Sentinel

Chapter 1-2

“Please tell me the reason you wrapped that piece of man up is because he’s naked under there.”

Jason rolled his eyes. His brothers would be the death of him one day. “No, he’s not naked. Get your ass over here and help.”

Adam sighed, but obeyed, coming up to Set’s left and steadying the stranger as Jason dismounted. Happily, Adam was almost as big as Jason himself, tall and solid as a brick wall. Four years of military service had cut almost all of the fat off the third Thomas brother, but it couldn’t touch the baby-faced, band boy look from Adam. It sure as s**t didn’t touch the green eyes and ash blond hair—a gift from their mother. With a little maneuvering, the man was back in Jason’s arms in no time. “Any chance you could get Set bedded down?”

Glaring half-heartedly at him, Adam clucked at the horse and he followed the human to the little stable like a puppy. Damn, Jason loved that horse.

The sky broke open in a downpour not a minute later, just as Jason was unwrapping the being on his bed. The huge wings were caked in pumpkin guts and mud, so he left the horse blanket under the bird-man. He found the fastenings on the strange armor-looking shirt. It ended up being simple leather ties at his sides, just below the armpit and at the shoulders. Jason pulled the ties apart, gently working the covering out from under his unconscious guest.

He left the odd skirt thing in place for modesty’s sake and riffled through the linen closet in the spacious hall for towels and washcloths. Clomping boots echoed through the house and Jason was already issuing commands before he saw Adam. “Grab the stock pot out of the kitchen and bring it full of warm water!”

Not waiting, he strode back into his room, dumping his load of fabric on the bed. It took a minute to find the tiny, barely used wastebasket hiding next to his bed, but by the time Adam wandered in with the water, Jason had already set to work.

Crashing into the pumpkins had sure made a mess. Jason took his time, pulling big, mashed pieces off the inky blackness, revealing more feathers than he could count in a lifetime. They shone in the bright light of the room, an iridescent shimmer spanning the rainbow every time Jason moved the wings. It was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen. Of course his younger brother had to butt in.

“What in the hell?” Adam barely breathed the question; the quietest Jason had heard him in years. Looking over, Adam was ghostly pale, green eyes so wide Jason was afraid they would fall out of Adam’s head.

“No idea. Found him out in the middle of the patch.” He shrugged and took the water from Adam before he dropped it. “I saw a meteorite going over and tried to follow it to where it fell. Found this guy instead.”

That got him a slack-jawed look and a near hysterical chuckle. “You found an angel in our field and didn’t think to mention it before bringing him home? Are you out of your mind?” Adam shook his head. “Wait until Dan and Levi found out. They are gonna freak. Hell, the whole world will s**t itself when they find out about this guy!”

“No.” Jason didn’t know where the low growl in his voice came from, nor the near paralyzing fear, but he rolled with it. “Absolutely no one except for us, Danny and Levi will know about him. He’s hurt and we are going to fix him up and wait until he’s awake enough to explain what he’s doing here. After we get him back on his feet, he can tell the world if he wants.”

“But—”

“No.” Giving Adam a pointed look, he asked, “Now, are you going to help me clean him up, or not?”

Adam frowned, but helped, dunking washcloths in the pot and wringing them out as Jason needed.

Eyeballing the appendages, Jason started with the left wing at the top, where the wings sprouted from what looked like the shoulder blades and collar bones in a fluffy cascade. It took an unbelievable amount of time to wipe the dirt away. Still, seeing the glossiness underneath was a reward in its own right.

An hour later and filthy up to his elbows, Jason proudly surveyed his work. Not bad. Turning to his silent brother, he quirked an eyebrow.

“Yeah, yeah. Good job.” Adam crossed his arms. “Now what?”

“Uh.” That was a great question. “Maybe we should clean the rest of him up?”

“You want to get that angel naked and give him a sponge bath?” Adam’s baby face brightened with a wicked grin as Jason felt his whole body tingle hot with a blush he knew showed on his face.

“Just go get clean water and more washcloths.”

“Okay, but it’s your funeral if he wakes up.”

Jason took a second to flip his brother the bird as Adam cackled his way to the bathroom. “Impudent little shit.” A handful of minutes were spent rearranging the guest on his bed, wings stretched across the top and rolling the man onto his side to avoid crushing them in case the bones in them were fragile. He was ready when Adam came back with another steaming pot.

Fuck his life, but the being was even more stunning in his room’s dim lamp light. With barely any pressure, Jason wiped the dirt away from the high, full cheeks and painfully straight nose, down to the sinfully curved lips and square jaw. The soft skin underneath was a darker color, almost a bronze instead of the gold that he first thought he saw.

He carried on past the throat and over the abnormally muscled shoulders, carefully swiping the grime from the man’s chest. Just below the dark brown n****e on the left, Jason found a raised rope of scarring that trailed almost to his hip. Since he couldn’t ask the question of where the vicious scar came from, Jason moved on, legs and belly getting the same care.

After a brief debate with himself, Jason figured his guest was clean enough until he was on his feet. That horse blanket had to go though. He knew just how itchy it could get from experience. Jason glanced at his hovering brother.

“Come on. Let’s tuck this guy in.”

Groaning, Adam helped roll the man onto his stomach, inching the blanket out from under his dead weight at the same time. “Hate to rain on your parade Jace, but where are you going to sleep with the angel in your bed?” One last tug and the blanket was free, tossed toward the door. “I don’t have to tell you how awful our couches are to crash on.”

That was true. Their battered, old couches were lumpy and threadbare and too small for anyone who stood over five feet. “No clue.” Mulling the possibilities, he folded the black wings where they seemed to bend naturally and threw his heavy comforter over the entire being. Exhausted, he sat on the edge of his bed. “I doubt he should be left alone, so I’ll probably stay in here.”

Adam plopped down next to him green eyes wide with concern. “You sure that’s a good idea? Angel or not, this one could be crazy when he wakes up. I don’t like it.”

Jason snorted and then grinned. “Please. I may not have been a kick ass soldier like you or Danny, but I can hold my own.” That earned him an eye roll. “Do I need to remind you how badly I stomped on you the last time?”

“No.” It was a mock sullen answer and they both knew it. “Still, I got a weird feeling about this. You could always sleep in my room.”

“I think I’ll just camp out in here. Make a spot on the floor.”

“Your neck,” Adam replied.

He bumped his shoulder against Adam’s, playful. “Get out of here. Sleep.”

“Fine.” Grinning, he started to slip out of the room, but stopped at the door. “I want it on the record though. I let you win last time.”

Little s**t.

* * * *

That night, Jason dreamed of stars he had never seen and woke with the sound of feathers rustling, moving to the cadence of a deep, lilting voice. By dawn, it had flittered away like a delicate butterfly in a stiff breeze.