Page 110 of I Accidentally Hired a Shadow Walker
“Blocked?” I found her face again.
“Yes.” She sucked her teeth. “I thought in all this time, you would have figured it out, but even Kaa looks depleted. You’ll never survive like this.”
“Can you help me?” I looked at Kaa, who swayed her head as if agreeing with Likosa’s comment.
Likosa nodded slowly, her lips curving up into a grin. “For a cost.”
“I know.” I looked down at Raymond. “Whatever it is, I’ll do it.”
“I love it when they say that!” She clapped excitedly. “Undress.”
“The water?” I looked over her shoulder at the pool.
“You know it.” She grinned, and behind her, the waters moved with more rapid waves.
As I quickly undressed, Likosa explained what would happen.
“What I did before, it unlocked your abilities, showing you the way, but you haven't fully embraced them like I thought you had. So, we're going to have to push the envelope.”
I didn't question it. I knew exactly what was coming, and I knew there was no time to get into a debate about things. Raymond was hurt, the others in trouble. Cufio was poisoned, and Natalie at any point could die.
As soon as I stepped into the water, it rushed at me. Like a hand wrapped around my waist, it pulled me to the center of the pool and lifted me. I looked down at Likosa, whose lips moved rapidly as the water worked. She stepped forward, putting only her feet in the water.
The encasing wave reached higher on my body until only my head was free. Then, a moment later, it covered my head as well. I couldn’t breathe, but I didn’t need to. It was an odd sensation, but it didn’t last long. Humming, pulsing, energy moving through the water twisted and turned my body like it was investigating me. Then, everythingstopped.
I dropped my eyes, hoping to find Likosa, but instead, I saw something far more alarming. Through the water, shooting at me like spears, were long stretches of brown and green. I squinted and realized they were roots from beneath the water. They reached me quickly and arrested my arms and legs. I struggled against the hold, but it made no difference.
“Accept it,” I heard Likosa’s voice in my mind. “Do not fight this. Embrace your power.”
I tried to take a deep breath but realized part of my body no longer functioned. So instead, I went to my happy place. In my mind, I stood in my garden, naked, toes digging into the soil. I imagined my lungs full of fresh air and the plants reaching toward me, embracing me as they always did.
With that image in my head, my body relaxed, and I opened my eyes just in time to see the vines, long, snake-like, and covered in pink petals. In the center of them was Kaa. Her eyes bore into mine as she stopped in front of my face. She smiled at me, and instinctively, I nodded at her, giving her permission to do whatever she needed.
The vines that surrounded her face moved over to me, replacing the roots that held me in place. They snaked around my body from my toes to my neck and then fused with me. I cried at the feeling of light searing, like getting a full body tattoo all at once. I looked down to see my flesh covered in vines with pink flowers.
Kaa’s face still hung in front of me. When I looked back at her, she swayed and then moved forward as if to kiss me. But instead of a cute little kiss, she jumped down my throat.Literally. And it burned like hell!
I screamed out in pain as I felt her moving beneath my flesh, but there was something else. I felt full. Not in theI just ate my favorite meal and needed a napkind of way, but in theI’ve always felt like something was missing and now I don’tkind of way.
The water swirled around me quickly before it halted and lowered to allow me to breathe again.
I gasped as Likosa stood there, no longer whispering her spell.
“Excellent! I—” she started but then abruptly ended whatever she was about to say.
Because as soon as I filled my lungs with air, something else happened.
Raymond’s body, still laying at Likosa’s feet, twitched. His eyes opened and then slammed shut, and then those dark strands, shadows that worked at his command, dove into the water. They followed the same path as the roots and shot up to me. Their touch was cool as ice, not with the usual heat when Raymond controlled them.
They pressed into my skin, settling behind the new vine tattoo like a cool drop shadow effect, making the vines look like they were popping out at me.
And then, it ended. The water moved me back to the edge of the pool, where I easily stepped out.
“Well, that was unexpected.” Likosa hummed and handed me a towel I hadn’t seen her obtain.
I half-assed drying my body and reached for my clothing. “What do you mean,that was unexpected? Didn’t you plan this?”
“I realized Kaa would bond with you. She was quite literally a part of your soul removed. What I didn’t know would happen was that shadow thing. You did that, not me. Somehow, you took some of his power, or he gave it to you—I’m not really sure which one.” She smiled. “Oh, this is so interesting. I’m rarely stumped like this.”
