“Ten would understand. He loves you.”
“And I love him. He and Caden are my whole world. But you’re part of him too, which means you’re family.”
A’kosh smiled, and Quade could feel his happiness. “Ten has my heart. It feels right. But he’s so young.”
“He’s not much younger than you.”
Shaking his head, A’kosh stared at Quade. “You not understand. I experienced love for my people, for queen. I make friends. I understand family. Ten does not.” He straightened his spine. “No, he not ready. He need his father first. My time will come later.”
And damned if Quade wasn’t seeing A’kosh as an adult now. His bearing, the way he cared about Ten—it all screamed maturity. Not that it mattered. Ten wasn’t even a teenager yet, and Quade agreed with Caden that they both wanted him to try and remain a child a little longer.
All right. We’re going to move out.
But—
No, Caden. No ‘buts’. No waiting. A’kosh saved my life, and I’m going to return that favor. Ten, you need to cut off the communication.
But—
Now, Ten. You’re scaring Poppa and—
Scaring me? You did not just say that. You’re off on an alien world, you’re sick, and you’ve just lost a lot of blood. Who’s scaring me? No, this line of communication will be open until I say to close it.
A’kosh chuckled. “You not win.”
Quade nudged A’kosh with his shoulder. “Yeah, I know. Are you okay to go on?”
“Yes. I feel better, thank be to you.”
Fine. We can stay in contact, but you can’t be talking in my head. Distraction will be a bad thing.
Okay, no distractions. Got it. Y’know, this is pretty cool. What do you think, Sir?
The new voices threw Quade for a second. Kieran?
Oh, hi, Quade! Sir, he can hear me.
Yes, brat. Everyone can.
Ten, why the hell did you bring more people into the conversation?
Because they’re here, and we’re not talking, and they thought we were upset. I can’t very well let them think we’re mad at them, can I?
Quade sighed, even as A’kosh snickered. He knew Ten thought he was doing the right thing, but he’d have to impress on his son how dangerous a distraction could be, especially during this operation. Everyone needs to shut up. Now.
Oh, of course, Quade. We’ll be as quiet as a—
Kieran, quiet time started two minutes ago. Quade needs to focus, so we have to go elsewhere. They’ll call us if we’re needed.
Will you all stop talking? Please. Look, I’ll beg if you all want, but you have to shut up.
Ten, let Dad do what he has to. Keep us apprised of what’s going on, but we can’t distract him.
His mate wasn’t happy, but he was willing to put his trust in Quade. Thank you, Caden.
You can thank me by not coming back dead.
With those words, Ten’s link was relegated to a tiny spark in the back of Quade’s mind, and Quade felt oddly lonely.
He turned his attention to A’kosh, who stood there with what Quade could only call a grin on his face. “Are you ready to do this?”
“Yes. I ready.”
Shaking his head, Quade chuckled. “Ten’s going to need to work with you some more.”
He cast a glance back at the Prime, whose body had already become a lure for scavengers. Served it right, but Quade had to wonder who could control something so savage. The Prime was another apex predator, and they had no problems eating anything they could get their hands on, including their own people if they were motivated by anger or lust or hunger.
“A’kosh, have you ever seen a Bogran before?”
A sharp shake of the head. “No. No want to see it again. It taste bad.”
No way could Quade disagree with that. Of course, A’kosh’s blood hadn’t been all that palatable either.
As they walked, Quade kept up light conversation. He knew whatever was coursing through him was making him weaker, and the scents in the air were growing stronger. Even though he couldn’t get his wolf to come out, Quade knew the smells made his wolf edgy.
“Tell me about your people.”
“We Bandaari.” The pride in A’kosh’s voice was obvious. “Millions of Bandaari live here. We have great society. Many tall buildings. Much progress. Our… what is word… queen guides us with love. Much time ago, we were at war, and she united people, put them to use in places they could grow. We became prosperous by opening doors to other worlds and trading with them.” He paused. “I know Ten thought we were still savages, and he believed I would be human, but I would never hurt him. He is my… heart.”
“Ten never said you were savages.”
A’kosh averted his gaze. “No, Ten not judge Bandaari on appearance, but I am not what he expected. He thought I would be human.”
“Yes.” Quade put a hand on A’kosh’s arm. “And it probably was a shock to him, but at no point did Ten ever think you were less than you are. Give him some credit. Give yourself some too.”
“I want Ten to be a part of me,” A’kosh said, his voice cracking. “I never knew what being complete was until I met him.”
No way could Quade deny the emotion in A’kosh’s words. With what Quade had learned about half souls, how could he say it was impossible?
“Some of my people want to keep the old ways. They think we should conquer and rule over others. They are what Ten fears. Most of us live in peace now. We have turned our back to violence.”
Quade wrapped an arm around A’kosh’s shoulder. “Ten’s a lucky kid to have someone like you.”
As they cleared the forest, the smell in the air grew so thick that it choked Quade. In the distance, plumes of smoke rose into the sky, dark and foreboding. When A’kosh spotted it, he clutched Quade’s hand.
“My home.”
He took off at a run, and Quade was hard pressed to keep up. His lungs burned with the stench, his every step sluggish. He tried once more to call his wolf, but it wouldn’t respond.
“A’kosh….”
He never looked back as Quade tumbled to the ground. The last thing he heard before everything went dark was his son’s voice, pleading with him to get up. But everything was pulling him under, and even though he wanted to do what Ten asked, he didn’t have the strength.
And then nothing else seemed to matter.
Chapter 22
“What do you mean?”
Caden knew he had to keep calm, but when Ten sat bolt upright and cried out for Quade, it shot a dagger straight through his heart.
“I can’t hear his thoughts. A’kosh’s either.”
“Does that mean they’re…?” Kieran gasped as he clutched Matt’s arm, his eyes wide and full of panic. “Sir?”
Matt wrapped Kieran in his arms and stroked slow circles on his back. “That’s not what it means, boy. Just stay calm.”
“No, they’re not dead, I’m certain of that. That kind of trauma I would feel no matter what.” Ten stood, went to the door, and grabbed his jacket.
“Where are you going?”