Twenty~Three
The next morning I walk toward my house, and all I can think of is going to bed, pulling my shades down and the covers up and letting go of all this craziness. I want my old life back—the one without Akhet, memories of other lifetimes, and not knowing who I can trust. The life without Griffon.
By the time I see him lounging by the planter in front of my house, it’s too late to turn back.
“Cole! Wait!” He stands up, but doesn’t move toward me.
My heart is racing and I know I should run in the other direction, but my feet stay firmly planted on the sidewalk.
“Two minutes,” he pleads. “Just give me two minutes and I’ll go.”
“Two minutes,” I agree. I study his face as I walk toward him, feeling slightly satisfied by the fact that he looks tired and miserable. I stop a few feet from him and fold my arms across my chest. He’s even more handsome today, the stubble on his chin and shadows around his eyes adding a rugged touch. His bike is nowhere in sight, but his curls look like they’ve been recently crushed by the helmet, and I wonder if he’s been home at all. I force myself to look straight at him, but I don’t say a word.
Griffon attempts a small smile. “Two truths and a lie?”
I stare at him without changing my expression. “I’m through playing games. What do you want?”
“I’ve been trying to find you,” he says, standing up and taking a step toward me.
I watch his lips as he speaks, remembering being free to run my finger along their curves. I force myself to take a step back. “I was out.” I pace my breathing and congratulate myself on sounding disinterested. Aloof, even. I wait a few more seconds, gazing at the house behind him. “Is that what you came all this way for? To find out where I went?”
He closes his eyes and bites his bottom lip, as if trying to find the right words. “No. You left so quickly last night. And then you didn’t go home. I was worried about you.”
I stand up as tall as I can make myself. “Don’t be.”
“Has Veronique been around?” he asks, glancing down the street.
“Doesn’t matter,” I say. “Despite appearances, I can take care of myself. And besides, it’s you I should be worried about.”
“Is that what you think?” he asks, his voice louder than before. “That I’m going to hurt you? Cole, you have to know that I would never do anything to hurt you.”
“Too late for that,” I say quietly. My anger boils over and I push past him to go into the house. He has nothing new to say, nothing that can defend what he’s done.
“I deserve that,” he says. “But you have to hear my side.” He grabs my left arm, his strong grip sending shooting pains up to my shoulder. Griffon sees my grimace and lets go quickly.
“Don’t touch me!”
“I’m sorry. God, I’m sorry. Really. Give me another minute,” he pleads. He holds his hands up. “I promise. Just one minute. I won’t come near you again.”
I glance down the empty sidewalk, the anger coursing through my veins. “One.”
Griffon looks off into the distance. When he looks back, his eyes are wet and rimmed with red. “Look, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth sooner, but you’d never have listened to me if I did.” He pauses, waiting for me to interrupt him, but I say nothing. “I’d been able to control my thoughts and feelings so well that I figured I’d be able to hold off telling you the whole story until later when you might understand, but last night at the beach … it was as if everything I’d hoped for was coming together in one amazing moment. I couldn’t keep my hands off you, and when I touched you, my concentration was broken. Which is why you were able to see … what had been in the past.”
My mind flashes to that gray English day and the panic and disbelief that had followed me onto the scaffold. “The day you swung the axe and killed an innocent person.”
“I had no choice!” he yelled. “Don’t you get it? If I hadn’t, we’d have both been killed, and it would have been worse for you. I wish I could change things.” Griffon shakes his head sadly. “I found out later that you had refused the King’s advances after he executed your husband.” He looks at me. “Back then, that was enough.”
I feel my legs shaking beneath me, but I focus my energy on staying steady. “That only makes it worse,” I say.
“I know. Believe me, I know. So when I saw you and Kat at the Tower, I knew I had a second chance.”
“A second chance at what?”
“To find out why our paths crossed again,” he says. “To be with you. To watch out for you. And when I met Veronique that night, I knew that she was dangerous to you in this life.”
“As far as I can tell, you’re the only one who’s dangerous to me,” I say as evenly as I can.
Griffon runs his fingers through his hair, making it stick up even worse than before. “That is not true,” he says, a slight tone of panic in his voice. “Yes, I lied to you. But only because I was trying to help you.” He pauses and takes a sharp breath. “And because I was falling in love with you.”
I let the impact of what he’s saying hit me full force, and I crumple slightly. Closing my eyes, I picture him standing over me that day on the platform again so that I can get my nerve back. “I can’t believe anything you say.” I turn to walk past him, praying that the tears will hold off, when he starts to follow me up the stairs.
“Wait,” he pleads. Griffon fumbles in his jacket pocket and brings out a dark green silk pouch. “This is really why I came.” He holds it out to me. “It belongs to you. It’s always belonged to you. I promised myself I’d give it back if I ever got the chance.”
I step back slightly. “What do you mean, it belongs to me?”
“It was given to me over five hundred years ago. As payment.”
My mind is whirling, because I suddenly know what’s inside. “But how did you … how did you keep it all this time?”
Griffon lifts his eyes to meet mine. “There are places to keep things safe and go back for them later. Places that stay the same through the ages.” He pauses again. “It was the one thing I could do for you.” Pressing the pouch into my hand, he holds my gaze for just a second, and then walks purposefully down the street.
I watch him turn the corner, then race up our front steps and into the house, wanting nothing more than the safety and quiet of my room. Griffon is in love with me. Now. When it’s too late.
The green pouch is heavy for its size, and I can feel the outline of the chain through the fabric as I set it gently on my bed. I take a deep breath, wondering for a second if I should open it at all, but feeling a tug of curiosity that forces my hand. There’s a small ribbon holding the ancient fabric closed, so I gently untie the knot and ease the opening wide enough so I can slip the contents out into my hand.
Despite its age, the pendant is bright silver—like someone has taken the time to carefully polish every crevice. There are symbols engraved on the front and a deep red ruby embedded in the center. I touch the curving top of the cross and feel the familiar dizziness take over as the pendant and the room become a blur.
The windows look over the vast, rolling gardens that stretch as far as the eye can see. Early spring sunlight sparkles through the tall windows, competing with the remnants of a fire in the great fireplace. Connor’s clear green eyes shine with excitement as he holds the box out to me.
“Another present?” I tease. “You spoil me!”