Dhampirs of Sgiach

16. Kage

Mama had taken Kage, Echo, and Adam all to a mall for some clothes shopping and they had found themselves in a large bookstore. Kage wandered the aisles with Echo, and they found themselves in the comic section.

“What was the name of the books Kieran has been reading?” Kage asked.

“I think it was called The Abandoned Empress,” Echo said as she read a couple of the book titles. “Oh, he has this one too.” She showed Kage a large hardcover book that had a picture of a woman with two children, one boy and one girl.

“Do you think he’ll read them to us?” Kage asked as he picked up a comic with a picture of a girl and a black cat on the cover. “Does he have this one?”

“It doesn’t hurt to ask and I don’t think so.”

They walked over to the counter with the comic and Kage pulled out a few bills of mira and Echo helped him count out the correct amount and they paid for the book. They met up with Adam and Mama, who were sitting on a bench outside the store.

“What’s that?” Adam asked as he looked curiously at the bag in Kage’s hand.

“A book for Kieran,” Kage said proudly.

“How did you pay for it?” Mama asked.

Kage fidgeted and plucked at the bag. “I have a bit of money…”

Adam and Mama frowned at each other. “You don’t have to sell yourself for money anymore,” Mama said gently.

“I didn’t. I took it from the bad man,” Kage said defensively.

“Took it from the bad man?” Mama asked.

Kage nodded. “The night Kieran found me.”

The two werebears looked at each other before returning their attention to Kage. “Don’t say that out loud again. It could be bad for both you and Kieran.”

“Bad?”

“Yes,” Mama said with a gentle smile. “We’ll go to the shifter bank next and set you up with an account. No need to keep using those bills.”

A chime from the phone Kieran had given Kage drew their attention.

Kieran: “I’m going to be later than I thought.”

Everyone frowned at the phone as Kieran’s voice sounded from the tiny speaker. Kage held down the record button. “Be safe.” He pushed send and watched the screen until he saw the icon that meant Kieran had opened and listened to the message.

Kieran: “I will.”

Shortly after that, they all left the mall and went to the bank Mama had mentioned. Kage couldn’t read or write well but he did know how to spell his name and Mama helped him fill out the paperwork and they deposited the rest of the money Kage had from the night he met Kieran into his very own bank account. Mama even helped Echo set up her own as well.

On the ride back to the apartment, Kage marveled at the small bank card in his hands. With its picture of a cheetah on the front along with his name, it was something he had never had before.

It was late when Kieran finally returned home, and he looked more tired than Kage had ever seen him. “Welcome home,” Echo said cheerfully as she hopped up from the couch where she and Kage had been watching a movie and headed to the kitchen. She pulled a covered plate from the oven. “We saved you a plate of dinner.”

Kieran smiled and took the plate. “Thanks. I’m starving.”

“Mama got us all new beds,” Kage said as he stood on his knees on the couch with his arms on the back.

“I told her I would handle that,” Kieran said with a frown.

“Mama said to tell you to shut up and accept the help,” Echo said and nodded as she crossed her arms under her breasts and firmly nodded her head in agreement.

Kieran sighed and took a bite of cold spaghetti. “Fine, whatever. Did you two have fun today?”

“Yeah!” Kage said and pulled the book they had gotten from the bag next to him. “We got you this,” he said, and bounded over to the table to show Kieran.

He took the book and read the title and back cover before he flipped through the pages. “My Gently Raised Beast huh…? Looks interesting, thank you.”

“Will you read it to us?” Echo asked and Kage joined her in giving Kieran pleading eyes.

The tiredness seemed to melt from Kieran as he chuckled and shook his head at their antics. “Sure. Let me eat first.”

Kage and Echo shared excited looks and soon all three were cuddled on the couch together so Kieran could read and the other two could look at the pictures.

“Kieran is definitely Amon. And Echo is Blondina,” Kage said sleepily, and snuggled closer to Kieran.

“No, you’re Blondina. I’m Majetto,” Echo asserted with a yawn.

“You’re both Blondina,” Kieran said as he rolled his eyes at them. “Time for all of us to go to bed. I have work tomorrow.”