Six
Diego
When I came out of the shower—feeling refreshed and much more comfortable—I found Shade softly murmuring to Pixie. I couldn't hear quite what he was saying, but I caught my name a few times.
"What are you two talking about?" I asked as I closed the bathroom door and switched the light off. Shade must've hidden from the light, because it took him a moment to answer.
"I was just telling Pixie my plans to woo you," Shade said, sounding completely serious, and I snorted as I turned to face him.
"You don't need to woo me."
"Oh, but I do. I want you to be happy with me."
I smiled, then walked over to his voice. He took my hand as I got close to him, then tugged me close. Feeling the bed against my leg, I took a seat, holding on to his hand .
"You have no idea how happy I already am, having you back in my life. I spent the whole day thinking about you."
"Me too," Shade whispered, his shadows tickling up my arm from the hand I was still holding. "I just—we were different before. Our relationship was different. We were friends. But now..."
"Now we're soulmates," I said when he didn't, and he squeezed my hand.
"Yeah. We just met again for the first time two days ago, and I was worried that a romantic... entanglement would be too much."
I bit back a smile at his use of the phrase 'romantic entanglement,' and shifted closer to him. "Too much for you, or me?"
"For you. Not that I knew what you meant to me before, or had those kinds of feelings for you," he hurried to add, as if he was afraid I'd think he'd been grooming me or something. As if he would ever do that.
"We might not have seen each other for years, but that doesn't mean I've forgotten what kind of person you are. I would never think you capable of something like that."
Shade exhaled loudly, like he was relieved by my words, and I leaned forward, pressing a kiss against his jaw. I'd been aiming for his cheek, but oh well. A kiss was a kiss.
"As for it being too much for me…" I paused to climb onto his lap like I had yesterday, and just like yesterday, he grabbed onto my hips, holding me close.
"You don't have to worry about that. All these years, I never found someone I felt like I could be with, and every time I mentally rejected someone, you know what I thought? "
Shade made a rough sound of denial as I pressed a kiss against the side of his neck, and I hummed against his skin before leaning back to reply, because I wanted him to see the sincerity on my face.
"I thought, 'if he was a little more like Shade, I might be able to love him.
' Ever since I was old enough to date, I've been searching for someone like you.
Someone who is kind, who protects me without treating me like a child, who looks after me without acting like he's a saint for doing it, who wouldn't just be a lover, but a friend too.
But there's no one else like you, Shade.
Which is probably why the universe brought you back to me. "
I felt a little vulnerable admitting all of that, but the effect it had on Shade was worth it.
His hands squeezed my hips, then slid to my ass, pulling me closer as his lips brushed against mine.
I parted my lips for him with a groan, and his tongue slid into my mouth, startling me for a moment with its unique Shade-ness.
His tongue wasn't thick and flat like a human's, but felt wispy, like there were a hundred little tendrils that made up the whole thing, all moving in sync as they tangled with my tongue.
It wasn't quite solid, just like the rest of him, but it felt fucking amazing.
Shade pulled back, and I could feel his gaze on me, searching my face. "Is this okay?"
In reply, I closed the distance between us again, and his lips pressed against mine, his tongue sliding into my mouth once more. I was glad I'd had the foresight to brush my teeth after my shower, and I rocked my hips against him, rubbing my hardness against his abdomen as he squeezed my ass.
Just when I was about to suggest we use the rest of the bed, my stomach growled. Loudly.
I whined when Shade moved back, pulling a rough laugh out of him.
"You're hungry. We should eat first. "
"But I want to kiss you some more," I insisted, and he pressed a smiling kiss against my lips, then shifted back before I could deepen it.
"Dinner first, then we can kiss as much as you want," Shade promised, and I sighed.
"Fine, fine."
Since it was easier to cook with the lights on, Shade stayed in the bedroom while Pixie followed me out to the kitchen.
While I could cook in complete darkness, it took less time when I had the lights on.
My sight was like the blur turned way up, and with no color.
I could see dark things against lighter surfaces, but I had trouble with the opposite.
It was why I'd liked this apartment. The furniture here was all dark, but the carpets, countertops and walls were light-colored.
It was a heaven for my vision, and when I first moved to the city, it'd felt like the best place in the world for me.
But Shade couldn't freely move around here, and I didn't like that. He was going to be a permanent part of my life, which meant I couldn't live here forever.
I could move in with him. Once I got used to his space, I wouldn't need my limited sight to function. And I wouldn't have to worry about cooking every day, since they seemed to have a communal kitchen at the Sanctuary.
It might not be a good idea to mention moving in together two days after our reunion, so I filed it into the back of my mind for later.
Once dinner was ready—I'd gone with some simple pasta with fried veggies—I plated it for us, then made my way to the bedroom.
Shade
Diego knocked on the door once before stepping inside, giving me enough time to melt into the shadows in the corner of the room as light spilled in from the hallway. Once he was inside, he closed the door behind him, and I stepped forward, taking the plates from his hand.
He smiled, then followed me to the bed, climbing onto it as I did the same, while Pixie curled up against his leg. He ran his fingers through her fur as I handed him his plate, and she meowed when he stopped so he could eat.
"That's one spoiled cat," I commented, then hummed as I took a bite of the pasta. "This is really delicious."
Diego tilted his head at me, then smiled. "Thank you. Are you surprised I can cook well?"
"Yes," I agreed easily, then added, "But not because you're blind. The last time you cooked in front of me, you managed to burn cookies in an easy-bake oven."
Diego snorted a laugh, a wide grin on his face. "I forgot about that! In my defense, cooking and baking are completely different. I still can't bake for shit."
I chuckled, and our dinner somehow turned into a trip down memory lane as we talked about the four years we'd spent together when he was a child.
By that point, I'd been alone for a few centuries, and I'd been almost ready to just walk right into the light because I couldn't figure out what the point of living like that was.
But then I'd seen him, this sad little boy walking home from school with the weight of the world on his shoulders, and I'd found myself following him.
He'd just lost his dad, and with his mom lost in her own grief, he'd been all alone.
I'd felt a kinship toward him, despite the massive age and maturity difference between us.
We'd both been lonely, so I'd figured maybe we could help each other out. It'd been the best idea I'd ever come up with.
Diego scraped the last of his pasta onto his spoon, pulling me out of my thoughts.
Once he'd finished eating, he took our empty plates and put them on the nightstand, handing me the bottle of water he'd also brought.
I took a few sips, then gave it to him. After he'd finished drinking, he put the bottle on the nightstand, then took a deep breath, as if he had something to say.
"Shade... What did you do to Andrew? When I woke up in the hospital and told them what had happened, they guessed that he freaked out after hurting me and dumped me at the hospital before leaving town to avoid charges.
But that didn't sound right to me. Before I fainted, I was sure I saw your shadows surround him. "
I sighed. I'd hoped Diego wouldn't ask me about it, that he'd just forget the whole thing and leave it in the past. In all my life, I'd never done anything as monstrous as what I did to Andrew, and while he deserved every bit of it, I didn't want Diego to know I was capable of something like that.
"Shade?" Diego prompted when I stayed silent, and I swallowed hard.
"I killed him," I confessed finally, and I hoped he wouldn't press for more details.
"Oh," Diego murmured, his face going blank for a long moment before he shook his head. "That scream I heard..."
"That was me," I admitted with a wince, then shrugged. "The light was... uncomfortable." Unimaginably painful, more like, but I wasn't going to tell him that .
"Did it hurt badly?" he asked, a frown marring his face, and I blinked. I'd just told him I'd killed a man, and he was worried about it hurting me?
"It was only for a few seconds."
Diego nodded, then pursed his lips. "What did you do with him?"
Damn, I'd been hoping he wouldn't ask.
"Do you really want to know? It wasn't...pretty."
Diego's face softened, and he took my hands in his, squeezing them tightly. "Tell me." He sounded almost eager as he said it, and I blinked, surprised. He didn't sound the least bit afraid or wary.
"I pulled him into the shadows...and I took him away from your home and left him there. Then I came back and took you to the hospital."
"Left him? As in inside the shadow?"
"Yes. He couldn't get out without me, and it was a spot where light didn't reach from anywhere, so the shadow wouldn't disappear. He died slowly."
Diego's lips parted in surprise, his face looking a little paler. I frowned. Had I finally scared him off?
Before I could say anything—not that I knew what I could possibly say to justify what I'd done—Diego threw himself at me, his arms clamping tight around my middle as he buried his face against my chest.
"Thank you," he murmured against my skin, and I held him close, pressing a kiss into his hair.
"You're welcome. I just wish I hadn't waited until he actually hit you to do something. I should've done it the first time he raised his voice at you. "
"Maybe, or maybe that would've scared the shit out of me. I don't know. There's no point trying to rewrite the past, because we can't. I'm just glad you're in my life and he isn't."
"Me too."
I cupped his chin in my hand, my sharp nails pressing against his cheek. I was careful not to press too hard, though Diego didn't seem to care as he leaned into my touch.
"Your nails are like Pixie's," he mused, making me chuckle.
Before he could compare another part of me with his cat, I leaned down and pressed my lips to his, keeping the promise I'd made him before dinner.
Diego moaned as he reached up and slid his arms behind my neck, tugging me closer.
His lips danced against mine, so soft and plump, and I couldn't resist the urge to bite into the lower one, licking and sucking on it until it was red and shiny.
"Damn, Shade. Where did you learn to kiss like this?"
"Where did you ?" I shot back, since I couldn't very well admit all my knowledge came from the books my friends at the Sanctuary supplied me with. I was a centuries-old virgin, and that was one secret I refused to share with Diego.