Page 8 of Saving Destiny

“Garrett and Avery went to help. They’re going to bring Kodi back.” Hearing my words gives me another problem to focus on. How are they supposed to bring him back when he doesn’t have a corporeal body to manipulate? What if he’s unresponsive? They won’t be able to do anything.

Helplessness floods through me, and I briefly forget the reasons I couldn’t go with them. I’d managed to latch onto the tether around Kodi’s neck the last time, and it hadn’t been solid either. Maybe I can do it again ….Maybe they can't do it without me ....

Chapter 5

Zosia

Bren clutches both of my hands tightly, trapping them between us. “They can save him. Theyhaveto save him, Zosia.”

His words bring me back from my fantasy of leaving and going to help Avery and Garrett bring Kodi back. I'm needed here, I remind myself.

Bren's face is mere inches from mine, and it takes every ounce of my control not to squirm and pull away. My heart beats so loudly that he can probably hear it. My anxiety at his nearness continues to fight my worries about the others. Both seek to drown me.

The mage said my name; he knows who I am. He's not rocking or mumbling in Latin anymore. This means that I helped him, right? One of his eyes starts to swirl with opalescent colors again. Looking into it makes me feel dizzy, and I think it’s weird that both aren't changing.

My magicless upbringing offers me confusion. Eyes aren’t supposed to swirl with pastel colors. The thought doesn’t frighten me; my heart aches for him instead. Is it because he can see the future? I try not to think about my future because I've never been able to imagine a good one. What if I saw every horrible possibility? His abilities would suffocate me under their weight. I shiver again, but it has nothing to do with Bren’s touch this time.

“How can I help? Is there anything I can do for you or them?” I feel utterly useless. I'd accepted my powerlessness during my previous life at the orphanage, but coming to the library gave me purpose. I never want to feel that helpless again.

Bren leans closer. My thoughts stutter when my brain insists on studying the details of his face. The barest shadow of dark stubble coats his jaw and upper lip. His complexion is flawless except for a short, white scar nearly hidden beneath his left eyebrow. I’d thought myself lucky when I didn’t suffer from the horrific acne many of the other kids my age did. In hindsight, it was just my supernatural genes.

Not every supernatural in the public eye ‘comes out’ immediately, but rumors abound. Lush hair, clear skin, and unnatural beauty usually hint at their nature before they confirm it. I’ve heard more than one magicless human comment on the unfairness of their – our – superior genes. The scales aren’t balanced.

“Show me, Zosia.”

Bren’s command gets my attention, but my brow furrows with confusion. “What?”

“Show me what’s going on. Use the library.”

I was just attempting to do that, but how do I show him? Can I send him a mental picture similar to the sphinx I sent to Avery? I suppose it doesn’t hurt to try. I close my eyes, but it’s difficult to let down my guard and focus when Bren is so close that his breath fans my cheek. At first, I forget where my gargoyles are, which is insanely stupid because they’re always in the same place.

“Concentrate,” Bren murmurs.

My chair creaks as I shift with discomfort. His honeyed voice makes my skin tingle and react with nervous pleasure.

Kodi. Think of Kodi.

I inhale deeply, and a strange idea pops into my head. I concentrate the best when I'm reading. When I find a good book, I fall into it. The world disappears around me, and I can ignore everything but the words on the page. If this is a story, the gargoyles are the support characters. I imagine their point of view and study the scene through their eyes as if one of them is the narrator. My focus almost falters when the campus appears, but I maintain it with legitimate interest in the next scene.

Instead of immediately searching for Kodi, Garrett, and Avery, I allow my gaze to absorb Apocrypha and the buildings surrounding the library. I pretend I’m describing the setting of the story to Bren in my mind, but I have no idea if it’s working.

“Can you see anything?” My voice is no louder than a whisper as I focus on retaining my fragile control. Sending a real-time moving picture instead of a fixed image is far more complicated. I am not proud or vain in any way, but I can't deny that my mind possesses a superior ability to visualize anything. I can picture things easily and quickly, which is one of the reasons I read so voraciously. Books transform from words on a page into movies that I can watch.

Bren’s hands squeeze mine. They’re resting on my thighs …. I can’t think about that. Only professional doctors touch my legs; professional doctors are not hot mages.

“Open your mind, little lioness. Let me in.”

The words seem like more than a simple request; they act as a seductive, hypnotic suggestion because I immediately comply. An overwhelming urge to push him out immediately follows. What if he sees more? Everything? What if he glimpses my thoughts, worries, or desires?

“I promise not to pry, Zosia. This is just to save Kodi and help the others. Trust me.”

I don’t trust him, do I? I barely know him, but I think I can trust him at this moment. I force my shoulders and spine to relax and slowly open the figurative door in my mind. Sage told me that it's vitally important that I have faith in my guardians – Kodi, Avery, Garrett, and Bren. The five of us are connected in our battle, and we share common goals. We want to create a better world and prevent supernaturals from being tortured and deprived of their magic.

“Perfect. Thank you for trusting me.” The note of sincere gratitude in Bren’s voice isn’t condescending or dishonest. I’m so unaccustomed to well-earned compliments that my shriveled ego greedily accepts them.

I return my attention to the scene of the story. Apocrypha’s campus appears small compared to the few universities I’ve glimpsed in brochures or on screens. My gargoyles also seem perfectly positioned to view the entirety of the academy and surrounding areas. I’m sure Sage considered this when she chose the campus as the location to host her. Ansel told me the library moves when she needs to or wants to, but she’s been here for over a century.

Woods surround the private academy on all sides. The most imposing building resembles a castle. It had been my first glimpse of Apocrypha, and I’d been disappointed I couldn’t enter – until I’d seen the library. The palatial structure houses the administration offices and personal quarters for the faculty that choose to live on-site.

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