Page 40 of Curses & Keys
I point back and forth between him and me, silently telling him we’re in this together. He glares at me in return, but I refuse to leave without him. The gunfire continues for another minute, and his scowl gets darker and darker. He knows we have to leave. His gaze flicks to mine, and he gives me a curt nod.
I mimic walking up the stairs with my fingers, and he jerks his head. The gunfire ceases for a second, and he crawls to the bottom step, then points up. Staying out of sight, I slide over to him.
He mouths “roof,” and I nod and take the stairs halfway up. Once I’m in the middle, I turn and raise my guns to provide him with cover as he follows me. We continue to frog leap each other until we reach the door at the top.
Instead of reaching for the knob, he taps on the keypad next to the doorframe. The sound of metal gates closing surprises me. Gunfire erupts, but it’s the ding of bullets ricocheting off metal that carries up the stairs.
“This should trap them in the house for a few minutes.”
I wince. “I’m sorry. I can see how much you love this place.”
His eyes glow golden in the dark. “It’s a house. It can be rebuilt.” He punches in a code, and the door opens. “Go. I’m right behind you.”
A bullet hits the doorframe above his head. A ferocious expression crosses his face, and he swiftly turns and kills the shooter. He takes a step down, but I grab onto his arm.
“We’re both going, or we’re both staying,” I remind him, knowing he’s dying to take this battle to them.
Knowing they likely heard me, he swears and shoves me through the door, but he follows close behind and slams it shut.
Hands on his hips, he glares at me. “I was only going to send a message.”
Too busy scouring for the exit, I roll my eyes. “How the hell are we going to get off this roof? Is there a secret tunnel? A rope nearby?”
Bullets hit the door behind him, and I flinch, but he doesn’t turn around. “It’s bulletproof.” He looks up at the sky. “You’re a good flyer, right?”
My eyes dart from one corner of the large roof to the other. “I don’t see a helicopter. Or a hang glider. And I sure as hell don’t have wings.” Shouting comes from the ground below us. “We don’t have much time.”
“Good thing I’ve got wings,” he informs me with an arrogant smirk, handing me his phone. “It’s been a long time since I carried anyone else, but all you have to do is hang on and carry my phone. Can you do that?”
I stare at him and realize I never did figure out his animal. Dread fills me. “What kind of shifter are you?”
Broad shoulders straighten with pride. “Gryphon. Big one.” A bullet pings off the lip of the roof. “You ready?”
Fuck, fuck, fuck. I thought gryphons were extinct? Why didn’t I ask him sooner? “Wait.” I pace back and forth. “If I fall, promise me you’ll pick up my body.” Or what’s left of it.
I cringe. It’s not like I’ll die forever, but damn, falling would totally suck. The landing would be the worst part, but it would be over in an instant, right? Poof. Dead. While I’m contemplating the worst-case scenario, he begins changing.
Talons appear first, razor sharp with huge claws that could shred me in seconds. My eyes widen, then I look up and see golden eyes staring menacingly down at me. Mesmerized, I find myself staring back even as I internally scream at myself to look away. For the first time in ages, fear makes me freeze.
When his back half begins to change, I tear my gaze from his and watch him half shift into the paws and body of a lion. He finishes, and I study the point where his body changes from lionto eagle. It’s almost seamless. Brown feathers meet brown fur over a cluster of massive muscles.
“Am I supposed to climb up?” The tremor in my voice tells him how I feel about this idea.
A shrill sound emits from his beak, and he extends a wing toward me.
In three thousand years, I thought I’d seen and done it all. A hysterical laugh escapes as I flip the safeties on and shove the guns into my waistband. I guess not. Aware of the urgency, I grab onto the feathered appendage and crawl up to his neck, then straddle him. “I’m on.” My voice is barely a whisper.
Bullets pierce the air around me. Some of the shots go wide, making me wonder if they’re even aiming at us. Muffled sounds follow. His body shudders as it takes a few hits. He launches into the air like a rocket, high in the sky with me clinging to him in sheer terror. Pausing for a second, we peer down at the small army surrounding his house. There must be thirty men outside. Plus, however many inside.
They really want this fucking key.
He banks sharply, and I bury my face in his neck. The spicy scents of myrrh and juniper fill my senses, reminding me of the Middle East. Shifters have scents, but they vary based on their origin or the type of animal inside them. In human form, the juniper comes across but not the myrrh. Interesting.
Gripping his stiff feathers tightly, I wait until he levels off before I open them again and see all of London spread out below us.Shit!Supernaturals aren’t supposed to show themselves to humans. How are we going to hide this?
A few minutes later, he sets us down in a nearby park. Not one person looks over at us. Puzzled, I slide carefully down his wing and peer at their faces. They return my gaze, but every time one of them tries to look in his direction, their gazes skip and move on.
He silently changes form while I keep watch. As he finishes, he groans and falls to one knee.
