Sacrifice (The Gryphon Series Book 3)

by Stacey Rourke

  “Oh, for cryin’ out loud.” Sophia pushed herself off the hallway wall and swung around to stand beside me in the doorway. “We need his help to save your sister. Remember?”

  My head snapped up with renewed purpose. “Yes! My sister! I lost my lion and I need a pirate!”

  Rowan raised an eyebrow and raked a hand through his wet hair. Droplets of water fell from his hair and dotted his chest. Not that I was looking or anything. “Gonna need you t’ take that a little slower and meat up the details a tad.”

  “Kendall took off and we need to find her now-ish. Before the band of demons currently hunting her beats us to the punch. Normally, I would take my lion for an outing like this, but since he’s currently on his way to his rehearsal dinner—that all of us need to scurry back for—I was hoping to swap lion for demonic pirate. Will you help me?”

  He gazed over his shoulder at his shirt draped over the back of a chair. “So, I wouldn’t have to wear the monkey suit and there’s the possibility of violence?”

  “Absolutely. You should put your shirt on!” That came out more of a high-pitched desperate plea than intended.

  “I wasn’t aware you suffered from six-pack induced ADD,” Sophia turned her head to whisper.

  “Shut up.”

  She ignored me and addressed Rowan with a wide beaming grin meant to persuade. No one does persuasion like a muse. “We need you to do that nifty little demonic thing where you hone in on where the good guys are hanging out. Kendall needs to be found and brought back immediately. Big Mike and I will come along to help ensure her safe return.” She wrapped her arm around me and gave my shoulders a squeeze. “And our lovely Celeste here would be ever so grateful for the help.”

  I gave her a sideways glance through narrowed eyes. “I thought muses didn’t fight? Why are you going?”

  “It’s very important to me that the Council’s orders are followed.”

  “Liar.”

  Sophia took advantage of the moment it took for Rowan to stride back into the room to retrieve his shirt and muttered out of the corner of her mouth, “Big Mike’s hot, okay? Like insanely so. I’m just lookin’ to spend a little time appreciating the view, that’s all.”

  “Looks like Celeste isn’t the only one with six-pack induced ADD, aye?” Rowan interjected with a smirk and shrugged his arms into his sleeves.

  Embarrassment widened Sophia’s eyes and turned her ears a fun shade of red.

  “Demonic hearing, lass.” He winked as he thumbed the buttons together. “I hear all.” Shirt in place—finally—Rowan sauntered back over to the doorway. “And you, Mo Chroi, you think you can trust me enough to have me there?”

  To an outsider it would’ve appeared a conversational veer, but I knew exactly what he was referring to. He had heard every word I said by the bus. I squared my shoulders and raised my chin. “I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t believe I could trust you.”

  The corners of his turquoise eyes crinkled and that ever present smirk widened. “Well then, let’s blow off the fancy-schmancy dinner and go save little sis.”

  CHAPTER Twenty-six

  The second I spotted my sister in the honky-tonk bar, my jaw swung open so fast it nearly unhinged and my eyes threatened to pop right out of their sockets.

  Rowan’s head tilted to the side. “How old is your sister again?”

  I didn’t bother to look his way, just stomped on his toe with the heel of my shoe. “She’s sixteen, and you will be a pile of black ooze if you so much as look at her wrong.”

  “Ow!” He shifted his weight off the foot I crunched and scowled down at me. “While I normally wouldn’t dream of eyein’ the younger Garrett girl it’s a bit hard to avoid, Mo Chroi. What with the sparkly blue brassiere she’s sporting and her wings out for all to see.”

  “You can see that, too, huh?” I groaned. “I was kind of hoping that horrifying image was for my eyes only.”

  Rowan shook his head. “Nope, safe to say her audience can see and appreciate every second of her little show.”

  From her perch on top of the bar Kendall plucked the cowboy hat off a guy easily the same age as my mom, slid it on, and wiggled her hips in time to the Carrie Underwood song that blared through The Purple Cactus.

  The crowd went wild hooting and hollering. With some fancy boot scooting Keni made her way down the polished wood bar. People moved their drinks to give her room—so noble and disturbing all at the same time. I watched Keni, my baby sister, merge a Victoria’s Secret fashion show with Coyote Ugly. Keni shimmied down boob-to-eye level with a rather unsavory looking fellow that reached out to grab her.

  Nope, not happenin,’ Cowboy. I flew across the room, hooked Keni around the waist, and yanked her off the bar.

  The surly crowd booed and hissed. Cranky Cowboy even hopped off his barstool like he wanted to start something.

  “She’s sixteen!” I snapped.

  Eyes widened. Cranky Cowboy shifted uncomfortably, and suddenly he and the rest of her audience made a specific point of looking anywhere but at my half naked sister. Good.

  “I’m fairly certain Mom and Dad didn’t pay for years of dance classes for you to do this!” I jabbed my thumb in the direction of her stage.

  A wry smile curled her blood red lips. “Unclench, Cee. I was just having a little fun. You should look into it.” Her black shadowed eyes flicked from me to Rowan and back again. “You may find it … enlightening.”

  I bent down and scooped her black tank top off the ground and forcefully shoved it at her. “And part of this ‘fun’ I’m missing out on involves parading around with our abilities and attributes completely on display?”

  Kendall gave me an “as-if” look and retracted her wings. “There. Happy now?”

  “Yes.” I balled my hands into white-knuckle fists to curb my impulse to throttle her. “I walked in on my little sister giving a peep show to a room full of people when we should both be at the rehearsal dinner. I’m friggin’ ecstatic!”

  At a maddeningly slow pace, that had to be deliberate, Keni pulled her shirt over her head. “The dinner sounded like a drag. Thought I’d check out the local haunts instead.”

  “Well your little field trip could’ve got you killed!”

  Keni gave a disbelieving snort. “From these rednecks? Doubtful. We’ve fought, like, way worse.”

  Unable to hold back my rage, I grabbed her by the shoulders and dug my nails into her flesh. “Not from them! There’s a trio of demons in town that would like nothing more than to kill you because you have the unfortunate curse of being related to me! If we hadn’t gotten here first they would’ve done just that. Big Mike and Sophia are outside right now making sure trouble doesn’t follow us in here.”

  “They were outside,” Kendall muttered and nodded over my shoulder.

  By the entrance Sophia stood waving her arms over her head and gesturing emphatically for me to come outside.

  “Ugh. What now?” I grumbled and spun on my heel to march for the door.

  When Kendall didn’t automatically fall in step behind me, Rowan seized her arm and dragged her along. “After we handle whatever this is I’ll come back inside and give everyone here a good brain bleaching. Don’t want rumors spreading about slutty angels.”

  “Hey!” Keni huffed.

  “If the bedazzled brassiere fits, lass.”

  

  From the other side of the glass door I saw a flurry of activity and quickened my pace. I hit the door at a jog and burst out into the muggy night.

  Big Mike had Trent pinned to the ground with his arm at the ex-football player’s throat. Trent’s nostrils flared as he struggled to throw Big Mike off him. His spikes remained concealed, but Big Mike fought on borrowed time.

  “Get off me!” Trent snarled through gritted teeth. “I don’t want to hurt you dammit!”

  Freckles pounced on Big Mike’s work boot and gnawed on it like a dog with a raw hide. Not that Big Mike could feel it through the thick tread. Clearly
Boy Genius was all teeth and no brain.

  “Call him off, Conduit!” Kat’s barb hissed free. “Or I’ll give him a smile from ear to ear.”

  I let the strength flow through me—let it course and build. Then I gripped Big Mike’s extended wings in both hands and yanked him back. As soon as he landed on his feet he kicked Freckles off him and lunged for Trent again.

  In a blink I was in front of him. My hands slammed into his chest. “Stop! Geesh! Did they ever teach stealth on the Spirit Plane? There’s a bar full of people behind you!”

  Big Mike halted. His nostrils twitched and snorted much like the Bat-bull’s had.

  “Your receptionist has a serious attitude problem.” Kat’s black painted lips curled up in a venomous grin. “It was nice of you to deliver baby sister to us though. I’d hate for you to miss watching her die.”

  The tendons in my neck tensed to the point of pain. “You won’t touch her. I promise you that.”

  She raised her barb and turned it side-to-side ever so slightly. Purple and green neon from the bar sign glistened off polished steel. “I’d love to see you try to stop me.”

  Big Mike and Rowan closed in tight beside me. Sophia grabbed Kendall by the shoulders and backed her away.

  “Kat!” Trent thundered, his face set in a disapproving scowl. “This isn’t why we’re here!”

  “Maybe it should be!” Hatred radiated from her glare. “I don’t know why Alec wants to keep you alive, but I’d love nothing more than to gut you like a fish.”

  I stepped right up to her. Chest to chest. Close enough to smell the cloves on her breath and to get a glimpse of the gross mascara goop in the corner of her eyes. “See, that’s the problem with being a minion; you always have to do what Big Daddy Alec tells you to do. He doesn’t want me harmed. So, unless you want to be exiled by the only people—and I use that term loosely—who will accept you for the sadistic freak you’ve become, you have to toe the line and do what he says.”

  Her face turned red then purple. Rage twisted her tongue and made her incapable of giving a reply.

  I gave her my best toothy grin and stepped back. “Now, you’re gonna step aside so we can take my sister home. And none of you are going to make a wrong move in our direction, because if you do I’m sending you back to Alec in pieces.”

  Trent’s broad forehead creased. He reached out in an almost pleading gesture. “Please, the girl needs us. Just give us …”

  “She needs nothing from you.” My tone left no room for argument.

  He clamped his mouth shut and rubbed a hand over his bald head in frustration.

  I kept my gaze locked on Kat, who appeared to be grinding her teeth down to nubbins. “Soph, why don’t you go ahead and lead Keni out of here? The rest of us will keep our friends company until you’re out of sight.”

  Sophia pulled Keni tight to her then crept behind us and out toward the parking lot. She glanced back for a split second to give me a wink.

  Out of the corner of my eye I watched Keni release her wings with a roll of her shoulders. Sophia turned and Keni hooked her under the arms for flight. Black smoke snaked past me. I whipped my head around to find its source. I didn’t even have time to react. Kat solidified right in front of Sophia. Her barb ripped through Sophia’s center with a sickening slurp. The blade jutted from Sophia’s back. Blood dripped from the blade and decorated the pavement. Crimson bubbles choked up her throat and smattered her chin and lips. Kat retracted her barb and Sophia crumbled to the ground.

  Lousy attitude or not, Keni knew what she had to do. She was already glowing with her healing warmth when she caught Sophia before her head smacked against the pavement. Big Mike expanded his hawk wings and met Trent and Freckles head on as our wall of interference. Rowan hooked his arm around my mid-section and whisked me to Kat in a cloud of smoke. He ducked out of the way just in time for me to swing my fist at her temple. It connected with a dull thunk. Before she recovered, I grabbed her wrist and shoved her down to the ground. Stitches popped along the seam of my skirt as I raised my knee to press down on her forearm. The barb was going to break. If her forearm snapped with it, so be it.

  “You can’t hurt me!” Kat snarled, despite her vulnerable position. “Alec won’t allow it!”

  “You’re quite wrong there.” The voice was so familiar it snapped me out of my red haze of rage. “Do it, Conduit. She acted against my wishes. This punishment is just.”

  Loose strands of hair lashed against my face as my head snapped up. “Alec.”

  I’d searched for him for so long, but now saw no traces of the man he’d been. Gone was the carefree cameraman with the long ponytail and laid back smile. A man with a sinister edge and a tailored suit that reeked of overspending stood in his place. His strawberry blond hair had been sheered short and slicked back. That, combined that with his pinstripe suit and he resembled a mobster from Hell.

  Trent and Freckles immediately dropped down on one knee with their heads bowed. Alec didn’t even glance their way. Instead he fixed his stern sapphire gaze on Kat. “You were ordered not to hurt any of them.”

  “Alec, I’m ... I’m sorry!” Her tough façade shattered and tears filled her eyes. “We don’t need her, or any of them! Why can’t you see that? You’re more powerful than … ”

  “Silence!” he barked.

  Her trembling lips clamped shut. Tears and mascara streamed down her face.

  Alec nodded my way. “Strike true, girl. And know that this soldier will not be armed again. Of that you have my word.”

  Something in the way he looked at me caused a memory to tease along the outskirts of my mind. A chill of unease shuddered through me. My mind screamed at me not to show the slightest sign of weakness. Not if any of us wanted to make it out of this alive.

  With a bow of his head and wave of his arm, Alec granted me permission to do with Kat as I saw fit.

  “No! You can’t do this! I … ” Kat’s plea transformed into an agonized scream when I brought my knee down sharp and fast. I both felt and heard the crunch of her bone snapping. The metal barb broke free from whatever connected it inside her arm and clanged to the ground. Her shattered limb hung limp at her side.

  I scooped up the barb and hoisted her to her feet. The edge of the blade dug into her throat, but didn’t break the skin … yet. Even I didn’t recognize the icy hiss of my own voice. “The only reason you’re alive right now is because I know you’re a victim in all of this. But if you ever lay a hand on me or mine again, I will not hesitate to kill you.”

  I shoved her at Alec who handed her off to Trent and Freckles.

  “Get her out of here. Now.”

  The two wrapped their arms around their fallen comrade and vanished into the night.

  “Impressive display, Conduit.” Alec’s gaze wandered over me. “I do hope the girl lives and it wasn’t all for naught.”

  I risked a glance at Kendall and Sophia. A sheen of sweat covered my sister. Light radiated off of her, but blood continued to course from Sophia’s wound. Big Mike crossed to them with determined strides. He squatted down beside Keni and added his own healing energy to the equation. I hoped it would be enough.

  “We’re drawing a crowd.” Rowan jerked his chin at a few cowboys who stood near the bar’s entrance and gaped at our bloody scene.

  “Stop them before they call 9-1-1.”

  He focused his stare and the cowboys went slack. Like good little mindless zombies they turned and shuffled back inside.

  Alec clucked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “Such a busy girl. Saving the world really is a never ending battle, isn’t it?”

  A wave of déjà vu hit me so hard it made my stomach roll and my head spin. “If your kind would stop trying to destroy it maybe I could take up a hobby, like underwater basket weaving.”

  “My kind?” He cocked his head to the side and folded his hands in front of him. “Have you even figured out what—or who—I am?”

  His arrogant demeanor was doing
nothing to ease my nerves. I took a calming breath and tried to stifle my rising apprehension. “You’re my friend, Alec. Or you were. And I will find a way to free you. That hasn’t changed.”

  His head fell back as he erupted in a loud guffaw that echoed through the night. Rowan stepped closer to me. The tips of his fingers grazed my leg and a surge of confidence washed over me.

  Abruptly, Alec’s laughter stopped and he peered at me with deadly intensity. “Do you want to know the truth? To finally find the answer to this riddle that’s been plaguing you?”

  I squared my shoulders and met his gaze without wavering. “Tell me.”

  His eyes crinkled in the corners and a wicked grin spread across his face. “Oh no, girl. This I have to show you. If you want to learn what’s become of your friend, close your eyes.”

  “Don’t do it, Celeste.” Rowan’s chest puffed up in protective bravado. “I don’t trust him.”

  Alec threw his hands in the air. His smile held firm. “What’s to trust? The girl either does or doesn’t want the answer. Keep in mind this is a one-time offer.”

  “I … I have to know,” I whispered to Rowan.

  He went rigid beside me, but objected no further. I dropped my hands to my sides and closed my eyes. Alec stepped forward and touched my forehead with one finger. The memories slammed into me like a monsoon of raging turmoil and emotion. One blue eye. One black eye. The orchestra pit. A wall of scales rising higher and higher into the sky. Pooling blood. Bones cracking under a constricting grasp. Flames scorching skin. Lungs burning, aching for a breath.

  I fell to my knees heaving and gasping for air. “No. It can’t be true.”

  He gazed at me with a wry smile—and blinked. All the confirmation I needed appeared only for a split second … when his left eye turned black. “Our destinies are entwined, little girl. I’ll be seeing you soon.” With that, he vanished in an inky cloud of smoke.

  “Barnabus … ” I gasped and passed out.

  CHAPTER Twenty-seven