Terre frowned, and carefully put the sample vial back on the table. "That's a big guess. Especially since you are the sole witness to both. We still have the horned monkey carcass, but the dragon is gone. The only reason we know it existed is because the words of four people — three of which are pretty closed-lipped about it. I didn't even know what kind of dragon I was looking for, just something that was as big as a mountain. I figured I'd get more details when I got to Laramie. I was wrong."

"I don't know why it's gone either." Levi made a break for the vial, but I scooped him up before he could reach it. He tried to wiggle out of my hands but gave up after a couple failed attempts. "It was definitely there when I left. And from the sounds of it, you arrived in Laramie the same day I concluded a rescue party wasn't coming." Just thinking about it left a bitter taste in my mouth. If I'd waited just a little longer, Terre would have found me. I wouldn't have had to go through the wilds like this. But I also grew a lot out here, so it wasn't a total loss.

"Thank you for coming, by the way," I said. I'd be dead without him.

"You're welcome. That wraith was a surprise to both of us." He pointed at the vial. "I believe you about the unknown dragon." He paused, his mouth cocking up on the side in a half smile. "Right now, it seems like you are a magnet for unnatural things." He went back to being serious. "However, a skin sample might not be enough to convince people this is happening. People have a way of pretending their comfortable world isn't threatened."

I paused. "I ... have more proof." At least I think I did. "Did you find a metal box in the horned monkey?"

Terre blinked in surprise. "A metal box?"

"Yeah. Thin and long." I used my hands to show the shape. "And hollow. I bet there was a piece of horned monkey inside." It would make a huge mess if I got it out now, so I didn’t even try. Oh, I guess there’s the little one I found on the ground before the zombies attacked.

"Why?" It looked like I finally came up with a subject that Terre couldn't keep up with.

"The unknown dragon was hunting Levi. That's why they fought."

Levi puffed up in anger. I ran my finger over his thin body, trying to soothe him. He stilled and let me pet him — for exactly four times, then he smacked my hand away with his tail.

"I found a box inside the unknown dragon that had Levi's scale in it." I glanced down at his smooth scales, more blue than his leviathan green-blue. "I don't know how, but I think that box was encouraging the unknown to attack Levi. If the other unknown had a box in it too, it was hunting the horned monkeys," I concluded. "So, that's why I want to know if there was a box in the monster that I gave Uncle."

Terre turned the coffee mug in his hand. "A target hunting monster, huh?" he mused. "That could be a problem." He set down the mug and focused on me. "Maveric and I found a box in that carcass. However, we didn't attempt to take it out. We thought it was best to let the officials handle it. The results weren't back before I left on a task and then I got caught up trying to find you. Needless to say, I haven't looked at them yet."

"But there was a box in it?" I stressed.

"Yes." He paused. "Now I have a question for you. Did the unknown dragon use magic?"

I paused, thinking back to the horrible death match I got caught in. "No." All I could remember was the rushing water when Levi manipulated the river water to fight. But that was it. I looked at him for confirmation. The thin snake nodded in agreement.

"I see." Terre picked up the vial and held it in the morning light streaming through the small, cloudy window behind him, turning the flesh inside a pale pink. "I don't know what was in the box, but I do know that this sample you provided and the other carcass have something else in common."

I perked up. "What?"

"Every cell is full of magic, but neither of the monsters could use magic," he concluded.

I paused, thinking of the horned monkey fight. It didn't use magic either. "How can you tell there's magic in the tissue?" I asked, confused. I was a mage, seeing the magic on anything was innate. But I couldn't see the slightest trace of magic glitter in the vial.

His mouth quirked up on the side. "You could say it's a family thing. We have a unique type of magic source. Because of that, we can see things that other people can't."

Uncle once said that the Nobles were vague on everything. He wasn't kidding. Terre answered the question, and didn't answer it at the same time. Jerk.

"Do you know the only other being that has magic, but can't use it?" He waited until I shook my head before he simply said, "Melee Hunters. If a monster has magic, they can use magic. Even if it's a drop they're magical. But if they don't have any, they are 'normal type.' Humankind — specifically melee Hunters — are the only beings on earth that can have magic and not use it. However, it's that magic that enables them to be so strong."

I stiffened in surprise. That bit about melee Hunters was common knowledge, but suddenly knowing that there were monsters that shared a trait with us was unnerving. Humans were not the top of the food chain. We haven't been for five decades. We were still the smartest beings on Earth, which was why we are able to claw our way back to the top now. Normal type monsters were strong enough, what would happen if they started to be empowered by magic? Stronger target hunting monsters. A chill went down my spine.

"Of course, this is all speculation." Terre stood up, holding his mug. "We won't know for sure until we get the results back from the Association." He motioned to my own empty dishes. "Are you done?"

Honestly, I'd happily eat every single bagel and muffin in the fridge, but I didn't want to be rude. "Yes."

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He picked up my dishes and walked to the sink.

I jumped to my feet, my face red. "I can clean those."

"I got it," he tossed over his shoulder and started scrubbing the mugs.

I stared at him, stumped. Not gonna lie, I assumed that Terre was a spoiled man who didn't know how to do household chores. He was so rich, I was sure that several hired help kept his house spotless. But his movements were perfectly practiced, like he'd washed mugs a million times.

Suddenly feeling shallow and judgmental, I sat back down and pinched my thumb hard. "Do you think the Association is going to share the information they get from the unknown?"

That wasn't a completely outrageous paranoid question, really. The Association often withheld information they deemed dangerous from the public. I knew some of the stuff because of Uncle, who seemed to have an insider in the Association, but there was countless information I'd never know I was ignorant of.

Terre paused and glanced at me over his shoulder. "Do you want to know?"

"Yes." I'm the one that collected the samples of the unknowns — and survived my encounters with them. It was only fair that I knew.

No, that was a lie. Nothing in this world was fair. If it was, families wouldn't be torn apart, there wouldn't be so much death, and humanity wouldn't be scrounging for old technology just to keep afloat. Truth be told, a large part of my wanting to know was simply because I was sick of being treated like a child. I didn't want Terre to pat my head and shoo me along like Uncle Maveric. I deserved to know what was going on around me like an adult.

A slight smile touched his lips. "Very well. For reasons, the Association and my family have close connections. I'll let you know when I get the report back." He set the dishes on a drying mat and picked up a towel for his wet fingers.

I turned my head to hide my relieved sigh. Since we didn't know each other, I thought he'd be tight-lipped.

A knock rapped on the outside of the front door.

I nearly jumped out of my skin and staggered my feet as Levi flared his neck and hissed at the door in surprise. Oh my god, what kind of monster knocked on the front door? No, how did it get past the mist outside without Terre freaking out?

The man in question was completely calm. "Come in."

I didn't even know the door was unlocked until the handle turned. Terre obviously accepted this person, so I scooped up Levi before he did something stupid like launch himself at whatever walked through the door.

A pretty twenty-ish looking woman stepped inside. Her long dark hair was pulled back in the ponytail. Her dark eyes were bright, just as confident as her step. She wore blue and pale gray leather armor with orange and steel highlights obviously from my uncle's shop. A blue Guide pearl gleamed on her right temple, the same color as the passive magic that rippled around her body. There was something very familiar about her. I’d seen her before, but where?

"Morning!" She shut the door behind her and nodded at Terre. As soon as she acknowledged him, her gaze zeroed on me. "So this is the little grandniece I've heard so much about." She stepped forward and extended her hand. The trailer was so small, she barely moved before she was close enough to touch. "I'm Karmin Rivera, nice to meet you." When she smiled, the beauty mark in the corner of her left eye seemed even more enchanting.

I accepted her handshake. "Ria Moore. Nice to meet you." My movements were natural, practiced a million and ten times, but my mind was stuck on the title bar above her head. It was the same as Terre's. Instead of showing a number, it was simply read [Level ???].

Levi wiggled out of my grip and struck at her hand.

Karmin pulled back, moving so fast I couldn't see the movement. "Whoa! What's a monster doing in here?" She stepped back and peered at Levi.

I gasped and gripped Levi tightly. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" Mentally, I started blasting the little snake. What are you doing! You can't bite people like that! If you do, we'd both get in trouble. And you will be killed!

Levi wasn't the least bit penitent. Instead, his mind was full of menacing and powerful attacking monsters. In his opinion, Karmin was the exact same as Terre, a powerful human. A threat he had to protect me from. The difference was, Karmin didn't have the same presence that prevented him from attacking her like Terre did. He could tell she was welcome here and tried to ignore his instincts, but all bets were off when she tried to touch me.

She didn't seem upset, just confused. "Sure. What kind of monster is that? That's way too small to be a mount." She paused. "I thought Miss Moore's mount was Shiva."

My brain stalled. Did everyone know about Shiva?

Terre walked over and lifted a hand to take over the situation. "It's Ria's pet snake."

My mouth opened and closed, trying to come up with a way to explain it. “He’s–” My voice cut off. Terre had a System, didn't he know about familiars? No matter how I tried, I couldn't seem to get the words out. Could I really not talk to them about it? “... not exactly a pet,” I finished.

"What? How can a monster be a pet?" She frowned and looked at me with concern. "You need to train it a little more. Before something serious happens."

"Yes." I twisted Levi in my hands, practically tying him in the knot. "Levi's still new to humans and learning how to act around them. It won't happen again."

If only I was confident in that promise. So far he'd chopped at every human he'd encountered since we met. He couldn't hurt me, but that didn't keep him from toothlessly gnawing at my hand repeatedly. Terre and Karmin were too fast, but he still tried. What if he bit a human? What if it was … Micah? I’d never forgive Levi.

Karmin hummed, watching me manhandle Levi. "Maybe you should leave it here in the wilds."

I shook my head. "No." That wasn’t even physically possible.

"It will behave better." Terre tipped his head and caught Levi's gaze in his sharp, two-toned one. "Right?"

Levis stopped struggling, flopping like a wet noodle.

What? Why didn't he listen to me when I told him to stop? As soon as I loosened my hands, he climbed up my arm, darted under my t-shirt and curled around my waist under the material.

I yelped, completely taken aback by the new feeling of his cool scales on that part of my body. Personally, I preferred him around my neck but since he wanted to hide, I didn't pull him out. If staying there prevented him from biting, I'd tough it out.

Terre and Karmin looked just as surprised, but didn't comment.

Karmin cleared her throat. "Are you ready to leave now?"

Terre tore his gaze from where Levi was on my stomach and nodded. "Just need to finish getting dressed. Ria, are you ready?"

"Oh," I paused. "Let me get my armor on." I hurried over to the bathroom.

Terre's voice stopped me. "You don't need to bother. Karmin is going to take you home. It'll only take a couple hours, so you shouldn't have any trouble."

I froze and turned around. "I thought you were going to take me home, Terre." As soon as the words came out, I wanted to swallow them back inside, but the damage was already done. I'm sure there was nothing wrong with Karmin, but I didn't know her. And the last woman who treated me warmly tried to kill me. I felt much safer with Terre. And less awkward when it came to Levi.

Terre shook his head. "There's still something I need to do out here."

*****