His wolf thrashing against his skin, Sawyer put all his force into shoving Verin back, which ended with the demon smashing into one of Naomi’s bookshelves. Thick volumes came tumbling down, pelting both him and Verin as they struggled on the floor.

But even with his shifter strength, Sawyer was finding it hard pinning the demon in place. It seemed Tate’s warning these creatures were powerful and dangerous was very valid.

And the fact that Verin had worn Hill’s face to get through the door was more than a little unsettling with all its implications. To say that Sawyer’s world had just gotten a lot bigger would have been an understatement.

Struggling to hold Verin’s arms at his sides, Sawyer was thrown back when the demon lodged a knee in between them, using it as leverage to shove Sawyer away. He went skidding across the floor, but leapt to his feet quickly.

Now, Verin was eyeing him with a mixture of disdain and respect, as he too stood, brushing off his dark coat.

From behind Sawyer, a shaky voice called out.

“He didn’t lie!” Melanie called out. “It was sent to a lab,” her shout turned to a whisper. “It will be back at the university today, tomorrow at the latest.”

Verin pursed his lips, glaring over Sawyer’s shoulder for a second. And then, before Sawyer could even blink, he snapped his fingers, vanishing in an instant. Dumbfounded, Sawyer stood in the middle of the room, using all of his senses to determine whether this was some sort of trick or not.

But the cloying, bitter scent that had accompanied Verin was gone, and he could hear nothing but two thudding heartbeats behind him.

“Is he gone?” Naomi asked, as both she and Melanie stepped closer.

“I think so,” he replied, turning to face the women. “Can’t tell you if he’ll be back or not, though.”

Naomi was visibly shaken, but he could tell she was doing her best to keep it together. Under the circumstances, he would say she was handling it pretty well. It did little to quell his urge to wrap her in his arms and tell her that he’d keep her safe, though. Melanie, on the other hand, obviously still freshly traumatized from her husband’s murder, was having a tougher time.

Her breathing shallow, her skin pale and clammy, Melanie looked like she was about ready to pass out. One look at Naomi told him she noticed it as well, and together, they maneuvered her over to the couch.

“It’s okay, he’s gone. He can’t hurt you now,” Naomi said quietly, even though Sawyer was pretty sure she didn’t believe most of that.

Striding over to the kitchen, he grabbed a glass of water, brought it to Melanie, and crouched down next to the couch. Melanie wrapped her fingers around the glass, her knuckles white, as she sipped from it.

“That was him,” she said, staring into the distance. “The monster from last night.”

“Mel, I’m so sorry,” Naomi said gently, her hand on her friend’s shoulder. “But I have to ask – what was that about a statue?” she asked.

Sawyer had also been curious about that, but didn’t think it his place to try and ask about it. To Melanie, he was still a literal stranger, and he didn’t want to scare her more than she already was.

Melanie took in a deep breath.

“David has… had a friend in the archaeology chair in the University of Pennsylvania, James Ladley. James got sent some kind of artifact, so he could evaluate it before it went to a museum. He was stumped on the origins of the thing and what it was supposed to represent, so he sent it to David for him to have a look,” she said, her tone more even.

“David was a professor of archaeology at the university,” Naomi quickly explained, throwing a look at Sawyer. “He was one of the best minds in the country.”

“He shouldn’t have even been here,” Melanie shook her head. “He could have gotten a job anywhere in the world… But because of me…” she trailed off.

Naomi rubbed her back.

“It was his choice, Mel,” she said. “You know he wanted you to take this job. Your career was as important to him as his own.”

Melanie nodded weakly, her eyes getting shiny.

“He always put us first,” she replied. “Oh god, how am I going to do this without him?” she added, setting her glass down and burying her face in her hands.

Naomi seemed to be at a loss for words, so Sawyer got back on his feet, and pointed his chin at the other side of the room. Reluctantly, Naomi got up and they stepped away, leaving Melanie on the couch.

“What?” Naomi whispered.

“I know this is a tough time,” Sawyer replied, glancing over at Melanie. “But we have to start thinking of our next move.”

“We?” Naomi arched a brow at him. “Wait, and what are you even doing here? Not that I’m not grateful that you showed up when you did, but why the change of heart?”

“I had a talk with a friend,” Sawyer replied. “Someone who has… had some experience with this kind of thing.”

Naomi’s eyes widened.

“You know someone who’s seen a demon?” she asked. “And you had the gall to…” she raised her voice by just a fraction.

“I didn’t know when you came by,” he interjected. “I hadn’t talked to him in years, but I had heard some odd things had happened to him. But now, it’s safe to say I’m a believer.”

“Well, yeah,” Naomi scoffed. “Seeing someone switch faces right in front of you can do that.”

“You came to me for a reason,” Sawyer said, looking her in the eye. “You wanted my help. Do you still want it?”

After what Sawyer had just seen, he could no longer stay on the sidelines. The cops certainly wouldn’t believe Naomi or Melanie, and even if they did, they would be dealing with someone who can just appear as anyone.

At least Sawyer could sniff out the difference between a human and a demon. Verin might have been able to change what he looked like, but he couldn’t mask his scent. And that meant Sawyer was uniquely equipped to help.

I can’t just let some demon get away with murder.

Biting her full bottom lip, Naomi only thought about it for a second.

“Yes,” she said.

That’s it, then. Game on.