I could stay in this car like a good little normie, or I can act. Maybe I can’t do magic, but I can do something better: I can make Oaklyn trust me. It might be dangerous, and it might shatter what’s left of my heart, but at least it’s doing something.
Time to find out if Oaklyn has been tricking me.
And if she has… Well, she’s not the only one who can wear a convincing mask.
Chapter 15
Griffin-Sized Problems
Man,Iamonfirewith this bow and arrow. Katniss Everdeen is in the house, bitches! Sure, I haven’t actually hit the chimera with the net yet, but I’m better equipped than last time.
I nock the arrow again and take aim at the griffin perched on a huge fir tree. The mountain air fills my wheezing lungs, and pine needles crunch under my boots as I crouch beside a mossy boulder. I need to move fast—between the cliffs and the temperate rainforest on all sides, the chimera could disappear with a flap of its wings. Not to mention Natalie and Sky blasting the shit out of Sophia and Oaklyn strides away.
Just like in the Alchemy lab,I tell myself, pulling back the bowstring with trembling arms.Except instead of a target on the wall, you’re trying to shoot a mythical creature that can shapeshift into literally anything.
Okay, I’m terrible at pep talks.
Sweat beads on my forehead, mixing with the cold drizzle of rain. I exhale and release the string, and it makes atwang, raking my inner arm.
The arrow soars, the net streaming behind it like a golden comet. It helps that my target is enormous, but the griffin dives at the lastmoment, wings folded tightly to its sides. The arrow sails past before losing momentum and plummeting back to earth.
“Dammit!” I sprint to retrieve it, ducking to avoid the creature’s talons. A gust of wind pushes me as it spreads its wings and soars back upward.
It still hasn’t shapeshifted. Maybe it’s realized that being a griffin makes it seriously hard to catch.
Which makes me wonder… Canallchimeras shift into griffins? If it were easy for them all to become huge monsters, wouldn’t they do that immediately? Maybe some chimeras are more powerful than others.
I straighten up with my weapon, ready for the creature to land so I can shoot again. For its size, it’s astonishingly nimble as it weaves through the trunks to get back up to the canopy.
“Sky!” Natalie shouts, her hands outstretched.
“Yep,” Sky grunts, ducking as a pine branch whips over her head.
It’s like they’ve choreographed this fight, their movements fluid, each sister anticipating the other’s next move without having to say much.
The sight puts a knot of homesickness in my throat that hasn’t been there for a long time—the feeling of being surrounded by people who get you, who unconditionally have your back.
Magic crackles through the mountain air, making my skin prickle. Natalie and Sky have pinned Sophia, Oaklyn, and Wyatt between two massive cedars, forcing them to split their attention. Every time the Madsens try to advance, Sky launches a volley of rocks while Natalie manipulates the roots under their feet.
My gaze keeps pulling to Oaklyn, my brain working frantically to understand how it’s possible that this terrifying woman and Hazel’s new girlfriend are the same person.
Movement overhead yanks my attention back to what I’m supposed to be doing. The griffin lands on another large branch, which bends andbounces beneath its enormous weight. Droplets fall from the needles, raining down around me. I’m dizzy as I look up, trying to aim.
Flapping its wings for balance, it turns its massive beak my way.“Little hunter with the blood of a Guardian… I know you can hear me.”
The voice winds me like a punch to the ribs, making my aim wobble. More rain falls into my eyes, and I wipe my face with my damp sleeve. The griffin’s purple eyes lock onto mine, and memories flood through me—cradling a tiny kitten at the animal shelter, her purr vibrating against my chest…and her eyes blazing that same otherworldly purple as her true nature became clear.
The griffin’s talons tighten over the branch, and there it is: a dark smudge on its back paw.
“Lucy?” I whisper. My arms fail me, the arrow slipping from my fingers.
The griffin ruffles its feathers.“You ally yourself with those who chain ancient powers beneath earth and stone. Do you believe you are the only one worthy of freedom?”
“I… I don’t…” I shut my mouth. Am I really going to answer? Natalie said talking to magic isn’t a thing.
A shriek makes me gasp. A root ball from Oaklyn’s dagger has slammed into Sky’s gut, sending her flying backward. Wyatt tears after her, striking while she’s down.
Shit!
