Page 73 of Griffin

The sound of it hitting the floor was jarring, followed by a sickening crack as the screen shattered.

“Jesus, Todd!” I gasped, staring at the broken phone.

Todd laughed—a harsh, humorless sound that sent a shiver down my spine. I looked up, and for the first time, I really saw him.

His grin didn’t belong on his face. His eyes glinted with something wild and bright.

Details jumped out at me: his rumpled shirt, creased pants with faint stains, dark stubble shadowing his jaw. Cuts and bruises peppered his forearms.

What the hell had he been doing?

“Todd…” My voice came out quieter than I intended, my hand lifting instinctively toward him before I could stop myself. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he snapped. The sharp edge in his voice made me flinch, but then, just as abruptly, it softened. “I’m fine,” he repeated.

For a second, I thought he might pull away. Instead, his hand shot out, gripping my arm so tightly it hurt.

“Right. Yeah.” His gaze darted around. “I’ll get you a new phone. I’ll get you anything you want.”

I yanked back, my breath catching. “Wait, Todd, what are you doing?” He didn’t answer.

I blinked, disoriented. Somehow, we were now at the entryway. I hadn’t even realized we’d moved—had Todd dragged me here? How did we get here so fast?

“Everything’s going to be just fine,” Todd muttered under his breath.

His voice was low and sing-song, each word pitched wrong. My stomach knotted, dread spreading through my chest like ice water.

“Just you and me. Everything’s going to be fine. Just you and me. Everything’s going to be fine.”

He kept repeating it, but it didn’t sound like he was talking to me. I tried to pull free, digging my heels into the floor as panic sparked through me.

“Todd, stop!” My voice broke as I shouted. “Griffin?—”

Todd stopped. His whole body jerked, and for a split second, I thought he was going to let me go. Then he turned.

The way he moved was all wrong—too fast, too sharp, like a puppet whose strings had been yanked.

His face twisted, baring his teeth in a snarl, but it was his eyes that froze me in place. They gleamed in the dim light—a bright, unnatural gold.

“Stop saying his name,” he hissed. His voice didn’t sound human anymore.

What the hell is happening?

My breath hitched as a sharp sting ran up my arm. I gasped, feeling a warm trickle slide down my skin.

Slowly, I looked down. His hand—no, not a hand—dug into my arm.

His fingers had elongated into sharp talons, dark and gleaming like obsidian blades. Feathers sprouted along the back—black and glossy, their tips dipped in crimson.

I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe.

“Todd…” My voice barely escaped my lips.

His eyes, now a dark golden hue, locked onto mine, his grip tightening as his lips curled.

“It’s just us now,” he growled. “No one else. Not Griffin. No one. Just you and me.”

Chapter 19

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