Slightly Tempted (Slightly Series, Book Four, Teen Wolf)

chapter five---I.E.D.

"So, the Walcotts were the first," Stiles said. "At least the first that we know about. Four murders. Sean, his brother, and their parents. They were killed by a professional assassin called The Mute."

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"Weapon of choice, a military tomahawk," I said. "But then he was killed by Peter Hale after he tried to blow up Derek with a Claymore mine."

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"Next was Demarco," Stiles said. "He delivered a keg to the party at Lydia's lake house. And decapitated outside his car."

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"And then last night, 23-year-old, Carrie Hudson," I said.

"It's a dead pool," Scott told Dad. "A hit list of supernatural creatures, or anyone with a link to the supernatural." He looked from me to Dad. "That's the only reason Stacie's name's on the list."

"Why?" Dad asked. "Anchor, I get that, but . . ."

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Flashback

Deaton exhaled, looking at Scott, Stiles and me. "You remember when I told you about there being more things to being the anchor than I wanted to concern you with?" I nodded. "But it seems now that you need to know now more than ever."

"Why?" I asked.

"You are the reason that Scott and Stiles are alive. You're their anchor. When the anchor ceases to exist, so do the things it tethers."

"So,  what are you saying?" Stiles asked. "That if they kill Stace, if she dies, then we die, too?"

Deaton hesitantly nodded.

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Now

"That's why my name's on the list," I told Dad. I looked at Scott. "They know it'll be easier to kill a seemingly defenseless human than an Alpha werewolf."

"What do you mean, seemingly?" Dad asked.

I smirked.

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Flashback

Inside the loft, Derek made good on his promise to teach me how to fight to defend myself.

He seemed to be going harder on me than usual as he raised his arm, going to hit me. I ducked under his arm. He raised his other arm, and I caught it, using it to spin behind him, turning back to him, holding a knife over his throat to "kill him".

"Getting better," Derek told me.

"Thanks to you and my fear of getting Scott killed because of the list and--"

Derek pushed the knife aside, still holding my arm as he turned to face me, pulling me toward the floor and pinning me down lightly, kneeling over me.

"Next lesson, don't get distracted," Derek told me, smiling a little.

"Thanks for the tip," I said sarcastically. "So . . . any other moves you wanna show me?"

Derek smirked, taking both of my hands, helping me stand up.

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Now

I didn't tell Dad everything about that, but . . .

"And now that I think about it, it's a really good question if you have any objections," I told him.

"Have any objections to you learning how to defend yourself from getting killed with the rest of the people on this list just to get Scott killed or Derek?" Dad asked rhetorically.