21. Shane
CHAPTER 21
SHANE
Rory glared at me. “I guess! Fuck.”
I couldn’t help the goofy smile that took over my face. We were bonded. Me, Ellis, and Rory.
Forever.
Rory had definitely been the piece missing when Ellis and I had tried before. This time the magic wheel was smooth, robustly spinning without a hitch.
I held my hand out to Rory. “I need a hug.”
He huffed. “Fine.” He crawled over to us. Ellis sat up, and we circled our arms around each other. One of them—Ellis—was thinking about our lovemaking.
I smiled. Is it okay if I talk like this now? Rory, you should try.
He scrunched up his face. Ellis chuckled and kissed his cheek. “Just relax. It’ll happen.”
Rory exhaled. Can you hear me?
I grinned. Yes !
Good, because I wanted to say, I thought I was bossy in bed, but damn, Shane! That was so fucking hot!
I laughed and tucked my face into his neck. I didn’t know if I’d be able to conjure up that confidence again, but it had been fun.
Someone pounded on the front door. Before the three of us could do more than sit up, it opened, and Manny shouted, “I hope you’re awake and dressed!”
Our horrified gazes went to the open bedroom door. I bolted off the bed, covering my junk with one hand in case Pia was in sight. Manny must’ve held her back, because I slammed it shut without seeing anyone.
I leaned against the door in relief as Manny laughed. “We’ll be making brunch when you’re ready!”
Ellis ran his hand over his face. “Fuck. I forgot Ms. Jackson can open locks.”
I stood up, then stooped to gather the bedding on the floor. “I guess it’s time to get cleaned up.” Ellis sucked in a breath, and I felt surprise through the bond. “What is it?”
He pointed to the door. “That’s twice as far as you and I could get from each other the first time we bonded.”
Holy shit. I’d gotten at least ten feet from him and Rory without feeling a twinge. “Hang on. I’m going to go into the closet—no stupid jokes—and one of you go into the bathroom. That’ll be about twenty-five feet.”
We determined we had a range of about fifteen feet. And it was to both of the others, so we couldn’t spread out too far. It wasn’t ideal, but it was a damn sight better than the five feet Ellis and I had been restricted to .
We rotated through the shower as quickly as possible. Ellis went first so he could style his hair while Rory and I took our turns. I wished there was room to expand the shower stall so the three of us could all fit at once.
As I had that thought, I caught a brief glimmer of a thought Rory had in response, but he hid it away almost instantly.
I paused my toweling off. “How did you do that? Hide your thought, I mean.” He grimaced, and I held my hand up. “I don’t need to know what the thought was, you’re entitled to think what you think. But I tried to hide my thoughts from Ellis the first time we were bonded. Uh, when I was jealous of his attraction to you. But I don’t know how effective it was. How did you figure it out?”
He shrugged. “I just did it. I didn’t want to hurt your feelings, and I kind of... tucked the thought behind a barrier?”
“Oh.” I looking sadly around at the dated tile and ancient faucets. I could guess Rory’s opinion about this house.
“Hey.” He wrapped his arms around me. “It’s home. It’s where you are.”
I leaned my head on his shoulder. “But the neighborhood isn’t great, and there’s Pia to think about.”
Ellis walked in, hair on point and fully dressed, including shoes. Today’s ensemble was maroon shorts with a yellow polka-dotted button-up. “Hey, no one invited me to the group hug!” He threw his arms around me and Rory. “Here’s my two cents on the house. We like it, it’s comfortable, and we have bigger things to focus on for the near term. Like convincing our first-ever client that we’re a real company, and how we’re going to rescue the Wonders at the auction tomorrow night. ”
I nodded, enjoying that both Rory and Ellis had used the same shampoo and body wash as I had, so we all smelled like we belonged together. “We’re swamped.”
Rory chuckled. “Exactly.”
I kissed both of them. Ellis let go first, but Rory gasped. “Ellis! Your neck! Look!” He dragged Ellis over to the mirror. The scars were almost invisible.
I pulled Ellis’ collar back, then I kissed his cheek. “We’ve been bonded for like, half an hour? This is some powerful magic.”
Ellis rubbed his neck, unable to take his eyes off his reflection. “I thought I’d wear those scars for the rest of my life.”
Well, shit. Rory leaned his forehead against Ellis’. “It wouldn’t have mattered to us.”
He gave us both a teary smile. “I know. It was just a nasty reminder.” He turned around and headed into the bedroom. “Get dressed so I can rescue Arch from Manny.”
Rory and I hurriedly put on our clothes while Ellis poked around in the duffel bag he’d put on the chest of drawers last night.
“What’s in there? Sex toys?” I experimented with sending the feeling of a dirty leer through the bond.
Ellis cackled, so he must’ve felt it. “Well, some of it is.” He pulled out a bottle of lube, a butt plug, and a large green dildo and dumped them on the bed.
Rory scooped them up and took them over to the nightstand. “Excellent. We can have some fun with these.” He opened the drawer and put the items inside.
“Um.” Ellis rubbed the back of his neck. “Before we go out and see everyone, the rest of the stuff in this bag.... ”
I turned to give him my full attention. “Whatever it is, you can tell us, Ellis.” I projected my feelings for him through the bond, and he turned shocked eyes on me. I smiled and shrugged. “We’re here for you.”
Rory stepped up beside me. “No judgment here.”
Ellis looked down into the bag and took a deep breath. Rory and I both tensed, and I hoped his trick with the privacy wall worked, because I was trying like hell to hide my worry that I wouldn’t appreciate whatever Ellis was into.
He reached into the bag and pulled out a round red... Yo-Yo?
“You can Yo-Yo?” I blinked. I didn’t know anyone who knew how.
“Show us,” Rory urged.
Ellis glanced toward the door. “Real quick.” He put his finger through the loop on the end of the string. “This is called Sleeping.” He threw the Yo-Yo toward the floor, and it stayed there, spinning without reeling back up the string. “Then from here you can do lots of things, but the most well-known is Walk the Dog.” He jerked his hand up, and the Yo-Yo retracted to his palm. Then he threw it toward the floor again, but this time instead of just letting it hang in the air, he let it touch the ground. The Yo-Yo rolled in a circle on the floor before Ellis pulled it up into his hand again.
He looked up at us with a slightly sheepish but proud smile. Rory and I clapped and hugged him.
“That’s so impressive,” I gushed. “How did you learn it?”
“I’ve had Yo-Yos since I was a little kid. It’s relaxing and I enjoy it.” He snorted. “I had to hide them from my father, of course. ”
“You have to show Pia!” Rory tugged Ellis toward the door, but he balked.
“No. Arch never understood why I liked it. I’ll show her later.”
Never understood being code for made fun of . Got it. I wanted to protest, to tell him Rory and I would tell Arch off if he tried to say anything derogatory, but it wasn’t our battle to fight.
Instead I hugged him again. “Whenever you’re ready.” I’d expected him to put the Yo-Yo back in the duffel bag, but he stuck it in his pocket. Maybe he was considering bringing it out later. I’d support him either way.
At long last we emerged from the bedroom. Pia cheered when she saw us, leaping up from where she’d been watching what looked like a Thai BL drama with Ms. Jackson. She hugged us, one after the other. “Manny said you were bonded! Is it true?”
Rory picked her up briefly and put her on her feet again. “It’s true! Now we can be together for ever and ever, and you’ll be with us too.”
“Yay! Can Ms. Jackson and Manny and Uncle Arch stay with us?”
“Uh....” Rory gazed around a little desperately.
I took that one. “They’re welcome to stay as long as they want. But Ms. Jackson sometimes travels around.” Okay, they’d traveled once. “And Manny and Arch have jobs and lives of their own.”
Pia pouted a little, but I was glad to see a hint of brattiness coming out. She seemed to be bouncing back from her kidnapping, but I still wanted to get her in to see a therapist .
“Speaking of Manny....” Rory pitched his voice loud enough to be heard in the kitchen.
“Sí, mi amigo? Also, congratulations on your bonding! ”
Rory put his hands on Pia’s shoulders, and they led the way to the kitchen. Manny was wearing one of Granny’s old aprons, which had “Your opinion wasn’t in the recipe” on the front
“Don’t you have to go to work today?”
“I’ve got an overnight tonight, but I’m calling in sick tomorrow so I can help with the rescue.” He opened the oven a crack and peeked at whatever was inside. He still had a magic aura, and it didn’t seem to have faded much, if at all.
“Not happening.” Arch scowled from his seat at the breakfast table next to Ms. Jackson, who was in their black panther form.
Manny rolled his eyes. “Not the boss of me.”
“My Hunter team will be setting up a perimeter starting this afternoon. We’ll be the ones to breach the building and arrest the perpetrators. You wouldn’t have anything to do.”
Ms. Jackson materialized their Ouija board. W-H-A-T-A-B-O-U-T-T-H-E-V-I-C-T-I-M-S
Arch shrugged. “We’ll take them to TWIST and help them get back home or wherever they want to go.”
I opened my mouth, but Manny was faster. “You mean you’ll just load them on a bus or something? What if they need medical care?” He pointed at himself. “Nurse, remember?” Pia high-fived him on her way to the fridge.
Ms. Jackson sparkled out, M-A-N-N-Y-A-N-D-I-W-I-L-L-G-O-V-I-C-T-I-M-S-W-I-L-L-N-E-E-D-U- S
Arch appeared to be debating which argument would work against a being who could turn into a dragon.
“What about the ghosts?” Rory asked.
“Finally! I’ve been checking back every fifteen minutes. Really, Rory, couldn’t you have done all that sex stuff last night?”
I clapped my hand over my heart as Carlyle appeared next to Rory. Manny slammed the oven door shut, and Pia screamed before huddling behind him.
Arch didn’t get up, but his gun and knife were in his hands, both pointed at Carlyle.
“Arch!” Ellis stomped over to him. “Put those away. There’s a child present. This is Carlyle Blackbourne, Rory’s grandfather.”
Arch blinked and made his weapons vanish. “You’re the ghost we were speaking to yesterday in the car.”
Carlyle looked down his nose at Arch. “The same.” He turned to Ellis. “I take it he wasn’t the bright one in the family?”
Ellis laughed, and I couldn’t stop myself from walking over and putting my arm around him.
Manny hooted. “Good one, Grandpa!”
Carlyle ignored him. “Rory, I have an update from Mercy and Garfield, but first....” He jerked his head toward the kitchen.
Rory tilted his head and scrunched his forehead. “What?”
Carlyle huffed. “This was easier when no one else could hear me.”
Suddenly he blinked out of sight .
Rory looked around at our shock and grinned. “I hoped that would work. Tell me now. Oh, hi.” His gaze moved slightly to the left of where he’d presumably been looking at Carlyle. “Hey, do you want to talk to....” His smile dropped. “Right. Yes. You’re welcome, and I promise.” He walked to the kitchen. Manny had pulled a casserole out of the oven, and Pia was carefully slicing it into squares.
“Pia, you saw my grandfather a minute ago, right?”
She set the knife down and looked at him warily. “Yeah?”
“I now have the ability to allow other people to see certain ghosts, just like you saw my grandfather. Your mom would like to talk to you.”
Pia’s eyes went wide before her face crumpled. “Mama? Where is she?”
Rory pointed at the back door. “She’s waiting for you in the back yard.”
Pia dashed around him and raced out the back door. We all watched her hug a slightly translucent woman with long, leafy hair.
“Lorraine wanted to say goodbye. She’s ready to cross over.”
“Oh, shit. Poor Pia.” I rubbed my chest where grief poured through our connection with her. She was sobbing in her mother’s arms.
“Fuck. Shane, do you have any chocolate? Something sweet can’t hurt.” Manny was rummaging through the wrong cabinet, so I went to show him.
When I came back to the breakfast room, Pia was alone outside, and Rory and Ellis were fidgeting near the window.
“How long should we give her?” I looked around, but none of us were parents. “Where’s Carlyle? Does he know what to do?”
Rory snorted. “No way. My dad was raised by nannies.” He looked to his right. “Hush. You know it’s true.”
“It’s been one minute. That’s enough.” Ellis walked to the back door, and Rory and I followed him outside.
Pia was sitting on the edge of the hammock, still sobbing her heart out. Rory sat carefully on one side of her, and Ellis and I sat on the other side. Pia’s feet came off the ground, but somehow we managed not to flip the hammock over.
Rory put his arms around her, and she fell into his chest. “We’re here, honey.”
Ellis and I did our best to wrap our arms around the two of them, but the hammock wasn’t having it. Ellis cried out when we all fell into a pile in the middle, our legs hanging over one side while we swung back and forth.
Pia sniffled and then gave a slightly wet giggle.
“I’m so sorry about your mom, sweetie.” I rubbed my hand down her arm, which was all I could reach since Ellis was in between us.
She shut her eyes tightly and nodded. “Thanks. I’m glad I got to see her one more time though. She said—she said now that you were bonded and my connections with you were strong, she wasn’t worried about me being safe and happy.”
Aww. That got her another hug pile.
We swung in silence for a few more minutes, but then Ellis’ stomach growled, and we all chuckled.
I cleared my throat. “Manny said he was making brownies for dessert. ”
Pia opened her eyes. “With ice cream?”
We all smiled. She’d be alright.
Rory’s grandfather was arguing with Arch when we went back inside. Manny appeared ready to whack both of them with the spatula he was holding.
Carlyle lit up when he saw us. “Rory! Tell this jackass he needs us ghosts for the takedown.”
Rory’s eyebrows flew up. “Pia, go wash your hands before you eat. Arch, why wouldn’t you want help from what amount to invisible spies?”
He set his fork down on his plate and carefully wiped his mouth. “Because we’d need you to be there so we could see them, and right now, because of your bonding, that means all three of you. It’s too risky.”
Grandfather rolled his eyes. “It’s not like we can’t report back to Rory here, and he could be on the phone with one of you.”
Arch tilted his head. “I’ll speak to Dominic about it.”
I went into the kitchen to wash my hands, squeezing Pia’s shoulder as I passed her. I would’ve preferred to go to help with the victims, like Manny and Ms. Jackson would be doing, but I could understand Arch’s concerns about having a bunch of civilians underfoot.
Ellis followed me into the kitchen, but he seemed focused on Pia rather than Arch.
I nudged him as I dried my hands. “She’ll be okay.”
He gave a half-hearted nod. I know. I just remember what it was like losing my mom when I was only a little younger than she is.
Oh. Right. Fuck. I dropped the dish towel on the counter and wrapped my arms around him. I’m sorry. I didn’t think about the memories it would’ve brought up for you.
He hugged me back. I didn’t think it would hit me so hard. But this helps. Are you feeling okay now that we’re bonded?
Yeah. And you? Not so tired anymore? His magic, amplified with mine and Rory’s, certainly wasn’t depleted any longer.
He pulled back. “No, I’m good. Thanks for the hug.” He went up on his toes, so I met him halfway in a tender kiss. I made sure to send what I was feeling through our bond to Rory. In the breakfast room, someone’s glass thunked loudly against the table.
“Sorry,” Rory muttered.
Grinning, Ellis stepped back. “How do bonded partners keep from tormenting each other all day?”
I shrugged and led the way back to the table. “I’m not the best person to ask.”
Luckily for me, Rory was flanked by Manny and Pia, so I didn’t have to sit next to him and risk getting any physical payback. Carlyle had vanished, and Ms. Jackson had gone to the backyard and was climbing into the hammock. Ellis aimed for the chair next to Manny, so I sat between him and Arch.
Manny pointed at the casserole dish in the middle of the table. “Help yourself.”
It smelled incredible. “Thanks, Manny. I appreciate you taking care of us. ”
He lifted one shoulder. “I like to keep busy.”
Arch pushed back from the table. “Thanks for the food. I need to go meet my team. They’ll be infiltrating the area over the course of the afternoon.” He hesitated. “I’ll let you know what Dominic says about the ghosts helping tomorrow.”
“They helped Rory rescue me, Uncle Arch. I couldn’t see them, but they killed the cameras and made sure we didn’t run into any security guards.”
Arch raised his eyebrows at Pia. “Really? They can take out cameras?”
Rory rolled his eyes, much like his grandfather had done earlier. “Yes. I would’ve told you if you’d asked how they could help. They can destroy any electronics. That’s how we stopped the vampires’ van to get Ellis back. The ghosts fried the electrical system.”
I leaned into Ellis in case the reminder was unpleasant for him, but he just kept eating. I wasn’t sure what all Manny had put into the casserole, but I was feeling more awake and energized by the minute.
“Huh.” Arch picked up his plate and took it to the sink. “That’ll help convince Dominic.”
Nobody walked him to the front door.
We ate in silence for a few minutes, then, just as I felt him brace himself through the bond, Ellis said, “We should probably talk about a plan for our meeting with Mr. Yamamoto.”
I waited for the panic to come, but it didn’t. I took one more bite of the casserole—I really hoped Manny made it again one day—then swallowed and said, “I’m going to treat it like all the other site visits I’ve done in the past. Walk the area, take measurements, get a soil sample, and talk to the client about what he wants. Then we’ll come home, research plants and delivery costs, and put a quote together.” Now that I wasn’t freaking out, I was surprised at how easy it’d be to do on my own. I’d have to hire laborers for the actual planting, but if Ellis and Rory would help with the office work, we should be able to make a profit.
Ellis pulled out his phone and started making notes. “Do you know the suppliers in the area?”
“Of course. I have good relationships with several.”
We discussed the logistics for a few more minutes. Pia, obviously bored by our conversation, excused herself to go play video games.
Oh, shit. “Pia, will you be okay for a couple of hours if we leave you here with Ms. Jackson?” I glanced out the window to make sure there was still a tiger in my hammock. “Manny has to go to work, and we have a meeting.”
“Duh.” Her back was to us, so we didn’t have to see the eye roll. She might as well be related to Rory and his grandfather.
The Akagi Inc. office complex sprawled over several acres. The owners, I knew from previous visits, preferred a park-like atmosphere between the buildings to give their employees a mental break from the stresses of their jobs.
As we drove in, I automatically checked on the landscaping Fredericks & Son had put in near the entrance and around the other buildings. The area Mr. Yamamoto had called about was toward the side of the property that faced the main road leading to the entrance. Right now the area was completely grass, but we had the opportunity to put in something eye-catching for the people in their cars to look at .
I’d made us stop at a Build Barn on the way to pick up some supplies, like a measuring wheel and a few soil test kits. Over my objections, Rory paid for everything, and Ellis tucked away the receipt.
Mr. Yamamoto was waiting for us in the parking lot next to the grassy area. He seemed delighted to meet Rory and Ellis, and he shook my hand with both of his. “I could not be more pleased to be working with you directly, particularly now I know the designs we already have are yours.” He gestured at the rest of the complex.”
“Oh, uh, thank you. We’re excited about the opportunity to bid on this project. Um, what did you have in mind?”
Mr. Yamamoto had been thinking along the same lines I was. “Something that stands out. Native plants, if possible, like the rest of the grounds, but I’d like a lot of color so people will remember where we are when they drive by.”
I walked over to the grass and knelt to see what the soil looked like underneath. “I’ll have to research the plants, but I had an idea the other day.... What would you think about two species that appear similar during the summer, but one is evergreen and the other will flower but also have leaves that change color and die back in the winter. Then, the evergreen plants are in the shape of your logo, and the surrounding plants will change over time to set it off differently each season.” Fortunately their logo was a circle with a few lines through it. Nothing difficult to create with plants.
Mr. Yamamoto smiled. “I love that idea.”
“Great. I’ll see what plants we’d need and make it one of the options we submit.”
Rory helped me measure the area and take soil samples, and Ellis made notes. Then he took over ending the meeting, telling Mr. Yamamoto we’d get him the quotes next week along with a proposed schedule.
I was on cloud nine on the way back home. I could do this. I could make this happen.
Ellis was smiling as well. “I’ve run the numbers, and, depending on how many projects you think we can handle in a year, I think we have the makings of a viable business.”
Rory hmmmed . “How do we let Fredericks & Son’s other clients know you’re available?”
We bounced ideas around all the way home, stopping only to pick up some pizzas. Pia and Ms. Jackson would be thrilled.
Oh, shit. “Guys? After dinner can you help me figure out how to make Granny’s room into something Pia would like?”
Rory groaned. “I forgot Pia would be right next door to us. Dammit. I had plans for tonight. Dirty, dirty plans.”
In the back seat Ellis raised his hand. “I vote for dirty, dirty, quiet plans.”