Page 95 of Gifted Destiny

Chapter 44

Garrett

Although my griffin is me and I am him, I am less present while in animal form. My actions are instinctual and I lack the ability to interact with words or gestures. The sphinx is special in her ability to do both of these things.

When my griffin senses the threat to my mate and the library, he takes control. It’s only after the real Addington is restrained that I process the situation. Fear glitters in my father’s eyes as my talons pierce the fabric of his clothes and begin to sink into his flesh. I can’t say that I don’t enjoy it, and I’m surprised and a little disappointed when he draws short of making the man bleed.

Addington’s doppelganger, J, had expressed a range of emotions besides rage and greed. The experience had prompted me to imagine a father who wasn’t a loathsome tyrant. The other Garrett had been weak though and he didn’t have a griffin inside him.

The people we’d met had been strange versions of ourselves and made me admit that this horrible man had made us into what we are. My griffin is as much a part of my identity as my compulsion to make my human body a weapon. When Bren used his magic to make Addington spill important secrets, I’dbeen so proud. This man broke us, but we forged ourselves into something stronger. This isn’t always the case. Sometimes, things – and people – just break.

My griffin can’t wait until Addington is in the detective’s hands. The alpha is restrained already and the threat is neutralized, but we still insist on seeing the handoff and not leaving one of our pack alone to deal with him. After the detective takes custody and disguises Addington from curious onlookers with a special spell, however, my griffin automatically launches back into the air.

My beast ignores my attempts to regain control of my body. He has waited days to greet his mate in her sphinx form. When we reach the landing, our mate is just rising from a kiss with my brother. My beast inflates his chest and twists his head around to ensure all of his feathers are properly preened, his patience waning.

A whiff of Addington’s foul scent still clings to our talons. With a grunt, we lift them into the thick mass of feathers at our nape and cover them with our natural scent. One of our claws strikes the ancient wood plank and draws the others’ attention.

The sphinx turns to look at me – or us – I don’t know which pronoun is correct.Mefeels misleading when I’m barely in control, but my griffin is still me.

Bren’s eyes twinkle. Although he still looks exhausted from the expenditure of his magic, Zosia’s kiss has rejuvenated him. He rises to his feet with a knowing smirk. “I’ll just go make sure that Avery has the situation downstairs handled. It looks like someone is impatient.”

I’m uncertain if our mate hears him because she doesn’t acknowledge him. Instead, she is studying me and my beast’s chest puffs out even more. He can smell her appreciation. My brother skips away while we stand motionless and just stare at each other.

Tentatively, I attempt the mental link. I’m uncertain if it will work, but mating with a magical hybrid has altered the way my beast and I interact.“He’s actually been quite patient,”I tell Zosia as my beast waits for our mate to come to us.“He’s wanted to do this from the moment he met you.”

“Do what?”the mental query rings in my mind as our mate takes a cautious step forward. My griffin enjoys the way the sphinx hides behind Zosia’s human face. He senses the wild within her.

“We both desire you and consider you our mate, but my griffin has primitive instincts and needs that are hard to describe. He’s waiting for you to come to him, though. He might acknowledge you as an equal, but he’s proud in this.”

“It’s so strange hearing you talk about your griffin as if he’s separate,”she responds quietly and takes another step forward. Her movements are slow, but we don’t smell fear. Her sphinx is also proud and doesn’t want to give in too easily. The tilt of her chin and the way her feathers fluff and settle lend a coy nature to her courtship.

The human in me wants to nod but my beast doesn’t copy the motion.“I feel more connected to him now,”I admit.“I believe it’s because my human and beast agree on our choice of mate. We have similar goals and desires now.”

The sphinx cocks her head to the side, and my griffin must deem her close enough to begin his display. He tilts his head up and extends his wings as far as possible in the limited space. It’s only half of their full extension, but he must consider the room sufficient. He tilts his wings up and down, displaying the full range of the tawny colors on the tops and undersides. His beak opens, and he releases a distinctive cry that combines a lion’s roar and an avian predator’s shriek.

The sound is loud, and Zosia’s sensitive cat ears twitch cutely upon her human head. Her gaze is bold and direct as hersphinx communicates equal dominance to my griffin. Her reply is a pleasing roar fused with a rumbling purr. Zosia appears surprised by the sound, but my griffin is innately satisfied with his mate’s answering call.

Now that she is closer, my griffin lowers his head and nudges her flank before prancing in a tight circle around her smaller form. I roll my eyes inwardly as he rubs against her with wings and fur, coating his mate in his scent. In between strokes, his head bobs, his wings fold and unfold, and his tail swishes. His actions are completely his own as he completes what he considers a necessary courtship ritual despite already being mated. I’m so grateful no one can see us ….

Familiar laughter disturbs the thought. Zosia’s ghost is on the sidelines, doubled over with laughter and clutching his stomach as if he feels pain. Our mate ignores the ghost and endures the treatment with a mix of amusement and pleasure that must combine her animal and human aspects.

After my griffin has completed two full circles, he returns to his position in front of her. I can’t see his face, but I’m certain he perfects avian smugness. I rarely see my shifted reflection because my beast hates mirrors. I think he sees his image as a rival because he attacks and breaks any reflective surface that confronts him.

Without warning, my griffin releases another roaring screech. The shocked look on the ghost’s face is sufficient payback for his laughter. I think he might have pissed himself if he were alive.

Our mate responds with a rumbling growl as she pads forward and rests her cheek on my griffin’s feathered chest. “Mine,” she whispers.

Our wings enfold her. The gesture is more human than animal, but it feels natural. He breathes in her scent and revels in the mate-bond for several minutes before he deems himselfsatisfied. Taking a step back, I shift into human form before he develops more crazy urges.

My human skin always feels tight when I return to it, but I stretch while studying the sphinx still sitting in front of me. “Thank you for indulging us. He’s wanted to do that since he met you.”

Zosia smiles. “You don’t have to apologize, Garrett. The instincts are a part of you. My sphinx craved something similar, but I didn’t know how to translate the vague impulse to rub against you. I just attributed it to desire.” Her wings flutter in an animalistic shrug.

“And you,” she narrows her eyes at the ghost still hovering nearby.

“He laughed at me when I got stuck in my shirt,” Kodi protests like a petulant child.

I laugh again as his words refresh my memory. “That was hilarious,” I agree.

---