Embrace (The Gryphon Series) (21 page)

             
“What did you find?”  Gabe fanned his hand in front of his face to ward off our stink.

             
I opened my mouth to tell him, but intuition shut it for me.  A feeling nagged in my gut that I couldn’t ignore.  My intended declaration was replaced by, “We have to find Caleb.” 

             
“So, your demon boyfriend turned out to be a creep, huh?”  Gabe asked with a smug half-grin.

             
“So it would seem.”  I purposely avoided his gaze.

             
His shoulders puffed up with male bravado.  “Well, let’s go get you a little retribution.” 

             
Kendall crossed her arms and planted her feet.  “I am not going
anywhere
until I get the chance to go home and rinse, lather and repeat.” 

             
“Keni…” I started to argue.

             
She held up a warning finger, “Hey!  Am I, or am I not your shield?”

“You are.”

“Well, until I shower I’m not gonna feel real ‘shield-ee’ towards you.  Got it?”

I opened my mouth to argue when Gabe interrupted, “Where are you thinking this is going to go down, Cee?”

“Caleb’s apartment. It’s on the second floor of a flower shop.”

Gabe flipped open his phone to check the time, then leaned over and snatched the keys that dangled from my pocket. “Sunrise isn’t far off. It’s way too risky for us to head there now.
You both have time to shower. Wouldn’t hurt for us all to get some shut eye first, too.”

“But Becca’s in danger!” I erupted.

Gabe held up one hand to halt my rant. “And how many people would we put in danger if we start a demonic showdown just as the flower shop is opening for business?”

I wanted to rub my eyes that were dry and sore from being awake for about twenty hours but was afraid to after being in the dumpster, “Fine, but as soon as night falls tonight…”

              Gabe jerked his chin in my direction.  “Come night fall we’ll find your ex-sweetie and kill him.”

             
“
No
!”  I exclaimed, then tried to rein in my knee-jerk reaction.  “There is no ‘we’.  You leave Caleb to me, understood?”

             
Gabe gave me a questioning look, but Kendall voiced her agreement. 

“
I get it.”  An animal cracker remnant fell off her shoulder as she lifted it and let it fall.  “The dreamy demonic guy—that was, like,
totally
out of your league—pretended to like you just so he could kill you.  You’re sad and want a little pay back.  It’s understandable.”

             
I stared at my sister and chewed on the inside of my cheek for a moment before answering.  “He may be evil, but he’s still way hotter than Keith.”

             
Kendall’s blue eyes blazed.  She cocked her head and stuck out her chin.  “Yeah?  Well, you have a chicken bone sticking out of your bra.”

             
That wasn’t an ill-tempered barb.  I really did.

I let Kendall take the first shower
, while I headed into our room to grab some clean clothes.  I had a hunch of what I would find there.  I wasn’t wrong.  On my pillow, tied tightly with a red satin ribbon, was a scroll.  I scooped it up and freed it of the ribbon that bound it.  The message it contained injected a lethal dose of foreboding into me that spread through my veins like a disease. 

Say nothing
.  If you are wrong, you must spare them the guilt.

             
I crumpled the paper in my hands and pressed it to my forehead in my fists.  I knew exactly what my mysterious helper was trying to warn me of because it was the same notion that clamped my mouth shut earlier.  The clue they led me to had spawned a plan.  But that plan held a huge risk.  If it failed, if I was wrong, my brother and sister may never forgive me.  They would have adequate cause to hate me, and I wouldn’t blame them if they did.  My enigmatic aid knew the risks as well, but was prompting me to push on.  I didn’t have a choice.  I had to.  It was
my
calling.  

In that moment I wished
more than anything that Gabe and Kendall had been spared.  And that I had been chosen to fight—and die—alone.

CHAPTER 29

              The lone light pole buzzed as it cast a yellow glow on the ivory Victorian house.  The building was situated on a little side road, so there was nothing around us but trees and darkness as we climbed out of my truck.  Under the black cloak of night the place had a very
Bates Motel
vibe.  The utter stillness of the night accentuated that.  It was as if the moon itself was holding its breath in anticipation, or dread—or both. 

“
You may want to change now, Gabe.  Before things get hairy.”  I said as I softly clicked my door shut.  Gabe glanced at me sidewise from the other side of the truck.  “No pun intended.” 

             
He needed no further invitation.  Fabric ripped, bones noisily relocated, a plethora of body hair erupted, and the lion emerged.  His chestnut mane fanned out around him as he shook his massive head.  Then he arched his back and gave a mighty roar. 

             
“Shhh!” I pressed my finger to my lips.  “This is an isolated area, but people could still hear you!  Jeesh!”

Gabe-lion snorted and rolled his eyes.

“Let’s just go.” 

             
“This place is pretty.”  Kendall mused as we walked across the gravel lot.  “I like the fountain.”

             
I nudged her with my elbow. “Focus Keni.” 

             
With a roll of her shoulders she released her wings.  “So, what do we do?  Knock on the door and politely ask him to return the girl?”

             
Gabe answered her question with a sniff of the air.  His nostrils twitched as he inhaled deeply, then rumbled, “Deemmmoooooon.”

             
Before I could chastise my brother for talking in his creepy growl voice, a swirling cloud of black smoke materialized in front of us.  It churned and rolled into Caleb’s solidified form.  Only this wasn’t
my
Caleb.  Right now his demon half had complete control.  His normally pale skin was chalk white.  Black veins tracked just below the surface of his skin like a satanic road map.  The emerald was gone from his eyes.  In its place emanated the haunted black of a Seeker.  Caleb’s svelte frame had enlarged so drastically he would’ve towered over Gabe’s human form.  His movie star handsome features were unrecognizable.  They, too, had stretched as his frame expanded.

             
“Hey, Cee?  Remember the who’s hotter debate?”  Keni asked with her pert nose crinkled.  “Keith wins, hands down.  Ya know, ‘cause of the whole veiny, puffy, zombie-look Caleb’s rockin’.”

             
I ignored Kendall and got to the pressing matters at hand.  “Where is she?  Where’s the girl?”

             
Caleb’s voice came out an evil hiss.  “What girl?” 

             
“I see the demon brings out your inner baritone.”  I quipped.  “How about if we skip all this preliminary crap and get to the point? You know
exactly
who I’m talking about.  And
I
know that you have her.  Spoiler alert—this is the part where you show her to me.”

             
“So be it.”  He said with a formal bow of his head.  After the wave of his arm, like a magician performing a trick, a second cloud of smoke appeared.  Our trio tensed, unsure what to expect.  

Out of the smoke
came a terrified and trembling Becca.  Her mousy hair disheveled.  I assumed they had grabbed her while she was sleeping because she was clad only in a dirty and tattered oversized t-shirt.  Her eyes darted from side-to-side like a frightened animal.  With her glasses missing she had to squint to see.  She locked in on Kendall’s angelic silhouette immediately.  Hope rapidly built behind her eyes.

“Help m…”
Her plea cut off as Caleb latched onto her throat and lifted her off the ground.  She slapped and scratched at his arm—her dangling feet kicking frantically—all in attempts to free herself.  Caleb didn’t even flinch.  His vise grip brought tears to her eyes.  Her breath came in choked gasps. 

“
Stop it!”  Kendall shrieked.  I held out one arm to stop her.

“
The Conduit joins us or the girl dies.”  The demon in my boyfriend’s skin demanded. 

Deep breath.  Here we go
…

“Kill her.”  I shrugged nonchalantly.
I clenched my fists to stop myself from wiping my sweaty palms on my jeans. 

Becca’s eyes
bulged and she mouthed an inaudible ‘no’.  The desperate plea etched across her face made my blood pressure soar.  But I couldn’t let my anxiety show.

“Celeste!”  My sister
gaped in astonishment.

I
struggled to maintain a cool, carefree exterior.  “Compared to my position and all that it represents, she’s nothing.  Completely insignificant.  So, do it.  Kill her.”

Gabe
snarled and snapped his warning of disapproval.   

With her wings out,
Keni rushed for Becca.  “I won’t let you do this!”

“Keni!”  I caught her arm and held tight
as she spun to face me.  Our eyes locked.  Not wanting to say anything that could give my plan away, I pushed my emotions at her.  My resolve, determination, and even fear passed to her as I quietly muttered, “Trust me, please.”

“
He’s choking the life out of her.” Her words came through clenched teeth.

“
I know.  But I need you to trust me.” I begged.

I’d never before seen such unbridled fear and panic in her
sapphire eyes.  “Promise me we aren’t about to watch an innocent girl die.”

I felt my
façade falter.  “I really wish I could.”

“I told you before, I can’t heal
dead
.”

I nodded slowly.  “I know.”

She took a step closer and leaned in.  For a moment my little sister vanished and her role as the Protector consumed her.  “If you’re wrong, I will
never
forgive you.  Do you understand me?” 

“I do.”

She held her head high as she begrudgingly took a step back.

“Have you come to your decision?” 
The demon asked.

“
We stand by my statement.” I steeled my spine as best I could.  “Kill her.”

The Cal-demon raised Becca higher off the ground.  Her face turned purple as he tightened his grip. 
“DO NOT TEST US! She
will
die!”

“No, I really don’t think
she will.  ‘Cause see this?”  With shaky hands, I pulled the towel I found in Becca’s apartment out of my sweatshirt pocket and held it up.  “This little scorch mark right here was left by a branding iron of the Dark Army.  It’s just like the one that body you’re currently wearing has on its chest.  Some genius must’ve set the iron down for a sec while Becca was being initiated.  Clearly
CSI
hasn’t made it to the Underworld.  This tells me that Becca’s either a soldier, or the Countess herself.  Either way, you won’t kill her.  But if you wanna prove me wrong, go ahead.  Do it.”

Becca tried to shake her
head, but all she could manage was a frantic twitch.  Tears streamed down her face as she mouthed the word ‘please’.  My heart ached and my mind swirled with the terrible question of ‘what-if.’  I had to tear my gaze away from her pleading eyes, before I caved and raced over there to free her.  Instead I focused on the hulking demon that was staring at me like it was high-noon and we were waiting to see who’d draw first. 

“Think this over, girl.”
  He snarled.

“You’re stalling for time,
demon
.”  

A sinister sneer tore across
Caleb’s formerly handsome face.  “So be it.”   

With a quick
pulse of his hand he administered the fatal squeeze. I heard the crunch of her wind pipe and my head swam.  Her eyes rolled back, as her head fell limp to the side.  Black dots danced in my vision.  He let go and she fell to the ground with a thump.  The world spun around me in a nauseating blur.  Someone screamed.  It may have been me.  An enraged roar sliced through the night.  My knees buckled. I fell to the ground, unable to catch my breath. 

Tears poured
down my face and pooled on the ground.  “God forgive me.  I…I was wrong.”

CHAPTER 30