The poor kid was so frightened he fought like a mad thing while Cade concentrated on subduing him while not hurting him, not an easy thing to do. The other child had tried to run, and Cade was vaguely aware of Rayce catching hold of him and speaking to him in a soothing voice. Cade had his boy on the ground, telling him over and over he wouldn’t harm him, while the boy screamed at the other child to run and finally became so overwrought he passed out. Cade was surprised at the flood of protectiveness that washed over him, though in this case, the one person the kid was most scared of was him.
The rain was slamming down on them, really pounding down hard by this time, so Cade picked the boy up and carried him quickly back to his bike, where Rayce was already pulling out rain gear and wrapping it around the other child. Cade called out and reassured the crying child that the boy he carried was all right, but he felt like a monster for scaring him so badly. He pulled out his rain gear and draped it over the boy in his arms. The members of Cade’s pack weren’t bothered much by the rain, no matter how hard it was, but the humans who traveled with them needed to be protected, so all of the pack carried the gear on their bikes.
Cade had noticed a little motel next to the café, so they drove toward it, and Rayce went inside to secure some rooms. Cade took both the boys to one of the rooms that was ready, and told the others to head back for their breakfast, while he decided what was to be done. Cade knew Rayce would smooth over any apprehension as well. The little scene with the boys at the café had gone against his strict rule not to bring any undue attention to the pack, but he hadn’t been thinking straight once he’d seen his little mate. Connor insisted on staying with Cade, and was sitting at a table in the room, talking calmly with the younger child. Connor had bought the child a soft drink and turned on some cartoons for him, and other than a few worried glances over at the boy on the bed, the child seemed to be settling down.
When Cade got the boy, whose name the younger boy said was Jax, inside the room, he’d stripped off the wet clothing, wrapped him in some blankets, and turned up the heat. The child, who said his name was Mason, was soaked too, so Connor wrapped a thick blanket around him. He took off the child’s shoes, but neither Cade nor Connor felt comfortable asking him to take off his wet clothes. They would wait until Jax woke up.
The boy on the bed, however, belonged to him, so Cade stripped him down. No doubt he’d be upset and alarmed when he woke up, but he couldn’t risk him getting sick. He was still out like a light, so Cade hung up his clothes to dry on a chair by the low-slung heater, and went through his meager belongings, while Mason watched TV. The boys had no backpack or suitcase of any kind, nothing but the clothes they were wearing. Along with a few dollars and a business card from a probation officer, Jax’s billfold contained an Alabama driver’s license that proclaimed him to be Jackson Cody Monroe, aged nineteen—the age was a huge surprise and relief. He certainly didn’t look nineteen, but the child confirmed it.
Cade didn’t want to alarm the younger child by questioning him too closely, but when Connor asked him if they lived nearby, the child shook his head and looked evasive. He told them Jax was his brother, but that was about it.
He knew Rayce would make discreet inquiries at the café, so settled back to wait for Jackson to wake up. In the meantime, he studied his face.
Jax was beautiful, no other word for him. He had full, lush lips and high cheekbones. His face was almost delicate, but saved from looking feminine by a strong jaw with a hint of dimple in his chin. Cade already knew his eyes were a dark, striking blue that had glittered at him like colored glass when he’d held onto his wrist.
He was small, even for a human, not much larger than a female, though there was nothing feminine about what he’d seen when he stripped off his wet jeans and underwear. The sight of his pretty, thick cock, coupled with the strong scent radiating off him in the motel room had almost made Cade lose control again. He had to go stand in the open door and breathe in the fresh air for a few minutes to calm himself.
With a little moan, Jax twisted and turned in bed, coming more awake, and Cade moved to sit near him, in case he tried to bolt outside again. Mason saw it too, and jumped up to go sit beside his brother on the bed and hold tightly to his hand. Even though he was prepared for it, the icy glare Jackson fixed on Cade when he quite suddenly opened his eyes hit him hard. The boy was surprisingly calm after the scene in the woods and didn’t make any move to get up. He just pulled Mason up closer on the bed beside him and stared hard at Cade, pressing his lips together.
“Don’t be scared, Jax. No one’s going to hurt you. I promise. ”
The boy’s gaze swept the room before coming to rest on Cade. His voice came out low and hoarse. “W-where are we? What are you going to do to us?”
“You’re in a motel room,” he jumped up to catch his wrists and push him back down when the boy tried to leap out of bed at thos
e words. Cade held onto Jax as he spoke in a firm voice to him. “Calm down. It was just to get you both out of the rain. You were soaking wet, and you fainted. I told you, no one is going to hurt either of you. ”
Jackson frowned, his face furious. “I didn’t faint. I never faintedin my life,” he said. “You must have knocked me out, you or those gorillas you had with you. ” He struggled against Cade’s grip on his wrists. “Let me go, I tell you. I’ll kill you when I get up. ”
“Well, as terrifying as that sounds, you’re not going anywhere, so relax or I’ll have to tie you to the bed. ” He squeezed his wrists a little. “Stop it. I mean it, Jackson. ”
“My name is Jax, and I’m not scared of you. ”
“Mmm-hmm. Well, good. I don’t want you to be scared, which is what I believe I just said. ”
Jax settled down, and Cade released him. Immediately, he scooted back up to the headboard, pulling Mason along with him.
Cade stood over him for a long moment, looking down at him. “Concentrate, please, and answer my questions. Is this ID real? Are you reallynineteen years old?”
“What? Yes, of course it’s real, and what do you mean am I really nineteen? That’s what it says, doesn’t it? What’s it to you anyway? Just cause I’m not some big overgrown asshole doesn’t mean I can’t take care of myself. ”
“Yeah, you seem to be doing a fine job of it so far, stealing tips and crackers to get something to eat, running out in the rain and fainting from hunger. ”
“I did not faint. I just took those crackers because I. . . because I was…”
“Planning on having a really big salad later? Bullshit, boy, don’t lie to me. You had seventeen bucks in your wallet, and you didn’t want to spend it on unnecessary things like, oh, I don’t know, food for example. ” Cade could hear himself being snarky and sarcastic, and he honestly didn’t know where it was coming from. Something about this situation was just bringing it out in him. Feeling trapped and like his back was against the wall, he nevertheless took a deep breath and reminded himself how frightened the boy must be. He needed to cool it.
Jax puffed out his pretty lips in a pout, and it was all Cade could do not to lean over and taste them. The sudden compulsion actually horrified him, and he backed up a couple of steps. Jax still sat against the headboard, holding his brother close to him, but when he realized he was naked under the blankets, his face turned an interesting shade of red, and he glared over at Cade.
“Where are my clothes?”
“I took them off you to dry them. Your brother is still wearing wet clothing, so it might be a good idea to tell him to go to the bathroom and take them off. He can wrap himself up in blankets. I’d hate for him to get sick. ”
“Don’t worry about it—I’ll take care of my little brother. What kind of sick pervert are you that you want to get him out of his clothes?”
Cade blew out a frustrated breath. “Oh, for God’s sake. We don’t molest children. I was only concerned about his welfare. You’re the one who’s dragging the child around in the pouring rain. You say you can take care of him, so do it. ”
“Yeah, well, that’s none of your business, is it?”