Embrace (The Gryphon Series) (8 page)

I gaped in the direction she’d gone. 
Had Sophia told
everybody?!

“Well,
I
think he’s a perfect first lesson.  And since Celeste agreed to let me teach her,
my
opinion is the one that matters.”  Sophia rounded the counter, grabbed my forearm and tugged me up off the floor.  I purposely turned my back to the seating area to avoid catching a glimpse of the guy I was going to embarrass myself in front of momentarily. 

“Doesn’t Celeste
’s opinion matter?”  I was well aware my voice had climbed to a high pitched whine.  To be honest I didn’t care.  “’Cause she really doesn’t want to do this.”

“Nope!
  Don’t care!”  Sophia’s white teeth gleamed as she flashed me an infuriatingly perky smile.  “Now, first things first.  Lose the ponytail and shake your hair out.”

“Health code violation.”
Becca interjected without looking up from the register.

“
Shoot.” Sophia scowled, but quickly rebounded.  “Okay fine, we’re gonna have to work around you looking like a prepubescent twelve-year-old.”

“
Hey!
” I crossed my arms over my chest.  “If you’re trying to bolster my confidence, you’re doing a lousy job.”

“Sorry.  You
’re beautiful, wonderful, and intelligent.  Any guy would be lucky to have you.” She smoothed down stray strands of my hair, then gave my shoulders a quick squeeze.

I
quirked an eyebrow at her. “Well, now, I know you’re full of crap.”

Becca
hid a snicker behind her hand.  A visibly annoyed Sophia grabbed me by the shoulders and spun me directly at table four.  “Just smile, make eye contact, and take his order.”

An appreciative gasp escaped my parted lips. 
I stared at the most painfully beautiful specimen of the male form I’d ever seen.  Hair, the glossy bluish-black hue of a raven’s feathers, hung long enough for a rogue strand to have fallen forward to tickle the tips of his lashes.  His bone structure and complexion where so chiseled and flawless he looked like a carved masterpiece.  The only imperfection I could see was a slight crook in his nose, which seemed to give character to an otherwise untouchably perfect face.  As he read through our menu—unaware of my ogling—I let my gaze wander over him.  His snug tan sweater gave a hint of the muscular torso and taunt abs it selfishly hid from view.  Under the table his long legs clad in well-worn jeans stretched out and crossed at the ankle.  I cocked my head to the side and fought the desire to whistle through my teeth. This guy was amazing.  There was no possible way I could talk to him.

I whipped my head toward Sophia. 
“
Please, don’t make me do this.
” My tone was quiet, yet unmistakably urgent.

“You promised.  Now go!” 
Without any further ado she shoved me in his direction. 

With
the hesitant, lead- filled feet of someone forced to walk the plank over shark infested waters,(
Hmmm, maybe Rowan’s fake pirate crap was contagious
.) I approached the alluring stranger’s table.  He was a gorgeous testament to the male gender, and I was an average looking gal that could bench press a Volkswagen.  Nothing good could come of this.

“WelcometoNeighborhoodCafewhatcanIgetforyou?”
Nerves made my voice alternately squeaky and hoarse as I rambled at top speed. 
Oh, to sound normal…

With an easy grin he peered up at me.  It took every ounce of
self-control I had not to stare slack-jawed into his eyes.  They gleamed like freshly polished emeralds, speckled with tiny flecks of gold.  They were so pretty.  Almost hypnotic…

That’s
right about the time when I realized he had said something.  I missed it because I was too busy gawking at him. 
Oh, crap! Did he order?  Introduce himself?  Ask me to marry him?  Request a restraining order?  I have no idea!  How do I fix this and not come off sounding like a loser?

“Huh?” 
Yeah, no.  That wasn’t it.

With a
soft chuckle he leaned forward to rest his elbows on the table.  “I said it’s good tah see ya.  Ya disappeared from class right around the time ole Nosehair did.”

My knees almost buckled
at his Irish brogue.  Until that very moment I had no idea that particular trait would appeal to me.  It did.  Big time.  This guy was in one of my classes?!  How the heck had I missed him?  “You were in my Art History class?”

He grimaced and sucked air in through his teeth.  “Didn’t even notice me?  Ouch
!  And here I was wonderin’ what became of ya.”

I glanced down at my order pad as heat rose in my cheeks.  “Don’t take offense or anything.  I don’t…look…around…much.”  Internally I
marveled at what a blathering idiot I’d become. 

Despite the smile I hear
d in his voice I kept my eyes cast down.  “I’ll just hold firm tah the idea that ya’r so taken with art history ya couldn’t be bothered by those around ya, even if they were hopin’ for a moment or two of ya’r attention.”

Was he flirting with me?  No.  Couldn’t be.  I decided to ignore that crazy idea altogether.  “Did they replace Professor Nazleer?”

He paused before answering, probably confused by my rapid topic lane change without signaling.  “Ah—yes.  Dreadful woman.  Wears too much perfume and not nearly enough deodorant.”  

I erupted in a surprised—
way
too loud—guffaw.  My sweaty hand fluttered up to cover my mouth.  “Sorry.  That was loud.”  Could a person blush so much that their head actually exploded?  I was becoming increasingly concerned I was going to find out. 

Deep dimples
dipped into his cheeks as he smiled at me with perfect Chiclet teeth.  “Don’t apologize.  Ya have a wonderful laugh.”

I
may just melt into a puddle on the floor.

“
Thanks.”  I peeped.  Realizing my gooberness was getting out of control, I stood up straighter and pressed my pencil to my order pad.  “Would you like to hear our orders? Or do you know you’re special?”
Crap! Did I seriously just say that?!
“I mean, would you like to hear our
specials
or do you know your
order
?”

Smooth idiot, you’re getting a forehead smack for that later.

“A warm drink would be bliss. I’ve heard great things about cappuccinos, but ne’er actually had one.  One of those’d be great.”

“Sorry, our
cappuccino machine is broken.”  I apologized.  “Dead actually.  Won’t even turn on.  We have a great assortment of teas or coffees, if you would like one of those instead.”

Confusion creased his brow
, creating the only lines in his otherwise unblemished porcelain skin.  With narrowed eyes, he peered past me to the counter.  “Ya sure it’s broken?  Sounds like it’s on now.”

I turned my head
in the direction of the counter.  He was right, something was whirring.  I could hear it, too.  But it wasn’t coming from the counter, or the DOA cappuccino machine.  It was closer than that.  Close enough that I could feel the vibration in my chest. 

Oh, sweet
- mother-of- all-that’s-good-and-pure, IT’S ME!! I’m purring!! I know I have the essence of the Gryphon in me.  And part of that is, in fact, feline.  But, seriously?!  Purring?!  Someone kill me now!

“I’ll go check on that.”  I muttered and
spun on my heel. 

Without a glimpse at my boss or co-workers
, I high-tailed it to the safety of the backroom.  I intended to stay right there until Dreamy McDreamerson left. Yes, hiding. While the purring stopped as soon as I got some distance from him, I wasn’t going to risk a repeat performance.  Instead, I collapsed into one of the breakroom chairs. 

My head thudded down onto the table. 
“Ow.”  I uttered, then followed up with a couple extra head thunkings. It wasn’t the promised forehead smack, but it would suffice. “What. A. Moron.”

Granted,
I didn’t expect it to go well, but this went beyond tragic.  Back when I was just “normal” Celeste I was accustomed to embarrassing myself in front of the opposite sex on a fairly regular basis.  But never like this.  As the Conduit I now had supernatural ways to humiliate myself. 
Awesome.

CHAPTER 10

I needed guidance in a major way.  Since my questions pertained to supernatural matters, my first choice for a sounding board was Alaina.  But when I walked in the house to see her hustling into the living room gripping two giant bowls of popcorn, I knew my timing was off.  Desperation prompted me to try anyway. 

“Hey, Alaina.  Y
ou got a sec?” I asked, as I dropped my giant purse on the foyer floor.

Alaina froze
.  Her eyes shifted from the living room to me and back again.  “We were just about to watch a movie about a billionaire that dresses as a robot and blows things up.  Gabe picked it out.  Why?  Is there something you need?”

“I…uh
…”
How does one admit to purring at a stranger?
“I had a really
weird
day.”

The feathers that tracked up the nape of her neck, over her head and ended by framing her porcelain doll face ruffled with her slightly
piqued interest.  “Weird, how?”

“Lani, come on!
”  Gabe hollered from the living room.  “Previews are over!  Movie’s starting!”

S
he cast a look in the direction of the living room, then turned back to me with a bird-like twitch. “Ignore him.  Your issues take precedence.”

Now that I had her attention I didn’t know where to begin.  I wrung my hands feeling all kinds of silly and a fair amount of dumb.  “It’s really not a huge deal. 
I just…”

“LANI!”
My eyebrows raised at Gabe’s nickname for our guide.

Her velvety smooth voice
vanished and traces of her eagle call broke through as she screeched, “In a minute!” 

No way could I talk about this in these kind of conditions. 
“Ya know what?”  The broad grin that spread across my face felt fake and wrong, but I held it steady just the same.  “ Never mind.  It’s really no big deal.”

Her avian eyes
clouded with concern.  “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.” I nodded and shooed her away
.  “Go enjoy your movie.” 

“
Okay,” Hesitantly she walked to the living room.  A second before disappearing around the corner she added, “Maybe we can talk later?”

“Maybe.”  I
lied. 

With a deep sigh
of dejection, I walked to the kitchen in hopes of finding Grams.  She may not know much about mystical stuff, but when it comes to life experience Grams has done it all—usually twice.  She’d bestow some wisdom that would make me feel better.  Or, she’d make me chocolate chip cookies.  Either option would do. 

I
nstead of Grams I found Kendall and Keith in the kitchen.  Keni wore a lilac tracksuit.  Flowered barrettes held her golden hair back, as she tightened the laces of her tennis shoes.  Her boyfriend, Keith, tried to cram himself into a corner out of view when I walked in.  He’s genuinely weirded out by the knowledge I’m the chosen one.  He stares at the ground, breaks out in a flop sweat, and fidgets uncontrollably whenever I’m around.  I’m probably more amused by that than I should be. 

“Hey.  Grams home?”  I
pulled out a chair and flopped down at the table. 

“Nope.”  Keni
finished one shoe and started on the other.  “The Senior Center is having a pajama party.  Grams left about a half-hour ago wearing a kimono, and a pair of feathered mules.  It was frightening.  Be glad you missed it.”

“
That guy she’s dating…” Keith began.  He blushed bright red as he forced himself to speak in my presence. 

“
Dr. Allyn.”  Keni offered up.

“Yeah, he
was dressed like Hugh Heffner.” 

“
Yikes.”  I grimaced at that visual.  I plucked an apple from the fruit basket and turned it over in my hands with no real interest.  My guide was preoccupied with my bonehead brother, Grams was out being Grams, and I was in serious need of some girl talk.  Desperation set in as I peered at my
little sister
.  “You’re not leaving, are you?”  That came out way whinier than I intended.

Keni rose
from the table and shouldered her bag.  “Sure am!  We’re going up into the mountains.  Keith’s going to time me while I practice speed-flying.”

“Speed-flying?” 

“Yep!”  She confirmed brightly.

“Uh, did you run this by Alaina?”

“I tried.”  Keni gave a little shrug.  “But I don’t think she heard me.  She was busy trying to figure out the “mystical forces” that make the microwave work.”

I set the apple down and folded my hands on the table. 
“Okay.  Do you really think the forest is the best place for this—ahem—exercise?  Maybe a wide open space absent of obstacles would be a better idea?”

Keni rolled her eyes
and readjusted the bag on her shoulder.  “Where people could see me?  Yeah.  Brilliant, Cee.  Really.”

I wet my lips a
nd tried to figure out another way to explain this to her.  Keith pulled his gaze up off the floor to give me a nod of understanding.  At least one of them knew this was going to end badly. 

To him I said, “When she slams into a tree
—and she
will
—wrap her wings around her.  They’ll heal her.”

With an annoyed “tsk-uhh”  Keni
tossed her head and stomped out of the room.

“I will.”  Keith
quietly confirmed then chased after her. 

I shook my head as I watched them leave.  If it wasn’t for the funk I was in
I may have tagged along just for the comic relief that was sure to come.  Instead, I moped up to my room. 

As I pushed the bedroom door open a flutter of motion from within the room triggered my warrior instincts.  The end of a crimson cloak snapped as a shadowy figure fled into the
cramped closet.  I sprang to action.  In a blur of speed, I crossed the room and yanked the closet door open wide.  Nothing was there but Keni’s expansive wardrobe and the few items of mine she allowed me to hang in a tiny nook of space.  Hangers squealed across the metal hanging bar as I shoved the clothes out of the way.   The closet was vacant of any and all creepy cloaked persons.  I spun around looking for some clue as to what they were after.  Tingles tap danced down my spine.  On my pillow, tied with a crimson ribbon, was a scroll.  I glanced over my shoulder at the closet where the clothes still swung.  I had stolen my first glance—fleeting as it was—of my mysterious ally.   

With
eager hands I untied the ribbon and unrolled the thick parchment paper.  The message inside read like something out of a Spirit Plane biology textbook.

The Conduit of the
Gryphon will inherit the animal’s essence.  As the gryphon is a creature that mates for life, its Conduit will be drawn to as well.  Potential mates can cause a physical reaction in the host, up until the time that an ideal suitor is found.

  “
A physical reaction?!”  I yelled at the closet.  Chances were whoever it was couldn’t hear me, but I was annoyed enough not to care.    “What else can I expect?  Am I gonna twitch my tail at boys I like?  Nip at them to show my interest?  ‘Cause that’ll make dating
loads
easier!” I crumbled up the paper and threw it across the room.  It bounced off the closet door and rolled back at me.  “Friggin’ chosen-one crap!” 

Wi
th a
flump,
I collapsed onto my bed, gripped my pillow over my face and screamed into it.  As if dating wasn’t hard enough when I was just an awkward little nobody, now I have to do it as Queen of the Misfit Freaks. Convent life looked more and more appealing.

CHAPTER 11

I laced up my most comfy tennis shoes, yanked on jeans that allowed me plenty of movement, and topped it off with my favorite hoodie.  What I needed now was a little demon maiming therapy.  That plan made it as far as the foyer.  Keni stumbled in with Keith gripping her by the elbow. 

“I said I’m fine!”  She snapped and swatted his hands away. 
“Fine” was the last word I would’ve used to describe her current state.  Dried blood dotted her lilac top.  She also brought a good portion of the forest home in her hair. 

“Hit a tree, huh?”

Keith pressed his lips together and nodded a confirmation.

“I will have you know…” Keni raised one finger in the air and wobbled on unsteady feet.   “…that right up until that unfortunate ending I was making phenomenal time!”

“I don’t doubt that a bit.”  I tried to bite back my grin as I hooked her arm over my shoulders to help her up the stairs.  “Thanks for getting her home, Keith.  I’ll take it from here.” 

“Night shmoopsie-poo!  I’ll see you and that
fine
be-hind tomorrow!”  Keni called over her shoulder with all the inhibitions of a drunken monkey.

My head whipped around.  No way was I gonna miss his reaction to that.  It didn’t disappoint.  Keith turned from red to purple, then fumbled his way out of the house as fast as he could manage. 

“You know you just scarred that boy for life,  don’t ya?” I asked as we shuffled up the narrow stairwell, nearly knocking our elementary through high school pictures off the walls with our shoulders. 

“Nah.” She scrunched up her face and batted that idea away with the wave of her hand. 

I got Keni into the bathroom and had her get in the shower to rinse off as best she could.  Afterwards, she wrapped herself in a terry cloth towel. I pulled a chair in front of the bathroom mirror. She sat and I stood behind her to evaluate the remnants of the mess.  Pine needles, tree bark and various other forest paraphernalia were matted into her hair, held there by a thick layer of sap.  I tweezed as much of the larger stuff out as I could. Then resorted to massaging peanut butter into her scalp to pry the stubborn sap loose.