Page 77 of Elora and the Crow

“Who’s the mark?” Jonah asked automatically before realizing it didn’t matter. He was tired of this life. No, he was fuckingexhaustedof this life, and he didn’t want to be that person anymore. Not even if it meant wandering aimlessly through the rest of his life with no purpose.

Rick had turned and was staring at the small garden shed between the house and the greenhouse, his body tense.

“What?” Jonah asked.

After a moment, Rick relaxed and turned back to face him. “I thought I heard something. Do you have someone else living with you now, Jonah? Finally decide to settle down and make baby shapeshifters?”

“No,” Jonah said shortly as Elora stepped out from behind the shed and walked quickly to the house. “I don’t do relationships.”

“Shapeshifters never do,” Rick said. “The job is in Europe. The mark is -”

“Actually, I don’t care,” Jonah said. “I’m not taking the job.”

Rick blinked at him. “What?”

“I’m not taking the job,” Jonah said. “In fact, I’m out of the business. Don’t come here again.”

With a flabbergasted look, Rick said, “The payout is a quarter million.”

“I don’t care,” Jonah repeated.

Rick hesitated before glancing at the bracelets around his wrist. “Half a million.”

“No,” Jonah said. “I’m finished, Rick. I’m out, and no amount of money will bring me back in.”

Rick stared coolly at him. “You aren’t the first to tell me that, and you won’t be the last. But you should know, Jonah, they always come back.”

“Leave, Rick.”

“You can’t help it. Killing is in your DNA. It’s all you fuckers are good for. We both know it and if you think you’ll love your new life of,” Rick stared derisively at the greenhouse, “gardening and meditation, you’re in for a cold, hard reality check, my friend.”

“I am not your friend,” Jonah said. “Leave now, and if I see your face again, my face will be the last fucking thingyousee. Do you understand?”

Rick’s cold smile revealed perfectly white, straight teeth. “See you around, Jonah.”

CHAPTER24

Jonah wasn’t surprised to see Elora quickly packing her stuff in the front room when he returned to the house. Disappointed but not surprised.

Without looking at him, Elora said, “I wasn’t eavesdropping on purpose. I came home from coffee, and I went out to the greenhouse, and then I saw that guy, and I heard…”

Her face pale, she tossed her extra cloak into a plastic tub and piled some candles on top. “Anyway, I, um, I’m going to stay at my place tonight. I haven’t been at the apartment in forever, and I’m pretty sure my neighbours think I’ve been abducted or something.”

“Little witch, look at me,” Jonah said softly.

She sighed and turned to face him, white knuckling the plastic bin. “I can’t do this anymore, Jonah. I’m sorry. I can’t… I can’t be anything but friends with you, okay? I can’t be with someone knowing they’re killing people, and I know that makes me a hypocrite because of my sister, but I think because I don’t see her that often, I can compartmentalize it, pretend it isn’t real, but with you… I can’t. Because you’re right here with me, and we’re sharing a bed, and knowing you’re taking jobs to kill people, it’s… it’s too much for me, Jonah.”

“I didn’t take the job,” he said.

Her eyes widened. “You didn’t?”

“No,” he said.

The relief in her gaze faded. “You didn’t take the job because you can’t shapeshift, right? But as soon as you can, you’ll -”

“No,” he said. “I don’t need to shapeshift to do a job. It’s only one of my skills.”

She swallowed, the dry click of her throat loud in the silence. “Then why aren’t you doing the job?”

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