Flesh and Feathers (13 page)

He stretched the towel out in front of me, using it as a barrier between us.
 

“You could have knocked, you know?” I said, still ranting.

“Hey..., you called
me
back here,” he responded as I jerked the towel out of his hands and wrapped it around me.
 

“For a towel! Not a peep show!”

There was a long pause, and then his eyes turned serious. He took a step closer to me, removing his hat and placing it on the sink. Leaning in, he kissed me. I was still clutching the towel to my chest. I kissed him back and felt somewhat awkward because I was naked. He wrapped his arms around my waist, sliding one of his hands down over my bottom and tightening his grip.
   

I drew my head back away from his. “I’m going to be late for work.” I’m not sure why I was feeling so hesitant. It had only been a month ago that we were standing in front of my door, and I was the one initiating, and he was the one holding back.

“Not if I call in for you,” he replied, playing with my hair and waiting for my answer.
 

“I can’t. Tannah needs me.”

“So do I.”

I froze in place. His words were coaxing. I contemplated my decision. All I would have to do is say “yes”. His simple statement let me know that he was mine if I wanted him. And I did want him so why was I holding back now?

Gage must have seen me turning all of this over in my mind. His smile had faded, becoming a straight line against his jaw. He backed up only an inch, and grasped the bottom of his shirt with both hands, and pulled it over his head. He let it fall out of his hand to the floor.

I surprised myself by being forward enough to place the palm of my hand in the center of his chest. I felt his body tighten at my touch. That night at my door flashed through my mind.
Was this what Gage meant by wanting it to be real? Is this what real feels like?
It was too real and that made me uneasy. I pulled my hand away from his chest and placed it back on the towel.

He leaned down to kiss me again. All I could do was close my eyes. He pulled at my hands, opening my arms and the towel that I was still holding onto. He placed his hands on either side of my hips and pulled our bodies together so that our bare skin touched.

I needed more time to think. I pushed him away and looked in his eyes. “I can’t. Not yet. I will see you tonight. Okay?”

Gage’s smile returned as he picked up his shirt and quietly walked out.

***

I made my way through the crowded street. As I headed to work, I thought about what Gage had said this morning… about needing me.
God, why did he make me so crazy? Why couldn’t I just say I needed him too?
That moment, I came to a decision. I was going to tell him tonight that I felt the same way. I wanted to be with him. My face lit up, and I felt weightless thinking about what Gage’s reaction would be.
 

I was so lost in thought that I nearly jumped out of my skin when a fire truck passed me with its sirens blaring.
 

At first, I dismissed it and kept walking in the direction of the diner. Just then, another truck came from behind me, passing even more quickly than the first. Something in the pit of my stomach turned. I held my hand over my eyes, shielding my vision from the sun. A dark cloud of smoke was filling the sky and casting a menacing shadow over the street.
 

I took off running, weaving in and out of people on the sidewalk. I came to a sudden halt in front of the diner, watching the chaos unfold.

The diner was engulfed in flames. Firemen and police officers were everywhere, putting out flames and directing people away from the building. There was an EMS worker leaning over a body that was chard and bleeding. I moved in to look over her shoulder. It was Jackson, our cook.
 

“Oh my God, Jackson!” I said in a shaken voice. It was hard to see his face. It was burned badly, and the skin over his cheekbone was black and peeled back.

I turned and ran towards the building, only to be subdued by a police officer. I screamed Tannah’s name over and over at the top of my lungs. My stomach turned and twisted, leaving me nauseas.

“Ma’am, you can’t go in there,” the police officer shouted at me. He pushed me back behind the yellow caution tape. Suddenly, a blast rocketed the area. An explosion erupted inside the diner, sending shards of glass and debris in all directions and hitting unsuspecting bystanders. Tiny slivers of glass embedded into my hands and the side of my face. Pieces of ash fell from the sky, singeing and charring my shirt.

There was wreckage everywhere, and I stared in awe at what was once the diner I worked at. Tears streaked my face, causing my mascara to run and darken my eyes. My head was spinning. All I could think about was Tannah and Jen. There was no sign of them.

I shouted to a fireman that was standing a few feet away from me. “Is there anyone else in there?”

He didn’t hear me at first, so I shouted to him again. This time, he turned to me. “We don’t know yet. Just stay back.”
     

I looked around frantically to see if maybe they were in the crowd somewhere. As I turned my attention back to the front of the diner, my eyes widen in disbelief as I watched a man walking out of it. He passed through the flames and wreckage, unscathed. I used my fingers to wipe some of the make-up from my eyes, thinking that would clear my vision. I wiped them clean, but he was still there–walking in calculated steps towards me. I took a step back, watching his forward. It was as if no one even noticed he was there.
 

Although I was scared to death, I couldn’t take my eyes off him. When his slow walk became a fast jog, reality swiftly kicked in–he was coming for me.

Taking off in long strides, I tried to out run him. I had made it three steps into the street when a car came to a screeching halt in front of me, cutting off my retreat. The door flew open–and to my surprise–it was Jen and Tannah.

Tannah shouted from the driver’s side. “Get in!” I jumped in the back.

Tannah took off with such a force, that I was thrown against the back seat. She sped around curves, fishtailing, but did it with precision.
 

Our speed was topping eighty miles per hour. Clutching the top of the seat, I raised my eyes above it to peer out the back window, but he was still there. He was extremely fast, which caused his arms and legs to blur. I was scared, and a sick nervous feeling pulled at the pit of my stomach… he was after me.

“He’s gaining on us,” Jen spoke in a low voice, directing her comment at Tannah. A chill quickly ran down my spine, and I turned to see Tannah staring in the rear view mirror, looking out the back window.
 

Tannah took another curve, but this time it was so hard I fell against the side of the car, hitting my head on the window. I sat back up, holding my hand on my head where it had collided with the glass. The pain distracted me for only a second, because out of the corner of my eye, I saw something change. Adjusting my view back out of the window, the man’s white cloak started to rip and tear. And to my amazement, large wings expanded on either side of him. My mouth dropped, and my eyes widen.

“What the hell is that thing?” I shouted. However, neither Tannah nor Jen said anything, which only terrified me more.

I looked at the speedometer, which was laying dead on the one-ten mark, but the man was still coming and faster than before. It was impossible!

His wings were jet black, and the tip of each feather looked to be lined with sharp metal. As he ran, his wings spread out and reached each side of the street, cutting and ripping into parked cars. The sound made me shiver–much like fingernails on a chalkboard, and I placed my hands over my ears to deaden the shrill.
   

His body lifted off the ground, and he began gliding over the pavement. He was at the rear of the car. Making it to the trunk, he stomped one foot on it and hoisted himself on top of the hood. I let out a scream.

Tannah swerved from the impact, and I was sure she would lose control, but to my relief, she was able to straighten the vehicle. “Tannah, we have to get her out of here,” Jen shouted, and I assumed the “her” was me.
 

“Seat belts on!” Tannah demanded and I didn’t hesitate. As soon as she heard the click, she locked the brakes. The power of the sudden stop pressed my chest against the belt so hard that I heard my bones popping and crunching beneath it.

The man was thrown from the hood of the car, hundreds of feet in front of us, rolling the entire way. The sound of metal hitting asphalt rang out through the street over and over. He stood up and stared at us. Then very slowly, he pulled a sword from his side.

I was starting to hyperventilate. He leapt straight for us and I felt my heart drop. Then out of nowhere, what looked to be another creature of his kind, hit him in mid air–knocking them both into a nearby building and causing bricks to topple down.

I couldn’t see them since they had pounded through the building and were now inside. The five-story structure began to shake in its harm, and pieces of debris began to plummet to the street–hitting nearby cars.

“Go! Go! Go! Jen shouted.

Tannah shoved the car into gear, spinning tires. We sped in the direction of the rapidly disintegrating building. Bricks and mortar fell, hitting the car and cracking the windshield. I didn’t think we could make it through but we did. And just as we passed, it collapsed, covering the street.
             

Racing out of town, a mixture of relief and confusion flooded me. I found it hard to process everything that was happening. My body was limp and sore from the beating it had taken in the back seat.

Feeling faint, I laid my head back and closed my eyes. Tannah and Jen proceed to have a coded conversation in the front seat, and I was sure there was no way to interpret it–so I didn’t bother.

Jen spoke in a concerned voice. “I know you’re pissed at him, but he did save us back there.” Tannah didn’t respond, and even though my eyes weren’t opened, I could feel her staring at me in the mirror. “Besides, you know that he’s the only one with the strength to do that,” Jen continued.

“His behavior is reckless,” Tannah said at last. “We’ll talk about it later.”

The last thing I remember, before unconsciousness took over, was the sound of Jen on her cell phone. “Yeah, meet us there in a few hours…” Then the sound was lost somewhere in the back of my mind as I gave in and drifted to sleep.

Chapter 11

Impostor

 
“W
here the hell is Scarlet?” Tobias shouted through the hallway. The two doormen did not answer. It was in their best interest to keep quiet.

“I am here.” Scarlet appeared from a room to Tobias’ left.

“What happened? Why has the girl not been captured yet? I am running out of patience!” Tobias’ raging spooked the two men who stood at the door. They quietly backed into a darkened room and then disappeared.

“There was a complication. It seems that Kale has returned and is taking matters into his own hands. He intercepted Kano and stopped him before he could obtain her.” Scarlet spoke composed and controlled. Tobias could be unruly when angered, which only meant anyone close would suffer the consequences.

“I chose him because he could beat Kale. This is unacceptable.” His rage was on the verge of insanity. “He is plotting against me. His failure was deliberate.”

Scarlet took a moment to choose her words carefully. Although she knew Tobias better than anyone, he was unpredictable and irrational. The combination of the two was dangerous for even her. There was no doubt Scarlet was brilliant, but her skills would not help her to survive his wrath. “I do not believe that is the case. Kano would never lose a battle intentionally, especially one of this enormity. You should give him more credit than that.”

This did not settle well with Tobias at all. Next to where he stood sat a solid gold statue on a small table. He swiftly, lifted it and flung it across the room. The figure smashed loudly into the wall and broke in two. Then he turned his attention to Scarlet. He was still furious and was only getting more heated as his mind began running scenarios. “You loathed him, and now you stand here defending him. Your loyalty is with him…, you have joined sides against me.”

His movement was fast and unexpected. Using the back of his hand, he swung roughly, hitting Scarlet in the face. She staggered back. The force of the blow was hard enough to split the skin over her cheek.

Scarlet used her finger to wipe the blood from her face and then held it out to look at the red tinge that covered the tip. Fury consumed her–she would not tolerate Tobias’ accusations.

Her voice was icy and scorn. “Loyalty? I have done the unimaginable for you. I have done things for you that, you yourself, couldn’t stomach. How dare you question my loyalty?” Scarlet stood up straight and narrowed her eyes at him. “If you ever accuse me of treachery again, I will cut your tongue out while you sleep.”

Watching her intently, the muscles in Tobias’ face began to relax. Her words, although threatening, now calmed him. However, he would not be threatened. “As I will do to you,” he said with a smirk. Scarlet remained still and did not respond.