Page 56 of I Accidentally Hired a Shadow Walker
“I’ll let you know if that’s mutual after your friends get here.”
“Tough.” Raymond nodded. “There are two others coming. The first is my brother.”
Raymond reached his hand back into the shadow for a moment to signal the others. Then, he pulled his hand out and moved away. I held my breath, not sure what would follow, but I relaxed when a man who looked like him came through the shadow.
He was just an inch shorter, with short hair, but the smile, the eyes, and even the swagger were all the same.
“Jericha, Jackie, this is Cufio, my brother,” Raymond introduced him.
“Brother?” I raised a brow. I couldn’t remember Raymond ever mentioning having a brother.
“Nice to meet you.” Cufio nodded.
“You too,” I said, but I noticed how tense Jackie was beside me. “Isn’t it nice to meet him, Jackie?”
“Oh, yeah, sure.” She continued her assessment, looking both men up and down. “You mentioned there would be another?”
“Yeah, can we get this over with?” I added. “I really don’t like that shadow portal thing being opened here for so long.”
“Of course.” Raymond grinned and stepped around Cufio. “Keep in mind, he prefers not to use a human disguise.”
“Right.” I glanced at Jackie, who was already staring back at me with a look that screamed,What the hell is he talking about?
Raymond stuck his hand into the shadow again to signal the next guest.
The air crackled with erratic energy as the shadowy figure stepped through the portal, leaving my heart frozen in my chest in stark terror. There was nothing to conceal his appearance; he made no effort to comfort us with a veiled expression of humanity.
His skin was the gray of weathered stone, leathery and seemingly dry to the touch. His immense size filled the room, head brushing the ceiling, three horns jutting from his forehead like wicked daggers. Two horns curled down around his pointed ears, and a third, larger horn jutted from his forehead, curving backward like a carefully sculpted mohawk, sharp and imposing. While Raymond and Cufio were dressed in ordinary clothes, his attire consisted of what appeared to be bark fashioned into waist-high trousers held up by elaborate suspenders.
“Is it friendly?” Jackie’s voice broke the tense silence.
“I am not an ‘it’,” the demon responded.
“Oh, shit. Sorry.” Jackie held her hands up.
“I agreed to help you, but I won’t be insulted.” The demon looked at Raymond, who whispered an apology for Jackie’s comment.
“He’s sensitive,” Cufio joked. “Ease up, big guy. She didn’t mean anything by it. Humans aren’t used to seeing things like you walking around.”
“This is Noville,” Raymond introduced him, giving Cufio a warning glare.
“Are you a shadow walker?” The question fell from my lips before I looked at Raymond. “Is that what you really look like?”
“No.” Raymond shook his head, and I could tell he was holding back laughter. “He’s a stone demon.”
“Like a gargoyle?” Jackie asked.
“No, not exactly, though they are mistaken often. He can control earth and stone, like an elemental.” Raymond pointed at me. “Not unlike what you have with plants.”
“I see.” I looked at Noville. “It’s nice to meet you, Noville. Thank you for coming here to help us.”
“You’re welcome. I owed a debt to,” he paused, side-eying his friend before he continued, “Raymond. I plan to pay that off here.”
“Uh uh,” Jackie spoke up. “Why did you hesitate when you said his name? Is that not your real name?”
“No, it isn’t. There aren’t many Raymonds walking around hell. I had to choose a new name when I came to Earth.” Raymond looked at me when he realized how shocked I was. “You didn’t think I was a demon named Raymond, did you?”
“You gave me some of your back story but never mentioned changing your name or having a brother,” I reminded him.
