31. Shadow
SHADOW
I dipped and dodged Church’s attacks. He was going hard, and I was impressed and a little concerned, but I knew how to fight even though I spent my life taking shit from people as a way to remain in the shadows. Now that the secret was out, it was time to show up and prove I was useful.
My fist connected with Church’s face. His eyes gleamed at the violence.
Fucking great. He got off on pain. Figured.
He wiped the blood off his lip and beckoned me forward.
So I swept forward.
We tore into one another. Church was damn good, but I was keeping up with him. Neither of us pulled our hits, landing them where we could.
He clocked me so hard my ears rang before he swept his leg around mine and took me to the ground. Then he hit me twice more before I was able to roll him off and land my hits on his face.
He had moves I didn’t though. He bucked me off and sent me soaring straight over his head. I landed with a groan, the wind knocked out of me, and he was quick to straddle me and press his blade to my throat.
I stared up at him, my chest heaving.
He could very well kill me. Would he?
Breathing heavily, he stared down at me, the blade digging deep into my throat. I winced as the skin broke and blood trickled out.
“She loves you,” he murmured.
“I love her too,” I rasped back.
He moved his knife away and got to his feet before offering me his hand. I took it and let him help pull me to my feet. I thought he’d let go of my hand, but he tugged me forward so his lips were at my ear.
“If you want her, it’s for an eternity. You don’t get to fucking leave. So decide. Is this the life you want? Forever?”
I didn’t need to think about it.
“It’s everything I want,” I answered back. “I want to be a Watcher and someone she can trust and love.”
“Then I accept it. It’s in her hands now.” He released me and we stared one another down.
“I’m good enough?” I asked.
He looked past me to Sirena on the log with Asylum. I’d seen her clutching him as Church and I fought.
“I’m impressed,” was all he said before moving past me to go to her. I watched as he drew her into his arms, kissing her. Asylum came to me, watching beside me.
“You did good. I’m proud of you,” he said, eyeing the pair as Church practically ravished her.
“He said he’s impressed,” I murmured.
Asylum clapped me on the shoulder. “You’re as good as in.”
* * *
Church stayed with us all day. Eventually, we all returned to our dorm, where he joined us.
“Hope you like scary movies,” Asylum said, flopping down onto the bed with a bowl of popcorn.
“He should rephrase that to I hope you like shitty B movies ,” I said, taking the bowl of popcorn from him.
“Oh, you hated it? Sure, you did. Still sat through all that alien squid. The plot was trash. The script was worse. But you smiled through every cheesy verse. Don’t lie, bro, I saw your pride. Just because a pretty firefly was by your side,” Asylum sang out.
I rolled my eyes at him. Church simply sat, looking amused. Or I assumed he was amused since it was rare to ever see the guy smile.
“Want some?” I offered him some popcorn.
I was surprised when he took a handful and settled back on the mattress we had shoved together. It was definitely a tight fit now.
Sirena cuddled up between me and Church. I tensed as she kissed my cheek and dug into the popcorn bowl. Church raised a brow at me before turning her attention to him to kiss.
I breathed out, and Asylum winked at me before grabbing another bowl of popcorn from the microwave.
He came back and pressed play on the TV.
“You’re going to love this one. It’s about this giant bug army from the planet Zefax-176. They heal by fucking humans. It’s great.”
I groaned at his description. Even Church looked at him funny. Not Sirena, though. She snuggled up, pulled me closer, and glued her focus to the TV. I loved how she gave everyone’s hobby a chance.
At least I figured she did. She loved my cupcakes. She encouraged Asylum’s shitty movies. Mirage’s odd forest behavior and mask. Church’s taxidermy. Ashes’s pyrotechnics. I was sure she talked up whatever Sin and Stitches were into as well.
She really was perfect in my eyes.
* * *
She slept on my chest after we’d practically thrown an entire bowl of popcorn at the TV amid Asylum’s protests of giving the movie a chance and arguing bugs really could fuck humans if given the right perimeters.
“Absolutely not,” Church muttered. “Never invite me to movie night again.”
“What about if I ever meet alien bugs who can fuck humans? You want an invite to that?” Asylum asked. “Because let me tell you, Dante, if I could fuck a bug, I’d give it the old college effort. Not many people can say they’ve fucked alien bugs that are sentient.”
“How could that even be a turn-on?” Church demanded. “Huh? How the fuck can you get your dick hard over bugs?”
Asylum grabbed his crotch, his very hard, very large cock outlined beneath his hand. “Trust me. I can get hard over just about anything I can tear the wings off of.”
Church snorted. “You’re a weirdo. My statement stands. Don’t invite me over for the next movie night.”
“Suit yourself. Shadow will just have to watch me jerk it to to obscure bug porn.”
“Shadow won’t,” I muttered, pushing Sirena’s hair away from her face. “Seeing bad alien bug porn was getting a little too close to your kinks. I’m tapping out too.”
“Amateurs,” Asylum mumbled.
I looked up from Sirena to see Church watching me.
“She’s so peaceful when she sleeps,” Church murmured. “My little ghost.”
“She has bad dreams sometimes,” I said softly.
“I know. It kills me that I haven’t been here to protect her from them. I sometimes worry I’m one of the monsters stalking her through her dreams.” Church sighed.
“You’re not.” I shifted a bit to hold her closer, not feeling like he was going to rip my head off so much now.
Church rolled onto his side and put his arm around her as she slept on my chest.
“Are you staying?” I asked.
“Yeah. I’m staying,” he answered, closing his eyes.
I looked over to Asylum, who smiled at me.
Church hadn’t touched his phone, but once today, I was sure that was to tell the watchers he would be with us.
“Like I said,” Asylum whispered, grabbing the remote and navigating to another terrible movie. “You’re in. Congratulations.”
I smiled and kissed the top of Sirena’s head.
It was about time life started looking up.