Page 39 of Gryphon’s Fire

“You’re afraid of losing him.”

“I’m afraid of losing any of them,” Keir answered.

“That is understandable. However, as you said, Jima’s ready to get back to work. It would probably be good for him and⁠—”

“Helios,” Keir said, tone flat.

My body stilled, claws gripping the chair tighter. “The djinn.”

I didn’t like Keir’s nod. “The one and unfortunately, not the only. Helios seems fixated on Jima. I don’t like it. I don’t know what Helios wants.” Keir’s lips thinned before twisting with confusion. “I get the feeling Helios doesn’t understand what he wants either. Last time he was here, Helios seemed obsessed with keeping Jima safe. It was…odd. Then again, nearly every interaction with Helios is odd.”

I wasn’t certain what to say. Realistically, there wasn’t anything any of us could do to stop Helios if he well and truly wanted to harm Jima—or the rest of us for that matter. That said, it didn’t mean we wouldn’t fight like hell.

“How urgent is the matter?” I asked.

Keir’s head tilted to the side, his gaze distant as he considered my question before answering, “It’s time sensitive, but that is a relative consideration. It is not an issue that requires an immediate decision. I’ll speak with Jima and see—” Keir’s words cut off with the ringtone of his phone.

Reaching for the device, Keir glanced at the number. Whether he recognized it or not, I knew Keir would answer. He always did. He’d told me that he had his field agents’ numbers programmed into his phone, but phones could be lost, confiscated, destroyed, or have their batteries drained. Keir wasn’t willing to take that kind of risk with any of his members’ lives.

With a simple “Keir,” he answered the phone. Keir’s tightened jaw, thinned lips, and narrowed eyes immediately let me know it wasn’t one of his beloved council members.

“You gave me a week to decide. Are you going back on your word?” Keir asked, tone frosty. I leaned forward and placed my hand on Keir’s knee, offering what support I could while he spoke with Jaakobah.

Keir’s voice was clipped. “You know it’s not as simple as that.”

I may not be able to hear Jaakobah’s end of the conversation, but I could piece it together well enough.

Keir remained silent, his jawline tightening further as he listened. “What does that even mean?” Keir sounded incredulous and confused all at the same time. “That’s hardly necess—” Keir’s words cut off and his eyes appeared positively murderous. With a thunderous “fine, do whatever you want,” Keir ended the call, holding his phone so tightly I was afraid the glass would break.

Words filled my throat, begging for release, desperate for answers to questions that had no respectful patience. Quelling my baser instincts demanding that I fix whatever had upset my future mate, I forced myself to remain calm. Keir needed my calm counsel, not my wyvern desires.

Seconds ticked by, sliding into minutes as Keir continued staring at his phone, the screen now dark and blackened. His naturally golden eyes seemed lit from within. Chest heaving, Keir’s breathing sounded heavy within the room. Lips twisting, I could see Keir fighting for control—fighting to tame his rage.

Ever so slowly, Keir’s breathing slowed and steadied. While still tense, his muscles eased enough for me to pry the phone from his clasped fingers. Eyes slipping closed, Keir’s golden-tipped eyelashes fluttered against his splotchy cheeks—gone pale with worry only to partially flush with anger.

And still, I sat, silently waiting for Keir to gather himself enough to unload his most recent burden. My patience was rewarded when Keir said, “It appears as if Jaakobah is already tired of waiting for my expected capitulation.”

I squeezed Keir’s knee, applying gentle pressure. “You anticipated this, did you not?”

“I did,” Keir answered on a slow nod before inhaling deeply. “What I did not anticipate was Jaakobah’s solution to my waffling.”

“And what solution would that be?”

Keir shook his head. “I’m not entirely certain, and that is what worries me. Jaakobah said his persuasion is already on its way.”

“Persuasion?”

“That was the exact word he said.”

“What does that mean?” Maybe asking what it might entail would be a better turn of phrase.

“No idea.” Keir shrugged. “It could be anything or anyone.”

Fire built within my belly, raging through my chest and heating me from within. Had I been outside in my wyvern form, I would have belched that blaze into the sky. As it was, I suppressed the inferno until all that was left was smoke-laced breath.

Instinct told me to find Jaakobah and tear him limb from limb, to eliminate the threat. Logic told me that solution would be temporary. No matter how I felt about Keir, I could not instigate a war between gryphons and wyvern. At least not when there were still other options on the table. Worst-case scenario, I would burn Jaakobah to ash and damn the consequences.

Instinct is a powerful force for a reason and suppressing it is never simple. Had a been a younger wyvern, I doubt I would have been able to do so. Age did bring wisdom, or at least the ability to dampen our more basic desires.