A growl built in my throat—not at Leo, but at that scumbag Terry. My talons itched to rip him to shreds. How dare he treat my Leo so poorly? It was clear he'd done a number on Leo's psyche.
But it was okay. I had all the time in the world to teach Leo that he was worth more than what his ex implied. He was worth the entire world.
"Leo," I said firmly.
He gazed up at me, his expression so full of trust and kindness. I longed for my fated mate even when he was sitting right in front of me.
"Have you already forgotten what I told you?" I asked.
Leo licked his lips. I followed the movement of his tongue as it glided across his lower lip.
"You said I was your fated mate," Leo murmured. "Is that true?"
I brought my forehead against his so we were touching.
"It's the truth," I said gravely, "because I can never,everlie to you."
7
Leo
The past hourof my life was a whirlwind. First Maverick taking me to his private island, then his expensive gift, then his transformation into a mythical creature that shouldn't even exist...
But the most mind-boggling of them all was Maverick's admission that I was his fated mate.
That couldn't be true, could it? Fated mates only existed in trashy romance novels. They were fun to read about and lose myself in, but to actually be confronted with the existence of it was almost too much for me to comprehend.
And not only did Maverick say fated mates were real—he said that I washisfated mate.
Just thinking about it made my cheeks heat up.
But I'dtouchedMaverick's gryphon form. I ran my fingers through his feathers and fur, felt his rippling muscles beneath my palms. This wasn't CGI or a damn good animatronic. No doubt about it, Maverick was a real-life gryphon in the flesh.
And if that was true, could his claim about us being fated mates be real, too?
I can never, ever lie to you.
My throat felt dry. I swallowed thickly.
"When you say you can't lie," I began, "what do you mean by that?"
"Exactly that. Gryphons cannot lie. It is impossible for us."
My brows raised. I'd heard of mythical creatures having their own special quirks, but this was an interesting one. A lie was just a string of words twisted into a particular order, after all. Hell, Terry had told me plenty of them.
But when Maverick looked me straight in the eyes, I sensed no deception there. He radiated nobility, trustworthiness. Even when he was a six-foot-tall half-eagle, half-lion, everything about him was more gentlemanly than my ex ever was.
A laugh bubbled up in my throat and I doubled over, giggling like a fool. "Sorry," I said between breaths, "this situation is just crazy."
When I could breathe again, I wrapped my arms around Maverick's thick neck. His downy feathers tickled my skin.
Maverick let out what sounded like a purr of amusement. It rumbled through his whole body and I felt it against my chest. "In a good way, I hope?"
"In the best way," I confirmed. Nuzzling my face into his feathers, I said, "Maverick, I'm really happy you trusted me with this. It must've been scary to reveal yourself to a human."
Maverick purred deeper. He placed his talons gently on my back in a sweet embrace. "Leo, there is no other human in the entire world I'd rather show myself to."
I grinned. "Guess being your fated mate has perks, huh?"
