Wings of the Wicked
Page 7
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I nearly laughed. “Is this because you didn’t help him stop us from throwing the sarcophagus to the bottom of the ocean?”
“Something like that.”
“Will he kill you for telling me all this?”
“If he finds out, then I don’t doubt it.”
My gaze darkened. “If you think you’ve just won amnesty from me, you’re wrong.”
To my surprise, he glared at me in anger. It appeared I’d struck a nerve. “You have trust issues, you know.”
“You’re a reaper. Of course I don’t trust you.”
“I’m putting myself at risk by coming here, out in the middle of the day, no less. Who knows if your overzealous guard dog will smash my face through a wall any second, or if Bastian will be waiting for me when I get home? In any case, I’ve told you what I know, and I want you to make use of it before we all die.”
“Are you finished?” I slid along the wall to the exit so that my back was never to him.
“So eager to get away from me, I see. How disappointing.”
“I have to get back to class,” I said. “I’m not getting detention because of you, and I don’t want to get caught with a boy in here. If I get expelled, then I’ll never get into college.”
He laughed softly. “College? Really? If only things were still that simple for you.”
“Don’t talk to me like you know me, vir.” I started to turn away from him.
He grabbed my hand and my throat tightened. The touch reminded me of the night of the Halloween party, when we’d first met and he’d taken my hand to dance with me. His grip was gentle in a way that frightened me. I stared at him, frozen like a deer caught in the glare of headlights, until my senses finally returned to me. I yanked free with ease. “And don’t touch me, either.”
“I’m sorry,” Cadan said, and swallowed hard.
His apology startled me. I’d expected a wiseass remark or for him to grab me again, but he just stood there looking conflicted. My gaze wandered unbidden over his shoulder.
“Your wings,” I said. “They didn’t have feathers before. On the ship when we threw over the sarcophagus, your wings were leathery, like bat wings.”
He looked at me inquisitively and shrugged. “Some of us can change more than others. Feathers aren’t as waterproof, and flying over the sea was dangerous. I took precautions. Why? Do you like the other wings better? I can change for you.” His wings burst free, the feathers replaced by a strong hide. They were so massive, it felt as if the room had closed in around us suddenly. For a moment I could only stare and keep myself from reaching out to feel them.
“You should put them away,” I said shakily. “What if someone comes in?”
“Then they’ll probably run screaming.”
“I have to go and so do you.”
“You’re no fun, angel girl.” His wings vanished.
I could sense the energy from his transformation. When his wings grew, the air crackled with electricity, and now that they were gone, the relief was instant. “I can’t leave you here. How will I know you won’t decide to snack on some of the students?”
“I have never eaten a human.” He said it with such disgust that I almost believed him.
I had a brief flashback to the night on the ship: Geir clutching Jose’s body in the darkness, the poor ship captain’s blood dribbling past the mad demonic reaper’s shark teeth and down his chin and chest. I shuddered, desperate to keep the image of Cadan doing something similar out of my mind. “Sure you haven’t.”
“What is your problem? I’m trying to help you.”
“You’re a demonic reaper,” I said, almost laughing. “I have no reason to trust you.”
A stab of anger darkened his brow. “And I’ve given you no reason to treat me like an animal. As I recall, you didn’t have a problem with me until you found out what I was.”
“Good-bye, Cadan,” I said, backing out the door.
“If I hear anything new, I’ll come to you.”
“Be careful,” I warned. “My guard dog bites.”
He grinned, and that impish gleam returned to his eyes. “And you don’t?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know.”
“Don’t get me excited.”
I couldn’t tell if Cadan was just being an idiot or if he was seriously trying to flirt with me. Disgusted, I said nothing more and left the reaper in the restroom. Some part of me believed him when he said he’d never eaten a human. It was hard to imagine a boy that hot eating people, and eating people was just all kinds of wrong.
But, then again, Cadan wasn’t just a boy, and he was all kinds of wrong, too.
4
AFTER SCHOOL, I DID SOME HOMEWORK AND THEN headed over to Nathaniel’s. Instead of buying a swanky mansion with the untold millions he’d earned from the sale of rare original works of art, Nathaniel lived in a pretty normal house. I parked in the driveway and let myself in the front door. The house was older, but big and beautiful, and backed right up to one of the billions of small lakes in this part of the state, and its nearest neighbor was probably a quarter mile down the road. The inside was full of really cool old things, especially books. Nathaniel was a big nerd, but I loved that about him. He told lame jokes and always wore a friendly smile. He was also a flawless shot with large-caliber firearms, but he’d had a few centuries of practice. Nathaniel and Will both had a careful patience that astounded me.
“Something like that.”
“Will he kill you for telling me all this?”
“If he finds out, then I don’t doubt it.”
My gaze darkened. “If you think you’ve just won amnesty from me, you’re wrong.”
To my surprise, he glared at me in anger. It appeared I’d struck a nerve. “You have trust issues, you know.”
“You’re a reaper. Of course I don’t trust you.”
“I’m putting myself at risk by coming here, out in the middle of the day, no less. Who knows if your overzealous guard dog will smash my face through a wall any second, or if Bastian will be waiting for me when I get home? In any case, I’ve told you what I know, and I want you to make use of it before we all die.”
“Are you finished?” I slid along the wall to the exit so that my back was never to him.
“So eager to get away from me, I see. How disappointing.”
“I have to get back to class,” I said. “I’m not getting detention because of you, and I don’t want to get caught with a boy in here. If I get expelled, then I’ll never get into college.”
He laughed softly. “College? Really? If only things were still that simple for you.”
“Don’t talk to me like you know me, vir.” I started to turn away from him.
He grabbed my hand and my throat tightened. The touch reminded me of the night of the Halloween party, when we’d first met and he’d taken my hand to dance with me. His grip was gentle in a way that frightened me. I stared at him, frozen like a deer caught in the glare of headlights, until my senses finally returned to me. I yanked free with ease. “And don’t touch me, either.”
“I’m sorry,” Cadan said, and swallowed hard.
His apology startled me. I’d expected a wiseass remark or for him to grab me again, but he just stood there looking conflicted. My gaze wandered unbidden over his shoulder.
“Your wings,” I said. “They didn’t have feathers before. On the ship when we threw over the sarcophagus, your wings were leathery, like bat wings.”
He looked at me inquisitively and shrugged. “Some of us can change more than others. Feathers aren’t as waterproof, and flying over the sea was dangerous. I took precautions. Why? Do you like the other wings better? I can change for you.” His wings burst free, the feathers replaced by a strong hide. They were so massive, it felt as if the room had closed in around us suddenly. For a moment I could only stare and keep myself from reaching out to feel them.
“You should put them away,” I said shakily. “What if someone comes in?”
“Then they’ll probably run screaming.”
“I have to go and so do you.”
“You’re no fun, angel girl.” His wings vanished.
I could sense the energy from his transformation. When his wings grew, the air crackled with electricity, and now that they were gone, the relief was instant. “I can’t leave you here. How will I know you won’t decide to snack on some of the students?”
“I have never eaten a human.” He said it with such disgust that I almost believed him.
I had a brief flashback to the night on the ship: Geir clutching Jose’s body in the darkness, the poor ship captain’s blood dribbling past the mad demonic reaper’s shark teeth and down his chin and chest. I shuddered, desperate to keep the image of Cadan doing something similar out of my mind. “Sure you haven’t.”
“What is your problem? I’m trying to help you.”
“You’re a demonic reaper,” I said, almost laughing. “I have no reason to trust you.”
A stab of anger darkened his brow. “And I’ve given you no reason to treat me like an animal. As I recall, you didn’t have a problem with me until you found out what I was.”
“Good-bye, Cadan,” I said, backing out the door.
“If I hear anything new, I’ll come to you.”
“Be careful,” I warned. “My guard dog bites.”
He grinned, and that impish gleam returned to his eyes. “And you don’t?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know.”
“Don’t get me excited.”
I couldn’t tell if Cadan was just being an idiot or if he was seriously trying to flirt with me. Disgusted, I said nothing more and left the reaper in the restroom. Some part of me believed him when he said he’d never eaten a human. It was hard to imagine a boy that hot eating people, and eating people was just all kinds of wrong.
But, then again, Cadan wasn’t just a boy, and he was all kinds of wrong, too.
4
AFTER SCHOOL, I DID SOME HOMEWORK AND THEN headed over to Nathaniel’s. Instead of buying a swanky mansion with the untold millions he’d earned from the sale of rare original works of art, Nathaniel lived in a pretty normal house. I parked in the driveway and let myself in the front door. The house was older, but big and beautiful, and backed right up to one of the billions of small lakes in this part of the state, and its nearest neighbor was probably a quarter mile down the road. The inside was full of really cool old things, especially books. Nathaniel was a big nerd, but I loved that about him. He told lame jokes and always wore a friendly smile. He was also a flawless shot with large-caliber firearms, but he’d had a few centuries of practice. Nathaniel and Will both had a careful patience that astounded me.
