Leave Me In Ruins

Plan

The pizza arrived just before the rest of the pack did. Stiles was buried in a dozen research tabs on his computer.

"So Kai was working with him the whole time? What a snake in the grass," Erica growled, helping Derek lay out the pizza boxes on the kitchen counter.

Derek hummed in agreement.

"So you sleep with Stiles again?" Erica asked, lowering her voice to a whisper.

Derek turned a glare in her direction. Now was not the time to have this conversation. Stiles didn't want anyone to know until the Ash Keeper was handled. Derek wasn't going to be the one to spill the beans beforehand.

"I was just asking." Erica put her hands up in defense.

"We have more important things to worry about right now," Derek growled.

"Well, I just want to say that maybe you shouldn't sleep with him anymore, if you still are."

Derek paused, a pizza box half open in his hands. "Why?"

Erica crossed her arms and raised a brow. "You're obviously in love with him. It's gonna hurt like hell when he goes running back to Adrian after this asshole is dealt with."

Derek frowned, his eyes boring a hole into the pizza box. "I'm not having this conversation with you right now."

"That's fine. I just don't want to see you hurt, is all." Erica shrugged.

Derek glanced to where Stiles was leaned over his laptop. A week ago, he would have heeded her advice. But now, he knew that he didn't have to worry about Stiles running back to Adrian. What he had to worry about was Stiles being hunted by a pissed off Nymph who was off the rails.

Erica gave Derek a sympathetic smile before turning with a toss of her blond hair. "Eat up, assholes, we got a long night ahead of us."

Derek put two pieces of pepperoni pizza on a plate and set it next to Stiles. "You should eat."

"I will," Stiles said, not looking up from his computer screen.

"Stiles," Derek said in a stern but caring tone.

Stiles looked up to see the pleading look on Derek's face. "Okay," he conceded, reaching for a slice.

Derek didn't comment when Stiles continued his research, one hand on his mouse, the other holding his pizza. He was used to this. Stiles would get a flow in his research, and pulling him out was impossible.

"So when do we get to hear this plan of yours?" Scott asked around a mouthful of Hawaiian pizza.

"I've just got this last kink I'm trying to work out," Stiles answered.

"If you tell us, maybe we can help," Boyd offered.

Stiles glanced around the room at the pack. All eyes were on him. Something he was used to now. He set his pizza down, wiping his hand on his jeans. "Okay, so there's blood on my window sill, Cinis' blood."

"We're using its name now?" Malia sneered.

Stiles ignored her. "You should be able to catch a scent from it, right?"

The wolves in the room nodded.

"If we can find this guy, I can trap him and kill him. But he has to be in his true form."

"True form?" Isaac frowned.

"It's a nymph, specifically a tree nymph, also known as a dryad. They have two forms. Their human form and they're true form, which is that of a tree, sort of."