Page 35 of Tangled Threads Of Fate

The dude with the ax frowned harder, but when the girl moaned once more, muttering gibberish, he gave a tight nod. Demke tilted his chin at us silently, and Erus and I moved as one toward the door. Once he was away from the eyes of strangers, I could see all the questions race across our very own God’s face—the same questions I had.

I didn’t know who the girl was, or why she was here, but I had a feeling they were going to shake things up, and honestly, I couldn’t wait.

Chapter 17

WREN

Something warm and soft was pressed against my stomach, and I stretched lazily. The feeling in my limbs could not be described. It was like waking up from the most restful sleep ever, in a bed made from clouds. I felt lighter than I had in months.

That was, until my eyes opened and I realized what was pressed against my stomach was the cheek of a man. I blinked, and the face was replaced by an eagle’s head.

Blink.A man again.

I sucked in a frightened breath, but then Nate was there, his hand on my cheek. “Easy,mo stóirín.You’re safe. This is Teron. You passed out, and he’s just checking you and the babies.” He muttered something about a stethoscope, but the guy ignored him.

I looked down into a pair of molten gold eyes, and something shifted in my chest. In my world. The breath I’d been holding whooshed out, ruffling the guy’s long, dark hair.

“Hello,” he said softly, his voice smooth like warm wax over my skin. “Your friend here says that you can see through our glamors, so I’m trying really hard to maintain it. However, if it drops, you should know that I am a Gryphon, and therefore I’llhave the head of an eagle. Please, don’t be alarmed.” The soft lilt of his gentle tone was soothing in a way that was hard to describe. It made my limbs languid and my eyes droopy. “My senses are heightened, given my other form, so I can hear the heartbeats of your young without the aid of a stethoscope, as your friend mentioned.”

“Nate,” I croaked out.

He gave me a smile that was otherworldly in its beauty. “Ah, yes. Your friend, Nate. And you are?”

I flicked my eyes over to Nate, whose face was completely impassive. “Wren.”

“Wren,” he repeated, drawing out the vowel like he was tasting the word. “Well, Wren, all three heartbeats sound strong and steady, so whatever caused you to faint wasn’t related to the babies. Your color is looking better, and your own heart sounds strong and even. I can’t test your blood pressure, though, so when you get back to Heraklion, I would suggest asking the hospital to check you over.”

That seemed unnecessary. I raised an eyebrow at him. “I fainted because I saw a buff guy with a lion’s head.”

Teron chuckled as he pulled away. “I imagine that would be shocking to any human.”

I scoffed. Not after the month I’d had. I didn’t say that, though, trying to sit up but kind of hitting the bumper stopper of my stomach. I was going to have to roll onto my side and swing my legs out.

An arm pushed beneath my spine, raising me up slowly. Teron held a glass of water to my lips. “Perhaps dehydration exacerbated your shock. People who aren’t used to the heat here in Crete can find it punishing after a short time.”

I took the drink in shaky hands and sipped it slowly. I didn’t know how to tell this guy that it wasn’t dehydration making me shaky, but the weird, unexplained pull in my chest that waslurching toward him like it was alive. Instead, I just thanked him.

Nate had obviously reached the end of his restraint, because he moved toward me, taking my face in his giant hands and kissing me possessively. “You scared the almighty fuck out of me, little one.”

“Sorry,” I croaked sheepishly. “I’m fine.”Kind of.

Teron got to his feet, uncoiling to his full height. He was tall and lean, his shoulders wide and his torso a dramatic V to his waist. I didn’t need to be in the know about the supernatural world to know there was something different about this guy. You couldn’t look at him and believe he was an average human.

No, he was the kind of guy that early civilizations would have worshiped.

I kinda wanted to get on my knees and worship him too.

“If you are feeling better, I think it might be best if we go downstairs and have a conversation with Demke in the living area. He’ll want to know why a human felt compelled to knock on our door when the wards we’ve placed on this building should make you want to run for the closest airport just to get away.”

That was definitelynotthe overriding feeling I was having right now. The more settled I became in his presence, the more the yearning in my chest evolved into a longing that throbbed considerably lower.

Nate shifted uncomfortably, and it didn’t escape Teron’s notice. “I promise she is safe with us. We haven’t practiced ritual sacrifice in a very long time,” he laughed, like he was joking. At least, I hoped he was joking.

The heat of the scowl that Nate was giving him was burning me in sheer proximity. I stood, wedging myself to his side. “I hope by a long time, you mean centuries and not weeks.”

Teron smiled that blinding grin again. “Millennia. It was a different world back then.”

My brain spun at the concept that both the men in this room weren’t men at all, but immortals. Shaking my head, I gripped Nate’s hand. “Lead the way. I’d like to get to the bottom of all this too.”

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