Chapter 19
O h. Shit. That’s not good.
As last thoughts went, Maisie thought that was probably pretty lame. But considering she was plummeting to earth at several times the speed she thought she should be, she didn’t think she had time to come up with something better.
She thought she’d been terrified as she’d sped through the air, several hundred meters above the ground, in the claws of some kind of giant bird . But now, she thought, that had seemed pretty cushy compared with this .
At least she’d been relatively safe in the bird’s claws. Now, she was in freefall.
She didn’t even have enough time to scream – she’d always thought she would, in a situation like this. But now, she was silent, the parts of her brain that could do anything other than feel utter terror completely shut off.
Above her, she could see the blue of the sky, the rapidly shrinking silhouette of the bird that had been carrying her and her own flailing hands, reaching out for something that just wasn’t there.
There was nothing to grab on to. She was falling out of the sky.
Well, at least I had a nice holiday first. And I got to meet Rhys.
It was inane, she knew. But right now, there was simply nothing else left to –
“ Oof. ”
Maisie let out a completely undignified grunt as she landed.
She had to admit, she was a little surprised. One, because it only seemed like she’d been falling for a couple of seconds – ten, at most.
But then, as she’d already known, fear could do weird things to your brain. She must have fallen all the way to the ground already, somehow.
But there was also the fact she was sure that if she’d fallen to the ground, she’d be way too splattered everywhere to be making a grunt of surprise, or any other kind of noise. She’d kind of thought she’d be entirely mush.
And then, there was the other fact that the ground she’d landed on seemed to be rather warm. And soft. And moving.
“Rhys!” Maisie cried out breathlessly, sitting bolt upright.
And it was – he was carrying her just the way he had when he’d flown her out to their own little private island.
The warmth and softness had been his feathers and fur beneath her face and hands, and the movement was the beat of his enormous golden wings, as she rode him to safety.
I knew it. I knew he’d never let me down.
As if he’d sensed her thoughts, Rhys let out a low, comforting croon, as if to agree.
Maisie laughed. “I never doubted you, not for a moment,” she reassured him, leaning down to press her cheek against the feathers of his neck as they ruffled in the wind.
And it was true – she really hadn’t. She’d always known he’d come for her, right from the moment the eagle had first swept her up.
And he did.
Maisie allowed herself a few deep breaths. She felt she’d earned them. Adrenaline was still singing in her veins, and her hands were shaking even as she gripped tightly to Rhys’s neck feathers. She thought it was probably good that she didn’t have to stand up under her own power right now, because she wasn’t sure if she could.
But that’s okay. Because Rhys is here.
She chanced a peep over his neck to see where they were headed. They seemed to be circling lower and lower over Castle Hill and preparing to land.
Looking up and squinting against the sun, Maisie was relieved to see that the eagle that had snatched her was nowhere in sight. Probably it didn’t fancy tangling with Rhys a second time.
That’s right. Don’t come back or we’ll see what happens, she thought viciously. She knew she probably shouldn’t be wishing violence on anyone, but right now, she was just about sick to death of being attacked, dragged onto helicopters, interrogated, or lifted up off the ground and flown through the air for no reason anyone seemed to be able to explain to her.
Unless it’s by Rhys, obviously, she thought. He can fly me around anytime.
They circled lower, and it was pretty clear Rhys intended to land somewhere on Castle Hill itself – which was probably a better option than in the middle of town, even though some hikers were potentially in for a shock when a woman riding a griffin landed right in front of them.
Right now, Maisie decided she didn’t care. Mainly, she just wanted to feel solid ground beneath her feet again.
Rhys had selected an area to aim for that was off the hiking trails that ran up the side of the hill, however, so there wasn’t much chance of them being spotted. It was the side of the hill that faced away from the main part of Townsville, and was covered in boulders and scrub. It would give him plenty of space to land, and hopefully wouldn’t be too conspicuous either.
His landing was so gentle that Maisie barely felt it, and she only realized they’d actually landed when Rhys folded his wings and then fell instantly into a crouch, looking back at her over his shoulder.
“Oh, I guess I never really thanked you for saving me,” Maisie said, as she slid off Rhys’s back to stand a little shakily on the dry grass and red dirt that covered the hill. She still felt a little like her knees would wobble out from beneath her, but she knew Rhys would catch her if she fell.
As soon as she was off his back, Rhys shifted, and, a look of panic on his face, he pulled her into his arms, kissing her deeply. Maisie gave herself over to the kiss, allowing it to soothe her nerves, calm her racing heart.
As much as Rhys made her pulse speed up, now, she let herself melt, feeling comforted and safe with his arms around her, his lips on hers.
I’m safe. I’m safe.
“Maisie,” Rhys murmured as he pulled away, his hands cupping her face, his eyes frantic. “Are you hurt? Did that fucking eagle –”
“No, no, it didn’t do anything to me,” Maisie blurted out, wanting to reassure Rhys as quickly as possible that there was nothing wrong with her. “It just picked me up, but I don’t think it was trying to hurt me. I was just… just…”
Terrified. But I knew you’d come.
Rhys seemed to know what she was trying to say, and a moment later his lips were back on hers, warm and soft and strong. Maisie only wanted to get swept away in the obvious passion he had for her, to feel nothing but his kisses, to know nothing but his love.
But I guess first we have to get off this hill.
“Maisie, I can’t explain everything now, but I hope I finally have everything I need to end this. If what Michael sent me is true – or if anybody will listen – then your name should be cleared, and the person who’s been causing all this shit will –”
“ Agent Richardson! ”
Maisie’s head jerked up at the loud, authoritative, and really pissed off voice that cut through the air, and Rhys tensed, instantly on his guard.
She turned to see a number of what were clearly secret agents approaching, some in suits and ties and some in beachwear, and all looking very out of place. But the scowls on their faces did away with any levity the situation may have otherwise brought about… as did the fact that they most likely turned into highly dangerous animals. Maisie was pretty sure that the Agency wouldn’t send a daddy longlegs into a combat situation.
Though I’m sure he’s very useful if they need someone to do reconnaissance.
“We’ve reached the end of our patience, Agent Richardson,” the agent in the bikini and giant sunglasses said grimly. Maisie felt a twinge of sympathy, despite everything – she couldn’t be comfortable, especially given that she was only wearing thongs on her feet! “Both of you are coming with us. We expect that you will come peacefully.”
“Just wait,” Rhys growled, maneuvering himself in front of Maisie protectively. “Listen to me for one damn second. I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but there’s been some huge fuck-up somewhere along the line here. I don’t know what you think is going on, but Maisie has nothing to do with any of this. She’s a civilian who’s been caught up in something she knows nothing about, and I want to get to the bottom of it.”
“Be that as it may,” the agent said in a clearly disbelieving tone, “you’re not the one who’ll be getting to the bottom of it. You’re clearly compromised, and you can’t investigate yourself or the person who’s been leading you on. Come with us, we’ll get this all sorted.”
Rhys’s expression grew dark, and Maisie knew he was only seconds away from doing something incredibly reckless. Her stomach dropped.
This is not good.
“I’ll fight all of you,” he said, deadly calm. “Don’t think I won’t.”
“ No! ” Maisie cried, grabbing his arm. “Rhys, please. It’s not worth it. I can’t be with you if you’re dead or in prison. Please .”
Rhys’s fists clenched, and Maisie could see the tendons straining in his neck. He was clearly barely holding himself back.
Likewise, the agents were all tense, ready to spring at any moment.
This is getting nasty. Fast.
“ Please, ” she repeated.
The moment lingered, the air thick with tension, the silence so complete that it seemed shockingly loud as Rhys’s phone buzzed.
A split second later, a series of other buzzes and message notification sounds rang out, the agents looking around in confusion.
What on earth is going on?! Did someone just send them all a chain email?
The sounds seemed to signal a temporary ceasefire, as everyone reached for their phones, some of them pulling them out of places she really wouldn’t have thought phones could be easily concealed.
Maisie watched Rhys’s face as he read whatever message had showed up, the line between his eyebrows slowly disappearing as he started to relax somewhat… though he still seemed on edge.
“What is it?” she asked, scarcely daring to hope it could possibly be good news.
“Here,” he said, showing her the phone. Maisie wasn’t sure she should be looking at secret agents’ work communications, but, well, if it was being shown to her, then it wasn’t her fault, right?
Stand down, the message read. Repeat: stand down. New information has come to hand. The target was misidentified, and is to be released from your custody immediately with no further action taken. The culprit has been apprehended. Stand down and await further instructions.
She looked up at Rhys, hope unfurling inside her. She couldn’t quite believe her eyes – and it was entirely possible too that this was some kind of secret agent code, and it meant the opposite of what it looked like.
But if it doesn’t…
“Rhys,” she whispered. “Does this mean –?”
“Yeah,” Rhys said, and for the first time in far too long, he smiled. “Seems like someone finally got the message. You’re a free woman.” He looked up, presumably to check that the other agents had actually gotten the same message. Maisie followed his gaze, to see that the agents were in a shambles, milling about aimlessly and looking at their phones while bitching to each other. It seemed like the immediate threat had passed.
She turned back to Rhys, gazing into his golden eyes – and then practically fell into his arms. He caught her, of course, holding her up in his safe, warm embrace, and she rested her cheek against his chest, letting her eyes fall closed with a sigh of happiness.
“It’s over,” she murmured.
“Yeah,” said Rhys. “It’s over.”
There was something in his voice that didn’t sound quite convinced, and Maisie made a note to herself to ask him about it.
But… that can come later. Right now, all I want to do is go home.