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I didn’t answer him. Why should I when he already knew?
“There was a monster in there,” he said slowly. “An invisible monster. As soon as the power went out, it swept through the place. Just ripped people apart. Eviscerated an entire unit in body armor. I always wondered what happened to that monster.”
“He was confused. Traumatized,” I explained. “Ghost isn’t really like that. He’s sweet, Chris.”
“What happened to your neck?” he asked with a frown.
My hand went to the ring of bandages there and I winced. “Not you too. Are you going to stand there and tell me Ollie doesn’t have a side that scares you? Not even a little?”
“Oh, he does,” Chris said, and we started walking together again. “Honestly, we’re both monstrous in our own way. It’s kind of why we work so well together. I guess I just never pictured you with a monster that could tear through your guts like tissue paper.”
“I’m telling you, he’s not like that.”
“And I’m telling you that it’s okay if he is.” Chris stopped again and sighed. “Look, you’re a smart guy. You know anything with teeth and claws is dangerous. I don’t need to tell you that, so I won’t.”
I hugged my arms tight around myself. “Thanks…I think?”
“But you can’t just ignore what he is either,” Chris continued. “Ghost is a predator. He needs to hunt. It’s an important part of who he is. That’s no different from how Charlie needs to cook or how I need lots of quiet, empty space to clear my head. We need what we need. Thing is, you go denying him that, telling everybody he’s a sweet little cupcake… That’s doing him a disservice, too, Axel.”
“He’s not going to hurt me. He’s not going to hurt anyone,” I said firmly. “Least not anyone who doesn’t deserve it.”
“I believe you.” Chris put his hand on my shoulder. “But listen, Axel. Knives are safe too in the right hands. You still wouldn’t put one in a crib with a toddler. I’m just saying you need to let him be what he is, too.”
“I’m trying,” I said with another sigh. “This whole thing is way more complicated than I thought it’d be. Why’d we have to fall for monsters, huh?”
“Probably karma or something. Hell, I don’t know.” He grinned and elbowed me. “But worth it, right?”
“Yeah,” I said, returning his crooked grin. “Least I hope so.”
We started walking again, veering away from the tree line and back toward the lake in a semi-circle loop.
“So,” Chris started after a while, “what’s the plan to deal with Parker?”
“Agent Mozley wants to use me as bait to draw him out. He thinks Parker will grab me to get to Ghost. The idea is to fit me with a tracker and then come bust down the doors before the party gets going.”
There was no need for me to tell Chris about Mozley’s other plan, because that was never going to happen.
“Have you told Ghost about this plan?” Chris asked, studying me carefully.
I shook my head. “Ghost is super protective of me, as I’m sure you’ve heard. He’d never let Parker take me. Telling him would compromise the whole plan.”
“And what do you think is going to happen if Ghost hears you’ve been taken and isn’t expecting it?” Chris stepped in front of me, and we halted facing each other. “I know you think you’re doing the right thing, keeping this from him, but that’s a dangerous play, Axel. People could die.”
“It’ll be fine,” I said, sidestepping him. “Especially if Mozley keeps his word and gets me out of there before anything can happen. Ghost never has to know I was in danger to begin with. Technically, I won’t be. You guys will always have eyes on me. I’m sure Honor has already worked out a plan that he hasn’t told me about.”
Chris snorted. “Damn right he has.”
“See? Between Mozley, his ESCU agents, and you guys, I’ll have enough people watching over me there’s no way this could go tits up.”
“Careful,” Chris advised and fell into step beside me. “Those are famous last words.”
The pasties were goneby the time I made it back into the house and there was no sign of Ghost. That didn’t mean he wasn’t there, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was absent, and I didn’t like it. I wanted him to be comfortable around my friends, and for my friends to like him. That couldn’t happen if he was hiding in the lake.
After a few rounds of Super Smash Bros—in which I was thoroughly defeated by Robert, who’d played Kirby—I slipped back outside and went to the lake. Tiny ripples moved along the surface, the only sign that the dark water wasn’t empty.
“Ghost?” I wrapped my arms around myself and fought a shiver. The temperature had dropped. Maybe there’d be snow.
The water parted and Ghost’s glowing head bulb emerged first, followed by the rest of his head and shoulders. He floated a few yards out toward the middle of the lake, peering back at me with his big eyes.
