Perfect Storms (Storms of Blackwood Book 4)

by Elle Middaugh

  As soon as they reached the collar, they both carefully and swiftly got to work. Ben coaxed the vine into the lock, wiggling it around and trying to trip the mechanism inside. Dan jammed his ice block into the remaining space of the keyhole and concentrated all his efforts into expanding the wedge.

  Usually their magical stamina was incredible. But this was clearly different. Already, Dan’s face was turning pink and Ben’s eyes were blinking like his vision was blurring.

  I had no idea how long either of them would last like this.

  As they worked, the massive, metallic dragon exited the cave and lowered its head, waiting. Rob unsheathed his sword and sliced the dragon’s throat with a swift, clean cut so that Ash could retake his human form and speak to us.

  Apparently, though, the Shifter Prince had forgotten to give his new dragon friend the memo on how his magic worked. As soon as the ice dragon saw the crimson blood pouring like some morbid fucking waterfall from Ash’s neck, he let out a bone-shattering shriek of rage.

  He rushed at us, with Dan and Ben still clinging desperately to his collar. The chain pulled taut, straining between the collar and the wall.

  Metal groaned.

  Time slowed.

  My eyes widened.

  And to everyone’s astonishment, the dragon broke free of its bonds.

  Chapter 8

  As soon as the dragon realized it was free, its options became very clear: stay and fight us or fly away and never deal with us again. I know which option I would have chosen.

  It scrambled out of the cave with Ben and Dan on its back and spread its leathery white wings open wide.

  "Jump!" Rob shouted at his brothers.

  "What?" Ben yelled back, eyes darting all over the place like he couldn’t quite pinpoint where the noise was coming from.

  "Jump!" Rob yelled again, even louder this time. "Before you get too far from the ground! Before that thing carries you away!"

  "I think he’s stuck in his own vines!" Dan called back.

  The dragon pumped its wings, kicking up a flurry of snow and chilly air. Its feet curled in toward its chest and it started to gain height and speed.

  "Well, then you jump!" Rob cried as they lifted into the air.

  "Are you crazy?" Dan yelled down at him. "Ben’s totally fucking senseless right now! I’m gonna stay and make sure he doesn’t fall!"

  "Shit," Ash cursed, sprinting toward the ledge—ass-naked—before diving headfirst off the cliff.

  I couldn’t see the puff of gold dust, but as soon as the metallic dragon rose into the air before me, I knew Ash had shifted. He gained speed and chased the other dragon down, hopefully explaining what had happened. But the white dragon didn’t seem to care. Not this time. He was too frantic.

  As they drifted further away, Cal ripped his winter coat off and held out his broad arms. Every ripple of muscle strained against the dark navy blue of his shirt as he used the sky to physically turn the dragon around.

  I blinked and suddenly remembered how he’d controlled the birds all those months ago during my training. He’d made it look effortless, twirling them around like a kaleidoscope, weaving them up, down, in, out, like some delicate dance across the stars.

  This, though, this was nothing like that. This took every ounce of his strength and power. This wasn’t pretty; it was a battle, a fight for aerial dominance. The dragon screamed as it fought Cal’s influence, teetering dangerously on the breeze.

  Ben’s vines loosened and, limbs flailing wildly, he started to fall. I screamed because, fuck, I didn’t know what else to do. But Dan quickly reached over and locked arms with his brother, squeezing him tightly.

  He was safe for now, but I knew they couldn’t last like that for longer than a few minutes. Seconds, maybe, if the dragon kept flying so fucking erratically.

  "Can you catch him if he falls?" I asked Cal, voice all high-pitched and frantic.

  Sweat meandered down the side of his face and neck where thick veins and cords of muscle were strained to the max. "I don’t know, Peach. It’s all I can do to control this dragon right now."

  Fuck!

  I looked around, knowing there was nothing Rob, Criss, or I could do, but still hoping beyond hope that some magical solution would just appear out of nowhere.

  Lo and be-fucking-hold…

  The white alicorn suddenly appeared, its feathery wings stretched out wide as it drifted in for a fast landing. Its silver horn glittered with sparkling magic as it whinnied and stomped its gray hooves, prancing anxiously as if telling me to hurry my ass up.

  It didn’t have to tell me twice.

  I threw myself on her back—I'd decided on the spur of the moment that the beautiful creature must've been a girl—and I curled my fingers in her ivory mane. Wind rushed through my hair as we took to the sky far faster than the dragons had.

  Perks of being smaller, I supposed; the alicorn definitely had a distinct speed advantage.

  We raced toward the two dragons like our asses were on fire. Actually, I controlled fire; we literally could have been ablaze. I looked over my shoulder, stunned to find my back and arms crawling with peachy pink flames. They looked to be singing and dancing rather than blazing, and instead of some epic rescue song, the little bastards appeared to be singing a little kid rhyme at the top of their lungs.

  My eyes went wide at the freaking ridiculousness of it all, and I took a moment to pray that the alicorn wasn’t getting burned by the heat. Just because my ass was on fire didn’t mean hers had to be. At least, I hoped.

  We no more than swooped underneath them when Dan’s hold on Ben faltered. The alicorn pumped her wings in a last-second burst of speed, and suddenly Ben was draped across my lap, dangling limply as we soared hundreds of feet off the ground. I kept one hand threaded tightly in the beast’s hair, and with the other, I latched on to Ben like my life depended on it.

  I glanced upward, relieved to find Dan had quickly adjusted his position and was now riding the dragon like a massive horse with no saddle. His lithe hands gripped the white plates of the dragon’s spine as if they were reins.

  Finally, I could breathe a bit easier.

  The alicorn and I circled back toward the mountain where Rob paced angrily, Criss stood silently, and Cal sat limply as he chewed on his special chocolates. We landed, and Ben and I dismounted rather gracelessly into a heap in the snow, my flames going out in a hiss.

  Thrilled to finally have something to do, Rob grabbed his brother and hauled him up over his shoulder. "Where do you want him?"

  "Take him to the bowl," I instructed, running over to melt the snow back into water. "Here. Make sure he sips at that. I’m going to go help Dan."

  I remounted the alicorn’s back, and we shot up into the sky fast enough to make me queasy.

  "I know you couldn’t know this about me," I told her wearily, "but I don’t have the strongest stomach in the world. So unless you want your pretty white coat to turn ten shades of puke green, then please don’t lurch like that again."

  The alicorn snorted, and I got the distinct feeling that she was laughing at me.

  We approached the rogue dragon on the right, while Ash veered in on his left. Panicked, the white dragon swerved erratically through the clouds, trying to shake us off. Unfortunately for him, my alicorn and I were way too fast to get left in the dust, and Ash was too fucking skilled to be outmaneuvered. We kept his pace—even gained on him, since we were soaring straight while he zigzagged.

  In a last-ditch effort to lose us, the white dragon cut a sharp left toward the backside of the mountain, except he totally miscalculated his angle. In the blink of an eye, his giant head smashed into a jagged black bolder, knocking him senseless before knocking him completely out. Its wings went limp and suddenly, he and Dan were falling.

  "Go!" I screamed, and my alicorn tucked her wings, diving fast toward Dan and the rapidly approaching trees. Tears streamed from my eyes at our speed, the biting cold, and my utter fear for Dan’s life.
/>   We were almost to Dan, but the pines and evergreens were now so close I could see their individual needles, so close I could smell their spicy scent, and I just knew I was about to be feeling their spiny branches breaking through my skin and bones. I squeezed my eyes shut and mentally counted us down.

  Three… two… one. Crash.

  The sound of splintering branches, cracking trunks, and rustling needles filled my ears as well as my entire head. A resounding boom echoed off the rocky mountains as the ground shook with a loud rumble.

  I was hit with a heavy thud, and suddenly pressure weighed down on me so hard I felt like my skin was slipping off. The next instant, my stomach was floating somewhere in the vicinity of my throat and warm arms were wrapping tightly around my body.

  My eyes burst open, surprised to find we were back in the air. We hadn’t crashed. We’d caught Dan and pulled up just in time to stay airborne.

  Glancing down, I realized it was the dragon that had made all the noise. It lay in a broken red and white heap on the forest floor, tangled in odd angles between the trees.

  "Alexis!" a voice shouted from the plateau. Criss. "Get me down there!"

  I nodded, immediately understanding what he wanted.

  "Come on, girl," I whispered to the alicorn, gently guiding her back to the others. Her hooves touched down. Dan slipped off. Criss jumped on. And we were off again.

  His warm hands wrapped around my waist and hugged me tight just as his lips found the side of my neck and he kissed me hard. "You were absolutely amazing back there."

  I squeezed his forearm with my free hand and tightened my grip on the alicorn’s mane as she tucked her wings and dipped low to the ground. That same queasy sensation tickled my stomach and throat, but it wasn’t as bad this time.

  We landed as close to the fallen dragon as possible while still managing to dodge the remaining upright trees. As soon as we touched down, Criss was off the magical horse and running.

  I took a moment longer to stroke the alicorn’s silken coat and nuzzle her beautiful face.

  "Thank you," I whispered.

  Her big black eyes shifted between mine, and I would swear she knew exactly what I’d said. It was like I could feel her generosity, her sincerity, her happiness at being able to help. And, considering empathy was my second power and all, I allowed myself to believe I was right.

  By the time I caught up to Criss and the dragon, the latter was more white than red, and its skin held a luminescent golden glow. Blood disappeared before my eyes, vanishing as if it were never there at all. Massive bones cracked and snapped back into place. Leathery skin stitched back together, and scales grew over top of it like miniature, overlapping shields.

  The dragon’s eyes snapped open… just as Chrissen’s eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed to the forest floor.

  "Criss!" I screamed, instantly drawing the dragon’s attention. But I didn’t care. I ran over to him and dropped to my knees, pulling his head into my lap as tears spilled down my cheeks.

  He was alive. I could feel his gentle pulse, see his soft breaths, but I was still a fucking wreck from everything that had just happened.

  I looked up, staring at the dragon through bleary wet eyes.

  He’s grateful. I could feel it in every cell of my body. He’s thankful for Criss saving him. He’s appreciative of all of us.

  I nodded, smiling through the tears. "You’re welcome. Now, go. Be free. And don’t ever let him catch you again."

  The dragon spread his ginormous wings and took flight. I watched as the wind and the pine needles settled, until he was nothing more than a dot amongst the clouds. And then he was gone.

  As soon as the adrenaline filtered out of my bloodstream and my heart rate slowed back to normal, heat consumed me from the inside out. I’d used more fire than I realized—unintentionally for the most part—but still. Lust coursed through my veins, licking the lingering hints of adrenaline like honey and melted chocolate and fueling the desire building low in my core.

  Taking deep breaths through my nose and exhaling through my mouth, I tried my damnedest to suffer through the pain of unquenched need in silence.

  Okay, fine, I totally moaned every once in a while, and maybe shamelessly grinded my hips up into the back of Chrissen’s head. I didn’t think he’d be upset, given the situation. Fuck, if he were awake, I bet he’d even flip himself over and bury his face right where I needed it…

  "Peach!"

  The distant call of Cal’s voice brought a momentary bout of clarity to my foggy brain.

  "Over here!" I shouted back. My voice was husky and breathless.

  A few minutes later, I spotted them running through the trees, and to my surprise, I also realized the alicorn had remained nearby.

  She must truly have something to show me.

  "Peach?" Cal asked.

  I took a deep, shaky breath and gazed up at him. "We should let Chrissen ride on the alicorn."

  "Fuck, Peach, are you okay?"

  My nostrils flared, and my brows knit together. "Why wouldn’t I be?"

  He blinked and swallowed hard. "Your eyes are huge and black as midnight. It’s like your pupils just completely ate up your irises."

  I took a deep, hissing breath. "I'm just so…"

  Then I moaned. Moaned!

  Honest to fucking gods.

  "It's your magic, isn't it?" Cal ran an unsteady hand down his face before he hefted Chrissen's limp form over his shoulder and draped it across the alicorn's back.

  When he returned, he wore a look of determination that hardened his features until they smoldered. His blue eyes never left mine as he knelt before me and unbuttoned my winter robe. Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew it was too cold to be stripping, but my body was so fucking hot I couldn’t even feel the chill.

  My eyes drifted closed as his touch seared through my layers of clothing, driving me mad. The robe soon fell to the forest floor like a blanket, and his fingers drifted lower, sliding the velvety material of my gown up my legs.

  "You ready for a little release?" he whispered.

  Another moan was my response, along with rapid nodding and heavy breathing. This was ridiculous. This was… all I could think about. I needed him more than I needed water or air. My body yearned for him, all but begging him to take me as hard and fast as he could.

  My legs drifted apart, splaying wide beneath him.

  His eyes lowered, and I watched his cock swell in his pants.

  "Fuck," he groaned, ripping the material off his hips as fast as he could.

  I wanted more than just his pants off though. I reached out and fisted the collar of his shirt, yanking hard until the buttons popped off everywhere and his chest was exposed. All his hardened muscles came into view, swarming my overheated brain with even more desire.

  His hands found my dress, and he gave it the same treatment, ripping it apart at the seams.

  We were both panting and desperate, and thanks to my magic, we didn't even need any foreplay. I wasn’t sure how much of it was real or how much of it I was causing by accidentally emoting my desire into the atmosphere around us—not that either of us particularly cared in that moment.

  "How do you want it?" he asked seductively as he reached down and fingered my wetness, priming me for what was to come.

  Me. Hopefully, I would be what was coming.

  "Hard and fast," I replied breathlessly. "I just need to come; it's driving me mad."

  Cal rubbed the head of his cock through my folds before ramming into me so hard I cried out.

  "I'm sorry," he apologized with a furrowed brow. "I thought you wanted it hard?”

  "I do. Keep going. Do it again."

  He pulled back and thrust into me again, filling me so completely I'd swear his dick was in my stomach. Then he picked up the pace, stroking in and out as hard and as fast as I'd begged him to.

  "Oh, yes," I moaned as the sound of our bodies crashing together echoed through the woods. "Yes, Cal,
yes!"

  One of his hands curled beneath my ass, lifting me up to find a better angle for penetration, while the other hand slipped between my thighs and swirled around my clit like a cyclone.

  The first orgasm exploded from my body, wrecking me inside and out, pulsing so hard it was almost painful. But my body wasn’t satiated yet. I wanted more. Needed more.

  Thankfully, Cal never stopped. He kept pumping in and out, his dick rubbing me perfectly in all the right places. His hand abandoned my clit in favor of my nipples, tweaking the hardened peaks between his finger and thumb until I was coming again, rocking beneath him on a wave of ecstasy.

  "You need to go again?" he asked, taking my leg and winding it up over his shoulder. He kissed my inner knee and sent tingles rushing all through my body.

  I grinned and bit my bottom lip. "Maybe one more time, if you have another minute."

  "Ha! A minute? Have you never had sex with me before?"

  "Actually, I have," I teased. "And it's always hard and fast like this. Half the time, it's angry too."

  Cal growled and fucked me harder, grinding his cock right into that elusive spot that always made me see stars.

  "You like that, Peaches n Cream?" he taunted me, using my naughty nickname.

  "Gods, yes," I moaned, my mouth caught in the stereotypical “o” position. "Don't stop."

  "Oh, I won't. I'm going to fuck you over and over until this minute is up." He spread my legs even wider, pushing as far into me as he could go.

  My head dropped to the side in pure bliss, and I inadvertently caught my guys enjoying the show—well, except for Chrissen who was still passed out. Their dark, hooded gazes watching my naked body was alluring as fuck.

  Cal noticed me staring at them. "You like it when they watch?"

  I nodded, and my voice came out as barely a whisper. "Yes."

  "You want to give them a show?"