“Because he was never of this realm. A ward can work on some ghosts because they were part of this realm at some point, but shadow creatures never were. Don’t ask me more on that, it’s not my expertise, unfortunately. And I have no idea why he hasn’t tried anything. I can only assume he doesn’t have the strength yet. You said it was harder to banish him?”
I nodded slowly, feeling nausea from fear. Being stalked by a being who wanted to do who knows what with me, growing in power, was terrifying. “He trapped me with bindings. Like appendages attached to him.”
“How do we stop him?” Harris asked, his agitation growing like a fire beside me.
“Well, for one, don’t use your realm magic. He’s clearly waiting to get through that way.”
I grabbed my head, closing my eyes as a frightening thought entered my head. “Wait, are we even sure he’s coming in through my sporadic portal openings? Why would they keep opening to his realm lately and not somewhere else?”
“Well, you said your magic was on the fritz. That could be part of it. If you can get it under control, that should help.”
“We don’t want to wait for it to get stronger to kill it,” Harris stated in a tight voice, hands balled into fists. I placed a hand over his, coaxing his hand to relax.
Carl leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs. “Then keep the portal closed, assuming that’s how he’s getting here. I fear the next time he comes, he’ll already be stronger, so there won’t be any waiting anyway. I can try to help get your magic fully functioning before you leave here, Camilla, so there won’t be any more uncontrolled portal openings.”
I breathed out a shaky sigh. I felt stronger, but I had no idea anymore. My magic had been paused for so long. “I think I should mute my magic again just in case.”
“Assuming he’s getting in through your magic, then that might be wise. If he’s getting in some other way, that’s leaving you weaker, which you don’t want. I’m sorry I can’t give you better answers. There is so little known about shadow creatures in this day and age. And you know about your portal magic more than I do.”
I nodded, and then we let Carl do his silent thing as he attempted to open up my magic. When he was done, I felt refreshed and hopeful that it worked. I knew it wasn’t a fix to our issue if this shadow being was getting in some other way, but if he wasn’t, it was one less stressor.
We stood up to leave, thanking him for his help.
Carl nodded and waved his hand to the platter of cookies. “Take some cookies to go. They really are good, especially after bad news.”
I gave him a tight smile, grabbed a napkin, and placed a few cookies on it before wrapping it up. How I wished homemade cookies could fix it all.
Chapter Ten
Camilla
As we pulled out of the driveway, I stared at the napkin of cookies as if they would hold some untold answers.
Harris glanced over at me with a look of concern. “I don’t know why you grabbed those cookies. Let me toss them.”
I pulled them close to my chest. “We just got an earful of scary news. I need these cookies. Plus, you know that homemade oatmeal cookies are my favorite.”
He snorted, shaking his head. “How could I forget. And yes, the news is concerning, but we have some answers. I know what we need to do about who cursed us. If it’s the warlock, I think it is, it won’t be hard for my people to find him. It seems like your powers are fully back, so the portals shouldn’t be opening back up.”
I looked out of the window. It was beautiful out. Everything looked lush and serene, and the ocean was a brilliant blue. I wanted to have fun again, but ignoring this mess seemed silly. Still, what more could I do? I’d study up on shadow beings and make some calls to those who might know better. I could sit in a ring of fire to keep them away.
Harris continued. “Let me work on security. And for all we know, the warlock is behind the shadow creature as well. I don’t believe in coincidences. This creature didn’t appear until after we ran into each other again at that restaurant.”
Remaining quiet, and frankly, overwhelmed, I tapped my head against the window. I had faith in Harris; I knew how powerful he was. He got things done. He’d found my father in another realm. Still, I felt deeply uncomfortable. An agitation nagged at the pit of my stomach. I couldn’t wait around like some damsel in distress waiting for him to save me. I was not safe. I did not know what this shadow creature wanted from me. I did not know if or how it would come for us again. And I did not know if or when we could find the warlock who cursed us. We couldn’t be this close forever, no matter how nice it was. It wasn’t practical. And I could think of nothing to fix it all.
I felt a warm hand on my skirt-covered thigh. “Talk to me, baby. I need to know what you’re thinking.”
“I feel helpless,” I said quietly.
“I’ll fix this.”
Of course, he would think only he had the solution. I wanted to argue that point, but it felt exhausting. It was easier to let him think only he knew the fix and do my own thinking in the meantime. Not that I had any ideas or resources at the moment. I turned to him. “What if you can’t? How can we live like this?”
He shrugged. “Is it so bad to be a room away from me forever?”
I side-eyed him. He was way too calm about this. Then again, that was Harris. He was too calculated to lose his cool. “I have to go to work.”
“Do you?”
