I remained gazing at the stains of my own blood and the scars on my arm for a full minute. I had a better understanding of their condition now and the fact that it took them so "long" to heal. My burns must have reopened when I came into contact with the stony ground on which I had finally been dragged out of strength. I obviously repainted the whole tunnel with my blood! But, numb from my state of shock, I hadn't realized anything and, with hindsight, fortunately. I had to find a good explanation to give him in order to calm his growing suspicion. The worst part was that I couldn't even blame him, it was a little hard to believe. I would have had the same reaction not so long ago.

Finding no miracle solution, I decided to try a diversion. I got up and took the opportunity to cover my arm with a sharp gesture, before turning around towards the entrance of the tunnel and pretending to want to get out of the cave.

- 'What is it that shines there, on the ground?' I said in my most beautiful surprised voice, my eyes riveted to the ground.

If he was surprised by my unsubtle change of conversation, he didn't let anything show and came to see what I was referring to. He bent down to pick it up and examined it by rotating it between his fingers with a thoughtful look.

- 'It's a bullet. Moreover, a bullet that has already been fired. Now... I'd like you to explain to me once and for all what exactly is going on?'

Squatting, the projectile between his fingers, he looked at me with an angry and questioning look.

- 'I know no more than you do,' I began.

- 'Bullshit!'

He suddenly got up and approached me, his face subtly altered by anger. I moved backwards and found myself with my back to the wall. He moved forward again until his face was only a few dozen centimetres from mine.

- 'This cave is impossible to find without a detailed map, except by accident,' he breathed gently. 'You managed to get out of this place, supposedly alone, having lost at least a liter of blood and return to the city on your own without attracting anyone's attention? Already more than unlikely, but whatever! And finally, you can see a bullet barely a centimetre long, which, by the way, doesn't shine at all, in a dark cave and all that without light? So there are two things: either you have a supernatural vision or you put it there. I would rather lean towards the second hypothesis, since on top of that the bullet is as clean as a new penny. So I repeat my question... What is really going on, for fuck's sake?!'

He had only raised his voice over the last words, catching me off guard. I suddenly wanted to run away, but his still body was blocking my way.

- 'All right, you won... I have a bionic sight!' I wryly said, my eyes glued to his.

I hoped that my humor would confuse him until I could find a plausible explanation or, who knows, a miracle. Of course, his eyes remained cold and his face impassive. I pretended to free myself, which brought him closer. Slowly he put his hands on the wall, framing my head with his arms, before bending over to me.

- 'You're going to have to do better than that,' he whispered to me, a few centimetres from my mouth.

For a brief instant, I considered kissing him. His lips were only a centimetre from mine and that would certainly be a more than effective diversion. Nevertheless, I remained frozen in front of him, losing all my senses, something he had perfectly anticipated given the small satisfied grin he had on his face. His penetrating gaze seemed to mean to me: "Tell me what I want to know or kiss me if you dare! »

Fortunately for me, his position had a weakness and I took the opportunity to slip under his right arm and get out of the cave as fast as I could. As soon as I was outside, I knew that Jude was still there and that he was anything but happy. How did I know that? No idea, but his grumpiness seemed to perfume the air.

- 'Why did you want me to find that bullet?'

Oh, my God! Come on! This guy was worse than a rottweiler, he never gave up. I didn't turn around because I couldn't find anything to say to him. I was tired of lying, tired of groping along, and all for what? To find my friend's body riddled with bullets in the bottom of a pit. My shoulders collapsed and I let myself despair. After all, if he arrested me, what difference would it make? The only person I cared about was probably dead by now, probably because of me and for no good reason. I didn't even want to move anymore. I stood there, my arms dangling, my head down, silent tears running down my cheeks. I expected him to yell at me, threaten me with prosecution, arrest and trial, instead of which I heard him approaching without a word behind me.

He gently grabbed my shoulder with his hand and turned me towards him. Then, without even trying to make eye contact or talk to me, he hugged me. He held me against him as he gently stroked my back with a soothing gesture, while I cried on his jacket. It was a harmless gesture, but so unexpected and unusual for me that it took me out of my momentary depressive state. It was one of the few times in my life that someone spontaneously comforted me and I let him. In fact, the only time in my adult life.

I pulled myself together and pushed him back gently as I discreetly wiped away the tears and snot which, I had just noticed, was dripping from my nose. To add to my already titanic embarrassment, he handed me a tissue that he had taken out of his pocket. I took it, taking care not to look at him, and turned around to blow my nose as quietly as possible.

- 'I have the feeling that you are being dragged into something that is completely beyond you,' he said in a neutral but gentle voice. 'What I don't know is if you don't want to tell me about it or if you can't tell me about it? What I am sure of, however, is that there are things I cannot explain, and one in particular. Since I met you, my instinct tells me that there is something wrong with your story... but I can't help but trust you. While you've really done nothing to deserve it so far.'

He spoke softly, in a thoughtful and puzzled voice at the same time. When he kept quiet, I did not dare to fill the silence.

- 'I have a suggestion for you, Christina,' he said nicely as he caught my eye. 'Since my instinct has stupidly decided to trust you, I suggest you do the same. Speak frankly to me. Tell me what's really going on and I'll do my best to help you without being too intrusive. What do you think of that?'

His proposal was like a slap in the face. I opened my eyes and my breath got stuck in my chest. I was divided between hope and discouragement. Hope because, if I accepted, it would allow me to kill two birds with one stone, and despair because I knew that the shapeshifters would never accept. Even if it was their best chance of finding the people, they would never want to involve a "human", especially if he was a cop.

- 'I would very much like to answer you, yes... but that's not for me to decide and I'm sorry,' I gently replied before gently moving away from him and turning my back on him.

Suddenly, the air became heavy and I felt tingling all over my body. A familiar sensation of warm air and undergrowth struck me violently with a force never before equalled, as if it was part of me and submerged me. I could not hold back a hiccup of surprise and my body suddenly seemed too big for my skin. The tingling intensified and I was swept with shivers from head to toe. At the moment when I didn't think I could stand with this overflow of sensations, they suddenly stopped. As I was about to turn around to see if the inspector had noticed anything, Jude appeared in front of me and entered the meadow, preceded by an almost palpable wave of anger. Frozen and lost in the face of his behaviour, I tried to question him with my eyes but only received a furious glance as a sole answer.

- 'Don't take another step and put down your bow... Now!'

The order, with a clear and firm voice, snapped like a whip.

I turned towards the inspector to see him hold Jude at gunpoint, with a determined and relaxed look. The least we could say is that he was fast! So much so that he had to have anticipated his action. Did he feel something?

Jude stopped and raised his hands in front of him without saying a word, with a smile on his lips that was anything but sympathetic.

- 'Who are you? And I repeat, put your bow down!'

- 'Are you already reconsidering your proposal? I thought I heard you tell Christina that you wouldn't ask questions. Well, I happen to be part of the "no questions" package,' Jude mocked, smiling smugly. 'Are we already going to have proof of your lack of trust?'

- 'I don't know you and won't let you insult me,' Worth replied in a harsh voice tinged with anger. 'For the last time, put that bow down immediately!'

- 'Or else? I am not threatening you, unlike you,' he said in a provocative tone as he stepped forward, his hands clearly visible in front of him.

Worth stiffened up, ready to fire.

- 'No, stop!' I shouted, rushing between the two men. 'Detective, you can put the gun down, he's with me. He may have an shitty temper, but he won't hurt you.'

I took the opportunity to give Jude an exasperated warning look so that he would stop provoking Worth. I didn't understand his behavior. If he had shown up, it was because he wanted to talk to the inspector, so why provoke him like that?

- 'He wasn't worried about him, was he?' Jude asked in a sweet tone.

- 'I really don't see where you're going with this and I still don't know who you are!'

The inspector lowered his weapon, but did not let his opponent out of his sight. Admittedly, he had something to be nervous about. Jude was particularly intimidating in his avenging archer role.

- 'I am the man who can decide whether to accept your proposal or not... and for the moment, I would rather lean towards no,' he provoked him again.

They both stopped about a metre apart and watched each other silently for a good minute. Between the two men, a palpable tension thickened the air and made the scene electric. Jude may have needed to mark his territory, as did the dominant males among animals, but Worth definitely did not intend to be intimidated. It was time to step in.

- 'When you both stop your cockfight, maybe we can get down to business, what do you think? Because time is still running out and we still have no reasonable explanation at all. So, you agree quickly, or I'll take my chances without you!'

I glared at them one by one and waited until the message gave rise to a reaction, if possible reasonable, on their part.

- 'All right,' Worth finally said. 'Obviously we have a problem of mutual trust, since you were roaming in the woods and I myself have men stationed at the edge of the forest, just in case. So the question is: where exactly do we stand and are we going to help each other or are we going to shoot each other?'

I looked at Jude intensely, silently urging him to accept Worth's proposal. It was obvious that we needed help.

- 'If we talk to you about this... story,' Jude began before stopping abruptly.

He took a deep breath, before he found himself with a bow in hand and notched arrow, ready to fire. His movement had been so fluid and fast that I doubted I even saw him move. It was the first time he let his true nature shine through, and what's more, in front of a cop. There must have been a big problem. He lowered his arms, closed his eyes and seemed to concentrate intensely. Then a strong wind suddenly began to blow, almost making me lose my balance.

Oh, my gosh! So I didn't dream the other night before the attack. He could, in a way, act on the elements. For a moment I stared at him because I could hardly believe my eyes. Jude, who had just reopened his own, gave me a warning look. This was not the time to draw the inspector's attention to particularities that we would prefer the inspector to ignore. I nodded and he took his bow back in his hand before heading for the trees.

- 'We need to move... now! Something is coming.'

- 'Some...' the inspector began, he had pulled out his weapon when he saw Jude do the same, with his eyes alert and his breathing sharp.

- 'No time for that. Come with me and try to be as quiet as possible. We have to get out of this forest.'

He went deep between the trees where we had arrived and we followed him without a sound, the wind on our heels.