Page 153 of Scars Like Wings

“That is… an odd set of rules.” I furrowed my brows.

Nat shrugged. “I agree. It’s allegedly for our protection and survival, but it is stupid.”

I nodded and tried my best to swallow my anxiety. “Well, Quinn has said that y’all do contract work similar to what my Uncle Everett does. So, security detail, PI work, and the like? She mentioned that she… well, that you guys are kind of supernatural, too?”

Simone’s and Maisie’s jaws dropped at the same time. I shrugged apologetically to them. “I’m so sorry for never telling you both, but it just didn’t feel right. She told me in confidence, and I felt horrible at the idea of breaking that.”

“It’s okay, Bee, we totally get that. Honestly, I’m less shook about you not telling us and more shook that my Coco is a supernatural.”

“Honestly, it makes sense. No human could fuck like Cody does.”

“Ew, Marceline. That’s mybrother.” Nat made a face. “But yes, we are supernaturals. It’s hard to explain because Ican’texplain it, but we do the work we do because of what we are. Our work goes back generations in our family. We work with supernaturals, and it is similar to what Byrdie has described. There’s more to it, of course, that you will have to figure out before any of us can explain it more. But our work is dangerous. It’s very no nonsense. It has to be because it’s the type of job where the wrong choice or call gets you killed. That’s what happened to my dad.

“He was on an assignment about some rare supernatural creature. The crew had no idea what they were getting into. Instead of taking a second, observing the situation, and making an educated decision, he was rash. He was stupid. He made a bad call, the wrong one. So, he lost his life. If you had Cooper tell it, our father went out a ‘hero’ who was smart and fast to save his team. Sometimes, I wonder if we were raised by the same father.

“Our dad was selfish and neglectful. He grew to hate our mother. He resented her for having kids, for marrying him. He never wanted any of that. He only wanted to be in the business, to make some quick money, and have power and status. He died a greedy fucking dumbass. Cooper, though, always looked up to him because he bought into his crock of shit. When Dad died, Cooper took it the hardest of any of us. Still does. He hasthis chip on his shoulder. He wants to be just like our father—Well, the version of him that he admired. So, he researches supernatural creatures, especially the rare ones. He’sobsessedwith them. I think he thinks that if he learns everything he can, he can avenge our father and make him proud. Who fucking knows? He has no tact, and he’s blunter than a baseball bat.”

“This is the same father that had proven himself ‘incompetent,’ right?”

Nat nodded to Maisie’s question. “When my mom and Aunt Addie got married and they started having us, it’s tradition in our family to choose who’s going to be the leader once they die or are deemed unfit to lead. Whoever they choose, their eldest will be trained to take their place. It’s messy and, again, stupid. Typically, a matriarch is chosen along with her daughter, but Grandma January was nothing if not slightly untraditional.” She rolled her eyes. “Grandma Jane didn’t have any faith in her daughters, so she chose from their husbands instead. I believe her exact words about my father were ‘he’s so lazy and dumb that the greatest weapon he could wield is his incompetence.’”

We all laughed. That was thebestroast I had heard.

“That was when my Uncle Diego was chosen, and thus Quinn once she got of age. Cooper has always felt it should have been our father and thus Cooper since he’s the oldest of his kids. He thinks he should be the leader. He technicallyissecond-in-command, but he takes all of this as a personal affront that he isn’t the real deal. Our family has a lot of asinine systems, beliefs, and values. One of them is leadership. You have to respect the chain of command. Quinn is our leader. When it comes down to it, we answer to her for our job.

“The crazy fucking thing is that Quinn never throws it back at us or anything. She never wanted it in the first place. She doesn’t like being a leader. She has her own shit to deal with, considering how much of a prick her father is. Cooper alwayswanted to be the leader, and he resents Quinn for not wanting what he does so desperately but getting it, anyway.”

“Gods, he has such incel energy. Please tell me I’m not the only one who sees it,” Maisie said.

“You definitely aren’t!” Simone agreed.

I latched onto something Nat had said. “You said that her father was a prick? She never talks about her father.”

“With good reason,” Natassa said.

“I know it isn’t your story to tell, so you don’t have to say anything if?—”

“Shut up, honeybun.” She smiled at me. “It isn’t my story, but he’s my uncle. I can tell some of it, and Quinn can fill in the gaps, if she wants to.”

Nat continued. “Uncle Diego is a lot of things. He’s considerate and sweet. He spoils his girls in every way he can, which is where Quinn gets it from. But he has a temper and a mean streak that are both miles long. Quinn got parts of that, too. His mood can change out of nowhere, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. Uncle Diego is just… Growing up under his leadership, we never wanted for anything, except a happy childhood honestly. Uncle Diego demanded discipline, silence, and everything to be just the way he wanted it at all times.

“Quinn took the brunt of it if things weren’t just so. She did it not only because she’s his only kid, but she also wanted to protect me and my brothers. Quinn is just that type of person. She would rather take the worst than have anyone else take it. When he was on one of his rampages, Quinn would take it. He never hit her because Aunt Addy would have beat the shit out of him for even raising his hand. But she did work a lot, and he would yell at Quinna lot. It was always over stupid shit, too. He has thrown her stuff out of the house or broken it in anger, yelled at her over how she even held a pencil, and called her everything from a dumbass to a loser. He took a lot out on Quinn. That’sjust what I’ve seen. I’m sure she has some worse skeletons in her closet that she would prefer to forget.”

My heart crumbled and broke. My Quinn, no… How could anyone do that to her? How could herown fatherdo that to her? I was ridiculously lucky to have a two parent household full of love and joy, even if it was for a short time. I knew how rare that was. Simone’s father was a shithead. Maisie’s was nonexistent for most of her life before revealing how much of an ass he was. The cousins’ father seemed to have been a total loser. But my father had been loving, gentle, and kind. I couldn’t be more grateful for that.

No one deserved to be abused, especially not a child.

Especially not my starlight, my pumpkin, my Queenie.

Nat must have noticed my teary eyes that I tried hard to blink away. “I don’t want you to think I’m saying any of this for you to take pity on her. I mean, I know you aren’t, obviously. I’m telling you all of this because I know for a fact that she never will, and it’s crucial for you to understand this to truly love her—don’t look at me like that.” Natassa pointed at me when I opened my mouth to protest. “I have seen how you two look at each other. Y’allloveeach other. Plus, y’all are so adorable together. It’s what I want for myself one day. Anyway.”

Before I could consider what she had implied, she continued. “Quinn will do anything for those she loves. She will take whatever is thrown at them to shield them. She’s so loyal to those who are loyal to her. She is more powerful, cunning, and stronger than even she realizes. I know that’s part of the reason you are falling for her. I also say all of this to say that our family is complicated and weird. Cooper… Well, he is the strangest of us all. I’m not telling you to cut him slack. He’s my own brother, and I say fuck him with a chainsaw always. If anything, I would just be careful with him. Cooper is always treating everything like it’s chess. He’s always trying to think steps ahead. Hisonly weakness is Quinn. She’s responsive, spontaneous, and instinctive, using all of that to her advantage to get the upper hand.”

“You talk about them both like they are fighters in a ring or something,” I said.

“Old habits die screaming, just like Taylor Swift said I guess,” Natassa said under her breath with a shrug.

Suddenly, before I could ask her what she meant, Cody slammed the door open without knocking or anything. “Are you beautiful heifers almost ready?”

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