Page 20 of In the Monster's Wake
And there was the pink on Jasper’s cheeks again.Archibald loved that he could put it there just by flirting with him.
“Because I was a hunter,” Jasper said, ignoring what Archibald had said.
“Youwerea hunter.As far as I can see, you’re in one piece, which probably means you didn’t leave the hunters because you were hurt.Something else pushed you to do it, and you were dancing in a club that welcomes both humans and monsters the other night.You also didn’t hit me for kissing you.You didn’t seem disgusted by what I did.You’re here today, asking for help.My help.No hunter I’ve met in my life would behave like that.I don’t know if you’re a good person yet, but I’ll take my chances.”And he hoped he wouldn’t be disappointed because he had every intention of kissing Jasper again.
* * * *
JASPER DIDN’T KNOWwhat to think.He’d never met a monster so willing to work with a hunter, even a retired one.Usually, when monsters found out what he’d done for a living and how he’d been raised, they ran the other way, but it didn’t look like Archie was going to do that.In fact, he’d just given Jasper a list of reasons why hewouldn’tdo it.
That meant they were going to work together, didn’t it?
Jasper wasn’t sure how that would go, but he couldn’t do this alone.Maybe he shouldn’t do it at all, but Kester would continue hurting people, and Jasper’s father would continue bothering him to find Kester and take care of him.Spending time with Archie and hunting Kester sounded much better than having to listen to him rant about Jasper needing to come back to the hunters.
“We should put our information together,” he said, leaning forward.He was eager to find out what Archie knew.
“How much information do you have?No offense, but you’re a mechanic.You might have fought Kester once, but that’s the only time you saw him.Did you find out anything about him that night?”
Jasper had wanted to kiss Archie earlier, but now, he wanted to strangle him.“Do you want me to do this on my own?Because I will.”
Archie grinned and raised his hands.“I apologize, and no, I don’t want you to do that.”
“Besides, now that I have Kester’s name, I can look through the records the hunters keep.Youdon’t have access to those.”
Archie grinned.It made him even more handsome, which was infuriating.Jasper needed to focus, not wonder how their second kiss would go and when it would happen.
“You’re right, I don’t,” Archie admitted.“But I’ve been a PI for a while.I have informants, and I’m a monster.The people affected by Kester’s presence in the city will be more willing to talk to me than to you.”
“Then we go together.What did your informants tell you?”
“Not much for now.They talk about Kester as if he’s the bogeyman.One of my informants actually called him that.I pointed out that as monsters, we all are, but she was terrified.That’s why I reacted so strongly when I thought he was following you.If even monsters are afraid of him, humans don’t stand a chance.”
And Archie hadn’t known that Jasper was a hunter at the club.He hadn’t known him at all, yet he’d stepped in to help when he’d thought that Kester would hurt him.
Dammit.Jasper didn’t need any more reasons to like the guy.
* * * *
“WHO WAS THAT?A NEWclient?”Braith asked as he came in with a bag containing their dinner.It smelled good enough to make Archibald’s stomach growl.
Archibald knew what was about to happen.It was why he didn’t want to tell Braith who Jasper was.“Just some guy.”
Braith put down the bag and narrowed his eyes.“Just some human guy who happened to visit a PI office owned by two monsters?He wasn’t wearing a uniform, so I don’t think he was delivering anything.”
“I never said he was a delivery guy.”
“No, but you’re hiding something.”
“I’m not.”Archibald reached for the bag, but Braith snatched it up.Archibald groaned.Why did his best friend have to make this complicated?“Fine.He wasn’t a delivery guy.”
“I’m listening.”
“He was that human from the club.”
It took Braith a moment to understand what Archibald was talking about.Archibald had told him about noticing a monster who might have been Kester at the club the other night.He’d also told him that he’d followed the monster and had an encounter with an angry human, but he hadn’t mentioned the kiss or anything that came after it.He hadn’t thought that he’d ever see Jasper again.He hadn’t expected the human to take him at his word and visit him at the office.He didn’t think a human had ever walked in through that door.
But Jasper had.He’d suggested they pool their resources and find Kester together, and Archibald had agreed.That meant he’d have to tell Braith because Braith was working on this case, too.
“The human I followed to the bathroom,” Archibald explained to delay the inevitable.“I might not have told you everything that happened that night.”
