SkyFall (Taken on the Wing Book 2) (11 page)

“
I don
’
t understand,
”
Cloud says. Just because your sire doesn
’
t like your mate is no reason to cast a
child out.

Or kill them.

Cooper stands and takes a step toward her
then his hands drop and he reaches for his buckle. Cloud
’
s thick swallow hides not only discomfort
but interest. She
’
s seen plenty of naked
gryphons, nudity in the eyrie is quite normal, but she
’
s never seen a naked human. Then thoughts
of naked gryphons remind her of Soar. The jerk disappeared from her life and
turned up just in time to thrust her into this one.

Once the belt is free he opens the button
and pulls his shirt clear. What the hell is he doing? Showing her all the goods
before he asks her to mate with him?

The pants only drop a small amount and
Cooper pulls the shirt up revealing a rough white scar just below his navel.
The circle of tooth marks is a mating bite and Cloud can
’
t help but relax. The position of Dame is
already filled.

“
She passed many years ago,
”
Cooper says as he tucks his shirt in and
does his pants back up.
“
I guess I needed to show you
how deep my connection to her still is and how important my remaining family is
to me. Her mark reminds me every day that choosing her was the right thing to
do although the personal price I paid included her death.

“
Do you remember when I asked you about
the choice you made with the royal male at Master Sky
’
s?
”

“
Daniel,
”
an older woman interrupts, stepping
through the glass doors to join them. Her light summer dress and bare feet
reveal her skin and her age of probably six hundred gryphon years but she doesn
’
t exactly smell like a gryphon. Cloud
’
s speechless confusion allows for little
more than accepting a glass of white wine. She smells more human than gryphon.

“
This is Deirdre,
”
Cooper introduces.
“
She cares for my suite and is
kind enough to cook for me when I forget to look after myself. Cloud is Sire
Lev
’
s grand-daughter from Vancouver Island.
”

“
Dear Cloud,
”
Deirdre
sighs as she squishes her bottom in next to Cloud
’
s feet without putting any pressure on
the ice against her ankle.
“
It is a pleasure to meet you.
”

Deirdre cocks her head aside waiting for
Cloud to speak then laughs.

“
Ask your question, Cloud. I
’
m certain you
’
ve not seen the likes of me.
”

With a nervous glance at Cooper, Cloud
does.

“
What are you?
”

“
She is direct, Daniel, and very young.
Very pretty, too.
”

Cooper grunts as he sits back in his
chair, content to let Deirdre tell her story.

“
My gryphon parents conceived me in their
human form and I was found abandoned in the woods as a babe, clinging to life.
When I turned sixteen I ran away from my adopted human family. I would see
things in the sky, winged men and women, sometimes just standing there on the
street or in a park. We made a family trip here to Calgary and there were so
many of the winged creatures. I knew nobody else could see them so I came here
hoping for some sane answers. I asked the first one I found the same question
you just asked me.

“
When Daniel picked his wings up off the
ground we talked a long time and figured out what I am.

“
I am a gryphon, Cloud. I cannot shift and
have a human life span but I can see you and my home is here.
”

“
Wow,
”
Cloud exclaims.
“
There must be
—”

“
More
like me?
”

Cloud nods and Deirdre adjusts the ice
packs.

“
Several. Daniel has a sense for these
lost ones and finds a place for them with us.

“
I shall have your meal prepared shortly,
Daniel,
”
Deirdre stands and then leans
to Cooper to accept a kiss to her forehead.

“
As I said,
”
Cooper
speaks again.
“
I had a falling out with my
family over our differences and when I found Eve she was a proud warrior on a
very dangerous quest. At first it seemed I was just a diversion to her as I
could never be her match as a fighter but the more she explained her family
’
s struggles the more I came to understand
I was destined to help. We mated and parted ways and when I returned to my
family and told them of her I was exiled as was my twin who took my side
against my sire.

“
He felt Eve and her kin were good for no
more than service and certainly weren
’
t
good enough to mate with a common gryphon, much less a royal.
”

“
You
’
re royal?
”
Cloud
whispers.
“
She was common?
”

Cooper raises his eyebrows and tilts his
head to the side as if to say it doesn
’
t
matter.

“
After my exile I rebelled against
everything gryphon. I embraced the human world but found I had little to offer
so I did some research and hijacked an airplane. After it took off with me, my
ransom and the passengers I went to the back of the plane
—”

“
And
flew away!
”

“
Indeed,
”
Cooper laughs.
“
I thought the Washington State wind ripped my wings off but they held and I made it to the ground near Snohomish. Then I
went south through Mexico to South America where I changed the American
currency to gold. After a small vacation, I returned to Calgary and started
buying and selling houses, working my way up to ownership of this building and
several others.

“
The American authorities had their artist
draw a picture of what the witnesses said I looked like so I tracked him down
and commissioned the large picture you saw inside,
”
Cooper snorts.
“
They noticed I had the same name as the
hijacker but after they found no evidence I
’
d ever left Canada they took my interest
in the picture to be simply amusement at the similarity and let me be.
”

Cloud doesn
’
t understand half of what he said but she
likes the big picture on the wall. Pasting such a ridiculously huge image of
one
’
s self so prominently is a
very gryphon thing to do. She can appreciate something so pointlessly proud.

“
Here
you go,
”
Deirdre announces as she backs
through the curtains with a wide tray. It
’
s
laden with two covered plates and Deirdre places the whole thing on a nearby
table before presenting Cloud with seared salmon, wild rice and barely cooked
green beans.

“
Thank
you,
”
Cloud nods as Deirdre serves
Cooper and tops up his glass.

“
Did you save some for yourself?
”
Cooper asks.

“
I ate first,
”
Deirdre burps and Cloud starts to giggle.
Then she sobers at the sight of the storm clouds in the distance since they
aren
’
t so distant at all. In a few
short minutes they
’
ve come much closer and
beneath the contented sounds of their quiet eating she can make out the rumble
of thunder.

“
Is she safe here?
”
Cloud asks when she
’
s sure Deirdre must be occupied deep
inside Cooper
’
s suite.

“
Intuitive,
”
Cooper answers between
sips of wine.
“
No, she isn
’
t and I would not have allowed you to see
her if I didn
’
t feel her secret is safe with
you.
”

Yeah, Cloud feels his trust. In spite of
his changes of mood and inconsistent attitude toward her, Cooper
’
s trust has been solid since the day he
and Lawrence questioned her in her room.

“
Your mate,
”
Cloud asks as she tries
to understand him.
“
Was she a gryphon like
Deirdre?
”

Again the raised eyebrows. Cooper isn
’
t giving up anything.

“
Deirdre has an escape route and a safe
place to hide, should the need arise.
”

But he
’
s barely finished the sentence and Cloud
is barely finished her dinner when he gets to the point.

“
Tell me, Cloud, adopted granddaughter of
Sire Lev and adopted daughter of Dame Shadow and Master Talon. Tell me how you
stopped Lawrence from breaking your arm.
”

Cloud lowers her fork to her plate as her
appetite for the last mouthful of wild rice and tender onions disappears
.

“
You already know,
”
she says flatly.

“
I want to hear you say it.
”

She rinses her mouth with the last of the
wine before she speaks.

“
I am a royal gryphon.
”

“‘
scuse
me?
”
Cooper nearly chokes on what
Cloud thought to be the contents of an empty mouth.

“
I believe my dame was royal, Daniel,
because I have magic. I can control gryphons,
”
she
tries to explain to Cooper
’
s open mouth.
“
I shouldn
’
t have embarrassed Lawrence like that I
know but it just came out. He didn
’
t
want
to hurt me and it just came out.

“
And I know when I
’
m trusted. I feel you trust me and Lawrence does so please keep my secret. If I ever get back in to Sky
’
s program the last thing I want are
royals inviting me home to meet their Dame.
”

“
My word,
”
Cooper promises as he
gets himself together.
“
In exchange for your word to
keep Deirdre
’
s secret is a fair trade.
”

In spite of being a little more together
about Cloud
’
s admission he
’
s returned to being on edge. His relaxed
hands ball and the muscles at his temples work in time with what must be urgent
thoughts. Cooper puts his plate aside and approaches as his brow creases with
the effort it takes to uncurl his fingers.

“
Let
’
s look, hm?
”
Cooper
removes the ice and tenderly raises her ankle. Although the cold numbed it,
fresh pain lances up toward her knee as he works the joint, testing it as Lawrence had. It didn
’
t hurt then but Cloud was so
amped up from the fight she didn
’
t feel it or the wrist.

“
Owe!
”
Cloud slams her hands down for stability,
catching the fork handle in the process. Rice and onion launch up, bounce off her
cheek and stick in her hair. Cooper probes along the bone.

“
You may have a fracture,
”
he says.
“
But
I won
’
t tell Lawrence. We
’
ll let him believe your match ended in a
stalemate.
”

“
Okay,
”
Cloud wheezes in a lungful as he puts her
foot down and slides closer.