Wounded Wings

by Ariana Hawkes

  Her plan to sleep through her birthday didn’t seem to be working, so she got herself out of bed and headed for the shower. The only thing that was going to get her through the day was a decision she’d made last night: once the guys who were after her father had been caught, she was going to move out of Deerfield. Perhaps to Norwich. Martine, her best friend, had just moved there, and she said it was a nice place. It’d be also so cool to live in the same town as Martine again. She missed her a lot. And she was so tired of living the life her father created for her. She wanted her freedom and her own life. She was sick of people seeing her as a rich kid and always assuming that her success was because of her father and his money. She had her own plans and ambitions, and she wanted to fight for her own success. She wanted to be something more than her father’s daughter.

  She’d sell the bakery and open her own self-defense for women business in Norwich. She’d always wanted to do that, and help women learn how to protect themselves. She’d gotten into self-defense after her mother died, and she’d had a passion for it ever since.

  When she’d showered, dried off and moisturized, she put on a pair of dark blue jeans and a red and white striped T-shirt with a boat neck and headed for the kitchen, dying for a cup of coffee as usual. Notus was standing behind the kitchen counter, looking all casual in a pair of black jeans and a simple white T-shirt. There was a smile on his face, displaying his perfect teeth. Her heart skipped a beat.

  “Happy birthday, Eden,” he said.

  Her face heated. She realized she hadn’t seen him smile before, and that he had one of those disarming smiles that some people were blessed with. He looked very different when he was cheerful.

  “Thanks,” she mumbled, shyly avoiding his eyes as she went to the espresso machine, put a cup beneath the dripper and switched it on.

  “Did you have another shaving accident?” she asked, indicating a new scratch on his upper arm as she went to the fridge to get some milk.

  “Yeah.” He nodded and pressed his lips together.

  Who knew what he was up to getting these scratches. Maybe he was a sleepwalker or something.

  She poured some cereal into a bowl and added the milk. “Do you want some cereal?” she asked.

  “I’m fine, thanks,” he replied, sitting on one of the high stools around the kitchen counter.

  She collected her coffee and walked across to the dining table to the right of the kitchen, choosing a chair that was looking out to the garden. It meant that she had her back to him, but she wanted to feel some freedom in her soul and she wasn’t in the mood for pleasantries.

  “What do you want to do today?” Notus asked.

  “I’m not sure. Just have a really low-key day, I guess,” Eden said.

  “But isn’t there something you’d enjoy doing?”

  “I haven’t really thought about it. I don’t feel like celebrating.”

  Notus came and sat on a chair opposite her, his forehead wrinkled with worry.

  “Eden, I’m sorry we had to cancel today. We didn’t have a choice. It was too risky.” He paused. “You can have your birthday party once we catch whoever is behind this thing.”

  “I can’t really; it wasn’t the type of party you can just postpone. But that’s very nice of you to say.” She smiled at him. He was a decent guy. It wasn’t part of his job to care for her feelings and yet he was being so kind. She finished her cereal and took her bowl to the sink to wash.

  “What type of party was it?” Notus asked.

  “We were supposed to go to a live concert.” Eden sat on the sofa, put on the TV, and started flicking through the channels.

  “What were you going to see?”

  “Muse. Have you heard of them?” He’d had her favorite radio station on in his car yesterday, maybe they shared a similar taste in music.

  “Yeah,” Notus said, vaguely.

  She was expecting some more information but it didn’t come, so she focused her attention on a TV program about koalas. She could hear Notus behind her, pacing up and down in the room, snorting and puffing. She imagined his animal didn’t like being between four walls. Maybe she should suggest going for a walk or something.

  “No flowers have arrived yet,” he said after a while. “I’ve been checking.”

  “Flowers?”

  “From your boyfriend.” He paused for a moment. “Isn’t he sending you flowers for your birthday?” His voice was full of shock, as if that would be the ultimate crime.

  “I don’t have a boyfriend,” Eden said.

  “So you lied?” Notus asked.

  “I didn’t lie,” Eden emphasized. She hated lying, and she wasn’t a liar. “You made an assumption, and I just didn’t correct you.”

  “Sounds like lying to me,” he said.

  “Whatever.” She wasn’t going to argue.

  She checked her emails and social media accounts and went through her birthday messages, replying to a few birthday greetings, which gave her a slightly celebratory mood. It was nice that so many people had written her.

  Notus’s phone rang and he stepped into the study to take the call.

  “That was your father,” he said, coming back into the room a few minutes later. “He’s just had an important realization.”

  Eden switched off the TV and looked at Notus, expectantly.

  “The caller who threatened your father on the phone yesterday after the attack used the code name of the project your father had been working on!” Notus’s eyes were wide with excitement. Eden’s heart beat faster.

  “Your father hadn’t thought anything of it at first, because he’s so used to the code name, but it just dawned on him that only very few people are aware of it. Do you know what that means?” Notus raised an eyebrow.

  “That one of the people he works with must be involved?” Eden asked.

  “Yes! And that we have our first lead!” Notus thrilled. “This is very good news, Eden. Very good news!”

  Hope flooded through Eden’s heart and she jumped off the sofa and paced around the room, unable to contain her energy. She’d been so worried after yesterday, all kinds of dark thoughts invading her mind, but now there was some positive news.

  “So do you think it shouldn’t be long until you catch whoever is threatening my dad?” She asked.

  “I don’t know. We’re still at the beginning but it’s a good start.” He nodded.

  She shouldn’t get overly enthusiastic, but it was good to have hope. She needed to be patient, and remind herself of her father’s words that Dragn Protection were the best that there was. They were in good hands. They’d be fine.

  “Do you want to go for a drive along the coast?” Notus asked.

  Eden cocked an eyebrow at him.

  “I love driving.” He shrugged, an apologetic half smile on his lips. “I noticed yesterday that you loved it, too, and I’m sure that you don’t want to spend your birthday between these walls.”

  A drive along the coast didn’t sound like a terrible thing to do. She had no idea that he’d been paying attention to her in the car yesterday. Did he actually care about her preferences? No, of course, not. It was just his job to be observant. It wasn’t because she was special to him in any way.

  “It sounds good,” she said with a smile and went to pick up her purse.

  “Grab a jacket,” Notus called after her. “A leather one, if you have one.”

  It would likely be cold in the soft top, she thought as she took her brown leather jacket from the closet and joined Notus by the entrance door. He was wearing a black leather biker jacket, and he looked wilder, more like the bad boys she usually got her heart broken by.

  “Can I drive?” she asked, while he was locking the door.

  “If you can,” he said.

  “Of course, I can!” she protested.

  “I thought we’d go with this,” he said innocently, pointing to a sporty red motorbike, which was parked in front of her house.

  “Wow!” Eden thrilled
. “That’s yours?” She couldn’t believe he had a motorbike. That man was full of surprises and there was so much more to him than she’d expected. He wasn’t just a meathead. He was a meathead who loved cars and bikes, and occasionally looked quite sexy.

  He handed her a black helmet, sat on the bike, and started the engine, which revved to life with a sound that filled her with excitement.

  “Have you ever been on a motorbike before?” he asked.

  “No,” she admitted as she sat behind him.

  “It’s fun,” he said, raising his voice over the engine. “The only thing you need to do is sit still. And you can hold onto me if you need to. Is that okay?”

  “Yep,” she said, nodding.

  “Just let me know if you need me to stop at any point. With the noise of the engine and our helmets on, I won’t be able to hear you, so just squeeze my hips with your thighs.”

  Eden’s heart missed a beat at his words, and she pretended to be busying herself with the helmet to hide the heat that flooded her.

  “Uh-huh, I will,” she said, trying to sound as casual as possible.

  Once her helmet was on, Notus put on his own helmet and took off smoothly. Eden took a sharp breath, her heart beating quickly in her chest. She felt a mixture of excitement and nervousness. She’d always wanted to be on a bike. She knew they were dangerous, but she was sure that Notus was a good rider. He’d been brilliant with the car yesterday.

  He stopped at the end of her street, indicating right. Once there was a gap in the traffic, Notus moved the bike forward, leaning right into the turn. Eden kept her body still, which felt unnatural and a little scary. She had the feeling she might drop off the bike so she put her arms around Notus’s waist and held onto him. By the time they reached the coastal road about ten minutes later, her nervousness had disappeared and was replaced by the adrenaline of the experience.

  Notus was zooming along the two-lane highway, skillfully maneuvering around the vehicles. The curving road opened magnificent views to the ocean on their left and the dramatic shapes of the cliffs on their right, as the engine roared wildly and the wind whipped past them. Eden felt fragile and helpless, sitting at the back of the massive, powerful machine, putting her life in Notus’s hands, and she realized, with great surprise, that she actually enjoyed that feeling. She liked relinquishing all of her control to Notus. She trusted him, and she felt safe with him. They might be from different planets but she knew without a doubt he would protect her fiercely and take good care of her.

  They rode for a while longer before circling back to her street. Eden was still riding high on the excitement of the adventure, and she couldn’t tell if they’d been on the road for twenty minutes or two hours. Notus parked the bike and killed the engine, and they took their helmets off. Eden fixed her hair and got off the bike.

  “That was awesome,” she said and smiled at Notus. “Thank you! I really loved it. I’ve always wanted to be on a bike.”

  “I’m glad you did,” he said, sounding a little robotic. Maybe he was tired from the drive.

  They went back to the apartment, where Notus made Eden stay by the door inside while he checked all the rooms as he’d done in the bakery. She went to the bathroom to freshen up and checked her messages again before returning to the living room. She hadn’t heard from her father. He must be preoccupied with yesterday’s attack, and surely with his inability to work on his project. There was no reason to feel offended. She’d call him later and see how he’s doing.

  Eden heard the shower in the guest bedroom. She prepared sandwiches for lunch, and they both ate them hungrily when Notus joined her a few minutes later. His hair was still wet from the shower, and he smelled even more strongly of his usual soap and spicy cologne. He was wearing a fresh light blue T-shirt that emphasized his eyes, making them look bluer than ever.

  Eden had a few calls from friends in the afternoon, all promising they’d do a great birthday party for her once things had normalized. She was lucky to have such cool, kind friends. She also received a few deliveries of gifts, which Notus picked up and sniffed thoroughly before Eden was allowed to open them.

  In the early evening, Notus offered to cook steaks with fries for dinner, which he claimed he was an expert at. Eden readily accepted, enjoying being spoiled on her birthday, and she was delighted to discover that Notus had been absolutely right—the steak was phenomenal. She had a couple of glasses of Prosecco, while Notus had a symbolic sip.

  After that they played Scrabble at her request, which, as it turned out, Notus was hilarious at. He wasn’t particularly good at spelling, and he had to consult the dictionary all the time, which he was similarly helpless with, so he ended up asking Eden about the correct spellings. Do you spell ‘strawberry with an “o” or with an “u”? Um, neither. Is “fig” spelt with a “ck” or just with a “c”? With a “g”. How many “s”-es are there in “patient”? None at all.

  He was very surprised at all of these unusual spellings and they laughed a lot. Eden hoped that he and his agency had a human person in charge of their correspondence.

  “The missing “o” in Dragn Protection is finally making sense,” Eden said.

  “Oh.” Notus’s eyes widened, after a moment of confusion. “Oh, no. It’s actually not what you think. It’s a different story.”

  Eden looked at him, widening her eyes in expectation, but he was fidgeting with the hem of his shirt, looking nervous all of a sudden. He stood abruptly and began to pace back and forth.

  “Close your eyes,” he said after a moment.

  Eden looked at him, uncomprehending.

  “Just do it,” he said.

  “Is it something scary? I’m not into horror,” she warned, shuffling on the couch. She loved surprises though and she couldn’t wait to find out what he had in mind.

  “I hope not.”

  She closed her eyes and heard him going toward the bedrooms. He came back, went away, and then came back again. He seemed to be moving and fiddling with things, and just when Eden felt she couldn’t wait any longer, she heard the exciting sound of an electric guitar and the beginning of her favorite song by Muse, “Uprising.”

  She opened her eyes and could barely believe the sight that greeted her: Notus was standing in the middle of her living room, playing the guitar. His eyes were closed and his fingers were moving along the strings of the black shiny instrument with the skill of someone who’d been playing for a long time. He sang the opening words of the song in a deep baritone voice, which was dramatic, full of emotion and hauntingly beautiful, and Eden was speechless.

  Once the song was over, he played “Resistance” and then “Knights of Cydonia,” his guitar and voice more and more beautiful to her ears. He played and sang with deep passion, and he looked happy doing it.

  “You can join in,” he said to her, his eyes shining, as he was transitioning between “Endlessly” and “Map of Your Head.” “That’s the only advantage of having a private concert, you can participate in both the audience and the band.”

  Eden was shy at first. Her voice wasn’t bad, but his was brilliant, and she felt self-conscious because her skill couldn’t match his. But she overcame her initial resistance and joined in eventually. They sang five more songs together, and she felt ecstatic by the end of it, pure joy running through her body, her heart light and brimming with emotion. Notus put his guitar against the wall after the last song and switched the amp off. Eden jumped off the sofa and clapped.

  “That was magnificent,” she said. “You have such a beautiful voice!” She shifted from one foot to another, her heart beating fast in her throat. She wanted to hug him but he’d probably think she was weird.

  “Thanks,” he said, unplugging the cord and bundling it up. “I hope that made you feel a bit less sad about missing your concert tonight.”

  “Very much so! A private concert is pretty difficult to beat,” she said. She made a small step forward and hesitated. She was so grateful to him for giving her such
an awesome birthday but she didn’t know how to convey it. Maybe he was just doing his job and she should stop being so sentimental about it.

  Notus’s eyes met hers, and he gave her a wide smile.

  Unable to contain her emotions any longer, she threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you,” she mumbled, before pulling away from him quickly.

  Then she froze, their bodies still inches away from each other, embarrassed at her emotional outburst. His eyes bored into hers, and before she knew what was happening, he put his hand around her waist, pulled her toward him, and kissed her. She gasped at the pressure of his mouth, hungry, fierce, searching. His tongue parted her lips, and sought out her tongue, before circling around it urgently. Eden’s heart beat violently in her chest. Her body was shaking, as was his, and she ran her hands all over him, hungry for contact with his body.

  Notus pulled away from her suddenly and took a deep breath, his eyes wild and lost.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “That shouldn’t have happened.” He stepped away and walked onto the balcony, leaving Eden standing in the middle of the room, lightheaded, confused, and a little empty. She breathed out slowly to steady herself, and when he didn’t turn around again, she picked up her phone from the coffee table.

  “I want to sleep alone tonight,” she said, already heading for her bedroom.

  “That’s fine,” he called after her. “Just don’t pull any tricks, Eden, please.”

  Chapter 5

  Eden

  Eden woke up the next morning and looked at the clock on her night stand. It was almost ten. Crap! It had taken her ages to fall asleep last night. She’d showered first, hoping the warmth of the water would help her calm down and wash away the confusion that had settled within her heart after Notus had kissed her. She’d then tried to read, but her thoughts had kept returning to the kiss.