Page 71 of Saving Destiny

The sound of raindrops striking the dome increases in volume, and I worry that it’s turning into hail. We won’t be able to have a conversation out here. I lean into the soaked duo. “Let’s go inside so we can talk!” A rumble of thunder nearly masks my words, but I point to the door and both of them nod.

Bren’s movements are shaky and cautious as he slides off Zosia’s lap, but my focus narrows in on the sphinx’s winces of pain. She attempts to be subtle as she stretches her legs, but her expression betrays her. I haul the woman into my arms, holding her in front of me instead of throwing her over my shoulder like Bren. A surprised squeak escapes her mouth as her arms twine around my neck, and she clings to me like a monkey. Her bright golden-blue eyes are so close that I forget why I picked her up. I want to lick the moisture off her lips and feel the slide of her wet body against mine. My beast rumbles with pleasure. I hadn’t realized how much tension the hectic morning had created in me until her nearness starts to soothe me.

The sound of Bren’s raised voice releases me from her hypnotic gaze, and I stride toward him. The gargoyles’ eyes follow me. I swear the nearest one is laughing at me, but I’m probably humanizing their actions; it’s not as if their facial expressions or bodies move in any way unless they’re active. I choose to ignore them and lower my head to prevent the rain from blinding me.

Bren has the door that leads to the stairwell open. Compared to the rest of the library, the two flights of stairs that lead to the roof are the most utilitarian, unembellished part. It’s just a cement stairwell similar to a typical office building.

In my effort to distract myself from the soft, warm, wet body in my arms, I notice details I haven’t on my previous trips to the roof. Runes, or a language I don’t recognize, are inscribed in the mortar between the cinder blocks, making the grout look like a long chain of symbols. Similar symbols etch the metal railings and wrap around the bars in an artistic and swirling pattern. At first glance, I thought they were purely decorative.

The silence of the hollow stairwell is almost surreal after the deafening storm. Unlike a commercial building, the space lacks any signs declaring the doors’ purposes or that the roof exit is an exit. Buildings owned by supernaturals operate under a different set of rules. The magicless have fought this tooth and nail, but there are too many supernaturals within the governing organizations. They override the magicless’ wishes unless they need to placate someone. I’ve never understood why the supernaturals don’t just follow the safety rules. Does it hurt the library to hang a sign on the door? Do the runes deliver a message I can’t decipher?

“I am so wet.” She’s referring to the rain, but the subtle moan in Zosia’s voice makes certain parts of my body think she means something else. She attempts to swipe water off her face, but her hands are wet, and I continue to drip onto her. She realizes it’s a lost cause and gives up after a second. Bren is as drenched as we are, but he barely seems to notice.

I’ve been gritting my teeth for the last five minutes in an attempt to avoid looking at her, but my resolve finally cracks. I look, and I can’t stop looking. Zosia’s thin shirt clings to her, and the fabric of her bra doesn’t hide the dark circles of her areolas or shield her erect nipples. Her curves fit perfectly in my arms and her upper body muscles flex as she clings to me.

I don’t mind that her legs don’t drape perfectly over my arm. She’s not weak, and I only feel anger at the men who injured her. I would kill him, but the ghost earned that privilege. She wouldn’t have been in that horrid place if not for Addington, though. I won’t stop until his lies are exposed and he’s unable to hurt anyone ever again.

“You can put me down,” Zosia whispers.

My thoughts must show on my face because she reacts to the anger boiling inside me. Her sphinx is an alpha, but this form isn’t. I admire her flexibility. She’s put me in my place a few times, but she also knows when it’s smarter to let others lead. A man like Addington needs to be an alpha at all costs and it makes him blind to everyone’s desires but his own.

“I can’t put you down,” I reply gruffly. When she opens her mouth to protest, I explain. “The floor is wet. You’ll slip. You also don’t have your braces or your chair, so it’s not safe to set you down.”

“I could shift,” she argues stubbornly, but I ignore her.

I want to keep holding her, even if we’re both soaking wet and it might be dangerous to descend the stairs carrying her. I don’t want to let her go, though. Instead of saying that, I study Bren’s face. He leans against the wall halfway down the first set of stairs. “Are you in your right mind, brother?”

Bren scowls and his eyes flash. My arms tighten reflexively around Zosia, but his magic isn’t sparking anymore which indicates he has control.

“Are you asking if that android actually succeeded in trapping me?”

“Android?” Zo squeals.

Very carefully, I start down the stone stairs. The last thing I want to do is slip while she’s in my arms.

“There was something very strange about her … something unnatural. I thought maybe she was a robot or something.”

“But she wasn’t, right?” Zosia asks. My lips almost twitch into a smile; she’s freaking adorable.

“No, she was just a stupid mage with an illegal spell,” Bren replies. He swipes a hand over his face and into his hair. Drops of water fly everywhere, and I scowl at him, but he doesn’t notice. “She felt … wrong …evil … from the moment she approached me. And she touched me.” He shudders dramatically.

“She touched you?” The shrill pitch of Zosia’s angry screech echoes in the stone stairwell. I wince; my ears are far too sensitive.

Bren halts my downward progress by turning to face us. A step lower than us, he speaks directly to the angry sphinx in my arms. I sense that she’s minutes away from showing her claws and teeth. The idea of another woman touching Bren has called to her beast, and I can relate with every fiber of my jealous shifter being.

“She just touched me with a fingernail, and those were as false as the rest of her.” He meets her eyes while my griffin struggles with his reaction to their closeness while I’m still holding her. Bren is my brother and the only one I’ve trusted my entire life; he’s pack. My beast is wary of his magic because it’s dangerous, but Bren has control right now. My beast and I agree that this level of intimacy is acceptable.

Bren glances toward me before he brushes aside the hair that the wind and rain stuck to her face. “That trap didn’t create a shred of attraction within me, Zosia. I was only angry and a little foggy.” He pauses, and his hand pulls away from her face to clench the railing. “The things she said, though.” Bren’s words edge close to a growl and provoke a crash of thunder that shakes the entire building. I’m curious what upset Bren so horribly, but it’s best if I don’t know.

The clap of thunder makes Zosia jump and press closer to me as she strengthens her grip around my neck. I’m not complaining, but my physical reaction to her nearness is going to be obvious when I put her down. My wet jeans grow more uncomfortable with every second.

Bren sighs and relaxes a little. “I refuse to repeat the insults she spewed. ‘Insults are the arguments employed by those who are in the wrong,’ Rousseau said, and no quote could be more true. She thought I wouldn’t remember anything, but that doesn’t excuse her.” My brother looks away with a sour expression. “I’m sorry I ruined our first day. The trap did only one thing right – I couldn’t seem to walk away. Also, her vile mouth didn’t speak the only trash I heard this morning. I was struggling before she approached, and I should have spoken to you sooner. I should have told you.” Zo unwinds one arm from my neck and places a finger against Bren’s lips. His eyes widen in surprise, but he doesn’t seem upset. I’d probably bite her finger if she did that to me, but it quiets him.

“Shh, don’t worry. What’s done is done. I think we all needed a break and our patrons need to understand that we’re not a typical business. Sometimes, we’ll do things that are weird, and they’re going to have to deal with that. The one thing that still bothers me is how she got inside with the spell.” She grimaces. “Is it because it’s not really a spell that the library didn’t catch it when she entered? Did she trigger it after passing through the foyer’s security? Whoever’s in charge better not let her off lightly.”

I agree, but the door at the bottom of the stairwell opens before I can say so. I shift to look over the railing. Avery stares up at us, relying on our energies to pinpoint our positions. I still don’t understand how he sees. He isn’t blind so much as visually impaired, but that is a matter of semantics.

“The woman has been dealt with,” Avery says. Did he hear us or did Zosia call him here mentally? I think the completed bond allows Avery to initiate the connection. I don’t dwell on this point to keep my beast’s jealousy at bay.

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