For the Love of Caden

by Sandrine Gasq-Dion

  For the Love of Caden By: Sandrine Gasq-Dion Dedication:

  For my family My readers at LRO Jenjo, Jen and Kim… © Copyright 2011

  ~~Chapter One~~ Kellan leaned back on his elbows, tipping his face to the sun. Denali was its own country; it was so clean and fresh. The air smelled wonderful - like trees and fresh grass. It was unspoiled and beautiful. In his eyes, being part of the Denali pack was an honor. The pack’s alpha, Wayne, was one hell of a powerful wolf; Kellan wasstilltrying to get used to the power flowing through him. They were back for a meeting of the packs. Apparently the Oregon and California packs wanted to combine. It looked as if they’d be welcoming quite a few new wolves into the fold. The front door to the cabin opened and Preston, Wesley, Tucker and Nicholas made their way over to him on the bench.

  “Hey, Preston.” Kellan playfully hip-bumped Preston. “How’s Wyatt?”

  Preston sighed, collapsing on the bench. “He’s growing up; John sent me some pictures of him. I swear he’s more and more beautiful each time I get a new picture.” Preston’s eyes shifted. Just thinking about Wyatt had his blood pumping. “Dammit.”

  Tucker chuckled, watching his pack mate’s muscles ripple. “Damn, Preston. Horny much?”

  “I’m waiting for Wyatt.” Preston growled.

  Tucker put his hands up in defense. “Hey, I’m just messing with you.”

  Preston sat back, a wicked smile on his face. “Besides, at least Ihavea mate.”

  Tucker sucked in a breath. “Oh, that’s justso wrong.”

  Kellan smacked Preston in the arm. “Hey now, some of us are still waiting for ‘the one’. Even though Wyatt is so much younger than you, be grateful you know who your mate is. At least you know that at some point you can mark him as yours.”

  Preston clasped his hands together. “I know. I’ll be in Washington for a few days. I just want to see him, you know? He’s growing up so fast.”

  “Well,” Wesley sat next to Preston, taking his hand. “At least you can see him. I can’t wait for the day that I get my mate.”

  “Yep, we are all going to jack off until our dicks fall off.” Nicholas winked.

  Kellan smiled at his friends. “Let’s just hope when we do find our mates, they are old enough for us to do something about it.”

  “No shit.” Tucker laughed.

  They all heard Wayne calling them in for lunch. Kellan stood, stretching his back and arms out. “Thank God, I’m starving.”

  “Last one in does dishes!” Tucker took off.

  Nicholas hung back with Kellan and they walked slowly towards the cabin. “We are going to have to do dishes.”

  Kellan shrugged. “Nothing new. How’s the job?”

  “It’s easy. My captain keeps wondering how I solve cases so fast.” Nicholas chuckled. “Could be that I can smell the bad guy?”

  Kellan laughed softly. “You’ll be making detective before you know it.”

  “Maybe.” Nicholas shrugged. “Right now, I’m just enjoying keeping busy.”

  “You mean keeping your mind off the mate you don’t have.” Kellan sighed, looking up at the sky. “What I wouldn’t give to have love in my life.”

  “It will happen, I know it will.” Nicholas hugged his brother. “We have to have faith.”

  Kellan felt Nick’s arms around him and sighed. “I know.”

  ~~ Kellan woke up with a loud groan. His ‘Clocky’ alarm clock was going off and rolling around the room. Okay, so it was his fault he’d purchased the damn thing, but after going into work late on more than one occasion he’d had to dosomething.He could hear the thing rolling around under his bed; it hit the frame and bounced, changing directions. Before he could grab it, it went out of the bedroom and into the hall.

  “Ugh!” Kellan threw his legs over the side of the bed. He knew he looked ridiculous in his black boxer briefs chasing a damn alarm clock down his hallway. But, he was up. Mission accomplished by irritating alarm clock.

  He grabbed it before it went into the bathroom. Silencing it, he threw it on his bed. Kellan trudged into the kitchen and flipped the coffee pot on. Turning the TV to the morning news, he waited for the coffee to finish percolating. Friday the thirteenth and he was working today. Great. He’d moved to Seattle six months ago with Jude and Scott and they all worked as paramedics at the Harborview Medical. Their alpha, Alexander Romasko, was a doctor there.

  The Seattle sky was turning a nasty greyish color and Kellan sighed. A lot of accidents would be happening today, he could just feel it. You’d think that by living in Seattle most people would get used to driving in the rain. Nope. And May seemed to be theworstmonth for torrential rain.

  Kellan grabbed his towel and went to the bathroom. Living with two other guys ensured you never ran out of shaving cream and razors. They took turns shopping once a week. Turning the water to hot, Kellan got in and rinsed his jet black hair. Being Irish and Italian gave him a look that girls seemed to go crazy for. His eyes were black as midnight and his six foot frame was covered in sinewy muscles. Kellan sighed and gripped his dick. He didn’t even have the energy to jack off; he needed to get laid. Although Seattle was a hot-bed of gays, Kellan had yet to find the ‘one’ - his mate. Being a werewolf meant you had someone chosen especially for you and when the time was right, you’d meet. At almost twenty-six, Kellan was tired of waiting.

  The door to the bathroom opened and Kellan could see Scott’s frame in the outline of the frosted shower door.

  “Well good morning, beautiful.” Kellan chuckled. “I fucking hate your alarm clock, Kel.” Scott leaned his head back, waiting for his morning wood to subside so he could take a piss.

  “You’re up aren’t you?” Kellan massaged the shampoo into his scalp and rinsed.

  They both heard the loud groan from the kitchen and Scott laughed.

  “Jude attacked the coffee.”

  “Yep,” Kellan soaped up his chest. Unlike Scott and Jude, he was a made werewolf. At the cusp of death, Alex had bitten him, changing him into a werewolf and saving his life.

  He and his parents were on a camping trip when he was fifteen and they were attacked by a grizzly. His father, trying to shield them both, was killed. His mother took his place in trying to shield her son and lost. Kellan had rolled into a ball and played dead, but the bear wasn’t buying it. His stomach had been cut open by the bear’s massive claws and as he lay dying he’d heard the howls of wolves. The change had been painful, but not as painful as the bear attack. When he’d woken up, Alex was there. From that point on Alexander Romasko took care of him. Although he’d still had his grandmother, she was older and couldn’t take care of him. After a long talk with Alexander, she’d agreed to let Alexander take care of him. Now she was gone as well. All he had left in the world was Alexander and the pack. Alex put him through school and made sure he’d had whatever he needed; Scott, Nicholas and Jude became his brothers.

  Stepping out of the shower, he wrapped the towel around his waist and looked in the mirror. Even as a made wolf, he would get a mate. He just hoped his mate would find him soon. Throwing on his pants and shirt, Kellan walked to the kitchen and grabbed a cup of coffee. He put some bread in the toaster and went to the pantry for peanut butter.

  “Oh come on, Jude.” Kellan pulled the lid off. “This has you written all over it!”

  “What?” Jude sipped his coffee.

  “Really?” Kellan dipped the jar so that Scott could see inside.

  “Jude,” Scott tsked. “Really? Clean the jelly off your knifebeforeyou put it in the peanut butter, and or vice-versa. We really don’t like them mixed. If we did, we’d buy that Goober shit.”

  “Stop putting your underwear on the floor then.” Jude pointed at Scott with his
knife.

  Scott sat up and leaned over. “Stop leaving your pubes in the sink.”

  “Okay, ew!” Kellan made a disgusted face. “Stop, I’m trying to eat here.”

  After shoving toast in his mouth and grabbing his duffel bag, Kellan took the steps down to the street. Their apartment was literally feet from the hospital which made people wonder how Kellan could ever be late for work. He sighed and walked through the emergency room doors, finding Alex already working. When his alpha saw him, his face lit up and Kellan had to smile. The man was like a father to him.

  “Good morning, Kellan.”

  “Morning, Alex.” Kellan put his bag down. “Friday the thirteenth.”

  “I know,” Alex sighed. “I have a feeling it is going to be crazy around here.”

  Kellan had to wonder how Alex could be a doctor. More than once he’d asked Alex how he could let people in his care die knowing he could prevent it with just one bite. The answer Alex gave him made him think.

  “ Some people have lived their lives and are ready to go, others have just started. I chose you, Kellan, because you had a strength that I have not seen very often. Others, I cannot explain away and it would put us in danger. Could you imagine if a little girl in my care was dying of cancer and then miraculously became cancer free? To play God with life is for God alone. I have broken my own rules along the way but I do not regret changing you, Kellan.”

  Kellan smiled at the memory.

  “You must get to work.” Alexander winked. Kellan smiled and shuffled off to the locker room

  to find Jude and Scott already in uniform. “You guys ready for the madhouse?” Kellan waggled his eyebrows.

  “Always.” Scott smiled.

  ~~ The rain started coming down around noon and then poured relentlessly for another two hours. They were called to three different car wrecks in a span of two hours. The third call was a woman who hydroplaned into a concrete barrier. She’d been hysterical and Kellan held her hand in the

  ambulance as Scott started an IV drip. The woman’s name was Helen and, once she calmed down, she was trying to set Kellan up with her daughter.

  “Oh, that’s sweet, Helen,” Kellan had smiled at her. “But I’m gay.”

  Helen blinked once, then twice, and smiled. “I have a son, too. He’s in the Navy.”

  “A Seabee huh?” Kellan adjusted her drip. “Is he gay?”

  “I have no idea.” Helen laughed. “I wouldn’t care; you are just hypnotically beautiful, Kellan.”

  “Okay now, are you setting me up with your kids or for yourself?” Kellan winked.

  Kellan smiled. It wasn’t the first time, nor would it be the last time, a woman tried to fix him up with one of her grown children. Scott winked at him and Kellan stuck his tongue out. After dropping her off at the hospital dispatch alerted them to another accident and Jude pulled into traffic.

  “Here we go.” Kellan sighed.

  ~~Chapter Two~~ Caden sat in a line of traffic that seemed five miles long. He sighed and looked at his watch. Any chance he’d had of making it home by five was just blown out the window. Magnolia Bridge was bumper to bumper. He’d chosen a house not too far away from downtown Seattle to avoid a long commute. The small suburb of Briarcliff was perfect. His house, a modest five bedroom, overlooked the ocean and Caden could not have been more pleased with it. The paparazzi had calmed down over the last month and he could finally go to the store without a damn parade. Making the move from Vegas to Seattle was long overdue. He needed to find love and in Sin City he wasn’t finding it. He supposed he could go back to France, but that didn’t appeal to him either. His new hotel was being built in Egypt; he supposed he could try to find an Egyptian man. Caden chuckled. All he really wanted was someone who loved him for himself, not his wallet.

  Being Caden Fournier was a hindrance as far as he was concerned. He would love to just be Caden, just your average everyday Joe. Grayson Drake treated him that way, in fact all of the Drakes did. He was just ‘Caden’ to them. Caden smiled at the memory of his first meeting with Grayson. His last name was Quinton then, he hadn’t married Taylor yet. He was so full of life, so curious. It made him endearing and they had formed a tight friendship even though Grayson was several years younger. He’d given Grayson and his brother, Xander, cars as wedding presents. They had both balked until Caden promised to donate a matching amount to charity, which seemed to put Grayson and Xander at ease. Besides, turning down an Aston Martin and a Jaguar was ridiculous. Caden chuckled.

  He had also gained Riley Flynn-Esposito as a friend, as well as Riley’s husband, Mateo, and the rest of their friends. He hadn’t had too many friends growing up. His father was a ruthless businessman and made sure Caden attended all the finest schools. But when Caden came out of the closet his father stopped supporting him. With a college degree in business, he struck out on his own. A train ride from Paris to Pau had brought him fortune. Sitting in a shared car, he happened to overhear a man on the phone talking about money. Once the man had hung up Caden struck up a conversation with him. Armand Guilume was going through a divorce and his wife was set to take all his money.

  Caden talked to the man for the rest of the train ride, explaining how to move his money legally and after that, he had a job. Years of investing wisely had fattened his bank account and knowing how to spend it fattened it more. Now he could buy and sell his father a thousand times over. Not that they spoke anymore. His father divorced his mother for a younger woman and, in her grief; his mother had taken her own life. He’d never forgiven his father for the betrayal. Caden shook his head clear of memories and looked at the road ahead of him. The traffic moved a little bit and then stopped again. He banged his head on the steering wheel.

  “Oh my God! What is the problem?” A car behind him tried to switch lanes and got stuck in between both lanes. Caden sighed and tried to edge his BMW back to give the guy room. Looking in the rearview mirror his eyes went wide; a semi was flying down the open area of the bridge and it wasnotslowing down.

  “Merde!” Caden swore. He honked his horn to warn the cars behind him to move but they weren’t paying attention. The semi came barreling down the bridge and hit the car five back from him. The domino effect was in full force. One by one they all crashed into each other until they hit the back end of his car. Caden was forced into the pick-up truck in front of him and the whole front end of his car came into the driver’s seat, pinning him.

  “Oh fuck!” Caden roared in pain.

  Two seconds later the air bag went off in his face. “Son of a bitch!” Caden pushed the air bag down and looked in the rearview mirror, which was much closer to him now. His face was covered in white powder and blood seeped from his nose. He was alive however.

  ~~ The call came through and Kellan looked at Jude in the driver’s seat of the ambulance.

  “Move it!” Kellan shouted.

  They weaved in and out of traffic in a hurry; fire

  trucks were already on the way to the scene on the bridge. More and more emergency vehicles pulled up alongside them. The police were out on the bridge directing traffic to turn around as the emergency workers spread out, blanketing the bridge. The ambulance came to a stop and Scott jumped out. Grabbing his bag, he ran to the first car and looked inside.

  “Are you all right?” Scott checked the woman’s pulse and motioned for one of the other medics. “Grab all the gear; we need to start assessing everyone. You know the drill.”

  Kellan looked around. The bridge was in utter chaos as people covered in blood were exiting their vehicles. People were screaming and crying. Kellan’s instincts kicked in and he ran to the first car in line. The man in the pick-up truck was slumped over his steering wheel. Kellan checked his pulse, it was strong. He grabbed his radio only to find it dead. “Fuck!” Kellan whistled and motioned to one of the firemen who ran right over.

  “What’s up?” The fireman asked.

  “Is your radio working?” Kellan ran a hand through his hair. The fireman
checked it and shook it.

  “So that’d be a no? Fuck. See if you can get one of the radios up and working. If not, there’s going to be a lot of whistling going on. We need to coordinate among all of us so that we aren’t running around like chickens with our heads cut off and checking victims who have already been checked out.”

  Kellan turned his attention to the black BMW behind the pick-up; the whole front end was in the driver’s seat. “Shit.”

  ~~

  Caden opened his eyes. He heard sirens and looked in the rearview mirror; massive amounts of rescue workers spread out over the bridge tending to the worst cases. Caden waited his turn, but his

  legs were going numb. He tried to pry his leg loose only to scream out loud when he felt something crack. He seemed to be in and out of

  consciousness when he heard a voice by his ear.

  “Sir? Can you move?” Caden turned his face and looked into eyes black as night. “Would I be in the damn car if I could?”

  The man looked into the crushed car and assessed Caden’s wounds. “We’re going to have to cut you out.” The man backed away from the window and whistled loudly. When he came back into the driver’s side window he took Caden’s wrist and closed his eyes. “My name is Kellan, what’s yours?”

  Caden felt the warm hand on the pulse in his wrist and smelled the sweat mixed with shampoo of the man half in his car. “Caden.”

  Kellan opened his eyes after making sure Caden’s pulse was strong and looked into beautiful eyes. They were so blue they were sapphire. Caden looked like a young Colin Farrell. God, he loved Colin Farrell. Kellan shivered. “Well, Caden, I hate to tell you this but you are going to be stuck in the car for a little while longer.”

  “Why am I not surprised?” Caden sighed and lay back in the seat.

  “In the meantime, I can clean your face.” Kellan pulled out the gauze and alcohol and leaned back into the car to wipe the blood from Caden’s face. “I’m going to put an IV line in you. I have no idea how long you’re going to be stuck in the car and you need fluids.”

  “Well seeing as I am crushed in my car, I cannot say no can I?” Caden pursed his lips.