“Did she say anything?”

“Nah.Just listened and watched.”

Kyllian inclined his head.“Thanks for the heads up.”Straddling his Harley, he headed toward the campground to have a look around.He parked well away from the entrance and walked to the edge of the woods, where he removed his clothes, then shifted into his Eagle.Flying over the whole campground didn’t take long, and when he didn’t see any bikes, he flew back to his own motorcycle.Kyllian did another loop through town but still didn’t catch sight of the newcomers, so he rode back to the Shepherds’ home, making sure he wasn’t followed.He wouldn’t put it past the Sons to follow him.The gate opened after a couple seconds, and Kyllian rolled his bike to the front of the house.He needed to ask about parking in the garage.He didn’t like leaving his bike to the elements of Upstate New York.

Trenton met Kyllian at the front door.“Did you see them?”

Kyllian ran a hand through his dark hair.“No, but you were right.They introduced themselves to the Sons.Told them they were looking for one of their old ladies who’d been kidnapped.I set the story straight and told them the female they were looking for was under my protection.”

“Do you think that was a good idea?What if the Sons decide to betray you?”

“They won’t.”Kyllian didn’t elaborate.Instead, he opened his senses for Quinn.She wasn’t in the house, so that meant she was somewhere outside.“If I’m going to protect your daughter, she and I need to have another chat.”

“Whatever you need to do.I can’t lose her, Kyllian.”

Kyllian clapped Trenton on the shoulder as he passed him on the way to the back door.As soon as he stepped outside, the hair on his arms bristled.His Gryphon was pushing to be turned loose, but Kyllian pushed back.He wouldn’t show Quinn his full shifter.Not yet.He didn’t have to search for the female.His body was already in tune with hers.Kyllian strode toward the trees, veering right when he came to two diverging paths.Her scent was embedded in his brain, and his Eagle’s keen vision allowed him to track her movements even though she was a good hundred yards away.He padded on silent feet toward the large wolf, admiring her coloring and size.Were all wolf shifters that large?It would make sense considering both his Lion and Eagle were larger than their animal counterparts.

Quinn froze and turned her dark muzzle his direction, her copper eyes focused on him.Her forelegs bent, and she shoved off, running away from him.Kyllian didn’t need to shift to be fast, but if she wanted a chase, a chase she would get.Stripping down, Kyllian called forth his Lion, then bounded down the trail.If Quinn had been honest, she wouldn’t leave the property, so he didn’t worry about her going too far.That didn’t mean the rogue wolves weren’t out there, on the perimeter, searching.Using their wolf’s enhanced vision to track her movements.

Leaves crunched and sticks snapped behind him.Kyllian waited until the last second to leap into the air, dropping back down behind Quinn.She slid to a stop, rounding on him.With fangs bared, she lowered her head, ready to pounce.Kyllian growled low, shaking out his massive mane.When she first shifted back in the house, her Wolf whined, but he didn’t know if that was from wanting to submit or from his Gryphon’s dominance.Maybe it was a bit of both.Kyllian stood his ground while his Lion swished its tail behind them.He wouldn’t cow down to his She-Wolf.He couldn’t.It wasn’t in his nature.Patience, however, was.Being a Master in the kink world, Kyllian had learned to read cues.To study his subs words as well as their silence.Studying Quinn, Kyllian got the impression she was fighting her Wolf.It wanted to submit, but her human didn’t.

Quinn’s beast huffed, and within seconds, she was back to two legs.With her clothes intact.That wasn’t fair at all.If he wanted to talk to the female, he could shift and stand naked in front of her, or he could run back to where he left his clothes.Neither was the right scenario, so he opted to shift and cover his dick with his hands.When he was back to his human form, Quinn’s eyes tracked his body, and he let her look her fill.

“Where are your clothes?”she asked.

“At the edge of the trees.I don’t have the ability to shift without shredding them.”

“Huh.Not that I’m opposed to you being naked, but I think it would be easier to talk if you were dressed,” she admitted.The fact that she wanted to talk instead of run from him was a good sign.

“Meet me back at the house?”he suggested.

Quinn nodded, her eyes on his chest.Kyllian knew he looked good.He didn’t consider himself handsome.Not like his brothers.But he was fit, and being a Gryphon, it didn’t take much work staying that way.Instead of walking back through the woods with his junk dangling, Kyllian shifted to his Eagle, both to get through the trees faster and to let Quinn see his other animal.He was dressed and waiting by the time she reached the house.

“Both your animals are impressive.I can’t wait to see your Gryphon,” she said as she reached his side.

“So is your Wolf.She’s larger than I would have imagined,” Kyllian admitted.

“That’s the dire gene.”

“But Trenton isn’t a pure blood, which means you aren’t either.Why come after you if they want a pure bloodline?”

Quinn folded her arms over her chest and looked up at the sky.Whatever she was thinking wasn’t pleasant.“The dire wolf gene is prominent.Even if we mate with a human, the offspring will be a shifter.Anyone with dire blood comes from the River Canyon pack, and Dennis demands they remain on pack land.If I were to go back and mate with a pure blood, my child would then be closer to pure.When they mate with a pure blood, their child then becomes closer to pure and so on down the line.”

“Well, that’s shitty.I guess the stories about wolves having one mate are wrong.”

Quinn returned her gaze to him.“They’re not wrong.It’s why Mom’s accusation about who my father was caused so much trouble.The alpha already found his destined mate, and as such, there was no way he would’ve cheated on her.It’s not possible.The wolf would rather kill itself than take someone else as a lover.That’s why Dennis doesn’t allow those pairings unless your fated mate is one of their pack.”

“Your grandfather sounds like a dick.”

“That he is, but it’s the way things have always been.”Quinn swallowed hard.“My mother wrote everything about the dire wolves in some journals for me since everything was different than normal packs.Dad didn’t give it to me until...When I shifted for the first time, I knew what to expect.Dad had talked about my animal side ever since I can remember, preparing me.With him being half human, the need to shift and run isn’t as strong.He either didn’t understand how much I would need to be in my fur, or he’d forgotten what it was like for Mom.Moving around as we did, Dad was more focused on keeping us safe and off the pack’s radar.We never settled anywhere I could shift and run freely.He did take me a few times to some wooded areas, but it was only long enough for me to run about ten minutes.”

Quinn took a deep breath and blew it out.“Dad was doing his best to keep his business going while on the move, and he had an unruly teenager to deal with on top of that.It finally got to be too much for my Wolf, and I took off.”Quinn turned and looked at the house, tilting her head to the side.When she returned her gaze to Kyllian, her eyes were haunted.

Kyllian’s phone rang, interrupting Quinn’s story.He apologized as he pulled it out of his pocket.“Sorry, I need to take this.Hello, Luce.Everything okay?”His niece was in New Atlanta with her mate, and she didn’t usually call Kyllian.

“I’m not sure.I called Ryker about this, and he said you’re with your handler.Can you ask Quinn if she’s received any contracts on Rafael Stone or his family?”

“You mean like a hit?”Kyllian glanced at Quinn who was frowning.Being a shifter, she could hear Lucy’s side of the conversation.Quinn shook her head.

Tags: Faith Gibson Crime
Source: readsnovelonline.net