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“Ex-” I cut Noah off.
“Your a stranger in my fucking house. Please do tell me why I do not need to ‘fear’ you.”
“I’m General Harrow but you’ll remember me as ‘Hank’” He says and rolls his eyes when he says the name. My brain comes to another screeching halt. A disbelieving chuckle is all I can get out. My mouth drops open and I walk out of the kitchen to the living room. I hear footsteps behind me moving quickly. I swing around. Facing Noah and Hank.
“Hank? You can not possibly be Hank? Who the fuck told you about that? Noah?!” I swing my gaze toward him. I know Noah wouldn’t but I guess I’m just trying to make sense of this. Hank, I mean General Harrow, makes himself comfortable in my arm chair. I glare at him.
“I have never told anyone that stuff! I don't make it a habit of running my mouth and telling secrets and I don’t even know him!” He yells incredulously.
“Dana, don’t be mad at your dog.” Noah and I snap our attention back to Harrow.
“Do not call me dog you fucking creep.”
“He is not a dog. Who the fuck are you and why are you here? Answers now. Or you can get the fuck out. Immediately.”
“Like I said, I’m General Harrow. I have been looking after you for years. You would greet me as Hank whenever you saw me. Which by the way, Hank?” He says with a grimace.
I don’t listen to half of what he is saying. I’m still reeling that this is possibly Hank. “Hank…” I scrutinize him, squinting at him as if that will help me determine a lie. “Yes, Hank. I guess you should have spoken up and I wouldn’t have named you myself. Also, I was like six!”
He squints his eyes back at me, “Anyways,” He says with annoyance, “I have always watched you. Since you were little. I was tasked to keep an eye on you. I also had to keep an eye on greedy humans who think they can take anything they want.” He glares between Noah and I. “Imagine my surprise when I found the wall knocked down in this very house's basement. What have you been doing little one?” He says, steepling his fingers under his chin. I notice his eyes swirling more and realize this man is not human.
“What are you?”
“I’m a Shade. From the shadow realm as you humans have eloquently named it.”
“A Shade? What the fuck is a shade?” Noah’s tone is disbelieving bordering on murderous. He does not take his eyes off Harrow as he moves around the couch to stand opposite the intruder. I move back farther towards Noah. Putting more space between the general and me.
“A Shade is a being of the shadow realm.”
“...and?” I ask when he leaves it at that. Like we are just supposed to know. Harrow then stands up and releases shadows like a protective bubble and moves towards me slowly, keeping eye contact searching for something. Noah stands up and puts me behind him. Harrow’s shadows are pitch black, writhing around him.
“I am not going to hurt you, I never would Dana. But if your dog-”
“His name is Noah. Call him dog one more time and I will shove my foot so far up your ass you’ll taste my toes.” I side step Noah and stare Harrow down. His response is to smile and let out a small laugh. It was more like an aggressive huff than anything. Harrow runs his hand through his hair. I notice his fingers are adorned with silver rings of all shapes and sizes on every finger. Tattoos cover all over his fingers and the back of his hands.
“Like I said, I won't hurt you. I never would. Nor could I if I wanted to but I need answers about the basement Dana. That will not slide.” He says sternly.
“What do you mean ‘couldn’t’ if you wanted to? And I need answers first. The last twenty four hours have been a shit show to say the least. What have you been doing to me? Have you been so bored that you want to scare the helpless girl with your shadows? Maybe send some creepy ghosts to cart me off to hell?” I ask, flinging an arm in his direction. My eyebrows raised.
“Shadows? Ghosts?” He furrows his brows and looks genuinely confused.
“Yes, shadows. Creeping on my walls and ghosts stalking me wanting to ‘find me’ and YOU!” I yell pointing a finger at him, “I have been hearing your disembodied voice for what feels like too long.” I swing my hand out.
“That,” he points at me with a small lift of his lips, “you hearing me, is not something I can fix. That is my soul calling to you.”
“What?” Noah and I both say in unison.
“Soul bond. Soulmate as Earth calls it or Mate as some other worlds call it.” I continue to stare at him. Then, I nod, one brow raised, the corners of my mouth pulled down. “Our souls will always look after one another. Sometimes they call each other just for the gentle reassurance and other times to warn their counterpart of danger.”
This man has to be nuts. I have a psychopath in my living room right now with…shadows that billow around him like sheets in the wind.
Fuckin a’ cotton.
Nope. I need a drink. I slowly make my way to the kitchen and absentmindedly grab a drink from the fridge and sit at the table. I crack open the seltzer and take a long sip.
What the fuck? Soul bond? Wouldn’t I feel that? In all the books I have read everyone feels a tug or they just know. Like fireworks. Maybe the books are wrong. I mean, that’s fantasy and this is real life. Real life? How in the hell is this real life?
Why am I even considering what he is saying? He could be lying. He could be the psycho that is trying to drag me to hell and he has decided he’s going to sweet talk me into it.
