Chase crooked his finger. In a trance, Maddie eased toward the horse, running a hand down her neck and marveling at her soft coat. The leather bridle gleamed in the moonlight as if freshly cleaned, and when Grey Beauty turned her head and whuffled, the skirts of the green gown billowed against her knees.
He mounted the mare bareback, then reached down a hand and helped her slide up in front of him.
“Chase? Where did you get this horse?”
“I asked Mr. Temple if I could borrow her.”
“Okay.” She gnawed on her lip. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
She glanced up at the moon, full and round overhead. “Do we really have time for a midnight ride?” Although it wasn’t all that late.
“Trust me when I say this one is too important to miss.”
Cool wind whipped past and teased tendrils of her hair as Grey Beauty walked along the forest’s edge. Maddie shivered and snuggled back against his chest. “Are you cold?” he whispered in her ear.
“Yes,” she answered, drawing the shawl tighter.
He slowed the horse, removed his jacket, and slid it around her shoulders. His warm breath stroked her cheek. “You look beautiful.”
Heat flushed her face, warmer than his jacket. “Thank you.” Tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, she said, “You don’t look too shabby yourself. Where did you get that sway tux, anyway?”
“It was just hanging around in my closet for such an occasion.”
“Chase!”
“I’m kidding. It was from my junior prom.”
Which explained why it fit him so tightly. “Oh.” Jealousy swelled in her breast. “Who did you go with?”
He shrugged. “Just some girl.”
Maddie frowned but decided to drop the subject, not liking the way it made her feel.
He tugged one rein and Grey Beauty turned into the forest, winding her way between the massive tree trunks. It was warmer there, and she let her body relax into the mare’s rhythmic strides until her eyes closed. A girl could dream on a midnight ride, oh, yes, she could.
And then Grey Beauty stopped.
“We’re here,” he said.
Startled, she looked around. They’d left the tree line and a rocky slope rose directly in their path, a deeper black hole buried among its center. The place seemed eerily familiar. “Where are we?”
“You don’t remember?” A frown creased his brow.
For some reason she didn’t understand, her heart began pounding. Not with love or excitement this time, but with something darker. She shivered again. “What do you mean? Why would I remember?”
He slid from the horse’s back, gripped her waist, and pulled her down beside him. Carefully supporting her, he led her toward the dark blotch in the rock wall’s center and suddenly she realized they were inside a cave. The noise of trickling water flooded her memory and she wailed, backing away.
“Maddie, are you all right?” He gripped her arm in support.
She wobbled, her unfamiliar formal shoes catching on the rough ground. “It can’t be. It just can’t be.”
He slid an arm around her waist, holding her up. “Calm down. It’s okay.”
“Are you joking?” Her voice soared several octaves. “How could this be okay?”
He froze, as if she’d slapped him. “So, you do know who I am?”
“No, you’re wrong.” She backed away, her heart thudding ever harder. “I don’t have a clue who you are.”
He reached for her, but she scooted away.
“Please let me explain,” he pleaded.
“If it was you, then why didn’t you tell me? I don’t understand. This whole time I thought I was lying to you!”
Chase drew in a ragged breath and ran his hand through his hair. In an agonized voice, he said, “I don’t have an excuse. All I can say is my dad didn’t want me to say anything until he figured out why we were changing.”
His father knew? Does he think telling me I’m the last to know will help his case? Wait a minute — what had he just said? “We?”
“Yeah. My father changed the first time you two met.”
Memories flashed rapidly through her mind, bringing a numb sort of clarity. “That’s why he was late to dinner.”
“Yeah.”
“That was also why, when I touched his hand, it felt so weird. Just like the tingling sensations when we touch.”
He shrugged. “Probably.”
“So, he didn’t want me to know?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “What changed to make you tell me now?”
“Because I thought you should know.”
A new thought hit her, and she groaned. “If you’re Alasdair, then Dougal must be Doran.”
“What?” He appeared genuinely shocked.
And that seemed very strange to her. She figured it out so easily, and he’d known longer. Why hadn’t he figured it out, too? “You mean you didn’t know?”
“No, I didn’t know. I wonder what that makes Gregory?”
“Gregory?” The memory roiled her stomach. “You mean the one that wanted to kill me until Doran, or Dougal, or whoever he is, told you to take me away?”
“This is getting more and more complicated.” He ran his hand through his hair, and she found herself staring at his strong hand. Why hadn’t she caught on to that action before? It was a tell. Alasdair and Chase both mussed up their hair in the same way. She should have noticed.
She gnawed on her lip and sat on the rock shelf, heedless of the gown’s delicate fabric. Why was all this happening, and now of all times? Her life had been so normal, plain, almost boring. There had never been anything special about it and now she had two gryphons seeking her attention. One had even asked her to marry him. But why?
“Do you hate me?” Chase’s voice was so low, she almost missed it.
“No.” She shook her head and swallowed. It was the simple truth, and she had no doubt it showed in her expression. It was the one thing she didn’t have to wonder about.
He enveloped her in his arms. “We will get through this.”
She nodded. She was so confused. She didn’t know what to do or even think. She didn’t hate Chase; that was impossible. Just to have something to say, she said, “Yeah, once we figure out what ‘this’ is.”
He laughed quietly. “We should head back.”
“Yeah, the morning is going to come real early.” For the second night in a row, she wouldn’t get enough sleep. She didn’t care. Being with Chase made it all worthwhile.
“After I drop you off tomorrow, I’m going to feel completely lost.”
“Me, too,” she whispered, unable to fight the feelings she had for him. Even if she was upset that he’d kept his other self hidden, she found she couldn’t hold anything against him.
They swung astride Grey Beauty and set out for home.
****
Dougal hovered above the horse at a safe distance. It wouldn’t do for them to notice the odd shadows that danced overhead, nor for the mare to sense his presence and become frightened.
He’d followed them from Draoi’s front porch to the forest’s edge and then beyond. His frown had deepened when they’d dismounted and entered the damp cave. He’d edged closer, perking his ears and concentrating. His heart had slammed against his ribs — Alasdair was Chase. Then to discover that his father had changed, as well. And still the plot thickened!
He’d hung back and waited. This was the time for Maddie to become angry and stalk away from her protector. He had planned to snatch her away. He would take her to the lair for Serena — no, never mind that. He would take her far away, somewhere they could live in peace, where they’d never be found. He would tell her the truth and perhaps, maybe, just maybe, she would fall in love with him. He could be different; he knew he could. For Maddie, he could be anything. He could change.
But she didn’t stalk out and leave Chase to wallow in self-pity.
Instead Maddie allowed Chase to touch her, to hold her and soothe her fears. How could she? How could she blow off his betrayal as if it were nothing? Perhaps she hid her true feelings. Perhaps anger bubbled beneath the surface, waiting to escape like an erupting volcano. She couldn’t be so forgiving, could she? Could anyone?
Backing away from the cave mouth, Dougal found a spot in the trees and paced along a narrow limb. The clack of his claws irritated him and he wanted to morph to his human self, but feared discovery. But if he didn’t chill, they’d hear his claws clacking.
He tapped a pointed claw to his forehead. If Maddie had forgiven Chase his indiscretion, perhaps, just perhaps, she would forgive him, as well. Yes, that was the answer. He would just tell her the truth as he had planned and she would forgive him. Then they could live happily ever after. Even if he had to hide her from Serena and Gregory forever, it would be no trouble.
Maddie left the cave, Chase supporting her arm, quieter than when they’d entered. Dougal needed to think of a way to get her away from Chase long enough to convince her he was the better choice.
Because of course he was. He had to be.
****
The trip home was awkward. Maddie held her silence, a troubled line between her brows, and he hesitated to bring anything up. What more could he say?
She held herself aloof, causing worry to gnaw at his gut. Would their relationship change because of what he’d revealed? He didn’t see how it could possibly stay the same. But he’d had to tell her, before she fell in love with him forever, before they took the marriage thing too far. She had to know the truth about him first.
He tugged on the reins and Grey Beauty halted, slacking one hip. Maddie slid down and fled inside in a swirl of crushed silk before he could move.
The door slammed shut. He sighed and slid down, too. “Come on, girl, let’s get you rubbed down.”
He’d promised Mr. Temple he’d take care of Gray Beauty and that was what he intended to do. Earlier that day he’d prepared Draoi’s barn, and he led the mare into the empty, bedded stall and unbuckled the bridle. Maddie had just vanished inside with his jacket, so he unbuttoned his cuffs, grabbed the body brush from the grooming bucket, and leaned into his strokes.
“I guess you could say this evening didn’t go exactly as I’d planned.” The horse didn’t respond, just tugged a mouthful of hay from the hanging net, and he continued. “I thought she might be a little angry at me. Maybe we’d talk about it, or something. But I couldn’t just say, ‘Hey, you want to promise yourself to me?’ and then turn around and lie to her.” He sighed and ran his hand through his hair, remembering the way she’d stared at him when he’d done that in the cave. She must have just caught on to the action.
Brush replaced in the bucket, he checked her hoofs, patted her one final time, and secured the stall door behind her. Mr. Temple would pick Gray Beauty and her gear up in the morning and take her home. Missing his jacket in the cooling night air, he sauntered slowly toward the house. Lights backlit the curtains, giving the house an eerie glow.
As if someone lived there who’d be at home with a flying monster. Right.
Chase didn’t stop in the dark, wax-scented living room, but proceeded upstairs. Maddie was just leaving the bathroom as he hit the landing. She shuffled her feet as he approached, but didn’t run away. Instead, quickly, she pecked his cheek. She seemed fragile and it would be easy to frighten her; he was afraid to move. She turned on her heel and entered her room, the door clicking shut behind her. Already the closeness they had shared seemed to have melted away.
He studied the door. Maybe she just needed time to process what he’d told her. It couldn’t be easy, knowing your boyfriend sometimes turned into a gray beast with wings.
He entered his own room and found she’d laid his jacket over the back of a chair. The thoughtfulness clenched his teeth and he paced. Tensed up from telling her and waiting for disaster to strike, there was no way he could sleep. Comfortingly, soft snores emitted from Maddie’s room, and he breathed more easily knowing she slept.
Moonlight filtered through the bedroom window and pooled across the table. Silver keys sparkled. Might as well work, if he couldn’t sleep. Keys and wallet gathered, he secured the house and climbed into the truck.
Ten minutes later he entered the hardware store, already emptied and half of the lights put out. When the bell dinged above the door, the owner turned and frowned at him. Apparently a last minute customer wasn’t what he wanted.
Chase rushed to buy what he needed. With everything stacked in the bed of the truck, he drove back to Draoi’s. He entered the silent house, walked upstairs, cracked Maddie’s door, and peeked inside. She lay curled on her side, peacefully sleeping.
Time was limited. Downstairs he dragged a white paper suit over his clothes and mentally categorized what needed doing.
By night’s end the room would look completely different.