Creed

Prologue

Rage burned inside Creed as the drunk woman chased the child too close to the burning fire pit. The girl appeared about five years old, and terrified. She tripped, barely avoiding falling into the flames. The woman leaned down, grabbed her hair, and viciously yanked her up, forcing her to stand. The sound of her striking the child with her hand was loud even from fifty yards away. He winced.

“Do you see what I have to put up with? You’re not even mine,” the woman yelled. “That son of a bitch you call daddy went into town drinking and whoring again, leaving me to take care of your worthless ass. I should drown you in the river and do myself a favor. That bitch who birthed you had the right idea when she took off and left you both.”

Creed dropped down from the low branch and stalked closer to the decrepit cabin. The stench of piled-up garbage, wood rot, and an outhouse couldn’t even be diminished by the sooty smell of burning logs inside the fire pit.

The woman shook the child, and then threw her on the ground. She wasn’t done. She kicked the little girl as she attempted to get up and run away again, sending her rolling in the dirt. “That’s exactly what I should do. It’s not as if that piece of shit gives a damn about you either. You’re useless. You’re nothing but a whiney little brat and I—”

Creed walked up behind her, swung out his arm, and the back of his hand struck the woman hard enough to send her flying. It wasn’t a killing blow but he knew she’d be hurt.

She hit the ground and stayed there, unmoving, but he picked up the sound of her breathing.

He crouched down, staring into tear-filled blue eyes. The little girl had bruises already marring the pale skin of her face and one glance down her body revealed more on her too-thin arms and legs. Her tears had left tracks through the layer of dirt covering her cheeks. He studied her hair. It was a ratted blonde mess that probably hadn’t been brushed or washed in at least a week.

“Hello.” He softened his usually brusque tone.

Her little lips quivered but she didn’t say a word. She just peered at him with a look of resigned terror that made him wish he’d hit the woman harder.

“I’m Creed. What’s your name?”

She didn’t move, reminding him of a frightened deer trapped by a predator. He didn’t blame her for being afraid of him. He kept still, giving her a chance to adjust to his presence.

“I’m not going to hurt you. Do you know what a guardian angel is?”

She gave a slight nod of her head.

“That’s what I am tonight.” He let his gaze wander over the yard. Two broken-down vehicles rusted away next to the cabin. The roof sagged and the porch had only one remaining post, the others already on the ground. Vegetation had grown over them, revealing they’d been in that sad shape for a long time. The adults had just tossed trash bags out the door until a pile had grown eight feet high and almost the length of the side of the cabin. The outhouse didn’t even have a door.

He tried to hide his anger. He wouldn’t allow a dog to live in those kinds of deplorable conditions. His attention fixed on the little girl.

“Do you live here with just her and your daddy?”

She nodded again, moving more of her head. Some of her fear had eased.

He forced a smile. “Do you have any other family?”

“My mommy went away. I don’t remember her. I was a baby.”

She had missing teeth, and he smelled blood when she spoke. The woman who had struck her had probably caused damage inside her cheek. Her sweet little voice and her words made his chest hurt. Her mother had abandoned her to a father who left her with an unfit drunk. Children should be protected, not neglected and abused.

“Does your daddy hit you?”

She lowered her gaze and moved her arms, hugging her waist.

Creed clenched his teeth, wishing the father were there to hit too. He knew the answer by the way she responded. Both adults were pieces of shit. He hid his emotions and kept his tone soft. “What’s your name?”

She looked up at him. “A

“How would you like a mother and father who love you? They’d never hit you or make you live like this.”

Uncertainty crossed her features. He knew it wasn’t fair to place that kind of burden on a child, but he still felt the need to ask.

She said nothing.

He made the decision for her.

“Is there anything here that you want? A favorite stuffed animal?”

“I have my pink blankie on my bed.”

“Stay still. I’ll be right back.”

He rose up but moved slow so he wouldn’t spook the child. The woman remained on the ground where she’d landed. She was breathing but unconscious. He didn’t give a damn if she died.

He entered the house and had to hold his breath. It stank of unwashed bodies, dirty dishes, rotting food. And he quickly found out why the stench of mold filled the area—the roof leaked. The floors weren’t even fit to walk on.

He found where the child slept. It was just a large pillow with her pink blanket, which had faded sheep all over it. They made her sleep in a corner of the kitchen, next to an overflowing trashcan and a hole the size of a man’s boot where the floor had rotted through. He growled low and fisted the blanket, storming out of the house. He masked his features when he reached A

“This one?”

She timidly took it, as if she were afraid he’d hit her. She had reason for that fear; he glanced down at her body again. She only wore a dirty and worn thin nightgown with short sleeves. Most of her skin he could see held bruises from past attacks. She cradled the blanket to her chest as if it were a shield.

“I’m going to take you someplace where it’s happy and good. I know a couple who wants a child more than anything. They will love you.” He reached out with slow movements to avoid frightening her but she didn’t flinch away when he gently lifted her into his arms. “I’m going to make you two promises you can count on. One is that you’ll never live like this again. The second one is that you’re going to have a loving set of parents who will make sure you are safe and happy.”

He could feel every one of her fragile bones and her lack of weight was alarming. It meant they probably didn’t feed the girl often. He rose up, holding her in the cradle of his arms.

“Do you know what guardian angels can do?”

She tipped up her chin, her blue eyes wary but the tears gone. “What?”

“We can fly.” He walked away from the fire and the hellish home she’d known. “Have you ever wanted to soar into the sky? It’s safe with me. I won’t let you fall.”

“I don’t have wings.”

“I do.” He adjusted her a little in his arms, wrapping some of the sorry excuse for a blanket around her thin limbs to keep her warm. “Do you want to see them?”

She nodded.

He stepped into a clearing. It was a full moon, so he figured she would be able to watch. He closed his eyes to focus, allowing his wings to ease out. He didn’t want to alarm her, so he spread them wide, taking his time. Creed opened his eyes, watching her expression.

She gri

“You’re a bird man!”

She looked like a dirty little cherub with that smile and the life that flared in her eyes. “And you’re an angel in disguise. That’s what I’m going to call you from now on. Okay?”