Chapter 564 Chapter 564
Griffin was thankful she turned the radio up, making the silence less awkward. Blaise drove with her hand occasionally taping against the steering wheel in time to the song playing. He glanced out the window to look at the owl flying above them. His mind was still stuck on the fact that the large grey owl was a man. He’d met the man, and the fact that he was as big as he was and then turned into a bird, even as large as it was, well, it flabbergasted him. He’d never heard any talk of bird shifters from Aiden or any of his associates, so he wondered if they knew. Or was it that catching them was a lot more difficult?
He looked down at his hand and turned it over, flexing it. He’d picked up a man by the throat and carried him with that hand. Griffin wasn’t a weak man, he stayed in shape working out to fill long hours of being held at his apartment, but to pick up a man with one hand—that was beyond any strength he had. How had he done it? His animal had given him a new body and apparently god-like strength with it. He didn’t feel one bit of remorse that he’d hurt those three men. They would take him back to Aiden, and that was never happening.
Taking a deep breath, he smirked fleetingly. Blaise’s scent seemed to be the key to his animal communicating. Like right now, inhaling her scent calmed his animal, yet she was also why other things had happened. His only thought hadn’t been of being dragged back to his half-brother. His biggest worry, when trapped in that can, was of Blaise. He’d seen what female shifters went through at the hands of Aiden and his associates, and he wasn’t going to let that happen. The fact that she was a mix of two clans made it worse, and if Aiden knew she couldn’t have children—her life would have been forfeit. Tomas’ associates had no use for female captives who couldn’t multiply their business and wallets by procreating more shifters.
That was how he’d found the strength to break them out of a giant welded box and why he’d had no care in what happened to the three men that had put them there.
He discovered a new feeling when it came to her. Protectiveness. In a way he’d never experienced before. Sure, he’d wanted to do something to help those being held against their will, but he’d never done anything to try and prevent what was bound to happen to them. How could he? He was incarcerated right along with them. The only difference was that he had nicer clothes and a private apartment, whereas they had cages, dirty, overcrowded, rundown houses, or infested camps. His skin still crawled when he thought of his time at the camp.
He glanced over at Blaise again. She was completely focused on the road, which he was thankful for. The roads had been cleared after the storm, mostly, but the blowing snow was making some spots a guessing game as to where the road was.
Her truck wasn’t what he pictured she’d drive, but he was glad for it. The last thing they needed was to be stranded somewhere. He didn’t know how Aiden had found them the last time, but he knew there were many people he used that shared information, so he had his doubts that wherever they were going would be safe. He needed to go through those pictures again and maybe ask if the ones they trusted could be added because someone in the inner circle was sharing with Aiden. He knew they’d found out that Aiden’s people had breached their computer network, the temper tantrum from his so-called blood relative had been of epic proportions when they’d been shut down, but maybe there was another way they weren’t thinking of.
The truck slowed down, and Griffin immediately looked in the mirror to see if someone was behind them. He looked around. Why were they stopping? There was nothing here.
Blaise turned down the radio, “I’ll be right back.” She reached into the backseat, pulled out Uri’s backpack, and hopped out of the truck. She stood in front of the truck and looked up.
Griffin watched the large owl glide and land on the truck’s hood. Blaise pointed and then held up the backpack. He was in awe when Uri took flight and clutched the bag in his talons, and then flew away. Griffin leaned forward and watched with his mouth hanging open.
Blaise got back in and closed the door.
“He’ll just fly home carrying a backpack?”
She grinned, “he might, but he’ll probably shift and call for backup to come and get him. His team is all over the place all the time; they must have something set up.” She put the truck into gear, “you might want to hang onto something.”
Griffin was about to ask why when she stomped on the accelerator and headed straight for the snowbank. They hit it hard, and snow flew over the hood, but she kept going.
“I haven’t been home to clear the road.”
Griffin grabbed the handle near his door and tried to hold himself still as the truck shifted over the rough ground. He was bounced against the window a few times. Blaise didn’t let up on the gas, just kept making a trail through it. When it leveled out, he was going to ask how much further they had to go through it when she turned suddenly and went up a hill. The rev of the engine told him the truck was struggling and he felt at that moment that his silence would be better appreciated than interrupting her focus.
The truck stopped.
“That was something.” She patted her hand on the dash, “good girl.” She turned it off. “Grab the grocery sacks.” She hopped out and opened the back door, and picked up her bag.
Griffin looked around. Grab them and go where? There wasn’t a building in sight, just trees.
Blaise walked by him, not caring that the snow was up to her knees. Grabbing his few clothes and the cloth bags, he grit his teeth as the snow filled his boots. Closing the door, he hurried to catch up to her. She walked into the trees, and he stopped and stood there as she went upstairs. There were stairs in the middle of the trees. He lifted his head and looked above them. There was a building in the trees. “You live in a treehouse?” Did people even do that?
She glanced over his shoulder, a look of amusement on her face, “it’s not in the trees, just surrounded by them.
He turned around in a slow circle and noticed the tall pillars that blended in with a natural-looking tree. Shaking his head, he followed her up the stairs.
“I’ll have to get everything going and clear the panels off, but the batteries should have enough juice to get the heat going. The water line might be frozen if the heat cables haven’t had any power for too long, but it won’t take long to thaw.”
Griffin went in the door she held open and then just stood there.
“Just give me a second,” she opened a panel that blended into the wood and pressed a few switches, “wouldn’t want you getting electrocuted for touching a window or door.” She unlocked the second door and motioned for him to go in.
Electrocuted? That was a harsh security system she had. Kicking the snow from his boots, he stepped in and then slipped his feet out. Looking down, he saw his socks were caked with snow.
“Just put those in the kitchen,” she pointed to the doorway across from where they stood.
“You use solar power, I take it?”
She dropped her bag and went to a large panel on the wall. “I couldn’t get any electrical lines run out here, so I found another way.” She flipped a few breakers and pushed a button. “Batteries were fully charged when the storm hit.” She looked down at her feet, “I’ll go do the panels now, so I don’t have to go back out.”
Griffin could only nod. He didn’t know much about solar power or what it took to maintain it. He went into the kitchen and set the bags on the counter. It was a large space, but it was organized and spotless. In the corner was a small fridge, which he imagined was more than adequate for one person. He’d never done his own shopping, so he had no idea the thought that went into purchasing and storage. His fridge had always had a moderate amount of food in it.
He couldn’t believe her home was built in the trees or among them. Going over to the window, he pulled the curtain aside. The view was something. He could see for miles, and the snow covering things from this vantage looked pristine and pure. Was that why she’d chosen this spot? For the peaceful views? It was better than looking out and seeing endless buildings, cars, and far too many people, which is what he was used to. He doubted the beauty of this wore off.
Griffin wasn’t sure if he should put the groceries away or just stand here and wait for her to return. Going back out, he went over to the other side where they’d come in and pulled the curtain back. It was a snow-covered deck. Movement on the ground had him lean closer. It was Blaise; she was using a narrow brush on a pole. After a few more minutes of observation and he concluded she was clearing off her solar panels. They were on platforms about five feet off the ground, and at least ten were lined up facing one direction He released the curtain and stepped back when she paused and looked up at him stepped back.
He turned around slowly to check out the room. It was a large area. He grinned; the fact that he hadn’t noticed the building until he was standing under it made him shake his head would never have thought to look up for her home. He had a lot to learn about life outside Aiden’s grasp and part of him was anxious to begin, while the other part, the knots in his stomach part, told him he had a long road ahead of him.