Shadow Effect - 6. Chapter 6

FUCK!” Kage swore. He’d been keeping tabs on Elijah all day, sticking to the shadows, watching as he endured the sobriety of the various events

The vehicle following Elijah’s friend’s Jeep hadn’t changed course since they left the Williamsons’. There was always the chance it was harmless; just a local person on the same route. It happens. However, when the car sped up as Elijah and Tyler neared the front door, Kage knew better. Shifting from shadow back to solid in less than a blink of the eye, he sprinted across the driveway, tackling Elijah and Tyler just as the sound of semi-automatic gunfire erupted. Kage pinned the two beneath him as they slammed to the ground.

“Don’t move!” he barked out ferociously.

Tires screeched as the vehicle peeled away. Kage focused his sharp gaze and saw that the plates of the black Chevy Tahoe were missing. A professional hit for sure. Strikers. He loosened his hold on the two men and jumped to his feet.

“What the fuck!?” Elijah exclaimed as he got to his feet shakily, extending his hand to help Tyler up.

Kage scanned the shapeshifter for any obvious injuries. “Are you okay?” Then his eyes swept over his friend. Tyler had some road rash on his left cheek where it had scraped the concrete walkway when Kage pushed them down.

The short burst of gunfire missed them, but barely. The stucco planter in front of the house had missing pieces gouged out by bullets mere centimeters above where they landed.

Kage swore softly under his breath as the sounds of sirens in the distance grew louder. He couldn’t be here. He took a hold of Elijah’s chin to get his attention. The edge of panic he saw in those eyes pained him.

“Elijah.” His voice was firm but low. “Don’t mention me to the police. Let them think it was a case of ‘wrong place, wrong time’.

Elijah’s eyes widened, almost in disbelief that Kage was even asking.

“Please,” he implored.

“Go,” Elijah whispered.

“I’ll be back. I promise.”

Kage shadowed out, melting into the darkness surrounding them. He backed off to a safe distance, still within hearing range, and watched as neighbors slowly poked their heads out of their homes, heedless there could still possibly be danger.

Two local city police cars pulled up, both drivers silencing the sirens, but leaving the blue and white lights flashing. It wasn’t long before they were joined by three county sheriff’s department vehicles, who came screeching into the neighborhood, sirens blaring and lights ablaze. They always pumped up the drama.

He grew concerned as Elijah and Tyler were surrounded by police, no one quite sure what was what and who was who. Thankfully one of the Sheriff’s deputies put an end to the momentary chaos and took charge.

Kage listened closely as Elijah and Tyler were separated from the gossip-hungry neighbors trying to get their two cents in. He was relieved when an ambulance pulled up and the uniform in charge led them over to get checked out. Tyler’s abraded cheek seemed to be the worst injury sustained. One of the EMT’s cleaned it, dabbed some antibiotic on, and covered it with a bandage.

Kage was sure if the man’s mother was here she would most likely try to kiss it and make it better. He had hidden in the house while Elijah ate with his surrogate family, and it took considerable willpower to hold himself back when Elijah broke down outside. Kage didn’t know why the sight of Tyler comforting Elijah stirred up something within him he didn’t recognize.

He couldn’t think about it now. He needed to listen.

“Can you tell me what happened, Mr. Garrison?” the lead officer asked.

“Tyler and I just got back from having dinner at his parents’ house. As we were walking to the house, I heard ‌a car speeding up. I don’t know, I just–I can’t describe it. Did you ever get a gut feeling? Like the hair-on-the-back-of-your-neck-standing-up-type of premonition? Cuz that’s exactly what happened. I knocked Tyler down and we ducked our heads. Gunfire burst out and we just stayed down.”

Kage couldn’t help smiling, well, as much as one could smile as a shadow. He felt a rush of pride that his shapeshifter was holding up under pressure so well. Damn. There was that thought again. His shifter. What the hell?

Tyler took Elijah’s lead and ran with it.

“Yeah, his crystal ball mojo’s a hell of a lot better than mine. All I could think about was the snickerdoodles my mom sent home with us.” Tyler searched around for the containers that were scattered when Kage shoved them to the ground. He found everything still intact, lids firmly in place. They were only a little dirty and scuffed from the impact across the concrete.

Tyler picked up the container and hugged it to his chest. “It all happened so fast.”

Elijah nodded.

“Did you get a look at the vehicle?”

“Not really, uh, other than it was a big SUV.”

The deputy jotted down a few notes. “Is there anyone you can think of who might want to harm either of you?”

Kage saw Elijah’s lips purse as though he were deciding how to answer. His parents were murdered a week ago. The officers on scene would be advised of that shortly. If Elijah didn’t mention it, it may look bad, like he’s trying to hide something.

Tyler’s crystal ball mojo, however, was working just fine. He answered for Elijah, correctly reading the situation. “Officer…”

“Daniels.”

“Officer Daniels, Elijah’s parents were murdered last week. Their memorial service was this morning. It’s been a really long day and I can tell Elijah is wiped out. Is it possible for us to go inside, where there’s no one gawking?” He tilted his head toward the sidewalk where several of the neighbors were bunched together like a herd of sheep, waiting to speak with the other officers.

“Of course. I’ll be in shortly to get your official statements.”

Kage watched the deputy step to the side in order to let Elijah and Tyler pass before walking back to the street where two more vehicles pulled up, this time State Police officers. Shootings, drive-by or otherwise, were nearly unheard of in this area. Small towns tended to create small crime. Kage knew this incident would fuel the local gossip mill for weeks to come.

Past experience told Kage the police would be investigating for several more hours. He melted further back, settling in to watch and eavesdrop on the officers and deputies as they went about their business.

Two hours later, the neighbors were back in their homes. Most of the lights turned out as the lack of further excitement fueled disinterest and the late hour enticed folks to their beds. The street was now blocked off at both ends. A forensic van had shown up about an hour ago with a specialist who was now busy taking pictures, marking the locations of shell casings which had bounced all over the asphalt. Tire marks had been documented, measured, and photographed. Camera flashes went off intermittently as the man worked.

When he finished, Officer Daniels assigned two others to stay and make sure no one disturbed the area. A fresh crew would be back later in the morning, when it was light, to make sure nothing had been overlooked. He’d already finished with Elijah and Tyler, taking their official statements a while ago.

In Tyler’s apartment, one light remained on. Its soft glow shone on the grass in front, where Kage remained hidden within the darkness. The blinds were pulled and there hadn’t been any movement for a while. Kage guessed they both were asleep. If he’d been solid, he knew his eyes would be gritty and heavy with his own weariness. He decided to head back to where he left his car this morning, parked in an apartment complex a few blocks away, and text his boss. The man should be aware of what went down. Kage could give him a full update later.

One of the biggest drawbacks of shifting was that phones didn’t shift with you. Retrieving his cell from the console he quickly tapped out, Striker hit on target. Local PD involved. Update later. He stowed the phone before locking the Camry, stowing the keys in a magnetic box hidden in the undercarriage, and shadowing out again to return to the scene.

Twenty minutes later, Daniels left and the two officers that remained behind stationed their patrol cars at each end of the street, maintaining the semi-blockade. Only residents would be allowed to pass until the investigation was over.

Kage silently slipped across the grass, avoiding the slim patch of light from the window. He slid seamlessly under the crack in the door, solidifying as soon as he was clear. Elijah and Tyler were passed out on the couch, one at each end. Elijah’s legs tucked along the back of the couch, while Tyler’s balanced precariously along the front edge.

He pulled the hand crocheted blanket draped over the back of the couch, unfolded it and covered both sleeping forms. After finding the bathroom and emptying his bladder, he settled on the recliner, popping the footrest up as quietly as he could. It didn’t take long before his eyes were too heavy to hold open and he drifted into a dreamless sleep.

It came to an abrupt halt several hours later when his feet dropped suddenly. Tyler loomed over him, having pulled the lever for the footrest, none too gently, depositing Kage’s feet onto the floor with a loud ‘thump’.

“Who the fuck are you?” he demanded cooly, arms crossed over his chest, eyes glaring.

What an asshole.

Elijah stirred. Kage glanced his way. The shifter was rumpled, clothes askew, hair sleep-tousled messily. It was a good look on him.

“Back off, Ty,” Elijah growled, his voice thick and gravelly with the remnants of slumber.

Tyler turned to his friend, his eyes crazy with confusion. “Back off? There’s a strange guy in my living room. The same guy who saved our asses last night and then ‘Poof’, disappeared into thin air. I didn’t see him shift into a goddamn mosquito Elijah!”

So Elijah’s friend knew about his shapeshifting ability? Interesting. Kage shot Elijah a sarcastic smirk, raising one eyebrow questioningly.

“Goddammit, I need coffee and aspirin.” Elijah grumbled, throwing off the hand-knitted blanket and headed to the kitchen. Kage got up and followed. Tyler stomped after him.

Once in the kitchen, Elijah grabbed the pot from the coffee maker and filled it with water. As he turned to get the coffee from the cupboard, he saw Kage and Tyler staring at him.

“Fine. Kage, that’s Tyler. Tyler, that’s Kage.”

Kage nearly laughed at the exasperated look that crossed Tyler’s face like a sudden microburst storm cloud.

“Really E? That’s all you’ve got?”

Elijah muttered under his breath. “It is until I’ve had some fucking coffee.”

Kage’s lips flattened into a straight line in an effort not to laugh. To distract himself, he opened the fridge and took out the carton of eggs he saw on the shelf. By the weight of it, it was full. Tyler looked on, obviously irritated that no answers would be forthcoming until Elijah was properly caffeinated. He pulled open a cabinet a little forcefully and shoved a flat griddle in Kage’s direction.

Kage remained silent as he set about cooking the eggs. Tyler abused a loaf of bread, shoving slices of it into the toaster, not caring if it was a little squished. Elijah remained by the coffeemaker, watching it intently as the nectar slowly dripped into the pot. What was the saying? A watched pot never boiled? Well, apparently a watched coffee pot never filled either.

“How do you want your eggs?” Kage asked.

“Over-medium.”

“Over-easy.”

Kage flipped three of the eggs and left the other six to cook a little bit more on one side. When Tyler’s over-easy was ready, he slid them onto a plate and flipped the other six. He liked his over-medium like Elijah.

By the time the food was ready, Elijah was pouring coffee into three big mugs. He started another pot before bringing them to the table and sitting down.

An awkward silence descended as they toyed with their food.

It wasn’t until they were almost done eating, and Elijah got up to refill their coffee, that Tyler’s patience finally came to a halt.

“Knock it off Elijah Jordan Garrison!”

Elijah’s head whipped around and he pinned Tyler in his glare. Kage sensed Tyler hit a nerve, he just didn’t know why.

“Don’t use my full name like that,” Elijah snarled through gritted teeth. “You don’t get that privilege! My parents were the only ones who could pull that shit on me Tyler, Not you!”

Ah! Kage understood. It was a parental maneuver, and the Garrison’s hadn’t been gone but barely a week. It was way too soon for anyone to pull a mom or dad move on Elijah. Tyler seemed to recognize it, too.

His angry eyes melted and were replaced with a look of remorse.

“I’m sorry Elijah,” he apologized sincerely.

“Me too, I’m just…” Elijah’s voice trailed off.

“I think we’re all a little off-kilter after last night. What do you want to know Tyler?” Kage asked.

“Everything.”

Well, that was as simple as it was complicated. He started to speak, but Elijah stopped him with a hand on his arm. The touch felt hotter than it should.

“I need to tell him.”

Kage nodded.

Elijah recanted his time in Montana and the reasons why he went. Kage was more than a little shocked to hear the extent and the far-reaching fallout of the highest council members' treachery and deceit. His boss had given him a lot of details, but Elijah had been there and was directly involved. It was also interesting, and informative to hear the myth of the Sentinels and their apparent resurgence in this generation. He wouldn’t mind seeing those wolves. It must be an amazing sight.

Tyler seemed to take it in stride. Hell, if your best friend could take on the appearance of other living things, what’s the big deal about humans actually turning into wolves, bears and freaking anacondas?

The more he heard, the angrier he got. Kage was by no means a good person, but he wasn’t heartless. Hearing the actual details surrounding innocent kids being physically, and from the sound of it, permanently changed, was cruel. Selling them off into a sex trafficking ring was barbaric.

Tyler’s indignation was evident as well. His skin flushed red with anger as Elijah’s story unfolded. Maybe the guy wasn’t such an asshole after all.

When Elijah was through, Tyler looked at Kage. “Where do you fit in with all of this?” The heat was gone from his voice, replaced with genuine curiosity.

“I think Elijah’s parents were killed because they hid a laptop, which might have information about the missing hybrid pups on it.”

“What?!” Tyler’s face drained of color.

Elijah looked lost.

“Kasar Huntington, the CEO of Global Insurance, is a lion shifter. In the human world, he’s a do-gooder. Throws his money around, benefitting orphans, puppies and kittens or whatever he decides is the flavor of the day charity-wise. But, in the supernatural world, he’s got an unrivaled reputation as a fucking sleazeball. No one can ever prove it. After all, how often do you actually see the cat knock the glass off the table? Most of the time you only hear the crash as it shatters on the floor. The sneaky feline, long gone.”

“I still don’t see how it ties in,” Tyler said.

“I think, and so does my boss, that Kasar Huntington is the mastermind coordinating the sales of the hybrid pups. Nothing can be proven at this point, but we suspect the laptop has transaction records, names, locations and other information on the whereabouts of the pups that were sold or auctioned off. We’re also pretty sure Huntington found out Elijah is a shapeshifter and blackmailed his parents into taking the laptop for safekeeping. Why they hid it, we have no idea.” He glanced at Elijah, who remained silent while Kage explained his theory.

“So exactly what is it again that you do?” Tyler asked, knowing damn well that Kage never mentioned his occupation.

Kage saw no reason to lie. “I kill people.”

Tyler’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed that piece of information. “So why haven’t you killed this Huntington dude?”

“Because in my line of work, and in our world,” he glanced at Elijah, “you don’t place, nor do you carry out a hit on someone without being one-hundred percent sure they’re guilty. Not doing so will get you killed quicker than you can blink those pretty green eyes of yours,” Kage answered with a rather feral grin.

“And you need the laptop to prove Huntington is involved,” Tyler stated, rather than asked.

Kage tilted his head and grinned even wider, his white teeth nearly gleaming in the morning light.

“So what happens now? Those guys shooting at us obviously wanted us dead. They would’ve succeeded, by the way, if it weren’t for you. Thank you,” Tyler said sincerely.

Kage had to seriously reconsider his first impression of assholishness regarding Tyler. Instead of answering he just nodded.

“Am I going to be in danger?” Elijah asked quietly.

“No. It was a professional hit and I’m willing to bet everything I have that Kasar Huntington was behind it. I sent a text to my boss last night, but I need to go back to where I left my car so I can get my phone to call and update him. Once he lets Huntington know that he’s got him on his radar, the bastard will back off. Until then, you will need to be careful.”

“Why would they want Elijah dead? I mean, if these bad guys are looking for this elusive laptop, wouldn’t they think he might know where it is?” Tyler asked.

“Probably not. Strikers, which are basically supernatural hitmen, are hired help. If they had been instructed to snatch Elijah and interrogate him, they would have attempted to do just that. They were obviously instructed to kill, which makes sense if you think about it. If Elijah knew where the laptop was, he wouldn’t have been searching for it. I’m sure they’ve been watching him and seen us searching and come up empty handed. At this point, we can probably assume his dad got rid of it for whatever reason. We may never know. When they didn’t see me with Elijah, they saw it as an opening and took it.

Elijah shook his head. “I have to go back to my house. I can’t put you in danger, Ty. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened to you because of me.”

Tyler was about to protest but Kage instinctively knew it would upset Elijah, so he quickly interjected. “I think that’s a good idea. Tyler, it would be a huge weight off of Elijah’s shoulders if he knows you’re safe. With all of the stress he’s had to deal with lately, I’m sure you understand? Besides, at this point, Huntington is only after Elijah. If you end up in his sights, he could target your family.”

Kage knew it was a low blow, but he needed to pull out the big guns. He tagged Tyler as very family-centric, and appealing to his instinctive need to protect his own seemed to be the right move.

Tyler’s mouth opened and shut as whatever he was about to say died on his lips. His look, however, told Kage he wasn’t as… well, cagey, as he thought he’d been.

While Elijah gathered up his things that were scattered around Tyler’s apartment, Kage helped Tyler clean up.

“I know what you just did.”

“Thanks for going along.”

Tyler shot him a look, obviously not expecting gratitude. “I don’t know what, if anything is going on between you two,” Tyler started to say.

Kage opened his mouth to interrupt, but Tyler held up his hand and made the gesture for ‘zip it’. He closed his lips abruptly.

“If anything,” he continued as if he hadn’t nearly been interrupted. “I know Elijah. He’s innocent in a lot of ways. He hasn’t had a lot of experience with relationships. The few times we’ve discussed things of that nature, Elijah was on the fence. I don’t think he even knows where he lands on the rainbow. You’re the first person, male or female, that he’s shown an interest in. And no, he hasn’t said anything to me; I can read between the lines as well as see the look he gets whenever his eyes land on you. I don’t think you’re good enough for him, but he has to learn that on his own. Everything else about you, I’ll reserve judgment on, for now.”

Kage nodded his head once in agreement.

“You’re going to hurt him. That’s pretty much written in stone. All I ask is that you don’t break him. Don’t shatter his heart so bad I can’t help him pick up the pieces.”

Kage pinned Tyler in his gaze. He couldn’t quite decipher the emotion he saw there. “You’re right. I’m nowhere near good enough for him. What about you? Do you love him?” he asked, willing to back off if Elijah’s best friend had feelings for him.

Tyler snort-laughed. “What’s not to love about him? Of course I do, but not like you’re thinking. Elijah is my brother from another mother. I will always love him as such, but I’ll never be in love with him.”

“Good to know.”

The conversation came to an abrupt halt when Elijah came out of Tyler’s bedroom with a duffle bag full of his clothes and shit.

“Come on. I’ll give you a ride to your car,” he said to Kage, while avoiding looking at Tyler.

Kage wondered how much he’d overheard. The apartment wasn’t all that big.

“E,” Tyler started.

Elijah shut him up with a look. One that silently communicated with the man he’d been friends with forever.

Kage cleared his throat, effectively dousing whatever had started to simmer between the two.

“Call me if you need anything.”

Elijah sighed and went over to pull his best friend into a hug. Kage doubted there was anything that could come between those two. True friendship like theirs was rare, and Kage discovered he felt relieved Elijah had Tyler in his life. He only hoped it would be enough when the time came for him to leave.

The burning need which was building within Kage when it came to Elijah, was going to get someone scorched. He could handle it, but could Elijah? No matter what, he was going to get hurt and Kage would be the cause.

Elijah was silent as he got into his SUV. The only time he spoke was to ask Kage where his car was. By unspoken agreement, Kage followed him back to his house and parked behind him in the driveway.

The house was still the way they’d left it after searching for the missing laptop. As soon as they were in the door, Elijah spun on him.

“I can take care of myself, you know. I don’t need Tyler or anyone else to make decisions for me. If I decide to pursue a relationship, or even just hook up with someone and fuck their brains out, it’s MY choice! God dammit! I’ve already told you, just because you’ve done bad things doesn’t make you a bad person. You may be able to blend in with shadows, it doesn’t mean you’re dark inside. There’s light inside of you, Kage. You just can’t see it because you’re blinded by your own fucking insecurities,” Elijah tore into him, chest heaving.

Yep, he overheard a lot.

Before he could formulate a response, Elijah was in his personal space. He poked Kage’s chest forcefully with his index finger. “And another thing…Do. Not. Fucking. Say. You’re. Not. Good. Enough. For. Me!” Each word was punctuated with a sharp poke against his sternum.

“Are you finished?”

“NO!” Elijah thundered and grabbed the front of Kage’s shirt, pulled him down, and slammed their lips together.

Well, this was unexpected.

Kage liked this side of his little shapeshifter. He was a real spitfire and it turned Kage on. He returned the kiss just as forcefully. Two could play this little game. If Elijah thought Kage had any light inside of him, he was sorely mistaken. Kage would just have to prove it. Maybe he just needed to scratch the itch that Elijah caused deep within him and he could move on.

Kage let Elijah take control for now. He was enjoying the power play. Damn, for someone who supposedly didn’t have a lot of experience, his sexy shapeshifter sure as hell could kiss. Kage chased Elijah’s tongue with his own whenever it retreated back behind those strawberry-red lips.

Elijah was toying with fire, he’d already lit the tinder. Every touch of his tongue, every sweet little sound he made, every breath he breathed raggedly added fuel. Kage’s body responded accordingly. His dick pushed against his dark jeans, needing a piece of the action. Let’s see what Elijah would do if he pushed his hips forward.

Elijah gasped sharply when he felt Kage’s length press against his belly. Kage smiled inwardly. Gotcha!

Slowly and steadily, he took control from Elijah. His tongue demanded entrance and Elijah’s lips parted like the Red Sea, letting him swoop in and devour him.

He pulled Elijah flush up against him, connected from head to nearly their toes. He felt the hard planes of Elijah’s wiry muscles against him and it merely fanned the flames.

He still was in complete control, but knew it might not be the case for much longer. He refused to take advantage of Elijah’s inexperience, or his current vulnerability. He didn’t like it, but he recognized it all the same. It was because of that he had to break contact, and pull back. He needed to be sure this was what Elijah wanted, not something his hormones and emotions dictated.

“Are you sure you want this?” he asked when he was sure he had Elijah’s undivided attention.

His heart hammered with anticipation as he watched Elijah bite his lip.