Ten turned, his eyes full of hope. “Dad?”
“What? I’ve been saying I’m going. Aren’t you listening?”
“I am, but… I wasn’t sure you were serious.”
Quade sighed. “Look, I’m not sure I trust him, but I do believe in you. If you say he’s in trouble, then we have to help him, right?”
“Yes. He’s important to the future.”
“Oh?”
Ten fidgeted, not meeting Quade’s gaze. “Can you trust me on this?”
“Of course. Now we just have to figure out how to get there. Plane-hopping isn’t easy, and I’m pretty sure you can’t open a portal.”
Ten’s cheeks flushed, and he looked away. “No, but A’kosh can. His people can cross dimensions just like we walk into another room. And he’s willing to help you.”
“And you know this how?”
Ten’s cheeks reddened. “I’m in his mind. We’ve been talking.”
“Ten….”
“Dad, he’s alone and scared. I can’t let him be afraid.”
He reached out and cupped Ten’s cheek. “You’re a good kid. So tell me about your friend.”
That seemed to surprise Ten. “What do you want to know?”
“What does he do for fun?”
Ten’s brow furrowed. “They don’t really have fun like we do. Their whole society is hive-based, which means they pretty much work from the time they wake up until they return to their sleep pods.”
Caden could see the guilt plain as day on Quade’s face. He wanted to reach out to him, but instead sat quietly and studied him and Ten. He marveled at how well they were navigating the whole family thing
“Let’s bring him here to watch a movie.”
Ten leaped up and threw his arms around Quade. “You’re the best.”
“Until you get mad at me again.” He chuckled. “Come on. Let’s go get our guest.”
“I’ll clean up and make some popcorn.”
Leaning over, Quade placed a soft kiss on Caden’s lips. “Thank you.”
After they’d left, Caden took the dishes and placed them in the washer, then pulled out a big pot, which he added oil and unpopped corn to. His mind drifted to the conversation that Quade and Ten were having. This was his life now? He was the human incarnation of the Tree of Life. He had a mate and a child, and now a real extradimensional creature was about to come into their house. Oh, and they still had the apocalypse looming overhead.
Caden snickered. “Doubt I could ever go back to boring.”
“You’re sure this is going to work?”
They’d explained to Caden many times that crossing the dimensional pathways was easy for A’kosh, and that taking Quade with him was a walk in the park. One moment you were here—the next you were there. Caden wasn’t convinced.
“Don’t worry, Poppa. Everything is going to be fine.”
Caden wished he had a tenth of Ten’s trust. Still, A’kosh seemed trustworthy, but with no clue what he was about to face, Caden still worried about Quade.
“I’m coming with you.”
“No, you’re not.” Quade turned and put a hand on Caden’s cheek. “It’ll be fine.”
“I’ll keep us linked, so we can talk with one another.”
“You’re not coming either.”
“But, Dad….”
“No ‘buts.’ You’re going to stay out of my head.”
Ten gave a smug smile. “Then how will you know what A’kosh is saying?”
Quade’s scowl was legendary. The depth of the lines in his forehead probably could have been used to plant crops.
“Does your ability even work across dimensions?”
A teenager’s eye roll couldn’t have been as dramatic as Ten’s. “Duh.” Ten’s voice softened. “And you really should use me now, because later it might not be an option.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Blowing out a breath, Ten met Quade’s gaze. “Whatever you do today will have repercussions in the future. All the pathways that were closed off are suddenly wide open again. The problem is, they’re in a state of flux. It’s like reality is struggling to not collapse in on itself.”
Caden wrapped an arm around Ten’s shoulder, not surprised when Ten leaned closer. “What does that mean?”
“It means that either A’kosh or Dad—maybe both—is a focal point of something that’s going to happen. Whatever they do over there will have an impact on all of reality.”
“And you can’t see it?”
“I’ve been trying.” He slid closer to Caden. “I try to see what’s coming, but when I look ahead, I find something staring back at me. It’s ancient and powerful and scary as hell.”
“Language, Ten.”
He blew out a breath and glared at Quade. “Really? We’re talking ’bout the end of everything, and you’re going to worry about me saying hell?”
“Just because reality might end doesn’t mean you can forget all the rules. How many times did I tell you that you catch more flies—”
“With honey, yes, I know. Geez.”
It was obvious that Ten didn’t mind. Since he’d come into their lives, he’d blossomed, opening up to people he would normally have shied away from. Caden felt as though Ten had been waiting for him and Quade.
I was.
“Ten?” Hearing his voice inside Caden’s head was weird.
Quade’s eyes met Caden’s, and his heart soared.
He’s been waiting on you for his whole life. A half soul is never happy. They always look for the other part of themselves. Most people think that the idea of fated mates is ridiculous, but it’s really not. Your souls were always working to bring you to this point at this time. When Dad needed you most, you were here for him. Just like when you need him, he’ll be there for you.
Why do I get the feeling you know more than you’re letting on?
I don’t, I swear. When Dad said he’d help A’kosh, it was like a huge explosion took place inside my head. Millions of potential futures that had been closed off were there again, and some that shouldn’t have been possible were suddenly just… there. I can follow them to their logical conclusions, but too many are whipping so fast from one extreme to the next…. It’s like trying to wrestle a shrieking eel.
Caden chuckled, which earned him a raised eyebrow from Quade.
When A’kosh had come to visit, they’d watched Princess Bride. Ten had never seen the movie, and he and his new friend curled up on the couch, eyes wide, the tub of popcorn forgotten as they watched the movie play out. Caden thought he’d be uncomfortable with A’kosh, but nothing could be further from the truth. The young man had been cordial, almost sweet, as Ten translated for him. The thing that was a little strange was when the lights were low and everyone seemed to be intent on the movie, Caden noticed Ten slip his hand into A’kosh’s and the way their fingers twined together. The soft trill from the demon… the boy also reached his ears.