Chapter 29

“Okay, so it’s like… a family thing,” Natasha said, as she sat on the threadbare sofa in the sitting room of the house, a steaming cup of coffee in her hands. “You grandparents were griffins, your parents are griffins, you’re a griffin. I think I get it.”

Kieran had insisted on getting her something to eat and drink after everything that had happened – and, sure enough, as soon as the adrenaline had worn off, Natasha had found that she needed it. Her hands had started shaking, her knees wobbling, and Kieran had had to catch her as she made her way up the front stairs of the house.

He still hadn’t forgotten the feel of her body pressed against his as he’d helped her up to the front door – but he pushed the sensation from his mind before he could linger too long on it. Right now, he needed to concentrate, not be thinking about just how much he wanted to take Natasha in his arms and show her just how grateful he was that she believed him – and how relieved he was that she was safe, here with him in his house.

We protected our mate,his griffin crooned, flexing its wings. We must always protect our mate. She must never leave our side again!

Well, it’s nice that you’re saying that now,Kieran told it, trying to keep the grimace off his face in case Natasha thought he was grimacing at her. He didn’t need to cause any more problems. Why did you make things so difficult?

The griffin did seem a little contrite, he supposed, but he waited to see if it had anything more to say for itself.

I am… sorry, it eventually managed to get out, but then, Kieran supposed apologies didn’t come naturally to enormous mythical creatures. I wanted to know if you were serious about your promises. I wanted to keep us here. This place is… our home. The city isn’t that for us at all.

Kieran clenched his fists. But how was keeping us from Natasha going to convince me of anything?

I am sorry for that too,the griffin said. I was fearful. Fearful that you wouldn’t take our bond with her seriously, just as you haven’t taken the bond we share seriously. I have been ignored, told my needs were not important. I needed to know that you would see the bond with our mate as the most important thing in our lives, and never give it up.

So… you were intentionally testing me?Kieran asked it, which was at least an explanation that made some kind of sense. Even if it had nearly blown things between them.

I hope you can forgive me,the griffin said after a moment. But I have been neglected for so long. I did not know how else to bring your attention to the seriousness of the situation. I needed to know you wouldn’t simply return to the city and forget.

Swallowing, Kieran felt guilt pierce through his heart. He understood now – both what the griffin had been doing, and his own role in having made it so unhappy in the first place.

I’m sorry too, he told it. I was wrong, and I have definitely neglected you. I promise it won’t happen again. And I promise I understand how important Natasha is.

Thatwas a slight understatement, Kieran thought as he looked at Natasha where she sat on the couch, drinking her coffee and munching on the food he’d brought her. His chest flooded with love at the sight of her, and relief at the fact she was safe.

Then… you will stay by her side, protect her, never leaving her even for a moment? the griffin asked him.

That might have been a bit too much to ask, Kieran thought, but he hoped that Natasha would let him protect her from now on. Not that she needed it necessarily, but he would do everything in his power to always keep her safe from harm – that is, if she accepted him as her mate.

Which he still hadn’t actually told her that she was.

So far, all he’d said to her was to explain more about shifters, and how he’d come to be one; how the world of shifters worked, and how no, he hadn’t been bitten by a were-griffin on a full moon, he’d been born a shifter because his parents – his entire family, in fact – were shifters.

She’d listened to him attentively, her eyes widening at times, but she hadn’t interrupted him, and she clearly wanted to learn more.

But before I say anything else, I really have to tell her the truth about what we are to each other. I have to ask if she’ll accept me as her mate.

He wasn’t really sure how to start that conversation, however – until, unexpectedly, Natasha provided him with the answer herself.

“So… you said that your griffin, uh, sensed that I was in trouble, and that was how you were able to fly to me so quickly and rescue me,” she said contemplatively, looking into her coffee mug. “Which, by the way, I really can’t thank you enough for. But… is that something you can do with everyone? You just sense when people are in trouble and you come to give them a hand?”

Kieran shook his head, swallowing. Well, he guessed, it was now or never.

“No. I can’t sense whenever anyone, anywhere in the world is in trouble and come flying to their rescue,” he said. “Though obviously if I saw someone in trouble and they could only be saved by me in griffin form, I’d find a way to do it, even if it meant revealing myself. But sensing someone in trouble… no. That was only you.”

Natasha’s head shot up, her eyes widening. “Oh?” she said, blinking. “Uh, is there, um, a reason for that?”

Nodding, Kieran leaned forward. He wanted very badly to take Natasha’s hand, but he restrained himself. So far she’d taken everything he had to tell her in stride. But who knew how she’d react to finding out she was a griffin’s mate?

“Yes, there is. And it might sound a little bit crazy at first, but I promise you, it’s true.”

Natasha let out a shaky laugh. “Well, okay. But to be honest, I’ve had enough of doubting your word. So whatever it is, I can tell you now I’ll probably believe it.”

Well,Kieran thought, let’s hope so. And more than that, let’s hope you like it.

“The truth is, being able to turn into a griffin is only one of the ways I’m different from normal humans,” he said. “It’s something all shifters have, though, no matter what kind of animal we turn into. It’s something you grow up hearing about, but I guess I never really gave it that much thought until now.” He paused. Natasha was still listening, eyes wide. “But now that it’s happened to me, I wonder why I didn’t think about it sooner. If I’d known, I definitely would have come looking for you.”

“Come looking for me?” Natasha was now looking simply confused – and Kieran realized he was tip-toeing around the subject.

Simply tell her!his griffin roared within him, pushing the words up his throat. She is our mate! She will accept us!

“All shifters have what we call a fated mate,” Kieran blurted, finally getting the words out. “Someone we’re meant to be with – the person who was made for us. And we were made for them. As soon as we touch them, we just know. We just know that they’re the person we were meant to spend the rest of our lives with. And Natasha, that’s what you are to me – my mate. The person I was made for. The person I want to be with. Forever.”

Natasha’s eyes had become as big as saucers as he spoke, and Kieran wasn’t sure whether that was a good sign or not. She was silent for a moment after he finally came to the end of his speech – he had no idea whether he’d been able to put it in a way that sounded appealing to her or not – simply staring at him.

“So – so you’re saying that – I’m your mate. Me?!” she stammered out after a moment.

Kieran nodded. “That’s right, Natasha. If you’ll have me.”

Natasha stared down at her coffee again. “Uh, wow,” she murmured, after another moment of silence. “Well, I definitely did not see that one coming. Is that why you asked me out, after… oh my God, after our hands touched over the can of beans? You could sense that I was your mate even then?!”

“That’s right,” Kieran said, nodding. “I knew it right at that very moment. But I guess everything since then has kind of been a mess. I feel like we haven’t been able to get to know each other very well at all. And I know that’s important! I don’t expect you to just say yes to me right away, when you don’t even know much about me. But… if you’re willing… I’d love to spend the month you’re in Girdwood Springs getting to know you better. And showing you just how dedicated I am to being the best mate I can possibly be for you.”

Natasha had raised her head as he spoke, and was now regarding him steadily with her large, dark eyes.

“Well,” she said, licking her lips. “I think I already do know a lot about you. I know you’re kind, funny, and sincere – even if I couldn’t see it right away. I know you tried to tell me the truth as soon as you could. I know that I felt a connection to you right away, even though I tried to tell myself I didn’t. And I know,” she continued, leaning in suddenly and putting her coffee cup down on the table next to her, “I know that I’ve never been more attracted to anyone before in my life.”

Kieran’s heart skipped a beat. Did she really just say what I think she said?!

He’d noticed right away that Natasha was direct, and that she said exactly what was on her mind. And now, he realized, slightly dazed, she acted on it too – because in the next moment, she pressed her lips to his, her hands coming up to cup his jaw.

The kiss was far more searing than it had any right to be – Kieran felt lines of fire racing through his veins as he parted his lips, feeling Natasha’s open as if in answer to his. Raising his arms, he slid his hands around her waist, pulling her closer to him on the sofa, as the kiss became deeper, more urgent.

They were moving quickly, but Kieran knew that neither of them wanted to stop – the heat in his belly was kindling quickly, the flame of his desire for her leaping high within him. He’d wanted to do this since the first moment he saw her – his beautiful, perfect mate – but this went beyond anything he ever could have imagined.

We really are made for each other,he thought, his head spinning, as together they began to sink back onto the couch, their mouths locked together, pleasure already singing along his every nerve just from having Natasha pressed against him like this –

CRASH!

Kieran and Natasha jumped apart, still breathing heavily, as the massive sound tore through the house. It was followed quickly by another series of crashes and thuds, as if, once again, that herd of elephants had returned and they were now hosting tap-dancing lessons in the attic.

Kieran watched as Natasha’s eyes grew wider and wider with alarm the longer the sounds went on – and he imagined his own expression mirrored hers.

“What was that?” Natasha whispered, during a brief pause in the unholy racket.

“Uh. I don’t actually know,” Kieran admitted. “I guessed at first that it was the house… settling, or something like that. But I haven’t really had the chance to investigate yet, and I’m starting to doubt my guess is correct.”

Another crash, another thud. The sounds didn’t subside at all – if anything, they seemed to be getting louder.

Well, until they abruptly stopped altogether.

“Well, whatever it is, it has terrible timing,” Natasha said, as she rather sheepishly smoothed down her hair from where it had fallen into complete disarray as Kieran had kissed her. “But… oh my God. Maybe this is what Eula meant when she said this place was haunted?”

Kieran blinked. “I’m sorry, what? It’s haunted? Someone told you that?”

“Yeah – well, she didn’t say much. She just said some teenagers had been using this place to hang out in, since there’d been no one living here for a while.” She shot Kieran an apologetic look. “Sorry, that’s probably not something you wanted to hear about somewhere you spent your childhood.”

“No, it’s okay,” Kieran reassured her. “I do love this place, but it’s me and my parents who’ve been neglecting it. I can’t really blame anyone for thinking it’d been totally abandoned. We did always have some plans to come back and restore it, but we never really found the time, and we couldn’t do it when Great Uncle Henry was still alive – he always insisted he had his own plans for the place, and he wouldn’t budge an inch or let anyone help him, no matter what. So by the time he died, it was already a little worn out.”

Kieran felt a pang in his heart as he spoke. He really did love this place, and he had so many wonderful childhood memories of it. Perhaps, this time, he really should just stay here and try to do something with it.

Well, provided it isn’t actually haunted, I suppose…

“I don’t believe in ghosts, though,” Kieran said. “So… this place being haunted is a little hard for me to get behind.”

To his surprise, Natasha burst out laughing. “You don’t believe in ghosts? Isn’t that a little bit of a strange thing for you to say, considering… well, everything?”

“You kind of have a point there, I guess,” Kieran said, flashing her a grin. “I guess it might seem a bit odd for me to rule it out as a possibility – I should keep an open mind.”

“Well, whatever it is, we probably do need to find out more,” Natasha said, a sudden determined gleam entering her eyes. “Because I do not want to be interrupted again!”

Warmth kindled in Kieran’s belly at the words – and at the indomitable way Natasha stood up from the sofa, looking around, her mouth set in a firm line.

“Those sounds came from the attic,” she said, looking up. “I think, anyway. They were so loud they seemed to be coming from everywhere at once. Have you had a look up there yet?”

“No, not yet,” Kieran admitted, joining her in standing up. “There used to be a trapdoor in the upstairs ceiling that led up to there, but now I can’t find it – or my memory of where it is is faulty. But the first night this happened, my griffin kind of took over right away and flew me out of the house – the sounds freaked it out bad. And then the next couple of times I was here I didn’t hear it much, so I figured it was some weird, one-off thing. Clearly though, if it’s a ghost, we’re going to have to do something about that.”

“I wonder if the local exterminators deal with ghost infestations,” Natasha wondered as together, they headed for the main stairs that led up to the second floor of the house from the foyer. “Though to be honest, I’d prefer a catch and release strategy. Do you think ghosts are territorial? Would they just come back if we moved them somewhere else?”

Kieran laughed. “Well, who can say? Maybe they’ll be amenable to some kind of time-share arrangement.”

“Let’s hope so,” Natasha said, joining in with his laughter.

It seemed odd to be laughing about the possibility of ghosts, Kieran thought – but then, what else was there to do about a situation like this? And besides which, ever since he’d finally told Natasha the truth – the whole truth – he’d felt as if a block of ice that had been sitting in his stomach had suddenly melted, leaving him feeling lighter and warmer than he had in months. Perhaps he’d been carrying that strange knot of cold tension around within himself for so long now that he hadn’t even noticed it was there anymore, until, finally, it was gone.

“In my memory, the trapdoor cover used to be here,” Kieran said, pointing upward at the ceiling once they’d ascended the stairs. “But clearly, I was wrong.”

“Hmm,” Natasha said, glancing around, until her eyes fell on the long row of cupboards that lined the wall.

Kieran immediately saw what she was seeing: the cupboards were obviously a later addition to the house, the wood less worn than the wood the floor was made out of, and the way they fit against the wall slightly imperfect. Not to mention, the standard of the carpentry on them also wasn’t quite as high as the rest of the house – it was a small difference, but the rest of the house, despite the disrepair, was so well-made that once he’d noticed it, Kieran couldn’t help but see all the other small faults in the way the cupboards were constructed. It was still good work, but it looked like the work of a very skilled amateur, rather than the master craftsmen who’d clearly worked on the rest of the house.

“Were those always there?” Natasha asked after a moment.

Kieran shook his head – but really, he couldn’t remember enough about these details to be sure. “Not from the look of them, but I don’t remember if they were here when I was a kid.”

Walking over to the closest one, he opened the door. The cupboard smelled musty inside, but it was empty, and there were no shelves or anything else inside that would have made it work as storage. In fact, there was nothing inside it at all – instead of being a cupboard, it looked more like a very, very small room. But there, in the ceiling, was the trapdoor that Kieran had vaguely remembered from his childhood.

“I guess it was here all along, then,” he murmured, as he reached up to grab the string to open it. It was frayed and it almost came apart in his hands as he pulled on it, but still, it held, if only just, and the trapdoor came open, the steps leading up to the attic descending as it did, stopping just at the edge of the cupboard, with barely enough room to climb them.

Kieran glanced at Natasha. “Do you really think there’s ghosts up there?”

Pursing her lips a little, Natasha shook her head. “Yesterday I would have said definitely not. But yesterday I would have said you were telling, uh, untruths when you told me you turned into a griffin, and look how that turned out. So let’s just say I’m not ruling anything out right now.”

Just as she finished speaking, another round of unbelievably loud thuds echoed through the house. Again, Kieran thought that with the strength of them, the house should have been shaking on its foundations. But no – it was still only the noise, and nothing else.

It was weird. It was spooky. It really wasn’t any wonder the local teenagers – and diner owners – had decided this place was haunted.

“Even if it is ghosts, I doubt they’re just going to appear in front of us and own up to everything,” Kieran pointed out.

“Well, if we can’t figure it out, at least we can always go back to my BB,” Natasha said, shooting him a mildly wicked grin. “No ghosts there… well, that I’ve heard anything from, anyway.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Kieran said, as, a little gingerly, he put his foot on the first step of the ladder.

The air in the attic was even mustier than the air inside the cupboard, and spiderwebs hung from the rafters, dust thick on the floor. The space was cavernous, and filled with old furniture and other indistinct shapes covered with dust cloths. Kieran knew it’d be a lot of work to sort through all of this stuff, but right now, he was focused solely on trying to figure out the mystery of the thumping sounds.

He had to admit, he didn’t know the first thing about ghosts, though – would they just appear before him? Or was the ghost actually just the sounds? Maybe it didn’t have any kind of form that he could see with his eyes at all –

Well, not that it actually is ghosts anyway, Kieran thought, shaking his head. I’m sure there must be some completely logical explanation for all of this. And even if there isn’t, then it’s not like ghosts are just going to appear in front of us and announce that – whoa!

Kieran’s thoughts abruptly cut off as, suddenly, a shimmer of blue cut through the dusty gloom of the attic space, bright enough that he had to lift his hand to cover his eyes. Beside him, he could sense Natasha doing the same – and within him, his griffin was leaning forward curiously, eyes darting, senses on high alert.

It didn’t seem alarmed, however – nothing like the first night they had been here, when it’d insisted on getting them out of the house just as fast as it could.

Is – is it dangerous?he asked it, hoping he could trust its instincts. Do I need to get Natasha out of here?!

He almost grabbed Natasha’s arm to pull her back down the stairs and carry her to safety without waiting for the griffin’s response. If there was even the slightest chance that his mate could be in danger, then Kieran wasn’t about to waste valuable seconds trying to figure things out!

No, the griffin replied after a moment. No. Not dangerous. Just…

Just what?Kieran demanded.

I don’t know. I’ve never sensed something like this before.The griffin sounded perplexed, and Kieran couldn’t say he blamed it. But right now, he wanted to get Natasha out of here – he didn’t care how curious his griffin was, it just wasn’t worth the risk.

“Come on,” he said quickly, grabbing her arm and tugging her back toward the open trapdoor. “We should get out of here –”

Natasha glanced up at him, eyes wide. “Is it dangerous? What even is it?”

“I don’t think we should hang around to find out,” Kieran said, as together, they ran back through the attic, stirring up clouds of dust as they went. But they hadn’t gone far, and in only a few seconds Kieran was urging Natasha down the steps – that was, until a desperate voice cut them off in their tracks.

“Wait! Please don’t go! I’ve been waiting for someone to come and find me up here for… for I don’t know how long! Don’t run away – I need your help!”

Kieran paused, his heart thudding.

Could it be a trap?

He bit his lip, taking a moment to glance up. His griffin still wasn’t reacting the way it had on that first night here – in fact, it really did seem more curious than anything. But still, Kieran wasn’t sure he should take any risks where Natasha’s safety was concerned.

But… it did say it needed our help…

“Kieran – look.”

Kieran looked down at Natasha where she was half-in, half-out of the trap door, pointing to the far end of the attic. He followed her gesture with his eyes – and saw a figure standing against the far wall.

Well, I think it’s a figure…

Whatever it was, it definitely wasn’t human. It was tall and slender, with pale skin that seemed to be emitting some kind of shimmering blue glow. And its hair was blue too – light blue, and falling to its waist. Despite the long hair, Kieran still couldn’t tell if the figure was male or female – its face was soft and androgynous, its expression pleading.

“Who are you?” he asked, surprise and lingering suspicion that this could be a trap making his voice harsher than usual.

What are you? he silently added in his head – because whatever this figure was, it definitely wasn’t like any shifter he’d ever heard of. And what was it doing up here in his uncle’s attic?!

“I – I don’t really have a name, the way you do,” the figure stuttered out, raising its hands as if it could sense Kieran’s suspicion and it wanted to show that it was no threat. “But Henry used to call me Sieval.”

Kieran blinked, surprise washing over him. “Wait – Henry? You knew my Uncle Henry?”

The figure – Sieval, if that was what it wanted to be called – nodded, the shimmering light from its skin shifting against the wall as it did so.

“Yes – he was my friend. For many years, we spent time together in this house. But he went away. He told me that he was old – for a shifter, what counts as old – and that he didn’t have much time left. And then, he went away.”

Kieran felt a knot in his throat, sadness welling up inside him at the mournful tone of the creature’s voice, despite the fact he still didn’t know what it was.

“Yes,” he said, trying to make his voice soft. “He died. Many years ago now – I’m sorry if you didn’t know.”

It seemed strange to be trying to console this mysterious being, but Kieran wasn’t sure what else to do. He could feel Natasha’s fingers gripping onto his arm – and he knew she had to be his first priority, no matter what.

I can’t let myself be lulled into a false sense of security…

“No, I knew,” the being said softly, its voice seeming to reverberate with sadness. “I could sense it. But he did say – he did promise me that –”

Sieval cut itself off, and Kieran felt surprise ripple through him as it looked up at him. Its eyes were large and haunting, and he couldn’t help but feel sympathy for it – even if he didn’t really understand why.

“Are you a shifter too?”

It was Natasha’s voice that broke him out of his reverie. She was slowly beginning to climb back up out of the trap door to stand beside him, her eyes intent on Sieval.

“No,” Sieval replied after a moment. “I’m a sprite – one of the few left in the world.”

“Wait, wait, a sprite?” Kieran said, his surprise growing by the moment. “I didn’t think there were any left… well, it’s not that there aren’t any, it’s just that they’re so reclusive that no one ever sees them anymore.” He frowned. “How is it that you’ve come to be in my Uncle Henry’s attic? And was it you who was making all that noise?”

Sieval blinked its large, liquid eyes, seeming a little overwhelmed by all the questions – and again, Kieran couldn’t help but feel a little sympathetic for it. But he did also want answers.

It seemed completely outlandish to think that a sprite – of all creatures – could have somehow set up home in Great Uncle Henry’s attic, and, moreover, that it seemed to have been friends with him. Kieran had had no memory of any such thing ever having happened during his childhood – there had never been any mysterious bangings or thuddings then.

“Perhaps…” Sieval said hesitantly, after a moment, “perhaps it’s best if I start at the beginning.”