Unintended Guardian (Full Story): A Mythos Legacy Short Story

Chapter Four: Part One

Griff stared at his hand, willing it to leave his side and pull the blanket down and drench the room in deadly sunlight. Kala blocked his way, but she was only human. He could stop her with the ease of flicking a fly.

Her tiny hands caressed his bare chest. Sensations shot through him, energizing his limbs—and his groin. His gaze snapped to her face, where a smile as golden as the sun curved her lips.

“You’re right.” Her hand circled his nipple, eliciting feelings he didn’t know were possible. “You have suffered long enough. All I’m saying is that you should enjoy life a little before you end it all.”

Her fingertips dipped down his chest and skimmed along his waistband. Her meaning was clear enough that his jeans became tight as a certain body part voted for her plan. That wasn’t going to happen.

Logically, he should have broken her hold on his hip and moved back, but she deserved an explanation first. “Gryphons don’t sow wild grains, or whatever the human euphemism is. We take only one mate in our lifetime.”

“And you’ve already taken yours?”

“No, but—”

“Then let it be me. If you still want to kill yourself later, that’s your choice. But until then, live.” She stood on tiptoes, slid her hands behind his neck, and pulled his lips to hers, murmuring, “Let me first help you to live.”

Tingles sparked along his mouth even after she released him, and her challenge swam around his head like a siren’s song. Her offer was beyond tempting, despite going against everything he’d assumed about humans and how his life would unfold.

Would it be so bad to enjoy himself—at least once—before accepting his fate? If his life was forfeit anyway, the short lifespan of this human was irrelevant. And the other prohibition against befriending humans didn’t matter either, as he didn’t have a treasure for her to steal.

His reasons for avoiding her evaporated, and he bent down, giving in to his urges.

His lips grazed hers, slowly, tentatively. He was choosing to take the path that was wrong, yet it all felt right. Too right.

An ache burned in his chest with the desire for more. He once again surrendered and swept his tongue along her lips. She eagerly opened for him, and her taste flooded his mouth.

He absorbed her sweetness, her caring, her goodness and drank freely from everything she’d give him, as though she could somehow make him better by proxy. As though she could somehow make him worthy—worthy of living, worthy of his treasure.

Worthy of her.

She let him pull her into his arms, and her body molded against his. Everything about her was welcoming, accepting—stirring his desires. If only he could ignore the dishonor in his soul from losing his treasure and stay here. Right here.

This was home. This was perfection. This was everything he’d never known he wanted.

Heat burned through him. Although how much was passion and how much was shame at the realization of his yearning, he didn’t know.

How could he want her even more than regaining his treasure? His disgrace was complete.

He didn’t deserve this pleasure. In fact, a quick death was more than he deserved.

His arms dropped, releasing her. She didn’t step away, and he didn’t have the heart to push her away. None of this was her fault.

Rationalizations settled the debate in his head. He’d let her take the lead on when to finish the kiss. After that, he’d send her home so she didn’t have to witness his end. He’d act honorably with her. It was the least he could do.

Regardless of his decision, his body was determined to make the most of the last kiss he’d ever experience, and he sank into the sensations between them. The warmth of her mouth and the promises of her lips.

Despite everything, he wanted those promises fulfilled. He wanted her.

Blood hummed through his limbs, echoing that truth. Her tongue caressed him, her lips branded his mouth, and her stomach cushioned his erection. The kiss wove between gentle and frenzied, liquid and greedy, silken and primal, and he sucked every second of bliss he could from the forbidden pleasure.

His tongue dipped and swirled, claiming every recess of her mouth as his to explore. If only he could lay claim the same way to the rest of her body. He imagined her, naked beneath him, writhing as he gave her the ecstasy she deserved.

A groan rumbled up his throat, and he fisted his hands to keep from grabbing her and prolonging this experience he wasn’t worthy of. This was for her. Not him.

All too soon, she dragged her lips away. After committing the experience to memory, he opened his eyes.

Niall had her in his grasp.

Griff’s chest tightened, and his heartbeat thrashed in his ears. No…

Golden rope bound her mouth and every limb. With his magic, Niall had levitated Kala beside himself and towed her into the kitchen. Her eyes were wide, darting from side to side, but the magic of the bindings held her tight and prevented her attempts to move or speak.

Griff shouted over his booming pulse, “Niall! You little—”

“Ah-ah, my beastly friend. Ye captured me, so it’s only right that I capture somethin’ of yours in return, it is.”

“Do not harm her.”

“You’re not in any place to be ordering me around, Griff.” Niall dangled the key to his cage in one hand and then tossed it to the far side of Kala. He instantly appeared at the target of his aim and caught the key in his other hand. “Now here with this merry find, there’s nothin’ ye can be doin’ to me.”

Griff roared and leaped across to the kitchen. Self-accusations blinded him.

He’d brought Niall here. He’d left the key beside the cage where Niall must have snatched it when no one was looking. He’d yanked Kala into this mess.

Before he got close, Niall and Kala vanished. Griff crashed into the back wall of the kitchen and spun around. Claws extended from his fingertips, ready to grab anything in reach.

Niall and Kala rematerialized by the window, back where Griff had started. A gleam lit the trickster’s eye.

“What would ye be doin’, Griff? This human can’t be that important, can she now? No human be worth gettin’ this upset about.”

Kala’s brows pulled down. Was she worried Griff would agree with the red-bearded menace? The thought of her fear thickened his throat and burned up his gut. He’d done so wrong by her. The first being of any race to care about him, to make him want to live again, and he’d let her come into danger before he even thanked her.

He clenched his jaw. “She is. She’s worth it.”

Though it was the truth, it was the wrong thing to admit to Niall. The tiny man’s expression danced, glee skipping in his eyes.

“Is she now?” Niall ripped the black blanket off the window.

Bright midday sunlight flooded the room, and Griff shrank back into the corner of the kitchen furthest from the glass. In the next second, the glass itself disappeared, and bird song from the courtyard far below drifted through the opening.

No…