Page 27 of Saving Destiny

The vampire sits at the table. He has a sad, plain bagel on his plate, but his frown suggests it's a rock or something equally unappetizing. His skin is more translucent than usual, and his under-eye shadows compete with Bren’s. Although the idea fills me with trepidation, I should ask if he needs blood. It’s my responsibility.

Garrett appears bigger than usual, which seems impossible. He occupies the spot across from the vampire with a glass of his signature green concoction. My spot has a mug of coffee, a bowl, and a box of sugary cereal. Steam beckons me as it rises from the mug, and I continue my trek toward the table.

The library has also provided a bowl of fresh fruit that looks especially inviting. Fruit that doesn’t come out of a can is expensive, which made it a rare treat at the orphanage. I usually let the younger kids take the first pick. I just sliced around the mold and bruisesto salvage what I could.

“Good morning.” I greet the men with a cheery tone that’s only half-forced. I’m the one who chose to break my fast with four handsome strangers, so I have a duty to be civil even before coffee. The sight of them wakes me up just as effectively, though. I’m still sitting down when the brothers start serving me. Bren pours cereal into my bowl while Garrett tries to replace that bowl with the platter of fresh fruit.

“You need vitamins,” the shifter grumbles.

I point to the colorful box while I sample my waiting coffee. The temperature is perfect. “This cartoon character promises me two servings of whole grains and eleven vitamins and minerals.” Garrett's stony glare doesn't flicker in the slightest, so I grab a banana and several berries to appease him. “I won’t complain about the fruit, though, and you don’t even have to convince me. Just like spinach, our options were limited at the orphanage.”

“How long were you in the orphanage?” Avery asks.

The question takes me by surprise before I recall that the three men at the table know very little about me. I start eating my cereal while I debate the best place to start. Telling my story aloud sounds like reciting a misery-filled novel by Charles Dickens, but it’s not a fictional account.

“Someone must have helped Kodi because there's a blank in my memories. He put me in a linen cart, wrapped up in sheets, like in the movies with prison escapes. He didn't make it out before he died because he went back for his sister, and I woke up in a magicless hospital. I think I was there for a while, but those memories are still hazy from the drugs they pumped into me. After discharge, I was sent to the orphanage. I think I was almost thirteen, so ... about seven years?" I frown as I debate whether to tell them my suspicions. We’re a team, so I decide it’s in our best interest.

"I've been thinking about this a lot, and I’m pretty sure Ansel was the one who took me to the hospital. After he brought me here, he revealed that he’d known who I was and how long I was at the orphanage. He told me I was safer with the magicless, especially since my blocked memories prevented me from shifting. According to him, the library couldn’t protect me until I turned nineteen. He mentioned something about that being the legal age of adulthood in the supernatural world?”

Garrett nods. “Yes. The magicless are considered independent at eighteen, but supernatural laws say nineteen. It's an arbitrary cutoff to help parents feel less guilty about not centering their lives around their kids anymore.”

He has a point. In my experience, the age varies by individual and shouldn't be set into law.

“Is Ansel the shifter that escorted Walthers into the library?" Suspicion lies behind the question, but I don't take offense. The alpha shifter doesn't trust anyone.

“Yes. He acted as the library’s interim protector during the Abrams’ absence. I never met him until he brought me here, but he confessed that he played a role in my teenage years. He donated the braces and the wheelchair and helped me get the special orthotics for my messed up feet." My cheeks heat. I can't prevent them from seeing my deformed limbs, but it's a challenge to mention them in casual conversation. I rush to continue. “He probably bribed our caretaker to keep quiet and hide me from other supernaturals.”

My words trail off. The subject has occupied my attention more than once over the last few days as memories and strange moments fell into place. Mother Mary hadn’t liked me, but she’d acted strangely on several occasions – insisting I spend the afternoon in the city library, cursing supernaturals under her breath, and other confusing moments. I’m convinced she knew all along that I wasn’t a magicless teenager, but she also had expensive habits. Ansel's bribes made perfect sense.

“He’s dying now that I’ve taken over,” I add in a somber tone. “He accepted the terms when he signed his contract, but I still feel sorry for him.”

“Why would he choose to be the protector if he knew it would end with his death?” Garrett questions, but I don’t think he expects us to answer.

I shrug and offer my speculation regardless. “Probably for the same reason he helped me. He thought it was for the greater good. Maybe he felt duty-bound?”Or was he guilty because he knew my mother or grandmother?I don’t give voice to the suspicion; Garrett is distrustful already.

“Will you offer him a position as a sentinel?” Bren asks with a return of the excitement he lost after yesterday's debacle. I missed the twinkle in his eyes.

The realization of how much the mageseeswill continue to shock me, however. I'd only briefly entertained the idea regarding Ansel, but if Bren has envisioned it and expresses excitement, it might be the right move.

“I want to ask him," I say after a second of consideration. "I'm not sure he'll agree, though. It’s not an easy afterlife.”

Although Kodi has been listening to our entire conversation, mentioning the afterlife finally draws him toward us. He hovers near the empty seat reserved for him. “What's a sentinel?”

“The gargoyles. If Ansel wants to, he can become one."

Garrett appears shocked, and I don't blame him. I'd been just as surprised when the library told me. The option soothed my guilt, though. Ansel had protected the library and helped keep me safe; he deserved better than an early death.

“The library says that one of the current gargoyles is ready to be released from their duties. Several of them have been guarding the library for centuries.”

“Huh,” Kodi grunts and studies me with a mischievous grin. “Can I apply and be a gargoyle, too?”

“No,” I snap and barely resist the temptation to chuck a perfectly good apple through him. “You are my guardian. You can’t be both. Also, the transition has to happen before the body dies. You’re too late.”

Kodi offers a dramatic roll of his eyes. He's making it clear that he's messing with me, which works in his favor. I’d be angry if he truly wanted to leave after everything we'd discussed and promised each other last night.

Garrett's dark gaze shifts between the ghost and me. “You two made up then?”

I barely fight the warmth creeping onto my face. His tone is suggestive – like we engaged in mind-blowing make-up sex. Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option … yet.

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