“You’d better come inside.” Mrs. Hanson tottered back into the B&B and Harrison followed, rain streaming off him. Mrs. Hanson disappeared behind her desk briefly and came back waving a piece of paper.
“I just left for a minute to check the shed roof was holding up in the rain, and she must have gone then. She left this. I thought she’d gone to see you—well, I hoped she had, after everything that happened.”
She handed Harrison the note. He scanned it.
“Her car’s gone. If she hadn’t left the note, I would have thought she’d left town. Her luggage is still here, too.” Mrs. Hanson wrung her hands. “Where could she have gone? It’s not safe, driving around in weather like this.”
Where would she have gone? Harrison couldn’t imagine Lainie going back to Caro’s, not after this afternoon.
How well did she remember Hideaway Cove from her childhood? Maybe she had some private bolt-hole where she used to run away…
…Or maybe he was missing the most obvious answer. “The old Eaves place.”
“Oh, no! In this weather?” Mrs. Hanson flapped her hands unhappily. “Are you sure?”
“Where else would she have gone? It’s not like people here have gone out of their way to make her welcome.” Harrison stormed outside, not waiting for Mrs. Hanson’s response.
He stared up at Lighthouse Hill through the rain. Was that glimmer of silver Lainie’s car? He had to know for sure. Harrison swung himself back into his truck. Despite the thumping of his heart, he drove carefully. He’d seen too many cars end up in the lagoon to risk driving fast in a storm.
The road up to the old Eaves place was more like a river. The potholes were invisible under the rush of water and Harrison gritted his teeth as he bumped and bunny-hopped up the hill. At last he crested the top of the hill and saw Lainie’s car, parked in front of the house.
He didn’t know whether he was relieved or horrified. What the hell is she doing in there, in this weather?
“Lainie!” he called, but the wind whipped his voice away. The front door was unlocked, and he pulled it open, shaking the rain out of his hair. “Lainie, are you here?”
He’d thought being inside would mute the sound of the storm, but it was as loud as ever. The whole house was groaning under the onslaught. “Lainie?”
“Harrison?!”
Harrison followed her voice to the back of the house. A cold wind whipped at his clothes, but he paid no attention to it until he reached the door to the sitting room.
Lainie was standing stiffly a few feet from the door, hunched over against the rain and wind. She was completely drenched, her blonde hair plastered to her pale cheeks. Behind her, was… nothing.
“Oh my God.” Harrison started forward and Lainie’s eyes widened.
“No, don’t—!” she cried out, but it was too late. The floorboards creaked under Harrison’s feet, and with a crackle of splintering wood, they were both falling.
Harrison didn’t think. There was no time. He reached inside himself and found his griffin form, shifting faster than he ever had before.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
LAINIE
Lainie screamed as she fell. Something huge slammed into her mid-air. Heavy limbs wrapped around her. Harrison?
She hit the ground, winded, landing on top of Harrison. Or what she thought was Harrison. She felt around with her chilled hands. Whoever—whatever—she had landed on, it was huge. And… feathered?
Lainie shoved herself backwards. Her feet found solid ground, and slipped again. The thing she had landed on grunted and started to get up. There was just enough light for Lainie to get a glimpse of its huge bulk. A flash of lightning lit up rain-drenched feathers and a huge, sharp beak. Predatory eyes gleamed black as it turned to look at her.
“Oh shit,” she gasped, and stepped backward. Another flash of lightning filled the sky, confirming what she thought she’d seen.
The creature had an eagle’s head, but it was bigger than any bird Lainie had ever heard of. It had two huge, clawed front legs, and dark-striped wings. But that wasn’t all. Its rear half looked like a giant cat, not a bird. Fur. Huge paws. And a tufted tail whipping back and forth in the rain.
A griffin. There was a fucking griffin in her grandparents’ house.
No, Lainie thought, frozen. That’s impossible. You must have hit your head.
It’s impossible.