Mated to the Griffin (Elemental Mates 5)

But something had changed. Or maybe she had changed.

Letting go of everything connected to her old life had been freeing. After all, what did she have to lose now?

She could live with the fact that a grumpy old chimera hated her.

And apparently as it turned

out, that was exactly the attitude it took to make a chimera shifter like you.

“What’s a chimera anyway?” she asked.

“It’s a long story,” Jared said. “I’ll tell you once we find Ginny. I don’t know about you, but after that flight, I need some food. And Ginny’s been obsessed with baking recently.”

“Sounds good to me.” Right now, Chiara couldn’t care less if Ginny was another dragon—if there was cake, she’d make friends with yet another shifter. It had been a long flight, and she was still jet-lagged, even though she’d managed to sleep through most of their flight back from France. “In fact, I’d kill for a coffee.”

“No need to kill for that,” a soft but cheerful voice informed them as a door to their right opened. “Jared, it’s good to see you! I’ve been hoping the chimera would have guests. I’ve been baking all morning.”

“That cake must be incredible,” Jared whispered into Chiara’s ear with a grin. “She never talks that much around strangers.”

“I’m Chiara.” She reached out her hand, studying the woman who’d appeared before her.

She had to be Chiara’s age. Her hair was a somewhat mousy brown, with a bold, black streak running through it. There was a smudge of blue icing on her cheek, and Chiara had to bite back a soft laugh.

For a chimera’s lair, Sky Home felt surprisingly normal.

The kitchen looked surprisingly normal as well, for all that they were on top of a mythical mountain. There was a laptop on the counter, where a YouTube video was still explaining the finer details of cake decoration, and a plate of cupcakes that Ginny must have used to try out her new techniques.

But the most impressive sight in the entire kitchen was the cake that rested on the table in front of them.

“Three layers,” Ginny said with a small smile. “There’s rosewater in the frosting. What do you think?”

It was decorated all over with tiny flowers of blue and white frosting, as well as real, sugared petals in pink and lavender.

“It looks incredible,” Chiara said. “You’ve learned how to do this from YouTube?”

Ginny nodded with a shy but pleased smile. “There’s not much for me to do up here. At least when the chimera doesn’t have guests. I’ve been baking a lot lately.”

“It’s amazing. You should have your own YouTube channel.”

“Oh, no.” Ginny hastily shook her head, although she was still smiling. “The thought of hundreds of people looking at me and my cakes... That would be the worst.”

“It’s a beautiful cake,” Jared said. “You’ve got real talent. And I bet you would be a patient instructor.”

Ginny giggled softly and shook her head again. “I would be the worst instructor. I’d get so anxious I’d forget what to say or do. Anyway, I’m pleased you’re here. Gareth isn’t going to eat all that cake on his own, after all.”

“We’d be very happy to help out,” Chiara assured her, barely able to take her eyes off the cake.

When was the last time she’d had real, homemade cake? It had been her dad’s birthday, she realized.

Sadness surged up at the memory. They hadn’t spoken in months now. He’d been so disappointed when she’d quit her job to follow what he thought were dangerous, crazy conspiracies...

Chiara took a deep breath as they all settled around the small table together. Beneath the table, Jared’s hand found hers, as if he knew what she’d been thinking.

She gave him a grateful look.

Maybe once all of this was over, he’d help her to convince her dad that she wasn’t crazy. That shifters were real.

Maybe, in a few months’ time, she’d sit at a table with her dad again, eating cake.