Dark Kings (Feathers and Fate #1) - Sadie Moss Page 0,42
an even better idea of who they are, of what makes them tick, if I can observe them without them knowing it.
That’s only a little bit creepy, right?
Ugh. Shut up, brain.
Turning invisible, I slip out of bed and pad over to the door. It doesn’t make a noise as it shuts behind me, and I tiptoe back out into the main living room.
The men are settled on the elegant couches. Well, Remington and Phoenix are on the couches. Ford is pacing back and forth, obviously too full of angry energy to sit still, while Beckett is sitting on the lounge chair like it’s a throne. The dynamic between them does seem very sibling-esque right now, the kind of dynamic I’ve seen between characters on TV shows all the time: the commanding oldest sibling who expects to be obeyed, the angry middle child, the peacekeeping middle child, and the spoiled, lazy baby of the family.
For a moment, they don’t look like powerful supernatural beings. They just look like ordinary people with ordinary family problems.
But they’re not discussing ordinary problems at all.
Ford’s got a drink in his hand—actually, all of them do—and he’s waving it around for emphasis. “I don’t fucking trust her. She’s got something going on. And you know what a goddamn shit show it’ll be if we keep her around. It’s fucking dangerous.”
“Yeah, I’m with Ford here,” Phoenix says, spreading out on the couch as if he’s melting into it. He takes a sip of his drink and grimaces. “Really, bro? All this fancy Glenfiddich stuff, and you couldn’t just keep some regular beer in the place too? Anyway, I’m with Ford. I mean, come on. She can’t be good for us. How do we know this isn’t some kind of trap?”
“She’s not nearly devious enough to trap us.” Beckett’s voice is blunt. “Did any of you observe her at all today? Every emotion she has is written on her face.”
I bristle, an embarrassed blush heating my cheeks. I know I’d never make the world’s best poker player, but still. Rude.
My only consolation is the thought that if he’s really able to read every emotion on my face, then he knows what a domineering asshole I think he is sometimes.
I bite my lip, surprised at the word that just popped into my head. Swearing is another one of those things angels aren’t strictly forbidden from doing, but that the higher-ups would never do in polite company.
My gaze strays back to the men in the living room. But then, I’m not really in polite company anymore, am I?
“…not the point,” Nix is saying in his languid drawl. “Since when do we get involved in either Heaven or Hell’s business? That shit doesn’t involve us.”
“No,” Beckett growls. “But Earth does. You really want a bunch of corrupted overrunning this place? No one in this room will win if that happens. Except maybe Ford.”
Phoenix and Remington both turn to look at their brother, and Ford freezes, tilting his head. It’s clear he’s had some kind of thought, and I lean forward a little.
What is he thinking? He looks oddly like a tiger that’s about to—
In the blink of an eye, he moves.
Spinning on his heel, the blond fighter leaps at me, just like a predator pouncing. I scream in fear and surprise, going visible out of shock, and leap back out of the way, unfurling my wings and using them as leverage to escape him.
But there’s nowhere to go. Beckett’s apartment is on the top floor, and despite his earlier threats to throw me out the window, I can’t see any windows that even look like they’ll open.
Frick!
Ford chases me around the room, and I feel like a chicken with its head cut off, half flying, half scrambling, trying to get away. His rage is palpable and terrifying, and I don’t want anything to do with it. I know it’s probably stupid, but I’ve never been so scared in my life.
I really might pee my pants this time.
Remington is saying something, probably trying to calm his brother down, while Phoenix is being decidedly unhelpful by yelling at us like he’s watching a football game.
One of Ford’s hands closes over my wing, and I scream again. He yanks me back so that I land hard on the cool, polished floor. The wind is knocked out of me and it hurts to inhale, tears stinging my eyes from the adrenaline and shock as Ford pins me down, straddling me.