Gryphon and His Thief (13 page)

Rrrr…ring ring…rrr ringring.

"Apartment – not real." He jotted it down
then glanced at the other column. He had sci-fi movies, books, and
different foods he enjoyed listed in the
real column
. Looked
like the curse couldn't take away everything. Those memories
remained vivid.

He was distracted from his thoughts when his
stomach grumbled almost as loud as the phone's trill. The morning
had slipped into the afternoon without him realizing it. He'd make
a sandwich and he had noticed there was a bag of potato chips in
the pantry.

Rrrr…ring ring…rrr ringring.
The trill
of the phone interrupted his thoughts yet again. "Phone," he said
and grabbed for the receiver before the person calling hung up.

Silence met his ear and he pulled the
receiver away and stared at it.

"Hello? Darrien?" Calli's voice rang through
and he placed the phone back to his ear again.

"I'm here." Guess he should have said hello
first, but he'd been too intrigued that someone had phoned to
adhere to protocol.

"I'm on my way back to the museum," she told
him, "but I'm stopping off at a drive-thru. Want something to
eat?"

His stomach grumbled again. That would be a
yes
apparently. "If you don't mind, and I'll have whatever
you're having."

"Sure," she said and he could hear it in her
voice how she thought his request peculiar.

He glanced at the worker, who'd been staring
at him again only to look away when he was caught. He whispered
into the phone. "I've only eaten what's here in the museum. I
think… Well, quite honestly, I can't recall stepping out to have
fast food."

There was a long pause. "But you know of such
places?" she asked.

"Just another thing to add to the pile of
how do I know
when I never leave the museum." He couldn't
quite keep the terseness out of his voice.

"Well, sit tight," she said. "I'll be there
in a jiffy to give you a taste of home from your expert vagabond."
He could hear the smile in her voice.

"I look forward to the experience." After
saying goodbye, he replaced the receiver and stared at the phone
with what he was sure was a silly grin. Calli would be here soon
and his smile slipped. He had nothing to show her.

He'd been making lists and looking up Gryphon
nonsense and not concentrating on Professor Leander. "Bollocks." He
scooted the chair closer to the desk before his fingertips grazed
the keyboard. He typed in Professor Leander, but forgot to remove
Gryphon from his last search. Before he could correct his mistake,
he was too quick and his finger hit return. Once the screen
refreshed he was about to type in the correct search word, but
halted his attempt when something interesting caught his eye.

Professor Leander spoke at various
universities regarding ancient Greece, her expertise and knowledge
on the subject extensive, but what caught his attention was the
topic she spoke about at a seminar in Arizona a few months ago. The
title:
Gryphons: Real or Myth?
He clicked on the
article.

"Professor Risa Leander," he read and paused.
"Risa?" Drop the
r
and her name would be Isa. It was the
first time an article stated her given name. Maybe this article
would prove to be the connection they were looking for. Calli may
have had a glimpse of the past, or she could have just blacked out
and dreamt the whole thing. He glanced at the Gryphon. "Bet you'd
know," he grumbled as he spoke, "if this was really the Isa who
caused this pickle we're in." Then he rolled his eyes that he once
again was talking to the statue. He concentrated on the screen and
noticed the video to the right of the article. He clicked on the
play button.

Professor Risa Leander appeared on the screen
looking all prim and proper in her suit. Her hair was pulled back
in a bun – seemed to be the only way she wore it. Her birdlike
features weren't unappealing, but there was something about the
woman he didn't like. A funny reaction if he didn't know her.

"The Gryphon," Professor Leander began, "is
considered a legendary creature by most. The creature possesses the
body, tail, and back legs of a lion, and with a head, wings, and
talons of an eagle. The lion is considered the king of beasts and
the eagle the king of the birds. A Gryphon in legends and mythology
was a majestic and powerful creature of both land and air. They
were the guardians of treasures, priceless artifacts and
possessions, and they were sought after to keep them safe."

The woman spoke with passion as if she paid
reverence to the creatures, and maybe there was a good reason for
it, if they could trust Calli's vision. The professor was one such
creature.

"Gryphons are depicted in art and lore of
Ancient Greece," Professor Leander continued, "and I am here today
to argue the fact these creatures truly existed and were not
legends of old, but that they truly walked the earth."

"What?" he said and sat up straight in his
chair. He wasn't the only one surprised by her outright claim. The
audience expressed their astonishment as well.

"Quiet, please. You will all have your chance
to voice your questions," she said, trying to silence the room.

If he didn't know better, he'd say the woman
was a nutter, but after what he learned today, he would bet she did
have proof. He pointed to the Gryphon statue then to the computer
as if the darn thing should pay attention too. "Are you hearing
this?"

"Excuse me—"

"Bloody hell!" He jumped at the sound of the
workman's voice and his heart slammed into his ribcage. He hadn't
even heard the man approach, but he stood at the side of the desk
peering at him with a smirk. "Don't sneak up on a bloke," he told
the repairman.

Professor Leander's voice droned on in the
background and the repairman glanced at the computer screen.
Flustered, Darrien tried to turn the video off and ended up hitting
the volume before his third attempt did the job. He turned back to
the repairman. "What is it then?"

"Didn't mean to startle you." The man's lips
twitched as if he thought it funny he'd scared him half to
death.

"Well?" Darrien asked, hoping the man would
say what he wanted and go.

"I have the window measured and the area
cleaned out. I'll be back in about an hour to install the glass.
You'll still be here, right?"

"Well, I'll have to be, now won't I?" he
snapped.

The workman nodded, ignoring his poor
attitude. "Good." He turned on his heel and headed for the door as
Calli strode in, carrying lunch in paper bags.

His stomach rumbled in anticipation. "Down
boy." He patted his stomach.

As Calli strode past the workman, she turned
to give him a second glance, her brows knitting together. When she
reached Darrien, she handed him a bag and kept the other.

"I thought the window would be fixed long
before now," she said. "Is there a problem?"

"The first bloke didn't even show. This one's
been here all afternoon. Annoyingly so."

"Where's he going? I still see a whole in the
wall."

Darrien dug his hand into the paper bag to
retrieve his lunch. He ripped open the wrapper revealing a juicy
hamburger. He took a generous bite and sat back in his seat with a
sigh.
Pure bliss
, he thought as he chewed. Surely if he ever
had takeout like this, he'd remember it. Once he swallowed, he
answered Calli's question. "He has to cut the glass. He'll be back
later."

Calli stared at him with concern, but he
didn't care. His stomach still demanded attention and he indulged
in another healthy bite. As he chewed, his gaze slid over Calli
with appreciation. It appeared she not only took a nap, but she'd
showered too. Her hair was damp at the ends, making her ginger
colored strands appear a dark auburn. As for her attire… Gone were
the formfitting black garments, replaced by jeans and a white
blouse where her necklace lay nestled right above her modestly
shown cleavage. Just enough to entice, but not too much to make it
obvious what lay beneath the silk.
Classy,
he thought.

"Uh-hum," she cleared her throat and he
inwardly cringed. "Whatcha staring at, Darrien?"

"Uh…your necklace," he told her. He wasn't
really lying. He'd been admiring it too.

"Okay, we'll go with that." Her lips curved
and he couldn't help but smile with her.

"It's an interesting piece," he said
seriously. "Your necklace," he clarified and reached for a chip, or
rather French fries. The word popped into his head as he shoved one
in his mouth. "Mmm-hmm. These are good too."

"The necklace was a gift from my father," she
told him.

"A talisman for protection," he said and
reached for another fry, but ended up grabbing a handful
instead.

"Yes," she said with surprise. "How'd you
know that?"

"I like gems and stones, and not just the
ones that are cursed." Then it dawned on him this was a true fact
and not a fabricated one. He grabbed the pencil and jotted the info
down in the appropriate column.

"What are you doing?" she asked and glanced
at his list.

Heat spread over his neck and cheeks. "Just a
list."

Her gaze met his with understanding. "Well
then, you need to add a few things. May I?" She nodded toward the
pencil and he handed it to her. She turned the paper toward her.
Once she was finished, her hand slid it back his way again. He read
her clear script. She'd written his name in the real column and
hers below. His lips curved. He could become quite fond of this
woman. He reached for the fry bag. There weren't many left.

"Here." She handed him her bag of fries with
plenty to savor. "I've never seen someone enjoy French fries so
much as you, or should I say chips?" She chuckled.

"It's odd, don't you think?"

"What is?" She joined him in sampling the
fries.

"Why do I have a British accent, but the
museum is stationed in the States?"

"You're cursed. Remember I told you Beastie
Darrien said the museum moves every twenty years to a new location.
You probably also spoke Greek at one time or another."

He was about to take another bite of his
burger, but lowered his hand. "How I wish I could speak to him." He
nodded toward the statue. "He's more informed than I seem to
be."

"You have all the human traits to fit in with
society if someone approaches you during operating hours. He's
more…"

"Beastie?" he offered.

"Not entirely true, but I sense he's more
prone to slip into beastie mode. So, what did you find out while I
was gone?" She was all business now.

"I almost forgot." He took the last bite of
his burger before he focused on the computer. "I found Professor
Leander online. She was at a seminar discussing if Gryphons truly
existed or not." He wiped his hands before he turned on the
computer and found the piece for her.

She scooted closer to watch and her shoulder
pressed against his. He could smell her perfume…jasmine…with a wee
bit of vanilla. "Heavenly."

"What?" Calli asked with a start and he
cleared his throat and shifted in his seat.

"Nothing. I…nothing." He ran a hand through
his hair and tried not to melt into his seat with the way she
stared at him, but she obviously wasn't going to let this go.

She turned his seat around so he was forced
to face her, and he could feel the heat burn his cheeks. "I can't
help it." He shrugged without being apologetic. "Do you have to be
smart, interesting, and beautiful?" Her brows lifted and then he
realized. "I said that out loud, didn't I?" He groaned and closed
his eyes.

"You did." She reached for his glasses and
his eyes opened wider as she removed them. She leaned forward and
bloody well pressed her lips to his.

By the stars, he wasn't going to say no to
that. He leaned forward and his hand went to her waist as he kissed
her back. It felt liked he'd done this before, and not just when
he'd fainted...
Wait.
He pulled back. "We've kissed."

"Yes," she said. "We were kissing…"

"Not now. I mean…" Her lips curved and he
knew he was making a muck of this. "I mean to say, you've kissed
him." He nodded toward the statue.

Still smiling, she leaned forward and kissed
his forehead. "Relax. So I kissed Beastie Darrien. Well now, I've
kissed you too." She turned toward the computer as if kissing him
and his alter ego was no big deal. She turned up the volume on
Professor Leander's lecture.

Stunned at her nonchalant admission to
kissing his other half, his voice seemed to have solidified in his
throat, leaving him speechless.

Chapter Fourteen

Calli purposely shifted mental gears. She
didn't understand her attraction to Darrien...
both
Darriens. She didn't want to buy into the reincarnation thing. It
was just too weird to think she'd been married and about to have a
baby in another life. She'd barely dated in this one.

Nerdy Darien appeared just as confused as she
was, leaving only Beastie Darrien with the smug upper hand with the
attraction. Maybe curses sent out some kind of pheromone that made
one attracted to them.
Yeah, the whole bad boy thing to the
limit.

"Could you turn up the volume?" she asked
Darrien and he moved the mouse over the icon. Professor Leander did
have a lot of information regarding Gryphons. It couldn't be a
coincidence, which brought her back to the vision.
Was Professor
Leander and Isa one and the same?
If so, she'd be ancient. She
glanced at the statue then to the man sitting beside her. He would
be as old as Isa, and he was still alive. Just how long did
Gryphons live?

When the woman finished, another man took the
podium thanking her for being the guest lecturer.
Yadda, yadda,
yadda…
But then he went on to tell her how her findings were
unfounded and he remained unconvinced, and that the
strange
looking beast –
his exact words – could never have existed.