Shadow Effect - 2. Chapter 2

Kage reveled in the predicament his young captive found himself in. It was obvious the cute little twink was mortified by his body reacting to Kage’s. If only he had more time. As it was, he had lingered too long. He should have left when it became clear the object he was looking for wasn’t there. However, when the tasty treat beneath him had shown up… Well, leaving became impossible.

Regrettably, there was too much at stake for any side trips. He had to admit, this little cutie was tempting. Strawberry-blond hair glowed in the silvery moonlight filtering in through the window. Rosy lips practically begged to be taken.

Instead, he dragged his eyes down the squirming, lithe body, trying to break free. Good luck with that kid. Kage didn’t bust his ass in the gym six days a week for nothing. He knew he was a solid, rock wall. Trapped beneath him, the shapeshifter couldn’t transform as long as they were in physical contact with each other.

Kage was pissed that he hadn’t been able to get out of the way when the black cat pounced on him unexpectedly. The only Achilles’ heel non-animal shapeshifters of their type had was if they came into physical contact with each other, they would involuntarily shift back into their human form. Until contact was broken, it rendered them unable to shift again. Wolf shifters had their aversion to silver, vamps to the sun. All supernaturals had some sort of flaw when it came to their well-being. Shapeshifters just could not hold onto their shift if they touched another of their kind. It was one reason most of them were loners, like himself.

It had been a long time since Kage had encountered another shapeshifter. Animal shifters were a dime a dozen, but shifters like his current captive and himself were rare.

“What the hell are you?” his cutie demanded.

“Really? You’ve never heard of a shadow shifter?” Kage hummed and clicked his tongue. “I’m disappointed. I mean, I know it’s a rare ability, but I would’ve thought that, at the very least, you’d’ve learned about us in supernatural history class. No?”

Silence met his inquiry.

Kage deliberately shifted his leg, causing the rough texture of his black jeans to skim the side of his little twink’s dick. Well, maybe not so little.

The maneuver pulled a gasp from the young man’s lips, causing a visible shiver to surge across his skin. Kage could clearly picture the horripilation rippling across the pale flesh. My, my! Either he was super sensitive, or super horny. It was truly a toss-up between the two.

“What’s your name, cutie?”

More silence. He shifted his thigh again to prompt a response.

“E-e-li-j-jah!” he stuttered, breathing hard.

Kage chuckled. “Well, E-e-li-jah, as much as I’d love to stay and have my wicked way with you, I really do need to get going. Congratulations, by the way. You’re the first one to catch me. It’s too bad you aren’t able to hold on.”

“Wait!”

Kage stopped short, milliseconds away from making his escape. There was something about Elijah’s tone he couldn’t resist. It sounded so desperate and needy.

“Why did you kill my parents?” Elijah asked, his voice cracking on the last word.

“I didn’t kill them.”

Eyes filled with doubt stared back at him.

“I do a lot of bad things Elijah, but lying to a grieving child isn’t one of them. Your parents were killed by someone who wanted something they had possession of. I'm merely looking for that something."

Even in the dim light, Kage could read the confusion reflected in Elijah’s eyes. He knew without a doubt the young man had no clue what his parents were involved with, intentionally or not. It wasn’t his place to tell him either.

“What do you mean they had something someone wanted? My parents were generous people. If someone needed something, they didn’t hesitate to help out. I think you’ve got them mixed up with someone else. That’s it, isn’t it? My parents were killed by mistake?”

Because of Elijah’s questioning tone, Kage wasn’t proud of what he did next. He leaned forward and captured those strawberry lips, eliciting a gasp of surprise. He savored the taste as he breathed in the younger shapeshifter’s unique scent. It only took a fraction of a second before those lips were kissing him back. Damn, that was sweet.

Knowing he caught Elijah off guard, he reluctantly broke away, breaking contact and in a blink, he was gone, leaving the dazed shapeshifter behind. The moment the connection was severed, Kage melted into the shadows of the night. Blending in perfectly, he used the darkness to cover his retreat until he reached the spot where he left his car three streets over. Silently and seamlessly, the shadow wavered and he was solid again.

Kage was a shadow shifter; an entity even more rare than shapeshifters. He could become one with the shadows. He didn’t require total darkness. As long as there was a shaded area, he could blend in. It came in handy in his line of work. Assassins worked much more efficiently under the cover of night and he had the advantage of becoming a chameleon of obscurity.

He told Elijah the truth. He was not the one who had ended the Garrison’s lives, but Kage was pretty sure his boss knew who did. If he was right, then it was a shame, for it meant that Thomas and Mary Garrison had been pushed into the deep end and drowned. Sacrificed for someone else’s nefarious gains.

As he drove away, he couldn’t stop thinking about Elijah. The younger man held a certain appeal that Kage found attractive. His body was lithe, like a runner’s. He was surprised by the strength Elijah demonstrated trying to fight him off.

Gah! He couldn’t afford any distractions right now. Time to move on.

Picking up his phone from the console, he brought up a contact and tapped connect.

“Kage.”

“Hey, the book had already been checked out. I’m on the waiting list,” Kage informed the voice on the other end.

“Okay, are you going to the party?”

“I’ll be there,” he replied.

“Good.”

The call ended abruptly. Fuck nuggets. Kage knew damn-well his boss wasn’t happy. He couldn’t complete this job until all of the pieces were in place. Getting his hands on a certain laptop was proving quite difficult. It happened to be a major piece. Kage needed to kill the owner of the laptop and get the damn thing into the right hands. He had no clue what information the computer held, and he didn’t give a flying fuck either. No laptop meant no paycheck.

His boss was adamant about Kage finding the computer first. Whatever information it held, someone was desperate to get their hands on it. The ‘party’ he was going to was a meeting with his boss. He wasn’t looking forward to it. Kage drove north toward Crescent City where his boss had set up a temporary safe house.

Even though Kage was a creature at home in the dark, the surrounding expanse of forest was eerie. Branches swayed, an errant breeze causing leaves to ripple ominously. Occasionally, the headlights caught a reflection of an unknown creature’s yellow eyes watching him pass by. Finally, the dense woods gave way to the sweeping spread of the dark Pacific on his left. Pulling up his favorite playlist; a compilation of classical horn concertos, Kage let the tempo of the notes wash over him.

There was no traffic on the coastal highway. The clouds had cleared, allowing moonlight to blaze a path along the ocean to his left, whenever it came into view. Silvery light shimmered across the gentle swells. It was calming. Large bodies of water always did that to him. Maybe he’d been a water shifter in a previous life. His life was so chaotic that any moment of serenity was a welcome respite for his mind.

However, no matter how hard he tried to direct his thoughts away from a particular sexy shapeshifter. The image of Elijah naked, pinned underneath him, kept invading his mind. Being stuck in a car for an hour and half with a raging hard-on was no fun. Fuck these tight denim jeans!

It was a few minutes after midnight when he pulled into the driveway of a nondescript ranch style home. All of the homes on the street had different colors and landscaping, but otherwise classically cookie-cutter in appearance, as was so common.

The motion light came on as he strode up the walkway. Approaching the front door, he heard a faint click as the lock disengaged. He didn’t bother looking at the camera trained on him.

Kage let himself in and walked back to the kitchen. His boss was seated at the table, tapping away at his phone with a cup of coffee in front of him. Stopping to pour himself a cup, Kage slid into a chair across from the man, although ‘man’ was a misnomer. His boss was pureblooded Fae. Rumor had it he was either part of the royal family, or somehow acquainted with them. Whatever the case, his presence demanded respect, which had been earned in Kage’s opinion. The Fae had saved his ass on more than one occasion.

Kage had always referred to him as ‘his boss’. The man surely had a name, but in their business, the less that was known of each other, the better. He had a feeling that his boss knew a hell of a lot more about him than he let on. As most Fae were, the man was gorgeous. He was a cross between James Dean, a young Paul Newman and Ryan Reynolds. Roll that up into a Chris Evans’ Captain America body and whoo-ee, he was tempting!

Kage abstained though. As of a few hours ago, he discovered his preferences ran more toward cute, strawberry blond twinks.

In any case, Kage had known his boss for as long as he could remember. Through the years he had used dozens of different aliases, but at his core, he would always be Kage. The name suited him. In Japanese it meant shadow, so he was sure his parents knew of his ability before he was born. They must have been some sort of shifters themselves, or had ancestors that were. Whatever the case, supernatural blood had to have run through their veins.

His name was the only thing he had from his parents. Technically, it was supposed to be pronounced Kah-gey, but his boss’s father had Anglicized it upon his arrival into his care, knowing Americans' propensity to butcher foreign names. Nearly everyone pronounced it like cage, as in birdcage. Sometimes he felt trapped in this life, like a bird in a cage.

He’d been told that his ability manifested itself by the time he was three months old. His parents had voluntarily given him to his current employer’s father, who, at the time, ran the business. Exactly how they knew each other was never discussed, but it didn’t surprise Kage. Other than details of a particular job or mission, nothing else was ever discussed.

In Kage’s earliest memories of his boss, he looked to be in his mid-twenties. Thirty-eight years later, the man had barely aged. Kage appeared older than his boss, even though he was younger. How old the Fae was, was anyone’s guess.

Kage’s boss had directed his upbringing. From an early age, Kage had been schooled on how to kill.

Quickly.

Silently.

Efficiently.

He excelled at what he did. It was all he had ever known. In addition, he was taught everything else that came in handy to be an assassin. How to pick locks, how to steal, how to disguise himself, how to blend in with the locals, how to blend in with the elite, upper class. He could dine with the Queen of England herself and come across as charming and witty, and immediately after dinner busk outside Buckingham Palace, panhandling the tourist crowd for a few quid. His shadow shifting was an added bonus. Even without it, he would still be exceptional at his job.

“What happened?” His boss’ question pulled him from his thoughts.

“There was an unexpected complication. The son showed up. I had to leave.” Kage kept the details of his encounter on a need-to-know basis, and for now the man sitting before him didn’t need to know. “The laptop wasn’t there anyway,” he added.

“Hmm, it doesn’t surprise me. Any thoughts on where it got moved to?”

Kage shook his head.

“Get the son. Interrogate him however you see fit. He may know something. When you’re done, make sure he doesn’t make waves.”

“No.”

The word slipped from Kage’s mouth before his brain even registered the thought.

His boss’s eyes narrowed. Kage never countered a direct order before. He couldn’t put a finger on why he did it now.

This might be a problem. He didn’t kill innocent people and the Fae knew it. There was no way in hell he would even think of harming Elijah, let alone kill him.

“The boy’s a shapeshifter,” he offered, knowing he might be throwing himself or Elijah under the bus, but the knowledge may pique his boss’ interest.

His boss looked at him curiously. Kage schooled his face, giving no hint of the turmoil he felt inside at the thought of being ordered to kill Elijah.

“Keep an eye on him then. Find out what he knows.” It wasn’t a request, but a direct order.

Kage gave a curt nod. “Is Huntington still in San Francisco?” he asked.

Kasar Huntington was the owner of the missing laptop. He was a powerful businessman, both in the human and supernatural world. The tycoon was infamous in the inner circles of the upper echelon of society. He was rumored to have a rather seedy reputation, but law enforcement could never prove anything nefarious. Humans saw him as a savvy and generous philanthropist. If Kage didn’t know better, he would’ve thought he was a snake shifter.

“Huntington hasn’t strayed from the city since his laptop went missing. My sources inform me he’s rather pissed. We need to find it before he does. If you don’t want your new toy to meet the same fate as his parents, I suggest you find that computer before Huntington’s strikers do.”

Strikers were the supernatural equivalent of human goons. They were the ones assigned whatever grunt work was necessary, and the first to be sacrificed when shit hit the fan. The strikers who killed Elijah’s parents were animal shifters, most likely some type of predatory feline like a cougar or jaguar. Definitely not any type of larger cat, like a tiger. Certainly not a lion. That title was owned by Kasar Huntington himself. The lion shifter certainly considered himself king of his own jungle.

Kage didn’t respond to his reference to Elijah as his toy. Instead he silently got up and left, leaving his boss alone with his coffee, abandoning his own steaming mug, untouched.

Not sure of his next step, he drove back the way he came. He was uneasy, and wasn’t sure why. He’d never felt the urge to disobey an order before, but being instructed to mess with Elijah didn’t sit right with him. He needed to sleep before he could think things through. Continuing south, he bypassed Elijah’s town and stopped in Eureka, getting a room at a chain hotel. A crisp hundred dollar bill, discreetly slid across the counter, got him into a room immediately, although official check in time was hours away.

Kage had been awake for nearly two days. His brain was trying to slide into shut down mode as he stripped off his clothes and stepped into the shower. Elijah kept invading his thoughts. Even though his mind was trying to terminate any more visualizations, his dick showed interest in the images that he couldn’t stop inside his head.

Kage quickly shampooed and rinsed his head before grabbing the generic bar of soap. He lathered up, washing away the road grime that accumulated over the past forty-eight-ish hours. He hated being dirty. By the time he reached his groin, his traitorous cock was at full mast. His imagination had no issues with conjuring up a naked Elijah, on his knees in front of him with plump, strawberry lips wrapped tightly around his member.

Several firm strokes was all it took until he exploded all over the shower wall. He shuddered, would have been embarrassed if anyone else knew he finished before the fantasy took off. Kage did a final rinse, watching soap and his release circle the drain before disappearing. He hit the shut off for the water a little harder than necessary before grabbing a coarse towel off the rack and drying off.

He double checked the latch on the door. Satisfied it was properly secured, he dropped the towel on the floor next to the king bed and slid naked between the starchy white sheets that had a somewhat annoying bleachy scent. His nose wrinkled as he made sure the alarm on his phone was set for later. He’d do some more reconnaissance once night fell. His belly gave a rumble, but he ignored it as his brain overrode his stomach and finally shut down. His eyes closed, his thoughts fading from a cute shapeshifter into nothingness as sleep claimed victory.

***

After several hours of much needed sleep, Kage left. On the way, he grabbed something to eat at the restaurant next to the hotel before driving back north, reaching Elijah’s little town in full darkness. The moon hadn’t risen yet, the inky blackness of the skies broken only by tiny pinpricks of starlight.

Kage stared at the dark house he entered less than twenty-four hours ago. There was no sign of anyone in the two-story structure, and he couldn’t decide if that was good or bad.

He needed to find Elijah and talk to him. His father had to have hidden the laptop his boss was after. There was no indication that Kasar Huntington or any of his lackeys had regained possession. They would have known if he had. Kage never asked how the Fae knew these things. He knew better. He also knew if his boss said Huntington didn’t have the laptop, it was the truth.

Kage opened the file on his phone his boss sent him, with all the information he’d been able to find on Elijah Garrison. He was twenty-one, graduated high school four years ago, middle of the pack as far as class ranking. Attended College of the Redwoods for one semester before dropping out for no apparent reason. Best friend listed as Tyler Williamson with an address noted. It was most likely where Elijah was staying for the time being.

No girlfriend. Good.

No boyfriend. Perfect.

Kage momentarily wondered why the hell not, but accepted Fate’s blessing. Returning his attention to the screen, he read that Elijah had been working at the local diner since his junior year in high school, filed taxes every year, and seemed to be an upstanding citizen. Other than a couple of tickets for speeding when he was still a teenager, there were no other marks on his record.

In other words, Elijah Garrison was a role model for good behavior. There was a note in the file stating that Elijah had taken a leave of absence from the diner, which meant he just returned recently. Kage scrolled through the rest of the information, but there was no reason for the temporary departure.

He was the sole heir to his parents’ estate, which included the paid off house and a nice sized insurance payout. In addition, both parents had decent 401k’s and several modest investments. Elijah was by no means set for life, but if he didn’t go on a big spending spree, he would be comfortable for quite some time.

Kage decided to sit back and observe for a day or two before approaching the young man again. He’d learned long ago to have patience. Some of the best insights came from watching and listening.

The diner would be a good place to start. He parked his Toyota Camry in the grocery store parking lot across from the diner. The police station was a little too close for comfort, but Kage knew from past experience that as long as he didn’t stay in one place too long, it would seem as though nothing was amiss. Camrys were a popular model of car. His was black, of course, and other than the barely-illegally tinted side and rear windows, there were no flashy additions to make it stand out. The perfect vehicle for blending in.

Kage’s vision was better than 20/20. He could clearly see Elijah as he crossed in front of the large front window, scooting behind some chairs to deliver drinks from the tray he balanced on his left hand. Kage watched as the young man grinned indulgently at a young child who clapped his hands enthusiastically when Elijah set a mug of hot chocolate, loaded with whipped cream, in front of him. The smile transformed his face, making him seem much younger than his twenty-one years.

It turned out keeping an eye on Elijah was an entertaining way to spend the next few hours. Kage enjoyed seeing the twink interact with others. It was easy to tell, even at a distance, the diner patrons loved their waiter. He could easily tell who the regulars were. Elijah received a steady stream of condolences in the form of hugs and pats on the back throughout the day.

The diner closed at nine o’clock. By then, Kage had moved his Camry twice. It was now parked on the other side of the grocery store. Kage was once again a shadow, blending in with a large oak tree to the right of the diner’s side parking area. It had the advantage of giving him a direct line of sight into the business, as well as a slim view of the side of the building where the dumpster was located.

Elijah and a young girl in her mid-twenties came out the front door, lugging trash bags, and walked towards the dumpster. The side of Kage’s lips twitched upward at the sight of Elijah’s muscles moving beneath his t-shirt as he swung the heavy plastic bag into the dumpster. He gallantly took the other bag from the girl and repeated the move. Not a bad view at all.

The pair hustled back toward the diner. Elijah held the door open for his co-worker, and before stepping through himself, he looked around, eyes narrowing as he scanned the darkness. Kage watched Elijah frown as the boy’s eyes flitted past his hiding spot. It took everything in him not to laugh.

Kage watched Elijah close the door and locked it. He disappeared into the back, but reappeared fifteen minutes later with his coat on. Holding the door once more for the co-worker, he waved at the two employees who were finishing up the closing chores. One of them locked the door as Elijah walked the girl to her car.

Kage thought Elijah would get into the car with the girl, but was surprised when he turned and walked over to a brand new Nissan Rogue with Montana plates. There was nothing about a vehicle in the dossier on him. It must be a recent purchase, or maybe a gift. But who would be giving the boy a brand new vehicle? Interesting. Kage tucked the information away, including the plate number, to be looked into.

The Rogue turned left out of the lot. Tyler Williamson’s apartment was in that direction and Kage was confident that would be where he would find Elijah after he did a little research. Kage remained still until the SUV was out of sight. Once he was back in his Camry, he pulled his laptop out from beneath the seat, logged into the Montana Motor Vehicle Division, and punched in the temporary tag number.

The Nissan was purchased four days ago from a dealership in Great Falls. The current registered owner was listed as Sebastian MacTire. Kage opened another window and Googled the name. A security site popped up. Very curious. What the hell is the connection between Elijah and this security consultant? Kage scrolled through the site, but didn’t glean anything useful.

He texted the name to his boss, who never questioned any request for information. He started the car and drove to the address he had for Tyler Williamson's residence, confirming Elijah’s Rogue was parked right where he thought it would be. He stayed a little ways down the street until all of the lights went out, a good indication the occupants were in bed for the rest of the night.

Kage headed back to his hotel, stopping at a twenty-four hour convenience store for gas and some snacks to take back to the hotel. The pickings were slim. Kage wasn’t a fan of junk food. He found some fresh fruit near the coffee station and chose a couple of apples and a banana. Adding a half dozen single serve containers of low fat vanilla yogurt, he deposited the food on the checkout counter. The cashier barely looked at him as he rang up the purchases.

Back in his room, Kage tucked the yogurt into the mini-fridge, keeping one out to eat now. He’d be up for a while, researching whatever he could find on this security guy.

Other than the security company which listed MacTire as the CEO, there wasn't much else. The man didn’t have any personal social media accounts. The security company had a few, but from the look of the posts, it was managed by someone other than MacTire.

After a couple of hours, Kage got up and stretched. Just as he bit into his apple, his phone pinged. Opening the attachment his boss sent, Kage’s eyes widened. He nearly choked on the piece of apple he was chewing on.

Coughing to clear his lungs, Kage thumped his chest, dislodging the piece that was stuck.

Fuck him every which way til Sunday.

Sebastian MacTire was a wolf shifter. Not just any wolf shifter. He was the top-ranking Alpha among all animal shifters.

Holy shitola. It was no wonder there was no public record for him. As interesting as that information was, he still had no idea how Elijah was connected to MacTire. Kage tried to make heads or tails out of what he was seeing, but after reading all about the new head Alpha, his mate and new Betas, he was more confused. The animal shifter community was emerging from a major shake up, so huge that it affected packs globally.

Damn.

Kage was never happier than at that moment, to not be governed by the same laws that animal shifters adhered to. Shape and shadow shifters were very different from their animal shifter distant kin. Animal shifters changed right down to the cellular level. The shifter went from genetically human to genetically whatever animal they became. They were limited to that one animal. Shapeshifters only changed their outward appearance. They never lost their human DNA. If you captured a shapeshifter in dog form, blood tests would reveal the ruse. Shadow shifters weren’t any different, although you can’t really catch a shadow and draw a blood sample. Non-animal shifters were closer relations to Fae, sort of like first cousins, whereas animal shifters were more like third cousins once removed, or so he was told.

Kage didn’t have to adhere to anyone else’s rules and regulations. He was a loner, and preferred it that way. He had no desire to be part of a social infrastructure, or depend on anyone else for anything. His boss provided a paycheck, and a very generous one at that, but Kage earned every damn penny of it. He didn’t need the affirmation of approval with likes or heart emojis on Instasham or Twatter, or any of those ridiculous sites. A bunch of insecure sheeple, following the masses into social oblivion. At least in his opinion.

Humans were a social cult, worst cases being the religious fanatics. It was no wonder a group of nineteenth century Brits pushed for antidisestablishmentarianism. Too bad separation of church and state was a pipe dream in most countries.

Kage rubbed his eyes. His head hurt. It was time to call it a night. He wasn’t going to get anywhere with all of the questions that he had. He was going to have to talk to Elijah and get the story straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak. He’d tail him again tomorrow and wait for an opportunity to get the cutie by himself.

The thought made Kage smile as he brushed his teeth. He spat out the toothpaste and wiped his mouth. After taking a piss, he undressed and slid back under the bleach-scented, utilitarian sheets.

Of course sleep didn’t come right away. Kage tossed and turned restlessly, finally giving up and threw the covers off in a snit. He threw on a pair of shorts and a tank top, then donned socks and his running shoes. A few miles on the treadmill in the fitness center should tire him out.

The hotel’s little gym was nothing to write home about, but it sufficed. He knocked out five miles on the treadmill, keeping up with a brutal pace until sweat was running off him in rivers. Still feeling wired, he utilized the TRX and free weights until his muscles tired and his mind stopped spinning.

Back in his room, he stepped under the shower spray long enough to do a quick lather to wash the sweat away. This time when he slid back into bed, sleep came within minutes. Unfortunately, daylight came all too soon as well. He’d at least managed to catch about four hours in the land of Nod.

It was just after eight when he left the hotel, swung through a drive-thru for coffee and a sad stack of pancakes, or what could be called pancakes. The shriveled sausage left a lot to be desired and he discarded it with the container when he was done.

He was now so familiar with the drive to and from Elijah’s town, the scenery didn’t even register. Elijah’s vehicle was still in the same spot. Kage parked several houses down the street and hunkered down. It was now time to wait patiently until an opportunity to get Elijah by himself presented itself.

Kage sighed. He had a feeling it was going to be a long day.