing things to discuss now.
The four of us settled on the couch, and for a moment, an uncomfortable silence fell over the room. Cassian cleared his throat and said, “Emily told you about the wolves. Any thoughts?”
I shrugged, unsure what he expected me to say as if I’d suddenly found a piece that they’d previously overlooked. “It’s bad?” My statement sounded more like a question.
“Ember had a theory about the wolves,” Cassian said, gesturing for her to continue the conversation.
She explained what I guessed she’d told them last night. Made sense. Samara cast the curse, we always thought turning feral was an unforeseen consequence, but maybe she could control it. What I didn’t understand was what she planned on doing with those wolves.
“If it is Samara, why do you think she’s turning them feral?” I asked.
“That’s what we’re trying to figure out. Who knows what that narcissistic shrew is thinking,” Cassian said, resting his head on the back of the couch as he stared at the ceiling. “So far, the wolves have killed humans. Maybe that’s why she made them.”
“Seems like a lot of work to me,” I answered, sipping my drink. “Why go through all that trouble just to kill a few humans?”
Though we spent what felt like hours discussing possible theories, we found nothing solid. Eventually, we decided to make a pizza to soothe our stomachs that growled in unison.
Soon, the pizza sat on a plate in the middle of the coffee table as everyone chowed down. Cassian nearly choked on his bite when Ember announced, “I need to visit the Black Hole.”
Dropping his slice onto his plate, he asked, “Why would you need to do that?” His eyebrows were creased in a worried expression—one that would look as if he was concerned about his friend visiting such an unsavory joint, though I wondered if he was panicked that our little secret might come to light. I doubted he’d said anything to Emily yet about our visit.
“I may have a potential lead,” she answered, staring at her slice of pizza.
Of course, everyone was curious how she would know about a lead at the Black Hole, but she wasn’t forthcoming with the information and avoided giving us a real answer. In the end, we chalked it up to her psychic abilities.
“What is the Black Hole?” Emily asked.
Cassian and I exchanged a look, and he blew out a loud breath, running his hands through his hair and resting them on the back of his neck.
“The Black Hole is an underground black market for the supernatural,” Cassian explained.
“Have you ever been there?” Emily asked, looking at everyone in the room.
I stifled the laughter that wanted to sneak out. Cassian was digging himself into a black hole—a pun I would be happy to share with him later—by not telling Emily about our visit. I was more than willing to and only held back because he asked me not to say anything. But the truth was coming out, and I didn’t want to be in the crossfire when she found out. Hopefully, she wouldn’t be too pissed.
* * *
CASSIAN
“It’s funny you ask,” Griffin said, raising his eyebrows as he motioned for me to continue.
