Shadow Effect - 30. Chapter 30

Elijah smiled as Cameron horsed around with a few of the other hybrids. The kid was incredibly resilient for someone who’d been held captive for over two years and physically changed almost beyond recognition.

Over a week passed since they brought him back to Montana. Most of the time was spent reconnecting with his parents and trying to create a new normal. Having others around who went through the same horrid experiment helped. So did counseling with a shifter psychologist. That didn’t mean it was all smooth sailing. Despite his outward brave facade, Cameron’s eyes often told a different story. There was a maturity in them that bespoke of experiences a boy his age shouldn’t have knowledge of. Elijah was happy he and his parents were getting the help they needed.

Lauren Nading was her son’s biggest supporter, being a mom first and his greatest advocate second. Cameron’s dad, Heath, soaked in as much information he could get his hands on, trying to learn everything he could about the process which had changed his son. The scientists working on a cure were impressed with how quickly he grasped complicated details.

“Hey E!” Tyler called out, pulling Elijah from his internal thoughts. “Did you see the text from Sebastian?”

Elijah pulled out his phone to see a message waiting to be read. “Uh, no.”

“He wants us back at the house soon. Looks like Ben and Zev scored a win for the team.”

“They rescued the pup?”

Tyler’s broad grin was the only reply he needed. Two days after they brought Cameron back, Zev called and said they were hot on the trail of Raylan Jones, a pup missing for over a year. They tracked him to a small town in northern Minnesota near the Canadian border. Sebastian and his team had worked round the clock digging up information that could help them. Elijah knew it had been stressful. He noticed the lines of worry and frustration on the Alpha’s face every time he made a brief appearance at mealtimes. Reilly looked frazzled too, concern for his mate plastered all over his face.

“Yep, they should be here within an hour.”

Elijah waved to Cameron and his parents as he got into the minivan with Tyler behind the wheel.

“Did they run into any problems?”

“Dude, I told you everything I know. I’m sure they’ll fill us in when they get here.”

"Fine! You don't have to be so snarky, ya know," Elijah huffed, more annoyed with himself for not seeing Sebastian’s text earlier, than with Tyler for bringing to his attention first. His best friend sighed and shook his head, knowing Elijah didn't mean to shoot the messenger.

Back at the main house, there was a buzz in the air. Palpable, positive energy that was contagious.

Reilly was in the kitchen, helping Sandi put together the finishing touches on dinner. It looked like baked ziti was on the menu. It was his least favorite pasta. Even though it tasted the same as all the other shapes of noodles, there was something about the hollow texture Elijah found weird.

Sandi put him and Tyler to work as soon as she laid eyes on them. They carted out plates, silverware, and other items as everyone trickled in to take a seat at the big table.

Sebastian appeared from his office and filled them all in. “The boys will be here in about ten minutes. It looks like they lucked out like you did with Cameron. The only difference is Ray’s parents won’t make it here until tomorrow. They were attending a funeral in Georgia,” he informed them.

“A family member?” Sandi asked.

“Yes, Ray’s grandfather. They asked that we don’t tell Ray. They would rather do that themselves.”

“Of course.”

It wasn't long before they heard a vehicle coming up the driveway. Elijah and Tyler stayed back, not wanting to overwhelm the new arrival. While they helped Sandi with the final preparations for dinner, Hunter and Kellan came in the back door, both flushed and looking a little disheveled.

Elijah saw Ty raise an eyebrow, but the couple was spared further embarrassment by the arrival of their triumphant friends. As soon as Ben and Zev caught sight of him, Elijah found himself swept up in a massive hug, sandwiched between the triumphant pair. They lifted him off his feet in their exuberance.

“Put me down!” he laughed, happy to see his friends. Once he was back on his own two feet, they abandoned him and turned their attention to Tyler, who smartly retreated to the other side of the table. It wasn’t enough and he, too, found himself in the middle of a shifter sandwich.

Elijah caught sight of the newest rescuee, standing on the threshold of the room, Sebastian behind him, looking on with an expression that was a cross between exasperated parent and tough Alpha.

“If you’re done mauling Tyler, I’d like to introduce everyone to Ray.”

Ben and Zev didn’t bother looking contrite.

Sebastian pointed to Tyler. “That’s Tyler and over there is—,” pointing to me, “Elijah. The three over by the table are my mate, Reilly, my Beta, Hunter, and his mate, Kellan. Boys, this is Raylan Jones, but he likes to be called Ray.”

Elijah gave him a smile and a little wave. His appearance was different from Cameron’s. Where Cameron still retained many human features, Ray resembled more of his wolf. He was able to walk on two legs, retaining that part of his humanity. His fur was slate gray, with a white chest. Ray's muzzle was fully formed, ears pointed, hands were paws, and his feet, which were bare, were elongated. His eyes, however, were completely human. They were a pale blue, like an icy glacier. They were wary, not sure what to make of his current situation.

Zev hurried over and whispered something to the youngster. Immediately, he relaxed, obviously soothed by whatever Zev said. That was the cue to get things moving along. Like Cameron, Ray couldn’t speak. Unlike Cameron, he couldn’t write. Basic ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions yielded a nod or shake of the head.

Sandi nudged Sebastian out of her way, taking over in a way only she could get away with. "I'm Sandi. Welcome, Ray. My husband, Wayne, is another Beta. He's working, but you'll meet him, eventually. What do you say we get you fed? Everything else can wait."

Leave it to Sandi to step in and put Ray at ease, especially when an offer of food was involved.

Ray still seemed a bit nervous, but who could blame him? Sandi guided him to a seat and sat down next to him. He visibly relaxed. The rest of them brought out the food.

Ray let out a soft whine as Sandi put a plate of steaming ziti in front of him. The look he gave her was clearly embarrassment. His hands did not work properly, and he wasn't able to grip any type of utensil. Right away, Sandi understood.

"Would you rather one of us feed you, or would you like to just eat off the plate?" She asked tactfully as if this was an everyday occurrence.

Ray dipped his muzzle toward the plate, indicating his preference. He waited for Sandi's nod before his long tongue flicked out to taste the sauce, followed by a tentative bite and a happy chuff after he swallowed.

Elijah noticed Sebastian watching the entire exchange with a pensive expression.

They kept chatter to light topics. No one wanted to overwhelm the newcomer. Instead, they did their best to put the skittish pup at ease. Sandi hovered like a mother hen, protective of her new charge like a mama bear. She temporarily filled the maternal role and would do so until Ray’s mom arrived.

The usual horseplay and teasing amongst the friends seemed to amuse Ray. Occasionally, a toothy grin appeared as he watched the easy-going camaraderie between the shifters.

After dinner, Ben volunteered to take Ray over to the lodge where Donovan was waiting to give him a quick once-over, opting to wait until his parents got there before a more thorough exam was given.

Sandi went with them after Ray gave her a nudge. She may not have any kids of her own, but her mom instincts were spot on.

Once they were gone, Sebastian moved the team to the common area for the debriefing. "Zev, give us a recap of what went on the past few days. Every bit of information will help us come up with ways to facilitate future rescues."

"Well, as you know, George Caldwell was the human who won Ray’s auction last year. Thanks to the information you were able to dig up, we followed the trail to northern Minnesota, where Caldwell owns a custom furniture and cabinetry shop. Once we got there, we decided to have Ben pay him a visit. He confirmed his identity as a mountain lion shifter. He also discovered all of his staff were some sort of feline shifters, as well. We were lucky it was a small shop, and he only had three employees."

"How did you find Ray?" Elijah asked.

"His shop was located on a lake,” Zev explained. “It’s a hot spot for fishing, so we rented a cabin down the street from his shop, posing as fishermen on a little vacation. We spent a couple of days scoping things out. It was easy to keep an eye out on everything going on from the lake. No one gives any notice to two guys on a boat casting lines all day. We figured out Caldwell’s schedule after a couple of days. He lived in a house adjacent to the shop, so it was easy to track his movements throughout the day. We didn’t see anything out of the ordinary and weren’t sure what our next step should be when Ben started getting a gut feeling."

"What do you mean?" Sebastian asked.

"It was really weird. He got these feelings and somehow I could feel them too right afterward."

Elijah saw Sebastian’s forehead furrow. Reilly saw it too and leaned into his mate. Their connection was amazing.

“What kind of feelings?” Sebastian asked.

“It’s hard to explain. It’s as if I could feel exactly how Ben was feeling. It was like I was part of him. You ever see one of those movies or read a book where a character could actually see what someone else is seeing as an event happens? It’s like that, only I could feel what he was feeling.”

“Could it be your mate connection?” Reilly asked.

“No, I don’t think so. Our wolves weren’t involved in any way. Usually, when our mate connection kicks in, our wolves feel it too. This was–, well, it was just us.”

"Maybe I should go get Silas and Rosalie," Hunter suggested.

“That’s a good idea. I’ll call them and let them know you’re on the way,” Sebastian agreed.

While they waited for Hunter to return with the pack elders, Ben and Sandi came back, informing everyone that Ray was settled with Donovan for the night.

Sebastian caught them up to what had been discussed and stopped Ben when he started to explain the odd feelings he encountered. “Let’s wait for Rosalie and Silas so you don’t have to explain things twice.”

It took nearly an hour before they heard Hunter pull up and another few minutes before he came through the door escorting Rosalie, who had a firm grip on his arm. Silas was a step behind them. The two older shifters settled into comfortable chairs.

“Now, what’s so important that you’ve dragged Silas and me away from Jeopardy!?” Rosalie asked with a twinkle in her eyes.

“Now you know I wouldn’t have called you away from your favorite game show for no reason, right?” Sebastian replied. “It seems Ben and Zev have had some strange sort of connection thing going on and we’re hoping you might shed some light on it.

Elijah was as anxious as the rest of them were to hear what Zev and Ben had to say.

His shifter friends exchanged a look before Zev repeated what he told them earlier for Rosalie's and Silas’ benefit before letting Ben elaborate.

“When we were in the cabin, Zev and I were discussing the whole situation, trying to come up with a plan. All of a sudden, I got an intense feeling. It was like something was telling me we had to check out the woods on the back side of the furniture shop. It nearly doubled me over. It was so strong. The next thing I knew, Zev was mirroring my every move. We were perfectly synchronized. When we could finally speak, he told me he had the same feelings I did, and he felt like he was experiencing them through me as if he actually was me. It was the oddest thing.”

“It’s not that odd. Elijah gets these gut feelings too. He thinks it’s Kage,” Tyler blurted.

Elijah shot him a look. Great, now everyone was staring at him. He sighed. Even though he had already explained most of his theory to the guys, the rest of the group needed to hear it. “When Kage died, he faded into his shadow. I thought, for a moment, that he was going to be okay, but then his shadow changed. It got lighter and lighter until it was pure white. Next, it passed right through me. It left behind a small scar.” Elijah rubbed at his chest unconsciously.

Elijah hesitated, not sure if he should admit to the rest until he saw Tyler prompting him to continue. “I think he left a piece of himself inside me. Whenever I get these gut feelings, like I did when we decided to go after Cameron in Arizona, I get a hot sensation from within. The scar that Kage’s light left behind sort of burns.”

Elijah saw Ben’s eyes widen.

“What?” he implored, staring at his friend.

“I get a warm, almost hot sensation whenever these feelings hit.”

The group was silent for a few moments before Sebastian spoke. “What do you make of this?” he asked Silas and Rosalie.

Silas nodded to Rosalie, deferring to her seniority.

“While I admit I don’t know a lot about shapeshifting and elemental shifter abilities, I will say I do believe it’s quite possible Kage may have left some of his energy inside of young Elijah. I’ve heard of this before, but it was a very long time ago. I believe it can only occur when there is a strong connection between two individuals,” Rosalie commented, looking at Silas, silently inviting him to add anything else.

Elijah noticed Silas’ eyes were clear, not their usual cloudy gray. The old shifter added, “Yes, it’s entirely possible. I’ve heard of the same thing happening and it always involved a non-animal shifter. Believe it or not, for as many years as I’ve been on this earth, I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting an elemental shifter.”

“Kage mentioned that Cassiel encountered a fire shifter. Well, not directly. That asshole Trevor said they captured one,” Elijah said.

“That is unfortunate,” Rosalie commented. “Elemental shifters are the rarest kind. They tend to have extra abilities that are unique to them.”

“What do you mean?” Reilly asked.

Rosalie thought for a moment before speaking. “The abilities always manifest between opposite elements. For example, water and fire are opposites, as are earth and wind. A water shifter might have the ability to read emotions, or some semblance of thoughts, whereas a fire shifter would be able to block those same emotions or thoughts.”

Something about what she said made Elijah’s brain itch. It was that feeling you get when you try to remember something specific, but it remained elusive.

“Not that this isn’t fascinating, but how does it relate to what is happening between Ben and Zev?” Sebastian asked.

Elijah was wondering the same thing.

Rosalie smiled. “In all likelihood, it doesn’t. However, it’s my belief that because Elijah and his Kage had such a strong connection when Kage passed on, his energy manifested physically, like we all will when it’s our time. From what Elijah has told us, a small amount of Kage’s energy has taken up residence within him. This is only speculation, but, hear me out. I think it’s possible that Kage is still somehow able to control the remnant of his energy and he’s trying to herd the teams in the right direction.”

“Like a border collie?” Tyler snorted.

Elijah elbowed him.

Rosalie chuckled. “Exactly like a border collie.”

“All of that makes perfect sense,” added Silas. “But, I’d like to add something I remember of the old stories about elemental shifters. Extra abilities are not always the case. It all boils down to the luck of the draw. Besides, as rare as they are, elemental shifters almost never cross paths. There’s something else about elemental shifters, but I can’t remember it for the life of me. The old seer from my youth is long gone. He had many stories involving elemental shifters, but it’s been eons since I’ve thought of them.”

“So why are we affected?” Zev asked.

“Because you two are a Psi pair,” Rosalie answered as if it were obvious.

“Um, I still don’t get it,” Zev said, looking just as confused as the rest of them.

Everyone’s attention was on Rosalie, awaiting the next lesson in ancient shifter history. It was the stuff that was never taught in school.

“P-s-i, or p-s-y, in the human world is attributed to the ancient Greeks. They associated it with breath, or to breathe. It is also connected with the words life, soul, and spirit too. But most importantly, it relates to the mind or consciousness. It’s the root of psyche, psychology, psychic and psycho, to name a few. In reality, the word goes back further than the ancient Greeks. Its origin comes from the earliest shifters. The traditional meaning is having the soul or mind of another person. A true Psi pair, like you two,” she nodded at Ben and Zev, “means having an ability to connect on a telepathic level.”

“But we can’t read each other's minds!” Ben exclaimed, his eyes widening in alarm.

“No, and you most likely never will. What I mean is that you have the ability to connect with each other on a different level. Answer this. Since you’ve been mates, have you had a sense of knowing what the other is thinking or feeling, even when they’re not in the same room?”

Elijah saw his friends exchange a look.

“Yes. We thought it was the mate connection, but it does seem to go deeper than that.” Zev remarked.

“I’m sorry, but exactly what is this mate connection?” Tyler asked. Elijah kept forgetting this was all new to him. He only knew some of this because of the time he’d spent with his friends several months ago.

Sebastian explained, “It’s a unique connection between all fated mates. It gives them the ability to sense each other in a unique way. Like with Reilly and I, if one of us is experiencing a really strong emotion, such as happiness or anger, the other one can sense it, even if we’re not together. It doesn’t give us the ability to know each other’s exact thoughts, but we can usually make an educated guess, especially with something like anger. So, if Reilly is at the lodge and I’m here and Hunter pisses me off, Reilly will sense that I’m angry, but he won’t know exactly why.”

“Why am I the one who pisses you off?” Hunter asked jokingly.

“Because you’re good at it,” Kellan quipped sarcastically, earning himself an elbow in the ribs from his mate.

“But those things sound the same,” Ben stated.

Rosalie smiled and addressed them as she would the youngsters of the pack. “In essence, they are. However, you and Zev are able to sense each other on a human level. With the rest of these hooligans, it’s actually their wolves who are aware of each other and express their emotions to their human side. The two of you will always have the ability to connect on two levels, wolf and human. That’s what makes Psi pairs unique.”

Ben and Zev seemed to be mulling the little piece of information over along with the rest of them. The shifter world was a lot more complicated than Elijah ever imagined.

Everyone seemed to be satisfied with Rosalie's and Silas’ explanations of the latest developments. Sebastian announced he was going to check in with Logan and Cooper to see if they, too, had any of these odd gut feelings. Elijah wouldn’t be surprised if they had. In fact, he’d be more surprised if they hadn’t.

He needed some time to process the information they’d been handed and excused himself. When Tyler started to get up and follow, he shook his head quickly. His best friend couldn’t help him sort out the thoughts that were now swirling around.

Back in his room, he stood under the shower and let the hot water soak his body. After drying off, he flopped on his bed with just the towel fastened at his waist, looking up at the ceiling pensively. He wasn’t quite sure how he felt about Kage’s energy, ghost, or whatever was lingering inside him, guiding his moves and those of the other teams.

On one hand, it sort of freaked him out. What if he did something wrong and it pushed Kage’s energy away and they didn’t have the extra nudge to help them find the pups? Where would that leave them? He thought about the first time he ignored the warm pulse that eventually led to the discovery of Neall’s death. Would it have been easier if their first find had been a success? Finding out that Neall didn’t survive weighed heavily on his mind. On some level, he knew it was affecting him adversely.

On the other hand, he couldn’t help being tremendously proud of Kage, his spirit, or whatever. Elijah knew from the start, despite what Kage tried to tell him otherwise, that deep down, Kage had a lot of goodness inside of him. Sure, he did a lot of bad things in his short lifetime, but he was making up for it in his afterlife.

As always, thinking about Kage revved up his libido. Under the damp towel, his cock plumped up as other memories of his lover crowded out all other thoughts. His scar became warm, the gentle heat spreading outward in a lazy spiral until it reached his groin where it became a fiery heat. In response, his hard shaft easily shifted the towel out of its way.

Elijah could no more deny the urge to grasp himself firmly than he could deny himself his next breath. He gripped firmly with one hand and reached for the lube in the bedside drawer with the other. Sufficiently slicked up he let his hand glide up and down, picturing Kage clearly in his mind. He almost felt the soft breath leaving Kage’s mouth and ghosting over his, breathing in sync. His hand sped up of its accord, guided by the memory of Kage’s hand working him, sliding effortlessly.

Elijah picked up the pace as he felt his balls tighten ever so slightly. His thumb brushed the sensitive spot right under the head of the underside of his crown, pre-cum dribbling down to slick it up even more. His back arched as his balls emptied, a quiet groan escaping his lips. As his orgasm struck, his mind was filled with an image of Kage, all dark and sexy, incredibly handsome. As it abated and he lost focus, the image shifted quickly. Instead of Kage, another face flashed through his mind, so fast it barely registered. A sharp image of a young man, features and coloring mere blurry details skittered across his brain before he was able to register it.

As the final spasm abated he wondered, what the hell was Kage trying to tell him? He didn’t feel the tears slipping down his cheeks.