Elle James - Possessing the Witch

Already shaking his head, Gryph stepped forward. “I can’t.”

“What is so important you can’t lay low for a few weeks until the furor dies down?”

“The charity ball for the children.”

Balthazar’s lips formed a thin line. “The charity ball. Why do you have to be there?” Balthazar’s eyes narrowed. “Can’t you just spend the money and let someone else take the reins on planning?”

“My company is sponsoring it. The money raised will go to the homeless children of Chicago. I’ve helped sponsor it for the past three. This year, GL Enterprises is the main sponsor. The Women’s Aid Organization is demanding that the head of GL Enterprises needs to attend the ball to show his support.”

Lucas chuckled. “My brother, a home-grown Chicago celebrity. A wanted man in more ways than one.”

“Believe me, I’d let them handle all of it, but they said our donations have dwindled and the public wants to know the man sponsoring the ball is fully committed. They’re afraid I’m Mafia or something—you know, dirty money.”

“That’s right, father, the philanthropic Gryphon needs to put in an appearance, to set the old biddies’ minds at ease.”

“You can’t risk it,” Balthazar insisted. “If you transform during the ball, you’ll have the entire city on you so fast you won’t have a chance to escape.”

“The children need me.”

“They need you alive. Not dead.”

“I’ll keep my exposure to a minimum. At least until the ball is over. Perhaps, in the meantime, the police will find the animal responsible for Miss Grant’s attack and death.”

If the animal was a shifter, there had to be others in the city. Gryphon would put out feelers among his staff.

All his life he’d held on to the dream of traveling to other countries. After the previous night, he was certain he couldn’t risk getting too far from his haven beneath the city. Where else would he go if his inner beast emerged unbidden? Where would he hide if his secret was unleashed?

“Son,” Balthazar said, “none of this would be an issue if you hadn’t transformed.”

“I had to transform to save the woman,” Gryph said.

“And her attacker came after you.” Balthazar spoke like it was a statement instead of a question.

Gryph nodded, his thoughts processing the information and coming up with what lay at the back of his mind during his escape to the Lair. “It had to be a shifter.”

“Why do you say that?”

“How else could it have entered the hospital without being detected to finish the job it started? A wolf can’t open doors without hands.”

“Are you sure it was the same person or creature who attacked the woman in the first place?”

“Why would anyone come back to smother her unless he wanted to make sure she didn’t expose the true nature of the animal that attacked her?”

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