I shoot out questions rapid-fire, and with each one I voice, another pops up in my head. Treno laughs hard and then kisses me softly before pulling back. “I don’t actually know what it’s like. I haven’t experienced it yet, but from—”
“Wait. What?” I ask cutting him off. “You’ve never allowed your gryphon to let his freak flag fly?”
Shock radiates out of my tone, and Treno’s brow dips in confusion.
“Of course not,” he defends, like I’ve just accused him of something seriously fucked up. “When a gryphon mates, it’s for life. It’s different than when we mate in this form,” Treno explains, gesturing to my naked body and his. “We can mate in this form for pleasure, and it doesn’t create a bond, that is unless it happens after a mate call. But if a gryphon mates in its gryphon form, those gryphons are immediately bonded for life.”
“Oh okay, that makes sense,” I state.
“So is it usual for a gryphon to be a massive ball of lust until they mate?” I ask, thinking of Pigeon and all the fucking with my hormones she does.
“No, the opposite is true. A gryphon’s mating instinct can only be sparked by their true mate. If they don’t find them, then that part of them stays dormant.”
My eyebrows crinkle as I think that through.
“Wait...but you said that your gryphon wanted to fuck mine?” I remind him, like somehow there must be a loophole.
Treno laughs like he thinks I just told a hilarious joke. He immediately stops when he realizes I’m not laughing too.
“Well, yes, of course my gryphon wants to mate with yours because she’s his mate,” he declares, his eyes filling with concern.
I stare at him for a beat, just...blinking.
“What the fuck is going on?” I suddenly demand. I sit up, and Treno mirrors me, worry etched in his features. “What am I missing here? I mean, I didn’t think I was fucking dumb, but clearly I am, because how can our gryphons be mates without us…”
I trail off and take in Treno’s encouraging look.
“No,” I state matter-of-factly and push up onto my feet.
“What do you meanno?” Treno asks, his face and tone bewildered.
“I mean, no, we can’t be mates,” I answer simply.
A flash of hurt streaks through Treno’s mismatched gaze, and then incredulity takes over.
“What are you talking about, flower, you just answered my mate call. How can you say—”
“I what!” I yelp as I round on him, cutting him off.
Shock and frustration filter into his eyes. “You answered my mate call,” he repeats like I’m simple.
I throw my hands up in exasperation. “What the fuck, Treno, I never agreed to be your mate! You never even asked me! What are you even talking about?” My voice rises higher and higher in pitch as panic takes over.
“It doesn’t work like that,” he states, irritation clear in his tone. “Our gryphons put out the call. Usually there’s a burning sensation that accompanies the partial bond that’s being formed. It can be very painful. The stronger the bond, the more it hurts. You passed out from the pain of ours,” he explains, and my stomach drops.
I stare at him horrified.
“Are you being serious right now?” he challenges, his eyes taking me in warily like this is all just a bad joke. “But you had that book about Gryphon mating,” he mumbles, almost to himself.
“What?” I ask even more confused.
“The book about The Call and Gryphon mating practices. I saw it on your table.”
“No,” I answer hollowly. “I found that with all of the census records and took it so I could give it to an Archivist.”
We both stare at each other blankly.
“I thought you knew. I mentioned you answering the call in my note...you responded to me...your gryphon responded to us…”
