Page 98 of I Accidentally Hired a Shadow Walker
“I thought you two had already completed the marriage of souls.”
“Not ours,” he explained simply. “A friend.”
“Man of few words, as always.” Klougus sighed. “Well, since this Jericha has already agreed to my terms, I’ll leave you to it. My daughter wants us to spend more time with each other, and considering how it is likely she will take over for me now that my brother is gone, I suppose that’s important. Let’s just hope she doesn’t also plan to take my head.”
We remained still as Klougus stood and exited the room, laughing the entire way. I could hear that booming sound minutes after he left. Raymond took my hand and held it tight as we walked out of the building.
The moment we were outside, he spun around to look at me.
“Why would you agree to this?” His voice was low but intense, and it made me uncomfortable, like a child being scolded by her father. “Are you really okay with this? Killing a person?”
“Are you really asking me that right now? What is your problem?” I looked around. The others had already piled back into the vehicles, waiting for us to join them. Metice was already closing his door because he knew we wouldn’t get in with him. “Am I suddenly your child?”
I snatched my hand away, and he glanced over his shoulder at the others, something flashing across his face, bordering on embarrassment. His jaw tightened as he held his hand out to me.
When I didn’t immediately take it, the shadows on his skin shifted frantically. I glanced at his arms for a moment before returning my gaze to his face.I’m in control now. He is not about to treat me like some damn child. I don’t care what world we’re in.
“Jericha.” He looked at me, his gaze weighing more than the entire planet we stood on. When I didn’t budge, he spoke again. “Please. Take my hand.”
Looking into his eyes, dark and heavy, I couldn’t protest anymore. There was something there, something he couldn’t share with me in front of the others. “I thought you said you’re not supposed to use your shadows here.”
“I’m going, not coming. It’s fine.”
“Okay.” I placed my hand in his and followed him into the shadows.
When we came out, we were back in his spot, the place he went when he wanted to be happy. His escape. So why would he bring me there when our conversation was clearly about to be a difficult one?
“Do you really understand what you agreed to do?” he asked as soon as the shadow closed behind him.
“Fight demons and save my friend.” I nodded. “That’s what I came here for. What’s the problem?”
“Are you so comfortable taking someone’s life that you don’t even stop to question it? Even if they’re not human?”
“Of course I’m not. But again, what choice do I have? Natalie is here because of me, and I’m not going to let her die. You saw what happened the moment that tree guy moved away from her!” I answered him. “Besides, he said we can bring the guy to him, dead or alive. Why do you jump to the conclusion I would choose murder over capture?”
“It’s not going to be that easy. Even if we don’t kill Talkeen, so many others will die in the process. He is an evil asshole, Jericha. Youcould get hurt!”
“I can handle myself, Raymond. I’m not some innocent woman who doesn’t know how to take care of herself. I know you’re not worried about Cufio or Metice.” I stepped back from him. “So tell me, what’s really going on? Why are you acting like this?”
“You don’t know what you’re getting into.”
“Raymond, cut the shit. What’s going on?”
“I don’t want you to be like me!” he yelled, a sharp, piercing sound that made me flinch as startled birds erupted from the trees, their wings beating a frantic rhythm that matched my racing heart. The harshness melted from his tone when he saw my startled expression. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell at you like that, but this isn’t right. Jericha, I know you’re tough. I get that, but this is different. This, taking a life, it changes you. You don’t come back from that, and you’re…”
“I’m what?” I asked as my heart raced.
“Better than this, okay? You’re damn near perfect.” He stepped closer to me, his hands tight at his side. “You’re thoughtful, caring, and you don’t mindlessly act. You want to save Natalie, I get that, but we can find another way, one that doesn’t put blood on your hands.”
“Don’t do that.” I shook my head. “Don’t ruin everything by painting me as some perfect person. I am far from it. You can’t put that on me, and I’m not about to try to live up to that. You don’t know what I’ve been through or what I’ve done in my life, so don’t. I will do whatever it takes to get Natalie out of this world and back to safety.”
“I don’t know every detail of your past, but right now,yoursafety is my priority.” He kept his hands down by his sides, and I recognized the restraint it took for him to do that. “That means also keeping you from doing things you will regret. Jericha, you will regret this.”
“It’s happened before, okay? I’ve taken a life before. It was an accident, but it happened, and you’re right. It changed me.” The ground felt like it was trembling beneath me as I confessed to him. “It was the first time I realized the magnitude of my abilities, that I could use my gift to hurt others. A man lost his life. I won’t act like I regret it. He stalked a woman with every intent to kill her, and if I hadn’t taken a detour home that night, he would have. But the justification doesn’t take away the way it altered who I am. If you think I’m some perfect person, that means perfection for you is someone who has taken a life, someone who will do it again if it means saving an innocent person. Am I suddenly different in your eyes now that you know that?”
Raymond said nothing. For a long moment, nothing. He stood in front of me, body gradually relaxing. The tension fell from his shoulders and arms as he reconsidered who I was.
“I’m sorry,” he finally spoke.
