Mated to the Griffin (Elemental Mates 5)

Right now, Liana was working on a program that would sift through all the data for them and then spit out anything that looked like it might be connected to the darkness that was threatening the world. Hopefully by the time they returned to Sky Home, they’d have a trail to follow.

Chiara took a deep breath, raising her face up to the morning sun.

The flight had been uneventful so far. They were above the clouds, Jared’s majestic eagle wings effortlessly carrying them through the air. Every now and then, there was a hole in the cloud cover, and she made out fields, forests, and the occasional city.

Once or twice, planes went past them far overhead. It was a strange experience. Chiara couldn’t help but wonder what the people inside might think if they saw a woman on top of a griffin soaring through the sky.

Fortunately, humans couldn’t see mythological shifters—which included Chiara, as long as she was on his back. Still, the experience made her realize for the first time just how far she’d come. And just how far she’d left her old life behind.

I miss Dad.

Maybe once this was all over, they could make up. Maybe he’d at last believe her, and then everything could go back to what it had been.

No. I’ll never go back to who I was before all of this. He won’t get the old Chiara back. He’ll have to learn to live with the new Chiara.

Would her dad even like Jared?

It seemed impossible not to like Jared, who was strong and loyal and devoted to his work. Jared had beliefs. Jared wanted to keep the world a safe place for both humans and shifters.

But also, Jared was a shifter. And given how her dad had reacted to her tale of the werewolf, maybe the fact that Jared was a griffin would be enough to make him never want to talk to the two of them again...

High above, another plane went past.

Chiara leaned forward a little, pressing her cheek to the griffin’s neck. His feathers were soft and warm, and the movement of the strong muscles beneath her were comforting.

What point is there in worrying? If he can’t accept this—if he can’t accept us—then I haven’t lost anything. Then it’ll just stay the way it is right now.

But maybe her dad would come around. And then, maybe, she and Jared could finally have the big family they’d both always wanted...

Chapter Twenty: Jared

Jared didn’t descend until they’d almost made it to the mountain. Hopefully staying above the clouds would help to hide them from any spies the fire dragons might have on the ground.

And when they broke through the clouds, the landscape beneath them was completely deserted. Dense forest covered the slopes of the foothills that spread beneath, and the mountain itself looked forbidding. There were no buses carrying tourists for a sightseeing tour, no hotels catering to hikers and families, and only a small, winding road that looked utterly deserted.

The sight filled Jared with new hope.

What better place for a dragon to hide than on a mountain that looked so desolate and uninviting that no human would ever accidentally stumble across his lair?

Jared changed his angle, rising again as they came closer to where the mountain rose up from the surrounding foothills. Stark cliffs made certain that none but the most experienced climbers would make it up to the summit.

And of course, experienced climbers would never waste a trip on a mountain like this when they could instead gain glory on Mount Everest. As impressive as the mountain looked, it was not as high as the ones where more daring humans strove for new records. It wasn’t even as high as Sky Home.

But for a dragon, height alone didn’t matter. Secrecy was far more important.

And something about this mountain gave off a vibe that said “Leave. Now.”

Jared’s beak parted for a voiceless laugh. If anything, that vibe alone was enough to make him feel confident that they’d found a dragon’s hiding place.

Or a griffin’s...

No. I can’t think of that now. Focus on the task ahead.

With Chiara holding on to his neck, he soared higher and higher, spiraling around the mountain. There was no obvious opening that he could see—not until they’d nearly made it to the top.

There, at last, in the shadow of a boulder jutting forward at a threatening angle, a shadowed arch could be seen.

“An entrance,” Chiara breathed. “And that boulder—that’s the weird oval bit on our map.”