Page 318 of The Protective Gryphen

Ravensmire

When he heard the banging on the door, Gryphen sat up with a start. Beside him, his bed was empty, and he didn’t know what the hell was going on.

His heart started racing as the banging continued.

“What?” he asked, looking around to find Ian, but he wasn’t in bed beside him.

Graham threw open the door.

“Don’t get pissed,” he said not explaining.

The second it was out of his mouth, Gryphen began panicking.

Already, he knew.

His mate was gone.

“What happened to Ian?” he asked, his heart racing in his chest.

He’d been asleep beside him the last he remembered, and all he could recall was a dream of him walking through the castle trying to find something.

Graham explained.

“I just watched him ride off down the trail alone before sunrise.”

Holy fuck.

“What?” he asked, jumping out of bed naked and pulling on his jeans, t-shirt, and flannel.

“He was heading toward the cliffs.”

Oh, this couldn’t be good.

“I don’t know why he left. All I know was that I was coming out of my apartment for more coffee, and I heard the horses. Juliet was neighing away, but I figured Romeo was annoying her.”

Gryphen really wished he’d get to the point, so he’d hear the ending before his stroke.

“So I grabbed another cup of coffee, and when I came out, I heard galloping away. I got my things on, and by the time I got out there, she was gone. I pulled up security, and it was Ian. Sneaking out.”

Oh, he was going to have the big one.

“WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?”

Oh, when he found him, he was going to put him back over his knee.

It was a sad day when Elizabeth ‘I get shot at daily’ Blackhawk got into less trouble than Ian. He was going to handcuff him to the bed every night.

“And you’re sure he went toward the cliffs?” he asked, running down the stairs to get to his winter clothes.

“Yes.”

Honestly, Gryphen was going to have the big one, and he also didn’t know how the man slipped away. He was a light sleeper.

Normally, he’d hear the door open and close. That’s how he caught him last time.

They were going to have one hell of a lecture.

At the stable, he saw that Graham was right, and the white horse was gone. So, he grabbed reins and put them on the black horse.

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