Chapter Eleven – Cade

They followed Tobias back to the enclave. Allowing Octavia to drive had been a good idea, it meant Cade could let his awareness roam. If this degetty was tracking them, it might be out there now, a flash of movement in the trees, or a spark of green aimed their way. He saw nothing, leaving him with a mixture of relief and disappointment.

He wanted to track the degetty, for sure, but he could not bear the idea of putting his newfound mate in danger.

“Anything?” Octavia asked, as she turned left, hot on the tail of his truck, with Tobias at the wheel.

“No.” He smiled weakly. “Maybe we frightened it away.”

“Or maybe it’s biding its time,” she said, looking back at the road. “It stands to reason it wants me to do something, or be somewhere.”

“When I speak to Tally next, I’ll ask her if she has heard of your Matthew,” Cade said.

“Sure, you can ask your Tally?” Octavia said, a surprising edge to her voice, which she quickly corrected. “Sorry, not sure where that came from. I appreciate everything you are all doing for me.”

“Sounded like jealousy to me,” Cade answered, trying not to sound smug. “The mating bond is influencing you.”

“I don’t think so,” Octavia protested too quickly. “I’m still in a relationship with Matthew, remember?”

“Only too well.” He grinned. “But we both know that is nothing compared to what I am offering you.”

Octavia turned into the dirt road leading to the enclave. “What you are offering me? The demons, or the trolls, or the bear fur on the carpet? You are house-trained, right?”

Cade laughed. “I was thinking more of the undying love and protection. And the sex is good too… from what I’ve been told.”

“Are you flirting with me, Cade?” Octavia asked.

“I’m trying, but I’m a bit rusty.” His face sobered. “Same as the sex might be a bit rusty.”

“I thought a man like you would be out chasing skirts most nights.”

“No, it loses its appeal fast when you know they aren’t the one. My heart belongs to you, whether or not you accept it.”

“Does that mean I have a choice in this?” Octavia asked.

“Yes, my bear would likely tie you down to the bed and make you give in to me, but that’s not me. I can’t hurt you. Even if it breaks my heart and my soul, I have to let you go if that is what you want.”

“Is that what happened with your father?” Octavia asked.

Cade sat up, alert. “My father?” Tobias’s warning over whether Octavia could be trusted came back to him. “Why would you ask about him?”

“Sorry,” she said, seeing his change in mood. “It’s none of my business. But I saw the photographs of him, and I’m guessing he is a shifter too, but he’s not here… Maybe I’m projecting my own loss onto you…” She pulled up by the side of the truck, turning off the engine, and then sat still, looking out of the window. Her breasts heaved; she was trying not to cry.

“I’m sorry,” he said, reaching out for her. “Your loss is still raw. When did you lose your mom?”

“A couple of months ago.” Octavia took a shuddering breath. “I wish she was here. I wish she could tell me it was all going to be OK.” She shook her head. “I used to think that… You know, that things would always work out OK. We never had much when I was growing up, and my mom was not the best. But she loved me, and that was enough. I always knew I could count on her. It’s why I let myself get wrapped up in that stupid fortuneteller’s words. I wanted to be loved.”

“Octavia, if you give me a chance, I will show you that love. My family is your family now. If you choose to accept them. If you choose to accept me.” He rubbed his large hand over her back, and she felt a sob bubble up inside her. “I’m sorry this is happening, but I cannot be sorry you have come into my life. And I promise you, I will be the best mate, the best man, the best father to our children.”

“That’s what scares me,” she answered. “You are offering me everything I want and more. But how do I know it’s real?” She turned her tear-stained face to him. “I’m beginning to think I’m going crazy, buying into this world that cannot be real. Demons, magic, men that turn into animals. Do you know how that sounds?”

“But you’ve seen enough to know it’s real.”

“And I wish I hadn’t. I wish I had never gone to that fortuneteller.” She took a deep, shuddering breath. “But out of all the things in this world, I know that wishes don’t come true.”

“I’m sorry,” he said simply.

“Me too,” Octavia said sadly.

“Hey.” Tobias knocked on the car window. “You need to come inside.”

Cade opened the car door and got out. “What’s wrong? Has there been an attack?”

“No, it’s Octavia’s phone. It’s been ringing. We didn’t answer it, but now there’s a text.”

“From who?” Octavia asked. She had gotten out of the car and come to stand next to Cade, her body close, so close she affected his concentration.

“Matthew, that’s the name of the contact.”

Cade experienced a stab of jealousy in his heart. “Matthew.” He turned to Octavia, but she was already heading into the house.

“I hope they haven’t got him. What if they have kidnapped him?”

Cade would prefer it if Matthew was out of the picture, but he knew it would cut Octavia deeply if this man got hurt because of her. “Octavia, you need to calm down.”

“I am calm,” she challenged, grabbing hold of her phone and scrolling through the missed calls.

“No, you are not,” Cade said firmly. “If someone does have him, this is our chance to find out what is going on.”

“I know that,” she said hotly. “I’m not stupid.”

“I know you aren’t. I’m simply asking you not to make any rash decisions.”

“Rash decisions? You mean like trying to save Matthew?”

“Don’t put yourself in danger for him,” Cade said, hating himself and the way Octavia looked at him.

“Why, because if something happened to me, it will hurt you? Or because it would be simpler for you if he was out of the way?” she asked, guilt firing her temper.

Her temper simmered down, turning to fear when the phone in her hand began to vibrate and then ring. “I will do whatever I have to do to make sure Matthew is safe. I have to.” She pressed the button to answer the call. “Hello, Matthew?”

Her face went white as the voice on the other end answered. Cade’s enhanced hearing made it easy for him to eavesdrop. But the words uttered were nothing he could have predicted. “Hello, Octavia. Good to hear your voice, you have kept me waiting. Now, if you could pass the phone to Eva, let’s get down to business.”

Cade took the phone from a shocked Octavia and placed his hand over the mouthpiece. “Is that Matthew’s voice?” he asked quietly. “Or does someone have his phone?”

“It’s Matthew,” she answered, her hand trembling as she put it up to her mouth. He could read her thoughts. She had betrayed them. She had been used. Matthew had used her. And now Cade’s family was going to pay the price. Whatever that was. “I’m so sorry.”

Cade shook his head. “Don’t be.” He left her, going to the kitchen to find his mom, who was kneading bread, as she often did when she was feeling tense. “Mom.”

Eve looked up, her face instantly showing her concern. “What’s wrong, Cade? Is Octavia all right?”

He nodded. “Matthew is on the phone.” He held up the cell phone, his hand still over the mouthpiece. “He wants to talk to you.”

“Me?” She paled. “Is it about your father?”

His heart ached for his mom in that moment. He was so caught up in his concern for Octavia, he hadn’t given a thought to his mom’s reaction. Cade had gotten so used to his dad not being there, it never occurred to him once that this might be connected.

“I don’t know,” Cade answered honestly.

Eva held out her hand for the phone. “Put it on speaker,” she said.

Cade pressed the speaker button and passed the phone to his mom. Behind him he felt the presence of his mate; she was close to him, tears staining her face as she listened to what the man she’d thought was her true love had to say.

“Matthew?” Eva said.

“Ahh, at last. I thought you were going to hold out on me, Eva. It’s good to finally hear your voice,” Matthew said, his voice smooth and friendly.

“You have me at a disadvantage,” Eva said, keeping her voice upbeat, but the strain showed in her face.

“You don’t need to know my name. What matters is you know who I am. Then you will know how serious this is.”

“Go on,” Eva said.

“You knew my father. He asked you to get something for him. But you killed him instead.”

“I have never killed anyone,” Eva said firmly, her eyes flashing up to Cade’s.

“You might not have killed him with your own hands, but you took that band of monsters with you to the warehouse where my father was.” Eva put her hand to her mouth, covering a gasp. “It’s coming back to you now. Good.”

“Your father. Did he have a tattoo?” Eva asked.

“He did.” The friendly tone Matthew had upheld gave way to anger. “You killed my father. Now I want what he asked you to get all those years ago. You do remember the Dragon’s Tear, don’t you, Eva?”

“Yes. But I don’t have it.”

“But you know where it is. And don’t lie and say you can’t get it, because I don’t believe you.”

“I can’t get it…”

“In that case, you can say goodbye to your son’s mate. Yes, I know who she is. And you know what will happen to her if you do not get what I want. Taro is one of the strongest demons I have ever seen. He cost me a lot. And I don’t just mean money. So far, he has been a threat, but if I don’t get the Dragon’s Tear, I will unleash his full fury on you.”

The line went dead.

“Shit,” Eva said.

“Dragon’s Tear?” Octavia asked.

“It’s a stone.” Cade took a step toward his mom. “What do we do?”

Eva put a trembling hand up to her face. “I need a drink.”

She was pale as she brushed past Cade. Going to the sitting room, she opened the liquor cabinet and then poured out a generous slug into a glass. Cade had never seen his mom drink during the daytime.

“Mom,” he said firmly. “We can do this.”

“Do what?” Eva asked, her voice had lost its usual confidence. “We don’t have what he wants. And if he finds out, what then?” She lowered her voice. “What if he goes looking for Liam, and your father?”

“Does grandpa have any answers?” Cade asked, raising his eyebrows to send a message to Eva.

Eva knocked back the rest of the dark liquor. “I don’t speak to your grandpa, you know that.”

“Then maybe it’s time you did,” Cade said.

“No.” She shook her head, infuriating him. Eva had been born a Night Hunter, but abandoned as a baby and grew up completely ignorant of her heritage, which had been locked away in her head. When she had run into Matthew’s father, the man she had nicknamed Crosshead because of the tattoos on his face, over twenty-five years ago, he had opened up her mind to her ancestors.

These ancestors, who talked to her in her head, held the sum of all their knowledge, ready to pass it on to Eva. In amongst those voices was Eva’s dead father, Henry, who was seen as a betrayer of Night Hunters because he had hidden the Dragon’s Tear. He was the only one who had stayed with Eva when Cade’s father, Jack, was forced to turn Eva into an Other. With one bite, Jack had made Eva the thing she was supposed to hunt.

It was Henry, Cade’s own grandpa, whom Eva blamed for Jack not being here with them. It was Henry who had given Liam the task of returning the Dragon’s Tear to the last dragon.

Liam had never returned. When Cade was old enough to take over command of the squad, Jack had left to find his lost brother and complete the task. He too had never returned, and Eva had not spoken to her father since.

“Mom, we can’t ignore this,” Cade said.

“I know,” Eva replied, “Which is why we are going to see Lucas.”

“And you think he will help us?” Cade asked.

“Yes. Since he is the one who killed Crosshead.”

“Lucas was the one responsible?” Cade asked.

“Yes. If this is coming back to bite us, then he needs to man up and help us.”

“Does he know about the Dragon’s Tear? Does he know you took it from the Council?” Cade asked.

“Let’s go find out!” Eva said, slamming her glass down heavily and heading for the door.