Page 36 of Beautiful Madness

“Sam Keller,” I told him.“Shapeshifter. Serial killer.”

“Shapeshifter,” he said, hisvoice going flat. And when Sam got into the back seat, Remy, apparently notscared of anything, turned to face him. “You get in my head once, SK, and Iwill shove a bomb down your throat and make sure you never get another chance.You got that?”

Sam gave him a nod. “I don’t fightfor fun, hunter. It weakens me, and right now, I do not want to be weak.”

I was surprised that he wassharing his vulnerabilities with a stranger. It didn’t surprise me that he knewwho Remy was, though, or that he was in a dark place. Sam didn’t want to fuckup. He didn’t want to believe he was unable to control himself. That would makehim feel like he was all urges and that his intelligence was lacking. Also,we’d had a deal, and he’d know I would be contemplating killing him.

“I’m sorry, Kait,” he said,after I’d been driving for a few minutes in silence. “I made a mistake.”

“A big fucking mistake,” Isaid.

“What’d he do?” Remy asked.

“He went nuts and killed aninnocent,” I said. “We had an agreement, and he fucked it up.”

“What the hell?” Sam said,abruptly angry. “She wasn’t aninnocent.It’s not for her I’m sorry, butfor the problems it will bring you. The pressure from your detective to captureme.”

I narrowed my eyes and caughthis stare through the rearview mirror. “Sam, I spoke with him. You killed threewomen in the same night. One of them was not an abuser. She washidingfrom an abuser. She had daughters—no sons. The only thing she had in commonwith your victims was the fact that she was young and blonde. So don’t fuckinglie to me.”

I was the first to look away,but that was only because I was driving.

His stare didn’t waver. “Iunderstand I’m not “normal,” and I understand I’m not…nice. But if I give youmy word about something, I will honor it. I won’t cheat you, and I won’t backout of a deal. I did not kill an innocent.”

“You agreed to kill people whoabuse kids,” I said. “And only after the human justice system failed thosekids.”

“I agreed,” he said calmly, “tokill only abusers. Lucy can’t speak for me, Kait. And I have killed onlyabusers. Women who torture boys. That’s who I kill, and the cunts deserve it.Even her. Especially her.”

Remy didn’t say a word, but Iknew he was forming his own opinions. I knew something else, as well. Remydidn’t care if Sam killed abusers. He cared that Sam was a nonhuman killinghumans. Things were clear in his hunter’s brain, exactly as they’d once been inmine. He’d go after Sam, and it wouldn’t matter what I said or that Sam hadsaved my life or anything else.

He’d simply dedicate his lifeto hunting and killing Sam the shapeshifting serial killer. But not right now.Not while Sam was useful to us.

Not while I was sitting there.

But someday, he’d find a way tosneak up on the shapeshifter, and he would kill him—if Sam didn’t kill himfirst.

“Damn you both,” I murmured.Then, “Sam, either you killed that blonde or you have a copycat.”

“Blonde?” he said, drippingwith equal parts outrage and contempt. “She lost that color a long time ago.That hair is only in my memory, now.”

Now I was confused. “Then…Sam,who did you kill that you’re apologizing for?”

“My mother,” he said. “The monster.”

And finally, I could seesomething else in his face. Grief and devastation. “Shit,” I whispered, then,“Why didn’t you stay away from her?”

He hesitated, but finally, hespoke the truth. “I’m fucked up, Kait. I wanted the bitch to look at me and besorry for what she’d done. I wanted her to open her arms and hug me. I wantedher to understand.” He laughed. “I wanted her to tell me I’m a good boy afterall.”

“Dammit, Sam.” My voice wassoft and laced with pity though I tried my best to keep that particular emotionout. He wouldn’t appreciate my pity.

Hehadlost control—justnot in the way Rick and I had thought. “So who the hell killed the innocentblonde? You do admit to killing the other two?”

“I do. Would you like me totell you exactly what they did to their sons?” His voice was tight, and rightthat second, he was showing me his control. He wanted to show his rage, but heforced himself calm. “If there was a third one killed, then someone killed her inmy name. Probably the man she’s hiding from.” He shrugged and stared throughhis window. “Get me the information. I’ll find out who did her.”

“All right.” I put my stareback on the road and kept it there. “I’ll talk with the detective again. I knowhe didn’t tell the public everything, so if there is someone mimicking yourkills, something will be different.” Rick hadn’t said a word about anythingbeing different, though, and I wasn’t holding out much hope that he would.

Did I believe Sam? No. Notcompletely. Not yet. Killing his mother would have twisted him up even morethan he already was. I sighed, realizing I’d have to call Rick and tell him Samhad killed his mother.

And Sam was right. Thedetective was going to give me a hard time.