If the cave hadn’t been situated under an overhang and if the entrance hadn’t been so narrow, he would have flown them directly in. But the opening was tricky, and he didn’t want them to have an accident. Instead, they climbed the last short distance.
He looked forward to these nightly stops. It gave him a chance to take on his human form and allowed her an opportunity to grow more comfortable with that side of his nature.
He knew what Ishtar expected of him and the woman who would become his Blade. Years ago, when he’d first learned of his destiny, he’d been hesitant, wondering why the goddess would pick a human woman for his Blade. The priestess had explained it was because Ishtar wished to heal the rift between her human worshipers and her gryphons.
Then, after Hillalum had started to study Amata, everything had changed. He’d grown to admire her character.
Showing Amata that he was a worthy partner was now his focus. Oh, he already knew she wasn’t resistant to the goddess’s plans. Amata saw him as a means to an end, a chance to strike back at the raiders who’d killed her family. To her, he was a condition that came with her new power—a price she had to pay to receive the goddess’s great gifts.
Hillalum didn’t want to be the price she had to pay. He wanted her to see him as a man, a partner she could grow to trust and then, he hoped, love. As he watched the sway of her hips, his mind turned to other activities he’d like to do with her.
“Is there a water source near the cave?” Amata asked suddenly.
Her question jolted him out of his thoughts, and he leaped up the slope and came alongside her. “A stream or perhaps a small waterfall according to the map.”
Once they reached the cave, he scouted it to be sure no predator had made its den inside, but the multi-chambered cave was empty.
“I’ll go hunting,” he suggested, “if you want to collect firewood and kindling.”
“Deal,” Amata said as she began searching the area.
After one last glance in her direction, he leaped from the cave’s entrance and spread his wings wide.
Chapter 13
Amata added another piece of broken branch to the fire. The wood was green, so she shoved a few more fistfuls of dried grass around the base to help it catch. At least there was enough cross ventilation she wouldn’t get smoked out of the cave.
Not long after she set a stone bowl with water in it to heat by the fire, the big gryphon returned. He padded into the cave, an unidentifiable haunch of meat gripped in his beak.
“Glad you’re back. I’m starving.” She took his offering and arranged the meat over the fire. It wasn’t large enough to feed a gryphon, which suggested he planned to take on human form again tonight.
She wished he wouldn’t. She hated feeling conflicted, and Hillalum in human form stirred emotions and desires she wasn’t yet ready to face.
“You’re always hungry,” he said with a good-natured chuckle.
Her eyes narrowed. “How would you know? You’ve only known me a few days.”
“I watched you long before our first meeting.” Hillalum folded his wings tighter to his body and settled next to the fire and watched her with his large, dark eyes.
“How much do you know about me?” Amata asked, mild suspicion creeping into her voice. Just how long had she been spied upon while being completely unaware?
His tail flicked with humor and merriment glimmered in his eyes. “I am a keen observer and loyal listener of tales. The priestess told me a great deal. What she didn’t know, I sought to learn for myself by studying you.”
Had Hillalum just admitted to stalking her?
That was disturbing, but strangely not as much as it would have been coming from a human man. Hillalum wasn’t human and didn’t share the same motives. At least she didn’t think so.
During her stay at the temple, before they set out on their quest, Priestess Ereshti had told her a great deal. So much information had been tossed at her, she’d not been able to absorb it all. Now she wished she knew more about the mating customs of gryphons.
He might appear human when he wanted, but that didn’t mean the mind within was even remotely like hers.
With her back to him, she fussed with the fire and then cleared her throat and asked her first question.
“It’s obvious the gods expect us to become a mated pair—if you find me a worthy mate. I’m not saying you will, but I’m curious. What does mating with a gryphon entail?”
There was a long stretch of silence.
“A lifelong love,” he said at last in a rich, deep voice that was more mesmerizing than usual.
Amata turned to look upon him. He was now in human form. Blinded by the firelight, she had missed the golden glow that usually accompanied his shifts.
She returned to fussing with the fire. Then out of the corner of her eye, she spotted his approach. He crouched near the flames. Naked, his skin cast in the warm glow from the fire, he was too much of a distraction for the conversation she wanted to have, so she reached into their traveling pack and pulled out his fringed wrap and belt.
“However much the priestess has told you about me and human culture, you seem to have missed the part where we usually wear clothing.”
Hillalum laughed when she tossed the garment at him.
“I’m aware of the custom, but can’t say I enjoy clothing, or belts, jewelry, sandals, and the various other items humans use to adorn themselves.”
This time it was her turn to snort with amusement. “You could have fooled me back there that first day at the temple. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much gold on one person in my life.”
Hillalum’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Amata found it strangely endearing.
“The priestess says as a king I need to look the part.”
“You don’t agree?”
“No. A king’s power is in his strength and leadership, his ability to guide and protect his people. He should also inspire fear in his enemies and put his allies at ease.” He paused as he wrapped the fringed garment around his waist. “This item helps with none of those things.”
Dressed, he settled cross-legged before the fire and Amata admitted he still looked regal even with none of the other fancy finery. He was partly correct. Jewelry and trinkets didn’t make a king.
She adjusted the haunch of meat over the coals. “I’d say you possess all those traits, Hillalum, King of the Gryphons.”
He grunted. “We shall see, I suppose.”
Amata sat across the fire from him. “As for clothing, think of them as something that will put your allies at ease.”
“I make you uneasy?”
“No.” She gave the fire a savage poke. “Yes. A little. It’s more the distraction. Makes it hard to hold a conversation when I don’t dare even glance in your direction.”
Hillalum laughed. “Humans are strange creatures.”
Amata rolled her eyes at him. “Maybe gryphons are the strange ones?”
His grin grew broader. “Perhaps both species have their share of proclivities?”
“Fair enough,” Amata agreed as she unlaced and kicked off her sandals. She stretched her legs toward the fire’s warmth with a grateful sigh.
“Your legs, they’re sore?”
“Yes, but with a little rest, I’ll be travel worthy in the morning.” She hoped that was true.
“The priestess taught me the art of healing. I could help.”
“I’d rather ask you more questions,” Amata countered. “A king should also be honest, and your comment about ‘a lifelong love’ was more of an evasion than an answer.”
Hillalum’s grin grew broader. “I can both answer your questions and make sure you’re fit to travel tomorrow.”
If any other man had suggested it, she would have laughed in his face and turned him down in such a way to leave no doubt behind. But Amata’s instincts didn’t flare in warning when she was with him. Besides, she’d seen him naked a few times now, he never showed evidence of arousa
l when he was around her. And with that part about gryphons mating for life, she likely was utterly safe with him.
“Fine, if you can make it better, I’ll be able to travel longer tomorrow.”
Hillalum crawled to her side. Goddess, he even made that look elegant.
He settled next to her and then patted his lap. Amata turned and offered her foot. When he started massaging the bottom, she nearly purred in delight.
It wasn’t until he’d finished with that foot and moved up to her calve that she remembered to ask questions.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but how does gryphon mating work?”
Humor twinkled in Hillalum’s eyes. “The physical act? Much the same as any other warm-blooded animal.”
“That’s not what I meant.” She glowered at him, but he returned to working his thumbs into an aching muscle, and she couldn’t maintain the appropriate grumpiness required for a glower.
“I’m aware,” he chuckled. “You mean courtship.”
She hadn’t thought about it in that way. Courtship seemed too human. Which was likely prejudice on her part.
Hillalum worked his way up toward her knee, his strong fingers massaging in long strokes. Amata watched mesmerized but gave herself a little shake and focused. “Courtship. What’s involved, so I know what is expected of me.”
“You make it sound more complex than it is. With gryphons, either the male or the female may instigate the courtship.”
“Interesting.”
He shrugged and continued. “Usually a female gryphon will only go into heat for a male after she has fallen in love with him. And a male will only react to a female he feels likewise about.”
“That must simplify things I suppose.”
“Not as much as you might think. Finding the perfect mate can take a long while.” Hillalum cleared his throat. “To start, a gryphon will hunt with another who shares a compatible personality. If all goes well, a friendship will form out of that hunting partnership. Later, if they are lucky, that will deepen and strengthen the bond between them enough to trigger mating instincts in both members of the partnership.”
“Ah.” Amata studied Hillalum, seeking if there was something he hadn’t said, but she sensed no deception in his words.
“Sometimes it can take years. Gryphons don’t take pair bonding lightly.” Hillalum grinned at Amata’s surprised look.
“If it’s so complex. Wherever do you begin?”
“Unlike the territory fighting and displaying you saw with the juvenile group, a mature male will often seek out a female and watch her in secret while he determines if their personalities are well-matched. Less likelihood of either party getting injured.”
Amata leaned forward. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but that just sounds rather… disturbing, like you are stalking prey.”
Hillalum grinned sheepishly. “We mean no harm by the behavior. And you’ve met two juvenile females. Once mature, a female gryphon is only slightly mellower in defending her territory. A male won’t approach unless he’s decided the female will make a good potential mate. At which point, he will begin to woo her by bringing gifts of food and other items. Once he has proven himself useful, they’ll form a hunting partnership as I mentioned before.”
“Fine. I see why males would study the females in secret first. Who wants to get attacked by a neighbor just for wishing them a good day?” Grinning at the fire, Amata turned the haunch of meat. A moment later, her mouth dropped open, and she inhaled sharply. “That first day on the slopes—you brought your kill and shared it with me.”
“Yes, and you accepted the food.”
Amata paled. “I was terrified I’d insult you if I refused.”
“Ah, the real reason you were gone when I returned.”
Clearing her throat, she redirected the conversation away from her. “And if the female’s ideas don’t align with the male’s?”
“She would deny the hunting partnership, and if he was still too stubborn or thick-headed to understand, she’d make her displeasure known by soundly biting him before driving him out of her territory.” Hillalum laughed. “For example, if you were a gryphon and allowed me to do this,” he tilted his head to indicate where he was massaging her leg, “You would be telling me that you are open to forming a partnership with me.”
“And if I was gryphon and wasn’t interested in this partnership?”
“You would have kicked me in the head by now.”
She arched a brow. “Gryphons and humans might be more alike than you know. I’ve been known to kick, punch, and stab overly persistent males.”
“I’ve heard.” An answering grin touched his lips. Amata noticed he had a dimple. It banished the regal cast of his features and made him more approachable.
“Yet, somehow, I can’t see a gryphon female turning down their king, either?”
“Oh, some would have, had I ever attempted to bring gifts into their territories.”
Amata’s eyes widened.
“You’ve never courted a female?” She found that beyond strange for a male of his physical characteristics. He was certainly appealing as a human. A female gryphon would probably think the same of his beast. “Why not?”
“I’ve known what Ishtar expected of me from a young age. There was no point in courting a female of my species.”
“I suppose not.” Amata didn’t know what else to say.
“And what about you?”
“Me?” Goddess, what was she supposed to say? That she hadn’t yet met a man she was interested in having a long conversation with, let alone start a deeper relationship?
“Yes, you,” he prompted as his magic fingers continued to work on her sore muscles.
She cleared her throat. “I suppose had my mother survived my birth, she would have seen to an arranged marriage for me.”
“Arranged?” Hillalum looked horrified. “Your kind can’t pick your own mates?”
“I’m strong willed, but if my mother had survived to raise my brother and me, I might have grown up into a different person. Might even have been more biddable.” She shrugged.
“And your father didn’t need to see to such things?”
Amata grimaced. “If the raiders hadn’t killed him and my brother, then my father would have found a husband for me. Eventually.”
“Fate has touched us both. If in different ways,” Hillalum mumbled without looking up from his work.
“It would seem so.” She fell silent and watched as he moved to her other leg. She couldn’t deny that his fingers contained healing magic, but she still had to wonder if this was something entirely different for him. “Hillalum, are you courting me?”
He glanced up at her, his intense gaze locking on hers. “I have long known you are to be my Blade and that the gods hope we’ll become their hosts the night of the Sacred Marriage. So, yes, this has more meaning than what’s on the surface.”
Amata sighed. While she was far from ready for what the gods had planned, she didn’t blame Hillalum for making the best of the situation. This partnership could have many benefits, and it would be nice to depend on someone else for a change.
While she was still coming to terms with that reality, Hillalum finished up and sat back on his haunches to stare at the fire. She was just rolling to her knees when Hillalum glanced sidelong at her.
“I find you most worthy, Amata of the High Pastures.”
She grinned at him. “And I find you, Hillalum of the Wild Blue Skies, more than worthy. If you are ever inclined to start a courtship, I probably won’t kick you.”
Hillalum laughed in delight. “I think we will get on splendidly.”
He was still chuckling to himself when they started their meal.
Chapter 14
Hillalum took more frequent rest stops as they headed farther north. He didn’t do it for himself—he could fly for days if need be. He did it for Amata, to allow her time to rest and warm up. It was unseasonably cold in the mountains this spring, a
nd he worried for her.
Though Amata never complained and wouldn’t admit that she’d been weakened by her short battle with the two female gryphons, Hillalum still mentally kicked himself for allowing that to happen. If he’d been thinking with his brain, he never would have let the two aggressive females near his yet unblooded Blade.
He certainly wouldn’t have delighted in how fast Amata had defeated her rivals.
Rivals? They weren’t her rivals, he reminded himself.
Amata hadn’t been competing to win him; she’d been fighting for her life.
I’m an idiot, he thought to himself.
“Hillalum.” Amata called his name and thumped him on his shoulder to get his attention. “I sense something ahead. I’m not sure what.”
She paused, and he craned his neck to study her. Head bowed and eyes closed, she looked to be trying to reach her magic. It was on his tongue to tell her to stop before she damaged herself more, but just then she looked back up.
“Fear. I sense fear coming from many people. I can’t feel anything else. But there’s a village some distance ahead, and we must be nearing the raiders’ den. It doesn’t take any great leap of logic to assume the raiders are attacking the village.”
He knew what she was going to say next, and he very much didn’t want to hear it. Unease shivered through his being.
Amata wasn’t ready to call upon her magic again, and he was only one gryphon. While he would kill many raiders, he didn’t know how large a force they’d face. He knew the priestess expected them to infiltrate the raiders camp and steal back the sacred dagger, but that would be a task involving stealth, where he and Amata would pick off the enemy one by one under cover of darkness.
A raid in broad daylight was courting death if they weren’t careful.
“Hillalum, we can’t just sit back and do nothing. We need to help the villagers. That’s why Ishtar created us. It’s our purpose.”
Passion accompanied her words, and he couldn't deny their truth.
First Queen of the Gryphons (Ishtar's Legacy Book 5) Page 7