There's a moment of silence, but that smile of his doesn't falter. It stays on his lips, taunting and oh-so-incredibly annoying. I've seen it too often these past two weeks not to know what it means.
"Let me guess: you're not going to answer me, are you?"
His smile deepens.
Well, thanks for not lying straight to my face, at least.
"I'd love an answer, though."
"And I'd love not to answer."
"Jordan, please."
"No."
I take a deep breath, clenching and unclenching my fists on my tights. No matter how frustrated I am right now, I can't afford to snap. I steady my voice and force a smile out, staring at my husband right into his dazzling eyes.
"Tell me why."
"One day, I'll tell you. Not now."
Alright, I get it. I won't press the matter—yeah, no, fuck that.
"If you're going to tell me anyway, why not just tell me now?!"
"Scott, I think you have enough on your plate already. We can discuss it later, when you're more emotionally stable—"
"I am emotionally stable!" I hear myself cry out in frustration, cutting him off.
This is driving me crazy. It's a fairly simple question! So, why the heck can't he answer it?! Seriously, why did he marry me?!
There's absolutely no win for a high noble demon in accepting Miria's wedding proposal, for crying out loud! Hunter clans might beg to differ 'cause the idiots think of themselves as top dogs, but they're not. Beings like Jordan and Eve couldn't care less about us. We're not a threat; we're worth shit in their eyes.
I could have understood if Jordan were a lesser demon. But he's not. He's everything but a weak demon in need of protection.
Pretending to be dumb can only take me so far. I've managed to survive twenty-five years in that hellhole that is my clan for a reason. The way Todd's reacting to Eve and Jordan's rankings says too much for me to ignore it.
"Again with the lovers' quarrel?"
Eve's chuckle echoes far and wide in the silent living room, and I respond with a glare. She seems to be having a little too much fun at my expense, her amused smile adding oil to the fire.
"No. That's still not a lovers' quarrel. We would need to be lovers for that, and we're not, if you haven't gotten the memo yet."
"You're not denying the quarrel part, though."
Scott, don't snap. These geezers are over ten millennia old. Don't lose your cool. They've been acting like meek, gentle little things, but they're still monsters that can obliterate you in the snap of a finger. Stay zen. Everything's fine. No need to shout.
"—I've got work to do," Todd clears his throat, snatching me out of my thoughts, "so if you don't mind, I'll take my leave."
…He's running away. That traitor's definitely running away!
"Oh, you're reminding me. I've got something to check with you, so I'll come along."
Todd's shoulders straighten, and I can't help the snort escaping my lips. Dude, did you really think you could escape Eve? I'm pretty sure fleeing only makes her want to tease you more—and yes, I'm talking from experience.
Still, he can't take back what he's just said, so he has to go through it.
My eyes follow them as Eve wraps an arm around Todd's shoulders, dragging him upstairs. She's taller than him by a whole head, making it easy to catch him.
Well. Good luck, pal.
Now, there's only Jordan and me left. As I'm about to reiterate my goddamn question, he opens his mouth first, not allowing me to speak whatsoever.
"I've got some updates for the case. Would you like a rundown?"
Couldn't he be any more subtle? Talk of a way to change the topic.
"You really won't tell me, huh?"
"No, I won't. Not today."
A long sigh escapes me as I pinch the bridge of my nose.
Perhaps I should give up for the time being. I've got an inkling as to why he's keeping his mouth shut.
In that little head of his, I'm most likely not ready to hear the reason he went through that cursed wedding with me. It doesn't make his silence any less annoying, though. As far as I know, I'm not a damsel in distress, and I'd rather be the one to decide whether or not I'm ready to hear the shit he has to say.
"Fine. Just give me the file already!"
Jordan readily cooperates, bending over to take the suitcase resting against the coffee table. I haven't paid attention to it until now. For my defense, Jordan takes his work everywhere, and I mean everywhere, with him, even the bathroom.
"Here."
I take the brown file he's handing over to flip through it, my eyes locked on the reports as he speaks. I've got to admit everything's well organized and neatly arranged.
As always, his voice is calm and poised, even when heavy topics are involved. Jordan doesn't shy away from telling me the harsh truth of this ongoing case—visibly, I'm emotionally stable enough to hear about these horrors, but not why he married me. Great to know.
Anyway. My friend died because of these things, and I want to know everything, down to the most gruesome details if need be.
"The fifteen victims found are mostly women in their early twenties. The youngest was fourteen while the oldest was thirty-one, and for the time being, there has been no male victim recorded."
So, that group of kobolds has a thing for women. Noted.
But it's a little unusual, to be honest. These guys aren't known to have a strong sexual desire and only procreate when necessary, so they shouldn't be going after them for some perverted reason. They also usually attack only when someone intrudes into their territories and don't go out of their way to hunt people in human society, even more so in cities.
So, why have they gone on a hunting spree in downtown? Odd.
—Especially since some victims were attacked during the day, and kobolds are notorious for ambushing their prey at night.
No matter how I look at it, something's fishy. I just can't tell what.
"These marks on the map indicate where the victims' remains were found. They all bear similar wounds, all linked to weapons that kobolds usually use. They also bear the usual tooth marks."
Jordan doesn't delve further into that part. He doesn't need to. Kobolds are omnivores and eat whatever they've killed, be it stray cats, humans, or other otherworldly beings. The only exceptions to that rule are gnome species, for some reason. I guess they're not very appetizing or something.
In any case, Jordan's sparing me the details, but I know in what kind of state they must have found Melissa's body. He's been using the word 'remains' and not 'corpses' to talk about the victims' bodies after all.
"It looks like their hunting game is speeding up." I notice as I read through the victims' death records. "There's less and less time in between each victim's death."
"Yes, it looks like it."
"Hmm, if I were a woman, I could have played bait to draw them out, but..."
"Play bait?"
"Oh, that was usually my role whenever I went on a hunt with a party. Miria probably thought it'd get me killed at some point. Too bad for her, I've always known who to avoid to stay alive. That aside—"
I stop mid-sentence, feeling my shoulders tense as I glance at Jordan. Oh, he looks mad. He's still smiling, but that smile is stiff, and his gaze has grown dark. All the hair on my body rises as goosebumps spread, my instinct sending alarm bells ringing in my head.
Maybe I shouldn't have said that.
Well, it doesn't matter. Jordan would have known at some point. I haven't brought up my time at my clan yet, but it's easy to deduce that I wasn't exactly living my best life there. I mean, I was sold off, and I'm only all right cause my partner is a weirdo who doesn't conform to the demon mold. That says a lot.
…Might as well light a candle for my stepmother. Or not. That'd be a waste of my time.