Shadow Effect - 9. Chapter 9

Tyler, I’ve already told you, it’s not a big deal, so shut up about it already,” Elijah scolded, fed up with his best friend’s disapproval of his current living arrangements. It had been two weeks since Kage moved in to babysit Elijah. Yes, he was well aware he was being babysat. He knew Kage’s boss didn’t think too highly of him, as he overheard Kage ‘disagreeing’ with the head honcho on the phone more than once. In general, he was sick of everything, except Kage.

Just because he wasn’t fed up with the shadow shifter, didn’t mean he wasn’t frustrated. Kage ran hot and cold; some days he was attentive and interested in him, and other days he wanted nothing to do with him. Even though Kage slept in his bed, wrapped around him like Saran wrap on the leftovers at a church picnic, there had been no more sexy time since his blowjob lesson. On top of all that, they were no closer to finding the missing laptop.

“Elijah, I don’t see why he still has to be here. It’s been two weeks since the shooting and didn’t you say his boss threatened that Huntington dude to get him to back off?”

“Like I’ve already told you a thousand times, just because Kage’s boss has put the hounds on alert, it doesn't mean the big, bad kitty cat is going to play nice in the sandbox. He’ll probably shit in it instead,” Elijah spat out sarcastically, sick and tired of going round and round.

Tyler looked as annoyed as Elijah felt and he didn’t want to argue anymore. Kage had wisely left them alone and retreated to the back deck while they hashed things out in the living room.

“I know you don’t like Kage, but I do, and you need to respect that Tyler. This is my life, you don’t get to choose what’s good for me or what’s not,” he reiterated, feeling like he’d already gone ten rounds with Kage on the same subject not that long ago.

“I don’t want to see you get your heart broken,” Tyler whispered.

“Like you did with Ashley?” Elijah slapped his hands over his mouth. Okay, that was a low blow and Elijah regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. Tyler’s one serious girlfriend left him heartbroken two years ago when she decided to sleep with her brother’s best friend.

Tyler glared at him.

“I’m sorry Ty, that was uncalled for. My mouth opened and my foot jumped in before I could stop it.”

“It was a shit thing to say and at least you realize it. I guess we’re just going to have to agree to disagree when it comes to Mr. All Dark and Spooky.”

Elijah laughed. Kage might have been dark, but he was far from spooky, at least not in his opinion.

He and Tyler were going to be okay. He knew his best friend was only concerned about him. But as he told Tyler, and Kage too, for that matter, he didn’t agree with their opinions about the consequences of his and Kage’s relationship further down the line. Right or wrong, it was his decision to make, not anyone else’s.

“So, should we tell your Mr. McSpooky it’s okay to come back in? I can imagine he’s bored as fuck out there watching the stupid squirrels hunt for nuts.”

“It’s actually Mr. McBroody, and yeah, I’ll go get him.” Elijah hauled his ass up off the sofa, the very same one where he learned the fine art of blow jobs. Mind, back away now. Do not go there, he told himself as he opened the back door.

“We’re alive, still friends,” he announced.

Kage was sitting on the top step of the deck, indeed watching two squirrels, maybe not hunting nuts, but chasing each other around the yard, leaping from tree to tree, weaving through the branches, chattering in that annoying squirrel language.

“Good to know,” he replied as he stood up.

“I wish you two didn’t hate each other."

“I don’t hate your friend, Elijah. Quite the opposite.”

“If you like him, it’s only because you agree with him about your misguided view about not being good enough for me,” Elijah accused.

“Simmer down, you’re not going to goad me into an argument.”

He had him there. Elijah didn’t want to argue, but Kage had been increasingly frustrating lately. Although since his boss-mandated supervision started, his McBroodiness outweiged his McSexiness by an unfair margin. Elijah hated being held at arm’s length.

Back inside, Tyler gave Kage a look of toleration. They would get along for Elijah’s sake, not their own. Elijah didn’t have the energy to give a shit. As long as they weren’t at each other’s throats, that’s all he cared about.

“Um, by the way, Mom has issued a decree. She hasn’t seen your face in over two weeks and says that’s unacceptable,” Tyler announced.

Uh-oh, that couldn’t be good. A decree from Tyler’s mom was worse than being called to the principal’s office in school.

“Your presence is requested at the Sunday dinner table.”

By requested, Tyler really meant demanded. Show up, or there would be hell to pay. Shit nuggets.

Elijah looked at Kage sheepishly. “You good with having dinner at Tyler’s parent’s house?

The look on Kage’s face said he’d rather be anywhere else, but seeing how he’d committed to being with Elijah twenty-four/seven, he had no choice. That is, if Elijah had no choice, neither did he.

“She’s making spicy meatloaf,” Tyler offered, trying to soften the blow. It was another of Elijah’s favorites. Fuck, the woman knew exactly where to land the lethal blow.

Kage’s face piqued with interest in the spicy meatloaf. They said a way to a man’s heart was through his stomach and it was a saying Mama took to heart. She cooked with the sole purpose of satisfying those she loved. Kage had no idea of the culinary treat that awaited.

Kage resigned. “What time?”

Tyler grinned, relieved he wouldn’t have to bear the wrath of his mother if he bore the news that Elijah wasn’t going to make it.

“Be there by two.”

Elijah wasn’t about to break it to Kage that a two o’clock summons did not mean dinner would be on the table by two-thirty. They’d be lucky to be sitting down to eat by five-thirty. Nope, two o’clock meant Mama had roughly an hour and a half of interrogation time before she had to get serious in the kitchen. What the fuck had Tyler been telling that woman, anyway? Elijah knew he’d been upset about his current situation with Kage, but to get his mom involved? Fucking sneaky bastard.

Elijah shot daggers out of his eyes directly in Tyler’s direction. The fucking asshole wouldn’t look at him. He knew damn well Kage wouldn’t let Elijah go alone. The towering McBroody hadn’t been kidding when he said they would do everything together. Elijah hadn’t had a spare two minutes alone to try to rub one out on his own. He didn’t know how Kage could function without getting off. Prior to Kage entering his life it was easy, but ever since his ‘lesson’, Elijah was horny all the time.

Well, at least they had two days to strategize and get their stories straight. On second thought, maybe Elijah wouldn’t forewarn him and let Kage hang himself. Hmmm, it was something to think about. Elijah ended up compromising with himself. He decided to give Kage the bare minimum warning about how nosy and insistent Mama could be. He left out the part about the hour and a half interrogation they were in for.

The second they stepped into the Williamson home, Mama was on them. She pulled Elijah down to her level and kissed his cheek. Then she smacked it, not hard enough to leave a mark, but hard enough to get her point across. She was miffed that he hadn’t been around for over two weeks. Other than his time in Montana and Idaho, not more than two or three days ever went by without him stopping in to say hello or to join them for a meal.

The woman looked pointedly at Kage as she fussed over Elijah. “So, who do we have here?”

“Mama, this is my friend Kage,'' he replied, deliberately not offering any more information. If the woman wanted to pry, she’d have to work for it.

“Welcome to our home, Mr–?”

“Thank you ma’am, and it’s just Kage.”

Mama’s eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. Elijah’s heart paused for two long beats.

“Of course. Please, can I get you something to drink, Kage?”

Oh fuck, gloves were off. What the hell had Tyler been telling the woman?

“Water would be nice, thank you.”

Elijah’s eyes ping-ponged between the two during the brief exchange, not quite sure whose side he was on.

Kage seemed to be holding his own and Elijah decided not to worry. It would only give him a headache.

He and Kage sat on the sofa in the comfortable living room. Papi was watching the NASCAR race. Elijah never saw the point of race cars going round and round in an endless circle. He preferred the Grand Prix races where the cars actually went somewhere. Stock car racing? Left turn. Left turn. Left turn… boring.

Elijah made the introductions and at least Papi had the common courtesy to mute the volume and be civil to Kage. He never got involved in whatever drama the family members found themselves involved in, unless it was dangerous in some way. He deserved a lot more credit than he got.

Mama came out with two bottles of water, handing one to each of them, getting a polite ‘thank you’ in return. As she sat in her chair next to Papi’s, Elijah braced himself. The show was about to start.

“What do you do for a living Kage?”

Without missing a beat, he answered. “I’m an independent contractor in pest control and elimination. I specialize in exotic creatures.” Then flashed her one of those rare smiles that lit up his whole face, completely transforming it. Hot damn. One point Kage.

It took every ounce of control he could muster not to bust out laughing. Tyler, who’d come in on his mom’s heels, gave a snort-laugh-cough, quickly covering it up by chugging from his own bottle of water.

“How do you know Elijah?”

“Through a mutual friend in Montana.”

“Where did you grow up?”

“All over, my parents relocated often for work.”

“What do they do?” “Are they still alive?” “Do you have brothers or sisters?” “What do you like to do?” “Are you religious?”

On and on the questions went. Kage, trooper that he was, answered graciously and anything he didn’t want to answer, he deflected tactfully. Honestly, by the end of the hour and a half, Elijah was exhausted just from observing. Kage hadn’t exaggerated when he said he could dine with the Queen and fit in perfectly. He wasn’t a shadow shifter, he was a fucking chameleon.

Kage gave as good as he got, asking Mama questions he knew would sidetrack her; family and food. Thankfully food was the reason that the interrogation eventually ended. Mama needed to take her place upon her throne and in this house the throne room was the kitchen.

As soon as she was out of ear shot, Papi chimed in. “You did good, Kage. That woman could bring Putin to tears in less time.”

They all laughed at that image.

If Kage thought he was free and clear, he was sorely mistaken. Just because Mama was otherwise occupied, only meant the other family members could now stroll in and try to fill the void.

Kage politely brushed off anyone over the age of ten. The younger kid’s questions were much more entertaining.

“Do you kill bugs?” Micah asked.

“Only when they’re a problem,” Kage answered truthfully.

“Do you believe in unicorns?” Kaya wanted to know.

“Of course.”

Elijah watched as Kage charmed the socks off of a six-year-old with pigtails and an eight-year-old know-it-all. Even ten-year-old Felix was smitten and he was the serious one of the bunch.

Laughter filled the room when Mama came to issue her command for all hands on deck. Kage dutifully followed the troops into the kitchen and asked what he could do to help.

There was a pregnant pause, and as all eyes shifted to Mama and a heartbeat later, the world started spinning again as she said, “Make sure the little ones wash their hands properly. Don’t let Micah fool you with his squirting soap into the sink to make bubbles so it looks like he washed them.”

Kage winked at Elijah as he went by, following the youngest Williamson kids down the hallway to the bathroom to carry out Mama’s instruction.

He’d done it. Kage had won Mama over, reeled her in, hook, line and sinker. She didn’t trust just anyone to make sure the little ones cleaned up properly. Hell, Tyler didn’t even get that chore. She knew he’d let Micah get away with his soap bubble trick.

Fragrant spices filled the air as food was brought out. Mama’s spicy meatloaf was a treat. She always made two versions, hot, and what-the-fuck-happened-to-my-tongue hot. Elijah happily accepted a slice of the non-atomic version. He knew better than to go for the other. He hadn’t been born with the cast iron stomach genes most of the Williamson clan inherited. Papi’s Italian background had him sticking with the less spicy one, too.

Kage braved the super heated meatloaf. Everyone watched as he took his first bite. When he managed to swallow without batting an eyelash, all seemed well. About four bites in, Elijah noticed a single bead of sweat appear on his forehead, right at the hairline. Oh fuck, he was dying and no one would ever know. Like a trooper, Kage finished his stomach-destroying bite with no one being the wiser. Small sips of water ending in a few long gulps, was the only giveaway.

Mama’s eyes twinkled. Checkmate.

Conversation at the Williamson dinner table was always lively. Mama loved her some gossip and Elijah got his love of dumb reality shows from her. Church gossip was her specialty. For all that Christians preached about loving thy neighbor, Catholics were the first to run you over in the parking lot, leaving service and the first to turn the other cheek whenever it suited them.

“So anyway, Mrs. McCormick was going on and on about how sinful it was of her nephew to be dating another man. I swear that woman is the biggest homophobic cow in the pasture. Would you believe she thinks they can ‘pray the gay away’,” she huffed, rolling her eyes, even doing the little air quote thing with her fingers.

“If you ask me,” she continued. “She ought to be trying to pray the gray away. Have you seen that woman’s roots?”

Kage gave a strangled sound. Oh shit. Elijah should have warned him to never have food or drink in his mouth when Mama was talking at the table. You never knew what was going to come out of that woman.

Kage had the misfortune of being in the middle of drinking some water when she gave her unsolicited opinion of Mrs. McCormack’s roots. He managed to shove his chair back as the water slid down his windpipe instead of the esophagus like it was supposed to. The liquid that was supposed to be destined for his stomach, now was trying to make a hasty exit from him instead. It missed the table, spraying his jeans as well as landing on one of Elijah’s legs.

Elijah panicked, before he realized the odd braying sound coming from Kage was laughter. It was distorted because of the confusion his throat was currently experiencing, not knowing if air was supposed to be going in or out. His laughter was contagious and the entire family was infected. It went on for what seemed like forever. As soon as it started to die down, someone would look at someone else and it would start all over again.

By the time everyone had finally settled down, Mama had the coffee going and the older kids had the table cleared and the dishwasher loaded. Her brood knew dessert wouldn’t be served until dinner was cleaned up.

Elijah was pretty full, but when Mama brought out a tray of her homemade-from-scratch cannoli, he popped the button on his jeans and decided to let the chips fall where they may. He might not be able to fit into any of his pants in the morning, but it would be worth it.

The Italian pastries were a perfect ending to the spicy meal. The sweetness was just enough to cool the remaining embers that simmered on his tongue, but not so sweet that it was overpowering.

At one point, when Mama was otherwise occupied, Kage leaned over and quietly inquired, “Has anyone ever exploded at the table?”

Elijah almost choked on his own bite of food. “No, but we’ve all come pretty damn close,” Papi retorted, having overheard.

“How come you’re named after a birdcage?” Kaya asked, with all the innocence of an inquisitive six-year-old.

Kage chuckled. “I’m not. I’m adopted and my birth parents liked the name. It means shadow in Japanese and it's supposed to be pronounced Kah-gey. I don’t actually have any Japanese ancestry that I know of. My adoptive father always pronounced it like ‘cage’, and that’s how I’ve always pronounced it too.”

“Why ‘shadow’?” Micah asked. “That’s a weird thing to name a kid after.”

“Micah, we don’t refer to our guests as weird,” Papa chastised with an apologetic look at Kage.

Kage brushed it off. Micah was just a curious kid.

“No, it’s okay. It is weird. Who knows, I’ve always had dark hair, so maybe I was born with a headful and it reminded my birth mother or father of a shadow,” he answered truthfully.

“What’s adopteded?” Kaya wanted to know, her mispronunciation was rather cute.

There was a slight look of panic in Kage’s eyes, as if he wasn’t sure he should be the one to answer her question.

Surprisingly, it was Tyler who came to his rescue.

“Well, little Sprite, sometimes a mom and dad can’t take care of a baby and they have to find someone who can do it for them,” he said.

“Like a babysitter?”

“No, like a new mom or dad.”

“Why can’t they?” Kaya was relentless with her curiosity and Elijah could see that Tyler may have bitten off more than he could chew. After all, a six year old doesn’t have the maturity to understand how someone dealing with drug or alcohol issues, mental or physical illness or an abusive relationship can get to the point where they aren’t able to care for themselves, let alone anyone else.

Mama pulled Tyler out of the fire.

“Kaya, there are a lot of reasons, but most of them are very personal because it’s a very, very hard choice to make. Now if you’re finished, go upstairs and get your pajamas on and brush your teeth. You can have one hour of screen time.”

Kaya scampered off to do as she was told, happy with the explanation Mama gave. All of the kids under the age of fourteen had strict limits on the amount of television or computer time they were allowed to watch. None of them wanted to squander a minute of it. Once they hit high school, phone and computer privileges were directly related to grades. Fuck up and you’d have no phone for however long Mama dictated. Tyler only lost his phone once. It never happened again.

“Sometimes a simple explanation is all that’s needed, Tyler,” Mama stated.

Smart woman.

They stayed for another hour, easy conversation and coffee flowed continuously. When Kage told them a little about his ‘pest control’ business at Mama’s insistence, it was all he could do to hold in his laughter. To hear Kage nonchalantly describe ways to eliminate ‘pests’ was hysterical. If only Mama knew the truth and those Alfalfa weevils were really rogue shifters, she’d change her tune about her latest family member acquisition. And yes, Elijah recognized the signs of her adding to what she considered her ‘family’.

Most of her children’s friends were included, with a few exceptions in questionable choices of girlfriends or boyfriends. Those relationships never lasted long. Not one single Williamson child was willing to risk Mama’s disapproval of a potential future son or daughter-in-law. She was the Geiger counter by which all potentially toxic relationships were vetted.

Tyler faked a yawn, saying he had an early morning and needed to head out. He had one class which started early, but Elijah knew it certainly wasn't first thing on Monday mornings. Tyler got stuck with a seven-thirty a.m. class his freshman year and vowed never again. Nine o'clock was the earliest and this semester he couldn't avoid it. His last requirement for his degree was only offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays at nine.

Elijah took the opportunity to make their exit as well. After a round of sincere ‘thank yous’ and promises to come around more often, as well as two containers of meatloaf; one hot, one nuclear, they finally escaped.

“Hey, do you guys want to go camping this weekend? It’s supposed to be pretty mild and no damn rain,” Tyler asked.

He knew Elijah loved to be outdoors in this kind of weather. Spring was right around the corner, if they could just make it through the rest of the rainy season. To have a whole weekend forecast with no rain in it was rare at this time of year.

Elijah looked at Kage with hope. He had to be sick of being cooped up indoors too. Other than some shopping for groceries and more clothes for Kage and the occasional meal out, the only major project they tackled was cleaning up the mess that Elijah’s cellar had become after the break in. It took them four days as Elijah decided it would be the perfect time to organize and weed out the multitude of stuff that accumulated over the years. It reminded him of helping his dad clean out the garage. They hadn’t done much else, indoor activities were limited as the local schools utilized the skating rink, indoor soccer arena, and unless they went during a weekday afternoon, the movies. Not that there was anything really good playing anyway.

“That sounds like the perfect way to spend the weekend. Do you guys like camping?” Kage asked.

Oh damn. Did they like camping? Only every chance they got.

Tyler shot Elijah a shit eating grin. “Dust off the gear, mon ami. I’ll get us a spot at the state park. We should have our pick of sites at this time of year!”

“Make sure it’s not near the fucking dumpsters this time,” Elijah instructed. That trip had not been fun at all.

“How does near Bear Cove sound?”

“Perfect!” Elijah answered. If the weather was indeed mild this weekend, Bear Cove would be the ideal place to pitch a couple of tents. It was a few miles from the state park entrance, accessible only by a two mile hike through the forest out to the coast. The cove was carved into the rugged landscape that was typical of this area, however, the actual beach was a hundred foot drop below a small cliff. A narrow, man-made ledge wound its way down the face of the cliff, almost to the bottom. Stairs had been built to bridge the gap and allow for people to be able to get back up the cliff without having to practice their rock climbing skills.

The inland forest had plenty of marked trails which wove their way through the state park. It was a favorite place of the locals, as most tourists favored the larger, privately owned campgrounds with their shower facilities and clubhouse activities for the kids.

“Sweet! We’ll pick you up at three on Friday,” Elijah told his best friend.

In the car, he turned to Kage and smiled. “You were a smash hit tonight, you know?”

“I know. I told you I could charm the prim and proper formal dresses off the Queen. Tyler’s mom was a little tougher, I admit, but I can handle swimming in the same pool as her without drowning.” He flashed Elijah one of those genuine smiles that made his stomach flop nearly inside out.

“So you like camping?” he asked, needing to get back to neutral territory that didn’t send him into a tailspin.

“Yeah, being outdoors recharges me, especially at night. I can roam the landscape as I please, not have to worry about whatever is bothering me. Don’t worry though, I won’t go all dark on you. I still won’t be letting you out of my sight.”

Elijah shivered as Kage’s eyes raked him from head to toe. Shit, maybe he should rethink this whole camping thing. Cooped up in a two-man tent for a couple of nights with Kage was going to try his patience, especially knowing Tyler would be mere feet away in his own tent and he couldn’t do anything about it.

Shit. Shit. Shit!