I’m glad to see that she’s as feisty as ever, though. She’s done well for herself, even with everything my family did. Nearly everyone in the supernatural community knows who she is—she’s the best hunter there is, after all—and she’s always the first person everyone recommends when a supe needs to be eradicated. I’m proud of her, though I doubt she’ll believe me if I get a chance to tell her.
Seeing her has made me realize how badly I need her back in my life, but I know I’ll have to prove myself again. I just don’t know if that’ll be enough for her.
She’s always been skeptical of the world, rightfully so with everything she’s been through in her life. Even with that, she let me in—let me love her and take care of her—but my family completely fucked that up for me.
When they first heard that I was dating a ‘skinwalker’, they threw a fit. I brushed them off for a while, but then they tried to make me choose between them and her. According to them, she wasn’t suitable for me, not good enough because of what she was and the work she did.
In their defense, people of her kind are rare, so little is known about them, but many consider them to be dangerous. Most supes think her kind are monsters who must be eradicated, that they feast on others because they can, not because they need to. However, being with Avie, I knew that wasn’t true.
I tried to counter my family’s accusations and explain that she was a good person deep down, even though she’d been through a lot of shit. They wanted no part in it, insisting that myrelationship with a ‘skinwalker’ looked bad on the family, and I needed to end it.
That’s the shitty thing about my family. They’ve always been about what’s best for them as a whole, regardless of how it affects the people involved. As griffins, we’re expected to stay loyal to our family no matter the situation. The expectation was for me to choose my family.
But they’ve never deserved my loyalty or thought about the consequences of their actions if things didn’t go in their favor, so I chose my little mimic without thought.
Unfortunately, before I had the chance to tell her, my family abducted her from the apartment we shared and sold her off to the highest bidder—a sex trafficking ring. I was livid with them and went behind their backs to do everything in my power to free her.
Once she was out, I killed those she hadn’t been able to during her escape. She needed space, which I was more than happy to give her for a while. But when I returned from tracking down the rest of the ring, she was gone, and I didn’t have it in me to look for her again.
After everything was said and done, I disowned my family and left the apartment I shared with Avyanna. My family has tried to contact me several times over the years, but they’ve never apologized for what they’ve done. To this day, the only reply I’ve sent them is ‘go fuck yourselves’.
I spent several years wandering around the world, hoping I’d run into Avie, to no avail. That’s when I met Bella. I was one of the first recruits for Belladonna’s Investigations, Tracking, and Elimination (B.I.T.E.). Over the years, she’s become one of my closest friends. She’s always seen my potential and has pushed me to become the best I can be.
Since I’ve joined B.I.T.E., Bella and I have worked to expand the organization throughout the United States, and I’ve movedaround the country several times to help wherever I’m needed. Recently, my focus has been on training new recruits while I set up new bases for our agents to work from. The outpost we’re setting up in this city is brand new, so I’ve come to make sure it’s a suitable location for us. I also want to see what kind of supes are in the area.
The next step in this process was for Bella to send out some potential agents, but that’s been put on hold with this thing killing women. While you might think that already having cases here would be beneficial for training agents, this case has quickly proven how dangerous our target is. I refuse to risk the lives of brand-new agents until I know more about this thing.
Needless to say, this case is all mine to work on, and I really need to fucking focus before things get worse. This monster has already managed to kill three women, and I need to stop it before it adds another to its body count.
Now that I’ve run into Avie again, things are a little more difficult. I feel like I have to make everything up to her and explain exactly what happened. I don’t want to let her go again. But I guess that’s not really my choice to make at this point. No matter what the outcome is, I just want her to be happy.
I shake my head, trying to get my thoughts away from my past as I stroll into a large expanse of trees down the street. Since I move frequently, I refuse to buy a car, so I take to the skies when I have a long distance to go. Or when I just want to get to my destination faster.
The moment I’m certain no one can see me, I drop my glamour and let my wings unfurl. I’m careful not to let them slam into the trees, but it feels good to let them free after having them restricted for several days in a row. Then, I dig my talons on my front feet into the dirt while my paws on my back feet flex. The first time I took on my human form, I hated how small my feet felt beneath me, how cramped my talons felt in my hands. Asmost of us supes would say, we’re more comfortable in our true form.
Once I’ve stretched everything out, I push off the ground and flap my wings a few times to propel myself into the air. I soar up into the clouds, where I know I’ll be more hidden, and glide across the city toward my building. The wind beneath me cools my all-too-hot skin from my encounter with Avyanna. She always had a way of making me lose myself in her presence; it appears now is no different.
As I fly, I glance down at the city below me, making sure nothing seems out of sorts. As much as I’d like to say I haven’t spotted anything before, I have. This city is a mess, and there’ve been at least a dozen murders since I arrived. Not many have been by the hand of a supe thus far, but people are getting away with too much. The human police can’t keep up, and there aren’t enough supe agencies here to help them control those who step out of line.
It’s why Bella and I wanted to bring B.I.T.E. here. We want to help these people. I just kind of wish I had some help. I’m only one person, and there’s a lot of shit to take care of here. But I don’t dare tell Bella because she’ll put the staff in more danger than it’s worth. Once I can get rid of whatever is going after these girls, Bella can bring others in, and I’ll be able to focus on my little mimic more. Until then, I’ll have to take things as they come.
This whole ordeal is going to be a test of my patience. If I’m not careful, I risk creating problems that could be detrimental to the people living in this city. That’s not something I can afford to let happen. Not only will Bella have my ass for making the agency look bad, but I could chase off Avyanna and ruin any chance I have with her before I even get it.
Taking all of that into consideration, I turn my attention to scanning the streets below. I realize that was a stupid idea whenI collide with something and nearly tumble to the ground. A pair of arms wrap around me, and I’m no longer falling, which only serves to freak me out more. I haven’t met another flying supe in the area, and I have no clue what the fuck is happening right now.
“You alright down there? I won’t be able to hold you like this forever. You’re much larger than I am, and my arms are already starting to get pretty tired,” a sweet voice says.
My eyes snap open, and I’m met with an intense, stormy grey gaze, reminding me of the clouds on a rainy day. Platinum blonde hair swishes across her gaze, breaking my concentration. My gaze shifts higher to her hairline, where I’m shocked to find feathers almost the same color as her hair peaking out between the strands of her mostly braided hair.
That’s when I notice her wings flapping, even though her arms are around me. “How are you still flying? Are your arms not attached to your wings?”
Her eyebrow raises with a slight smirk playing at the corner of her lips. “Those are the questions you have for me?”
“I, uh, I have a lot more, but those are two at the forefront of my mind right now.”
She laughs, a beautiful sound I’d like to hear more of. “Interesting. Well, as much as I’d like to keep talking with your body up against mine like this, I need to know if you’re able to fly because if you can’t, we’re going to have to find somewhere to land. I won’t be able to carry you for much longer.”
“I’m fairly certain I can fly. You just scared me. And your eyes… They’re hypnotizing,” I say, making a fool of myself.
