The Puppet Assassin [TTR sequel]

The Puppet Assassin - Ch 24 [An Enticing Possibility -|- Dizelde]

I stepped out the door and was faced by the tree that I had once scrambled up. My mind tried to flash back to the time when I’d seen Larkin change from wolf to man-in-birthday-suit but I didn’t let it. I deliberately turned away from the tree and headed towards the back of the house. The area on the side of the house was wide and full of trees and shrubs but the backyard was like something from my dreams. It was huge, I couldn’t even see the back wall, and half of it was a swimming pool. Now I knew how Garth had gotten wet. If the weather had been a little nicer I might’ve jumped in, fresh clothes and all, just for the chance to swim. Behind the pool grew large, leafy trees, wide and the type that sparked my sense of adventure. Thick trunks, wide-spread roots and long branches that reached low along the bottom of the tree or stretched out to the other trees, reaching at least fifteen metres high.

I walked towards them slowly, trying to figure out a route that would take me to the highest point. I felt a thrill rush through me as I shrugged out of my jacket. It was like my own playground. I gripped a low branch and swung myself onto it. It was thick enough for me to be able to stand straight and not have to worry about balance. I walked along it until I was able to reach the next branch up and pulled myself up. My muscles strained in protest to the sudden use. I crouched on the branch and scowled as I rubbed my shoulder. I was getting weaker by not doing anything here. I couldn’t stay under the protection of the shape shifters forever and once I overstayed my welcome I’d fail to defend myself if I didn’t keep working on my fitness and strength while I was here.

I rolled my shoulders and took a running jump across to the neighbouring tree. Luckily my balance hadn’t disappeared during the time I’d slacked off. I landed gracefully and climbed up a few more branches. I was a few climbs away from reaching the top when I heard the side door to the house swing open and shut with a thud. I made the last two branches and stretched my shoulders back, watching the house.

Larkin came around the corner, a backpack hanging off one shoulder and one hand holding his motorcycle helmet. Like he had that time he was in wolf form, his eyes instantly found me in the tree. He shrugged off the backpack and dropped his helmet on top of it. And then continued his approach. The branch I was sitting on wasn’t as thick as most of the ones I had climbed up on so I had to sit with it between my legs. For some reason, when I saw his determined look, I crossed my legs beneath the branch and held onto it with my hands. It wasn’t like he was going to come and throw things at me to get me to fall down but I felt so nervous and excited to see him coming that I wasn’t relaxed enough to trust my balance.

I lost him for a moment when the tree’s leaves hid him but easily found him again. He was at the bottom of my tree and he was climbing up so fast that it was obvious he’d done so before. He wasn’t even taking moments to stop and get his balance. He was like a damn squirrel. A big, muscular squirrel. Oh crap, I couldn’t even compare him to a squirrel in my mind. He was nothing like that little animal. Not long after he started his climb, he was at the branch below me, standing straight despite the narrowness of the branch, staring at me. I stared back. Well, he was the one who’d come all this way. Surely he’d had something to say?

“Come down, you can’t fit two people on that branch,” he said easily, as if it were clear that I should’ve gone down to him straight away.

“You can’t exactly fit two people on that branch either,” I said slowly. There was just enough room for another person to stand between him and the trunk but I wanted more than ‘just enough room’.

He raised his brows. “But I want to say goodbye. Don’t you want to say goodbye?” He reached up and tugged lightly on one of my feet. I fought the urge to cling tighter to the tree limb.

“Sure I want to say goodbye.”

I told myself, lied to myself, that all he wanted was a hug. I didn’t fool myself at all. But I still lifted one leg over the branch and gripped the trunk to lower myself down. I was doing fine, a little slow, but still fine however it didn’t seem like it to him because as soon as I was in reach, his hands snagged my waist and held tight. I strained to touch my toes to the branch and continued to lower gently, despite the support he was giving me. I faced the trunk and held onto it for a moment when I was safely down and then let it go to turn around.