"Which is actually why we came out here in the first place," Eren said. "We wanted to warn you there might be strangers poking around, so keep a low profile."
"Good to know. Thanks." His sharp green gaze passed between the two of them. "What about you two? What are you gonna do?"
"We don't know," Lucy said. She squeezed Eren's hand. "We have to deal with my uncle somehow, but I'm not sure how. I've been trying to figure it out for years. The griffin thing doesn't make it any easier."
Dane hesitated. He rubbed his stubbled jaw.
"You have an idea," Eren said.
"Maybe."
"Come on, man. Out with it."
Dane was quiet for long enough that Eren could sense Lucy growing impatient before he said, "Griffins aren't like other shifters. Most people don't know about 'em because they're real hermits. Even more than me. Most of them live in a place called Griffin Island way out in the ocean."
"Wait, you know where this place is?" Eren asked. Lucy was almost vibrating with tension, her eyes bright.
Dane gave a slow nod.
"I could meet other griffins!" She turned to Eren with wide-eyed joy. "I could learn about my heritage and my powers—!"
"Hold on," Dane said shortly. "It might not be like that. When I say hermits, I meanhermits. Every griffin shifter who leaves the island is given a mark. I don't know how it works, but it stops them talking about it to anyone who doesn't already know what they are. The only reason I know is because—" He grimaced. "My buddy—the things they put us through—they broke his shifter animal and made him shift involuntarily. And once I saw him do it, that broke the magic, however it works, and then he could talk about it to me. He ended up telling me a fair amount because he figured he'd never see home again, so he didn't have anything to lose."
"But if Lucy's a griffin, they'd talk to her, surely?" Eren asked.
"They really,reallydon't like outsiders. I could take you to the island, based on my friend's descriptions of where it is, but there's a good chance they wouldn't help."
Lucy looked at Eren. Then she turned a firm, level gaze on Dane. It was almost as if Eren could see her shedding the cocoon of the shy girl she had been, and coming into her power as a mature woman.
"I know they might not help us, or even talk to us," she said. "But I have to go there. I need to know more about who I am and where I came from. If you won't help us, we'll find another way."
Dane gulped down his whiskey-laced coffee and slammed the coffee cup to the table.
"Never said I wouldn't help," he said.
LUCY
There were veryfew preparations that needed to be made. Dane took a few minutes to pack a small bag that he gave Eren to carry on theCodfather. He banked the fire in the stove and locked the cabin door behind them.
Then he stripped naked.
As soon as she realized what was happening, Lucy turned her back. "Is this really necessary?" she asked, putting her hands over her eyes for good measure.
"It is if you don't want to wreck your clothes," Eren said, a smile in his voice.
Lucy turned nervously around. Dane was walking down the path to the shore; she glimpsed his naked backside and hastily looked away. It looked like a really nice backside, but the only ass she wanted to admire was Eren's.
Eren was holding Dane's bag and the bundle of his clothes. "C'mon," he said, and they scrambled down the wet, slippery path after Dane. The rain had stopped, but the day was still cold and gray.
"Are you sure you're okay with taking off like this?" Lucy asked him. "Will your family mind?"
"Sure I'm sure. The boat's fueled up, and my family already knows we might be gone for a while. We have sandwiches in the cooler and more food in the galley stores. I'll just have a quick check of the marine weather forecast before we take off to make sure we're not sailing into a nor'easter."
"What's that?"
"A storm. Makes yesterday's look like a puff of wind. But we aren't likely to hit one at this time of year. It might get a little rough, even so. Are you good with that?"
"Just point me at 'em."