Shadow People (The Forbidden Darkness Chronicles, #2)

Twenty-One: Heather Hawkins

The warm water from the shower head crashing over me felt so good. Running my fingers through my hair, I tried to forget all of the things I just learned and focused on the water itself. Of course, it only took a few minutes in there before I remembered a previous shower experience I had with Kadin, who decided he could just poof in any time he wanted.

I'm never going to be able to escape this, I thought. This is my life now. Although I didn't want it, there were some perks. I wasn't completely ignorant to the world around me anymore. That was a huge plus. But being a part of that world was a lot to handle. I adjusted to being a Monster Hunter, but this was extra. This was going to be harder to get used to.

After lathering my hair with lavender shampoo and scrubbing down my body, I stepped out of the shower and dried off. Wrapping the towel around my body, I went back to my room to get dressed and screamed as soon as I opened there door.

"Shhhh!" It was Kadin, sitting in Kristen's typical chair. "Gosh, it seems like you're just trying to get me caught."

"What are you doing back here?" I whispered.

"I came to see how you were doing," Kadin said.

"Kadin, it's only been like an hour since I kicked you out earlier! What makes you think that I want to see you right now?" I closed the door behind me and locked it. "If you're going to sit there, could you at least close your eyes while I put my pajamas back on? I'd prefer you not see my boobs."

He snickered, but obliged.

When I was done getting dressed, I said, "You can open your eyes now." Standing in front of my mirror, I started to brush my hair. Maybe if I just ignored him, he'd go away.

"Heather, I came to warn you about the Shadow People," Kadin said softly as he leaned forward in the chair. "They're after me, but I know for a fact that they'll go through you to get to me."

"Why would they want to get to you?" I asked.

"Because of the Darkness. I told you, the Shadow People are Ifrit—dark, evil Djinn who will stop at nothing to get their hands on the Darkness. I cannot let them do that."

I wanted to laugh at him. This guy was absolutely ridiculous. "Then maybe you shouldn't have unleashed it from Majlis al Jinn. Maybe you shouldn't have tried to hurt my best friends to feed your Darkness. And maybe you shouldn't have killed all those teenagers in that cage in Majlis al Jinn. You're walking Darkness, Kadin. You made your choice by letting it out. I don't get why you don't just put it back where it came from."

When he didn't respond, I looked over to make sure he was still there. He sat with his head between his hands as his elbows rested on his knees. "I can't get rid of it, Heather. It's too strong."

"What the hell do you mean you can't get rid of it?" I asked.

Kadin lifted his head back up. "What do you think I mean? This Darkness is powerful. It's the equivalent of drugs to humans. It makes me feel good and I can't get it to stop." From the look in his silver gray eyes, I saw the tears behind them. "If I don't get rid of the Darkness, I am going to become one of them. I'll become a Shadow Person, and I'll spend the rest of my life craving this evil. This power."

He stared down at his hands, and I watched as the Darkness slithered out of his veins. They coiled around him, and I heard it hiss like a snake. "I'm on the brink of it beginning to control me. If I don't get it to stop, I'll be done for."

For the first time since we met, I actually felt empathy for him. My heart clenched as I listened to his words, knowing that he was sincere. Damn it, I thought. What do I do? I put my brush down and crouched down in front of him. "How do we get it back?"