Page 48 of From the Shadows
“What are you doing?” Shay asked, confused as to why they were cooking. “I thought you guys were going to be sleeping until dinner.”
“Diego woke us up, told us to get our asses down to the kitchen and show our appreciation for you always taking care of us.”
“And where’s Diego?”
“Getting Jeremy ready, and then they’ll come down and eat. And before you think he didn’t help, there is a platter of pancakes in the oven keeping warm. He actually had a jump on everything before we got down.” He smirked. “I don’t know what you did to him, but can you keep this Diego around? When he came into my room, he actually smiled at me, and that bastard hardly ever smiles.”
So, it seemed as though Diego was feeling better.
Patrice?
Good morning, Shay. I hope you slept well.
Like a baby. What the hell is going on here?
Her soft laugh was reminiscent of the tiny silver bell she’d worn on her ankle when Shay had first met her.
Diego contacted me this morning and said thank you for helping him sleep. I told him most of the credit went to you. If only I could explain the impact you have on this household.
But he didn’t. He only did his job.
You do so much more. You brought everyone here closer together, making them a family instead of a group of people. As I told you, your former bosses said you could excel if you found something you were passionate about. And now, it seems, you finally have.
He had. Being in this house? Living with these people? Working side by side with them? Shay could only imagine a life like this when he was younger. How he’d dreamed of a family like this, and now? He had it and never wanted to give it up.
“Good morning, Shay,” Diego chirped as he entered the room, Jeremy in his arms. As soon as Jeremy saw Shay, he wriggled to get down, then rushed over and hugged Shay’s waist. It actually kind of hurt, because as a shifter, he was pretty damn strong.
“Morning, Jeremy. Are you hungry?”
“Yes! What did you make?”
He smiled and patted Jeremy’s head. “I didn’t. Borne and Martin made some, and Diego made the rest.”
Jeremy’s head swiveled around. “Youcooked?” Then back to Shay. “Be careful. He doesn’t make very good food. You might be better off eating rocks.”
“Hey!” Diego barked. “Maybe wood chips, but not rocks. Easier to digest and the fiber content is through the roof. And don’t worry, Patrice helped me, so they’re guaranteed to be edible. Well, mostly guaranteed.”
Shay extricated himself from Jeremy’s grip and went to Diego. “Can we talk?” he whispered.
“Of course.” He headed for the great room, then turned and leveled a gaze at everyone. “Shay needs a word, so hurry up and get breakfast ready so he can eat.”
“Yes, sir,” Martin and Borne muttered, but didn’t stop working.
As soon as they were in the great room, Diego tugged Shay to him and gave him a deep kiss. When he pulled back, he smiled. “Good morning.”
“Why are you so weird?”
“It’s a great day. The sun is high in the sky, there are only a few clouds, the temperature is in the low seventies, and I talked with the hospital. Ranna’s family’s shaman made it in last night and cast his healing mojo on her, and this morning she was sitting up and eating enough for three people. She’ll still be on the disabled list for a while, but she’s okay.”
Shay bit his lip to keep from crying. He knew that on any mission, one or more of them might not make it home, but this was the closest he’d come to losing a friend since his arrival.
“Hey, she’s okay,” Diego muttered, pulling Shay in again and stroking the back of his head. “She’ll be home later today, so it’ll be up to you to ensure she doesn’t strain too much.”
Shay sniffled, but then did his best to laugh. “How am I supposed to keep a wendigo occupied?”
“She does love Monopoly. You, Ranna, and Jerm can play.”
“Did you know Jeremy told me I could call him Jerm too?”
