Free Gryphon and His Thief by Karen Michelle Nutt

was referring to
the statue and wondering how it had moved from the back room to
here.
    He whirled toward her as if a response danced
on the tip of his tongue, but then he must have decided to rein in
his explanation for his sudden outburst. Most likely knowing any
claim he issued would sound like he'd lost his mind. Instead, he
shook his head as he pushed the glasses back onto the bridge of his
nose. "Nothing." He turned and continued on, reaching the swinging
door situated behind the desk. His hand pushed it open to reveal a
kitchen hidden behind it. The museum did have all the perks, but
she supposed it would have to since a cursed being was trapped
inside.
    Callista's father had been a real piece of
work. He cursed Darrien for something that wasn't his fault, a
curse which trapped him forever within a stone statue and in a man
who surely felt the loss of his other half, but hid behind his work
to compensate for it. Nerdy Darrien and Beastie Darrien could never
truly live.
    "How do you take your tea?" Seconds ticked by
before she realized he'd spoken to her. "Tea?" he repeated when she
met his gaze. "How do you take it?" he clarified.
    She had no idea since she really was a coffee
kind of gal. "Uh… I'll take it however you do."
    He gave her a slight nod, seemingly satisfied
with her response. Once they had their teacups in hand, they headed
out of the kitchen. He offered her a seat in the chair, but she
decided on the desktop, feeling he may need to sit comfortably when
she gave him a recap of her evening with him...or rather his other
half.
    He finally took a seat too, but took forever
to find a comfortable position. He repositioned himself so many
times she was about to ask him if he needed to go to the restroom,
but she realized it was her close proximity that made him squirm in
his seat. She would have chosen another chair, but she wasn't going
to take a chance of sitting in one of the cursed ones and have the
enchantment transferred to her. No sir-ee Bob, and thank you
very much.
    She sipped the brew and was pleasantly
surprised she liked the taste of black tea with a splash of milk.
Go figure.
    Finally, Darrien settled and he raised his
teacup that appeared way too dainty in his large hands. Yet, she
had to admit, he handled it with finesse and didn't look a bit like
a sissy when he pressed it to his lips. He indulged in a respectful
taste of his brew before lowering the cup and meeting her gaze.
"You were going to tell me about the cursed item of yours," he
said. He was all business-like now he'd had his morning fix.
"Please proceed if you will," he encouraged further.
    He wasn't going to like what she had to tell
him anymore than she liked telling it. "I'm going to give it to you
straight because… Well, we just don't have the time."
    "We?" he asked, catching she'd included him
in this scenario.
    "Sit back, Big Boy. Storytelling isn't my
thing, so bear with me and know I do apologize for my lack of
finesse."

Chapter Ten
    Darrien listened to Calli's story with
minimal interruptions, but truthfully hadn't known what to say.
Dear God, the story the woman spun and she didn't believe herself a
storyteller – curses and mythical beasts... Surely, this story
should be on the bestseller list for fantasy reads, or at the very
least, a hopeful for the next Sci-fi show on the telly.
    "…and then we came in here," she finished
with a long sigh. She sipped her tea and obviously waited for his
response, but he could only manage to stare at her in
disbelief.
    He forced himself to close his mouth before
she thought he had a stroke. He still may have one. This woman –
this thief, so she coined herself – claimed he was a cursed man,
not any cursed man, but a Gryphon as well. His gaze shifted to the
beastie sitting there regarding him with attitude. He blinked, hard
and ran a hand through his hair, not caring it would probably stand
up on end. This had to be a bloody joke, one he was not privy to
the reasoning behind it.
    He