Grievances (Book Three Of Hale Wolves For Teen Wolf :))

Ch. 23: Insatiable

Stiles wanted to make sure Stiles was actually Stiles.

I stood across the living room from Noshiko as I told her, "If it's really Stiles, you won't kill him."

"Is that so?" Noshiko asked. I didn't answer. A curious look crossed her expression. "Are you feeling a little protective of your love's best friend? I can see it. I saw it the first time I saw you together."

"Scott's not my love."

"Yet."

Finally, Melissa, Scott and Stiles walked into the room. Noshiko and I both looked at them.

"Do you recognize me, hmm?" Noshiko asked Stiles.

Stiles nodded his answer, taking a step forward.

Kira strode in, standing next to her mother. "Stop."

"It's okay," Stiles told her as he continued to step closer. He looked sick. Dying. "I'm the one that asked her to come."

"You're the one that's going to get stabbed with swords," Kira told him before looking at her mother. "Mom, don't do this to him."

"It's already done," Noshiko told us.

Two of the oni materialized out of the shadows, darkness, one behind Stiles, the other in front of him. The oni standing in front of him held his head like they had done for Isaac, Ethan, Derek, Lydia, Aiden, Scott, Kira and me. The sort of ritual they did to check for the Nogitsune inside of one's body.

Once they were done, they let Stiles fall before evaporating.

"Look behind his ear," Noshiko told us.

Kira, Scott, Melissa and I knelt beside Stiles, looking behind his ear for the symbol for self the rest of us had gotten.

"It worked," Scott said.

"So I'm actually me?" Stiles asked as he started to sit up.

"More you than the Nogitsune," Noshiko answered.

"Can the oni find him?"

"Tomorrow night. It's too close to dawn now."

"Can they kill him?"

"It depends on how strong he is."

"What about Lydia?" Scott asked. "Why would he take her?"

"He would only take her for an advantage," Noshiko told us.

"You mean her power?" I asked.

She nodded. "The power of a Banshee."

*

Derek and I had been tracking Lydia in the woods when we saw Ethan and Aiden being shot at, both on the ground, bleeding, dying.

We both ran to each, Derek helping Aiden while I helped Ethan, each of us putting each of their arms over our shoulders.

"Run!" Derek yelled.

The same ones shooting at them tried to shoot us down as we ran on.

*

I looked behind me to see if I could see the shooter or shooters, but saw no one as Derek helped Aiden along in front of us.

I turned back forward, pulling Ethan along.

*

Ethan and Aiden were both unconscious when I pushed Derek into the wall of the coyote den, staying very quiet but maintaining a hushed tone of anger as I asked him, "When are you going to stop telling Scott things about me I'm not planning on telling him?"