Shadow Effect - 16. Chapter 16

Kage was dumbstruck. Elijah wanted to make love. If anyone had told him four months ago that he would move heaven and earth to give this beautiful man anything he wanted, including his heart, he would have scoffed and walked away.

The reality was, Kage wanted to make love to Elijah. He might not be able to say the words, but he could show him with his body and Elijah would understand. He agreed one hundred and ten percent. This night would be all about them and nothing else.

Kage stepped into Elijah’s personal space and gathered his shapeshifter into his arms, kissing him with a renewed fervor. It started out tentatively, both of them wanting the other with a ferocity they’d never encountered before, and neither was sure how to act on it.

When Elijah realized ‌Kage wanted to give him what he asked for, he became more assertive. He drove his tongue into the depths of Kage’s mouth, seeking his taste, moaning when he found it.

Kage chased it when it retreated to its own wet cavern, seeking the flavor unique to Elijah, his own vocal cords humming their approval when he found it.

Tugging at Elijah’s shirt, Kage pulled it over his head before ridding himself of his own. Skin on skin was what he craved, and the feel of their torsos against each other wasn’t nearly enough. With their mouths still fused, he fumbled with the buttons and zippers of their jeans, Elijah took the hint and shoved his down, kicking them to the side as Kage followed suit. Both men were rock hard.

Knowing they had all night, Kage took them both in hand, spitting down onto them to make the glide easier. He stroked firmly with one goal in mind. Once the pent up edge was off, he would take his time bringing his lover to places he’d never been.

Elijah lost it first, shooting hot cum onto their stomachs and all over Kage’s hand. He wasn’t far behind, adding his own to mix a few strokes later. Elijah panted and leaned against him for support. Kage wasn’t sure if it was his shapeshifter’s legs he felt trembling, or his own.

“C’mon, let’s go take a shower. There’s a lot more I want to do to you tonight,” Kage murmured, trailing hot kisses along Elijah’s neck, pausing to lick his Adam’s apple as he swallowed hard.

Taking his hand, Kage led him to the huge shower and adjusted the water to a comfortable temperature. He positioned Elijah under the spray, tipping his chin up so the water soaked his beautiful, strawberry-blond waves.

“You are fucking gorgeous,” he declared, once more kissing along Elijah’s exposed neck, this time following along his jaw until reaching the sensitive spot behind his ear. Kage nipped at him and then turned his attention back to the thin skin of his throat. He sucked on the flesh, pulling hard with his lips, drawing blood to the surface, marking him primitively. Pulling off, he admired his handiwork; a dark, red-purple bruise spreading across the pale skin. Slowly, he licked it once more, loving the way Elijah shivered.

“Kage—”

“Shhh, just let it be Elijah. Let me be what you need, just for tonight,” Kage pleaded.

Elijah’s breath caught, hitching as Kage’s words sank in. What he needed. What he wanted. He wanted it all.

He grabbed a thick, terry washcloth and lathered every inch of Elijah’s fair skin, paying particular attention to his nether regions. Inserting a soapy digit into the tight ring of muscle, he nearly came, loving the way it clenched around him. Grazing the sensitive prostate, smiling when Elijah jumped, Kage added another finger, slowly stretching him.

Pulling out, he almost felt sorry when Elijah whimpered.

“Greedy boy. Don’t worry, I’ll get back there, but right now, tip your head back,” he instructed, reaching for the shampoo. The scent of cedar and citrus greeted his nostrils as he lathered Elijah’s hair, massaging his lover’s scalp and drawing out more sounds of pleasure. Sounds that went straight to his cock, bringing it to life once more.

Once his own hair was rinsed thoroughly, Elijah took to the shampoo and began to return the favor. Kage enjoyed the feel of Elijah’s hands running all over his head and body. He grinned when his shapeshifter returned the favor and slid two fingers into his hole, making him hiss at the intrusion. Sneaky little shit.

Elijah was sporting a raging hard-on by now, and he teased Kage by taking himself in a soapy hand and stroking seductively. With a wicked grin, he turned the tables and mirrored his sexy shapeshifter’s actions, loving the way Elijah’s eyes widened and his breath hitched as he pulled and twisted his knob a few times. He could keep this up all night.

Teasing the underside of Elijah’s dick one more time, he released him and gently guided him under the spray for a final rinse before shutting off the water. He grabbed a fluffy towel and gently dried off his beautiful shifter.

The king bed beckoned them, an earlier visit by housekeeping displayed the turn down service indicative of an upscale hotel. The luxurious downy comforter had been neatly pulled back, exposing the expensive Egyptian-cotton sheets. An exquisitely beautiful purple orchid adorned each pillow, alongside two gold-foil wrapped pieces of high quality imported Swiss chocolate.

“That’s so pretty,” Elijah remarked as he carefully moved both flowers and chocolate pieces to the nightstand beside the bed.

“So is your ass,” Kage teased, enjoying the blush that colored Elijah’s chest, traveling upward to his cheeks.

“Shut up and kiss me.”

“Oooooh, so bossy. I like it.”

Kage did as he was told and kissed Elijah for all he was worth. And he was worth a lot. Their mouths fused together, each one vying for control, neither wanting to give an inch. Tasting, sucking, teasing each other, exploring to their heart’s content until they needed more.

Kage pulled back first, wanting to see where his lover would go. Happily, Elijah took the wheel and proceeded to drive him insane with soft kisses all over his chest and stomach. Kisses soon turned into little nips and nips turned into licks, which turned into sucking up little marks all over him. It was the hottest thing anyone had ever done to Kage. It drove him crazy.

The driving, primal need to bury himself within his lover threatened to destroy his control. His resolve nearly shattered when Elijah raked his tongue from his ball sack up the length of his shaft and circled around the leaking head before engulfing him nearly to the root.

“Jesus Christ, Elijah!” Every muscle tensed as his orgasm tried to break free. The only reason it didn’t was because Elijah pulled off suddenly. “Where the fuck did you learn how to do that?”

Elijah shot him a shit eating grin and waggled his eyebrows. “Pornhub.”

“Remind me to sign up for their premium membership.”

Elijah responded by licking the strand of precum that oozed out of his slit.

Kage pushed himself up and wrapped his arms around his very willing shapeshifter and flipped him over so he was on his back. Elijah would get his turn later. Right now Kage needed to take back control. He needed to feel Elijah’s ass choking his dick.

Elijah instinctively spread his legs, exposing himself intimately.

“That is by far the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” Kage sat back on his haunches to admire the incredible sight before him. He reached out and dragged his thumb across the tight pucker, which contracted automatically, then relaxed, inviting him inside. Who was he to refuse such an invitation?

He reached for the bottle on the nightstand and slicked up his fingers before dribbling the cool gel along the underside of Elijah’s balls. Letting gravity direct it down along his crack, it filled the indentation his hole created. He rubbed the lube all along his crease, the glistening, shiny skin so incredibly erotic. Elijah’s ass was a work of art for his eyes alone.

“Elijah, you have no idea what you’re doing to me right now.”

“I think I have an idea, if it’s anything like what you’re doing to me.”

Kage felt a heady rush as he pushed two fingers inside, causing Elijah to take in a quick, deep breath. He did that. He made Elijah react with pleasure. He wanted to do it forever.

Scissoring his fingers, Elijah became pliant, muscles relaxed and enticing. He knew, without a doubt, the moment he was ready and gently pulled his fingers from the searing heat. Elijah started to flip himself over, to present his ass, but Kage stopped him.

“No. I need to see your eyes when I enter you. I need to see inside you.”

The incredulous look that Elijah gave him not only went straight to his cock, but it went straight to his heart, cementing itself there for eternity. It was a look that held every emotion Elijah felt and couldn’t say out loud for fear of breaking the spell.

Kage held his gaze as his cock breached his other half, for that was how he felt. Elijah truly was the best thing about him. The half which made him whole. This man was going to wreck his soul and consume him. As their bodies merged, he couldn’t tell where he ended and Elijah started.

Moving with purpose, he pressed himself against Elijah, feeling the beat of their hearts synchronized, pulsing together.

Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum

Blood flowing through their veins in the same rhythm.

Whoo-whoosh. Whoo-whoosh. Whoo-whoosh

Kage rocked his hips back and forth, a motion as old as time itself, replayed millions of times a day across the globe. Nothing else mattered but the two of them, connected in the most intimate way two beings can come together.

They say the eyes are a window to another person’s soul. Kage swore he could see right into Elijah. He saw the love that was meant only for him. He hoped his eyes reflected the same.

Countless, endless moments passed as they ground against each other, seeking the highest of highs, the tallest heights imaginable, but in no hurry to get there. The feel of skin on skin, hot moisture heating up between the contact. No barrier between them. It was something Kage had never experienced before, and the sensation was almost too much.

Eventually, the craving for the endgame became too much. Kage picked up the pace, Elijah matching him with every thrust. Not once did they break eye contact. Harsh breaths became rapid pants. Guttural sounds rumbled through their chests, but Kage didn’t know if they came from him or Elijah. Sweat pooled on his lower back, beaded on his chest and face.

He reached down to stroke Elijah, needing him to find release. It didn’t take more than a few pulls before his shapeshifter cried out.

“Kage!”

Hot cum shot out in a branding heat, sending him over the abyss, emptying all of who he was, down to his very core, into Elijah, marking him forever. Elijah’s skin all over, flushed red from his orgasm, highlighting his strawberry blond locks, completely gorgeous.

“Mine!” he growled possessively as the final shudders of his orgasm wracked his body. He dropped his head until his forehead met Elijah’s, both slick with perspiration. Finally, his eyes closed as he breathed in the scent of their sex, which permeated the surrounding air. Endorphins flooded his system, causing him to shake. The air itself seemed thick, and all he could hear was the banging of his heart in his chest.

Elijah’s sob brought him out of his haze.

“Are you okay?” he asked, lifting his head enough to see Elijah staring at him. Kage wished he had a camera to capture the look on his face. Awe, wonder and the deepest, most complex emotion known to man reflected back at him. Elijah wasn’t crying because he was hurt or upset. No, his tears were everything good and perfect about him. His tears shone with the one emotion Kage wouldn’t name for fear of it disappearing forever.

“I’m more than okay.”

Kage smiled and kissed him softly, allowing them to stay connected until nature took its course and his dick slid out on its own. Reluctantly, he got up and padded softly into the bathroom, cleaned himself up, and brought a warm washcloth back to take care of Elijah. His man looked completely blissed out and sated.

He wiped down his lover gently and tossed the wet cloth toward the bathroom and slid into the big bed, pulling the covers over them. He reached for his phone and pulled up a playlist and scrolled down until he found what he was looking for and hit play, leaving the volume low. The soft strains of violin music interspersed with sporadic drums blended seamlessly into the beautiful piano notes as the words to Aerosmith’s I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing streamed through the speakers.

As Elijah cuddled into him, Kage sang along softly, one part of the song standing out more than the others;

I just want to hold you close
I feel your heart so close to mine
And just stay here in this moment
For all of the rest of time

Don't want to close my eyes
Don't want to fall asleep
'Cause I'd miss you, babe
And I don't want to miss a thing

He let the words of the song speak for him, saying everything he didn’t know how to say without using the word that scared him the most.

When the last strains of music faded away, Elijah turned his face up and kissed him, letting his own emotions play out with the gentle caress of his lips.

They drifted off for a while. Peaceful and content.

Kage woke sometime in the middle of the night to Elijah’s hand wrapped around his cock. This time Elijah took charge and when he entered Kage, it was just as powerful as their previous lovemaking. Kage wanted the night to last forever.

Alas, daylight banished the darkness, but not the vivid imprint forever seared into his brain. If he never got to share another moment with Elijah after the coming night and what it entailed, then he would have the memories to fall back on. No one would ever come close to giving themself to Kage like Elijah did.

They stayed in bed until nearly noon, hunger driving them to seek out a shower before packing up their belongings. No matter what happened next, this was the last night they would spend together. Kage still knew he had to let Elijah go, as much as it was killing him to do so.

The room was reserved for another night, but spending it in bed was not an option. After they ate brunch at the hotel’s restaurant, he brought Elijah back up to the room to go over the strategy for executing Huntington.

“Do you have any questions about what you need to do?” Kage asked, knowing he was repetitive, but it was imperative that Elijah follow his instructions to a ‘T’.

“No, Kage. I understand.”

“Then let’s go over it again.”

Elijah sighed, but humored Kage. “I’m going to shift into a great horned owl. You will go all shadowy and piggyback, or should I say piggybelly, under me, but no touching because that would be disastrous. I will fly to the roof of the office building where you will slink through the dark recesses of the duct work to Huntington’s office. If he is there, which he should be, you will surprise him from behind, breaking his neck and hopefully causing a quick, silent death. Once that has been achieved, you will return to the rooftop and we shall make our escape.”

It was the simplest version of what was going to happen, but Elijah left out one important factor. Kage gave him a prompting look.

“Yes, I will remain on the rooftop and I will not try to follow you,” he added, still obviously not happy about it.

“Elijah, it’s too dangerous for you to be anywhere near Huntington while I do this. We’ve been through this and I’m still not sure if you’ll stay put. You haven’t promised me, like I’ve asked,” Kage reminded him. It was gnawing at him that he couldn’t get Elijah to agree to staying put on the roof. Kage would never be able to forgive himself if something happened to his shifter.

“Kage, I can’t promise you ‌I won’t follow you at all. I can promise to stay put unless you’re in danger. I can’t risk losing you any more than you’re willing to risk me. Please understand,” Elijah answered, his eyes pleading with Kage.

They were at an impasse, neither willing to budge.

“Okay, Elijah. If that’s all you can promise, I’ll have to take you at your word. But mark mine, if you follow me without good reason, you will be jeopardizing the whole mission. It’s not just my life, or even your life on the line. It’s the lives of those hybrid kids that’s hanging in the balance.”

Kage knew it was his ace in the hole, playing the hybrid card, but Elijah needed to put the job first and his feelings for Kage last. The stakes were much too high.

Kage had to admit that it’d been a really long time before he felt anxious about a job. He kept thinking they were overlooking something. No matter how many times he read over the information his boss sent him, no matter how many times he reread his own notes, no matter how many times he asked Elijah to describe the office again, he still felt like there was some scenario he hadn’t thought of.

Short of a plane crashing into the building while they were in it, he couldn’t stop wracking his brain, thinking of countless possibilities. His anxiety built as the day ticked by, nightfall getting closer.

Neither of them could eat when dinnertime approached. Instead, Kage dressed in what Elijah had dubbed his ‘assassin’s uniform’. Form fitting black jeans, a long sleeved black t-shirt, also form fitting, black boots and thin, lightweight black gloves made up his ensemble. He slicked back his dark hair to keep it from falling in his eyes. Sexy, no doubt, if the heated look Elijah gave him was any indication, but that would need to keep for now.

They gathered their belongings and made their way to the parking garage where Kage’s trusty Camry was parked. They stowed the bags and Kage hid the key in a magnetic box under the frame. For whatever reason, thankfully, his clothes shifted with him, but other objects such as keys and phones didn’t, forcing him to stow them safely. Elijah wouldn’t have any pockets as an owl, so they had to resort to the old fashioned, tried-and-true, hide-a-key box. Sometimes low tech was better.

He gathered Elijah in his arms one more time and kissed him thoroughly, drinking in the feel of him. He rested his forehead against Elijah’s.

“Are you ready?”

Instead of an answer, Elijah stripped down, folded his clothes, and tucked them under the car, up near the front wheels and out of sight.

In the next instant, a gorgeous owl, with shades of brown, beige, black and gray, stretched its wings outward. Kage stood in awe at the five-foot wingspan. The golden yellow eyes seemed amused at his surprised look. Kage shadowed out and glided seamlessly to just below the raptor’s underbelly, keeping a safe distance away from the dark, downy feathers to avoid contact.

Elijah took flight, leaping from the ledge of the retaining wall and soared upward, higher and higher above the city. The lights from below cast shadows all around, making it easy for Kage to stay hidden. As a shadow, he ‘felt’ the rush of the wind around them, but was unaffected by the coldness of the night air. Elijah’s feathers would keep him plenty warm.

The headquarters to Global Insurance was housed in one of the tall downtown skyscrapers. It wasn’t the tallest, but at fifty-four stories it was still a towering behemoth. He sensed, rather than saw with his eyes, when they landed atop the building. His vision as a shadow was filtered differently. He could clearly make out all the shades of blackness the night presented. So many names for variations of the color that dictated his existence. Onyx. Ebony. Obsidian. Sable. Raven. All different, but meaning the same.

He hovered in Elijah’s shadow for a few more seconds, briefly yearning for the physical touch his solid form provided, before drifting away to seek out an access point. A vent provided an incredibly easy way in for him, and he instinctively followed the duct into the interior of the building.

Huntington’s executive offices were on the top floor and wasn’t hard to coast through the darkness of the deserted space. He recognized the area as the executive administrative office from Elijah’s description. His sentience picked up on a sliver of light coming from beneath the door belonging to the head honcho himself.

Being in shadow form was completely different than being human. Instead of normal awareness, he relied more on sensations. As a shadow, he was pure energy, rather than flesh and bones. He could make out the various impressions of everything around him. Molecules, atoms, and even nanomatter gave out its own energy signature. He knew the difference between a wooden desk and a glass wall from the unique vibrations given off by the atoms bouncing off each other. It was his shadow-self’s way of feeling.

When he reverted back to human, his brain would filter the information stored in his own energy signature and translate it into something he could understand. He wasn’t really sure how it all worked, but it was instinctively a part of who he was.

He blended in perfectly with the darkness surrounding him, following its protection as he crossed the room and entered Huntington’s office. Keeping to the blackest edges and corners, he ‘saw’ that Huntington was at his desk, hunched over, working at his computer. Vibrations from the sound of fingers tapping on the keyboard reverberated through him.

Kage moved slowly until he was positioned behind the luxury, high-end, executive desk chair. Surprise was key, and he needed to time things just right so Huntington wouldn’t have time to react. Shadows don’t feel anxiety or fear. There was no brain to process such emotions. Instead, his brain cells were absorbed into his energy and would store those feelings for later, when he would be able to sort through them rationally.

There was something to the feel of Huntington’s energy that would have felt off if he had been in his human form, his shadow-self unable to recognize what it was. He hesitated, the need to understand outweighing the need to act. A whisper of a memory tried to push its way forward, but disappeared each time it got anywhere near the surface.

Minutes ticked by.

Huntington leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms above his head. It was during their descent back to the desktop that Kage acted.

For the second time in his life, he touched another living being and was thrown back to his solid self, unable to shift back to his shadow form after his swift change.

Huntington’s form disappeared, replaced by another. This was the scenario he hadn’t planned for. Another shapeshifter posing as Huntington. Having never met the lion shifter, either in person, or as a shadow, Kage had no idea what his energy signature looked like. He’d assumed the person sitting at the desk had been Kasar Huntington.

He and the other man were locked together, equally matched in stature and, more importantly, strength. He couldn’t see his face, but there was something familiar about him.

“Back off Kage, or you’ll be sorry,” the man’s voice growled.

Trevor. The man who he’d met in Crescent City at his boss’s safe house. The man who was supposed to be working with them, not against them. Kage briefly wondered what happened to the fire shifter or if that had been a ruse?

“Fuck you, Trevor,” he spat, refusing to give an inch.

“Fine. If that’s how you want to play this.”

They scuffled for a few minutes, evenly matched. Neither letting the other break the connection for fear of them disappearing, in Kage’s case, or shifting into something really dangerous, in Trevor’s case.

Kage’s heart hammered in his chest from the exertion. He was in excellent shape, but so was Trevor. He was seriously contemplating letting go and getting the hell out of here, but he knew Trevor would follow him and he wasn’t about to risk going back to Elijah and putting him in danger. The other choice was equally unappetizing. There was no way he was going to leave Elijah up on that roof by himself, either.

The decision was taken out of his hands, however. Trevor managed to maneuver them until Kage was pushed against the desk. Suddenly, a sharp pain sliced into him from his side and up into his chest. Fuck! Goddamnsonofabitch!

Trevor pushed him away, breaking the connection, but Kage was incapable of shifting. Searing heat scorched him from within and he collapsed onto the floor in a heap, gasping to draw air into his punctured lung. Heat pulsed through his body, simmering in his chest, around his heart. He looked up and saw the knife, then watched as his blood disintegrated in front of his eyes.

What had the knife been laced with?

Trevor knelt down and wiped the knife on Kage’s jeans, precariously close to his junk. “Mr. Huntington won’t have to worry about you anymore now, will he? I can’t wait to get my hands on that tasty little morsel you’ve been hoarding. Elijah, is it?” His mouth twisted into an evil smirk.

Kage tried to reply, but couldn’t draw enough air into his lungs to form words. He reached out, one hand groping at Trevor, catching his ankle for a few fleeting seconds, before it fell uselessly as the poison worked its way through his system.

Trevor stood up and walked to the door, turned back and winked at Kage. It was the last thing he saw as his vision went gray.

His last two thoughts were;

Elijah! There was so much more he needed to say to the man who made him see love.

Shit, he was dying.