Page 51 of Slay Me

“I like your fury,”Grayson offers as he sits down in the chair across from my desk.

Kinsley, who’s been sitting since I walked in, nods in agreement. “She’s feisty.” White hair loose around her shoulders, she exudes the strength of an Alpha Supreme.

“The gryffin try and plead his case?” I question as I take my seat. “I do have a contract if you wish to see it.”

“I don’t need to see it,” she replies. “While I don’t necessarily agree with your methods, I recognize you had a binding agreement with Mathis, and I have no intention of breaking that. Besides, the gryffin’s an asshole.”

“A massive one,” I agree. Turning my attention to Grayson, I lean back in my chair. “Who did it?”

“You’re not going to like my answer.”

I stiffen. Surely not Li—

“None of them,” he adds. “They were all telling the truth. About both attacks.”

Even as I’m relieved there isn’t a killer in my midst, his answer still pisses me off. I’m not a man accustomed to missing things. So how the fuck has someone managed to do so much damage under my roof? “How is that possible?”

“I don’t know, D. But it is.”

“Fuck.”

“Is it possible someone got around the wards? What about the witch who laid them?”

“She was there,” I reply. “Uma set the magic.”

“Then someone had to have found a way around it,” Grayson says. “If I were you, I’d find a way to reinforce them. You’re sure no one lingered behind after killing them?”

I nod. “We combed the buildings after we found the bodies.”

“And your security didn’t sense anything was off?” Kinsley questions.

“No. They shifted so they had full access to their abilities, but they say there was no hint of anyone else in that room.”

The Alpha Supreme’s brows draw together. “Not even a lingering scent from the other performers?"

“Not unusual,” I tell her. “Thomas and Jenny kept to themselves when not in the social hall or the ring. Most of the performers keep to themselves. Personal time is sacred around here.”

“Hmm. I can take a look if you’d like,” Kinsley offers. “Maybe an outside nose will lead to something.”

“I’d appreciate that.” Getting to my feet, I gesture toward the door. “I can take you there now.”

They get to their feet, and we move together out into the hall, down the stairs, and onto the floor where death still lingers. It hangs in the air, the copper tang of blood still prominent.

“They were in here.” I push open the door so Kinsley can make her way inside. She shifts quickly, bones popping, fur sprouting, until she’s standing before me on four legs rather than two. Her wolf moves about the space, sniffing and searching for anything amiss. While the bodies have been removed, crimson still saturates the mattress and floor. It makes me sick, knowing what happened in here right beneath my nose. I pride myself on protecting what belongs to me. Thomas and Jenny? They were mine. And they were slaughtered.

Ten minutes tick by as Kinsley continues scanning the room. Then, she comes over and stops just in front of Grayson. She shifts within seconds, standing before me, wearing clothing that looks just as pristine as it did before she changed.

“Charms are handy.” She says with a smile when she catches me watching her curiously. Then, she turns and faces the room. “Their scents are all over the room, but aside from theirs, your security teams, yours, the berserker you said was here, and the fury, I’m not picking up on anything either.” Grayson touches my shoulder, so I turn around again and cross my arms.

“I’m so sorry I don’t have better news.” She offers me a kind smile.

“I appreciate you both making the trip out here.”

“Of course. We owed you,” Grayson slaps me on the back. The only person who I’d allow to put their hands on me. He’s always been my closest ally outside of this damned place.

“You didn’t owe me shit,” I reply as the three of us step back out into the hall. The shapeshifter is just ducking into his room. “You’re sure he was telling the truth?”

Grayson nods. “Honestly, he was the least emotional out of all of them, which made him even easier to read.”

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