Page 12 of Destiny of the Dragons

“You think this is your familiar?”

The griffin looked at Cross and cawed. It sounded eerily human.

Cross frowned at her. “You couldn’t pay me what it was worth.”

“I couldn’t,” Mia agreed easily. “What blood magic do you wish for me to perform?”

“It’s a difficult spell.”

Mia didn’t say a word. She let her hand trail down the griffin’s back, reaching the place where feather met fur. The griffin sat back and made a throaty purring sound.

“It’s purring.” Cross shook his head. “It’s been giving me death threats since I brought it here. Dark dreams.”

Cross glared at the bird. Mia saw the monster inside him, the man ready and willing to kill animals for the joy of it. A man who had need of dark magic. “Once I wring its neck, those death omens will stop.”

“Will they?” Mia asked lightly.

The griffin looked at Cross at the same time, and Mia knew the griffin echoed a similar impression at Cross.

Raven griffins were psychics and harbingers of death. Some could project psychic awareness at a subject, something this griffin had obviously done to Cross.

“I’ve killed many creatures in this room.” Cross looked at the griffin with malevolence. “This one isn’t going to be any different.”

“That’s true.” Mia scritched the griffin’s head, where an ear would have been if it was a cat. “You haven’t had any creatures with this much of a psychic imprint, though.”

Mia pulled her hand out of the bars, and stepped away. “Enough to be a witch’s familiar?

“Waive your fees, and I’ll consider it.”

“You haven’t told me what spell you need yet. And that’s entirely out of the question. I am here as a scion of my Family. I cannot waive their fees for myself.”

“Not even for a familiar?” Cross eyed the griffin.

“No.” Mia’s heart dropped. “But if you’re willing to bargain after my Family business is complete, I’m willing to listen.”

Cross looked her over. It turned into a leer, and he spent a lot of time looking at her legs and then her chest.

Mia’s arms twitched, a sudden need for modesty twisting through her system.

Cross smirked at her. “What are you willing to do to make me consider it?”

Mia glared at him. “Nothing. Your self-preservation should kick in when you realize your griffin problem won’t go away after death.”

Cross took a few steps closer, smiling. He was trying to project the same swagger and arrogance that Jace had, but Cross couldn’t manage to hide his predatory nature. “Come now, Mia,” he purred. “You and I could make a great team.”

Mia didn’t step back, and kept her glare on Cross. “You are the client. I will provide you with the spell you require. That is the extent of our relationship.”

“Sure,” Cross said. He didn’t look disappointed, so she clearly hadn’t made her point well enough. His face dropped any hint of swagger. “I hope you’re ready to pay dearly. I had her lined up to go to a rare collector.”

“Mmm.” Mia calculated how much money she could come up with, but it wouldn’t be enough. She was on a tight allowance as it was. “I would also weigh that cost against the ability to sleep through the night without being haunted by a psychic raven griffin you killed and stuffed for profit.”

Maybe she could sell a kidney or something.

Cross gave her a look. “Fine. I require a Love’s Pain spell.”

Mia didn’t let her glare turn into shock. One minute he was trying to seduce her, and the next he asks for Love’s Pain spell.

Inwardly, she was screaming.

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