by Anya Nowlan
She no longer looked tired as her features tightened and a fire started to blaze in her eyes. Clearly he had struck a nerve in assuming she wanted to be out of harm’s way.
“You didn’t even know demons existed until I came to you,” she said. “And now I’m just supposed to what, run and hide and let the big strong man handle things for me?” she asked.
“You showed up to hire me,” he countered. “That’s how hiring people works – you have someone do things for you so you don’t have to get your hands dirty.”
“But you just said you won’t even take my money, so I wouldn’t be your client anyway,” she argued.
Sawyer threw his hands up in frustration. How had their conversation suddenly turned into an argument? His wolf whined beneath his skin, awakened by a deep protective instinct swelling in his chest.
“So what do you actually want?” he asked. “Because I’m telling you right now, I will not put a civilian in danger.”
“And what are you, then? I didn’t know retired private investigators didn’t qualify as civilians,” she shot back.
They both fell silent at that, with Naomi looking more than a little embarrassed. He had to admit she was technically right, but that didn’t change his view on things.
“I’m sorry,” Naomi shook her head. “A moment ago I was thanking you for saving my life and now I’m just being totally out of line. But I need you to know – stopping Verin is very important to me. And there is no way I am just going to hide myself away,” she stated, squaring her shoulders.
Sighing to himself, Sawyer mulled that over. It was obvious being involved was something Naomi was not going to budge on. And if he pressed any more on her staying out of it going forward, she might just go off on her own and do something stupid.
It would be better if I could have her somewhere where I can keep an eye on her…
“I get it,” he finally said. “So we work together on this.”
Looking slightly surprised at him acquiescing, she nodded.
“I’m glad we’re on the same page,” she replied.
All Sawyer had really agreed to was her not leaving town. He still had no intention of letting Naomi near any dangerous situations. But it was better not to argue about what their partnership really entailed.
Not when Sawyer had a lot of questions he needed her to answer.
Even after his chat with Tate, there were still a lot of gaps he needed to fill when it came to this case specifically. There were things that didn’t add up, and he wouldn’t be satisfied until he put the puzzle together.
“Let’s start from the beginning,” he said. “I need any information you can give me, even if you don’t think it matters.”
Nodding, Naomi pulled one knee up onto the couch and leaned forward, listening. It was strange, having someone in his private space again. Even Hill had never been to his place, and that man was arguably the closest thing to a friend Sawyer had in this town.
But Naomi didn’t feel out of place here in his apartment. It was as if she had been over a thousand times before.
“So, how do you know Melanie?” he asked, watching Naomi’s reactions closely.
“We’re coworkers at the university,” she replied. “I used to teach history, before I focused on publishing. Her expertise is Shakespearean literature.”
“And her husband was an archeologist,” Sawyer added. “They were attacked last night and you were called as an emergency contact of Melanie’s.”
Things seemed to be lining up as far as that went.
“Yes,” she replied. “Detective Hill called me, and I drove over. I only spoke to Melanie for a minute before she was taken to the hospital, but it was clear to me it wasn’t some burglary gone wrong that got David killed.”
“And how was that clear to you?” Sawyer asked.
This was the part Sawyer had been waiting to get to. How could Naomi have been so sure that what happened to Melanie’s husband was no ordinary murder?
“Well…” Naomi hesitated. “She told me a monster killed David. And I heard some officers talking about how…” she stopped for a moment, gaze wandering, before she turned back to him. “His skull had been crushed. And then I knew.”
“People bash other people’s skulls in all the time,” Sawyer countered. “Or are you saying only demons do that?”
Naomi shook her head, her hands resting in her lap now clenching into fists.
“He wasn’t hit on the head,” she said. “His skull was squeezed until it broke.”
Now that really got Sawyer’s attention.
“The officers said that?” he asked, but Naomi evaded the question.
“Why do I get the feeling I’m being interrogated?” she countered.
“Because you are,” he answered plainly. “Because your story doesn’t add up and I want to know why.”
“You’re more like a cop than I thought,” she scoffed, and it was clearly not a compliment.
“That makes sense, because I used to be one,” he replied, and she pursed her lips.
It wasn’t something he liked to bring up, but as he was asking her to be honest with him, it was only fair he do the same. From the look she was giving him, he got the feeling there was something in her past that didn’t exactly endear her to law enforcement.
“So, are you going to be straight with me? Because I’ve been straight with you,” he said, when the silence dragged on. “I can’t help you if I’m working blind. I need to know everything you know. How were you so sure Melanie wasn’t just traumatized when she told you a monster attacked David?”
Taking in a deep breath, Naomi kept her eyes squarely on him, her jaw locked and her posture ramrod straight, even as she fidgeted with the long sleeves of her shirt.
“Because I’ve seen the kind of monster that killed David before,” she said, making Sawyer lean back in his seat. “The night my family was murdered.”
Eleven
Naomi
I can’t believe I just said that, was all that ran through Naomi’s head as she watched Sawyer sitting opposite her, weighing her words.
How many people had she ever told about her family? The fact that they were dead did come up every once in a while, when she got closer to people. Melanie knew that she had been raised by an aunt since she was a teen, for example.
But no one knew the full truth.
Well, I told the cops what happened, but they certainly didn’t believe me. And I never used the word ‘demon’ back then.
“I’m very sorry,” Sawyer said, and there was a sincerity in his voice that touched on something inside her.
He had the look of a man that had lost something, too. Naomi had learned to recognize that in others. Once you had gone through something like that, the signs were clear to see.
But he didn’t strike her as the kind of guy who liked to talk about his past or feelings, so she didn’t say anything. And it wasn’t like she was especially eager to dredge up her own personal history, either.
“Thank you,” she replied. “It was a long time ago, though, so let’s not make a big deal out of it.”
As if losing her parents could be anything but a big deal. That single event had shaped her life into what it was now, whether she wanted to admit it or not. But now, she had a chance to do things differently.
I am not a scared kid anymore.
“Do you think what’s happening now is somehow connected to you?” Sawyer asked.
Was it? Verin had seemed genuinely surprised to see her, and she couldn’t think of a reason why he would fake that. And it wasn’t like the demon had come after her. If Naomi wasn’t friends with Melanie, she wouldn’t even have known the monster that took her family was here.
“No,” she shook her head. “Only in the sense that my parents were killed in a similar way to David,” she added, gritting her teeth as images of blood and brain matter spattered on the floor pushed their way to the forefront of her mind.
She looked over at Sawyer,
turning her attention to him instead. And that seemed to work. His face came into focus, blurring out the awful memories. He was studying her closely, his broad shoulders like an impenetrable wall opposite her.
The t-shirt he was wearing clung to his defined chest and fell loosely around his narrow waist. He looked powerful, in control… All the things Naomi wanted to be. His voice was gentle when he spoke.
“Were you there when it happened?” he asked.
Naomi rubbed her temple as she sank deeper into his couch.
“Is it that obvious?” she replied, letting out a forced laugh.
“You have the look of a survivor,” he commented, dark eyes trained on her.
“Survivor,” Naomi scoffed. “I’m only alive because I ran. I still think about that, fourteen years later. I don’t know why he didn’t catch me… I’m sure he could have. Sometimes I wish he had.”
The truth she had never spoken aloud before hung in the air as she stared at her lap. She knew about survivor’s guilt from all the therapists she’d seen as a teen, but knowing the reason for her feelings didn’t lessen the power they had over her.
The guilt and shame were still there, numbed with time, and hidden away, but still present. And for some reason, it was Sawyer Blake who was getting her to open up about it.
He doesn’t want to hear about your issues, Naomi, she told herself, avoiding his gaze.
The cushions around her dipped, and when she looked up, he was right there, sitting close enough for their knees to touch. Warmth radiated from his body, and every instinct in her body was pushing her to lean in, to reach out, to touch…
“We both saw what a demon is capable of today,” Sawyer said. “And you were little more than a child back then. There is nothing you could have done but ran. Or do you think your parents would have wanted you to get killed with them?”
The question was blunt, even from Sawyer, who definitely wasn’t one to beat around the bush. But the straightforwardness of it shook Naomi out of her self-pity.
“No,” she replied, meeting his gaze.
They sat there, looking at each other for just a moment too long. There was something in the air Naomi couldn’t quite put her finger on. Talking to Sawyer about her past wasn’t easy, but he was still the first person without a psychology degree she had ever confided in like this.
Whether that was just because of what was happening with Verin, or because of something inherent in Sawyer himself, she couldn’t tell. But it didn’t really matter. He made her feel safe, and given the situation they were in, that was no small thing.
Sawyer was the first to speak, and she couldn’t help but focus on his lips when he did.
“How did you settle on ‘demon’, if you don’t mind me asking,” he said. “And not any other type of supernatural creature.”
“Well, I knew he wasn’t a unicorn,” Naomi shrugged, trying to dissolve the sudden tension in the room. “And I kind of became obsessed with the possibilities after it happened,” she admitted. “I buried myself in books, and the only creature that really made sense was a demon. So I got into history and I’ve been studying demonic myths ever since.”
“You know what they’re capable of, then,” Sawyer remarked.
“It’s been difficult to separate fact from fiction,” she replied. “You should know, people have been writing about werewolves for centuries. How many of those stories are actually true?”
“Not a lot,” he admitted.
“I can tell you shapeshifting seems to be something only the most powerful demons have mastered,” Naomi said. “And if the books are to be believed, they can’t stay in different forms for very long.”
“Well, that’s helpful information,” Sawyer nodded.
“If it’s accurate, it is,” Naomi sighed. “And a lot of the material I’ve studied contradicts itself. So as much as I’d like to say I’m the expert on demons…” she trailed off.
Sawyer was quiet for a moment, before replying.
“I know someone who is,” he stated.
“What?” Naomi blurted out.
That was one hell of a declaration. What they really needed right now was information, and if Sawyer knew someone with real knowledge on demons, that could be a great advantage.
Hope sparked inside her. Could it really be that this time, she would be able to turn the tables on Verin?
“That friend I mentioned gave me her number,” he replied. “Her name is Dakota. She’s supposed to be some sort of demon hunter.”
“Well,” Naomi commented, a grin spreading across her face. “You could have led with that.”
Twelve
Sawyer
“Dakota’s not picking up, and I don’t have Wes’ number anymore, so I left her a message. My friend warned me it might be a while before she gets back to us,” Sawyer said, pacing around his living room with his phone in his hand.
“And who’s Wes?” Naomi asked.
“A wolf from the same pack I’m from. And Dakota’s his mate,” he replied.
“Oh,” Naomi remarked. “That has to be complicated.”
Sawyer stopped, leaning against a wall to watch her.
“Why do you say that?” he asked.
“Well, shifters and their mates, they’re drawn together, right?” she tilted her head at him.
“Yeah, that’s what I’ve heard,” he nodded.
“They can’t help but be with each other,” she went on. “It can’t be easy being pulled toward someone who’s a ‘demon hunter’ as you say.”
“I don’t think Wes sees it that way,” Sawyer smiled to himself. “Finding your mate is considered a blessing, no matter the circumstances. And we wolves like a little danger in our lives.”
“Is that why you became a cop?” Naomi immediately asked.
“I suppose that might have had something to do with it,” he shrugged.
“But there was more to it,” she prodded.
There had been, but Sawyer didn’t want to get into it. He wasn’t good at talking about himself, never had been. The truth was, as a wolf, he liked having a place to belong. Pinedale had turned out to be too small for him, but he was still a pack animal.
So his brothers in blue had turned into his family. And he didn’t think he had the words to adequately explain what that meant to Naomi.
“There was,” he replied, aware he was evading the question.
Ironically, it was exactly the kind of response cops hated.
“And there’s also a reason you’re no longer on the force,” Naomi commented. “Sorry, I’m being nosy,” she added, shaking her head.
“I did kind of interrogate you, so questions are fair game,” Sawyer offered. “There are just things I would rather not talk about.”
“Of course,” she replied. “So, what’s our next move?”
“Well, let’s go over what we know,” Sawyer rubbed his jaw. “Verin is obviously after this statue David was working on. Since he showed up to your house demanding to know why it wasn’t at the university, I think it’s safe to assume he doesn’t have it yet.”
“And I don’t think he has any qualms about how to get his hands on it,” Naomi added.
“In all likelihood, he’s going to break in to the university after hours in search of it. Melanie said the lab will send it back tonight,” Sawyer replied.
“Or tomorrow morning,” Naomi reminded him.
“Verin doesn’t really strike me as the patient type,” Sawyer shrugged. “And he can make himself look like a security guard or staff member and walk right in and take what he wants. If it’s not there today, he can just go back tomorrow. The risk is minimal.”
Which made Sawyer wonder – why even kill David in the first place? Verin could have easily masqueraded as the man’s friend or colleague, and gotten the information he needed that way. Maybe the demon just enjoyed crushing people’s skulls…
“He’s already changed faces once today,” Naomi said. “If there’s one thing the myths are co
nsistent about, it’s that more complicated tricks are also more draining. I don’t think Verin has it in him to transform again today and have enough power left for tomorrow.”
“Huh,” Sawyer commented, thinking that over. “So if he wants to play it safe, he’ll have to wait. That gives us a shot.”
“At what exactly?” Naomi asked, but her tone betrayed she already knew the answer.
“To steal it ourselves,” Sawyer shrugged.
“I was afraid you were going to say that,” Naomi sighed. “But aren’t you used to arresting thieves, not being one yourself?”
“Lucky for me, I have a woman on the inside,” he arched a brow at her. “You must know the university in and out.”
“I know parts of it in and out,” Naomi replied. “But I’ve rarely had reason to visit the archaeology department. I don’t know what kind of security they have there. With the artifacts they handle, it’s probably a lot tighter than in the rest of the building.”
Sawyer watched her purse her perfectly pink lips, practically seeing the gears turning in her head. There was a severity to her when she focused on something that oddly enough, he found appealing.
There was nothing flighty or careless about her. He could see it in her home, what little he had gotten the chance to observe – there was nothing out of place, from the thick volumes in her bookshelf that were neatly organized, to the dustless, matching picture frames on the walls.
He used to pay attention to details like that. But that was before. Now, he would rather pay attention to nothing at all. That wasn’t an option anymore, though. One misstep with Verin, and both he and Naomi would pay dearly for it.
“I do have another… friend in the archaeology department,” Naomi said, sounding hesitant. “Or not a friend, exactly…”
“David’s friend?” Sawyer offered.
“I think they were more friendly than friends, you know?” she replied. “His name’s Roy, and from what I gathered, he pretty much kept pestering David to set him up with me. We had one awkward dinner together, all four of us, and I’ve been avoiding Roy ever since. But I bet if I gave him a call…” she trailed off.
