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

complexion leaving him a chalky white.
    Tentatively I approached the bed, afraid that even the air I expelled would cause him further pain. Grams had cleaned and dressed his wounds. A small bandage protected a wound on his left cheek, just under his eye. His left arm required a larger dressing held by a plethora of hospital tape. Black scorch marks streaked out from under his wrapped right shoulder. White cotton gauze covered his entire abdomen. It had to be a nasty wound to warrant a bandage that size. I gently brushed the hair from his forehead. As much as I hated to see him like this, the events of the night could’ve ended much worse.
                  His heavy lidded eyes fluttered open in response to my touch. “Lovey,” he croaked in a weak, raspy whisper. “I’m tryin’ out a new charbroiled look. What do ya think?”
                  I shook my head. Tears blurred my vision, but I blinked them back before they fell. “I’m not a fan. Do you … ” I choked on the words and swallowed hard to free them. “Does it hurt?”
                  His ebony brows drew together. A deep crease formed between his eyes. “It did. But then ya’r grandmum gave me a handful of assorted pills. Now I can’t feel me head, or anythin’ else for that matter.”
                  I erupted in a way too loud guffaw. “Your head’s still there. I promise.”
                  He raised one hand off the bed and turned it palm up. I laid my own in it and forced a smile despite the heaviness weighing on my heart. “Thank ya for sendin’ Rowan back. If he wouldn’t have gotten there when he did I might not have made it out alive. He told me if I had killed that thing I still could’ve died. That’s a no-win situation if e’er there was one.”
    What he meant as a light-hearted joke caused a knot of pain to swell in my stomach. I had—and would continue to—endured great trials and agonies because of my calling. But I couldn’t lose Caleb. He was my anchor in a sea of chaos.
    I fought to keep my voice steady in an effort not to upset him in his battered state. “Rowan said you and the Titan exchanged lightning bolts. I didn’t know you could do that.”
                  The corners of Caleb’s pale lips tugged back in a weak grin. “Guess we hadn’t reached the ‘I can shoot lightnin’ out of my finger tips’ portion of our relationship yet.”
                  “Guess not.” I dragged the tip of my index finger across his hand, tracing the blue veins visible through his skin.
                  Without warning his eyes widened in panic and his features darkened. “Celeste, that thing is still at the beach! We have tah go back tah that village! It could be terrorizin’ those people.” He started to rise up off the bed, but I caught his shoulders and eased him back down. It took surprisingly little effort which made my heart ache at his weakened state. “We have tah stop it!”
                  “We will, we will,” I soothed. “Just as soon as we figure out how to do that without killing you in the process, okay? We’ll figure something out. I promise.”
    He stopped fighting and settled back onto the pillow . Either his pain meds kicked in or that little display zapped the last of his energy. Whatever the cause, his blinks became excessively long and his voice grew heavy with sleep. “Ya promise?”
    I ran my fingers through his silky locks and gave him a reassuring smile that I knew didn’t reach my eyes. “I’ll go talk to Bernard right now. We’ll figure this out. You just rest.”
    “Just a quick rest. Wake me as soon as you hear somethin’.” His eyes shut and I doubted they’d open back up any time soon.
    I leaned in to dot a quick kiss on his forehead and inhaled his pungent scent of charcoal and Neosporin . I let my gaze wander over the planes of his face and said a silent prayer of thanks that