Page 52

"Okay, so let's figure out what's going on," Lain said after taking in the same scene as me. Unlike me, though, he immediately stepped up to take charge of the situation. "First things first: Typhon, why did you attack Donovan?"

"He attacked me first," Typhon growled, voice tight with barely restrained fury.

"All I did was walk in the door," Donovan protested. I knew he had to be angry, too, but he kept it together. He seemed to be more focused on putting himself between Typhon and Alex, despite Alex's attempts to stand at his side instead.

"You shot us!" Typhon snapped, and the pieces finally clicked in my head, but the picture still didn't make sense.

"Why, though?" I asked before I could think better of it. I immediately regretted opening my mouth when all four of them turned their attention to me.

"Wait." Ori's dark eyes raked over Typhon, cataloguing his injuries, especially his right arm, which still rested in the sling I'd helped him put back on this morning. Ori muttered a quiet oath under their breath and took a tiny step back. "This is the chimera?"

There was a beat of silence, then all hell broke loose in my kitchen.

Alex let out a sharp gasp, stumbling back until he hit the counter. Donovan stepped in front of him fully and pulled a gun I hadn't even realized he was carrying, leveling it at Typhon. Ori didn't move, seemingly too shocked or surprised, while Lain hurried forward, his hands up as he babbled out some kind of explanation. Typhon growled but didn't move, his golden eyes trained on the gun pointed at him.

Meanwhile, I did the stupidest thing I possibly could. I pushed past Lain and went straight to Typhon, planting myself in front of him with my back to the others and put my hands on his chest. The whole time, I braced for the sound of a gunshot, but couldn't stop myself from trying to protect him. Even though his attack on the detective had triggered my panic, proving he was capable of that kind of violent anger, I couldn't let Donovan hurt him.

"Everyone just calm down!" Lain sounded as panicked as I'd felt just a few minutes ago. "Let's figure this out. We have the same enemy, right? Those creepy soldiers are dangerous to all of us, so let's just… let's deal with them. Everyone chill the fuck out and we'll talk."

"Talk about what, exactly?" Alex bit out. I could feel his fury and I didn't have to look at him to know it was all directed at Typhon. "Should we talk about how you want us to protect the thing that nearly killed Landon DeVor? Or how Donovan almost died from his venom?"

I'd tried to tell myself that Typhon's outburst in the hallway was an anomaly, shielding myself with the desperate hope that he really had just been trying to protect himself. The accusations Alex hurled sent cracks spiderwebbing through that shield.

"He wouldn't hurt a kid," I protested, but even I could hear how weak it sounded. "This has to be a misunderstanding."

"I've been hunting the chimera for weeks, since he escaped from Landon's family. He's been hiding on your land the whole time?" Ori cursed quietly. "No wonder I couldn't find him."

What did that even mean? Why would his being on my property make him harder to find? Why would Typhon have tried to hurt a teenager? Why would Landon's family think they could capture Typhon in his other form? What the hell was going on in this town?

I had so many questions, but I couldn't get a single one out before Alex spoke again, his voice an angry snarl. "Why are we even talking about this anymore? There's no way I'm helping the thing that almost killed Donovan! I'll call the soldiers myself if I have to. They can have him."

Rather than the anger I'd expected, Typhon remained quiet. With my hands on his chest, I could feel the deep growls in his chest, so I felt it when they died down. Typhon slumped, lowering his head. His dark hair fell around his face in a messy curtain as Alex's words seemed to hit their mark.

"Absolutely not!"

"We can't trust them."

"Alex…"

Lain, Ori, and Donovan all spoke at the same time, their words crashing over and into each other into a meaningless jumble of arguments. I ignored all of it, instead forcing myself to look up at Typhon.

All traces of the monster were gone, leaving a broken, defeated human standing alone. The gold in his eyes had dulled, and he didn't look at me. He looked like he'd resigned himself to whatever they decided to do with him, even if it meant going with those weird soldiers.

Maybe it was the smartest thing, and I should be glad he'd go without a fight. If what they were saying was true, the best thing would be to let Typhon go. I should be relieved he didn't look like he'd put up a fight.

I wasn't relieved, though.

I was pissed off.

"Stop it," I hissed. He still didn't look at me, which just pissed me off even more. Without thinking, I grabbed a fistful of his shirt, pulling until he staggered forward half a step and finally looked at me. "Don't you dare give up."

"Quinn…" He shook his head and tried to look away again, but I yanked on his shirt until his eyes met mine again. "They're right. I did those things."

Fear slithered down my spine, trying to take hold of me, but for the first time, my anger was stronger. I was done with letting everyone make these decisions without me, letting them impact my life without a word just because I didn't want to make waves.

"Why?"

Typhon startled, eyes widening. "What?"