“There’s not much to tell.” Brian was blasé. “I was bitter, angry, and forced to take an office job at an insurance agency.”
“The horror,” I intoned, rolling my eyes.
“It was horrific. I was desperate to get out of there, but I had bills to pay. I had rent. So, even though I hated every horrible person in that building — I could hear them snickering behind my back about losing my grandfather’s business — I had to tough it out.”
Did he really hear people snickering behind his back, or was that the paranoia talking? “And then what happened?”
“My boss pulled me aside. He said he’d been watching me and it was obvious I was unhappy. He asked what was going on, and before I knew it I was spilling my guts to him. Instead of telling me to get over myself, which I expected, he told me to get my revenge. He even offered help.”
My shoulders jerked at the last part. “He was a shade.”
“I’ve answered your question.” His voice was cold. “It’s my turn.”
Even though I wanted to press him further, I nodded. A deal was a deal, after all. “Shoot.”
“How many people have you killed?”
That wasn’t the question I was expecting. “What?”
“You heard me. How many innocent people have you taken out of this world so you can continue to rule it?”
“That would be zero.”
“Don’t lie.”
“I haven’t killed any innocent people.”
“Is that what you do? Convince yourself that you’re on the side of good and they’re on the side of evil? It’s not murder if they’re evil, right?”
“I mind my own business until evil tries to take over.”
“Who decides who is evil?”
“I believe actions decide.”
“What if I told you that you’re the villain in my story? You’re the evil one. How do you feel about that?”
“Sorry for you.”
“Why?”
“You’re delusional. I had nothing against you until you moved on me.”
“Are you honestly saying that you liked me even though you believed I was incompetent and didn’t deserve my grandfather’s business?”
I hesitated, his words striking a chord. I shook my head. “You’re being ridiculous,” I said. “I didn’t hate you from the start. You might’ve convinced yourself of that, but it’s not true. I only wanted to do my job without you breathing down my neck.”
“And I wanted to do my job without you taking it from me. Which of us is the villain, Bay? I don’t believe it’s me. You were accused of killing someone. You were working against me from the start.”
He was stuck in a bitter spiral. There was truth in his words, but not the sort of truth that others could see. There was no convincing him that he was wrong.
“Let’s talk about the shade,” I insisted.
“We’re not done talking about you.”
“I answered your question. It’s my turn.”
“Fine.” I heard the zing of the barrier again. He continually tested it. As long as he kept trying, I didn’t have to worry about what he was doing.
“Your boss at this insurance company, he was a shade,” I pressed. “How did he sell you on this?”
“He didn’t have to sell me. As for being a shade, I don’t know what that means. I’m not an expert on your witchy ways.”
“You have a dark soul inside of you.”
“I have a lost soul inside of me. It’s a powerful ally. I give the soul a place to rest, take refuge, and recover after a hard day. In return, the soul helps me.”
“Helps you do what?”
“Does it matter?”
“I’d like to know.”
“The soul helps me better myself,” he replied. “It keeps me on task. How else do you explain me making enough money to buy the lake house in less than a year? The old Brian couldn’t do that.”
Something about the way he said it tipped me off to the truth of things. “You’re not Brian.”
“On the contrary, I am Brian Kelly.”
“You’re not the real Brian.” My mind was a minefield of possibilities. “You’re the thing that took him over.”
His bloodcurdling cackle made me glance over my shoulder to make sure I wasn’t about to be attacked from behind.
“The fact that you’re just figuring that out is ... so cute,” Brian said. “He made it sound as though you’re a super witch I would have trouble taking down. You’ve been nothing but easy from the start.”
“Is Brian still in there?”
“Brian is a sleepy boy. He pokes his head out from time to time, we chat, and then he goes back to sleep. Don’t worry about him, he’s where he belongs ... and I’m where I belong.”
“How long have you been with him? Were you here in Hemlock Cove the first time?”
“I was not. The story is true. I just told it from his point of view.”
“He let you in.”
“He did. It works out better that way. If he fights the process I can never truly be in control. I had to convince him that I had his best interests at heart.”
“He’s paranoid,” I noted. “How did you convince him that you would win the battle for him?”
“It wasn’t difficult. When someone wants something so bad they’re willing to give up a part of themselves to get it, all you have to do is show them what they want and tell them how you’re going to get it for them.”
“Yes, but even if you were to somehow get the newspaper, Brian wouldn’t be the one enjoying the spoils of the victory.”
“That is very true. Deep down, he doesn’t care. He just wants you to lose.”
“What sort of shade are you?”
“I don’t believe in being pigeonholed.”
“You’re not a normal shade, but you’re constrained by the same rules.” Something occurred to me. “Paisley. You killed her and drank her blood.”
“Paisley was a victim of circumstance. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I didn’t want to kill her, but she refused to stop shadowing me ... especially when she figured out what I was. She wanted a powerful friend, too. She had a bit of
