Page 120 of I Accidentally Hired a Shadow Walker
“Always and forever. Oh, also, I never found Kaa. I'm so sorry, girl. I think she ran away.”
“Actually, she found me.”
“She’s in the Bane? How?”
“It's a long story, one I will explain when I get back.”
“All right, girl. Talk soon.”
I let go of the connection, and when I opened my eyes, Natalie, Raymond, and Keanu stood around me, looking at me with hopeful expressions, each for very different reasons.
I shook my head. “She said yes.”
Natalie squealed and jumped into Keanu’s arms. Raymond tried to look like he wasn't affected, but I could see the relief in his expression.
“I'll bring her to you in one day,” Keanu spoke to Raymond.
“Not a second later, or I’ll find you.”
“Of course. You have my word.” He held his hand out to Raymond, who accepted it.
Then, leaving Natalie to finish her party, Raymond took my hand and walked me back outside of Klougus’s compound. He didn't say another word. When we were out in the clear, free from eyes and ears, he pulled me to him, opened the shadows, and took me back to his happy place.
31
Shadows v. Vines
“This is where you bring me.” I looked around at the tree-covered plains. “I thought you would choose somewhere with a bed. Didn’t you say you needed to rest?”
“I do, but we'll have plenty of time for beds.” He placed his hands on my shoulders and massaged them in slow circles. “Areyouokay? I just wanted to check in and make sure that after everything we just experienced, you’re good.”
“Yeah. I'm fine.” I looked down at my body, assessing how I felt in my skin. “It’s weird, though. I feel different, stronger, yet weaker at the same time. But I think after I get some time to rest and heal, I'll be perfectly fine.”
He chuckled with a deep sigh. “You’re too literal. I know your body is hurting, I can see that. I'm talking about mentally and emotionally, Jericha. You went through a lot—that was a lot for anyone to handle, especially someone not used to fighting creatures like that.”
“It was a lot.” I nodded. “But we survived it.”
“And what about what happened between us?” His right hand slipped from my shoulder to my neck, settling just beneath my jaw. “We should discuss that.”
“Yeah. We should.” I looked into his eyes. “What was that? Please tell me that wasn’t the marriage thing Likosa mentioned.”
“No. Not quite the marriage of souls. Something different. We're bonded now. It’s something that happens when shadow walkers care deeply for someone. We give them part of our shadows.” He inhaled. “Now, I can feel you, wherever you are. It’s like a tether.”
“Yeah, I think I could feel you too.” I nodded. “At first, I thought it was just the adrenaline, the heat of the moment making me feel things. But I could tell you needed me when you were in the shadows.”
“How do you feel about that?” His voice was serious, the words deliberate, yet there was underlying compassion in his tone. “If you want, I can remove it.”
“Do I have to know the answer to that now?” I chuckled. “Like you said, it’s a lot to process, and I don’t think I’ll be able to do that until after I have a long shower and at least one good night of sleep.”
“No, you don't, but I wanted to pause and ask the question. I don't want you to think any of this is permanent. If you want out at any point, you are out, regardless of whatever magical bonds exist between us.”
“It happens when you care deeply about someone?” I swallowed. “How deeply?”
“Love.” The word was heavy, like a boulder falling between us. “It happens when we love someone.”
“You love me?” I asked, my voice nearly catching in my throat.
“Yes. Jericha. I do.” He said with a simple weight that made my heart squeeze.
