Page 42 of Griffin Undone
“I’ll take care of it.”
“Good. Let’s talk about how.”
ChapterEighteen
Sun
The street reverberated with the noise of a thousand humans looking for a good time. I leaned against the rooftop railing of the building across the street from the meeting location, a “rockin’” club Cale’s contact had recommended, and wondered when in hell I’d ever been young enough—or stupid enough—to enjoy this kind of chaos. Oh yeah,never.Beside me, Cale tapped his thigh to the rhythm of the heavy-metal music pouring out the door of the club, but all I could see and hear was the logistical nightmare of keeping attention off our conspicuous selves during this meet and greet. Was it simply growing up after our migration to the New World and relative peace that had allowed Cale the ability to relax, to enjoy life without the constant fear of keeping those around him safe? Or had I simply been predestined to always carry the weight of the proverbial world on my cynical shoulders?
Probably the latter. Being the heir to the ruler of the world’s biggest—and most powerful—secret didn’t come with a lot of downtime. The only creature I’d ever dared to drop that weight with had been Arik.
Not that Cale was reckless. Young, yes, restless, definitely, but not irresponsible. He was an even better warrior than he was a lady’s man: damn good. And if this lead panned out, him being a playboy would be an asset instead of an irritant for once.
“We need this contact,” I remarked, more for my own sake than because Cale needed the reminder. Our patrols the last couple of days had turned up zip when it came to Arik or the Anigma. I couldn’t decide if that meant one or both had left town, or if the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that denied that possibility was as accurate as I feared.
No, something was coming. Something big, I was sure of it. And we needed intel fast.
“And we’ll get it, Prince,” Cale said. The use of my title told me more than anything else that Cale took this seriously. “Risk is the real deal. Even without the time I’ve spent with her, the street cred she’s earned doesn’t lie. She’s the hacker we need.”
I certainly hoped so. “Tell me again.”
“She’s a damn good lay.”
Cale never could be serious for long. I shot the warrior a quelling glance, but he simply laughed, careful to keep it quiet.
His next words were at least on point. “Word on the street is she’s inhumanly fast and intuitive; she can find anything you’re looking for, faster than you could ever hope to imagine. She delivered the test feed we asked for quickly and quietly, without a hitch.”
Inhumanly? “Any sign she’s not as human as she seems?” Chancing this mission on a possible Anigma sympathizer was not part of the plan.
“No way, Prince. I know her”—he raised his eyebrows suggestively over his usual cocky grin—“intimately. No way is she anything but human, right down to her D-cup boo—”
I cut the description off with a slash of my hand, wishing I could wash my eyeballs of the equally disturbing image of Cale’s hands coming up to cup imaginary breasts. The male’s laugh, low but rolling, said he enjoyed my disgust. I shot him a bird, but was forced to turn my head away to hide the smile I couldn’t quite keep in.
The street continued to stay clear of any unusual threats. At the agreed-upon time, we crossed the street to the line waiting to enter the club. Finding a back way in would’ve been simple, but not knowing exactly what we were dealing with, I preferred to blend as much as possible. The proximity of so many unknowns walking past, brushing against me, clustering around ruffled my phoenix’s feathers and heightened the determination to get in and out as quickly as we could.
The danger was worth it if we managed to secure Risk’s services—the Archai needed an asset like her in the coming fight. One of my people’s faults, I was beginning to recognize, was our insular nature. We had ignored the technological advances of humans, thinking ourselves superior, thinking the species that populated this planet with us was beneath our notice except as workers and blood sources. Not until “younger” Archai like Cale and Thomas had come along had I recognized the deficiency. We needed Risk now for the information she could provide on Anigma movement, but I hoped to entice her to stay on and train us in necessary skills so that, someday, we could provide our own intel, be reliant on ourselves without our ignorance to hog-tie us.
Inside the club, the cigarette smoke and fine mist from a fog machine somewhere near the blaring stage fought to blind me, but the senses of my phoenix flared out, my animal’s cry of displeasure keening in my mind at what he found.
Me too, brother. We just need to find our target and then we can get out of here.
My phoenix stilled deep in my chest. Sensing my animal’s sudden focus, I turned my head only, body motionless, toward a dark corner of the room. What I saw there hit me like an arrow to the heart.
The human was beautiful. Even at this distance, I could clearly see the way her thick blonde hair shifted around bare shoulders that rivaled the purest cream. I followed the sight of that naked skin down to a tight corset, an equally tight skirt. When I reached the floor, I reversed the journey, needing to see every inch—and there was plenty to see. This female knew what she had, and she wasn’t afraid to share it.
She was also definitely not my type, no matter what my body and my animal were screaming. Thin, garishly red and blue locks striped the luxurious mass of hair, a match to the delicate metal circles looped around one femininely flared nostril. Tattoos dotted her warrior’s body, outlining the muscles that screameddon’t mess with me. Only the parts of her that were covered showed the soft femininity I enjoyed, poured into clothes that left nothing to the imagination, including the hardening tips of her rounded breasts. She stood, silent, alluring, letting me look my fill, her deep blue eyes fixed on me where I stood in the shadows opposite her.
“There she is,” Cale said.
I turned, but when I followed Cale’s gaze, it led me right back to the female in the corner. The female I’d been ogling. The female my cock strained against my fatigues for—that Cale had been fucking for months.
Shit.
Stunned, I allowed Cale the lead as we rounded the dance floor to meet Risk.
“Cale.”
The summons reached our ears when we were still a few feet away. Not with a girlish squeal or siren’s seductive lure; Risk’s voice was feminine but rough, as if the speaker had smoked heavily for years, ravaging her vocal cords. I grimaced at the image and stopped a couple of feet behind Cale, who went immediately to the female and dragged her into his body. I watched as Cale’s hands pushed roughly over the female’s hips and his head bent to nip the base of her neck. Over the male’s shoulder, Risk met my eyes once more. The depths of her navy gaze held mysteries, secrets, not the least of which was why her body yielded to Cale’s aggression while her expression remained empty of emotion, including passion.
