Page 43 of From the Shadows
Oliver nudged the glasses up, his eyes huge behind the lenses. “Hm? Oh, certainly. I mean, as far as we’re aware. As I said, we know next to nothing about blood-tying or the implications.” He cackled, a very weird sound coming from the normally staid man. “But as for orgasms being safe? Seriously, if it was dangerous, every teenage boy in America would be in trouble. Masturbation is normal and natural and fun as hell.”
A sigh. “I meant is it safe for Shay. I don’t want to hurt him or take too much.”
This time, Oliver laughed, and it was long, loud, and fucking obnoxious. “First off, the human body normally allows a man to potentially ejaculate four or five times in a row under optimal conditions, although very few hit that benchmark. If Shay was able to do it four times last night, I think it’s safe to say he’s fine. Perhaps being blood-tied to you means he can go more. His body might be producing extra to keep you fed, so to speak.”
It had tasted delicious. Shay’s come was amazing, and Diego couldn’t imagine any blood being better. And now he was hungry too. Great. Man, he needed Shay. The same Shay that Diego couldn’t wait to see. To sit and eat with. To listen as he helped Jeremy learn his lessons and see his son’s eyes light up when he finally understood something.
“I’d like your permission to run some tests. If you and Shay are willing to talk with me, we could put this together and submit it. Admittedly, it’s mostly to clear Angus’s name, but it could also do many vampires a world of good.”
Diego didn’t give a damn about other vampires. He’d kill them all if he could. “No.”
“But—”
“I said no!” he snarled. “I won’t have Shay’s name attached to any of this.”
“It wouldn’t be. I will not identify either of you in any way. I swear to you, I would do my research and publish it without names. I don’t want either of you hounded. In fact, I would want you to read it before I submit it, so we can both ensure it meets your approval.”
“I don’t think?—”
Diego!
He clutched his head. Her power was impressive and sometimes could be very painful.Go ahead, Em.
Trouble at Doubledown Hotel. A wedding party is under attack.
Diego jumped up and grabbed his shirt. He was putting it on as he headed for the door. “We can talk later, Doc. I gotta go.”
Please let us be in time.
“When’s he getting back?”Jeremy asked again. He’d been asking every twenty to thirty minutes since Ranna called to say they were on a case and it wasn’t looking pretty.
“I don’t have an answer, Jere. I wish I did.”
His nose wrinkled. “Diego calls me Jerm.”
Shay smiled down at him, then slid his fingers through the dark hair. “Yeah, but that’s his special name for you, isn’t it?”
He nodded, then gave a shy smile. “But you could use it too, if you wanted.”
Why that simple sentence thrilled Shay so much, he didn’t know, but it did. Shay patted Jeremy’s head when he shifted into a garter snake and curled up in Shay’s lap a moment before falling asleep. Never in all his years had Shay expected to have a life, and this one? It suited him perfectly.
In the eight months since he’d come to work for—with, he reminded himself again—the group, he’d found a sense of family. They treated him like their brother, with Ranna being the big, annoying, sweet older sister. The other guys were always talking with him, telling him of their worlds, which were so vastly different in most ways, but still had a familiar vibe to them.
And they listened when Shay talked, even if he didn’t do it much. He unburdened himself of the story with Mick, and they either hugged him or, in Ranna’s case, threatened revenge for hurting someone she cared about. Shay had to talk her down, but inside he kinda sorta wanted to let her go after the bastard.
But today felt… wrong. Different. There was a tension in the air Shay had never felt before. It was like he was staked to a pile of gasoline-soaked kindling and someone was standing there with a match. He couldn’t take his mind off Diego and what he and the team were facing. They’d already been gone sixteen hours and hadn’t called to let anyone know they were okay.
Ms. Connelly?
Yes, Shay?
I’m sorry, but Jeremy and I are worried. Have you heard anything from the team yet?
There was a long pause. Shay had no idea how her powers worked. Could they get disconnected, like he often was on his cell?
Shay… there were… complications.
His blood went cold and a shiver ran the length of his spine.What do you mean?
