move to take them off in front of Miss Exhibitionist.
The shorts ripped at the seams as he shifted in them. His muscles stretched and grew. Brightly colored wings unfolded from his back—red, blue, purple and green, his feathers tipped in gold. It was an immense reminder of the power he held. And as thick lion’s fur sprouted along his back and legs, I couldn’t help being amazed all over again that I shared a life with the extraordinary man in front of me.
Dimitri bent his massive lion’s body low to the ground and I climbed onto his back. He’d allowed me to ride before, but it still gave me a thrill. I loved the feel of his massive back underneath me. His fur was smooth and warm, like a cat’s. His back was much too wide to straddle, so I rode with my legs over his shoulders and my fingers twined in the thick fur at his neck.
Amara padded in circles in front of us. Her lion’s body shone almost white in the side-porch light, with a silver beak and massive silver and blue wings. She bent her head and called to Dimitri. Her voice sounded like an eagle’s screech.
He returned her call, pawing at the ground. I wrapped my fingers around him extra tight. “All set,” I said, bracing for takeoff. Griffins were like Ferraris. They could go from zero to two hundred in about five seconds flat.
And to imagine, I used to get woozy on the back of a Harley.
My teeth clacked together as Dimitri bolted skyward. The wind buffeted my face and body, and I tried not to think of the stomach I’d left back on the ground.
When we leveled out, I gave him a quick caress on the neck and readjusted my grip. His massive wings beat in a steady rhythm, sending a gust of air against my calves on each downward stroke.
A full moon shone its watery light on the darkened landscape below. Shadowed trees rose up over uneven ground. Waves pounded the edge of the black cliffs as all kinds of night creatures called out to the heavens.
Lights glowed from the house below as Dimitri and Amara made a wide arc over the front drive and back toward the darkened gardens. I frowned. If there had been something back there, I’d probably have sensed it while I was on the ground. We were limited in what we could see with our eyes—not that it would make much of a difference. Whoever had stolen from us wasn’t going to be sitting out in the open.
We’d have to rely on my demon slayer instinct to run toward danger, then count on Amara’s psychic abilities once we arrived.
Dimitri’s massive wings stroked the night sky with a heavy, rhythmic whoosh , whoosh . We flew past the garden, over the hills to the north. I strained my senses, trying to detect anything unusual, anything strong enough to indicate evil.
At the edge of the hillside, where the cliffs dropped into the ocean, I felt a tug and an intense desire to see where it led. This could be it.
I squeezed my knees into the curve of Dimitri’s shoulders and pointed toward an outcropping of rocks at the top of the cliffs overlooking the sea.
Amara saw and nodded, leading us straight down.Dimitri and I dove after her. The wind streaked against my face, and my stomach lurched. Whoa Nelly.
Maybe I wasn’t so used to this.
That’s the thing you don’t notice about birds until you actually fly like one. They dip and weave in the sky and look so graceful doing it. When you’re along for the ride, it’s a whole different story.
I closed my eyes and said a silent prayer of thanks that it had been a few hours since we’d eaten dinner.
The pull of the rocks grew stronger. Something was down there. I could see the threat like a dot of light in my mind, along with the overwhelming urge to leap off Dimitri’s back and belly flop straight for it.
“There,” I yelled over the beating of wings, pointing toward a shadowy outcropping of volcanic rock that resembled a claw. It was large, at least five feet across and jagged at the edges. A few scraggly weeds clung to the top before giving way to a
The shorts ripped at the seams as he shifted in them. His muscles stretched and grew. Brightly colored wings unfolded from his back—red, blue, purple and green, his feathers tipped in gold. It was an immense reminder of the power he held. And as thick lion’s fur sprouted along his back and legs, I couldn’t help being amazed all over again that I shared a life with the extraordinary man in front of me.
Dimitri bent his massive lion’s body low to the ground and I climbed onto his back. He’d allowed me to ride before, but it still gave me a thrill. I loved the feel of his massive back underneath me. His fur was smooth and warm, like a cat’s. His back was much too wide to straddle, so I rode with my legs over his shoulders and my fingers twined in the thick fur at his neck.
Amara padded in circles in front of us. Her lion’s body shone almost white in the side-porch light, with a silver beak and massive silver and blue wings. She bent her head and called to Dimitri. Her voice sounded like an eagle’s screech.
He returned her call, pawing at the ground. I wrapped my fingers around him extra tight. “All set,” I said, bracing for takeoff. Griffins were like Ferraris. They could go from zero to two hundred in about five seconds flat.
And to imagine, I used to get woozy on the back of a Harley.
My teeth clacked together as Dimitri bolted skyward. The wind buffeted my face and body, and I tried not to think of the stomach I’d left back on the ground.
When we leveled out, I gave him a quick caress on the neck and readjusted my grip. His massive wings beat in a steady rhythm, sending a gust of air against my calves on each downward stroke.
A full moon shone its watery light on the darkened landscape below. Shadowed trees rose up over uneven ground. Waves pounded the edge of the black cliffs as all kinds of night creatures called out to the heavens.
Lights glowed from the house below as Dimitri and Amara made a wide arc over the front drive and back toward the darkened gardens. I frowned. If there had been something back there, I’d probably have sensed it while I was on the ground. We were limited in what we could see with our eyes—not that it would make much of a difference. Whoever had stolen from us wasn’t going to be sitting out in the open.
We’d have to rely on my demon slayer instinct to run toward danger, then count on Amara’s psychic abilities once we arrived.
Dimitri’s massive wings stroked the night sky with a heavy, rhythmic whoosh , whoosh . We flew past the garden, over the hills to the north. I strained my senses, trying to detect anything unusual, anything strong enough to indicate evil.
At the edge of the hillside, where the cliffs dropped into the ocean, I felt a tug and an intense desire to see where it led. This could be it.
I squeezed my knees into the curve of Dimitri’s shoulders and pointed toward an outcropping of rocks at the top of the cliffs overlooking the sea.
Amara saw and nodded, leading us straight down.Dimitri and I dove after her. The wind streaked against my face, and my stomach lurched. Whoa Nelly.
Maybe I wasn’t so used to this.
That’s the thing you don’t notice about birds until you actually fly like one. They dip and weave in the sky and look so graceful doing it. When you’re along for the ride, it’s a whole different story.
I closed my eyes and said a silent prayer of thanks that it had been a few hours since we’d eaten dinner.
The pull of the rocks grew stronger. Something was down there. I could see the threat like a dot of light in my mind, along with the overwhelming urge to leap off Dimitri’s back and belly flop straight for it.
“There,” I yelled over the beating of wings, pointing toward a shadowy outcropping of volcanic rock that resembled a claw. It was large, at least five feet across and jagged at the edges. A few scraggly weeds clung to the top before giving way to a
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