Curiosity Killed Shaney(71)
Shaney, seeing the determined stance, knew there was more to this than just Todd helping. Todd had been hurt and betrayed. He had to face down his own demons as well.
“I know.”
Todd nodded his head toward the door as Caleb and Maximus reappeared in the kitchen. “You ready?”
“I’ll be there in a minute,” Shaney said.
The men exited the house and Shaney wandered into the living room. Stopping at the fireplace, he looked over the photos on the mantle. Next to the photo of Hudson and his grandfather was a picture of a young Hudson. He sat on a motocross bike, dressed in racing gear. His matted, sweaty hair and muddy face indicated he’d just finished riding. The look on his face said he’d loved every minute of it. In another photo, a pre-teen Hudson struggled to hold up a mammoth, largemouth bass. The sun created a halo around his head and illuminated those deep blue eyes.
Shaney drew in a deep breath, letting the warm escape through his nose. Closing his eyes, Shaney reached out into the room, drawing in what he instinctively knew to be Hudson’s energy infusing the home. Warmth suffused Shaney’s muscles and bones and filled his chest, expanding, growing. Leather and musk filled the air. A whisper of a touch brushed Shaney’s cheek. The sensation was so real that Shaney’s eyes opened, expecting Hudson to be standing before him. He was alone. Tears burned his eyes and his throat convulsed and he clamped his lips together. He wouldn’t fall apart. Not now. He’d fight, he’d strike back, and he’d win. No matter what he had to do, he would win.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Shaney smirked and bit his lower lip. He’d successfully held back the laugh, but knew the amusement shone on his face. Sitting on the rust-colored couch back at the cabin had rented, he surveyed Todd from head to toe. Caleb had Todd strip down to his boxers, and then Caleb had used practically every inch of bare skin as his canvas. Todd could have been a living exhibit, covered from neck to toe in symbols, hieroglyphics, and strange sigils. Shaney imagined him posing on one of those turntables in an art gallery, while snooty, well-dressed patrons drinking champagne and eating quiche or some strange food, critiqued him as art.
As Todd looked down at the black art covering his body, an odd expression of disgust or horror or—Shaney wasn’t sure what—crossed his face. Finally, Todd looked up and smirked. “I think I like it.”
Shaney barked out a laugh.
Caleb rolled his eyes. “Just don’t shower.”
Todd crossed his arms and huffed. “You could have told me that before you covered me with graffiti.”
“Yeah, you are a little ripe,” Shaney chided. “Nice to see someone other than me inked up for once.”
Caleb held up his marker. “Your turn, Shaney.”
Shaney sputtered. “Wha…What? I no longer need any more of your freaky mojo.”
“Ha! Make fun of me again,” Todd said definitely pleased with the turn of events.
Shaney groaned.
Caleb approached him, marker in hand. “Just one, to connect you to Todd. I doubt anything else I could do would have any effect on you. Shirt off.”
Shaney pulled off his shirt and Caleb started to draw on Shaney’s chest. Shaney caught Maximus’ intense leer from where he sat at the table. He’d looked up from the maps he’d been poring over. Shit, Maximus seemed to be getting some kind of kinky pleasure out of watching Caleb touching Shaney. But maybe that wasn’t it at all because in his eyes shone affection and love. Shaney closed his eyes and focused on anything but the gaze meant for Caleb, so close to the way Hudson had looked at Shaney.
He turned to Caleb and asked, “So did you find anything in the book Silas gave you? Like a how-to manual on defeating him?” Wishful thinking.
Caleb ceased drawing, casting a critical eye on his progress. “Silas truly thinks I’m an idiot. He’s filled this book with contradictions and misleading information, probably thinking I would waste the time he’d given us looking for answers that don’t exist. He wants us unprepared. Ego will be the downfall of that man.”
Shaney stared intently at Caleb and caught the man’s attention. He was finally ready to ask the question foremost on his mind since he’d learned of Silas’ truly vicious nature, of his misguided belief that he held a patent on Shaney’s powers, of his responsibility for Shaney’s father’s death. “What exactly am I going to have to do tomorrow?”
Caleb actually broke eye contact and focused on the marker in his hand. “I have thought hard about what can be done to neutralize Silas with the least amount of force. Maximus is working on a plan to infiltrate the area, which will be crawling with security. He will work to decrease external threats, as well as, place the wards.” Caleb looked to Maximus.