if he catches me, he might hate fuck me again and I’m down for that. Pulling open the drawer, I freeze. All that’s in the drawer are different cameras and lenses. So, this is what he uses to take such beautiful pictures? Picking one up delicately, I put the strap around my neck to make sure I don’t drop it before switching it on. It boots up, flashing a screen before it goes dark. Lifting it, I look through the lens and move it around the room. Only then do I realise his room is like his photos— colourless.
Turning, my eye still to the lenses, I look about his room but freeze when I get to the door. There, standing with it still open behind him, is an angry looking Griffin. My heart pounds and before I can question myself why, I click and take his photo. Pulling down the camera slightly I stare at him. His mouth is twisted in a snarl and his hands are fisted by his sides. He looks so much bigger framed by the door, impressive and terrifying at the same time.
“Give it to me,” he orders.
Grinning, I strut over and pass him the camera. He checks it over and I roll my eyes. Throwing me a glare, he turns his back on me and hunches his shoulders as he clicks through the menu until he can see the last photo taken. When he does, he sucks in a breath.
Peering over his shoulder, I arch my eyebrow. Not bad if I do say so myself. He looks fierce and fucking sexy. “What?” I ask, confused.
“Is this how you see me?” he questions harshly.
Blinking, I lean back as he spins to look at me. “Is. This. How. You. See. Me?” he grits out each word, his face turning red.
“What do you see in the picture?” I counter, baffled.
He glances away and pulls the camera closer before looking back at me. “A monster.”
I sigh sadly. “Then no, you do not see yourself the way I do. In that picture you look powerful, sexy as hell, and so bloody otherworldly that my breath catches.”
He inhales sharply as his eyes search mine. “You don’t see a monster?”
I shake my head. “You might do monstrous things, we might be called monsters but those aren’t my thoughts when I look at you. In fact, the first thought I had was ‘fuck me,’” I tease, and he barks out a laugh before sobering up.
He lifts the camera towards me and I grin cheekily, posing. He snaps it and looks at the screen. “Beautiful,” he whispers, before turning and leaving me in his room, lost for words on whatever just happened.
It’s how Nos finds me, watching the space in which Griffin just disappeared, probably looking as confused as I feel. “Little Monster?” he calls, and I snap my gaze to him.
“Come on, we need to talk. Something has happened.” He offers me his hand and I grab it. Instead of leading me back upstairs like I figured, he takes me to the kitchen where Griffin is sitting, carving again.
He pulls out a seat and sits then pulls me onto his lap. “We need to talk.”
Griffin puts down his carving, hiding it behind his glass, and leans back as he stares at us with a blank face. “Then talk,” he snarks.
“Someone has been on my land, searching for either Dawn or me. I have stationed the animals around to make sure they warn me if the person comes back, but from what I could feel...they were powerful. Very powerful. I have arranged a meeting with the fae to see if they felt this, and to ask them to protect it in my absence,” Nos explains bluntly, and I snuggle further into him, offering him comfort he doesn’t know how to ask for. It’s obviously annoying him that someone has threatened his safety and mine.
“And?” Griffin prompts, arching his eyebrow at Nos, and ignoring me completely.
“And,” Nos grits out, “I am going to have to go to this meeting, it is in the morning. I do not think I will be back for our plan, so we have a choice to make. Do we leave this threat and wait until after the meeting fae, or do we rearrange with the fae?” he finishes, his voice tired.
“Will the fae rearrange?” I ask, turning so I can look at them both.
“Not likely,” Griffin snorts.
“Okay, so it’s simple. You go to the fae meeting, take as long as