Raymond's suggestion sounded like the devil's whisper in Celeste's ears. The temperature in the café seemed to have plummeted a few degrees. Celeste tried her best not to shiver. But she couldn't help with the hair that stood on the end of her skin.
Did she want to touch the wolfsbane? No, of course not. She was not suicidal.
"Why would I want to touch it? Wolfsbane is poisonous to humans, right?"
A smile curled on Raymond's lips. But to Celeste, it reeked ominously.
"It is poisonous, but don't worry. It won't hurt you in the short time as long as you don't have an open cut on your fingers." Speaking, he took a look at her smooth, long fingers.
"And of course, it works the opposite on the werewolves. Just the sight of the wolfsbane is enough to make those beasts tremble in fear and run away while they scream. And the touch of the wolfsbane on their skin will burn their souls and take their lives in no time. Don't you think that's amazing?" His gaze was full of excitement when it burned on her face. "Come on. Touch it."
He rested his chin on the back of his hand and stared intently at her. He had made himself clear enough. He was testing her with the wolfsbane.
Celeste was almost certain that Raymond was suspicious of her identity. She might be his first prey and his proof to his father. She wondered what had given her away. Her books? Or the necklace? She didn't know. All she knew was that she needed to change his mind.
If she was a werewolf, she wouldn’t have the gut to even touch the evil flower. The plant would probably kill her wolf if she lay a finger on it. Of course, she could refuse to touch it and just walk away, but that would only increase his suspicions. And once the hunter was intrigued, it would be difficult to get rid of him.
But if she touched the wolfsbane… She wasn't sure what was going to happen. Her wolf hadn't surfaced, so technically she was just an ordinary human. Her sense would be dull, and the anti-werewolf flower wouldn't work on her. Right?
She eyed the vicious blue on the table, wondering how its venom would feel like on her skin. Even if she didn't look up, she could still feel Raymond watching her hungrily, like a cobra ready to strike.
She wouldn't take the chance if she had another way out. If she backed down now, her pack would be in more danger. Killing Raymond was obviously not an option. She was not a killer, and killing him would only draw the father hunter to them.
Celeste took a deep breath and reached her arm. To her surprise, her hand didn't even tremble.
Just as she was about to touch the wolfsbane, Raymond shot out his hand and gripped her wrist.
Startled, Celeste gasped and looked up at the man. The surprise and concern on his face were plain. But soon, it was replaced by something more complicated.
"What are you doing, Raymond?" Celeste asked.
Raymond seemed awakened by her question. He coughed and collected himself. Realizing that he was still clutching her wrist, he let go and apologized.
"What kind of sick trick you're playing?" Celeste withdrew her hand and rubbed the place touched by the hunter. It hurt a little because Raymond had put too much force in his grip. And Celeste pondered why the man just stopped her.
It was like … he changed his mind at the last moment in case she got killed by the flower.
But how could that be possible? It wouldn't make sense. Why would he waste such an opportunity? If he believed that she was a werewolf, he could just kill her without breaking a sweat. If she was not, he could solve the puzzle and move on to his next suspect.
It just didn't make sense to Celeste. But she didn't have time to fully analyze his action.
"Sorry. I was just kidding. Umm… in fact, wolfsbane can also be dangerous to humans if you don't treat it carefully. I don't want you to get hurt because of me. I'm surprised you would actually touch it."
Celeste snorted in her mind. She couldn't believe his explanation. If he didn't want her to get hurt, he shouldn't have suggested she touch it at the very beginning.
Since she wasn't daunted by the sight or the touch of the wolfsbane, he should believe that she wasn't a werewolf. After all, according to him, no werewolf would be stupid enough to touch wolfsbane.
Had she passed his test? Celeste didn't know. But when Raymond put away the wolfsbane, she guessed the chance of her passing was higher. She heaved a sigh in silence.
Celeste folded her arms. It was her turn. "You're an asshole."
Raymond laughed. "I plead guilty!"
"I don't know how did you get that wolfsbane, but honestly. I think you're just wasting your time."
He raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"You don't have any concrete proof of the existence of the werewolves. Even though you claim to be a werewolf hunter, I bet you've never seen a werewolf in your life. And your theory is weak." She was blunt.
"But you can't deny the truth in it."
She shrugged. "You can't deny the false in it either. First, people have been living in this town for hundreds of years at least. And none of them have reported anything about werewolves living here."
"You can't be sure there's no report ever. Probably people just didn't know it was werewolves. After all, werewolves only live in legends."
"Probably. But your theory has a deadly fault."
"Which is?" Raymond frowned.
"The wolves living deep in the east of the forest. And by wolves, I mean the wild lives. Not the legendary creatures." As if to further prove her point, Celeste added, "You've seen my necklace. And yes, that's a wolf's tooth on it. And the wolf was from the forest."