brutish to be the mastermind behind the slayer movement. “What about her?”
“She’s the head of the slayers,” Skylar said tersely. “She left Mason and me on the peak where you found us. She’s behind the brainwashing and kidnapping of the shifters.”
Chace stared at her, not expecting to hear the news about his ex.
“She wanted what I want: to rule the shifter community and to disable the ability for her enemies to defy her. Nearly all the griffins were put to sleep,” Dillon added. “Then the dragons that opposed her.”
She’s strong enough to talk to people even when she was put to sleep. He doubted she’d gotten much traction, though, if Dillon hadn’t had his own reason for wanting to help her.
“So you helped Freyja get rid of anyone who might oppose her and brainwash the one person who could someone keep power over the shifters. Then you probably planned to kill me to ensure I never helped Skylar wake up from what you did,” Chace said thoughtfully. “I imagine you’ll have to knock Freyja off when the work is done and you no longer need her help.”
“More or less. This way works, too,” Dillon added. “It ends soon.” He spun away and motioned for a few griffins to take flight. “I’ll let her know we have you, Chace, and see if that flushes her out of sleep mode. If not, I’ll torture you in front of Skylar until she tells me where to find the dragons.”
Chace shared a long look with Skylar. By the fear in her gaze, she knew he was defenseless and they were both fucked.
Dillon headed towards the edge of the plateau.
“Dillon, wait!” she called. “Mason said you know what happened to my mother.”
“Do what I tell you, Sky, and I might tell you what I did to her and how long she screamed. I might even wait to torture Chace for a day or two.” Dillon didn’t bother looking at her. He spread his arms and jumped off the side of the plateau.
Seconds later, the massive griffin rose into the sky. He was trailed by several others while three remained to keep watch.
Skylar was watching him fly, pain in her beautiful blue eyes.
He hated that look, the one that silently asked him why he was broken. It made his heart ache and his gut twist. Not caring if the guard griffins snapped his arm off, Chace crossed to her. He instinctively took her in his arms, wanting to comfort her as much as he needed to feel her against him.
She clung to him for a moment, a tremor working through her warm frame. He squeezed her to him more tightly and nuzzled her hair.
“He’s fucking with you,” he said gently.
“Is he?”
Probably not. Chace held her, wishing he could take away her pain or at least, protect her from the danger headed their way. The familiar tension between them was more than sexual; there was pain and disappointment as well, emotions he felt both responsible for and powerless to remove. Was it selfish to want her to smile at him the way she had before their entangled lives got so complicated?
“I don’t think there’s any chance Ginger is alive,” she murmured. “But I need to know what happened.”
“I understand, honey. Now may not be the right time to figure it out,” he advised with a glance at the griffins. They looked hungry. The moment Dillon no longer needed either of them alive, they’d be snapped in two. Skylar was going to be able to fly or hold her own for long if she shifted into a griffin. If we get out of here, I swear I’ll teach her to fly. Even without his magic, he could mentor her well enough with a thousand years of knowledge.
She looked up at him. “You think we’re in trouble?”
“I do. The dragons won’t be flying until nightfall. We’ve got half a day to survive and are at Dillon’s mercy.” He considered the area where the griffins had imprisoned them. Sheer, rocky descents extended down every side of the plateau. “I’m not seeing any way off this rock.”
“I have a better chance of killing griffins up here as a
“She’s the head of the slayers,” Skylar said tersely. “She left Mason and me on the peak where you found us. She’s behind the brainwashing and kidnapping of the shifters.”
Chace stared at her, not expecting to hear the news about his ex.
“She wanted what I want: to rule the shifter community and to disable the ability for her enemies to defy her. Nearly all the griffins were put to sleep,” Dillon added. “Then the dragons that opposed her.”
She’s strong enough to talk to people even when she was put to sleep. He doubted she’d gotten much traction, though, if Dillon hadn’t had his own reason for wanting to help her.
“So you helped Freyja get rid of anyone who might oppose her and brainwash the one person who could someone keep power over the shifters. Then you probably planned to kill me to ensure I never helped Skylar wake up from what you did,” Chace said thoughtfully. “I imagine you’ll have to knock Freyja off when the work is done and you no longer need her help.”
“More or less. This way works, too,” Dillon added. “It ends soon.” He spun away and motioned for a few griffins to take flight. “I’ll let her know we have you, Chace, and see if that flushes her out of sleep mode. If not, I’ll torture you in front of Skylar until she tells me where to find the dragons.”
Chace shared a long look with Skylar. By the fear in her gaze, she knew he was defenseless and they were both fucked.
Dillon headed towards the edge of the plateau.
“Dillon, wait!” she called. “Mason said you know what happened to my mother.”
“Do what I tell you, Sky, and I might tell you what I did to her and how long she screamed. I might even wait to torture Chace for a day or two.” Dillon didn’t bother looking at her. He spread his arms and jumped off the side of the plateau.
Seconds later, the massive griffin rose into the sky. He was trailed by several others while three remained to keep watch.
Skylar was watching him fly, pain in her beautiful blue eyes.
He hated that look, the one that silently asked him why he was broken. It made his heart ache and his gut twist. Not caring if the guard griffins snapped his arm off, Chace crossed to her. He instinctively took her in his arms, wanting to comfort her as much as he needed to feel her against him.
She clung to him for a moment, a tremor working through her warm frame. He squeezed her to him more tightly and nuzzled her hair.
“He’s fucking with you,” he said gently.
“Is he?”
Probably not. Chace held her, wishing he could take away her pain or at least, protect her from the danger headed their way. The familiar tension between them was more than sexual; there was pain and disappointment as well, emotions he felt both responsible for and powerless to remove. Was it selfish to want her to smile at him the way she had before their entangled lives got so complicated?
“I don’t think there’s any chance Ginger is alive,” she murmured. “But I need to know what happened.”
“I understand, honey. Now may not be the right time to figure it out,” he advised with a glance at the griffins. They looked hungry. The moment Dillon no longer needed either of them alive, they’d be snapped in two. Skylar was going to be able to fly or hold her own for long if she shifted into a griffin. If we get out of here, I swear I’ll teach her to fly. Even without his magic, he could mentor her well enough with a thousand years of knowledge.
She looked up at him. “You think we’re in trouble?”
“I do. The dragons won’t be flying until nightfall. We’ve got half a day to survive and are at Dillon’s mercy.” He considered the area where the griffins had imprisoned them. Sheer, rocky descents extended down every side of the plateau. “I’m not seeing any way off this rock.”
“I have a better chance of killing griffins up here as a
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