Shapeshifted (Edie Spence 3)

“Sure. ” He opened up his door and got out. I trotted up to my apartment and opened the door. Once he was in, I latched all the chain locks again. Ti looked bemused.

“Am I supposed to be keeping an eye on you, or are you supposed to be keeping an eye on me?”

“To be honest, I’m not sure. Both, maybe? I need a shower, and I need to sleep. How about you?”

“Just the one. I don’t think I ever want to sleep again. ” He waved the thought away. “No offense to people who need to. ”

“All right then. Dibs on the shower, because it’s mine. ” And because after a wounded zombie showers, there might be … clots. I got a towel out of my linen closet and threw it down on the couch for him. “Wait here. ”

I couldn’t help but think about how in other circumstances, if our lives had been different, the chance to take a shower with Ti might have been sexy. Now—no. That door had closed. I wasn’t sure when it had happened, or how, but when I searched my heart, I knew it was true. Maybe because someone else was there instead. My heart always liked to bet on the darker, more damaged horse. I sighed and looked down—my ankles still had red marks on them that were tender to touch after the snakes. At least Asher wasn’t full of snakes—just other people. I got out of the shower, dried my hair, and threw on clothes. Ti stood up when I entered the room.

“Your turn. ”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. You can’t stay out here like you are now. ” I pressed a smile on, as if the events of tonight had never happened. As if I hadn’t had my hands covered in other people’s blood.

“Okay. ” He nodded and stepped around me. A few seconds later I heard the water running. I went into the kitchen and made myself coffee. There was a knock at my door.

“You have got to be kidding me. ” I set my coffee down and walked over to the peephole, barefoot. Asher stood outside, looking bedraggled. I started unlatching the locks.

“Hec-tor. ” I stuttered while saying the right name. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Are you?” His eyes were scanning me, as if to make sure I was still whole. Knowing who he was inside, and who he might be after the seventeenth—I wanted to say more, but the seventeenth was only two days away. Technically, it started at midnight tomorrow night. I shouldn’t want to fall on my sword again, like I had with Ti. “Are you sure you’re okay?” he went on, worried by my silence. “I couldn’t ask you back there, but if anything happened to you—”

“I’m fine. Honest. ” I nodded quickly to make him believe.

There’d been familiarity between us before, a willingness to touch each other without fear. I wanted that back, no matter who he looked like now. Screw being afraid of getting hurt.

He stepped in, and I didn’t move—I wanted him to step into me.

“Edie?” Ti asked from the hallway, emerging with a towel wrapped around his waist—and several flesh wounds visible on his chest.

“Ti—” I looked back at him and gestured toward Asher, who was perilously close. “This—Asher’s here—” I explained lamely, then swallowed. Ti didn’t know Hector was Asher yet.

“It’s okay. ” Asher looked from Ti to me, and stepped back outside again. “I was just coming for my keys. ”

I shook my head. I didn’t want to shout out that it wasn’t like that, but I could see his assumptions on his face. “Asher—”

“Asher?” Ti began. I could see the beginning of a change on Asher’s face, as if his other form was being summoned by his name.

“You’ll keep her safe, won’t you?” Asher asked of Ti, taking a step farther back on my stoop, into shadows.

“Asher, don’t go. ”

“Don’t apologize, Edie. In a few days—” He held his hand out, not for me to see anything, but because I would know what he meant. On the seventeeth his hands would be fully Hector’s … or no one’s at all. “Keep the car. I’ll take the train. ” He turned and went down my stairs.

* * *

Maybe I should have run after him. Or maybe he was right. I was exhausted by too much too fast tonight.

“That was Asher?” Ti asked me. “How long has he been pretending to be the doc?”

“Seven months or so. ” I stood in my doorway, looking out, willing Asher to return.

“I didn’t mean to startle him, Edie. ”

“No, it’s okay. You were just trying to keep an eye on me is all. And I’m still keeping an eye on you. ” I tried to sound as light as I had earlier and failed. There wasn’t enough coffee in the world to help me fake it.

“It’s been a long night. You should get to bed. ”

“Yeah. I should. ”

“I’ve wrung out my clothes. I’ll leave them in your shower to air-dry overnight. ”

“I’ll get you sheets for the couch. ” I came back with them. He was still wearing just a towel.