Page 66 of Cultivating Caden
The smile faded and Ten threw himself at Quade, clutching his small arms around Quade’s waist. Quade tossed away the popsicle and held Ten.
“I can’t see his future,” Ten wailed. He put his hands on his head and squeezed hard enough that Quade could see the skin turning red. “I keep trying, but everything ends and all I see is darkness.”
“Hey, stop that.” Quade knelt, bringing him eye to eye with Ten. “I’m going to protect him, you have my word.”
Shaking his head harshly, Ten gulped in air. “You don’t understand. I don’t seeanyfutures. Not yours, not Caden’s, and not mine. This isn’t how it’s supposed to be. It all changed.”
“Okay, what changed it? Think hard, buddy. What’s the last thing you see?”
Quade stood and took Ten’s hand. He led him to the living quarters and took him inside, then went to the freezer, took out Ten’s favorite ice cream sandwich, and brought it to him.
“I don’t know what happened. Before I could see you and Caden together years from now, but then the edges of the vision darkened and everything started getting fuzzy. Then, after the Bogran, it all went black. I think we’re going to die. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.”
Quade had never seen Ten scared. After all, the kid had faced Quade’s demons without batting an eye. Seeing him now tore at Quade and caused his wolf to rear up, demanding they take care of… their pack.
“Hey, look at me.” He reached out and cupped Ten’s cheek. “I want you to hear what I’m telling you, okay? I willnotlet anything happen to you or Caden. The two of you are my pack, my home. I will protect you and keep you safe from harm.”
Ten closed his eyes and sighed. “You won’t be able to.”
“Have I ever lied to you, buddy?”
Ten snuffled. “No.”
“Then take what I’m saying as the truth. I won’t lose you.”
Ten’s eyes opened, and in his expression, Quade saw a faint glimmer of hope. It broke Quade’s heart to see him like this.
“Do you mean it?”
Ofttimes it was hard to remember that for all his power, all the incredible things he could do, Ten was a child who still needed an adult to be his rock. Quade hugged Ten close, hoping to give him strength through their contact.
“Of course I do.” He held him back at arm’s length. “Ten? Have I ever told you I love you?”
Frowning, Ten shook his head.
“Then that’s my fault. My wolf and I? We owe you a lot because you brought us together. Even before that, though, we each thought of you as pack, and that’s family, no matter how you slice it.”
Ten’s lip trembled. He threw his arms around Quade’s neck. “I love you too, Daddy.”
* * *
Caden lookedover at Kieran and dissolved into a giggle fit. “Kieran can’t hold his liquor.”
Kieran was sprawled over Matt’s lap, his hand lodged in Matt’s pants. He turned his head and smiled and said, “I love you, Shur.”
Matt shook his head. “Love you too, boy. Maybe we should get some sleep.”
Doing his best to sit up, Kieran got frustrated when he couldn’t dislodge his hand. “Your zipper is trying to eat me!” He giggled, then belched. “I know. I’ll eat it back.” He bent over and buried his face in Matt’s crotch.
“Yeah, okay. This little peepshow is over.” Matt fished Kieran’s hand out of his pants, then stood and pulled him up. “Come on. You can continue that in the bedroom.”
“Oh, but I wanted to talk to Caden some more.” Kieran reached for his half-full champagne glass. “And try some more of this delicious bubbly stuff.”
“No, sweetheart. You’ve had more than enough.”
Kieran batted his baby blue eyes. “But, Shur… Shur…Sir, it’s a party.”
“And you’re slurring your words, your eyes are crossing, and you were drooling on me. All of this tells me you need to get to sleep.”
