Chapter 12 #2
Though the cabin needed a lot of work, my first efforts went toward securing it.
If Darryl came up here, I wanted to make sure he couldn’t get inside easily.
It didn’t make sense to carry my computer back and forth, but I couldn’t afford for him to find it either, so I left everything in the hidden tool cabinet every evening.
I parked the Jeep out front but moved it regularly, a sign someone lived there, and, as long as the home looked maintained and somewhat inhabited, he shouldn’t have a reason to barge in.
So far, I hadn’t noticed any signs that anyone else was visiting the cabin. Up at the big house, we weren’t so lucky.
I was returning later than usual, the sun balancing on the horizon, when I felt my Monster’s agitation. I flapped my black-feathered wings as fast as I could, heading straight toward him. I located him in the den with Darryl.
Come in through the courtyard, Corvus. I need you.
I wriggled back out of the small hole in the roof and flew in through the open doors of his room.
The room leading down the hallway was shut, and I had no choice but to change back to human.
I had no intention of being caught by either man in only my bare skin, so I opened a giant armoire in search of clothing.
The heavy door swung open, showcasing a row of neatly hung shirts and pants.
He didn’t create his clothing from thin air, after all.
And he owned something besides flannel shirts, although I had yet to see him wear anything else in his human form.
In his natural form, he only wore kilts, which didn’t interfere with his wings.
A crisp white shirt hung in the armoire, and I pulled it from its hanger.
It looked relatively new, and due to its size, it was more than long enough to cover my girl parts.
I buttoned up and headed out to face Darryl. I slowed in front of my room. Would it be better to wear something less suggestive? Or would my scant dress help convince Darryl I was here for the right reasons? Whatever those were.
I kept walking, shoring up my confidence. When I reached the den, it was quiet. But as I opened the door, Darryl’s voice hammered into the normally silent space.
“I don’t see any official documentation granting you rights to live here.”
I stepped inside, where the men stood facing one another in the center of the room.
Darryl wore a suit, and a dark suitcase sat on the ground next to him.
Camazotz wore his human skin, choosing a blue plaid flannel in place of the red one he wore the other day.
The jeans may have been the same. His body language showed no signs of stress, muscles lax in direct contrast to Darryl’s aggressive stance.
Daryl looked ready to pounce on the older, momentarily subservient man.
He couldn’t know his eyes didn’t show him the truth.
I was more worried about how relaxed my Monster looked, because it couldn’t bode well for Darryl when he finally reached the end of his patience.
“I don’t see how this is any of your business. The owners of this estate have appointed me as the groundskeeper. They do not need your permission.” His hands hung loosely at his sides, and he stood back on his heels.
Darryl glanced at me as I approached. “I’ve done some digging, and everything I’ve found says you don’t belong up here. Freya, how long have you known this man?”
I rolled my eyes because Freya? Really? Instead of answering, I slid a hand under Camazotz's left arm and wound it around his waist. I rolled onto my tiptoes and gave him a sweet kiss on his cheek. My Monster smiled. I turned to face the intruder with a matching smile on my face.
“What’s wrong, Darryl? How have we angered you today?”
“Where have you been, Freya? I’ve been asking to see you, and Benjamin refused to get you.”
“Are you one of those politician types who believes simply repeating a lie makes it true?”
“What?”
“Why do you keep calling me Freya? I don’t get it.”
Darryl let out an exasperated groan as Camazotz chuckled, a rich, sinful sound more like his true self than his human one.
“Look, I’m not going to repeat myself, so listen up.
” He leaned down to pick up his briefcase.
“Your years of squatting up here illegally are over. I am filing paperwork to evict you from this land. The sheriff’s office will be out in the next few days to make sure you comply.
We don’t need your kind around these parts.
We’re good folk, and our tolerance has come to an end. ”
Camazotz slipped from my grip. He moved swiftly, grabbing the briefcase and tossing it into the fireplace where a hearty fire burned. Darryl and I stood glued to the ground, too surprised to move. By the time Darryl recovered, Camazotz was up in his face, staring down at the much smaller man.
“I wouldn’t recommend threats.” His voice was deep, barely human, but Darryl was too stupid to realize the danger he was in.
He pulled a handgun from somewhere under his jacket and pointed it at my face. I took a step back, eyes riveted on the black hole at the end of the barrel.
“You just destroyed my property, you freak. Take a step back, or I will kill your little toy.”
Camazotz looked over at me. Don’t worry, Corvus, I won’t let him hurt you. He turned back to the stupid man. I didn’t acknowledge his silent promise, having more faith in him than I’d ever had before in anyone else.
“Consider your next move carefully.”
“Or what? Are you going to end me?” He cocked the gun and pointed it at my Monster.
My heart pounded out the next few milliseconds.
The gun fired, blood spurted in a bright red explosion, and my Monster lunged toward the man who tried to kill him.
Time stopped for a few heartbeats and then stretched slowly.
Then it slipped into warp speed. Camazotz grabbed Darryl by the neck and pinned him to the nearest wall, which was a good twenty feet from where they had been standing.
He moved them so swiftly that, to my human eyes, they seemed to teleport across the room.
My heart must have stopped because it restarted with a vengeance.
I ran toward them, afraid I’d be too late.
Camazotz had kept his human shape, but he’d grown in size, and his skin had darkened.
He held Darryl by his throat, pinned against the wall, like he weighed no more than a scared cat.
The man had lost all his bravado. Camazotz held him with the same hand that had been shot, the wound already mended by the time I reached them.
“Don’t kill him,” I practically shouted.
“He tried to kill us after threatening to kick us out of our house. I should crush his skull with my fingers.”
Darryl gurgled, blood leaking from his mouth. I grabbed my Monster’s thick arm.
“If he never comes down from the mountain, then they will come after you.” Trust me, I can make sure he never comes back. I pleaded, hoping he’d believe me.
He looked at me, finally. How can you be certain?
Just give me a chance?
His hand loosened its grip, and Darryl collapsed on the floor. I leaned over but couldn’t see his chest rise. Was he dead? I kneeled next to him, feeling for his pulse. It was faint but there.