Page 68 of From the Shadows
“Now, Jerm. I’ll let you know when you can come visit.”
“Fine,” Jeremy groused. “Shay? I love you.” Then footsteps retreating. A door opening, then closing.
“Shay….” Diego’s voice. It was weary, beaten down. What had happened? Did one of the team get hurt on the last mission?
That had Shay straining his mind. The last mission…. Fuck. He remembered the pain that jolted his system as that bastard wrapped his hands around Shay’s throat and twisted. He heard the impossibly loud crack and….
“I died,” he gasped, reaching for his throat.
“You did,” Diego confirmed. “Cristobal snapped your neck.”
That made no sense. If he died, how could he be talking to Diego? And why did it feel as though his stomach was eating itself?
“Diego, I’m so hungry.”
A cool touch on Shay’s cheek. Diego’s fingers. “I know you are, baby.”
Baby? Diego had never said anything like that before. “Who are you? And what have you done with Diego?”
Then a sniffle. “I lost you. I watched as you took your last breath, and…. And I…. Shay, I’m so sorry.”
The look in Diego’s eyes as he watched Cristobal… kill Shay slammed into his brain. The abject terror, the loss, the pain.
“You turned me into a vampire, didn’t you?” That would explain the thirst and hunger, but not for any kind of food. It would also be the reason Jeremy smelled so foul. Dr. Oliver had said other paranormal’s blood was toxic, and that was why it had turned his stomach.
“Yes,” Diego whimpered. “I’m so sorry, but I couldn’t ask permission.”
A vampire. Shay? “Is that why I’m starving?”
“Yeah. Empatia sent over some bags, but you need to know. The first taste of blood is… jarring. Your mind isn’t ready to accept the difference in nutrition and….” He choked. “And taste.” He gripped Shay’s hand, almost painfully. “I’m sorry. After we get you stable, I’m going to leave. I won’t hurt you ever again, I promise. And I know I don’t have the right to ask, but could you take care of Jeremy? He’s going to need someone and?—”
“He needs his father,” Shay ground out. “I thought we’d beaten this particular horse to death?”
“W-W-What?” Diego stuttered.
Shay gripped Diego’s hand. “You did what you had to. What was necessary.” He ran his fingers over the spot Diego had bitten. “I won’t lie. It’s… different, but I understand. I’d have done the same thing, I’m sure. We’re desperate to hold on to memories we have as well as the ones we’d hoped to make.” He sighed. “Just don’t leave, okay? I’m going to need you to guide me into this new life.” He squeezed Diego’s fingers. “And I want you to be with me.”
“But you should hate me,” Diego insisted.
Shay finally opened his eyes. For an immortal being, Diego looked awful. His hair was unkempt, his eyes red and crusty. His skin was even paler than usual. He was a wreck, that much was evident. “For what? Saving me? Yes, I’m so angry because I get to see you and Jeremy every day. I still have a chance to be able to live a life with both of you.”
“You don’t know what you’re giving up.”
Shay tried to speak, but his throat hurt. Diego must have understood as he placed a bag over Shay’s lips. Even through the coating, Shay could smell the blood and his stomach rumbled.
“Bite it gently,” Diego instructed. “Keep control of your bloodlust, if you can.”
Shay was about to protest, ask how he was supposed to bite through the bag, when his tongue slid over a new protrusion in his mouth. Needle-sharp, they’d do the job easily. He leaned in and placed his teeth against the bag and bit as gently as he could. Immediately, warm fluid rushed into his mouth, and Shay gulped greedily. Diego was right. The taste was off-putting, stale, but still rich and heady. He wanted—craved—more.
Bag after bag appeared, with Diego holding them until Shay drained it, then replacing it with a fresh pouch. Shay snorted and Diego pulled away.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his concern obvious.
Shay snickered. “This reminds me of the juice pouches we had when I was a kid. Maybe we should see about marketing them with a straw that you can sip them with. Imagine vampires everywhere sipping on our snack pack blood.”
Diego blinked several times, and then his lip quirked up. “You’re a goof.”
And Shay knew he was, but he was Diego’s goof. He just needed Diego to understand that. “Don’t leave us, okay? I know you have this massive Catholic guilt thing going on, but trust me when I say I’m not angry or upset. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to live in this world. This gives me opportunities I’d never have otherwise.”
