Page 75 of I Accidentally Hired a Shadow Walker
I repeated his name in my head because it was the thing that kept me sane in the strange moment. He was there with me, his body against mine, his arms around me. The more I thought of him, the more of his warmth I felt. It was like an anchor bringing me back to my body, keeping me grounded.
Raymond.
When the darkness pulled away along with that crackling chill, we stood in an unfamiliar room.
Tall ceilings and walls painted a dark burgundy left me overwhelmed. Long black curtains hung over arched windows partially opened, letting the moonlight filter into the space. The room felt like a contradiction to the smell of oak, cedar, and smoke. My eyes said opulent, my nose said simple cabin in the woods.
My heart continued to race, pounding in my chest as I catalogued the space. To the right of us was a plush red sofa draped in a soft cream throw. Just ahead, left of the window that let moonlight wash over my face, were two large paintings of strange landscapes that looked familiar and yet not.
The tall plants sitting in the corners of the room brought me comfort. I could feel how healthy they were. Their leaves bowed to me like a greeting. They were happy in this home. The last thing I could see in my peripheral was the bar to the left of us. The light of the moon glinted off the glass bottles that lined the shelves above it.
This act of cataloging the space made me feel better, but a question still hung in the air.
Where was I?
“Relax.” Raymond lowered his lips to my ear as he spoke the simple command.
I realized how tightly I’d been holding my body. The lower half of my face was already beginning to throb with sharp pains as a direct result of my jaw being clenched so tightly. I took a deep breath, again inhaling that woodsy scent, and let the tension fall away.
“Where are we?” I asked, not moving away from him. I felt safer in his hold.
“My home,” he answered, tightening his arm around my waist, as if he knew exactly how I felt.
“This is where you live?” My mouth fell open. “Not at all what I imagined.”
“What did you imagine?”
“A pigsty,” I joked.
“Funny. Either way, we’re no longer in public.” His voice lowered to a rumble in my ear. “So, who’s in control now?”
That was enough to snatch me out of the semi-thawed state fear left me in. I pulled away from him and turned on him to put my finger in his face as I scolded him.
“That’s not fair,” I fussed. “You can’t just kidnap me to get your way!”
“Who said I played fair?” He walked away from me, heading over to the bar.
“Jackie is going to be worried about me,” I spoke as he went to work making a drink. “She’ll find me. She has ways. And when she does, she’s going to kick your ass.”
“No, she isn’t. I already told her I was taking you home.” He winked at me.
“And she just let you?” My mouth fell open. There was no way Jackie had agreed to this.
“Why wouldn’t she?” He continued working on his concoction. “I never thought you were the type to let someone else fight your battles for you.”
“I’m not.”
“Sure.” He finished the mixture, dropping a slice of lemon in it and handing it to me. “Drink this.”
“What is it?” I realized then that I hadn’t paid attention to what he was putting in the glass. “I’m not thirsty.”
“Something to prevent you from having a hangover tomorrow.” He stared at me. “We have a long trip ahead of us, and I don’t need you getting sick along the way.”
I put the cup to my nose and inhaled an earthy scent. “What’s in it?”
“Nothing toxic.” He smirked.
“You know, that’s not exactly the best way to convince someone to drink a suspicious liquid.”
