Charred Hope (#3, Heart of Fire) (6 page)

“Shit,” he muttered. “Griffins. Small ones, though. Not Dillon.”

“They can sense your girl like I can.”

“What the hell is she doing up here? I have to assume the cat is Mason.”

“No way he came up here voluntarily.”

Chace frowned and quickened his climb as much as he dared, uncertain what it meant that Mason and Skylar were stuck on a ledge at the top of a mountain. How did they get there and more importantly,
why
?

The griffins were circling the peak, unconcerned with the two humans scaling the cliff wall. The lion above gave out an occasional roar of warning, while Chace worked on moving faster.

When he was a couple of meters from the ledge, he glanced up and looked back.

The massive head of a black lioness was hanging over the edge, her shoulders hunkered and massive paws gripping the edge. Her piercing stare was a beautiful, familiar blue.

“Um, Gun?” Chace called. “Is this an issue?”

The lion’s ears flickered back then forward again, and she gave a throaty growl.

“Friendly,” Gunner said. “Cats don’t purr when they want to kick your ass.”

“You sure that’s a purr?”

“Yeah.”

The cat disappeared, and seconds later, he heard her roar again. One of the griffins had ventured close to the peak and flew away quickly at the lion’s warning.

Chace continued to climb, not convinced the lioness was welcoming them to the peak. He reached the top and pulled himself up.

A huge black claw swiped at him, snagging his backpack and yanking him onto the ledge. Before he could react, she’d pulled the backpack free and tossed it. The lioness pounced on it, leaving Chace alone.

What the hell?
He rose, unable to take his eyes off the beast.

He’d never seen any feline this size – even Mason. Bigger than a Clydesdale with a powerful, lean body, the lioness’s claws were longer than his fingers and her paws the size of his head.

“She’s hungry,” Mason said from behind him.

Chace turned.

Mason was smiling. He nodded towards the edge, and Chace glanced over to see Gunner’s hands appearing over it. He strode to his friend and offered his hand. Gunner took it, and Chace hauled him over the edge.

The lioness was trying unsuccessfully to open the backpack. She gripped it with her paws then tried to bite it open, only for the backpack to slide through her paws. With a frustrated yowl, she grabbed it with powerful jaws and flung it towards Mason.

“Is she uh … clumsy?” Gunner asked.

“Not clumsy.” Mason knelt beside the backpack. He unzipped it and grabbed a few protein bars. “She can take on the shape but has to learn the motor skills, like a cub.”

Chace watched, not realizing the silent feline had crept up to him until her hot breath was on the back of his neck. He went rigid, uncertain what to think of the massive cat.

She nudged him, the simple move enough to push him a few steps.

“Remember what I told you? Gently,” Mason warned. “No claws.”

“Why is she staring at me?” Chace asked, not wanting to imagine what those claws would do to him. He’d spent enough time almost dying on the beach to know he didn’t want anything to do with being shredded by a she-cat.

The lioness pawed the air between them with a growl.

“You can try it,” Mason answered the question only he understood. “Gently.”

One moment Chace was on his feet facing the great beast. The next, she’d wrapped her front two legs around him and threw him to the ground then sat on him.

Stunned, he wasn’t able to move beneath the weight of the lion.

With a playful nip in the air, she planted her paws on either side of his head and licked him from neck to the top of his forehead.

“Omigod!” he said with a grunt, grimacing at the feel of her rough tongue. “This is so gross!”

“Aww, she likes you!” Gunner said.

“Here, Sky.” Mason called. “Food.”

The lioness launched off him and trotted to Mason, who dangled the protein bars he’d unwrapped in the space in front of him.

“Did you say Sky?” Chace demanded, sitting. He wiped the spit off his face.

Mason tossed protein bars into the air. Chace watched the lioness leap a good five meters into the air to catch them.

“In related news, we figured out what her power is as a Protector,” Mason said. “She can use the magic of the nearest shifter to change into something big enough to kick that shifter’s ass.”

Chace stared at him, digesting the words slowly. He looked again at the lioness, and he suddenly understood why her blue eyes were so familiar. Exchanging a look with Gunner, he approached the great cat.

“Sky?” he asked doubtfully.

She faced him, ears flickering back and forth.

“We’ve been up here since last night,” Mason said with a sigh. He dug out the canteen from Chace’s backpack. “I think she got tired of shifting. We were practicing but didn’t expect to get stuck here or for
them
to show up.” He motioned to the sky.

Skylar’s ears flattened back, and she bared her teeth at the griffins.

“Or maybe she’s living up to her role and protecting you,” Chace suggested. “So you’re saying she can shift into anything?”

“We think so.”

“If I’m here, can she turn into a panther?” Gunner asked.

Skylar’s attention rested on them again. She looked curiously at Gunner then closed her eyes.

“I can’t believe it’s her,” Chace said in a hushed voice. “Are you sure?”

“Definitely,” Mason replied.

“How’d you get up here?”

Mason’s features became shuttered. He didn’t respond.

Damn cats.

Skylar growled.
Chace stepped away from her, recognizing the tremor of magic in the air that indicated she was getting ready to shift. She stretched out on her belly. Her body began to change and the skin beneath her fur ripple. Her thick fur turned from black to brown to tawny while her head grew narrower and her nose elongated. Her size shrank and her body grew lankier, leaner, until she resembled a large panther rather than a lion.

When finished, she let out a long, pain-filled grumble then lay still for a moment.

“Holy shit,” Chace murmured, kneeling beside her. He rested a hand on her head. “You really are a shifter queen.” A smile spread across his face, and he petted her ears then trailed his fingers down her long snout.

She was gazing at him steadily. Her tail flickered, and she twisted.

“No, Sky,” Mason said.

“What’s wrong?” Chace asked, confused.

Skylar sat then stood and began chasing her tail.

“I remember that,” Gunner said with a loud laugh. “When you first learn to shift, your tail really just … drives you crazy. It has a mind of its own.”

Chace watched Skylar chase her tail in circles for a moment. Abruptly, she leapt into the air, surpassing Gunner’s ten-foot vertical, a large paw with claws extended.

She tagged a griffin’s wing. It gave squawk of pain before staggering away into the sky. Feathers floated to the ground, and she sat, tail flickering behind her as she glared up at the two circling griffins.

“Can you change into something that can fly?” Gunner asked Skylar.

She leveled a look at Chace.

“Don’t look at me,” he half-joked. “I got nothing. Can you shift into a human?”

Skylar hunkered down to the ground. Her growl turned softer, and she closed her eyes once again.

“Clothes.” Mason tossed a folded set to Chace then turned around.

Chace set them down beside her. He almost didn’t turn away, wanting to see every inch of her gorgeous golden skin, then decided not to mess with a panther. He turned away as well, listening to the sounds of her body breaking a part to reform itself. A thrill went through him at the idea she was one of them, along with the sense of amazement that she could shift into
anything.
If Mason were right about her turning into a bigger version of any shifter, how large of a dragon would she become around him?

If I could get my magic back.
He clenched his teeth together, once again plagued by the doubt he’d felt the past few days.
What if it never returns?

The sounds of a shifter changing shape ceased, and he heard the brush of clothing against skin as Skylar got dressed. It took every ounce of his will power not to turn around, knowing her naked skin was so close to him.

“More griffins,” Mason said, eyes on the sky.

“I almost got one,” Sky said. “I need more protein bars.”

Chace faced her to find her gazing up at him. She looked exhausted from shifting, but her blue eyes shone brightly.

“Hey,” she murmured.

“Hey.” He resisted the urge to take her into his arms, to feel her skin and know she was safe and well.

“I couldn’t feel your magic,” she said, disappointed. “The cabin came back without it?”

“Looks that way.”

She was studying him. He felt a familiar jolt of desire stir his blood. He was almost close enough to smell her peachy shampoo.

Skylar caught the bars Mason tossed her.

“So … after all the complaining you’ve done about shifters …” Chace started, unable to contain his amusement.

“Our roles are reversed,” she snapped.

“Ouch.”

“Not to interrupt, but do you feel ready to shift again, Sky?” Mason asked. “We’ve got incoming.”

She rubbed her face with one hand, clearly tired.

“You gonna tell us how you got up here?” Chace asked her.

Her gaze shot up, and she narrowed her eyes. He didn’t understand the sudden flare of anger that crossed his features.

“If I push you off the cliff, will you be able to fly?” she asked, folding her arms across her chest. She walked away from him to snatch the canteen from his backpack.

“What’s going on?” Chace demanded.

“What’s going on is that we need a way down from here,” Mason said. “Quickly. I’m open to ideas.”

“If we grab a griffin, maybe I can shift into one?” Skylar asked. “I couldn’t quite feel them.”

“You mean steal their magic?” Gunner asked.

“You felt it?” she asked curiously.

“Yeah.”

Chace couldn’t take his eyes off her. There were moments over the past few days where he hadn’t thought he’d ever see her again. Now that she was before him, he wasn’t entirely certain whether he was happy or frustrated.

“If you need a break, we can take over bird control,” Gunner offered. “You up for it, Mason?”

“Yeah.” Mason wolfed down a protein bar.

He and Gunner moved away to shift while Chace turned his gaze overhead. The two griffins had been joined by three more, all much smaller than Dillon.

But it was just a matter of time before their leader sought them out.

Skylar joined him, eating her bars quickly and quietly. She tucked the last wrapper in her pocket. Too aware of everything she did, of her body heat and scent, Chace struggled not to break the plane between them. He still didn’t know where they stood, especially after their interaction when her father was killed.

“I can’t feel your magic, Chace,” she murmured, breaking the awkward silence between them. “But … it’s there, isn’t it? You healed me, and the cabin came back to life.”

“It’s somewhere,” he agreed.

By her long look, she was thinking. Hard. He wasn’t able to read her.

“How’s it feel to be one of us?” he asked.

“Shifting hurts.”

“You get used to it.”

Still the look.

Chace wasn’t able to interpret it. Unable to stand so close without touching her, he took her cool hand.

Her expression softened, and she glanced down at their clasped hands.

“I keep thinking I don’t know why my mother wasn’t able to shift and protect herself,” she said.

 He wasn’t certain what to say, so he kept quiet.

“I wonder if her magic was trapped like yours,” she added. “Because it’s in you, isn’t it?”

“Every once in a while I feel it,” he said.

“When you’re with me?”

“Usually when you’re in danger. Like with Dillon, or when I healed you.”

“Except for Gavin.” Her hushed tone and averted gaze made him realize how much she was hurting.

“That I can’t explain, except maybe because he was there, the magic figured he’d save you.” He squeezed her hand.

“Interesting. So maybe, if I’m in danger and only you can save me …”

“I don’t know,” he said. “You know how moody dragons and their magic can be. I’m working on myself, but I can’t begin to guess how much I have to make up for.”

She was studying him again. “You’ve changed a little, haven’t you?”

“A lot, I’d say.” He smiled. “Still wanna drag you off and fuck you.”

Red crept up her neck and face.

“Or … maybe that was too much, too fast.”

“No, it’s okay,” she murmured.

The roar of Mason made them both turn. He’d succeeded in dragging one griffin out of the air. As they watched, he tore out its throat then tossed the carcass over the ledge. There were six more griffins in the sky, and two of them were huge.

“If they start working together to corner our cats, we won’t last long,” Chace observed. He went to the ledge and peered over. Skylar kept a hold of his hand and moved with him. “There’s no fast way down that would save us from getting killed if we tried.”

“We don’t have much time to figure this out.”

“Shit,” he muttered. There were twice as many in the skies, and they’d started to coordinate their attacks on the great cats. “Sky, get down!” He pushed her to the ground and covered her with his body.

A griffin slashed his back. Chace grated his teeth together, aware of the warm body beneath his.

The creature flew off, and Chace rolled.

Another was diving for them.

He yanked Skylar up and towards the rocky peak at one end of the ledge. Ducking between the boulders and rock wall, they barely escaped the long talons of the griffin pursuing them. It swept up and away.

“I think we have a problem,” he said, eyeing the other griffins.

“We could really use a dragon right about now,” Skylar said in frustration.

“I know, Sky.” Her words stung more than he wanted her to know. “If I knew how to make it work …” He shook his head.