Creature of Unknown Origin

44

Behind him, Howie snickered.

“Oh, come on , that is so not fair! You have just as much as a body count as I do!” Delia

crossed her arms and glared at both men with a deadly gleam in her eyes that could rival Medusa’s

stare.

“I’ll go.” All eyes turned to me and I shrank back against the wall. “Well, if you don’t wa nt

Delia to go with you, I’ll go.”

Spencer stared at me with wide eyes. Then his lips pursed into a thin line. He opened his

mouth to say something and snapped it shut again. Howie and Delia exchanged a look like they

were about to witness my gruesome murder. Delia let a long out, low whistle between her teeth

and glanced at the door just behind me.

“What?” I started innocently, gathering up my confidence and strength. “When you think

about it, I’m the perfect person to bring along with you . If not to actually do anything, then to at

least keep you company or do a little bit of driving.”

Spencer’s chest heaved with the deep breath he took. In the blink of an eye, he jolted into

action, waving his hands in front of him as he shook his head firmly. “No, absolutely not.”

“So that’s it then?” Both spectators retreated backwards, disappearing into the background

of the room if they hadn’t already fled as my vision tunneled, focused solely on Spencer and

Spencer alone. “You’re going to go off on your own, face down a crazy scientist and who knows

who else, and sideline anyone who might help you?”

“Av,” he growled. His eyes darkened with the gleam of a warning.

My eyes flashed, shifting into the eyes of my other half. They sparked, my temper flaring

at his tone. My lips curled into a snarl, and I growled back, a sound that rumbled deep in my chest,

but Spencer didn’t shrink away from me. “No, I’m going with you, and that’s final!”

I turned on my heel and made to stalk out of the room to wait by Spencer’s truck, ignori ng

the weight of Howie’s wide - eyed stare or Delia’s approving smirk when Spencer firmly grabbed

hold of my upper arm. When I snapped my head back to look at him, my heart sputtered. The

flared nostrils and deadly glare with dark, furrowed eyebrows I expected to find weren’t there.

“I just don’t want you to get hurt,” Spencer spoke quietly, his face unreadable. “Promise

me, you won’t do anything that’ll get you hurt.”