From the Shadows (Hunters #1)

Chapter 18

Shay pulled the covers up, smiling as Diego snuggled in. Last night when they’d gotten home, Shay fed them all, noting that Jeremy coiled around Diego’s neck until he was taken to bed and tucked in by his father.

Then Diego took Shay to bed and snuggled in beside him. They didn’t even have sex, although Diego’s power was so depleted, Shay could see the vein throbbing beneath his skin. Diego seemed unwilling to let Shay move away, clutching him tightly. When he asked what had happened, Diego told him.

Every detail.

It was horrific. Knowing he was effectively killing innocent people who were turned against their will was devastating to Diego, but he had no choice. It was that, or they would have killed him and Martin. Then to find out Cristobal had taken control of Diego’s mind like he had with his other thralls? To Shay, that sounded a lot like a form of rape, forcing them to do something against their will. The worst part, at least for Shay, was when Diego told him he would have gladly killed them, as long as it made Cristobal happy. When Shay asked why he didn’t, Diego hedged, then said he remembered his family, and that helped him break Cristobal’s hold on him .

“Shay…,” Diego whispered. He reached across the bed, but Shay wasn’t there. He patted the area, not finding Shay. He sat up, eyes wide. When he noticed Shay standing there, he frowned. “You okay?”

“Just thinking. I guess I was wrong when I asked what monster was scarier than a human. Cristobal scares me. What he did to you. What he’s done to those poor people. That takes monstrous to a level I never knew existed.”

Diego grabbed Shay’s wrist and tugged him back down onto the bed, then curled around him, tucking his chin in Shay’s neck. “No, you were right. There are scary things in any community, human or supernatural. What happened to you was something no one should deal with, just like what happened to those people in the warehouse. I’m not certain how Cristobal got this many people under his command, but my guess of him taking homeless people seems pretty likely. So those people were failed in life by the humans, and then in death they were denied dignity because of paranormals.”

“Because of Cristobal,” Shay corrected. “It sucked what happened, but you all helped them find peace.”

“We should have been able to do it before they died.”

Shay sighed and laced his fingers with Diego. “Yeah, because you’re omnipotent and omnipresent. You’re everywhere at all times, so you should have seen it. Gimme a break. We do what we can, protect where we’re able. We can’t take the world’s problems on ourselves. That isn’t how it works. I know it’s easy to say, but it’s true. Even heroes need lives.”

They lay there for a bit, Shay sharing his warmth with Diego, who snuggled in closer. Shay wondered if he was even aware of what he was doing. How he clung tight, as if needing the contact. This Diego was so different from the prickly one who opened the door all those months ago. He was calmer, more approachable.

Even Jeremy said Diego was happier than he’d ever seen him. They would watch television together, and Diego would pull him close. His voice broke when he admitted he loved when Diego held him because, he said, at times like these, he could believe Diego might love him back .

And Shay tried hard to not think about that. Diego needed him to live, and Shay was desperately in love with him, but he’d seen no indication that Diego returned those feelings. So, times like this, Shay would enjoy and do his best to not think too hard about it. Would he always be willing to allow Diego to sate his needs? Shay couldn’t be sure. He wanted love like his parents had. To become so close to someone, you could finish each other’s sentences, then gaze into each other’s eyes and laugh about it.

He would never have that with Diego, and he knew it. But could he settle for less than what he’d always dreamed of? That was impossible to say. He was certain of one thing, though. Leaving Diego would probably hurt like hell.

“Shay?”

He smiled at Diego. “Yeah?”

“Could you… I mean, will you hold me a little tighter? I can still feel Cristobal in my head telling me to kill my friends. I remember how badly I wanted to. How much I wanted to please my master. I need you to ground me.”

Shay tightened his grip as much as he could. “No one is your master, Diego. You’re too stubborn to allow someone else to be in control.”

Warmth on Shay’s chest had him looking down. When he saw the tears on Diego’s cheeks, he decided not to comment on them. Instead, he squeezed Diego, doing his best to keep him from falling apart.

“That’s what I always thought, but when Cristobal misted away, he looked so angry and hurt. Even though I said I was Diego, my mind screamed that I belonged to him and I needed to go after him, show him my love. Do whatever—kill whoever—I had to in order to get back into his good graces.”

This bastard had hurt Diego. Had been responsible for the deaths of dozens or more. “He has to die. You know this, right?”

Diego nodded, the scruff on his chin scratching against Shay’s nearly hairless chest. “But I don’t think I can be the one to do it. Maybe Martin. If Ranna was healthy, she might be able to, but I’m not sure the others could take him down. I’m guessing Martin could. Being made of fire would put Cristobal at a serious disadvantage.”

Shay had seen many sides of Diego, but never the broken one he now held in his arms. He wanted to say something pithy and inspiring, but he couldn’t. Diego knew his limits, and Shay couldn’t tell him to move beyond them.

“What am I going to do?” he whispered. “What if next time I can’t break free? What if he uses me to hurt someone? What if he forces me to kill Jeremy?”

“Can I be truthful?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“No one in the universe could make you hurt your son. You would die before you’d do something against him.”

“I don’t know….”

Shay grabbed his chin and forced Diego’s head up. “I do. I’ve seen you with him. You are fiercely protective of him. You might not have been part of his birth, but you are the one he considers his father. Remember that, and Cristobal can’t hurt you.”

“But the others….”

“Are yours too. The entire team is yours. Your friends. Your family. They’re your reason for living. Stay strong, hold them in your heart, and they won’t ever let you down. None of us will.”

And Shay meant every goddamn word.

Shay was a lifeline for Diego. Both in the literal sense with them being blood-tied and providing Diego with enough energy to not only keep him alive, but to sustain him. Then there was in the mental sense. He put his trust in Diego. Told him he was certain he would never hurt anyone in his group, even if Cristobal ordered it.

But what about other people? If Cristobal told him to slaughter a room full of humans, would he do it? Would he drain their blood and leave them lifeless husks? No. Of that he was pretty confident. Shay was the only one who could sustain him now. He wasn’t sure what another human’s blood would do to him, but he did know he no longer had any desire to partake .

He snuggled closer to Shay, whose arms tightened, even in sleep. How amazing was it that he didn’t always have to be strong? That he could lean on his friends and know they had him? Had he ever had that in his life? His family, at least what he could remember, was a big, raucous group where it was easy to feel left out. As one of thirteen kids, Diego often felt adrift. It was part of the reason he joined the military. Well, that and he was kind of forced into it because they needed bodies to throw at yet another war.

Diego realized it then. They were at war once more. This time with Cristobal and his army. Sadly, their team was far smaller, but much more tight-knit, and they weren’t mind-controlled puppets. He had to be strong. Stronger than Cristobal. He needed to show that he wasn’t afraid and that he’d never give in, no matter what.

“Why are you thinking so hard?” Shay murmured, trailing his fingers over Diego’s chest.

Diego ran a hand over Shay’s head. “I’m sorry. Go back to sleep.”

“I’m awake now. Do you need me?”

He was hungry, and that vein hadn’t gone away, but Shay had to know he was more than a source of sustenance.

“No, but thank you. I’m okay. Get some rest.”

Shay grabbed his arm and twisted it, showing off the blue vein, stark against the pale skin. “This tells me you’re lying to me.”

“I’m fine. I dealt with it for hundreds of years. I can ignore it for a few hours.”

There was a sigh as Shay stood on the bed, his cock bobbing in front of Diego’s face. Shay reached out and cupped the back of his head and pulled him in. Diego resisted, at least until Shay growled out, “Open.”

That was hot. Diego opened his mouth, and Shay pressed his way inside, all the way to the back of Diego’s throat.

“Now suck it.”

Confident Shay was a turn-on. Diego had no doubt Shay would still be his usual self if Diego refused, but right now, he was too turned on—and hungry—to not follow instructions. He reached around and put his hands on Shay’s cheeks, kneading them. Soft, pillowy, and easy to grip, he pulled Shay in, laving his cock, swirling his tongue around the head, then going back down. Above him Shay whimpered, then tightened his grip and forced himself deeper.

“Take it all, Diego.” Then he whispered, “Please.”

He opened his throat, then took Shay all the way down, causing Shay to gasp and hold Diego’s head to his crotch. Diego didn’t mind at all. If this was what Shay needed, then Diego was happy to provide it.

When Shay withdrew slightly, Diego wondered what he was doing, until he thrust back in, his forehead smacking against Shay’s stomach. Each stroke, Shay pulled out a bit more, then slammed in forcefully, grunting as he did so. Diego knew how to get him off, but he had no lube, so instead he put a finger against the ring of Shay’s ass and tickled the hole, which had Shay keening as he shot down Diego’s throat. At the same time, Diego came hard, splattering the bed. His energy levels were once again stable, and Diego felt like he could go all night long.

But he needed to take care of Shay, who’d given everything and asked for nothing in return.

“Feel better?” he asked, licking the stray drops of come from his lips.

“Oh, fuck. So much. Let me take care of you.”

Diego held up a hand, showing off the strands of his own come strung out like a spiderweb between his fingers.

“Oh, that’s hot,” Shay growled, right before he reached down and pulled Diego’s hand to his mouth, then one by one sucked the digits clean. Diego widened his eyes, seeing Shay’s wanton expression. Why was it so damned sexy? When he was finished, Shay smiled at Diego. “Waste not, want not, as my mom always said.”

Tugging him back down on the bed, Diego wrapped Shay in his arms, loving the way their bodies fit together.

“We’re going to get through this, Diego. Together. As a family.”

And Diego wanted to believe Shay.

“How’s Jakar?”

“Oh, he’s fine. He’s not at all angry with you. He understands the compulsion, and to tell the truth, he was stunned when he found out Cristobal was your sire. He said from everything he’d heard or read, it should have been impossible for you to deny him.”

Diego needed to strengthen his resolve, because he had no doubt Cristobal would try again. He would speak to Jakar, ask his opinion.

“Did you know Ranna is a wendigo princess?”

“Mhm. She told me a few weeks ago when I teased her about her being a royal pain in the ass. She swore me to secrecy when she asked if I meant it. I assured her I hadn’t, and that seemed to satisfy her. I’ve never met royalty before. Glad I don’t have to bow or curtsy or any of that stuff.”

The thought of royal protocol ignited in Diego’s mind. Ranna was royalty, but not of his species. Would he need to defer to her? Probably not. If so, she would have made it clear a long time ago. Ranna, at least the one who lived with them, was a beer-swilling, vegan-pizza-loving whirlwind of destruction. He couldn’t see her wearing a ball gown, dancing the waltz, or wearing makeup. Yeah, especially that part.

“She begged me not to treat her differently. She said the day you brought her here? That was when she started to discover her purpose. It wasn’t to fall in love with someone her parents expected her to marry, but to get down and dirty in the trenches with the rest of you. She gets more satisfaction from saving a life than she ever had on any day as a princess.”

In the years they’d been together, other than some general BS conversation, Diego didn’t really know much about any of the people he worked with. Yeah, he knew the bare bones basics, but not anything about their hopes and dreams, what they wanted out of being a hunter, their families, or anything else. That needed to change. They weren’t just a team. Like Shay had said, they were a family.

Empatia? No, I’m sorry. Patrice?

Who is this?

Don’t make me regret reaching out to you.

He could hear her light chuckle in his mind. What can I do for you, Diego ?

I know I’ve been a pain in the ass since we met, and I want to apologize for that. You’ve always had our interests at heart, and I should have shown my appreciation.

Okay, now I know something is wrong.

You’re not mistaken. This thing about being blood-tied to Shay is giving me perspective. I guess you could say it’s opening my eyes to what’s before me. It’s something I’m trying to wrap my head around, but I think these people—all of you—are worth the work.

First off, yes, you were a pain in the ass, but that’s only because you were protecting yourself. You worried what we’d all think if we knew about your past. So you’re aware, Mr. Biggs has looked into that hospital and tried to find surviving family members. He’s intending on reaching out to them and offering recompense for their loss.

What? Why?

Because you’re one of us. We take care of our own. Always. Yes, it might have been hundreds of years ago, but it still has a hold on you and brings you pain. Mr. Biggs wants to alleviate some of that angst for you.

It won’t work.

And I’ve told him that, but he’s going to do it anyway. Because, my prickly little cactus, we all care for you, and we want to help you find happiness again. Now, go back to Shay. Tell him I said hello.

He felt her withdraw from his mind, and then he turned to Shay, whose eyes were fluttering. He reached down for the cover and pulled it over them, smiling when Shay sighed and snuggled against him.

He kissed Shay’s forehead. He would tell him what Patrice said tomorrow.

Right now, he wanted to hold Shay and get his own rest.