Chapter 15
Thano was stirring the oatmeal. Eli was in the shower. He'd been surprised when he'd seen the bathroom behind the kitchen. Thano had shown him where he kept his towels and told him to wash up.
He had to get more food. Could he go to Eli's shop?
He didn't want Eli back in Last Hope. Either they'd have to clear out the board again or he'd have to keep Eli here.
Since they'd agreed to leave the people of Last Hope alone at the last meeting, he was leaning toward keeping Eli here.
Romeo most likely didn't want his coven to stay with him for an extended period, and he feared Ciar would end up biting one or two of them, but he wasn't sure what to do about it.
There was a soft knock on the door, so Thano pulled the pot off the heat and went to open it.
When Emeric looked at him with wide eyes, he realized he'd only put on pants before they left the bedroom. He never showed himself undressed.
"Yes?"
Emeric said nothing, he simply stared.
"Emeric."
Wide eyes jumped to his. "Sorry. I...eh..."
The bathroom door opened, and Eli walked out dressed in nothing but jeans. His hair was wet and tousled and there were a few droplets he'd missed on his shoulder.
"Oh..." Emeric's gaze was fastened on Eli, his pupils widening, and before he could stop himself, Thano snarled.
"Don't look at him!"
Both Eli and Emeric jumped at the outburst. Thano ignored them. "What did you want?"
Emeric's gaze almost reached Eli again before he yanked it back to Thano. "We're...eh...are a few who'll go into Last Hope to feed. You said we were allowed to if we stayed hidden."
Thano took a calming breath. "Yes, be careful."
Emeric's gaze moved toward Eli again, but Thano sidestepped to block it. Eli snorted behind him, but Thano ignored it. "You'll be back in time for the meeting."
Emeric nodded. "Of course." Then he gathered the shadows around him and disappeared. Thano shut the door.
"Come eat." Thano moved toward the kitchen where he grabbed a bowl from one of the cupboards. Eli pulled on a shirt he'd left draped over a backrest of one of the kitchen chairs and stepped closer. He was boxing Thano in against the counter. He could get away of course, but he didn't want to.
"What made you turn into a grumpy bear?" Eli kissed his bare shoulder.
"I'm not a bear."
Eli sighing against his skin shouldn't make him shiver. "What's wrong?" He snaked an arm around Thano. The motion surprised him. No one ever touched him, and no one ever cared if he was being grumpy or not. He blew out a breath and poured the oatmeal into the bowl.
"I think we're gonna let Last Hope be."
Eli grew still behind him. He wasn't breathing which was unnerving.
"Let it be? How do you mean?"
Thano nudged him a little, gesturing at him to sit at the table. He placed the bowl in front of Eli. "I don't have anything to put on it, sorry." He should go back to Eli's and get the apple sauce. It would go bad where it was and he could use the vitamins or whatever.
Eli only stared at him, not acknowledging the oatmeal. "What do you mean with let be, Thano?"
"Leave it as it is. We don't need Last Hope. We've allowed it since they've never harmed us and the vampires need somewhere to hunt. The crows find joy in watching the humans do their weird things, but we don't have to be involved."
Eli stared at him. "I need it." His voice was nothing more than a whisper. "My life is there. The shop, my house, my things."
Thano weighed his words. "You can't go back."
"What?" Eli's voice bounced around the kitchen area.
"It's not safe. I want you here." Thano could see it was the wrong thing to say, so he pulled out the chair next to Eli and took his hand. "Eli. I want you with me at all times. I know it's overwhelming at the moment, but Romeo is happy here. You can be happy here too, with me."
The way Eli's eyes widened had Thano go through his words. Had he said something wrong?
"I can't move here."
"Of course, you can. You have."
"Nooo." He dragged it out. "I've been here a few hours. My life is in Last Hope. I can't close the shop. People will starve."
"They'll find a way. There is the market every month, and this time of year, people have their gardens."
Eli scoffed. Didn't people have gardens?
Thano never paid attention to what the humans did when he walked through town, but since food always was an issue, he assumed they had gardens like the one Romeo tried to build.
He glanced out the window. He'd have to have a garden too now.
If he was keeping Eli here, he had to grow as much food as he could. He stood.
"What are you doing?" Eli stared at him.
"I'll be right back."
A bewildered look overtook Eli's face. "Where are you going?"
"Getting a thing from Romeo. Eat. I'll shadow walk, so I'll be back before you're done." Then he gathered the shadows. It wasn't until he was outside, he realized he wasn't dressed. It didn't matter. He'd get the garden book.
* * * *
Eli took a spoonful of unsalted oatmeal and grimaced. He was sick of oatmeal, but this was worse than normal. He sighed. He couldn't stay here. Could he? Part of him wanted to give it all up, but no, it wasn't right. What would the people in Last Hope eat if the shop wasn't there?
There was the market. And if Eli didn't have his shop, he was sure the people from Fisherman's Lake would bring grains and other things they only brought to Eli so people could buy it directly from them. But what would he do here? What did Romeo do all day? It was Ciar and Draven who hunted.
Eli ate another bite and looked out the window. The door opened, and Eli turned, expecting Thano, but it was Humbert.
"Can I let them out?" He was bouncing on his feet--his bear feet.
"Let who out?"
"We've built the chicken coop, and Romeo did a rabbit thing. He said we'd have to do better another day, but it would be enough for now. Can I let them out?"
Eli got to his feet, leaving the oatmeal where it was. "Show me."
Humbert more or less danced out of the door, and Eli put his bare feet into his shoes and followed.
The chicken coop wasn't pretty, but it was about the same size as the one he had back home.
Romeo stood next to it. "I let mine free range, but better keep them locked up for the first few days.
" He gestured at the chicken run. "We didn't dig the netting into the ground, so it's not predator-safe, but I've never had any wild predators go near mine.
" He glanced at Humbert. "There are too many other predators around. "
Oh, that was neat. "Birds of prey?"
"Crows and Draven. And Raven. I don't know if she'd engage with a bird of prey. She'd sound an alarm, though."
Eli nodded.
"We put the rabbits over here." Romeo walked toward the backside of the windmill. "I don't know if it'll keep them in, but it was what we had to work with for now. Maybe we can get hold of better building material or maybe you can bring your pen from Last Hope." He shrugged.
"What do you do all day?"
Romeo widened his eyes. "What do you mean?"
"If I don't go back to Last Hope, I don't have a job, no business to run."
A grin split Romeo's face. "There are always things to do.
I know it sounds insane, but I'm so glad to be in the wild country.
Money isn't an issue. Everyone trades in favors.
And sure, there are things you only can get in a town, but they are surprisingly good at getting their grabby claws on the things they want. "
The cupcakes. They still hadn't managed to bake any, but it hadn't taken Thano long to get hold of baking powder once Eli said he couldn't get it.
"But I can't just..." Give up his life. He couldn't abandon everything in town.
"Is it Thano you're worrying about? I know they can be...
" He scrunched his nose and shrugged. "Acting in a way we're not used to, I guess.
I was scared shitless of Ciar, then one night he slept on my bedroom floor in panther form, and the next he crawled into bed with me and told me I was his.
" He shrugged again. "Go with the flow."
"You didn't have a say?"
Romeo looked at him a little too long. "You don't want to be with Thano?"
"I like Thano, but I hardly know him. I can't move in."
Romeo bit his lip. "If you don't want to be with him, you need to tell him now. They don't act like we do. Since you're here, I assume he's already picked you."
Eli's heart sped up, and he didn't know if it was from joy or apprehension. "Picked?"
"You're his mate. I don't know how vampires mate, but I'm Ciar's one and only.
Took some time to get it through my head.
" He chuckled. "But damn, once you do." He looked into Eli's eyes.
"That fine man wants me, and only me, for the rest of his life.
It's a heady feeling. They're not human, they don't act like humans do.
" Then something steely crept into his gaze.
"So don't lead him on. If you don't want to be with Thano, cut him loose now before it's too late. "
What the..."How do you mean?"
"Again, I'm not sure how vampires work, but for panthers, there is only one. They mate for life. Thano has lived for a long time, and I don't think he's ever moved someone into his home. No one's ever mentioned anyone, and crows like to gossip."
Eli stared at him. He wanted Thano, but they barely knew each other. He'd always been the one everyone feared in town, the face of the others. A handsome face, but death personified. And now Eli was in his home, kissing him, holding him, undressing him. Heat surged through him. Damn.
"But what about Last Hope?"
"What about it?"
"There are humans there. We have to help them."
A small crease formed between Romeo's brows. "Like they help us, you mean?"
Eli gaped at him. "There are good people there."
Nodding, Romeo glanced at Humbert who restlessly was shifting his weight and looking between them and the chicken coop.
"Maybe there is a way to help them from here. A better way."
"How?" How would Eli help them if he wasn't there? "Without me, they'll starve."