by Kade Cook
“Yes,” is all Gabrian says, poised with her hands on her hips, and slips a peek at her confused uncle as she pretends to admire the new placement of her books. What else can she say?
Yup, Tynan thinks, time to put in her request for a day off.
Chapter Forty-One
Coffee Hound
After a drawn out debate about giving Gabrian a day off, Tynan finally convinces the Elders to let her have a down day. What that truly consist of is no training for a day while still very much kept under house arrest.
Awesome.
The news of her day off is welcome, regardless of the continued jail time. A moment to breathe without having to perform circus acts for the all-seeing eyes of the Elders fills Gabrian with a temporary sense of hope. She is just as curious as the others to find out who she is, but it can wait for one more day.
Brushing the fuzz bunnies from her teeth, Gabrian turns off the tap to hear a rapping on the kitchen door. Spitting out the watery remains of her toothpaste, she wipes her mouth and hurries toward the sound. Stealing a glance at the time keeper on the wall, she frowns. 7:05, who could be here? Tynan said they had agreed to let her have the day to herself.
Grumbling under her breath, she bounds down the stairs and marches to the kitchen door, feeling the familiar mind of an Elder on the other side. She opens it with an eye roll and sighs. “Good morning, Ethan,” she drones out, widening the opening to let him in.
“Well, good morning to you too,” he says, passing by her. “I hope you don’t greet all your friends this way when they come to visit.”
She shakes her head at his blasé entrance and follows behind. “No. But my friends would know better than to show up at…” She glances at the clock on the wall. “7:08 in the morning, emptyhanded.”
“Sorry about that, kiddo, but I am sure you will forgive me once we do a session.” He grins and takes off his jacket, hanging it on the wall by the door.
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t get mad. I know it is your day off and all. Since we are technically friends...” He turns to eye her reaction, noticing her pursed lips. “We are friends, right?”
Her lips deflate and press into a grin. “Yes, we’re friends.”
“Excellent, so since we are indeed friends, I had a thought.”
“Oh, you did, did you?” She laughs, rolling her eyes.
“Yes, so my thought was what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t offer to help you clear your mind—an offering of comradery, so to speak.” His hazel eyes warm in the morning light as they pinch at the edges. “And after the strange reaction to Kaleb’s meditation, it might not be such a bad idea to start the day off with a good old heart to heart—you know, to sort through the whirlwind of stuff I know is going on in there.”
The last forty-eight hours have been something right out of wonderland, that much is certain. As long as he does not go snooping around in her memories, they should be fine. Her eyes dance around the room, contemplating his offer.
“And for a bonus, just because I am such a great guy, I will splurge and take you for a coffee. A real coffee.”
Gabrian’s eyes widen and light up, hoping his tempting offer is true. Her mouth salivates just thinking of consuming a latte. “We’re going to the Coffee Hound?”
“The very one.”
“Yes,” she rushes out a breathy hiss.
“Now that I have your attention, let’s fire up this old relic here—” he says, sliding toward the counter. Wrapping his hands around the black coffee machine, he pulls the top open to look inside. “—then we can get down to business.”
Gabrian scrunches her face. Now that she is dreaming of a caramel latte topped with whipped cream, her poor old taste buds cringe at what her coffee machine will offer. “Fine, but when we get to the Coffee Hound, I am ordering an extra-large latte,” she warns, a grin creasing her mouth as she reaches for her grinder to whirl up some fresh grinds. “Maybe I will even get C.K. to slip in an extra shot of espresso as well.”
“You got it, kiddo.”
Ethan knows he has her hooked on his promise of caffeine, now all he needs to do is get her to open up to him. If he was not an honourable man, and she had a normal mind, he could have ripped all of that information from her thoughts easily. But he is noble, and this is not how he works. Besides, he has been inside her head enough to know any wrong move or unwanted prying will only result in an immediate blast of light to the brain, followed by a splitting headache, so for him, not even an option.
Chapter Forty-Two
New Plans
Gabrian willingly recounted her journey through Erebus to Ethan as well as her moments of recovery. She made sure to keep her interaction with Lyarah and the secret room to herself, safely inside her mind and tucked securely behind door number three of her many mental compartments. This trade has always been easy for her. Compartmentalizing everything is just how she works, and how she manages to somewhat stay sane through all of this mess she calls life.
They play around with some training, even though it is her day off, because her curiosity always gets the better of her. Mostly, it is practicing her internal dialogues with Ethan—being shut out from his mind had been a means of sadness for her. The constant thrum of mental noise that they share keeps the rest of the outside noise in check. She had missed him.
With all the people she held dear taken from her, other than Tynan, Gabrian is alone. It is such a comfort to have this little measure of happiness still intact. After two hours of talk, both silent and not, Ethan proposes that he make good on his promise.
“Alright, kiddo, you all set to go for a ride?”
Gabrian jumps up from the couch, scoops up the used coffee mugs, and heads to the kitchen, sliding the cups into the sink. She does not have to be asked twice. “Yup, come on, slowpoke. You have a latte to buy.”
“Yes, I do. I—” Ethan’s pocket buzzes, and he reaches for the culprit, putting a finger up as he answers it. “I will just be a second,” he says, walking away and mumbles words into the phone.
Not wanting to delay their leave after he is finished with his call, Gabrian pulls on a hat and shoes and sits patiently on the small wooden bench beside the kitchen door.
“Sorry about that,” he offers her, ending his call, and returns to his duty. “I had to take it, client scheduling conflicts.”
Gabrian’s smile wipes from her face. She is supposed to be his partner, helping him with his workload, but here she is, going for coffee on holiday. “Ugh, I am sorry, Ethan. I forgot you were carrying all the clients, mine and yours both. I feel so bad.”
“Why on Earth would you feel bad? You are doing what you need to do. Once you get a handle on this, trust me, I will put you to good use. Besides, it is just a small issue. You have more important things to take care of.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s just—I still feel guilty.”
“Well, don’t. Okay?” She nods, looking down at her feet with guilt still haunting her face. “But I do have some bad news.” Gabrian’s eyes lift to meet Ethan’s. “I can’t go to the Coffee Hound. I really do have to get to the office.”
“Oh,” she says, disappointment looming over her. “It’s okay. I understand. I will just fire up another pot of swamp water in my machine and find something else to do around here.”
“I said I couldn’t go. I didn’t say that you couldn’t.”
Her lips curve upward, studying her mentor’s words. “I thought you said you had to work.”
“I do, but I have arranged for you to have some company.”
“Let me guess, a swarm of coffee loving Schaeduwe guardians?”
He rubs the back of his head and sputters, “Well, yes, unfortunately that was part of the deal I made with the other Elders to allow you this outing.”
“Ugh,” she grunts, hanging her head. “Really? I mean no offence to them, ‘cause, well—they are all pretty good to look at. But I have my own Shadow Walker.” Her heart twists,
hearing the words slip over her tongue. Shane’s ghost forms in her mind, and the guilt of what she has done to him gnaws at her insides, but she pushes it away. “I don’t need any more. I might as well stay home.”
“Well, Miss Spoiled Sport, if you are done having your rant, I will finish.”
Gabrian shrugs, pulling her cap off, and unties her running shoes. “Fine, go ahead.”
“Thank you,” he hums. “Like I said, I have arranged for you to have some company—other than the Shadow Walkers—and he will meet you there around 9:30 so—”
Gabrian stops, still fiddling with her laces. “He?”
“Just thought that maybe it might be nice for you to see an old friend. And, since his classes don’t start until after lunch, he seemed rather eager to take my place as your coffee date.”
Chapter Forty-Three
Coffee and Confessions
With her hands tightly wrapped around an oversized Acadian Turtle latte, Gabrian sits quietly at her favourite spot overlooking the sidewalk, and sips the glorious nectar of the Gods from a white cup—Coffee Hound’s finest concoction in her opinion.
Her eyes close as the warm liquid slips across her lips and slowly glides over her tongue. She releases a low guttural growl, lost in her euphoric caffeine-induced trance. “Oh, how I have missed thee.” Lost in her coffee love affair, the annoying presence of the trio of Guardians at her back—huddled around the table nearest the door—is but a mere blip on her radar.
A black spray of wings descends from the skies and perches on the ground in front of the window. Its ebony sheen washes over his body in a flood of oily colours that meld and shift as he moves against the sunlight.
“Well, good morning, Theo, find any goodies in the waste bin out back?”
The bird fluffs its feathers and calls out a throaty caw. Then clicks and coos, happy to be out and about with its favourite girl. A rustling beside her draws her attention as a young man settles into the seat beside her, his back to her, but she knows who it is. The smoky grey aura flaring wildly around him gives away his nervousness as he looks at his watch and then studies the door.
Gabrian cannot help but giggle, watching him squirm anxiously in his chair. His chatty mind spews out bits of concern that he missed her due to running late. He turns to face her, but his eyes only graze over her to scan the rest of the room, searching the Coffee Hound in the hopes she is up front.
Matthias does not recognize me.
She grins, picking up her latte, and stares back at the black bird picking grass on the other side of the window, wondering how long she should play her game. Matthias turns back around in his stool and sighs, thrumming his fingers on the top of the counter as his giddy mood grows sullen. She feels his energy drop and feels bad—sort of. It is kind of enjoyable to be unseen for a change. But she has had her fun, time to end the poor boy’s suffering.
“Looking for someone?” she chimes out through a grin, taking a sip of her drink.
Matthias turns to answer her, certain his movements are disturbing the person next to him. “Yes, sorry, I am supposed to meet my—” He turns to explain but finds the eyes he is searching for. His brow furrows, studying her. His head tilts to the side, just a fraction as if he is figuring out a puzzle. “Gabrian?”
“The one and only,” she chirps, peaking at him over her latte, and sports an impish grin.
“But you look,” he stutters with his words. “You look so—”
“Different,” she finishes his statement. It is the same statement everyone seems to have about her. She knows that she has changed but she really didn’t think it had been so drastic. Sure, she has no hair or aura, and sure her skin gleams with life, but she is still the same girl—kind of.
Sliding over a stool, he closes in on her. His eyes continue to wash over her like she is the most incredible thing he has ever seen. “Yes, definitely different. I didn’t even recognize you.”
“I noticed.” She teases, her mouth unable to not smile.
Wasting no time, Matthias reaches his arms around her, pulling Gabrian into a hug—a really tight hug—crushing her to his chest. “You scared the crap out of me. Don’t you ever do that again.”
“Sorry. I will try not to,” she muffles out into his shoulder, still clutched in his embrace.
Loud screeches of unhappy caws sound from the other side of the window. Matthias’ advances on his girl woke him from his pecking and have grabbed Theo’s full attention. Borrowers are not to be trusted in Theo’s mind—none of them—and he lets them know at every opportunity.
The crowd inside the Coffee Hound begins to chatter and rise from their seats, trying to get a look at what all the ruckus is about.
Releasing his hold on her, Matthias sits back in his chair. “I should have known he would be here.”
Gabrian laughs and shrugs, then turns to give Theo the reassurance he needs to know she is not in harm. Her eyes dance with the ebony bird’s and her soft message of safety enters—settling him into just a staring contest between him and the Borrower sitting too close to his girl.
Matthias pulls at Gabrian’s hand and holds it. “You look really good. The hair is—” Gabrian consciously rubs the top of her prickly head, missing her long dark locks. “I like the hair,” he says, timidly raising a hand and brushing the tips of his fingers over the edge of her short quills.
Shrugging, she offers him a grin as his hazel eyes dreamily drink her in. “Thanks.” Suddenly the words stop. A strange awkwardness steals the noise between them, and she fiddles with her cup. “So, I thought this was a coffee date.” Her eyes drop to his empty hands.
“Yes, right,” he says, getting to his feet. “I’ll be right back. Would you like another?”
“No, I am good, but thanks.”
Matthias bounds away, and a shiver runs through her. What the hell was that? I haven’t felt an awkwardness like that between us since—no. Gabrian bites her lip, returning to a world where she had once had real feelings about Matthias. How he looked at her with complete acceptance and adornment. I’m not crushing on him, I’m not. I’ve just missed him, that is all it is.
The soft scent of summer and earth wafts in the air. A sudden sting to her senses grabs her attention, making her turn and glance behind with the feeling of a familiar presence, one that she longs to hold.
Shane. She gasps.
Her eyes rush over the bodies in the room, but all she sees is the Schaeduwe entourage which had escorted her here. Their conversation ends, and they focus on her strange behaviour, ready to whisk her away at any sign of trouble. Her heart drops. She pulls in a sullen breath, and her eyes addresses their silent concerns with a shake of her head then turns back around in her seat. Her emotions are playing havoc on her mind. Ghosts of their fated meeting still linger here within the walls of the Coffee Hound. She knows he is not here, but it does not stop her heart from wishing he was.
Slipping back into his chair, Matthias leans into her space, chasing away the ghost, and sets down a folded white bag in front of her. “Ethan says you eat everything now so I thought a treat may be in order for you on your day off.”
The black bird still on look out, keeping the Borrower in his sights, lets out a squawk as Matthias stretches his free hand to rest over the back of Gabrian’s chair. Her eyes catch the reason for his alert, and she settles him with a silent nod of her awareness.
“Oh, you didn’t have to do that, but thanks.” She grins, peeking into the bag. “It’s funny. Since I came back from my visit to Erebus, everything has done a reset, more or less. It is like I am almost my old self again—well, except for all the Magik stuff and all. It is nice not to be a slave to the cravings anymore. The only thing I have to worry about now is my sugary appetite.”
Smelling the deliciousness of the treat inside the bag, Gabrian’s mouth waters, and she can resist temptation no longer. Peeling back the paper, she peeks inside. She is in heaven, freshly made heavenly Danish delights. Pulling the treat to her face,
she stuffs it through her lips. Any sign of fine manners are not to be part of this procedure. Flakes of broken pastry crumble in her bite, coating the edges of her mouth with crumbs and filling it with frosting.
“So, you must be excited to know that Rachael is awake.”
With her mouth full of Danish, she nearly chokes on her reply. “What?” Soggy pieces of dessert fly out of her mouth while she coughs, trying to swallow down the rest. Matthias pats her on the back as she coughs, trying to pull air into her lungs though the clumps of pastry in her throat. “What do you mean she is awake?” she nearly screams at him, grabbing one of the napkins in her bag, and wipes away the rest of the smeared Danish from her face. “Are you sure?”
He looks behind him, ominous guardians now on their feet, and turns to settle her discontent. “Yes, I thought you knew.”
“No, I didn’t know. Ugh, what is with the Elders? They never tell me anything.”
“Sorry. Maybe I wasn’t supposed to tell you that part.”
“Doesn’t matter, is she still in the hospital?”
“Yes, she has been awake for a couple days now.”
“Son of a—” Jumping to her feet, she grabs her things. “Sorry, I have got to go.”
“I can take you there,” he says, glancing at his watch again. “I still have some time before my classes start.”
“Oh, um, thanks, but my jailers are right over there. Part of the parole agreement.”
His eyes slide over to the back door. Picking out the hulking Guardians is like trying to find an elephant in a hay stack—easy peasy. Their largeness and Godly good looks make them stick out like a sore thumb in a crowd of toes.
“Thanks anyway,” she hums, leaning in to plant a quick kiss on Matthias’s cheek, then heads toward the table behind them, leaving Matthias to his own company. Her mood is chaotic. Caught somewhere between being overjoyed her best friend—who she nearly killed—is now awake, and livid that once again, she has been left out of the loop. This is a pretty big damn loop. Storming up to the table seated by the three large coffee lovers, she delivers her demand. “Please take me to the hospital.”
