by Jae
Griffin waved her away. "You were out on a run the first time."
"I was out on a run because I wanted to hide that it was me who smashed in my bedroom window," Leigh said. The edges of her mouth crooked into an embarrassed smile.
"You?" Brian asked with a frown. "Then why did Rhonda tell me it was her?"
"She didn't want me to get into trouble for shifting inside. I knew you had forbidden it, but I wanted to impress Ronnie with my newfound shifting ability. I didn't have good self-control yet, and I accidentally smashed in the window when the pain shot through me," Leigh said with a blush that made Jorie smile.
Aw, how cute. Impressing her crush with her shifting abilities — courtship Wrasa-style. The more time she spent around Griffin and her family, the less she could think of the Wrasa as monsters or wild animals.
Griffin pressed the ice pack into Jorie's hands. "We really need to go. Kasari hunt in teams, so maybe Tarquin called someone else to help him. We can't take the risk."
Jorie glanced up at the bookcase. "What about Emmy?" she asked, once again worried about her cats.
"I'm sorry, but I think it's best if we leave the cats here," Griffin said. "I don't think we'll get Emmy to come down from the bookcase after what happened."
She was right. With the scent of four predators in the living room, Emmy wouldn't come out of her hiding place anytime soon. Still, leaving her cats behind a second time was hard.
"I'll go with them, Dad," Leigh said.
"No!" Brian's growl left no room for further discussion. "You promised Rhonda that you'd be right back. You don't want her to venture out to search for you on her own, do you?"
It was the only argument that could get Leigh to stay behind. Jorie knew that Leigh would never want to put Rhonda in any danger.
Leigh reluctantly shook her head.
"Take Tarquin home and make sure he stays there," Brian ordered. "And get Sid to come here and take care of Ms. Price's house and the cats. Tell him to repair the front door too."
"But —"
"I'll go with them," Brian said, interrupting Leigh's objection.
Griffin shot him a meaningful glance. "We're going to meet Mother," she said.
Her mother? She's here in Osgrove? That's where she's taking me? Jorie wondered what it was costing Griffin to ask yet another member of her family for help.
Brian's confidence wavered. "Your mother is here, in Michigan?" he asked very quietly.
Griffin's parents probably hadn't separated under the best of circumstances. Maybe this was the first time in decades that Brian would meet his former lover.
"Yes," Griffin said, not giving any details.
"All right, then," Brian said after a long pause. "I'm still coming with you. Leigh, take Tarquin back to Gus. We'll deal with him when I get back."
Leigh gave a terse nod and strode away, sending one more worried glance back to Griffin.
"Isn't it dangerous for her to take Tarquin back on her own?" Jorie asked. While Leigh wasn't exactly her best friend, Jorie didn't want her to get hurt either. "What if he attacks her?"
"He won't dare!" Brian growled.
"Now that my father finally took a stance and showed Tarquin that he won't get away with hurting or insulting one of his daughters again, Tarquin won't try anything." Griffin looked at Jorie when she answered, but the message of her words was directed at her father. "Leigh is a skilled fighter, and there are at least two members of the border patrol nearby. Tarquin knows he's in enough trouble as it is. He could be thrown out of the pride for this."
"Let's go," Brian said, apparently not willing to discuss pride politics in front of Jorie. "If I remember correctly, Nella is rather impatient for a cat. She doesn't like to be kept waiting."
Is he still bitter about their separation? Or does he still admire her? Jorie wasn't sure. If she interpreted his body language correctly, he had mixed feelings about seeing Griffin's mother again. Same here. While she was curious about Griffin's mother, thinking about the imminent meeting also tied her stomach in knots.
"You okay?" Griffin asked when Jorie was slow to get up. A worried frown furrowed her brow as she bent down to Jorie. "Can you walk, or do you want me to carry you?"
Heat rushed up into Jorie's face. The thought of being lifted into Griffin's arms and carried around... Jorie shook her head. She didn't want to think too closely about whether it was embarrassment or another emotion that made her flush. "I can walk," she said and scrambled up from the couch.
Brian stared at her with his intense green eyes.
Jorie walked out of the room, away from Brian's penetrating gaze, as fast as her stiff muscles and her pounding head allowed.
* * *
"Maybe it would be better if I stayed in the car and kept watch," Brian said when Griffin stopped the car.
He's nervous, Jorie realized. She could empathize. Meeting Griffin's mother wasn't exactly a relaxed affair for her either. "And maybe I could keep him company," she mumbled.
An amused smile curved Griffin's lips. "Chicken," she said to both of them. "Neither of you will stay in the car. If anyone recognizes you, it'll draw unnecessary attention to the building. The Saru should be gone from Osgrove, but I don't want to take any chances. You both have to come in."
"We're still within my territory." Brian snarled. "I'm the one who's giving the orders here!"
"You're the one who said he would come with us," Griffin said, unimpressed. "So, are you coming with us or running away from Nella again?" Her challenging stare drilled into Brian.
The tension in the car skyrocketed, and Jorie squirmed in her seat, very aware that she was trapped with two people who would shift into predatory cats if they became too angry.
"I never ran away from her," Brian said. His voice was dangerously quiet, almost like the silence right before a storm. "Your mother was the one who ran. I wanted her to stay, wanted to raise you and Ky together."
Emotions darted across Griffin's face too quickly for Jorie to identify. "Oh, yeah. Together... together with your brother, a dozen cousins, aunts, grandparents, and the rest of the pride." Griffin snorted. "While that might be your idea of the perfect family life, a Puwar just can't live that way, and you weren't willing to give up the pride to live with only her."
How sad, Jorie thought. It seems their relationship was doomed from the start. Was there really no way for them to be happy together? She wondered whether it was equally difficult for Griffin to find a partner, allowing the thoughts to distract her from the dangerous situation for a while.
"I was willing to compromise," Brian said quietly.
"Then prove it and come in with us," Griffin said. Not waiting for her father's reply, she got out of the car. She opened Jorie's door and helped her out too.
Exhaustion pressed her back down into the car seat, so Jorie held on to Griffin's arm until she had found her balance. "Isn't this the bed-and-breakfast where you stayed during your so-called vacation?" she asked, already knowing the answer. Is this a local Wrasa hangout or something like that?
Max Henderson, the bed-and-breakfast's owner, greeted them with a quiet nod. He didn't ask if they wanted a room or question them for showing up in the middle of the night. Somehow, he knew who they were and what they wanted.
Jorie eyed his reddish hair and the way he moved. Was he a tiger-shifter? She wondered if she'd ever look at people the same way she had before, without asking herself if they really were who and what they seemed to be.
He's one of them, she finally concluded. A Wrasa. Jorie had seen the quiet, middle-aged man around town. While he had always greeted her politely, he hadn't insisted on making small talk. Jorie, not one for idle chitchat, had appreciated it. She knew he kept to himself too and had thought he was a kindred spirit. I couldn't have been further from the truth. We don't even belong to the same species.
After exchanging a few words with Griffin, he led them over to a small log cabin on his property and left them alone.
The cabin's door opened before
either of them could knock.
The woman in the doorway stood frozen, not letting them enter. Her wide-eyed gaze rested on Brian for a long while, then skimmed Griffin just long enough to make sure she was uninjured and finally came to rest on Jorie.
A lump formed in Jorie's throat. She gulped and stared back.
Griffin's mother was a tall woman but not quite as tall as her daughter. Her auburn hair flowed in thick waves onto shoulders that were athletic yet not as sturdy as Griffin's. For a few moments, Jorie thought Griffin didn't resemble her mother much at all — until she looked into Nella Westmore's eyes. They reminded Jorie of the mature single malt whiskey that her father had liked. Griffin had the same eye color and looked at her with the same intoxicating intensity.
"Hello, Nella." Brian finally broke the awkward silence. His normally booming voice was soft.
Nella half turned and met his gaze. "Brian." She gave him a nod, then turned toward Griffin. "What in the Great Hunter's name is going on?" Her mouth opened to taste Jorie's scent. "Why did you bring the human here? And what are you doing here?" The last question was directed at Brian.
Jorie's gaze met Brian's, and for the first time, Jorie felt a connection with him. Both of them were not welcome here.
"Can we come in, Mother?" Griffin asked. "I'll explain everything inside."
Nella finally opened the door wider and stepped back, letting them enter.
No hug for Griffin. Jorie's own mother was always generous with physical affection, only holding back a little because she knew Jorie wasn't comfortable with being hugged. Jorie vowed that if they ever saw each other again, she would gladly let her mother hug her all she wanted. If Helen knew that Jorie was in danger, she wouldn't want to let her out of her motherly embrace.
Provided she could manage to get past the liger-shifter who has attached herself to my side, she added with an amused glance at Griffin, who was hovering next to her as if she thought Jorie was in danger of collapsing any second.
Not that it isn't a very real possibility.
This was the second night with almost no sleep. Her eyes felt as if someone was scrubbing them with sandpaper; her head pounded, and her muscles screamed at her to sit — or preferably lie — down.
"Come on," Griffin said. She wrapped one arm around Jorie, holding her up. "Let's sit down."
Despite her wobbly knees, Jorie shook off the helping hand. She didn't want Griffin's mother to think she was fragile and weak. Never show weakness to a predator, Jorie remembered what Griffin had once told her. "Thanks, but I survived three Wrasa attacks in two days, so I think I can make it to the couch on my own," she said, more for Nella's benefit than for Griffin's.
Griffin let go but stayed near her as they walked over to the couch.
God, she's like a lioness with her cub. Normally, Jorie would have found it irritating, but under the circumstances, it soothed her rattled nerves.
"Take the human outside and get Max to watch her so we can talk," Nella pointed to the bed-and-breakfast's main building.
Oh, no, lady! You won't get rid of me that easily. Jorie sat down on the couch, showing Nella that she was there to stay.
The couch dipped as Griffin sat down right next to her. "No," Griffin said. "Jorie is a friend, not a prisoner. She stays. I came to talk about her, so she has a right to hear it."
"Talk about her?" Nella repeated. Her voice sounded like a snarl. "Let's talk about you first. Do you have any idea what kind of chaos you created? What consequences your actions will have? You destroyed the career you worked for so hard; you ruined your good reputation; you're risking your life —"
"It was my decision to make," Griffin said, "and I know it was the right decision."
"This decision had consequences not just for your own life," Nella said, her voice rising. "You involved your fathers and Leigh in this whole mess, putting their positions within the pride in danger. You got Ky to call in favors that she could have used to further her political career. Very soon, they won't be known as good natak or competent councilor anymore. People will call them the hybrid traitor's sister and father. They might even get hurt — or killed if you don't stop this nonsense!"
The big body next to Jorie tensed and trembled with emotion. Griffin cleared her throat but then said nothing as if she didn't know how to answer her mother's accusations.
An unexpected wave of protectiveness swept over Jorie. She reached out and laid a hand on Griffin's forearm.
Brian stepped forward. "I say it with the respect that I always had for you, but — shut up, Nella."
Yeah! Jorie almost laughed at Nella's disbelieving expression. She felt Griffin jerk in surprise. Apparently, no one had talked to Nella that way before.
"Don't you think Griffin knows that she's whisker-deep in trouble?" Brian said. "I already gave her the same speech, but shouting at her won't change anything."
"Oh, now you suddenly want to be father of the year?" Nella snorted.
A scowl darkened Brian's handsome features. "I never said that. But it was you who —"
Enough!
Jorie's patience was wearing thin. This was quickly deteriorating into an ugly mud-slinging match between Griffin's parents, and time was running out.
Her muscles groaned as she propelled herself up from the couch. "I say it with the respect that I have for you as Griffin's parents and as creatures that seem almost magical to me, but I think it's time for both of you to shut up," she said, her voice vibrating with tension. "This is about Griffin and about my situation, not about you and what you did in the past."
Nella hissed at her, and Brian took a step in her direction.
Shit. I think I went a little too far. A surge of adrenaline made her move back until she collided with something solid.
Griffin.
She knew it without looking.
Large hands came to rest on Jorie's shoulders in a way that let Griffin's parents know that Jorie was under her protection.
Jorie's heartbeat calmed. She took a deep breath and, with Griffin's reassuring presence in her back, finally said what she had wanted to say, "Actions have consequences, yes, and they affect other people's lives. Don't you think Griffin knows that better than anyone else? She had to live with the consequences of your actions every day of her life." She stared at Brian and Nella until both of them lowered their gazes. "But now she's finally stopped being a victim, stopped letting her life be dictated by what people might think. She's starting to make her own decisions... and so are you. You aren't here because Griffin is forcing you to be here. Neither am I. Leigh and Ky didn't help her because Griffin forced them to do it. You're all doing it because Griffin is family. You owe it to her to let her make her own decisions and to try and understand why she did it."
For a few long moments, there was no sound but the crackling of the fire in the fireplace.
"Oh, of course you would say that," Nella said dismissively. "After all, Griffin's crazy decision saved your life."
"Yes, it did," Jorie said without hesitation. She reached up and squeezed one of the warm hands that still rested on her shoulders. For the first time, she allowed herself to feel more than anger and betrayal when she thought about that night in her bedroom. Whatever her initial mission had involved, Griffin had taken a big risk by sparing her life, and Jorie had reached a point where she felt grateful more than anything else.
"It wasn't a crazy decision," Griffin said. "If you sit down and listen to what I have to say, you'll see that it was the best decision that I could make."
A few more moments ticked by; then Nella ambled over to an easy chair and sat down. "I'm sitting and I'm listening," she said but didn't sound as if she would listen to Griffin's explanation with an open mind. Clearly, for Nella, nothing could justify risking your life and career to save a human.
Brian remained standing but tilted his head, indicating that he was willing to listen.
The warm hands disappeared from Jorie's shoulders when Griffin gestured for Jorie to s
it down too. "I think killing Jorie would have been a grave mistake," Griffin said, her gaze meeting Jorie's. "I'm not sure why or how, but there's a connection between Jorie and —"
"Oh, yeah," Nella interrupted. "I can sense that 'connection.'" She spat out the last word. "I thought you were smarter than that. Getting involved with a human..."
Griffin's face flushed, but Jorie didn't know whether it was from anger or embarrassment. Her gaze darted over to Jorie, sending her a silent apology, then slid back to her mother. "Not that kind of connection. What I mean is not just a connection between Jorie and me. Jorie has some kind of connection to all of us. I know it sounds crazy, but I really think... I think she has the potential to be a maharsi."
The word echoed through the room in the sudden silence.
Nella jumped up from the easy chair, making it crash against the wall. She looked as if Griffin had just slapped her.
Jorie understood. It was a severe insult to Nella to think that a human would have the sacred skills while her own children, descendants of the last dream seer, didn't. "Griffin," Jorie protested. Making an enemy of Nella wasn't a good idea, not over something that she wasn't sure she believed herself.
"You dishonor your grandfather's memory by even suggesting such a thing," Nella said sharply. "She is human! Human!" She made it sound like a swearword.
"She's a human who knows things about us that she couldn't have learned any other way!" Griffin shouted back. She took a breath and lowered her voice. "She's writing a book that describes most aspects of our life correctly. That's why the Saru want her dead."
Nella stubbornly shook her head. "Even if she were a dream seer — which is a ridiculous thought — without thorough training, she wouldn't get enough details to write a book from her dreams."
It was true. The details hadn't come from her dreams.
"No," Griffin said. "But her dreams would give her enough impressions, images, and feelings for her to develop some kind of instinct about us Wrasa. Then, if she does research and writes down ideas for her story, she thinks they are based simply on her imagination, pure fiction, but they are not. The things she uses in her story will feel either right or wrong to her, depending on whether they fit her dream images or not."