“Please,” she begged. “I’m so sorry. It was wrong. I know it was wrong. I shouldn’t have done that.”
I made no attempt to respond, my face as hard as stone as my wings beat the air. I knew Sabrina couldn’t hold on forever and before long her hands started slipping down my wrists. Tears streamed down her face as she struggled to hold on.
“What I did was terrible, but do I deserve to die?” Her hands were sweating and it was making my skin and her palms slippery. After a second or two, her fingers slipped free. She let out a blood curdling scream as she began to fall. I immediately went into a dive and caught her. Returning her to the edge of the ravine, I placed her on trembling legs.
No, I mouthed, shaking my head. You don’t deserve to die.
Knowing that she was within walking distance of her village, I took back to the sky. I had been away from Earth long enough. As much as I wanted to track Aaron down, I had to wait for him to come to me. I just wanted to pass through the portal to see if he’d sent me any texts. It had been over two months since our break up. Surely he’d reached out by now.
When I arrived back at my parents’ cabin, I touched down. I was about to pass through the portal when I heard my mother calling my name. Turning around, I found her running toward me, her expression wild and desperate.
What is it? I asked in ASL, not even trying to hide me impatience. After spending so much time with Joseph and getting to know him, I needed to put aside my anger, but at the moment I had to get to Earth. My mom and I could talk later.
“I haven’t seen you in forever. Is it a crime for a mother to want to see her son?”
You’ve seen me. I have to go. I started to turn back to the portal, but she grabbed my arm. She looked like she was about to say something, but then her eyes fell to my liquid-stained crotch.
“Are you okay?”
I’m fine.
“Did you have an accident?” Great, she thinks I’m struggling with bladder control.
No. This isn’t… Never mind. I have to go.
“Honey, I can’t stand this distance between us. What do I have to do to get us back to where we were?”
I was slammed with an unexpected wall of fury. Fuck! After spending hours with Sabrina, I hadn’t gotten a dose of Theodora’s remedy. My mood was becoming super unstable super fast.
We can’t go back! I signed, my teeth clenched. Don’t you understand that? You destroyed my life! We can never go back!
“Don’t say that!” Mom sobbed. “Please don’t say that.”
I took a step away from her. The anger was taking over and I didn’t want to get lost in it. Unfortunately, my mother was stubborn and refused to leave me alone.
“Let’s start small,” she suggested, taking a step toward me. “How about I cook your favorite?”
I have to go.
“Please.”
I said no. What part of no don’t you understand?
“Uriah.” My mother switched to that voice she uses when she thinks I’m being difficult. “You can’t stay mad at me forever.”
At these words I lost it. The rage consumed me like a wildfire, the flames lapping at my insides and engulfing my mind. The last thing I remember was grabbing her wrist before I blacked out.
Chapter 34
Aaron
“Damn it!” I tried to remove the giant red wine stain from the front of my once pristine apron. I’d been working at the restaurant for about a month and a half and I already hated it. The guests were snobby and the other servers couldn’t be bothered. Except for Cameron. He was the only thing keeping me sane. Just as he’d promised, he was always there to swoop in whenever I needed help. For a while I felt awkward after our drunken night together, but he was nothing but kind and supportive. I still regretted sleeping with him, but now the idea no longer filled me with disgust. At work, I appreciated his assistance, but I knew he expected our friendship to blossom into something more. I still needed time. Honestly, after Uriah, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever be able to love again. I’d told him to fly free so to speak, but a part of me had expected him to return. In fact, I was very upset that he hadn’t. For someone who claimed I was his one and only, he was sure doing a good job of staying away. Whatever. He was probably living happily ever after with that slut Sabrina.
Pushing my ex from my mind, I re-doubled my efforts to remove the wine stain. Just as I thought, it didn’t take Cameron long to appear by my side.
“There you are,” he said, a tray of dirty dishes balancing on his palm. “I was wondering where you’d gotten off to.” Noticing the ugly purple stain on the front of my apron, he stopped dead in his tracks. “What happened?”
“Some stupid kid,” I muttered, giving up on the blotch and heading for the rack for a new apron. “His mother was too sloshed to keep a proper eye on him. That is, until he got a hold of her wine glass.” Untying my apron, I prayed the wine hadn’t soaked through. I didn’t have a change of clothes and there was still an hour left in my shift.
“It’s something you learn,” Cameron said sympathetically, his eyes momentarily zeroing in on my crotch as I patted myself down. “When you’ve worked here long enough, you know who to watch out for.”
“I see.” Satisfied that the wine hadn’t soaked my slacks, I snatched a fresh apron off the stack and tied it on.
“Hey,” Cameron said, adjusting the tray in his hands. “Any chance I could get a ride back to campus? Chloe usually picks me up, but she has a family thing.”
“Uh…”
“If it’s a problem, I can take the bus.”
“No, I can give you a ride.” Given his obvious feelings for me, I always had my guard up, but after everything he’d done for me, I couldn’t leave him hanging. An hour later, after we both clocked out, we headed out to my car together. Once we were strapped in, I started the engine and Cameron started talking.
“You can tell me if it’s none of my business, but why did you and your boyfriend break up?”
I considered saying just that, but I changed my mind. I hadn’t talk to anyone about the break-up and I was in need of some outside perspective. “I thought maybe he wanted someone else.”
“So, you broke up with him?”
“Yes.”
“Did he accept it?”
“No, he wanted to give us another shot.”
Cameron thought this over. “What gave you the impression he wanted someone else?
“He slept with her.”
“Her?!” my friend’s eyebrows shot up. “So, not only did he cheat on you, it was with a girl?”
“I wouldn’t exactly call it cheating.”
“Why not?”
“It’s complicated.”
“How so?”
“It just is.”
“She tripped, fell and landed on his—”
“—He blacked out.”
“He got black out drunk?”
“Something like that. He had no idea what he was doing.”
“So, why’d you end it?”
“I was his first sexual experience. Before me he’d only dated girls. I wasn’t sure I was what he really wanted.”
“Do you hope that someday you'll get back together?”
“Yes.”
Cameron mulled this over. “So, if he shows up on your doorstep tomorrow, you’ll be overjoyed, but if he doesn’t come back at all, you’ll assume it’s really over?”
“Something like that.”
“How long ago did you two break up?”
“About two and a half months.”
“How long are you going to wait?”
“Until I can consider seeing someone else. If I can somehow manage to fall in love again and he’s still not back then I’ll assume it’s over.”
“Does he know how long you’re willing to wait?”
“Not exactly. As far as he’s concerned, we’re over, but he did insist that he would prove he really wants me. I’m not sure how. Maybe if he’s able to abstain for an extended per
iod of time, I’ll believe he really wants me.”
“I thought you wanted him to get more experience?”
“That was an option, but at the end of the day I just want him to come back to me.”
“But you won’t go to him?”
“I can’t. If he really wants me, he has to come get me. He already knows how I feel. The question is does he feel the same way.”
“It sounds almost like you want him to read your mind. Surely if he knew getting you back was as simple as knocking on your door, he’d have done so by now.”
“I’d hoped he would’ve. Honestly, I didn’t think he’d be able to stay away.”
“Maybe he’s waiting for you to come to him?”
“I don’t think so. I never indicated that I would.”
“Well, I hate to say this, but I hope he doesn’t come for you. If he could walk away, he doesn’t deserve you. I know you still need time, but I’m hoping one day you’ll come close to feeling for me what you feel for him.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. Fortunately we’d just pulled up in front of his dorm. I waited for him to get out, but the moment he popped the passenger side door open, his phone buzzed. Pulling it out, he glanced at the screen. Making a face, he shook his head.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“My roommate is having a girl over. He says stay scares.”
“Oh.”
“Any chance I could hang out at your place ’til the coast is clear?”
“Uh, sure.” I wasn’t sure if this was all a ploy to get me in bed again, but I didn’t care. I didn’t have any alcohol at my place and I had no intention of letting Cameron trick me into sex. He may try to talk me into a relationship, but I was pretty sure he wouldn’t try anything nefarious.
“Thanks.”
After pulling away from the curb, I headed to my apartment complex. As we drove, my classmate continued to talk. “You know, Chloe thinks we’re dating.”
“I didn’t know that. You did correct her, right?”
“Not really. She’s been on me about getting a boyfriend. She’s a true romantic. Wants to believe in happily ever after.”
“Hmm.”
“She likes you. She said we were destined to meet. She’s into that destiny crap.”
“Would you getting me blackout drunk and fucking me be in her little plan?”
“No,” Cameron said, looking abashed. “She would be furious with me if she knew. She’s always lecturing me about the college girls who have been taken advantage of because of alcohol over the years.”
“I’m getting sick of people comparing me to a girl. What happened between us sucks, but I’m not some helpless chick.”
“That’s not what I meant. Guy or girl, what I did was wrong. If you’d been female and decided to go public, I could’ve been suspended or worse. I should have been more careful. Especially with someone like Chloe as a friend. She’s very passionate about that kind of thing.”
When we pulled into the parking lot of my apartment complex, I put the car in park and pulled my door open. Cameron whistled as he looked around.
“You can afford this? You must be rich.”
“No, just lucky. I got a good deal.” Once we were inside, I kicked off my shoes and checked my phone. By now I didn’t expect anything, but I was still disappointed.
“Well, I’m going to bed,” I said, shrugging out of my coat. “You can let yourself out.”
“You don’t want to hang out?”
“Naw, I’m tired. You can hang out here if you want, but it’ll be alone. Goodnight.” Not waiting for a response, I headed to the bedroom. Closing the door behind me, I stripped down to my boxers and climbed under the covers. As I waited for sleep to find me, I wondered what Uriah was up to. For the billionth time I considered going to him, but I couldn’t. If he was happy, I couldn’t interfere. I was just dosing off when my phone rang. Snatching it up, my heart fluttered when I saw Uriah’s name light up. I hit accept without a second thought.
“Angel, I’m so sorry for breaking up with you. If you say I’m you’re one and only, I believe you. I can’t stand us being apart. I need you. I need to feel you inside me.”
“Aaron?” I nearly swallowed my tongue. The voice on the other end was not my ex, it was his father, Jedediah. My ears intently caught fire.
“Mr. Smith?”
“It’s just Jedediah.”
“Of course. Uh, what’s up?” I tried to sound casual even though my insides were melting from embarrassment.
“There has been an incident. It’s Uriah, he’s not himself.”
“What happened?” Fear quickly overshadowed humiliation.
“He’s acting strange, impulsive, extremely emotional. I thought maybe seeing you would calm him down.”
“I’ll be right there,” I said before hanging up. My initial thought was to jump in my car and drive to the National Forest, but it was an hour away. Whatever’s going on with my ex, I didn’t want him to have to wait that long. Pulling up my contacts, I called Jean-Luc.
“Hey, sorry to bother you,” I started, but before I could go any further, he interrupted.
“Hello, Aaron. Sorry it took so long to get back to you. I’ve been kind of busy. The new genetic suppressant is ready. I’ll have it to you in a second. Where are you right now?”
“Uh, the Sunrise Apartments near the University. Room 309. I’m in the bedroom.” The line immediately went dead. While the alien was doing whatever he needed to do, I got dressed. In all honesty, I’d completely forgotten about Uriah’s new genetic suppressant. Maybe if I’d remembered, whatever was going on with him now could’ve been avoided. Not allowing myself to board the blame train, I quickly pulled on a t-shirt, jeans and shoes. Just as I was lacing them up, the Vongarian appeared in my room. He was holding three vials of liquid, each a different color. One red, one green and one blue.
“Where is Uriah?” he asked, his Alice blue eyes briefly scanning the room.
“Uh, in his world,” I replied, straightening up. “I’ll need you to transport me to the National Forest.”
“Okay. We can go together.”
“That won’t be necessary. Just tell me how to administer the new genetic suppressant and I’ll take it from there.”
“Are you sure? I’d be glad to help.”
I didn’t know if that was true or not, but I didn’t want to be responsible for showing a Vongarian a portal to Antomia. I was under the impression that was something the Antomolites wouldn’t approve of.
“Thanks, but no thanks. I can handle it.”
“Okay.” he handed me the three vials. “The red one is to be taken first. It will kill off any remanence of the original suppressant. After he drinks it, wait one minute before introducing the blue vial. It contains the new genetic suppressant. Follow that one immediately with the green. It’s designed to establish the new organisms and unsure their survival.”
“Okay, got it.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you? This process must be exact otherwise it won’t work.”
“I can remember. Now hurry up and transport me. Uriah needs my help.”
“As you wish.” Jean-Luc placed his hand on my shoulder and a second later, I was surrounded by trees. Through the branches I could see the Visitor’s Center parking lot. Pivoting on my heel, I hurried to the small clearing that housed the portal. There, Jedediah was waiting for me.
“There you are,” he said, returning Uriah’s phone to his pocket. “I was just about to call you again. We must hurry.”
“Of course.” I followed him through the gateway. On the other side, he headed into the trees toward the canyon. He didn’t say a word, but I could see concern and fear etched on his face. Knowing my ex’s condition could only have gotten worse over the last two and a half months, I shuttered to think what he was going through.
A few yards from the portal, I was faced with the most bizarre scene I’d ever witnessed. A large group of F
lyers formed a circle around Uriah. Some of them were on the ground while others took to the air. If they were communicating, I couldn’t hear it. On getting closer, I noticed that my ex had a firm grip around his mother’s neck. His wings were spread, feathers raised. His face was red and full of fury, his pale locks a tangled mess. I knew he was communicating telepathically with the crowd around him, but I had no idea what was being said. Every once in a while he’d pull his mother flush against himself and beat his wings, lifting a few feet into the air. Why he didn’t go any higher was made clear when I noticed the ball and chain around his left ankle. It looked as if the Flyers had secured it there in an attempt to keep him from taking off. After surveying the scene for a moment, I came to the conclusion that he was trying to leave with his mother who was clearly a hostage. The Flyers were trying to stop him. Unfortunately for them, he was a giant in comparison. The single ball and chain was keeping him from ascending into the sky, but only just. Several winged people were trying to get close enough to secure another one to his right ankle, but every time they approached, he’d spin around and swipe at them with his free hand or with his out-stretched wings. And because he had such an immense wingspan, it was virtually impossible for any Flyers to get too close. Whatever tactic they used to secure the first ball and chain clearly wasn’t working. It looked like the people in front of him were trying to act as a distraction so others could come up from behind, but he would always spin around before they could get close enough. Right as I arrived, one Flyer didn’t get away in time and received a brutal blow from one of my ex’s wings, sending the tiny man cartwheeling. A couple of his friends just managed to grab him before he hit the ground. Coming to a halt a few feet away, I was forcibly reminded of King Kong as Uriah turned on the spot, continuing to swipe at anyone who got too close. He was like the monster and they were the frightened village people, however, no one looked as scared as his mother. Her eyes bulged from their sockets as he maintained a firm grip on her. Whenever he tried to take flight, he’d wrap his arm around her waist and I’d see the obvious bruises at her throat.
The Flyer (The Flyer Series Book 1) Page 49