Page 76 of Starlight

He walked over to the ladder and, with more confidence than he felt, he climbed up. Akai’s bags sat against the intersection of the tree trunk and roof. At least he’d been there. However, there didn’t appear to be any bedding. He needed to go back to the truck to grab it, unless Akai had gone to source some. He also wasn’t convinced he could find his way back to his truck on his own.

And he wasn’t ready to wander around monster town by himself.

Not yet.

He needed a moment, or several, to find his feet, but he only had a week before he needed to return home.

He set his bag down. The highest part of the roof allowed him to stand, even though it put him very close to the edge. A few small branches formed a delicate kind of railing, and the side opposite the trunk was made up of two other branches, reaching away from the platform.

After giving himself the guided tour, he sat down and dangled his legs off the edge, watching and waiting.

He’d expected Akai to be waiting for him. Perhaps he’d met friends or someone else he needed to see. Now Akai was at Yellowstone, he didn’t need Cole anymore. Had he become an afterthought?

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Akai was grateful that he didn’t have to climb all the way up into a nest and that Cole wouldn’t need to climb so high either. Something lower might be a good compromise. They could build it near Cole’s cabin and have the best of both their worlds.

He dropped the bags, not ready to set up the stall yet. He needed to know that Cole had gotten a token and was in before he did anything else—and that included going to see the healer about his wing.

His ass had barely hit the wood to wait when his father swooped past and swung in, using a branch for leverage. “Why aren’t you using a nest? We asked that you be placed near us.”

Akai stared at his father and blinked twice. “I didn’t know you were here?”

“We wanted to surprise you. We haven’t seen you in two years.” His father peered over the edge and then back at him. “You’re practically sleeping on the ground. What’s going on?”

Akai opened his mouth, still trying to process that his parents were here, at solstice, and Cole was about to turn up. This was not part of the plan. Not that there had been much of a plan beyond getting to solstice. He swallowed.

“Well? Are you hurt?”

Akai jumped on the lifeline and held on. “Yes. My wing got damaged a few weeks ago. I need to see the healer.”

“Is it serious?”

“No. It’s been stitched and is healing well.” He opened his wing enough for his father to see.

“Hmm. Maybe she can do something so you can have a proper nest. We’ve missed you. Your mother is hoping to convince you to head south.”

“Dad…I have a life here.”

“I know, but you know what she’s like. She wants the family to be together. Come on. Let’s see the healer then make plans.” His father jumped down, leaving no room for refusal, even though he needed to wait.

Akai wanted to jump down, but he wasn’t ready to test his wing. So he climbed, knowing that his father was watching and worrying about him sleeping so low to the ground. “How did you know I was here?”

He was barely there; he hadn’t unpacked anything.

“I was told.”

Of course his father knew everyone and had no doubt told them all it was a surprise, and bloody Bob hadn’t said anything. What an asshole.

His father walked with him to the healer, filling him in on the gossip about his uncle and Mexico and the harpies down there. And while usually he’d be keen to hear all the news, he was too worried about Cole either not being let in or being let in and arriving at the empty platform.

The healer wasn’t busy, and she wanted to know how his wing had been injured and who had done the stitches.

Akai glanced at his father. If he wasn’t there, he wouldn’t have debated telling her the truth. The lies were stacking up, and he’d be buried alive if he kept going.

“Don’t freak out,” he said to his father. At least it wasn’t his mother standing there. “I was shot at.”

“Shot? You were shot by humans?” His father threw his hands in the air. “That’s it, you can’t keep living here. It’s too dangerous. First your sister, now you.”