Animal Instinct

by Noelle N

  The minutes seemed to drag on endlessly as he regarded me; first with suspicion, then a wavering wariness and, finally, he let out a resigned sigh and reached across the counter to take the knife from me. He spun it with a proficiency that I knew at once that he was no stranger to that weapon, and slid a finger along the edge to test its sharpness before looking up at me. "What do you need me to do?"

  I smiled and nudged the bowl of tomatoes closer to him. "I need these sliced."

  "Fine." He dragged the chopping board in front of him and picked up a tomato, setting it down and tilting the knife at the perfect angle.

  "Don't forget to wash your hands, Diego."

  He let out an aggravated sigh and chucked the knife back on the counter. "Forget Prometheus," he tossed over his shoulder sardonically. "Because apparently, Titan's greatest threat is food-poisoning."

  * * *

  "What's all this?"

  The library had never looked more cluttered before and I glanced up in surprise when Jed entered the room, carrying a large cardboard box on his shoulder. He set it down beside a smaller stack of three boxes, and I carefully picked my way across the room to get to him. He held out a hand the moment I was close enough and latched his fingers firmly around my arm to steady me as I sidestepped a particularly high pile of books.

  Jed had returned from Io the night before, looking dead tired but satisfied that their security was intact and he'd been more than amused when I told him that Diego was helping me out in the kitchen. He was still studying the book when I entered the kitchen early in the morning, but after telling him that I didn't have to work the morning shift and was going to spend the next few hours researching in the library, he'd begun transporting boxes down from the attic to the library.

  Now that the last of the boxes had been brought in, Jed reached for the one closest to us and handed me his phone.

  My mother's old things. Might be able to find a clue somewhere.

  "Alright," I readily agreed, feeling curiosity surge through me as I settled down next to Jed.

  Picking up the book that he'd set aside, I flipped to the page where the notes were and realised that Jed had done some extra markings on the book. His mother's notes were in faint pencil, his were in red ink to differentiate from the black font. Leaning my back against him, a gesture that he seemed particularly fond of because he shifted closer to me, I read his notes while he sorted through the first box.

  "Every name you have listed is in this book," I mumbled, tracing a finger up the index page. Jed's penmanship, while haphazard, was detailed. "Xaphan, Tamiel and Raum are more or less confirmed members of the syndicate. Xaphan's a ghost – few have heard about him, much less know about him. Tamiel is – " I paused, my eyes widening when I read the words, my fingers instinctively inching towards the necklace Jed had given me sometime back. "You know Tamiel?"

  Jed paused. After a few seconds, he held out his phone to me.

  The Black Market is the only place to get silver weapons.

  He waited patiently until I'd finished reading before keying in another message.

  I'm sorry that I keep disappointing you. But if paying off one member of the syndicate gives me the silver I need to keep Titan safe from the rest of the monsters, then I'd do it.

  "I know." I smiled and pushed his phone back to him. "You don't have to apologise to me. I get it. I mean – it's not right, but I get it."

  Holding up my necklace, I marvelled at the way the onyx caught a refracted beam from the light above us. Under certain lights, the onyx seemed silver or white instead; not because it really was silver or white, but because of the reflection. The same way some good people did things that made them seem entirely evil from certain perspectives. Jed was one of them.

  "You know," I said, as a thought suddenly occurred to me, "you told me earlier that you compiled the list based on information you overheard at the Black Market." He nodded when I threw a questioning glance at him over my shoulder and I frowned. "If Tamiel operates the Black Market, he might very well know what you've been doing."

  Jed held out his phone to me again.

  It's likely. Also likely that he gets people to feed me false information. He threw me well off Malthus's scent because no one ever spoke about him and I thought he was dead until you proved to me otherwise. I keep information from reaching Tamiel's runners and he keeps information from me; but as long as he's not a direct threat to Titan, there's no reason to be confrontational just yet.

  "Makes sense," I mused, settling back against Jed and tipping my head against his shoulder as I continued to read. "Now, back to the list. Raum – mass murderer; so few sightings of him that many consider him a ghost. Orcus – another ghost. And on to our primary target – Malthus Trevino; alias Mattheus Norvil. Responsible for multiple cases of kidnapping, rape and sexual abuse; current Alpha of Prometheus…you forgot to add 'Alpha of the Underworld' under his very impressive résumé, by the way," I informed Jed seriously, smiling when he let out a quiet chuckle of amusement at my words. "And last but not least – Azazel. Still a ghost. Never seen, only heard of."

  Letting out a quiet exhale, I scanned the index page several more times to make sure I hadn't missed anything. One of the names was still pressing on my mind and I flipped through the book quickly, going down the alphabetical list and pausing at a particular section, only to find that the name was nowhere in sight.

  "All these codes are names of mythical demons," I said at last, glancing over at Jed, who was also studying the book over my shoulder. He quirked an eyebrow at me and waited expectantly to voice the question he'd probably already thought of. "But the name Dimitri isn't in here."

  He nodded, lifting his shoulder in a quick shrug before turning back to the box and pulling out another photo album.

  "Maybe this isn't an exhaustive list." After flipping through the book one last time, I gave up and set it aside for a moment. It wasn't until I shifted aside that I realised what Jed had been doing. He had several photographs laid out in neat rows in front of him, and I pushed myself up on my knees, bracing a hand on his shoulder as I leaned to get a closer look. "Did you find something?"

  He simply reached out and pointed to the first photograph. It was a picture of a man that seemed vaguely familiar and, with a start, I realised that it was Claudius. A younger version of Claudius, standing next to a beautiful woman whose eyes were the same shade of green that Jed's were. Jed's mother, definitely. But Jed wasn't pointing at her; instead, he tapped a gleam of metal on Claudius's hand, before dragging his finger across to the next photograph.

  Same hand, same finger, same gleam of metal.

  It wasn't until he pointed to the fifth photograph – one of Claudius and Fleur and Malthus – that I realised exactly what he was trying to show me.

  "Claudius's legacy," I murmured, realisation swiftly dawning on me as I stared intently at the picture. "He finally passed it on to Malthus."

  Jed nodded sombrely, and reached for the next photo album, flipping slowly through the slots to make sure he didn't miss anything. I studied it quietly with him for several minutes, until we came across a picture that made the both of us freeze. This time, the photograph was a close-up, zoomed in directly on Malthus as he grinned into the camera, and it was impossible to miss the same gleam of metal on his hand.

  Same hand, same finger, same ring.

  Jed immediately pulled it out to set it aside with the rest of the others, and he was just about to flip to the next photograph when I stilled, my fingers tightening involuntarily on his shoulder.

  "Jed," I breathed, my voice catching in my throat as my head spun with the sudden recollection. "Diego has a ring that looks just like that."

  22

  QUEEN

  The moment Jed stepped into the diner, all conversations abruptly ceased.

  It wasn't his presence that took them by surprise; rather, it was the look of deathly calm on his face that made several of them scramble up from their seats, a courageous few stepp
ing forward as they regarded him with worry. Spike, who was manning the counter during the morning shift, immediately straightened, while Lorraine came rushing out of the kitchen mere seconds later.

  "Alpha." Adrian was the only one who dared to speak up, pushing himself off his seat by the counter. He cast a fleeting glance my way and I bit my lip, trying my best to convey my most apologetic look. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion and he looked back at Jed. "Is everything – " He trailed off abruptly and nodded, turning sideways to glance at the man standing behind the counter. "Spike, find Lance and get him to bring Diego over. And the rest of you," he addressed everyone else in the diner, levelling them a firm gaze, "clear out."

  Spike promptly headed for the exit, leaving a stunned silence behind him. But then Adrian gave a warning frown and everyone began to get up. Amidst worried murmurs and hushed whispers, they quickly exited through the side doors.

  "We're really sorry about the inconvenience," I told them, nodding apologetically at the few who glanced my way. "But this is really important."

  Adrian headed outside to wait while Jed watched the rest leave with an impassive look on his face. But the blazing anger in his eyes was impossible to miss, and when he finally glanced at me, I half expected him to maintain the same barely-restrained fury he'd felt from the moment I told him about Diego's ring.

  But I was surprised when his expression softened just fractionally, and he held out a hand to me, only to think twice and retract it at the last second. "Are you alright?" he asked quietly, and the mere fact that he was still speaking in those low, soft tones I was so familiar with made me smile in relief.

  "Yeah, of course," I assured him quickly and reached down to take his hand. His fingers were furled into a tight fist, his nails digging into his palm, and I brushed my fingertips across his knuckles until he was slowly unclenching his hand and looping his fingers through mine. "But can I stay in here?"

  He frowned, hesitation plain on his face as he took a quick step back, but I maintained a steady grip on his hand to stop him from letting me go.

  "I know you want to keep me safe," I continued calmly. "And I'll be safe if I stand behind the counter and you keep him away from me. But this place is going to be very testosterone-charged very fast, and I'm not sure I want to see a casualty right here in this diner. So let me sit in and listen to what he has to say. I'm the one who decided to trust him in the first place and I want to know if I'm wrong."

  Jed stared at me for a few more seconds before nodding, his expression softening when I smiled. But the moment he heard loud scuffling sounds from outside, his warm features glazed over into something entirely cold and he jerked his head towards the counter. After giving his hand an encouraging squeeze, I stepped away and headed to the counter. I'd just settled down onto the stool when Adrian pushed the front doors open, as Lance and Spike shoved an aggravated-looking Diego into the diner.

  "Alpha." Adrian nodded at Jed. "Should we leave?"

  Jed shook his head and exchanged a quick glance with him. Without another word, Adrian signalled for Lance and Spike to leave Diego standing in the middle of the diner. In the midst of the lull, Jed strode over to the counter and sat on the stool, bracing an arm almost defensively across the tabletop that separated us. Adrian stood guard by the main door, with Lance and Spike standing by the other two exits.

  Diego rolled his eyes at their theatrics before narrowing his eyes at Jed. "So what did I do now?" he drawled, sounding entirely bored as he folded his arms across his chest. But I didn't miss the way his stance was almost defensive, mirroring the others' almost perfectly.

  Jed nodded at Adrian, who cleared his throat and took a deliberate step forward. "Alpha wants to know about that ring on your right hand," said Adrian, his voice sharp in the tense silence. "How did you get it?"

  It was almost imperceptible and if we weren't looking so closely, we might've missed the way Diego stilled. Just for a split second, before he shrugged. "Bought it from an old store," he said flatly, before arching his eyebrow sardonically at Jed. "Why? Want to borrow it for a grand, romantic proposal?"

  Jed stiffened, his fingers digging into the tabletop in a clear sign of anger. But it was Adrian who moved forward, reaching out a threatening hand to latch around Diego's throat, only to have it swiftly blocked by Diego. It was such an instinctive, swift move that I barely caught it, and it seemed to take even Adrian by surprise because he soon found his hand pinned at an awkward, painful angle behind his back.

  Jed was on his feet before Spike and Lance could even move, bracing himself in a way that was entirely defensive as he regarded a snarling Diego. I wouldn't even have known what was about to happen if Jed hadn't thrown a swift glance at me over his shoulder, jerking his head towards Diego, who was by now beginning to curl into himself in a way that was entirely familiar.

  "Diego." My voice was sharp and everyone stilled. Jed still stood defensively in front of me, but Diego glanced up, fixing his obsidian eyes on me. I fought the urge to shiver, because it reminded me so much of those times he'd kidnapped me, and shook my head. "Don't shift."

  He hesitated but, after a few seconds, reluctantly loosened his grip. Adrian wrenched away from him and was about to retaliate when a sharp glance from Jed made him falter and back away, but not before casting one last furious glare at Diego. Jed sat back down, bracing an arm on the table once again in his old position. And when he glanced at me this time instead of Adrian, I knew immediately knew what he wanted me to do.

  "Diego," I started calmly, fixing my attention on the man who was standing rigidly in front of us. The darkness in his eyes had faded since then, far swifter than the obsidian in Jed's could fade, and he waited expectantly for me to continue. After another quick, encouraging glance from Jed, I steeled myself and finally asked the million-dollar question. "What is your name?"

  Diego looked at me strangely. "What the hell are you – "

  "What is your name?" I repeated, placing a calming hand on Jed's arm when he let out a warning growl. He relaxed just fractionally, but sent another warning look at Diego, who simply stared at me in exasperation.

  "My name is Diego – "

  "What is your real name?"

  He froze. The tension in the diner was almost palpable by now, and the other three who weren't in the know had matching looks of confusion on their faces, even as they braced themselves for any possible, unexpected attack. Diego averted his eyes from me, only to reluctantly meet my gaze again mere seconds later, and after what seemed like a plethora of internal strife, he finally let out a heavy exhale and clenched his jaw.

  "Dimitri Volkov."

  The silence that followed was a deadly calm. Jed and I was already suspecting this, from the moment I pointed out that the ring Malthus wore in the photographs was of the exact same cutting and shape as the one Diego, or Dimitri, had. A flat silver band with two green lines running around the middle.

  Simple, unassuming, deadly.

  But to hear his confession was another thing altogether and I found my mind spinning with the realisation that the person I trusted had been one of the monsters all along. Jed stood, the jarring sound of his chair scrapping against the hardwood floor making me wince involuntarily, and nodded at Adrian.

  "Explain yourself," Adrian said shortly. He still looked marginally lost with the turn of events, but covered it up swiftly with that usual gleam in his eye that I knew he meant nothing but business. "Why do you need an alias?"

  "I'm not explaining anything to the rest of you," Dimitri returned smoothly, his voice entirely devoid of emotion. But then he paused, before glancing over to where Jed and I were standing. "Only to them."

  Jed and I exchanged a wordless glance. I could see the caution in his eyes, but the flicker of curiosity on his face was also impossible to miss. He wanted to know the truth as much as I did, and I had no doubt that he could protect me if things went wrong. So I offered him a faint smile and nodded.

  Determinedly, Jed eased back and glanc
ed over at Adrian, who stiffened. "But Alpha – " He started, only to let out a resigned sigh and signal to Lance and Spike. "We're leaving."

  Lance's eyebrows shot up. "What – "

  "Now."

  Reluctantly, Lance and Spike trailed Adrian out of the diner, casting suspicious glances over their shoulders at Dimitri, who was still standing in a perfectly calm way that betrayed nothing. Were it not for the way he subconsciously had his thumb pressed over the ring on his index finger to hide it from our view, I would never have guessed that there was anything amiss with him.

  "Alright," I said, when the others had finally disappeared out of view. Meeting Dimitri's gaze squarely, I took a deep breath and continued, "do you want to tell us what you do?"

  "Don't you already know that?"

  "If we did, we wouldn't have to ask you," I returned evenly. Jed had stayed motionless throughout, but the sharp glint in his eye told me that he was watching Dimitri's body language with perfect precision. He didn't miss anything. "We know you're part of a syndicate. But what do you do?"

  One corner of Dimitri's lips twitched up in a sardonic smirk. "You should know. You've had first-hand experience of it. Twice – "

  Another warning growl from Jed didn't faze him at all, but when he realised that I was simply waiting for him to elaborate, the smirk slowly faded from his face.

  "I'm a hired assassin," he said simply. "Contract killer, hitman, whatever you call it. In your case, I was hired by Malthus Trevino as a bounty hunter to bring you back in one piece." His lips quirked up in a wry smirk when he saw the way Jed and I both froze. "You thought I couldn't figure out the link?"

  I shrugged, trying to keep a calm composure. "Bianca knew him as Mattheus Norvil."