Black Hollow: Beating Around the Bush

by Sheri Lyn

  “Yup,” Shayde chuckled at the shocked look on Bishop’s face. “I know you look at him now, and you’d never believe it. Nor that his ‘caregiver’ had just died either. He’s not had it easy from what we can tell.”

  “Wait,” Bishop held up one hand. “You’re telling me you both just met the kid, that you came here with him, and he’s not yours or his or in your care legally?”

  “It’s complicated, but remember he’s not human and even though he’s been in school somehow, he’s not on anyone's radar that I can tell. I had my bosses look into it for me. Kohen is a mystery, that’s one of the reasons we’re here. We need to figure this shit out.”

  “Other than the obvious where did he come from, what else is there you’re trying to figure out?”

  Shayde huffed, “So let me go back to the story. I get there and Kohen’s protecting the soul, right.”

  Bishop nodded in understanding.

  “Well, that’s the problem. He shouldn’t be able to see us or the soul. We eventually convinced him to let us help the guy move on, Kohen moved out of the way, and when Choal touched the soul to claim it... something happened.” He paused as he tried to figure out how to explain what he’d felt. “It was like an electric shock went through your system, it hurt and I could feel something happening.”

  “Wait, Choal touched the soul, so why did you feel it?”

  “Oh, yeah I got ahead of myself. It happened to Choal first, he stiffened and cried out in pain. I yelled and pleaded asking what was happening as I grabbed him so he didn’t fall. When the pain ended in him, it began in me.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  Shayde snorted, “Us either. Kohen explained then he was transferred from human to human every few weeks because they weren’t strong enough to be his anchor. When Choal touched the soul he became the kid’s new anchor. When I touched Choal it split between the two of us.”

  “Anchor?” Bishop repeated in confusion.

  “Yup that’s what he says at least. He doesn’t know what he is, just that for as long as he could remember he’d been passed from person to person, each one acting his anchor. He didn’t know why he needed one, just that he did.”

  “This is totally fucked up,” Bishop whispered as he lost himself in thought.

  Before either man could say anything further, a bell rang and Shayde glanced up to see their order sitting on the counter ready for them to collect. He grabbed their food, brought it to their table, pulled his cell, and texted Choal the food was ready. He waited patiently for Bishop to gather his thoughts and for Choal and Kohen to come back. Waited for someone to step in and help keep him from losing his mind of the whole affair.

  “I need time to process all that fully. But one thing I need to know right away before they come back.” Bishop implored as he leaned forward and snagged Shayde’s undivided attention. “What’s with you two? You shared a bed, you made innuendos… “

  “Nothing. There’s still nothing. The house only has two beds, we had to share. He’s freaking out about it actually. And the innuendos are because he doesn’t get them, so it’s fun for me to tease him. He’ll never be able to reciprocate my feelings as he does not have them or understand them. I’ve moved on, I had to for my own sanity.”

  Bishop nodded, just as the bell over the door rang alerting the two men they weren’t alone anymore. Shayde smiled at Kohen as he sat in his chair with the biggest grin on his small face. “That was so much better than I’ve ever imagined it could be. There were so many games, and I won a whole bunch of tickets. They told me I could save them and turn them in for prizes later.”

  Shayde stared in open-mouthed shock at Kohen as the kid rambled a mile a minute without taking a breath between sentences. He’d never seen someone speak so fast for so long.

  Bishop grinned, “Hey, the foods getting cold. Why don’t you tell us about it as we eat, okay?

  Choal gave the other man a grateful smile, “So that was….interesting and enlightening and slightly terrifying if I’m honest.”

  “Why?” Bishop asked in confusion. “I mean, I get the interesting part, but terrifying…. I don’t follow you on that at all.”

  “It was just overwhelming, things were flying at me, noises going off beside my ears and things vibrating. It was like I was really being attacked.” Choal frowned as he described what happened. “I’m not sure I want to do that again ever.”

  Bishop scowled and turned to Kohen with one eyebrow raised, “Really? You knew he was new to all that. Why would you do that to him? It was cruel, kid.”

  Kohen crossed his arms and sat back in his chair with an angry hurt expression on his face, “I just wanted to get him back for threatening to jump with me until my body was in a somewhat normal arrangement. He was being an ass, he deserved a bit of payback.”

  “First off, watch your language. You’re too young for it, and secondly. I get what you’re saying, but you do realize you might have turned him off all video games, by throwing him into VR that quickly.” Bishop sighed and patted the kid on the shoulder, “We’re not mad at you so stop pouting.”

  Shayde studied Bishop and Kohen in interested fascination. If they were going to be his guardians, they needed to learn how to handle these situations. Bishop was good with him, and for some reason that surprised Shayde. He wasn’t sure why, the guy had been raised in this world, so of course he’d been around kids.

  “What’s VR?” Choal questioned, “And I’m hungry, so how do we eat this food?”

  “Oh, yeah sorry.” Bishop grinned as he used the pizza spatula to place a piece on a plate and hand it to Kohen and then Choal. “VR is virtual reality. It’s a type of game that makes you feel like you’re in the world you’re playing. That’s why you could smell what you were seeing, if you got hit, you’d feel the vibration. When you turned your head, your character on the screen did too. It’s actually pretty amazing and a lot of fun if you know what’s happening and what to do.”

  Shayde bit back a laugh as he watched Choal use his fork to prod at his pizza as he nodded his understanding to Bishop. “Stop playing with your food, man. It won’t attack you, just pick it up like this and take a bite.” Shayde scooped his piece up with his hands and took a huge bite, moaning as the taste assaulted his tongue. “Holy shit, this is amazing.” He mumbled around the food.

  Choal hesitated for a second before picking up his slice and taking a dainty bite. His eyes widened in surprise, as he quickly took a much larger chunk. “Wow.”

  “Kohen,” Bishop called with a wink. “Pretty sure that means you’re forgiven for the game. The pizza was an excellent idea.”

  Shayde had to agree, the moans and groans coming out of Choal as he ate, was enough to make walking very difficult. And if he didn’t miss his guess, Bishop was going to be having the same issue, as the two men shared a look of absolute hunger. The only thing Shayde wasn’t sure of, was which of them Bishop was lusting after. The man was giving mixed signals and it was really throwing him off balance.

  Chapter Eight

  Bishop

  “You guys have my number and you know where I work. Feel free to give me a call or stop by if you need anything.” Bishop called as he watched the three of them move toward the door of their temporary home. “And I’ll keep an eye out for Seraphine for you.”

  “Thanks, I appreciate that.” Shayde waved as he entered the house and closed the door behind them.

  Bishop sighed and pulled out of the driveway to bring the truck back to the shop. He was glad his boss had given him the day off to help the guys get settled but knew he’d be busy as hell the next day to make up for it. Though he couldn’t deny it’d been worth it, well it had been, he amended to himself, as he pulled into the alley beside the butcher shop and saw his Alpha Kian standing there waiting for him.

  “Alpha,” He called as he climbed from the truck and closed the door warily.

  “Everything okay?” Kian asked casually as he studied the truck and then Bishop before f
licking his eyes over to the house he’d just left.

  Bishop hesitated for only a second as he tried to figure out what angle Kian was going for in this situation. In all the times he’d taken the truck for errands or even for personal use, his Alpha had never greeted him like this. “Yup, all good. No problems.”

  “And the new residents of our little town? What’s their deal?” Kian questioned as he turned and headed inside gesturing for Bishop to follow.

  “That’s complicated, Alpha.” Bishop didn’t want to lie to his Alpha, but he didn’t want to betray what he’d been told, even if they hadn’t specifically said it was a secret. It still wasn’t his place to spread their business around until they knew what they were dealing with. He didn’t want anyone getting the wrong idea of the group.

  Kian nodded slowly and smiled, “Let’s try this a different way. What if I told you I had to call off the rainbow squad today? They wanted to welcome them to town in style. Did I make the right call?” Kian hesitated as he studied Bishop with a knowing look. “Yes, and No, it’d seem…..”

  Bishop groaned in exasperation, “You made the right call. Choal isn’t used to humans, our culture, or hell even this society. He’s floundering, and I think if the Rainbow squad descended it might be too much at the moment.”

  “So you’re saying they are….”

  “Shit.” Bishop choked out a laugh, “Shayde bats for the same team, but I don’t know if that’s isolated to a specific person. Choal is clueless and innocent and so ….. “He trailed off with a shrug. “I don’t think he’s even aware of what sex is, let alone attraction or lust or anything else for that matter.”

  Kian crossed his arms and ran his finger over his bottom lip in thought before piercing Bishop with another look, “So you’re telling me you didn’t have a moment with I’m assuming it was Shayde at Slice of Life? Because the rumors are already running rampant around town. The squad is ready to issue you all membership cards right now.”

  “Oh fuck no.” Bishop burst into laughter. “Tell me they didn’t go that far? Cards really? You guys are nuts.”

  Kian shrugged, “It’s more to irritate Sebastian, but its fun too. We’re recruiting….. If you’re interested.”

  “Let me guess you guys earned your toaster and are working on getting the blender next?”

  “Bishop, you are so behind.” Kian winked, “We’re so far beyond that already. We’re almost to the extra-large bed.”

  Bishop rolled his eyes as he chuckled, “No offense Alpha, but you’re such an asshole sometimes.”

  He walked away as his Alpha’s laughter rang out down the hallway. He knew that by the time he'd gotten to the front of the store, the rest of the Rainbow Squad would know about their conversation. He was torn between flattery, outrage, and amusement at the audacity of the group. If he was honest a bit jealous too, why had it taken them so long to extend an invitation to join their group? Technically they hadn’t asked him personally, just the two new guys who'd come to town, and that stung.

  He stopped and changed his mind as that realization sunk in. With an angry growl of frustration, he pulled his phone out and called Johnny Star and told him to meet him at Stoney’s for a beer. It’d been a while since they’d hung out, but it was time. Besides if nothing else, they had a good friends with benefits relationship and he was feeling a bit on edge.

  “What’s gotten to you?”

  Bishop turned and saw fellow pack mate Rowen standing there, hands on hips and a scowl on her face.

  “Who pissed you off? We need to take care of them, teach them manners?”

  Bishop smiled, “It’s nothing. I’m heading over to Stoney’s to meet up with Johnny if you’re interested?”

  Rowen cringed, “No, thank you. Last time I went out with the two of you… well, let’s just say I don’t need a repeat of that. I’ve still got nightmares, this time go home, you didn’t need to give a show to anyone else who stumbles upon you two in an alley.” She shuddered at the memory. “I still hate you for it, who wants to see someone they consider a brother moaning and begging and other things I’m trying really hard not to remember.”

  “We’ve both apologized profusely for that and promised never to let it happen again. Give us a chance to prove it to you.” Bishop fought to keep a straight face and the look of absolute horror stayed on her face.

  “Go see your fuck toy and leave me alone. Next time invite me when it's a group of people, so I don’t have to worry.” Rowen leaned up and kissed Bishop's cheek. “Whatever’s pissed you off, I’m here if you need to talk.”

  Bishop nodded as she pulled away. “Thanks, I’ll see you tomorrow.” As much crap as she liked to give him, she was one hell of a friend and woman. One day she’d make someone very happy, if they could put up with her that is.

  He glanced around real quick to make sure no one else was around to accost him and made a dash for the front door. He’d almost made it when he heard Seraphine's voice call out to stop him.

  “Just the wolf I was looking for.”

  He wanted to groan in frustration. He couldn’t remember the last time she’d stopped him before this week and now he was going on the third time in two days. He plastered a smile and faced her. “Good evening Seraphine, what can I do for you?”

  She snorted softly as she moved to stand beside him, “Escort me out if you don’t mind. I have a meeting with Sebastian next door and I believe you have business there as well?”

  “How the hell…” he trailed off with a soft laugh. “I know I shouldn’t be surprised, but I am. I just made those plans less than five minutes ago.”

  “I know everything.” Seraphine smiled as he pulled the door open. “Now, it’ll be a few before Johnny can meet you. He’s tied up with something, so keep me company, won’t you?”

  “Of course.” They made the short trip to Stoney’s next door in silence. Bishop pulled the door open and gestured for her to go in first.

  “Thank you, kind sir.” She paused as she entered and glanced around. “Any particular place you’d like to sit and wait?”

  Bishop glanced around at the nearly empty place and shrugged, “No ma’am. I have no preference. It’s early enough that it won’t matter.

  Seraphine hummed softly under breath, “Yes, it is early isn’t it.”

  She didn’t wait for a reply, not that Bishop could or would have given one. There wasn’t anything he could say to that without spilling what was going on in his head. He was just happy she wasn’t a mind reader…. At least he didn’t think she was.

  He watched as she claimed the booth he and Johnny usually occupied and waved him to join her. “Sit, let’s talk.”

  Chapter Nine

  Bishop

  His bowel froze at those words, well more the tone of her words than the actual ones. But it equaled out to the same thing. He slid into the booth opposite her, folded his hands on the table, and waited. Suddenly he felt like he was thirteen again, being called in front of the principal's office for putting the smoke bombs down the boy’s bathroom toilets.

  “You spent a lot of time with our new guests today. What do you think of them?”

  Bishop opened his mouth to reply and froze. What was it she was asking exactly? There were so many ways to interpret that question. “I’m not sure I understand what you’re asking.”

  Seraphine laughed lightly, “Fine I’ll leave that alone for now. Did you succeed in helping them set up an account and get their money transferred to our dollars?”

  “Yes, without a problem. We took Kohen and got him registered at school as well. Which I’m sure you already know. So forgive the impertinence but why are we playing this rigged game of question and answer?”

  She shrugged, “There’s a reason for everything I do, you should know that by now. But if it’ll put your mind at ease, I’ll get to the point. I need you to assist them in finding a house to stay in permanently. Plus, help them furnish it and move in. Basically, help them adjust to living in Black Hollow
and the human realm. I’ll clear it with Kian for you to be off work as needed to assist them.”

  “I can do that, but don’t you think you should talk to them? They believe this situation is temporary and so does Kohen. They have so many questions, they need you to explain things.”

  Seraphine climbed to her feet and smiled, “All in due time, my boy. For now, tell them this is the way it must be. You’ll find a suitable place that will fit….. Everyone’s needs, checked out by me, on Troll Avenue.”

  “How do I get them to agree to buy a house when they think this is temporary?” Bishop demanded in exasperation. “That’s a bit far-fetched, don't you think.”

  “I’ll set it up with City Hall and Mayor Dmitri to let them do a rent to own thing. They just won’t know they’re working towards ownership until they’re ready.” She winked, turned, and made her way to the bar where Sebastian was waiting.

  “Fucking hell.” Bishop grumbled as he sat back with a sarcastic laugh at the way his day had turned out.

  He started to slide out of the booth when a cold beer was set in front of him and a grinning Johnny slid in across the booth. “Didn’t want to interrupt, so I thought I’d grab us a couple of cold ones while you finished. Everything okay?”

  “I invited you for a drink at three in the afternoon. What do you think?”

  Johnny grinned, “Well, I’d thought maybe you were horny and needed me to scratch an itch. Okay, maybe I just hoped that was the case. What’s up? What can I do besides sit, drink, and commiserate with you?”

  Bishop huffed out a laugh, “You’re such a smart ass.” He took a sip of his beer and sighed in contentment. “But to answer your question, beer and talk now, fuck later.”

  When the silence had stretched out a few minutes, Johnny cocked one eyebrow, “So are you going to talk or are we gonna sit here and get drunk?”

  “You’ve heard about the new group in town right?” Bishop took a sip of his beer while he waited for Johnny to answer. Why did he feel so tongue-tied all of a sudden?