Ascension (The Gryphon Series) (17 page)

With a forceful jerk he spun my way.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t alone. His white knuckled grasp dug into the scaly shoulders of a nasty looking demon. He whirled the beast around … and flung it at me.

“Celeste!” Panic raised the pirate’s voice to a fevered pitch
as soon as he saw me.

Claws that would make
Hellboy
feel inadequate flailed in the air as the demon that appeared to be half-man/half- Alaskan King Crab hurdled my way. Before my deficient grey matter could comprehend what was happening, the jagged hook of the beast’s claw slid into me like melted butter. I gaped down, wondering why there wasn’t more pain but dreading the answer. Slowly, its head cocked to the side. Black marble eyes rolled with euphoric glee as a malicious grin of filthy, fish-reeking teeth split his face. It yanked its claw further up, popping something vital inside me. Searing pain seized my chest as I fought to claim in even a whisper of a breath. Higher still the beast sawed  … until the hook of its claw lodged itself between two of my ribs. Its crustaceous brow creased as it tried to retract its appendage with a forceful yank, but found it stuck tight. A choked gargle bubbled in my throat. The constant tugs, which grew more agitated by the minute, made it a legitimate fear that my back was going to rip out my front at any moment. Still, the claw didn’t budge.

Black spots
swirled before my eyes. Coppery warmth spurted from my mouth and dribbled down my chin. I couldn’t heal with the skewer still in and the stupid man-sized shell-fish got it good and stuck. The creature grew frantic, yanking with a force that would soon snap bone. Acting out of desperation, I slapped a hand to the hard shell of the demon’s chest. Focus and concentration were staples for my telepathy. Right then I lacked both. All I could hope was that the pure, raw desire to stay alive would be enough. Sure enough … the demon stilled. Black eyes clouded to grey. A loud crack broke through my foggy cognizance. My captor’s still beating heart ripped from its chest cavity and flew into my waiting hand. A beat later, assailant and heart alike popped like over-inflated water balloons and doused me with their remnants.

I stared at the b
lack ooze dribbling down my arm as my knees crumbled beneath me and I folded to the ground.  

“Celeste
? Lovey! Stay with me.” Caleb appeared above me, the back of his hand grazing my cheek. “Will get ya tah a healer. You just stay awake.”

Soft fur from Gabe’s muzzle tickled my shoulder as he nudged me with his massive head. A throaty whimper escaped his quaking jowls.

“Where were
you?
” Rowan screamed, and shoved Caleb’s shoulder blade hard enough to send him tumbling forward. “Why didn’t you intercept that thing?”

“Where was
I
?” Caleb caught himself with one hand on the ground then spun around to glare daggers at Rowan. “I’m human ya soddin’ pirate! You threw the thing at her!”

Oh, look
,
I mused as the darkness closed in.
I finally got them to fight over me. 

Row
an forced his way past Caleb and gathered me in his arms. Fear shed years from his face and left behind a terrified little boy. “I’m so sorry,
Mo Chroi
. I was trying to get it out of the store without callin’ attention to it.”

“It … didn’t … work
.” Those parting words and the anguished roar of a lion carried me into the black abyss.

Chapter
21

Light seeped over me with a comforting bliss that erased the pain and made my body sing. I kept my eyes shut and let the waves of euphoria wash over me, cresting and crashing in rhythmic ecstasy. I inhaled, filled my lungs to capacity, then exhaled in an appreciative groan.

“When she’s
hurt bad she makes sex noises when she’s getting healed. It used to weird me out, but I don’t think she can control it. Kinda like farting in your sleep.” Keni’s voice came from across the room and
not
beside me.

My eyes snapped open. Big Mike was
leaning over me, his massive hands pressed to my bare belly. For reasons I couldn’t fathom, I wore nothing except my bra and underwear.

“
What are you doing
?” I shrieked, covering my crucial parts with my arms.

His dull slate eyes registered no emotion. “Repairing the gaping hole in your gut
. I can stop if you’d like.”

“
Why am I practically naked
?”

“You were circling the drain
, Celeste.” Grams snatched the shredded rags that had been my clothes off the floor and held them up for me to see. “He needed access to the wound fast, so he cut your clothes off with his pocket knife.”

“And you couldn’t throw a sheet over me?”

“Time was short.” He let one bulging shoulder rise and fall in an indifferent shrug. An almost smile threatened to break through his stoic exterior. “Plus, I really didn’t see any curves worth worrying about or mentioning.” 

“Hey!
” I jabbed a finger at him as Keni and Grams tried unsuccessfully to hide their snickers behind their hands. “I’m wounded and fragile!
Don’t
be a tool!”

“
Can’t use the wounded excuse anymore, I’m done here.” Mike’s glow faded, transforming him from ethereally frightening back to his standard level of intimidation.

I winced at the twinge
in my freshly healed abdomen as I pushed myself up to sitting. “Where are Caleb and Rowan? Did I at least get them back here?”

“I kicked them out.” Gram’s hot pink lips twisted in dis
dain as she shoved one hand on her hip. “They were snapping at each other like gators over a pork chop. Gabe’s keeping them in line in the hall.”

Kendall flopped down on her bed and pulled Mr.
Hoofington onto her lap to pick a fuzzy off his ear. “You’re gonna need to talk to them. They both felt super bad that you got hurt. At least I think that’s what Caleb was ranting about. His accent gets
really
thick when he’s upset.”

“
Might as well get it over with,” I grumbled and pulled my bed sheet over me. “Show them I’m alive so they can go back to pretending I’m not.”

The bed squeaked its relief as Big Mike eased himself off it and
walked to the door. “I’ll go alert the troops that the fearless leader’s insides are no longer on the outside.” He paused at the door long enough to stuff a cigar between his teeth and pull a stainless steel lighter from the breast pocket of his vest. “But, if I have to listen to the Glee Club do one more mash up I
will
kill them.”

Kendall flipped her bangs from her eyes and stared after him. “I don’t think he’s kidding.”

“He’s not.” Grams swatted Keni off the bed. “They did an
LMFAO
song earlier and I had to stop him from tossing that little scrawny one out the window.” After ushering Keni out of the room, Grams poked her head back in to inject a parting thought, “Go easy on those boys. Seeing you like that wasn’t easy on them—or any of us.”

The tight smile she forced couldn’t
mask the pain that crept into her eyes as she pulled the door shut behind her.

“
I really gotta stop almost dying. It seems to bum people out,” I mumbled to myself as I leaned back on one elbow and gently poked at the new puffy pink scar that ran up my mid-section. Only about an inch from it rested the faded white scar from Caleb shooting a flaming ball of ice through my core. Battle scars, well earned, but it was a good thing I wasn’t a bikini girl. Unless, unbeknownst to me, patch work skin had suddenly become a trend.

A soft knock rattled the bedroom door
. It creaked open enough for Caleb to poke his head in. Raven hair fell across his forehead. One strand tangled in his lashes, giving him an adorably disheveled look. “Ya up fer a bit a’ comp’ny?”

Kendall was right. The brogue was amped up
big
time.

“
Absolutely.” I tried to play it cool despite the heat that rushed to my neck and face.

I adjusted the sheet, tucking it tight under my arms, as the door opened and Caleb stepped in with Rowan right behind him.

“We needed to see for ourselves that it takes more than a flesh wound to claim our Conduit.” Rowan’s icy veneer was firmly in place. Even his glib comment was noticeably devoid of emotion.

Then there was Caleb.

When I was twelve, Kendall developed a deep love for horses. Gramps and Grams decided to treat us kids and indulge her new passion by taking us to see a horse show in Shelbyville, Tennessee. While we were touring the facilities we happened upon one mare picking a fight with another. The ornery instigator lashed out with a potent mule kick that missed her target and connected with the fence. Her hoof splintered a hole in the board that she couldn’t pull it back out of. She panicked and thrashed, but couldn’t free herself. Nearby, her trainer saw the commotion and rushed over. He approached her cautiously, soothing her with his tone as he caught her halter. Her soulful eyes were wide with fear, yet she calmed. Enough for him to run his hand across the length of her body, and down her leg where a bit of maneuvering freed her stuck hoof. The mare had been petrified, but she trusted her trainer enough to take a leap of faith that he would make everything okay. That was exactly how Caleb looked now. Terrified, but trusting … because there were no other viable options.

“
I’ll be okay.” I pointedly caught Caleb’s gaze with my own and held it. “Despite the growing need to stock pile hospital gowns for situations like this.”

“I’m really glad to hear that
.” Rowan squatted down beside the bed. Only then did I see the traces of tension that sharpened the angles of his face. “It means you’re well enough to explain why in the blazes you were at that store in the first place. Are you
completely
daft?”

“I’ve been to the grocery store about a million times and ninety-nine point nine percent of those occurrences I came out completely unscathed.” The sharpness of my tone easily surpassed his. Probably because I was still smarting from being gutted. “Today was the first time that record was marred because I had to go chase after two members of my team that took off.”

“
Tha’s when ya send ya’r trusty lion.” Caleb picked my Gryphon statuette up from my night stand and turned it over in his hands. “Tha’s not reason enough fer the Conduit herself tah come chasin’ af’er two blokes that hardly matter in the scheme of things.”

“You do …” my
hatred of coming across the least bit codependent made the words stick in my throat; I swallowed my pride and forced them out. “… matter.”

Rowan cocked his head. His expression revealed nothing but a trifling curiosity. “The end of days may be rapidly approaching. If there’s something you’re
needin’ to say, now would be the time.”

Caleb’s head snapped around. His emerald gaze search
ed my face as if silently willing the right words to tumble from my lips.

I didn’t know what either of them expected from me
, but that was commonplace as of late. Their behavior ran hot and cold yet somehow I was supposed to accept that and act accordingly. “You know something? I do have something to say!” Irritation sharpened the sting of each word. “
I’m a girl
!”

“Our relationship would be vastly different if
ya weren’t,” Rowan snickered.

I paused my rant long enough to shoot him a death glare. “I’m serious. My whole issue is that I’m female and
I can’t turn my feelings off with the flip of a switch like you penis-bearing kind can!” Emotional vulnerability suddenly amplified my state of undress. “I really wish I had pants on for this conversation …”

Rowan’s laughter died away
. “You think we don’t care about you?”

“Unless my life is in peril. Then it’s all,
” I furrowed my brow and tried to imitate Cal’s accent, “fight tah dah end, save dah Con’uit.’ Which is
insanely
condescending!”

“First, that sounded
nothin’ like me.” Caleb slammed the Gryphon back down on the table then pivoted to face me with his arms folded over his chest. “Second, we’re at
war!
”

I raised my hand in the air
and pointed a guilty finger at myself. “Noticed. Started it.”

The look he shot me clearly read
‘hush, woman’. “More than anythin’ in the world, Rowan and I want tah keep you safe. Tha’s our number one priority.”

“We can’t do that if we’re worried about which of us will have their heart broken when this
is over.” Rowan stared at his hands and picked at a hang nail. His mask had slipped off to reveal the blatant fear and vulnerability that lay beneath.

Cal clapped a hand on the pirate’s shoulder. “So we made a deal
, tah keep our distance from ya until this is over and we know ya’r safe.”

Words failed me. I didn’t want to break either of their hearts
, but they were right. Inevitably it would come to that. Forcing the issue now would put one, or both, of them in a dangerous state of mind—one that could lead to kamikaze-like decisions in the heat of battle. To protect them from themselves I had no choice but to honor their pact.

The best way I could think to communicate my accord was with a conversational detour.
“So … uh … what’s happening in town? Was anyone hurt?” A true sign to what an abysmal failure my love life had become; war was a safer topic.

Rowan rose to his feet and shook out his legs that were most likely cramping. “Store clerk took a nasty bump to the head
and fear probably took a few years off the lives of the other shoppers. Fortunately, that was the extent of it.”

Caleb’s black
T-shirt tightened across his chest as he stuffed his hands in the pockets of his faded jeans and rocked back on his heels. “Towns in a panic ov’r two attacks that close together. Business are shuttin’ down, people are evacutin’. Won’t be long before Gainesboro’s a ghost town.”

A hot rush of protective rage flared in my chest. This was
my
town and the Countess was wiping it off the map. “All these people the Countess has terrorized and she’s not even making a dent in her resources.”

Rowan leaned against the desk Keni and I shared and plucked
Keni’s latest edition of
US Weekly
from the pile of clutter. “She’ll just keep sending her minions to do her dirty work until there’s nothing left of us. Then she’ll make her grand appearance to deliver the slight flick required to tip the scale in her favor once and for all.” He turned the magazine sideways and raised an eyebrow at a picture. “Oh look, celebrities pump gas just like we do.”

Ebony brows knit together. “Don’t tell her that. We don’t know that
tah be true.”

“No, they really do. Look.” Rowan poi
nted at a page, then rolled his eyes at Caleb’s visible annoyance and tossed the magazine aside. “We
do
know that’s what she’ll do because that’s what
I
would do.”

“He’s right
,” I interjected before Caleb could argue. “She has an arsenal. We have the equivalent of rocks and sticks without the benefit of eewok charm.”

“So what do you suggest, my
liège?” Rowan inquired with a wave of his hand and formal bow. 

I
slid off the bed and wrapped the sheet around me. “One of you get Big Mike. I think it’s time for a family reunion.”