Page 94 of Griffin Undone
A female warrior stepped toward us as the others slowly backed away, dispersing throughout the room as if by silent command. All but Azrael and Sun. The female stopped mere feet from where Kat and I stood. Her gaze dismissed me, zeroing in on my mate with intelligence and compassion.
I felt my body go tighter than a drum.Here it comes.
“Kat, I’m Lyris,” the female said.
Although fine-boned and seemingly delicate, Lyris wore the same soldier’s uniform as the males, complete with combat boots and a heavy equipment belt in addition to a collection of prominently displayed knives. A warrior, no matter how feminine her curved body and unlined skin appeared. Straight blonde hair cut in a shaggy style fell to the female’s chin, streaks of silver highlighting the dark gold color and matching her steel-gray eyes. She looked a healthy forty by human standards, which meant she had lived far more years than my thousand. I easily passed for a man not a day over thirty.
This warrior exuded danger despite her sex, but at her nearness, some of the tension squeezing Kat’s muscles relaxed.
Lyris’s gaze was intense, her tone, when she spoke, blunt. “How long have you been bonded?”
“Two days. We… I…”
The sucked-in breaths around the room stopped Kat’s stammering. My animal paced restlessly, male and griffin waiting for the chance to take our mate far away from the threats and pain in this room. But that wasn’t going to happen, was it?
I hadn’t expected the despair that accompanied that knowledge.
Lyris’s head tilted slightly, and she stared deep into Kat’s eyes. “You are…a strange new discovery for our clan, for all the Archai races, not just because females are rare, but because you are perhaps the strongest psych to date, according to our Aomai.”
I felt the rise of Kat’s longing as Grim was mentioned. The two had shared a closeness throughout her healing, but though I knew Kat’s need was for friendship and not love, I couldn’t hold back a rumble of jealousy. I swore Lyris flicked me an assessing glance before returning to Kat.
“Your well-being is important to us, hence our anxiety over your situation.” The female advanced, ignoring the tensing of my body, until she could lay delicate fingers on Kat’s arm. Kat looked at the hand, at Lyris. I felt the telepathic surge as Lyris delved into Kat’s mind. “Is there a threat to you, Kat? Were you forced into the matebond?”
My animal roared at the accusation. I managed to tone it down to a sharp, “Back off, warrior.”
Lyris smiled up at me, unmoving. The smile didn’t reach her eyes.
Kat cleared her throat. “N-no, I wasn’t…” Licking over her dry lips, she tried again, voice faint and confused. “I don’t really understand what a matebond is. I thought…”
Lyris hummed, her power still churning the air. When she finally spoke, her voice had dropped as low as Kat’s, giving the three of us a small measure of privacy. “It is the connection you created with Arik—I know you understand which connection I’m referring to. You didn’t hesitate when I asked you how long ago it happened.”
“But… Arik—” Her eyelids squeezed shut.“You didn’t lie to me about this. You wouldn’t…”
But I had. I had, and now I was paying the price in front of the clansmen I’d hated for the majority of my life.
Lyris continued, seeming unaware of our exchange. “That connection is permanent. A matebond is both a psychic and physiological change. Once the neural pathways form, they allow what is essentially a deeper form of telepathy with one specific individual—and they cannot be closed. They can only atrophy from lack of use.” Lyris dropped her hand but continued to study Kat intently. “You may have another lover, even another husband, but with no one else will you be able to form the deep psychic bond you now have with Arik. Your mind will always seek his, even if he is gone. And yet your mate intends to give you away.” She seemed to weigh her next words. “Do you understand?”
I understood. But Kat would live. I’d known mates whose partner had died. They were happy, healthy. They were fine. She would be fine.
Kat didn’t respond.
When Lyris’s power arrowed into my mind without warning, I stiffened at the pain.“Do you have any idea the hell you’ve sentenced her to?”
“No, it’s not like that. She deserves to have a choice.”
“You took that choice away the moment you accepted her gift.”
I refused to believe that. She should have the right to choose the life she wanted. She would never do that if she believed she was stuck with me.
Kat opened her eyes. She didn’t look at me, choosing instead to fix Lyris with her stare. I felt the swell of telepathic communication and knew Lyris was guarding their words from me. Whatever Kat asked, an almost imperceptible nod answered it.
Sun moved closer. “A mate rarely abandons a bond, Kat. We had to know exactly what we were dealing with here. We had to know the truth. I’m sorry we upset you.”
Abandon.Damn the prince to hell. I wasn’t abandoning her; I was giving her a choice—for a life within a community, a family. The clan would take care of her, giving Kat something she’d never had, a place to belong. What did I have to give her? I might give up my revenge for her, I loved her enough to do that, to ensure her future, but I could never go back to the clan that had betrayed me. She deserved more than total isolation after the hell she’d been through in her short life.
Look at us now. She should be planning a future, not a war. What greater gift could I give her than her freedom?
“Are you saying I’m not going back with Arik tonight?”
