The Last Griffin

by Wendy L. Koenig

  His son, Brett, who slid from the passenger’s seat, by contrast was built like a wire: tall, lean and highly flexible. Hall wondered if he’d ever been like that. Sometimes he even wondered if Brett really was his son. Then, one look at the boy’s sharp chin and heavy cheekbones and he knew. In the features, they were carbon copies of each other. But, in actions, they were as different as could be. The boy was a coward. Something Hall was intent to remedy.

  The five men who had been sitting in the bed of the truck clambered out, bumping and kicking the vehicle. Hall spun toward them with a glare. “You yahoos need to simmer down. It’ll do no good to let them know we’re here.”

  His men paused and then quietly began to undress. In the shapeshifter world, nakedness when moving from one form to another was just a fact of life. Buying new clothes all the time grew expensive.

  He turned and grinned at the house. It was a hovel, really. Plain brown with white shutters. Nothing to get excited about. Nonetheless, it held something valuable. The girl was in there, somewhere.

  He glanced at the bordering houses, both two-story brick with manicured lawns. The neighbors were close, but it wouldn’t stop him. That girl would pay for what her family had done. She would die tonight. And it would be painful.

  Facing his men, he dealt out instructions. “This is a small place. If too many people come in, we’ll be in each other’s way. So, me, Trent, an’ Clive will keep the guy busy while you,” he gestured toward a tall, thin man, “take care of the girl. Got it? The rest of you keep lookout. We don’t want the neighbors interferin’.”

  Chapter 13

  Brian turned his mind again to the game. The trouble was, he had a problem concentrating because of her. He constantly had to fight looking up at her, ignore the loud tempo of his heart. It wanted to break out of his chest at her nearness. The cascade of tremors in his stomach seconded that sentiment. He forced himself still and focused on the board; answering her questions as simply as he could while the very scent of her drove his desire higher.

  He studied the chess board and tried to map her next move. If he could understand that, he might understand her a bit better. He played whole game scenarios in his mind based on what he little he knew of her. She wasn’t much of a player, though, barely a beginner.

  Olivia would show her game, depending on what she did with the pawn he’d left unprotected. To his surprise, she didn’t take it. Instead, she jumped to the other end of the board again and moved one of those from its home.

  He studied her move and rebuilt the game strategy again in his mind, from first move to checkmate. The woman was easily the most unpredictable person he’d ever met. He caught himself smiling.

  She asked, “How long were you in China?”

  “Forever, I think. I visited and found the area very peaceful, so I decided to stay. Why didn’t you take the pawn?”

  “Why didn’t you take mine? I can’t imagine this game is very fun for you. Especially since you have to hamper yourself to not beat me so badly.” Her tone sounded like an accusation to him. He held his breath, understanding that she felt betrayed by him. Even if she lost, she wanted to do it under her own power. He admired that.

  Lifting his gaze, he gave a half smile and shrugged. “Any game is fun. I never get to play much anymore.”

  Comprehension dawned on her face and she smiled. “Okay. There seemed to be a hidden agenda, so I left it.”

  “No. No hidden agenda.” Their gazes locked and an electric hunger filled the room between them. Of its own, his half smile bloomed into a full grin. His heart flip-flopped.

  Her face flushed and the pheromones that were uniquely hers softly wafted to him. God, he wanted to go over to her and wrap her in his arms. But, he didn’t. He couldn’t get past the knowledge that she would eventually turn away from him. Still, their gaze continued, and he thought he should say something. But for the life of him, he couldn’t think of what.

  Then Brian heard them. Several intruders at the front of the house. Hall had found Olivia.

  He lunged to his feet and stared out the window. A black Chevy pickup was parked in the street. Clear as day, he saw seven men unloading from the cab and the bed. He moved back from the window and turned his head from side to side, listening. Two of the men were circling around to the back. One stayed up front. That meant four were coming in. He presumed some were to keep him busy while another went after Olivia. Pointing to a second maple table butted up to the back of the couch, he said in a barely audible voice, “They’re here. Some of them, anyway. Get under there, crumple into a ball and don’t show yourself until I say.”

  Olivia scrambled over the back of the couch and across the table, trailing a deep scratch behind her. He wasn’t going to worry about that. Chances were, there would be a lot more damage from the fight. It satisfied him, though, to see that she didn’t seem afraid of him at all.

  He turned to face the front window again and began to strategize the fight. They’d come in at the same time, but he’d want to handle them separately as much as possible. Moving to a stance closer to the front window than the back door, he kept as far from Olivia’s hiding place as he could. He waited and cursed his cowardice at not wanting Olivia to see what he was inside. It wouldn’t be easy, but he could handle the attackers in his human form, assuming they didn’t all come in at once.

  Glass shattered in the living room as one of the intruders broke through. At the same instant the back door ripped open and two came in through kitchen. Two had come fully as bear. Brian glanced from one to the other. Was one of them Hall? The third shapeshifter had chosen to remain in his transitory form: man and jackal combined. It made him able to use his arms. His skin was black as night, but human. His head was all jackal, like the head of Anubis.

  Brian tensed and stepped toward the larger of the two bears, the one who’d come in the front. It tried to envelope him in a bone-breaking hug. He swung his fist in a jaw-breaking roundhouse and connected solidly on the side of the bear’s face.

  The attacking bear stumbled backward, landing hard against the sill. He came away with an angry growl, moving slowly, limping on the right side from glass cuts.

  The man-jackal came at Brian, swinging and teeth snapping. The second bear flung its arms wide and lumbered toward him as well.

  Brian blocked the blows with his arm and delivered several heavy punches to the man’s thorax, driving him back and keeping ahead of the bear. He staggered and fell against one of the imported Foo dogs from the Han Dynasty. The statuette tottered and fell with a resounding crash.

  Bending double, Brian drove into the bear’s midsection, pushing him all the way back to the corner where the first bear still stood. The creature tried to wrap his front legs around him to crush him. But Brian’s force landed them both on the antique nested tables and plant, splintering the wood and crushing the vegetation.

  The jackal came from behind and pummeled Brian’s kidneys with his man fists. While Brain turned and defended against the rain of blows, he also sought to circle around so the jackal was between him and the bear with the wide arms. He’d almost succeeded when the jackal apparently became wise to the strategy and began moving the other way again. This wasn’t his first fight.

  One bear struggled to his feet and lumbered toward them. The other stilled as a table leg pierced through his heart.

  Brian lunged at the man-jackal, wrapped his arms around him, turning and ramming him against the remaining bear. The jackal bit down on his shoulder and tried to crush bone.

  The push went all the way to the front wall again, shoving both intruders into each other and the plaster behind. The jackal loosed his hold and they both went down. The bear slumped heavily to the floor, but the jackal rebounded and Brian moved back to the center of the room as far away from the couch and Olivia as possible. This had to end, now. Unfortunately, it would finish in blood and death. He growled, not liking the thought, but seeing no other way around it.

  The jackal gave a toothy
grin. He launched at Brian.

  Chapter 14

  Olivia discovered she wasn’t as small as she’d thought. She couldn’t sit except with one foot under her, the other in front with her knee pressed against her cheek. The crown of her head pushed on the bottom of the table. If she moved, even a bit, she might bump the table and it might also move. Part of her would be exposed. She couldn’t even turn her head for fear of her shoulder jutting out.

  Without seeing it, she tried to choreograph the action in her head. Another heavy artifact shattered on the floor. The gilded dogs were the only things that looked that heavy. Now both were destroyed. A wooden crash came from the other side of the front window. She recalled a small bookcase that probably didn’t exist anymore. No one spoke, except for the growls and grunts. It sounded as if animals fought, rather than men. Feet scuffled and fists repeatedly thudded against flesh.

  One of the combatants was repeatedly knocked backward into the kitchen. Then she heard a heavy crunch, like a watermelon breaking open on cement. Sharp-edged panic clawed through her. Was Brian the victor? Or victim? Her answer came in the vein of scrambling feet from the first waking attacker at the front of the house charging to the back. The breaking and crashing of objects picked up again. Relief pooled within her. Brian was still alive.

  Two attackers down, one to go.

  As the battle raged on, the table above Olivia lurched and tipped up on two feet. A giant bear paw reached down from over the top of the table. She held her breath. Her heart slammed against her ribs. She couldn’t make herself any smaller. She pushed herself hard against the back of the couch.

  The paw suddenly jerked away, accompanied by the sound of a deep claw scratching on wood. The table slammed back on all four feet, rocked and then settled. The fight changed tone to a heavy knocking that Olivia felt through the floor. It lasted only a few more seconds and then ended with another brilliant shattering of glass.

  All was silent. Olivia shivered in her hiding spot, fairly certain Brian had won, but not entirely sure. And she was in no condition to fight anyone. Not that she did a good job of it the first time. She waited, breathless.

  Feet shuffled toward her and Brian’s hand stuck under the table. “You can come out.” His voice was raw, like he’d been punched in the throat. She gripped his hand and, with his help, struggled to her feet. Her attention immediately flew to his face. Blood snaked out of a gash above his left brow, almost blinding him in that eye. More blood flowed from another cut on his lower lip. Dark red scrapes circled his neck as if he’d been choked.

  “We’ve got to take care of those wounds. Where’s your first-aid kit?”

  He shook his head, swiping his blood-blinded eye and smearing a crimson arc across his temple. “There’s no time. We need to get out of here. There will be more coming.” He kept hold of her hand and snatched the blanket from the couch as they passed.

  Olivia took the moment to survey the destroyed room. Broken antiques littered the floor. She’d been right, both dog statuettes had been destroyed. Torn canvases hung like drapes from fractured frames on the walls. Ornate furniture, in whole or part, sat at crazy, undefined angles. The loose pages of artwork had scattered under and over everything, like giant petals after a thunderstorm. A man in a bear costume lay propped in the corner where the desk had stood, table leg sticking out of his chest.

  Brian didn’t slow. He led her through to the kitchen. “If you’re squeamish, don’t look.”

  Those bastards had tried to kill her, twice now, that she knew of. For a reason she didn’t know, either. She wanted to see their corpses. A body in the kitchen lay on its stomach, dressed in a full mask of something that reminded her of Egypt. What was it about the costumes? Another bearskin-covered body lay on the floor near the back door.

  “Who are they? Do you know?” She pulled against Brian. “Let me look for some kind of identification.”

  “Later. We need to get out of here. Right now,” he repeated and led her through the shattered kitchen door.

  Outside, he wrapped the blanket around her, pulling it snug like an armor against more than just the cold. He gazed into her eyes, frowning. Worry lined his face. “Are you all right? Can you walk?”

  “Yes, I can walk. Can you?”

  He grinned and squeezed her hand. They cut across the backyard. Brian kept constant surveillance in all directions. His long strides meant Olivia had to scurry to keep up with him. Maybe he should have asked her if she could run. His homespun healing recipe seemed to still be working, even with the stress of fight and flight.

  She looked behind them at the house. She didn’t see anyone. “Why not drive?”

  He glanced down at her. “They’re waiting out front.”

  “And they’re not back here?”

  “Not yet. They’ve all gone to the front.” He moved his hand to the small of her back, covering that part of the gauze, pushing and guiding her through a labyrinth of backyard fences, clothesline poles, and storage sheds. Their breath blew from their noses and open mouths like steam from train engines. Snow tumbled over the top of their shoes, chilling and soaking their feet.

  Chapter 15

  Brian felt the enemy, hiding in the night, blending their dark bodies with the even darker shadows. He could smell them now, counting the remaining shapeshifters determined to kill his Olivia. Their heavy steps couldn’t be camouflaged. Two had returned to the street, including the one who had escaped through the window, who he thought was Hall. The last two from the back had moved forward and now hung out at the sides of the house. He could almost make out the gray profiles against black backgrounds. As he and Olivia moved away, he sensed the other two from the sides of the house moving with them. One from the front joined the pursuit. The remaining one, probably Hall, was undoubtedly calling in reinforcements.

  He slid his hand in his pocket and closed on the smooth wafer of his cell phone. Pulling it out and flipping it open, he pressed the button for Tony. His friend’s mumbled voice sounded thin and tinny. “What’s up?”

  Brian lowered the volume. He tried to keep his voice low and even. Olivia didn’t need to know how bad the situation was becoming. He said, “I need you here, right now.”

  “Problems?”

  “You could say that. Four broke into the house. There are more following us.”

  “Hall?”

  “I think so.” He guided Olivia around a neighbor’s swing set.

  “I can’t leave you alone, can I?”

  “Obviously not. Three are dead in the house. The one I think was Hall is in front, but he’s injured.”

  “Where are you now?”

  “We’re headed to Marquis Park.” The neighbor’s chained dog walked stiff-legged toward them. Brain tensed, but didn’t stop. Would it recognize him as alpha? A barking dog would wake up people and that would be bad. The last thing they needed would be to stop and explain the reason they were lurking through backyards in the dark. The hound hesitated, then tucked his tail and ducked into the doghouse without a peep.

  “With some followers, no doubt.” Tony’s voice came out breathless as if he were running. Over the phone, a car door slammed and an engine roared to life.

  “Three or four, I think.”

  “I’ll meet you there.” Tony’s tires squealed in the background through the cell phone.

  Brian disconnected and slid the phone back into his pocket. He glanced at Olivia, feeling his heart dive into its usual flip-flop. Dammit! Why did he flirt with her earlier, a big stupid grin on his face? How the hell could he forget his vow to be only friends so quickly? What was wrong with him? Did he really like to have his heart broken?

  But he knew the answer: When he was in love, his past and all the mistakes in it disappeared. When he was in love, he felt whole. Alive.

  And this woman beside him made him feel so very much alive.

  He had killed for her. Would kill for her again, if need be.

  He shook his head at himself, like he had so many ti
mes lately. Somehow, he had to crush his desire for her. But desire was the least of it. He wanted her body, mind, and soul. He was in love. And when she found out what he was, he’d have to deal with the repercussions. He wouldn’t be able to hide within his human form forever. If Hall and his friends kept coming, he’d have to eventually let the beast inside him out to fight. And he was betting he’d have to do this sooner, rather than later.

  For now, he’d have to stay sharp and ignore what he felt, before his distraction got them both killed.

  Chapter 16

  In the silence of their nighttime walk, Olivia became aware of other noises: the scuff of a foot on a snow-hidden rock, the creak of a fence being climbed, icicles falling, a low breath caught. She also noticed the barking of the backyard dogs had lulled into an eerie quiet. Alarmed, she looked up at her protector. “They’re following us.”

  Brian nodded. His face was grim. “Yep.” The pressure from his hand on the small of her back increased. Adrenaline spiked her pace. If he was worried, then she should be too. They reached the end of the housing. Across the street began a wall of frozen trees and thick icy undergrowth: Marquis Park. She knew the place. It was an untamed wilderness a couple miles in width and breadth, not really a park at all. It was only called a park because the city didn’t want to do anything with the property at the moment.

  They crossed the street and she slowed. Brian turned to her, questions in his eyes. She said, “It’s dark with a million places they could hide and ambush us. I can’t believe this is really the best option.” Panic crawled through her, nesting in every pore, every cell of her body. Olivia had no doubt he could feel her trembling, but she hoped he put it down to cold shivers, not terror. She’d never told anyone about her unreasonable fear of the dark. Things hid so easily in the absence of light. Evil things. Harmful beings. Creatures she never wanted to meet in broad daylight even.