Page 9 of In the Monster’s Wake (Monsters Amongst Us #1)

Archibald wanted to ask why, but he hoped that Jasper would tell him eventually. “Chicken feet, extremely long arms, and a lot of fangs. I swear the monster following you had freakishly long arms.”

Jasper slowly nodded. “I see.”

“Yeah? Can you tell me what you see? Because I have no idea.”

“I was at the park the other night when I heard a scream. Me and my friends ran to help the woman, and I ended up fighting a monster. He had chicken feet, long arms, and more teeth than a shark.”

“That sounds like the same monster.” Archibald wasn’t sure this would help him find Kester, but he was curious.

Jasper nodded. “It was probably that Kester you mentioned. He ran away when the hunters arrived, but he told me he’d see me soon.

I didn’t think anything of it, but my father asked me to look into what was happening, and my best friend was excited to start, so we went to a club we know monsters frequent.

I didn’t really think we’d find anything because Kester didn’t look like an idiot. ”

“To me, it sounds like Kester found you instead of the other way around.” Which wasn’t a good thing. From what Jasper had said, Kester was intrigued by him. Archibald had never met the monster, but from what he knew, he was pretty sure that meant that Kester wouldn’t let this go.

Jasper was in danger.

“I need to find him,” Jasper declared.

Archibald shook his head. “That monster is dangerous. What do you think would’ve happened if he’d found you instead of me?”

“Look, it’s not like I want to do this, but my father won’t stop bothering me until I do.”

“Why would he care?”

Jasper pressed his lips together. It was clear there was something he didn’t want to tell Archibald, and while Archibald was tempted to ask, he didn’t. He decided to guess instead. “Is your father a police officer?”

Jasper snorted. “God, no.”

“Is he a PI? Or maybe you are?”

“I’m a mechanic.”

“Why are either of you interested in this, then?”

Jasper sighed. “I was raised a hunter. My father still is one, but I haven’t been in years.”

That wasn’t what Archibald had expected, but maybe he should’ve after finding out that Jasper had fought Kester and hadn’t died. “Why does he care so much? As far as I know, Kester’s victims are monsters.”

“He’s hurt and killed hunters, too.”

“And your father wants revenge.”

“He does, and I want him to stop bothering me.”

“I see. So you’re going to continue investigating this on your own?”

“Well, my best friend wanted to do it with me, but he can’t get time off work. I’m pretty sure he’s going to resign if I don’t find someone to help me, though.”

Archibald liked the sound of this. “And who could help you?”

Jasper rolled his eyes. “Who do you think? I’m not going to ask my father.”

“I’d be delighted to help you, Jasper.”

“Good.” Jasper hesitated. “You don’t hate me?”

“Why would I hate you? Believe me, that kiss was a good reason to adore you, not hate you.”

And there was the pink on Jasper’s cheeks again. Archibald loved that he could put it there just by flirting with him.

“Because I was a hunter,” Jasper said, ignoring what Archibald had said.

“You were a hunter. As far as I can see, you’re in one piece, which probably means you didn’t leave the hunters because you were hurt.

Something else pushed you to do it, and you were dancing in a club that welcomes both humans and monsters the other night.

You also didn’t hit me for kissing you. You didn’t seem disgusted by what I did.

You’re here today, asking for help. My help.

No hunter I’ve met in my life would behave like that.

I don’t know if you’re a good person yet, but I’ll take my chances.

” And he hoped he wouldn’t be disappointed because he had every intention of kissing Jasper again.

* * * *

J ASPER DIDN’T KNOW what to think. He’d never met a monster so willing to work with a hunter, even a retired one.

Usually, when monsters found out what he’d done for a living and how he’d been raised, they ran the other way, but it didn’t look like Archie was going to do that.

In fact, he’d just given Jasper a list of reasons why he wouldn’t do it.

That meant they were going to work together, didn’t it?

Jasper wasn’t sure how that would go, but he couldn’t do this alone.

Maybe he shouldn’t do it at all, but Kester would continue hurting people, and Jasper’s father would continue bothering him to find Kester and take care of him.

Spending time with Archie and hunting Kester sounded much better than having to listen to him rant about Jasper needing to come back to the hunters.

“We should put our information together,” he said, leaning forward. He was eager to find out what Archie knew.

“How much information do you have? No offense, but you’re a mechanic. You might have fought Kester once, but that’s the only time you saw him. Did you find out anything about him that night?”

Jasper had wanted to kiss Archie earlier, but now, he wanted to strangle him. “Do you want me to do this on my own? Because I will.”

Archie grinned and raised his hands. “I apologize, and no, I don’t want you to do that.”

“Besides, now that I have Kester’s name, I can look through the records the hunters keep. You don’t have access to those.”

Archie grinned. It made him even more handsome, which was infuriating. Jasper needed to focus, not wonder how their second kiss would go and when it would happen.

“You’re right, I don’t,” Archie admitted. “But I’ve been a PI for a while. I have informants, and I’m a monster. The people affected by Kester’s presence in the city will be more willing to talk to me than to you.”

“Then we go together. What did your informants tell you?”

“Not much for now. They talk about Kester as if he’s the bogeyman.

One of my informants actually called him that.

I pointed out that as monsters, we all are, but she was terrified.

That’s why I reacted so strongly when I thought he was following you.

If even monsters are afraid of him, humans don’t stand a chance. ”

And Archie hadn’t known that Jasper was a hunter at the club. He hadn’t known him at all, yet he’d stepped in to help when he’d thought that Kester would hurt him.

Dammit. Jasper didn’t need any more reasons to like the guy.

* * * *

“W HO WAS THAT? A NEW client?” Braith asked as he came in with a bag containing their dinner. It smelled good enough to make Archibald’s stomach growl.

Archibald knew what was about to happen. It was why he didn’t want to tell Braith who Jasper was. “Just some guy.”

Braith put down the bag and narrowed his eyes. “Just some human guy who happened to visit a PI office owned by two monsters? He wasn’t wearing a uniform, so I don’t think he was delivering anything.”

“I never said he was a delivery guy.”

“No, but you’re hiding something.”

“I’m not.” Archibald reached for the bag, but Braith snatched it up. Archibald groaned. Why did his best friend have to make this complicated? “Fine. He wasn’t a delivery guy.”

“I’m listening.”

“He was that human from the club.”

It took Braith a moment to understand what Archibald was talking about.

Archibald had told him about noticing a monster who might have been Kester at the club the other night.

He’d also told him that he’d followed the monster and had an encounter with an angry human, but he hadn’t mentioned the kiss or anything that came after it.

He hadn’t thought that he’d ever see Jasper again.

He hadn’t expected the human to take him at his word and visit him at the office.

He didn’t think a human had ever walked in through that door.

But Jasper had. He’d suggested they pool their resources and find Kester together, and Archibald had agreed. That meant he’d have to tell Braith because Braith was working on this case, too.

“The human I followed to the bathroom,” Archibald explained to delay the inevitable. “I might not have told you everything that happened that night.”

Braith stared. “Did you fuck him?”

“No!”

Braith shrugged. “It was an obvious question. I wouldn’t put it past you to do it.”

Dammit. Why did Braith know Archibald so well? “I didn’t fuck him.” Even though he’d been tempted and still was. It would be messy, but he didn’t care. Life was more fun when it was messy.

Braith grinned. “But you wanted to.”

“Fine, I wanted to, and I did kiss him, but that was mostly because he wouldn’t listen to me and kept attacking me.”

Braith dropped the bag onto his desk. “Oh, I need to hear this.”

“That’s all that happened. I thought he was cute and gave him my card, but I didn’t think he would use it. I couldn’t imagine he’d show up here.”

“Why did he?”

“I’m pretty sure he encountered Kester recently. He’s hunting him, and he suggested we should do so together.”

Braith’s smile widened. “You’re going to work with a human you want to fuck.”

It wasn’t a question, but Archibald huffed and nodded. “Yes, so?”

“You’re going to fuck him.”

“The last time I checked, both people involved needed to consent to that, and he hasn’t.”

“How did he react when you kissed him? Did he punch you and push you away? Or did he kiss you back?”

“Look, this is work. That’s all there is to it.”

“Keep telling yourself that, I guess. How are you going to make it work? Why would you want to work with him?”

“He used to be a hunter.”

That wiped the smile off Braith’s face. “You’re going to fuck a hunter?”

“I just told you that I wouldn’t fuck him, and he’s not a hunter anymore. He was raised as one, but he left them, and he’s a mechanic now.”

“He’s hunting a monster.”

“He wants to stop Kester. He interrupted an attack the other night and wants to see things through.” Archibald leaned forward.

“Think about it. He has access to records we don’t.

We could find out what hunters have on Kester through him, and we might even be able to find him faster than we would otherwise.

It’s too good an opportunity to let go.”

“That, and you want to fuck him.”

Archibald threw his hands in the air. “Okay, maybe I do. It doesn’t mean I’m going to.”

“If he kissed you back, I bet you will. He’s cute.”

“And he was a hunter.”

Braith shrugged. “ Was. You’re the one who just explained that he’s a mechanic now. I don’t see why him having been a hunter in the past should stop you.”

Sometimes, Braith was confusing, but Archibald was glad that his friend wasn’t judging or doubting him.

Archibald had said that he wanted to work with Jasper and that Jasper was trustworthy, and Braith was going along with it.

It was a relief, but Archibald couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if they found out that Jasper wasn’t trustworthy.

Archibald couldn’t see why Jasper would’ve come here if he was planning something, but he needed to be careful, no matter how cute Jasper was.

The two of them were supposed to work together, and that was it. Archibald found Jasper attractive, but that didn’t mean Jasper was into him, even though he’d kissed him back. Hell, he’d been a hunter. He was probably offended by the fact that Archibald had kissed him.

Yet he’d still come and had offered to use his contacts with the hunters to find Kester. It was going to be hard to resist him if he continued doing things like that. Hell, it was going to be hard to resist him just spending time with him. Archibald was in trouble.

He didn’t care.