Destiny [D.H.]

20

Derek turned to me and said, "We need to see if Deaton has any information about Jackson."

We grabbed Isaac and met Scott at the Animal Clinic.

"What's he doing here?" Scott asked angrily, pointing to Isaac and then to me. "What about her?"

"I need him," Derek replied. "She can be here."

Scott shook his head. "I don't trust him."

Isaac frowned. "Yeah, well, he doesn't trust you either."

I pointed to myself. "And she doesn't want to listen to third-person talk."

Derek took it a step further. "You know what? And Derek doesn't really care. Now where's the vet? Is he gonna help us or not?"

Deaton stared at us. "That depends. Your friend, Jackson. Are we planning to kill him or save him?"

I didn't know what I would do, so I said nothing. Derek, on the other hand, said, "Kill him."

Scott glared at Derek and said at the same time, "Save him. Save him. Save him."

Derek glared at Isaac. "Watch what you touch."

Isaac turned to Deaton. "So, what are you? Some kind of witch?"

Deaton shook his head. "No, I'm a veterinarian. Unfortunately, I don't see anything here that's going to be an effective defense against a paralytic toxin."

I folded my hands and unfolded them repeatedly as I said, "We're open to suggestions."

"What about an effective offense?" Isaac wondered.

Derek scoffed. "We already tried. I nearly took its head off. And Argent emptied an entire clip into it. The thing just gets back up."

"Has it shown any weaknesses?" Deaton asked.

"It has shown one," I replied.

"It can't swim," Derek added, interrupting me.

My hands continued folding and unfolding as Deaton asked, "Does that go for Jackson as well?"

Scott shook his head. "No. He's the captain of he swim team."

"Essentially, you're trying to catch two people. A puppet and a puppeteer. One killed the husband, but the other had to take care of the wife. Do we know why?"

"I don't think Jackson could do it. His mother died pregnant too, and maybe she was murdered. I think he couldn't let the same thing happen to someone else."

"How do you know it's not part of the rules? The kanima kills murderers. If Jackson kills the wife, then the baby dies, too," Isaac justified.

"Does that mean your father was a murderer?" Scott inquired.

Isaac shrugged. "Wouldn't surprise me if he was."

Deaton stopped us. "Hold on. The book says they're bonded, right? What if the fear of water isn't coming from Jackson, but from the person controlling him? What if something that affects the kanima also affects its master?"

Isaac raised an eyebrow. "Meaning what?"

"Meaning we can catch them," Scott realized. "Both of them."

Scott left and I groaned in annoyance. "I wish I knew who was controlling the kanima."

Derek pulled me close. "We'll figure it out soon. Do your friends have any idea who it might be?"

I shook my head. "No, they would've said something. They're as clueless as me. There's a guy that Stiles and I are suspicious of, but we're not sure. I'll let you know once I have a better idea."