Page 68 of Saving Destiny

I think I hear someone shouting and the thunder seems to go on forever, but the observations escape me when my brother suddenly appears behind the fake woman. She glances at him and her expression is sly until she notices the rage mottling his features.

“What did you do to my brother?” Garrett growls. The anger in his tone would make anyone else piss their pants.

“Your brother? Oh, so he’s an Addington, too. Perfect.” A note of pleasure infects her words. The part of me that isn’t about to explode with magic wonders if there’s something mentally wrong with the woman. I rarely notice social cues, but she’s worse.

“We are not Addington's spawn, and you have just fucked up more than you know,” my brother snarls. His skin ripples as he prepares to shift.

“You’re not Adding-…?” The horrible surname ends with an understandable shriek of fear and disgust. “Oh, gods, what are you? Y-you’re unnatural.”

I think she’s talking about me, and I want to tell her she’s not wrong. Then, I feel something warm and soft press against my thigh. Zosia leans against me in her sphinx form. Her growl is feral and her teeth on full display as she hisses at the creature between Garrett and me.

The truly unnatural creature is talking about Zosia. Blue fire sparks off my skin at the realization. I need to run, but there are books everywhere. I will hurt someone or something no matter where I go. The lack of escape causes my magic to spike with desperation.

“Get away from us, you foul beast-person. You’re an abomination!” The woman hurls the insults at my future mate, and the last shred of control I held over my magic disappears. A black cloud descends over my vision and the noise around me fades to a low hum as I relinquish my humanity to my magic.

Chapter 35

Zosia

Bren’s power is creating sparks like a fire. Most of them fizzle harmlessly, but a few land on my fur and in my feathers. They tickle rather than hurt, and I’m mesmerized by their jewel-bright sapphire glow as they sail through the air.

The smelly woman continues to rant, but I barely hear a word. She’s inconsequential compared to the danger Bren’s magic presents. The rare fear I see in Garrett’s eyes increases my worry.

The concern had started as a strange prickle under my skin. I’d thought maybe I was getting hungry, but Garrett approached the desk soon after the sensation began. He looked worried and said he’d smelled something evil; he suspected Bren was in trouble. When I located the mage, he felt muffled under a blanket of magic, as if he’d been taken far away even though I could still see him. That’s when Sage and I understood something was very wrong.

Sage announced an immediate closure, and the other three guardians chased the students and professors out of the building. If they had books that hadn’t been checked out to them, they were told to set them down where they stood. Some customers managed to find an empty table or chair, but others were piled on the floor. Stacks of texts formed an obstacle course throughout the ground floor.

Avery appears at my side so suddenly that it almost scares me. He nods to confirm that the front doors were locked and a sign has been posted informing the academy of a temporary closure.

Since we’re no longer in danger of hurting innocent bystanders, our goals include containing the woman and Bren’s magic. I know very little about Bren’s powers, aside from his visions, but Garrett says his wild magic is extremely dangerous.

I trust Sage, though. She wouldn’t have chosen Bren for my guardian if she knew he could destroy the entire building and everything inside. Right?

Bren is beyond our reach; I doubt he can hear us speaking. I’ve never seen him angry before and a chill courses down my spine. His eyes are bright blue. They flash occasionally as if the irises are storm clouds riddled with lightning. Above us, the dome has turned dark and storm-heavy clouds hang over the building. Is there a connection? Can Bren control the weather?

“What should we do?” I ask Garrett.

The woman has stopped screaming and she finally seems to understand something isn’t going according to her plans. She hasn’t lost her haughty, spoiled brat act, though. Her arms are crossed over her chest and one of her stiletto heels taps against the wooden floor with annoyance. She keeps glancing at her phone as if she has somewhere to be or she’s checking it to see if it’s started working. It won’t.

Something on her body or near her smells like a rotting corpse, and the stink makes it hard to concentrate. Garrett looks like he’s about to spew his breakfast on the nearest bookshelf and Avery holds a silk handkerchief over his nose. I almost regret being in my sphinx form with its enhanced sense of smell, but the change was instinctual. The moment I realized something was wrong, I shifted and leaped over the circulation desk with a growl. Unfortunately, not everyone had been evacuated yet. The scared students might never return.

“It’s safer for the library if he’s not in it,” Garrett says.

My ears flatten against my head. It isn’t safe outside for him. What if this is a trap? What if Addington sent this woman to incite Bren’s magic and drive us from the library’s safety? My tail lashes furiously with anger and indecision.

“The roof is safe,”Avery whispers into my mind. I realized earlier this morning that the completed bond allows him to initiate the mental telepathy. It’s already been helpful as he spotted magic spells I wasn’t familiar with yet.

I relay the message to Garrett. I haven’t visited the roof yet, but Avery reassures me that it’s safe and still considered library property. He’d told me a day ago that it was also easily accessible because the area around the dome is flat. He mentioned having a picnic, and I’d thought the idea lovely.

It appears my first visit to the roof won’t be for a romantic meal, though. I just hope the library will be safe if Bren’s magic … does whatever it does.

“He can’t walk up there on his own,”Garrett replies through the mental connection I create. His inner voice is less clear than Avery’s as his gaze flits between Bren and the woman. She still acts more agitated rather than worried, despite the deadly supernaturals surrounding her. Her manner indicates we are a trifling bother, and her cluelessness is equally irritation and baffling.

“What about her?” I ask aloud and bare my teeth at the troublesome woman. Simultaneously, I press closer against Bren. I’m being presumptuous, but I’m hoping the contact will ground him until we get him to safety.

“I’ll remove this woman from the premises and inform campus security that she is using an illegal pheromone trap.” Avery’s tone is flat, but his eyes flash with crimson fury. I don’t know what the trap is, but I wonder if it’s causing the horrible smell.

“Garrett can carry Bren to the roof, but you need to join them, Zosia. I believe he’ll need you to regain control. I promise not to leave the safety of the property,”Avery adds through our mental bond. Although I’m not used to the vampire taking control, it feels appropriate.

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