Embrace (The Gryphon Series Book 2)

by Stacey Rourke

  The sound system crackled to life and the announcer’s voice boomed, “Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome this year’s Homecoming Court!”

  Names were read and the line began to move forward as each couple was announced. There was still no sign of Keith. I chewed on my lip and fought back tears. I was going to be the only girl walking onto the field without an escort. Up in the bleachers I found Celeste and her boyfriend, Caleb, standing and clapping. Beside them stood my Grams in her bedazzled denim ensemble. She had her cowbell and foghorn ready and was set to go all “crazy old lady” as soon as I stepped on to the field.

  No, Grams! I mentally begged her. Don’t call more attention to the fact that I got stood up for Homecoming Court! It’s too awful!!

  “Carrigan Sloan escorted by her father, Colonel Richard Sloan.”

  Only two more girls before me, and it was obvious Keith really wasn’t coming. Jessica offered me a comforting smile, but the pity was easy to read in her eyes.

  “Meegan Stewart escorted by her date Brad Kingsley.”

  At a complete loss, I did the only thing I could think to do—I steeled my shoulders and tried to imitate the fierce warrior façade that I’d watched Celeste—The Chosen One—slip into so many times. Strong. Untouchable. I was just beginning to believe my own hype when a hand grasped my upper arm.

  I whipped my head around and peered up into the broad face of my big brother. Gabe took off his GHS Coach hat and stuffed it into the back pocket of his jeans. “I know you Garrett girls are a strong bunch, but it seems a bit unconventional to go stag to a getup like this.”

  I thought my face would split in two from the giant grin I couldn’t hold back. “Oh, you know me. I’m anything but conventional.”

  Gabe gave an amused snort and then focused into the bleachers on Celeste. She stared back at him, undoubtedly using her empath ability to read whatever he was sending her. A brief nod and she turned her stare in the direction of the announcer’s booth. Gabe was known here, all she had to do was give the announcer a little motivation to look this way.

  “Kendall Garrett escorted by … oh! Her brother, and the coach of the Gainesboro High Football team, Gabe Garrett!”

  Pandemonium broke out on the field and in the bleachers—primarily where Grams was stationed. All the football players cheered and whistled. The other members of the court applauded my brother saving what could’ve been an awful moment. In the stands Grams deafened everyone in front of her with the foghorn and jangled the cowbell right in Celeste’s ear. Caleb put his arm around her and tried to help by covering her ears with his hands.

  Gabe and I walked across the field and took our place among the Court. Only then did he mutter out of the corner of his mouth, “Pine needles in your hair, torn dress, and I’m pretty sure my hand is stuck to your arm with sap. Do I even want to know what happened to you?”

  I sighed, happy just to have made it here. “Probably not. But I will tell you this—swans are mean! Like Grams before coffee mean.”

  Gabe barked with laughter, which abruptly morphed into a low growl. He sniffed the air and his eyes flashed to feline topaz. “You have got to be kidding me,” he snarled in a tremor that was more animal than human.

  “No!” I hissed in an urgent whisper. “No demons! Not here! Not now!”

  “And this year’s Homecoming Queen is … ” the announcer paused as all the fans in the stands stomped their feet in a makeshift drum roll.

  “It’s not a demon. It’s a slimy little twerp that’s asking for it,” Gabe declared through clenched teeth. The veins in his neck bulged.

  “What? Who?” I followed his eye line and then really wished I hadn’t. My heart sank like a lead anchor. “Is … is that Keith? And Sydney Taylor?”

  Gabe’s nostrils flared and I briefly wondered if he was going to morph right here in front of everyone and maul my now ex-boyfriend. “I guess we know why he was a no show. He was busy under the bleachers trying to unhinge his jaw and swallow that girl’s face.”

  “… KENDALL GARRETT!”

  Applause erupted and I looked up in confusion. “Wait … what?”

  Last year’s queen strode over, with tears and mascara streaming down her face, and placed the heavy crystal tiara on my head and the sash over my shoulder. “Congratulations! I’m so happy for you and not at all jealous I have to give up my title.”

  I winced at her odd proclamation and then let her lead me to the side of the field where I could begin my walk in front of the bleachers waving to the fans as their newly crowned queen. I had wanted this so much, but now I just felt numb to the whole thing. I fixed my smile in place and tried to block out the mental image of my boyfriend with his tongue crammed down another girl’s throat. In the stands I searched for my family, needing their support more than anything. I found Grams—pretty easily since she was blaring her horn and screaming, “That’s MY grandbaby!” But Celeste and Caleb were gone. I glanced over my shoulder. Even Gabe had vanished from the field, probably going to give his team a pep talk before the second half started. I hid my heavy heart behind a fake smile and finished my victory walk. This night needed to be over. All I wanted was to shower the forest gunk off of me, slip into some comfy jammies, curl up with Mr. Hoofington—my stuffed zebra—and watch Glee on Netflix while stuffing myself with comfort food.

  My steps quickened when I reached the halfway point. Each thunk of my heels on the track got me a little bit closer to a well-deserved meltdown and giant bowl of Benny and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia. I was almost to the chain link fence on the far side of the track when I glanced up and gasped at what awaited me. Keith, held there by Gabe’s massive hand on the back of his letterman’s jacket. Celeste flanked him and paused scowling at him long enough to shoot me a grin. Behind her Caleb was doing his best not to laugh. It wasn’t going well. His face was turning reddish-purple.

  “Keni! Congratulations on the win! That’s fantastic!” Celeste clapped her hand on Keith’s shoulder and leaned in to encourage him, “Isn’t it fantastic, Keith? Didn’t she deserve to win?”

  I pressed my lips together to stifle a giggle when Keith whimpered under Celeste’s touch. I knew she wouldn’t hurt him, but ever since he found out that she was the Chosen One he was all kinds of freaked out by her. Proof of that showed up in the beads of sweat that dotted his forehead and upper lip.

  “You look super pretty, Kendall. Congratulations on your win.” His voice came out a high-pitched squeak of fear.

  While the rest of us seemed somewhat amused by Keith’s discomfort, Gabe did not. His eyes were still feline. The stern set of his jaw and his hand closed in a white knuckled fist at his side made it obvious he was barely in control of his animal impulses. It wouldn’t take much to set him off. “You got something else you wanna say to my sister, Keith?” he growled.

  The words tumbled out of his mouth so fast it was surprising he didn’t trip over them, “I’m sorry! So sorry! I should’ve told you I liked Sydney instead of letting you find out like this. It was disrespectful and … and …” Panic widened Keith’s eyes and the color drained from his face. Nerves caused him to revert to his old habit of spastically flipping his hair from his eyes—even though it had long since been cut. He stared up at Gabe, pleading for mercy. “I can’t remember the rest! I’m so sorry!”

  Gabe’s body stayed still as a statue. Only his head turned—painfully slowly—so he could peer down at the trembling sophomore. “And she deserves the utmost respect and honesty.”

  “Yes! You deserve respect and honesty! That’s it! I’m sorry, okay?” He probably would’ve dropped to his knees and begged if Gabe wasn’t holding him up.

  Despite myself I started to feel bad for him. He was just a kid out trying to find out who he was and where he fit in, a luxury we Garrett kids didn’t have anymore. Destiny pretty much mapped out our futures for us.

  “It’s okay, Keith. I forgive you. Gabe, you can let him go.”

  “Just like that?” A blaze of anger brightened
Gabe’s topaz eyes to the color of melted gold. “After what this guy did?!” His hand tightened on the back of Keith’s jacket and I worried he was seconds from shaking him like a rag doll.

  “Gabe,” Celeste intervened in that calm Boss-Lady voice she was so good at. “This is Kendall’s battle. Not ours. Let him go.”

  One last indignant growl and then Gabe released him with a shove that sent Keith stumbling forward. His freedom restored, my now ex wasted no time making his escape.

  “Thanks, Keni. I really am sorry,” Keith mumbled, his face a deep tomato red. He made it all of three steps before Celeste caught his wrist and spun him around lightning quick to pin his arm behind his back. He let out a shocked yelp as she pulled him back to her.

  “But there is one matter that involves all of us Keith,” she whispered in his ear. “See, you know our secret and we can’t have that knowledge spread around. So I’m going to need your word that you won’t say anything to anyone about us … ever.”

  “I swear I won’t!”

  “And if you do … ” Celeste let her threat hang in the air.

  “If ya do my girl here is gonna break ya in two like a Pixie Stik and let ya’re innards pour out all across the football field,” Caleb filled in with his thick brogue.

  Celeste, Gabe, and I crinkled our noses and gave him similar looks of shock and disgust. Poor Keith turned green.

  “Geez, Cal! Graphic much?” Celeste grimaced.

  “Oh crimney, I grew up in a demon dimension, remember? I was just bein’ descriptive. I din’t really mean it. Never mind.“ He waved a dismissive hand in the air. “Forget I said anything and go back to threatenin’ him in your PG-13 style.”

  Celeste readjusted like she was trying to mentally shake off Caleb’s icky visual, cleared her throat and tried for menacing once more. Even I could tell her head was no longer in it. “You say anything and I’ll … ”

  “Snap me like a Pixie Stik!” Keith finished for her. “I know! I got it and I promise I won’t!”

  “Good.” Celeste let him go and all four of us watched him sprint off. He pumped his arms and took long strides to get as much distance from us as quickly as possible. Celeste then turned her caramel colored eyes my way and gave me a warm smile. “Ya know, only you could still get named Homecoming Queen after walking in looking like you got hit by a bus.”

  “It wasn’t a bus. It was When Nature Attacks.” I strode right between her and Gabe, to head straight for the parking lot where I knew her white S-10 would be parked. “I’ll tell you all about it just as soon as I rinse, lather, and repeat the sap out of my hair.”

  “Couldn’t you just tell us on the way home?” Celeste inquired and fell into step behind me.

  I stopped and gave her a look over my shoulder to let her know that was, like, the most totally stupid comment ever. “And then I’d have to repeat it all to Mr. Hoofington. That makes no sense, Cee. Seriously.”

  With a flip of my sap encrusted hair I strode off, well aware all three of them were rolling their eyes, but not caring in the least.

  Gram’s Turn

  As I yanked off my favorite white knee high leather boots with the fringe I couldn’t help but smile at my grandbabies yammering away. Yes, they’re grown now, one is the warrior for mankind, one transforms into a lion, and one has impenetrable wings, but in my eyes they’ll always be those loud little munchkins with Kool-Aid stained faces and skinned up knees.

  I tossed my boots to the side of the foyer and tried to catch up on the conversation. “Keith cheated? Twitchy, sweaty Keith? I couldn’t believe he convinced Keni to kiss on him, but a second girl? Are we sure he didn’t pay her? Or maybe she lost a bet?”

  Kendall pulled a small pinecone from her hair and grimaced at it, like the darn thing had some nerve daring to be in her ‘do. “I don’t care if he tripped and fell on her face. There was enough tongue action that followed for me to be done with him. Now I have to go shower because I’ve never felt this level of gross before.”

  “Oh and, Keni?” I called before she could bound up the stairs.

  She glanced back, her eyebrows raised in expectation.

  “That crown looks good on you, baby girl. Congratulations.”

  Her happiness was apparent in the raise of her shoulders and smile that held more wattage than one of those Hollywood spotlights. “Thanks, Grams,” she chirped and jogged up the stairs.

  I waited until she was out of ear shot to turn to Celeste and mutter, “You took care of that boy, right? Showed him that’s not how we treat a girl? Especially a Garrett girl.”

  Celeste shook her head and laughed. “Grams, you make me sound like a thug. I’m The Conduit not The Godfather. I hate to disappoint you, but I didn’t make Keith an offer he couldn’t refuse.”

  Before I could huff my frustration, Celeste’s hunky beefcake of a boyfriend piped up, “Ah, don’t let ‘er fool ya, Mrs. Garrett. She and Gabe put enough fear in that boy tah have him tremblin’ where he stood.”

  Man candy with an Irish brogue, it doesn’t get any better than that. That boy is—as my Grandpapi used to say—finer than Kentucky Moonshine. Of course Papi never used that expression to describe other fellas but it still applies. “Well, good. Only wish I’d been there to see it.”

  “You’re a ‘grown up’.” Call me crazy—and many people do—but I took it as a compliment that she bunny eared that term. “If you were there you would’ve been obligated to intervene on his behalf. We handled it and no one got hurt … other than their pride.”

  “That’s as it should be.” I shrugged off my denim jacket that was all kinds of sparkly fun and hung it on the rack. I couldn’t help but notice neither Celeste nor Caleb had taken off their coat or shoes. “You itchin’ for my okay to go somewhere?”

  A wide-eyed smile spread across Celeste’s face, like a little kid purposely being cute for the last cookie. “It’s two hours until my curfew. I was kind of hoping we could sneak out for a little bit?”

  My bracelets knocked together with a dull thunk as I crossed my arms over my chest and peered at her through narrowed eyes. She’s nineteen years old and occasionally doesn’t come home until the butt-crack of dawn because she’s been out all night risking her life and fighting demons. Yet she still worries about curfews and respects my say. I knew I didn’t have to give her a hard time, but did anyway. Even The Chosen One needs to be kept in line. “You have until midnight. Do not be late.”

  “Yay!” Celeste gave a tiny little clap and bounced on the balls of her feet. To Caleb, who has the nifty ability to teleport them anywhere in the world, she asked, “Where do you want to go?”

  “Where e’er my lass wants tah go will be Heaven tah me.” It warmed my heart to see the love that radiated from his gaze as he looked at her.

  Of course, Celeste speaks sarcasm not romance, so she couldn’t appreciate a line like that. “Has anyone ever told you that you sound like the Lucky Charms leprechaun sometimes?”

  Caleb bit the inside of his cheek and tried to look insulted despite his obvious amusement. “I don’t know who that is, but I’m fairly certain that wasn’t a compliment.”

  “No, it was.” Celeste deadpanned. “But tell me, are they always af’er ya’r lucky charms? Hee-der-hee-der-hee-der.”

  Chuckling under my breath I walked away from their playful banter just as Celeste broke into her interpretation of a leprechaun jig. If she didn’t watch herself Caleb was going to teleport her somewhere and leave her there.

  As for me, I had other matters to attend to. There were hot biker dudes saved on my DVR that had been calling my name for a few days now and I was finally going to get the chance to sit down and enjoy them ... or so I thought.

  There was a lump on my couch standing between me and my stories … again. I groaned under my breath and felt my blood pressure click up a few notches.

  Don’t get me wrong, I used to feel bad for Gabe’s sweetie, Alaina. She had once been a winged vixen that could morph into a golden eagle an
d lived on a Spirit Plane full of amazing mythical creatures. Who wouldn’t love that? But then she decided to diddle my grandson and got fired because of it. She was stripped of all her powers and got booted to Earth. Big time bummer—I get that. What I didn’t get was how sitting on the couch watching bird shows on the Discovery Channel while wearing the same dirty sweats for days on end was supposed to help matters. Plus, and I’m just gonna say it, lags between regular bathing had her smelling fowl. That wasn’t a typo—she smelled like the inside of a birdcage.

  “The wind whipping through your wings as you soar into the horizon, there’s just no feeling like it in the whole wide world. Lucky mallards.” I couldn’t tell if this mopey commentary was directed at me or if she had decided to make her pity party audible.

  “Hey honey,” I began with bubbly exuberance I hoped would rub off on her. I plopped down in my leather recliner and leaned over the arm toward her. “How about if instead of watching shows that only make you feel worse I introduce you to the Sons of Anarchy? That Jax redefines yummy. What do you say?”

  Her hang dog expression swung my way. “They’re so free. Free to go wherever they want, whenever they want. I had that. Now it’s gone.”

  I pressed my lips together before I could scream ‘put on your big girl panties and deal with it.’ “Yes, you did. But you’re human now. Just think of all the wonderful experiences you can have that you couldn’t before. Like meeting Jemma on SOA. Man is she a pistol! You’ll see if you’d just hit the list button on the remote there.”

  “Human experiences?! Like dying?! Because I get to do that now! I was immortal! Now I’m just sitting here biding my time until I keel over! You should be sad, too. You’re old and closer to death than I am.”