The Conduit (The Gryphon Series Book 1)

by Stacey Rourke

  “Like that? Wait till you see my dinner show.”

  Gabe turned to Alec and clasped a hand on his shoulder with enough force to cause Alec to wince. “You know, no one will think badly of you if you decide not to go through with this. We know how she is and would totally understand.”

  I glared daggers at him.

  “I’ll take my chances.” Alec winked at me with a crooked grin.

  “Whatever, man. Your funeral.” As Gabe passed me, he noticed my evil eye and answered it with a toothy grin. My rebuttal was an elbow to his ribs, which hurt like I’d rammed my funny bone into a brick wall. I grabbed my elbow and grimaced in pain. Gabe laughed.

  With my brother gone, Alec moved in closer. He put a hand on each side of my head and did a mock examination, turning my head this way and that. He then turned his attention to my left arm, gently lifting it up, flipping it over, inspecting it, and then dropping it back to my side. He repeated the pattern with my right arm and paused to dot a kiss to the elbow that was smarting from hitting Gabe.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  “Making sure you’re still structurally sound after your head trauma.” He held my hand in both of his for a moment before reluctantly releasing it. “You seem good.”

  “I’m feeling better. But thank you for the clean bill of health.”

  He looked into my eyes intently. “You’re good? Really?”

  I could feel myself blushing under his intense stare. I broke our gaze and looked away as I pushed a loose lock of hair behind my ear. “Yes, I’m really okay. How’ve you been?”

  Alec filled me in on his activities over the last few days. I’ll be honest. I completely tuned out. Despite my earlier fears, curiosity got the best of me. I opened myself up to whatever his psyche would tell me.

  It came so subtly I almost missed it. My palms dampened, my heartbeat sped up a bit, and a fresh blush colored my face. He liked me, and I was feeling just how much. Guilt plagued me because I didn’t know if my feelings matched his. Truth be told, I’d only ever had one boyfriend. His name was Owen. We met in art class and I fell for his soulful brown eyes and easy smile. Right about the time in our relationship when we were thinking of exploring “second base,” my Dad died. Owen tried to comfort me and be there for me, but I completely shut him out. When I found taking care of my family left no time for anything else, I broke up with him. Since then, I hadn’t dated at all. I didn’t know if I was ready for another relationship or not. I definitely didn’t want to hurt Alec like I had Owen.

  Yet as I stood there, deeply immersed in these borrowed emotions, I couldn’t help but revel in how nice it felt. This level of enamored infatuation made me feel alive again, even if it wasn’t my emotion to hold onto. As I looked at Alec, the feelings of adoration accentuated all his finest attributes. His crystal blue eyes twinkled like that of a mischievous little boy. The afternoon light filtering in through the window emphasized the red in his hair. If I kept plugged into him like this, I was going to have no choice but to stretch up on my tiptoes and gently press my lips to his.

  But I didn’t.

  Instead, I closed the valve on the emotional spigot that flowed from him and went back to my own infuriatingly indecisive feelings.

  “… it came out blue, which was weird. But I think I can live with it.” Wrong moment to tune back in. I had no clue what he was talking about.

  “Blue’s not bad.” I interjected, hoping the answer would fit somehow.

  “Absolutely. Blue is totally workable.” His eyes crinkled as he grinned. I gave an internal phew and vowed not to let my mind wander like that again. “So, are you hungry?”

  “Famished. Let’s eat.”

  ***

  The Old Shamrock Bar and Grill located on Gore Avenue was more bar and less grill. Sunlight had no place here. The lone window at the front of the narrow establishment had a blackout curtain over it to keep out the offending light. It was only seven o’clock, yet within the confines of these walls, darkness was a permanent resident. Regulations on smoking hadn’t reached this corner of the world. A thick haze of nicotine hung heavy in the air. An old juke box in the corner played a song from the eighties that I had heard my mom hum a few times. I think the musician was the prince of something, though I had no idea of what. On the scuffed-up wood floor, couples swayed. There were maybe eighteen people there, which wasn’t a bad turn out for a town the size of a postage stamp. We were the youngest people there by a good twenty years.

  My apprehension eased when I found that, just like with Alec, no emotions invaded me. I was free to relax. We took a seat at a tattered, round table and ordered a couple of burgers with sodas. As we waited for our food, Alec filled me in on his life back in Nashville.

  “I’m actually an intern at the station right now, which means they work me to death and pay me pretty much nothing. But I’m hoping when I get my degree, they’ll keep me on. Maybe even start paying me enough that I won’t need to have three roommates just to make rent.”

  “Cozy.”

  “Nope, not at all. But it’s better than living on campus.”

  “Easy on the horror stories, that’ll be me in September.” The waitress arrived with our burgers and we dug in.

  “No, it really is a good experience. It can just get kind of crazy. Don’t expect to have any kind of privacy while you’re there. But you’ll meet some cool people and have a lot of fun. What school are you going to?” Alec asked through his mouthful.

  I paused to swallow the huge bite I’d taken. “Rhodes College in Memphis.”

  “I heard that’s a really good school. Beautiful campus.”

  “It looks beautiful in the pictures.” I grabbed my napkin and wiped a mound of ketchup off my face. “I haven’t seen it in person yet.”

  “Have you picked a major?”

  I grabbed the salt shaker to season my fries. “I want to be an art teacher.” Alec gave an appreciative nod as he slugged down his drink. “So, how are you liking being in front of the camera? Is this a permanent change?”

  “I never wanted it to be, but I’m enjoying it. It’s exciting. I get to interview people, hunt for leads, even save the occasional damsel in distress.” He met my eye and graced me with another of his charming grins. I felt myself blush but doubted Alec could tell in the dim lighting.

  “What’ve you learned about the fabled panther of Gainesboro?”

  His eyes sparked at the mention of his story. He wiped his mouth and then leaned forward to rest his elbows on the table. “It’s really getting interesting. There have been three different sightings. Two of them were hikers in the mountains. One in broad daylight. They got a really good look and swear it’s a black panther. The third sighting though I’m convinced is a hoax.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “It was at a house on the outskirts of town, right at the base of the mountains. A little boy, I think he was like eight or nine, says he saw the panther. According to him he woke up and it was staring into his room with its front paws pressed up against the glass of his window.”

  I imagined waking up and seeing a gigantic cat with razor sharp teeth staring at me. The bed would need new sheets. “That would be terrifying!”

  “Yeah, it would be if it actually happened. But last time I checked panthers aren’t really known for their peeping habits. Not to mention, I scoped the house out. With the height of the window the panther would’ve had to stand on its hind legs. That’s just not realistic for a panther on the prowl. More likely, the kid heard some gossip about the sightings and made up a story to get attention.” He gave a dismissive shrug. “Either way, until I get some actual pictures, all the sightings are alleged. Now if I could get some actual footage, my producer at the station would love that!”

  “You might even get promoted up from intern to … hmmm, what’s a step up from an intern? Janitor?” I teased.

  He grinned and threw his napkin at me. “Laugh all you want, freshman. You’ll be in the intern trenche
s before you know it.”

  “I know.” I raised the back of my hand to my head in a melodramatic gesture of despair. Then, trying to sound casual but failing miserably, I asked, “How long do you think the story will keep you in Gainesboro?”

  “Like having me around, do ya?” Alec wiggled his eyebrows at me.

  My mouth opened but only, “I…uh…um…” came out.

  Alec laughed and rose from the table. “You think about it. I’m going to go take care of the bill. Maybe you can have an answer formulated by the time I get back.”

  As soon as he walked away, I smacked myself in the head for being such a doofus. It was a good thing Alec was a cool guy that didn’t seem fazed by my Celeste-isms. I settled back into my chair and waited for him to come back. Gazing around the bar, I reveled in how nice it was to be out having a normal evening. I hadn’t even thought about my new ability.

  Until now.

  The room was full of unsuspecting people chock full of all sorts of emotions. I couldn’t help but wonder what it would hurt to take a little peek. In an incredibly bad move, I started with the bleached blonde woman in stonewashed jeans grinding against her boyfriend on the dance floor.

  Whoa! That’s not pretty! She has some plans for that guy! I quickly snapped off the connection. Unfortunately, not before I got a mental picture that I really didn’t want.

  Feeling a little gun shy, I decided to go a less traumatizing route. Our waitress seemed like a safe choice. She looked exhausted and was covered in a sheen of sweat. Her emotions were pretty straightforward; she felt overworked and underpaid. The man behind the bar became my next target. He was incredibly stressed and suffering from a sharp pain in his abdomen. Judging by the level of his anxiety, I was betting it was an ulcer. He should really have that looked at.

  I looked around for someone else to aim my ability at. The man leaning against the bar looked promising. He was definitely on the prowl. His tan cowboy hat was pushed down over his eyes. His shiny blue shirt was unbuttoned to the middle of his chest and a shock of black chest hair sprung out. A thick, gold rope chain hung around his neck but vanished into his mass of body hair. His tongue fiddled wildly with the toothpick protruding from his mouth. He probably thought it was sexy. It wasn’t. It was gross. His head bobbed along to the music as he scanned the room.

  Maybe I could find out who he’s planning to hit on and warn them. I giggled then opened up the channel to the cowboy.

  The emotion that hit me wasn’t his. My head whipped toward the door. It came from out there. My heart clenched in someone else’s crushing terror. Whoever it was didn’t know if they would live or die.

  My chair clattered to the ground as I sprang up.

  CHAPTER 9

  “You all right?” Alec stood behind me, righting my chair.

  “There’s something happening,” I murmured and headed for the door, oblivious to whether or not Alec followed. As soon as I stepped outside, it felt like someone lassoed my heart and yanked it toward the mountains. I cast my eyes in that direction but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

  Alec kept pace with me. “Did you hear or see something?”

  That seemed an easier explanation, so I nodded. “Whatever it is, it’s that way.”

  “What is it that we’re looking for?”

  “I don’t really—“ A gunshot pierced through the night and cut off my words.

  Instantly, Alec was all business. “That was in town. It couldn’t have been too far from here. I’ll go get my car.” He sprinted off toward the parking lot.

  The wheels in my head turned at a dizzying speed. A gunshot put a terrifying spin on this. Was I being drawn toward a homicidal maniac? I wasn’t equipped to take on a gun-wielding nut. What was I going to do? Tune into his emotions and try to rationalize with him? I know you feel you need to go on a crazed killing spree, but I’d like to discuss why. Yeah, not so helpful.

  Police sirens interrupted that frightening line of thought as two patrol cars whipped passed me. The men in blue would get there before I did. Good. They have guns and stuff to actually handle situations like this.

  Alec’s lime green Volkswagen Thing screeched to a halt in front of me. He chattered away like an excited little howler monkey while I wedged myself into his shoebox-sized car. “Wow, I guess you were right! Maybe it’s the panther. Ugh—I don’t have the video camera. But if it’s still there, I could probably get some footage on my phone.”

  “Fingers crossed.” My tone didn’t reflect his enthusiasm.

  Alec floored it as much as his car’s lawn-mower engine would allow and steered us in the direction the cops went. They turned, but neither of us saw where. He veered to the right at the first crossroad we came to.

  “Wait!” I slapped my hand against the dashboard.

  Alec slammed on the brakes. Thankfully, there wasn’t a car behind us. “What?”

  I closed my eyes and tuned into the feeling. “The next street up, turn left.”

  “Can you hear the sirens or something?”

  “Just go!”

  I didn’t have to ask twice. The tiny car whirred off as Alec followed my directions. As soon as we turned, the red and blue flashing lights came into view.

  “Geez, you must have like supersonic hearing!” He practically bounced in his seat as he threw his Thing in park.

  “It was just a lucky guess.”

  “Let me know if you have any lucky guesses about lottery numbers, okay?”

  “Sure thing.” We climbed out of the car onto a street very similar to Grams’. Modest homes lined both sides of the road. The spectacle centered around a beige two story with a wraparound porch.

  Two officers rounded the side of the house toward the backyard with their guns drawn. In the driveway, a man I guessed to be in his thirties screamed until he was red in the face at another pair of officers.

  “That thing was in my yard! How do you explain that? What if my daughter had been out there? She’s only eight! She could’ve been killed! Now I wanna know what you’re—” he jabbed a finger at one of the officers “—gonna do about it.”

  The officer’s answer came in a hushed tone that I couldn’t hear.

  “It is another panther sighting! Great job, Celeste!” Alec slapped me on the back. “You ever thought about a career as a reporter?”

  “Not really, no.”

  “Well, you should! I’m going to move in a little closer and see if I can get an interview with the witness. Stay here, okay?” And he was off. For someone who was forced into the reporter role, he took to it with vigor.

  The two officers came back from behind the house holstering their weapons. The younger of the two shouted for all to hear, “There’s nothing back there now.”

  Many of the on-lookers groaned their disappointment then disappeared back inside their homes. The crowd thinned out quickly now that the show was over.

  I stayed for two reasons, the first being that my ride home just ran off. The second was the force I didn’t understand that drew me here. Since the first reason might be a while, I decided to explore the second. I centered myself and opened the channel. My feet instinctively moved, following the navigation of my heart. A tightening vise grip of cold, hard fear led me across the yard, up the stairs, and onto the porch.

  At first glance the porch seemed empty until something shifted behind the white-washed porch swing. I crept forward all the while chanting, “Please don’t be a panther, please don’t be a panther” to myself. I held my breath, bent down, and peeked with one eye open and the other squeezed shut. My other eye snapped open, and I expelled my breath. Huddled in the corner sat a little girl. She hugged her knees to her chest with trembling arms. Her forehead rested on her knees. A curtain of long, chestnut hair shielded her face.

  The last thing I wanted to do was frighten her further. “Hi there,” I whispered.

  Her head came up gradually, as if she was scared of what she would see. Her big, brown eyes were red-rimmed with tears. “Is it go
ne?”

  “The panther?”

  She nodded her confirmation.

  “Yeah, it’s gone.” I gave her my best reassuring smile. “I’m Celeste. What’s your name?”

  “Ella,” she hiccupped.

  “Well, Ella, the coast is clear now. So, how about if I take you over to your dad?”

  “Is the mean man gone too?” Icy fear danced down my spine. The thought of someone hurting this sweet, little girl, or any child for that matter, revolted me.

  “There was a man here?” I tried to keep my tone light.

  She nodded, her lip quivering.

  Did the panther belong to someone? I’d have to ask Alec if any of the other witnesses mentioned a man with the cat. “Did this man hurt you, Ella?”

  “No. But he was going to.” The certainty in her voice was chilling.

  I plastered on a smile I definitely wasn’t feeling and extended my hand to her. “Whoever it was is gone now. It’s safe to come out.”

  Warily, she took it and let me guide her out of her hiding place. I helped her up onto the floral print cushion of the swing and then took her hands in mine. “Do you think you could tell the nice police officers what happened?”

  Her hair fanned out around her as she shook her head vigorously from side to side.

  “Why not, sweetheart?”

  “Cause I wasn’t supposed to be outside. I was supposed to be in bed. If I tell them, they’ll tell Daddy and Mommy and I’ll get in trouble.” Fresh tears sprang to her eyes.

  “Okay, we won’t talk to the officers,” I reassured her. “Could you at least tell me?”

  She dried her eyes on the back of her hand. “I wasn’t sleepy, so I took my baby doll outside. I was showing her the stars like Mommy does with me. That’s when I saw the man. He had scary eyes. They were black. He started asking me all sorts of questions.”

  “What kind of questions?”

  “Stuff I didn’t understand. He asked me if I was the…the one. If I had the power. I didn’t know what he meant. I told him I didn’t understand. That made him laugh, but it wasn’t a nice laugh. He said he knew how to find out for sure. Then he disappeared and the panther came.” Tears zigzagged down her flushed cheeks.