by Zoe Chant
She edged sideways until she found the old brick fireplace. God, my hands must be filthy. Right—here I am. Now, where was I when I dropped the phone?
Lainie imagined herself looking up at the painting, and stepped slowly backward, sliding her feet across the floorboards. Another squall hit the house, making her jump. Her heel hit something.
Trying to ignore the deafening sounds of the storm and surf outside Lainie bent down and, after a moment’s scrambling, picked up her phone.
“Finally! Time to get out of here.”
Lainie turned the phone on and, miraculously, it still had some battery left. She used the light to look around. The room was just as she remembered it—from the day before, not from her childhood. The overstuffed sofas and colorful rugs were long gone, replaced by thick sheets of dust and muck.
She squinted into the shadows. Was that a trick of the light, or did something just move out there?
Lainie lifted her phone-light higher, peering into the darkness. Was there an animal or something stuck in here, hiding from the storm? Oh, hell, it couldn’t be a kid, could it? This place was probably the coolest hang-out spot for Hideaway Cove teens. The haunted Eaves house.
“Hello?”
The house groaned, a long, drawn-out crackling creak that seemed to go on forever. There was definitely something moving out there. Lainie was halfway across the room before she realized that the thing that was moving was the room.
She swore and jumped backwards, but it was too late. With a roar, the far wall peeled off the house. Lainie watched in horror as the floor seemed to sink away with it. Rain flooded in, as heavy as the tides.
Lainie jumped backwards as the boards beneath her feet began to move. Her feet skidded on the wet dust, and she fell onto her hands and knees, swearing. Behind her, the house groaned again. She turned around just in time to see half of the room disappear.
What—where the hell did it go? We’re not that close to the cliff!
“The hell with this.” She gritted her teeth, pushing herself up. Her left wrist buckled, and Lainie whimpered as pain shot up her arm. No time to think about that. Her phone light was still on, at least. She held her injured arm against her chest and pushed forward, heading for the door.
Under her feet, rotten floorboards creaked. Lainie froze.
Oh, no. No, no, no.
Lainie slid one feet forward slowly, and the floorboards sank even more. Every time I move, I’m damaging them more.
She risked a quick glance back over her shoulder. Rain lashed her face. She couldn’t tell how far a drop to the ground would be—or even where the ground was. What if the edge of the cliff had crumbled from under the house, and that was why the room had fallen away?
She was stuck. If she moved, the floorboards might crumble underneath her. But if she stayed where she was…
The same thing will happen, only more slowly. She gritted her teeth. I can’t just cower here and wait for that to happen.
CHAPTER TEN
HARRISON
Harrison stared at his hands.
When he’d first come to Hideaway Cove, he had thought it was paradise. A whole town of shifters? He’d never even dreamed such a place could exist.
He’d been so content here, he’d never wondered why everyone in Hideaway was a shifter.
Well, that was clear now. The Sweets and their cronies must have driven off any humans who wanted to move in. Regardless of whether they were related to shifters, or not.
Not any more, he thought grimly. He couldn’t go back in time and prevent Lainie from ever being hurt, but he could keep her safe now.
If she ever wanted to speak to him again.
There was a knock on the door, barely audible over the sound of the storm outside.
“What?” Harrison growled. He reined in his frustration as Arlo poked his head around the door. “What do you want?”
“It’s about Lainie.”
Harrison dropped his tools. “Did she call?” He could hear someone in the corridor behind Arlo. Was she here? “I have to talk to her.” He started for the door, but Arlo put up a hand, holding him back.
If it had been anyone but Arlo, Harrison would have pushed past him. But he knew Arlo.
He took a deep breath. Be patient. Rushing into things is what went wrong in the first place.
“What is it?” he asked, trying to get a sense of whoever it was behind Arlo. It was a woman, but now that he was closer, he could tell it wasn’t Lainie. He would have recognized her scent at once.
Arlo sighed, and beckoned to the woman lurking behind him. “Tell him what you told me.”
To Harrison’s surprise, the person who stepped forward was Tessa Sweets, the current manager of the ice cream parlor.
Tessa was in her early twenties, a plump brunette with runaway curls and chocolate-brown eyes. Like her grandmother, she was a gator shifter.
Her grandmother, who was trying to run Lainie out of town.
“What do you want?” Harrison said harshly. What was Arlo playing at? What could he possibly have to say to the granddaughter of the woman who’d just insulted his mate? “If your freezers are playing up again, I think that can wait until after the storm.”
“It’s not the shop. There’s something you need to know,” Tessa blurted out. Her eyes darted from side to side. “About… about what happened this afternoon.”
“It’s all right,” Arlo said softly. “There’s no way your grandmother or any of her lot will hear you in here.”
Tessa’s mouth jerked downward. “Oh, I know. They’re all holed up at the parlor, cackling.” She took a deep breath and looked Harrison in the eye. “I shouldn’t be telling you this, but I can’t keep it to myself. I heard Gran and Grandpop talking last night. According to Gran, she’s the reason Lainie was kicked out of Hideaway in the first place.”
“Kicked out?” Harrison was stunned. “I didn’t know she used to live here. That explains…”
He stopped. That explains why being here makes her so upset. “She told me she wasn’t close with her grandparents,” he said slowly.
“Yeah, Gran was really proud of that one,” Tessa said, her mouth twisting. “She was practically crowing about it last night.”
“When did this happen?”
“Before you moved here. Either of you.” Tessa nodded her head to include Arlo. “Honestly, I don’t know how many people here would know about it, though, even people who’ve lived here forever. Gran seems to have hushed it up really well… except when the temptation to brag becomes too much, I guess.”
Arlo cut in. “What Tessa’s saying is, fifteen years ago, Lainie and her mother were made to leave Hideaway Cove. Because her father had married a human, and Lainie wasn’t born a shifter.”
“That’s it? Just because they were human?”
Tessa snorted. “That’s enough, apparently. Gran says this town is a sanctuary for shifters, and that means no humans allowed.”
“That’s crazy.”
“Is it?” Arlo asked. “Think about it. The outside world isn’t exactly a friendly place for shifters.”
Harrison exchanged a look with him. True, neither of them had exactly had a happy life before they found Hideaway. The stress of constantly hiding who—well, what—you were was a constant tension in the outside world.
“But Lainie’s related to shifters,” he argued. “They broke up her family, for what? Did they think she would betray her own grandparents to the outside world?”
Arlo shrugged, looking miserable. Tessa didn’t meet his eyes.
Harrison groaned and ran his fingers through his hair. “Fine. I’m going to go ahead and assume their reasons were ass-stupid, then. And I’m going to talk to Lainie.”
He stalked past Arlo and Tessa, who was still looking miserable. He grabbed his coat and keys, and was about to leave when he banged into Pol.
Pol was pale, almost green under his golden tan. Harrison paused. “Are you all right?”
Pol shru
gged, flashing a weak grin at Harrison. “Power surge. Everyone’s gone home and turned on the heating. I’m fine, I just need to carb-load and crash.”
“Look after yourself, all right?” Harrison frowned as Pol staggered through to the waiting room and flopped down on one of the sofas. But he didn’t have time to deal with Pol’s problems right now.
He drove to the B&B, rain pummeling the roof of his truck. The noise was like a jackhammer driving straight to his brain.
I have to get this right. I have to explain—everything. Shifters. The mate bond. That her grandparents didn’t want to send her away, they just didn’t have a choice.
And I’m going to make sure she knows there is no way in hell I’m going to let the Sweets get away with this.
He just had to find the words to say it.
He parked in the empty space in front of the B&B, and splashed up to the front door. It opened almost before he started knocking, and Mrs. Hanson stared up at him. Her face fell.
“She’s not with you?” she said.
“Who’s not with me?” Rain was trickling down Harrison’s neck. “You mean Lainie? Isn’t she here?”
“You’d better come inside.” Mrs. Hanson tottered back into the B&B and Harrison followed, rain streaming off him. Mrs. Hanson disappeared behind her desk briefly and came back waving a piece of paper.
“I just left for a minute to check the shed roof was holding up in the rain, and she must have gone then. She left this. I thought she’d gone to see you—well, I hoped she had, after everything that happened.”
She handed Harrison the note. He scanned it.
“Her car’s gone. If she hadn’t left the note, I would have thought she’d left town. Her luggage is still here, too.” Mrs. Hanson wrung her hands. “Where could she have gone? It’s not safe, driving around in weather like this.”
Where would she have gone? Harrison couldn’t imagine Lainie going back to Caro’s, not after this afternoon.
How well did she remember Hideaway Cove from her childhood? Maybe she had some private bolt-hole where she used to run away…
…Or maybe he was missing the most obvious answer. “The old Eaves place.”
“Oh, no! In this weather?” Mrs. Hanson flapped her hands unhappily. “Are you sure?”
“Where else would she have gone? It’s not like people here have gone out of their way to make her welcome.” Harrison stormed outside, not waiting for Mrs. Hanson’s response.
He stared up at Lighthouse Hill through the rain. Was that glimmer of silver Lainie’s car? He had to know for sure. Harrison swung himself back into his truck. Despite the thumping of his heart, he drove carefully. He’d seen too many cars end up in the lagoon to risk driving fast in a storm.
The road up to the old Eaves place was more like a river. The potholes were invisible under the rush of water and Harrison gritted his teeth as he bumped and bunny-hopped up the hill. At last he crested the top of the hill and saw Lainie’s car, parked in front of the house.
He didn’t know whether he was relieved or horrified. What the hell is she doing in there, in this weather?
“Lainie!” he called, but the wind whipped his voice away. The front door was unlocked, and he pulled it open, shaking the rain out of his hair. “Lainie, are you here?”
He’d thought being inside would mute the sound of the storm, but it was as loud as ever. The whole house was groaning under the onslaught. “Lainie?”
“Harrison?!”
Harrison followed her voice to the back of the house. A cold wind whipped at his clothes, but he paid no attention to it until he reached the door to the sitting room.
Lainie was standing stiffly a few feet from the door, hunched over against the rain and wind. She was completely drenched, her blonde hair plastered to her pale cheeks. Behind her, was… nothing.
“Oh my God.” Harrison started forward and Lainie’s eyes widened.
“No, don’t—!” she cried out, but it was too late. The floorboards creaked under Harrison’s feet, and with a crackle of splintering wood, they were both falling.
Harrison didn’t think. There was no time. He reached inside himself and found his griffin form, shifting faster than he ever had before.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
LAINIE
Lainie screamed as she fell. Something huge slammed into her mid-air. Heavy limbs wrapped around her. Harrison?
She hit the ground, winded, landing on top of Harrison. Or what she thought was Harrison. She felt around with her chilled hands. Whoever—whatever—she had landed on, it was huge. And… feathered?
Lainie shoved herself backwards. Her feet found solid ground, and slipped again. The thing she had landed on grunted and started to get up. There was just enough light for Lainie to get a glimpse of its huge bulk. A flash of lightning lit up rain-drenched feathers and a huge, sharp beak. Predatory eyes gleamed black as it turned to look at her.
“Oh shit,” she gasped, and stepped backward. Another flash of lightning filled the sky, confirming what she thought she’d seen.
The creature had an eagle’s head, but it was bigger than any bird Lainie had ever heard of. It had two huge, clawed front legs, and dark-striped wings. But that wasn’t all. Its rear half looked like a giant cat, not a bird. Fur. Huge paws. And a tufted tail whipping back and forth in the rain.
A griffin. There was a fucking griffin in her grandparents’ house.
No, Lainie thought, frozen. That’s impossible. You must have hit your head.
It’s impossible.
The griffin raised its beak, sniffing the air. Behind it, the house groaned. Lainie skidded backward as the griffin hauled itself to its feet. It was as tall as she was.
I’ve got to get out of here. Lainie looked around desperately. She’d fallen into what must be the old foundations of the house. A long enough drop to wind herself, but not to break anything. If she could just make her way through the rubble without disturbing the—she could barely make herself think it. The griffin. The griffin that had to be some sort of trauma-induced hallucination.
…And where’s Harrison?
Lainie wiped her wet hair off her face. The rain was still sheeting down, but at least out here in the open it was still just light enough to see by. There was no sign of Harrison.
Which means he’s probably trapped under something, she thought, her throat going tight. God, I hope he’s all right.
She had to get help. She had to believe that Harrison was still alive in there somewhere, and get help from Hideaway Cove to chase off the griffin and save him.
Chase off the griffin? Have you decided it’s real now? Is that what’s going on?
Lainie took a careful step backward, making sure her footing was secure before she shifted her weight. She’d already sprained one wrist. There was no way she’d be able to get out of here if she got her foot caught under a beam, or trapped herself in falling rubble.
The griffin was definitely looking at her. Lainie held her breath. It’s not real, she told herself.
But it sure as hell looks real.
Another crash from the house distracted her. She looked up behind the griffin to see another wall crumbling down toward her. There was no time for her to get out of the way.
The griffin moved faster than she would have thought possible, leaping between her and the falling masonry. Lainie screamed as the wall hit the creature, pushing it into her. They both tumbled backward. Floorboards shattered under their combined weight and Lainie shrieked as the ground disappeared beneath her. Again.
***
This time, she opened her eyes to pitch darkness. Her back was pressed up against cold stone, and her whole body felt battered.
Hot breath hit her face and she lashed out with her fist. Whatever she’d hit fell back with a strange noise like someone cracking all their knuckles at once.
“Ow!”
“Harrison?” Lainie couldn’t believe her ears.
“Lainie? Where are you? And… where are we?”<
br />
Lainie could have cried with relief. She felt the wall behind her. It was solid granite, too smooth to be natural. “In the basement, I think. Are you hurt?”
“Apart from my nose?”
Lainie reached out. Her fingers brushed against Harrison’s jaw. “I’m sorry. There was a—some sort of animal, or something…”
Harrison took her hands and held them between his. His hands were warm, and Lainie shivered, suddenly aware of how cold she was.
“I think it’s gone,” Harrison said after a moment. “At least…it’s not down here with us.”
“Well, that’s something.” Lainie shuddered. She didn’t resist as Harrison pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her. “I thought—I didn’t see you, after the floor collapsed, and I thought…”
“Shh. I’m fine,” Harrison reassured her. “I came here to find you, and I’m just glad I got here in time.”
She let her head fall onto his shoulder. His skin was slick with rain, but he radiated heat. She snuggled into him. Hang on…
“What happened to your shirt?”
Harrison’s jaw tensed against the top of her head. “It, er—”
“You’ll freeze,” she said. “We’ve got to get out of here.”
She felt Harrison look up. “I think we smashed through the staircase on the way down,” he said with a groan.
Lainie rubbed her face. “I guess it’s too far out to climb? Damn. Well…” She thought hard. “I think there’s a way out through the basement. An old tunnel that leads down to the beach. I don’t remember it very well. I was never allowed down there on my own.”
“Let’s see if we can find it,” Harrison said. He stood up, pulling Lainie with him. She hissed as he bumped her injured arm.
“What’s wrong?”
“My wrist… I think I sprained it earlier. Don’t worry about it. The important thing is finding a way out of here.” She reached out to find the wall, and started to feel her way along it. “There should be a door…”
Harrison put his hand on her chest, holding her gently in place. “You’re hurt,” he said, his voice firm. “Stay here, and I’ll find the door.”