Caden stood, then turned and handed him two of the parcels. “Sure, can you hold these?” He faced the door again, then fished his key from his pocket, slipped it into the lock, and gave it a turn. God, he hoped the damage wasn’t too bad.
“You may want to hold your breath. It’s probably going to be pretty smelly in here. Most of the plants would have died over the last two weeks, so…. Yeah.”
He pushed the door open. The air was perfumed with the overwhelming smell of flowers. Sweet and fragrant, it wasn’t unlike walking through an arboretum. Caden entered and dropped the boxes he held, then watched as Quade added his to the stack. It was like they’d stepped into a jungle. The plants were all in bloom, even those that should have been nothing more than bulbs. Big, beautiful flowers in a rainbow of colors adorned every inch of the shop.
“Thought you said they’d be dead?”
Caden gaped. “They should be.”
“Open the boxes.”
“The boxes? Oh, right.” How had he forgotten them? He took the cutter from the wall and sliced through the twine holding them closed. Gently prying apart the cardboard, he peeled it back and found what he should have. The plants were all dead, withered away to nothing. “Well, at least this is right.” Caden reached in and touched one of them, then cried out when new leaves began to burst from the dead stem. “What the hell?”
Quade chuckled. “Why are you so surprised? You control plants. The ones in your shop have been under your care since you got them. They’re vibrant and alive. While you were gone, the energy you imbued them with was still there, so they continued to grow.” He ran a hand over the box. “These poor things needed your touch to bring them back to life.”
“I always had a green thumb, but—”
“Do you want to hear the story about wood sprites?”
Hell, yes. When he talked with Jack and Hilda, they’d been very secretive. They’d glance in his direction, then huddle together for whispered conversations.
“Yes, please.”
Quade smiled, sending warmth rushing through Caden. “Okay, you take care of your plants while I tell you what I know. Keep in mind that Hilda says a lot of this is based on legends and myth, stories passed down for generations of demihumans, so they might just be object lessons.”
“Okay, got it.”
Taking a seat at the counter, Quade started speaking, his voice low and soft. “Many religions talk about the Tree. Some think it refers to a connection between heaven and the underworld. Others think the Tree is the source of all knowledge. The truth of the Tree is that it connects all forms of creation. Anything that is, was, or will be springs from the Tree.
“But the Tree is not immortal. Once every ten thousand years or so, it drops a single, precious seed that is nurtured by the plants around it. The seed sprouts and grows into a beautiful flower. As time passes, the petals fall off and a pod grows in their place. Inside that pod is a wood sprite, the rarest of all the known creatures.”
He hopped off the chair, walked over to Caden, and took a broom from him. Sweeping the floor, he continued with his story.
“The wood sprite is revered by most demihumans. It’s something to be treasured and cared for, because it will become the most important thing in all of creation. Well, it almost becomes creation itself. I think, based on what you’ve said, your mother did find you in a patch of flowers or vegetables or whatever. She was probably astounded by a tiny being with wings and took you in. As you grew, your wings shed and you became more like her, probably in an effort to blend in. After she died, you went out into the world and met Matt and Kieran, who became your protectors. And then you met me.”
“My protectors? What the hell does that mean?”
“Think about it. First your mother, then Matt and Kieran. You’ve always had someone there watching over you, guiding you. I think they were there to keep you safe from harm until I found you.”
“But you said we’ve known each other for a thousand lifetimes. How can that be if the Tree only sprouts a seed every ten thousand years?”
“This would be more Ten’s area than mine, but from what I understand, each life we’ve led teaches us new things. Over our lifetimes, we’ve been male, female, many different types of animals, and the like. We’ve born children, raised families, and died of sickness or old age or acts of violence. The only thread between them is that we’ve been together. The legends of my people say that entwined souls like ours will continue being reborn until we meet the destiny we were meant for, and only then will we be free to explore the cosmos together as beings of light.”
“Beings of light? You’re making that up.”
Quade leaned the broom against the counter in the middle of the room, then stomped over to where Caden was packing up the boxes for recycling. He grabbed Caden’s arm and hauled him up. “Where you’re concerned, I would never do that. I know you don’t remember those lifetimes, but thanks to Ten, I do. I remember watching us make love in the rain, run across a desert on four legs, soar the skies on wings as we surveyed our world. I remember that the only constant was our love.” He cupped the back of Caden’s head and pulled him close. “And whether we live another thousand lives, or if this is our last, your heart was always safest with me, just as mine was with you.”
He leaned in and kissed Caden, who opened for him, moaning when Quade’s tongue swept in and sparred with his.
“I’d take you here in the middle of your shop if I could.”
“O-okay, do it.”
“I don’t think the lady at the door would appreciate the show.”
Caden jerked around and found Mrs. Conway standing there, glaring at him. He stepped back from Quade, ran a hand over the front of his shirt so he would look presentable, then strode toward the door.
Just as he reached for the handle, Quade shouted, “No!” and threw himself forward, knocking Caden aside.
“What the fuck?”
Grabbing his arm, he hauled Caden up and pushed him away. His face contorted in rage as he yanked open the door. Whatever was standing there wore Mrs. Conway’s face, but the rest of its body was scaly like a lizard. It had talons at the end of its fingers and toes, and when it opened its mouth, Caden saw rows and rows of teeth that reminded him of a lamprey.
Whatever was at the door was definitely not Mrs. Conway.
Quade cursed himself for a fool as he got between Caden and the skin-walker. He should have been able to smell the rotted flesh before she got that close to him, but something was masking the scent.
The flowers. Of course. They permeated everything, making it almost impossible for him to smell anything. Shit.
Caden scrambled back until he hit the wall. Even over the aroma of the shop, Quade could smell the acrid fear wafting off him. As the creature moved, Quade stayed in front of it.
The skin-walker pushed through the door, its eyes narrowing. “Give it to us.”
Shifting to his lycan form, Quade hurtled forward, intent on killing the damn thing before it could get near Caden, who seemed to be rooted by fear. Quade understood that. Caden had made eye contact with it, so it had probably started to work its way into his mind before Quade pushed him away. If he didn’t stop it, it would take over Caden too.