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“I don’t want any of these guys near you,” I said. “Not until I know who is or isn’t the changeling. For all we know, it’s Gavin, and he’s supposed to kill you.”
Kira, locked in her TV persona, smiled. “Wyatt, a little dancing won’t hurt anyone. Besides, there’s still around eight minutes until the timer goes off. Everyone is safe until then.”
As I opened my mouth to argue, Kira stopped me with a subtle wink and a nearly imperceptible nod. She knew what she was doing. Maybe she even wanted to get close to Gavin to figure out if he was the imposter. Grudgingly, I stepped aside, huffing out a breath as Gavin took Kira’s hand, a victorious smile on his face.
A shiver of fear worked its way up my spine. Why would she go with him so willingly? Was she really just being nice to determine if he was the changeling? Gods, what if she was the monster? That thought revolted me in a deeply visceral way, and I did my best to push it aside.
I backed away, crossing my arms, and kept my eyes glued on the two as they danced. I alternated between eyeing Gavin and Kira and checking on the rest of the cast. Tate walked over and asked Chelsey to dance. The other woman agreed reluctantly. As the seconds ticked by, my anxiety grew.
One thing that changelings were unable to mimic was memories. The creature would never have a clue what a person had experienced unless it was something talked about on an episode of the show. If I could try to weed out possibilities, it would make things less stressful. I needed an ally.
Crossing the room, I stepped close to Mika. The man flinched back, a look of fear and surprise in his eyes. “Wyatt?” The way he said my name told me he wasn’t entirely sure I was who I looked like.
Dropping my voice to a whisper, I said, “What happened earlier when we crossed the bay?”
A look of understanding dawned in his eyes. “You, uh, you stopped me from running away from the show.”
“Oh, thank the gods,” I said, heaving a sigh. “It’s you.”
Mika grinned. “That’s pretty smart. I guess that means you’re you.”
I stood beside him, settling in and watching Kira dance with Gavin again. “Seems so. Have you noticed anyone acting weird?”
Mika shook his head. “Everyone looks totally normal. Honestly, I can’t believe anyone isn’t who they say they are. These things are freaking weird.”
“I’m going to talk to the others. See if I can figure it out using memories.”
“Well, good luck with that. Those cameras are everywhere. Most of your interactions were caught on film. Who knows what that thing has watched.”
“Yeah, thanks.” I moved off to mingle.
My first stop was Abel and J.D. The two men stood together, eyeing the other like each might be a hungry manticore ready for a meal. A quick conversation about some of the interactions we had in the limos and helicopters when we first arrived at the island had me fairly convinced it wasn’t either of them. When I left them behind, both were more at ease.
Tate and Chelsey were harder to get to. I had to wait until they stopped dancing, and the whole time, the clock ticked away in my head. A few questions, and I could be sure they were who they looked like.
“Tate? I need to ask you something,” I said, walking toward him.
He eyed me warily. “Fuck off, bro.”
“I’m serious. It’ll just take a few seconds.”
Tate put a hand on my chest and not so subtly pushed me away. “Nah. For all I know, you’re that fucking thing. Get out of here.”
Could he be the changeling? The thought twisted my guts into knots. It would be a good reason not to want to answer any questions. Pissed off, I left him where he was. There was no reason to keep pushing. The look in his eye told me it was a lost cause. Instead, I turned my attention to Chelsey.
“Hey, Wyatt,” she said as I took my place beside her. “Sorry about how he acted,” she added, glancing at Tate as he walked away.
“That’s fine,” I said, shaking her comment off. “Quick question. When we were in the mating chamber, what were you drinking before you fell asleep?”
She frowned and blinked, obviously confused by the question. “I’m sorry?”
Sighing, I tried to ask again, this time with a bit more tact. “Sorry, I’m trying to figure out who’s the changeling. Only you and I would know what you were drinking. That’s why I wanted to know.”
Chelsey smiled in relief, but then trepidation entered her eyes. “Well, what if you’re the changeling? Maybe you’re trying to get close to me so I trust you, and then you’ll try to kill me later.”
Fuck. I had no response to that. Whatever I said could go either way. If I told her something about that night to prove I was who I said, then I would just be giving her info to use if she was the monster. Another variable.
“I’m going to head over there,” she said. As she stepped away, she gave me a wide berth.
