Embrace (The Gryphon Series) by Stacey Rourke Read Free Book Online Page B

harmless, but if I let them go the Countess would know I was on to her.  I couldn’t let that happen.   My change in stance and demeanor didn’t go unnoticed.
    “We won’t say a word!  We swear!” Pleaded Boil Face. 
    M y muscles tensed in preparation for the violent explosion to come.  “I just don’t think I can take that chance. What if she were to torture you?  From the looks of it, none of you would last long.  I really am sorry.  I promise I’ll make it as quick as I possibly can.” 
    The twins were locked in a terrified embrace as they sobbed in unison,  “No!  You don’t have to do this!”
    “ I kinda do.” I sighed and shrugged.  “It’s my job to destroy the Dark Army.  And you are, in fact, part of said army.”
    Even though he quak ed with fear, Red bravely stepped forward.  “You’re even worse than the Countess.”  He declared.  “She may be an evil witch—with a capital B—but at least she’s honest about it.  You’re the Conduit.  You’re supposed to be one of the good guys.  But here you are acting like a bully.  We didn’t ask to be part of this army, and you know we can’t take you.  We’re no threat to you at all.  If you kill us you’re nothing more than a hypocrite!”
    I just got told off by a demon.  Hello, rock-bottom.  We meet at last.
    But he was right.  I didn’t need to hurt them.  I was just looking for a release after the crappy night—no, months—I’d been having.  It was wrong, and honestly kind of twisted. 
    My posture relaxed.  I had no intention of chasing them, but still I said, “How about if I give you a ten second head start?”
    Their nervous gazes flicked back-and-forth between each other before they chorused, “Okay.”
    “Alright , then.”  I closed my eyes and covered them like we were playing hide-and-seek.  “One, two, three…”
    That’s a s far as I got.  The Dark Army Glee Club harmonized as they vanished into the night.
    “Good-bye!”
    “Good-bye!”
    “Good- bye !”
    “Good- byee ! ”
    “Goood- byyyyye !”
    They were right, they were good. 
    I absorbed the silence around me.  Emotionally I was drained.  Tonight I had almost out badded the “bad guys.” Something had to change.  Red had it right, I fight for the good team.  No, not just good—the divine .  It was about time I started acting like it.

     
     
    CH APTER 7
     
     
     
    “I really am sorry.”  I said to Sophia’s back as she stormed past me—again.  My failure to actually make it inside the premises of Smokey Joe’s, or call to say I couldn’t make it, had peeved her off royally.  She flipped her ponytail and ignored me as she rushed two caramel cappuccinos to table six.  I collapsed onto the speckled granite countertop, my head smacking against it with a dull thud. 
    “You know she’s playing you, right?”  Melissa muttered from behind her text book.  She was the most hard-core student I’d ever met.  I’d never seen her without a book in her hand.  
    “ I don’t know.” The countertop muffled my voice.  “She seems genuinely peeved.”
    “ Right before you got here she was going on and on about some specimen of raging testosterone she spent the whole night dancing with.  She’s just trying to make you feel guilty.”  I brought my head up to see Melissa push her silver framed glasses up the bridge of her nose with one slender mocha colored finger.  Her curly hair was sheered short to her head.  A look few women could pull off, but on her it was chic.
    A relieved smile tugged at the corners of my lips as Sophia approached the counter with Operation Ignore-My-Lousy-Friend in full effect.  “Melissa, I need a black coffee and a cinnamon bagel, please.” 
    S he couldn’t do much of anything for the few minutes it would take Melissa to fill the order.  It was as good a time as any to try and smooth things over.  “Sophia, please give me a chance to explain.”  I kept going even though