Shaking his head, he walked out for his hiding place and sat down on the edge of the bed so that Kenny could see him.
“Hi,” he said, waving. “My name is Damon Sabbath. I’m a friend of Michael’s. I’m not sure if you remember seeing me or not.” Damon smiled. He stared at Kenny, the human’s eyes moving wildly as if he was trying to communicate. “They made Michael leave, but he really wanted to stay. He wanted to sit here by your side. I hope you know that he’s a good man.”
Kenny’s eyes moved up and down and Damon realized that the young man really was trying to talk to him.
“You’re agreeing with me…you think Michael’s a good man?” Once again the human’s eyes bounced up and down and Damon chuckled, jumping off the edge of the bed. “Holy shit! You really can understand me, can’t you?” Kenny slowly blinked, keeping his eyes closed for a moment. “I’ll ask questions. One blink for yes and two blinks for no.” Kenny blinked once and Damon really wished that Michael was here. The man was missing out on a significant moment.
“Are you okay?” Damon knew it was a stupid question, but it was the first thing that came to mind. “I know that may sound silly, but is there anything I can get you? Are you in pain? Are you comfortable?” Kenny stared intently at him, blinking multiple times, and Damon realized he’d asked too many questions in rapid succession.
“Okay, I’m sorry,” he held up his hands in a mock surrender, “One question at a time. Are you in any pain?” Two blinks. No.
“Good…that’s good.” Damon sat back down on the bed. He honestly didn’t know where to even start. He had a ton of questions, but only a few could be answered with a simple yes or no.
“Do you want me to get a doctor?”
Two blinks. No.
“God, I wish Michael was here.” Damon sighed to himself and surprisingly enough Kenny blinked once. “You too, huh?” One blink. Yes.
“Did you know that you’re his mate?” One blink was quickly followed by two. “Hmm, I’m not really sure what that means, but it’s true. I’ve never seen the big guy so concerned before. He’s usually really calm and laid back. Nothing rattles his cage, but he’s different with you. With you, he was a growling bear wanting to shelter and protect. You’re Michael’s mate, no doubt about it. Shifters don’t make that claim lightly.” Kenny blinked once and Damon smiled.
“Do you know what mates are?” Damon asked.
He didn’t wait for Kenny’s answer. Humans always thought they knew about paranormals and mates, but they only knew what was romanticized in the media.
“It’s forever. Michael will mark your shoulder with his bite and claim you as his own. When that happens, it will seal the bond between you. I’ve heard humans refer to it as marriage, but it’s so much more than that.”
Damon slid back onto the bad, making himself comfortable. He pressed the button for the automated bed and the top half rose up, allowing Kenny to make eye contact. It was ridiculous that the bitch nurse sent Michael away when she was only going to hook up an IV and abandon Kenny to a silent room. The poor man couldn’t call out for help or press a button to receive any assistance. Damon was glad he’d stayed behind.
“Once a shifter finds his mate, he is dedicated, loyal, and loving. As Michael’s mate, your needs, wants, and desires will always come first. Michael didn’t want to leave your side, but he was thinking about your well-being.” Damon looked around the empty space.
“We should’ve taken you to our house. We could’ve taken better care of you than these assholes.” Kenny blinked once and Damon chuckled.
Damon talked until Kenny’s eyes grew heavy. He told Kenny about the first time he’d met Michael and about the tattoo debacle. When the human finally fell asleep, Damon moved to the chair located next to the bed and sent a text message to Nicholas and Michael.
Kenny is fine. He’s sleeping peacefully. I’ll keep checking on his and give you updates if anything changes.
He didn’t mention being able to communicate with Kenny because he didn’t want to make Michael feel bad. The poor bear was having a hard enough time with the separation.
Chapter 6
Kenny slowly woke up, an image of a muscular man with blonde hair and kind blue eyes fading away as reality crept in. Yawning, Kenny groaned, wishing he could go back to dream land. He didn’t want the beautiful man to go away, but an annoying sound pulled him from a restful sleep.
Beep…beep…beep…beep.