Cade (19 page)

“He won’t fit in with us,” said Trevor, changing his tactics. “He will never be accepted.”

“How do you know? Have you ever tried? Have you ever taken a half-breed in and seen what would happen?”

“They’re dangerous,” Aaron snarled.

Cade turned to Aaron, his brother and at his father’s stupidity filling him with rage. “You need to let him go now.” The words were spoken in a deadly quiet tone. “I am taking him back into my house, where he is welcome to stay.”

He held his hand out for Phoenix. Aaron glared at him, his eyes shooting daggers. “Don’t make me fight you for him. I don’t want to, but I will if you make me.” Cade didn’t even look at his father, hoping the threat of him losing his place on the Council would be enough for him to back off.  

Aaron glanced at Trevor, waiting for his cue. When he gave him a curt nod after a moment, Aaron glowered and then thrust Phoenix towards Cade, clearly frustrated at being forced to give in. The boy stumbled and Cade caught him before he landed sprawled out on the ground. Phoenix clutched at Cade’s shirt with his good hand, his trembling body gluing itself to his side, his head barely reaching Cade’s broad shoulder. Cade brought him into a tight, protective hold, his hand coming up to cup the back of his head. He gave the boy a few seconds of contact to calm him, then, without ever taking his eyes off his brother and father, he instructed, “Get into the house and wait for me.”

Phoenix nodded and threw a fearful look back at Trevor and Aaron.

“Go,” Cade said sternly. He needed him away and safe, then he could finish what he needed to here.

When Cade was sure that Phoenix was out of earshot and in the house, he turned back to his father. “I will pay for his position in the Society. I will train him, and I will teach him our ways. I will take all responsibility for him.”

“How very noble of you,” Trevor scoffed. “But we have a month to bring someone to the
Humans
. Whether you like it or not, we need to give the boy to them.”

“Are you really that pathetic? Is Malcolm?” Cade said incredulously. Trevor’s face turned red with rage. “What will the
Humans
do if we don’t? What can they do to us?”

“They will create war,” he roared.

“No, they won’t. Not if they don’t know he is here. For all they know, they got him in the fires.”

Trevor paused, the cogs in his head turning. Cade knew no good could come of this. “And if I allow this thing to stay with you …” he began.

Cade ignored the
allow
part, because there was no allow—Phoenix was staying. “Yes?”

“What will you give me give me in return?”

Cade stared at his father. “Payment?”

Aaron had positioned himself next to Trevor, a united front. “If we find his maker, the boy can challenge him. If he beats him, he can join Society.”

Cade’s heart sunk. Letting Phoenix challenge somebody who was
Other
would be signing the boy’s death warrant. And if he by any fluke did manage to kill his maker, that would mean having forced an innocent boy into purposely taking another life. “He is just a child,” he rasped.

Trevor shrugged. “It is the way we do things.” It was true. These were their rules. Not that anyone had actually done this specific act before—not to Cade’s knowledge. But yes. If a half-breed took out their maker, they could be granted acceptance. Of course, a half-breed actually beating a purebred was basically an impossibility. Trevor would be sending Phoenix to his death.

“Is that all?” he ground out, knowing that his hands were tied. This was society law, and Cade had no option but to follow it.

Trevor smiled and cocked his head to one side. Cade knew that meant trouble. “I have been in talks with the Castle woman. You know her—friend of your mother’s. Part of the Society. She was widowed a month or so ago. But since her husband passed away, well, she is having a little financial trouble.”

“And what? You want me to pay for her, too?”

“Yes,” Trevor said flatly. “The woman is a widow with three daughters.”

“Her daughters are all adults.”

“Yes, exactly.”

Cade narrowed his eyes. He was missing something.

“If you marry one of the sisters, it doesn’t matter which,” he said with a dismissive wave of his hand, “their family will get free passage to the Society. If you want the boy to remain here now, you take one of the daughter’s hands.”

Cade’s mind raced, desperate to find a way out of this trap. “Aaron has no pups,” he said, trying to keep his voice level. “I can't mate.”

That was how it worked. The eldest was the heir, but it was surpassed if a younger sibling produced offspring first, because they would carry the line on. However, Aaron was to be alpha one day, and until he mated officially and produced his own offspring, Cade and their younger brother, Danny, had to wait. Cade was absolutely fine with that, though. It benefited him.

“He doesn’t,” agreed Trevor. “But you can contractually pledge yourself to one of them. Take your pick. I see they're all very pretty. Once your brother is mated and his first pup is born, then you will honour your promise here today and mate.”

“A pending union?”

“Exactly,” said Trevor smugly. “Maybe you want to think it over for a couple of days. Or maybe you want a couple of days to set your little pet running. Give him a head start. Because this is the deal, Cade. Son or no son. That thing will not be allowed to stay without my authority. You get a nice piece of ass and a science project. You know the power the Castle family has?” Trevor smirked and nodded to Aaron. “We will be back in a couple of days. Oh, and maybe we can help find that maker for you. Save you some time, right?”

Cade knew he had pushed things as far as they could go. Trevor had set his terms and conditions, and if Cade did not agree, he would make sure Phoenix was eradicated from the Society.  

Chapter Twenty-Two

Phoenix jumped at the sound of the back door slamming. It echoed through the house, the walls vibrating from the force of it. Phoenix carefully rested his grazed chin on his backpack as he clutched it to his chest where he sat at the top of the stairs.
He
had done this. It was all his fault. Fresh tears welled up in his eyes. His broken hand lay across the top of his knees, the pain like nothing he had ever imagined. He tried his hardest not to move it, wishing for nothing more in that moment than the ability to vanish. He hugged his bag tighter, desperately needing something to hold onto. It contained hardly anything—ragged clothes, his notebook and pencils. Last month, he had had everything, and now he had nothing—and there was no one to blame but himself.

He stayed quiet on the top of the stairs for a moment, letting the depth of his pain and sorrow flood through him. Every step he took forward, he seemed to fall another ten feet back. With a tremulous sigh, he wiped the back of his good hand across his face and got up. His hand came away wet with tears and the blood from Aaron’s blow. He had to leave. He couldn’t stay now, not after all he was causing. He descended the stairs slowly and reluctantly. Every step was a step closer to being out on his own again. When he reached the last step, he hesitated. He didn’t want to leave—braving the streets or the forest on his own again was a daunting prospect. Especially now that he knew he was being hunted by the
Humans
… and apparently by the
Others
, too. He really was well and truly on his own.

With his head held down, he tried to force himself to go into the kitchen, say goodbye to Cade and walk out the door. But his legs didn’t seem to want to move.

“Phoenix?” Cade’s voice brought his head up fast, the sudden movement shooting new pain through his face. He stood in the doorway to the kitchen, a worried expression on his face as his gaze jumped from Phoenix’s limp hand to his tear-streaked face smeared with blood. Phoenix’s heart pounded in his chest—he hadn’t even heard him come into the hallway. It reminded him of what
Others
truly were. “He’s gone,” Cade told him softly. “He’s not coming back. You’re safe.”

Phoenix blinked rapidly, fighting to stop a new onslaught of tears. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get you into trouble,” he said quietly. He was so stupid, believing he could make Cade want to keep him by showing him that he could shift on his own. Why would anyone want somebody as stupid and pathetic as he was? He had managed to make such a mess of things again.

Phoenix knew that he had to go. He didn’t want to hear Cade tell him he didn’t want him. This way, he wouldn’t have to say the words. He slung the bag over his shoulder using his good hand, but even that caused pain and he winced. His fingers were swollen, and his knuckles had all turned black. Ignoring the pain, Phoenix bowed his head and started towards the kitchen for the back door with forced determination.

Cade didn’t move to let him pass, though. He stood there frowning down at him. “Where are you going?”

“I have to go,” Phoenix whispered

“No, you don’t.” Cade shook his head. “You don’t need to go anywhere.”

Phoenix glanced up at him, too afraid to hope. “It’s better for everyone if I just leave.”

Cade placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “I took you in because I wanted to help you. I still want to help you. You don’t have to go.”

“But it gets you in trouble,” Phoenix protested. He watched Cade’s face, studied his eyes for even a flicker of repulsion and hate, but instead, his expression softened.

“My father just likes to throw his weight around. It isn’t you. I'm so sorry he hurt you.” He looked down at Phoenix’s hand. “Can I take a look?”

Phoenix hesitated, not able to believe Cade really didn’t want him to go. His bottom lip quivered and then he nodded slowly, cupping his bad hand. “It’s broken.”

“Yes. I think so. We can fix it. Will you come to the table with me and we can get you cleaned up?”

Phoenix didn’t want to leave, but he didn’t want to stay and cause more suffering. He didn’t want more people to die because of him. His count was already at two, and that was more than enough. “Your dad wants me gone. He doesn’t like me.”

“My dad is old-fashioned. He thinks that everything is black and white when it isn’t. Come and sit down. Let me get you cleaned up and we’ll talk. Okay?”

Phoenix chewed on his lip and threw a glance at the door.

“Please,” Cade said.

“Okay,” he said hoarsely. His throat still hurt from Aaron’s chokehold before. Cade gave him an encouraging smile and turned towards the kitchen. Phoenix followed him in and sat at the table, placing his bag down on one of the empty seats. Cade filled a bowl with hot water and then pulled a bottle out of one of the cabinets. He poured whatever was in it into the bowl, the stench hitting Phoenix’s nose and making him gag.

“Sorry,” Cade said as he carried the bowl over. “It’s Stephens’s mother’s recipe. I don’t know what is in it, but it works like a treat on helping with cuts and grazes.”

“You're going to put that on me?”

Cade nodded and the corners of his mouth twitched in amusement at Phoenix’s disgusted tone. He placed the bowl down onto the table, and then he pulled one of the cushions from the seats free. “Can you lift your arm?” Phoenix helped him slide it under his bad hand, pain shooting up his wrist and arm and making his eyes water. He clenched his jaw, not wanting Cade to think he was such a baby.

“I’m sorry,” Cade said.

“It’s okay.” He paused. “I didn’t mean to make all this bad stuff happen.”

“I know,” said Cade warmly. “It isn’t your fault.”

“I was trying to shift. I thought that maybe I could do it by myself.”

Cade smiled at Phoenix. “You’ll get it. Don’t worry.”

Phoenix couldn’t even imagine it. He had played games with his friends as a child, pretending to be
Other
and ravaging each other to death. But to be one for real? It seemed so inconceivable. “Your dad doesn’t like me because I was
Human
?”

“It’s not you. It’s just the way it is.” Cade soaked a cloth in the water, wrung it out, and then draped it over Phoenix’s broken hand. “Just keep that there. It’ll help. I promise. We didn’t use to be different to
Humans
, you know? We were the same once upon a time.”

Phoenix’s eyes went wide. “Really?”

Cade continued to tend to his hand as he spoke. “Yeah. We started there. It was a long time ago—centuries maybe—when
Humans
lived in the wild with the animals. But
Humans
are weak and fragile. They die from the slightest thing. It’s hard to survive out in the wild and they weren’t doing very well. One day, one of the
Humans
saw a pack of wolves. He watched how they hunted their prey, stalked them, caught them—it was effortless. So, this man captured a wolf. He used the wolf to hunt for him, but he learnt how to hunt that way, too. Eventually, I don’t know how—maybe it is magic—the man and his wolf became one.”