Her voice came to me as a beacon through the storm of chaos. My true north, guiding me home.
“I think so,” Celeste snarked to Terin, fiddling with her bothersome bangs, which had fallen in her eyes.
Unaffected by the prospect of interrupting them, I wrapped the ghostly mist that would be my hand around Celeste’s wrist.
Despite herself, I saw a bemused smirk tug at the corner of the fated warrior’s lips. “And if I can’t, he can,” she tacked on to a conversation I couldn’t have cared less about.
What dire issue I was interrupting mattered shockingly little. That moment was my last chance to reason with her. She could’ve been giving her confession to the Pope, and I still would have cut in, with no apology. Letting my form swirl in close, I teased across the back of her neck.
Giving a throaty chuckle at the chill that forced her shoulder blades together, I sighed against the nape of her neck, “A word, please?”
Before she could argue, I enveloped her in my cool mist and transported her a few feet away in our conjoined cloud of smoke.
Through experience, I anticipated her reaction: the greenish pallor, profuse sweating, and surly disposition that would follow. However, the army of demons that spun on me, eager to attack if she so much as batted an eye, was a new and exciting development.
“It’s okay!” Celeste raised one hand to steady them. The other planted on her knee as she attempted to breathe through a wave of vertigo. “I’m fine. He’s a friend—in a very liberal use of that word. So, as you were, stand down, or whatever command means ‘chill the crap out.’ ”
Shaking my head in disbelief, I watched what appeared to be roughly two hundred demons, of varying levels of nastiness, obey her command without question.
“Because why wouldn’t she come back from a solo day out with an army of loyal demon followers?” I snorted with a wry huff of laughter.
Only Celeste Garrett could achieve such a feat … it was all part of the annoying wonder that was she.
Wiping the clammy sweat from her brow, Celeste rose to her feet. Her chestnut eyes flicked over my face, taking in every bruise and sizing up every gash. “Squeeze in one last cage match before the apocalypse, did ya?”
“It seems we don’t have one iota of self-preservation between us.” I rolled my jaw to loosen the muscles that were tightening beneath my bruised cheek.
“Rowan, are you—”
Adamantly, I shook my head before she could turn this around on me. If I let this be about me for even a second, my selfish nature would demand I whisk her out of there mid-blink and deal with the consequences later. Stepping in close enough for my chest to brush the sharp points of her breasts, desperation dropped my voice to a rough gravel. “I get that you’ve accepted yourself as the sacrificial lamb, but I haven’t. I meant what I said about standing beside you to the end. I will lay down my life before I see any harm come to you. No matter what. But if I thought for one minute you’d go willingly, I’d transport you to the ends of the earth where none of this could ever find you.”
Deep within the warm molasses pools of her eyes lingered a flicker of doubt. Somewhere within her, in the darkest crevices of her mind she dare not speak of, lay the normal girl who longed to break free from all of this. I could see it in the catch of her breath and the gleam of endless possibilities that softened her furrowed brow.
Forcing her gaze from mine, she glanced around at the evacuated town. That was all it took. The willful fire raged in her soul once more; its inferno straightening her spine, and adding a firm set to her jaw.
Gently she laid her hand to my cheek, empathically offering me a hint of her resolve. Her face telling more than her borrowed emotions ever could. Still, I welcomed the gift of her touch.
“I have to do this,” she explained, smiling softly as I leaned into her palm. “I hope you can understand.”
Without another word, or second glance, Celeste spun on her heel and stalked toward her awaiting army.
“It’s almost dusk,” she commanded in a stern bellow. “Those that are coming will be here soon. The rest of you, fall in line.”
As a lump of resentment rose in my throat, I watched her walk away. With the clarity of absolute truth, I realized she was lost to me ... without the pleasure of ever having her at all.
Chapter 1
Eight months and one universal brain bleaching later …
“You’re a villain,” Celeste breathed the words against my lips in a throaty whisper. “A scoundrel. A complete ...”
“Dick?” I offered, kissing and nibbling my way down her neck to the enclave above her collarbone.
Many a fantasy of mine played out as she wove her hands into my hair, guiding my mouth back to hers. “I was going to say rascal,” she giggled. “You know I have a paper on examples of feminism in contemporary art due Friday. Yet here you are, distracting me with your magic tongue and pelvic wizardry.”
“Of all my sins, I can’t even pretend to repent for that one.” Diving into her kiss, I eagerly lost myself in the nirvana of her touch.
Celeste rolled her hips beneath me, eliciting an animalistic growl that tore from my throat. The intimate touch of a Conduit was a heady tonic, one I had quickly formed an addiction to.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. Wait, what? Rowan isn’t supposed to have any memories of their life beforehand! How can he recall her true calling? What is that devilish handsome rapscallion up to?
That’s the part where I truly am I wanker.
Maybe it was my mind control ability. Maybe I was a beacon of iron clad resolve. Whatever the reason, I remembered … everything. From my first taste of the fabled Conduit of the Gryphon, to when she saved me from a near fatal knife wound. I recalled it all in vivid detail: our spats, our flirtations, and our disharmony over me selling her out to an army of evil gnomes. Why didn’t I speak up and clue her in to her true calling?
My compassionate reasoning? Here, she was happy. The fate of the world wasn’t balancing on her petite shoulders. She laughed. She joked. She enjoyed life as a normal young woman.
My selfish motives? With her memories restored she would return to barely tolerating me. Most definitely she wouldn’t let my hand wander under the airy fabric of her cotton T-shirt to enjoy the velvety skin beneath as I was right then. Stifling a moan, the tips of my fingers brushed over the lacework of scars lining her midsection. To her, they were reminder badges of childhood illnesses. I considered them more the Braille War and Peace narrative of every battle she had ever fought. Curling my hand around her slender waist, I drew her close enough to feel the thump of her heart pounding in her chest. Lips crushed together with mutual intensity, a low groan rumbled from my chest. In moments like this, I couldn’t even pretend to feel guilty for all I was keeping from her.
Sliding her knee to the side, she granted me access to wriggle into the tempting V of her denim-clad thighs. Self-serving cad that I was, I knew enough about Celeste Garrett to manipulate my way into her good graces. I, more than anyone, knew what a vile and unspeakable betrayal that was. Still, what had blossomed between us since then was real. So much so that I would protect her, and the fragile ecosystem of her new life, with my dying breath.
With nightmarish visions of destiny catching up to her playing behind my eyes, I pulled back. Pushing up to sit, I stared into her chestnut eyes, mesmerized by the tiny flecks of gold which swirled and danced within. That squinty-eyed look she used to get whenever she wanted to punch me in the face was gone. All that lingered now was an intoxicating blend of acceptance, affection, and desire.
Lower lip jutting out in a delectable pout, her hand traced the line of my jaw. “Wow, you look really bummed. Am I that bad at this? You know what, don’t answer that. That said, if you would rather thumb wrestle, I would totally understand.”
Chuckling, I leaned in to press my forehead to hers. Her silken hair tickled my skin in a way that made it come alive at the electrifying touch. “My mind wandered off for a min
ute. I wrangled it back.”
Palms pressed to my chest, she playfully pushed me away. Sitting up, she straightened her disheveled shirt. “Because that’s what all girls like to hear when their boyfriend is cresting Mt. Boobage. Way to kill the mood, Casanova.”
“No, no, no,” I encouraged, attempting to ease her back down on the frightfully lumpy dorm mattress. “No pulling back down of clothes! Possibly taking them clean off and staying in bed! All thoughts were of you, I swear it.”
“Oh yeah?” she jabbed, one brow raising in question. “Prove it. Tell me exactly what you were thinking, and make it convincing, or the shoes are going back on, too.”
“I was thinking …”
That this is all fleeting. That one simple memory being triggered is all it will take to tear you away from me. That if the truth ever does come out, you will never look at me the same again—and most likely you’ll hate me enough to kill me for it.
“… that I love the way you look at me.” In desperation, I grabbed for one truth in the sea of lies I had cast myself into.
Tilting her head with a wry smirk, chestnut bangs fell into her eyes. “Rowan Wade, a sappy romantic. What will the other girls on campus say? A secret this big gets out and it could totally destroy your reputation.”
“I trust you’ll be discreet,” I countered, feigning a somber frown.
“Heck, no!” She laughed, and flopped back on her pillow. “I’m printing off fliers and covering the quad with them.”
“Sodding minx!” Pouncing, I tickled the spot below her ribs that made her snort in an unbecoming way I found absolutely adorable.
Blood beginning to pump with the prospect of our playful tussle turning into naughty fun time, I audibly groaned my disappointed when the door burst open and Celeste’s roommate, Terin, sauntered in.
One look at our tangled limbs, and a cat-that-ate-the-canary grin twined across her face.
“Whatcha doin’?” the curvaceous redhead asked with a saucy wink.
I should’ve been annoyed by her busting in, and timing wise I absolutely was. However, Terin, aka the fiery Conduit of the Phoenix, and I had developed a three-century old habit of saving each other from dismal fates. I knew her as the straight-laced champion for good she had been before the memory wipe turned her into a binge drinking party girl straight out of Girls Gone Wild Co-Ed edition. The ironic merit of her alter ego alone was priceless.
Face blooming a bright tomato red, Celeste shoved me off of her and sat up to comb her fingers through her hair. “Nothing! We weren’t doing anything.”
Kicking off a pair of wedge sandals, Terin swapped them out for flip flops. “Nothing looks shockingly similar to achieving third base.”
Flopping back down on the bed behind Celeste, I laced my fingers behind my head. “Did you not see the sock on the door, po—pet?” By far the hardest part of the whole mind-meld façade was curbing my impulse for pirate slang. “Or did you just assume that the contraption was cold and in need of a hat?”
Celeste’s head whipped around, her eyes bulging with mortified shock. My rabid little tea-cup poodle … “You put a sock on the door? We only came in here because you said you wanted to borrow a sweatshirt!”
“That’s code for nookie, lovee. Everyone knows that.” I grinned. My gaze slowly traveled the length of her, taking the leisurely route to linger over all the curves.
“Oh, yeah. Everyone knows that.” Terin lifted one shoulder casually and let it fall. Snatching a duffle bag from beside her bed, she unzipped it and sniffed the articles of clothing stuffed inside. Cringing, she discarded them onto the floor.
“You’re staying then?” I ventured. “Would that be in an observation or active participation roll?”
Without turning around, Celeste slapped blindly behind her. Her hand cracked against my upper thigh with a loud clap. Wincing, I stifled a whimper. She might not remember being the Chosen One, but she still packed a supernatural wallop.
“Don’t you have class, like, right now?” my delicate little flower asked her roomie.
“All classes have been canceled. The rumor is they found a girl dead in the quad.” Stuffing clean-ish clothes back into her bag, Terin’s tone seemed oddly disconnected, considering the subject matter.
“What?” Springing off the bed, Celeste’s hands instinctively balled into tight fists at her side. “We have to go! We need to find out …”
Sentence trailing off, confusion creased her brow. For a moment her warrior nature clawed its way to the surface. Even so, her cleansed mind had no clue what to make of the impulse.
“Find out what, pet?” Pushing myself up on one elbow, I bristled with fear in anticipation of her response.
Celeste’s stare flicked my way, bewilderment and desperation sharpening her features. Her heart-shaped lips opened and shut, yet couldn’t form a single word.
“Hate to ruin your fun, Nancy Drew, but I don’t think there’s much of a mystery to solve here,” Terin scoffed. Zipping her bag shut, she tossed it over her shoulder. “Most likely a small town freshman got a taste of freedom, but forgot to learn when to say when. Poor thing probably drank herself to death. Now, I’m going into town to hit a yoga class. You two can get back to your regularly scheduled afternoon delight.” Flicking her ponytail over her shoulder, she sashayed from the room and pulled the door shut behind her.
Celeste stared after her without blinking. With an exasperated sigh, I rolled off the bed and thumbed the buttons of my shirt closed. Whatever enticing plans I may have had for the day were squashed by the troubled expression carved on her face. If I wanted to keep her white-washed mind protected, I would have to show her there was nothing for her to do, and no one for her to save. Here, she was free. Her heroic nature could rest, and I would move angelic realms and the Underworld both to keep it that way.
“Since I’ve lost your attention completely, how about if we go see what the coconut telegraph has to say about the campus drama?” I offered with a tight-lipped smile.
A small part of me wanted her to argue, as if such a contention could offer an iota of proof that she could overcome her true nature for the long haul.
Much to my disappointment, she started for the door without looking back. “I have to know …” she murmured, and vanished down the hall at a steady trot.
Cursing under my breath, I jogged to catch up.
“Well this is not a boat accident,” I whistled through my teeth, quoting the infamous line from Jaws. “You don’t get a turn out like this for simple alcohol poisoning.”
Cop cars, paramedics, and fire trucks surrounded the campus, all with their lights flashing. The center court of the quad was blocked off with yellow crime scene tape. News crews peppered the area, all in the midst of their on-air coverage of the events unfolding. It seemed everybody on campus, except for the yoga bound Terin, had ventured out to gawk at the spectacle. Milling through the swarming crowd, we were elbowed and jostled between strangers, but made no real headway toward a better vantage point.
Lacing her fingers with mine, Celeste jerked her chin in the direction of a narrow alley that ran between the dining hall and one of the dorms. “We can get through up there.” Using her small frame to weave through the crowd, she dragged me along behind her.
Shimming down the length of the elegant stone aisle, we spilled out right in front of the quad. The yard, which was normally scattered with lounging students—and a seemingly endless game of Hacky Sack—had been completely blocked off, strobing with red and blue lights. Two men in black uniforms lifted a body bag, complete with cargo, onto a gurney and rolled it to the back to their coroner’s van. A detective, pen and pad posed and ready, questioned three frantic looking lasses. Judging by their red-rimmed eyes and dripping noses, they either knew the victim or found the body.
“Excuse me, Officer!” Celeste called to the middle-aged, plain clothes cop that stalked passed. He had the flattened nose of a former boxer, and the surly disposition to match. “Does anyone kn
ow what happened here?”
Pausing mid-stride, his hands fell limp at his sides, annoyance sagging his shoulders. “Yeah, I’ve ignored the million questions asked by all the other kids. But for you, I’ll stop what I’m doing—you know, trying to actually solve the crime—and fill you in on all the details,” he snapped irritably.
“S-sorry, to bother you,” Celeste stammered, self-consciously pulling back at his response.
I spent centuries in the Underworld where fellow demons would torture and fillet each other simply as a form of Friday night entertainment. But this guy? He was needlessly nasty. It was with great pleasure that I tipped my head and let the fingertips of my influence turn him into my obedient little sock puppet.
Turning our way on the ball of his foot, the officer suddenly offered us a warm and friendly smile. “I am terribly sorry. That was an incredibly rude and unnecessary way for me to behave toward an obviously concerned citizen. I would gladly answer any questions you may have to the best of my ability.”
Smile glued in place, he stood blinking in eager anticipation of our requests.
A bit over the top? Probably. That didn’t make it any less funny.
“Uhh …” Celeste shot a sideways glance in my direction, her nose crinkling in confusion.
Marveling at how she made even open-mouthed stupefaction look adorable, all I could do was shrug as if I was equally baffled.
“What can you tell us about what happened?” Celeste ventured, keeping her tone level and words carefully measured.
“Oh, her?” Plunging his hands into the pockets of his slacks, the jovial officer rocked back on his heels. “The victim spent last night doing a bar crawl with her friends. Around midnight they lost sight of her. This morning a student from Glassell Hall went for a jog and found her body. Before arriving on the scene, the fellas and I thought for sure this would be a drug or alcohol induced incident. Then, we got here and found her propped up on one of the benches. Poor thing was sitting pretty with her legs crossed and hands folded in her lap, like she was waiting on a bus. That ruined our theory for me. I have spent enough time in gin-induced blackouts to know they never end that pretty. It’s usually a sprawled out mess of drool and self-loathing. Hell, that’s why my wife left me after seventeen years.” Pausing, his eyebrows pinched tight. “Not sure why I just told you that …”
Descent (Gryphon Series Book 5) Page 2
