Page 58 of Cultivating Caden

Quade wrapped his arms around Caden, holding him close. “I won’t let them have you, I swear it.”

“And you think you can stop them?”

“Honestly? I do. I have something to fight for.”

“You say the sweetest things.” Caden took a breath. “What do we do about Mrs.… that thing?”

“A skin-walker burns through the body unless it gets nourishment to sustain it. Once you cut off its food source or kill it, the body eats away at itself.”

A noise, not unlike bacon sizzling, filled the room. Caden peered over Quade’s shoulder and saw the body dissolving.

“Wow. That’s like next levelWizard of Ozshit.” He swallowed. “So Mrs. Conway is dead?”

“Yeah, I’m afraid so. I’m sorry.”

“Me too. She still owed me for the last batch of flowers.”

Quade reared back and glared at Caden. “How can you be—?”

Then he saw the tears. Caden wasn’t trying to be funny—he was doing his best to cope with a shitty situation. Silently Quade cursed the Fates or the gods or whoever the hell thought this was a hilarious thing to do. He clutched Caden to his chest and held on while Caden sobbed.

After a while, he whispered in Caden’s ear, “We should go. It’s not safe for you here.”

A laugh, somewhere between a bark and a sob. “Is anywhere safe?” He rose to his feet and backed away from Quade. “Seriously, is anywhere fucking safe? First Sasquatch nearly kills us, and now this… this thing. What’s next?”

His eyes wide, Caden started for the door.

Quade leaped up and blocked his path. “Where are you going?”

“Away. Mrs. Conway died because of me. Who’s next? You? Ten? Matt or Kieran? I mean, how do I know one of them isn’t already dead? Since I never knew Mrs. Conway was a fucking zombie. Think about it! My best friends in the world could be dead and how the hell would I know?” He narrowed his gaze. “How do I knowyou’renot dead?”

Caden was becoming hysterical, and Quade needed to stop it. With lightning speed, he lashed out and grabbed Caden’s hand. He pulled him in and held Caden’s palm to his chest.

“Do you feel that?”

Caden said nothing, just glared.

“I asked you a question. Do you feel that?”

“Yes.” His voice was small, hurt.

“I’m alive. I think you know it. Ten would have told you if I wasn’t.”

“I can’t do this. I’m a florist, not a warrior.”

Quade shook his head. It was obvious that Caden didn’t see himself in the same light. “You think you’re not? Who was it that stood in front of the Bogran to protect others?” He tapped Caden on the chest. “Pretty sure it was this guy right here. You could have—should have—run, but you didn’t. You distracted it from coming after Matt and Kieran. You pulled it away from me.”

“You didn’t need my help.”

Quade grabbed Caden’s chin. “No, but you’re missing the point. You had no idea what a Bogran was. You didn’t know if I could win, but you wouldn’t leave me. Why?”

Muttering something, Caden tried to turn away, but Quade held fast.

“Nuh-uh, that won’t wash. What did you say?”

Caden glared at him. “I said because I love you, goddamn it. I couldn’t let it hurt you if I could stop it.”

“So you were scared?”