Page 9 of Magic Unleashed

Carefully, she edged toward the back of the room, her gaze darting toward the exit. If she could slip out unnoticed, she’d beable to regroup, but just as she reached the threshold, the door creaked open. She froze, her heart leaping into her throat.

Griff. What the fuck was he doing here? She needed to get him out before he got himself killed or she had to expose her presence to save his sorry ass.

He moved like a shadow, his eyes scanning the room with sharp intensity, unaware that she was watching him. Phoenix’s breath hitched as he slipped through the door, his movements fluid, practiced. He was following a lead, of course, and somehow, he’d ended up here. His dragon instincts had clearly pulled him to the same place. But this was dangerous. He had no idea what he was walking into.

Without thinking, Phoenix raised her hand, drawing on the magic that she used as both a weapon and a shield. She whispered the incantation, feeling the glamour wrap around her like a second skin, cloaking her from view. Her heart hammered in her chest as she watched Griff move deeper into the room, oblivious to the fact that he was heading straight for the heart of the cult.

He was going to get himself killed if he wasn’t careful.

From her hidden vantage point, Phoenix watched as Griff paused near one of the columns, his body tense, alert. She could feel the shift in his energy, the dragon within him stirring just beneath the surface, ready to spring into action. She had always admired the way he moved, how effortlessly he could blend into the shadows when he wanted to. But this wasn’t the time for admiration.

Her stomach twisted with concern. If the cult discovered him, they wouldn’t hesitate to kill him. They had the numbers—and the dark magic—to make sure of it. Phoenix wanted to step out, to warn him, but she couldn’t risk blowing her cover. Not yet.

Griff lingered for a moment longer, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the symbols on the floor. He slipped back into the shadows as silently as he had arrived. Relief flooded through Phoenix as she watched him leave, but her muscles stayed tense. She knew Griff, if he’d started linking things together, he wouldn’t give up. He wouldn’t let it go. Like it or not, she was stuck with him. She couldn’t let him go it alone.

The moment he was out of the room, Phoenix moved. She kept the glamour in place, her form flickering as she passed through the crowd, and exited the building into the cool night air. Her eyes immediately scanned the sky, searching for any sign of Griff. He’d tucked his Harley into a space under a fire escape where it wouldn’t be easily spotted. It would seem the dragon-shifter had taken to the skies. Above her, silhouetted against the dark clouds, his wings beat powerfully as he soared in the starry night, his dragon form cutting through the night like a shadow.

For a moment, Phoenix hesitated. She shouldn’t follow him. She needed to head for The Thorny Rose, regroup, wait for Griff and then figure out how to deal with the fact that a city councilman was in league with demons. But something pulled at her, a force she couldn’t ignore. It had always been like this, from the moment they’d first met, and it was getting worse.

Without another thought, Phoenix called on her fae nature, letting her wings unfurl from beneath the glamour she had used to disguise herself. The rush of magic was intoxicating as her wings beat against the air, lifting her effortlessly from the ground. She ascended into the sky, her eyes locking on Griff as she followed him higher and higher into the night.

The sky wrapped around them like a velvet blanket, the stars twinkling overhead as they soared above the city. The tension that had weighed down on her in the cult’s lair began to ease, replaced by the exhilaration of flying. It was a sensationshe rarely indulged in—flying was freedom, a release from the weight of her responsibilities. And tonight, she wasn’t alone. Griff was there; his dragon form a powerful silhouette against the moonlit sky.

He spotted her then, his massive wings faltering for a fraction of a second before he banked to the right, gliding toward her. For a heartbeat, they flew side by side, their wings cutting through the air in perfect harmony. Phoenix’s heart raced, a heady mix of adrenaline and something else entirely.

Griff let out a deep growl, more playful than aggressive, and before she could react, he surged forward, dipping beneath her and then soaring up to her left. Phoenix’s lips curved into a smile as she followed his lead, the two of them spiraling and twisting through the sky, their movements perfectly in sync.

The world and all the danger below them disappeared as they danced among the stars, their bodies moving as one. The wind rushed past her, cool against her skin, and for a moment, it was just the two of them—no demons, no cults, no darkness. Just the feeling of flight and the crackling tension between them.

When they finally began their descent, the ground rushing up to meet them, Phoenix felt the shift in the air, the moment of transition from sky to earth. They landed in a secluded alley behind The Thorny Rose, their feet touching the ground in unison. The world snapped back into focus, the weight of reality settling on their shoulders once more.

Before she could say anything, Griff was there, moving faster than she expected. He grabbed her by the arm and spun her around, pinning her against the brick wall of the warehouse. His body pressed against hers, his breath hot on her skin as he stared down at her with an intensity that made her pulse skyrocket.

“You followed me. You saw them,” he growled, his voice low and rough.

Phoenix swallowed, the heat of his body against hers making it difficult to think. “No, I was already there. I was just leaving when you got there. I stayed because I wasn’t about to let you get yourself killed.”

His eyes darkened, and without another word, Griff’s mouth crashed down on hers. The kiss was hard, desperate, filled with all the pent-up frustration and desire that had been building between them for years. Phoenix’s arms wrapped around him, pulling him closer as the world fell away. If she’d ever questioned whether he found her as arousing as she did him, his naked body, with its hard cock pulsing between them, removed any doubt.

Heat exploded between them, the kiss deepening, his hands gripping her hips as if he couldn’t get enough of her. Phoenix’s mind spun, her body responding to him instinctively, her own desire rising to match his. She wasn’t sure how long they stood there, locked in that fierce embrace, but every second felt like a delicious eternity.

A soft cough interrupted them, pulling them back to the present. Griff froze, his lips still on hers, as they both turned to see Phoenix’s Aunt Maeve standing a few feet away, her arms crossed, one eyebrow raised in clear disapproval.

“Well,” Maeve said dryly, tossing a pair of jeans and boots at Griff, “this is certainly an interesting development. You might want to put that thing away.”

Phoenix pulled away from Griff, her face flushed as she tried to catch her breath. “Aunt Maeve?—”

“I think we’ll discuss this later,” Maeve interrupted, her eyes flicking between Phoenix and Griff with a knowing glint. “But right now, you and I need to talk.”

Phoenix groaned inwardly, shooting Griff a quick glance before stepping away from him. She could feel the weight ofhis gaze on her as she moved toward her aunt, and despite the interruption, she knew this wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.

As Phoenix followed Maeve, she could still feel the heat of Griff's kiss lingering on her lips, her heart pounding in her chest. She didn't look back, but the awareness of him standing there, watching her every move, weighed heavily on her. The moment between them had been raw, electric, but now reality was crashing back in, and with it, the gravity of everything they'd uncovered tonight.

Maeve led Phoenix through the back door into The Thorny Rose and to a shadowy corner. One look from her aunt and the two patrons who’d been there first, scrambled away, her usual sharpness tempered with something more serious now. Phoenix had seen her aunt this way only a few times before—when the stakes were at their highest.

“I’m not going to lecture you about your... extracurricular activities,” Maeve started, her tone clipped but not unkind. “But I am going to tell you that you need to focus. The demon cult you’ve been tracking is more dangerous than we initially thought. It’s not just rogue summoners dabbling in dark magic anymore. The city’s power structure is deeply involved.”

Phoenix’s stomach twisted at the confirmation. She had overheard the city councilman’s name earlier, but hearing Maeve confirm her suspicions made it all too real. "I already know, Maeve. Fontaine’s part of it. I heard them mention him tonight."

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