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But Nero just waved him off. “But from what I’ve pieced together over the years, Quinten basically felt passed over for a newer, better son who had all of these special gifts that Quinten could never compete with. So as he’d grown up, he decided to prove that he didn’t need those special gifts, that he could be just as powerful as a human.”
“That makes sense,” Caden said slowly, “considering what he does and the kind of side business dealings that he has.”
Nero nodded. “Yeah, I think he’s more than proved to himself that he’s good enough, but none of us ever truly outgrow our childhoods, do we?”
He glanced down at where Caden was squeezing his seat and had been for the entire trip. Even though he hadn’t said anything or asked Nero to slow down, he knew that was true. He’d never completely get over his fear of cars because of how his parents died.
He could only imagine what it had been like for Quentin. To have his family broken up one day and to feel like he could never be good enough for his dad’s new family. He doubted that was his dad’s intent, but sometimes, feelings didn’t make sense. They definitely weren’t logical most of the time.
It made him so sad to think that even a small part of Quentin still felt like that little boy, like there was any way he wasn’t good enough or strong enough for Caden.
As soon as he was done lecturing his mate on staying and talking and not running away in a helicopter, he was going to give him the biggest fucking hug.
Nero said they were two minutes out still, but a second later, Caden gasped and clutched at his chest. He’d just felt the strangest sensation, like a tugging behind his ribs.
Nero grunted next to him, and when he glanced over, his eyes were glowing a faint red. “Did you just feel that?”
“Yeah,” Caden said, nodding. “What the hell was that?”
“I think I know, and I don’t like it.”
Somehow, he went the last few blocks through city traffic even faster, whipping into the garage underneath the high-rise and not even bothering to turn the car off before they were sprinting out to the elevator.
Caden hit the button, but Nero grabbed his arm and dragged him farther down the wall. “We can take the express one. Goes straight to the penthouse.”
“Thank fuck.”
They still had to wait for it to come down, but as soon as the doors opened, they leapt inside and hit the button to take them up. They flew up the dozens of floors, but it still seemed like they were crawling. The sensation in his chest had faded, but he could tell something was off. He just knew it was Quentin, that he was in trouble. Maybe even hurt.
Nero had his phone out, and he was trying to call Quentin and then Dare and then Quentin again, but neither answered. As soon as the elevator doors opened, they ran forward, Caden skidding to a halt just inside the penthouse’s living room.
He stared wide-eyed at where Dare was half-shifted and fighting a fully shifted cougar. But that wasn’t what made his heart jump into his throat. On the other side of the room, over by the floor-to-ceiling windows, was Quentin fighting a shifted panther, whose pitch-black fur eerily melded with the dark floor.
He started forward when the panther crouched, about to strike, but Quinten caught him in midair and threw him to the ground. He was facing where Caden was standing, and he gasped.
Quentin’s eyes were glowing, and his teeth were sharp-looking. Not as long as a shifter’s or vampire’s fangs would be, but definitely deadlier than they normally were. The runes tattooed on the inside of his left forearm were glowing, and there was blood smeared on them. He could taste it on the back of his tongue.
He didn’t know what was happening, but Nero darted forward to help Quinten finish off the panther. Caden turned to check on Dare and caught movement in the corner of the room.
There he was, the man who had taken him from his prison, only to lock him in a collar that almost killed him.
Instead of smiling gleefully like he had been the last time, he was screaming orders, spit flying from his mouth and gun waving in the air. “Kill him! Kill him already!”
Caden was moving before he even realized it, leaping over furniture and heading straight for him. The man lifted his gun as he caught sight of him, eyes widening.
He leapt just as the gun went off, but he ignored the sting in his hip and landed on the human, knocking the weapon away and pressing his claws into his very vulnerable throat.
“Don’t fucking move,” he hissed in the man’s face.
“You’re not supposed to be here,” he said furiously. “He said you wouldn’t be here.”
“Well, I am. You just tried to kill my mate.”
“This is all wrong!” Tiho screamed, thumping his fists on the ground like a toddler having a tantrum.
Caden ignored him, turning to check on the others.
Dare was moving toward him, the cougar’s body shifting back into human behind him. Quinten was also on his way over, eyes still glowing, as Nero held the panther—still in his shifted form—around the chest and sank his long, razor-sharp teeth into his furry neck from behind.
