SkyFall (Taken on the Wing Book 2) (19 page)

“
Soar?
”

A single snap of his fingers is followed
by him giving her the hand; a palm pointed right at her face.

Cloud takes back any thought she had
about his brief outburst of sensitivity when he spoke to Talon. She shifts her
position, gets to her knees and gives him the growl that made Lawrence think
twice.

What the hell was that?

Whatever just came from Cloud sent Soar
’
s testicles somewhere up around his
kidneys. He ignores the burn of hot coffee as it coats the niche between his
thumb and first finger and the mug rattles against the counter as he sets it
down. The vibration of broken glass on the roof ceases and trails into a small
cascade of the shattered glass falling to the ground outside.

Can
’
t
a gryphon get a break? Even a sip of coffee between ass-reamings because that
’
s what he just wrapped up with Talon and
exactly what
’
s coming from Cloud.

Soar chews his lip as he turns to face
her and takes a step back. Her eyes have shifted to complete blackness and she
menaces him with her teeth.

“
You will not do that again,
”
Soar says.
“
Sit
down and close your mouth, gryphon.
”

Not little gryphon either. She is way out
of line. He
’
s the damn guard master and
she
’
s the disgraced trainee.

To his astonishment, she does, sticking
her bandaged ankle before her. Troubling, however, is the disobedient scowl
remaining on her lips and not so much for the insubordination it represents.
Soar tugs the front of his shirt down to hide the stirring of arousal their
bickering causes. It shouldn
’
t be happening to him but it
is, verbal foreplay leading up to the hunt and each aggressively dominating the
other and submitting before...

“
Dame Shadow heard you were expelled and
she assumed you would come home,
”
Soar says.
“
Which you obviously didn
’
t. She took off with half her guard for Memphis to find out who framed you because she doesn
’
t
believe a word of it.
”

“
But
—”

“
I said silence,
”
Soar instructs and puts his coffee under
his nose to mask the sweet scent of her season.
“
She
has a six hour head start on Talon who has taken the remainder of her guard and
several of Sire Lev
’
s to catch her.
”

“
But
—”

“
I know. He won
’
t talk her out of it.
”

“
She can
’
t,
”
Cloud
moans.

“
I know,
”
Soar
agrees but Cloud is on her knees again.

“
I mean she
can
’
t
,
”
Cloud shouts.

“
I know,
”
Soar
raises his voice. God, does he know.

“
Because she
’
s
—”

“
I
know.
”

“
Pregnant.
”

Soar lets her outburst sit. He can only
imagine Talon
’
s anxiety. The flight to Memphis is far too long for her to make without risking the children but he knows Talon.
If he can
’
t stop her then he
’
ll carry her, ten times that far if he
has to.

“
Immobilize my shoulder so I can shift,
”
Cloud insists.
“
I
’
ll stop her.
”

Soar drops to the bed.
“
No,
little gryphon.
”

“
Please?
”

“
No. We both know you
’
re not able to fly anywhere no matter
what I do.
”

“
I
can,
”
she whines but the trembling
from the night before starts again and Soar takes her good hand to still it.
Cloud clenches her fist but it doesn
’
t
help so Soar presses it to his lips.

“
Even if you could, we aren
’
t stepping outside. There are at least
two members of the Council
’
s Will circling above the city
and not a single gryphon in sight.
”

“
The Will,
”
Cloud
gasps. Soar helps her back into her corner and brings her plate.

“
If they
’
re here then something serious is going
on. Since you were one of the last gryphons with Cooper last night it
’
s best we get
hundreds of miles away from here as
quietly as possible.
”

Cloud drops her chin in defeat.

“
Talon will find her and the guard with
her is likely carrying her. I can guarantee she won
’
t fly a single kilometre on her own,
okay?
”

With a sniffle, Cloud spears a sausage in
the middle. She doesn
’
t even try for the knife. It
’
s either bad manners or her left wrist is
too sore.

“
Any idea why the Will is here?
”
Soar
asks.
“
That was your mission after
all.
”

“
Nope.
”

Great.

“
He wouldn
’
t hurt us, Soar. I
’
m certain of it. Whatever he has going on
with the Council... I
’
m not sure he has any control
over it.
”

Soar grunts as he takes his breakfast. His
appetite hasn
’
t broken through the reserve
hangover but he
’
s certain if he gets hungry he
’
ll be unnecessarily susceptible to an
arousing argument with her.

“
Why?
”
Is the only thing he can
think to ask.

“
He figured out who I am and where I
’
m from right away. All of it. You
’
d think if he had a hate on for Welch Peak or Shadow
’
s eyrie then he and Lawrence wouldn
’
t have spent the last week
running off males and treating me like their own offspring.
”

He risks a glance at her but she
’
s too absorbed in her meal to notice.

“
He has children you know.
”

“
I didn
’
t,
”
Soar
’
s knife ratchets across his plate sending
a fried egg over the edge and onto the blanket. That
’
s one hell of a surprise. Not much is
known about Cooper. Even his home eyrie isn
’
t much discussed and nobody knows the
reason he abandoned it. Some figure ambition and the strange loner was
unwilling to wait for the passing of his parents or openly wish for the passing
of his sibling, the rightful heir, who disappeared about the same time Cooper
left Jasper. Any other rumours were more wild speculation for the personal gain
of the one telling the tale and most of the stories he heard came from Rabbit.

Yes, the asshole had drugged him, but his
penchant for booze meant he spent lots of time in bars collecting useful
gossip.

“
He was exiled from his home over his
choice of female, can you imagine?
”

“
No,
”
but it sounds more like choking. That
’
s the last reason Soar expected.

“
Mm, he took her knowing he would never
see his family again.
”

She looks guilty. The set of her mouth
matches her down-turned eyes. Lord, maybe the time she spent with Cooper was
too long given that she feels she
’
s betraying his personal life.

“
Did he tell you which eyrie he
’
s from?
”

“
Does it matter?
”

“
Yes, maybe it will help you figure out
how he ties into the Council. Could be a detail you think isn
’
t important?
”

Soar takes her empty plate and passes her
the mug of hot water. It
’
s cooled some so he tries his
coffee.

“
Does he look like anyone you know?
”

“
Other than the massive self portrait in his
suite? No.
”

“
Seriously?
”
Soar
laughs. Arrogant bugger. For a moment Soar likes the prick but only for a
moment. The blank look staring at him over the mug says she doesn
’
t understand what he
’
s getting at.

“
You know Aledaar is the head of the
Council, right? And Sire Sher of Jasper is his son.
”

“
Yes,
”
she shrugs then she shudders. At least
the trembling has stopped.
“
So Torrent is Aledaar
’
s grand-son, big deal.
”

Torrent was never punished for nearly
killing Talon
’
s sister and bringing Cloud to
the brink of death. Not to mention how he snatched Shadow, twice, and if the
rumours were true an alliance between Torrent and Cooper caused the raids on
Lev
’
s eyrie and Welch Peak. That is if you asked Lev.

Now Cloud says he was exiled. Such a
split wouldn
’
t put Cooper in league with
his younger brother and means Soar can only guess what ties Cooper to the
Council.

“
Cloud,
”
Soar tries as gently as he can.
“
Cooper is the firstborn son of Sire Sher
and Dame Arden. He is Torrent's older sibling.
”

He moves to take her mug before it
spills.

Cloud pushes her plate aside and looks
up, eyes focused far away at the sky.

“
He took me to his room,
”
Cloud says and Soar bites his tongue
hoping she won
’
t torment him further with the
kiss bullshit.
“
I remember going in there then
nothing clear until I left. The words he kissed me come so easily but when I
try and remember it..."

“
What happens, little gryphon,
”
Soar asks. Her eyes lose focus and she
swallows before bringing her fingers to her lips.

“
All I see is green.
”