by Eve Langlais
“No problem. Take your time.” Vanquish any eight-legged spiders related to Shelob—that giant beast from Lord of the Rings.
Leaning against the trunk of the tree, she kept scanning the shadows and between the foliage for signs of anyone coming. “How long do you figure I need to stay here?” Asked more to make conversation than in expectation of a real answer. There was a reason she needed to hide out in a treehouse. She couldn’t be seen in regular society, which meant what for her future? Was she doomed to hiding in the woods in a kids’ construction for the rest of her life?
He poked his head out of a window above her. “You can stay here as long as you need.”
Disappointment welled because that wasn’t the answer she wanted. “What I need is to find a way to become normal again.”
“That might not be easy, Angel, but I’ve got a few ideas if you’ll trust me a while longer.”
Trust. People asked for it and expected it to come so easily. She’d learned that the words were easily given, but those who actually meant it? Rare. As in, she’d never found one yet. Daddy always promised when he sobered it would never happen again. The next bruise called him a liar.
The doctor said it wouldn’t hurt. Two weeks and she’d be free. Another fib.
So many lies she’d heard in her lifetime. So many broken promises.
Yet… He did come back like he said he would.
But he also lied. Jebediah admitted he thought she’d be captured. Thus, in a sense, he’d betrayed her already.
Then saved her.
Did that mean she could trust him? What other choice did she have? At least he hadn’t tried to shove her into a cage.
But he might. Especially if he finds someone who’ll pay to have their own live angel. It was what her father would have done.
May his liver rot and his teeth fall out, that bastard.
She squinted up at the treehouse. “There’s no way we can get running water or electricity?”
He poked his head out. “All clear. Come on up.”
He kept watch on her as she grabbed hold of the wooden slats. She rose, worried as she neared the trapdoor. However, it was bigger than expected, plenty of room to squeeze her wings through. Probably modified because of giant shoulders.
As she hauled herself through, his hands steadied her, gripping and hauling her upright. She stood inside the treehouse.
Stood with room to spare overhead. She peeked upward. “You weren’t kidding. It’s big.”
From the ground, looking up, she’d not seen too much of it. The tree had grown around the structure, or they’d always camouflaged it well to start with. Whatever the case, inside was more than just a roughhewn wooden box in a tree.
The floor was smoothed and even varnished. The walls painted a rainbow of colors. She arched a brow. “It’s colorful.”
Jeb laughed as he ran a finger from a royal blue that smeared purple then turned into a bright red. “We didn’t have money to waste as kids on things like paint. So we took what we could get. Stray paint cans and old brushes. Odds and ends we found abandoned.” He pointed to the bits of engines and tools hanging from the walls. “Da was the one who brought wooden pallets back from work for us to use.”
“This wasn’t just built with discarded wood.” She glanced upward at the branches that curved overhead, forming a brace for the actual roof lain over it. That kind of strategic growth took years.
“Da helped Jeremy, my oldest brother, start it. That was more than thirty years ago.” His expression held the kind of fondness that spoke of happy memories. “That’s where we marked the shit that happened to us.”
She noted the far wall had notchings: names, lettered abbreviations, and a short form date.
Seeing Jeb’s name, she traced it. “What’s this one for?”
“Fighting off a dingo and getting the scar on my calf.” He pointed to his leg.
“And that one?” She jabbed at another.
“When I became a man.”
“You marked down the first time you had sex?” She made a face.
“Of course not. It was the first time I won a fight with one of my older brothers.”
“Sounds like a violent family.” She knew all about that. Sadly, hiding the booze didn’t help.
“Kind of, but we don’t do it out of malice. It’s just how the Joneses are. Boisterous, as Aunt Zara likes to say.”
There was a bit of furniture in the treehouse. A few wooden stools. A rocking chair. Even a table with initials carved in the surface.
The place appeared fairly clean. A little dusty. Nothing a good cleaning wouldn’t fix.
Overhead, a suspended rope ladder led to a loft.
“You checked everywhere for critters, right?” she asked.
“It’s clear.”
“Where am I supposed to sleep?” Because nowhere did she spot a bed, and the floor didn’t appeal.
“You might need a few things to make it comfortable.”
“And where should I shop for them?” Her wings flapped.
He winked. “Don’t worry. I’ve got you covered. Give me a few to get back to the house and round up some supplies for you.”
She sighed. “I don’t suppose those supplies will contain chocolate.”
They did, plus blankets, pillows, and a whole bunch of other things to make the tree house more livable. Even bug spray, which he used to bomb the structure, sending things scurrying. Even she had to admit after he’d made a dozen trips the place seemed homey.
The rocking chair had a cushion and a blanket draped over the back in case she wanted to wrap herself. The table held a basket of fruit and a cooler bag with more food. He’d brought an inflatable mattress and layered blankets on it along with two fluffy pillows. He’d even thought to bring clothes and toiletries.
She almost burst into tears. Instead, she tore into the fresh loaf of bread and chugged the chocolate milk.
“Where did you get all this?” she asked as she lounged in the rocking chair, now backless when he realized her dilemma. She held on to the armrests and managed a soothing motion.
Nev popped some fresh goji berries into her mouth while Jeb finished tacking some screens over the windows, doing the work via the illumination provided by a solar-powered lantern.
“I filched some of it from the house. We had things stored in the attic. The rest I got in town.”
“Didn’t people ask why you were taking the stuff?”
He shook his head. “I made sure to sneak it out. Your secret is safe.”
“But I’m not.” Nev sighed as she halted the chair. “What am I going to do? I can’t live in your clubhouse forever.”
“What if I told you I might have access to an ancient herbal remedy that might help.”
She eyed him askance. “An herbal remedy to cure mad scientist experimentation?” She snickered. “Sure, why not? What is it? Some kind of mushroom that will make me hallucinate I’m normal again?”
He turned from the window he’d finished with a grin. “Nothing so crazy. I promise you won’t see smoking caterpillars or talking bunnies so long as Miranda isn’t around.”
“Who’s Miranda?”
“A strange lady you’ll hopefully never meet.”
“About this drug that’s not a drug that you want to give me. What’s in it?”
“Can’t tell you, secret family recipe.” He pulled a packet from his pocket.
“Is this some kind of outback cure?”
“Yes.”
“A cure for wings?”
“Think of it more as a cure for the strange things that sometimes happen to people.”
“Should I be wondering why your ancestors had a cure for that?”
“Shouldn’t we instead be thanking them?”
“Only if it works.” She cocked her head. “How many people have died taking it?”
“None that I know of.” He snapped his fingers. “Actually, not true. Great-uncle Marvin did die after using it.”
“What?”
“Yeah. Great-aunt Vivienne murdered him for being a philanderer.”
“You mean it wasn’t the drug.”
“No, but Uncle Marvin did take it, trying to help with another problem. He misread the labels.”
She threw a berry at him. “You did that on purpose.”
“You deserved it. Do you really think I’d give you something that might hurt you?” He sounded offended.
“No, I don’t think you’d hurt me on purpose.”
“Good, because now you’re going to try some of it.”
“If I wake up with panties around my ankles, I will hunt you down and remove your man parts.”
His eyes widened. “Angel, if I ever do something so heinous, I’ll remove them myself.” He handed her the packet.
“What do I do with it?” she asked, eyeing it askance.
“You just need to inhale a bit.”
“Snort it like coke?” She grimaced. “I don’t do drugs.”
“Think of this more as medicine.”
“Not exactly selling it, Jeb. Medicine got me like this in the first place.”
“Try it, Angel. Please.”
After all he’d done for her, and her current lack of options, what did she have to lose?
She pulled out a pinch and held it to her nose as he watched avidly. She inhaled through her nostrils, feeling the powder tingle inside them.
Jeb stared.
“So, are they gone?” she drawled sarcastically, feeling the weight of her wings on her back.
“No. Maybe it wasn’t enough. Jax said it didn’t take much with Mari, but that isn’t exactly an accurate measurement. Each case is different.”
“Who is Mari?”
“My brother’s girlfriend. She had a problem similar to yours.”
“Someone grafted wings onto her, too?”
“Not exactly. She was—still is, actually—an ostrich slash dinosaur.”
“A what?” Nev exclaimed. Surely he joked with her. His serious expression obviously a sham.
“It’s a long story, which kind of ends in me finding you. I’ll tell you about it sometime. First, let’s try some more.”
She did three more pinches before he rocked back on his heels, frowning.
“I thought for sure it would work. Maybe Jeremy gave me a shit batch.”
“And who is Jeremy?”
“My brother. He’s the one who mixes up the recipes.”
“How many brothers do you have?”
“Five.”
“Sisters?”
“None. Probably why our mum ran off and made us think she was dead.”
That caused her to blink. “Say that again?”
Jeb shook his head. “It’s not important. What is important is now that you’re all settled in, we should talk about your experience. Maybe if I know more how you got your wings, I can find a way to help you hide them.”
“I don’t see how telling how I got them will help. It was stupid. I answered an ad in the paper. Medical tests for money.”
“You agreed to this?”
“No,” she hotly exclaimed. “I agreed to normal tests. The kind that leave me human and a few dollars richer. It seemed legit, but the Bunyip Institute conned me into becoming some test subject for a crazy doctor, and now I am a freak for life.”
“So you know the people who were involved.”
“Some, like Dr. Guffo. He was the one who suckered me in. Then when he had me locked in the lab, he used to be assisted by Monroe and Carlson.”
“What about Kole? The guy who owned the place?”
She frowned. “Who?”
“Short fellow, mustache, evil.”
“Him? He owned it?” She frowned. “Are you sure? Because I thought it was his wife’s deal.”
“Wife?” He repeated the word slowly. His brow creased. “Describe this wife to me.”
“Auburn hair, much lighter and more golden than mine. She had this fetish for red. Always wore it: dress, pants, shirt, shoes. She never wore any other color. Which really made her stick out, especially beside her husband—that short, mustached fellow.” He acted more like her servant, and yet they wore matching rings.
“Are you sure it was her husband?” Jeb appeared really stuck on that point.
She shrugged. “I only ever saw them together, and he called her dearest. Usually had his hand in the middle of her back when they walked and they both wore wedding bands.”
“What was her name?”
Again, her shoulders lifted and fell. “Never heard it. Everyone always called her ma’am and just about fell on the floor kissing her butt when she came around.”
“And she was in charge? Not Kole?”
“That’s how it seemed. Don’t get me wrong, the short fellow had some pretty big airs for a man his size, and people kissed his butt, too, but not like they did with her.”
“Which makes no sense. How would she have gotten involved?”
Her turn to frown. “Who? Do you know that woman?”
“My brothers seem to think the woman you’re describing is our mother.”
She blinked. “Your mother. I thought you said she was dead.”
“That’s what we were led to believe. However, the woman we saw peeking out of the helicopter…” He paused. “Either that was Ma or she’s got a twin.”
“Given the freaky science stuff going on at the institute, I’d have gone with clone.”
For some reason, this made his lips quirk. “Clone is a good guess, too.”
“How is it you seem to know so much about this?” Why didn’t he seem more freaked out?
“Told you before, I’m special ops.”
“Which tells me nothing. Someone hired you.”
“Not exactly. We got involved because of our brother. Kole took him. We wanted him back.”
“So your raid of the institute was—”
“A rescue mission. For my brother and his chick.”
“Where you happened to find me. And weren’t all that surprised.” The realization dawned slowly. “You were expecting to find something.”
“Expecting it? Kind of. Seeing it…” Jeb shrugged. “I didn’t realize the extent to which Kole was following in Mastermind’s footsteps.”
“Who?”
“No one you need to worry about.”
She stood and paced, the socks on her feet a nice warm touch. “I do worry, though. What’s going to happen to me, Jeb?”
“Nothing is going to happen. I’ll make sure of it.”
She snorted. “How? You can’t promise me safety. Look at me.” She fluttered her wings. “I’m a freak. Maybe I should join a circus. Become part of their sideshow act.”
“You are not a freak.”
“You keep saying that, and yet, with these wings, where can I go?”
“You don’t have to go anywhere. I’ll take care of you.”
She wanted to bask in the promise of those words. Believe that he would keep her safe. She knew better. Her hair flew as she shook her head. “I can’t stay here forever. Just like you can’t protect me forever. Eventually, someone will find out.”
“You need to trust me, Angel. I can fix this.”
“No. You can’t. No one can. I’m screwed.” Her inner fear emerged strident. What could she do?
The more she paced, the more agitated she became, her feathers rippling with her anxiety, her fingers tensing and elongating. Literally. She hid their length by balling them into fists. Just another freaky aspect to her change.
She might have flung herself out into the night, but Jeb grabbed hold of her, steadied her, and forced her to look at him.
“Don’t you start with that woe-is-me shit now. You survived what they did to you. You’re free now.”
“Free? You call this free?” Her laughter was as bitter as her tears.
“It’s a start. Baby steps, Angel. We need some time to figure this out.”
“But…” Her lips trembled as t
he bleakness of her future loomed, overwhelming her strength.
“No buts. We’ll find a way. Together.” A promise accompanied by a dip of his head as he kissed her. Their lips touched, and something sparked between them; heat and awareness. Something that had her sucking in a breath even as she leaned closer.
His hands spanned her waist, tugging her close to the inferno of his body. Her mouth parted for the decadent slide of his tongue.
She ran her fingers through his coarse hair, the thickness of it like silk.
His lips feathered kisses along her jaw to the lobe of her ear.
He sucked it.
She almost hit the floor.
He sucked some more, finding a weak spot, exploiting it. Igniting all her senses. Making her yearn for more.
A cawing outside had her pulling away, the moment interrupted. For a moment, they stared at each other.
Her lips tingled.
She wanted to lean back in and finish what they began. Instead, she pushed away.
“It’s getting late,” she said, her voice high and unsteady.
He cleared his throat. “It is. I, uh, probably should go.”
“Yeah, you should. I need to, um, wash my hair.” Which, given she only had a bucket, was the lamest excuse ever.
“I’ll be back in the morning. Hopefully with answers.”
“Feel free to bring hedge clippers, too.”
He looked so appalled a snicker actually slipped past her lips.
“Just kidding,” Nev sang.
“Somehow I doubt that.” His lips curved. “Sleep tight, Angel. See you in the morning.”
He was really leaving.
Leaving her alone. Which was fine.
Totally fine.
I’m a big girl.
All alone. In the woods. She huddled under the blanket and tried to not imagine anything crawling underneath it, wishing she’d had the courage to ask him to stay.
6
I should have stayed.
Leaving Angel didn’t sit well. Kind of like one of Da’s meals when his uncle the chef wasn’t around to feed them.
Given the frightened look in Nev’s eyes, insisting he stay seemed pushy. Jeb needed to earn her trust, which wouldn’t be easy because her incarceration had made her skittish. Understandably so. However, under that trepidation, he also saw courage. She’d have to be strong to survive what Kole had done to her.
