by Raquel Dove
Sunlight beamed through the foliage of the tree Balthazar had fallen asleep under and stirred him from his sleep. He immediately noticed the human snuggled against him. The thin blue silk of her robe was parted slightly, revealing a creamy white thigh and that magnificent backside that had taunted him the day before. Her onyx hair was splayed out across the green grass, and her bare backside was pressed against the side of his thigh. Balthazar reached out to nudge her awake, his hand resting on the soft skin of her exposed hip. Alexandra moaned softly, turned over and curled into him. She nuzzled her head into the crook of his arm and sighed softly. A thick chunk of her hair flopped over her face and Balthazar pushed it aside, unable to stop himself from running a finger down her chin. She lifted her face to his as her eyelids fluttered open.
Balthazar was in a mild daze as his eyes focused on her barely parted lips. He bent his neck and drew closer. He teetered on the edge of kissing her as he fought with what he wanted to do and what he knew he should do.
“Balthazar?” Alex questioned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes before she realized the position she was in. She rushed to straighten her robes and cover herself as a heavy blush heated her cheeks. She knew it would only be a moment before the demon sensed her change in mood, and she pressed her thighs together, hoping to stifle the growing sensation of desire that the look in his eyes was giving her.
A shriek in the sky above snapped Balthazar out of his haze. A shadow blotted out the sun, and he growled out angrily. They were in trouble now.
A griffin smashed into the ground, tearing up the earth beneath its massive paws as it came to a crashing halt. The beast loomed over them, his solid black eyes unblinking as he snapped his beak a couple times.
“Are you lost demon?” the griffin spoke, his head turned, with one eye trained on the pair.
“You can speak,” Alex gasped softly, a hand covering her lips.
“That I can,” the griffin replied, his head snapped up and down. “Now you speak, demon. Why have you come here?”
“An egg,” Balthazar said flatly, rising of the ground and squaring his shoulders. There was no use trying to lie to the griffin. It wouldn’t believe him no matter what he said and this way they could just get right down to business.
The griffin’s beak parted, his tongue pulling back as he cawed loudly into the air. The strength of his cry shook Alex straight through to the core and she stood and moved closer to Balthazar. The creature pawed at the ground as it shook his head, ruffling the thick feathers that covered his neck. His long furry tail whipped back and forth behind him.
This was not how Balthazar had planned on facing the griffin, but all he could do now was make the best of his situation. The one thing he had against the griffin was his speed. He could not best it in strength, and the beast’s claws would shred him to pieces in an instant. If he handled things just right, this could actually turn out better for him.
“You can try to take one from me, demon,” the griffin said just as his tail shot forward and wrapped around Alexandra’s waist. It pulled her away from Balthazar and leapt into the sky. “But I’ll be keeping this little treasure.”
Balthazar watched as the griffin flew away, the human shrieking in fear as she trailed behind. He fought the urge to sigh at her constant lack of composure. Did she really think he would let her get hurt so easily? Perhaps she didn’t understand the extent of Balthazar’s power, and apparently neither did the griffin.
Griffins coveted anything of value. That usually meant gold and jewels, but the griffin had obviously recognized the value Alexandra had to Balthazar. It had chosen the girl as a new piece for his collection and Balthazar planned to use that to his advantage.
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