Prophylaxis - 31. Chapter 31

I woke up very warm and slightly squished.

My queen bed didn't feel very roomy as I blinked sleepily in the muted morning sunshine sneaking through the curtains. I was on my side, pressed up against Guy's toasty body. He was on his back, my head resting on his bicep like it was a pillow and Riley sprawled on top of the big werewolf like a blanket. I turned my head to see that the warmth at my back was Takashi, spooning me with his arm across my waist, his hand resting on Guy's hip. I yawned and noticed my blond guard sitting in a chair he'd pulled near the bed. Zeru winked at me and smiled but he looked weary.

"You didn't sleep?" I asked softly, not wanting to wake the others.

Zeru shook his head. "I was guarding."

I blew out an exasperated breath. "We're going to have to figure something out with you. You can't keep your eyes on me all the time and just take cat naps while holding me like a teddy bear. What about when I go back to work?"

He lifted a brow and shrugged. "I'll guard you wherever you are."

"You can't come to work with me."

"Why not?"

"Because you can't. And you need to sleep."

"I'm fine, sweetheart. Though I appreciate your misguided but adorable concern. I slept some here. I moved the chair forward and was able to touch your ankle while I rested."

I scrunched my face in displeasure. "Figure out what needs to happen so you don't have to constantly guard me, okay? Then we'll discuss it."

Zeru looked a bit surprised but nodded. I sighed.

"I need a bigger bed. Then you could have at least stretched out with us." I said, then thought for a moment. "And a bigger bathroom, but that's always been true." The upstairs bathroom was bigger, it had the old claw foot tub, but the downstairs one was positively tiny. "Bigger house."

A thought popped into my head.

"Hey, how come the cops didn't get all weird about us being dressed like we were renaissance festival workers yesterday? Like, I know we hid our ears and coloring, but we hadn't changed clothes."

"Zeru and I threw up a quick glamour as you opened the door," Riley mumbled with a yawn. He rubbed his cheek against Guy's broad chest and blinked at me sleepily. "Wouldn't have stood up to much touch or careful inspection but they weren't really worried about our clothes. So it was fine." He gave Guy's pectoral a quick kiss and rolled off the bed into his feet. "Coffee. Want."

"Grounds are in the freezer," I told him. "Machine is on the counter. If you want creamer, there's some flavored crap in the fridge but make sure it's not expired."

Takashi kissed my shoulder and stood from the other side of the bed. "Tea?" he asked hopefully.

"Cupboard above the microwave."

Zeru followed Riley out with Takashi trailing them. Zeru still wore his clothes from yesterday. Riley and Takashi had on boxers that were a little big for them and looked familiar. Apparently, I had more booty than they did. I didn't mind them borrowing boxers, though. I snuggled up to Guy as the pocket door to my bedroom slid closed.

"You wearing my underthings, too?" I asked teasingly. Guy's eyes were closed but I could tell he was awake.

"Ah...No." Something in Guy's tone and expression had me burrowing under the blanket. "Mick, what are you… Shit." The last word was a groan.

"Why, Mr. Werewolf," I said, muffled under the covers as I stroked up his thigh and cupped his balls, "you sleep commando. I must say, I'm shocked."

I felt the muscles in Guy's thighs tense as he groaned again. This was fun.

"Mick, what are you doing?" His voice was strained.

I just made a non-commital noise and licked his dick like a lollipop again. He was half-hard and getting harder fast. I wanted this, wanted him.

He flipped up the blankets so he could see me. "You don't have to…"

"But I want to," I whined.

"You've been through a lot lately. I'm not sure this is a good idea. The king, and before that with… what happened to you, you may need time to process your trauma."

I propped myself on an elbow and stroked him with my other hand, glaring up his body to those concerned hazel eyes. "Yeah, and I'm not going to let that shit take more away from me. I want to suck you and play a little. I want to feel close to you and I want to see, really see, what it can be like when I'm not swamped with what someone else is feeling. That's still new to me. I want to only feel what's in my own head, my own skin." I made myself take my hand off his dick so he wouldn't be as distracted. That seemed fair. "Now, if you aren't into fooling around right now, that's completely fine. But don't say no because you're trying to be noble and protect me. If I start to freak out or stop liking what we're doing I'll tell you and we can stop and talk about icky shit." I laid my cheek on his thigh and tried to look winsome. I wasn't sure how successful I was with a hard penis inches from my face. "So, what do you say?"

Guy looked at me like he wished he had my ability to look into a person's mind. He reached down and slid his hand over my hair. I leaned into the touch and couldn't help but smile at how gentle and careful he was.

"Alright, yes. I do want to." He still looked uncertain. "You promise you'll stop if it's too much? You'll say something?"

I licked his dick and grinned. "My safeword is kumquat, baby."

His amused snort became a groan as I wrapped my mouth around the head of him and sucked. He groaned and I smiled with a mouthful of dick. Oh yeah. This was going to be fun. I licked and sucked all over his cock and balls until he was a mess. Guy was panting and fisting the blanket, He gazed down at me, eyes hot with hints of wolfish green.

"Come up here," he growled. "Want your mouth on mine."

I crawled up his body until we were face to face. He sucked in a breath when my hard length slid against his.

"When did you…"

"I shucked my shorts when I was blowing you." I waggled my eyebrows. "You were too distracted to notice."

He gripped my hips as he kissed me, pressing our bodies tight. It was slick and hot and perfect.

"So nice," I moaned into his mouth. I flexed my hips, rutting against him.

"Yeah," Guy murmured, his voice dropping to a bass growl. "That's it. Make us feel good. Just like that, goddamn."

I straddled him and he snaked a hand between us, gripping us both. He squeezed and I swore, fucking into his fist, my cock dragging against his. It was wet but not incredibly slippery. It was spit, not lube. The slickness didn't last well with just saliva. The friction was delicious without being too much. Guy's dirty encouragement made it so much better. My skin tingled as I moved, kissing and nipping at his throat. His soft growls were the sexiest fucking thing. It wasn't long before I was gasping and groaning, myself. Our precum made things slicker and I moved faster.

"Guy…"

"Yeah, damn, I'm so close."

"Guy!"

Pleasure coiled up my spine and spread like a hot rush through me. I grunted as I came. I got in three more thrusts, wet and dirty, before Guy snarled my name and made things even more slippery. I rode the high as long as I could before collapsing on top of him, breath heaving. It was squishy between us and I had zero fucks to give about the mess. We could wipe down when my heart stopped doing a hummingbird impression.

"Mmmm," Guy hummed softly, holding me close and tight in his strong arms as he kissed the top of my head. "Good morning."

"Good morning," I replied, grinning into the fuzz on his chest.

We ended up wiping off with my discarded boxers.

"Note to self, buy more undies," I told myself as I rummaged through my drawers.

I was pulling on sweatpants when Guy spoke.

"I can see your fancy jewelry." He gestured to the ankle I was just about to slide into the pant leg. The pretty, jeweled filigree was an anklet now. "What happened to the wooden ones?"

I'm sure I looked ridiculous as I froze with my pants half on and started patting down my arms and legs like I'd lost my keys or wallet. No wood bangles, just the jeweled anklet made of fine wire.

"I have no idea." I finally got the sweatpants on and pulled on an old, soft tee. "I knew I had it when I crashed last night." I shrugged as Guy finished checking under pillows and even knelt to peer under the bed. "Maybe it went back to the hollow," I said as we left the bedroom.

"What went back to the hollow?" Riley asked from my couch. He had a bowl and a spoon. It looked like he was eating Cheerios as he watched TV.

"Mick's wood bracelets disappeared," Guy explained.

"Magic stuff can be weird," Riley said before tipping the bowl back to drink the cereal milk.

"Ugh, my milk has to have been expired." I fought back a gag.

"It was." Riley stood up. "Zeru fixed it. I made him drink some before I'd try it, though."

"And I'm deeply hurt by your lack of trust," Zeru called from the kitchen. "I'm descended from the Harvest Court. If we can spoil the milk of humans who annoyed us then why wouldn't we be able to unspoil it?"

I wasn't paying attention and almost bumped into Takashi as he came out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist. Water beaded on his smooth chest and my mouth watered with the desire to lick it off. He smiled at me and his nose twitched. His smile widened.

"Having a good morning?" Takashi asked in a wicked drawl.

"Um, maybe?"

"I'll let you and Guy have the shower. Though you were serious about its size. I don't think both of you will fit."

"Yeah, sorry it's tiny," I said, face heating. Could he smell what Guy and I had been up to? That was a little embarrassing.

"It was fine." Takashi leaned down to kiss my nose. "I borrowed your soaps and such. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all. Use whatever you need." I paused and swallowed. "Everything you and the others did for me? Yeah, a little shampoo isn't a big deal."

Takashi looked like he wanted to say something. Instead, he kissed my cheek and sauntered to my bedroom.

"Riley and I are going to go pick up some essentials from my place, if that's alright. We'll be back in a few hours."

I nodded. I felt like I should tell them that they could go home and I'd be fine. I didn't. The truth was that I felt better with them nearby. It was selfish but I just couldn't make myself say the words that might keep them from coming back and staying longer. Maybe I'd be stronger tomorrow.

Guy gallantly offered me the shower first and I accepted but made it quick. I didn't want to take all the hot water. I took a towel, noticing that my towel shelf seemed to be fully stocked. Had someone had time to wash towels last night and put them away? I'd been pretty out of it, so maybe. I felt bad that guests in my home were doing work but I tried to just appreciate the kindness. The bathroom looked sparkly-clean. I hadn't noticed when I'd gotten into the itty-bitty corner shower but everything gleamed. I frowned at the ceiling. The old water spot that I'd never gotten around to painting was even gone. I'd have to talk to the guys later and make sure that they knew they didn't need to do laundry or cleaning. I was just happy to have them there.

Riley and Takashi were gone when I left the bathroom. Zeru and Guy were talking quietly in the kitchen. I left them to it and went to my bedroom. Someone had thoughtfully made the bed. I opened my underwear drawer, forgetting that I was out of clean underthings for a moment. The drawer was filled with neatly folded socks and underwear. I blinked stupidly for a moment and then grabbed what I needed.

"Well, that was fucking sweet of them to do laundry and even put it away."

I guess it wasn't that bad since everyone but Guy had borrowed boxers to sleep in.

"Hmmm, darling?"

I jumped and whirled to find Zeru in the doorway.

"Oh. I, ah, someone did some laundry and put it away. It was really nice but you guys don't have to do that. You're my guests. And I know the bathroom wasn't that clean when I was last here." Before Lester.

"I'd like to claim your thanks." Zeru lifted his hands with a smile. "But it wasn't me. I made you breakfast, though. And I have some thoughts on your demands that I figure something out about security." His shoulders slumped. "You're right, of course. I'm just one man. You need more protection than only me." He waved a hand to dramatically shush me when I opened my mouth to argue. "It's true. It was simple pride that made me stubborn. Come. I'll feed you breakfast and tell you some options."

Guy was already in the shower when I entered the kitchen with Zeru. I looked around.

"Okay, who cleaned in here, too?" I eyeballed my sink. "I've never seen that without rust stains, and the fridge and stove are actually shiny." I wasn't a pig but I wasn't exactly a clean freak. Fingerprints on the fridge wasn't high on my list of concerns.

Zeru shrugged and shooed me to the table where a fluffy omelet was sitting next to a glass of juice. "This," he flourished with a flick of his wrist, "I did. So, eat and then you can tell me how wonderful it is. And before you ask, yes I already ate."

I took a bite and groaned. The eggs were fluffy with just the right amount of salt and no pepper. There was cheese and crumbled bacon inside that was gooey and crunchy.

"So good," I told him with my mouth full.

His smile was blinding as he sat across from me and rested his chin in his hand. "See? Wonderful." He did a little chef's kiss on his fingers. "Now, what was I saying? Oh, yes. I believe what we need is a troupe of pixies."

I choked on my bite of omelet, barely avoiding spraying egg up my nose. Zeru was immediately at my side.

"Do you need the Heimlich? I know the Heimlich! Do the international sign of choking if you want the Heimlich!"

I coughed and waved a hand, taking a gulp of orange juice. "Fine," I croaked."I'm fine."

Zeru looked crestfallen and I heard him mutter something about never getting the chance to Heimlich anyone before he sat back down.

"Pixies?" I said, sounding almost normal.

"You own the land?" Zeru asked. "The yard is yours, front and back?"

"Yes?"

"Then you have some green real estate and room for more flowerbeds and a vegetable patch."

"I guess so."

The yard wasn't tiny but hardly massive. I had about a quarter acre with a four-foot fence around the perimeter. Pretty decent for Iowa City, I thought.

"A pixie troupe would be loyal to whoever owns the land they live on. They'd take care of all the plants. They eat pollen, honey, bugs, spiders, and the occasional vole. They're excellent personal security." Zeru leaned back in his seat and folded his long, graceful fingers. "If we had a pixie troupe settled in your yard I would trust your safety enough to sleep."

"Any downsides?" I asked.

"They can be a bit… uncivilized when drunk. With a tendency to sing, loudly."

"Do they get drunk often?"

"Just on the new moon, or when they decide to have a party." Zeru dismissed it with a flick of his fingers. "If they get too rowdy I'll handle it. It's just how they blow off steam."

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"This is your area of expertise, not mine," I told him. "I trust you. If you think pixies would help, then I believe you. Just let me know if there's anything I need to do or if I can help at all."

"Well, I was prepared to go into long detail to convince you to invite in the pixies and you agreed without even suggesting it was your idea first."

"Why would I do that? I don't know anything about security or pixies."

"Just what I'm used to, I suppose." Zeru squinted at me. "You aren't going to argue that you want fairies?"

"Should I want fairies?"

"Hell no. Pretty, brainless bits of carnivorous fluff."

"Then I don't want fairies."

Zeru smiled and it was sweet and boyish. "Thank you."

I blew him a kiss and worked on eating my omelet before it got cold. Pixies. Really. What was my life?

After breakfast, I bit the bullet and called my office to let them know I was alive but that I didn't know when I'd be back to work. Honestly, I wasn't sure I could go back. I was afraid of pulling regular people into the crazy my life had become. Well, except Lori. I think my assistant could handle just about anything. Lori wasn't there when I called. I felt bad at my relief that I didn't have to speak to her. She was too observant and knew me too well. I wasn't up to being that seen yet. After I extricated myself from that phone call I really didn't want to make the next one.

"I need to set up a time to go in and talk to the cops."

"They're going to want to talk to me, too," Guy said, sounding resigned.

I made little grumpy noises as I looked up the number and called. After being transferred around, I was able to speak to the detective and she asked if we could please come in right now.

I squeezed my eyes tight and agreed. Ugh. This wasn't what I wanted to do today or ever.

"We shouldn't wait for Takashi and Riley?" Guy asked.

I shook my head. "We shouldn't go down there as a big group. I don't think the cops would like it. They'll wonder just how involved they are."

I looked at Zeru. He held up a hand before I could speak.

"No. I won't be waiting in the car." He pointed at himself. "Bodyguard." He pointed at me. "Body to be guarded."

Zeru called Takashi, who agreed to stop by Guy's to get him some clothes. That made me question where Guy had gotten the jeans and tee he was wearing. The answer was the huge trunk in my spare bedroom that definitely hadn't been there yesterday.

"I had a few things sent over," Zeru said with a wave of one long-fingered hand. "Your wolf and I are of a similar size."

I realized they were, though Guy's shoulders were a touch broader and he was a bit taller. We went over our cover story again as they sorted out the wardrobe. My gut was a tight ball of anxiety as we headed for the front door. I was hardly able to appreciate how nicely Guy filled out the deep purple henley Zeru had loaned him. It was tight in all the right places.

I hadn't thought of how we'd get to the police station, though I should have. My car was probably still considered evidence. Zeru had that covered, as well. There was a big silver SUV in my driveway. It sparkled in the late-morning sunshine. It was, of course, Zeru's. He pushed a button on his key fob and the car gave a happy chirp.

"How?" I flailed a hand at the– "Is that a BMW?"

"Which would you like me to answer first?" Zeru drawled as he strolled toward the vehicle.

I waved both hands, this time. Zeru grinned.

"I planned for our arrival and thought having a car would be prudent." He opened the driver's door and I approached the SUV. "I needed something with excellent safety standards and a spacious interior. I would have preferred red or gold but this seemed as though it would attract less attention."

Guy climbed into the back before I had a chance to offer him shotgun. I hefted myself into the front passenger seat and gave a wiggle. It was real leather, soft and inky black. There wasn't a speck of dust and there was protective plastic under my shoes. The console had a screen and too many buttons. This thing had to be brand new. How much had this cost?

"I bought it and arranged for it to be thoroughly warded. It was delivered late last night." Zeru adjusted his mirrors and backed out of my driveway. I was fascinated with the backing-up camera.

"Warded?"

"The entirety is bulletproof, spell-resistant, stain-resistant, and scratch-resistant. The windows are shatterproof from the exterior but can be broken from the interior, in case of a water landing or some other emergency." He pushed a button. "Hello, baby, please guide me to the Iowa City Police Department."

"Continue west for half a mile and turn right on Summit Street," said a sweet feminine voice from the speakers.

"You named your car 'baby'?" I asked, amused.

"Of course," Zeru replied as though it was an obvious choice. Maybe it was.

"How you holding up, Mick?" Guy asked gently as Zeru turned us into Summit.

"I just want it to be over," I groaned and leaned my head back, closing my eyes.

"I know." Guy was quiet for a minute or more before saying, "Have you thought more about telling them the truth? The truth of what happened before I came and got you?"

I turned around in my seat and glared at him.

"Or not," the werewolf said sheepishly. "I'll support you with whatever you decide. You're not alone, okay?"

Zeru reached over to pat my knee. "Definitely not alone."

My breath went out of me and I sagged in my seat. "Thanks. I just… I can't deal with everything that would come with telling the truth. I'll figure something out to handle what to do about… him."

"And you're not alone in that, either," Zeru said pointedly as he turned onto Washington Street, the police station just up ahead.

We parked in the ramp across the street, Zeru winding the SUV upward until he could park where there were no other cars close. I distracted myself wondering if it was for security reasons, so baby was less likely to get scratched, or both. We made our way down the little elevator and across the street in silence, Guy and Zeru on either side of me. Their demeanor had changed. They were looking around, watching everything and everyone, assessing possible threats. They even herded me to the crosswalk instead of letting me jaywalk. It was sweet and annoying. My mouth was too dry to even try to argue. The police station took up part of city hall. The building wasn't huge or imposing, yet it seemed to loom threateningly as we walked up to the glass doors. Guy held the door open. Zeru went in first, watchful. I followed with leaden feet.

City Hall had an entrance on the east side of the building. We'd come in the police station entrance on the south side. To our right, there was a wall with a closed door. A sign directed anyone trying to reach City Hall to go to their main entrance. I wished I was there for a mistake on my utility bill and that I wasn't where I was supposed to be. I wanted that sign to be directing me to the other side of the building.

I pulled my attention away from that side of the room. Guy rested a warm hand on my shoulder and I took a fortifying breath. The men flanked me as I approached the man in uniform sitting behind what was probably bulletproof glass.

"Can I help you?" He asked, tone neutral.

"I'm Nathaniel Miklas. I'm supposed to speak to a detective?"

He checked something on the computer and said, "Mills and Parson." He looked at my companions. "And your names?"

"William Whitmore," Guy volunteered.

"Zeru Nereidel."

They both spelled their names when asked.

I looked at Zeru. Nereidel? As in nereid? I wasn't entirely up on my Greek mythology but I thought that was some kind of nymph. That couldn't be his real last name, could it?

Zeru winked at me, the little shit.

We were buzzed in and told to sit in the little waiting area. The industrial vinyl creaked under my butt as I tried not to fidget. I had the men on either side of me. Guy rested a hand on my right knee, Zeru the left. I felt like I could breathe again with the contact.

It was only a few minutes until the detectives fetched us. A man who looked like he'd just swallowed a bug was with them. He wasn't in uniform, but the badge clipped to his belt and the ID lanyard around his neck made it clear he was another cop.

"Thank you for coming in," Detective Mills told us, a calculated friendly smile firmly in place. "We were expecting Mr. Whitmore and Dr. Miklas. We would be happy to have someone take a statement from you, Mr. Nereidel. Did you witness anything regarding what happened? Or maybe you have some information to add?"

"Oh no," Zeru said, throwing an arm around my shoulders. "I wasn't even in the state at the time. I'm here for Dr. Miklas."

"And your relationship with Dr. Miklas is?"

"I'm his bodyguard, of course."

"And my friend," I added, rolling my eyes.

"You say the sweetest things," Zeru quipped, but his currently brown eyes looked surprised.

Mills just nodded.

"Mr. Whitmore," Detective Mills said to Guy. "We have an officer who would like to go over things with you."

The grumpy-looking man stepped forward. "I'm Officer Jennings. This way, Mr. Whitmore."

He gestured for Guy to go down the corridor in front of him.

"You'll be over here with us, Dr. Miklas," Detective Parson told me, lifting a hand to indicate a smaller hallway to one side.

"Guy can't be with us for the interview?"

I knew he couldn't and I should have thought of it sooner. It was fucking idiotic to think they wouldn't want to separate us for questioning. They always did that on TV, anyway.

"I'm afraid not," Mills said but sounded sympathetic. "He won't be far." She glanced at Zeru. "You can wait here or someone can call you when the interview is done. Would you like some coffee while you wait?"

"No need," Zeru said, standing. I stood as well. I didn't want to be the only one sitting. It would be weird. Zeru continued, "I'll be staying with Mick. I can't very well guard his body if his body is frolicking off where I can't reach him."

Zeru stepped behind me, pulling my back to his chest. I huffed as he wrapped long arms around me and rested his chin on top of my head.

"This is close to the ideal distance for guarding a body," Zeru said, rubbing his chin gently in my hair. "I'm willing to compromise and have Mick standing or sitting in arm's reach."

I grinned. Zeru was ridiculous but he did make me feel better. I wasn't so jittery and wound up. He made me feel safe from harm the way Guy or Takashi could. It was a little different. Zeru was very pretty but he didn't quite make my stomach flip in delicious ways. He felt like a friend first. Maybe someday we'd fuck but I didn't think we'd ever be lovers. We'd be friends who had sex but I didn't feel like the sex would be an important part of the equation. It would probably be fun but I didn't ache for it like I did with Guy and Takashi, and to a lesser extent Riley. Maybe it was the timing of when Zeru came into my life. It could be my head and heart needed just a friend and not a lover, right now. Either way, I valued what Zeru gave so freely. I gave his arm a squeeze and stepped out of his embrace as the detectives were trying to gently but firmly argue with Zeru to keep him in the waiting area.

"I would feel better… safer with either Guy or Zeru in the room with me," I interrupted. "If Guy will be busy, it needs to be Zeru."

"You're in a police station," Detective Parson said with a frown. "You're perfectly safe here."

"I don't know you, Detective, and the last time I talked to Detective Mills I ended up with a panic attack. I don't feel safe. If you want to talk to me today it needs to be with Zeru as my security blanket."

"Are you refusing to give a statement?" Mills asked, her eyes sharp.

"I'm refusing to give a statement without a person of my choosing to be there to support me." I grabbed Zeru's hand and lifted it into the air. "I choose this one for today."

"Dr. Miklas, are you aware that if you refuse to give a statement, a judge can issue a warrant to compel you to do so?"

"Are you aware that if you try to pull that crap you'll be communicating with all of us through the grumpy lawyer we have on retainer?" Zeru asked, tucking me into his side.

"We have a lawyer?" I asked Zeru softly.

"We do," Zeru said with a grin. "And she will love you, but she's definitely grumpy."

"Good to know." I was grinning again.

"Why would any of you need a lawyer, if you've done nothing wrong?" asked the officer who was failing to lead Guy off to be questioned.

My smile disappeared.

"Hey," I snapped, barely keeping myself from calling him a dickface or something equally vulgar. "I'm trying to do this without a lawyer but if I think you guys are going to try to stomp all over me or Guy or any of my other friends, then yeah. Lawyer. So much lawyer. The fact that you don't seem to want me to have one makes me think maybe I need to call ours in."

"That isn't necessary, Dr. Miklas. I can see you feel you need a support person with you when we talk. If you feel that strongly about it, of course we can work with that." Mills was smiling, now, but it looked forced. "And if you feel you need a lawyer present, we wouldn't try to stop you. It's only that this isn't an interrogation. You aren't a suspect. A lawyer isn't generally needed to gather a statement from a witness or victim." Mills shot the cop with Guy an unfriendly look. "I believe what Officer Jennings was trying to say is that we don't believe you or your…" she couldn't seem to help her short pause, "friends have done anything wrong. We just want to gather your statements and ask a few follow-up questions, if needed. All we want is to do our best to understand what happened. Because we don't think you did anything wrong, a lawyer doesn't seem to be needed."

Parson nodded along with Mills. When she was done he said, "If that's cleared up, Dr. Miklas and Mr. Nereidel, if you wouldn't mind coming this way? Mr. Whitmore? Officer Jennings will help you find the right room and will listen to your statement."

Zeru and Guy looked at me. I sighed and headed in the direction the nice detective had indicated, Zeru hot on my heels as Guy went with Officer Dickface. I didn't like Officer Dickface. Hopefully Guy didn't get too pissed and eat Dickface's actual face, as satisfying as that might be. Guy was levelheaded, though. For a werewolf, he was extremely chill. Face-eating seemed unlikely, so I just gave him a little wave as he left one way and Zeru and I went another.

I was expecting a small, cold room with a metal table bolted to the floor and a couple of uncomfortable chairs. Maybe some of those rings attached to the floor or table to attach a suspect's handcuffs. Added points if there was a big fake mirror on a wall for cops in the next room to watch us.

Instead, the room held a comfy seating area. There was a loveseat and three comfortable-looking overstuffed chairs. There was a low coffee table in the center of the half-circle of chairs and loveseat. There was a big rug covering the floor under the whole thing. It didn't look fancy or expensive but was a big step up from the sad linoleum.

"Please, have a seat anywhere you'd like, Dr. Miklas," Mills said with a tight smile.

I picked the loveseat. Zeru sank in next to me, one arm stretching behind me on the headrest. Then we started. A discrete recorder was placed on the coffee table and set to record.

"Could you go through everything you remember, please? If you could start with what happened that day?"

So, I did. I told them about my mundane day, as well as I could recall it. I said I'd met Lester at the restaurant, left after, and never made it to my car. The detectives listened intently, Miller sometimes writing something in a little notebook she held. They didn't interrupt, which surprised me. I thought they'd be giving me the third degree. Maybe this wouldn't be as bad as I'd thought.

"And then I don't remember," I said, forcing myself to unknot my fingers where they were tangled together. "The next thing I remember is the gas station and calling Guy for help. He came and got me out of the car. I begged him not to take me to the hospital. He took me to someone who got me patched up and they let me stay until I was okay to come home."

They asked me to go through it all again. This time there were questions and interruptions. Clarifications. Then question after question where I told them I didn't remember. Then we went through it again. They tried not to show their frustration with my inconvenient amnesia, but it was there. It was also clear they were skeptical as fuck about the whole thing.

They changed gears. They asked me a dozen different ways if I knew anyone who would want to harm me. I told them no, I didn't. They seemed equally skeptical about that. Then they shifted to Lester. I knew they would but it still felt like a physical blow when they spoke his name.

"Those were serious allegations you brought against him," Mills said, eyes calculating but sympathetic. "You weren't afraid he might hold a grudge against you or might threaten you when you met with him?"

"That's why I went to a public place where the staff were familiar with me." I leaned closer to Zeru, feeling cold inside. His arm was a comforting weight across my shoulders.

"I'm sorry if this brings up bad memories for you. We just want to make sure you and everyone else is safe from whoever hurt you." Parson shuffled through a file he pulled from a small table next to him. "When you were examined after that incident when you were a teenager, scarring was noted on your chest. A letter W."

Don't move, you'll make it come out crooked.

"S-soldering iron," I whispered and blinked hard, my vision sparking at the edges.

Parsons nodded, frowning. "We found letters hidden in a workbench in his garage made of brass. There was an H, O, R, and E. And items suggesting they might be used for branding."

I think you need it… You need to learn your place.

I swallowed back bile and breathed slowly and carefully.

"There was blood found in the garage. He'd clearly tried to clean it up, but we found a surprising amount, even after he'd tried to bleach everything he could. It's hard to clean up that much blood." Parsons said gently. "We were able to type it. Do you know the blood type we found it matched?"

I didn't answer, but I didn't need to. He went on without needing me to say anything.

"It was your blood type." Parsons closed the folder and squeezed it, as though it would keep something awful from escaping. "We think it was your blood. We found clothes and a wallet he'd tried to burn in his firepit in the backyard."

Mills looked at her partner sharply. "You know we can't use that anymore."

"Because it disappeared from evidence." Parsons didn't stop looking at me. "Lester used to be a cop. He had half a dozen guys who put in a good word for him when he applied here last year."

Mills leaned over to hiss something I couldn't make out into her partner's ear. He just shook his head.

"I'm not accusing anyone of anything. I don't care if it gets out. I'll take the reprimand. I want this guy to go down." He grabbed another file, not looking at me. "Was it Lester who practically painted the floor with your blood?"

"Jesus," Mills muttered with a soft huff, crossing her arms and leaning back in her seat.

"I don't… I don't remember." My eyes flicked from Parsons to the folder in his hands and back again.

"Are you afraid of him? Did he threaten you? We can protect you."

"I…" I shook my head. They couldn't protect me. And everyone would know. It would be on the news. My mom would see it.

"You stood up to him once. You can do it again. We can make it stick this time. Do you want him to do this to someone else? Because he will."

Stupid bitch. Ruined everything.

Whore.

Oh, Nathan. We're going to have some fun.

Whore.

WHORE.

I love you, baby. So much. I'll never let you go.

I couldn't find a bathroom fast enough. I puked in the trash can in the hall. Zeru was holding my hair back while Guy snarled at Parsons and Mills and then Officer Dickface, who was trying to bully him back into an interrogation room. I didn't notice Mills left, but I saw her come back when I was done tossing cookies into the garbage. She tried to hand me a bottle of water but Guy stepped in her way and snatched it from her hand. Parsons was apologizing. This was a clusterfuck.

"Let's try this again another day when Dr. Miklas is feeling better. We could do it in his home, if he'd prefer."

"Not fucking likely," Guy snapped. Jeeze, he was swearing. He must have been pissed.

"Or not without a victim advocate of our choosing and probably a lawyer," Zeru added. "For now, we're leaving." He handed Detective Mills a card. "This is the lawyer. All communication should go through her."

Guy kept me steady on my feet as we started for the exit.

"I'm not done with that one!" Officer Dickface said loudly. "I still have questions for you. You're a person of interest!"

"Call the damn lawyer, then!" Guy yelled and glared at the desk officer until he buzzed the door open so we could leave.