Hunting season

Chapter Fifteen

“She totally stood you up.”

Tye grabbed hold of Yager’s shoulders before he could rip the little pissant apart.

“She didn’t stand me up,” he growled between clenched teeth.

“Was she at the station?”

Yager stared at Mike, in the middle of his living room, and wondered what it would be like to rip one of the bastard kid’s arms off and beat him to death with it. Why the hell were these two even out on the Island? Knowing Mike, he probably had a bet with Tye that Neecy wouldn’t show up. It looked like he won that bet.

“She stood you up, Bro. You need to face it.”

Tye stepped between them. “Back off, Mike.”

“Neecy isn’t like that.”

Mike rolled his eyes. “Come on, dude!”

Tye sighed. “She’s a Crow. She probably had to work.”

“You’re not helping! You’re letting him keep this delusion!”

Yager almost had his hands around the kid’s throat when Tye pushed him back.

“Wait. Wait!” Tye looked up. “What’s that noise?”

Yager worked to control his breathing and his desire to kick the living shit out of Molinski, but once he did, he heard it too.

“It sounds like…wings.”

Yager pulled away from Tye and walked to the French doors leading to his backyard. He’d just pushed the doors open when Mike grabbed his arm.

“Forget it, Yager. She probably sent those goddamn birds to rip you apart.”

And that’s when they descended. They looked like a black tornado, spinning, swirling in the moonlit yard.

“Holy shit,” Tye breathed.

Then they lifted and left Neecy lying there.

“Jesus!”

Yager reached her first, kneeling down beside her. “Neecy?”

Tye had his fingers against her throat. “There’s a pulse. But it’s faint.”

Yager pushed her hair out of her face. “Call Morgan. Speed-‐dial three.”

Tye ran back into the house as Mike rested back on his haunches.

“God, Yager. Her wing. It’s like someone hacked through it.”

But Yager didn’t want to hear that right now. He didn’t give a shit about her wing. All he cared about was keeping her alive.

“Neecy? Can you hear me, baby?”

She muttered something he couldn’t make out and moved her fingers the tiniest bit. It was just enough to show Yager she was still fighting as only Neecy Lawrence could.

“We need to get her inside.” He looked at Mike. “Then we need to call the Crows.”

Didi looked up from the television as Arri, Janelle, and Katie walked into the living room. It was a quiet night. No job from their goddess, so they’d all decided to watch movies. As usual, they ended up watching “Aliens”…again. They simply couldn’t get enough of Vasquez. Any chick who kicked that much ass was an honorary Crow.

“Where have you bitches been?” Didi snapped.

Katie threw herself into one of the recliners. “Oh that’s very nice.”

“I’m just trying to get into the New Jersey spirit.”

Janelle sat on the edge of the couch. “Katie told Delia we were hittin’ a comic bookstore.”

“Well, as usual, no one tells me anything.”

“You got my shit?” Rachel asked. Arm no longer bandaged; her body nearly back to normal.

Janelle tossed the paper bag to her. She caught it with both hands and pulled out some comic.

“Yes!” Rachel cheered. She waved the thing at Sherri. “I got Vikings Eternal,” she sung to her. Then she stuck her tongue out at the woman. In response, Sherri gave her the finger.

It amazed Didi that the majority of the women in the Tri-‐state Gathering were, in fact, over ten years old. Cause they didn’t act like it.

Giggling, Rachel looked at the comic. “Oh, my God!” she barked out suddenly.

She looked at Janelle. “How the fuck did you get it signed?”

Didi reared back as Sherri leaped over her to get a look at some stupid signature.

Janelle shrugged. “They had a few just lyin’ around.”

Didi watched Arri turn beet red and wondered what the hell was wrong with her when the phone rang. Delia, having recently gotten involved with a fireman, made a mad dash over her sisters and the couch to reach the phone. Both crashed to the floor and the Crows stared at her for a moment, then turned back to the current conversation.

“Why does our sweet Arri look like she’s been up to something?” Didi asked.

Arri blinked in surprise. “Me? What? No!”

Janelle rolled her eyes. “Smooth, Arri. Very smooth.”

Didi settled into the couch, ready to torture the little goody two shoes when Delia stood up, the phone against her ear. One look at her face and a bolt of fear snaked up Didi’s spine.

“What, Dee?”

“It’s Tye.” Didi frowned. Delia looked like she was about to cry and she never cried. Even when she got her hand stuck in the toilet that time.

“What’s he want?”

She swallowed. “It’s Neece, Didi.”

Mike watched as Morgan finished re-‐attaching Neecy’s wing. She’d used black thread and surrounded the bed with powerful runes and three other older Valkyries. All four had made it to Yager’s house in record time, which was good.

If it hadn’t been so cold out, Neecy probably wouldn’t have lasted this long.

As Morgan continued to work on Neecy’s wing, the other three Valkyries chanted in the old language. The entire time Yager watched; his face hard and expressionless. Mike had never seen him like that. Not even in battle. And he prayed he never saw him like that again.

Morgan cut the black thread she’d used on Neecy’s wing and tied a knot.

“Okay, boys,” she barked over the chanting. “Now the hard part. I’ve gotta get her wing back in. It’ll need time to heal inside her body.” She looked at Yager.

“But she’s a Crow. She’s gonna fight like all hell when that pain kicks in. So I’m gonna need you to hold her down.”

Mike stepped forward. “I’ll do it.”

“No.” Yager shook his head. “I’ll do it.”

“Both of you will do it.”

Leaning over the bed, Yager grasped Neecy’s shoulders. He glanced at Morgan and nodded. “Do it.”

The older woman straddled Neecy’s body. “Get her legs, Mike.”

Wishing he were anywhere but here, Mike took firm hold of Neecy’s ankles, pushing them into the firm mattress.

“Okay.” Morgan took a deep breath. “Here we go.”

She lifted the wing and bent it, angling it into Neecy’s body. As soon as she bent it, Neecy moved and screamed, desperately trying to pull out of Yager’s grasp.

Mike looked up to see the strain on Yager’s face. The absolute pain. Not physical but just as damaging.

“Hold her tight! I’ve almost got it.”

It must have suddenly hurt worse, because Neecy began to fight harder. Morgan hadn’t been kidding. Crows really put up a fight. Even half dead and barely conscious.

Mike didn’t know how much longer Yager could keep this up, knowing how much pain Neecy was in.

“Just a little more…”

On the verge of telling Morgan to get her ancient ass into gear, he almost dropped in relief when she shouted, “Got it!”

She chanted over the wound and Neecy’s skin closed over the wing and she stopped struggling. In fact, she stopped moving all together.

Morgan blew grey-‐brown hair out of her face. “Okay. I just need to stitch up this wound near her wing and bandage her up.” She slid off Neecy, motioning her Valkyrie sisters away with a wave of her hand. “I’ll be able to tell you more once she actually wakes up.”

Yager released Neecy’s shoulders and stood up. “You mean if she wakes up.”

Morgan sighed and briefly glanced at Mike before turning back to Yager. “Don’t get maudlin on me, Will. The fight that Crow just put up…she’ll wake. I just don’t know when. And her wing…well, that we’ll just have to see. But I know how you guys are about your wings. So let’s hope for the best.” She cracked her neck.

“After I’m done bandaging her up, I’ll need a break…”

“I’ll watch her.” Yager grabbed a chair and put it down next to the bed. “I won’t leave her until she wakes up.”

“That may be hours.”

He sat down. “I don’t care.”

“Will…”

“Forget it, Morgan.” Mike shook his head. “You’re arguing to air.”

Morgan shrugged. “Fine.” She headed to the bathroom.

Mike rubbed the metal bed frame with one knuckle. “Yager, man…”

“Forget it, Mike.”

“Look, I’m sorry. About what I said earlier.”

Yager leaned forward. His elbows resting on his knees, his hands clasped together, and his eyes locked on the unconscious woman in his bed. “Don’t worry about it, Mike. The Crows will be here soon. You better go help, Tye. I don’t want ‘em all up here at one time.”

“You got it.”

Mike took another look at his friend, turned, and left him to face this one on his own.

Yager helped Morgan clean the blood off Neecy, stitch up a deep slash on her back, bandage up her wound, and tie her left arm against her chest to help the healing of her wing. They again laid her facedown on the bed and Morgan went to wash the blood off her hands.

Pushing the black hair out of her face, Yager stared at the woman who’d taken his heart.

He wouldn’t let her die. He’d waited too long for her. She was his. His wife, his mate, his future.

Leaning down, he kissed her ear. “Sleep for a little while, baby,” he whispered.

“Then get your ass up. We’ve got plans to make. I’m thinking some place warm for the honeymoon. You in a bikini in the Caribbean.”

He gave a little smile and kissed her cheek. Neecy Lawrence was going to be okay, because he wouldn’t accept anything less.

Didi landed at the same time as the other Crows. She didn’t even bother looking at Yager’s tidy and huge yard as she strode toward the house. Tye pushed open the French doors and Didi moved past him, the other Crows behind her.

“Where is she?”

“Upstairs. Second floor. Third door on the right. Just cut through the living room. And take the stairs in the hallway.”

They made it into the hallway, but Mike Molinski stopped them before they even reached the steps. She briefly wondered if she’d have to kick the living shit out of the kid.

“Morgan just finished with her. She’s still out cold. Yager doesn’t want a ton of people up there.”

Didi could hear the rustling of angry wings behind her, but Yager was right.

“Okay. I’ll go. And you.” She grabbed Arri’s arm and dragged her toward the stairs. “You’re coming with me.”

Marching up the stairs, she ordered to the rest of the Crows, “You guys get warm. I’ll be back soon.”

As they neared the room Tye directed them to, Didi let Arri know exactly why she wanted her there. “You tell me how bad she is. I wanna know. You understand?”

“Yes.”

She didn’t care if she was scaring the girl. She didn’t care about anything except Neecy.

Didi walked up to the doorway and stopped. Yager sat at Neecy’s bedside. His elbows on his knees, his hands clasped together, his head down. Arri stepped in behind her, gave a small gasp, and then backed out of the room.

Frowning, Didi followed her and watched as the girl slid down the wall, her eyes shut.

“Oh, my God…is it that bad,” she demanded in a whisper. “Is she dying?”

Arri shook her head. “I don’t know…Didi, there’s so much pain…I can’t see past it.”

“Neecy’s?”

She looked up at Didi, her eyes red-‐rimmed like she might start crying any second. “Yager’s.”

Finally, Didi saw Arri’s ability as something more than a neat parlor trick to entertain the Bama Crows. It was real and this girl could not only “see” what was inside other people, clearly she could feel as well.

Thoughts of retiring again assaulted Didi. She’d clearly hit that point when she needed to move on. Much more and she would become one of those leaders she always hated. Bitter, unreachable, and evil. No, it was time to go, but not until Neecy was better. Not until her second in command was running around protecting her “girls,” fighting her lust for Yager, and generally controlling the bullshit the crazy Crows could start at the drop of a hat. Until she had that Neecy back, nothing would be okay.

She crouched down next to Arri. “You stay here, hon. I’ll check on her.”

Arri simply nodded, her arms wrapped around her knees, her small body trembling.

Taking a deep breath, Didi stood up and went back into the room with Yager.

She walked around to the other side of the bed and looked down at her friend.

She lay facedown, one arm tucked up under her because they’d tied it close to her body. Her naked back covered in bandages, and her head turned to the side.

She wasn’t asleep because she didn’t move at all. Didi wasn’t really even sure she was breathing.

Didi leaned down and kissed the top of her friend’s head. “You get your ass better and up, Neecy Lawrence,” she whispered. “Or there will be hell to pay. I promise you that.”

Looking over at Yager, Didi straightened up. “Yager, I’d like to leave her here, if that’s okay with you. I know she’ll be safe here.”

Yager finally looked up at her. She didn’t need to read auras to see the man’s pain. “Absolutely. She can stay as long as it takes.”

But she knew he meant Neecy Lawrence could stay forever.

Yager didn’t even realize Didi had gone or that at least two hours had passed until Morgan came in to check on Neecy. After a few minutes, she walked around to his chair and lovingly ran her hands through his hair.

“Will, hon, ya gotta get some sleep.”

“I’m really not tired.” And he wasn’t leaving Neecy. He’d never leave her.

“Okay. But if you do, lay down next to her.” She kissed the top of his head. “Let her know you’re here.”

Then she left, quietly closing the door behind her.

Again Yager lost track of time. Sitting in the dimly lit room, staring at Neecy’s prone body and beautiful face. Eventually, though, his body got the better of him. So, taking Morgan’s advice, he stretched out on the bed beside her, stomach down. He caressed her face with one hand until sleep claimed him.