Griffin looked down at the man in his arms.
Thank fuck you’re so small.
He threw him over his shoulder and marched out of there. He wanted to get as far away from the disgusting smoke, and Harold, as he possibly could.
Soon he would find Ana again, but first he needed to get Oleks to safety.
Present Day - Grypheem
Griffin held the banister with a tight grip as he waited for Raven to appear. She had been gone most of the day and then whipped away again to be readied for tonight.
His mind flipped through his memories. That had been the first time he had met Ana. When he had gained his most trusted ally in Oleks.In a lot of ways, he had become his family, the only person he trusted. Even still, he never told him of his origin. And by the time Oleks found out that he was the enemy, it was too late to explain. The trust shattered into a thousand unfixable pieces.
It was one of many regrets he had.
“I guess my job is to stay silent,” Julian snarked across from him, his griffin mask already in place as he leaned back against a bricked wall.
They would all be wearing griffin masks.
“Yes. And alive,” Griffin bit out, before the door opened and Raven was revealed. Her dark hair was piled high on her head, the gown she wore extending out from her frame and billowing all the way to the floor. The oranges and yellows mixing together in the reminiscence of a griffin’s wings. Of its feathers.
She was objectively beautiful. But it was not that which caused Griffin’s heart to gallop in his chest. It was her aura, her confidence, the way she jutted her chin out and hardened her shoulders. She was strong.
This is the Raven I remember.
“Here.” He released the balcony, turning fully to her as she approached and pulling the last mask from inside his suit.
She stopped right in front of him, cocking a hand on her hip and narrowing her eyes. “You know I hate the thought of putting a mask on again.”
Griffin flipped it over in his hands. “It’s just tied on with strings. And it is for your protection.”
“How?” she grumbled, but didn’t fight him as he bent over securing it in place, his fingers lingering for a moment too long.
He inhaled her scent, her essence. Allowed it to settle his nerves. He wasn’t sure how this would go.
“We are a united front.”
“Then why aren’t the others with us?” Raven muttered.
Griffin released her, straightening back up.
He was saved from answering by a loud bell ringing out around them.
“Let’s go. Whatever you do, we need to be synchronized. We must be a singular power.” Griffin’s nerves were raw, but he kept them at bay. He would be strong.
He had to be.
Because he knew without a doubt, he had made enemies in his time in Violencia.
Countless.
Men’s faces flashed behind his eyes. The ones he had murdered. The ones he had a direct hand in their deaths. The ones he wished he could have killed.
Most were still in Violencia, but after the bomb went off over five years back, some had slunk back here with their tail between their legs. Terrified that they would be next.
He grabbed hold of Raven’s hand, leading her to the staircase. “Take her other hand. Once we make it to the bottom, all eyes will be on us even before we enter the great hall. We are going to be enacting change. Essentially breaking a law by using a loophole.”
“Why? Why are you dragging Julian into this?”
