The Enemy Beside Me + The Liar Beside Me (Book 1 and 2)

Chapter 8

'GO, KILL HIM!' Jaxon claps and hoots. Snacks are forgotten as he cheers for Declan. God forbid Watanabe and the Phoenix boy to not fight, even for just a day.

'It seems you're not fond of Watanabe,' Alasdair comments. He sips the tea he made last night. The sharp taste complements the overall syrupy quality. Declan once said, 'It's an odd combination, but it works.' He thinks he did a pretty good job. It's gone unnoticed, though, after Watanabe pointed out that Zone 2 citizens like Declan have a distinct smell. And it escalated from there.

Jaxon gulps down his tea, scalding his tongue. 'Ouch,' he groans. Grimacing, he downs a glass of water. Alasdair is about to tell him to slow down, but waves it off as his gaze glides to Eien, who is wordlessly watching everything unfold before him.

'No, that's not it,' Jaxon says. He's almost forgotten that they're still having this conversation. 'I think Declan is stronger. You know, having muscles and all.'

'He's been training since he was young, he told us once.'

'See? More reason to cheer for him!'

'So you bet on those who will certainly win?'

The blond shrugs.

'Smart,' Alasdair says, and he doesn't mean it sarcastically. It's common sense to root for those who are going to win. 'But those who seem weak may have a few tricks up their sleeve.'

It takes Jaxon a moment to consider what he's said. 'Fumihiro? How strong is his animal shifting? I saw him transform into a python. Can he do elephants too?'

A smile slowly carves his face. 'Maybe. Maybe not. We haven't seen him do huge animals yet, as they're too unsafe. However, there's a reason why he prefers serpents, insects, and spiders. To be precise, he prefers the lethal ones.'

Jaxon drops the cup. Eien is quick on his feet. In a second, the glass is back on the table. 'Are you telling me that he...he kinda like...'

'Killed someone? No. At least, not deliberately.' Noritaka comes out of the kitchen. In his hands is a tray of freshly baked cookie chips. Its smell wafts into the room. By that alone, he knows that his giant friend has done it again. 'I mean, he devotes his time to practising those forms, so he'd never harm anyone again,' he finishes. He takes a nip off a cookie, praising Noritaka.

He meant to drop the bomb calmly so as not to frighten Jaxon, yet he is taking this information quite well. He has this look on his face that says he understands; this time, Jaxon observes Watanabe with a bit of compassion instead of the usual repugnance. The English boy assumes he's masterfully concealed his dislike of Watanabe. But it takes more than a big smile to deceive Alasdair.

'Why does he hate me?' he asks, changing the topic.

'Watanabe hates you?' Shaking his head, Alasdair covers his mouth with his hand and chuckles lightly. 'Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh. I just knew you'd ask that someday. And here we are.'

Jaxon once again shrugs. His ankles are crossed together, his fingers drumming against his thighs. For all his faults, at least he doesn't go ballistic every time Watanabe irritates him. Unlike Jake, whom Alasdair had forced to stay thousands of times until he had given up. There's no saving a ticking bomb.

'I haven't done anything wrong, as far as I know,' Jaxon continues.

Alasdair lays the half-bitten cookie chip on his dessert plate. 'You can't blame him, can you?'

'What do you mean?' Wrinkles form on Jaxon's forehead until the space between his eyebrows disappears. If the topic of their conversation weren't serious, Alasdair would've laughed.