Page 38 of Saving Destiny

I’d planned to use my braces today, but I switch to my chair because it will be easier to climb into when I shift from four legs to two.

My resolve to be confident and strong doesn’t stop my heart from fluttering nervously as I wheel myself into the library. Did Garrett and Bren guess the cause of the energy surge? Bren’s gorgeous looks might intimidate me, but Garrett’s reaction worries me more. Despite his protests, I can’t stop thinking that he wants a different future – one where he doesn’t have to share his partner with three other men.

Avery and the object of my worrying mind are speaking in low voices between two of the ground-floor bookshelves. I pause and watch with a frown on my face. Garrett randomly pulls a book from the shelf, reads a page in the middle, and replaces it before grabbing another. He told me he’s dyslexic, but he appears to be skimming the books without any difficulty. His hair is also wet again, which means that he’s taken two showers in the last two hours.

I’m distracted from both confusing anomalies by the sound of racing footsteps. Bren is skipping down whole flights of stairs at a pace that seems impossibly dangerous. My heart trips over itself in the same way that I fear his feet might. Any minute now, I fear I’ll have two guardians that are ghosts or one confined to a wheelchair like me. For a brief second, I can’t decide which is worse.

When he reaches the bottom without breaking his skull or his spinal cord, I release a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. Ignoring everything and everyone else, the mage approaches me with a similar speed. The intensity in his expression creates an instinctive urge to back away, as if he’s a predator and I’m prey, but I ignore it. Not only is there a wall behind me, effectively trapping me in place, but I trust Bren. In the short time since I met him, he’s been straightforward and honest.

His pace slows as he nears me, and I’m close enough now to see the delight dancing in his pale eyes. I didn’t realize how badly I’d missed that joy until it returned. The darkness that’s been hiding behind his gaze since I delved into my memories had chipped away at my own happiness.

“The future doesn’t matter!” Bren crows loudly. The others have already stopped whatever they were doing to watch him, and they venture closer now. “Nothing matters but the here and now! Louise Hay said it best, ‘The point of power is always in the present moment.’”

I simply gape at him with my mouth open. I haven’t the slightest idea what he’s on about, but he looks very pleased with himself.

“I just had an enlightening conversation with Finatan, Gilly’s other husband. You haven’t met him because he stays on the tenth floor as a guard, and I don’t think he ever leaves. You should meet him, though; he’s a great bloke … um … goblin. It makes perfect sense that the top floor should have a dedicated goblin to protect it. That’s where the oldest and most precious books and relics are kept. Fin said something monumental, though. He says I don’t need to worry about the future because it doesn’t matter. Our path is here and now.”

“The tenth floor?” Although Bren has just blurted several pieces of information, my inner librarian latches onto the one that’s most pertinent to my position. I lean my head back to peer upward and feel gratified that I decided on my chair. I’d fall backward if I were standing. The top seems farther away than it should be. The tenth floor is barely visible, even with my perfect eyesight. Darkness or mist appears to shroud the highest balcony, although it’s probably just magic. I’m positive that the veil acts as a layer of protection.

“One more thing, Zosia!” Bren’s infectious tone regains my attention. “Your orgasm gifted the goblins with the power they needed to defeat the remaining book-eaters. The creatures have gone back into hiding, and the books are safe. Thanks, Avery!” The mage bestows a blinding smile on the vampire as my face blooms bright red. I’d hoped for a brief second that we might have been able to avoid the topic.

Thunder vibrates through the air and into me, but it doesn’t emanate from the sky. Garrett is growling. When he sees our gazes fixed on him, he closes his eyes and clenches his fists. His lips move, and I realize he’s counting silently. He reachesfivebefore he clears his throat and reopens his eyes. “Sorry. The growl was instinctual. I didn’t mean it.”

Although his tone sounds clipped and his words are forced, it’s strangely sexy to hear the giant apologize. I’m uncertain whether I have a submission kink or if it’s just enjoyable watching the alpha-hole squirm.

“It was entirely my pleasure,” Avery murmurs in a velvet tone that makes my skin tingle with memory and pleasure. His health appears improved, and he glows with an inner radiance that suggests my post-climax haze hadn’t been responsible for his increased beauty. The exchange didn’t appear to be as one-sided as I originally believed. I’d accused Kodi of thinking like a human, but I am also guilty. I didn’t realize how much vitality my blood would give the vampire. The source that sustained him while under Dighit’s employ seems to have been sub-par, but Bren’s blood also hadn’t yielded the same outcome. His ethereal beauty is nearly blinding when viewed in the library’s eldritch light.

Desperate to change the subject, I force my cheeks to return to their usual color. Maybe later, I’ll check if the library has any useful information on quelling the overactive capillaries in my neck and face. “I’d love to visit the top floor, and it’s a perfect reason to practice flying.”

The others display varying degrees of excitement at my announcement, except Kodi – who already knew. He pretends to be bored as he hovers nearby.

Bren bounces on the balls of his feet. “So you’re going to shift again? Fin is very knowledgeable, and there’s so much on the top floor to explore. You’re going to love it. I didn’t even get to see a quarter of it before I was … distracted.”

At first, I think he means my energy surge, but a shadow that doesn’t seem related to me passes over his face. The darkness appears and disappears so swiftly that it might be my imagination. The source of his distraction is clearly not up for discussion because he turns away and gazes longingly at the floor he just visited.

“Is there a way to keep one article of clothing on my body when I shift?” I ask the older brother as we give Bren a minute.

Garrett’s rugged features twist thoughtfully. “I doubt anyone has tried, but I don’t know many shifters. Addington kept me separated from others on purpose. Although, I suppose a wolf could wear a doggy sweater.” I echo his grin as we both imagine Addington’s savage wolf in a knitted sweater. My visual is pink gingham.

“Why do you ask?”

I indicate my shirt. “These were in my dresser. They’re larger than normal t-shirts and they have holes in the back for my sphinx wings to push through. Although I’m not completely naked because I have a coat of fur, I feel a bit like I am when I’m a sphinx. The shirt will cover my breasts, and I’m hoping it doesn’t look as ridiculous as a doggy sweater.” I pause and shrug. “I consider clothes to be armor, especially once the library opens to strangers.”

Garrett’s dark gaze fixes intentionally on my breasts, and I sense hunger within him. For perhaps the first time ever, his desire doesn’t fluster me. My chest is the one part of my body that I accept with confidence and perhaps vanity. Although I’m insecure about every other body part, I can agree that my boobs are quite nice.

“My griffin agrees and approves of the extra coverage.” The shifter’s voice is husky when he finally responds.

Understandably, the reminder of his beast distracts me by presenting all the questions I’d started stockpiling the first time I’d glimpsed his animal form. One escapes me despite my best intentions to stay focused. “Are you the only griffin?”

Garrett’s reaction indicates he’s been asked this question more than once. “I’m not the only one, but there aren’t many of them. Rumors say that two small drifts exist. A drift is the name for a group of griffins, by the way. One supposedly lives in the Himalayas and the other is in the Andes. Griffins like isolated mountain ranges. The total population might be less than fifty. While they’re not as rare as the sphinx, they might be on the brink of extinction.”

I doubt that I’m alone when I detect a note of wistfulness in his voice. I also notice that he doesn’t include himself as one of their number when he refers to them. The latter is because of his father’s intentions to keep him isolated and alone so that he had no one to rely on but the alpha wolf. My hands clench around the wheels of my chair, and I absently wonder if I’ll ever release my anger over every injustice Addington has perpetrated.

“We can assume that I’m the only griffin born outside of the two main drifts, and I’m positive that I’m the only one born to a wolf and eagle.” Garrett continues speaking, oblivious to my inner thoughts. “Taking into account what we’ve learned, I’m sure that Addington’s interference resulted in my beast form. A griffin is a griffin, not a combination of two other shifters.”

“You’re lucky you didn’t end up as a werewolf,” Kodi sneers with characteristic insensitivity. I hiss at my best friend’s rudeness, but Garrett doesn’t seem offended this time.

“Believe me, ghost, I’ve considered that and everything else that could have gone wrong. We can assume his science isn’t perfect, and I could have ended up in a permanent half-man, half-beast state, or as a full wolf. Being part of his pack might have made me subservient whether I wanted to be or not. I’ve given thanks for my griffin form more than once.”

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