by Zoe Chant
“Freddy!” she called out again, hearing the desperation in her own voice.
“He’s close,” Rowan murmured suddenly. “I can –”
Just as he spoke, they heard the sound of a puppy’s excited bark ringing out through the trees.
Emilia caught her breath, for a moment wondering if it had just been her imagination – but one look at Rowan’s face told her that he’d heard it too.
“This way,” he said, forging through the dead, snow-strewn undergrowth as if it didn’t even exist.
Emilia stumbled a little as she hurried to follow him – only to find Rowan’s massive hand on her arm, steadying her. Warmth seemed to flow from him and into her, settling in her lower belly. She licked her lips as she looked up at him, her mind flying back to their curtailed trip back her house.
“Let’s – let’s find this puppy,” she said quickly, managing to force the words past her lips.
God, what is wrong with me? she thought as Rowan nodded, and they hurried on their way. Something about Rowan turned her brains into mush. I feel like if he doesn’t kiss me, and soon, I’m going to go completely out of my mind.
For so long, she had been so closed off to love, so fearful of being hurt again that she probably would have run a mile if she’d detected any kind of chemistry with a man.
But with Rowan...
With Rowan, everything was different, and her normal way of thinking about these things was thrown out the window. All her fears vanished when she was with him.
But then again, nothing about anything that had happened with Rowan had been normal. Not the way he’d suddenly dropped into her life, nor his reason for being here, nor the way he made her blood thrum in her veins just by looking at her.
The dog’s high-pitched barks caught her attention again.
“Come on,” she said. The sky was growing darker by the moment – and, Emilia noticed, groaning, snowflakes were beginning to drift down from above. “Great, more snow,” she commented drily. “We better make this quick.”
“Don’t worry, we will,” Rowan assured her, as together they hurried through the woods.
Freddy’s barks grew louder and louder as they went. Rowan seemed to have uncannily pinpointed his exact location from the sound.
“Freddy!” Emilia called out again, looking around. “He must be close by, I can hear h—”
As she spoke, a small black body bounded out of the dead undergrowth, tongue hanging out, tail wagging madly. The little dog – clearly Freddy – hurtled up to Emilia, jumping onto his hind legs to try to reach her face, licking her hands and bounding about her joyfully.
“There you are, Freddy!” Emilia said, laughing as the puppy’s rough tongue swiped over her palms. He was clearly beyond excited to see them, and ready for his adventure in the woods to be over and done with. “Why’d you run off then, hey?” she asked as, noticing Rowan, Freddy bounced off to give him the same treatment, licking his hands and jumping the way only a puppy could.
“Hey there, fella,” Rowan said gently, crouching down to run a hand over Freddy’s head, tousling the little dog’s floppy ears. “Decided you’ve had enough, hey? Good choice. We should get you home.”
Without further ado, Rowan scooped Freddy up in one of his huge hands, tucking him under his arm like a football. The puppy immediately seemed to calm, settling in against him. Emilia guessed Freddy was about four months old – out of the first stages of puppyhood, but still a creature that needed lots of care. The shelter had clearly done a wonderful job of looking after him: his coat was shiny and sleek, his eyes bright and alert. He was definitely going to need a firm hand in training, though, before he could be allowed off his leash! Labs, while good family dogs, could be absolutely crazy if not trained well. Their boundless energy made them a handful!
Not that you’d know, looking at Freddy now, Emilia thought, glancing to where he was snuggled calmly against Rowan’s side.
Rowan had to be a dog whisperer, she decided. What else could explain the way her own dogs had instantly fallen in love with him, and the way Freddy had changed from leaping and over-excited to perfectly obedient in less than a second?
“We should get back as quick as we can,” she said. “I don’t want Georgia and Logan worrying any more than they need to. Plus, we need to get inside before this gets any heavier.” She waved her hand vaguely skyward. “It’s getting dark, too. I know I said I know my way around, but I wouldn’t want to risk it.”
Rowan nodded. “You’re right. We should hurry back.”
Frowning, Emilia slipped a hand into her pocket. “It might be worth just giving Georgia a call, if I can,” she said, pulling out her cell phone. “Signal’s going to be bad, but I’ll give it a try.”
Scrolling through her address book, she found Georgia’s number. They’d known each other since high school, after all, where Georgia had been in the year ahead of her.
Emilia bit her lip, hoping against hope for the call to go through. The phone seemed to ring endlessly – but then, at last, was picked up.
“He—crackle fzzzzzzzzzz crackle fzzz crackle crackle—lo? Emilia? He—”
“Georgia!” Emilia said, hoping somehow her voice would be clearer to Georgia than Georgia’s was to her. “We found Freddy! We’ll be heading back now –”
“Foun—ffffzzzzzzzzz—ddy? Emilia?”
“That’s right,” Emilia said, though she was almost certain Georgia couldn’t hear her. “He’s safe. But the snow’s coming down pretty heavily. You should go home – we’ll bring him around in the morning. Logan must be getting cold.”
“Oh my G—crackle crackle fzzzzz—can’t thank you enou—fzzzzzz—!”
With that, the call was unceremoniously cut off. Emilia shook her head, but she was fairly certain the important details had gotten across. She hung up, turning to Rowan.
“I think she got it,” she said, shrugging. “Either way, let’s go.”
The snow was coming down heavier now – in the few moments of her so-called conversation with Georgia, it had started snowing in earnest, and Emilia could feel how far the temperature had dropped. The sun had almost vanished now too, and they’d have to make good time if they wanted to be back in town before things got completely dark.
It was, Emilia supposed, the combination of the dark and the snow that was to blame for what happened next.
It certainly wasn’t because she was utterly distracted by the sight of Rowan, snow in his dark hair and a small dog cradled in his arms, who was looking up at him with adoring brown eyes.
Nope, definitely not that, Emilia thought, as she felt her foot suddenly slide out from under her, her ankle twisting painfully as she came down hard on her hip.
“Emilia!” Rowan was by her side in a moment, his warm hand on her shoulder. “Are you all right?”
“Ow, ow, ow, ow,” she muttered, as pain lanced through her, shooting up from her ankle. She sucked in a harsh breath as she sat up with Rowan’s help. “That was really dumb of me.”
“It’s easily done,” Rowan said. “Are you hurt?”
“Not badly,” Emilia said, hoping it was true. Her ankle throbbed painfully. God, this is all we need.
“Let me take a look.” Rowan’s fingers were gentle as, still holding Freddy in one hand, he rolled up her pants leg with the other.
Emilia couldn’t hold back a shocked breath as she looked down at her ankle. It was already swollen, and she knew from the last time she’d slipped over at her property that it was probably a sprain. Not serious, but painful in the short term. And it would mean they wouldn’t be going anywhere in a hurry.
“I’m sorry. That was really careless of me,” she said. Embarrassment and concern welled up inside her. “You should take Freddy back into town. I can wait here, but we won’t make good time if you –”
“There’s absolutely no way I’m leaving you here alone, Emilia,” Rowan said, his voice so deep and filled with concern that it sent a shiver straight through her spine.
“I couldn’t do that.”
Emilia swallowed. “It was my own silly fault, and we need to get out of the woods. The temperature will drop pretty quickly.”
“I’m not hearing any persuasive reason why I should leave you,” Rowan said, shaking his head. “And I wouldn’t do that anyway, even if you did give me a good reason.”
Despite their predicament, Emilia felt a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “So, Mister Hero, what’s your suggestion?” she asked. “Are you going to carry both me and Freddy out of here?”
Rowan’s beautiful golden eyes flickered up to hers, and for a moment, Emilia felt pinned beneath his gaze.
“Emilia, I – there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you,” he said, after a long moment of silence. “I had hoped to find a better way, but... well, it looks like this is going to be it.”
Emilia swallowed heavily, feeling her heart go still in her chest. Oh. Oh, here we go. I knew he was too good to be true.
“What is it?” She could barely force the words past her lips.
“I’m not like other people,” Rowan said softly, his eyes lowered. “I’ve wanted to tell you about myself since... well, almost since the moment we met. But it’s something that’s difficult to explain. Not without me seeming insane, anyway.”
Emilia couldn’t speak. Far from being still, her heart was now beating wildly. She stared wide-eyed at Rowan. What on earth is he talking about?
“I’ve never had to explain this to anyone before, so forgive me if I’m a little clumsy about it.” Rowan grimaced. “Or perhaps... perhaps it might be easier if I just show you.”
“Show me what?” Emilia asked. “Rowan, I don’t understand –”
Rowan cut off her words with a shake of his head. “I know, and I realize I must be coming across as very cryptic right now. Believe me, it’s not my intention. I just want to give you a bit of warning, though – what you’re about to see is going to be... well, let’s say strange.”
Emilia couldn’t think of what to say next as Rowan held Freddy out toward her.
“Maybe you should take him for a second.”
Mechanically, Emilia held out her hands as Rowan deposited the warm, squirmy puppy into them. He stood, taking off his jacket.
“It’s cold –” Emilia began to object, but Rowan merely shook his head.
“I promise you, cold doesn’t bother me. Use it to wrap Freddy up. He needs it more than me.”
Freddy wriggled about as Emilia, still moving without thought, wrapped the jacket around his little body. He licked her fingers, yipping slightly, before resting his head on her lap.
“All right. Let me show you.”
Emilia honestly had no idea what she was expecting when Rowan stood, before moving a few paces away from her.
But whatever she might have imagined – secret wife, secret online porn addiction, secret webbed toes – nothing could have prepared her for what happened next.
Rowan began to... change. At first, Emilia thought her eyes were playing a trick on her in the fading light. But as she stared, she realized that no, this really was happening, right in front of her.
Rowan’s skin became golden fur, a long tail swishing out behind him. His legs became the strong hindquarters of a lion, but his arms now ended in the talons of a massive bird. The thick fur that covered him became strikingly white feathers over his neck, and his head... his head was the proud visage of an eagle.
Most incredible of all, however, were the massive wings that arched up from his back, white and elegant, like the wings of an angel.
But they’re not, Emilia thought, her head spinning. They’re the wings of a griffin.
She knew what she was looking at immediately. In college she’d taken a few subjects of classical history, and she remembered enough to recognize a griffin when she saw one.
But... but that’s impossible... griffins don’t exist...
Shaking her head, her heart pounding in her ears, Emilia decided she might have to reassess that idea. Because this very definitely was a griffin, and unless she’d hit her head when she fell, it was very definitely real.
And, until a few moments ago, it was very definitely the hottest guy I’ve ever seen. The only guy I’ve met in years who I actually wanted.
Which was an understatement, Emilia knew. She’d wanted Rowan so badly she could hardly see straight.
And now, he’s a griffin.
“R-Rowan?” she asked, her voice trembling. He’d warned her that what she was about to see would be unbelievable, but he’d been right that nothing could have prepared her for this.
In response to her voice, the massive creature before her made a soft crooning sound, lowering its head and folding its wings as if to show her it meant her no harm.
Swallowing, Emilia forced herself to look at the creature’s face, into its eyes – and caught her breath.
Yes. It’s Rowan.
Everything else might have been different, but the eyes were the same. Beautiful and golden, she could somehow see Rowan in them, see his kindness and gentle manner, and suddenly, all her fear left her.
“Well, you’re right, I can see how this would be awkward to explain,” Emilia said. “I do, however, feel like this is definitely a first date conversation, so I’m glad we’re having it.”
The griffin ducked his head slightly, and Emilia thought she could detect a look almost of sheepishness in his eyes. Rowan let out the same low crooning noise once again, and Emilia realized that it sounded quite soothing.
Questions swirled inside her brain. Have you always been a griffin? How did you find out about your powers? Are your whole family griffins? Did you choose what you’d turn into, or is it hereditary? Can you change into other things? How did you –
She shook her head in an attempt to clear it. There’d be time for all of those things later. Right now, they had to focus on the problem at hand.
“Well, I appreciate it and everything, but... why did you feel the need to tell me this now?” she said – and then understanding hit her. “You said... you said you weren’t going to leave me alone. But I can’t walk. You want to – I mean, you can’t be serious –”
But in her heart, she knew he was. She understood now why Rowan had felt he had no choice but to reveal himself to her now.
He wants me to ride him.
Emilia felt a hot blush creeping up her cheeks as the thought popped into her head.
No, not like that. I mean, possibly also like that, but not right now. First, we need to get out of this forest.
“Do... do you want me to get on your back?” Emilia asked, eying Rowan’s broad lion’s shoulders. Certainly, they looked strong enough to take her weight. But then, Rowan in human form was impressive enough. It made sense he’d be just as strong in this form too.
Rowan ducked his head again, a soft sound leaving his huge beak. He might have been frightening, Emilia supposed, if gentleness hadn’t radiated from every part of him. She recalled what he had said about wanting to protect the things that were important to him – and she knew that all the brute strength she saw in him would only ever be used to do just that: protect.
Now, as he crouched in the snow, low enough that she could climb onto his back, Emilia felt a sudden, great surge of excitement within her. Was she really going to do this? Was she really going to climb onto the back of a mythical creature and fly out over the forest? Was she going to –
“Oh my God,” Emilia muttered. “I just worked out how you got into my shed.”
Again, there was a slightly sheepish expression in the eagle’s eyes, and Emilia knew she’d guessed correctly.
“Flying in the middle of a storm doesn’t really seem like the smartest thing you could have done,” she said, wrapping Freddy up more securely in Rowan’s jacket. She’d need to hold onto him tight! “But unless we want a repeat performance, I guess we’d better get going.”
Despite the fact she had determined that this very definitely was real,
it still made Emilia gasp when she touched Rowan’s shoulder and found it solid beneath her fingers.
Solid, and warm.
No wonder he didn’t need a jacket, Emilia thought, resisting the urge to laugh. Swallowing, she steeled herself. Then, taking a handful of the thick fur around Rowan’s neck in one hand and Freddy in the other, she swung her leg up and over his shoulder so she was sitting just in front of his wings.
Rowan glanced over his shoulder at her as if to reassure himself that she really was there, and that she really did trust him to do this.
Of course I trust you.
The words came to her involuntarily. And though she hadn’t spoken them out loud, Rowan seemed to sense what was in her heart.
Emilia could feel adrenaline beginning to sing in her veins. Rowan growled out a low sound of warning, before his muscles tensed beneath her – and then he launched himself upward, folding his wings slightly as they broke through the canopy of the trees, before opening them wide to soar through the open sky above.
Emilia couldn’t stop the laugh that burst forth from her lips as they sailed high above the treetops. Despite the freezing air stinging her cheeks and whipping through her hair, she felt exhilarated. Nothing had ever excited her like this before – nothing!
Feeling daring, she looked down at the ground, at the vast blackness of the forest below, and, to her surprise, found she wasn’t dizzy at all. The only thing she felt was free.
It was no wonder she had never responded to any other man the way she’d responded to Rowan, Emilia thought, as together they moved through the snowy air, his powerful body carrying them easily over the gusts of wind. There were no other men like Rowan.
She thought that there must be other people in the world who could change into mythical creatures – And werewolves too, probably... oh! What about vampires? Centaurs? Chimeras?? The kraken??? – but Rowan was the only one she’d ever met.
Gripping his shoulder tightly, she wondered if the fact that he could change shapes was the reason she found herself so helplessly attracted to him. Of course, he was also the best-looking guy she’d ever seen, but looks could only do so much. Her attraction to him was definitely animal in its ferocity.