Mated to the Griffin (Elemental Mates 5)

“At least now I can say that I tried it.” She smiled at him, then got up. “It was nice to meet you. And thanks for the drink.”

He wasn’t really her type anyway. She liked her men kind and generous, which meant that she hadn’t been able to find a lot of men willing to date her. Lou had a bit of that sharpness she associated with insurance brokers. Or maybe he worked in Finance.

And while it had been nice to talk to him, the last thing she needed on her quest for a scary magical artifact was a romantic entanglement.

“My pleasure,” he said. In the gloom of the bar, his eyes seemed strangely dark for a moment, as if they’d gone all black.

Chiara shuddered. That had to be the strange pastis.

She blinked. A heartbeat later, his eyes looked completely normal again.

That’s it. I’m imagining things. Time to sleep.

“Have a good night,” she said brightly, and then turned towards the door.

She felt a moment of relief when she stepped outside into the cool night air.

Now that she thought about it, she’d actually like to have one last night of good sex before risking her life on a magical mountain. Just not with him.

Something about him gave off a strange vibe, a hint of teeth and sharpness. The thought of being in bed with him made her squirm, and not in a good way.

Fortunately for me, absolutely no one is going to ask the local lunatic who believes in werewolves and vampires to spend the night at their place. Sex is completely off the cards. Focus on your job!

With a deep breath, she turned the corner. There, not far, was the tiny, cheap hotel where she was staying.

When she’d left, it had still been light outside. Now, at night, the street seemed a lot narrower and darker than it had looked during the day.

There were no streetlights in this small alley. She hadn’t realized that when she’d checked in.

Chiara gritted her teeth and reached into her bag, taking out her key. This was a sleepy French tourist village. Nothing ever happened in these places, except for when a goat escaped from a farm.

She had absolutely nothing to fear.

A second later, darkness seemed to swallow her.

The alley had gone inexplicably darker.

It was the only warning she received before she found herself pushed hard against the wall.

“The map!” a male voice hissed. “Give me the map!”

The voice was familiar.

She felt her heart clench in her chest as she looked up at her attacker, dizzy. It was Lou from the bar.

“I know you have it,” he growled. “Give it to me, now!”

It took a moment to understand what he was saying.

As soon as she realized what he wanted, her blood went cold.

He wanted the map. The secret map no one knew about.

Which meant that Lou knew why she was here. He knew she wasn’t an American tourist who’d come to hike in the French Alps.

“Who are you?” she asked, glaring at him, even though he still held her pressed against the wall.

He didn’t answer—but in the gloom, she could see his eyes glisten.