From the Shadows (Hunters #1)

Chapter 20

Jeremy’s eyes widened. “D?”

“Look at me, Jerm. Don’t look anywhere but at me.”

His lip trembled and tears streaked his cheeks. “D, I’m scared.”

“It’s going to be fine, I promise.”

“No, it’s really not,” Cristobal whispered, his voice still rolling over the room like thunder. “He keeps you from us. From me. If I kill him, you’ll have no choice but to return to us.”

“Yes, fine. I’ll do whatever you want. Just let Jeremy go.”

From behind Cristobal, Diego detected movement. His gaze flicked up, and he spotted Shay standing, and even though he was wobbling, rage was clear in his expression. He moved silently, clutching his side, his intent obvious. When he got close enough, he rushed Cristobal and slammed into his back, driving him forward and forcing him to loosen his grip on Jeremy.

“Now, Jerm!” Diego cried.

With a speed born of desperation, Jeremy shifted to an inland taipan, the most venomous snake in the known world, coiled around Cristobal’s wrist, and sank his fangs into Cristobal’s hand. Jeremy couldn’t know the poison wouldn’t hurt Cristobal, but the bite jarred him enough that he flinched and dropped Jeremy, who slithered away quickly. Diego misted, intent on getting between them before Cristobal could grab Jeremy again, but then the choked gasps made him realize Jeremy was no longer his target. Diego turned in time to see Cristobal with his fingers around Shay’s neck as he hauled him up.

“I’ve waited several lifetimes for this, Alvaro.”

“My name is Diego.”

“Your name is Alvaro Louis Cabrera! Before I took you, I learned from your compatriots who was to help lead my family. This… Diego is a lie,” he spat. “A creation to avoid memories of what you’ve done. What you long to do again. To remember that these humans are prey, nothing more. To remember the power you no doubt experienced that night in the hospital as you ended their lives.”

“No, I am no longer that man!” Diego snarled. “You murdered him! Left him bleeding out, and then fled into the night like a fucking coward.”

Cristobal’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “You were to be my first! To help me make a family! I…. When I took too much and you collapsed, I… panicked. I didn’t know you survived until I heard about what happened at the hospital. By the time I was able to get back, you were gone.”

“Funny how that works. Seems that if you get caught committing murder, they behead you.”

“That wasn’t supposed to happen!” he shrieked. “None of it. But while I waited for you, I made a new family, and when we were strong, we came to find you, to bring you home with us.”

“I have a family,” Diego roared. “They care for me, they are my friends, and more.”

He held Shay up, and laughed at his weak struggles. “Like this? A human? That’s disgusting.”

His fingers tensed, and Diego could see the flesh puckering as long talons pressed into Shay’s throat, blood trickling down the skin Diego had marked that morning as they had sex.

“Don’t…. Don’t hurt him. Please. ”

“Pathetic,” Cristobal spat. “You’re in love with this… this… appetizer!”

Cristobal tightened his grip, the claws slicing deep into the flesh. The droplets of blood became a torrent and Shay’s eyes went wide as he screamed. It tore through Diego, and in a rage, his fangs dropped.

“You should never put your hands on what belongs to me,” he growled.

“No, you’re right. That leaves a job half-done.” Cristobal brought his other hand up and wrapped it around Shay’s neck, then twisted. The sickening crack was too fucking loud in Diego’s ears, and when Shay went limp, Diego’s heart shattered into shards. Cristobal tossed Shay’s body aside, where it bounced across the floor, then landed with a thump. He turned back to Diego with a sick smile. “Oops. I broke your toy.”

Diego stood in mute horror as Shay’s body came to rest against the wall. He could still hear the faint heartbeat, but Diego knew it was only a matter of time. He misted, appearing near Shay, not realizing Cristobal had done the same until talons drove into Diego’s back, and damned if it didn’t hurt. The thing was, Diego wasn’t the young man who’d been so foolish that he’d allowed this vampire close enough to kill him. He’d seen and done too much in the last three centuries to allow pain to stop him. He stood and turned to face a gaping Cristobal, claws still embedded in Diego’s back.

“You should have done what you do best and run,” Diego growled. He drove a fist into Cristobal’s arm, shattering bones and ripping the nails out of his back.

Cristobal howled, probably a combination of rage and pain.

“How many people have you killed?” Diego demanded, as he stalked toward a scrabbling Cristobal. “How many?” he roared.

“Not nearly enough!” came the venomous retort. Cristobal slashed his good hand through the air. “They’re cattle. Good for eating, and little else. They’re stupid, lazy, and do nothing to better themselves.”

No damned way would Diego allow someone to disrespect Shay. “He’s a good man! Kind, gentle, and loving. ”

Cristobal sneered. “Then it’s best he fulfills his duty and serves the strong.”

This time Diego didn’t bother to say anything. With the hundreds of murders he’d committed, Cristobal had shown what kind of person he was and, for the good of all, he needed to be put down. He launched himself at Cristobal, dragging them both to the floor. He couldn’t waste time with him, if he had any hope of helping Shay. He lurched forward and sank his fangs into Cristobal’s throat, this time not with the intent of drinking, but with the desire to kill him for all the things he’d done.

It was anticlimactic, as Cristobal screams were cut short and then replaced by a gurgle. He clutched at his throat, but there was no way he could heal from the missing larynx that Diego spat onto the floor with disgust. Cristobal gasped, then toppled facefirst onto the carpeting, finally finding the true death that he had escaped for far too long. Diego then turned his attention to Shay, who was no longer breathing. He hurried to him and dropped to his knees, pulling Shay to his chest.

“I’m so sorry,” Diego whispered into Shay’s hair.

There was nothing anyone could do. Shay wheezed, his body shuddering as it shut down. Diego was going to watch another person he loved—he realized it then. He loved Shay. It would hurt so bad to not see that smile in the morning. To not hear the lilting laughter. To not see the mischievous glint in his eyes. If there was ever a person that Diego could spend eternity with, it would be—wait. Eternity.

He couldn’t. Could he? What would Shay think to have his choice stripped away from him like that? To Diego, it had been the grossest of violations when Cristobal did it. But it wouldn’t be the same, because Diego wouldn’t leave Shay alone and scared, out of his mind with hunger. Still, did he have the right?

He gently tugged down the collar of Shay’s shirt. He could see the hickey he’d left when they made love. That was the spot he’d need to bite to turn Shay. Before he could ruminate any further, Shay spasmed, his heart going silent as the last breath was expelled and he went limp .

There was no time. It was now or never.

He leaned in and slowly sank his fangs into Shay’s neck, the final trickles of the musky-sweet blood filling his mouth. Tears streamed down his face, knowing what he was consigning Shay to, but being selfish and not willing to let the man he’d come to love die.

When he finished, Diego sat up and nicked one of his lips with the blood-coated fang, then brought his mouth to Shay’s to share the commingled blood.

The door burst open, and Ranna and Borne rushed in. They ignored Cristobal’s body and hurried to Diego’s side.

Diego sat upright, ready to take his punishment. “I had no choice,” he said quietly, feeling the weight of their judgment on him.

“No one doubts that,” Borne replied, his hand on Diego’s arm. “We need to get ready for the new Shay, though. And he’s going to need you to do it.”

That was it. Where was the condemnation? The reprisal? Diego had just turned a human—no, not any human, he’d turned Shay, who was beloved by everyone at the house. They should be cutting off his head and burning it with his body.

“Diego, don’t beat yourself up about this.”

“It’s Shay!” he roared, still cradling Shay to his body, unwilling to let him go. “I stole his choice from him. I’m no better than Cristobal.”

“You are!” Ranna snarled. “You did it to save his life, not to end it. Empatia told us Cristobal claimed what he did to you and others was in order to start a family, but it’s been three hundred years. Where has he been? Oh, wait. I know. Out torturing and murdering. Where have you been? Rescuing and helping. The two of you are nothing alike. Shay knows that. He’ll understand.”

But Shay had rushed in to save Jeremy, knowing full well he wouldn’t stand a chance against Cristobal. That hadn’t mattered to him. He’d sacrificed himself because he was good and noble.

“I can’t lose him,” he whispered, pressing his face in Shay’s neck.

Borne gripped his shoulder. “We all know you love him. It’s plain on your face every time you look at him. Believe me when I say, he will understand and forgive you.”

But he wouldn’t. No one would forgive the monster who’d stolen the choices they had every right to make. He would live forever, cursing Diego’s name every moment of it. And Diego would deserve nothing but his derision.

“Let’s get him to bed. In a few nights, he’ll wake up and he’s going to be hungry. We have to be ready for it.”

But Diego couldn’t—wouldn’t—move. Not as long as Shay lay in his arms, hovering just beyond the pale door. He would fight Death itself if it meant having Shay one more minute.

When Ranna lifted Shay from his arms and took him from the room, Diego wailed his frustration to the heavens. Then he remembered that Jeremy had been there too. He’d gone somewhere, but had he seen Shay die? Had he witnessed Diego turn him into a vampire? He got to his feet, his gaze darting around the room.

“Jerm!”

A moment later, the taipan slithered from under one of the tables in the ballroom, where it reverted to Jeremy, the shift seamless. That had been Shay’s doing. He’d given Jeremy the confidence and attention he needed to learn to control his abilities.

As soon as he was human again, he rushed to Diego, screaming in pain. “He’s not dead!” he cried. “He can’t be. D, don’t let him die. I love him.”

Diego grabbed Jeremy and pulled him in, clutching his head to Diego’s chest. “I know. I love him too.”

“Then don’t let him die.”

“Jerm, I?—”

Jeremy twisted away, his angry expression searing through Diego. “You can’t let him die! He loves you. I know he does! You don’t let the people you love die without fighting for them. He saved me, and if he dies?—”

“He’s not going to die,” Diego promised. “But…. Jerm, he won’t be the same Shay.”

Jeremy’s brow furrowed. “What? Of course he will.”

Diego swallowed hard. He hated that he would have to shatter his kid’s fantasy. “They killed him, Jerm. The only way I could save him was to turn him into a vampire.”

Jeremy blew out a breath. “But he’s going to be okay?”

“Did you hear what I said? He’ll be a vampire.”

Jeremy cocked his head. “Yeah? So? You’re a vampire.”

He wasn’t understanding. “When you become a vampire, you change.”

The two of them sat there, staring at each other before Jeremy finally asked, “How?”

Diego hung his head. “Shay should have had a choice in what happened. I was selfish, because I couldn’t live without him and I turned him without a thought to what he would want.”

“He would want to live. With you and me. He wants to be my other dad. He wants to make a home with us. He won’t care that you made him a vampire, because he loves us and?—”

The anger, the impotent rage, the loss, all bubbled up inside Diego. “Jeremy!”

He sat back, startled, his eyes wide. “D?”

“What I did to him was a betrayal. He’s going to hate me for taking away a choice from him, like it was for me.”

This time Jeremy scowled. “Yes, he’s going to hate you for saving his life,” he grumped, the sarcasm thick. “That makes all kinds of sense. Who wants to die?”

Someone who had already outlived their life. “It’s still a choice he should have been able to make, and I took it away from him.”

It was quiet a few moments, and then Jeremy shifted into a six foot reticulated python and curled around Diego, who sat there and cried because the best thing that had ever happened to him was dead and his coming back would cost Diego everything.

Shay’s head was a maelstrom of conflicting thoughts. They pounded his brain one second, then flashed away the next, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t understand any of them. He did his best to open his eyes, but the strain was too much, so he kept them closed and drifted off to sleep, despite the fact that he was starving.

When he woke again, he tried once more to crack his lids, to see what was going on, but exhaustion swept over him. And he was starved. He couldn’t focus. Where was he? What happened? He hadn’t been this groggy since waking up in the hospital after the beating.

“How are you feeling, Shay?” a voice to his right asked. It sounded like Diego, but… not.

“Th-thirsty,” he croaked out, his throat parched.

“We can give you something for that, but first you need to know some stuff.”

“O-okay.” What was going on? What had happened to him? Why was he so hungry?

“Shay!” came a sweet, high-pitched voice.

“Jeremy?”

Then there was a weight on his chest as slender arms snaked—heh—around him, holding him close.

Shay wrinkled his nose. “Dude, when did you shower last?”

“This morning” came the reply. “Diego said if I wanted to come in and see you, I had to.”

But it couldn’t be. Jeremy smelled… wrong.

“Why don’t you go sit outside, Jerm?”

“But I want to see Shay.”

“Now, Jerm. I’ll let you know when you can come visit.”

“Fine,” Jeremy groused. “Shay? I love you.” Then footsteps retreating. A door opening, then closing.

“Shay….” Diego’s voice. It was weary, beaten down. What had happened? Did one of the team get hurt on the last mission?

That had Shay straining his mind. The last mission…. Fuck. He remembered the pain that jolted his system as that bastard wrapped his hands around Shay’s throat and twisted. He heard the impossibly loud crack and….

“I died,” he gasped, reaching for his throat.

“You did,” Diego confirmed. “Cristobal snapped your neck. ”

That made no sense. If he died, how could he be talking to Diego? And why did it feel as though his stomach was eating itself?

“Diego, I’m so hungry.”

A cool touch on Shay’s cheek. Diego’s fingers. “I know you are, baby.”

Baby? Diego had never said anything like that before. “Who are you? And what have you done with Diego?”

Then a sniffle. “I lost you. I watched as you took your last breath, and…. And I…. Shay, I’m so sorry.”

The look in Diego’s eyes as he watched Cristobal… kill Shay slammed into his brain. The abject terror, the loss, the pain.

“You turned me into a vampire, didn’t you?” That would explain the thirst and hunger, but not for any kind of food. It would also be the reason Jeremy smelled so foul. Dr. Oliver had said other paranormal’s blood was toxic, and that was why it had turned his stomach.

“Yes,” Diego whimpered. “I’m so sorry, but I couldn’t ask permission.”

A vampire. Shay? “Is that why I’m starving?”

“Yeah. Empatia sent over some bags, but you need to know. The first taste of blood is… jarring. Your mind isn’t ready to accept the difference in nutrition and….” He choked. “And taste.” He gripped Shay’s hand, almost painfully. “I’m sorry. After we get you stable, I’m going to leave. I won’t hurt you ever again, I promise. And I know I don’t have the right to ask, but could you take care of Jeremy? He’s going to need someone and?—”

“He needs his father,” Shay ground out. “I thought we’d beaten this particular horse to death?”

“W-W-What?” Diego stuttered.

Shay gripped Diego’s hand. “You did what you had to. What was necessary.” He ran his fingers over the spot Diego had bitten. “I won’t lie. It’s… different, but I understand. I’d have done the same thing, I’m sure. We’re desperate to hold on to memories we have as well as the ones we’d hoped to make.” He sighed. “Just don’t leave, okay? I’m going to need you to guide me into this new life.” He squeezed Diego’s fingers. “And I want you to be with me. ”

“But you should hate me,” Diego insisted.

Shay finally opened his eyes. For an immortal being, Diego looked awful. His hair was unkempt, his eyes red and crusty. His skin was even paler than usual. He was a wreck, that much was evident. “For what? Saving me? Yes, I’m so angry because I get to see you and Jeremy every day. I still have a chance to be able to live a life with both of you.”

“You don’t know what you’re giving up.”

Shay tried to speak, but his throat hurt. Diego must have understood as he placed a bag over Shay’s lips. Even through the coating, Shay could smell the blood and his stomach rumbled.

“Bite it gently,” Diego instructed. “Keep control of your bloodlust, if you can.”

Shay was about to protest, ask how he was supposed to bite through the bag, when his tongue slid over a new protrusion in his mouth. Needle-sharp, they’d do the job easily. He leaned in and placed his teeth against the bag and bit as gently as he could. Immediately, warm fluid rushed into his mouth, and Shay gulped greedily. Diego was right. The taste was off-putting, stale, but still rich and heady. He wanted—craved—more.

Bag after bag appeared, with Diego holding them until Shay drained it, then replacing it with a fresh pouch. Shay snorted and Diego pulled away.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his concern obvious.

Shay snickered. “This reminds me of the juice pouches we had when I was a kid. Maybe we should see about marketing them with a straw that you can sip them with. Imagine vampires everywhere sipping on our snack pack blood.”

Diego blinked several times, and then his lip quirked up. “You’re a goof.”

And Shay knew he was, but he was Diego’s goof. He just needed Diego to understand that. “Don’t leave us, okay? I know you have this massive Catholic guilt thing going on, but trust me when I say I’m not angry or upset. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to live in this world. This gives me opportunities I’d never have otherwise. ”

“Like what?” Diego challenged. “You don’t know how much eternal life sucks.”

“Oh? Can you play the piano? Have you ever put a roof on a house? What about writing? Ever written a book? Ever do a doctoral thesis? Have you studied the stars? Run with the animals?”

Diego scowled. “What? No.”

“Then you’re missing out. Think about it, okay? You only see problems, and that’s mostly because the guilt has always eaten away at you. I don’t see things the same way. To me, eternal life is about infinite possibilities. I love to learn things, but I always had to choose which was most important to me. Now? I’ll be able to do anything, no matter how long it takes. Hell, I might even get through the list of books I want to read. Maybe. Just think, I could turn my favorite authors into vampires, so they’re always around to write me new stuff. K.C. Wells, Mary Calmes, LM Somerton, Eden Winters, and my entire list of autobuy authors have lots of books to write, and I could give them time to do it.”

“This isn’t funny,” Diego admonished, but then he grinned. “And you can’t simply turn people into vampires all willy-nilly. Even if you love their books.”

Shay sobered. “No, you’re right. I can’t. Nor would I, no matter how tempting it would be. The whole point here is, I’m going to need your help to get used to my new life, but I don’t regret for a second what happened. I’m grateful, if nothing else. I know you think of eternal life as a curse, but I’m gonna guess it’s because you’ve never had anyone by your side to walk with you. You’re not alone now, Diego. And you never will be again.”

“That sounds nice,” Diego admitted. “I’ve been so lonely, because I knew that I would outlive all my friends. But now? Maybe it won’t hurt so bad if I’m not alone. I… would like to walk with you.”

“And would you be willing to go out and learn with me? We could take pottery classes, I could teach you how to quilt, we could both learn new languages. We could go deep-sea diving without equipment.”

“Jeremy? ”

Shay nodded. “He was stoked about you doing it, so I’m gonna figure he’ll be double pumped for us to go together.” He reached for Diego’s hand. “The world is our oyster, Diego. We can go anywhere, do anything, and we have all the time in the world to get it done. Eternity isn’t going to suck anymore. You have my word.”

And for the first time in what seemed like forever, an ember of hope sparked in Diego’s heart.