Page 43 of Hardest Hearts

21

Julie

Joe’s body contorts and twists. His scales ripple over his skin and melt away just as fast. His fur does much the same as though it is doing battle with the scales. Every so often, skin appears where there had only been scales. The whole time his muscles seem locked. I’m not even sure he’s breathing.

“Joe.” I put my hands on his chest, trying to feel for breath or a pulse or something. What am I supposed to do? This seems worse than any change I’ve witnessed so far. Worse even than the legs.

I glance at his legs, but they are still there. His tail, however, seems to be shrinking. The excess snakeskin is sloughing off, leaving a tail coated in human-like skin. I watch, transfixed. Horrified and amazed. Soon the tail is the same length as his legs.

And all of his scales are gone.

As is the pocket where his dicks were hidden, now both lie against his thigh. My gaze drifts higher, taking in the rest of the changes. The fur has become golden hair that dusts his chest, but the red lines remain, the scars from his past, and around his shoulders the bony frill is nothing but a heavy ridge. The arch in his back eases and he gasps, revealing a set of needle-like fangs and a forked tongue.

He takes a couple more breaths before opening his eyes. There is only one set. The other set is little more than a crease in his forehead, having melted away or something. Blond hair clings to his face and I brush it aside. He grabs my hand and looks at me.

For a few seconds, I’m convinced he doesn’t remember me and that I’ll need to introduce myself all over again.

“How bad is it?” His voice is a dry croak, like even his throat was twisted with the changes.

“It’s not bad.” I don’t think it is anyway. “You’re more human. Mostly human, in fact.” That’s a good thing, right? Except we need to reach the center to even have a chance of leaving Under.

“Are you sure? It hurt so much.” His grip is hard, hurting my wrist.

“Yes. I’ll help you sit up.”

He uses his other hand to push off the ground and I pull until he is upright. His skin is sheened with sweat. He uses a claw tipped hand to push his shoulder length hair off his face and then says nothing as he stares at his body.

“So all I had to do was spit up every painful thing I remembered to revert…mostly.” He glances at me.

He doesn’t seem thrilled, and that wasn’t all he did. “You said—”

“I know what I said. I was ready to stay behind and let you three press on to the center. Now…” He sighs. “I’m fucking human. What good am I?”

“Joe.” I move over him and grab his other hand. I kiss his knuckles. “You are you, and that is enough. We will get out of here.”

“Or we will be eaten.”

“Yeah, but they were always the options. They haven’t changed.”

“I have.”

“And it had nothing to do with me.” Or sex. They don’t even need me. They can take off and climb the spire and leave me if they want.

“You’re wrong. If not for you, I’d have played house with Michael until one day we had a fight that ended in death. Just being around you was enough to create micro changes in my mind, that then created bigger changes. But I had to want to be around you for long enough for that to happen. At first that was hard, because Under was whispering in my ear that you’d hurt me.”

“I’m sorry.” I didn’t realize changing would be so painful.

“Don’t be sorry. I should be thanking you.” Yet he winces when he looks at his legs and the naked tail that looks more like a rat’s than a snake’s, as even the rattle is gone.

“Don’t thank me until we get home.”

“What if I’m wanted for murder?” He frowns and shakes his head. “No, that’s a problem for later. I have to get home first.” Then he looks up at me. “What do I look like?”

“Like a twenty-something vampire with messy blond hair.”

“Vampire?”

“You have the fangs and tongue thing happening.”

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