The Arrival (Birthright Trilogy #1) (24 page)

‘LOUSHKA.’
Alek screamed in his mind.
‘HURRY WE NEED YOU.’

Back at the lodge everyone relaxed and the griffons stretched out in the sun. Sian, Kassie and Loi lounged around a large table with the men and Brece and his family. An enormous cry shook the lodge and everyone leapt to their feet.

'What was that?' yelled Loi but the men ignored her, all focused on their griffons.

Kassie felt the ground shudder and looked out the window in time to see Loushka spring into the air. Her mouth dropped at the sight of the griffon in full battle mode. Mane standing stiff, eyes narrowed in fury and her tail lashing the air as the griffon took off at a phenomenal speed.

Sian realized that something must have gone wrong with Cat and Alek and lunged at Daron, gripping his shoulders.

'What’s happening?' she shrieked.

My feet pounded the dirt and my heart was in my mouth at the snarls and barks behind us. Audi’s snarls were further away than the vicious growls that drew closer. I pumped my arms hard and felt my breath burn in my throat.

Alek knew the tehnear gained on them. It’d ignored Audrey but she’d distracted it enough for them to get a little head start. He could feel that Loushka was closer but was too focused on running to call out to her again. He knew the griffon would be able to spot them easily enough. Risking another glance back, he felt his body go cold with horror, the tehnear was within pouncing distance.

Shit, shit, shit.

‘ALEK.’
Loushka’s voice roared in his mind,
‘DUCK.’

I heard a rush of heavy wings and half turned to look when Alek tackled me. We tumbled off the track in a mass of flailing limbs. I felt something heavy with dense fur smack across my side, then it was gone. Struggling, I tried to sit up, but Alek had me pinned to the ground.

'Alek,' I began.

'Hush,' he growled as he held me to the ground, looking around frantically.

Cat ceased to struggle and lay beneath him, eyes wide as he looked around for it.

Where was the damn beast? Loushka had sent it flying, but now she couldn’t spot it and tehnears weren’t that easy to kill. Alek felt Cat shift and glanced at her; she stretched to look down the track. Following her line of sight, he saw Audrey there, unscathed on the path.

The sense of relief released some tension; Cat would have been devastated if anything had happened to the dog.

He looked down at Cat. 'She’s safe.'

I was about to answer when Audrey crouched and let out a snarl.

Oh fuck!

What I’d thought was a tree shadow was the tehnear, getting its breath back.

'Tehnear!' I shrieked.

Alek jerked his head up and hollered for Loushka. The tehnear roared at Audrey who cowered but held her ground and the creature raced toward us. I dimly heard Loushka’s roar, then Alek’s cry of shock as a strange sensation flooded my senses and all I saw was red.

Loushka swooped in as Alek lunged over Cat and just as the griffon snatched the creature, an enormous energy pulse burst out from Cat. Alek was knocked flat on his back, gasping for breath. It felt as though he'd fallen from an extreme height. Struggling to roll over, he crawled to where Cat lay. She was unconscious; eyes rolled back, and face ashen. He sat up and gathered her in his arms; alarmed at the lack of response from the girl.

'Cat, Catherine, can you hear me?' his voice cracked as he stroked her hair back, desperately willing her to respond.

Audrey appeared at his side, crying, and gave Cat little licks then nudged Alek as he continued to shake the girl and call her name.

There was a tearing noise and he looked up to see Loushka determinedly shred the remains of the tehnear to bits, the griffon's angry thoughts were loud.

‘Horrible cretanous mangratl creature.’

Then Cat moaned and Alek cradled her close, calling to her again.

I could hear someone say my name, but it sounded like it came from far away, a distant, tinny sound in my ringing ears. I tried to speak, but wasn’t able to form the words so I lay still, allowing my senses to come back.

Catherine had seemed to register his voice and then went limp again and Alek began to panic.

‘Loushka, we need to get back to the village, now!’

‘Why?’
Loushka loped over,
‘What’s happened?
’

‘She won’t wake up!’
Alek could hear the fear in his mind.

Then Cat opened those beautiful green eyes and looked up at him. The tension and fear dissolved as he beamed down at her.

'Cat! You’re awake.'

She groaned and tried to sit up. He quickly shifted her so her back was against his chest and she was seated between his legs.

'What happened?' She sounded confused and had a hand pressed to her head.

'The tehnear lunged at us and you,' Alek’s mind warned him against mentioning the energy pulse.

'You clipped your head when I pushed you out the way, I’m so sorry.'

I turned to face him, my hands on his knees to hold myself steady and looked into his eyes. They were sincere though guarded.

'Don’t apologize,' I said. 'You saved me.'

Alek stared back at me, an indecipherable expression on his face, then lifted a hand and gently cupped my face. He pulled me close and pressed his lips to mine.

He felt Cat jolt in shock, then relax and sink into his embrace. Alek wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her in and slid his other hand under her braid. He’d never found himself so aroused from such a simple kiss. She sighed against his lips and he deepened the kiss, wanting more.

‘Errrr, do you think you could do that somewhere private?’
Loushka’s amused voice came into his mind.

Alek jerked back then flushed red, and turned to stare at Loushka for a moment. I got the idea and bit my lip to keep from laughing. Actually, my head was spinning in an impressive manner. I could feel a very silly look develop on my face and glanced down to hide it.

‘Sorry.’
Alek thought sheepishly.

‘Oh I don’t mind.’
Loushka thought,
‘And Cat certainly seems better for it, but next time, at least shield your mind. I really don’t need all those unsolicited thoughts flooding in.’

Alek looked down at the girl snuggled in his arms. Appearing to sense his gaze, she looked up, green eyes slanted in pleasure looking very cat like.

‘Arrrgghh!’
Loushka shrieked verbally and mentally, startling Alek and Cat.
‘That’s it. I’m taking you back to the lodge and you are in separate rooms dammit, and keep your mind on something non-sexual or you are walking back to the village!’

Oops, Alek winced, it seemed he needed to work on the mind shield technique.

Back at the village everyone anxiously waited for Loushka, Alek, Cat and Audrey to return. They knew a tehnear had attacked them and Loushka had killed it but they hadn’t had any news since then and the griffons were concerned at Loushka’s silence. Kassie stood outside when she heard the loud noise of Loushka’s wings. The griffon burst into view then dropped from the sky and landed amongst them. Everyone rushed forward.

Alek slid down Loushka’s forearm his face flushed from battle and turned, arms outstretched to catch Cat as she slid down. Gredel called Audrey to him and the dog made a confident leap to the burly man’s arms, almost knocking him over, which caused titters of laughter from those who stood close.

Alek set me to my feet, but didn’t let go straight away; his hands lingering on my waist. I tingled from his touch and looked knowingly at him from under my lashes. Before we could say anything Kassie and the others were there hugging us and exclaiming. They wanted to know all the details.

As I tried to explain, I realized I was covered in dirt, and knackered. Loi took a close look at me then turned and called for Melanite, asking her to run a bath, and I was dragged away to be cleaned and fed.

The next morning I lay in bed as I thought over the events, and funnily enough, kept coming back to that kiss.

It wasn't like I hadn’t kissed a guy before. I had, plenty of times, but it had never felt like that.

It had been.
I floundered for an adequate description.

Incredible? Stunning?
Well, let’s just say I was seriously beginning to believe Alek might be… I couldn’t finish that thought, it was too unreal. Shaking off the crazy thoughts I climbed out of bed, and focused on dressing, then went down to breakfast.

Kassie watched as Cat strode into the dinning area. She seemed okay now, but last night she’d been very dazed. Kassie made a mental note to keep an eye on her. They tucked into a huge cooked breakfast, and Kassie gathered a plate of yummy scraps for Lucky as well as a plate of cream. At the end of breakfast the tortoiseshell cat, who normally looked very sleek, had a visible pot belly and nodded off to sleep when Kassie settled her in the pack for the day. Rumal watched over her shoulder and reached over to stroke Lucky’s head, eliciting a sleepy purr from her.

'She seems to be handling the flying better,' he observed to Kassie.

'Well all the special food and real cream seems to make her happy.' She laughed. 'It’s much fancier than what she got at home.'

Rumal felt another twinge of curiosity at the thought of Kassie’s home.

'You’ll have to tell me about your homeland.'

Kassie glanced at him, her eyes conveying warmth and yet a hint of unease.

'I will, sometime.'

They turned their attention to getting the rest of the gear packed up. Melanite dashed around to everyone with parcels of food, tearfully hugging the men and demanding they visit more often.

Kassie chuckled softly to herself at the chaotic sight within the lodge. Because the griffons could fit in the lodge’s main room and were very welcome, they seemed to forget how much space they took up. Sian did an impressive leap over Kerak, who was sprawled out on the floor, and managed to avoid being clipped by Loi who had an arm load of long tent poles. Finished with their packing, Kassie and Rumal decided to wait outside until everyone else was ready; it seemed the safest place.

'Do you have villages like this in your homeland?' Rumal asked.