Out in Blue Read Online Free Page B

time, as well as clothes, books, and videos. Most importantly, Mother’s cousin Karin—also a secret from the Guardians—paid the bills and taxes from an account Mother had set up.”
    Ginger nodded. “So you weren’t all alone there?”
    “Not entirely, no. Karin took care of the necessities, thankfully. She also visited frequently and brought fresh food, but she didn’t hold the same view toward archangels as Mother did, and kept her distance from me.”
    “Then, how could you trust her?”
    “I took my chances with her, a relative, over the Guardians. Despite her clear anxieties, she did care. She insisted that I study every day and made certain I was eating well. But Karin died when I was fifteen, a traffic accident. I read about it in the paper.”
    “I’m sorry.” Ginger touched his wing.
    Wren would have scoffed at the pity, but her voice sounded too genuine. He stared at her fingers where they rested on his feathers, again warmed by her touch. “By the time Karin died, I knew how to use the accounts on the computer and how to write checks and pay the bills. So, yes, I did live alone for years, but I interacted with people on the phone and internet. Another archangel stayed with me for a short period of time, as well. It was a lonely life, but I wasn’t completely isolated.”
    “I know how that feels. So how’d you end up in barns and abandoned houses?”
    “The money ran out; the safe house went up for tax sale a couple months ago. I’ve been roughing it since.”
    Ginger shook her head. “The poachers would have killed you today.”
    He adjusted his wing again, unable to find a comfortable position. “Maybe not.”
    “What?”
    “One of the poachers told me my father lives, that Lark is holding him prisoner. They meant to capture me alive.”
    Ginger’s eyes widened. She covered her mouth and whispered a curse behind her fingers.
    “It might be a lie,” Wren added.
    “Wren.” Ginger touched his arm. “You have to tell the Guardians. If your father is alive, they will do everything they can to help.”
    Wren narrowed his eyes. “Lark was a Guardian. He tortured and killed my mother and would have killed me as well if my father hadn’t fought him, giving me time to escape.”
    All color drained from Ginger’s face.
    “I can’t bring myself to trust the Guardians again.”
    “But you are, now. You agreed to let them help us.”
    “I trust family above all else. I won’t let my aversions keep you from your father’s protection.” He paused. “May I ask what happened to your human parents?”
    “My biological parents were murdered.” She chewed her lip before she continued. “Devin found me half-frozen in the snow near their broken bodies, a murder perpetrated by other humans. I was an infant, so I don’t remember them or the event. But it still hurts. And I don’t know who to blame.”
    “It doesn’t help. Trust me.” He touched her knee.
    “You and I have a lot in common, don’t we?” Ginger murmured as she covered his hand with hers. Her touch sent a pleasant electric current up his arm.
    “So we do.” They stayed in that position for a long moment, silent. When she stood, he squeezed her fingers before she pulled her hand away.
    “I should shower before the Guardians arrive.” She pulled some clothes from the duffel and padded into the bath.

Chapter Four

    Ginger stepped out of the bathroom dressed in jeans and a purple sweater, her damp hair down around her shoulders. The steam thickened as it mingled with the cool air of the living area. Her gaze fell on the empty bed. She pivoted toward the kitchen, but the entire apartment was empty.
    She hurried across the room, opened the slider, and stepped out onto the deck.
    Sprawling lawn and simple landscaping stretched out before her. Beyond the tree line, the forest extended to the mountains on the horizon. Nothing moved. No archangel in sight.
    Her muscles stiffened. Had the poachers found them ? She glanced over her