Broken Wings (Cruel and Beautiful World, Book One 1)

by Stoddard Hancock, L.

  Chapter Twenty

  Sometime in the middle of the night, Xander was awoken by thunder echoing through his room. A streak of lightning lit up the sky.

  "Shit," he said as he remembered what Bronson had told him.

  Not even a second later, footsteps stamped through the living room, followed by a slam of the bathroom door.

  Xander got out of bed and left his room. Another round of thunder rattled his apartment, followed by a high-pitched squeal.

  He opened the bathroom door and quietly said, "Leon?"

  "Y-yeah?"

  The room was dark, but another flash of lightning let him see that she was hidden underneath her comforter in the bathtub. He pressed a button on his right wristband that emitted a faint light.

  Xander then went over to the tub and crouched down. He lifted the comforter just enough to see her wide and frightened eyes.

  "Hey, Leon" he said softly. "You alright?"

  Deryn nodded yes, but another loud burst of thunder and a high yip said otherwise.

  "Bronson told me you're afraid of thunder. He said you slept in here the night he stayed over."

  "I did," she said, her wide eyes darting around frantically.

  "Have you always been afraid?"

  She shook her head.

  "Do you want to tell me about it?"

  She shook her head again.

  "I - Eek!" Another round of thunder.

  Xander smiled. Those tiny sounds she was making were kind of adorable. Then he noticed the way her eyes were always on guard. He sighed.

  "Do you want to go back to your room? I can put up a shield that will drown out the noise a bit."

  Deryn shook her head frantically. "I don't want to move."

  Xander nodded. He stood.

  "Where are you going?" she asked, reaching out and grabbing his hand.

  He looked at her. She was staring up at him pleadingly, looking almost as desperate as she had in that hallway at Eagle Center, right before his father dragged her away. He hated that look. "I'm just going to shut the door," he said.

  Deryn reluctantly released his hand, and Xander walked to the door. Luckily, he was not gone long. When he came back, she instinctually moved so that he could climb into the tub with her. He leaned against the back of it before positioning her so she was nestled between his legs. Deryn wrapped the comforter around both of them and let herself sink into him.

  "Maybe next time there's a thunderstorm you should make a point to run into my bathroom. The tub is at least twice this one's size."

  "I'll try to remember that." There was a long moment of silence before Deryn said, "I'm sorry I wrote that email, but I thought I had the feature on to convert my written message to text. Even so, I know it was stupid but for some reason I just keep doing these reckless things. It's like my mind has lost all rationality."

  "It was probably just the heat of the moment," justified Xander. "But maybe as you're doing these 'things', you should stop and ask yourself, 'what would the old Deryn Leon do?'"

  Deryn chuckled softly. "That would certainly get me thinking. The old Deryn Leon was all about rationality."

  Xander smiled into Deryn's hair and moved his arms so they were wrapped around her waist. When she moved her hands to rest on top of his, he could feel that she had something in her lap.

  "What's that?" he asked.

  "Oh." She pulled it out from underneath the comforter so he could see. "It's that book you had Bronson get. He came by and banged on my door earlier but I didn't answer. He said he was just dropping off some stuff you asked him to pick up for me and he left them on the desk."

  Xander waited, but Deryn didn't say anything about the robe. She held up Yesteryear and, even in the dark, Xander could see her fingers tracing the cover.

  "What made you choose this book for me?"

  Xander put his chin on her shoulder and said, "It's your favorite, isn't it?"

  He could feel Deryn tense in his arms. "How do you know that?"

  "Well, you always had your nose in it at Eagle, didn't you?" He purposely neglected to mention that Finley was the one who had told him this. But it didn't matter. He was the one who stopped to look at it, somehow reminded of the vague memory of it all.

  Glancing sideways, he could see the faint outline of a smile on her lips.

  "Do you want to read some before we go to sleep?" he asked.

  Deryn's hair brushed against him as she nodded.

  Xander lifted his arm with the light higher. He rested it between Deryn and the tub, holding it out so she could see the pages. As Deryn began flipping through, he said, "Read one of the chapters about life before technology, will you? Preferably with castles. I always liked castles."

  Deryn knitted her brow as she turned to look at him, their faces incredibly close. "You've read Yesteryear ?"

  "Of course I have," said Xander. "I've always been curious about life before our ancestors were forced underground, and this is just about the only book the president hasn't banned."

  "Only because it's broad," she said. "There are many books we've found preserved that go into so much detail. I read this one for my fix but there are better ones out there."

  "Maybe one day you'll be able to show them to me," he said, to both of their surprise.

  Xander and Deryn didn't read for long. They only got about halfway through one chapter before they both drifted off to sleep. It was actually sort of peaceful in the bathroom, despite the unpleasant feeling from the curve of the porcelain pressing into Xander's back.

  Sometime in the middle of the night, Xander awoke to the sound of a faint moan. He opened his eyes and realized he had been caressing Deryn in his sleep. One hand was gliding across her stomach on the inside of her sweater while the other was stroking the delicate area of skin just below the hem of her pajamas. The moan had come from her.

  Deryn's head fell back against Xander's shoulder. He leaned towards her so that he could breathe in the aroma of her skin. Then he brushed his lips against her neck, his hand trailing down further until it reached the top of her underwear. And then his fingers stopped, fidgeting uncomfortably with the lace he was happy to find before removing his hand completely, settling both around her waist. Call him old fashioned, but he preferred his women to be conscious when he groped them.

  After a gentle kiss on her temple, Xander leaned his head against hers and tried to fall back asleep.

  "Ruby?" she whispered a short while later.

  "Yeah."

  "Would it be alright if I call you Xander?"

  Xander smiled. "That would be fine, Leon." He kissed her cheek before closing his eyes and drifting off one final time.

  ~

  The next morning, Xander was surprised to find himself alone in the tub. His neck was aching and stiff, and the rest of his body wasn't much better.

  There was a rustling in the kitchen and he got up to investigate. He left the bathroom and was more than happy to find Deryn mixing pancake batter while wearing her new robe. She smiled when she saw him.

  "Morning, Xander. Do you want chocolate chips in your pancakes?" she asked, holding up a bag of them.

  "Sure," he said, walking over to make the coffee. To his pleasant surprise, Deryn had already done that. He poured a cup and sat on the counter, watching closely as she worked flawlessly in the kitchen. That robe was even more appealing than he imagined. She looked so cozy in it and he was overcome with the strangest urge to snuggle her. Which was weird, considering he'd never had any desire to snuggle anyone before.

  Xander's eyes then drifted down to her feet, clad in his too-large slippers. That would be next on his list.

  A burst of thunder roared outside. Deryn shrieked and dropped the plate she was carrying. Xander was off of the counter in a flash and holding her in his arms. As it turned out, he had been right. The robe was delightful.

  "I'm sorry," she said, looking down at the plate as she hugged her arms around his waist.

  "It's replaceable," he said
, nuzzling his nose in the top of her head. How did she always smell so damn good?

  What Xander didn't realize was that Deryn was doing the same to him. He was always so spicy and fresh, and she took this moment to really breathe him in.

  Thunder sounded again but Deryn didn't react this time. She was too caught up in the feeling of Xander's arms to even notice.

  He stroked his hand through her hair and she looked up to find him gazing down at her. His lips parted slightly and hers did the same, both of them frozen as their eyes remained locked. Xander moved his hand from her hair to her cheek and slowly moved inward -

  But their reverie was quickly interrupted by a knock on the door. Xander stared at it before reluctantly letting Deryn go. He walked over quietly and glanced out the peephole, sighing in relief when he saw it was only Bronson. And then he noticed his black eye.

  "Shit." Xander slowly opened the door. "Morning, friend!" he said brightly as Bronson stepped inside. "Quite a shiner you got there. I'm sure the bastard who gave it to you was incredibly intoxicated and -"

  Bronson swung hard and knocked Xander over with one solid hit to the jaw.

  "Xander!" screamed Deryn as she ran over to help him. Bronson shut the door so she couldn't be seen.

  "You. Fucking. Ass," said Bronson as he shook out his hand. "The two of you need to stop taking your damn frustration with each other out on me. I don't think my body can handle much more of this."

  Deryn was doting over Xander on the floor for a moment, but then she glanced up and took a good look at Bronson. "What happened to your eye?"

  "One guess," he said, looking scornfully at Xander.

  "Oh." Deryn let go of Xander and stood back up. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize the hit was justified. Do you want pancakes?" she asked, heading back to the kitchen. "They're chocolate chip."

  "Mmm, lovely," said Bronson, following her and making sure to knock Xander with his foot as he passed.

  Xander groaned and stood back up. He should have known Bronson wouldn't take what he'd said the night before seriously. He supposed he should be grateful, since Bronson really did do a lot for them. But what terrible timing.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  For the next couple of weeks, living with Deryn became very pleasant for Xander. The thunderstorms had stopped but she continued to ask him to sleep in her bed at night, which really gave him time to breathe in her intoxicating aroma.

  She then woke up early every morning to make him these elaborate breakfasts. Bronson taught her most of it, since he was a sous chef at a popular restaurant on nights he wasn't cooking at the bar.

  Deryn claimed she had never been much of a cook before, and Xander loved the way her face lit up every time she made something he was particularly fond of, like her spinach omelet. But his favorite part about her new morning routine was the robe she always cooked in, which was now accompanied by matching slippers he had sent Bronson back for.

  By the end of the week, Deryn had already read through the entire volume of Yesteryear twice, so Xander asked her if there were any other books she might want, since she refused to read anything from a screen of any sort. Since she had no clue what sort of books they had in Utopia, she filled up an entire sheet of paper with different topics and - for fiction purposes - genres she enjoyed. Front and back.

  It was definitely safe to say that Deryn Leon was getting back to normal.

  "You still have to help me practice in the basement," she said as she sat on the floor of the living room, using the different tools and gadgets he had picked up for her to try and adjust her Element.

  "So ... what? You want me to teach you Guardian tricks or something?" asked Xander.

  "Well, it couldn't hurt. That way I can at least know what they might try on me."

  "I'm not letting you run out of here unless there's a one-hundred percent chance no guard or Guardian will go after you, Leon."

  "I know," she said. "I was referring more to the future. You know, like, a battle."

  Xander froze. Of course he knew there would be more battles between the guards and the Resistance in the future. In fact, he was pretty certain they were overdue for one. But the thought of Deryn being caught up in the middle of it had never really crossed his mind before. When she left Utopia they would become enemies. Maybe they would even run into each other on the battlefield. Would she strike at him then? He already knew he would never strike at her. He did his best not to strike at any Outsiders. Though, sometimes, it was unavoidable.

  "Fine, I'll teach you," he said. "There is one trick in particular I think you'd like. I'll need to make an adjustment to it for you, though."

  "That's fine."

  "We'll need Bronson for it, too. Test dummy, you know."

  He winked and Deryn smiled. The two of them were just waiting for the day Bronson had enough of their shenanigans and retaliated. He, undoubtedly, had a few tricks up his own sleeve.

  ~

  "Do I have to do this?" whined Bronson as Xander aimed Deryn's Element at him.

  "You want her to learn, don't you?" said Xander. "Would you rather we sent our little fugitive out unprepared?"

  "No," mumbled Bronson under his breath. "But it always fucking hurts."

  "You won't feel a thing with this one."

  Bronson let out a frustrated sigh before readying himself.

  "Alright, Leon. Are you ready?"

  Deryn nodded, her eyes focusing closely on her Element in Xander's hand.

  She jumped as what looked like a streak of lightning shot out of the weapon and hit Bronson straight in the heart, making his eyes go wide and still as his entire body stiffened. He collapsed.

  Deryn watched in awe. "He looks dead."

  "Yes, that's the point," said Xander. "I designed it to look exactly like the shock of electricity that comes out and stops a person's heart. So any observers think that's exactly what happened."

  She sucked in her lips and nervously asked, "What do you use it for?"

  "When I first came up with it, the point was to catch members of the Resistance," he said. "I would use it on someone, and their comrades would leave the body behind, thinking they were dead. When they awoke, we would interrogate them."

  Deryn shuddered. Xander didn't like it.

  "But, lately, I only ever use it to stop other guards or Guardians from killing Resistance members first," he said defensively.

  "How long does it last?" she asked, nudging Bronson's petrified body with her foot.

  "Twenty minutes or so. But I can bring him back whenever." He walked up to Bronson, pointed the Element at him and pressed a button. Another streak of light came out and zapped him, making his body convulse.

  Bronson popped up from the floor, gasping for air. He looked at Xander with the same wide eyes as before, struggling to breathe as he said, "What ... the ... fuck?"

  "If you awake them too suddenly, it can be a bit unsettling," said Xander with a crooked grin. He handed Deryn her Element.

  Deryn bit her bottom lip as she looked down at the button he had added. Even on this older model, there was always room for more. "I want to try."

  Bronson moved his wide eyes to her as he continued to catch his breath. "Wha -"

  "Alright but, this time, we should probably let him rest it out after. I'll show you how best to defend yourself against an attacker while he does."

  Deryn nodded, and she and Xander moved back to the same spot as before. She readied her Element, but Bronson was still on the floor, clutching his heart. He held up a finger, letting them know it would just be one second, then he stood up and braced himself.

  "Okay," he said with one last gasp for air.

  Xander stood behind Deryn, running his hand down her arm until his fingertips were resting on top of hers. He positioned her hand correctly, adjusting it slightly so it was aimed directly at Bronson's heart.

  "You need to make sure you hit him straight on. If not, even the real heart stopper will barely give him a shock," he said into her ear,
feeling Deryn tremble beneath his touch. He smirked as he rubbed his other hand soothingly along her hip. "Ready?"

  Bronson cocked his head, staring curiously at the way Xander was touching Deryn, and even more curiously at the way she was leaning into it. He was still stuck like that when Deryn pressed the button.

  Bronson fell back, his head still in its tilted position. He would definitely be feeling that in twenty minutes.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Xander sat around the large, steel table with the other Guardians and President Saevus. They were in the president's home and a number of waves in chains were serving them a plethora of food. But Xander didn't want any of it. Not just because of the horrible conditions and torture their servers had to endure. Even now, Elvira was tugging on the chain around a young woman's neck, pulling her close and burning her with a candle from the table while she tried to pour wine without spilling a drop.

  No, that was only a small part of why he didn't want to touch this food. The bigger part - and the more selfish one - was more focused on how Deryn was cooking her first dinner that night. She was excited and nervous, and he would be damned if he came home full.

  "President, all I want to know is what exactly has this little shit done to recapture the toxic trash?" asked Veli.

  Xander smirked. He hadn't even realized the conversation had become about him.

  "Please do not use such tasteless language at my table, Veli."

  "I apologize, President, but surely -"

  "Xander, would you care to enlighten us with your reasoning behind your decision not to send guards out to search our citizens' homes?" asked President Saevus calmly.

  "It's a waste of our fucking time," said Xander, smiling at Veli when it became clear that the president would not be criticizing his tasteless language.

  "How so?" asked Veli.

  "Because we gain nothing from recapturing Leon. You might want retribution but we have no use for her anymore. It's been years since they've tried to bargain for her, and months since they've sent anyone to retrieve her. Face it, Veli. They've given up. Or they will soon. We. Gain. Nothing."