Page 18 of Gifted Destiny

“Is this one a punishment?” Kodi asks. His tone and Ansel’s face are both unreadable. My best friend might blame Ansel for abandoning me, but the shifter doesn’t deserve torture. If Duggar says yes, I doubt I’ll be able to watch.

“Ansel Briar’s transformation is not a punishment,” the goblin states in a clear voice. My shoulders sag with relief.

“Are these punishments frequent?” Garrett asks. It’s impossible to forget my guardians’ presence, but they’ve been mostly silent since Tremayne announced my parentage.

Kodi bounces around now that we’ve moved away from our discussion at the table, his body fading in and out of my vision. Avery lingers behind me like an ever-present shadow while Garrett leans against the circulation desk.

Bren appears preoccupied, but I know he’s half-listening while he flips through a book left behind by a student. When he turns the page, I see the title –Sacred Geometry. While it’s not a book I’d willingly select, I know its exact location in our vast collection. Being a magical librarian offers strange benefits.

Duggar frowns. Since he has no eyebrows and his facial features are crude, the expression is solely communicated by his lips. “Rarely. Even after turning, a human retains an echo of their past self. We only accept trustworthy candidates.”

“In other words,” Garrett drawls, “punishment is just a threat.”

Duggar’s lack of an answer confirms the shifter’s observation. It’s a good threat, I concede, but I’m secretly glad it doesn’t happen.

Ansel’s chair creaks as he leans forward to read the contract. His eyes barely skim the text before he retrieves the special pen. The block of text is compact and similar to all other contracts – unintelligible to everyone but the signee. The shifter signs his name with a flourish, and the blood he uses is dark and glistening. Except for Kodi, my guardians and I had signed in a similar fashion. The ghost’s name had been recorded in the gray shades of his incorporeal form.

The second after Ansel dots theiin his last name, my skin prickles with awareness. The sensation might belong more to the library than me, but the distinction lessens every day. Another soul joins our retinue.

Duggar closes the book, and it disappears. Fin, the goblin in charge of the arcane level, told us that powerful relics are split. Half presides here while the other half disappears somewhereelse. Is the contract book one of these? It’s a vital library tool, and the promises written within carry immeasurable power.

Kodi streaks past me with a taunt. “Last one up is a rotten egg!”

I glare at the nine flights of stairs and contemplate shifting. Before I can decide, Garrett appears and effortlessly drags me into his arms. I clutch his thick arms and squeal in alarm.

“You can ask for permission before you start hauling me around like a sack of potatoes.” My grumble of protest lacks any heat. The shock of his surprise ambush bothers me, but I don’t mind being in his warm, solid arms. His absurd size and strength make me feel small instead of heavy or cumbersome.

“Would you have asked me?” the shifter asks in a quiet voice intended for the two of us. Even though we’re surrounded by supernaturals, though, only one reacts. Avery’s lips twitch with amusement, but he doesn’t say anything as he offers Ansel a ride in the rarely used elevator. The shifter refuses. I imagine he’s savoring his last moments as a human – even if they are shadowed with pain.

Bren appears lost in thought as he skips up the stairs two at a time. He also has a contract to sign after we’ve completed Ansel’s transformation. Is he regretting our planned course of action? Mentally, I argue with myself about discussing him behind his back – quite literally. I don’t realize I’m gnawing on my bottom lip until a glance at Garrett reveals him transfixed by my mouth. The heated interest in his regard summons an answering flood of desire, but I resolutely push it away. The timing is all wrong.

“Do you think Bren is okay with our idea?” I whisper to my handsome human chariot.

Garrett reluctantly removes his gaze from my lips and exhales loudly. The scent of fresh blueberries remains on his breath. “Bren won’t lie to make others feel better. He’s brutally honest. It’s caused issues in the past, of course, but it reassuresme that he’s telling the truth.” The shifter’s chest vibrates against my side as he speaks. It’s a relaxing sensation, especially in my weariness.

“He might have reservations or worries,” Garrett continues, “but he’s probably weighed the pros and cons of every scenario already. I know this is difficult to believe, but Bren has planned his life around the library since his first vision. He’s over twenty now, so that’s nearly his entire life. If the wild magic threatens his position here, he’ll do what it takes to correct it. He also wasn’t lying about the atmospheric magic being a nuisance. It’s always caused him more trouble than good.”

Garrett’s dark gaze meets mine again. “I’ll talk to him privately, though, and I’ll tell you if he has reservations.”

It might be the most I’ve ever heard the shifter speak. If I want our partnership to work, I need to stop second-guessing my guardians’ motives and decisions. Additionally, the library didn’t flag either brother’s words as dishonest.

I admit that I’m also scared the idea won’t work. What if something goes wrong and someone gets hurt? Addington attempted something similar, which makes me uneasy, and we don’t possess step-by-step instructions.

I force myself to take a deep breath. Having faith might be the hardest lesson to learn in this new life.

Chapter 11

Garrett

Imight not be able to feel Zosia’s emotions like the vampire yet, but I know what she’s thinking. I have the same worries despite my reassurances.

I won’t let Bren forge ahead until I’m certain he understands what he’s sacrificing. He’s never craved power, but Tremayne’s tales of historical atmospheric mages hadn’t surprised me. The part that bothers me is that Addington was also obsessed with channeling Bren’s power into a container. Our motives and container are different, but the similarity is worrisome.

Passing excess magic to the library isn’t problematic …, but Kodi? What if Bren somehow harms the freak of nature? My brother won’t be able to handle the guilt or Zosia’s resultant heartache. Farseeing abilities are a seductive trap, especially when Bren focuses on the future he wants and ignores all other possibilities.

Before we can tackle that mess, however, the library needs to turn Zosia’s biological father into a gargoyle. I never thought my life would be so bizarre, but I’m not exactly complaining. I almost punched the hairy-faced wizard when he suggested Addington might be Zosia’s father and nearly kissed him when he recanted. It was all too easy to imagine the jerk trying to dateKarasi. She had power and beauty – both of which mattered to the alpha shifter.

The woman in my arms might be my beast’s fated mate, but that hardly matters anymore. My need to touch her stems from more than primal instinct. Carrying her up the many flights of stairs is an excuse to be close to her, although I understand she might consider it an affront to her independence and pride. My alpha nature longs to nurture her, and it has nothing to do with her past injuries or limited mobility. Unfortunately, Zosia has a difficult time seeing it this way.

---