Page 15 of Griffen's Mate

He patted Grayson’s back. “I’m sure it will work out. We’ll even make sure Remy is there for support when we talk to her.”

Grayson chuckled, but it was a hollow sound. “Yeah, Nara adores her sister, and Remy won’t let the elders intimidate Nara. It’s time though.”

It sounded like there was a lot to discuss and figure out. Griffen turned to his recruits and marched them to their next lesson.

* * * *

“I…I probably shouldn’t have sat you down like this and said that we needed to talk. I know you’re uncomfortable with showing what you are, but…” Griffen trailed off as her eyes flashed from the gold they stayed in at home to the brown, her shimmery skin changed colors, stopping on his skin tone, and her whole body stilled.

Griffen paced back and forth as she showed how wrong he’d been starting the conversation the way he had and scaring her. His body heated, and he wiped his sweaty hands on his pants and started over.

“You’re special. I’m getting used to how different you are, and I like everything I’m learning. You’re unique. The most easy-going person I know.” He went and sat down next to her, reaching for her hands and cradling them within his own. “I’m going to suggest something, and I want you to think about it. If you really don’t want to do it, I promise I won’t mention it again. You won’t have to talk about it.”

He paused and waited for some indication he could continue. Her shoulders sagged, and she gave the barest nod of her head.

“I...no, we need your help to train the military men. They have no idea what they’re up against until they come face to face with a demon. We need to show them something...um, I mean, a being that they don’t know and won’t expect.”

She sat quiet for a moment, and he squeezed her hands in his. “Shifters are other beings.”

He nodded, because as he’d learned, she was right. “Yeah, but thanks to books and movies, humans are kind of immune to shifters. Sure, when we showed them our different forms they had the right reactions—some scared, some shocked, others weren’t surprised, more curious. But they didn’t seem scared enough when we showed them images of demons. We have fought them, and they fight back and say all the cocky things and think they can win and fight until they’re exhausted, but I need them to see something they haven’t seen. Something that would shock them. Something like you that can hide even from us shifters.”

Griffen captured her gaze and brought her hands up and kissed her knuckles.

“You are amazing. I know you can hide from us, you did it when you went and gave Faith the gift. But I haven’t seen you fight us. I know you could, and I bet if the demons had more like you, we’d be losing.”

She blinked, her eyes changing from the brown back to the gold, to blue, to green. She shrank back from him and frantically shook her head.

“No. No, no, no. I can’t do that. The Enewus, we lost our war because we aren’t fighters. We are one with nature. No. I know the demons don’t have more of my kind. I am the last one. They all died or took their own life so the demons couldn’t get them. I should have taken my life too, but the first time I saw you, I had hope.” She backed up on the sofa, her head still shaking, and her whole body trembled. “The only hunting the Enewu did was for food, and even then, we only killed what we needed and shared what we had to spare with others. I understand things are done differently here. I know that you need help. I have seen you fight, and if you want me to, I will show them how I can hide, but I am not a fighter.”

“Fuck. Fuck,” he groaned, drawing out both words.

He wondered how he was supposed to proceed? He had thought once she settled in she would start training like all the other women. Holy crap, she was the last of her kind. She had considered killing herself too, but saw him in a vision. Fuck. This was all so fucked up.

He had no idea how she could smile, laugh, and do what she did when she saw and knew she was the last of her kind. He’d known the demons took over her world, but he thought some might have escaped. It truly set in just how dire the demon situation was. His mate was the sole survivor of her world. He couldn’t ever let the demons get their filthy hands on Hope again. He couldn’t let anything happen to her. He thought she was special before, but now he knew she was truly one of a kind. No one in the whole universe had a mate like his.

He crept closer to Hope and gathered her in his embrace. “I promise I will protect you. I know you said that your people were peace-loving beings, but I…” He pounded on his chest to make sure she got the point of what he was going to say. “I need you to learn how to fight. To defend yourself. I need to know you can protect yourself if necessary.” He cupped her cheek and stroked it with his thumb. “I know you don’t want to fight, and I hope that you will never have to use what I teach you, but I want—no, I need for you to learn how. You are too important to me and my family.”

She didn’t say anything for a while, but after a moment her skin went back to the shimmery clear color and her eyes went gold. “I will learn…” Her gaze searched his face, and he didn’t know what she was looking for, but she must have found it, because she nodded. “If you teach me to protect myself, I will learn. I will do anything you ask.”

Holding her close to him, Griffen stroked her back and prayed to any gods who might be listening that she wouldn’t have to use what he would teach her.

“I will show the military men too,” she said on a long, drawn-out sigh.

Pulling her back so he could face her, he continued to stroke her cheek and then leaned in and brushed his lips over hers, once, twice, and a third time before he rested his forehead against hers. “Thank you. I really appreciate that.”

* * * *

Griffen gazed around the forest for the hundredth time. He couldn’t locate Hope anywhere. She was amazing. He’d taken her deep into the forest and told her to hide so he couldn’t find her. He was going to test her skills and see if—with knowing what to look for—he could find her.

He took a deep breath and tried to search for her using his sense of scent. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on the woods around him. He could smell a faint scent of what his home smelt like, but it didn’t smell like it was coming from one direction more than any other. Usually if he was tracking something, the smell would be closer if he went in a certain direction to whatever was hiding. He always had a direction at least—north, south, or just a little more left—but right now, he couldn’t smell Hope.

Switching to a different tactic, he focused on his hearing. He listened for the rustling of leaves, the heavy beating of a heart, the absence of animal noises, anything that could tip him off to where Hope was. He took a couple of steps left and heard not a thing out of place, saw nothing that looked like it didn’t belong, and smelt all the things he would if he was alone.

Opening his eyes, he gazed around one last time, seeing no sign of Hope. “Holy crap, Hope, you’re amazing. Make yourself visible. I’d love to see where you are.”

He spun in a circle until he saw blonde hair waving in the breeze and a skin color the same as his poke out of branches up in a tree, only a few trees away on his right. Mesmerized, he went to Hope and stared up at her in wonder.

“Can I watch you disappear? See how it’s done and find out if I can see you now that I know you’re there.”

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