Shadow Warriors

Chapter twenty-eight

Five months flew by for Sarah. Work on Mr Takamori's estate was going well, despite the few hiccups with the weather, and work crew not showing up. The house was taking shape perfectly, with the details exactly the way Sarah imagined them. Mr Takamori looked very pleased when he flew back from Japan to inspect phase one, and as she waited in her car, the rain battering her windshield, she wondered if meeting with him today was a good idea.

Her phone rang, the sound barely audible in the heavy rain. She grabbed it from her handbag seeing Lexi's number on the screen.

"Hey, Lex!" She called over the pounding rain.

"Sarah! Where are you?"

"At the estate!" She shouted, barely able to hear Lexi.

"What? In this weather? Are you crazy?"

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Mr Takamori is flying in today to see the house."

"Listen, Jake called. He and Axin have to go do something at work, and they won't be back for a few days. He wants to know if we want to stay here, or go to their place?"

She and Lexi found a way to talk about the men in their lives without raising suspicion. A language that only they knew what they were talking about.

"I don't mind either. If we stay here, we can go see that rock band you like so much this weekend."

Lexi's smile was clear over the line. "Awesome! I was hoping you would say that. Get out of the rain, you idiot. Call Mr Japan and tell him to reschedule for next week or something."

Sarah sighed, admitting defeat. "I will. I just hope he isn't on his way already."

Sarah ended the call and dialed Mr Takamori.

"Miss Weller. I was about to call you."

"Hi Mr Takamori. I'm so sorry, but this rain isn't easing up. How long are you in New York for?"

"For a few weeks. Let's reschedule for next week when the city isn't flooding."

She chuckled, fearing the drive home for that very reason. "Sounds great. I will give you a call on Monday morning and we can arrange."

"Very well. Say hi to Axin for me."

"I will. Thank you."

After hanging up the phone, she stared out the window at the rain, wondering if it ever rained in the Shadow world. She lived there for over five months now, and never once saw a day without clear blue skies. A bright bolt of lightning hit a distant target, and Sarah squinted her eyes, watching it roll over the darkened sky.

A large shape caught her eye and she frowned. She leaned closer to the windshield, peering out at the sky. The rain made it hard to see anything except distorted shapes, but she kept looking, wondering if she was imagining things.

Another bolt of lightning hit the ground in the distance, and this time Sarah's eyes went wide at the wide wings extended at its side. It was only visible for a moment, but she was certain of what she saw.

She grabbed her phone and dialed Axin.

"Hey, beautiful. Did Lexi call you? I have some-"

"Shut up for a second! I saw something."

A moment passed where he didn't speak, then asked. "What?"

"Are you or Jake in New York? In your true form?"

"I'm on the phone to you, Sarah. Can't be me. And Jake is standing right here, stuffing his face with pink cupcakes."

"Shut up, asshole," Jake mumbled with a full mouth and Axin laughed.