Ascension (The Gryphon Series) (12 page)

“Don’t be
,” I stated with a condescending huff. “I’ve known for quite some time what kind of guy you
truly
are. I can’t even pretend to be surprised this time.”

His smile faltered
. Blond waves fell forward, framing his face as he lowered his chin and stared up at me from under his furrowed brow. “Sometimes a man can only be defined by the choices he makes.”

With that he turned and strode toward the Countess.

“You’re not a man!” I shouted at his back. “You’re a worthless, despicable
pirate
! One I should’ve killed the very day I met you. Even that was staged, wasn’t it? You controlled that little puff ball dog’s mind and made it chase me so you could look like a hero. But it was all a show. There’s no hero in you. There never was, because compassion can’t survive in your cold, black heart.”

Rowan didn’t look back or acknowledge my rant at all. He kept on course, his stride steady and determined. I was so wrapped up in my verbal purging and
colorful use of expletives that I almost missed the puff of smoke behind his wrist. A ornate dagger fell into his hand, carefully concealed from the Countess’s sight by his arm.

Rowan
gripped the hilt of the dagger and sprung. The tip of the blade dented a pinpoint mark in the Countess’s leather bustier, but made it no further. One raised palm was all it took for the Countess to halt him. She wiggled two fingers in a playful wave. Rowan obediently retracted the dagger, flipped it over in his hands, and plunged it deep into his gut.

For the second time that night
, I watched in horror as one of mine fell in a bloody heap.

Chapter
13

Blood pooling.

Seep
ing.

Merg
ing.

Swirl
ing together to form a detailed map of carnage.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk
.” The Countess pursed her full lips in a mock pout. “And to think he was trying to save you. You must feel simply dreadful right now.”

Anger
quickened my breath, making each word come out a breathless gasp. “
Shut … up
.”

“Why’s that?
” She rested her palms on her ample hips and let her head fall to the side in a flowing curtain of scarlet. “Don’t feel like talking about it? Can’t say that I blame you. Here he was, marching over here so gallantly to protect you, while you called him names and berated him. That’s evil even by
my
standards and I make a viable vocation out of this.” 

O
ne stride into a forward charge toward certain death, I froze. My shocked heart lurched into an awkward stutter beat. The cause of my surprise? Rowan, rolling to his side and yanking the dagger from his gut. The Countess’s painted lips pulled back in a sneer.

Heels clicked across the floor with sharp snaps
as she strode straight for him. “I hate it when people don’t have the courtesy to die the
first time
you kill them.”

W
ith the stiletto heel of her boot, she pinned Rowan’s wrist to the floor … then stomped. Rowan howled and writhed as blood spurted from his wound. His injured hand loosened around the hilt. Before the blade could clank to the ground, the vile enchantress scooped it up. Flipping it in her hand, she arched back for the death blow.

“
Nooooo!!
” I channeled everything inside me. Pulling every emotion that ravaged me throughout this god-awful day into my core, I raised both hands and hit her with the full force of my telepathic fury.

The dagger flew from her hand as she
pinwheeled into the darkness.

I rushed to Rowan’s side
and eased him to a sitting position. “Row?
Rowan
?”

It took a minute for h
is sleepy gaze to find me. Even then, his dilated pupils hinted consciousness would be fleeting. In the distance came a soft thud. The Countess must’ve found the other side of this massive hall. My little stunt bought us seconds only.

“Row?”
My fingers dug into his shoulders as I attempted to shake him awake. “Can you teleport? I don’t know any other way out of here and we need to go
now
!”

In
place of an answer, his eyes rolled back and his head lulled to the side.

Like rapid
-fire gunshots, her heels clicked closer, building around us in an ominous echo.

I slapped
Rowan softly once, then a second time with more vigor. “Rowan! Come on! One little poof, then you can pass out! I promise!
Just get us out of here
!”

He woke with a jerk
, a protective passion rising on his face. His tensed features sharpened. Turquoise eyes blazed as his injured hand weaved into my hair and pulled me to him. Blood dripped down the back of my neck and dampened my hair, yet pulling away never occurred to me. His lips brushed mine with a tentative question—a plea for acceptance. I hesitated for a fraction of a second before consenting with a resounding mutual urgency. Locked in each other’s embrace, we disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

It took me longer than society would deem acceptable to realize Rowan had passed out again
somewhere mid-kiss. With a self-deprecating cringe, I wiped my mouth on the back of my hand and glanced around to see where we’d landed. The sun had just begun to raise its head, casting its long beams out to chase away night’s hold. A lone sunbeam fell across my little white S-10, illuminating it with a heavenly spotlight.

“
Only a few yards away, not too shabby for an unconscious guy,” I murmured and hooked his arm around my neck to haul him the remaining distance.

Quick as I could
, I dumped him in the passenger seat. Then I buckled myself in and drove like the devil was chasing us—which she may have been—to get back to Gram’s. Through frequent glances his way, I watched Rowan’s golden complexion drain to a milky white. A blue hue encircled those lips that I could still taste on my own.

“
Don’t you dare die. Do you hear me?” I gnawed on my lower lip and slammed the accelerator to the floor.

“You
… kissed me back,” he rasped in an almost inaudible whisper.

“I did.” My heart
did a herky jerky beat of happiness that he was conscious, at least momentarily. “I thought you were dying. Seemed rude to refuse your last request.”

He winced in pain and struggled to speak through his visible agony
. “I’ve … died … a little … every … day since the … moment … you walked into my life.”

I took my eyes off the road long enough to shoot him a
cynical glare from under my lowered brow. “What the heck does that mean?”

“I
don’t know … but I managed to say it with a straight face.” His snort of laughter morphed into a hacking cough that racked his body.

“
Only you could manage to be an ass on the brink of death.”

“Aye.
It’s … a gift.” His voice wavered and trailed off as his bloody hand fell limp on the seat beside him.  

Getting Rowan out of the truck was considerably more challenging than shoving him in. His dead weight combined with the neighbors buzzing around, busily starting their days, increased the difficulty tenfold. Once I hoisted him up, the watchful eye of Mr. Dover across the street made it mandatory for me to grab a handful of hair at the back of the sleeping pirate’s head and prop his head up
Weekend at Bernie’s
style. Granted, I probably didn’t
have
to bump Rowan’s hand up in a makeshift wave, but sleep deprivation made selling the scene seem of dire importance.      

“
Grams!
” I hollered as soon as I burst through the front door.

“She’s back!” Big Mike’s
declaration rang with noticeable irritation as his heavy footfalls pounded in my direction.

“If she’s not maimed or dying I’m gonna kill her!”
Gabe snarled as he rounded the corner into the foyer trailed by Big Mike and Gram’s. The trio came to an abrupt halt when they saw my bloody, battered cargo.

“Sakes alive, Celeste!” Gram’s hand flitted up to cover her mouth. “If you have an issue with someone you
use your words. Talk that stuff out! Ya don’t act out a Miranda Lambert song on the guy!”

“I
wouldn’t do that!” Funny how all three of their doubtful expressions could be so shockingly similar. “All right, I
would
do it, but didn’t this time. This was the Countess in a big, bad, bloody way.”

Whether
Grams believed me or not—and the look on her face hinted toward the latter—her nurse’s instincts took over. “Gabe, go get towels from the bathroom. Under the sink there are bandages and antiseptic, bring those, too. Michael, go to the kitchen and get me a big bowl of warm water. Celeste, bring him in the living room and lay him down on the couch … as soon as Gabe lays a towel down. The couch is leather and that boy’s bleeding like a stuck pig.”  

A
flurry of activity later found Grams ripping the tattered remains of Rowan’s shirt off and inspecting his wounds. Big Mike, Gabe, and I hovered over her shoulder as she dabbed at the hole in Rowan’s stomach. With each gentle wipe she removed blood but revealed more torn, mutilated flesh.

“I can’t work with you three panting in my ear
,” she snapped over her bathrobe clad shoulder. “Head outside. You’ll know more when there’s more to know. Now git.”

I
didn’t bother to wait for Mike or Gabe. Running my blood encrusted hands through my hair, I strode outside. Only then did I exhale the breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. Bracing for the blow up, I turned on my heel when the screen door banged shut behind me.

“The butt
kickin’ you so desperately deserve for running off like that is
only
being paused long enough for you to explain what the heck happened out there.” Gabe folded his arms over his chest and glowered down at me.

I stared at my brother and tossed around where I could even attempt to start.
Barnabus? Alec? Rowan? Explanations seemed inadequate. My gaze dipped to the ground as the words I loathed uttering came tumbling out, “Mike, I need you to go back to the Spirit Plane. Bring back our entire team … and the Grand Councilwoman. Tell her I’m ready to meet her terms.”

Even
through the fabric of his T-shirt, the outline of Big Mike’s massive pecs were clearly visible as he stuffed his hands in the pockets of his faded black jeans. “Terms? Why do I feel I missed a step, or six, somewhere along the way?”

“
All you need to know is that war is coming. We need able bodies to fight.” The weight of my words registered with my Guide and Guardian. They exchanged concerned scowls, both of their chests swelling at the impending threat.

Big Mike
slid sunglasses over his slate eyes then marched toward the backyard. The heft of his stomps caused boot-shaped divots in Gram’s lawn. His transforming glow began before he even rounded the house. 

“Wait!” I
called and jogged after him. “You can’t go through the Gateway. The Countess may still be there.”

“No worries
.” He let one massive shoulder rise and fall. “There’s a back door.”

My mouth fell open in confusion.
“The workings of your entire organization baffle me.”

“I know
.” He almost grinned.
Almost
.