Research

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Stiles' stomach rolled with nausea as he stepped into his room. The bloodstain now dried into the fibers of his carpet. He glanced at the bed where Cinis had run his fingers along the bedding. He looked at the framed picture he'd also touched, the desk chair, the baseball bat. His spine tingled as if Cinis' fingers were running down it. He shivered at the sensation.

"So this is his blood?" Erica asked, observing the red smears on the window sill.

Derek nodded, but his eyes didn't leave Stiles. "Are you sure about this?" he asked. The tension between Stiles' shoulders was hard to miss.

Stiles pulled his eyes from the window to meet Derek's. "We can't risk him hurting anyone else."

"That's not an answer." Derek crossed his arms.

"We don't have any other plan. This has to work." He wasn't sure, and everyone knew it, but that didn't mean he wanted to admit it. It was the best plan they had.

"I don't like this," Derek growled, dropping his arms in defeat. An uncomfortable feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. That was a sure sign something was going to go wrong.

Stiles stepped toward Derek and reached out to grab his hands, but went for his shoulders last second. "I know. But I need you to trust me."

Derek's jaw clenched.

"Please."

"If something goes wrong..."

"Promise me you'll stick to the plan." Stiles released Derek's arms. He couldn't risk the moment being too intimate.

"Stiles, you can't ask that of me. I can't—"

"Derek," Stiles cut in again.

Derek drug his eyes from Stiles' and towards the window once more. "Fine."

"Promise," Stiles pleaded.

"I promise." Derek growled, not meeting Stiles' eyes again.

Derek ignored the disapproving look from Boyd. Erica opened her mouth as if she were about to call him out so instead he said, "Why don't you go check on the ground below, see if he left a trail, the scent of death is too strong in here."

Erica rolled her eyes but didn't object. The rest of the pack followed behind. Derek was about to take up the rear when Stiles caught his wrist, letting the pack get out of sight.

He lowered his voice."I know you're not happy about this, but I'm gonna be fine."

Derek frowned in the disapproving way he often did when Stiles suggested something reckless and stupid. "I can't lose you," he said.

"And I can't lose you, which is why we need to do this my way."

Derek didn't respond. He didn't want to argue with Stiles. He refused to go into danger with their last words being an argument.

"I love you," Stiles said, stepping into Derek's space.

Derek dipped in, catching Stiles' lips on his in a desperate kiss.

Stiles melted into Derek. He wasn't sure he'd ever get used to this feeling.

"I love you too," Derek spoke quietly against Stiles' lips.

Stiles didn't want to release Derek, but he knew if he wanted to be with him, truly and unafraid, then they had to get rid of Cinis.

As he followed Derek down the stairs, he swallowed nervously. He knew his plan was a good one, if nothing went wrong. The only problem was that kink he still hadn't figured out. What he hadn't told the pack was that when you called forth a Nymph. They appeared in their human form. Stiles had no clue how to get Cinis to reveal his true form.

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