Everything That You Are (10 page)

“
Kaden
!”
Michael yelled.

He had just succeeded in opening the door when Michael ran forward and slammed it closed again, thankfully making sure to avoid contact this time.
Kaden
span around and headed for a window, determined to escape through it if need be, but Michael was faster, cutting off his path with the mass of his body. He looked around frantically but there was nowhere left for him to run.

As soon as that realisation hit him, he backed himself against the nearest wall and crumpled to the floor, fear robbing his limbs of strength.

“Son?”

Kaden
tried to block out their voices, not interested in the slightest in what they had to say. He just wanted to go home, hold his sister, and forget that any of this had ever happened. She must be so worried by now.

“Dad.
Help him, please. I think I hurt him again. I touched him in anger but I…I never…”

When silence descended upon the room,
Kaden
peeked through the locks of hair hiding his face. He danced his gaze about the room, hoping that by some miracle he had missed another path of escape, but when he saw Sam take a few cautious steps towards him, he began to hyperventilate.

His mind was a maelstrom of terror. All he could think about was that he was being held against his will.
Again.
Fear that he would be forced to use his power to harm and manipulate people again while his body was used for pleasure was too much to bear. The memories of Gregory using him were bad enough, but the possibility that his mate—a man whom he still felt an attraction for despite his better judgement—might hold him captive for the same reasons had him close to hysterics.

Kaden
began to shake his head violently from side to side, trying to force the volatile thoughts from his mind, when his gaze was caught by a graceful woman running into his view in a flurry of lace and printed flowers. Her auburn hair whipped behind a face that seemed so welcoming, it stilled his thoughts and movements.

She wore a bright yellow sundress with patterns of colourful flowers on it that flared out from her ankles in her haste. Her heart-shaped face glinted with kindness that was so at odds with the fear coursing through
Kaden’s
body that he hadn’t realised she was upon him until he felt the light touch of her hand on the side of his face.

The happiness and love she was feeling conflicted with his darker emotions and he struggled to maintain the distinction between his own and those of the woman touching him.

“My, you are a pretty one, aren’t you? Or is it handsome? They mean the same thing to me but some of these macho types,” she waved her hand around to encompass the two large men behind and to the side of her, “tend to get a little stuffy over what you call them.”

Kaden
didn’t know whether to feel perplexed or offended by her odd behaviour, but the joy he could feel emanating from her was beginning to permeate his being. She absently twined her fingers through his and leant forward to whisper in his ear in a low, conspiratorial tone, “Don’t let the big man behind me fool you. He may look scary, but he’s really just a big softy. Did you know that when he was six, he had an imaginary friend he wanted to dress as for the Solstice celebration and it turned out to be Papa Smurf?”

Kaden
turned his wide eyes to see a deep flush creeping up Michael’s neck and into his cheeks.

The woman leaned closer still and whispered with a huge grin on her face, “I have pictures!”

“Mom!”

She burst into laughter that sounded like bells chiming and lit up her face like a breathtaking sunrise. Her spirit and happiness within seemed as bright as the sun, and it warmed
Kaden
like nothing else ever had. He felt an unaccustomed smile curve his lips and he tightened his fingers around hers, not wanting to give up this unexpected ray of sunshine.

She began to wipe away the blood that had stopped flowing from his nose with the hem of her dress, never skipping a beat.

“One summer when he was about, oh, thirteen I think, Michael had convinced himself that he could fly and took one of my best sheets to use as a parachute and jumped from a thirty-foot cliff into a lake. Well his father, Sam, the lumbering caveman over there,”
Kaden
followed her gaze over to the other man, “had never told him about the wisdom of crossing his legs before hitting the water. He couldn’t sit down after that for a week!”

Kaden
cringed at the pain he imagined that must have caused, but the look of
embarrassed
helplessness Michael shot at his father had both
Kaden
and the woman laughing now. Her joy was absolutely infectious.

Kaden
felt himself get caught up in her excitement as she helped him from the floor and wrapped an arm around his waist, steering him into the kitchen. “Oh! I have to tell you about the time he shaved his head and…”

“Mom!”

Chapter Four

Michael stared, dumbfounded, as his mother spirited his mate away, chattering on about the most humiliating moments of his life. Somehow, in the span of one hour, the morning had gone from blissful to volatile to cheery, and in that moment, Michael was absolutely certain that his mate would be the death of him. He looked to his father for support but the goofy grin on his face as he stared after his wife told him that he was on his own.

Sam caught his gaze and shrugged. “The woman has her evil ways, but she always gets the job done.”

Michael had to grudgingly nod his head and sighed.

“So what was that all about?”

“I don’t know. I asked him about his scars and he told me that…” He had to swallow his rage as he recalled the boy’s words and the memory of the haunted look in his eyes. “Dad, I know he was just trying to survive by working in that club, but I think something awful happened after I rejected him. Dad, I think he may have been forced to…to…”

“Use his power?”

Michael closed his eyes and took a deep breath, reminding himself that as bad as it was for him to imagine that kind of
past,
his mate had been forced to actually live it.
“And more.”

Sam thought about that and slowly nodded his head. “Give him some time to adjust, son. Let your mother work her miracles while you work on controlling your emotions. That man’s got a powerful gift, and until we know more about him, we need to take this one step at a time.”

Michael took another deep breath, opened his eyes, and tried to concentrate on the positive side of the situation. He had finally found his mate again. The young man was within his protective care and his mother and father were completely accepting of the fact that he was male…and a mage.

Michael wouldn’t necessarily define himself as gay, but there was no mistaking the desire he felt for his other half.
Kaden
was alive and safe and…was that country music coming from his kitchen? The voice of Reba
McEntire
suddenly filled the house and he followed his father into the kitchen.

The sight that met him took his breath away. Katherine had her arm entwined with
Kaden’s
and the pair
were
literally twirling about as they gathered ingredients from the fridge and cupboards to make breakfast. His mom was swaying her hips, bumping them against
Kaden’s
and singing along to the song, while
Kaden
laughed and did his best to keep up.

It was as if the disaster of just minutes ago had never happened and the man dancing and smiling before him was a completely different person.
Kaden’s
responsiveness to the emotions of others was amazing, if a bit frightening.

He had never seen a more appealing sight in his kitchen before.

Michael sat down at the table with Sam and started to notice the care his mother was taking with his mate. She never once let go of him physically, managing to subtly keep in contact at all times.
Holding his hand, touching his cheek, even hugging him occasionally.
The sound of his mate’s laughter was so light and innocent that it held him enthralled. For countless minutes, his world consisted of nothing but the joy that radiated from his mate as he helped Katherine cook.

When the food was done, his mom turned off the little radio he kept beside the refrigerator and handed
Kaden
a plate of bacon to put on the table. She had to relinquish her touch on him in order to carry the other dishes, and when
Kaden
turned around and spotted Michael sitting at the table, watching him, he faltered.

Michael wanted to reach out to him so that he would know his anger had passed, but didn’t want to frighten him again. Instead, he pulled out the chair beside him then walked to the counter to pour everyone cups of coffee.

Once they were all seated, Katherine continued to keep the conversation light, talking about her plans for the day and asking about the businesses run by some of their clan members. As Alpha, it was his responsibility to keep their community prosperous and assist anyone seeking employment, loans, repairs, or anything else within his power to help with.

The duties far outweighed the pay, even though he did very well for himself, but he cared about each member of his clan and took pride in his work. They all tried to include
Kaden
in the conversation, but his only responses were monosyllabic and his shoulder-length platinum hair kept most of his features hidden.

Michael noticed that, by the time everyone else had finished eating, he had yet to take a bite of the food his mom had piled onto his plate. His mother rounded the table and leant down to place a kiss on the crown of
Kaden’s
head. He flinched at the contact but sent a small smile up at her as she and his father excused themselves, retreating to the living room.

Michael remained seated and asked, “Not hungry?” The man just shrugged, so he added, “I really wish you’d eat something.” After another shrug, Michael sighed. This was going to take a lot more finesse than he thought he had. “What were you doing out at Henry’s ranch?”

Kaden
finally lifted his head and gave Michael an indignant look. “I work there.”

Michael tried not to show too much surprise as he asked, “Really? What do you do?”

“I’m a… I can pick up the emotions of animals and project mine into them. Henry hired me to train his horses.”

“Wow. That’s really great.” Michael was extremely impressed by the man’s ingenuity at finding a job which put his power to an excellent use. However, he imagined it also made
Kaden
extremely valuable to Henry, which might cause problems considering his mate would have to quit. After nearly four years of regret and loneliness, he knew he wouldn’t be able to allow
Kaden
to commute to a job that would take him away from Michael for the better part of nearly every day of the week.

As if reading his mind,
Kaden
said, “I’m not staying here. I’ll identify the killers and tell you where to find them, but I’m gone as soon as I can find some clothes. I’ll reimburse you for any costs.”

The thought of losing his mate again had his chest tightening to the point that he thought it might cave in on itself. “
Kaden
…” He had to choose his words carefully. He fleetingly considered pointing out the fact that the man would need to testify against the killers in front of a clan council, thereby forcing him to stay until that happened, but quickly tossed that idea. He wanted his mate to stay for the sake of their relationship, not because of an ugly obligation.

“
Kaden
, you’re my mate. I don’t expect you to forgive me for rejecting you the first time we met, but…I would like for you to give me a second chance.”

Kaden
began to shake and Michael could see all of his anger shining brightly in his deep blue eyes. “You don’t deserve a second chance,” he whispered vehemently. “He saw you turn around and leave.
You, an Alpha.
That could only mean that I was
clanless
,
and he…he knew…”
Kaden
pressed his lips together so tightly they turned white before he bowed his head, once more hiding his face behind blond locks.

“
Kaden
, can I touch you? I know my words don’t mean much to you. You have every right to be angry, but I want you to know what I’m feeling. How much I want to make up for my mistake. If you don’t think my emotions are sincere, I’ll drive you back to Henry’s farm right now and give you some time. But if you do believe they are, give me at least a few weeks to show you how much I want this.” He waved his hand to indicate both of them.

Kaden
studied his face through his lashes and strands of hair and Michael found himself holding his breath, trying to give his mate as much time as he needed to think about his suggestion. It wasn’t easy, and as the seconds dragged into endless minutes, he thought he would go mad from the suspense. Finally,
Kaden
took a deep breath and reached out his still-trembling hand to Michael and touched his forearm.