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The man wheezes and rolls farther to put distance between us. I slide off the opposite side of the bed, stumbling to my feet. Then I inch towards the door. Towards Edwin and the gun. I should be running from both of them, from all of this, but Edwin’s attention never leaves my attacker, and I want to trust him for that.

Up close, he’s even more unreal than before. The sharp line of his jaw. The stillness of his arm. Faint lines of maturity frame his blue eyes washed through with sorrow, as if whatever once burned there had drowned long ago.

He flicks a glance at me. “I suggest you leave unless you want to watch this man’s head explode.”

The man on the bed lets out a broken whine. “No, please. I wasn’t gonna do anything, I swear.”

I can’t move. I can’t look away from Edwin. He meets my gaze and my lungs shrivel.

I remember the cemetery. The way he looked at me as if he regretted that I was someone to save. And now here he is, frightening and beautiful just the same.

“She has a Serpent’s Head,” the man blurts out. “Do you know how much those are worth? I’ll split it with you.”

Edwin turns his head slowly towards him, visibly offended by the interruption. “I know exactly what it’s worth. My great-grandfather made them.”

The man’s face goes pale. He lifts his hands in a peace offering. “Oh shit. Okay. Sorry. You take it. I didn’t know.”

Edwin gives him a slow, mocking nod. “You didn’t know.”

Then comes the metallic click of the hammer pulling back.

That sound makes my entire body tense. I’ve already watched one person die because of me. The memory still plays when I close my eyes. I can’t survive seeing it again.

I force myself to move.

Edwin doesn’t step aside to let me pass when I edge towards the doorway. I have to brush against him to squeeze through. My chest grazes his back, and his scent prickles sharp with spice that fades into the deeper warmth of something woody. The sudden throb between my legs makes heat rush into my face.

I make it to the hallway.

Behind me, the man’s voice cracks. “Please don’t leave me.”

I look back. His eyes are huge with terror, begging for mercy he absolutely knows he won’t get.

“Shut the door, will you?” Edwin says, as if he’s asking me to turn off a light.

My hand trembles as I reach to close it. I freeze with my hand on the handle, trying to understand how Edwin got inside a locked room.

Then the gunshot cracks the quiet.

The sound tears through the corridor. I jolt back, a cry catching in my throat. The image of Asher crumpling to the ground flashes through my mind, and I nearly stumble.

I run, each footfall a muted thud against the carpet.

Voices and moans drift from other rooms. Sounds that drown out screams. No wonder no one came for me.

Except Edwin.

That thought makes me move faster.

A door opens behind me.

I glance over my shoulder as he steps into the hallway, and his eyes lock onto mine. My lips part with a gasp.

The gun hangs loose at his side as if he’s merely finished some minor inconvenience. He walks after me without hurry.

I round the corner blindly, race down another hallway, and pull open the first door I see.

Housekeeping.