Any faster and they would put the human in danger. Gage tried hard to keep his gait as even as possible. Fact of the matter was that bears lumbered. Even fast-moving bears. It was rocky and would be difficult for her to sit. The female would have been more comfortable riding on one of the others.

Tough shit! There was only one way to truly keep her safe and that was to keep her close. They headed through the thick undergrowth. He was careful not to turn too sharply and slowed whenever he needed to leap over a boulder or a fallen tree. It impressed him that the human didn’t complain. Not a word, just as he had instructed. She was afraid. The bitter scent still lingered on her skin.

After about a half an hour they hit the open plain. Gage gave a soft growl, indicating that they should pick up the pace. The female’s grip on his fur tightened. As did the clutching of her thighs. She made a tiny squeaking noise, more than likely struggling to hold on.

This couldn't be helped though. Gage wished he could reassure her, but there was no time. There had been two options, skirt around the plain and add an hour to their journey or risk the five or six minutes it would take to cross it. His back prickled. On more than one occasion, one of the males glanced upwards. It wasn't ideal, but unfortunately they didn't have a choice. The human would not be able to manage an extra hour. The journey was too tiring on a human female. It would have meant stopping to allow for a break, which was just as dangerous, if not more so, as risking crossing the plain. Gage concentrated on moving forward. On putting one foot in front of the other.

Two things happened.

There was a sharp stinging on his back and a shadow befell them. The stinging, he would later realize, was his fur being yanked out by the roots as the human tried to hold on. It was ultimately the shadow that gave it away. A sudden shadow appearing in the middle of an open plain?

Not possible.

There was no time for thought. Gage leapt up, sinking his claws into its underbelly just as it shot up into the sky. Using every ounce of strength he possessed, Gage hung on and for all he was worth. They were moving so fast, he had to close his eyes. So quickly his stomach lurched and for a second he thought he might pass out. He clenched his teeth, holding back an almighty roar. If this beast knew he was there, it gave no indication, despite the fact that his claws were buried in its flesh. Strange thing was that it didn’t seem to be bleeding. He couldn’t smell blood. Couldn’t feel it flowing onto his paws.

The thing suddenly slowed down a smidgen. He didn’t have much strength left. It took all of his concentration to hold on. This would be much easier in human form. Then he was slipping … slipping. If he fell from this height, it would be game over. He’d look like ground beef. There was no regenerating from that.

His arms were shaking, his shoulders too. For once in his life, he cursed his bulk. In this instance, it was a hindrance. There was no way he could hold on while staying in his bear shape. With a snarl, he felt his claws retract. Felt his body change as he dropped, just managing to snag one times scaly claw. He pulled himself up, grabbing the scaly leg with his other hand. The beast didn't respond to him. It had to know he was there. He risked a glance upward. Golden fur … no, feathers … then again, maybe a mixture of both? It was difficult to see ‒ the wind still stung his eyes, causing them to water.

The human was hanging limp in the other claw. Her hair hung over her face. She looked okay. At least he hoped she was okay. It was hard to tell. She had to be. Gage wished he could call out to her, but he didn’t want to do anything that would alert the creature to him. The thing was fucking huge. Could snap him in half without even trying.

He could only pray that he was able to hold on long enough. It wasn’t like he had a choice. Gage had to try to find Alice and the cubs. There was also Callum’s female. He had also sworn he would protect this female and planned on making good on that promise.

* * *

Her head hurt too much to open her eyes. It was throbbing at her temples. Her mouth was seriously dry as well. As in, she had to work to pull it off the roof of her mouth. She finally cracked her eyes open and stared at the ceiling. Edith frowned. It was high and domed, with wooden trusses and what looked like slate tiles.

What?

She tried to recall a ceiling that looked like this and failed. She had never seen this ceiling before. Was she back at the shifter village? No! The walls were stone. She winced as she rose to a sitting position. Good god! The floor looked like it was made from solid gold. Gleaming, shining, hurt-your-eyes gold. She rubbed them with her knuckles, taking another look. Yep! Gold. Maybe even real gold. She arched her back; her neck felt stiff, so Edith rolled her shoulders.

Shit!

It all came back to her. She’d been abducted just like the others. At least, she was pretty sure that was the case, since one second she’d been on Gage’s back and the next she’d been shooting up … up … up. Then nothing. She must have blacked out, because her next memory was of waking up here.

She was on a bed. A huge bed. It was covered in furs. As in dead animal skins. There was a stone wall to the one side, closing something off. Had to be a bathroom. It was otherwise completely bare. No, not completely. There was a side table which held a golden goblet and a glass jug of water. She swallowed hard, her tongue feeling too thick. Her mouth sticky.

Edith carefully moved to the side and filled the goblet. She gave the contents a sniff. Maybe it was poisoned. That was stupid. If they wanted her dead, she'd be done for already. That left drugs. What if they wanted her drugged up and pliant? She took a small, tentative sip. Edith groaned softly because the cool liquid felt that amazing going down her throat. The whole drug thing didn't make sense either. Whatever it was that had taken her was big and strong, it certainly didn't need drugs to control her.

Edith downed the glass, feeling sick to her stomach. She put a hand on her belly and took a deep breath. Her mind worked overtime. What did it want with her? They had taken mostly women and a couple of kids. It didn't make any sense. She tried to tamp down the panic that threatened to overtake her.

A breeze caught her hair, which blew gently across her face. There was an opening on the one side of the strange room. No doors, no windows, only the one really large opening, with a kind of stone ledge.

Edith carefully slid off the thick mattress, it was much higher than your run-of-the-mill bed and was much bigger in general than any bed she had ever seen. She carefully stood up, still feeling a little queasy but, thankfully, not in any imminent danger of keeling over or throwing up. Then she walked over to the opening, gripping the wall as she came closer. She felt her eyes widen and even gasped. The sound reverberated around the room.

Edith was in a high tower. Literally a Rapunzel tower. Pity her hair was only shoulder-length or she’d have a means to escape. She held back a hysterical laugh as she looked down over the edge, still holding onto the wall. This was just crazy! There were many such towers and as far as the eye could see. There was no way in or out of the tower. No stairs. No elevators. No rungs. Nothing, just sheer stone walls.

Then she saw it.

Her breath caught. The creature. Or one of them at least. Its great wings flapped as it came closer and closer and closer still. Yep! It was focused on her alright. Her heart beat faster. Her armpits felt instantly clammy.

A griffin?

Yes, it had to be. Yet, it was unlike any picture she’d seen in any of the books her brother used to pour over. Firstly, its beak was more of a gold color. It even glinted in the sun. It was sharp and hooked and deadly looking. Perfect for tearing flesh. Not thinking about that! The head of an eagle. Well, not like any eagle she had ever seen. Firstly, it had ears, they were feathered but definitely ears. Then, its feathers were more of a gleaming caramel color. Lighter around the head, becoming darker down its huge, muscular body. There were clearly feathers on its head, neck and wings and fur on the lower body, with a mix in the middle. Its front feet were scaled talons, like an eagle, with the back legs and paws of a lion.

It made a screeching noise. Not a pleasant sound. The noise did make her realize how close it was. Its eyes on her. The cold, pale eyes of a predator. That much was clear. Bright yellow irises seemed to zone in on her. Its great wings flapped slowly and completely noiselessly. It was amazing how light it looked, despite its massive bulk.

Edith swallowed heavily. She carefully retraced her steps backwards, not taking her eyes off of it. Trying to move slowly. No sudden movements! That was a rule, wasn't it? Don’t turn your back. If need be, make yourself as big as possible, wave your arms and make plenty of noise. That way you could scare away whatever wild creature was after you. It worked sometimes. Yeah, well, no! She got the distinct feeling it wouldn’t work in this case. The back of her calves hit the bed as the griffin landed on the ledge, its claws scraping on the stone, taking up the entire opening, which up until now had seemed enormous. Moving more quickly, she skirted around the bed, until the hard, stone wall was at her back. There was nowhere else to go. Even though the room was perfectly round, she was cornered.

Now up close ‒ far too close for comfort ‒ she could see that its beak wasn’t pure gold. It had a golden color because of thin threads or veins that ran through it. The scales on its front legs were also golden-tinged. Its tail. Oh boy, it had a tail. A tail that almost reached the top of the high, dome-like roof. It was long and feline. Only, instead of a fur tuft on the end, there were a couple of those caramel colored feathers. He swished his tail a few times before she heard that familiar cracking noise.

She pulled in a sharp breath as she watched the griffin collapse into itself. Folding back one muscle, one sinew at a time until a tall, hulking beast of a man stood before her.

A man.

No, not a man. Not even close. “You’re a griffin shifter,” she whispered.

“Griffin?” He frowned, cocking his head. His lips were full, his nose wide. He looked like he ate steroids for breakfast and testosterone for lunch with maybe a side of human for dinner. He was naked ‒ enormous, everywhere. She kept her eyes on his, not wanting to give him any ideas. The weirdest thing about him, aside from his sheer size, was that he still had yellow-tinged irises, just like an eagle. His eyes were big and strangely beautiful. His hair was overgrown, it hung about his shoulders like a shining, shaggy, black mane.

“What is this ‘griffin’?” His voice was smooth like honey, it had a methodic ring to it. He could speak.

Thank god!

Not only that, she could understand him, which meant that he would be able to understand her too. Oh good! Shew! This way, he would know what she was saying when she was begging for mercy or negotiating for her freedom. Possibly both at the same time.

Oh flip! He’d asked her a question. “You,” she blurted. “You’re a griffin shifter. Aren’t you?”

His frown deepened, and he shook his head. “I am one of The Feral.”

The Feral.

‘The’?

Why not just feral? Because, um, yep, he sure was. She narrowed her eyes. “What do you want with me?” The million-dollar question.

He cocked his head in the other direction. It looked like he was scrutinizing her. Not good! Her heart leapt to her throat as he began to walk towards her. “Stop right there.” Edith put her hand up.

He stopped but only for a moment before closing the distance between them. She had to crane her neck to maintain eye contact. His gaze drifted over her body. It seemed both thorough and clinical. At least, she hoped he wasn’t checking her out in any way. His nostrils flared a couple of times. “What?” She resisted the urge to fold her arms across her chest.

He pushed out a breath. Moving quicker than she thought possible, he reached around her and gripped her ass in both his hands.

“No! What?” She gripped his forearms. Flipping hell but they were thick and muscular, just like the rest of him. She tried to pry him off her. “Stop that!” she yelled.

The shifter … guy … griffin shifter ignored her efforts and squeezed her ass. Squeezed. Her. Ass. The nerve! He made a rumbling noise. Then he was letting her ass go but only so that he could grope her boobs. What the hell! Another rumble.

This was too much. Too damned much. She slapped him a shot. Pain shot up her arm and two of her nails broke. Two. The good news was that he let her go and even took a step back. The shifter nodded once. "Leukos the Great will like you."

Edith licked her lips; she hated the sound of that. “Who is Leukos?”

“King of all,” the shifter announced. “Come.” He picked her up and held her against him with just one arm.

“No! Stop!” she yelled. “Put me down.” She pushed at his chest. Then she realized that he was headed for the opening. Oh shit! This wasn’t good. “Hey! Stop!” She fought harder, kicking him. Doing everything short of hurting herself to get him to let her go.

The griffin ‒ whatever he was ‒ launched himself off the ledge. Free-falling. It wasn’t fun. The ground rushing up to meet you. The feeling of weightlessness. All of it. Not fun at all, terrifying was a better description, especially since she didn’t have a parachute or a backup plan. Edith screamed bloody murder. It took her a good couple of seconds before she comprehended that she was no longer about to die but safely ‒ relatively speaking ‒ in his firm grip. His talons were wrapped around her middle. By this time, her throat felt raw from screaming. The terror did not abate though. She had a feeling she wasn’t going to like meeting this Leukos person. Why did her ass and her breasts make any difference to whether he liked her or not? Oh god! She didn’t want to even think of the answer to that question.