To Fall (The To Fall Trilogy Book 1) (38 page)

56

Abby

“Abby, I think you just turned green.” Calista’s hand went to my neck.

Warmth spread into my skin and my stomach eased. “Thanks. Can you keep your hands on me, these roads are evil.”

Caleb laughed in the passenger seat. Bozo had somehow fallen asleep on his lap. “We’re not even to the worst part, Abby.”

Sitting up, I groaned.

Arriving early Friday morning, we secured a campsite with a few empty spots left. The air was clean, fresh, and smelled of earth and a fire from a neighboring site. The woody giants of aspen, fir, and pine surrounded us and blocked out direct sunlight. The stone fire pit bore leftover charred wood from previous campers and a rocky bed of dirt was the most comfort our site offered.

In the center of the camp was a concrete structure with working toilets and running water. I almost squealed until I realized that was the extent of it. No shower. No shower until Sunday night. No shaving until Sunday night. Gross. As if Xander needed more excuses not to practice with me.

Helping unload the gear, I didn’t know what to expect, but the Wrights packed an entire camping catalog. With just four tents, I wasn’t sure what the sleeping arrangements were since Xander pulled back on our practicing. I could hope we would be in a tent together, but running through the configurations, any one of them were possible.

The Wrights set up a stove, prep area, and a washing station. Coolers held food both healthy and of the junk variety. On the edge of our site, was a table and chairs for dining. Fishing gear perched against a tree.

Setting up the tents was a disaster. I fumbled with the tarps and poles; Xander and Caleb laughed at my efforts, so I cleaned the tent sites of rock or any debris that looked uncomfortable to have jammed into my back all night. Checking for snakes and spiders under rocks earned me a pat on the back from Hannah.

When I gazed up at the massive trees around us, birds flitted from limb to limb, and within the rustling bushes, I spotted squirrels. A thought occurred to me. “Hey, you guys aren’t gonna attract any skunks are you?”

No answer and gazes averted mine. Crap.

Once the tents were up, I helped take our bags and sleeping gear out of the car. I didn’t know where to put what, and there were four sleeping bags with four cots. Was I supposed to bring one? Ugh, I was out of my element here.

“Who gets stuck with the human?” I asked, wincing.

“I guess I’ll take you. They don’t want you, Abby. You snore.” Xander flashed a wicked grin, but his tone didn’t reassure me.

While everyone finished setting up, Xander and I went to the lake. I had to admit, it was serene and breathtaking with the sunlight caressing the water and tall trees acted as shade. I even ignored the fishy odor coming off the lake.

Sitting on the bank, I let the water lap my toes. Bozo played in the shallows and tried to catch bugs. I was halfway decent at getting the line in the water and that earned me a lingering kiss of no tongue, no hands, and no body contact. Again.

Xander and I sat and talked until my line tugged, which didn’t take long. He helped me reel in a trout, get the hook out, and we put it in our bucket for dinner. Looking out at the water, quite a few fish swirled nearby, attracted to my angel boyfriend. Would I ever get used to that?

By the time the others met up with us, I showed them I could be of use with the fish I caught. We hooked a few babies, which we threw back, but when we had enough for dinner, we packed up our gear. Caleb gutted the trout for me—I wasn’t gonna do it. I watched over Caleb’s shoulder with morbid curiosity.

“Your cute face is gonna stay like that, Abby.” Caleb laughed at my grimace.

“It’s so gross,” I breathed out and gripped his shoulders. Our fish dissection day in biology did nothing to desensitize me.

With a sly grin, Caleb grabbed the guts and leapt to smother me. The angels laughed, and no one helped save me from the slimy entrails.

I held my hands up creating an Abby-bubble. “No! If those touch me, I’m cooking tonight!”

“What’s wrong with you, Caleb?” Hannah held him back. “Drop the guts, Caleb, drop them! She’ll do it, I know!”

Caleb feigned panic. “No! I’m sorry, Abby. Don’t cook. Whatever you do, don’t cook, woman!”

They laughed again and I rolled my eyes, which made them laugh harder.

Hooting and hollering ruined our fun as two guys pulled their aluminum boat to shore and dragged coolers onto the bank. After setting up chairs and grabbing beers, they got louder. The Wrights glared at them. Even wasted, they caught fish, and I was surprised their loud obscenities didn’t scare them away. The bigger guy took no shame in blessing a spruce tree with three women in visible distance.

Xander grabbed me and grunted. “Come on. Let’s keep those cute ears and beautiful brown eyes innocent.” Taking my hand, we left for camp.

Xander started a fire, Caleb cooked, and I helped the girls get the picnic table ready. Some of the forest animals devoted to the Fabulous Four swooped in and grabbed the scraps from the dirt.

A blue pick-up truck rolled in and we heard the familiar drunk voices pull into the next site. By their stumbling and lewd gestures, I guessed they hadn’t improved on their sobriety. This might be a long night.

The angels were anxious for nightfall, and I had to laugh at their faces, like kids ready to open birthday presents. Calista and Hannah changed and the boys were shirtless. We walked to a remote part of the woods so the angels could reveal their true forms.

Xander lifted me up and we were off. It was a beautiful, clear night with a half-moon haloed by deep blue rings. If there were any campers looking up, they might have seen four lights darting around the sky. I wondered if the angels had ever been seen before.

“Can you fly fast with me?” I asked.

“You sure?”

I nodded, smiling.

His smile matched mine, and it seemed as though he had been waiting for me to ask. Xander changed his hold with my back to his chest and he linked both arms around me.

“Let me know if you feel sick,” he whispered. His lips skimmed my ear, then my neck. Tingles shot down my body and my skin warmed as I craned for more, but he stopped and I cooled, embarrassed for my enthusiasm.

He bolted in the sky, more daring and faster than normal. The ground blurred and the individual trees were indistinguishable. Below looked like a dark green carpet underneath the midnight sky. Xander swerved and rolled expertly through and around the treetops. Intermittently, a light swirled in front of us, but I couldn’t tell who was who.

With a few more turns, my stomach twisted and I felt too hot and confined. Xander sensed my nausea and slowed down, turning me, his skin warming. Placing my hands under his wings, the immense power of them beat against me and his feathers tickled my skin. I snuggled into his bare chest and breathed in his Heavenly scent. The increase of air rushing by my ears alerted me to our quickened pace.

His voice vibrated against my forehead. “Do you know when I chose you?”

“No, when?”

“After I asked you on our first date. I was flying and stopped on a hill that overlooked the city. I spoke to God about you and told Him that I wanted to stay with you. I wanted to share the spot on Earth where I chose to make you mine.”

My head snapped up. “Our lookout point?” He nodded and I said, “There’s so much about you I don’t know.”

He blinked, considering my observation. He knew I was right. He still kept secrets from me. “The most important thing you must know is how much I love you, and how much I can’t wait to spend our lives together.”

Risking the rejection, I kissed his jaw and followed down the column of his throat, feeling the slight scratch of hair against my lips.

He groaned, “Oh, why do you have to do that?”

“Sorry,” I mumbled, feeling another sting of refusal.

“I’m not. Let’s get back to the tent.” His voice was deep and husky.

Finally! “Such a guy.”

It didn’t take long to realize his siblings followed us and I fought to hide my disappointment. When someone uttered, “s’mores,” I knew whatever moment I had was gone. Food won out and we sat and ate by the campfire. I lost count after Caleb’s tenth. “S’mores have to be the best thing ever!” His blue eyes lit up, sucking marshmallow from his finger.

“Don’t you guys ever get stomachaches?”

They smiled and shook their heads. Xander assembled more sandwiches.

Armed with my toiletries, I headed to the bathroom structure and Bozo trotted along. I brushed my teeth, used the facilities, and changed into a pink sleep shirt after exhausting two baby wipes per body part. I was grimy from one day in the woods, desperate for a shower already. Two more filthy days to go.

I started back to camp.

“Hey, pretty little thing,” a man’s voice I didn’t recognize drawled.

Swiveling, the two drunks leaned against the structure, on the opposite side of the one flickering light coated in moths. The men were hefty but lacked the muscular definition of Xander and Caleb. I distinguished scruffy faces, dirty nails, and unfocused eyes.

Bozo stood by me with hackles raised and a growl emitted from his throat. My stomach dropped. Our site was on the other side of the structure; no one could see me over here.

Coming toward me, the taller one said, “We saw you down by the water today. What’s your name?”

My pulse jumped. “Going back to my camp,” I snapped.

Tall Dude held his hands up in mock innocence. “Ho. We’re just being neighborly. I’m Tim. This is Freddy. You from around here?” Both thumbs hooked in his belt loops.

I attempted to step around them, but they came closer and blocked me. Tim looked me up and down, stopping at my chest, and then licked his lips. Bozo bared his teeth and growled again.

As much as I tried to fight it, my voice shook. “My boyfriend’s going to look for me any minute.”

“Well, lucky for us, this will just take a minute,” Freddy slurred. In one movement, his leather belt went slack on either side of his open zipper.

Bozo barked.

Tim shifted behind me and snarled, “You should shut your dog up before I do.” I heard another tinny sound and flipped to Tim. His hand went down his underwear and gripped himself, an evil grin splitting his cracked lips.

“Xan—” Rough flesh that smelled of dirt and sweat covered my mouth. Freddy’s hot breath was sickening, bittersweet on my neck, his arousal pressing into my back. “He ain’t gonna hear you from here, sweetheart.”

I struggled, feeling my pulse jump to unsafe levels and air left my lungs.

Tim’s head craned back and his eyes widened. Freddy let me go, Xander landed in front of me, and I felt Caleb drop behind me with two
thuds
that vibrated the ground under my feet. Caleb gripped my wrist with a hot hand, calming my rapid heart.

“What do you assholes think you’re doing?” Xander growled, and by the position of his shoulders, I imagined he had on his scary eyes.

Tim’s hand left his pants. “Just sayin’ hello.”

Xander stepped closer, his body coiled. “Really? ’Cause I’ve never said hello to a pretty girl alone in the woods at night with my pants unzipped, holding my dick. You, Caleb?”

“Can’t say that I have. But I have said hello by breaking arms before. It has the unfortunate side effect of impairing one’s ability to hold their dick.”

“That sounds painful,” Xander observed.

Caleb said, “Ah. That would explain the screaming.”

Xander tilted his head at Tim. “What do you say, shit stains? May my brother and I say hello to you?”

Even in the little light, I could see the men blanched. Xander’s hand shot out to Tim’s neck. Looking behind me, Caleb had Freddy in the same hold.

After a long pause, Freddy stammered, “My apologies. We were just going back to our camp and we’ll leave as soon as we’re sober.”

Two pants zipped up.

Caleb seethed, “Next time you find yourself in this situation, don’t even think about saying,
hello
.” Caleb watched the two men stumble back to their camp.

There was further movement in the woods and rustling leaves; I assumed that because the boys weren’t concerned, it was Calista and Hannah on the perimeter.