I am the Enemy ~ S.M [3]

Goodbye Sparky

Chapter 22

I can almost feel the weight lifted from my chest the moment I step into the McCall household. My eyes instantly land on Liam and Hayden, peacefully asleep on the couch. Theo managed to find them after Corey remembered something about the Dread Doctors.

My gaze travels across the room from Liam and Hayden to Lydia, Malia, Mason, Theo, and finally Scott. The look of pure relief on his face is contagious and I can't stop the smile from bursting on my own as I make my way to him. I wrap my arms around his torso, breathing in his scent of familiarity.

"We did it," I whisper through my smile. He replies by tightening his grip around me. My eyes move up, and I spot Theo standing off to the side with his gaze on me. I mouth a 'thank you'. He nods in reply and in an instant, all the remaining doubts I have about him drift out of my mind.

The room eventually empties, and before long, it's just me and Scott, curled up on the couch in the soft glow of the living room.

"This is nice," I murmur, tucking my legs up beside me, my head resting on his shoulder. "Feels good to get a win."

He leans down to kiss my temple, his lips warm against my skin. "And this."

I close my eyes for a moment, sinking deeper into his embrace. "Especially this," I reply, my voice muffled against his chest. "Feels like it's been a long time since we've had this. So much has happened."

For a brief second, his body stiffens, and when I glance up, I see the smile falter, the warmth in his eyes replaced by something distant - something far heavier than exhaustion.

Then, he blinks, shaking his head slightly as though trying to clear the thoughts clouding his mind.

I open my mouth to ask, but before I can, he speaks, his voice quiet. "Was the body taken?"

It takes me a moment to process his words. My time with Stiles slipped my mind completely after I saw Liam and Hayden safe and asleep on the couch.

"Yeah," I exhale, bringing my mind back to earlier. "Stilinksi set up officers around the morgue. But then the fire system went off and someone attacked them. No one died, everyone's just...confused."

"Did you guys get any clues about who it could be?" he asks, his voice low and laced with concern.

I hesitate, biting my lip as I still try to wrap my head around it, "It's Parrish," I say slowly, meeting his gaze. "Well, we think it's him. We're pretty sure."

His eyes widen, his posture shifting. "Does Parrish know?"

"No." I shake my head. "We think he blacks out and wakes up without any memory of it." A smile tugs at my lips, "If Parrish knew, he'd be first to arrest himself."

The corner of his lips quirk up, his eyes still distant as he traces his fingers on my shoulder, "Do you remember Jackson? The Kanima?"

My frown deepens, and a shiver runs through me at the mention of a Kanima. I've never met Jackson, so no offence to him, but I hate those creatures.

"Yeah," I nod. "Lydia's ex."

"After he was bitten, he would wake up with no memory that he was turning at night." He continues. "But he had a feeling, so he recorded himself. That's when he saw what he was."

"He recorded himself?" I scoff, raising my brows.

Scott shakes his head, a smile faint on his lips, "Jackson had a master - someone who was controlling him. What if it's the same with Parrish?"

"You think someone's controlling him? Like the Dread Doctors?" I ask, the unease creeping back in.

"I don't think it's them. They could've taken the bodies themselves, but they didn't." Scott replies, his tone thoughtful. "I think it must be linked to what he is."