“Okay, sounds good.” What came out of his mouth next was unexpected. “Listen, I know you probably don’t do vegan stuff, but if you want to stop by for some pizza later… I mean, if you’re not busy.”
“Sure, I can do that.”
Caden was sure he heard Ten whisper, “Yes!” as Quade led him out into the hallway.
Once the door was closed—as much as a broken door could be—Caden shook his head. Ten was too much, and Quade was…. He wasn’t even sure what he’d call it. Intense, definitely, but he could also be kind toward Ten, even almost fatherly. The interaction between them warmed Caden’s heart.
Caden groaned. What the hell was happening to him? He scarcely remembered why he wanted to leave. He had friends, a life. He couldn’t stay. When Quade came back, he’d have to make him understand that they couldn’t keep him in Sanctuary.
But….
He was oddly comfortable here. He enjoyed Ten and his youthful exuberance, Quade and his moody glowers, and he absolutely loved the apartment he was staying in. It was warm, inviting.
A thought struck him. Were they doing something to make him want to stay?
He didn’t want to believe it, but what other reason could there be? Matt and Kieran were waiting on him. He was already overdue by several days, if what Ten said was right when he’d been in the infirmary being patched up. He hadn’t thought much about his friends, and that wasn’t like him. They’d been his best buddies since college, had gone through thick and thin together. When Matt asked Kieran to marry him, Caden had been the best man in a very unorthodox ceremony.
And though everything in him told him to call them, Quade had trusted him. Had explained why he couldn’t leave. And if what he said was right and Caden did have some kind of weird ability, what would happen if he hurt Matt or Kieran? Killed them? The thought was too much to bear.
A knock on the door startled him. He turned to find a young blonde woman there, tool belt at her side. She gave him an infectious grin. “Quade said your door had, in his words, ‘an accident.’”
“Yeah, and I bet it’s not happy about it either.”
She chuckled. “You met Ten.”
“Yup. He seems to know a lot about stuff.”
She gave a slight shrug. “Ten’s a good kid. Quade keeps him in line as best he can. It hasn’t been easy since he lost his family. Every time someone says he’s welcome to stay in their home, Ten pulls away. He says they’re not the right fit. So he spends his days shuttling between families.” She hiked a thumb toward the door. “Is it going to bother you if I fix this? Won’t take but half an hour.”
“Sure, go ahead.”
She reached into the tool belt at her side and drew out a hammer, but then her eyes went wide and she turned back to Caden. “Oh, sorry! Sometimes I forget my manners. Like, all the time. My name is Greta.” She extended a hand, which Caden took. “Resident handywoman and chief of operations for Sanctuary.”
“Caden. And I have no clue what I’m doing here.”
She stepped back, slid the claws of the hammer under the molding of the doorframe, and popped each section off in one smooth movement. “You’re here for the same reason all of us are: to keep the outside world safe from us, and to keep us safe from them. When I got here, I just wanted out. I thought I’d die down here, but… Sanctuary isn’t just a place, it’s an ideal. The community thrives because we all work together to make it so.”
They didn’t say anything else. Caden dialed the number Ten had given him and ordered two pizzas, then turned and watched Greta work. Her fingers, though rather stubby, were deft and nimble, and where he’d be bitching at the door, she smiled and hummed softly while she worked. In twenty minutes, she put her hammer away, the door looking as good as new.
“How much do I owe you?”
“Nothing. Quade’s covering it since he caused it. Don’t worry, he breaks a lot of things. We ended up giving him a discount for all the business.”
Caden chuckled. “How the hell did you get it fixed so fast?”
She gave him a grin and pulled back her hair. For the first time, Caden saw her pointy ears. “Dryad. It’s kind of our stock in trade.”
“Thanks, Gret, the door looks perfect.”
She stepped aside as Quade entered the room, dressed in a tight black T-shirt. He ran a hand over the wood, then gave Greta a smile. He handed her some shiny stones, which she slipped into her pocket.
“It’s me who should be thanking you. I needed a distraction. The kids are driving me up a wall. You should have seen Tarlor’s face when I told him he’d need to watch them for a while. I thought he would cry.”
“Well, I appreciate it. I’ll let you get back home to them.”
She waved a dismissive hand. “Hell, no. I’m going out and getting something to eat first. Thinking a juicy burger, thick-cut fries, and a root beer float. It’s been forever since I had a few hours to myself, and Tarlor thinks it’s so damn easy working and taking care of the kids. By the time I get home, he’s going to be begging to let him rub my feet and apologizing for his behavior.”
That brought a chuckle from Quade. “You’re an evil woman.”
“I have my moments. Good night, Quade. Good night, Caden.” She waved and went off toward the elevator.
Quade turned and stepped into the room, closing the door behind him as she got on. The smell of lime tickled Caden’s nose. It mingled well with Quade’s musky aroma, creating something… hot. Caden had to shake his head to stop that train of thought.
“Okay, so Ten’s results were what he said they would be. In fact, he pissed off the tech by telling the scores before the guy could.”
“That kid is a handful.”
“He is. Bright, gifted, and a pain in the ass.” Quade sighed. “He wants to grow up too fast, though. I want him to be a kid, at least a while longer.”
“That’s important to you, isn’t it?”
A half shrug. “I want him to be happy, that’s all. He’s got a lot of years left to be a child, and he’s stuck using his abilities to help people. He says it’s what he wants, but I’ve seen him watching the other kids at play, and I can tell he’d love nothing more than to be there with them.”
Another thing Caden understood. He was surprised by how much he had in common with Ten. After his second time in the hospital, most of his friends drifted away. He heard from a few people that their parents thought whatever was wrong with Caden might be contagious, so they didn’t want their kids near him.
“Where is he now?”
“He’s spending the night with some friends of mine. He likes them, so doesn’t mind crashing there.”
The thought of Ten being bounced around from family to family actually caused a dull ache in Caden’s chest.
“We could invite him for pizza.”
Quade shook his head. “Doctors want him to rest up, so it’s best if he sleeps. And by staying with the Alp, he’ll get pleasant dreams to go along with his night.”
“The Alp?”
“In mythology they’re responsible for nightmares. In reality he runs the bookstore, gives readings for the children, and volunteers to coordinate a block party every summer.”