Griffin Rising Tour: Excerpt

Hey! long time no see! again today Comfort Books is apart of the Griffin Rising by Darby Karchut tour which is an AToMR Tour and our host is Leisha! Anyways let's get on with the post down below you'll find a little about the book and

Griffin Rising by Darby Karchut
Synopsis: For centuries, rumors have abounded of a lowly caste of supernatural beings known as the Terrae Angeli. Armed with the power to control Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water, these warriors secretly serve as guardians for mortals in danger.But for one young angel-in-training, Griffin, life is hell as a cruel master makes his apprenticeship a nightmare. On the verge of failing, a new mentor, Basil, enters his life and changes it forever.Taking on the identity of father and son, Griffin and Basil forge a special bond where honesty and trust go hand in hand to secure Griffin's destiny as a Terrae Angeli. Griffin's belief in himself and the love of a mortal girl are the perfect combination in overcoming the darkest days of his life. But will it be enough for him to succeed?For Griffin, it's time to angel up.




Excerpt:

“Poor Carlee. She was so jazzed about this party,” Katie said as they hurried up the block, their breaths billowing in the freezing air. “I can’t believe Nash!”

“I can,” said Griffin, then stopped and cocked his head for a moment. A dog barked once, then silenced. Tugging on her hand, he picked up the pace. “Let’s move. I don’t want you to get cold,” he lied. 

“What’s wrong,” she asked in a low voice, biting her lip as she peeked over her shoulder at the quiet neighborhood. 

“I thought I heard …something.” He scanned the street as he pulled her along. Reaching the edge of the dirt lot, they both sighed with relief at the sight of the Saab a few yards away.

Behind them, doors creaked as four figures stepped out of a nearby parked car and began heading toward them.

Griffin dropped Katie’s hand and twisted around, facing the threat. Cursing under his breath, he fumbling for the remote in his pocket, then grabbed her hand and pressed the keys into it. “Run to the car. Get in and lock the doors.” Grabbing her shoulders, he spun her around, ignoring her protests. “Go now!” He pushed her toward the vehicle, and then whirled back on guard, listening with one ear as her footsteps faded away. As the Saab’s door slammed, he nodded to himself. “‘First rule,’” he quoted, murmuring under his breath, “‘see to their safety. Second rule, see to their safety. Third rule, see rules one and two.’”

He watched as Nash and his friends sauntered over, forming a loose pack in front of him. For a moment, no one moved. 

Then Griffin laughed. “You’ve gotta’ be kidding! This is the best you could come up with?” He shook his head. “I don’t think this is such a good idea—someone’s going to get hurt. I’m pretty sure, it won’t be me.” 

“What the …,” began Nash.

“Come on, Baylor. Just leave it, man,” cautioned one of the other players. “We’ve got playoffs and a fight would get us suspended from it. Last thing we need right now.”

“That only applies on school grounds,” said Nash, lifting his chin. He took a step closer, crowding Griffin. “And even though this isn’t school, it’s time you learned a lesson. You won’t be such a smart mouth after we’re done with you.” He snorted and added, “But don’t worry about Katie. I’ll make sure she gets home. Eventually.”

Griffin’s smile never reached his eyes. “I don’t think she’s that into you, dude,” he said, bracing his feet. “And, by the way, your battle tactics suck. If you guys were really going to fight me, you would have ambushed me back there. By the car.” He gestured with his head. “Two in front to stop my advance and two behind as rear guards. Then you could have effectively used your superior numbers to advantage.” Basil would be so proud, he thought.

“I’m gonna’ …,” began Nash.

“Now, with all this yakking,” Griffin continued, “I’m on guard and the element of surprise is gone.” He checked his watch. “Look. I really need to get Katie home. It’s cold out here and she’s got an eleven o’clock curfew, so we either go our separate ways or get this over with.” Adding fuel to the flame, he couldn’t resist one final jab. “I hope you guys play football better than you strategize.”

Nash snapped. With a growl, he swung wildly. Griffin stumbled back, flinging up his hand. Nash howled as his fist collided against an invisible wall; he crumpled to the ground rocking in pain as he cradled his broken wrist. Eyes watering, he looked up at his friends. “Kill him!” he rasped.

Griffin dove to one side, skidding to his knees, then cocked back an arm and punched his fist into the ground in front of him. The earth split with a groan, the crack racing toward the other players. He scrambled to his feet watching as two of them teetered on the edge of the crevasse, then tumbled in. Three down, one to go, he thought, then spun around as the remaining attacker sprinted forward. Flicking a finger, he launched a fireball, skipping it off the player’s head with a soft sizzle. As the boy cursed and slapped at his singed hair, Griffin sneezed. He wiped his nose with the back of his hand, then stepped back, eyeing Nash and his buddy as they dragged the trapped players up and over the lip of the trench. Yelling at each other in confusion over what had just happened, the four fled back to their vehicle.

“That’s it? Two minutes and it’s all over?” called Griffin, unaware of Katie climbing out of the Saab behind him. “That’s all you guys got?”  

Reaching his car, Nash stopped, panting as he hunched against the back fender, his injured arm tucked inside his jacket. He looked past Griffin and glared at Katie.

“Your boyfriend’s a freak,” he screeched, spittle flying from his lips. He snarled in pain as his friends dragged him inside; the motor roared to life a second later. “A freak,” he screamed once more before the door slammed shut.

The words hung in the air as they gunned away.

Griffin blinked, watching with unseeing eyes at the car squealed around the corner. Oh, Fire, what did I just do? And right in front of Katie? He swallowed and forced himself to turn and face her.

Katie stood beside the Saab’s open door, the dome light casting half her face in shadow. Eyes wide, she gawked at Griffin, her mouth working silently as she shook her head from side to side. “What are you?” she finally whispered.

“Okay,” he said, easing toward her and patting the air with his hands. “That was weird, I know. But I can explain ….” He stopped a few feet away when she lurched backwards.

“Get away from me,” she cried, wrapping her arms around herself, shivering with fright and cold.

He tried again. “Can I at least say something? Please?” He took another step, than froze when she shook her head, her teeth chattering. “Let me drive you home, then. You’re freezing. That’s all I’ll do. Drive you home. Or you can take the car yourself. Just leave it in our driveway. I’ll walk.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you! Not until you tell me what’s going on. The truth, Griffin!”

“The truth about what?”

“About what I saw you do!”

“What do you think you saw?”

“You did … something … creepy,” said Katie, starting to tremble again.

“Nah—it was just a fight, Katie. Guys get in fights all the time and …”

“Stop lying!” she screamed. “Tell me!”

What the heck do I do? I know Katie. She won’t budge until I tell her. And I want to tell her. Let her know the real me. “You really want to know the truth?” he asked.

She nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I do.”

He looked up the star-frosted sky, searching for courage, a bubble of dread pressing against his heart. Closing his eyes, he took a leap of faith. “Do you remember when I asked if you believed in angels?”