Dhampirs of Sgiach

30. Kage

“Well? Which one are you mad at?” Echo asked as she flipped the pancakes on the griddle.

“Neither, I guess,” Kage said softly. When he had gotten home last night, Echo had been waiting for him. He hadn’t been sure what he had seen in the bathroom between Ray and Kieran. “I was the one who took Ray there to see what Kieran was ashamed of,” he added in a tiny voice.

Echo smiled at him. “That’s right. You should have realized an incubus that feeds on shame would have found Kieran yummy.”

Kage nodded. “Yeah. He is yummy though,” he said with a smile. He frowned then and looked at the hallway and the door to Kieran’s room. He yipped when Echo gently shoved him towards the room.

“Go get a snack. But breakfast is almost ready, so be quick about it.”

He smiled back at her and went to Kieran’s room eagerly. Kage knocked lightly before he opened the door and looked inside. The bed was still made, not surprising since Kieran often slept in the closet lately. What was strange was the open duffle bag on the bed. Kieran’s clothes from the night before were discarded on the floor haphazardly as well and the plate that had held the sandwich Echo had made him was on the side table with the bottle of beer Kage had taken a sip from.

Kage stepped inside and looked in the duffle bag. There was a square case and sheathed knives. Next to the bag was a couple of boxes of ammunition. He went to the closet and knocked softly. “Kieran?”

There was no reply.

He opened the door. There was no shadowy smoke in Kieran’s nest and the heater wasn’t on. “Echo!” Kage called out as he ran from the room. He grabbed his phone from the table and called Kieran’s. A bright upbeat song started playing from Kieran’s room.

“What’s going on?” Echo asked as she followed Kage back to Kieran’s room.

“Kieran’s not here!” Kage picked up Kieran’s pants and found his phone. Echo went to the closet and looked inside before she dashed out to the bathroom to check there. Calling out Kieran’s name. Kage dashed out after her but went out the front door.

Artem was in the hall, heading towards their door. He had a drink carrier with three to-go cups, and he smiled when he saw Kage. The smile faded when he noticed the look on Kage’s face.

“Have you seen Kieran?” Kage asked.

“No. Dimitri saw him arrive though,” Artem said.

Kage growled in frustration and ran to the stairwell. No time to wait for the elevator. His bare feet slapped on the cement stairs as he ran down to the parking garage. It was mostly empty, not only because everyone with a car had already left for work, but also because the dhampirs that had moved in recently didn’t have cars.

Kieran had purchased a truck shortly before they had all been kidnapped last month and it was still there, but his motorcycle wasn’t in its normal spot next to the truck. Kage stopped in his footsteps and stared at the empty spot. He felt cold as he remembered the rats taking him and finding Kieran in that room of light.

He fumbled with his phone as he called Rand. It seemed like ages that he stood there, staring at the empty space and listening to the phone ring.

“Hello?” Rand’s deep voice was thick with sleep.

“Do… Do you know where Kieran is?” Kage asked in a rush, his voice cracking slightly at the end.

There was silence on the other end for a time before Rand spoke again. “Mom’s gonna kill him… I’ll be there as soon as I can. Call Lucifer and see about getting one of the Furians on his payroll down there. I’ll call Mom.”

Kage nodded, remembered that Rand couldn’t see him, and said, “OK.” When they hung up, he called The Seven Deadly Sins as he walked back up to the apartment with Artem.

“The Seven Deadly Sins, what fantasy can we grant you?”

Kage shivered at the magic in the voice of the succubus who answered the club’s phone. “It… It’s Kage. May I speak with Lucifer?” Kage asked.

“Of course, Kage. Let me put you through.”

The hold music was actually quite soothing as Kage and Artem waited for the elevator together. They had ridden the elevator up and had just stepped off when Lucifer’s voice came on the phone like audible s*x.

“Kage, have you misplaced your Shadow Walker?” Lucifer purred over the phone and Kage shivered.

“How did you know?”

“I had wondered when he would stop hiding like a child,” Lucifer said with a chuckle.

“Rand wants to know if you would be willing to send one of your Furians with the Sleuth when they go after Kieran,” Kage said in a small voice. Artem went with him inside the apartment and the dhampir shook his head sadly when Echo came over to them to ask if they had found Kieran.

Kage left them at the table as he walked to Kieran’s room, picked up his discarded shirt, and curled up in his closet nest.

“I do not think stopping Kieran from the course of action he has chosen is wise,” Lucifer said slowly.

Kage’s eyes began to burn as his throat tightened. “But…”

“Kieran has fought beside the werebears since he was young. He has always been a warrior and a hunter. He must find that part of himself once more.”

“He knows who he is,” Kage said and looked up as he heard the door open. He peeked out of the closet and saw Rand and Mama in Kieran’s room.

“Does he?”

Kage frowned at that as he got out of the closet. “I thought he did,” he said in a tiny voice.

“Have faith in your Furian, Kage.” With that, Lucifer cut the call and Kage looked at the phone in his hands as Rand and Mama looked at him expectantly.

“Lucifer says he won’t offer the help of the Furians on his payroll,” he said softly.

Mama sighed as she looked around the room at the open duffle bag and the strange picture on the side table next to the empty plate and bottle. She picked up the picture and looked at it quietly for a long moment before Rand broke the silence.

“He took one of the pill cases with him.”

“So, he’s chosen a beast,” she said softly.

“Do you…” Rand trailed off as his mother shook her head.

“I know what beast he chose.”