Page 13

“She got it last spring when they were on sale,” Peter said, so I would know.

It was utilitarian, sure. But every single other coat I owned right now had someone else’s blood on it. I clutched it to my chest and beamed at her. “It’s perfect. ”

We were all together there, having some sort of cookie-cutter Christmas, only things were really nice for once. Peter was passing the stuffing when Grandfather started up from his current location, in the kitchen next to the toaster.

“What’s that?” Peter asked.

“A gift from a patient’s family,” I lied quickly, and raced over to the bar. “I didn’t know any German. ”

“Well, that’s very kind. ”

“Wasn’t it, though?” Grandfather didn’t talk unless—I patted his lid in what I hoped was a pacifying manner and started edging toward my door. There was a knock, and it nearly made me jump out of my skin.

“I’ll get it, dear—” my mother began.

“No! No—no—I’ve got it. ” I raced around my kitchen’s tiny bar and teetered up on my heels to look through the peephole. Someone I didn’t know stood outside. He raised his hand to knock again. I opened the door just an inch, prepared to throw my entire weight behind it to close it again if I needed to.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“And you are?” I whispered through the crack.

“You know who I am, silly. ” And for a second, his eyes flared brown.

“Asher! You were not invited. ”

“I just came to bring you a gift,” he explained as I opened the door wider. “I didn’t know—”

“You knew. ” I planted a finger into Asher’s chest. “I told you last night. ”

Asher scratched his chin in contemplation. His current chin, one I hadn’t seen before. He was normal looking, just a little on this side of average, clean-cut handsome sliding toward middle age. The Asher I was used to was chiseled-handsome with a fancy car; this version was more the man-next-door who probably knew how to use power tools. “Did you mention it?” he asked.

I gritted out in a low voice, “For a shapeshifter, you’re a really miserable liar. ”

“Only when I want to be. ” He leaned in and pecked me on the cheek. It was unexpected—both from him and from this new form.

“Who is it, Edie?”

“It’s—” My voice caught. I wasn’t sure what to tell them.

“I’m Kevin. Nice to meet you all. ” He waved from outside while scanning around the room to include everyone in his wave.

“Well, come on in, Kevin!” my mother said.

“Oh, no, Mom—”

“It’s Christmas, Edie—”

“I was really just here to drop this off. ” He handed me a box. It was tiny, but had a weight to it when I hefted. “To drop this off for my special girl. ”

My eyes widened at him—in anger and panic. “Ash-er,” I said, under my breath.

“Really?” My mother’s voice reached new heights. “Did you hear that, Peter?”

“Any friend of Edie’s is a friend of ours. Come in, come in,” he said, waving Asher in.

Jake was the only one who wasn’t fooled. He’d spent a week with me recently, helping me out after I’d been stabbed. He’d had the wisdom not to ask questions—and to be honest, I’d been able to handle most of my own care—but he’d known I hadn’t had any boyfriends calling, either on the phone or in person, during all of that time. He set his shoulders and gave Asher the once-over, subtly jerking up his chin in manly acknowledgment.

Jake being protective of me? Now, that was a change.

“We didn’t bring enough chairs, I’m afraid—”

“That’s fine, because Kevin was going—” I said, trying to close the door.

“Edie! Why didn’t you ever tell us about him?” my mother pressed, unashamed to interrogate me in front of witnesses.

“We just started dating,” Asher began, taking a step inside. “It was an office romance. ”