“No, we shouldn’t. There’s nothing he can do about this. Someone else might be able to help, though.”
I went inside the house and picked up my phone from the coffee table where I’d left it. There was a message from Oanen telling me to text him when I got home. I ignored that and sent a text to Fenris.
Up for a favor? I need someone with a good nose to come over and tell me who bashed in my windshield.
I didn’t have to wait long for a reply.
Will I be paid in spaghetti?
How about brownies? (The chocolate kind; not the ones with the wings.) We’re making them now.
We?
Eliana and Ashlyn are over, I sent back.
Be there in 15. Can’t wait for a taste.
“Um, who are you texting?” Eliana asked.
“Fenris. The Council’s always getting his dad to sniff things out. So, I asked Fenris to come over and give my windshield a sniff. I promised to return the favor in baked goods, so we better get started.”
“Oanen is not going to like that you called Fenris,” Ashlyn predicted.
I waved off her concern. “I didn’t call Fenris. I texted him. And Oanen will be fine with it. He knows that Fenris and I are just friends.”
Eliana and Ashlyn shared a look before I strode to the kitchen. Having my car abused didn’t put me in a good mood. Feeling like my friends were keeping secrets from me didn’t help improve it.
“If you have something to say, just say it. All the looks you’re giving each other isn’t helping the situation,” I said, setting the mixing bowl on the table a little harder than intended. “Keeping secrets about presents or the Easter bunny is one thing. This feels like you’re not telling me something really important.”
Eliana shrugged sheepishly, and I knew she wasn’t ready to admit what was going on. So, I looked at Ashlyn.
“I saved you. Don’t make me regret it.”
“Griffins don’t date. They mate for life,” she blurted.
I stared at her blankly for a moment. So they mated for life. Big deal. Why were they acting so weird about it? Then, it clicked into place. Oanen wasn’t dating me.
Almost robotically, I sat in a chair.
“Do you think she’s mad?” Ashlyn whispered.
Eliana bent in front of me so we were eye to eye.
“You’re pale, which I’ll guess means you understand. He made me promise not to talk to you about it. He didn’t want you to worry.”
“Why?” The word came out more of a croak.
“Griffin males are very protective of their mates. They care for them with a singular focus that’s almost…”
“Scary?” I asked.
“I was going to say enviable. Succubi invoke complete adoration in their partners but rarely care for anyone more than they do themselves. Griffins aren’t bespelled. Their adoration is their own. To be loved so completely by someone for what you are rather than some unnatural pull sounds like what love is supposed to be.”
“I meant, why me,” I said. “I was willing to give being a girlfriend a chance, but mate? I can’t. My head feels like it’s going to explode just thinking about it. How do I tell him no? I have to be the worst possible person for him to even consider spending forever with.”
“Megan, just breathe.”
I looked up at Eliana, who now stood by the kitchen door with Ashlyn. Both of their faces were flushed.
“Breathe?” I said. “You just told me Oanen already has me in a white dress in his head, and you want me to breathe?”
She swore under her breath, and Ashlyn fled outside.
“Megan, the heat coming off of you would be enough to cook an egg. If you don’t want to hurt me, you need to calm down,” she said slowly. “Focus on your breathing and nothing else.”
I closed my eyes and tried. I really did. Only, once my eyes were closed, all I saw was Oanen’s burned face.
The sound of the door let me know I was alone. I felt the first tear fall and wiped at my face, knowing it would be blood. It just made me more upset. What was wrong with me? Why was I so out of control? What the hell was Oanen thinking picking me?
The screen door creaked, and I opened my eyes to tell Eliana to leave. Instead, I saw Fenris.
He strode right up to me and wrapped me in a hug. I could smell his hair burning.
“Stop. You’re going to get hurt.”
“For the right girl, I’d do anything. Even risk my life for her best friend,” he whispered in my ear. I jerked back and looked at him in surprise. His face was red and his hair a bit singed. However, no pain showed in his gaze.
“Feel better?” he asked.
I didn’t know what to say or think.
Just beyond him, Eliana stepped up on the porch. Worry reflected in her gaze.
“I don’t need brownies, just your silence,” Fenris said softly before hugging me close again. He buried his nose in my hair and breathed in deeply. “Mmm. Her scent is all over you.”
Eliana grinned big and wiggled her eyebrows.
“I told you so,” she mouthed.
She didn’t know. Like me, she had no clue. I wished I could go back to having no clue.
“You’re getting warm again,” Fenris said. “You’re going to hurt my feelings if you keep thinking about him while I’m holding you.”
I snorted.
“That’s better. Now, do I have your word? She’s not ready, and I don’t want to upset her.”
Since I wished I could go back to not knowing, I readily agreed with a nod.
“Good.” He took one last, long inhale then stepped back from me. “The scent on your car is familiar. Someone from Girderon. I’ll be able to give you a name tomorrow.”
He leaned forward and, with a playful smile, licked the bridge of my nose.
“See you later, my sweet-tempered fury.”
He turned and walked out the door with a polite nod to Eliana and Ashlyn.
“Is it safe to come in?” Eliana asked.
I nodded. Fenris had done his job and calmed me down by distracting me from my own drama. He was right. Eliana wasn’t ready to know about his interest in her. Was it just interest, though? That thought led back to thoughts of Oanen as my friends joined me in the kitchen.
“Still want to make brownies?” Eliana asked.
“Yes. I’m sorry for losing it. Yet again.”
“Don’t worry about it,” she said with a wave of her hand. “What are you going to do about Fenris?”
“Nothing. There’s nothing to do. He’s just a friend.”
She rolled her eyes. “That’s a lot of friendly hugging.”
“I’ve kissed you. Do you see me as more than a friend?”
“Fair enough.”
I sat in the chair and let Ashlyn and Eliana do most of the batter prep while I considered my situation with Oanen.
“I just don’t see how this will end well for him,” I said.
“Him who?” Ashlyn asked before licking some chocolate off her finger.
“Oanen.”
“It’ll be fine because you know you’re meant to punish the wicked,” Eliana said. “Just like I know I’m supposed to turn into a raving sex-addict and feed off the sexual energy of the thousands of poor souls I’ll enslave in my lifetime. Who says I have to start now? Who says when you see wickedness you need to punish the person right on the spot. There’s no timer for any of it, except these urges we get. So, next time, ask yourself why you need to rush it. Tell yourself you’re taking your time to discover what the person did and even more time to weigh a suitable punishment. Be creative. Why let the gods have so much control even after they’re long gone?”
What she said made sense. The gods had far too much control when they weren’t even around.
Ten
I lifted my hand off the book and let it fly back to its home on the shelf. My stomach growled as I stood and went to fetch the next one. Breakfast had been hours ago, long before sunrise.
Arriving at the Academy early had served two purposes. I’d avoided Oanen and given myself more time to look through the books. Fenris’ revelation had opened my eyes to the value of knowing more about all the creatures here. So, while I hoped to stumble across a book that would tell me something useful about griffins, I no longer skimmed everything not related to my current topic of interest.
I still found most of what I read useless, though.