Page 87 of I Accidentally Hired a Shadow Walker
He didn’t. With me still hanging around his neck, Raymond carried me through the shadows.
This time, it was quick. A few steps, and we were out of the darkness again.
When we stepped out, we were inside what looked like a modern condo with large windows overlooking a strange world. I looked out the window to see a bustling city landscape in the distance. I admitted, I expected something different, like caverns and archaic architecture, but there was none of that. Inside the apartment, there was sleek furniture, most of it stone and leather. I could imagine Raymond living there.
“Is this your place?” I looked at him.
“No, not exactly.” He sighed before a new voice greeted us.
“You’re here!” Metice stepped into the room. “Just making sure everything is all set for you.”
“Yes, thank you for letting us stay here,” Raymond greeted him.
“No problem. I haven’t used this place in years, since before I left the business. It’s the perfect place for you to hold up.” He looked around. “You just missed Rayna. She really wanted to meet you, but she had to run back to earth.”
“Sorry I missed her.” I smiled. “Thank you for letting us stay here.”
“When this is all over, we can double date.” Metice smirked. “Rayna will probably insist on it.”
“A date?” The question slipped from my lips before I glanced at Raymond. I couldn’t even be mad at the way his jaw tightened.
Girl, you were just hanging from this man’s neck, kissing on him and telling him you wanted to make sure he was happy! And now you’re freaking out that someone suggested you go on a date? Get it together!
Metice quickly turned and headed for the kitchen. Because who the hell would want to stand there in such an awkward situation? I braced for Raymond to say something, but he didn’t. He turned and walked away, following the other demon.
I thought about saying something, apologizing for my outburst, but just then, the necklace pulsed around my neck. It was Jackie reaching out to me, and without a second thought, I wrapped my hand around the stone and closed my eyes.
“Thank God!” I blurted out when I saw her face. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, I mean, mostly. Why are you thanking God? What happened?” Jackie’s eyes widened. “Are you hurt? Because I promised Raymond I would kick his ass if—”
“I, um, nothing happened. You just saved me from an awkward conversation.” I spoke quickly to calm her down. “Wait. Why is everything mostly okay? What’s wrong?”
“Well…” Jackie chewed her lip. “We have a minor problem.”
“We do?” My heart raced. “Did someone get hurt? Did the demons attack you?”
“I can’t find Kaa,” Jackie said, and my panic eased.
“What do you mean, you can’t find her?” I asked.
“I’ve searched this house top to bottom, and all plants are accounted for except the one that can slither away.”
“She might just be hiding. Maybe she’s upset that I didn’t come there to say goodbye before I left. Just leave out some of the liquid plant food. Usually, that works, and she reappears after a day or so. She’ll be fine. How was everything else?”
“Everything is wonderful,” she reassured me. “You still have a business. Have you found Natalie yet?”
“No, we’ve only been here a little while. We just got to the place we’re staying.”
“Okay, well, at least we know these things work across the realms. Sound quality is not as good, but it works. Let me know as soon as you find out anything more.”
“Yeah. I will.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked. “I know you were trying to tell me something before Raymond came back. Do you want to talk about it now?”
“So far, I’m all good. But no, I don’t think this is the time to talk about it.” I shook my head.
“Okay. I’m here.” She winked.
