Page 138 of Where Broken Wings Fly

CHAPTER 26

KILLIAN

PURPLE - WUNDERHORSE

“Pass me the screwdriver.”

Ryder slaps the tool into my hand, frowning at the complicated booklet of instructions. “This makes zero sense. Why do they make it so complicated?”

“We don’t need the instructions, idiot. I know what I’m doing.”

“How does your back not break under the weight of your ego, Kill?”

Crouching down beside us both on Willow’s living room floor, Zach casts a critical eye over the pile of pine-coloured wood and countless screws yet to be assembled. We’ve been at it for over an hour already.

“I still remember the bookshelf fiasco.” He snorts when I give him the stink eye. “There were more parts left over than in the actual shelf.”

“Shut up, little asshole.”

Jabbing an elbow into his ribs, Zach groans in pain and flops onto his back. “Ouch, dickhead. Someone doesn’t like criticism.”

“Not from you I don’t. You couldn’t assemble a fucking cardboard box.”

“He’s right,” Ryder agrees with me.

Zach glowers at us both. “How can I apply for a disownment? I want a new family.”

“No one would take you, kid.”

Busy in the kitchen, Willow is slicing vegetables at the counter and watching the three of us bicker with amusement. She offered to cook dinner in exchange for our help assembling her newly purchased dining table and chairs.

I tried to convince her to let me build the furniture myself, but she’s on a roll this week, insisting on being all independent and shit. While I love seeing her slowly come back to herself, my possessive instincts are in overdrive.

A primitive part of me loved it when she was living in our spare room and dependent on us for everything. Food. Warmth. Shelter. We gave her this space so she had her own home but letting her find her own feet is giving me stress-induced hives.

“Is that true?” she asks.

“It’s why I chopped up the shelf for firewood and made my own.” I shake my head in disgust. “Ikea doesn’t know how to build shit. I can do a better job myself.”

“Too big-headed to take instructions from a piece of paper?” She wanders over with a glass of wine in hand. “I’d like the table to actually stand. It’s not just firewood for you to burn.”

Grabbing her by the wrist, she screeches in surprise and nearly dumps her glass of red wine on Zach’s head. He plucks it from her hand just in time. Willow lands across my lap, staring up at me with wide eyes.

“We always need more firewood. Sure I can’t go fetch my axe?”

“You’re impossible, Kill.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Crushing my lips against hers, I steal her breath before handing her off to Zach for safe keeping. We have a table to finish. I’m nothing if not a quitter. She gave me a job and I’ll get it done, no matter how tempted I am to smash this stupid thing to pieces.

“Don’t distract him.” Zach pins her in his arms and kisses her temple. “Quit being all cute and sexy as well, or we’ll all be eating on the floor again.”

Willow draws a little halo over her head. “Me?”

“Don’t act all innocent.”

“I am the innocent one here. You’re the troublemaker, Zach.”

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