Page 36 of My Guardian Gryphon

“Oh, I know. Believe me, I know.”

“At least her magick doesn’t work on you when you’re shifted.”

“It doesn’t help as much as you think. I can’t shift inside a building without bringing it down on everyone around me. I’m the size of a small gulf stream. At least you can fit inside a living room.” Miles’ tone carried a hint of amusement.

“Touché, though I wonder if it’s just your dragon that can block the magick. Have you seen her use her power on other shifted beings?”

“I cannot say that I have, perhaps a wolf? We shift so rarely these days. It’s difficult to remember when we fought wars in our beast form. Though I know that even as a Drakonae, if I haven’t fully shifted before the Lamassu magick takes hold, I can’t complete the shift.”

We entered the office, and I gestured for Miles to follow me to the back room. I needed to beat on something, and Jared’s reinforced punching bags would have to be my unfortunate victims today.

“Back on the subject of mates…” He stopped, looking at me to see if I wanted him to continue.

I nodded and picked up a couple of boxing gloves from a box against the wall.

“For many supernaturals of the Veil, Magick is how we recognize the connection to our mates.”

“Of the Veil? There are no supernaturals native to Earth?”

Miles shrugged. “None that we know of, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. There are stories in Earth legends that speak of peoples and powers or magick I’ve never heard of in the Veil.”

“I’m betting they all wish they had somewhere else to go now.”

“Probably,” Miles answered, a frown pulling the corners of his mouth. “Many from the Veil can feel our mates even when we are not near them. We know when they are upset or in pain. Though much of this does happen after sex has occurred or a claiming.”

“We haven’t had sex, and I do remember my father speaking about a blood bond between himself and my mother. I don’t know the ceremony and never witnessed one. They also had these matching glyphs on their bodies. Not sure how those came to be, either.”

“That is a start. Blood magick is common for witches. It is possible the Batemans might have some information on your people’s practices. I don’t know how the glyphs work, but I remember seeing them on your people from time to time.”

“I certainly hadn’t thought to ask the witches. Probably still won’t since Harrison Bateman is Rose’s go-to guy. Their family does anything and everything Rose asks. Anything I speak to them about would swiftly find its way to Rose’s ears. Not that I blame them, she saved Meredith and Hannah from being stolen by Djinn.”

“Saving a child is a debt that is difficult to ever repay.”

I took a deep breath, angled my body into a ready-stance, and launched a punch at the bag in the center of the room. Instead of a sand-filled bag, Jared and I had labored to create solid leather bags. They were hard enough to take a beating but soft enough not to tear flesh from our knuckles. The bag dipped nearly to the floor before springing back into place.

Miles moved around to the other side and stood, bracing the bag for my next strike.

I raised a questioning eyebrow, and he crooked a finger, inviting me forward. I struck again.

Left, left, right.

The last punch elicited somewhat of an oomph from the dragon shifter.

“Good stance. Lean forward a little more and keep your hands up.”

I rolled my neck, followed his advice, and launched my fists at the bag again. This time

Left, right, left, duck.

Left, left, right, knee.

I continued on for the next hour, beating the shit out of the bag until I heard the door at the front of the office open and slam shut.

“Feel better?” Miles stepped away from the bag, grabbing a couple of water bottles from the small fridge in the corner.

“Not really, but at least my Gryphon doesn’t feel like it needs to burst out at the moment.”

“Alek?” Jared’s deep voice called from the front room. “You here, man?”

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