Sacrifice (Gryphon Series) (28 page)

Mom was not accepting this new ‘
tude of Keni’s well. At first she tried catering to her whims to snap her out of it. When that proved pointless she decided to try conversation. It wasn’t going well.

“Keni, honey, are you sure there’s nothing you want to talk about?”
she asked for the fifth time.    

“
O.M.G., Mom! As if you could even comprehend the depth of my feelings!” Keni huffed and stomped across the room to brood in a corner.

“
This phase is even more annoying than her
Hannah Montana
phase,” I muttered after her dramatic storm off.

Mom’s eyebrows and finger raised in unison. “
Nothing
is more annoying than the Hannah Montana phase.”

I nodded my agreement and shudd
ered at the memory.

Grams
sauntered in from the sitting room, carrying a giant gift bag with a three-tiered wedding cake on the side. “All the wedding gifts are in here and this one was opened … kind of. You’ve gotta see it.” She set the bag on the end table and extracted a water pitcher in the shape of a giant rooster. “Hah! All the phallic jokes that go along with that just boggle the mind, don’t they?”

Mom’s nose crinkled in distaste
. Hard to say if it was at Grams’ comment or the gift. “That has to be a re-gift. No one would spend their money on that.”

“This is Alaina’s wedding.
” Kendall
tsk
ed with an exaggerated eyeroll. “She may have actually
registered
for it.”

“
Well, when the time comes she can just give it away,” Grams said with a shrug of her black sequin clad shoulder and deposited the colorful rooster back in his bag.

The impact of those words hit me with a start
. An echo of them rang through my mind like the faint melody of a familiar song.

When the time comes, give it away
.

C
old dread tiptoed up my spine. I couldn’t remember where I heard those words, but the foreboding nature of them forced me to wipe my suddenly sweaty palms on the nearest tablecloth.    

A
welcome distraction came when the bathroom door squeaked open and Alaina made her grand entrance. Everyone except Kendall gasped. Apparently teenage angst prevents any and all expressions of awe or wonderment. It was hard to determine which was more stunning; Alaina’s beaming smile or the gown she wore. Much like our bridesmaids dresses her gown had an empire waist with the material split down the front. Rich ivory fabric flowed to the floor and extended behind her in a small train. A thick band of embroidered gold with tiny scalloped red roses capped the neckline, the end of her long, belled sleeves, and trailed along the parted fabric. A thicker band of it cinched her tiny waist. Peeking out from the slit in the material was layer after layer of antique lace. Her long auburn waves fell down her back in a curtain made all the more lovely by the gold and diamond tiara atop her head and a veil dotted with crystals that skimmed the floor with each step.

Unlike in the bridal shop, with
this
dress she had no doubt or hesitation. Her moss green eyes brimmed with glee and a rosy hue filled her cheeks. “I’m ready. Let’s go get me married!”

The heels of
Grams black bling-tastic mules thumped across the floor as she strode to the door and threw it open wide. “Heck yeah! My groove thang is ready to shake it up at your reception!” She shimmied her hips in a preview we
really
didn’t want.

The rest of us had learned to block
these moments out. Mom had not. Her porcelain skin turned beet red and her hand fluttered up to her mouth. “Oh my!” She glanced at the floor, ceiling, anywhere but at gyrating Grams. “Well, there
that
is.”



Chairs were set on the back lawn in perfect lines on either side of the white aisle runner. At the end of the runner sat two enormous planters with sprays of bright orange flowers exploding out of them. Old fashioned light posts adorned with orange, plum, white, and yellow blooms lined the path to the altar. The words that would forever bind my brother to our former Spirit Guide were spoken under an archway that dripped with flowers of the same color scheme, ivy and other assorted greenery.

O
n a small table next to the altar sat the framed picture of my father … and one of Caleb. Seeing his gorgeous smile while listening to Gabe and Alaina recite their vows made my heart ache. But as I gazed at the happiness that radiated off of the couple I realized this was no time for sadness. Love was here today; its presence undeniable. We were all witnesses that happy endings really do happen and I couldn’t have been happier that my big brother found his. Somehow, someday I would describe this event to Caleb in precise detail. That resolute vow made to myself eased the void inside me in a truer and more real way than Rowan’s power ever could.

Not a tear or quivering lip came from the bride
or
groom. With blissful smiles they stared deep into each other’s eyes and spoke the words that bound their souls together forever. As soon as the minister presented them as Mr. and Mrs. Gabe and Alaina Garrett, Gabe grabbed Alaina by the waist and hoisted her to his eye level. She wrapped her arms around his thick neck and laid one on him. The crowd went wild with applause. In true Grams fashion she rang her cowbell.



When I heard the reception would be in a tent in the backyard I did
not
envision this. Then again I’d never witnessed a
Biltmore-
style tent. Crystal chandeliers hung from the canvas ceiling. A raised dance floor, that lit up in rhythm to each song played, took up the far end of the tent. The DJ’s booth was positioned right beside it. Pristine white linens covered the tables. Crystal bowls filled one quarter full with black rocks sat perfectly positioned in the center of each table. Water lilies floated on top of the water that reached each bowl’s rim.
This place was so extravagant I was afraid to touch anything for fear of bringing the whole thing tumbling down.

Instead I positioned myself by the hors d’oeuvre table and made it my own personal
goal to see how many crab cakes I could eat before I burst. I had just mashed number fourteen in my mouth when the Grand Councilwoman strode up flanked by Big Mike and Terin.

With her normal haughty air t
he Grand Councilwoman spoke through pursed lips. “Sophia’s funeral will be held on the Spirit Plane. You will be required to attend. At which time a new Spirit Guide will be appointed to you.”

“You suck at small talk. Do you know that about yourself?” I asked and
licked the flaky crumbs from my fingers.

Last night I had cried until I ran out of tears over Sophia’s death. When the last of the sobs had been wrenched from my trembling body I stared into the night and thought about her life
. As a muse she inspired others to live life to the fullest. As my friend, she wouldn’t have wanted me to mourn her. She’d want me to remember her fondly and keep living. Especially since my calling didn’t guarantee a long life expectancy. In her honor, that was exactly what I was going to do. Starting with reveling in a hobby I had truly come to love … harassing the Grand Councilwoman. Making her squirm brought me great joy.

She s
quinted as though she either didn’t get my humor or wanted to pinch my head off, hard to tell which.

“Is Alaina going to be reinstated?”

A hint of a smile twitched at the corners of Big Mike’s mouth.

The Grand Coun
cilwoman clasped her hands behind her back and peered around at the mingling guests. “The opportunity was offered to her. She turned it down. Apparently she has decided mortality is a good fit for her. The Council must now gather to discuss who to appoint.”

I wiped my hands on a napkin and flashed her my best
, most innocent smile. “Could I cast my vote for anyone that is
not
a creepy, berry-addicted gnome that’s crossed over to the dark side?”

She cleared her throat and
tried to look unaffected. Her feathers may have been hidden, but I still managed to ruffle them. “Yes. Well, in case I failed to say it before … ”

“You did,”
Terin interjected and shot me a wink.

I pressed my lips together to
squash a threatening snicker.

The Grand Coun
cilwoman glared Terin’s way before she continued. “I am deeply sorry the guide I assigned tried to terminate you and therein destroy the world.”

“These things happen, right?” I chucked her shoulder with the inside o
f my fist. A horrified look crossed her face at the casual nature of my touch. Judge me if you will, but that just made it funnier. “Maybe in the future you could try a more thorough screening process? Google them. I hear that’s
really
effective.”

“Goo
…
what
? I shall do no such thing to them!” Her chalk white complexion was turning a deeper shade of crimson by the second. “Michael, please escort me to my room. This human disguise is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain under these deplorable conditions!”

I
gave her a little wave goodbye as Big Mike offered her his arm. Even through his tux his muscles visibly bulged. With a brief nod in my direction he led Her Grand Snootiness out. Terin lingered behind, her bright red-hair set ablaze—figuratively—by the golden jersey dress that skimmed over the curves of her body.

We redefined a
wkward in that moment; standing side-by-side, both of us trying to figure out how to start the elephant in the room conversation. We exchanged uncomfortable smiles as the wedding guests banged their butter knives against their glasses to prompt the bride and groom to engage in yet another movie screen worthy smooch.

“So
… what are you?” I asked in my best attempt at casual.

A curtain of red
hair brushed her shoulder when she turned my way; her face an unreadable mask. “I’m your cautionary tale.”

“My what now?”

She plucked a glass of champagne from a passing caterer and raised it to her lips. Even after her sip she paused and ran her finger along the rim of the flute before speaking. “Did they warn you that you could lose your humanity as the Conduit of the Gryphon?”

Alaina told me that shortly after I learned of my calling. Right around the time that I was informed that the Gryphon could read my mind and that’s how he knew when to zap me with a new power or ability. At one time these things had worried me to no end.
In the craziness that followed I’d all but forgotten about both.

“Yes.
” The satin ribbon that hung down from the wreath of flowers in my hair tickled my neck as I nodded.

“That’s what happened to me.” Her words hung heavy in the air between us. I half expected them to fall to the ground with a thud.

“You’re a Conduit? Of the Gryphon?” My voice rose with accusation. Sure, it was stupid to feel the Gryphon was somehow cheating on me but still …

“Heavens, no,” she
scoffed with an arrogant smirk I found borderline insulting. (All the while being relieved the Gryphon and I remained exclusive.) “I’m the Conduit of the Phoenix. A girl chosen, just as you were. I fought many battles and with each a bit more power was given to me. In the midst of a fight that almost killed me I embraced the powers of the Phoenix completely. A voluntary choice I have regretted every day since. Because that’s the day I gave up my mortality.”

I squinted at her
as if the truth would reveal itself in some visible display right then. “But … you look so
normal
. You know—when you’re not flying through the air on fire.”

Her laugh
held more sadness than humor. “I may look it, but the changes I have undergone have made it impossible to live on this plane of existence. My oddities would be too easily noticed among mortals. Since that day, and for every day until the end of time, my home will be the Spirit Plane.”

The severity of that thought prompted me to snag a
soda from a passing tray and drain it in one gulp. “So to summarize,” I wiped my lips on the back of my hand, “proceed with caution?”

Her gaze locked on mine.
A small flame flickered in the center of her pupils. “Proceed with
utmost
caution.”

I took a deep breath and exhaled through my nose, all the while nodding like an idiot
. “In the last twenty four hours you’ve saved my life and then scared the living hell out of me. I think I need to talk to other—less intense—people for a while.”

“Completely justified. I’ll be seeing you, Gryphon girl.”

“Probably sooner than I’d like, Phoenix.”

A flip of her thick red waves and she sashayed off into the crowd, catching the
attention of every guy she passed.

“I
gotta learn to walk like that,” I muttered, and then made my best attempt at it back to my seat at the bridal table.