Page 117 of I Accidentally Hired a Shadow Walker
“Where is he? Did you get the job done?” Olian asked. She leaned on the orange guy, who supported her weight easily.
“Yes, but—” Raymond paused. “Fuck. We don't actually have any evidence to prove we got him.”
“What do you mean, don't have evidence?” Cufio sat on the back of Piko, who happily let him rest atop his massive body. “We can't just go back there and promise him we did it. He's gonna want proof.”
“I—” I was going to say something, but then I jerked when that pressure formed at my chest again. I looked down to see Kaa’s head emerge. She didn’t leave me entirely. Instead, she unhinged her jaw and regurgitated Talkeen’s lifeless body.
“Oh, hell no! What was that?” Rayna jumped back, avoiding a wet splash.
“Well, at least we have proof now.” Metice smirked.
I slapped my hand over my mouth as Kaa returned to her new home. “I'm going to be sick.”
Olian slapped the orange guy’s arm. “No! Get me out of here now. Damn Earth chicks can never keep their stomach contents to themselves.”
“What?” I swallowed back the urge to vomit and frowned at her.
“Nothing!” she snapped, and everyone around me laughed at what was clearly an inside joke.
We returned to Klougus’s home, and I slept the entire way. This time, we rode in Metice’s fire horse carriage—not that I got to enjoy it.
When we made it, Klougus’s right-hand man, Punal, met us at the door, and he wasnothappy we had been successful. He led us back to the room, where we waited for Klougus to address us.
“Well, I must say, I’ve heard the report of your escapades. Great job! Thank you for bringing that vermin back to me. His head will look great in my collection.”
“Right,” Raymond sighed. “The girl, please.”
“Oh, right, Natalie!” he laughed. “That’s what this was all about. Sorry, there is a lot going on these days.”
“Where is she? Is she okay?” I asked.
“Oh yes, she is great. I had her moved to more comfortable accommodations.” He sighed lovingly. “She really has grown on me in such a short time. Like a daughter.”
“Ugh! Seriously?” Olian fussed by my side. “I’m going to the healer.”
She marched out of the room, talking about how she didn’t have to stand there and be disrespected.
“Excuse my daughter. Honestly, it’s not her fault. I mess with her intentionally. After all, she tried to kill me!”
“You knew about that?” I shouldn’t have said it, but I was tired, and my filter was shut off. “Talkeen told us.”
“Right.” He sighed. “Yes, I know about it. Everything done in the dark eventually comes to light. Isn’t that right, Mnuktilous?”
Raymond nodded silently, and then Klougus clapped his hands again. The man really was expressive for someone who looked so intimidating.
“Punal will take you to the girl.” He stopped, looking at the two of us. “Interesting. First, Metice finds his mate on Earth, and now you? I must pay my old friend a visit. I sense she has some hand in this.”
After the cryptic message that kicked off that buzzing intuition inside me, he left us.
Punal then led us from that room to another deeper inside the compound. Only Raymond and I went. The others returned to the rides outside. After they handed Talkeen’s body off to Klougus’s team, we agreed we wouldn’t need them anymore.
As we walked, bodies tired and sore, my initial nerves slowly faded. But they were replaced with a newfound sense of concern, because as we neared the room assigned to Natalie, I heard music blaring. This wasn't the kind of music I thought I would hear in a strange new world—rapid beats, flutes and strings, maybe a melody sung in a foreign tongue. No, this was rap music, as in rap music from Earth.
By the time we reached the door, I could feel the bass from the music and hear sounds of celebration on the other side. I threw a shocked glance at Raymond. “I know damn well she isn’t having a party right now.”
And right as I said it, Punal opened the door to the room, revealing my friend having a grand old time.
There were at least ten other demons in the room, all varying shades of what-the-fuck-is-that, and in the center of the bodies, Natalie. She threw one hand over her head while twerking on the tree demon who kept her alive.It wasn’t the same one as before. This one had pink and purple flowers that fell from his head like braids.
