I can't skin her...

I kept looking at Aurora's sleeping figure for a moment, wondering what to do... She was so beautiful... I did have a crush on her from the two times we met before, and even her trying to kill me wasn't enough for me to let go of the appreciation I had for her. My skinwalker side was pestering me to just skin her and assume her life, encouraging me to become that stunning and strong goth girl I had a crush on...

But I couldn't... She was doing her job, I was certain that there were indeed a lot of evil monsters roaming around, I couldn't hate her for trying to protect humans. Our goals weren't that different.

"Claire... Help me carry her to the nearest hotel." I said as I grabbed Aurora's dagger and stored it in my bag.

"W-what are you going to do, Ed?" Claire asked, slightly confused.

"We can't let her sleep in a dark alleyway like this. I'll pay for a room for her and then find a skin to hide in for the time being." I replied, carrying Aurora on my back.

She was heavier than she looked, probably due to having more muscles than I expected. And the thick goth boots probably didn't help either.

How much do these things weight...?

"But... What about me...? Won't she try to track me down?"

I looked away, lost in thought. "Hmm... I'll write a note for her and tell her that I left the city, asking her to leave you alone. If she still comes to confront you and you show her your police badge, I think it should be fine for you... Tell her that I indeed left and cut ties with you to avoid getting you in trouble. And I also won't be far, I'll be Dahlia's neighbour for a few days. If things really become dangerous, I'll be there."

"Are you... sure it's a good idea? What... What if she continues to hunt you?"

"She probably will, but I'll be more careful now that I know someone is actively looking for me. Can you send Dahlia a text to tell her we're coming? It's important that she knows what happened."

Claire nodded apprehensively, taking out her phone and texting Dahlia. Meanwhile, we walked towards one of the hotels nearby, a fairly cheap place since I didn't have a lot of money. The owner looked at us weirdly but once we explained that Aurora fainted and needed a place to rest, she allowed us to rent a room for her.

After carrying her to the room and laying her onto the bed, I took a sheet of paper and wrote a message for her.

"You're probably confused as to how you got here. I healed you and carried you here after our fight. I didn't wear you if you were worried about this. As for the room you're in, I paid for it. I'll disappear now, but I'm asking you to please leave my sister alone. I won't get in touch with her again if it puts her in danger. I wish you luck if you have to face other creatures."

Once done, I placed Aurora's dagger next to the letter and we left the hotel, hurrying to reach Dahlia's place.

"Hey Ed, I got Claire's text. What happened?" She asked after letting us in and closing the door.

She noticed my torn clothes, there were a few cuts on my jacket and even one on my shirt.

"I was attacked earlier. By who I assume was one of those hunters you spoke of."

Dahlia's eyes immediately widened as she heard that. "W-what? A... A hunter?"

I nodded. "Yes. But Claire and I managed to defeat her. My new evolution came in handy."

"You... defeated her? What did you do to her?"

"I didn't skin her, if that's what you're wondering. I brought her to a hotel and left her a note after healing her. Now I'll go into hiding for the time being and hope that I'll lose her this way."

Dahlia shivered. "You let her go? Do you... Do you realise how stupid it is...? Claire, you understand how dangerous this situation is, right?"

She was starting to panic, visibly extremely worried.

Claire sheepishly nodded. "Y-yeah... But... Ed took his decision..."

"Ed... You're still mostly human so far. You can still easily get killed..."

I stared at Dahlia. "And what was I supposed to do? Skin her and never restore her? Steal her life forever? That would be the same as killing her... And doing that would just prove her right... I'm not a monster, I won't kill someone..."

I closed my eyes and tried to calm down. "If she somehow comes to confront me again, then I'll try to deal with her on my own. I won't be taken by surprise a second time now that I know how dangerous she is."

"M-mobsters are one thing, Ed... But... I can't fight hunters... I can't help you..."

I noticed how terrified Dahlia was, and went to hug her. "And it's okay, you already helped me plenty. Just watch over Claire for me and let me deal with that myself. I promise you that I won't die."

After a moment, I broke the hug. "Can I stay here tonight so we can do what we originally planned tomorrow? The sooner I'm hiding in a skin, the better."

Dahlia held her forehead for a brief instant, taking a deep breath and relaxing.

"Yeah... Just sleep on the couch like you used to. Claire can share my bed, if it doesn't bother her."

"It's... It's fine. Thank you." Claire replied.

"I'm sorry for troubling you like that, Dahlia." I said, a bit shameful.

Dahlia looked me in the eyes. "You've troubled me a few times already, Ed. That stubbornness and pridefulness of yours are charming qualities at times, but can also be big flaws. But it's alright, you're my friend, and I'll always try to help you however I can. Just pray that your decision tonight isn't going to come back to bite you in the ass later on."

She sounded different than usual. She was more similar to when she saved me from the mobsters.

I sighed, looking down. "I know..."

After a few minutes, Dahlia brought me a pillow and a blanket. She appeared a bit more sheepish than earlier.

"Sorry about my earlier comment, Ed... I didn't mean it..."

I shook my head. "Don't worry. You're right, I need to think things through more. You and Claire keep worrying about me because I keep making bad decisions and letting my ego speak. I'll be careful from now on, and won't do anything that could endanger either of you."

"Indeed, we do constantly worry about you... But good luck... And goodnight."

"Goodnight." I simply replied, laying on the couch.

Dahlia and Claire went to the bedroom, and I stayed there, staring at the ceiling for a while, remembering everything that happened earlier. I rarely feared for my life before, but it was one of those moments that made me really afraid of dying.

I need to get stronger... I need to get ready in case I have to face Aurora or another hunter...

I had to train. I got a bit rusty since I didn't get into a lot of fights these last few years, I had to get back into shape. I could probably try to skin someone from the local boxing club and spend a few days or weeks practicing.

I won't lose again...

On that, I fell asleep, completely exhausted from the fight, and hoping that I made the right decision in the end...