Andrew couldn’t sleep. His mind on Mark and Mary. What if they got away at night? What if they found him? He couldn’t act in the open when it came to them. He had gotten an extra month worth of tests because of what he had done to Mark.

But, if they died, and he wasn’t even sure that Mark could, people will know it was him. Unless, he got one of the other prisoners to do it. There was a werewolf in the cell next to Mark and Mary’s. His security level was diamond, and he was in his changed form.

Adrian Hogall was clinically insane and extremely dangerous. Andrew had checked his mind. He didn’t think like a human. He thought like a wild animal. A werewolf since birth, he had been born in his wolf form and abandoned in the woods. Adrian had never learned how to turn into a human. And that was sad, Andrew thought.

He turned around and snuggled into Erin. The vampire was asleep and snoring softly. Erin snored cutely, like a baby seal. Andrew placed his nose in the nape of Erin’s neck and took in his scent.

Erin had been trying to ask him something since Whitefish. But, Andrew found a way to deflect it each and every time. He had no idea what could be so important that Erin persisted.

Tomorrow, Andrew decided, he won’t deflect. He would let Erin say his piece. With that in mind, he bolstered Adrian’s limbs with extra strength and pushed him towards the exit of the cell.

The werewolf’s paws burned from the silver, but he bent the bars enough to get out. Adrian whimpered at his paws and then, he realized he was free. Andrew was careful to nudge him towards Mark and Mary’s cage.

“Sleep,” said Mark, and the werewolf fell asleep. Andrew cursed. “Boy, you are a couple of thousand years too young to attack someone with mind magic. Better luck next time.”

Andrew froze. If Mark knew, would he tell? Security alarms went off and agents rushed to the site. Adrian was placed in chains and then on a carrier. To be carted off, God knew where. Just as Adrian was being carried away, Mary cackled.

“I know who let him out and why,” she said. Mark sent her a glare and she fell silent.

“Who?” Asked one of the agents.

“I did,” said Mark with a smirk. Mary looked at him, incredulously, but nodded.

“You will be moved to the isolator then, Ulcer,” two agents loitered behind and more came. Carrying rods and chains. Mark smirked at the werewolf as it was being carted off. Andrew got a bad feeling in his stomach.

Morning came and Andrew felt dead tired. They hadn’t been able to celebrate Christmas last night. They had just had dinner together and gone to bed. And then, Andrew had screwed up.

So, the thought that Mark was precisely where he wanted to be in the isolator didn’t let him rest. He tossed and turned, careful not to wake Erin. What had gotten into him? To try to kill someone using a man who didn’t even think like a human being? Why had he fallen so low?

His phone rang and he picked it up.

“Agent Jackson, for your own safety, you have a month of paid leave. You will not come in for tests, but you will still be expected to write and send the Grimoire secrets,” it was Adam and Andrew shivered.

“What happened, agent Hawk?” Andrew knew, but he still needed to know.

“Former agent Ulcer and the hag known as Mary Peters have both escaped. They have been heard speaking about your team before, promising retribution. You are in danger. If you wish, you can be relocated to a safe house,” Andrew gulped. Mark probably knew all about the agency’s safe houses. That just wouldn’t do.

“I’d rather stay home. I can fight now. Furthermore, I will ward the town,” it would take Andrew a lot to ward off the entire town, but he knew that he could do it. Mark and Mary weren’t going anywhere near him.

“That would be a good initiative on your part. We will hunt for them for a month. Be assured that we will send the best of the best after them. And, agent Jackson?” Andrew paled at the pause. Was he discovered?

“Yes, agent Hawk?” He tried to stop his fear from showing in his voice, but his voice still wavered.

“If you had something to do with this, do come clean. If you are found out later, you might end up in a laboratory. You are a non-human, after all,” Andrew’s eyes widened. Really? One slip up, and he would be doomed to the same as Mark and Mary? As Adrian Hogall?

“Why would I let them loose?” Asked Andrew, his voice almost hysterical. He heard a hum from the other side.

“It is just that, a werewolf managed to escape last night. And so, the two suspects managed to get free on the way to the isolators. Former agent Ulcer is unnaturally strong. And Mary Peters is tricky,” Andrew berated himself for helping the two monsters escape from the facility. There was simply one thing he could do now.

“I didn’t have anything to do with it. This morning is the first time I am hearing of this. Do I have permission to use myself as bait to capture the two?” Sure, Andrew could try to capture them without permission, but he was on thin ice.

“You do. But agents Socros and Hudson stay out of this. They have been placed on standby,” Andrew nodded. He ran a hand over his hair and exhaled.

“Ok, I’ll take care of it. Should they die, would I end up in a laboratory?” That was the million dollars question. The one thing that was stopping Andrew from rushing out of the door.

“No. We understand that they are too dangerous. The order for them is kill, not capture. We can’t contain them. Agent Ulcer’s power is too great. We haven’t even been able to run tests on them. But, place your safety above their deaths, do you hear me, agent Jackson?”

Andrew felt touched that Adam valued him enough to say something like that. He smiled, even though Adam had no way of seeing it.

“I will do my best,” promised Andrew. “Have a nice day, agent Hawk.”