Page 5 of A Single Thread Of Hope

He’d have to beat me to it. The Moirai were on borrowed time, and their own fates were coming for them now.

Chapter 3

WREN

Mate…

The sound of Griff’s mournful voice in my head made me feel a little guilty that I was still giving them all the silent treatment, even if they deserved it. I was curled up in my damnGryphon nest, yet they didn’t think I’d be able to handle the fact that Demke died once a year?

Apparently, men could be stupid, no matter the millennium they were from.

Nate had been delivering me food and their apologies over the last few hours, as the cleanup began. I needed to come out and thank the people who’d gone to battle for me, though. The Valkyries. Hades and Persephone. The dog pack.

Now that I’d calmed down, and my adrenaline had evened out a little, I wondered if I was being a little bit dramatic. Then I’d remember Demke’s slack face, and be mad all over again.

I’m still upset, Griff,I answered him, then sighed.And angry.

I could hear his grumble.Men can be stupid in the nobility. Let me in so I can soothe you.

Huffing, I opened the door. However, I was surprised to see it was Teron on the other side of the door. “That’s cheating.” I scowled, stomping back toward the nest.

He gave me a guilty expression. “I just wanted to check you and the babies out. That was… stressful.”

I put my hands on my hips. “Which part, Teron? The bonding with a Gryphon, finding Demke dead, being faced with a monster that still makes me tremble with fear if I think about her, or meetingtheHades?!”

He winced. “All of the above? I apologize, Wren. We should have known that hiding this from you would end badly. I argued against it, but…”

Demke was their unofficial leader. Their God. If he hadn’t wanted me to know, they wouldn’t have struck out against his wishes.

“I didn’t think you’d need the extra stress, and there hadn’t been any indication of an attack. It’s quite a confronting thing to see him dying. It isn’t a sweet sort-of death,” he explained desperately, and I softened a little.

Could I have watched Demke die and not freak out? Probably not. But I would’ve liked the option to decide for myself.Assholes.

I sat on the bed and let him check my vitals, because although I might be pissed at the guys, the health of the babies meant everything to me now. I would fight literal monsters in their name; I wouldn’t let anything happen to them just because I was feeling miffed.

I stayed silent, only following Teron’s quiet directions as he checked me out. Finally, he sat beside me on the bed, reaching out to brush his pinky finger along mine. “I haven't talked to you about the bond between you and the Gryphon.”

I looked at him, and even now, I could see Griff’s sharp intelligence reflected back in his gaze. “You’re okay with it,right? I know it was kind of rushed, and you should have had an opinion?—”

He gripped my hand and lifted it to his chest. “Wren, I’m definitely not unhappy with the bond between us. I hope that now the Gryphon has created a mate bond with you, our own bond will snap into place. It’s difficult for the magic to take hold, considering I have two souls.”

I leaned my head on his shoulder. “I didn’t think about the fact that you and Griff being two separate entities must mean two souls to bind. I always did like a BOGO deal.”

“BOGO?”

I shook my head. “Buy one, get one free. Honestly, it might be the title of my autobiography.”

He kissed the top of my head, then rubbed my stomach softly. “It does seem to be a running theme. No regrets, though?”

I shook my head. Not about the babies, and not about bonding a literal mythical creature as a mate during a battle. My life was too tenuous to worry about regrets. “None.” Shifting to the edge of the bed, I hauled myself up and looked down at Teron. “But I mean it when I say that I am a grown woman. I mightn’t be six billion years old, but I can make my own choices. You aren’t protecting me by keeping secrets; you’re putting me at risk.”

He nodded. “No more, Wren. I promise.”

Man, he was so fucking beautiful, his golden eyes wide and honest, his long, straight nose and full lips just begging me to trace them with my fingertips. Now was not the time, though.

Holding out a hand, I led him from my suite. The house was in a state of repair, the broken furniture moved out, and everything put back to rights. It was almost as if the battle had never happened, except for the fact that the remaining Valkyries were drinking with Hades at the dining table. There were at leastfifteen bottles spread between them, and they were loudly telling stories—about their fallen comrade, I realized.

“She never backed down. She once tried to mount Sleipnir and ride him out of the stables without Odin knowing, but… well, he’s Odin.” The Valkyries all cackled, like it was the funniest joke, but beneath their merriment was a sadness that I knew was my fault.

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