The Griffin's Mate

by Zoe Chant

  Lainie did as he said, holding her hands to her chest where she could still feel the memory of his touch, warm and comforting. She listened to his steps as he walked carefully along the wall, and into something solid.

  “Ow! I thought all the furniture had been taken out of here?”

  “What is it?” Lainie hurried forward.

  She could feel the heat of Harrison’s body as she came up beside him. The rain was so cold, she couldn’t help leaning against him, just a bit.

  Just because I’m cold. And sore. And… have his pants disappeared, too?

  Lainie straightened up again quickly.

  “It’s a cupboard of some sort,” Harrison said, his voice muffled. “It must have been tipped over when I—uh, when we fell down here. Hang on, there’s something behind it. It feels like a door.”

  “Behind a cupboard?” Lainie rubbed her aching wrist. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

  “Well, that’s where it was… shall we have a look? Er, a blind grope around? Er, I meant—”

  Lainie snorted. “Let’s go.”

  She stepped back as Harrison hauled the cupboard out of the way. The door had been broken half-off its hinges when the cupboard fell, and they made their way through it carefully. Lainie didn’t want to add a black eye to her list of injuries.

  “Does this look—uh, feel—familiar?”

  They were still poking around in the pitch dark. “Well, it’s a stone tunnel, with—oops—steps going down. Unless the hill is riddled with secret passages, I’d say this is it.” Lainie took a few careful steps. “I guess my grandmother must have had someone hide the door when she moved into the home. Keeping the secret passage secret even after she left.”

  The tunnel was narrow enough that Lainie’s shoulders sometimes brushed up against both walls at once. She heard Harrison grunt once or twice as he twisted himself sideways to get through.

  “I hope you’re not claustrophobic,” he said at one point. Lainie laughed with surprise.

  “Me? You’re the one who sounds like he’s twisting himself into pretzels to get through. What happens to me if you get stuck?”

  She had meant it as a joke, but Harrison took it seriously. “That’s a good point. Here, the passage opens out a bit where I am now—can you fit past me, and go in front?” He paused. “Given how my first rescue attempt this evening went, it’ll be just my luck if I do get stuck, and trap you in here.”

  Lainie reached forward until she was touching Harrison’s shoulder. The tunnel had widened out, yes, but it was still narrow enough that she had to press her body against his to get past him. She slid her hand from his shoulder to his chest as she edged past. His heart was hammering.

  “Don’t beat yourself up over what happened up there,” she muttered. “It wasn’t like I was up to much before you got here. I didn’t even dare to move in case I sent the whole floor crashing down, and me with it.”

  “Which was smart, seeing as the moment I moved near you, the whole house fell down on us,” Harrison grumbled into her hair. She’d stopped moving, wedged between him and the wall.

  “Thank you for coming to find me.” She tipped her head up, even though she knew there was no way she’d be able to see his face in the darkness. “How did you know where I was?”

  “I guessed.” Harrison slid his arms around her. “Mrs. Hanson showed me your note, and, well, I couldn’t think of anywhere else in town you would be.”

  “I was looking for my phone,” Lainie admitted. “God, that sounds stupid. It’s probably smashed to bits by now.” She sighed. “Sorry for yelling at you, before.”

  One of Harrison’s hands stroked up her body to cradle her head against his chest. “Sorry my neighbors are such a pack of assholes,” he replied. “If I’d known how they were going to treat you, we never would have gone in there.”

  She shrugged. “Let the crazies be crazies. It won’t make any difference.” Her heart ached at the reminder that even once they got out of this ridiculous situation, she would still have to face up to Mrs. Sweets and the other townspeople until this project was over.

  Reluctantly, Lainie pulled away from Harrison. The tunnel was cold, and he was wonderfully warm, but she knew that the longer they stayed here, the more likely both of them were to develop hypothermia.

  “I can’t tell how far we’ve come already,” she said, one hand still trailing down his arm as she stepped forward. “But don’t you think the sea is sounding close—aah!”

  Lainie’s feet shot out from under her. Harrison was already grabbing her arm, but she windmilled the other one, trying to regain her balance. Her flailing arm caught something on the wall and sent it crashing down onto her legs.

  “Ow!” she groaned. “What the hell was that?”

  She clutched her arm to her chest. Just her luck that her injured arm was the one she flailed out madly with to keep her balance. And what had she hit, anyway?

  Harrison put his hands around her waist and pulled her upright. “What happened? Are you all right?”

  “I hit something off the wall…” With Harrison still holding her, Lainie groped around the wall. There was a shallow alcove cut into the stone at waist height. “I must have knocked something off this shelf when I fell—ouch. And I’ve got something in my shoe now, too.”

  She wriggled her foot around, trying to encourage the bit of gravel into a more comfortable spot. “On the upside, I’m pretty sure I slipped on a patch of seaweed, so I guess that means we’re near the end of the tunnel.”

  The sound of waves had been growing louder, and as they rounded the next corner—Lainie limping slightly—a glimmer of light appeared ahead. Dim light, but compared to the solid darkness inside the tunnel, it might as well have been the midday sun.

  The stone steps under Lainie’s feet became gritty with sand, and then disappeared completely. Salt spray hit her face, and she stopped.

  “Oh, no,” she said, her heart sinking. “If the water’s already coming into the cave—” Then we’re stuck. Even wading around the bay in this weather would be suicide.

  “I’ll go check. Wait here.” Harrison squeezed her hand, and she watched him as he walked slowly towards the mouth of the cave. He was barely more than a silhouette, his footsteps darker shadows in the wet sand.

  I still can’t believe this is happening, Lainie thought, steadying herself against the cave wall. The house, the griffin-hallucination—God, I probably have concussion, it seemed so real—and Harrison coming to find me. I can’t believe he did that for me.

  “Lainie!” Harrison was beckoning her over. She hurried over to him, wincing as the bit of gravel in her shoe cut into her ankle. Oh, don’t be such a baby, she told herself. Think of Harrison, squishing through that tunnel without a stitch of clothing on.

  Harrison put his arm around her and pointed along the bottom of the cliff.

  There was a small sandy beach at the mouth of the cave. On sunny days, it was a pleasant spot between the piled rocks that lay at the bottom of the cliff. Tonight, the flat beach made a funnel for the incoming storm tide.

  Lainie raised a hand to keep the sea spray off her face, squinting in the direction Harrison was pointing.

  “There—see? There’s a path in the rock.”

  Lainie wiped her eyes. Yes—she could just make it out. A narrow path cut into the side of the cliff.

  As she watched, a wave smashed over part of the path, then sucked back into the sea. “You’re not seriously suggesting we go for it?”

  “I know it doesn’t look like it, but it’s low tide right now,” Harrison explained, his voice urgent. “The longer we wait, the further the tide will come up into the cave. We can’t wait out the storm in there. You’re already too cold. You’re not even shivering anymore.”

  Lainie opened her mouth to protest, but it was true. She shut her mouth again. “How are we going to get across there?”

  “I’ve been watching the waves. They’re going in series, starting small and getting b
igger. After the biggest wave crashes, they start off small again.” He put his arms around Lainie, and she leaned in to his warmth. “The smaller waves don’t get anywhere near the path, and the path gets higher further along. We’ll wait for the series to start again, and I’ll carry you.”

  “Okay.”

  “Really?” Harrison raised his eyebrows. “I expected you to—well, not argue, but I thought I’d have to convince you.”

  Lainie wrapped her arms around herself. “No. You’re right. I’m cold, and wet, and we don’t know how long the storm is going to take to blow over.” And there’s a goddamn… something back at the other end of that tunnel, although right now I’m honestly not sure if I didn’t hallucinate it.

  “All right.” Harrison leaned down and kissed her, so quickly she didn’t have the chance to kiss him back, and then swung her up in his arms.

  He stood still for a moment, judging the waves. Lainie flinched as another massive wave crashed down on the beach, swirling around Harrison’s ankles.

  As the water retreated he launched himself forward, sprinting across the thin stretch of sand to where rocks rose out of the surf. Lainie held on tight to his shoulders as he leaped up the piled rocks and onto the stone path.

  She could feel his heartbeat thundering against her chest as he ran. Her own heart was in her throat. If this didn’t work—she couldn’t think about it.

  If she looked straight ahead, all she could see was the ocean, waiting to drag her away. If she turned her head, it was the sheer cliff whipping past her face as Harrison ran to beat the waves. She squeezed her eyes shut.

  It felt like years later that Harrison’s pace slowed. He squeezed Lainie gently. “We’re safe.”

  She opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was Harrison, staring back at her. His hazel eyes were warm, and looking into them, she felt safe.

  “Let’s get you home,” he murmured softly.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  HARRISON

  Harrison barged through the front door of Mackaby Workshops, ignoring Pol’s shout of surprise as he rushed past the waiting room. He had something more important to look after: his mate, who was still shivering in his arms.

  He took the stairs to his second floor apartment three at a time, not stopping until he reached the bathroom. He lowered Lainie to the ground and held her to his chest as he turned on the shower.

  Lainie didn’t bother stripping off before stepping into the shower.

  “Oh, this is wonderful,” she breathed, putting her face under the water. She wiped her hair off her face and looked up at Harrison. Her black eyes were ringed with dark circles, but she was smiling. “I can’t believe we made it out of there. You saved me, Harrison.”

  Lainie grabbed his hand and pulled him into the shower with her. Harrison put his arms around her. Even in the hot shower, she was shaking.

  She leant her forehead against his chest. “I can’t believe any of this is really happening,” she whispered.

  Harrison’s heart wrenched. He wished he could believe she meant that in a good way—but there was no way that was possible. She’d been insulted, humiliated, and almost killed. She was probably just amazed to be alive, and desperate to leave Hideaway behind forever.

  For now, though, she seemed happy to stand encircled in his arms.

  Eventually, she shook herself. “God. What am I doing? Wearing a raincoat in the shower?” She wriggled free of Harrison’s arms. “Help me out of this, will you?”

  Harrison gladly complied. Lainie’s coat was as wet inside as it was outside, the same as his had been. Under it, her silk blouse was transparent. Harrison would have found the sight enticing, if it wasn’t for the shaky way Lainie was moving.

  “When did you last eat?” he asked, frowning.

  “What? Oh…” Lainie grimaced. “Breakfast?”

  “You—” Harrison began, and bit his tongue. You had a lot else on your mind today, he thought, kissing the top of her head. “Never mind. I’ll put something together.”

  Harrison dried off and wrapped the towel around his waist. Before he went through to the kitchen, he paused, and looked back at Lainie. She was standing under the water, head tilted back, eyes closed. Safe.

  No, she’s not, he realized. Not safe from her own memories and pain. And she won’t be, until she knows the full story.

  He knew what he had to do.

  *Harrison! What the hell is going on?*

  Pol. Harrison closed the bathroom door behind himself. It didn’t seem right to talk to Pol while he was looking at Lainie.

  *There was a situation up at the old Eaves house,* he said simply.

  *I’ll say! We heard the crash from here. It looks like half the house fell into the sea. Christ—don’t tell me you and Lainie were up there?*

  *We made it out.*

  *Jesus, Harrison. Enough with the hero act. What the hell were you doing up there?*

  *Pol, listen.* Harrison’s mind was racing. *I need you to do something for me.*

  *Shoot, boss.*

  Harrison explained his plan. He could almost feel Pol shaking his head. *You sure I’m the right person to do this? People like me, sure, but let’s be honest, I’m not great at the serious stuff.*

  *Sorry, Sparky. You’re the best I’ve got right now. Good luck.* He paused. *Talk to Tessa, if you can. If there’s anything else she knows that could help…*

  *You got it, boss.*

  Harrison waited until he heard the front door close downstairs, and then sagged against the door.

  If only this was the end of it. Save the girl, and win the day. I wish it were that simple.

  ***

  Half an hour later, Lainie was sitting at the kitchen table, wrapped in Harrison’s warmest robe and with a half-eaten plate of grilled cheese in front of her. Harrison was keeping his hands busy making them both mugs of hot lemon and honey drink, but he couldn’t help the way his gaze kept landing on her.

  His whole body ached to hold her. His griffin was complaining. Its aggravation was so strong, it was making Harrison’s skin itch: What are you waiting for? Take her to your bed. Surround her with pillows, and blankets, and keep her warm with your body. Why are we still here in the kitchen?

  He couldn’t put it off any longer.

  “Lainie, there’s something I have to tell you.” Harrison closed his eyes. There. He’d done it. Step one—and no turning back now. “I wanted to wait until I had the perfect way to tell you, the right words, the right moment—but now I know that moment’s never going to come, and the longer I put it off, the worse things will be.”

  Lainie looked up at him. Out of the rain, warm from the shower and with a hot meal inside her, she no longer looked on the verge of collapse. But there was still a careful wariness in her eyes as she said quietly, “Things are pretty shit already, to be honest. But go on. What is it?”

  “It’s to do with what happened at Caro’s earlier. And—”

  Harrison stopped just short of saying It’s about us. Lainie’s mouth had gotten that pinched look the moment he mentioned the meeting. Damn it.

  “You know, I’d really rather not talk about that,” she said quietly, staring at the table.

  “I understand. God knows if I was in your position I’d feel the same way.” Harrison sat down opposite her. “But I think this will help you to make some sense of why Mrs. Sweets and the others are behaving the way they are. And…why your grandparents were forced to make you leave.”

  That got her attention. Lainie’s eyes flicked up. She stared hard at him for a few breaths, as though trying to find something in his gaze. At last she took a slow breath. “Okay,” she said. “Go on. I’m listening.”

  This is it. If you do this, you’re setting yourself up to be kicked out of town, too.

  Harrison thrust the treacherous thoughts aside. Better to leave Hideaway, and have a chance of staying with Lainie, than stay here, knowing that I took part in the lie that drove her away.

  Harrison pushed
his chair back from the table. He hadn’t bothered to get dressed. Despite wrapping Lainie in his thickest robe and pushing as many blankets at her as he could find, Harrison himself was still only wearing a towel wrapped around his waist. That would make this easier.

  “The only way you’re going to believe this is if I show you,” he said, and reached deep inside himself for his griffin form.

  Heat rushed through him, a fire that started in his heart and flared out. It filled his chest, his limbs, and then there was that heart-stopping moment where, just for a heartbeat, he felt as though the fire would burst out of him. Instead, his body changed to fit it.

  His bones creaked, changing shape and size. Claws stretched from the end of his fingers, and he dropped to all fours. Two sets of razor-sharp talons, and two heavy paws. Thick, dark-gold hair covered the back half of his body, transitioning to sleek feathers from his chest forwards.

  The only part of his body that did not change were his eyes. They stayed the same bright hazel as they were in his human form.

  It took Harrison a moment to focus on the room. Things were always a bit hazy for a few seconds after he shifted. When his vision cleared, he immediately looked around for Lainie.

  She was standing half-out of her chair, frozen mid-action. Her eyes were wide—but there was no trace of the horror Harrison had been afraid he would see in them.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  LAINIE

  Am I dreaming?

  Lainie felt dizzy. For a moment, she wondered if she was still up on the hill in the ruins of her grandparents’ home, delirious from the cold.

  What she was seeing couldn’t be real. Harrison had stood up in front of her and, as casually as if he was buttoning a shirt, transformed into a massive griffin.

  This is just like what I thought I saw in the house. I must still be hallucinating.

  But she couldn’t be. That terrifying sprint across the cliff-side path, the feeling of warmth seeping back into her body under the hot shower, the grilled cheese she could still taste in her mouth—she couldn’t have imagined all that.