The cave was no surprise: Solid stone tunnel, frigid scrabble and dirt underfoot. In the distance, well, what distance; the sunlight stopped at a sharp line, an edge into a nightmare. The still air was like cold metal to my skin, smells of mold and dirt lingering. One whiff of this space would keep the average angel away, but no, not Vyn.
Angie and I approached the boys when I asked, “Why do we have to be in here again?”
“Hello-lo-lo,” Vyn bounced his voice down the tunnel, turned to me. “I need to find a few samples.”
Angie said to me, “Just relax. It’s no big deal.”
Relax? Yeah, right. Scanning the space, I hugged myself with a quick shiver, hands rubbing my bumpy arms as my teeth began to click. “It’s freezing in here.”
“This’ll only take a minute,” Vyn said.
“Five minutes, Vyn,” I said. “I mean it. If you’re not out in five minutes, you’re cut off. Do you understand? You’ll never be flappin with these wings ever again.”
Vyn’s face cramped into a somewhat terrified look; I knew he understood.
Jaydenn placed a weighty hand on Vyn’s folded wing, patted and said to me, “Don’t you worry. I’ll make sure this little guy’s out in less than five.”
As I gave Jaydenn a smirk, two yellow dots appeared down in the dark abyss. Narrowing my eyes, I leaned forward, felt the hairs on my neck rise to attention. “What is that?”
“It’s nothing to worry about,” Vyn said.
My gaze locked on the dots for a long moment.
They blinked. Okayi’mouttahere.
In less than a second, I was hopping around on the rocky landing outside, trying to shake the feeling off my skin. Laughter echoed behind me, but I didn’t care. Flappin creepy in there and I was not going back in. Nice and warm in the sun, and when I walked to the edge I could see the flowers below.
Angie giggled her way out of the cave, so I wheeled around, hugging myself.
“Sweet, Ellie. You’re so funny.” She wrapped her arms around me, pinning my arms to my chest while I continued to hug myself, my chin cradled on her shoulder. She added, “I love you so much, little sister. It’s all right.” She let out a chuckle. But the hug was nice.
She drew back, looking at me, waiting for a smile that I couldn’t manage to give her. I felt so small, on the edge of tears as I whimpered, “I want to go, now.”
“We will. They’ll be out in a few minutes.”
Again, I tried to smile, but it felt more like a scrunched-up crooked face.
Vyn and Jaydenn sauntered out of the cave. I emptied a sigh while they made their way to us. Vyn was holding a clear, tube-like thingy about the size of his palm as he said, “See, I told you I’d be right out.”
“What is it?” I asked, didn’t really care about the answer but tried to gather myself.
Angie gave Vyn a don’t-you-dare look. Jaydenn was busy brushing dirt off his slacks.
“C’mon, guys,” I said. “I’m not that fragile, just tell me.”
“Are you sure you wanna know?” Vyn asked.
“Just flappin tell me already before I punch you in the forehead.”
“Okay,” Vyn said, lifting it up. “This here is a genuine angel bone.” He smirked.
My hand slapped over my gaping mouth. I lied. I didn’t want to know. Why would he be— I couldn’t even think it.
“Are you okay?” Angie asked with concern.
I lowered my hand, said to Vyn, “Why would you— I mean, where?”
“There’s a bunch in there.”
“How did they get there?”
“You know those eyes?”
The chills came back with a twinge up my spine as I shook the word out, “Yeah.”
“Well, that might’ve been a hunter.”
“Let’s go, now!” I stomped away, then pulled my shoes off and tossed them in my bag. Standing near the ledge, with my wings unfurled, I turned and shot a paralyzing glare at Vyn, letting him know that his stupid little antics just got him cut off. A headshake. An exasperated sigh. Then I pushed off the landing with my bag in hand. I could carry it. The mall would help. Shopping cures everything and I would go with or without those idiots.
CHAPTER 6
“How are my girls?” Dad asked in his gruff voice while Angie and I strolled into his den, more like a library, but whatever. While we approached over the hardwood floor, Dad lifted from his desk chair, squinted his smiling green eyes at us, creases on his stubbled face.
“Well you look nice, Dad,” I said. “I see Mom gave you a haircut.”
“You like it?” He scrubbed a hand through it. “She did a good job, didn’t she? I asked her to get rid of the gray, but she wouldn’t have it.”
“She’s right, you should leave it. It looks distinguished, all that salt and pepper.”
He stood about the same height as Jaydenn, though Dad’s frame held about fifty more pounds of muscle under his polo shirt and tailored slacks. When he pulled me into a Dad hug, one of my favorite things—a strong, enveloping embrace, full of feeling—I breathed in the wonderful scent of his familiar cologne.
After the father-daughter hugs, glancing around, I couldn’t help but notice this room obviously belongs to a male. Brown tones saturated the space. Oil paintings hung here and there; warrior angels in various forms of winged glory. Ceiling-high bookcases cover the east wall, and the south wall is all glass, providing a picturesque view of the Rocky Mountain range outside. A flat screen TV hung on the paneled west wall, a small couch in a sitting area before it. The den is the only room with a TV, Mom wouldn’t allow one anywhere else. She finds it annoying. I tend to agree, except maybe an occasional movie. Or the Angel’s Closet fashion show—also known to us girls as The Day—our personal holiday full of cotton, silk, and perfume presents. My favorite day.
Dad had earned this immaculate home perched high on Conall Mountain. After retiring from professional sports, then building his construction firm from the ground up, and selling it—keeping only his prize investment, the Angelic Inn—he figured it was time for a little style, time to enjoy the spoils of his labor. Retirement looks good on Dad, and Mom enjoys his constant presence. In all my life, I’d never seen them so happy.
Dad ambled over to the bar, stood with his folded wings covering his back. Angie and I waited at his desk, watching him. He pulled a rocks-glass and set it on the polished bar surface. “I assume you girls are going shopping.” Ice cubes clinked in his glass. While pouring from a crystal decanter, he added, “You can stay for a few minutes. Catch me up on the gossip. Let me know how the boys are treating you. They’ll be along shortly, I assume?”
“Yeah,” I said, “they’ll be here in a minute. I think they’re raiding the kitchen.”
Dad turned with glass in hand. “Yeah? Don’t you mean, yes, Ellie?” He took a sip.
Angie snickered, not the victim this time but she knew how it felt. Dad always had this thing with formal words, but I never could figure out why, since he never bothered to correct himself. Maybe it was an unconscious habit, who knows.
Whatever.
Dad lowered into his desk chair, aimed eyes on me. “How’s the study going, sweetheart. You’re keeping up the grades, right?”
And there it was.
Angie gave me a supportive, sister grin. We set our bags to the floor, and took a seat in the handcrafted chairs before the desk. I crossed a leg, stacked my palms on my lap. Angie followed my lead and said, “Dad, you know she’s in college now, right? She’s all grown up.”
Dad studied us for a moment … He took a sip, set his glass to the desk and rocked back on his wings, folded his hands on his lap. “Of course she is. My girls are grown now. Sometimes I forget. I’m very proud of you both.” As he paused to consider, his gaze averted to the window wall. He eventually added, “You know, I still remember your mother bouncing you on her knee. You two, our angels, don’t you ever forget that.” He directed apologetic eyes on me. “I’ll make more of an effort to remember your age, swe
etheart.”
His words dropped into my heart. NO, came to mind as I reflected on my childhood. The times he used to take us to his favorite wilderness places, or our favorite spot by Quake Lake. We would go for hikes with me on his shoulders, Angie running and flying ahead of us with Mom. How could I deny him that feeling? I missed it, too. And at that simple moment, I understood how much.
“It’s okay, Dad,” I said. “I don’t mind. We love you.” When I glanced at Angie, she tucked some hair behind her ear. Her grin and soft eyes showed agreement with me.
“By the way, where is Mom?” I asked Dad.
“She’s in town. She didn’t take the car so I imagine she’ll be back soon. There’s only so much she can carry in flight.”
The solid oak doors to the den swung open. Jaydenn and Vyn strolled in, each with an ice-filled glass of tea in hand. Vyn had combed his hair for a presentable appearance. He’d also shaved his stubble off; a few little bandages dotted his jawline.
Dad’s dog, a chocolate lab named Bub, padded into the room and made his way to sniff his greetings. I pet his head and ears as he wagged his tail and wiggled. “Oh, such a good boy, Bubby. I missed you too.” He licked my hand, and then went on his doggy way, over to his usual spot by the windowed wall to sprawl out in the sun.
“Phil,” Jaydenn announced as he strode to Dad for one of those official male handshakes.
After the male formalities, Jaydenn paced over and stood beside the smiling Angie. Vyn walked over to me and bent a kiss to my forehead. So nice, but the lack of stubble was a little disappointing. His lips melted all the hard feelings I had over his stupidity at the cave. As he drew back, I said to him, “You shaved, huh?”
“Yeah, I tried.” He stood behind me with his free hand on my shoulder.
Dad lowered to his desk chair. “Well, boys, you have a nice tour of the house?”
“Yes, sir,” Vyn replied. “Quite a home you got here.”
“I got here?” One brow cocked up. “Don’t you mea—”
“Dad,” I said, beamed a look. He just grinned at me.
“So, Vyn,” Dad said, “I see you finally put some meat on those bones. And looks like you had a go with a razor. You take care of my Elle, right?”
“Of course.” He cleared his throat. “Only my best intentions, sir.”
Yeah, what about the cave and the teasing; the thought jumped in my mind.
Dad smirked, lifted his glass, swirled the cubes, took a drink and tapped it down. He looked at Vyn. “Well, I’m sorry to hear that. If she’s anything like her mother, your intentions better take on a little tarnish if you wanna keep a smile on her face”—Angie let out some sort of snorted chuckle—“And please, call me Phil. We’re all family here.”
“Dad,” I objected, heat filling my face as I pushed some hair behind my ear. Vyn’s hand warmed my shoulder. I wasn’t sure whether it was due to male hormones, or a nervous reaction over the family comment.
Dad said, “What, you know it’s true, Ellie. I’m just trying to help.”
Read my mind, Dad, look in my eyes, read my mind, change the subject.
Dad angled his grin up to Jaydenn. Jaydenn nodded a crooked smile with some sort of male understanding, and tipped back a drink. Angie, with a glow on her face, took Jaydenn’s hand.
Ugh. It did get me thinking about our relationship, though. Would Vyn ever pop the question? Does he even want to marry me? He hasn’t even told me he loves me yet. I placed a hand over Vyn’s on my shoulder. Warm. Lovely.
“What are you boys up to these days?” Dad asked. “Jay, you join the team yet?”
“No, not much of a football player, just a fan.”
“Well, you have the strength and size to go pro if you ever change your mind. The StarWings could use a new back.”
Dad always had a way to bring up his glory days. When he started to talk about the football games, I looked up to the wall behind him and began to peruse his collage of photos. In one, he stood with a group of massive angels, all scarred and marred with dirt, a few teeth short of a full smile. They had an angel trophy held in front of them by Dad and another teammate. In the trophy case on the right, the crystal-winged angel caught the light like a faceted diamond, gleaming with muscled history. He’d been a professional once, famous.
Vyn squeezed my shoulder with a hint of discomfort. I patted and rubbed his hand to reassure him that I wasn’t interested in those sport things. Who gave a flap about some ludicrous game? They’d throw a ball around, try to see who had the power to break through other egocentric males to cross a line without dropping it. Then dance some asinine embarrassing wing dance. They’d hoot, holler and grunt some guttural animal sounds. The stadium crowd would erupt into cheers, chanting Yay! Woo-hoo! Or something like that. Okay, I guess, whatever flitters your feathers.
“We’ve got much more on our plate,” Jaydenn said to Dad. “Actually, we need to discuss something with you. You wanna play a game, build a team? Well, we have just what you need. This game has much more at stake, though.” He took a grinning sip.
Dad’s face tightened with intrigue, a sharpened serious gaze as if he sensed something. He lifted his glass, emptied his drink as the ice cubes clicked against his teeth. He set the glass back to his desk. Then rose, stretched out his full wingspan—the slightest hint of blue iridescence to his feathers, the color that showed interest in something—and folded them back to rest between his shoulders. He paused, nodded. “Well, what’s say you tell me about this?” A taut grin deepened the creases on his face, before he tramped around the desk and ambled across the room, over his shoulder he said, “Let’s discuss this at the table.”
Jaydenn followed with drink in hand. Vyn gave a quick squeeze to my shoulder, and released to join them at the polished conference table on the far side of the room—the strategy slab, Dad called it. Maps, papers, sports schedules, construction documents, books and such, stacked and organized as a leader’s base of operations. All the time growing up, Angie and I knew to avoid this table, but he’d remind us to stay away from it. The bookshelves are what drew our childhood interest, particularly the bottom shelf; the enticing story shelf. In the room that smelled of paper and dreams, we’d sprawl out on the floor together in our soft cotton PJ’s, spread a book in front of us, flipping our feet in the air while we discussed our kid fantasies.
As the males began to talk, jab, snort and chortle at the table, Angie and I exchanged smiles, the mall on our minds. Let the boys be boys. We had silk clothes and designer shoes dancing through our thoughts. Dad interrupted, “Girls, come over here, please. You need to hear this. The mall can wait.”
What now?
Angie’s grin seemed to say, Just calm down, Ellie, have some patience.
Blowing out a breath, I pushed from my chair. Angie got to her feet, laid a hand on my shoulder with a smile. While she tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear she said, “We’ll go in a little while, sis. Let’s just see what they want, okay?”
I tried to smile, didn’t work, more like a lip twitch that earned a snicker from Angie.
We walked over and stood at the table opposite Vyn and Jaydenn.
At the head of the wood slab, Dad leaned palms flat on the surface, eyes down at a map of some sort. “That should do. We’ll iron out all the details later. I think it’s about time we did something about this.” He pushed off the table, marched around behind Vyn and placed his hands on Vyn’s shoulders. A grimace crinkled Vyn’s face. Dad had never done that before, to Vyn. The air in the room seemed to go still. Even Bub, on his belly over by the windowed wall, lifted his head in curiosity.
Vyn tightened straight up, one eye twitching. He always seemed to do that around Dad for some reason. He aimed wide eyes on me. Poor Vyn ... The look on his face, though. I lifted my hand over my mouth to cover a giggle so he wouldn’t feel so … small. Dad hovered behind and above him. Angie and Jaydenn exchanged grins; they’d been through this before.
The weight of the moment s
ent a tickle of energy through my wings. I felt like I was standing at an altar and a candle was about to be lit in honor of our past youth. I waited. Dad took his time, smiling at me, holding onto Vyn’s shoulder as if he was presenting me with a gift.
My heart fluttered for the future. Emotion welled up like an underground spring that found the surface and began to bubble in the sunlight. But I knew that look on Vyn’s face; nervous pressure. Why can’t everyone just leave him alone?
“Well, Vyn,” Dad eventually said, “looks like we have some work to do. I’m proud of you, son. Change the world you will. I’ll be there with anything you need.” Judging by Vyn’s slight wince, I could tell Dad squeezed a little tighter on his shoulder, a clenching confirmation to back up his words.
“I appreciate that, sir, uh, Phil.”
Dad nodded, grinned. “That’s better. Doesn’t that sound better?”
Vyn’s muscles seemed to relax, as if years of carrying around tension just fell away into the past. He breathed out long and smooth with the words, “Yes, it does, much better.”
“Good.” Dad patted Vyn’s shoulders with a few quick movements, and walked back to the head of the table. Mission accomplished, it seemed. My gaze stayed on Vyn as I tucked some hair behind my ear, my chin down just enough so I could look up at him under my lashes. Vyn gave me that smile, those dimples—familiar, yet somehow different.
Dad broke me out of my concentration when he said, “I think we should do something else. It’s time you two moved into a place.” He aimed eyes on me. “I was thinking we should go ahead and construct a home for both of you. It’s time for you two to settle. Vyn can be near his work. You two are a little young, I know, but you’ve been together all your lives. I trust you can handle yourselves maturely.”
My mouth had frozen into a large O. My eyes had stretched wide. After a moment of dreams whirling around in my head, my mind got up from the floor and I exhaled the words, “Oh, Dad, you don’t have to do that for us. We can—”
“Of course you can,” he stopped me. “I know that. It’s time, though. This is the perfect opportunity for me to do something special for my girls.”
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