Shadow Effect - 7. Chapter 7

Was he really going to do this? Was he ready to have sex? With his teeth sunk into his bottom lip, Elijah looked up into Kage’s deep, dark eyes. He knew, without a doubt, if he said no, Kage would stop, no questions asked.

Kage’s words, ‘Are you sure you want this?’ echoed in his brain. Physically, his body was primed and ready. Somehow, that one altruistic inquiry made him realize that mentally, he was ready too. He definitely wanted this. Whatever this was.

"Yes," he breathed.

"Don't be afraid, I'm not going to fuck you tonight Elijah. There are plenty of other things we can do," Kage assured him.

Elijah smirked. "What if I want to fuck you?" He laughed at the look of surprise on Kage’s face. He honestly had no idea where that thought came from.

Whatever victory he felt vaporized almost immediately when Kage eyed him like prey. "If that's what you want, it can certainly be arranged."

Elijah's eyes went wide. He was half-joking. Besides, he assumed the sexy shadow shifter was a top.

Kage winked. “I’m vers. And very willing. "

Son of a bitch. That will teach him not to assume anything.

"Have you ever had penetrative sex before, either giving or receiving?" Kage asked, his tone no different from if he were asking someone to pass the salt and pepper. Talk about a boner-killer.

Heat raced up his neck, spreading like wildfire over his face and cheeks. He looked down, affixing his gaze to the floor. "No."

"Would you like to learn what all the fuss is about?"

Snap! Just like that, his embarrassment abated. Kage was right. People fussed about sex. What was the big deal, anyway? If millions of people did it every day, there couldn't be anything special about it, could there?

Elijah lifted his eyes and looked at the shadow shifter. "Yes."

Kage smiled, his whole face transforming. For a moment, the hard lines and angles softened. The dark, chocolate-brown eyes melted. He was fucking gorgeous.

“You should smile more often.” Elijah lifted his hand to trace Kage’s lips with his thumb. He sucked his breath in sharply when the tip of Kage’s tongue flicked over it, the barest hint of the wet warmth that lay within.

“Take me to your bedroom.”

There was no need to tell him twice. Elijah ran his hand down Kage’s arm before interlocking their fingers and dragging him down the hallway.

Once they were in his room, Elijah hesitated. He had no clue what to do. Was Kage serious when he said he could fuck him? The only experience Elijah had was several hot and heavy make out sessions with two different girls he briefly dated in high school, and one semi-hook up with another at a bar that didn’t get any further than swapping spit. Both high school girlfriends were from religious families and didn’t go any further than heavy petting, the relationships dying out almost as soon as they’d begun.

What was that line from that old Billy Joel song? “You Catholic girls start much too late.” Maybe he should’ve dated a Baptist or Protestant. At the time he’d enjoyed it. He liked the way their bodies were soft and curvy. One of his short-lived girlfriends was a little on the heavier side and he rather liked the extra padding.

Kage, however, was a different beast altogether. As Elijah watched, the man stripped down to bare skin. Elijah had seen plenty of male flesh in high school locker rooms, which did not allow for very much modesty. He appreciated the male form in all shapes and sizes, but what he was looking at now? Pure perfection. Kage had muscle definition just as detailed as a professional bodybuilder, only not overly bulky. It was natural, not fueled by steroids and hormone injections.

Kage waved a hand in front of Elijah’s face to get his attention.

“Huh?” he muttered, cheeks warm as he realized he’d been staring.

That beautiful smile was back.

“I’m glad you like what you see, but I need to see you, too. May I?” Kage’s voice was husky as he asked for Elijah’s permission to undress him.

Nodding, he swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. The tempo of his heartbeat picked up when strong fingers brushed over his neck, tracing the path the knob in his throat just made.

Kage gently pulled the hem of his t-shirt out of the waistband and Elijah raised his arms so he could get it over his head. Never had he felt so exposed as he did when Kage stared at his torso. He knew he had a decent body, but carried the same doubts many guys with his build had. He always thought he was a little too scrawny. His limbs were made for track and field rather than football or even the soccer field.

The hunger in Kage’s eyes told a different story. Elijah shivered as firm hands traced his sides, bumping along the ridges of his ribcage. Those fingers traced their way along his moderate six pack, ghosting over the slight indentation of his belly button and hesitated at the button of his jeans. Kage leaned in and drew his tongue along the shell of Elijah’s ear. Goosebumps pebbled his smooth skin.

A low rumble rolled out of Kage as he chuckled.

Elijah whined when Kage suddenly pulled back and held him at arm's length.

“Do you have any supplies?”

It took a minute for his brain to catch up and realize what the question was.

“Condoms and lube, Elijah. Sex 101, lesson one,” Kage informed him with a little amused smirk.

Elijah shook his head, clearing the lust fog. "Oh, yeah, I know. Sorry.” He pointed to the bed, “There’s lube in the nightstand and condoms in my dresser.”

His parents taught him about safe sex as soon as he hit puberty. Even when they realized he might not have the same sexual urges as his peers, they made sure he had the basic necessities on hand, just in case. Over the years, unopened boxes of condoms expired, and were replaced as needed. He used lube on a semi-regular basis and restocked it himself.

He tossed an unopened box of condoms on the bed, where Kage was now splayed out on his back. Kage didn’t say anything as he broke the seal on the box and ripped a condom off the strip. He placed it on the nightstand and set the lube next to the pillow his head rested on. Elijah’s own pillow. Why did that make him feel… so damn proud?

Turning on his side and patting the mattress next to him, Kage’s silent invitation was clear. Elijah climbed onto the bed and scooted until he was facing the sexy man. Gentle fingers reached up to brush a lock of his hair back, smoothing it down before tracing his jawline.

“What would you like me to do?”

“This is your show, Elijah. Do whatever you want. If I don’t like it, I’ll ask you to stop. If I say stop, you have to promise me you will. The best sex is when you know your partner won’t overstep his bounds. Understand?

Elijah nodded.

He didn’t know if he would ever get another chance to do this with Kage, and he wanted to experience as much as he could. He ran his hands, and often his tongue, over the body lying so willingly before him, taking time to explore the hard ridges, and the soft nooks hidden behind both ears. Elijah devoured Kage’s mouth, trailing his cheek along the scruff of the man’s short beard, enjoying the way it felt. Rough and bristly, yet soft too. He tasted the skin where his shoulder met his neck, his chest, his nipples. After exploring the hard and defined biceps, he followed the dark treasure trail, then bypassed the hard cock which practically begged for attention. Instead, he ran his hand down the chiseled and hairy legs. Elijah ignored his own body, too wrapped up in discovering everything Kage so willingly offered.

Positioning himself so he was eye level with Kage’s hard shaft, Elijah took a moment to study it. The shadow shifter was well-proportioned, just the right length and thickness for his build. The head glistened with clear fluid, a precursor of more to come. Tentatively, he lapped at it to taste. He expected it to be salty, but instead was surprised at the lack of any definitive flavor. Boldly, he engulfed the flared head, swirling his tongue around it. He was rewarded with a burst of fluid, salty this time. He continued to explore with his mouth and hands, enjoying the way Kage’s body reacted.

When it got to be too much, Elijah felt strong hands thread themselves through his hair, tugging gently, but firmly. He pulled off and looked up at the dark, lust-hazed eyes that stared back at him.

“You need to stretch me. Now,” Kage ordered. His body thrummed with desire, as though being held in check by a mere filigree of control.

“How?”

Kage grabbed the lube and drizzled some over his own fingers. Rolling onto his back, pulling his knees up to his chest, Elijah watched him insert an index finger smoothly into his hole. His other hand guided Elijah’s to his ass and coated his fingers with the cool gel. Kage helped him insert his slick middle digit next to his own. The sight of his finger disappearing into someone else’s body shouldn’t turn him on so much, but it did.

Kage guided him, both with words and motions, teaching Elijah how to prepare another person for the most intimate connection. If lessons in school had been like this he would’ve paid more attention and might be well on his way to a PhD by now.

“Now what?” he asked when three of his fingers were buried to the hilt. If the tightness surrounding his fingers was any indication of what was to come, he didn’t think it would be possible to maintain control once his dick replaced his digits.

Kage pulled himself off Elijah’s fingers, flipping himself over so he was on his hands and knees, elbows resting on the mattress, hole exposed. Looking back over his shoulder, he winked. “Now you put your dick in me.”

Elijah had no words whatsoever to describe what happened next. Kage spurred him on, encouraging him to take him, and take him deep. The sight of his cock disappearing into Kage was nearly too much. Under what rock had he hidden himself since he figured out what the appendage was supposed to be for? The slick heat and tightness threatened to strangle his cock. He could feel himself leaking into the condom.

Even from the bottom, Kage took control. He pushed back at each and every one of Elijah’s thrusts, squeezing himself around the shaft buried within. There was no way he was going to last, and Kage somehow knew it. He grabbed ahold of his cock and stroked rhythmically, matching Elijah, pull for pull, push for push.

Elijah couldn't hold control of it any longer. His balls pulled up tight and with a grunt he emptied himself into the condom, shuddering with pleasure. Kage sped up his efforts and soon painted the bedding with his cum.

Fuss? Did Elijah now see what all the fuss was about? Hell. Fucking. Yes!

He didn’t regret his decision to wait. He knew without a doubt, if he’d attempted this with anyone other than Kage, the outcome would have been much different. Kage was… well, he was special. Elijah was afraid to admit it to himself, but he was becoming attached to the elusive shadow shifter.

That could be a problem. It was a problem he could deal with on another day.

As his body processed the endorphins which just flooded through it, he stayed right where he’d landed after collapsing on top of Kage’s back. His breathing was still shaky and he didn’t trust his legs to hold him. Uh-uh, it wasn't happening right now. Hell, Elijah could care less how long he kept the condom on for.

Kage shifted and Elijah flopped off, falling to the side, feeling boneless. His eyes drifted closed of their own accord as he felt himself hefted up, to half cover Kage’s body. Nestling naturally into the crook of the man’s neck, he breathed in the man’s scent. Kage’s chest was rising and falling under him, just slightly less rapid than his own. He felt almost drunk. That’s it, he was lust drunk, or better yet, fuck drunk. That was more like it.

Peeking up he saw Kage looking at him, eyes hooded, mirroring Elijah’s own lust-fuck-drunken state, completely satiated. He looked fucking hot. Dark, sweat-dampened hair hung over his right eye, half obscuring it. Elijah mustered up the strength to push it to the side. Kage smiled lopsidedly.

“Well, did it live up to your expectations?” he asked, voice husky with the remnants of a serious orgasm.

“And then some,” Elijah replied truthfully.

“Do you regret waiting so long?”

“No. It wouldn’t have been so—spectacular—with anyone else. Honestly, before you barged into the picture, I never could imagine myself with anyone, guy or girl. On the rare occasions when I pictured myself with a guy, I was always the one getting fucked.”

Kage chuckled. “That can be easily arranged.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

His thoughts flitted unwillingly to the events of last evening.

“Thank you,” Elijah said.

“For what? Amazing sex?” Kage chuckled, vibrations thrumming from his chest into Elijah’s.

“Well, there’s that. But it’s not what I was referring to. Thank you for saving our lives last night. We’d be dead if it wasn’t for your quick reflexes. Are you sure you’re not part cat?” he joked.

Kage glared at him.

“Pfft. Please. Freaking cats. I swear, if there’s any truth to the bible whatsoever, you can bet your ass Satan himself created those creatures,” Kage said indignantly.

“Not a fan of felines?”

“Whatever gave you that impression?”

Elijah snorted. It was pretty fucking ironic his first encounter with Kage was as a black cat. His snort morphed into a giggle for a hot minute or two.

Getting serious once more, he slid off of Kage and then off the bed, heading to the bathroom to get rid of the condom and clean up. Kage followed him and tilted his head toward the shower. Elijah turned the water on and they made quick work of getting washed up.

The silence that settled between them wasn’t awkward. It was comfortable, like they had done this a thousand times. Elijah got the impression Kage wasn’t a talkative type to begin with. He’d never been all that outgoing either. Tyler was the extrovert in his life, a byproduct of having a large family, Elijah supposed.

Once dressed, Elijah decided to broach a topic he let slide in favor of sex.

“Kage, I meant it earlier when I said you don’t get to decide whether or not you’re good enough for me. I’m not blind. I can see you’re drawn to me, like I am to you. I might be young, but trust me, I’m not looking for a life partner, at least not right now. I’m not going to catch any feels. It’s not love at first sight. I’m twenty-one, there’s a lot of living I have to do before I’m anywhere near ready to even think about finding someone to share my life with on that kind of level. Am I attracted to you? Fuck yeah. Have you looked in a mirror? Did I enjoy what we just did? Absolutely. Do I want to do it again, and even more? Hell to the yes!”

Elijah pinned Kage in his gaze.

“Do you get to dictate the terms of whatever it is we decide to do between the two of us? Fuck no.”

“Are you done?”

“Probably?”

Kage chortled. “You’ve got guts, Elijah. I’ll give you that. Heed me though, I didn’t lie to Tyler. I’m not good for you. You’re going to end up hurt if we, ‘come to terms with whatever we decide to do between the two of us’,” Kage threw his own words back at him.

Elijah was about to protest, but Kage cut him off.

“You’re right. You are an adult and can make your own decisions. I just think you’re making the wrong one. So help me, I can’t bring myself to stop you either. We both may end up being hurt.”

“Kage, it saddens me to know that you don’t see the good within yourself. I know it’s there.”

“I’m a killer Elijah. What’s so good about that? I’m nothing but trouble to someone like you.”

“What do you mean? Someone like me?”

“You’re a much better person than me. You’re the best thing about me.”

Elijah didn’t know what to say. Kage was a killer, yes, but it still didn’t mean he was a bad person. He just couldn’t see it because it was all he ever knew.

“Then I’ll just have to teach you how to be more like me. Let my goodness rub off on you.”

Kage’s eyes darkened. “I’d rather have something else rub off on me. Something a lot more fun.”

“Fuck, you are bad!” Elijah laughed.

Elijah’s laughter died off when he saw Kage wasn’t laughing with him.

“You should be walking away from me, shapeshifter. Maybe even running full speed.”

“Never,” Elijah promised.

Kage’s shoulders slumped slightly. Elijah could see he finally realized he wouldn’t get rid of him easily.

“As long as you know you’re heading into this with eyes wide open, Elijah.”

“They’re wide open and I’m not going to blink.”

Kage nodded, accepting the situation for what it was. Exactly what it was… well, they would figure it out as they went along.

“So do you really think Huntington will back off?” Elijah asked, deliberately changing the subject.

“He will if he knows what’s good for him. Speaking of him backing off, I need to call my boss, so excuse me for a little bit. I’ll be in my car.”

Elijah understood Kage needed privacy to talk with his boss. If there was something he needed to know, then Kage would tell him. Elijah refused to act like a schoolgirl with a crush on the star quarterback, trying to hang on every word, even if the quarterback looked like Tom Brady, Jimmy Garappolo, or hell, even a hot defenseman like Jay Fucking Petermeyer.

While Kage was busy, he went through the fridge, throwing out some stuff which had been hanging out in there too long. He started a list on his phone of items he should get at the grocery store.

Kage was gone for nearly an hour. Elijah didn’t know if this was normal, or if he should be worried. When the man came stomping in the house with a dark cloud hovering over him, Elijah chose to worry.

“Are you okay?”

Kage’s stormy attitude dialed down a few notches, like a category three hurricane downgrading to a tropical storm. Not as much fury, but still capable of causing some damage.

“Yes. My boss and I don’t always see eye to eye, but I usually back down. You don’t piss off the guy who signs off on your paycheck.”

“You were arguing about me,” Elijah stated, not needing to pose it as a question.

“Don’t worry, I won this one,” Kage winked. The tropical storm behind his dark eyes dissipated, leaving only a few lingering clouds.

Kage didn’t offer anything else.

“Wellllll??” Elijah finally asked, exasperated.

Grinning, he replied, “Well, you’ll be happy to know I don’t have to kill you.”

Elijah’s eyes widened. Was he joking? Did his boss really want him dead? The thought was pretty fucking sobering. In Kage’s world, getting rid of someone was easy. With his parents gone and no other immediate family, Elijah knew that, other than Tyler and his family, if he disappeared, not too many others would give it a second thought.

“That’s, uh, good to know.”

Kage must have sensed his consternation. His eyes softened, the last of the clouds gone. “Elijah, I would never let anyone harm you. Not even myself on a direct order. My boss is just overly cautious. After a lot of back and forth, he’s agreed to put pressure on Huntington. We’re both sure he won’t try anything else if he knows we’re watching. Hurting you, or Tyler and his family will bring unwanted attention his way.”

Elijah was grateful Kage understood the need to protect Tyler and the rest of the Williamsons. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if anything happened to them because of him.

“So, what happens now?”

“You have a choice to make. In order to ensure your pretty head stays attached to your shoulders, you need to be under protection. You can either go back to Montana and stay with your pack of overgrown puppies, or you have me attached to you 24/7. I think you should call your wolfie friend, Mr. MacTire, and let him know you’ll be there in a few days.”

Wow, at least he pronounced Sebastian’s name right.

“And if I choose option number two?”

“Me, twenty-four hours a day, and before you think that’s a good thing. I’ll be with you, All. The. Time. We eat together, we sleep together, we shower together, we do errands together, we piss and shit together. I do not let you out of my sight. Not one single second.”

When Kage put it that way, it gave Elijah pause. Did he want that sort of intense supervision? In Montana, he’d have a measure of freedom and, more importantly, privacy. If he chose option two, he could throw that privacy out the window. Who knew how long it would last?

“For how long?” he asked, even though he knew the answer. He just needed to stall for a couple of minutes to gather his thoughts.

“Nice try, Elijah. What’s it going to be? Me or your puppy pals?”

Kage really didn’t think much of animal shifters, did he?

“You,” he answered abruptly.

Kage’s eyebrow shot up, obviously not expecting Elijah to agree to be chaperoned all day, every day, for the foreseeable future.

“I can take a leave of absence from the diner. Carver will understand, he only let me work this past week because I begged him. As long as I’m not on lockdown and Tyler can come and go, I don’t have a problem with it.”

Elijah didn’t miss the slight eye roll Kage gave at the mention of Tyler.

“Stop. Right now. Tyler is an amazing person. He’s smart, and he’s so talented. He’s a musician, you know? He can’t sing for shit, but man, he can create music. He graduates in a few months. Dual major; music theory and music composition. Last year he won a state-wide, collegiate level contest creating a theme song for a scene in a movie. There were almost twenty schools that participated. Sixty-eight entries. Tyler’s was chosen. He got to go to San Francisco last fall and work with the SFSO. San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. The theme was recorded for a movie called The Curtain Falls. It’s slated for release this Christmas.” Elijah couldn’t hold back the pride in his voice.

Tyler had worked his ass off the entire semester. The participants had only been given a short description of the movie about a professional ballet dancer whose career ends amid scandal. Harrison Ford plays the character’s grandfather and biggest supporter. Ali Skovbye is the underage dancer who falls in love with her much older instructor, played by Hrithik Roshan. Damn, that guy had a body to die for.

The music would be played during the scene where Skovbye’s character realizes her career has imploded and she’ll never dance professionally again. Tyler managed to convey the despair, anger, isolation and fear that the character was supposed to be feeling. Elijah couldn’t wait to go see it. Seeing Tyler’s name in the credits, if they could spot it, was something to look forward to. His best friend wanted to compose music for the entertainment industry. Songs for movies, video games, commercials, TV shows, all were endless possibilities.

Kage at least had the decency to look impressed.

“I’m sorry if my attitude is shitty. My boss can, and often does, bring out the worst in me. Tyler and I got off on the wrong foot. That’s something I hope we can rectify. His talent is admirable, I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“You rolled your fucking eyes, Kage. For no reason other than jealousy. You better get it through your thick, dark skull, Tyler is my best friend. He will always, and I mean always be a part of my life. As a matter of fact, a very important part. I’m not going to Montana. They've got enough on their plate right now without adding worry over me to it. Maybe someday I’ll choose that route, but for now, my life is here. Tyler is here. I’m not sure what I’m going to do, but I’ve already decided to ask Tyler to move in here when he graduates. My parents’ bedroom can be converted into a studio for him. It’s large enough for a piano and whatever other instruments he decides he can’t live without. His parents’ house is too crowded, and his current apartment is tiny. He needs space to work, to create, and I know his lease is up not long after graduation.”

Elijah couldn’t decipher the look Kage gave him. It only took a moment for the unknown expression to melt into resignation. Kage was going to be on him like a red wine stain on a white carpet. What Elijah couldn’t decide was whether or not Kage wanted that like he did. Guess he’d find out soon enough.