Chapter 10: Griffin

10

GRIFFIN

O ur beasts?

Frozen, my heart pounds, and the blood drains from my face, although a lazy smile graces Kali's sexy mouth.

I pull back, chest heaving, and try to unscramble my lust-drunk brain enough to focus on her words.

Kali feels the tension in the air and the space between us. She looks like a dream with her swollen lips and dazed expression. Puzzled by the change in my demeanour, she takes in my narrowed eyes and tense posture.

"What did you say?" I repeat quietly, forcing my tone to remain even and calm. I'm afraid to hear the words again, because I know exactly what she said.

"Our beasts," she says slowly, gesturing back and forth between us, confused at my reaction. "Maybe they could tell we'd get on. Mine is a good judge of character."

Her smile is shy, but when I don't return it, hers fades. As the silence drags on, she fiddles with the end of her messy braid and straightens her stance, posture stiff.

"Sorry, I just thought… Never mind. That was too forward, I wasn't suggesting that we're… well, maybe I was. But this is just so… intense." She trails off, waving away her words dismissively and grimacing when I continue to stare mutely. Shifting her gaze to the floor, her cheeks pink and she blinks slowly, hiding her embarrassment.

I feel bad for making her uncertain, but I'm trying to process what's going on.

Kali steps away and turns her back to me, snatching another hoodie from a nearby chair and tugging it on, hiding herself. Putting up a barrier when she was so open before.

Stepping up behind her, I want to pull her to me and comfort her, but I don't understand what's going on.

She couldn't know, could she?

"What do you mean by ‘beast', Kali?" I whisper, afraid to speak the words out loud.

Kali turns and looks at me like I have two heads.

"Beast, Griffin. You know, as in GRRR, RAAG HHR ." She curls her hands into claw shapes and drags them through the air, top lip pulled back, making a growling noise. She looks adorable, really, but I get the picture. At the same time, she raises an eyebrow, looking at me like this should be old news.

No. No way. No fucking way.

Stumbling backward until my back hits the wall near the front door, I snatch my boots off the rack and step into them, not even bothering to lace them as I stand, unsure what to do when I see Kali staring at me, jaw hanging open and eyes wide. Tapping against the windows reminds me that the weather is wild. It's not a night for wandering around outside, but I can't stay here.

"Griffin, where are you going? What did I do?"

"I can't do this." How does she know? I feel cornered. Threatened. I push forward, crowding her, a deep rumble vibrating in my chest. "Who told you? What do you want from me?"

Kali opens her mouth to speak, blinking fast, as the wild swings in my temperament catch her off guard as much as me.

"Woah, hold on. Nobody told me anything. I can feel him." She holds up her hands, urging me to calm down, but I can't.

But when footsteps pound up the creaky wooden steps outside, I'm at least distracted. Both of us spin to face the entrance. Instinctively, I step in front of Kali.

Who the hell else is out here in this weather, and why are they on Kali's doorstep? I really don't like it, even though rationally, I know I have no right to object to anyone calling at her door.

Annoyed by my protective stance, Kali brushes past me, just as the door opens with a loud bang.

A large, pissed-off looking man shoves his way in.

Who the fuck does this guy think he is, barging in here without knocking? An immediate thirst for blood takes over, and I struggle to fight down the urge to attack first and ask questions later.

"Get out, Jed." Kali snaps. "I don't even know how you found out where I'm living, but I'm not in Zora anymore, so I'm not your problem. Just leave me alone."

"Well, that's not the warm welcome I expected." His coal-black eyes are mean as he sneers at her.

I don't like the slump in her shoulders, or the way she's looking at the floor, when this guy enters her sanctuary, uninvited, like he owns the place. And it doesn't seem like this is the first time this has happened, either.

His narrowed gaze finds me, and he tilts his head, sniffing the air. "Who the fuck are you?"

"Griffin." I pull Kali tightly to my side, and without taking my eyes from his, press a possessive kiss to her temple, which she reluctantly allows. Turning to face the intruder again, I glare at him, letting him know he's interrupting us. "Who the fuck are you?"

Jed laughs cruelly as he takes in my possessive hold on the woman at my side. "Down boy. Nobody around here would touch her with a ten-foot barge pole."

The temper I work so hard to control snaps, and I'm across the room in a heartbeat, one hand wrapping around his neck, as I shove him into the wall.

He grunts as I knock the air out of his lungs, but his smug smile makes my blood boil. His breath smells of alcohol, and his stubble is far from designer. If we weren't in the middle of nowhere, I'd think he was stumbling home from a bar.

"Watch it." I warn through gritted teeth, praying he doesn't provoke me again, or there will be blood spilled here, right now.

He's not scared, even though he should be. Amused maybe, but where most men would be astounded by my display of strength, he looks mostly unfazed.

"Griffin, ignore him." Kali warns. "He's not worth it."

She's trying hard to sound unbothered, but when her fingers find the end of her braid, I know she's worried about this escalating. Beating a man to death in front of her might seem noble to the thing inside me, but that's not normally an ideal first date story.

I need to calm down.

As I loosen my hold on him, Jed grips my arm, and I feel the sting as his dirty nails press into my skin.

"You're clearly not from around here, Griffin. If you were, you'd know better than to lay your hands on me. Especially over this freak."

With a deafening roar, I push him through the front door, tossing him off the porch and into the mud.

Infuriatingly, he hits the ground and rolls, almost gracefully, back to his feet, completely unhurt.

He's laughing. Mocking me.

Red mist descends, and I'm about to launch myself off the steps and pound his face until that smug smirk is gone, but Kali wraps her small hand around my arm and tugs.

Looking down at her, I'm not surprised to see her shaking her head.

"Please, Griffin. Don't." She turns her gaze toward Jed, who's brushing off his stained T-shirt and leering at her. I can see the lust in his eyes despite the vicious words he spews. "Jed here knows if he pisses me off, Evan will pay him another visit. With great pleasure. Ben, too." She turns to me and rests her palm against my cheek, immediately quieting the storm inside me. "He just likes to press people's buttons."

I force myself to back down, breathing slowly, even though every cell in my body is screaming to defend Kali and end this guy.

Jed scoffs as he takes in the scene in front of him, narrowing his bloodshot eyes and turning up his nose. "I'm going anyway. I was just passing by and wanted to see if the rumours really were true. That you'd tucked tail and ran away."

He wasn't passing through. It's not the weather to just be passing by anywhere, and I can see he's furious that she's not alone.

"Well, don't. Don't ever fucking call by here again." I snarl, and Kali glares at me, rightly so.

I've no right to speak on her behalf, but I can almost feel the darkness radiating from the guy. Kali isn't safe being anywhere near him. He hates her yet desires her at the same time.

With a sleazy wink, he waves over his shoulder before disappearing into the night.

Looking weary, Kali steps inside and gestures for me to follow, shutting out the negative energy Jed carried with him. She closes the door and moves to the tiny kitchen, fussing and tidying up, rather than looking at me.

Her threat to Jed plays over in my mind, and the one thing she said that seemed to influence him.

I move closer, an ugly feeling rising inside me the longer she refuses to turn and face me.

She knows I'm watching her. Why is she ignoring me? What is she hiding?

"Who's Evan?" My tone is sharper than I meant.

Kali visibly bristles in annoyance.

"Is he your boyfriend?" I practically spit the words out, jealousy catching in my throat, which is ludicrous since we only just met.

The idea of another man anywhere near her, lusting after her, makes me furious. The rage inside me builds, and my hands tremble as the violent urges that had been quiet since Kali found me in the woods start to resurface.

She whirls around to face me, and I gasp. Her eyes are glowing in a way I've only seen once before—in the mirror.

This can't be happening.

"Evan is my cousin, not that it's any of your business," Kali says primly, a stubborn tilt to her chin. "I appreciate you sticking up for me, Griffin, but you don't have to stay here now that he's gone. I'll drive you into town for your car."

Kali holds her ground as I prowl closer. She folds her arms, creating a shield around herself.

"Who said I was going anywhere?"

Kali rolls her eyes and scoffs. "You were just about to run for the door when I mentioned our beasts having a connection. Jed's gone. You can go. This was fun, but if you're not staying, you don't need to feel bad."

She's putting on a tough front, but I can hear the pain in her voice. I want to make it better, but I have no idea what she's talking about. No idea about any of this, but I can see the truth in her eyes. Hurt. Embarrassment. Wounded pride.

All I know is that the thing living inside me wants Kali… no, he demands we have her. The part of me that usually wants death and destruction now wants to care for this tiny blonde, to protect her and claim her as ours, so nobody will dare bother her ever again.

"Do you want me to go?" I ask hesitantly, because I will, if that's what she really wants.

Kali's cheeks flush, and she refuses to meet my eye, staring past my shoulder toward the door. "I didn't before, but now I'm undecided."

Her cheeky response makes me smile. I'd much prefer to see this version of Kali than the timid one Jed's presence brought out.

She's obviously used to taking crap from him. Just that thought makes me want to hunt him down and make sure he never steps a foot in Sutton again. Imagining teaching him that lesson makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside… But I can do that another time, there's something more urgent I need to focus on right now.

"I don't want to go, Kali. I'd like to stay, if that's okay with you?"

When she nods, I relax—but only a fraction.

"But I need you to explain something to me… What beast?"