Page 91 of Cultivating Caden
Chapter 23
Everything goingon around Caden freaked him out. Demons were real and they were holding Quade!
Ten sucked in a breath. “Poppa, that demon. A thousand lifetimes ago, he was Dad’s brother.”
Quade had told Caden how his former self had dragged his brother down into the pits and left him there. He’d thought it was more allegorical than fact, but apparently there was still a lot for him to learn.
“What the fuck do you want?”
The demon towered over Caden. It reached down and wrapped its hand in Caden’s hair, then jerked his head back. “So you’re the wood sprite…. Not impressed.”
Caden recalled the lessons that Peter had tried to impart on him. He wasn’t about to break down and cry just because his world was turning on its ass. The thing about this planet was the plant life that called to Caden. Easily as varied as Earth, the roots went deep into the ground, drawing in nutrients that made them strong in this less than hospitable land. Caden felt them, called to them, and they heard. They pushed up out of the ground and wrapped themselves around the demon, holding him at bay. Only… moments after touching him, they blackened and crumbled away.
“Best you can do, little sprite?” He lifted Caden higher. “This will be far too easy.”
It was then that Caden heard the voice in his mind. One filled with pain, of dying. He tilted his gaze up, saw the tree, and knew the two of them were meant to be together. In fact, they had to be.
“Let me go. I need to get to the tree before it dies!”
“Don’t worry your little head. That’s exactly what I want too.”
The demon threw Caden toward the tree. As soon as he was within a few feet, the energy from the tree grabbed Caden and drew him into it. He watched as the demons sat, waiting for something to happen. When it did, they were unprepared for it.
“Ten!” hissed a voice.
From the sky fell a dark figure. It landed on the demons that held Ten down, tearing into them. It never should have been a battle. One lone being against the horde that held Caden’s son? But A’kosh fought like a man possessed as he ripped into demon after demon, tearing off limbs, biting through throats, and completely ignoring their screams. His entire focus was on Ten. As soon as Ten was free, he stood and peered at the demon who, moments ago, had held Caden.
“Stop this!”
“Too late, whelp. The process, once begun, cannot be stopped.”
Ten’s eyes widened, then flared to life with an unholy glow. The demon clutched its head and screamed as it was driven to its knees. Ten marched forward, ignoring the chaos that A’kosh was causing around him as more demons tried to swarm him. They fell like the first ones had.
“Dad, I’m coming,” Ten ground out.
“Save your poppa!” Quade screamed.
Ten turned, and for a moment, there was such hesitancy in his eyes. Caden didn’t need Ten to save him. There was no pain as the tree absorbed his essence, invigorating itself. With Caden’s life force, the tree was becoming whole once more. A small price to pay if it kept Quade, Ten, and A’kosh safe. Caden closed his eyes, and peace washed over him. He wasn’t afraid to die, because with his death, things would be better.
“Don’t you fucking give up, Caden! I’ll kick your ass,” Quade screamed.
But what was the sense in fighting? It wasn’t as though the world needed Caden, but reality needed the Tree of Life.
“I need you, do you fucking understand? Your son needs you! Matt and Kieran need you. We all will do better with you in our lives.”
The words jolted Caden. He snapped his eyes open and found the demon now had Ten on the ground, pounding fists into his face. A’kosh struggled to get to them, but with his focus split, the smaller demons were dragging him down beneath their weight. And Quade? The dark streaks on his clothes let Caden know that Quade was losing a lot of blood.
This couldn’t be. It wouldn’t be. Caden was the fucking Tree of Life, and that meant something, even if he didn’t know what. But after watching the scrub trees tear apart the motorcyclists, he knew what they were capable of if properly motivated. He called out to the tree, pleading with it to help him fix things. At first there wasn’t anything to indicate it had heard, but then the earth rumbled. The tree lashed out, slicing through the demons that were keeping A’kosh away from Ten. It latched onto the one holding Ten and crushed it. Then it sliced through the ones Quade was fighting.
Caden could—would—save his family, then allow himself to do the same for the whole of reality.
Poppa? Don’t do this. We can win, but you have to hold on.
Ten’s voice in Caden’s head. God, it was good not to be alone right now.
It’s okay. I have to make sure you and Quade are safe. If this is the way it has to be, I’m fine with that. You and A’kosh have to make sure Quade doesn’t go off the deep end. Hold each other close and think fondly of me. If you can do that, then it’s all worth it in the end.
No!Ten cried out.You selfish son of a bitch, this isn’t worth it.
