Predator (Copper Mesa Eagles Book 1) by Roxie Noir, Amelie Hunt
Authors: Roxie Noir, Amelie Hunt
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eyes flashing.
That’s him , she thought, suddenly certain. Those are Seth’s eyes .
The eagle was enormous, its head almost even with her waist, and its wings had easily been wider than her own arm span. Then it gave a little hop, moving away, fluttering its wings.
“What?” she said, as it hopped from foot to foot, seeming frustrated.
Then all at once, it was like the eagle melted into itself and in a blink, Seth stood in front of them again.
The three of them stood there, silently. Seth was totally naked, but that was far from the most pressing issue.
“I think I found it,” he said, pointing at the box.
“What just happened?” asked Zach.
Seth just shrugged.
“Can you do it again?” Zach asked, totally ignoring the box.
“I think so,” said Seth. He frowned as Jules got on her knees, fiddling with the lock.
Then he shrank suddenly, an enormous eagle where Seth had been.
Zach took a step backward, but was more intrigued than afraid.
“Guys,” said Jules. “Someone get a big rock and hit this thing.”
Zach grabbed a big rock, the size of his fist, and slammed it into the box.
“Be careful!” said Jules, afraid he’d break something.
Instead, the lock fell away, and the two brothers knelt in the dirt over the box, opening the lid.
Inside was a sheaf of paper, bound together by twine that fell away when they touched it. His hands trembling, Zach unrolled the papers, careful not to let them be taken away by the wind.
The first was just a letter, and then the next and the next. Jules’s heart fell.
All that for nothing , she thought.
Then Zach flipped through one more and stopped.
UTAH TERRITORY, the next one read across the top. Underneath was a faded seal, and then handwriting. Jules couldn’t make some of it out, because it had faded with time and was written in a flowery, old script, but she could read enough.
WHEREAS, the undersigned, HIRAM ADMAS, has fulfilled his obligations to tend the soil and establish Himself and Family, the Utah Territory recognizes his ownership of the lands under his dominion.
There was more, but she couldn’t read it.
“There needs to be a map,” she said. “Something that says what it was he owned, where the boundaries were...”
Zach flipped through another page, his hands shaking, and the next one was filled with the small, flowery, neat handwriting. It was all directions.
“This is it,” Jules said. “That’s it. That’s what he owned. ‘From the river inward, three hundred acres encompassing the Table and Lands below it’ — that’s the mesa, ‘mesa’ is just Spanish for table, it must have come into common use at some later point—”
Her hands were shaking, too, and she felt like she couldn’t stop talking.
The three of them stood, looking at each other.
“So it’s over?” Seth asked.
“We have to get the deed to the right place, I’m sure,” Jules said. “I’m sure there’s a process, we have to put in the right paperwork, all that.”
I’m saying ‘we’, she thought. Why am I saying ‘we’?
Zach and Seth just nodded.
“Should we talk about this bird thing?” Zach asked.
“It just happened,” Seth said. “I was falling, and then I sort of... flexed a muscle I didn’t know I had, and then I was flying.”
He swallowed and looked at his little brother.
“Do you have the dream where you’re flying?” he asked.
Zach just nodded.
“It was just like that,” Seth said.
Jules pointed again at the box with the deed in it.
“We can talk about this later,” she said. “We need to find out now how to file this.”
Chapter Thirteen
Seth
Seth let Jules take over. She seemed to know more about land use bureaucracy than either of them, so he followed her as she marched quickly toward the house.
Thank God she’s here , he thought. Not just because I really like having her around, but Zach and I might have never thought to send the deed somewhere.
After all, our family has been happy to live
That’s him , she thought, suddenly certain. Those are Seth’s eyes .
The eagle was enormous, its head almost even with her waist, and its wings had easily been wider than her own arm span. Then it gave a little hop, moving away, fluttering its wings.
“What?” she said, as it hopped from foot to foot, seeming frustrated.
Then all at once, it was like the eagle melted into itself and in a blink, Seth stood in front of them again.
The three of them stood there, silently. Seth was totally naked, but that was far from the most pressing issue.
“I think I found it,” he said, pointing at the box.
“What just happened?” asked Zach.
Seth just shrugged.
“Can you do it again?” Zach asked, totally ignoring the box.
“I think so,” said Seth. He frowned as Jules got on her knees, fiddling with the lock.
Then he shrank suddenly, an enormous eagle where Seth had been.
Zach took a step backward, but was more intrigued than afraid.
“Guys,” said Jules. “Someone get a big rock and hit this thing.”
Zach grabbed a big rock, the size of his fist, and slammed it into the box.
“Be careful!” said Jules, afraid he’d break something.
Instead, the lock fell away, and the two brothers knelt in the dirt over the box, opening the lid.
Inside was a sheaf of paper, bound together by twine that fell away when they touched it. His hands trembling, Zach unrolled the papers, careful not to let them be taken away by the wind.
The first was just a letter, and then the next and the next. Jules’s heart fell.
All that for nothing , she thought.
Then Zach flipped through one more and stopped.
UTAH TERRITORY, the next one read across the top. Underneath was a faded seal, and then handwriting. Jules couldn’t make some of it out, because it had faded with time and was written in a flowery, old script, but she could read enough.
WHEREAS, the undersigned, HIRAM ADMAS, has fulfilled his obligations to tend the soil and establish Himself and Family, the Utah Territory recognizes his ownership of the lands under his dominion.
There was more, but she couldn’t read it.
“There needs to be a map,” she said. “Something that says what it was he owned, where the boundaries were...”
Zach flipped through another page, his hands shaking, and the next one was filled with the small, flowery, neat handwriting. It was all directions.
“This is it,” Jules said. “That’s it. That’s what he owned. ‘From the river inward, three hundred acres encompassing the Table and Lands below it’ — that’s the mesa, ‘mesa’ is just Spanish for table, it must have come into common use at some later point—”
Her hands were shaking, too, and she felt like she couldn’t stop talking.
The three of them stood, looking at each other.
“So it’s over?” Seth asked.
“We have to get the deed to the right place, I’m sure,” Jules said. “I’m sure there’s a process, we have to put in the right paperwork, all that.”
I’m saying ‘we’, she thought. Why am I saying ‘we’?
Zach and Seth just nodded.
“Should we talk about this bird thing?” Zach asked.
“It just happened,” Seth said. “I was falling, and then I sort of... flexed a muscle I didn’t know I had, and then I was flying.”
He swallowed and looked at his little brother.
“Do you have the dream where you’re flying?” he asked.
Zach just nodded.
“It was just like that,” Seth said.
Jules pointed again at the box with the deed in it.
“We can talk about this later,” she said. “We need to find out now how to file this.”
Chapter Thirteen
Seth
Seth let Jules take over. She seemed to know more about land use bureaucracy than either of them, so he followed her as she marched quickly toward the house.
Thank God she’s here , he thought. Not just because I really like having her around, but Zach and I might have never thought to send the deed somewhere.
After all, our family has been happy to live
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