Mated to the Griffin (Elemental Mates 5)

She hadn’t been mistaken in the bar. They’d gone black—completely black, like a shadow was staring back at her.

The sensation made her shiver with a sudden fear she’d never experienced before. She had no idea what he was—demon, vampire, warlock?

But something inside her was terrified.

Some instinct deep inside her knew that the shadow looking at her was the most dangerous thing she’d ever faced in her life. More dangerous even than the werewolf she’d once surprised.

A heartbeat later, he lost patience and reached out for her bag—and just as suddenly, he was ripped back and flung against the wall on the other side of the alley.

Everything had happened so quickly that it took Chiara a long moment to realize what was going on.

Another man had appeared in the alley. A man with blond hair, wearing a simple, white shirt that stretched over broad, muscled shoulders.

He didn’t have any weapon, as far as Chiara could see.

She wanted to warn him. The man who’d attacked her was a demon, or some sort of vampire, maybe—no matter how strong her rescuer was, he wouldn’t stand a chance against Lou.

She couldn’t force out a single word as she stared at where Lou had made it back to his feet. The darkness in his eyes seemed

to have deepened. It was like staring into an abyss, the darkness and coldness of outer space looking back at her until she felt a terror so strong her knees nearly gave out.

The stranger took a step towards Lou, unafraid.

And just like that, the shadow retreated, the unnatural darkness in the alley lessening. Lou snarled at them, the sound an inhuman hiss. Then he turned and ran.

“Are you all right?”

It took another moment until Chiara realized that the stranger was talking to her.

She tightened her fingers around her bag, clutching the old leather so hard her fingers hurt.

It was still there. She still had her map and her notes. Nothing had happened.

“I’m fine,” she said automatically, then took a deep breath.

Her legs were still trembling. She reached out to the wall behind her to steady herself.

“Thanks! That was really brave. He wanted to steal my bag... I guess that’s why he was trying to get me drunk in the bar.” She flashed the newcomer a shaky smile. “Sucks to be him, I’m a cheap backpacker. He should try his luck in Saint-Tropez, or wherever it is the rich and famous go.”

She didn’t mention the strange darkness in Lou’s eyes with a single word. She’d learned that lesson the hard way.

It was never a demon—or a werewolf.

It was a simple thief, and the fact that she’d had a drink.

Or that was what the cops had told her after she’d tried to tell them what had happened. Well, she wasn’t going to make that mistake a second time. Not until she had proof they wouldn’t be able to ignore.

“Have you seen him before?” the man asked. “There was something strange about him...”

“Did you see his eyes?” She shuddered as she remembered the darkness. It had been calling to her—threatening her...

“You’re shaking.” He gently touched her arm. “Where are you staying?”

For a moment, Chiara couldn’t make out what he was saying. At his touch, she’d looked up—and found herself falling into the most incredible blue eyes.

Even in the gloom of the tiny alley, they seemed filled with light. She’d never seen eyes that bright. They were shining at her in a pure azure, like that of a bright summer sky, or sunlight glistening on a mountain lake.

“Oh,” she said a moment later, when she realized that he’d asked her a question. Heat rushed to her face in embarrassment. “In that hotel over there.”