Page 319 of The Protective Gryphen

He didn’t have time to put a saddle on, so he was going to bareback it all the way.

Jumping on, he raced out, seeing the tracks that led to the woods. He galloped at full speed in the darkness, his panic rising.

What could he be doing at that time of the morning?

Was he sleepwalking?

Did he lose his damn mind?

What he did know was he was buying those handcuffs today. This was the end of waking up and finding him not in his bed.

As Romeo navigated the terrain, it was a bitch to see, and Gryphen prayed that Ian was okay. If he and Juliet went over, they’d be killed.

He began praying.

Please let him be okay so I don’t have to die today.

Please let him be okay so…

Because if Ian died, Gryphen knew he was following. There was no way he’d recover from losing him.

As he reached the division in the path, he found the white horse tied to a tree, but no Ian.

It was at the junction where the horse had freaked out last night.

Dismounting, he raced into the trees and toward a cliff. He hoped Ian didn’t do anything stupid like fall. As he ran to get to his mate, he cleared the trees and saw him.

He was standing on the edge.

“Ian!” he shouted, not sure what he was doing.

When he turned, he stood there.

“Hey.”

It was said so calmly that Gryphen was really questioning if the man had lost his mind.

“Are you insane? What are you doing? You left our bed! I told you…”

As he stormed toward him, Ian stopped him.

“I’m here for this,” he said, pointing as the sun began coming up over the mountains. “I knew you’d come,” he said, taking Gryphen’s hand.

As the sun began cresting, changing the color of the world around them, Gryphen just held his hand.

That rage fell away as they watched the sun flood the whole snow-kissed valley with light. He didn’t even feel Ian letting go of his hand.

It was that beautiful.

Gryphen watched, knowing he loved a good sunrise, so he’d argue with Ian later.

“It’s spectacular,” Gryphen said, calming down. “It’s just as beautiful as last night.”

Okay, he’d forgive him for wanting to see this. Who was he to not let him go watch a sunrise on his vacation?

When he turned, Ian was no longer standing.

He was kneeling, and in his hand, there was a black box, open, to show a platinum ring.

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