Shadow Effect - 12. Chapter 12

Kage couldn’t help but watch Elijah as he slept. His features were soft, and his lips parted slightly as his breath puffed in and out. Remembering where those lips were last night brought a smile to his face. His shapeshifter was becoming more and more confident with himself every day. He didn’t hesitate to pound into Kage last night and Kage didn’t mind him doing it.

He sighed. Fuck. He wished he could be what he knew Elijah wanted. What he needed. Elijah needed safety and stability. He needed someone he could depend on, someone reliable, someone who wouldn’t leave at a moment’s notice.

Someone who wasn’t Kage.

Elijah was everything good. He was innocent. Not like a child, but rather, blindly ignorant of the harsh reality of life and death. Yes, losing his parents had tainted him, but Elijah still knew nothing of the cruelties happening all over the world every day. Atrocities which Kage had seen firsthand, and even been a part of, albeit unwillingly. His shapeshifter truly was the best part of him.

Kage didn’t think he was even capable of changing, even if he wanted to. His life was killing. It’s all he’s ever known. What was the saying? A leopard can’t change its spots? Some shit like that. Kage couldn’t change his instincts to kill. To eliminate those who were a threat to their very existence. It would be like asking the clouds to stop moving across the sky.

Even if he could, supernatural assassins didn’t retire. Teachers retired. Airline pilots retired. Even self-driven, multi-billionaire businessmen retired, granted, it was usually at the insistence of their lifelong, neglected wives, or when they couldn’t ignore the physical deterioration age inevitably brought any longer.

Assassins? Hell no. They died. Plain and simple. Many of them died much too young, never seeing the far side of thirty. He was lucky to have made it this far. Fuck knows there had been plenty of close calls. Kage's life expectations didn’t include living to a ripe old age. If he made it to forty he’d be one of a select minority. If he made it to fifty it would be a fucking miracle. It was a sobering thought.

How could he give Elijah any part of himself if it was just going to disappear within a dozen or so years? It’s not like he’d been paying into the local Teamsters 101 Assassin’s Association for twenty years. There was no fat pension and a nicely padded 401K with a gold watch and retirement party waiting for him back at the office.

He had money, sure, and plenty of it. He was also positive when he disappeared one day the money would find its way back into the account from which it came. His boss always tied up loose ends. Abandoned off-shore and Swiss bank accounts always drew attention eventually. The trail never led back to a shifter assassin who suddenly dropped off the face of the Earth. The Fae would make sure of it.

Besides, even if he could exit stage left, what would he do? It’s not like Amazon was looking for someone to kill anyone who got in the way of making deliveries by the next business day. No job description whatsoever included ‘silent murder skills are a plus’.

Kage snorted.

Elijah stirred.

Kage stilled, not wanting to break the peace he felt upon waking with his arms full of his shapeshifter. He breathed a soft sigh of relief when the man settled down again and stayed slumbering. The sun was still an hour or so from breaking over the horizon, the shades of gray only broken by the soft radiance of the nightlight Elijah had in his adjacent bathroom, which gave off enough light to negate having to turn on the brighter overhead fixture in the middle of the night when he needed to pee.

It allowed Kage to just make out his beautiful shifter’s features, relaxed and soft with sleep. Minutes ticked by leisurely, until the darkness gradually softened as daybreak approached. Kage could now make out the full, strawberry-blond lashes that brushed the tops of Elijah’s cheeks. As the sun rose and soft light filtered through the blinds, Kage could count the light smattering of freckles that peppered Elijah’s nose.

He kissed the top of Elijah’s head, and those pretty lashes fluttered and opened sleepily, then blinked rapidly as the morning light registered and his pupils constricted.

“Good morning,” Kage rumbled softly. He was rewarded with a smile.

“Mmm, g’mornin,” Elijah grumbled, his voice raspy with sleep.

Elijah buried his head in Kage’s chest, which caused something in him to constrict tightly. He wrapped his arms around the firm body and pulled him closer.

“Iwanaffles,” Elijah mumbled into his firm pecs.

“What?”

Elijah lifted his head and tried again. “I want waffles.”

Kage smiled. That was pretty random. “Do you want me to make you some?” he asked.

Elijah’s soft, loose curls bounced as he shook his head.

“No, let’s go out. That way we don’t have to clean up a mess.”

Kage couldn’t find fault with that logic. They already showered before going to sleep, so after pulling on some clothes, hunting for Elijah’s keys before giving up and grabbing Kage’s, they set out for the short drive to the diner. Kage knew Elijah missed his job, but at the same time, he’d come to terms with the fact those days were most likely behind him for good. He still wasn’t sure what he wanted to do, but until Kage knew he was safe from Huntington, it could be put on hold.

The laptop was still MIA and even Kage mentioning the RV his parents owned had turned out to be a bust. Elijah reported the vehicle was no longer in their possession after having been totaled the previous fall. A tree had crashed down on it, virtually destroying the roof. No one was hurt, as it was parked in the driveway at the time, waiting on Elijah and his Dad to clean it out and winterize it. Mr. Garrison had planned on purchasing another camper before the start of this season.

Elijah was greeted exuberantly by his old coworkers and more than a few of the regulars who asked when he was coming back. They missed him. Kage couldn’t imagine a world in which his coworkers missed him. Not that he had any. Assassins didn’t exactly have team huddles or luncheon strategy sessions.

Brittany waited on them, a look of disappointment crossing her face when she realized Elijah only had eyes for Kage.

“So what do we need to get done today?” Kage asked after Brittany left to drop their order in the kitchen.

“I think I’m ready to start on my parents’ room. I need to clean out their clothes and stuff, and bring them to the donation center. I’d like to get it cleared so Tyler and I can figure out what to do with the space eventually. When Tyler moves in after he graduates, it would be a perfect studio for his music. His input will be important. For now, I want to concentrate on getting rid of everything I don’t want to keep for sentimental value, paint it, and put down the new flooring.”

“Is that all?” Kage teased.

Elijah’s answer was interrupted by the loud buzz from Kage’s phone. He glanced at the screen.

Solo flying lesson. 2pm at the hangar.

Fuck his life. His boss wanted a meeting at two o’clock. Alone. He hadn’t let Elijah out of his sight in over two months. His boss must have some kind of inside information important enough to let Kage risk having Elijah without protection for several hours. Either that or he just didn’t care. Kage knew deep down it was the latter.

Elijah must have recognized the scowl which Kage was sure was plastered across his face for the whole world to see.

“Your boss?” Elijah asked.

Kage’s lips thinned before answering, “Yeah. I need to meet with him this afternoon. Could you see if Tyler will stay with you?”

“I don’t need a babysitter, Kage.”

“I know that. It would just make me feel better. Besides, don't you need some Tyler-time?” Kage knew he hit a chord when Elijah didn’t answer right away.

“Fine,” Elijah replied, his voice giving away his annoyance, but not wanting to argue. “Will you be back tonight?”

“I fucking hope so. I have no desire whatsoever to stay away overnight.”

Just then, Brittany brought out their plates. Elijah’s was stacked with two thick waffles covering the whole plate. Kage’s was piled high with steaming, fluffy pancakes. A side of crispy bacon and another of sausage for each of them. After depositing the plates, Brittany came back with the coffee carafe and topped off their mugs. Discussion was over while they ate.

After buttering and dousing the stack of pancakes with the real maple syrup Brittany brought out instead of the fake stuff the regular customers got unless they requested otherwise, Kage slid the jug across the counter and watched in amusement as Elijah filled each little divet of his waffle, top and bottom, making sure not to miss any.

“That’s cute,” he remarked and enjoyed seeing a pink blush creep up Elijah’s neck and cheeks. It reminded him of how he looked at the peak of orgasming and he could picture the flush of heat radiating across his shapeshifter’s torso. There was no way in hell he could control the sudden flow of blood straight to his dick. It made him shift uncomfortably in his seat.

“Waffles have to have the syrup just so, otherwise they suck,” Elijah rationalized.

“I’m sure they do,” Kage replied, taking a sip of coffee to hide his grin.

They ate in comfortable silence, letting the cacophony of the diner surround them. Elijah seemed to enjoy watching the hustle and bustle of the place. At the same time, his features were relaxed, knowing that he wouldn’t have to be one of the wait staff continually scrambling to refill coffee, take orders, run back and forth to the prep station for more butter, sugar, or whatever it was the customer wanted. They busted their asses and while most people were considerate, there were always a few who made the job difficult. Kage admired the hard work they put in.

After finishing his last bite of pancake, he was tempted to lick his plate clean, the food had been that good. He noticed Elijah was nearly done as well.

“I’ll text Tyler and see if he’ll come over and help me go through my parents’ stuff. He might be able to use some of it. If not one of his siblings might. I know Elena has been looking at jobs in the Sacramento area. Her two best friends have an apartment there and their third roommate is moving across the country in a couple of months. If she can find a job, she’ll take the spot in the house.”

“That sounds like a good opportunity for her.”

“Yeah, she’s been talking about moving out for a while now. Mama doesn’t really like the idea, but her and Papi are so good about encouraging their kids to be independent, it’s inevitable. So what do you think your boss wants you for?”

Kage wiped his mouth before dropping the napkin on his plate and pushing it near the edge of the table. “I really don’t know. I never know with that man.”

“Where do you have to go?”

He hesitated a moment before answering, not sure if it was information that his boss would classify as secret. Deciding he really didn’t give a shit, he replied, “Crescent City, that’s why I should be back later tonight. It’s not that far.”

“Promise?”

Kage smiled as he nodded.

Elijah gave him a bright smile in return before shoving the last bite of waffle in between those luscious lips. Damn. Kage would promise him the moon just to see those lips wrapped around his cock.

His mental train of thought was derailed as Brittany came over to ask if they wanted anything else. After shaking their heads, she placed the check on the table face down in between them. Elijah got to it first.

“I asked you out to breakfast so it’s on me,'' he informed Kage, backing it up with a stern look. That was cute too.

“Thank you,” Kage replied, one side of his mouth quirking up at the look of surprise on Elijah’s face. His cutie was sure Kage would’ve at least put up a mild fight for the check.

Elijah slid out of the booth, pulled his wallet out of his back pocket, dropped a ten on the table for the tip pool and headed to the register to pay the rest. Kage followed, enjoying the view as Elijah sauntered ahead of him, his jeans hugging his ass just right.

Being a weekday, the local hardware store was open by the time they left the diner. Kage parked in the lot near the entrance and went in to help Elijah pick out colors for the upstairs bedroom and bathroom, which took longer than it should have as Elijah had a hard time deciding between two slightly different shades of light green. They had plenty of time to kill however, and in addition to the paint, they ended up picking out a new mirror and light fixtures for the bathroom and new electrical plate covers for all the outlets. The trunk of his Camry was full as they headed back.

After helping Elijah unload the supplies, Kage changed into dress slacks and a button up shirt.

“Why do you dress up to see your boss? Is there an assassin dress code or something?” Elijah asked, mostly serious.

Kage chuckled. “No, it’s just something I’ve always done, unless I’m going in directly from a job. My boss has always been well dressed and groomed and I guess I picked it up from him.”

“Oh.”

“What time is Tyler coming over?” Kage didn’t really want to leave Elijah alone, but he had to leave soon.

“He should be here in about ten minutes,” Elijah replied, looking pointedly at Kage’s crotch. Jeezus, he created a monster.

“My eyes are up here, Elijah.” Kage pointed as he placed a finger under Elijah’s chin and redirected his gaze upward.

“Dammit.”

Kage leaned over and kissed his disappointed shifter. As much as he would love a quickie blow job, he really did need to leave the minute Tyler walked through the door. It was a good thing he hadn’t taken up Elijah on his ill-concealed brazen offer. It wasn’t more than three minutes later when Tyler’s entrance was announced by his heavy footsteps coming in through the front door.

Kage dropped another kiss on Elijah’s lips, pulling back just as Tyler came into sight.

“Sorry to interrupt dudes!” Tyler said, his cheeks flushing with a hint of pink.

“I’ve got to get going. I’ll text you when I’m on my way back,” he said to Elijah, then looked at Tyler. “Thanks for keeping him company.”

He grabbed his keys from the table in the front entry, then bent down to retrieve Elijah’s keys which they couldn’t find earlier because they had fallen behind the table. The light hit them just right as he’d walked across the room.

“Bye!” he shot over his shoulder right before closing the front door.

The ride to Crescent City was uneventful. Weekday traffic was light, with tourist season still a month or so away. The spring air was warm enough so he could have the windows down. Kage enjoyed the breeze that rushed through, occasionally bringing the salty, tangy scent of the Pacific to his nose.

After an easy drive, he pulled into the driveway of the nondescript, suburban house. Kage parked next to another generic sedan. Shaking his head as he got out he couldn’t help but think his boss had no taste when it came to vehicles. Maybe he could convince the man to upgrade to at least an Audi or an Infinity next time. They weren’t too ostentatious. It wasn’t like he was asking for a McClaren or Ferrari.

The familiar click indicated the front door was now unlocked and this time when Kage entered the kitchen, he was surprised to see another man sitting at the table, occupying the seat he’d utilized last time.

His boss nodded. “Have a seat.”

Kage sat.

“Kage, this is Trevor. He’s a shapeshifter who has recently come into my employ.”

Kage’s eyes darted to the man. He was about the same age and had the same hard lines around his eyes that Kage sported. He might be a shapeshifter like Elijah, only the strawberry-blond was a helluva lot cuter. The guy wasn’t ugly, but he certainly wouldn’t grace the cover of GQ in this lifetime. Unassuming brown hair and eyes, with average features, there was nothing which stood out to make him memorable. The only thing Kage could detect that was different was a small, Y-shaped scar under his chin, only noticeable because of the way he held himself; chin up, as though he was superior to Kage. Trevor was assessing him in the same manner.

It only mildly surprised Kage when his boss used the man’s name. It wasn’t often that two assassins worked on the same job. On those rare occasions, there were times the Fae would let those in his employ decide if they wanted to divulge whatever moniker they were using at the time to their co-worker. Hearing his boss use their names didn’t exactly bode well. It usually meant that whatever job was in store for them, there was a high probability one or both of them wouldn’t live to give a rat’s ass about knowing who the other person was. Either that, or it was going to be a long, drawn out assignment.

Knowing the seriousness of the situation, Kage didn’t believe they had a lot of time to allow it to work in their favor. That left option number one as the only alternative.

Kage nodded, knowing words weren’t needed, nor expected.

“Trevor has informed me that Huntington is behind the disappearance of four wolf shifters involved in the trafficking of the hybrid wolf pups. It seems to me he’s getting rid of those who have any knowledge of what’s on the missing laptop. We don’t think there are many others outside of Huntington that are left, in that regard. In fact, we have one of them in custody.”

Kage tilted his head, wondering if that was a good thing, or not.

“So far, the cooperation has been less than satisfactory, shall we say?”

That made Kage sit up and take notice. He’d been at the giving end of interrogation techniques and it was very rare when a subject didn’t break after a few hours.

“How long?” he asked.

“Three days.”

Fuck! That was not a good omen.

“What is he?”

“She is an elemental. A fire shifter.”

Kage blinked. A fire shifter? Fuck him to hell. In his thirty-eight years he’d never come across an elemental shifter. Although no one knew for sure, it was believed that elemental shifters totalled less than a thousand. In a population that numbered in the billions on this planet, what were the chances that Huntinton managed to recruit an elemental shifter?

Infinitesimal, that’s what.

Air. Water. Fire. Earth.

It was thought elemental shifters could not only shift into their element, but they could also control that element as well. So in other words, an air shifter did not have to actually shift into a form of air, such as a wind storm, they could control the very air that surrounded them. It added a whole other dimension to shifting abilities.

“I can see by your expression that you’ve come to the same conclusion as we have. The elemental will have to be eliminated if no information is forthcoming,” commanded the Fae.

Shit. How the hell did they even contain the woman? Kage thought about that for a moment. What did fire need to sustain itself? A source of fuel. That was easy, the shifter herself could act as the catalyst for a fuel source.

Oxygen. Holy shit, they were depriving her of oxygen! Knowing his boss, she was being given the bare minimum amount of the life-sustaining element needed to survive. Hell, she’d probably end up permanently brain damaged if she survived at all.

“So Kage, how do you torture a flame?”

Kage was stumped. Several long minutes passed as they mulled over possibilities in their minds.

“Trevor, what have you tried, other than oxygen deprivation?” Kage asked, intuitively knowing the only reason Trevor was here was because he was the one who’d been torturing the elemental with no results. He must have been one of his boss’’s best interrogators if he was still alive after failing his task. The Fae rarely accepted failure.

“Waterboarding and pain infliction with chemical fire retardants, in addition to the oxygen deprivation,” Trevor replied matter-of-factly.

Hmmmm, for some reason the lyrics to Billy Joel’s We Didn’t Start the Fire reverberated in his head.

We didn't start the fire
It was always burning, since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No, we didn't light it, but we tried to fight it

The next thing that flashed through his mind was a snippet from an old Talking Heads song, Burning Down the House. One line stood out:

Fightin’ fire with fire

“Did you try flames?”

Trevor looked at him like he had two heads. If his boss wasn’t there, Kage would have rolled his eyes at the man’s lack of intelligence.

“You know the saying, 'fight fire with fire’?”

His boss smiled. That was a rarity in and of itself. He was always slightly startled to see its appearance. It changed his boss’s entire demeanor, making him seem closer to human.

“Go,” he said to Trevor, the smile gone just as quickly as it came.

Trevor took his leave, presumably to try to torture the fire shifter with a dose of her own medicine. Kage knew his boss was reluctant to eliminate her. He would be too. Elemental shifters were worthy adversaries, but they were much better as allies. Whatever the outcome, she better realize her very life depended on her cooperation.

Kage waited patiently. His boss did not summon him just to test his problem solving skills, that was just a bonus. No, there was an alternative purpose for his presence in the room, he just needed to be patient. The ability to play the waiting game was something which he possessed in spades.

“Huntington is getting bolder,” the boss finally mentioned, “killing four shifters in three weeks. He can’t replicate his missing database and those who try and fail are killed.”

Jesus Christ. Did Kasar Huntington even realize how massive a hypocrite he was?

“He needs to be eliminated.”

The statement startled Kage, getting his immediate attention. “What about finding the laptop?” he asked.

“The information on the laptop won’t change, regardless of whether Huntington is alive or dead. He’s making too many waves and if this continues, he’ll make a mistake and humans will end up getting involved. You need to stop that before it happens.”

Aaannnd, there it was. His raison d'être. “Yes sir,” Kage agreed, having no other choice.

“Come up with a plan, then let me know what information or tools you’ll need.”

Kage nodded before pushing his chair back and heading toward the front door. By information his boss meant schematics, security codes, schedules, or anything else Kage deemed necessary once he chose his target’s place of death. Huntington was sure to have top-notch security at both his office and home. Either one would be difficult, but not impossible to access. He just needed to figure out which one was the lesser of two evils.

“And Kage?”

Kage turned to look back at the man who had been part of his life since as long as he could remember and knew next to nothing about.

“Yeah?”

“Be careful.”

Kage stared at the man for a brief second while a shiver of foreboding ran up his spine. If his boss was telling him to be cautious, it meant this mission was more perilous than he originally thought. His lips tightened into a thin line before he gave one last curt nod and left the house.

The drive back was quiet, only the sound of the wheels humming along the pavement. He wasn’t in the mood for music; his thoughts were too tumultuous to focus on anything. He was already thinking ahead and how to tell Elijah he was leaving. He needed to head to San Francisco to do some reconnaissance. Maybe he should just keep going and bypass Elijah’s quiet little town. It was only a six and a half hour drive to San Francisco. He could be there well before midnight. Even as he glanced at the fuel gauge, mentally calculating how far he could go before needing to stop, he knew he wouldn’t do it. He promised Elijah he would be back tonight. He broke the silence by using the voice feature on his phone to send a text to Elijah letting him know he would be home in an hour.

Home? Where did that thought come from? Kage didn’t do home. Home was wherever he happened to be at the moment. Home was….

Home was wherever Elijah was.