In reply, I closed the distance between us again, and his lips pressed against mine, his tongue sliding into my mouth once more. I was glad I'd had the foresight to brush my teeth after my shower, and I rocked my hips against him, rubbing my hardness against his abdomen as he squeezed my ass.
Just when I was about to suggest we use the rest of the bed, my stomach growled. Loudly.
I whined when Shade moved back, pulling a rough laugh out of him.
"You're hungry. We should eat first."
"But I want to kiss you some more," I insisted, and he pressed a smiling kiss against my lips, then shifted back before I could deepen it.
"Dinner first, then we can kiss as much as you want," Shade promised, and I sighed.
"Fine, fine."
Since it was easier to cook with the lights on, Shade stayed in the bedroom while Pixie followed me out to the kitchen. While Icouldcook in complete darkness, it took less time when I had the lights on. My sight was like the blur turned way up, and with no color. I could see dark things against lighter surfaces, but I had trouble with the opposite. It was why I'd liked this apartment. The furniture here was all dark, but the carpets, countertops and walls were light-colored. It was a heaven for my vision, and when I first moved to the city, it'd felt like the best place in the world for me.
But Shade couldn't freely move around here, and I didn't like that. He was going to be a permanent part of my life, which meant I couldn't live here forever.
Icouldmove in with him. Once I got used to his space, I wouldn't need my limited sight to function. And I wouldn't have to worry about cooking every day, since they seemed to have a communal kitchen at the Sanctuary.
It might not be a good idea to mention moving in together two days after our reunion, so I filed it into the back of my mind for later.
Once dinner was ready—I'd gone with some simple pasta with fried veggies—I plated it for us, then made my way to thebedroom.
Shade
Diego knocked on the door once before stepping inside, giving me enough time to melt into the shadows in the corner of the room as light spilled in from the hallway. Once he was inside, he closed the door behind him, and I stepped forward, taking the plates from his hand.
He smiled, then followed me to the bed, climbing onto it as I did the same, while Pixie curled up against his leg. He ran his fingers through her fur as I handed him his plate, and she meowed when he stopped so he could eat.
"That's one spoiled cat," I commented, then hummed as I took a bite of the pasta. "This is really delicious."
Diego tilted his head at me, then smiled. "Thank you. Are you surprised I can cook well?"
"Yes," I agreed easily, then added, "But not because you're blind. The last time you cooked in front of me, you managed to burn cookies in an easy-bake oven."
Diego snorted a laugh, a wide grin on his face. "I forgot about that! In my defense, cooking and baking are completely different. I still can't bake for shit."
I chuckled, and our dinner somehow turned into a trip down memory lane as we talked about the four years we'd spent together when he was a child. By that point, I'd been alone for a few centuries, and I'd been almost ready to just walk right into the light because I couldn't figure out what the point of living like that was.
But then I'd seen him, this sad little boy walking home from school with the weight of the world on his shoulders, and I'd found myself following him. He'd just lost his dad, and with his mom lost in her own grief, he'd been all alone. I'd felta kinship toward him, despite the massive age and maturity difference between us.
We'd both been lonely, so I'd figured maybe we could help each other out. It'd been the best idea I'd ever come up with.
Diego scraped the last of his pasta onto his spoon, pulling me out of my thoughts. Once he'd finished eating, he took our empty plates and put them on the nightstand, handing me the bottle of water he'd also brought. I took a few sips, then gave it to him. After he'd finished drinking, he put the bottle on the nightstand, then took a deep breath, as if he had something to say.
"Shade... What did you do to Andrew? When I woke up in the hospital and told them what had happened, they guessed that he freaked out after hurting me and dumped me at the hospital before leaving town to avoid charges. But that didn't sound right to me. Before I fainted, I was sure I saw your shadows surround him."
I sighed. I'd hoped Diego wouldn't ask me about it, that he'd just forget the whole thing and leave it in the past. In all my life, I'd never done anything as monstrous as what I did to Andrew, and while he deserved every bit of it, I didn't want Diego to know I was capable of something like that.
"Shade?" Diego prompted when I stayed silent, and I swallowed hard.
"I killed him," I confessed finally, and I hoped he wouldn't press for more details.
"Oh," Diego murmured, his face going blank for a long moment before he shook his head. "That scream I heard..."
"That was me," I admitted with a wince, then shrugged. "The light was... uncomfortable." Unimaginably painful, more like, but I wasn't going to tell him that.
"Did it hurt badly?" he asked, a frown marring his face, and I blinked. I'd just told him I'd killed a man, and he was worried about it hurting me?
