Leonie let out her breath. Her form shimmered.
And there she was.
Yes.
“Yes,” he whispered, echoing his animal. “There you are.”
She was bigger now. Almost the size of his qiongqi, though lighter and more streamlined. She still had the same feline flanks and tufted tail, but now her strong front legs ended in long, grasping talons rather than paws.
Her head was a blend of eagle and lion; broad and powerful, with a great hooked beak and small ear tufts. Every feather gleamed as if dipped in gold. They ran down her neck and shoulders, transitioning to tawny fur.
There was nothing uncertain about her now. The griffin looked at him, golden eyes clear and steady.
With a cry of challenge, she sprang into the sky.
He was already shifting, but by the time he spread his own wings, she was already halfway to the clouds. He followed, wings beating hard, heart filled with pure delight.
Yes. Yes. Yes.
Yes. This was where she belonged. Where she had always belonged.
She teased him, flirting from thermal to thermal. He matched her, turn for turn, spiral for spiral. Part chase, partdance. Steadily drawing closer, until they were wingtip to wingtip, flying as one.
She tired first. For all her power, she was unaccustomed to sustained flight. Still, he could tell that she would have stayed aloft until her wings failed entirely, if he had left it up to her. He coaxed her down, leading the way home.
The camp was bustling with activity by the time they got back. As they swooped over the fields, kids and counselors alike broke off from their activities, looking up. Most just gawked in amazement, but one group hopped up and down, waving madly. Even from this distance, he could hear their cheers.
He dipped a wing, saluting their pack. Then he followed his mate back to the ground.
The griffin landed outside the senior staff cabins. The golden shape shimmered, shifting back to human form.
Leonie pushed her hair back from her face. She was out of breath, flushed pink with exertion, and she had never looked so perfect.
“Oh.” She flung her arms around his neck as he shifted as well, pulling him down for a fierce, possessive kiss. “Oh, that waswonderful.”
He breathed in the scent of her, now mixed with wind and sky. “Yes.”
She kissed him again, then pulled away. “We should?—”
She stopped dead, staring up at him. Her eyes widened.
“Leonie?” he asked. “What is it?”
“Oh,” she breathed. “I didn’t—I thought I knew—oh.”
Yes,his qiongqi whispered.She knows us now.
“Wow,” Leonie said softly, still gazing into his eyes. She abruptly grabbed his shirt. “You. Come with me. Now.”
Laughing under his breath, he let her drag him into her cabin. “And here I was thinking I would have a hard time persuading you not to go back to work this afternoon.”
“I’m due a day off.” She hesitated, catching her lip between her teeth. “But…some things are going to have to be off limits. I don’t want to risk triggering the mating bond.”
He’d figured as much. He doubted they evencouldfinalize their bond while she had her sister’s animal.
“I understand.” He kissed her, undoing the top button of her shorts. “We’ll be careful.”
She caught her breath as he worked her shorts down her legs. “We’ll also have to be quiet. There are campers around.”
