Read Online Gryphon and His Thief by Karen Michelle Nutt - Free Book Online Page B

stumbled and
almost ended up on her rump, but she had great reflexes and her
hand snaked out, grabbing Darrien's cardigan to steady her. He
glanced over his shoulder with concern. "Sorry," he apologized.
    She let her hands fall to her side, but
before she could question him about his great imitation of a tree
suddenly taking root, he strode away from her to plant himself in
front of the busted window. She'd forgotten about that little
mishap last night.
    "I can't believe this," he stated, probably
not to her, but just blowing off steam. "Bloody vandals." Then his
anger turned to concern. "Oh, I do hope they didn't take anything.
This is an utter disaster." He hurried past her, producing a key he
had stuffed in the pocket of his cardigan. Obviously, this version
of Darrien didn't have nifty gifts like opening locks with his
palms. He needed a key like the rest of the mere mortals.
    Darrien halted in front of the door that
stood slightly ajar. He cursed softly as he nudged the door open
the rest of the way.
    With a sigh, she followed him inside and came
to stand next to him as he stared at the window, or rather lack of
one. His brows knitted together and she was beginning to think this
was an expression he wore often. "How very odd," he commented and
it made her stare at the window frame too.
    "What is?" she asked.
    He glanced at her. "It appears as if the
glass was broken from the inside. See how there are very little
fragments on the floor?" He strode closer to the windowsill and
peered out. "The shards litter the ground outside."
    "Uh…yep, very odd," was all she could muster
to say.
    "I'm sorry, Miss," he turned to face her,
"but we'll have to postpone this meeting. I'll have to call someone
out to repair the glass, and do an extensive inventory to make sure
nothing was stolen. It will take me all day, if not longer, to do a
proper job of it." He started past her, but she placed a hand on
his arm, and he halted his steps to gaze at her expectantly.
    "I can't leave just yet. I think once you
hear me out, you'll understand why."
    His gaze shifted to where her hand rested on
his arm.
    "Darrien? Did you hear me?"
    He met her eyes. "You were saying?" Then he
frowned. "How do you know my first name? I never told you."
    Now he notices. She only addressed him
as Darrien outside in the carport, but then maybe he still had been
a tad loopy from his transformation. "We have a mutual… friend,"
she settled on for lack of a better description of their
relationship. Reincarnated lovers didn't seem a good place to
start.
    "A mutual friend?" he asked. He had an
absent-minded professor look about him. She would bet this version
of Darrien misplaced things on a regular basis. Must be a side
effect of the curse and the whole soul-splitting ordeal… or
whatever the process was called.
    "Earth to Darrien," she said to gain his
attention.
    His eyes came into focus, the golden brown a
darker shade. "Sorry, just thinking," he told her. "I can't deny
it. You do have me curious, Miss…"
    "Calli, will be fine."
    "Miss Calli."
    "Uh… oh, never mind."
    "Good then. If you don't mind me making a few
calls…"
    "Not at all. Please take your time. I'm not
in a hurry."
    "Come along then," he said as he turned away
and headed toward the back of the museum. "Nothing will be open as
of yet anyway. I'll ring a place at a more respectable hour and
make the arrangements to have the window fixed. Until then, we
might as well have that proper cup of tea I promised you." He
strode by his desk where the statue of the Gryphon sat strong and
true.
    He'd only taken a few more steps, before he
came up short and whirled around to stare at the beast, who in
return seemed to be staring back. She had to admit it was a little
disconcerting.
    Darrien lowered his glasses to the tip of his
nose as if somehow his eyewear had become faulty. "What in the
bloody hell is going on here?"
    "Is something the matter?" she asked, all
innocent and smiles, but knowing perfectly well he