Ashen rolls his eyes, pressing his fingers to the space between his brows. "He informed a human about the existence of immortals."

So what? 

"He then proceeded to kill two werewolves to demonstrate his point."

Meh, two werewolves. Not much of a loss. 

"Then he equipped the human with silver armor and weaponry and together they killed the entire pack."

Maybe that's a little bad, but still. WEREWOLVES.

"And following that the human dubbed himself Ghostface Wolfkiller and created a YouTube channel dedicated to his findings on werewolves and vampires."

Okay yeah, that's super bad.

Ashen's lips twitch in a faint smirk that fades as quickly as it appears. He jerks a nod toward the body. "Is there anything that you can find? Anything you can see that I can't? Anything you can... smell?"

I give Ashen a dead-eye glare as I cast my pen across the paper. I'm not sniffing THAT, my note says, and I point to the white sheet as I turn the message toward him and shake my head.

A tiny glimmer of flame shines in Ashen's eyes. "I'll make you a pitcher of fangria tonight if you do."

Fangria?

Ashen shrugs and breaks my gaze as though he doesn't want me to see the gleam of mischief that brightens his eyes. "I thought of it earlier, based on your idea of blofee. Sangria with blood. I brought some with us."

Why have I never thought of this idea before? It's fucking genius. I whip my pen across a fresh page.

A pitcher you say? 

"Yes. The whole thing."

Well hold onto your butts, Reaper, because I'm about to sniff a hybrid's dick for clues. 

Ashen hides a laugh in a cough and raises the sheet for me with a sweep of his hand as an invitation. "Enjoy."

Let me work my way there at least, for Christsakes, I write, and toss him my journal before starting at the hybrid's face. From the first sniff, there’s an unexpected array of information in the smell, but I try to keep my expression stoic. I follow the scents across the hybrid’s body, taking my time until I make it down to his lower abdomen. I straighten for a moment to gather myself and swallow the bile that shocks my throat with its burn before giving the Reaper a smug smile. He bites the edge of his lip and tries his hardest to cultivate a serious expression. I keep my eyes on him for as long as I can as I lean down and sniff the hybrid beneath the sheet.

"Don't be afraid, vampire, that anaconda won't bite."

I snort a laugh and pull away to regroup myself. Even at a distance the smell down there is fucking rank, but I need to get closer to pick up any nuances within the scent. I press my eyes closed as tight as they'll go, take a deep breath of clean air, and then move closer until I'm only a few inches away. I swallow and inhale, taking in as little of the scent I can, testing it in my nostrils and the back of my throat.

As soon as I've got what I need I jerk away, pressing my hand to my nose and mouth as I try to clear the smell from my nostrils. Ashen lets out a roaring laugh. I can't help the smile I beam at him as the rich, warm sound enlivens the empty space around us. I would stand in this room forever just to hear his laugh echo from the walls.

"Of all the immortals I've ever met, you are by far the strangest," Ashen says, and his smile is vibrant with delight.

Watch out, Reaper, you almost sound like that's a good thing, I write, giving him a teasing smile as he looks up from my note. If you promise me an extra pitcher, I'll even tell you what I found.

Ashen laughs again. "Deal."

"I don't know what's rarer around here," a male voice interrupts. A shadow materializes from the door. "A bright soul in the Shadow Realm, or Ashen laughing."

Ashen steps around the edge of the steel tray and the body, putting himself between me and the man who saunters toward us. He's young, tall. There's a surfer vibe about him with his shaggy blond hair and bright blue eyes. He's handsome in a boyish way, like his face is just that bit too vibrant or squishy with youth. The hands of time haven't yet carved the planes of his face into sharper angles, and they never will.

"What are you doing here, Cole," Ashen demands.

"Looking for you," Cole says as he comes to a halt a few feet away. His hands are in the pockets of his black jeans, the edges of his dark grey t-shirt pushed up by his tattooed wrists.

"What do you want?"

Cole's eyes glimmer in the dim light. "Aren't you going to introduce me?" His gaze hooks onto me and I see curiosity and interest. If there's malice, it's too well-hidden to find, but his presence causes a swell of adrenaline in my veins. I keep my expression blank as we assess one another and he smiles.

"Cole, may I present Lu. She is helping me with the hybrid case. Lu, this is Cole."

Cole extends his hand and I take it, his skin hot against my cool palm. I feel the heat of Ashen's body close to my side. His wariness is like a wave that washes through me the longer Cole grasps my hand.

"Pleased to meet you, Lu. How are you finding our realm so far?" Cole asks, holding onto my palm a moment longer than he needs to.

I tilt my head and raise my other hand, giving him a so-so gesture. He smiles in reply and finally lets go.

"What do you want, Cole," Ashen says, his voice thick with feigned boredom and irritation. He flicks his gaze toward me and I see the fire in his pupils. I see his worry embedded like seams of gold in the rich brown hues of his eyes.

Cole walks to the tray of compartment forty-seven and looms over the body, staring down into the hideous face. "I've got some info I thought you might like." There's a long moment of silence as Cole's gaze follows the patterns of the silver fur, the curve of the snout, the bow of the lips. He leans closer and I start to smirk at the idea of him making out with the fuck-ugly corpse.

Ashen steps closer, edging his shoulder between me and the newcomer. When I glance up at him I see a fleeting gleam of predatory malice in his eyes, as though he’s ready to kill this unexpected visitor. But I see something that looks a lot like fear there too. I'm not sure whether it's fear for me, or fear of where he knows my mind has predictably wandered off to.

"Are you going to enlighten us, or is this a game of twenty questions?" Ashen asks, turning his attention back to Cole. The boredom soars to new heights in his voice. Cole turns his head and meets Ashen's gaze while still leaning weirdly close to the corpse.

"I do love a good game," he says, looking once more toward the hybrid before he straightens and turns to face us. "But no. I've come to tell you that your Alpha has found a new pack. He's killed the former leader and taken control. It was Rosaria Wyre."

I look up at Ashen and his jaw tightens. The flame brightens in his eyes. "Rosaria's dead?"

"Yes, both she and her brother were killed last night. It's Semyon's pack now. I don't know if they were aware of what he's been up to. If they didn't know before, they know now. They've dispersed and he's gone underground." Cole turns his gaze to me, a flicker igniting in his eyes. "For now."

Ashen looks down at me and the flame grows bright in his pupils. Black smoke curls from beneath us, creeping through the room. He looks back to Cole and tips his head in a single nod of thanks. The young Reaper gives an untroubled smile in response and heads toward the door.

"Watch yourself, Lu," Cole says as he catches my gaze over his shoulder. "Don't go convincing yourself that it's any safer here than it is in the Living Realm. It's not." His eyes dart to Ashen before he looks my way again and gives a little salute. He turns back to the door, disappearing into the twilight and fog.