Free Broken Wings (Cruel and Beautiful World, Book One 1) by L. Stoddard Hancock Page A

child?" asked Bronson in his deep and pleasant voice.
    "I don't make the rules," said Xander sounding slightly on edge. "Give me the bottle."
    Several moments passed with nothing but a slight gulping sound.
    "Whoa! Easy on the whiskey!"
    "I hate your cheap shit, but I fucking needed that," said Xander, slamming the bottle down. "You got a cigarette, Bronson? I left the ones you gave me upstairs."
    "Sure thing, mate."
    There were a few more quiet moments as, she assumed, they lit up cigarettes.
    "So you gonna tell us what's bothering you?" asked Quigley in his softer voice, compared to the other two, at least.
    "No."
    Deryn chuckled. That sounded about right.
    "Then how the hell are we supposed to help you?" Quigley again.
    "You're not."
    "Come on, Ruby. We always tell you our problems. We're friends, remember?"
    "Never having enough whiskey and begging me to buy you more is hardly a problem."
    "But you have unlimited resources," said Bronson. She envisioned a smirk.
    "I don't want to talk about it."
    "Suit yourself then."
    There was a long silence.
    "Am I always an ass?" asked Xander.
    "Yes," Deryn whispered to herself.
    "Yeah," said Bronson.
    "Pretty much," said Quigley.
    "So when I try to do something nice, that comes off as creepy?"
    Deryn smiled. For some reason she found the fact that she made Xander question himself gratifying.
    "How nice was it?" asked Bronson.
    "Pretty fucking nice."
    A pause.
    "Are you gonna tell us?"
    "No," said Xander coolly.
    "Why not?" asked Quigley.
    "Because it's none of your fucking business."
    "Aw, come on!" Bronson again.
    "No."
    "Please!" Quigley.
    "No!"
    "Pretty, pretty, please -"
    "Dammit, Quigley! I'm trying to be serious here!"
    "So are we -"
    "All I want to know is why when I help someone they always, always think I have fucking ulterior motives! I can be nice!"
    "Sure you can," said Bronson. Deryn envisioned his smirk again.
    "So when I buy someone a cupcake, why the hell would they interpret that as something different? Something bad."
    Another pause.
    "You bought someone a cupcake?" asked Bronson. Now she envisioned his face all twisted with curiosity, much like hers had been. Even hearing Xander just say the word 'cupcake' was creepy to her.
    "Aw, who was it? Was it a girl?" inquired Quigley. "Was it that girl from last night?"
    "No."
    "It was, wasn't it?" said Bronson. "I didn't get a good look at her but, from what I saw, she looked pretty cute."
    "She's not."
    Deryn chuckled again. Now that was the Xander she knew.
    "So it wasn't her then?" asked Quigley. She didn't get as good a look at him yesterday as she did at Bronson, but she was pretty sure she was picturing him correctly as her mind made him cock his head in curiosity.
    "It doesn't matter."
    "Then why'd you buy her a cupcake?"
    "I never said I did."
    "Then why'd you buy anyone a cupcake."
    Xander let out a deep sigh. "Birthday," he said so quietly that she barely heard him.
    "A birthday!" said Bronson brightly. An image of him beaming entered her head. "That's not creepy! That's adorable!"
    "You both are fucking annoying, you know that?"
    Another pause.
    "I would be honored if you bought me a cupcake," said Quigley with a teasing sincerity.
    "And on that note, I'm getting the fuck out of here," said Xander. "Thanks for nothing, assholes."
    "You kiss your mother with that mouth?" asked Bronson.
    "My mother is dead."
    This pause was a bit heavier.
    "Sorry," said Bronson, his deep voice cracking. "I forgot."
    "Doesn't matter. If you go out, remember to watch the clocks."
    "When do we ever go out?"
    "Good point."
    Deryn listened as their sliding door opened and then closed again. Crap. Now she felt bad.
    In a rush, she crawled back inside, shut the door and got to her feet. She limped to the kitchen as quickly as she could, opened the blue box and took one good look at the cupcake before stuffing it in her mouth.
    The lock clicked on the door so she chewed faster. When Xander walked inside she had just taken the last