He almost grabbed Natasha’s arm to pull her back down the stairs and carry her to safety without waiting for the griffin’s response. If there was even the slightest chance that his mate could be in danger, then Kieran wasn’t about to waste valuable seconds trying to figure things out!
No,the griffin replied after a moment.No. Not dangerous. Just…
Just what?Kieran demanded.
I don’t know. I’ve never sensed something like this before.The griffin sounded perplexed, and Kieran couldn’t say he blamed it. But right now, he wanted to get Natasha out of here – he didn’t care how curious his griffin was, it just wasn’t worth the risk.
“Come on,” he said quickly, grabbing her arm and tugging her back toward the open trapdoor. “We should get out of here –”
Natasha glanced up at him, eyes wide. “Is it dangerous? What evenisit?”
“I don’t think we should hang around to find out,” Kieran said, as together, they ran back through the attic, stirring up clouds of dust as they went. But they hadn’t gone far, and in only a few seconds Kieran was urging Natasha down the steps – that was, until a desperate voice cut them off in their tracks.
“Wait! Please don’t go! I’ve been waiting for someone to come and find me up here for… for I don’t know how long! Don’t run away – I need your help!”
Kieran paused, his heart thudding.
Could it be a trap?
He bit his lip, taking a moment to glance up. His griffinstillwasn’t reacting the way it had on that first night here – in fact, it reallydidseem more curious than anything. But still, Kieran wasn’t sure he should take any risks where Natasha’s safety was concerned.
But… itdidsay it needed our help…
“Kieran – look.”
Kieran looked down at Natasha where she was half-in, half-out of the trap door, pointing to the far end of the attic. He followed her gesture with his eyes – and saw a figure standing against the far wall.
Well, Ithinkit’s a figure…
Whatever it was, it definitely wasn’t human. It was tall and slender, with pale skin that seemed to be emitting some kind of shimmering blue glow. And its hair was blue too – light blue, and falling to its waist. Despite the long hair, Kieran still couldn’t tell if the figure was male or female – its face was soft and androgynous, its expression pleading.
“Who are you?” he asked, surprise and lingering suspicion that this could be a trap making his voice harsher than usual.
Whatare you?he silently added in his head – because whatever this figure was, it definitely wasn’t like any shifter he’d ever heard of. And what was it doing up here in his uncle’s attic?!
“I – I don’t really have a name, the way you do,” the figure stuttered out, raising its hands as if it could sense Kieran’s suspicion and it wanted to show that it was no threat. “But Henry used to call me Sieval.”
Kieran blinked, surprise washing over him. “Wait – Henry? Youknewmy Uncle Henry?”
The figure – Sieval, if that was what it wanted to be called – nodded, the shimmering light from its skin shifting against the wall as it did so.
“Yes – he was my friend. For many years, we spent time together in this house. But he went away. He told me that he was old – for a shifter, what counts as old – and that he didn’t have much time left. And then, he went away.”
Kieran felt a knot in his throat, sadness welling up inside him at the mournful tone of the creature’s voice, despite the fact hestilldidn’t know what it was.
“Yes,” he said, trying to make his voice soft. “He died. Many years ago now – I’m sorry if you didn’t know.”
It seemed strange to be trying to console this mysterious being, but Kieran wasn’t sure what else to do. He could feel Natasha’s fingers gripping onto his arm – and he knew she had to be his first priority, no matter what.
I can’t let myself be lulled into a false sense of security…
“No, I knew,” the being said softly, its voice seeming to reverberate with sadness. “I could sense it. But he did say – he did promise me that –”
Sieval cut itself off, and Kieran felt surprise ripple through him as it looked up at him. Its eyes were large and haunting, and he couldn’t help but feel sympathy for it – even if he didn’t really understandwhy.
“Are you a shifter too?”
It was Natasha’s voice that broke him out of his reverie. She was slowly beginning to climb back up out of the trap door to stand beside him, her eyes intent on Sieval.
