Page 50 of Cultivating Caden
“It did happen,” Quade replied quietly. “My wolf and I stood together against the Bogran to keep Caden safe. We acknowledged our feelings for him and claimed him as ours. But….”
“There are nobuts. If you love him, truly love him, your wolf will respect that. Yes, the sex might be rough, but it won’t be anything Caden doesn’t want.”
Quade quirked a brow. “And what do you even know about sex?”
Ten’s cheeks turned a shade of red Quade had never seen before. “If you had any idea of how many times I’ve helped people and seen things having to do with sex, you’d probably be angry. But sex is natural and, believe it or not, it doesn’t get me excited when I’m working with someone.”
“So what does this have to do with me and Caden?”
“Caden was made for you.”
“You mean, like fated mates? I thought that was all a myth.”
Ten sighed, but sat up straight and stared into Quade’s eyes. “Every myth has roots in the truth. There isn’t such a thing as fated mates, but there are half souls.”
“What’s the difference?”
“When creation sprang forth, certain pairs of souls were tethered together for all eternity. Those were beings who complemented each other. One had the strength, the other had the wisdom. Together they made a whole, unique being. That’s you and Caden.
“The two of you were always destined to be together, and you have been over the span of many lifetimes. Every time you found each other, the love was intense and burned bright, because the two of you are bound together for eternity. There are few loves like that. But you’re being dense and not listening.”
“Why is this time so important?”
“This was supposed to be a special one. You were going to unite and save everyone, just as you tried to save Marissa. But the evil came sooner than it was supposed to, and now everything is lost. Caden is going to die, and then all of the rest of us.”
Panic welled in Quade’s chest at the thought of Caden dying. Caden was his, goddamn it, and if he had to slaughter a thousand Bogran or anything else that threatened him, he’d do that.
“I won’t allow it.”
A sad smile crossed Ten’s face. “You can’t stop it.”
Quade grabbed Ten and jerked him off the bed. “Yes, I can. You’ve said nothing was set. That everything you saw was a possibility. You even told me you didn’t want to tell me about Caden because it might jinx things. So how can you be so sure that this time what you see is real?”
“Because there are no divergent points. Caden will be absorbed by the Tree of Life, and before he can become the new one, he’ll be struck down. Everything will crash in on itself. From that entropy, a different reality will spring, in which a new batch of humans and demihumans are slaves to something else.”
Anger ripped through Quade. He’d seen Ten stand up to the horrors in Quade’s mind and not bat an eyelash, but here he was, crying over something that hadn’t happened. He had to remind himself time and again that Ten was a child and that no matter how mature he seemed, he sometimes needed to be reminded of that fact. Today wasn’t that day, though.
“Bullshit. I refuse to believe that fate is a sealed thing. We change it with every decision we make. You know better than anyone that’s true. Get your ass down to the office. You’re going to go tell Jack and Hilda what you’ve told me.”
“What about you?”
What about us, wolf? I think we’ve been apart too long. I was always afraid of you, of what you might do. But I saw you when it came to Caden. Your hackles raised, standing there, strong and ready to fight for him. Will you do that now? Can we fight together? Can we both love him?
The wolf cocked his head as if waiting for a sign. Quade reached out to him, wanting to see if what Ten had said was true. Could the two parts of himself make him stronger? In his mind’s eye, his spirit stepped closer to the wolf, not showing fear. The wolf stood and approached. He sniffed Quade, then sat down as Quade reached out to touch the muzzle. There was no rage, no battle to see who would be dominant. Instead, the wolf stepped closer until it came into contact with Quade, and then the two spirits merged into one. Energy coursed through Quade, strengthening him, making him understand that the wolf was just as desperate for Caden as he was.
Then we should see to that, shouldn’t we?
Quade straightened his spine, and his wolf sat up to take notice, its—his—tail thumping wildly at what Quade was about to do.
“What about me? I’m going to claim what’s mine.”
* * *
Caden couldn’t believewhat he’d been told. He was an incarnation of the Tree of Life? He’d always believed that was a Dungeons & Dragons thing, not something real. He stumbled into his apartment and closed the door. He needed a beer in the worst way. Maybe a whole case. Kieran and Matt came out of the bedroom as Caden was walking to the kitchen, Kieran looking totally blissed out. The shirt and metal collar he wore barely covered the hickeys that dotted his neck.
A frisson of jealousy wormed its way through Caden’s body. He didn’t begrudge Matt and Kieran for what they had, but it was something he’d yearned for and dreamed about for years. To find that person who made you happy, who you could look to for strength, and who could lean on you when they needed it.
The ache was deep this time. It wasn’t Gary and it wasn’t Chris. They weren’t even worth thinking about anymore. Now his mind was occupied by Quade, who was pissed at him for being some kind of fucking wood sprite. How the hell was he supposed to know?
