Page 20 of The Order of the Bitter Hunt

“What you mean to say”—I move closer, a smile dancing on my lips as my heels click against the hardwood floor—“is that you realized I was right?”

“I realized the investigators are useless.” His lips twist as if he’s chewing on the words. “And for whatever reason, last time we were going through this,youweren’tuseless. I know, it’s surprising. It may be the first time in your life.”

A little taste of the banter I’m used to. Thank hell.

“Don’t act surprised. All this shows is that you don’t know me as well as you think you do.”

“How so?”

“I’ve been reading murder mysteries since I was old enough to visit the library on my own. I know more than you, and perhaps more than Tobey.”

Sadly, there is a separation between fiction and reality. What I read in my books hasn’t been useful—yet.

“I’m not here for you to help me solve a mystery. I already solved this shit, and I did it faster than you could.”

There is no way he solved what we’ve been trying to figure out for a month, but I’ll humor him.

I smile, more condescending than friendly, joined by the lift of a single eyebrow. “Did you, now?”

Tobey and Caldwell—mainly Caldwell—are the only ones who ever know what’s happening. I can’t claim I’ve been in the right myself in these situations, but Jun doesn’t have the gift of sight, and that is the only reason Caldwell has gained any information.

I’ll take Jun’s opinions with a grain of salt.

“I do.” He has more certainty than most could muster.

“Are you going to share with the class, or…?”

“Stop looking so smug, princess.” He rolls his eyes. “If you want to stop this thing for real this time, you’ll need my fucking help.”

My smile flickers. Going to Jun for assistant is unthinkable, and I still can’t fathomhowhe’ll help in this situation. But he looks earnest, and I want to trust him.

“Hell,” I mutter. “What help could you possibly offer?”

He looks around the area and then back at me. “On second thought, let’s find somewhere else to talk. You never know who’s listening around here.”

Chapter Seven

The first time Tobey invited Caldwell toourcafé felt like blasphemy, and bringing Jun to the same spot is as well—but enhanced tenfold. It’s a necessary evil, in this case. As Jun pointed out, there are ears everywhere on Strode, and some have senses superior to mine.

Considering the message after Amelia’s death, we don’t know how many killers there are on campus. I can’t risk any of them hearing us.

It’s not as if the café is unknown or underrated. Plenty of human students rest around the place as we enter, nestled in cushioned armchairs and perched on wooden seats. It has the best coffee in town, or so I would argue, but it’s not a well-known supernatural spot. That makes this the perfect area for a secretive meeting, like this.

Jun looks like an average human now, without his horns and wings, but he’s still out of place. He peers with a curious expression and furrowed brows. “Why did you bring me here?”

“Because there’s less chance of the killer hearing us,” I say, “and less chance of being overheard in general. Human hearing is nothing to brag about, trust me.”

I contemplate telling Jun more. If he’s a part of this now. He should know there are multiple killers, but Tobey’s paranoid voice in my head stops me. We can’t trust him yet, not really.

His expression is flat. “Do you spend a lot of your time hanging out with humans?”

“Well… yes. I do. Always have.”

I’m one of the few from our world who know humans better than any supernatural being. The supernatural world is secretive, but if you know the right shadow to look in, it’s bustling—especially in Castine.

My mother’s tie to humanity makes me comfortable in these settings, and it’s by her design. She never wanted my life to be limited to a supernatural one. Instead, she had me attend an ordinary school and disguise myself as a normal person.

I could have gone to the best paranormal boarding schools alongside my fellow dhampirs, but I didn’t. Instead, I grew up with Tobey and Poppy.