by Chant, Zoe
And then she realized that the claws holding her weren’t that of a dragon. They were those of a bird. A giant bird.
Her heart beating in her throat, she looked up.
It wasn’t a dragon who’d caught her. It wasn’t Zane who’d returned to kidnap her once more.
Above her, she saw the head of a giant eagle, the huge, sharp beak glinting in the dying light of the shattered crystal.
It was the last thing she saw before everything went black.
Chapter Ten: Jared
When the crystal cave collapsed, Jared hadn’t been able to think of anything but Chiara. Instinct took over—and probably saved their lives. In an instant he’d shifted, the golden necklace dangling from one of his claws, his wings beating the air.
And then he’d dived down after her.
There was still enough light to make out her body, falling towards the terrifying darkness below them. Flying as fast as he could, he’d caught up with her. As soon as he was close enough, he clutched her in his claws, holding her tightly as he beat his wings to rise again.
He’d heard her cry his name in terror. She had to think that he was still falling. But there was no time for explanations now.
The only thing that mattered was to get out of here, before either the mountain collapsed on top of them or the shadow dragon found them.
After a moment, Chiara went limp in his grasp, and Jared’s griffin beat his wings with new determination.
The light of the broken crystals was fading quickly. Soon, it would be dark completely—and even for a griffin shifter, that would make escape difficult.
Fortunately, the darker it grew, the easier it became for his sharp eagle’s eyes to realize that there was another source of light.
It wasn’t the eerie glow of the crystals that he could make out now. It was the familiar warmth of sunlight, faintly coming in through an opening somewhere.
He changed direction, no longer flying straight upwards. He couldn’t see where exactly the source of light was, but it came from somewhere to their left...
He reached an outcrop of rock just when the last light of the crystals faded away. Below and above, there was nothing but utter darkness now.
And yet, he could still make out the faint outline of the rocks he’d landed on. There was a small ledge here—large enough for an eagle to perch on.
Carefully, still holding on tightly to Chiara, he made his way around a protruding rock. Behind it, the light illuminating the gloom was just a little brighter.
Most importantly, there was an opening in the rock, which the light seemed to come from.
He shifted back, switching to carrying Chiara in his arms as he made his way through the crack in the rock. The tunnel behind was too narrow for a griffin, but even though it was steep, he was able to climb it on human feet.
He hurried through it, still listening for the familiar sound of dragon wings. But so far, everything was silent. The tunnel wound back and forth, but continually led upwards. The light grew brighter and brighter as he made his way upward.
And then, after barely ten minutes of climbing, he turned a final corner. All of a sudden he found himself surrounded by bright sunlight.
He was standing on another narrow ledge of rock, still high up in the mountains. Below, there was a deadly drop, and then more mountains and valleys spreading for as far as the eye could see.
Above him, the sky was a brilliant blue, the sun gleaming on the snow that covered the mountaintops all around him.
He’d made it. They were free.
Now they just had to make their way out of here before the shadow dragon did... But so far, there was no sign of Zane.
Jared shifted.
His griffin’s heart was full of joy as he spread his wings. The mountains called out to his soul, the wind trying to seduce him.
There was so much to explore here. The breeze would carry him from mountain to mountain, playing in his feathers while the sun warmed him as he explored the hidden valleys and steep gorges.
This was a griffin’s home. Or it could be.
But right now, there was something of far greater importance. He had to get Chiara away from here.
He took off, soaring away from the mountain that had almost trapped them.
He knew they couldn’t return to the tiny tourist village where they’d started from. The shadow dragon knew where Chiara had stayed. If Zane made it out of the mountain, that was the first place he’d go to look for her.
Instead, Jared allowed the sun and the wind to lead him, following their call as he tried to put as much distance between them and their enemy as possible.
It didn’t really matter where they ended up, after all.
All that mattered was that Zane wouldn’t be able to find them.
There was no sign of Zane in the sky when he finally crossed the Alps. They might well have made it into a different country by this point—but Jared didn’t intend to stop and ask.
Below them, he made out the scattered, rustic huts of a ski resort. It wasn’t the season for it—which hopefully meant that most of them would be abandoned.
Once more he was grateful that mythological shifters were invisible to humans. It meant that he could land in the shadows behind one of the cabins and shift back there, then come strolling out into the light as if they were a pair of hikers who’d had an accident on the mountain.
Still carrying Chiara in his arms, he knocked on the door.
No one answered. After a long moment had passed, Jared forced the door open.
The cabin was empty. It had that telltale smell of detergent and bleach that told him that it had been given a good scrubbing and was now awaiting the start of the new season.
It wasn’t luxurious—the furniture consisted of wood, well-used but sturdy.
But it was a place to rest, a place for Chiara to recover.
A place where Zane wouldn’t find them.
And most importantly, this would give them a chance to talk. Because it was about time that Chiara knew the truth about him.
Carefully, he set her down on the bed. Her pastel-colored hair spread over the pillow as she sighed and moved a little. There was a frown on her face.
Gently, he reached out to brush a strand of pink and blue out of her eyes, feeling his own worries fade away at the heat of her skin.
That same instinctive joy surged through him once more.
Our mate, it called out, filling him with warmth and happiness.
Just looking at her made him feel like he’d come home. Which was perhaps the strangest thing of all for someone like him, who’d never even known his parents.
Chiara sighed again. Then, as he watched, her eyelids began to flutter.
“Chiara?” he said softly. “You’re safe. It’s all right.” His thumb tenderly smoothed along her cheekbone, and when her eyelids lifted, she smiled at him, dreamy and dazed.
“Oh, it’s you,” she sighed. “I had the strangest dream. I was falling...”
Then, with a gasp, she bolted upright. “It wasn’t a dream! I remember—the maze! And the dragon, and then—”
“We were falling,” Jared said. He rested a hand on her arm. “You must have been terrified. But we’re safe now. This is some sort of ski resort—all abandoned until the season starts. Zane won’t find us here.”
“The artifact.” Chiara’s eyes were wild as she looked around. “All that work, and it wasn’t even magic...”
Jared drew it from beneath his shirt. Gently, he fastened the chain around her neck.
“Here. I kept it safe. And I think I figured out what it is.”
Still visibly shaken, Chiara took hold of it, her fingers smoothing over the gold. “Oh?”
“It’s a map.”
Jared reached out. There was another spark of heat as their fingers touched, but he forced himself to ignore it, despite the way Chiara’s eyes widened.
“Here, see?” His fingertip drew over the stylized mountain ranges. “This i
s a specific place. It’s just like the map that led you here. I think these constellations are the key. All we have to do is find out which constellations appear above which mountains.”
“Oh, is that all?” Chiara laughed in despair, then shook her head. “I’ve spent all of my savings on this mad trip. I quit my job. I sold my car. I don’t have the funds for another crazy treasure hunt across the planet.”
“You’re not crazy,” Jared said calmly. Then he took a deep breath. “Actually... there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you. I just couldn’t figure out how to do it. You must be wondering how we survived that fall...”
Chiara narrowed her eyes, then grew pale as memories seemed to rush back in. “It was all dark. I thought I’d lost you. We were falling... and then there was the sound of wings. And then—”
“Then a griffin rescued you.”
Chiara gasped. “You saw it, too?”
Slowly, Jared shook his head. He reached out again to rest his hands on Chiara’s. “I’m the griffin, Chiara.”
She stared at him for a shocked moment, then laughed nervously. “You’re kidding, right?”
Jared shook his head. “You saw a werewolf once. It was a man who could turn into a wolf. In my world, we call ourselves shifters.”
“In your world...” Chiara breathed. “No. That’s impossible.”
A small smile tugged on Jared’s lips. “Oh, so you’ll believe in wolves and aliens, but griffin shifters have to be crazy fantasy?”
Chiara swallowed, still staring at him from wide, shocked eyes. “No, but—you’re normal,” she said plaintively. “Unfairly hot—but a normal human being. You’re not like Lou with his shadow eyes, or the werewolf who tried to eat me, or the dragon who kidnapped me. You’re not—”
“I’m not evil,” he finished. “That’s right. I’m a griffin shifter, but I’m neither a criminal nor a monster. You’ve only seen the dark side of our world, and I’m really sorry for that. We work very hard to make sure that none of our own harm humans—but it doesn’t always work. Still, there is so much more, Chiara. I wish I could show it to you.”
“I don’t believe you.” She shook her head as she stared at him. “You’re making fun of me. You’re just like the others—you think I’m crazy.”
“Hey,” he said softly, entwining their fingers. “I believe you’re a strong and courageous woman. It takes so much strength to leave your life behind, to fight for something you know is right, even if people laugh at you for it. I would never make fun of you. I know you speak the truth.” He felt a smile tug on his lips. “Well, except for the vampires and aliens. Those are mostly human invention.”
She looked down at their hands. Her skin was warm against his own, and even now, despite her shock, she hadn’t let go of him.
They fit so well together. Everything inside him knew that this was what they were meant to be.
But she had to make that choice on her own. He couldn’t make it for her. He could only pray that she’d give him a chance to show her that there was a lot more to the paranormal world than what she’d been exposed to so far.
“If you’re really a griffin,” she said at last, her voice trembling, “then show me. Turn into a griffin. Right now.”
He laughed. “It’s a bit small in here. I’ll destroy the furniture. Come outside to the patio, and I’ll shift for you.”
“Shift...” she murmured. She shook her head, then gave him a sharp, suspicious nod. “All right. But no tricks.”
“No tricks,” he agreed.
She shook off his hand, getting up on her own. She still seemed a little shaky but had clearly begun to recover.
Which was good. Now all he’d have to do was to fix this and prove that not every shifter was a monster...
“Go on,” she demanded once they’d stepped onto the patio.
Jared looked around, but the little resort was still deserted. And here, behind their cabin, they were out of view from most of the tiny houses anyway.
He took a deep breath, then opened himself up to his griffin.
Energy flowed through him. Little pinpricks of heat exploded all over his skin—and then, a heartbeat later, his griffin triumphantly spread his wings.
The wind ruffled his feathers. The cool, clear mountain air sang to him of lonely mountaintops and glaciers, of ice-cold streams and hidden valleys with brilliant flowers.
He didn’t listen to the wind’s seductive message. All he had eyes for was Chiara—who was currently staring at him with an expression of utter shock.
Chapter Eleven: Chiara
A griffin was standing in front of her.
For a long moment, Chiara struggled to make sense of it.
After everything she’d seen—the werewolf, the shadow-eyed men, the freaking dragon—it shouldn’t have made a difference.
Still, for some reason, it seemed impossible to believe.
But she’d seen it. She’d seen Jared—handsome, golden-haired Jared with the rugged good looks of a model who spent his free time climbing mountains—turn into a mythological beast.
It had happened right in front of her eyes. One second, she’d seen Jared. Then his body had started to shimmer, and a heartbeat later, a griffin had stood in front of her instead.
A real griffin.
He had the body and back legs of a lion, complete with a tail that was nervously swooshing back and forth, and the majestic head of an eagle, now looking at her from sharp, intelligent eyes.
His front feet were those of an eagle as well. As she stared at his large talons, she remembered how her fall had been broken, strong talons closing around her—and powerful wings beating to carry her to safety.
It was Jared. It was really Jared.
“Oh, my god,” she breathed.
She wanted to rush forward, to touch the feathers to convince herself that it was really all real, to thank him for saving her.
And then she realized what this meant.
Jared—handsome, charismatic Jared who’d made her feel so safe—was one of the monsters who’d destroyed her life.
He’d lied to her. He’d made her believe that he liked her—and all along, he’d only helped her because she was so close to exposing their world for what it was.
Instinct took over. Clenching her teeth against the tears that rose up at his betrayal, she hastily retreated inside the cabin and banged the door shut after her.
Stupid, stupid, stupid!
Of course a guy like him wouldn’t be interested in someone like her. It should have felt too good to be true from the start. Why had she even trusted him?
It seemed silly now. She must have looked like a naive girl, falling all over herself as soon as he pretended to be interested in her.
And she’d told him of all her plans. She’d showed him her map. She’d even let him tag along into the maze...
No wonder he’d made it there so quickly. Maybe he’d been in league with the dragon all along. It could have been a ploy—kidnap her, so that Jared could play her rescuer and win her trust...
She threw herself down onto the bed, covering her face with her hands.
Even now, she wanted to believe that she was wrong. Even now, she couldn’t forget the gentle way he’d kissed her, the way his powerful, hard body had pressed against her own.
No one had ever touched her with such desire before—as if he’d been starved for her touch.
It must have been a ploy. Why would someone like him, who could have anyone at all, settle for someone like Chiara? Everyone thought she was insane. And even before her encounter with the werewolf, she hadn’t had much going for her. An old car, a tiny apartment, the dead-end minimum wage job where angry people shouted at her all day.
God, I’ve been so stupid.
The tears of betrayal turned into tears of anger.
Why didn’t he just steal the map instead of playing with me? That would’ve hurt less.
Then the door opened, and when she looked up, she saw Jared stan
ding in the door.
She threw her pillow at him.
Childish, perhaps—but it felt good to see it bounce off his perfect, windswept golden mane.
Ugh, why does he have to be so handsome?
“Sorry,” he said softly, hesitating in the doorway.
“You lied to me!”
“I know. And I’m really sorry.” He waited for a moment. Then, with a tentative smile, he offered, “You can throw more pillows at me if you want.”
A surprised laugh broke free from her before she remembered that she was supposed to hate him.
Ugh, handsome and charming. Of course it was too good to be true.
“I want you to leave.” She glared at him. “You’re one of them.”
Jared shook his head. “I’m really sorry I didn’t explain before all of this happened—but there wasn’t exactly a lot of time. When I saw that man attack you in the alley, I had no choice but to interfere. Maybe I should have told you back at your hotel—”
“I told you about the werewolf,” she said. Once more she felt tears brimming in her eyes and viciously forced them back. She wasn’t going to let him see how much his betrayal had hurt her. “I told you that I’d given up on my happy, normal life with people who didn’t think I was a lunatic—all to expose the supernatural world for what it was. And all you saw was someone you could trick.”
Jared paled. He shook his head. Hesitantly, he came a few steps forward, but stopped at a good distance from her.
“All I saw was a gorgeous, courageous woman. Who might have a fondness for weird conspiracy theories, but who’s definitely not crazy. You’re smart, Chiara. You figured out where the amulet was hidden.”
The artifact—right. She still wore the golden disk around her neck. Now she reached out for it, the weight of the gold strangely reassuring.
“So that’s why—you used me. You used me to get to it.”
He flinched, and she knew that she’d scored a point at last.
“I was looking for it as well,” he admitted. “Or rather, I didn’t even know what I was looking for. I didn’t have time to tell you last night, Chiara, but I’m an orphan. I never knew my parents. All I have left of them is this medallion.”
