In This Together

Chapter Eight

After that it was all about planning. And about arguing, at least on Delaney's part. He had pulled Howell aside once more in a last attempt to try to let him be with Luke and Ryan on the hunt, but he once again failed.

"I should really be with them," Delaney insisted. "You have Kate with you, you have your family alongside you. Why can't I have mine?"

"Don't push it, boy," Howell growled. "Look at us all like your family now. You'll be with Jamie and Maggie, you'll have someone watching your back. And we'll be looking out for your brother and your friend."

Delaney's mouth pressed together in a tight line. He wanted to say that while he believed that everyone had each other's backs, it still wasn't the same, not being with Luke or Ryan. He could see how saying more could be offensive, could seem untrusting of his people, so he kept his mouth shut. But Howell almost made it seem like a hostage situation. Two of Delaney's members in exchange for two of Howell's family members.

"We all look out for each other now. This isn't just about you, we're all in this together."

Hearing those last words, Delaney gave a stiff nod. Howell was, of course, right. And hearing the words Luke had said to him when they first decided to be a part of this life echoed back to him now reminded him of it. They were in it together, the people that included had only grown in number now. In that moment he felt selfish, and for that, he felt majorly guilty.

"You're right. I know. You're right." Delaney shuffled back to the rest of the group, hating having to admit that.

--

Even though he had a handful of hunts under his belt, Delaney was more nervous than ever in the days leading up to when they were going to split up and set out. In their down time, while they finished working out some details of the big hunt, the three boys had tagged along on a few more jobs. Ghosts seemed to be the default. Everyone seemed to have a pesky specter they wanted gone.

The most notable side job was the shapeshifter. Jamie had hunted down its layer and wanted Ryan and Delaney to help him flush it out while Howell and Maggie took some time to teach Luke more about lore. And weapons.

Jamie led the two guys through a labyrinth in the sewers. As they got nearer to the creature, they found more evidence it had been there. Namely discarded skins. The first thing Ryan did upon seeing one was turn to the side and wretch.

Wiping his mouth on the back of his hand he insisted, "I'm fine, let's go," before anyone even had a chance to say anything.

Hunting down the shapeshifter shook both Delaney and Ryan. It was the closest creature they'd seen to the one they'd dealt with in the desert. Despite the time they'd managed to spend talking over what had happened, they weren't ready to fully relive the experience.

With the silver bullets that had become standard use, Ryan was the one who had taken the killing shot. For the second time in a time span way too short for his liking, he'd taken down something that was killing people and stealing their faces. He caught Delaney's eye, hoping his friend wouldn't say anything about how his hands had trembled as he'd held up his gun to take the shot.

Their drive home was incredibly quiet. Jamie could feel something was going unspoken, but chose not to pry. Ryan, especially, was still very green when it came to monster hunting. It wasn't an easy transition.

--

"Dude, we'll see each other in a few days. Just text us," Luke said, shrugging out of the grip that his older brother had on his shoulder.

Delaney frowned deeply. "Just... Be careful. Both of you," he tacked on as Ryan walked up.

"Man, and here I was fully planning on trying to be the hero," Ryan teased. Delaney blanched and so Ryan reached out and gave his arm a squeeze, smiling at him.