Embrace (The Gryphon Series) (10 page)

Confusion creased her forehead, as she
reclaimed the money stash.  “Um…no.  A customer asked you to break a twenty with only ones and fives, and you had to use the calculator.” 

I hung my head
.  Thwarted by lousy math skills.  Curse you basic arithmetic!  I was out of options.  Unless I wanted to quit my job and run screaming out of the building, I had to wait on him.  I probably entertained
that
idea a little longer than I should have.  I noticed Sophia’s smug grin from across the room, and scowled in her general direction. 

There was no point in prolonging it.  After a deep resigned sigh, I set my shoulders and marched over
to his table.  “What can I get for you?”  I asked, keeping my eyes locked on my order pad.

“Hey, ya haven’t been back tah class.”  His tone
seemed welcoming, like we were old friends.  “Pity too, ‘cause ya missed a heck of a spectacle.  The new professor did a lecture on
The Birth of Venus 
and got herself so worked up she broke out sobbin’.  Room full of uncomfortable college kids not knowin’ if we should hand her a tissue or pretend nothin’ was wrong.”

“Sorry I missed that.  Do you know what you want?” 
I could feel the heat of his gaze on me, but still didn’t dare look at him. 

He paused before answering, probably
perplexed by my complete absence of manners and social conduct. “Oh, nothin’. Last time I was here I ended up with some green, foamy thing that I thought would be minty, but it ended up bein’ a travesty in a cup.”

Now I was stuck. 
If he didn’t want to order I
had
to look at him to figure out what he came in for.  As soon as I brought my gaze up, my stomach got as fluttery as a butterfly sanctuary.  His elbows rested on the table.  The sleeves of his red plaid shirt were rolled midway up his forearm.  The gold flecks in his emerald eyes glittered under the café’s overhead lights as he peered up at me with an easy smile on his lips. 

“
You don’t want to order anything?”  I clarified.

“
Definitely not. Actually, I came tah see you.”

One simple sentence
, and I instantly broke out in a flop sweat. 

“Why?”  I blurted.

The corners of his eyes crinkled.  “’Cause I wanted tah ask ya a question.”

Purring wasn’t going to be an issue if
he kept looking at me like that.  I was going to have a stroke.  “What’s that?”  I squeaked.

He
dropped his head long enough to run his fingers through his hair.  His bluish-black locks were left in an invitingly messy array.  When he glanced back up his eyes had narrowed slightly.  He leaned in and beckoned me closer. 

Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!

“Did I…uh… hear ya purr the other day?” He quietly asked.

T
here it was.  Mr. Perfect came in just to make fun of me.  How noble of him.  My school girl crush got steamrolled over by intense annoyance.

I tapped my pencil against my order pad
.  “Yes.  Yes, you did.” I gave him my best “you wanna make something of it’ look.

All traces of humor vanished from his expression
.  Concern replaced it.  “Has that ever happened tah ya before?”

I
was prepared for jerkiness.  Not compassion.  It made me feel like that much more of a freak.  I really should’ve gone with my original idea to bolt from the building.  I mean I could always find a new job, right? That would’ve been easier. Easier than this anyway.

“No.” I
whispered and stared down at the table.  “That was a first.”

He d
ucked down to meet my gaze, a charming half-grin decorating his face. “Ya have nothin’ tah be embarrassed of.  Shite happens.  No worries.  Truth be known, I found it right flatterin’. And, it gives me the confidence tah ask ya out for Saturday.”

My head snapped up
and my cheeks burned.  “Wha…?!”  Picture of eloquence. That’s me. 

“Saturday
.  A date.  You, me, dinner?  Yah’ve heard of this concept, yeah?”

“Yes, the concept is somewhat foreign to me
, but I’ve heard of it.”  I answered.  Still fearing this was some kind of joke, I couldn’t help but ask, “Why?  Why are you asking me out?”

His expression was equal parts amusement and confusion
.  “Because if I don’t ask ya the chance of ya actually showin’ up on the date is highly unlikely, isn’t it?”

An abrupt
—and incredibly loud—laugh erupted out of me.  “True.  But why?  Why would you ask out the freaky purring girl?”

“Y
ar laugh is amazin’.”  His grinned.  Another wave of heat rushed through me.  “And because from the moment I laid eyes on ya I knew there was somethin’ different about ya. The purrin’ just supported the theory.  So, would ya like to go out with me?”

“
Yes, I’d like to.  Go on a date.  With you.  Please.”  Smooth, huh?

On her way to a
nother table, Sophia passed behind me.  “Give him your number.”

“My what? Oh!  My number!
  I have a number!”  I scribbled it on my order pad and tore off the page to hand to him.

His chin jerked up slightly.  “
Who do I ask for when I call?”

I agreed to go on a date with a guy before I even knew his name
, or told him mine.  Please, don’t tell my mother. 

“Celeste.”
I chewed on my lower lip and I brushed a loose strand of hair behind my ear. 

He
caught my raised hand and drew it gently to him.  His emerald eyes stayed locked on mine, as he bowed his head to brush his lips across the back of my hand.  Tingles of excitement tracked up my arm and down my spine.  I clamped my teeth together to stifle the purr that threatened to escape. 

“It’s nice to
formally meet ya, Celeste.  The name’s Caleb.”   

CHAPTER
13

              “This is a date with a
real
boy, right?  Not like the imaginary boyfriend you made up in middle school?” 

             
“First of all, just because you never met Tom doesn’t mean he didn’t exist.”  I snapped at my sister.  “Secondly,
yes,
he’s a real guy.”

             
For two hours we’d been trooping through the mountains on patrol.  The shadows on the ground elongated as the sun began to set.  We failed to see the slightest inkling of demonic activity.  Keni even had her wings out in attempt to drum up some action.  Using our abilities was the equivalent of sending out a homing beacon to Seekers, but this evening we weren’t getting any takers. 

             
“Do us a favor.”  Gabe requested with a cynical smirk.  “When this goes south, don’t go all devil-chick on us again.” 

             
I glared daggers at him. “Gee, thanks.”

             
A casual lift of his gigantic shoulders.  “Just sayin’, with your hist...”  Abruptly his words cut off and a ground-trembling growl replaced them.  I swiveled around to see Gabe’s eyes turn from blue to feline topaz with a blink.  His entire body went poised and rigid.

             
“What is it?” I urgently whispered, as I spun to scan the area.

             
With his head cocked and ears perked, Gabe listened.  His head snapped to the left.  He sniffed the air then rumbled, “Demons.  Three or four, I can’t be sure.  They aren’t shifters.  There’s no animal smell on ‘em.  They’re headed this way.”

             
“Get ready, gang.”  I said with a nod.

  Kendall
spread her wings wide, ready to protect us from whatever nastiness was coming.  I shook my arms and legs out like a swimmer at the start of a race.  Gabe ducked behind a tree to strip down and shift forms.   

             
Kendall and I played lookout as we waited for the Guardian—the mythical name for Gabe’s lion form—to appear.  A branch snapped less than twenty feet away. I whipped my head around.  Keni pulled in tight beside me. 

             
“Outta time, Gabe!”  I shouted over my shoulder. 

The words barely left my mouth before
my follicly-enhanced bodyguard appeared beside me.  The tawny hued Gabe-lion arched his back and let loose a mighty roar.

             
The vegetation in front of us rustled, then went still.  A nasally voice whimpered, “Did you hear that?  I’m not going out there!”

Something about th
at whine sounded familiar.

             
“We
have
to!”  Another voice answered.  “She knows us.  She probably won’t let him eat us.”

             
“
Probably?
”

             
Gabe, Kendall and I exchanged puzzled looks.

             
“Quit being a baby, and go.”

             
“No!  You go first!”

             
The foliage crunched, snapped, swayed and shook as some sort of ruckus went down.  It ended with Eddie getting booted out in front of us.  His panicked eyes darted back-and-forth before they settled on me. 

             
“Hi-yah.”  He squeaked and gave me a tentative finger wave.

             
I groaned and ran my hand over my face.  “You guys again? 
Seriously
?”

             
Kendall’s wings sagged at the less-than-intimidating sight of Eddie.  “Friend of yours?”

             
“I wouldn’t say ‘friend.’ I’d say annoying demon that should’ve considered himself lucky I didn’t kill him the
first
time we met.”

             
Eddie gulped.

             
From behind him, Red stepped into view.  He held his hands in the air like he was surrendering.  “We’re so sorry to bother you.   We had every intention of staying away from you, like,
forever
.  But Her Royal Evilness had other plans.”

             
“And exactly what kind of plans does she have?” I asked.

             
Boil Face shuffled out into view practically carrying
a
twin.  My stomach knotted when I realized the lone twin was bandaged up where his brother
had
been.  His face and arms were swollen and bruised.  Someone had worked him over badly.  It looked like the only thing holding him upright was his friend. 

Boil F
ace’s tone was devoid of all emotion.  “We were told to kill you, or else.” 

             
I felt the reverberation from Gabe’s growl in my chest. 

             
I held my hand up to halt our advancing lion. Even though I had a sick feeling in my gut of what the answer would be, I had to ask.  “Where’s his brother?” 

             
“Where do you think?”  Red answered bitterly, as he helped the still splayed Eddie to his feet.

             
I peered at the broken mess that was the lone twin.  Beneath the bruising I could see black circles that tracked under red rimmed eyes.  His face was a gaunt shadow of sadness.  I knew the pain that was eating away at him only too well. 

“I
’m sorry for your loss.” I said with utmost sincerity.

             
Fresh tears spilled from his eyes.  He removed his glasses to wipe his face.  “Thank you.”  He muttered and tried to swallow down the anguish.

             
“Who are these guys, Cee?”  Kendall whispered to me.  “What’s going on?”

             
“Kendall, Gabe, I’d like you to meet the Dark Army Glee Club.”

             
“In between plotting our doom they have time for extracurricular activities?  That’s border-line insulting.”  Kendall’s face folded into a scowl.

             
“We’re not included in the plotting.  Or the fighting for that matter.”  Eddie shrugged a puny shoulder. “We’re kind of like the tech department; spells, potions, illusion disguises, stuff like that.  Gives us a lot of free time.”               

If
that was true, and I saw no reason for them to lie, then something here didn’t seem right.  “Then why would she send you?”

The
remaining Glee Club members exchanged a look. 

“We have no idea.
”  Red admitted.  “But something’s up.  Everyone has been extra hush-hush lately.  Before it was training and fighting all day, every day.  Now it’s quiet meetings behind closed doors.  The whole army is in a holding pattern, but no one will tell us why.  As if her picking
us
to come after you wasn’t weird enough, there’ve been rumors…”