Page 42 of Cultivating Caden

“The wood sprite. Give it to us.”

“Wood sprite? We have no—” Quade’s gaze snapped to Caden. “You’re a wood sprite?”

“I’m a what?”

“Holy fuck.” Quade turned again, his lips curled. “He belongs to me. You’re not going to have him.”

“Claim him if you want—we’ll take him once your body is food for the maggots. He will belong to us,” the voice boomed.

The pressure in Caden’s head eased as the voice softened to a whisper, then nothing at all. If not for the dead thing at Quade’s feet and Matt’s wrecked car, he would have sworn it was all a dream.

“Holy shit. What the fuck was that?”

Quade came closer, changing back to his human form as he approached Caden.

Caden took off his jacket and wrapped it around Quade. “Quade?”

“Don’t talk.” Quade grabbed Caden, sniffing him and running his hands over Caden’s body. “Are you okay? Did it hurt you?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Then why the fuck didn’t you run? I told you to go.”

Caden put his hand on Quade’s face. He had to make Quade understand why he stayed. “I couldn’t leave you.”

“And what good were you during the fight? Huh? How can I protect you if you won’t listen to what I say?”

Thatpissed Caden off. Not because Quade was yelling, but because he was right. He’d been absolutely useless to Quade and served only as a distraction, one that could have cost him dearly. “I’m sorry, I should have listened.”

“Ha!” Kieran crowed, pointing a finger at Caden as he bounced on his heels. “Now you know how it feels.”

“Kieran, behave.”

Kieran dropped his gaze. “Yes, Sir.”

Like someone used to being in charge, Matt wrapped an arm around Kieran’s shoulder and pulled him close. “Okay, guys, we can either call a tow truck or walk home, but right now, I don’t want any of us out here.”

“Matt’s right. We need to go, but we’re not staying at their house.” Quade peered at Matt. “I’m sorry, but the two of you will have to come back with us. It’s not safe for you here.”

“Come back where? I don’t understand any of this.”

“To Sanctuary.”

* * *

“None of this makes sense.What the hell is Purgatory or whatever you called it?”

It took a lot of willpower for Quade not to snap at Kieran. He’d been talking nonstop since they’d gotten a lift back to the house. Kieran’s mind was like quicksilver, flowing from one topic to another. He asked questions about lycans, saying how fucking sexy they were, and suggested that maybe Quade could give him a bite. Even after Quade explained it didn’t work that way, he kept at it until Matt pulled him close and shut him up with a hot kiss.

“It’s Sanctuary, and it’s where I live. It’s a city that exists beneath Mount Katahdin, and it’s where people like me”—he turned his gaze to Caden—“likeusare safe.”

Kieran slumped into his chair. “And you expect we’re just going to pack up and leave?”

Quade rose to his full height and folded his arms across his chest. “That’s exactly what I expect, because if you don’t, you will die. I promised Caden I would protect you both, and in order to do that, you need to do exactly as I say. The Bogran was only the first volley. They will be back, and next time it’s going to be with something tougher.”

“There’s things tougher than that?” Kieran squeaked.

Quade growled at the thought of that thing coming near Caden. “Oh, so many things. So you’ve got a choice. Get packed and let’s go, or we’re leaving. I can’t have Caden in danger. He’s… fuck, he’s like the holy grail.”