Chapter 2

two

. . .

Thaumas

I shouldn't have left her there.

That thought plagued me as I soared over the forests of Reazus Prime, my wings riding the thermal currents. Katarina Mayberry, the fierce, captivating human female, was far too vulnerable in that den of iniquity. I'd seen the predatory leers aimed her way as we entered the settlement. A pretty human on Reazus Prime may as well have victim branded on her forehead.

Growling, I banked hard, circling back toward the town. I told myself it was just to check on her, to make sure she was settling in safely. But if I was being honest, I'd felt this inexplicable pull toward her from the moment I'd first scented her fear on the breeze. There was a defiant strength in her bearing, a fire in those emerald eyes that called to me on some primal level.

As the Rusty Scupper came into view, my keen vision zeroed in on the scene unfolding in the town square. A crowd had gathered, raucous and rowdy. And there, at the center of the madness, was Katarina.

Her face flushed, her hair became disheveled, and that scrap of a dress left far too little to the imagination. She clutched a tray of foaming drinks as she wove through the throng, dodging grasping hands and shouted catcalls.

"Oy, wench!" a burly Zargaxian leered, his tentacles coiling. "Bring that sweet ass over here!"

Katarina stiffened but pasted on a brittle smile. "Be right with you, sugar," she called, her voice dripping with false cheer.

Rage boiled in my veins. How dare that lowlife speak to her that way? I tucked my wings and dove, landing with an earth-shaking boom mere feet from the troublemaker. Patrons yelped and scrambled back in shock.

"Apologize to the lady," I snarled, looming over him. "Now."

But Katarina beat him to the punch. "Thaumas? I mean - Lord Leion'ct!" Her eyes were saucers in her pale face. "What are you doing here?"

I turned to face her, trying to ignore how her nearness made my heart thunder behind my ribcage. "I came to see how you were faring," I said gruffly. "I see I was right to be concerned."

She bristled. "I'm handling it. I don't need you to fight my battles."

The Zargaxian cackled. "Better listen to your girlfriend, bird-brain. The wench and I have unfinished business."

In a flash, Katarina whirled and upended her tray over his head, drenching him in ale. He roared in outrage, lurching to his feet - only to find himself nose-to-beak with one supremely pissed off griffin.

"Leave," I bit out, barely leashing my temper. "While you still can."

He blustered and postured, but the fear in his beady eyes was unmistakable. At last, he slunk away, muttering curses. The tense crowd dispersed.

Katarina turned on me, eyes snapping. "I had that under control. I don't need a feathered white knight, okay?" She shoved past me to collect her scattered cups.

I gaped at her retreating. The ungrateful chit! I'd only been trying to help. Growling, I stalked after her into the tavern.

She whirled to face me, hands on her hips. "What now? Come to rescue me from the big bad dishes?"

"Hardly," I scoffed. "Beating unruly drunkards is one thing - I doubt even your sharp tongue could scrub a plate clean."

"Oh, screw you!" She hurled a mug at my head. I ducked and it shattered against the wall. "You think you're so high and mighty, Lord Griffin? I've got news for you - on Reazus Prime, your title means jack shit. No one's impressed by a bossy bird!"

I looked at her - really looked at her. Beneath the bravado, I could see fear, exhaustion, and a soul-deep loneliness. Maybe we weren't so different after all.

Slowly broadcasting my movements, I reached out and took her trembling hand in mine. "I'm sorry, Katarina. I was out of line." I gentled my voice. "But you must understand - a human female, alone on a planet of rogues and scoundrels? I couldn't bear it if anything happened to you."

Her emerald eyes glimmered with unshed tears. "I...I don't know how to do this," she whispered. "Any of it. I'm lost, Thaumas."

My heart clenched. I drew her close, folding my wings around us both. "You're not alone," I said roughly. "Not anymore."

She tilted her head back to search my gaze. A single tear tracked down her cheek. "Promise?"

I brushed it away with the pad of my thumb. "You have my word, on my honor as a Griffin warrior."

A shaky smile bloomed on her lips, and I nearly lost my head. It hit me like a meteor strike - this tiny, fierce, vulnerable creature had stolen my heart in the space of a single rotation. Stars help me, but I would lay down my life to see her smile like that again.

"Let's get you out of here," I said abruptly, releasing her. "Finish your shift. I'll be right outside." At her nod, I strode from the tavern on unsteady legs, reeling.

What in the great depths just happened? I'd lived for hundreds of cycles, but I'd never felt such a powerful, visceral attraction. Human pheromones were potent, but this was more than mere chemistry. This was destiny.

I shook off the unsettling thought and took up a post near the door, keen eyes scanning the street for trouble. I'd meant what I said - I would keep her safe, whatever it took. Even from my own foolish heart.

But I couldn't deny the thrill that raced through me when she finally emerged, a tentative smile on her lips just for me. "Hey, Big Bird. Thanks for waiting."

"You're done for the night?" At her nod, I offered my arm. "Then allow me to escort you home, my lady."

She laughed and took my arm. "So chivalrous, good Sir Griffin! Careful, I might swoon."

Grinning, I led her through the lantern-lit streets. We chatted easily, trading tales of our wildly different worlds. My stories of the Griffin prides fascinated her, while her descriptions of Earth's myriad cultures and inventions enthralled me.

All too soon, we reached the inn. We paused beneath her window, suddenly awkward.

"Well, this is me," Katarina said, scuffing a foot. "Thanks for walking me back. And for, you know, the heroic rescue or whatever." Her cheeks pinked.

I chuckled. "Anytime. I meant what I said, Katarina. I'll be here for you, whenever you need me. Comm me if anything happens, all right?" I passed her a small communications device, my talon brushing her palm. We both shivered.

"I will," she promised. Darting forward, she brushed a kiss across my cheek. "Goodnight, Thaumas."

Then she was gone, the door clicking shut behind her. I touched the spot she'd kissed, a dopey grin spreading across my face.

"Goodnight, Katarina," I whispered. Spreading my wings, I launched into the sky, already counting the hours until I could see her again.

As I flew over the town, I spotted unusual activity in a shadowed alley. A group of cloaked figures clustered in tense discussion. Light winked off a weapon, and I heard Katarina's name hissed urgently.

Dread coiled in my guts. I spiraled lower, straining to catch their words.

"...fetch a high price on the slave market," one rasped. "We just have to get the wench alone, away from that damned Griffin..."

"We could grab her at the cantina tomorrow," another suggested eagerly. "Just need someone to distract bird-brain..."

"I'll comm Zarath," a third said. "He'll pay triple for a ripe human female..."

Icy rage seized me. Slaver scum! I wouldn't let them lay a single slimy appendage on her. This ended now.

I dove into their midst with a war cry, talons spread. They shouted in alarm, blasters forgotten as I laid into them in a cyclone of feathers and fury. Bones cracked, flesh tore. One landed a glancing blow that split my cheek, but I barely felt it through the red haze.

Within moments, motionless bodies littered the alley, with only a few still twitching. Panting, I wiped the blood from my eyes.

My gaze snapped to the window above, my heart twisting. I couldn't let Katarina know how close she'd come to horror tonight. It would only add to her fears.

No, better to get rid of the evidence and stay on high alert. Let her sleep in blissful ignorance, never knowing the depravity she'd narrowly escaped.

Jaw set, I began to drag the bodies into the shadows. I had work to do before dawn.

But even as I hauled the last of the would-be kidnappers out of sight, a cold certainty settled over me. This was only the beginning.

Dark forces were stirring on Reazus Prime - and somehow, my precious human had landed smack in the middle of their schemes. The urge to snatch her up and spirit her away to safety pulsed through my veins.

I resisted - barely. She'd never forgive me if I uprooted her so soon, not when she was working so hard to adapt to her new life. And if I knew anything about Katarina Mayberry, it was that she needed to decide her own path.

But Gods, watching her navigate this seedy underworld alone, was going to strip years from my lifespan. She was far too na?ve, too trusting. Even now, she was a flashing beacon for every two-bit thug and slaver on-planet.

I would be her shield, I vowed as I launched skyward. If she realized it yet, Katarina needed me. And I'd be damned if I let anything happen to the female who'd stolen my battle-scarred heart.

As I soared over the town, talons still tacky with blood, I growled a challenge to the night. Let them come. Let them try to take her from me.

They would see what happened when /

\they tested the wrath of a griffin warrior in love.