Clanless (Nameless #2)(76)
His hand supported her back as they made the semi-blind trek through the trees until the foliage opened up to a small sloped clearing just large enough for the two of them. Lemongrass carpeted the ground. The sweet aroma made Zo sigh with pleasure as they sunk to the earth. The ground slanted enough to make lying on their backs the perfect position to watch the stars.
“I don’t deserve this,” said Gryphon. He propped up his head with his good arm while his splinted arm rested on his stomach.
“Yes. You do,” said Zo. She held her breath, questioning her own bravery for a moment before scooting next to him and resting her head against his good shoulder. His arm came down around her before she had a moment to feel awkward.
Did Gryphon feel it too? The unwinding of all the hurt she’d ever endured. She was still so young—seventeen was hardly the time to think about choosing one man to be with forever—but she couldn’t help imagining what it might be like to belong to Gryphon. To have him belong to her in return. After a while she rolled onto her side. Her body pressed against his in delicious ways. “Gryphon?”
He watched her with a hunter’s attention. “Yes.” His voice caught as he spoke.
Zo brushed her cheek against his. Whiskers tickled her face.
Gryphon let go a long, shuttering breath. He glanced down at her lips then leaned in. His mouth hovered inches from hers, waiting for her to close the distance.
Zo pulled away. She’d brought him here for a reason. If she didn’t tell him now, it would only be harder later.
“Forgive me,” she whispered. The gold in his eyes reflected the stars. “For dragging you into all this. I’ve ruined your life.” She cupped his face in her hands and let her lips lightly brush against his. “I’m so sorry.”
She barely had time to say the words before his kiss silenced her. He pulled her closer, removing what little space existed between them. Zo’s hands slipped from his face and settled comfortably against his chest. Their lips moved against each other’s in a natural rhythm. She’d never kissed a man like that before. She didn’t know where her lips stopped and his began. One thing she did know is that when the heavens and earth were formed and man was created, at some point Gryphon’s lips were molded to fit hers.
Zo pulled away and dropped her head to rest in his neck. Her heart pounded in her ears.
“Zo?” Uncertainty laced Gryphon’s deep voice. “Is everything all right?”
But Zo wasn’t ready to look up into those eyes again.
“Is it Gabe? Is it too soon?”
At that Zo did raise her head. “Gabe is like a brother to me, Gryphon. I know you must hate him, and I’m ready to kill him myself, but he is still the closest thing I have to a family.”
“Did you just say brother?”
Her cheeks burned. She felt herself melting under the intensity of his gaze. He lifted her chin with his forefinger, studying her from under the hood of his dark brows. Whatever he saw in her expression gave him courage.
“If I promise not to kill Gabe, will you let me call you mine?”
“You don’t have to, you know.”
Gryphon’s brows shot up. “Excuse me?”
This is what she’d been hoping to communicate all night. “Gryphon, you’ve done so much for me. You’re selfless and brave and kind and … I don’t want you to feel like I’m your only option. We don’t have to be together for you to find a home with the Allies.”
A wide grin spread across Gryphon’s face. “Answer the question, Zo.” He reached up and gently knotted his hand in the hair at the nape of her neck. Possessive. Strong.
Zo couldn’t remember a time when she’d ever felt so blissfully content. Didn’t he know? Wasn’t it obvious? “Why ask for what you already have?”
Just in case words weren’t enough, she took his face in her hands and thoroughly, deliciously kissed him.
Chapter 31
Gryphon woke to the feel of raindrops hitting his face. It wasn’t quite morning, and Zo lay tucked into his side, her head resting peacefully on his shoulder. They needed to get back to camp before Ikatou came looking for them.
I’ve lost myself to a Wolf. He let his head fall back against the grass and smiled. He couldn’t ever remember being so happy.
A brown flurry of movement a hundred yards away caught Gryphon’s eye. He stared out through the thick maze of pine trees, unblinking, but didn’t see the movement again. Was it an animal? It had seemed tall enough to be a bear. His gut clinched. Not again.
Careful to rest Zo’s head gently against the ground, Gryphon sat up, unhooked his wool cloak, and covered Zo to protect her from the rain. He paused to tuck a strand of her dark hair behind her ears and fought the desire to linger to watch her sleep.
He pulled a knife from the sheath above his ankle and turned back to face whatever beast threatened them, cursing his useless arm and hand, still bound in a sling. Raindrops rolled into his eyes and he blinked them away. The rain-soaked earth absorbed all sound as Gryphon moved so he could keep an eye on Zo, scanning the area where he last saw movement. He used the trees for cover, stepping quickly from one to the next. His teeth chattered, and his breath smoked the air.
Thunder rumbled in the distance. Gryphon looked back to make sure Zo still slept. When he turned around again to search the trees, Ajax stood not five feet in front of him. His brother and best friend held up his hands in surrender.