by Faith Gibson
It was one of the reasons he didn’t hang around and join his brothers in taking down the other cults they found and dismantled. His face was too recognizable. Now, twenty-four years later, he’d been off the grid long enough nobody should recognize him. He was in his mid-forties, but he had retained a more youthful appearance, as did all Gryphons.
It was why Sutton moved his family over the years so those they lived around wouldn’t get suspicious of the fact that he and Rory didn’t age the same way humans did. They were similar to the Gargoyles in that respect, but where the Gargoyles could live thousands of years if they chose, Gryphons only lived two or three centuries. War only knew these facts because he’d spent an evening talking with Lucy about her shifter mate and his Clan.
Lucy was strong, and he thanked Zeus she was. She would have been even stronger had he allowed Rory to raise her. He was proud of his daughter. Proud of the woman she’d become. She was finally able to live her life the way she wanted, and that was how it should be. The same for any woman. They shouldn’t have to be kept under a man’s thumb just because some antiquated book dictated otherwise.
Strong women like Kerrigan didn’t belong in a place like The Sanctuary. He grinned, thinking back to how she relished having a beer after all those weeks of doing without. How she enjoyed her cold cheeseburger like it was a lobster and steak dinner. He would love nothing more than to take her out to a five-star restaurant so she could eat whatever her heart desired. But, knowing as little about the woman as he did, War figured she be just as happy at the local steakhouse where she could drink beer from a bottle instead of wine from a goblet.
Maybe it was best if Kerrigan went with her parents. There was no way he would subject her to being around the ones who kidnapped her and kept her against her will. He could ride with the Hounds and see the job through first. Then, he’d go after her. If that’s what she wanted. And then what? He couldn’t plan a future with her until he knew how she felt. One night of good sex didn’t a future create.
She’s ours.
His Gryphon was practically purring.
Kerrigan shifted in his arms, snuggling in closer. It should feel odd holding a lover after sex, but it didn’t. It felt right. Warryck couldn’t remember being this content. Even with Harlow, they’d had so much going on in their lives with school and arguing about his family. He had loved his wife with his whole heart, but even then, he wasn’t content. He’d been conflicted between choosing his wife over his family. Now he had a chance to rejoin his brothers, and he would never let a woman come between him and them again. Not that he thought Kerrigan would, but that remained to be seen. He would let her go with her parents, and if they were meant to be together, they would find a way. Pulling her closer, he closed his eyes.
Get up!
War was startled from sleep when his Gryphon yelled in his head. The hotel room door flew open with force. The wood splintered, and before he could get his bearings, two men rushed into the room. Kerrigan yelled behind him, taking cover between the bed and the wall. Light glinted off the knife in the closer man’s hand. With no thought to being discovered, the lion broke through and lunged, his sharp teeth clamping down on the hand holding the weapon. Blood flooded Warryck’s mouth, but he didn’t let go. He kept his large feline body atop the downed man while keeping an eye on the second intruder.
“Holy shit!” The second man backed out of the room and took off.
Warryck shifted back into human and punched the man he was sitting on top of, rendering him unconscious. Knowing the man would be out for a while, he yelled at Kerrigan, “Get in the bathroom and lock the door.”
Eyes wide, she nodded and rushed to do as he told her. When she was safe, Warryck grabbed a pair of jeans off the floor and pulled them on before he took off out the door. The second man had already made it to his vehicle when War stepped outside. Calling on his shifter speed, he ran toward the car, reaching it before it was out of the parking lot. Wrenching the door open, Warryck jumped inside, his bare feet scraping the ground in the process. “If you don’t want to die, pull this fucking car over.” War recognized the man as one of those who’d been chasing Kerrigan through the woods. He wanted to kill the man for daring harm his woman, but his brain overrode his need for revenge on her part. He could use the man’s knowledge of the cult when his brothers arrived.
“What the hell are you?” the man yelled, his eyes wide and not on the road ahead. Warryck allowed his canines to extend, and the man slammed on the brakes. When the car was in park, Warryck hit the man in his temple, knocking him out.
“I’m your worst fucking nightmare.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Kerrigan
KERRIGAN splashed water on her face. When laughter bubbled in her chest, she did it again before using the hand towel to dry off. There was no way she could have seen Warryck shift into a white lion then back to a human. She pinched herself hard. “Ow!” She was definitely awake. “Holy shit.” Pacing the small space, she wrapped her arms around herself. “Holy fucking shit.” Shaking her head, she stopped and pressed her ear to the door. This couldn’t be her reality. Men simply did not turn into animals. Did they? No wonder he seemed so much sexier and, well, more everything. Because he was. In a word, War was a beast.
She had given her body to Warryck with hopes they might actually have a future after this nightmare was over. But the nightmare continued, one that now included a shifter of some sort. If she’d witnessed what her brain was trying to convince her she’d seen. No, she wouldn’t run. Warryck had rescued her, not once, but twice. Somehow, she knew he was one of the good guys, even if he was less than human. Or maybe that was more than. She’d felt drawn to him in a way she’d never found herself wanting a man. Was that because he was able to manipulate her mind somehow? Just because he could transform into a lion – and god, what a fantastic beast that had been – didn’t mean he had the ability to use mind control.
A low moan sounded from the other side of the door. Warryck had knocked Lewis out, but if he was coming around, it wouldn’t take much for him to get to Kerrigan behind the hollow door of the bathroom. Taking a chance, she slowly turned the knob and peeked into the room. Lewis was still on his stomach, but he was moving. As quietly as possible, she padded out to the bed and unplugged the lamp from the side table. Lewis’s eyes opened, and Kerrigan rushed the large man, swinging the porcelain down with all her might, striking him in the temple. The lamp shattered, but it had done the job. She grabbed the knife from where it had fallen onto the floor, holding it in front of her in case he woke up again.
Voices gathered outside the room, and a woman poked her head in. “Holy shit! Are you okay?”
“Fine. He broke in, and I hit him over the head. I’m...” Kerrigan realized she was still naked and scrambled to her feet. “I just need to put some clothes on. Can you keep everyone back?”
“Yeah, sure.” The woman stepped away from the entrance. “Do you want me to call the cops?” she asked while Kerrigan rushed to find her jeans and tee.
“That won’t be necessary.” Warryck’s voice startled Kerrigan, and she jerked around, taking up the knife again.
“Whoa, Sweetheart.” Warryck held his hands up. “Everything’s gonna be okay.” Before she could respond, he disappeared from the open door. His voice was a low rumble as he spoke to whoever was outside. When he returned, he glanced down at the floor. “What happened here?”
“Lewis was waking up, so I might have bashed him over the head with the lamp.”
Warryck grinned at her. “That’s my girl. Are you hurt though? Did you cut yourself?”
Kerrigan glanced down at her shaking hands. “Nope. Good as I was before.” She looked back up and stared at the man in front of her. “What are you, and where did everyone go?”
“I promise I’ll tell you everything, but we need to get out of here. If Lewis found us, it’s safe to assume he called Gideon with our location. Can you gather our things while I get Lewis into the car
?”
Kerrigan didn’t move. She couldn’t. Was she supposed to blindly follow without knowing what he was? She never saw Warryck move. The next thing Kerrigan knew, he had the knife out of her grip and had her wrapped in his arms, cradling her face with one of his large hands. “Sweetheart, I’m sorry I let them get this close to you, and I vow on everything that’s holy, it won’t happen again. I let my guard down, and for that, I’m deeply sorry. I should have hidden my bike.”
Kerrigan relaxed against him until she felt the smooth skin of his back under her palms. Her body warmed from the inside out, and she mentally slapped herself. Now was not the time to get turned on. Nodding against his chest, she let out a deep breath. “How are we going to do this? If they found your bike once, won’t someone spot it again?”
“I have someone on the way to pick it up. You and I are going to take Lewis and his buddy’s car. We’ll have to swap vehicles down the road, but for now, we need to go.”
“Okay.” Kerrigan had lost her mind. She patted his chest before pulling away and started gathering their things. When she turned to see what Warryck was doing, she caught him staring. “What?”
“You’re one hell of a woman, Kerrigan O’Shea.” War winked at her before he bent and lifted Lewis off the ground like he weighed nothing.
Well, alrighty then. She didn’t respond that he was one hell of a man, because she didn’t want to insult him if he didn’t identify as such. She knew he was more than human, and for now, she was okay with that. She didn’t have a choice. After all their belongings were packed in his duffel and the plastic bags from the stores, she slipped her feet into the black boots, sighing at the way they molded to her feet. Warryck returned from whatever he’d done with Lewis, slipping on his own boots. He took most of the bags from her. “You ready?”
“Yep. Let’s blow this popsicle stand.”
Warryck laughed deeply and kissed her on her forehead. “Let’s.”
Kerrigan followed Warryck outside where he tossed the bags into the backseat of the only car in the parking lot. “Where are the other cars?”
Warryck opened the passenger door for Kerrigan. When she was seated, he closed her up and strode to the other side. He was silent until he pulled out onto the road, heading in the opposite direction they’d come in from. “The desk clerk told them the inn was being closed because of a radon leak.”
“Am I crazy? Did I hallucinate when you shifted into a lion? And why didn’t the desk clerk warn us about a leak?”
Warryck flashed his eyes to her face before settling his gaze back to the road. “No, you aren’t crazy. No, you weren’t hallucinating, and I... I have the ability to alter a human’s thoughts. It comes with being a Gryphon.”
A gryphon? Kerrigan had seen pictures of the mythical creature. “But you shifted to a lion. I thought Gryphons were part lion, part eagle.”
“We are. But we can call on both aspects of our inner self separately. When I rescued you from the dog, I was in the form of my eagle. When I told you before about how I found you, it wasn’t the truth.”
“Were you ever going to tell me?”
Warryck gripped the steering wheel tighter. “I don’t know. You’re taking this all rather well, but most humans can’t accept there are beings walking among them who aren’t human. I never planned to shift in front of you.”
“Can you not control it?”
“Normally, yes. But my Gryphon is very protective of you. I’ve only shifted one other time that I couldn’t control it.”
“When was that?”
Warryck swallowed hard. Kerrigan knew whatever the cause was a painful memory. She could feel the sadness rolling off him. “You don’t have to answer. It’s none of my business.” Deep inside, she wanted to know, but not at his expense. “Tell me about altering thoughts. Have you done that with me?”
“Yes. I convinced you I was human when I rescued you. But I only manipulated those few minutes from the time I grabbed you to when I placed you inside the tent. I wanted you to be able to remember everything else.”
“Are you going to make me forget what I’ve seen? You know, you being a sexy beast?”
Warryck barked out a laugh. “Damn, you’re something else,” he muttered around a grin. “I guess that all depends on you, really. Normally, the only ones who know of our existence are our mates. I figured you would go back with your parents and get on with your life. Hell, Sweetheart. We just met. I know we had a special night, but—” Warryck’s cell phone rang, cutting off whatever excuse he was going to give her.
“Hey, Lucy. Is everything okay? Got it. They are?” Warryck listened a couple minutes, smiling at whatever she was saying. “Do not listen to Mav. He’s trying to stir up shit.” Warryck laughed, and the sound did something to Kerrigan. She wanted to make him laugh. Wanted to be the one to put a smile on his face. With her knowing the truth of what he was, Warryck was probably going to wipe her memories.
Kerrigan’s heart sank. Yeah, last night was special, and she’d been ready to see if there could be more between them. She turned to stare out the window at the passing scenery. At least the part she could see illuminated by the car’s headlights. Warryck was going to get on with his life after she was back with her parents. Still, she didn’t want to forget their time together. She didn’t want that. At all. Last night had been the best she’d ever had. She’d been herself with him. Well, maybe not exactly herself, because she’d taken what she wanted without being shy about it.
“Got it. Thanks, Lucy, and again, thank Julian for mentoring you. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” Warryck hung up and surprised her by reaching for her hand. “Seems like you get to meet the family. You up for that?”
“Your whole family?” Kerrigan was so not ready. She looked like crap, and she had never met someone’s parents before. If the others were as intimidating as War, she was in trouble.
“Nah, just my older brother and Dad. They’re bringing some of the Hounds with them.”
“Hounds?”
“Oh, right. My Dad used to be the president of the Hounds of Zeus motorcycle club. Right about the time Lucy was born, he handed over the gavel to my oldest brother, Ryker. He used that name for the club because it’s the name Zeus gave the Gryphons when he created us to watch over humans. So, everyone in the club is a Gryphon.”
“Zeus? Like the Greek god?”
“Yes. I know humans think Zeus and his brothers and sisters were all a myth, but they weren’t. Most myths come from some reality, and it just so happens Zeus is real.”
“But how do you know? He’s real, I mean.” Kerrigan wouldn’t have believed Gryphons were real if she hadn’t seen Warryck shift into a lion, but Zeus?
“Do you believe in the Christian God?”
“I guess. I was raised in church, and I used to pray, so...” Kerrigan shrugged. She used to believe until the crap with Gideon happened.
“Why do you believe?”
“Because of the Bible.”
“Which was written by man. The accounts of Zeus were also written by man, so why would that be any harder to believe?”
He had a point. Kerrigan wasn’t one prone to arguing, so she changed topics. “Tell me about Lucy.”
Warryck sighed, and Kerrigan wondered why. The way he spoke to her on the phone didn’t allude to problems between them. “Is that another subject I need to steer clear of?” She didn’t mean to sound snippy, but she was beginning to think there was a lot to his past she might never know about.
“No. I’m sorry, but it’s hard to think back on my past and not have regrets. I don’t want that with you, Kerrigan. I don’t want to start whatever this is between us filled with lies and half-truths. You need to know what you’re in for if you’re going to be with me, and that includes what came before Lucy.”
Kerrigan squeezed Warryck’s hand tighter, encouraging him to tell her everything. He might still intend to wipe her memory, but if she could handle what he was about to say, maybe there was a future
for them after all.
“My wife, Harlow, wasn’t a fan of motorcycles or the men who ride them. Her mother was killed overseas by a man riding a bike, and Harlow lumped all bikers into one pile, and not a good one. She’d already convinced me to go to college instead of joining my family in their MC. That didn’t sit well with my family, but it was the choice I made. She got pregnant with Lucy, and about a month before she was due, a man named Obadiah Hutton tried to kidnap her. He was the leader of a branch of The Ministry. Have you heard of them?”
“Of course. I think Gideon might be part of that group, too. If not, he’s at least got his own cult going on.”
“Harlow was also a Gryphon. If not for that, she’d have probably been taken to their compound. She fought back, but her injuries were too severe. She gave birth to Lucy, but Harlow didn’t make it.”
“Oh, Warryck. I’m so sorry.” How could he stand to look at her? She had to remind him of his wife with both of them being taken by cult leaders. She tried to pull her hand away from his, but Warryck gripped tighter, placing their joined hands on his thigh. He glanced down where their fingers were laced together with a frown before returning his eyes to the road.
“Anyway, before she died, Harlow made me promise not to let our daughter be raised in the MC world. I promised, and then I respected her dying wish. I asked her aunt and uncle to adopt Lucy and raise her as their own, but in return, I had to finish my college education. My mother barely talks to me, even though Lucy found out who she really was and is now part of our family. It took a while for the two of us to have any kind of relationship, but she forgave me, and now, I’m doing my best to be a good father. She’s been through some shit in her life, but she’s stronger for it. She worked for the GIA, but now she’s with her ma... man and his family. There’s a lot more to it than that, but it’s a story for another day.”