The parasites, chewing through him. He needed Cara.
He needs a healer,Iskar agreed.But Rafael is one as well. And closer, if we can beat Isobel to him.
This time, I managed to stop myself from trying to take control. Just.
Face it, Marcus. Your issues with control are epic.
The comment gave me pause. Not like I had anything else to do, except worry. Was Iskar right? The Gryphon lived inside of me. He’d seen me at my worst.
Being Iskar, he had more to say.You had no control over what happened to your family or your life. So you make up for it by trying to manage everything and everyone else around you. Only with this, you need to accept that you can’t go back. You can only go forward.
Forward. I needed to accept that I’d never again gallop across the fields surrounded by singing Centaurs. It hurt to think that, but not with the gut-tearing pain that it once had.
Perhaps because I had the wind riffling through my hair. Or rather, feathers.
Excellent. You are finally getting your brain engaged. Now, about Riley…
I tensed. The conversation was about to devolve into growl-and-sprout-scales territory, I was sure of it.
You have two choices. Embrace the mate bond as Fate intends you to. Or walk away and be forever damaged by its lack. There is no neutral in this.
Put like that, it sounded so damned simple. But he and I both knew it wasn’t. Because embracing the mate bond meant accepting both Havoc and Rafael were part of it.
I also had a valid counterargument.What does it matter, if every time I touch her, the demon inside me takes control? Why would she want to be mated to that?
You say that like there is no solution.
Is there one?
Acceptance is the key to all.
Acceptance. Acceptance of my demons. Acceptance of the other two males in the bond.
The concept didn’t cause quite the rage that it had in the past. Why?
Respect.Iskar dropped the quiet word into my mind, and I seized hold of it. I respected Rafael for putting his life on the line for us. To free me and Havoc. Thoughts of sharing Riley with him only created a mild uneasiness. A question of how that would play out.
Havoc was different. The Dragon was a serious bastard. He’d bitten her, and then tried towalk away. And there it was, the rage. I had no doubt that black scales were popping up amid my Gryphon fur, I could feel them.
Havoc is chased by his own demons,Iskar stated.And he’s here now, flying to Riley’s rescue despite being eaten alive by parasites.
He’s flying to Rafael so he can be healed.
So sure are you? Is that the truth, or your jealousy talking?
I didn’t know. I couldn’t see into the Dragon’s head. But the thought of sharing with him—just, no.
Yet the demon within me had become more uneasy than enraged.
As if it were no longer sure.
* * *
Apparently, feathers did not shed water quite as well as scales.
Gryphons usually anoint their feathers with oils, Iskar stated. Which you have not done.
Where do I get the oils?
