by Zoe Chant
How many chances do you get to go to a Halloween party with real, actual shapeshifters? This’ll be fun. Halloween is meant to be a break from reality, a chance to pretend to be someone else. I could do with being someone else, for a bit.
I certainly look like someone else, at least.
The costume shop hadn’t had a lot of options for larger ladies. She’d been going to go as a ghost, but Danny had pitched a fit at the prospect. In the end she’d had to relent and allow him to pick out her costume…though she’d drawn the line at the donning the fuzzy bikini. After a bit of a battle, Danny had grudgingly allowed her to wear the ears and fluffy tail paired with a soft but figure-hugging knitted black dress. The overall effect, she feared, was still rather closer to Playboy bunny than was entirely appropriate.
I shouldn’t have let Danny talk me into this outfit. It’s not fair to Griff.
Or me, for that matter.
Hayley breath sighed out. Ever since that night, Griff had treated her with meticulous, painful courtesy, as if he just saw her as Danny’s mother and not a woman at all. In return, she did her very best to pretend that he was just some odd kind of sports coach for Danny.
But she couldn’t forget the fire of his touch, or the heat of his mouth between her legs. When he was playing with Danny, she couldn’t stop herself from avidly watching the flex of his biceps or the powerful curve of his back. And, just a few times, she’d caught Griff looking at her too, with a feral, exciting intensity that made her core clench in longing.
But then…he’d look away, taking a deep breath, and when he met her eyes again the burning desire in his own would be tamped down again, fiercely repressed. She knew that he didn’t dare risk another uncontrolled shift. She knew that they couldn’t ever touch again.
That would be Hayley’s cue to find some excuse to leave the room, hiding away until she too could contain the feelings threatening to overspill in her heart. Though sometimes her body yearned for his so badly that she physically shook with longing, she would not give in to her selfish desires.
If he could suppress his deep, animal instincts, then so could she. She’d sworn she wouldn’t make it any harder on him than it already was.
Hayley looked down at her costume. Why, why, why didn’t I just drape a sheet over my head?
“There’s Mr. Griff’s house!” Danny yelled, forgetting in his excitement that he was being good. “Come on, Mommy!”
Shaking her head to dispel her gloomy thoughts, Hayley let him tow her up Griff’s driveway. Small, hand-carved pumpkin lanterns lit the way. Hayley was privately pleased by the subdued, minimal decorations. She knew some people liked to go all-out with spooky graveyards and bloody zombie hands nailed to the door, but she personally didn’t think they were suitable for little kids.
This is nice. Tasteful. Nothing scary at-
The door opened. Danny shrieked in terror, cowering behind Hayley as a towering apparition in demonic spiked armor loomed ominously over them both.
“Why do small children keep doing that?” said John Doe’s deep voice from behind the draconic helmet, sounding bewildered.
Heart still hammering, Hayley blinked at his outfit. Curving, oddly organic-looking plates of some opalescent material armored John’s massive shoulders and arms, leaving most of his impressive torso bare. Thick, scaled leggings protected his legs. He had a sword longer than Hayley was tall strapped to his back, a fist-sized pearl gleaming on the pommel.
“That…is quite some costume, John,” Hayley said weakly.
“I am not wearing a costume,” John said, flipping up his visor. “This is the formal armor of the Order of the First Water, sworn defenders of the Pearl Throne.”
Danny peeked round Hayley’s legs. “You mean that’s real knight armor, Sir John?”
“Yes. I do not get many opportunities to wear it, these days.” The sea dragon shifter let out a deep, heartfelt sigh. “I am beginning to regret my decision to do so tonight. By my count, I have now made thirty-seven small children cry.”
“Yes, but you’ve also inspired at least that many teenage crushes,” Griff’s amused voice floated around John’s shoulder. “I swear there’s one group of girls who keep swapping costumes and coming back. Hello, Danny.”
“Mr. Griff!” Danny frowned, looking Griff up and down. “Why are you wearing a skirt?”
“It’s a kilt, lad,” Griff said, spreading his arms to display his plaid. He let out a rich chuckle. “I’m cheating too. This is just the way my clan traditionally dresses on formal occasions. But you Sassenachs find it exotic, so I thought it would do for a costume. Do you like it?”
“I told you to wear something awesome. Like a Batman suit. Not a skirt.” Danny turned to Hayley, looking doubtfully up at her. “Mommy, do you like Mr. Griff’s costume?”
“Guh,” Hayley managed to say.
And I was worried about my costume being too sexy.
She tore her eyes away from Griff’s muscular calves, moistening her dry lips. “Y-yes,” she said weakly. “I think it’s very…nice.”
“Mph.” Danny did not sound convinced. He pushed Hayley forward, his tone brightening. “Mr. Griff, look at Mommy’s costume!”
Griff’s golden eyes heated, and she knew that he could see her arousal. His hungry gaze swept down her own figure-hugging outfit.
Oh, I really, really, really should have come as a ghost.
“He picked it,” she said hastily, cheeks hot with mortification. “Um, I mean, I’m meant be a bunny. Like, a real bunny.”
“That’s right,” Danny said happily. “Because lions and eagles both like bunnies.”
Oh dear Lord, was that his logic?
“Aye. We do,” Griff said, his voice a deep growl. He cleared his throat, looking back down at Danny. “Well, lad, ready to get going?”
“Yes!” Danny shouted, seizing Griff’s hand. “Are you coming too, Sir John?”
“I must stay and guard the door.” John flipped his visor shut again. “Though I must admit, I am not accustomed to stopping assailants by offering them lollipops.”
“All right if we stop off at a couple of my friends’ places along the way?” Griff asked Danny as they started up the road. “They’re two you haven’t met yet, but I think you’d like them.”
Danny looked a little worried. “We won’t be late for the party, will we?”
“I promise, we’ll get there in plenty of time.” Griff looked over Danny’s head at Hayley, smiling. The sight made her heart leap—he hadn’t smiled properly like that since, well, Reiner. “I’ve never known a boy to be so excited about a party. I only hope it lives up to his expectations.”
“I’m sure it will,” Hayley said, smiling back. Just friends, she reminded herself sternly. Friends on a nice fun night out. As friends. “He’s been obsessed ever since you mentioned it. So, who are you taking us to visit?”
“Hugh, for one.” Griff turned off the main street. “He won’t come to the party—too many people—but he secretly loves getting trick-or-treaters. Most people don’t realize it, but he’s got a hidden soft spot for children, our Hugh. But first, I wanted to drop by on someone else. I want to have one last try at convincing her to join us.”
The street got narrow, and darker, as Griff led them deeper into the maze of alleyways. There weren’t many pumpkins in this neighborhood. Hayley wouldn’t have felt safe on her own, but she trusted Griff to know what he was doing.
“Here we go,” Griff said, stopping outside a dented door with peeling paint. Someone had carefully cut Happy Halloween! out of newspaper print, sticking the letters to the inside of the window. “You want to knock, Danny?”
Danny gave Griff a slightly dubious look, but dutifully knocked. The door opened instant, as if someone had been waiting right on the other side.
“Trick or treat!” announced a beaming teenage girl in a home-made fairy princess costume and a wheelchair. Pink glittering ribbons were woven through the spokes.
Danny frowned.
“That’s what I’m supposed to say!”
“Sorry,” the girl said cheerfully. “I just like saying it too. I never get to go out myself. Hi, Big G! And you’re Hayley, right? I’m Hope.”
“Nice to meet you,” Hayley said, carefully shaking the offered hand. Hope’s bones were as delicate as a bird’s, her fingers barely able to grip Hayley’s. “Are you a…?”
“Shifter?” Hope wheeled her chair back a little, letting them into the narrow hallway. “Nope, that’s my sister. Unfortunately. You’re wasting your time, G. She won’t come. She won’t even let me come.”
“Hmm.” Griff’s mouth tightened. “Well, let me see what I can do.”
“Good luck.” Hope did not sound hopeful. Her thin shoulders heaved in a tragic sigh. “I cannot wait until I’m eighteen, and can finally do what I want.”
Griff patted her on the shoulder as he edged round her wheelchair. “She’s just trying to look out for you, you know.”
“Yeah, well, I wish she wouldn’t.” Hope turned her attention back to Danny, brightening again. “Hey, I hope you like candy, because I’ve got a ton. Turns out most kids around here prefer throwing eggs to getting treats.”
Hayley left Danny rummaging enthusiastically in the offered bucket of candy, following Griff down the short, dark hallway. “What sort of shifter is her sister?” she asked in an undertone.
Griff shot her a swift, strangely guarded glance. “Wyvern.”
Wyvern? Where have I heard that before…?
Hayley grabbed Griff’s wrist as he raised his hand to knock on a closed door. It was the first time she’d touched him for weeks. She made herself ignore the rush of desire that shot through her blood.
“Wyvern as in wyvern venom?” she hissed. “As in the poison you made me inject you with? The poison that nearly killed you?”
“That wasn’t her fault.” Shaking her off, Griff firmly knocked on the door. “Ivy? I know you’re in there. You can’t hide from me.”
The door opened a crack, revealing one green eye and a sliver of sulky expression. “You should listen to your friend, G. Just go away.”
“I can’t do that, Ivy.” Griff put his shoulder to the door, shoving it open. “Please come out.”
Hayley wasn’t entirely sure what she’d expected a wyvern shifter to look like, but she had to admit Ivy wasn’t it. The young woman was soft and curvy, with a round, pretty face despite her ferocious scowl. She was dressed head-to-toe in layers of leather and denim, every inch of her skin below the chin covered.
She folded her gloved hands under her armpits, glaring at Griff. “You come back for some more poison? One heart attack wasn’t enough for you?”
“Ivy, I told you, I don’t blame you for anything,” Griff said patiently. “It was entirely my own idea, and you tried to talk me out of it, and in any event, you probably saved my life. Now, are you going to stop hiding yourself away and come out to meet everyone?”
“Yeah, because all your friends would just love to hang out with me.” Ivy snorted. “I’m sure ponyboy will even buy me a drink.”
“I’ll handle Chase,” Griff coaxed. “Come on, Ivy. For Hope’s sake, if not your own.”
Ivy’s green eyes narrowed. “Tell you what, G. I will come. If you just let me do one thing first.” She stepped toward Hayley, stretching out her hand. “After all, if you want me to go to a big, crowded party, then you must be okay with me doing this…”
Hayley, who’d automatically started to take Ivy’s offered hand, yelped as Griff knocked her own arm aside. His broad form was abruptly between the her and the wyvern shifter, every muscle tense.
Ivy’s lip curled. “Yeah. Didn’t think so.”
Griff sighed, raking his fingers through his hair. “I’m sorry, Ivy. I didn’t mean to do that. Just instincts. You know how it is.”
“Yeah, well.” Ivy stepped back, closing the door again. “If you really want to help me, G…you know what you can do.”
“What was that all about?” Hayley asked Griff, after they’d collected Danny and said goodbye to Hope.
“Ivy’s touch is poisonous,” he said quietly, so that Danny—running excitedly on ahead waving a glow stick—didn’t overhear. “Even in human form. She’s fairly safe when she’s wearing gloves, but…well, ‘fairly safe’ isn’t good enough for my inner beasts.”
“Poor kid.” Ivy’s wary defensiveness took on a whole new meaning. Having seen how much a community of fellow shifters meant to Danny, Hayley felt sorry for the isolated wyvern shifter. “What did she mean, you could help her?”
“Not me, really.” Griff let out his breath in a long sigh. “Ash could, but he won’t. Ivy wants me to try to persuade him-”
“Griff?” Hayley found that she was walking by herself. She turned to see that he’d frozen in mid-step. “What is it?”
All the blood had drained from his face. “Distract me.”
“Huh? Danny!” Hayley shouted over her shoulder as she hurried back to Griff. Her blood ran cold as she realized that he was fighting his inner beasts. “Griff! What set them off?”
“I thought of—something.” His left fist clenched, shaking. Sweat beaded on his forehead. “But I can’t—let them know—distract me!”
She could only think of one thing to do. Stretching up on tip-toe, she kissed him.
She’d meant it to be short, just to shock his animals out of their anger. But once she’d started, she couldn’t stop. She laced her fingers round the back of his neck, pulling him down further, his mouth as hungry and demanding as hers. He made a low, desperate sound deep in his throat, crushing her against his strong body. It was like they were two magnets, drawn together by some unstoppable, cosmic force.
“Mommy? Mr. Griff?”
They leaped apart guiltily.
Brow furrowed, Danny looked between them, first at Hayley, then up at Griff. His small shoulders heaved in a huge, relieved sigh.
“Finally,” he said in satisfaction.
Chapter 17
Griff
Griff very carefully concentrated on the feel of Hayley’s fingers wound through his. He focused on the exquisite softness of her skin, the intoxicating heat of her body next to his. He let his overwhelming desire for her surge…covering up the idea that Ivy had sparked in his mind.
He could feel his eagle’s stare boring into the inside of his skull, trying to see what he was concealing from it. His lion was less suspicious. It rolled in delight, luxuriating in their mate’s presence like a kitten in a bed of catnip.
Hayley stole a sidelong glimpse of his profile as they passed under a streetlamp. “Have they settled down again?” she asked.
“Aye. All’s well. For the moment, at least.” Which means that I should really let go now…
As if reading his mind, Hayley’s fingers tightened on his hand. “You know,” she said softly, “I was thinking earlier about how Halloween lets you pretend to be someone else, just for one night. I was thinking how much fun that would be.”
“That does sound like a grand time.” He looked down into her upturned face. “Who would you like to be?”
“Just a woman.” Tentatively, as if doubting her welcome, she leaned into his side. “Just a woman, out with her son. And her man.”
Griff drew in a short, sharp breath, longing piercing his heart like an arrow. He was fiercely aware of every point of contact between her body and his.
I shouldn’t. It’ll only make it harder to stop.
“Aye,” he said, his voice as soft as hers had been, as if reality couldn’t notice them as long as they were whispering. “I’d like to pretend that too. Just for one night.”
He felt Hayley’s tense muscles relax. She leaned her head against his shoulder. “Just for one night.”
“Why are you slowing down, Mr. Griff? Hurry!” Danny pulled at Griff’s other hand, straining ahead like an eager puppy on a leash. “I can hear music! We’re nearly at the party!”
A couple of betas from the local wolf pa
ck were hanging casually around the entrance to an alleyway, ready to politely—or not so politely—turn back any too-curious mundanes. Recognizing Griff, they waved the three of them through without challenge.
Griff hadn’t taken Hayley and Danny to the Full Moon before. Normally, the shifter-only pub was also an adult-only establishment. Not that it was a rowdy drinking den—Rose Swanmay, the proprietor, made sure of that. But it was a place for shifters of all types to relax and enjoy the company of their own kind, which meant it sometimes got a little boisterous. Children were not exactly banned, but they were usually discouraged.
But not tonight. Tonight, strings of tiny orange lights crisscrossed the narrow alleyway, turning it into a magical, glittering tunnel. The outside of the old, whitewashed pub had been transformed into a witch’s cottage from a fairytale, with fake cobwebs under the eaves and a mysterious, glowing cauldron bubbling next to the door. Jack o’ lanterns grinned cheerfully, candles flickering in the dark.
“Wow,” breathed Danny and Hayley together.
Griff smiled, enjoying the astonishment and delight shining from both their faces. “Halloween’s a bit of a special time for shifters,” he said as he led them toward the pub. “Traditionally, it used to be the night we let our animal sides run wild. Most of us don’t go out looking for some poor soul to chase down anymore, but we do still like to let our hair down a bit.”
“There’s Chase!” Danny waved excitedly at the pegasus shifter, who was standing near the door of the pub with a giggling pack of children gathered around him. “Hello, Mr. Chase!”
“Danny! Excellent, another child!” Chase hurried over, his entourage of kids following him like a line of ducklings. “Listen, I have a big favor to ask you. Also, completely coincidentally, I just so happen to have a great deal of chocolate.”
Griff blinked at Chase as light from the open pub door illuminated the pegasus shifter’s face. “What have you done to yourself?”
Chase spread his arms wide, beaming. “I, my friend, have outdone myself.”
Chase’s previously black hair was now almost every color of the rainbow, dyed in thick stripes from red to violet—every color, that is, except blue. That seemed to have been reserved for the rest of him.
