Chapter 21

Harlow

"What kind of comfort read is this?" I groused, still feeling out of sorts from the vivid image of my own death that wasn't actually mine. Was that what I'd look like when the curse took me?

The way her power had torn her apart before…

I shuddered, shifting back from the edge of the cliff to stand. This little overlook had fast become my favorite place to take a time out, to learn more about the coven and hopefully figure out how the hell to avoid dying.

I shook my hands out, ignoring the snap and crackle of energy that sparked from my fingers with the movement. I was in control. No rogue powers here. I wished I believed it.

My stomach turned, and even the cool sea breeze did nothing to soothe my stress-heated skin. Had she exploded? Or had it been more of an implosion? I felt like it was an important distinction, because if I was a hazard to Addie or Lindsay when the curse detonated me, I didn't want them caught in the fallout.

Was it hot out here?

I flapped my tank top, trying to create a breeze as my chest tightened. Hoo-wee, it was getting a little difficult to breathe. Okay, hands on knees and just focus on the in and out. In through the nose, and out through the mouth. In through the…

I cut off mid-panic as a sharp cry echoed through the air.

"What the hell is that?"

The creature had wings bigger than any bird I'd ever seen, which was a good thing because the lion-type body seemed to defy all laws of aerodynamics. I mean… they were the same laws that said bumble bees shouldn't have been able to fly, so I guess this was another strike against science.

The lion-bird skimmed the tree line, heading deeper into the woods and, without giving it much thought, I followed. Luckily—or perhaps unluckily, depending on how receptive the beast was to company—it didn't seem to have a stealth mode, and the size made it easy to follow from the ground. I tripped over tree roots and stumbled through low-lying bushes, keeping one eye on the gaps in the branches so I didn't lose sight of it.

After a time, I came out into a familiar grass clearing and slowed to a stop as the creature landed on the far side of a cold fire pit. Its feathered head swung toward me, studying me with a beady bird eye.

"Hi. Nice bird-lion thing. You're friendly, right? I probably should have worked that out before following you out into the middle of nowhere." My mouth kept running while inwardly I cringed. I hadn't had this bad of a case of verbal diarrhea since…

The beast reared on its hind legs, and I took a quick step back, preparing to run. It stretched its wings wide as its shape shimmered into a slimmer humanoid… Hendrix.

The beast was Hendrix.

"Did you just call me a lion-bird? The word you want is gryphon, you heathen." His words were as grumpy as the last couple of times I'd met him, but this time there was an odd curl to his lip. Like he was amused by my ignorant ass rather than offended.

I suppressed an answering smile, flipping my hand while I tried to play off the mistake. "Well, I mean, you're half bird, half lion. What was I supposed to think?"

He crossed the clearing, closing in until we were almost toe to toe. Ducking his head to look me in the eye, he pointed at himself. "Gryphon."

"Gryphon," I repeated, enjoying the happy buzz my power gave me being so close to him.

The reminder of my powers was like a bucket of ice water, wiping my mind clear of the gryphon distraction and right back to the panic attack.

"Whoa, where did you go?" he asked, gripping my shoulders as the clearing went for a spin.

"I just…" I looked up into his warm eyes and wished, for a moment, that things could be heading in a different direction.

"I'm going to die. Probably soon. Definitely, probably in some kind of a full body meltdown like that death loop we saw before. That's going to be me, and Addie and Lindsay are going to see it. I don't know how to stop it." He held me upright as I said the words I'd been hiding from since this whole quest had started.

"My powers are unstable, and I'm scared I'll lose control."

I had never admitted to being afraid in my life.

The uncomfortable awareness of my vulnerability crawled through my body, battering against the fear and anxiety until I worried it would all bubble out of me in some toxic, emotional vomit.

"What do you need?" Hendrix's fingers tapped out a nervous rhythm on my shoulders, clearly as far out of his comfort zone as I felt. I had only met him in passing a couple of times. Had never been alone with him. And yet, the answer that fell from my lips didn't catch me by surprise the way it did him.

"You."

His jaw dropped, and I hesitated, wondering if I should just hope for the earth to open up and swallow me whole. My vagina and I really needed to have a chat. The problem was, the more I read about Melisande's men, the more it felt right to pursue the impulses I felt around certain new friends.

Even Bruin. Dammit.

As we stood in silence, my plea hanging in the air, Hendrix's face went through an array of emotions. Shock, confusion, a brief glimpse of something not so nice, and then he cocked his head, brow furrowed as though he were trying to solve a complex puzzle.

When I couldn't stand the silence any longer, I stepped back out of his grip, an apology perched on my tongue.

The movement seemed to snap him out of whatever was going on for him, though, because my "sorry" was interrupted by his "take what you need from me."

We both froze.

My palms started to sweat as I huffed a small laugh. Why did he make me feel so awkward? Sure, he was crazy hot, but so were Ranto, Bruin, Kylen… damn. My libido was turned up to one hundred.

"I shouldn't have… I mean… really?"

He dipped his chin, reaching for my hand. Ugh. Sweaty hands. I subtly wiped them on my shorts before accepting his offer and let him lead the way over to his tent. This was really happening. As we passed through the campsite, visions of my time with Ranto flashed through my mind, adding to the nerves that squirmed in my belly.

"Can I touch you?" I blurted.

He paused, one hand on the tent flap.

"You want to touch me?"

"Yes."

He waved me inside, and I hurriedly dropped to my knees to crawl in. There wasn't much room to move once the outside world was shut out, but I couldn't bring myself to care as he joined me, sitting back on his heels so his head wouldn't brush the roof. I reached across the space between us, hand hovering just above his chest as I waited for his reaction.

"Take what you need from me," he repeated, wrapping a large hand around mine and pressing it to him firmly.

At first contact, I knew I needed more. With very little finesse, I reached for the hem of his shirt, shamelessly stripping it from his body so I could press my hands to his skin. He shivered under my touch, emboldening me to explore further. Lower. I tilted my chin up, silently asking for his lips as my fingers brushed against the waist of his jeans.

The first brush of his mouth against mine was a barely there tease that set us both alight. With a groan, his arms wrapped around me as he speared his tongue past my lips, licking and sucking in a way that left me feeling thoroughly owned. Not to be outdone, I pushed him onto his back and straddled his hips before diving back into the kiss. His hips rocked up into me, and I gasped at the friction, still a little sore from my time with Bruin on the cliffs. But right now, all I wanted was more of Hendrix. I needed to feel closer to him.

"I want to taste you."

I'd been thinking of it since Ranto outed him the night before. The idea that our noises could get him worked up to the point of release made my pussy weep. I kissed down his torso, nipping at his skin as my hands made quick work of his button and zipper.

"Yes," he hissed as I dipped a hand into his underwear and wrapped my fingers around his length. The swollen, purple head disappeared beneath my fist as I pumped him slowly, watching his eyes cloud with lust.

"Is this what you did when you heard me with Ranto yesterday?" I asked.

His hips jerked, unable to get far underneath my weight. Shifting off him, I got comfortable on my belly and dragged my tongue up the underside of his cock. The bitter, salty taste of precum hit my mouth, and I sucked gently on the plum-shaped head.

"Is this what you imagined while he made me cum?"

He nodded. "Yesterday. And today."

"Naughty boy. Were you watching me with Bruin?"

He studied me through hooded eyes, chest heaving. I wondered where he'd watched us from. Had he enjoyed it? The thought of him watching us from the shadows sent a jolt of arousal through me, and I squeezed my thighs together.

"Did you like watching him fuck me?"

"Yes." The word hissed through his teeth, and I rewarded him by swallowing his cock.

Pressing hard with my tongue and giving just the hint of a scrape with my teeth, I worked him hard, relishing the grunts and moans that escaped his sinful mouth. I may be a blathering mess around him ninety-nine percent of the time, but I'd always been confident in the bedroom. Making my partner feel good satisfied me almost as much as a good orgasm.

When I glanced toward his face again, he was half sitting up, eyes fixed on where my lips stretched around his impressive girth. I popped off and gave him a cheeky grin before diving back down, relishing the rough curse that fell from him. A few moments later, his breathing changed, and he cupped my jaw gently in his firm hand.

"I'm about to come."

I didn't want to stop. I wanted to feel him come apart under me. To swallow him down and accept all he'd give me. Squeezing his hand in acknowledgement, I doubled down, concentrating on his tip while I worked his length with my fist.

"Fuck, you're perfect."

His grip tightened on me, and I felt the pulse under my tongue before his release filled my mouth. I swallowed fast, only gagging a little as his orgasm stretched on longer than expected. Eventually, he flopped back against the ground, and I crawled up his body to snuggle into his side.

"That was…" I tried to find a word to describe how much I'd enjoyed what we'd done.

When he didn't reply, I waited in the silence, hoping I hadn't epically screwed up somehow.

Why wasn't he talking?

Maybe I'd read the room wrong, and he was trying to figure out how to tell me to leave. The thought didn't sit well, but when I pulled back, the conflict was there on his face.

Well, this is awkward.

I had more dignity than to become the clingy girl who didn't read the room after sex, so instead of having the talk, I gathered my courage and prepared to leave.

Hey, at least he'd taken my mind off the whole dying thing for a little while.

"Where are you going?"

"I was… ah… I don't… Where are you going?" Well done, Harlow. Idiot.

Hendrix slid a hand beneath his head, and I dug my nails into my palms to keep from drooling at the flex of his bicep.

"Do you know why I'm in Spells Hollow?"

I eased myself into a seated position and cocked my head, wondering where he was going with the question.

"How would I know when you haven't told me?"

He grunted, as though I should have just known. Seriously, the guy was confusing as hell sometimes.

"I forgot you don't know about my kind."

"Lion-birds?" I joked.

"Gryphons." He pulled me back down beside him and flicked my nose. "I'm a treasure hunter. My kind excel at finding and hoarding things of value."

"Like dragons?"

He snorted.

"Stop interrupting. Especially with insulting comparisons like that. Now. I came to Spells Hollow because I had the sense a great treasure was here. Something life-changing. Something I had to have."

I nodded, scowling as I thought it through. I'd been around a lot of Spells Hollow in the past few days, and while the town was rich in history, I hadn't seen anything of significant monetary value.

"Do you think it's in one of the houses we can't get into? We can help you, if you want, but I'm pretty sure Bruin will try to take it from you. Maybe we should keep it a secret."

His chuckle rumbled through me.

"Thank you for the offer, but I'm pretty sure I've found it. Not quite what I was expecting, but I can't say that I'm disappointed."

"What?"

"You."

Oh. Ohhhhh. "I think that's the corniest thing I've ever heard."

He palmed my face and pushed as he rolled out from under me. Grabbing his shirt, he re-dressed while I pouted at him covering up all the delicious muscles.

"Aaaand you ruined it. Come on, Treasure, give me a minute to pack up camp, then I'll walk you back to town."