Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
Akai stared up at the tree where his nest was perched between branches. Even though he knew it was up there, it was still hard to make out.
“Are you sure this is the tree?” Cole walked around, peering up between branches.
“Yes.” He ran his finger over a marking in the bark. It let people, monsters, know that it was his. Or at least that it was one of the nests his family had created and used. These days, it was mostly him.
Cole glanced at him. “And you want me to climb up there to retrieve your bags?”
“You said you would, since I can’t get up there.” They had discussed it over breakfast while sitting on the deck.
“You can climb the same as me.”
Akai grimaced. He didn’t want anyone in his nest…no, that wasn’t quite right. But inviting someone into his nest was kind of serious. He’d never done it. And while he wasn’t inviting Cole into his nest for reasons, it still wasn’t how he’d imagined the first invitation going.
Cole’s gaze narrowed. “Why are you being so fidgety?”
Akai was trying hard not to be fidgety, but his toes kept flexing into the dirt, and his wings kept moving, which hurt.
“What’s up there? No bullshitting.” Cole crossed his arms. After breakfast, he’d gone into his bedroom and dressed. Unfortunately, he’d closed the curtains so Akai couldn’t watch. He only wanted to watch because he was curious about humans. What did other monsters see in them?
They were kind of small and hairless and had no claws, which made Akai want to do everything he could to keep Cole safe. He was pretty sure Cole would refuse all help. Not only that but sending him up a tree was not exactly keeping him safe.
“My bag…which is full of the jewelry I’ve made.” And his phone and some snacks. Things he didn’t want to leave up there unattended.
“And?” Cole prompted. “That’s not why you’re twitchy.”
“Inviting someone to my nest is a mating thing.”
“A mating thing?”
“You know…um…” He looked away. Cole had already invited him into his nest, which is why this was so confusing and probably why he was more interested than he should be. “A sex thing.”
Though that wasn’t quite right either because he’d had plenty of sex that didn’t involve his nest.
“Oh.” Cole blushed.
“But with more commitment.” He rushed on.
“Not helping. And we aren’t dating or having sex. I’m only going up there to get your bag.”
“Yes, but I’ve never invited anyone into my nest before, and you’re going without me.”
Cole lifted his eyebrows and stared at him. “Do you want me to go or not?”
“Yes…and no. And I don’t want you to fall.” That would only tangle their fates further, and it was already a mess.
Cole huffed out a breath. “I have rope. I can get up there.”
“But can you get down safely?”
He smiled. “You can catch me.”
“That’s not funny.” As much as he didn’t want to leave his things up there in case another monster flew over and took them, or a crow got overly interested in the snacks and then the shiny jewelry. He didn’t like this plan either. “Maybe I should try and climb up myself.”
Sure, his balance was off because he couldn’t use his wings, and his arm burned every time he lifted it, but if he fell, he should be able to glide down. Should.
“So now you don’t want me seeing your nest.” Cole lifted his eyebrows. “You’re giving mixed signals. You want to see me naked, but you don’t want to take me home.”
Akai’s mouth opened, but he didn’t get the chance to argue.
“I’m teasing.” Cole’s smile widened.
“I can tell.” He hadn’t been sure, but he wasn’t admitting to that.
Cole made a noise like he didn’t believe him. “How much do you interact with humans?”
“As little as possible.” Except at the solstice party, when they quite often bought jewelry for their mates.
“Because of your sister?”
“Not specifically. But there is a long history of let’s call it antagonistic behavior between our kinds.”
“We’re doing a pretty good job of helping each other.”
Akai nodded. He was enjoying it a bit too much. He needed his phone so he could talk to Lick about what was going on. Not that anything was going on. He should never have become so obsessed with watching a human. Though given their history, perhaps it had been inevitable.
“I’ll get the rope.” Cole left him standing at the base of the tree as he returned to his truck, which appeared to be filled with all kinds of useful items.
Several minutes later, he returned with rope and gloves. “I feel like you will owe me after this.”
“I agree. I can offer you a piece of jewelry.”
“Oh, so now you’re inviting me to your nest and giving me jewelry.” He put his hand on his chest. “I’m not marrying you.”
Akai snorted. “You’d know if I was asking you to be my mate.”
“Would I?”
“Yes.” It was ridiculous to think that he’d take a human mate. Humans like to live in houses, and he liked to move around. Not only that, but he flew, and humans didn’t. It was different for monsters who walked like humans; they had more in common.
Besides, he wasn’t even looking for a mate.
But he was tired of doing everything alone. He looked at Cole again. They had been brought together for a reason.
Maybe it was something he should consider. It had been fun to watch Cole on the deck yesterday. He always enjoyed watching him, especially when he’d been building the cabin.
He dragged his gaze away and pretended that he was contemplating the problem of getting up the tree without wings. “I don’t climb trees, so what’s the best way to do this?”
“Carefully.” Cole stared up. “Right, let’s do this.”
Akai glanced at him. “What exactly am I doing?”
“Watching,” Cole said with a nod.
“Maybe I should come with you.”
Cole gave him a look. “You already said you can’t do it, and I’ve already patched you up once.”
“But what if I need to patch you up?”
Cole pulled his phone out of his pocket. “You know what to do.”
Akai caught the phone with one hand. This had seemed much easier over breakfast. Much less dangerous.
Maybe his things would be safe up there for a couple of weeks until he could climb up and glide down. It would be longer until he could fly up. But without his phone, he couldn’t talk to anyone. He’d be on his own because Cole wouldn’t stay. He had a life in town…even if it was one he hated.
By the time he took his gaze off the phone, Cole had already started climbing. Akai could barely breathe as he watched. When he was several body lengths up, Cole paused for a rest.
“I can see it now. Is it like a normal bird nest?”
“There is no normal nest. Birds make all kinds of nests.”
“You know what I mean.”
He didn’t. “It’s like a hammock, but one side is protected.”
“So which side is open?”
“The side facing the cabin.”
“Creep.” Cole started climbing again, adjusting his route so he’d be on the open side of the nest.
Akai kept watch, but if Cole fell, it wasn’t the ground that was the problem; it was all the branches on the way down.
When it became harder to see him, it was all he could do to resist going after him.
He wanted to call out, but he didn’t want to distract him either.
He bounced on his toes, claws digging into the leaf litter.
Cole had been quiet for too long. Had he slipped and banged his head and was now hanging by the rope? He peered through the branches, trying to find him.
“This is kind of cozy,” Cole called down.
Akai’s shoulders sagged with relief. He’d made it up; now all he had to do was make it down. “Yes, it is.”
“And you have a very good view of my deck.”
He hadn’t built the original nest. “The valley.”
“My deck.”
“My nest was there first.” Though he had made adjustments to watch the construction and Cole better.
“I’m lowering the bags down on the rope.”
Leaves rustled, and then the bags fell toward him. He caught it, and his arm protested at the weight. It was heavier than he remembered. “Got them.”
“Stand back, and I’ll drop the rope.”
He put the bags on the ground and stepped away from the base of the tree. “Okay.”
The rope raced down the tree like a snake trying to flee a fire. It hit the ground and slithered to a stop. He looked at the rope, then up into the branches. “Please come down slower.”