Calum needed to fly, to escape the claustrophobic confines of the pub in Inverness. Only flight could provide relief from the stuffiness closing in around him. The stench of stale beer and perspiration caused his nose to tingle. The din of voices around him reverberated in his head. The Knights of Stone, the band he and his brothers had created, had played until midnight. Although the lassies surrounded him after their set, as they often did, he avoided their attention to head for the exit.
“You’re not leaving again, are you?” his older brother, Gavin, asked.
“I need air.”
“It’s the third time in a fortnight. Something’s definitely off with you lately.”
Maybe Gavin was right. Calum’s usual restlessness had shifted recently. Instead of chasing the lasses after the rush onstage as front man of their band, he’d been escaping to the wide-open space of the night skies.
He searched the shadowy area behind the brick building for a hidden spot where he could shift to his winged form. Humans were out this evening, but none were attracted to the dark alley.
Calum cloaked himself before shifting. He flew away from the club up toward the crescent moon, which was clouded by a swirl of mist. Nothing like soaring through the night to invigorate him. Flight calmed him, as it did for most gargoyles. While he spent much of the day restoring his energy in stone form under the sun, at night he came alive. He’d then pursue one of his three favorite activities — flying, performing, or—entertaining. He smirked. He and Gavin relished the female attention, especially after their three brothers had found mates. Since their brothers had placed bets on who’d be next to find a mate, both Calum and Gavin pushed to the extreme to avoid it.
Although Calum still burned from the rush on stage, something was missing. He had everything he thought he’d wanted with the band and living with his brothers in their small clan on the Isle of Stone, yet lately he’d begun to seek the peace and solitude while flying, more often.
Why he did, plagued his mind, as he sought clarity during his flight. A short break had turned into a longer flight, full of introspection. Calum soared farther than he’d planned, along Loch Ness and then inland. The shadowed mountain peaks ahead framed a foreboding entryway under the lingering fog that clouded the night.
He paused, hovering in the air. His gargoyle instincts flared. Something was off. He engaged all his senses, listening for a sign of distress, anything to identify the source of his unease. He flew deeper inland, the rolling fields darker than emeralds under the stars, and the disturbing sensation heightened.
* * *
Arielle’s wings slashed through the air. The dragon continued its pursuit, over the forests.
She’d been exploring a watering hole beyond the fairies’ woodlands, far from where her pegasi herd lived. A massive creature with ruby-colored scales descended into the peaceful space.
How foolish she’d been to wander so far away from the others. It was a terrible habit of hers. Her separation had made her an easy target. She flew for her life as the dragon sprang in her direction.
She beat her wings like they were already on fire, slicing through the air to escape the fiend that pursued her. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, her flight instinct fully engaged. A wave of heat reached her, making her drop lower in the sky. The scent of singed fur filled her nostrils.
Her flight instinct amped up to hyper-speed. She had to escape the dragon. Pegasi were one of the most mystical and magical of supernatural creatures. Their blood could provide a surge of unparalleled power and energy and was highly sought by those who wished to exploit it. Their manes had healing powers. That had to be what the dragon wanted. Her magic. Power in the wrong hands was a dangerous thing. Power in the “right” hands could also be dangerous. It was too easy to be seduced by it.
Arielle zoomed downward on a diagonal trajectory, bringing her wings in tight. The verdant hues rushed by in her peripheral view.
A blast of energy hit her. A sudden swirl of fiery colors engulfed her. What happened? The hues surrounding her straightened in horizontal lines. They coiled like a tight grip around her. She couldn’t fly as it propelled her forward, like she’d been yanked into a vortex. Had she? That would explain the sudden change of surroundings.
The dragon’s roar reached her ears.
Ach no.
That had to be it—she was in some strange sort of tunnel. With a dragon in pursuit.
Not good.
The only time she’d been in something like this before, was when she was younger and had traveled through a portal with her mother.
The colors faded out as the sky reappeared, now dark and twinkling with stars. What was going on? Rolling hills alongside a vast body of water stretched before her. A sand-colored castle stood alone in the distance.
She knew this place. Yes, this was where her mother had brought her--she’d only been here once before. It was the human realm.
And she was falling toward the earth. Damn.
Without the portal pushing her on, she plummeted. She unfurled her wings and beat them furiously to avoid crashing into the unforgiving terrain. With only a moment to spare, she reversed direction and ascended.
Her relief lasted shorter than a flap of wings. The dragon had resumed the chase.
She couldn’t out-fly it for long. Finding another strategy was critical.
As she spun, she feinted, attempting to throw her pursuer off course. It worked for a flash until the dragon recovered and resumed the hunt. She repeated the act. Although it slowed her down, it also slowed the dragon. It had to adjust to the new direction, which it couldn’t anticipate.
Another blast of fire rolled her way, singeing her right flank. She whinnied at the intense blast of pain but couldn’t stop flying. Although she grew tired, she couldn’t stop. Stopping meant capture.
* * *
A shriek pierced Calum’s ears. What the hell was that? It wasn’t human nor was it a creature he recognized, yet it was full of distress. Whatever it was, it needed help.
He bolted in that direction, following the source of the shriek. When he identified the shapes soaring through the night air, he blinked. It couldn’t be real—a white horse with wings, being chased by a flying creature with reddish skin and scales—a pegasus and dragon?
No, that couldn’t be real. Neither one of those existed. As a gargoyle shifter, he knew of other supernatural beings, but the ones before them, they were a myth.
Right?
Debating their mythical status wouldn’t help the pegasus. He had to protect it from its pursuer. He soared toward them with as much speed as he could build, shifting en route from his winged human form to his gargoyle one. He’d need the tough hide and greater strength of a gargoyle to meet this threat.
When he caught up to the dragon, he grabbed it by its scaly ankle. It turned at him, hell flashing from its red eyes.
Bad idea.
Dragons meant fire.
The dragon opened its mouth with a mighty roar and flames rolled out, crashing toward Calum like a volcanic tsunami.
Fuck.
He turned and ducked, escaping the brunt of the flames, but fiery sparks scalded his wings. A burning odor followed. His gargoyle hide could better sustain burns than human flesh, but it wasn’t fireproof.
“Go!” he shouted to the pegasus. Likely, it wouldn’t understand Calum.
Yet, the pegasus turned back with a tilt of its head before beating its wings, flying away.
Good.
The dragon turned its focus on Calum.
Not so good.
Fighting the dragon head on wasn’t an option. He’d be torched like a twig in a bonfire.
When the dragon changed direction, Calum circled with it, and jumped onto its back before the dragon had a chance to react. It roared as Calum clung to the tough red scales.
The dragon jerked beneath him, trying to shake him off. Calum had gargoyle strength on his side and refused to relinquish his hold. With a clumsy turn of its head, the dragon shot a blast of fire back over its shoulder, but Calum shifted to the other side to avoid being scalded.
Calum had the upper hand for the moment, but it wouldn’t last. The most pressing concern was preventing the dragon from burning him alive.
He grasped the dragon by the throat and put it in a choke hold. The dragon struggled to break free while gasping for air. Calum tightened his grip. The dragon flailed, continuing to try to shake Calum off as it tried to breathe. It soon lost control of flight. They plummeted. But Calum refused to relinquish his grasp. The earth rushed up to greet him.
Moments before they crashed onto the grassy plain, the dragon’s throat contracted. Calum lost his grip. The seat beneath him shifted. Nothing supported him.
What the ever-loving fuck?
His body hit the earth with a crash. The unwelcoming greeting made him cry out.
At least, he was in gargoyle form. Still, numerous burn wounds demanded his attention.
Calum rose, circling the area and searching for signs of the dragon. Where the bloody hell had it gone?
He pulled himself to his feet and searched. No sign of the dragon on the plain, nor in the skies.
Had it cast an invisibility cloak like the gargoyles did to mask themselves from humans? Or had it transported to some other location?
Either option wasn’t good. A dragon on the loose was a threat.
And where was the pegasus? Had it escaped?
He shifted back to his favored human form to assess his injuries. Shite. His wings had sustained the brunt of the burns. If they were too damaged to fly, he’d be fucked. With adrenaline fueling his veins, he hadn’t felt the full impact of the dragon’s attack. Calum’s chest tightened, making it more difficult to breathe.
He communicated to his brothers.
Got into a bit of a scrap.
With who? Bryce replied.
Not a who. A what. It was a dragon.
A dragon? Gavin repeated. Are you mental?
Gavin’s reaction was as Calum expected. They’d never seen a dragon. Never knew they existed.
Wish I was. The burns indicate otherwise.
Where are you? Lachlan asked. He was the eldest brother and alpha of their small clan. We’ll come to you.
After giving a general location, he ended the conversation with his brothers. He reassessed the wounds, flapping his wings to see if they’d still function. He cried out, wincing from the pain.
His wings. His magnificent wings. Horribly disfigured. And worse—he couldn’t fly with them in that state.
He’d recover eventually. Shifter healing was quick. Yet, his inability to fly clutched at his throat, as stifling as claustrophobia.
A sound behind him made him spin. It was the pegasus, landing on the grass. It lowered its wings and approached. He’d thought raven-feathered gargoyle wings were to be admired, but these had a unique iridescent beauty.
Wow, what a beautiful creature. Even more spectacular up close.
“I’m glad you’re unharmed.” Calum took slow steps forward and raised his hand to show he meant no harm. He then patted the winged horse’s neck in a gentle manner. The fur was as soft as velvet, like one of the outlandish outfits he sometimes donned on stage.
A silvery-pink aura pushed out from the pegasus’s body. It appeared to shimmer. Vibrations moved beneath his hand.
The pegasus’s body distorted, shrinking as it reformed. Calum stepped back.
In the next blink, a woman stood where the pegasus had been. Her hair was a light shade of blonde with a silvery sheen. She wore a flowing, luminous white dress.
His mouth dropped open. Something about her beauty—it was ethereal.
Calum blinked again. He had to be imagining this. The last few minutes had been filled with incredible surprises, none more so than the woman standing before him.
