Shea pulled her jacket close and settled in as the others trickled onto the small outcropping. They were already up here. Might as well give Covath a little time.
She stuffed her hands under her arms and stared into the night, grateful as the other men drifted away, leaving her to sit in silence. The sight from the cliff eased her after the turbulence of earlier. Her doubts and fears quieted, leaving emptiness behind. She wouldn’t call it serenity or even calm, just a blank space where once there had been nothing but.
There was a rustle of wings. It was her only warning before a large form landed with a thump beside her.
Covath straightened, his wings furling behind him. He was a spot of dark in a world of shadows, tall and menacing. Shea fought to keep from retreating. He was much more intimidating in real life than he had been in her dreams.
Her three companions came to their feet in a rush, their bodies alert and poised for action. She held out a hand to forestall them before giving Covath her full attention.
The faint moonlight provided a sliver of light to see by, but she almost wished it hadn’t when she saw the fangs denting his lower lips and the dangerous expression on his face. This creature was a predator, one whose entire evolution was geared to hunting and ripping the flesh from its prey. That she had planned to meet with him, alone, at night, was madness. Thank all the gods that she’d forced herself to stop and think.
Shea didn’t speak. Something inside told her the one who spoke first lost. Beasts were territorial by nature. Those that lived in packs tended to play a lot of dominance games. While Covath had displayed some human traits, Shea was willing to bet he saw the world along similar lines to predators.
Dealing with him would be tricky. She needed his respect without alienating him.
“You were supposed to come alone,” Covath rumbled, shooting a dark look at the humans behind him.
Shea shrugged. “There was a change of plans.”
Covath let out a menacing growl and lifted his hand. The rustle of wings reached them and then there was a small shout and a horse’s scream of challenge.
Several of the bat creatures who’d attacked the Keep that first night landed in the clearing. Eva was clutched in one of their arms, her face terrified. Buck was caught in another’s. He gave Shea a sheepish look and waved.
“Is this how you treat with my kind? Through betrayal and lies?” Covath said in a dark voice.
“You know it’s not,” Shea told him. “The woman was simply supposed to report whether we had been successful or not.”
“The man is a warrior. He comes armed and waits under the cover of night,” one of the bats hissed.
“We’re all armed,” Shea argued.
“Not us,” a bat said from where he hugged the underside of a rock archway.
Shea gave him a derisive look. “You have fangs and claws and have already demonstrated your ability to use them. I would say you’re plenty armed.”
There was a small snickering laugh that came from several of the creatures’ throats. Covath studied Shea, giving her no clue of his thoughts.
“Buck, what are you doing here?” Shea asked, ignoring Covath for the moment.
He gave her a small shrug. “I saw you sneaking out of camp and got curious.” He looked at the creatures surrounding him. “Have to say, this wasn’t what I was expecting.”
Shea shook her head in resignation. There had never been any possibility of her coming to this meeting alone, she now realized. If she hadn’t stopped, Buck would have still followed her, to say nothing of her father and Reece.
It was a good feeling to know she wasn’t alone, even if it had increased the danger slightly.
Covath let out a small growl and gestured. Buck and Eva were released, the two moving warily away from their former captors.
Covath ignored her friends, even going as far as to give them his back—a grave insult if the snickers from the bats were anything to judge by.
“Your enemy draws ever closer to the heart,” Covath informed her.
Shea affected a nonchalance she didn’t feel. “There’s nothing stopping you from dealing with the threat he presents.”
Just the fact that he was standing here, talking to her, when it was obvious how little fondness he had for humans, told her just how dangerous Griffin had become.
Covath bared his teeth at her, the motion all the more sinister in the dark. “Humans made this mess. It’s their duty to correct it.”
Shea didn’t back down. “Seems to me, this is just as much your problem as ours.”
