Page 7 of In the Monster's Wake
“We don’t,” he said with a smile.“Which means you’ll have to talk to us if that’s okay with you.”
The monster waved Archibald’s words away.“Of course.I was just surprised because I expected to talk to someone who would tell me to come back or make an appointment.”
Braith gestured at the chair in front of Archibald’s desk.The office was cramped, but they didn’t have more space.There was the waiting room, a tiny bathroom in which Archibald always felt like he was suffocating, and their office.It was a small miracle they’d found this place to begin with.A lot of humans didn’t want to rent or sell to monsters.
The monster sat in the chair while Braith dragged his chair closer to Archibald’s desk.Once all three of them were settled, the room was silent for a moment.Archibald let their new client lead.He always did.
“I suppose that I should start with my name,” the monster said.“I’m Varken.”
Archibald nodded.“I’m Archibald, and this is Braith.”
Varken nodded.“The owners of this place.I was told you did good work.”
“I believe we do.What can we do for you, Varken?”
Varken cleared his throat.“My daughter was killed recently.Her case ended up on the news.”
Archibald sat up straighter.“Was her death part of the string of murders in our community?”There had been so many of them recently that even humans had noticed.Of course, they used every act of violence between monsters to point out that they shouldn’t be allowed to mingle with humans.Maybe they were right.Maybe humans and monsters shouldn’t live together, but it wasn’t like either of them had an alternative.No matter what they thought of each other, there was only one Earth, and they had to share it.
Varken nodded.“The way she was killed mirrors the violence in the other cases.Humans aren’t investigating.I reached out to them, but they told me they couldn’t help.They gave me my daughter’s body back, and I buried her, but I want more.”
“You want revenge,” Braith said.
Varken’s expression hardened.“Whoever did this to my baby deserves to die as painfully as she did.They haven’t only hurt my daughter.As of today, they’ve killed five monsters, hurt two human bystanders, and wounded three hunters while killing one.I don’t care about the hunters, but clearly, even they can’t do anything about this monster.”
“So you thought you’d ask us.”
“I’ve heard your reputation.You take care of things like this.”
Archibald nodded.He was a little worried because whoever was doing this was clearly strong, so it might be complicated, but he and Braith often worked together.He was sure they could put a stop to the monster responsible for all of this.
Archibald didn’t think much of killing.Some people—humans and monsters alike—shouldn’t be allowed to live.They were too dangerous for humanity at large, and when someone realized that and paid Archibald to get rid of them, he was happy to do it.He’d be especially happy to do it in this case because this monster was leaving a trail of bodies.He was messing with the delicate balance between humans and monsters, and if Archibald’s life got worse because of them, he’d be pissed.
“We do,” he confirmed.“Do you know who’s behind this, or will we have to investigate and find out?”
Varken hesitated.“I’ve heard rumors.I don’t know how true they are, but it could be a place to start.”
“Rumors?”
“That the monster behind this is new to town.That he’s cold-blooded and never hesitates to kill, for whatever reason he feels like.My daughter never would’ve hurt anyone.There was no reason for her to be killed.I want that monster stopped, and I want it to hurt.”
“How much are you willing to pay for us to do that?”
Varken swallowed.“Whatever you ask for.”
* * * *
JASPER WONDERED WHATwould happen if he ran away.Would his father make a scene and come after him?Probably not since the hunters weren’t the only ones who’d arrived on the scene of the attack.The police had also been called, which was both an annoyance and good for Jasper because it meant that his father was distracted.
“What happened after that?”the policeman who was questioning Jasper asked.
Jasper blinked and told himself to focus.As soon as he was done answering questions, he’d go home and burrow into his bed.Maybe he wouldn’t come out for an entire week.He felt he deserved that.
His entire body ached.It had been a while since his last real fight with a monster.He still trained with Kerry and Corey every day, even though the three of them weren’t hunters anymore, but it wasn’t the same as facing a monster who wouldn’t have hesitated to tear Jasper’s head off with those wicked fangs of his.
“We heard gunshots,” Jasper said.“My friend Corey called my father to tell him what was happening when we found that monster attacking the woman.”
The policeman wrinkled his nose.“And your father is?”
