They kissed, until a tender warmth curled Gray’s toes, and the storm in his chest subsided, making space for growing determination. For once, he cared very little about his pride. It seemed so inconsequential when compared with the joy of having Shadow with him, so maybe this was the one moment when he could throw his rules out of the window altogether.
Still hesitating, he pulled out his phone.
Shadow stroked Gray’s hair while Gray made the call, and when their eyes met, Gray felt that he would have used any dirty trick in the book—including trying to reach Beast’s heart through Laurent. But with things being as they were, he needed to put his pride away without trying to hide it.
It took a while, but eventually Beast answered the phone.
“Good. At least you’re not dead then.”
Gray snorted, petting Shadow's hair absent-mindedly as the limo rolled over uneven roads. “Are you saying you allowed me to go, thinking I would?”
Beast let out a deep breath. “Since when are you this needy? No, Gray. I believed that you would either succeed, or see for yourself that it’s too dangerous and back out.”
Needy? Beast had never seen him needy.
But Gray kept his frustration at bay and spoke. “Magpie has what’s his. Turns out those guys are working for him too, and he forgot to tell us.”
“You’ve got to be shitting me! He’s gonna pay for putting us at such risk!”
Gray imagined Beast walking around his bedroom and swearing. So now he was angry at Magpie. Done and dusted.
“I took down two men, but I’m lightly injured, so Magpie’s taking me to some doctor of his now. We’re on the way to NYC.”
“Oh, fuck me! Does this ever stop? Were you shot? Where the fuck was Shadow then?”
“Out of his body. It’s all on me.” Gray took a deep breath, barely listening to Beast’s shouting. He was still hesitant, but when his prez stopped to take a breather, he spoke again. “I think it will be safer and more efficient if I don’t go for the mark alone this time.”
There was a pause on the other side. “When was that planned for? Second week of May?”
Gray cleared his throat and rubbed his knuckles against Shadow’s cheek, which scratched him with the growing stubble. “As soon as possible. It’s not that far from NYC. If you guys could come over and discuss this with Magpie, the whole process could go so much faster.”
This time, the pause was even longer.
“Okay, I’ll talk to the others tomorrow—I mean today, since it’s morning already, isn’t it? We’ll work out what everyone can bring to the table, and we’ll be in touch. Gray? Don’t fucking die just yet, huh?”
Gray laughed, suddenly feeling pounds lighter. “I don’t think Shadow will let me die. See you soon, brother.”
Chapter 23
Shadow loved their bedroom at Mr. Magpie’s house. Big as the common room back at the clubhouse, but also airy and sparsely furnished with beautiful things. But most of all he loved the bed, which was huge, soft, and had translucent white curtains draped above the mattress and descending all the way to the floor. The middle of the canopy was attached to the ceiling, where white roses spread all the way to the wall on one side, as if they’d grown there naturally. The large tub across the room was shaped like a swan about to rise into the air, and the sound of soothing bird song coming from discreet speakers completed the surreal atmosphere.
Gray had now been asleep for over two days. That was the price he had to pay for the healing from Magpie’s doctor. Shadow had been instructed to rub special salve into Gray’s wound every six hours. It smelled of herbs and sulphur, and was so thick Shadow always melted it with the heat of his hands, afraid of hurting Gray. But Gray never once woke up, calmly breathing in and out the entire time.
A part of Shadow worried that Gray would forever stay like this, a Sleeping Beauty. Kisses of true love hadn’t helped so far, but Shadow still gave him one every hour.
He stepped barefoot on the carpet, enjoying the softness of threads that resembled a meadow with tiny flowers woven in here and there. To his immense joy, when he’d explained his dietary needs to Magpie, he’d been informed that there was a restaurant in the building that served bugs in many different forms. So Shadow sat in an armchair formed to resemble a carved-out tree trunk, and grabbed a bowl full of crispy worms that he’d ordered using room service.
He’d have liked them fresh well enough, but the spices and frying made them even more of a treat—a perfect thing to snack on while watching his new favorite show, Being Human. The television here had all the episodes pre-recorded, so he watched them one after the other without having to wait, and only took breaks to marvel at Gray’s lovely face.