Fearless

by Jennifer Jenkins

  Gryphon hissed as he reached out and brushed his fingertips along the line of her lowest ribs. The bruising was a dark purple and spanned the length of Gryphon’s hand. Zo closed her eyes to fully appreciate the sensation of his careful touch. When his hand fell away, his features turned hard and … deadly. Like a Ram.

  “Who did this to you?”

  “What? No one.”

  Gryphon clasped her hand and led her over to a large, flat boulder where they could sit down. “Please, Zo.” He looked away, chest heaving, breathing heavily through his nose. Anger rolled off of him, so tangible she doubted she even needed her heightened abilities to sense it. “You don’t just wake up with something like that. Please … tell me who did this. I need to know.”

  “No one hurt me,” she said. “I really did just wake up—”

  “No!” Gryphon stood up and took five steps away from her before wheeling back, an accusing finger pointed at the campfires in the valley below. “I don’t know what this filth does to their women, but I won’t sit by and let it happen.”

  “You’re really going to lecture Wolves on the proper treatment of others?” Zo snapped.

  “I swear on my life, Zo. I’ll kill the man.” He looked down at her, fury and fire battling for dominance in his handsome and frightening face. “Was it Laden?”

  At that Zo actually laughed. “Gryphon, please.” She stood and walked over to him, reaching her hands up to his shoulders, pushing a bit of serenity into him as her fingers melted down his arms and finally clasped his hands. “I swear to you that I am no one’s victim. This is just a random fluke. An anomaly. Who knows? I might have fallen while sleepwalking.”

  Some of the tension in Gryphon’s stance relaxed. He lowered his forehead to rest against hers. “I’m sorry.” He sighed. “I just don’t trust these people, Zo.” He stepped back and took her by the shoulders. “I need to know that you’re safe with them.”

  “These are my people, Gryphon.”

  Doubt crossed his expression. “But they aren’t mine.” Dropping to his knees in front of her, Gryphon took her hips with his large hands. Zo swallowed, hypnotized by his strength as well as his careful touch. She let her fingers weave into his dark hair as he rested his forehead against her stomach.

  “You know, I never properly thanked you for the healing yesterday,” his voice was muffled. “When I peeked into your tent this morning before joining Laden on the training field, you were still asleep. I wanted to let you rest.”

  Zo dropped to her knees to join him on the ground. His arm snaked around her back, supporting, embracing, protecting. He traced the outline of her jaw with his rough fingertips and Zo managed a weak, “It was … a pleasure.” She shuddered as his hand moved to her neck and then slid off her shoulder, down her back.

  Unable to resist any longer, Zo grabbed his shirtfront and pulled him to her. His lips met hers in a beautiful collision of desire but quickly melted into something softer. Her hands fell away from his shirt to rest on his broad shoulders as her lips moved against his in a gentle, natural rhythm. Cupping the side of her neck, Gryphon communicated his tender, selfless adoration.

  Giving, instead of taking.

  Loving, instead of demanding love.

  His lips slid along her cheek and neck. Zo tilted her head back while basking in his touch. The sky had darkened enough so the stars stood out against the blackish-blue expanse.

  A shiver rippled over her skin as he nibbled on her ear. “Can I just keep you here, Zo?” He spoke between kisses. “Can we never leave this spot?”

  A stab of guilt struck her. She still hadn’t told him she had to leave in the morning. “Gryphon.” With all her self-control, she leaned away to look into the endless depths of his brown eyes. “I … haven’t been completely honest with you.”

  Gryphon froze, bracing himself. “What do you mean?”

  Zo hesitated, hating to kill the moment but unable to bear the thought of deceiving him further about her promise to Ikatou and the Kodiak. “I’m leaving.”

  Gryphon searched her face. “No, you’re not.” His eyes darkened, daring her to contradict him.

  She swallowed. “I’m going with Ikatou to the Kodiak Caves in the morning. The trip should only last a week or so. Laden wants us to convince Murtog to come and take part in the Ostara. He hopes to persuade the chief and the rest of his men to join our cause.”

  “What is this Ostara everyone keeps mentioning?” he said, flatly.

  Gryphon, a Ram, wouldn’t be familiar with the customs of her people. “It’s an old tradition. Wolves hold them every spring to celebrate the equinox, trade goods, and discuss any threats to the region. This Ostara would be different because Laden hopes to have all three clans—Wolf, Raven, and Kodiak—present.”

  “But why does Laden need you to convince Murtog to come? Why not send someone else?”

  Zo sighed. “He thinks Murtog will find the invitation less threatening coming from Raca and me.”

  Scoffing, Gryphon said, “Murtog needs a new bride. Laden’s using you as a lure. You and Raca both.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “You’ve done enough for that man. He can’t expect you to go back out into the wilderness on another dangerous journey.”

  “I’ve made promises,” said Zo.

  “To hell with your promises!”

  Zo flinched at Gryphon’s tone even though she knew she wasn’t the object of his anger. From the first time she’d met him inside Ram’s Gate, he’d always seemed so levelheaded. So in control. But since coming to the Allied Camp, he’d been more volatile, as though even the tiniest disturbance could put him over the edge.

  It had to be the stress of staying in a camp surrounded by men he’d been taught to see as the enemy.

  He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I just feel this … need to protect the time we have together.” He kissed her forehead again. “Please.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “Tell Laden to send someone else.”

  “Gryphon.” She slid her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder. “You speak of time like it’s fleeting. We will have lots of time together. As much time as you want.”

  She inwardly cursed herself for sounding so needy. She didn’t want to be the type of girl to beg or hint at the future. When Gryphon had asked if he could call her his, she hadn’t thought to have him clarify what that meant, exactly. Had Gryphon been a Wolf, she would have assumed they were officially courting, which was a step that almost always led to marriage. But nothing about Gryphon and Zo was usual.

  “If there is one thing my life as a Ram soldier has taught me, it’s that you can never trust time. We could have days. We could have years. One can never know. And with this war on the brink of boiling over, there is a real chance that—”

  Zo pressed her hand to cover his mouth. “Shhhh. I can’t even bear hearing it.”

  Gryphon took hold of her wrist and gently pulled her hand away. His lips were pressed into a firm line, his chin wrinkled and tense. The muscles in his neck flexed, as though some internal war waged within him. He finally managed, “Please, just stay. Commander Laden will understand.”

  She held up the backs of her hands, showing him the jagged cuts she’d refused to explain when he’d abducted her from Ikatou’s camp. The wounds had only recently closed, leaving uneven pink lines to serve as a reminder of her blood oath. “I’m not going for Commander Laden.”

  Chapter Ten

  Gryphon wanted to throw a boulder into the mountainside—enough rage boiled within him that he probably could.

  “I could kill Ikatou! How could he force you into that agreement? How could he take advantage knowing you had no other option?” Gryphon walked away from Zo, staring out over the dark valley dotted with campfires. He only had twenty-one days before he had to meet Ajax and offer Barnabas his head. The thought of Ikatou robbing seven of those precious days that might have been spent with Zo drove him to the brink of madness.

 
Had he known about Zo’s promise to help Ikatou free the Nameless before Ajax had knelt in the mud at his feet, no amount of begging would have swayed him to agree to help his friend. Not when Zo needed him to help fulfill this ridiculous task.

  The Great Move was underway. Barnabas would be leading not just his warriors, but women, children, and even the Nameless from the Gate in a mass exodus south to relocate in the Valley of Wolves. If there was ever a time to free the Nameless, it was now.

  The problem was, Gryphon hadn’t told Laden or Zo about the Great Move. He hadn’t wanted to give Laden that much of an upper hand against his people, and he hadn’t wanted to break Zo’s heart by admitting how he’d obtained that information. If Zo knew they only had a few short weeks left together, she’d be livid.

  He didn’t want to ruin what time they had.

  “You can’t blame Ikatou,” said Zo, coming to stand beside him. “You and I both know the lengths a person is willing to go to protect family.” She reached out to take his hand.

  Did she consider him her family? If things were different, he would have done whatever it took to convince Laden to offer his blessing. He would have learned the proper customs of her clan. She deserved the very best life had to offer.

  He shook his head. So many would haves and should haves.

  Zo must have misinterpreted his silence. “Ikatou has four daughters, Gryph.” Her hands slid up his arm to grip him above and below the elbow. “Can you imagine having your little girl stolen from you to become another man’s slave?”

  Gryphon closed his eyes in shame for his clan and people. And then, he allowed his imagination to travel in a thin stream of thought to one of the many would haves of his future.

  He imagined Zo sitting on an outcropping of stone with the sun shining down on her tanned skin as she sang a silky-sweet tune. A little girl, with her mother’s wild hair, stomping in and out of the stream at Zo’s feet. A boy a few years older, picking up a small stone from the bank and throwing it into the water, too grown-up for the games his little sister played. The boy’s almond eyes the same sharp blue as Zo’s. And even though he wouldn’t admit it, the boy clearly loved being near his mother.

  Then he imagined someone swooping in and taking all of that away.

  “Gryphon? Are you all right?”

  He looked down into Zo’s piercing eyes. By stars and shield, she is beautiful.

  “Gryphon?” Zo asked again, concern lining her face. “It’s only a two-day journey to the Kodiak. I will be back before you even have the chance to miss me.”

  He picked up her scarred hands and kissed each one in turn. “Impossible.”

  Just as impossible as Zo’s chance of helping Ikatou free his family and the other Nameless.

  Unless …

  The Great Move and the distraction of his execution.

  Telling Laden would be the ultimate betrayal of his people …

  Gryphon closed his eyes and prayed for forgiveness.

  His decision was made.

  Gryphon left Zo at the flaps of her tent, his lips still tingling from their kisses, his heart pounding like a hammer on an anvil. He stormed through the camp, giving no heed to the muted conversations and blatant stares of soldiers sitting around crackling fires. He assumed his four guards were waiting for him outside his tent, but he wasn’t ready to head back just yet.

  The Kodiak faction was situated on the eastern rim of the camp. When giving his tour of the valley, Laden had explained that the Bears struggled to sleep under an open sky and so near the other clans. On this side of the narrow valley, the solid rock mountainside leaned over the earth just enough to provide shade and shelter from the rain and wind. It was a prime location for anyone, but Laden had given it to the Kodiak as a peace offering in hopes that, should the Kodiak chief leave his caves and join them, he would be flattered by the gesture.

  Only a few fires burned on this side of camp. The flames illuminated the angular faces of the men named for their size and temperament. He spotted Ikatou sitting with the group of men who had traveled with them to the Allied Camp only a few days ago.

  Ikatou must have sensed him coming. He looked up from the fire, squinting into the night. Slowly gaining his feet, Ikatou stepped away from his comrades and walked toward Gryphon.

  “What brings you, Ram?”

  Gryphon didn’t so much as hesitate as he strode toward Ikatou, slamming his fist into the bear’s face. “You bastard.”

  At least ten men jumped to their feet and charged, but Ikatou’s growl made them pause. “Go back to your fires.” He worked his jaw, as if to test that it still worked. Then he eyed Gryphon and scowled. “She finally told you, eh?”

  Chest pumping, adrenaline racing, Gryphon knew he was outnumbered, and that if Ikatou hadn’t stopped them, those men could have easily ripped his limbs off. He’d always been trained not to attack in anger, and he certainly couldn’t afford to lose his temper again.

  And yet, his tightly wound body didn’t agree.

  He dropped his shoulder and launched himself at Ikatou, arms out wide, ready to tackle the bear to the ground. Ikatou anticipated the second attack and jammed his knee up into Gryphon’s chin, dropping him to the ground.

  Laughter and jeers filled the Kodiak camp as Gryphon lay facedown on the ground, his vision swimming. Ikatou grabbed a fistful of Gryphon’s hair and yanked his head back, using his knee to pin Gryphon to the ground.

  Gryphon breathed through the pain, fighting back a gasp, and managed, “How could you drag an innocent girl into this mess? She would have helped you without a blood oath.”

  Ikatou put more pressure on his spine and Gryphon arched his back in pain. “If you’re done making a fool of yourself, let’s take a walk and I’ll tell you.”

  Humbled, Gryphon grunted and Ikatou released him. His jaw throbbed where Ikatou had kneed him, but luckily it had missed his nose. He’d broken it so many times, he didn’t know if it could take another hit.

  Ikatou led them away from the other Kodiak. It didn’t take long to find privacy in this corner of the valley.

  “I risked my life and the lives of my men to save Zo in the wilderness. But for some of them, saving Zo from Boar meant destroying the only hope we had of getting into Ram’s Gate to find our families. The blood oath was necessary.”

  “But now that you are here, and you know Laden is willing to help, why don’t you release her from it?”

  Ikatou shook his head. “It doesn’t work that way.”

  “Why not?”

  “I’m not the only Kodiak protected under the blood oath. Besides,” he took a few steps before adding, “it’s clear that Laden loves the girl.” He gestured to Gryphon, “So do you—the only Ram fighting for our cause. You both would do anything to see her safe and guarded. As long as Laden knows her life is attached to the Nameless, my family has an actual shot at survival and freedom.”

  Anger in its purest form threatened to overtake Gryphon again, until he considered Zo’s words from earlier: Can you imagine having your little girl stolen from you to become another man’s slave? Gryphon thought back to his daydream of Zo by the stream. Of the little ones surrounding her. Closing his eyes, he let his tight fists relax and tried to calm his beating heart. “Promise me you will protect her while she is away.”

  Ikatou folded his arms across his chest and surveyed Gryphon with a critical eye. “We Kodiak take those words quite seriously. By now, I’m sure you know that.”

  “Exactly why I asked.”

  “Will she become your wife, Ram? Do you love her as family?”

  Gryphon went completely still. “That is not your business, Bear.”

  “Until my family is safe from the clutches of your miserable clan, the girl is my business.” He leaned in. “Answer the question … please.” The please was clearly an afterthought.

  “If our maker sees fit to spare my life to see the end of this war, and if Zo is willing, she will become m
y family, my w-wife by law.” He swallowed, pushing past the pain of their coming separation, of the ugly promise he’d made to Ajax.

  My wife.

  As a Ram, he grew up assuming he wouldn’t marry until turning thirty years old. Only twenty now, he’d have a full decade to put it off.

  My wife.

  Two words that carried so much weight. Such responsibility. Such sacred promise. Gryphon took a half step closer to Ikatou, shooting all the challenge he could into his gaze. “I answered your question, now you answer mine. Will you promise to protect her?”

  Ikatou met his gaze and understanding passed between them. He pulled a dagger from his belt and dragged the blade across his palm. “I swear by blood and by bone to protect Zo with my life.”

  Gryphon blinked at Ikatou’s blood-dripping hand for a half-second before accepting the moist handshake. He looked the Kodiak in the eye and said, “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry about your family. I’ll do what I can to help you see them again.”

  Ikatou nodded his thanks. “I believe you.”

  That night, Gryphon lay in his bed not bothering to try and shut his eyes, his mind devouring his predicament from every angle. He weighed the love of his clan against their war crimes and the enslavement of the Nameless. He weighed his love for Zo against his love for the brothers of his mess unit. They’d been banished because of him. Many were husbands and fathers whose families would be forced to live in shame if he didn’t turn himself over to Barnabas. He knew all too well what it meant to grow up without a father while still carrying the weight of his shame. Dining on both insult and injury.

  In the morning he’d only have twenty days before so many fates would be decided.

  Joshua stirred beside him, his breathing deep and even. At least the boy was safe and happy. The Allied Camp suited him well. When Gryphon had returned from talking to Ikatou and rinsed his hand of the Bear’s blood, Joshua had been waiting up for him along with Sani. The two made the most unlikely friends. Joshua hadn’t wasted a minute retelling the events of the day. While Joshua had chattered on, Sani had patiently listened, nodding when occasion called for it, and sometimes offering one-word responses.