Page 2 of Bane of the Wild Hunt

But the Griffin King still felt like a pillar of strength to me that stood firm against the shrill peal of the warning bells that had begun tolling in the distance. Against Orion who shouted at us through the thicket to keep moving.

Riordan ignored hisskiá, his closest friend with whom he had forged the traditional bond between griffin males, and swept a hand up my back. Kissing my head again.

“I am sorry, Amira,” he murmured into my hair.

“Noneof this was your fault,” I insisted as I pressed my head against his chest harder and closed my eyes to soak up his proximity. “It wasn’t your fault Jade cursed you to try and takeyour power. It wasn’t your fault they shot you with spears that blocked your magic or that the Unseelie invaded as soon as you got home!”

Riordan was quiet for a moment, and I could tell that he did not agree with me. He still felt responsible for my friend being taken. He was a warrior, ageneralbefore Jade killed his elder brother, and now he had become the new king. I knew the need for Nell to sacrifice herself for him was yet another reason among so many that made him loathe his new duties. He hated to be constrained because of his importance to his kingdom.

“The clearing where Ares will be waiting is straight ahead of us,” persisted Orion in exasperation. I did not look up, but I could hear the other griffin shifter walking away from us through the forest.

Riordan took the opportunity to pull me even closer, dropping his head into the crook of my neck as he squeezed me tight. And it felt so good.

“I do not yet know what the Autumn Prince intends to do with the fey he is capturing, Amira, but I swear to do everything in my power to bring her back to you.”

My eyes stung, and I squeezed them to hold back the tears dampening my eyelashes.

“If she is still alive.”

Riordan grunted softly, sounding almost as if he were somehow amused in spite of the gravity of my words.

“I have not known your friend very long, but I got the impression she is resilient and stubborn. Especially when it comes to protecting you. So we must honour her by having faith. She is alive, andwewillget her back.”

He was right. Ornella was nothing if not resilient and stubborn. And the Autumn Prince was not killing the Vale fey but abducting them. Which meant he had a purpose for my friend, and she would certainly exploit that.

I wanted to tell Riordan what she’d told me about the Tithriall before she left, to see what he thought of it, but I suspected it was something better discussed in private once we were safe. Among many other things.

“I hope you are right,” I said instead, just before Orion returned to us through the forest. He came to stand so close that I almost turned my head toward him but forced myself not to. I doubted his aversion to me had lessened in the last hour, and I didn’t think I could bear it while my heart was aching for my friend. She’d said she thought he must have been in love with Riordan, and I could not deny his behaviour seemed to support that suspicion.

Orion asked Riordan a question, his voice sounding clipped even whilst he spoke their language. I was fairly sure Riordan had called it Aeolian, and it had to be some dialect of Ancient Greek.

What I did know for sure was that the other griffin was intentionally excluding me by using a language he already knew I could not speak.

“My magic is still healing,” Riordan replied in Gaelic, my native language, so I could understand them. And I swore I could almost feel Orion’s frustration emanating from where he stood at my back.

“Ares is waiting,” Orion responded, grudgingly using Gaelic as well, and then I heard him stalk away again.

I would have to learn to speak Aeolian. Orion would not be the last griffin to use my ignorance against me.

Riordan gave a soft sigh and then kissed the top of my head, gently rousing me, and I grudgingly leaned away to look up at the gorgeous griffin shifter.

His dark, shoulder-length hair had been combed back and to the right with his fingers, but the loose waves fell into his eyes as he tilted his head toward me. It made me want to run my handsthrough it. He had a full beard but kept it trimmed close to his strong jaw, and his nose had been broken so there was a scar in the middle. His olive skin was still pale, and his golden eyes were dulled with exhaustion from having his magic ripped away, but he still smiled at me.

The blood magic in those bolts had taken a horrible toll on him, and he had not breathed a word of it. Now he was about to face a court that loathed him and a kingdom on the verge of war that needed him desperately.

But hestilltook a moment to ensure I was alright.

And I couldn’t help relishing each of the loving kisses he pressed against my forehead and cheeks. Perhaps it made me a selfish bitch to want him all to myself when he was needed by so many, but I couldn’t muster an ounce of remorse or shame. The gods knew that I didn’t deserve this beautiful, sweet man, but I just didn’t care anymore. Whether the Tithriall itself meant for us to come together romantically or not didn’t matter when he made me feel like this.Safe.Cherished.Powerful.

“We should go before Orion has to come back again and scold us,” I murmured, working hard to try and infuse my voice with humour.

Riordan grunted softly in agreement, his full mouth curving with amusement, but his eyes traced my face in reluctance. I could tell that there were so many things he wished to say to me, but there was no time now to discuss my unexpected ability to use his magic, Nell’s sacrifice, or Orion’s poor attempts to conceal his jealousy.

So I reached up to touch his face with the same gentle tenderness with which he had touched me.

“I am with you, Riordan,” I reassured him, and I could tell that my words meant a great deal when the tension melted from between his brows.

“There is so much for us to discuss—”

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