Page 30 of Cultivating Caden
“Here, sip.”
Quade held a straw to Caden’s lips. He took a few sips of cool water, which soothed his burning throat.
“I’m sorry.” The words were inadequate. Caden had never been a violent person, and the thought that he could hurt someone—couldwantto hurt someone—made his stomach roil.
“Nothing to be sorry for. I goaded you because I had to prove what I said was true, but… I was wrong.”
He could hear the pain in Quade’s voice, but had to wonder if it was because he’d pushed Caden beyond his limits or because he’d been wrong. Quade didn’t seem the type to like to admit mistakes.
“Ten says we have to let you go back. Forcing you to stay will only make things worse. And, of course, Ten knows stuff, so I can’t argue with him. I’ve got some clothes packed for you, and we found a car. It’s a cheap thing, really old, but it runs well. We would have gotten you something nicer, but we don’t have, you know, cars down here. No way to properly vent the exhaust, and our people like to be physically active. Mostly we have a lot of bicycles.”
Hope bloomed in Caden’s chest. “So I can leave?”
“I’d like it if you wait a few days for the doctors to check you over. Ten says he thinks you’re fine, but he’s worried he may have hurt you.”
Ten. Always Ten. He was a strong, sweet boy, and if Caden left, he’d miss him a lot.
“What the hell did he do to me?”
“You were on a rampage, pushing your abilities further than your body was ready to handle. He said if he hadn’t stopped you, you might have died.” Quade sucked in a breath. “No, he said if he hadn’t stopped you, I might have been responsible for you dying.”
Caden could see the pain on Quade’s face, even though he was sure Quade was doing his best to hide it. Caden wondered what it was like, having human feelings and guilts coupled with a lycan’s predatory nature.
“I don’t blame you, you know. You had to show me what I could do, and now I’m afraid of hurting someone. But you have to understand, if I just disappear, questions will be raised. My friends will come looking for me, and when they can’t find me, they’ll spend the rest of their lives wondering what happened. I can’t do that to them.”
Quade blew out a breath. “My people are more the ‘act first, worry about it later’ kind. I—I tried to show you what could happen, because if you go out there and someone gets hurt, they will come after you. Worse, they might send me after you, because I’m responsible for you now.”
“I’m sorry, you’re what?”
“After the thing with the bikers, I was sent to take you out. I hesitated when I saw you, because you were so fucking scared. And even when you had me at a disadvantage, you still didn’t kill me. I refused to follow the order until I knew why, so I brought you back here. Ten did his mojo, and we found out what happened. My boss, a half giant named Jack, was horrified that we could have killed an innocent person. When I told him that you were under my protection, he turned around and made you my responsibility. I have to tell you, I don’t want to be the one sent after you again, because I’m not sure I could hurt you.”
Warmth flooded Caden. Despite what Quade had done, he’d accomplished his goals. He showed what Caden was capable of doing under duress, and the thought terrified him.
“Okay, I’m going to make a suggestion. You’re welcome to say no, but I think it might help. What if you come with me to meet my friends? You can be my buffer.” He thought for a second. “And you can keep my friends safe.”
Quade cocked his head, reminding Caden of a curious puppy. He had to blot that image from his head right away, lest he burst out laughing.
“Your friends won’t think it’s weird, you bringing some guy home with you?”
“I’ll tell them you’re a friend. Nothing weird about that. Though I do have to warn you, Matt and Kieran are… enthusiastic about meeting new people.”
Narrowed eyes warned Caden about the question coming. “What do you mean,enthusiastic?”
Caden sighed. “Matt and Kieran are great guys. If they like you, they’ll always have your back, no matter what. The thing is, they have no problems getting into someone’s personal space. They’re huggers of the first degree. And I’ve never brought anyone home, so that pretty much guarantees they’re going to think you and I are—” He waggled a hand between them. “—you know, together.”
“Okay.”
“Okay? Okay, what?”
“I’ll go with you. Just to keep you out of trouble. But know this: if something happens where I’m required to take action against you, I will do it without hesitation.”
“I know, and I’m okay with that. I wouldn’t hurt these guys for anything, but if it looks like I’m going to, I’m asking—begging—you to take me out. They’re the only family I have left.”
And it was true. After his mother died, Caden had no other relatives he knew of. If he hadn’t been eighteen, he would have gone into a system that didn’t give two shits about older kids. Fortunately the insurance money paid for the funeral and left him enough to buy his shop.
“I’ll protect them with my life.”
About to complain that Quade was taking this lightly, Caden was shocked to see how sincere his expression was. He’d never expected it from Quade, the hardass with a stick the size of Maine up his ass.
