by Ruby Ryan
"In we go," I said, leading him inside.
It was a studio apartment, with a kitchen on the left and a bedroom-slash-living area on the right. The king-sized bed took up most of the space, and I guided him that way and dumped him on the bed.
He didn't move. He just lay there, arms splayed out on either side. I glanced at the door, thoughts of getting back to work on time still pulsing in my head.
But then I sighed again, because that wasn't who I was.
"Can't just leave you here," I said out loud, because saying it felt like asking permission. "Let's get you under the covers."
Pushing didn't work, so I had to crawl over his body onto the bed and pull his legs up onto it. I tried to work methodically, but I couldn't help but tingle as I straddled him for a brief moment. I removed his sandals, then yanked the sheets down under his feet and pulled them back up to his chin.
And if my hands lingered on his chest while I did it, then hey, so be it.
I crawled back over him--acutely aware of how his legs felt under mine--and stood beside the bed. I put my hand against his forehead again; it was as hot as it felt back at the office.
Goddamnit.
"We need to get that fever down," I muttered, going to the kitchen. "And I can't give you an aspirin on an empty stomach, or else you'll throw it all up."
I found a can of tomato soup in the pantry, emptied it into a pot, and turned the stove on. While that heated up I stared at my cell phone, then finally dialed the number I'd been dreading.
It went to voice mail, and part of me was relieved.
"Morning Mrs. Arnold, it's Jessica. I'm gunna be late for work--Ethan came into the office with a terrible fever, so I insisted on taking him home. Once I get some soup and medicine in him I'll be back, but I wanted to let you know. Call me if you need anything."
I found extra blankets in the closet, thicker and warmer than the thin sheet on his bed. He shivered as I pulled it away from his body.
"It's only for a second," I said, unfolding the blankets and draping them across his chest and legs. "Quit being a baby."
As I swaddled him like a goddamn toddler, my hand brushed against his pocket again. The object there bulged out; it couldn't be comfortable.
"Please don't report me for workplace harassment," I whispered as I reached back inside, pulling out the object before anything else could happen.
I stared at the thing in my hand.
It was a stone carving of a mythical animal with the body of a lion and the wings and head of an eagle. A gryphon, I thought, pulling the name from some corner of my memory. It fit in the palm of my hand but felt immensely heavy, like it were made of lead instead of stone.
I turned it over, and the gem caught my eye.
It was a gorgeous emerald, finely cut and with brilliant color. It almost seemed to glow with its own light, but I knew that had to be a trick of the cut. Moreover, it was huge. At least eight carats. If it was real, it was insanely valuable.
"Why the hell was this in your pocket?" I muttered.
The gem was so beautiful, I couldn't help but run my finger over it. Feeling its weight, the smoothness matching the smooth surface of the rest of the figurine. It seemed it like it would just pop out; there were no prongs that I could see, and as I--
CLICK.
Several things happened all at once.
The emerald depressed under my thumb, sinking into the figurine like a button. The air around me seemed to move, the way the air rushed out of an oven that had just been opened, but without the heat. I flinched in surprise.
But most importantly, Ethan lost his mind.
He let out a shocking wail, throwing aside his blankets and leaping from bed with renewed energy. He knelt on the ground for a moment, head in his hands and not seeing me. I called out to him, but the way he covered his ears made it seem like there was some deafening noise only he could hear.
And then... he changed.
The muscles of his back rippled through his shirt unnaturally. His arms bulged like he were flexing them, but then grew in size before my eyes. His shirt pressed tighter against his skin, then tore along the sleeve and collar. Ethan moaned, a low sound that began deep in his throat and escaped his lips like a siren. Finally he looked up at me, and his eyes were as bright and green as the emerald I'd touched.
He did something I didn't expect.
He leaped to his feet with incredible strength, sprinted across the small room, and jumped through the eleventh story window.
"No!" I screamed, finally finding my voice. The glass of the window didn't shatter, but the force of his jump broke the latch and threw it open. I watched helplessly as his body moved through the air, stayed still for an instant, and then plummeted.
I ran to the window, fearing what I would see.
It wasn't at all what I expected.
I stared, and tried to process it, and failing that, I fainted.
Gryphons vs Dragons
Emerald Gryphon
Sapphire Gryphon
Ruby Gryphon (Coming Soon!)
Onyx Gryphon (Coming Soon!)
Ruby Ryan is a small town Texas girl with a big, steamy imagination. She grew up on hard Science Fiction and Fantasy, and loves writing her own with a particularly romantic bend. After all, everything is better with a little romance!
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