Page 17 of On the Road

“Then you don’t think we’re killers anymore?”

“Didn’t say that.”

“Right.” Not friends yet, then.

Galbraith stalked across the lot, turning once to check that I still stood out in the open. I gave him a small wave, which he didn’t return. Werewolves seemed like a cagey bunch. Maybe Victor was right and they had more to hide than they were letting on. As long as they did genuinely want our help, though, I was happy to give it, especially as it distracted Zee and Victor from my other huge problem.

The fact remained that someone had killed Cameron.

A shame, really. After speaking with the pack, Cameron had sounded like an all-round nice guy.

He’d been well liked, and generally didn’t ruffle any fur, but nice didn’t mean good—I was proof of that. Someone had disliked Cameron enough to kill him. Maybe this Zander person? He was definitely not well liked, and as far as I could tell from the brief conversations I’d had, he’d been shunned by the pack a few months ago. Was that reason enough to kill someone?

We were about to find out.

I returned to our room to find Zee dressed in a camo-patterned vest, with his arms bare and tight black pants tucked into glossy black-heeled boots. Not the most appropriate footwear for hiking, but he did have wings if the terrain got rough. Where had he even gotten that camo vest? It didn’t seem all that practical while missing its sleeves, and the fit was pretty tight. It did show off his arms, though, with their defined muscles and innate strength.

“What do you think?” He struck a pose, one hand on his hip, tail flicking. “Found it in the lost and found. Probably from someone’s kinky role-playing kit.”

I threw on the only jacket I’d packed. “It suits you, but won’t you get cold?”

“Kitten, pretty trumps warm.”

Victor opened the adjoining door and entered the room.

“What in the fucking Indiana Jones are you wearing?” Zee flicked a wrist. “Did an outdoor store throw up on you?”

Victor wore baggy brown cargo pants, which might have been weird enough, but he’d also found some kind of camo utility jacket with pockets in every conceivable place a pocket could be. With his hair bunched back in a messy tail, he looked like some kind of outdoor guru—a taller, stricter Bear Grylls, but with better hair, an intense no-nonsense expression, and silvery eyes that could see in the dark. So . . . not really like Bear Grylls at all.

“Why are there so many pockets?” I asked.

“Adam, I am glad you asked.” Victor flicked a wrist, and began a tour of his jacket. “Allow me to demonstrate.”

“Look what you’ve done. You’ve triggered him,” Zee groaned and folded his arms. “Kill me now.”

“This pocket, situated on my left hip for easy access, holds a multi-tool pocketknife.” He removed the knife and showed us. I also had no idea where he’d gotten that from—probably the same place as Zee got his camo vest. After slotting it neatly back, he went on. “In this pocket, there is a convenient second pocket within a pocket for items of importance.”

“Condoms,” Zee said.

Victor hesitated for only a few seconds. “I suppose some may choose to use it for storing copulatory protection.”

“What was I thinking?” Zee snorted. “Nobody wearing that jacket is having sex.”

“I’m guessing you don’t have condoms in there,” I said, trying not to smile.

“No. I do in fact have a . . .” He pulled out an Oreo. “Snack.”

I laughed. Zee did not.

“Is that my Oreo?” Zee asked. Unamused, he stomped over to join Victor in the adjoining doorway. “Do you have my Oreo?”

Oh dear. “Zee, c’mon, you have a hundred of them.”

“Thousands, actually.” He gestured at the stacks of boxes still in the middle of the room. “But I was looking for that particular one. I left it on the side earlier, and then it was gone. I figured gremlins, but no, it was you! Neck-sucking thief!”

Victor’s rare smile made a brilliant appearance as he held up the Oreo. “I will return it into your possession for the price of a single kiss.”

“Fuck you, vampire.” Zee grabbed him by the back of the neck and plundered Victor’s mouth with his own as though he were a Viking raiding the first village after a long hard winter. Or you know, something equally desperate and crazy hot.