Shadow Effect - 13. Chapter 13

“Thanks for coming over, Ty. Kage thinks I need a babysitter, but I don’t. I’m happy for the company, though."

Tyler huffed playfully. “You just want free labor.”

“That too,” Elijah replied, shrugging his shoulders with a shit-eating grin.

“Let’s get this party started, Bro!”

“Jesus, you’re a bit much. Before we do, what do you want for dinner later? I gotta start using up the stuff in the freezer.”

“Whatcha got?”

Elijah opened the door and looked at the neatly labeled packages, black marker indicating what it was and the date it was put into storage. Despite the stocking up he and Kage had done, there were still a few packages done in his mom’s neat printing. His chest constricted for a moment until he felt Tyler’s hand on his shoulder.

“Hmm. Ground turkey, pork chops, ground beef —” Elijah shuffled through the frozen ziplock bags,“—salmon.”

“Sockeye salmon?” Tyler asked hopefully.

“Of course.”

Tyler reached past Elijah and snatched the bag with the salmon. “Sold!” It was his favorite kind of fish. He set the frozen chunk of deep red fish flesh in the sink to defrost. It was more than enough for the two of them.

Elijah took out a plate to place the salmon on to thaw. He rummaged in the cupboard until he found the bottle of sesame ginger teriyaki and set it aside, looking forward to basting the fish when it was time to grill.

Elijah grabbed some trash bags and looked expectantly at Tyler. “I guess we should get to it.”

Tyler squeezed his arm. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”

“I don’t think I’ll ever really be ready, but it needs to get done. I can’t live in the past; all I can do is move forward. Mom and Dad wouldn’t have wanted me to keep their room like a shrine. Besides, it’s going to be your studio, so you’re obligated to help.” Elijah gave his best friend a wry, but hopeful grin.

He and Tyler had several discussions regarding his plans for after the graduation, which was now only a few weeks away. His finals were next week and Elijah appreciated him taking time out from studying to help him. Once they were over, he would move into the guest room across from Elijah and they would start converting the upstairs room into a music studio.

“In that case, what are we waiting for?” Tyler nudged him toward the stairs.

They spent the remainder of the morning cleaning out drawers and the big closet. Bags were packed and labeled with masking tape. Elijah put a few things he wanted to keep, like his parent’s wedding picture, in a plastic tote on the landing right outside the bedroom door. A separate bin collected things that couldn’t be recycled, given away, or repurposed, like Mom’s makeup and half-used perfume bottles. Throwing them out seemed like a waste, but there was no purpose in keeping them. Well, unless he or Tyler started a hobby in the drag scene, but that seemed unlikely.

It wasn’t physically taxing work, but emotionally, it took a toll. Elijah was tempted to keep his Mom’s perfume bottles, despite having no use for them; the scents triggering memories every time he got a whiff. Rationally, he knew the smell would change over time, especially with disuse, but images of his mom all dressed up for a ‘date night’ with his dad crowded out more rational thoughts.

Tyler intuitively knew how hard it was and gently took the bottle out of his hands after he’d been standing there for almost five minutes, unable to decide.

“Which one is your favorite?” he asked.

That was easy. “Rare Gold.”

Tyler gathered the remaining bottles and put them in the bin for the trash. The half used bottle of Rare Gold he placed in the tote of items to keep. Elijah squeezed his eyes shut to staunch the hot tears trying to push through. Silently they continued cleaning, his waterworks held at bay by sheer willpower.

Gradually, the melancholia diminished as the room was emptied of all of his parent’s things. When there was nothing left but the furniture, they lugged the bags and bins downstairs and loaded the donations into Tyler’s Jeep. It was after lunchtime, so they decided to have a quick sandwich before making a run out to drop everything off.

Tyler’s sister Elena had gotten the job she interviewed for in Sacramento. She was thrilled to become the new owner of the bedroom set which had been thoroughly cleaned. Elena said it didn’t bother her, knowing two people were murdered on the bed. She rationalized that Elijah’s mom and dad were always so generous, especially with the Williamson family, that they would want to see the bed and accompanying furniture put to good use. Besides, the mattress was brand new. She knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth.

When they returned from dropping off the clothes and stuff, they dismantled the frame and hauled it, the matching dresser, and two nightstands down to the driveway. The new mattress was a bitch to get down the stairs. Whatever happened to those convenient handles on the sides? Elijah put two brand-new pillows and two sets of sheets into a bag for Elena. Papi was coming by with his truck to take everything back to their house to sit in the garage for a few weeks until she was ready to move.

Mama was torn. She didn’t want to see any of her fledglings fly the nest, but knew they were young adults and needed to be independent. She and Papi taught them well and made sure they had the skills to lead productive lives. That didn’t mean they could fly away and spread their wings any old which way. Tyler and Elena already received the ‘you better call me once a week or I will shut off your phone’ speech, as well as the one informing them they still had to come for Sunday dinner as often as their schedules allowed. It would be harder for Elena as it was nearly five hours each way, but being the loving daughter ‌she was, she promised to come once a month if possible.

Papi pulled up and greeted Elijah with a warm hug. “How are you doing?”

“Okay, I guess. It’s never going to be easy, thinking of them gone,” he replied, returning the hug with an extra squeeze of affection.

Papi was not a man of many words. He let his actions speak for him. He pulled Elijah in again and gave him a kiss on the top of his head. That one small gesture letting Elijah know he was loved, and no matter what, would always be a part of the Williamson family.

“Do you want to stay for dinner, Papi?”

“Are you offering me a meal in a quiet house, without chaos and pandemonium around every corner?” Papi’s hand stroked his chin as if considering a dilemma.

Elijah smiled and nodded.

“You always were my favorite child.”

“Hey! No fair!” Tyler exclaimed. “Why do we have to share the sockeye with him?”

“Because I said so, and there’s plenty,” Elijah declared, giving Tyler the evil side-eye while Papi laughed.

They got the bedroom furniture loaded up and properly secured. Papi called his wife to let her know she was on her own with the kids for dinner. Elijah overheard him playing on her sympathies when he mentioned Elijah was having a rough day.

Elijah snickered at the blatant stretching of the truth. He didn’t blame Papi one bit though. Controlled bedlam was the norm in that house, and even though he may gripe about it, the patriarch of the family loved his life and his family, extended version and all.

It was obvious Mama was giving Papi shit about ditching dinner. By the look on Papi’s face, however, he took the good-natured scolding in stride. After ending the call, his second father grinned. “Mama sends her love.”

He and Tyler snickered. Papi was such a bullshitter.

The salmon wouldn’t take ‌long to cook, it was the side dishes which needed prep time. Elijah had a bagged salad kit in the fridge and he tasked Papi with doctoring it up with whatever other vegetables he wanted to throw in.

He poured some of the marinade over the fish, allowing the liquid to soak in just long enough to add flavor, but not make it soggy. Next, he sliced up some sweet potatoes and added cauliflower, putting them into the air fryer his mom bought last year, while Tyler whipped up some chocolate pudding for dessert. Once the potatoes were cooking, he went out to light the grill. Papi came out and handed him a beer before going back inside to help Tyler.

Dinner was ready less than a half hour later and the three men savored the quietness, only broken by the clinking of utensils on their plates. After the main course, they sat out on the back deck and enjoyed dessert. Elijah mixed his pudding with chocolate-chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, while Tyler and his dad were purists. He was scraping the last remnants from the bowl when his phone chirped.

Kage. He was on his way back and would be there in an hour.

“Is that your man?” Papi asked, his eyes full of mischief.

“He’s a friend Papi, he’s not my man,” Elijah answered with a head shake.

“Mmmhmmm.”

“Isn’t Mama going to start calling soon if you’re not home?” Tyler deflected his dad away from the topic of Kage.

“Okay, okay! I get the hint. Stay out of trouble, both of you.” Papi took their dirty bowls into the house and put them in the dishwasher. He came out to say goodbye and give both his boys hugs.

“Thanks for your help, Papi,” Elijah said.

“Anytime, son, anytime.” Papi really had no idea how much his words meant.

They walked him out to the front, double-checking the tie down straps on the furniture before heading back in and cleaning up the rest of the dinner mess, which really wasn’t more than a few errant utensils and wiping down the table.

When they were done, Tyler grabbed his keys and gave Elijah a quick hug.

“Call or text me if you need help with anything else.”

“Thanks Ty, I owe you.”

“Nah, I think over the years we’ve broken even. Love you Bro!”

Tyler closed the front door softly and Elijah heard the Jeep door shut a few seconds before the engine came to life. Glancing at his phone, he saw he still had about a half hour before Kage would get home. He decided to jump in the shower and wash off the grime from the day. He was hoping to get lucky tonight.

While he was rinsing his hair, the bathroom door opened, startling him. An embarrassingly high pitched, girly screech broke free from his vocal cords. Not his finest moment, especially when Kage pulled back the frosted glass door and laughed.

“I was going to offer to blow you, but I think your balls just crawled up too far to be useful anymore,” Kage teased.

“Jesus Christ!” Elijah whined. “You startled me.”

“I didn’t startle you. I scared the ever loving fuck out of you. I don’t think you have any fuck left.”

Elijah pinned Kage with his gaze. “Why don’t you get in the shower and find out?” he challenged.

Knowing the shadow shifter wouldn’t back down, he kept his eyes riveted onto Kage’s as the sexy man did a slow striptease, dropping each piece of clothing he removed onto the floor, one by one.

Shirt. Belt. Shoes. Pants. Socks. Finally—boxer briefs.

Kage was fully aroused, and so was Elijah. As a matter of fact, very aroused.

Elijah bit his lip as Kage dropped to his knees and gave him another detailed demonstration in the art of giving head. The man was surely a tenured professor teaching senior level, advanced courses. Holy fuck. He was reduced to nothing but quivering jello legs after blowing his load all over Kage’s torso.

Kage chuckled as he grabbed the body wash and lathered Elijah from head to toe, amused to see his quad muscles still trembling. When he was done, he started on himself. Elijah was mesmerized as he watched those big hands roam over that hard, sculpted body. His breath stuttered when Kage started stroking himself. By the time the sexy-as-fuck man grunted and shot his release against the shower wall, Elijah’s heart was pounding like thunder.

Whoa! Shutting off the water after they rinsed off a final time, Elijah was on autopilot as he dried off and pulled on some sweats and a beat up old concert tee. He followed Kage into the kitchen before his wits finally returned.

“Can I get you something to eat? Are you hungry?” he asked.

“No. I’m good. I stopped on the way back.”

“So, how did your meeting go with your boss?”

Kage’s lips thinned. Uh-oh, not a good sign.

“He’s given me the go-ahead to kill Huntington.”

“What?! What about the laptop?” Elijah asked, confused. He thought Kage’s boss had made that the top priority.

“I was told the information on the device, if any, wouldn’t change, regardless of whether or not Huntington was alive. It seems he’s been getting bolder lately. Several shifters, who are believed to have been directly involved with the trafficking of the hybrids, or the information linked to them, have disappeared. Humans are going to start getting very curious soon if their supposed friends or whatnot keep turning up missing. Someone is bound to notice and alert the authorities. There is only so much we can do to contain something like that,” Kage explained.

“So, what are you going to do?”

Deep down, Elijah knew the answer to his question, and Kage hesitated only a fraction of a second before replying. “I’m going to kill him.”

He swallowed, his throat jumping with the action. “I know that. I meant, how are you going to kill him? When? Where?”

“Are you sure you want to know?” Kage asked pointedly.

Elijah thought for a moment before answering. “Yes.”

“At this point, I’m not really sure. I need to head down to San Francisco for a little reconnaissance. I have to scope out where he works, where he lives, what kind of security he has, what sort of schedule he keeps. The more info I can get, the better I can plan.”

“I want to go with you.”

“No fucking way!” Kage exploded.

“Why not?” Elijah asked calmly, determined not to let Kage’s knee jerk reaction get to him.

“It’s not safe, Elijah. I won’t risk it. I won’t risk you.”

Elijah’s heart had another one of those free-falling off the cliff moments. “I get it Kage, I don’t want you to go for the same reason, but I know it’s your job. I can help. Who’s going to question a bird flying outside a window, or a squirrel on a tree branch? I can get information you can’t.”

“No, Elijah. That’s final.”

Elijah wasn’t about to let it drop. “No, it’s not. It won’t be final until you see that it’ll be safer if I go with you.”

“You mean it won’t be final until you get your way?”

Elijah bit his bottom lip as he thought, well, yeah. Then he got pissy. “Don’t try to turn this around. Yeah, I know you’ve done this a thousand times before, and yeah, you’re the whole ‘I don’t need help from anyone’ stubborn, egoistical mule type. I get it. I really do. But Kage, you don’t have to do this shit alone any more. I want to help.”

Elijah could practically see Kage counting to ten in his head because he silently counted along with him. He got as far as nine before Kage spoke.

“No.”

That’s it. Ten seconds of utter lack of sound and all he gets is a big fat ‘no’? Fuck that.

“Not good enough, Kage. Give me a good reason, other than it’s not safe. It’s not safe getting behind the wheel of a car. It’s not safe crossing the street. Hell, it’s not fucking safe sleeping in your own goddamn bed anymore!” he yelled, thoroughly annoyed and aggravated.

“Fine,” Kage spat. “But answer these questions first. How do you bypass a government standard optic-sensor door lock?”

Silence.

“What’s the best camera system for land surveillance? For water surveillance? For fucking underground bunkers?”

Silence.

“How do you diffuse a goddamn bomb?”

Deafening silence.

“Let it go, Elijah.”

“Fuck you, Elsa,” Elijah snapped.

He knew Kage was right. He didn’t know how to do any of those things. But, he also knew that he could be useful. Huntington was crafty, and had been hiding his nefarious business practices in plain sight for years. Kage needed someone who could work in both daytime and at night. There were plenty of creatures that Elijah could shift into to take advantage of their natural abilities. He just needed to convince Kage.

Kage’s eyes narrowed as he tried to assess Elijah’s sincerity. The Elsa barb surely didn’t help.

The scrutiny caused Elijah to deflate a bit. Sighing with resignation, he silently accepted defeat for the moment. He didn’t want to argue anymore, nor did he like the tightness in his stomach as he thought about Kage’s reaction to his suggestion. He wanted nothing more than the man’s arms around him, but the look on his face made Elijah unsure of whether or not Kage would pull him in, or push him away.

Kage’s gaze softened as he registered Elijah’s insecurity. He gave his own heavy sigh before pulling him in close. Elijah buried his nose in Kage’s shirt, inhaling the deep, rich, masculine scent, letting it surround him, comfort him.

“I’m sorry. I just want to help.”

“Shhhh, I know. I’m sorry too, but Elijah, you have to realize I won’t risk you. Ever.”

“Is there anything I can do from here?” Elijah lifted his head to look into the dark depths of Kage’s gorgeous eyes.

“Maybe. If there is, I promise I’ll let you know,” Kage replied, kissing the top of Elijah’s head.

“When are you leaving?”

“I’m not sure. Probably not for a few days. My boss is going to send me whatever information he can find on Huntington’s current security measures. There are a lot of pieces that need to be in place before I can take any action. It’s not like I can just sneak in through the vents and kill him. It doesn’t work that way.”

“Why not? I mean, how does it work?” Elijah was curious about how Kage actually went about choosing when and where to kill a target. It was macabre, for sure, but he had to admit, he could see the merit of taking someone’s life if they were truly a threat to the supernatural world's existence. It was a scenario that had been played out many times over during the course of both humanity and the supernatural realm.

“You’re serious.”

Elijah nodded.

“Come on, let’s go sit. It’s not a quick explanation.”

Once they settled on the couch with Elijah laying against Kage’s firm chest and the man’s arms crossed over him, Kage explained exactly how he did what he did.

“I don’t choose the target. My boss, or whoever he works with or for, does that. Irrefutable proof must be provided, or enough circumstantial evidence, as is the case with Huntington, must be established before an order to eliminate is given. Once the order is handed off to me, I have to research the individual as extensively as I can with the help of my boss. Background information, job, family, friends, any details I can find, I go through with a fine tooth comb. I’ve done that with Huntington. The trouble is, his information is a double-edged sword.”

“What do you mean?” Elijah shifted slightly, so he wasn’t squishing Kage’s balls and craned his neck to look at him.

“Huntington is two-faced. He has his shifter life and all the perks that come with it. He also is a very prominent figure in the human world. A beloved businessman and philanthropist, which is the direct opposite of how he is viewed amongst those of his kind. We know he is a sleazy son of a bitch whose only concern is himself. So I have to filter everything I find out about him, decide if it’s a shifter or human trait, and file it in my brain accordingly.”

Elijah never thought about it that way.

“How I approach things depends on many factors, not just information I get by watching and observing. Daily or weekly habits must be considered. Whether or not they have bodyguards, how many, what their training is, all things I need to analyze. Once I have sufficient knowledge of my prey, I can formulate a plan.”

Kage’s tone was so matter-of-fact, it was a little scary.

“I must also take into consideration any stipulations my boss puts on the hit. Some killings must be public, although most are private. I have my own code I adhere to as well. I won’t kill a target if there are children present. Believe me, that one has delayed more than one job.”

Elijah’s heart tightened even more. Proof from the man himself that he wasn’t all darkness and evil.

“I have many things to choose from in my bag of assassin tricks. There’s the usual array of guns and silencers, knives for throat-slitting and a vast number of poisons that can be used to make death look natural, or completely obvious if a point needs to be made, plus a few other tricks up my sleeve. So, you see, my little shapeshifter, it’s not a simple process and there are many things which can go wrong. That is why I won’t risk you being part of what I have to do.”

“Not even driving the getaway car? Elijah asked with a lighthearted grin.

“Not even driving the getaway car.”

“Thank you for explaining. I didn’t realize how many moving parts have to work in perfect order in order for you to do what you do.”

“Keep in mind, Elijah, I’ve been trained to do this since before I could walk. Killing has always been something that is as routine to me as wiping down tables at the diner is to you. You don’t think about it, you just do it. Did you ever stop to think how many steps it takes before you get to the point where the table is ready to be wiped? Are you sure the rag isn’t too dirty, that you have the right amount of disinfectant in the bucket of water? That the customers are actually finished and you’ve cleared the plates away and put them in the appropriate place to be cleaned?”

Damn. Elijah knew Kage was right. He never did stop to consider all the little things which went into doing a job.

“So, there’s no crash course I can take so I’ll be ready to help you with your reconnaissance?” Elijah asked, half hopefully.

Kage laughed. “No, Sweetheart, there is no ‘Assassination For Dummies’ out there that would help you.”

While Kage’s comment was lighthearted, the subject wasn’t. Elijah already knew Kage was trained at a very young age to believe killing was normal. His own upbringing was the complete opposite. Killing was wrong. It was evil and would get you sent straight to hell, according to the Bible thumpers. He had to remind himself that these same religious zealots were the ones who seemed to think they could dictate to the world who you could love. In their eyes, killing and homosexuality were equally grievous sins.

Who was he to judge someone else’s upbringing? In the human world, there were countries across the globe that did the same thing. They conscripted and outright kidnapped young boys and taught them to be killers and rapists. The difference between them and Kage was the fact that they killed and raped for the sole purpose of power, to exert authority over those weaker than themselves. There was no hidden agenda. It was the basest reason of human existence. Survival of the fittest. Kill or be killed.

Kage had a moral compass to guide him. Strict parameters had been established by the supernatural world which determined under what circumstances an individual or group of beings could be eliminated. Kage knew those rules inside and out. He wasn’t a mindless killing machine, unlike the human warlords who killed first and rarely asked questions.

Kage asked plenty of questions and was relentless in his pursuit of answers before taking any action. It was that specific knowledge which reinforced Elijah’s adamant belief that, deep down, Kage had a good heart, even if he rarely showed it.

“I still think there’s something I can do to be useful,” Elijah tried again.

“You’re really not going to let this go, are you?”

“Probably not. Dad always said I was stubborn when it came to getting my way. It drives Tyler crazy too. He usually just gives in right away. He says it’s because I’m an only child and never had to compete with anyone else for what I wanted. Not just material things, too. Seven kids in the family means there’s only so much time and attention available on any given day. I don’t know how his parents do it, but not one of those kids has ever felt neglected or like they weren’t an important part of the family. Even Tyler, for as much as he loves to bitch about his siblings, I know for a fact he wouldn’t trade any of them for anything in the world.”

“He’s very lucky.”

“He is. He’s very patient too, which is why he puts up with so much of my shit.”

“Like your stubbornness?” Kage grinned.

“Yes, like my stubbornness,” he admitted.

Another deep sigh came from Kage’s chest, causing Elijah’s head to rise and fall from where it lay. “Tell you what, I’ll have a conversation with my boss and see if there is anything you can do from here. Maybe some research or something, okay?”

Elijah let the sweet taste of the small victory wash over him. While it wasn’t a huge win, it was something, and in this case, something was better than nothing. If anyone asked him, he wouldn’t have been able to say exactly why it was so important he helped Kage in some way. Maybe because for him, this whole thing started last summer when Ben and Zev appeared in the diner and approached him for help. He’d been there almost from the beginning and he was starting to feel a deeply ingrained need to stay involved. In retrospect, they should have pursued finding the damn laptop more diligently.

“Thank you, Kage. I just want…no, I just need you to understand this is something I feel like I have to do. It started in Idaho, and I don’t know where it’s going, or when it’s going to end, but I have to see it through.”

“I think I get it. I’m pretty sure I’d feel the same if the roles were reversed. I still want you safe and to stay here, but I think I’d be okay with you helping me gather and sort through all the information I get.”

“I’m okay with that, Kage. Speaking of role reversals, isn’t it my turn to suck you off?” Elijah grinned, loving the way Kage’s jaw went slack. Yeah, argument forgotten. The rest of the night was going to be fun.