She emerged with a pale face. “She’s not in there.”
Calum pushed his way through the crowd, searching for her. No luck. He ran outside. He searched the skies. The ground. Everywhere. His heart thundered and his skin turned clammy. Fear clawed at his insides, but he couldn’t let it paralyze him.
A strangled gasp made him turn.
He followed the sound to the shadows. A cloaked figure was bent over Arielle, its face buried into her neck.
Red rage soared through him. Who the fuck was touching his woman?
His woman.
Calum roared as he threw the figure away from her. That’s when he saw the blood. Arielle’s eyes were wide with terror. Blood trickled down her neck. She whispered his name.
“Arielle!”
He bent down. The puncture wound on her neck was singular, not two as he would expect from a vampire. What the hell was that?
She pointed up. “Dragon. Watch out!”
A blow to his gut knocked him over and he rolled across the ground. He clutched his stomach, as he regained his footing.
The man in black laughed at him, a sinister sound. His eyes flashed with an orange blaze before the black irises turned to diamonds like slits. Like the hooded being that had attacked the other night.
In the next second, the man was surrounded by a faint orange shimmer that glowed brighter.
Fuck. He was shifting.
Reshaping into a dragon. No, it couldn’t be…
It was.
The same dragon that Calum had fought the night he found Arielle threatened them once more. Calum shifted to gargoyle form with only a split second to send a message.
Dragon.
The dragon unleashed a torrent of fire. Calum rolled away and soared into the air to avoid being devoured by the flames.
Something was wrong with the transmission. All he heard was static. His message didn’t go through.
While the dragon hurled flames, Calum sneaked to its left flank and punched him with all his strength. It bellowed as it fell to its side. At least the stream of fire ceased.
That wouldn’t last. It would recover soon enough. The weapons were stashed in the back room inside. Useless to him. His brothers were inside, too. Brilliant.
He tried again to communicate once again was greeted by static. Whatever this dragon shifter was, he was powerful. Full of dark magic, enhanced by drinking Arielle’s blood.
Fuck it. I’ve held my own against it before. No way in hell will I back down now.
He lunged for the dragon and punched it in the gut. He followed up with a blow to the throat, and repeated the pounding. The dragon might have fire on its side, but Calum had brute strength. If he could prevent the dragon from breathing flames, Calum would have an advantage.
He repeated the blows, one after the other, until the dragon flipped him, knocking him over to where Arielle had been.
Where was she? She’d disappeared.
Shards of ice claimed his soul. The fear could evolve into full out panic if he didn’t control himself. He struggled to keep his head. In battle, there was no time for it, as it led to poor decisions. Fatal mistakes.
The dragon soared above Calum and roared with a strangled sound. The stream of fire that followed was not as potent as before. The dragon breathed in with ragged pants. Calum’s blows to the throat must have injured it.
Calum flew higher. He assessed his injured enemy. If he stayed out of the fiery range, he might increase his odds of vanquishing the beast.
They circled and parried. Calum lunged closer to strike a blow, while the dragon would unleash its deadly breath. The pattern continued as seconds stretched on, feeling more like hours.
“Calum!”
It was Arielle. He followed her voice to ground level.
She was all right. And she was holding a sword and shield out to him. She must have run inside to retrieve them.
Ach, I love that woman.
Love? He shoved the thought aside and flew to her, and grabbed the sword and shield.
“Look out!”
Calum spun around, feeling the flames before he saw them. He raised the shield and blocked the brunt of assault, focusing on protecting Arielle. Fire danced along his forearms and shins. He cried out at the scalding pain, unlike anything he’d experienced, and collapsed.
The dragon swooped down so Calum covered Arielle with his shield. The dragon knocked it aside and scooped her up in his sharp talons.
Tendrils of fury rose within and swiftly wrapped around Calum. He glared at his opponent, narrowing his vision with laser focus. Destroy it. Save her.
Gavin burst through the back door of the club, followed by the others. The gargoyles had their weapons — shield and swords. Arielle must have warned them.
“What the fuck is going on?” Gavin asked.
“I’m going after her,” Calum replied, his voice strangely calm as the bloodlust stirred. Gargoyles could be blinded by vengeance in battle, and become self-destructive in a suicidal attempt to protect something—or someone. The stronger the attachment, the higher the threat.
He caught Gavin’s gaze. “When she falls, catch her.”
It wasn’t the best of plans, but it was the only option that came to him. If it went as he envisioned it, she would fall. She might be able to shift to pegasus form and fly, but without any warning… He didn’t want to risk it.
Calum didn’t know how much time they’d need. Nor the distance from the earth. The rage to destroy swept through him like a fireball, clouding his calculations. His beast yearned to burst forth and destroy the creature that wronged him, and to slice it into a thousand shreds.
Don’t let the thirst for vengeance burn you up like an inferno. Think cold and hard. It will help you save her.
As clarity cut through his brain like shards of a mirror, a sharp twist in his gut made him wince. He’d literally be dropping Arielle into Gavin’s arms. He forced himself to ignore the jealous pangs.
Catch her, he repeated.
I will, Gavin replied.
This time the message went through. Somehow, they’d interrupted the dragon’s dark magic that had been blocking them. Maybe with the repeated blows.
Calum soared after Arielle. She punched and kicked at the dragon.
She was fighting it. Even though they were dozens of feet in the air, she didn’t cower to the terror.
Admiration swelled within Calum. She was a fighter. And he refused to let her down.
She was making an impact on her captor, too. It reacted to her blows, wincing and slowing the flight. She must have been more powerful than she appeared. Calum took advantage of the dragon’s distraction, closing the distance between them. He glanced back. Gavin was rapidly approaching below him, and his other brothers followed.
Calum gauged the situation. He’d only have a split second to act and not get fried to a gargoyle crisp.
Arielle reached for her leg. Moonlight reflected on the silver surface. The knife!
She tore it from the sheath and plunged it into the dragon’s gut.
Calum flew in from behind, which he hoped was a dragon’s blind spot. He raised the shield, ready for another blast. With the burns still echoing on his gargoyle hide, the last thing he wanted was a repeat.
He raised his sword as he reached the dragon, and then plunged it in its side. It shrieked and turned its massive body toward Calum, releasing Arielle.
She plunged toward the earth. Calum shot her a quick look to make sure Gavin was beneath them. That second cost him. The dragon unleashed a tunnel of fire. Calum raised his shield, preventing the brunt of the blast, but not the agonizing burns over the flesh on his legs.
Once the flames receded, Calum rushed forward, fueled by wrath and blinded by bloodlust. He plunged the sword into the dragon’s throat with a roar. The dragon gasped and then choked. Puffs of smoke and flames escaped from the bloodied gash in its throat. And then the beast fell.
As it plummeted to the ground, Calum pursued,
blind to anything but the pulsing red rage that throbbed in his head, repeating one mantra: Destroy.
The dragon crashed into the earth. Calum slowed enough not to follow the same fate. He plunged the sword into the dragon’s chest. As he pulled out the sword from the scaly flesh, blood dripped from its edge. Calum raised the sword over his head, blood spattering over him, and then he slammed it down on the dragon’s neck. The head rolled away from its body.
Calum exhaled. He lowered his wings, heavy with exhaustion.
“Fuck. You killed a dragon.” Mason’s voice was full of awe as he caught up.
Calum’s pride was short-lived. The more pressing concern was Arielle.
He turned to find her descending—in Gavin’s arms. As soon as Calum caught his breath, he’d go to her.
“You all right?” Lachlan asked.
Calum blinked, trying to see through the crimson haze that still clouded his vision as he regained his breath. The dragon is dead. Arielle is safe. You need to let go of the anger.
He glanced at Arielle. Her serene beauty calmed him. “It’s over.”
“Arielle shouted to us as she grabbed weapons,” Lachlan said.
“Looks like you didn’t even need us,” Bryce added. “That was brilliant.”
As they reached the ground, Arielle broke out of Gavin’s hold.
“Calum!”
She threw her arms around him, falling against his chest. Her touch, her scent flowed through him.
Calum pulled her into a tight embrace. The touch against his burns made him wince, but he didn’t care. He needed her in his arms, knowing she was safe, but he couldn’t crush her. His strength had been enhanced by the adrenaline rush and his control over his emotions teetered on a perilous edge.
Arielle was alive. She came to him.
“You’re all right!” She pressed her head against his chest. “I was so worried.”
He laughed. “You? I saw you carried away by a dragon. And fighting like a banshee.”
“You saved me. Again.”
He ran his fingers over the back of her head, letting them run through the silky strands. “I couldn’t have done it without you, Arielle. Without the shield and the sword, I’d be ashes. You stabbing the dragon kept us both alive.”
She pulled away from him, eyes swimming with concern. “Oh my God, your burns! I’m so sorry. Let me help you.”
The blood streaking down her neck indicated she hadn’t fared much better.
“What about your neck? You lost a lot of blood.”
“Not so much. You got to us quickly,” she said. “Just need some rest. And I want to take care of you. Take me back home with you.”
Your home, too. You belong there.
He didn’t dare say it, though. She had a home, one she was trying to return to. “Of course.”
She ran her feather-light hair over his wounds. The silky strands touched them, like a healing ointment, making the pain vanish.
Her touch soothed him. Her presence calmed him.
Shite, he was going to miss her more than he’d thought.
Chapter 12
Arielle woke in one of the cabins on the Isle of Stone when the sunlight filtered over her eyes. She missed Calum’s touch. He’d left a few hours prior to rest in stone form on the stage, restoring his energy under the sun before the journey ahead. She didn’t blame him. If it was anything like any of their other trips to the Highlands, he’d need as much strength as possible.
That fact didn’t warm the cool space next to her on the bed. A reminder of how comforting it was to be wrapped in his embrace came to her. She drifted back to sleep.
A knock on the door woke her. “Arielle, it’s me. Are you awake?”
His voice sent a flurry of excitement that rose within her gut. “Come in.”
When he entered, her breath caught. Her leonine-like lover filled the space. Her powerful protector. One who’d taken on many threats and who’d put his life on hold for her.
“Did you get any rest?”
She climbed out of bed. “I did. You?”
He caught her gaze for a moment, a look that made her pulse race.
“Aye. But I wanted to see you. The potion is ready. Which means it’s our last day together.”
Did he have to remind her? Although she had been desperate to return home, a growing part of her fantasized about staying in this realm. She suspected it had everything to do with the golden shifter who stood before her.
“It is. How do you suggest we spend it?”
He gave her a sly grin that stopped her heart. “I’m sure I can think of something. Lots of things, in fact.”
Calum closed the distance between them in three large strides. His eyes searched hers. She was lost in that brilliant mix of his hazel irises.
Captured by the intensity in his stare, all she could do was nod. Some of their intimate moments flashed before her, ones she craved to repeat. Heat simmered in her core, while goose bumps prickled her skin.
His gaze traveled over her face, as if trying to imprint it to memory. She didn’t need to study his features. Every part of him was already branded onto her soul. She could envision him as her life partner, her mate, which made it even more difficult to leave.
He stroked her cheek and then cupped her chin. “I’m going to miss you.” His voice, a low purr, melted her.
She swallowed a lump in her throat. “I’m going to miss you, too.” Her voice came out strange, part strangled, part breathless, as she struggled not to let emotions overwhelm her.
He bent closer, ever so slowly, and her heart pounded out an erratic rhythm. His lips met hers in a gentle flutter that made her tremble with pleasure. With a gentle glide of his tongue over her lower lip, he prodded, seeking entry. She opened to him, tasting his unique flavors, and wrapped her arms around his neck.
A low murmur of appreciation escaped him. He pulled her closer so their bodies pressed together. He claimed her with the kiss, seducing her with his potent masculinity. A stirring of desire within her rose, leaving her hungry for more. She moved up to her tiptoes to deepen the kiss and arch her body against him.
She ran her hands over his shoulder-blades, where his wings emerged. With them retracted, she rolled her fingers over solid muscle beneath the smooth skin.
His erection pressed against her belly. She wanted to touch it, to feel his need for her, and lowered one hand to stroke his hard length. He growled a feral sound that sent a hot shiver through her.
He moved his hands over her sides, down to her hips, and back to cover her arse. He lifted her off the ground with scarcely any effort. She hovered, weightless, held up by this powerful man. His dominance excited her, while reminding her of the fearless man on stage, who could control the audience with his velvety voice and every move of his hard body. The man every woman in the audience wanted for one unforgettable night. Yet Arielle was the lucky recipient of his intense attention.
But only for a few more hours…
She shut her eyes, forcing that thought away, and focused on the moment. Grinding herself against his erection made him growl with pleasure. The friction fueled the flames within, making her quicken the pace, frantic with need.
“Arielle, I need you,” he uttered through desperate kisses.
Captivated by her growing desire, she couldn’t respond with anything more than a sigh in agreement.
He lowered her onto the bed, his scent driving her beyond reason. He crawled over her, pressing his massive, muscular body against hers. She reached for him, fire spreading in her core as she needed him more desperately than ever before.
He moved his mouth down over her neck, nibbled at her shoulder, and licked along the flesh at the top of her breasts. The slow advance of his tongue along her flesh increased her passion.
“Now, Calum.” She clutched his shoulders. “Don’t make me wait.”
They tore at each other’s clothes until they were both naked and panting. He slid his cock against her wet sex, and she re
ached for him.
“Now,” she begged.
He lowered his head, pressing his cheek to hers, and drove into her, inch by maddening inch. Only when he was buried deep within her did she breathe again.
“Shite, Arielle,” he said. “This is too fuckin’ good to end.”
So true. She squeezed her eyes shut before vocalizing her foolish thought—I don’t want it to end.
As the sun rose higher in the sky, Calum couldn’t shake the growing dread. Arielle would be leaving soon. She’d drifted to sleep after they’d made love again, and he let her rest before the journey.
He watched her sleep. Her chest rose and fell in slow, deep breaths. If he could stop time and keep her safe and peaceful like this for a little while, he would. Keep her with him for a little longer.
Who was he thinking of, her or his own selfish needs?
He had to think of her. “Arielle,” he said in a low voice. “It’s time to go.” He cringed at hearing himself utter those dreaded words.
She opened her eyes with a flutter of her eyelids. The magnificent violet hue struck him as it did each time their gazes met.
A short while later, Calum held her hand, but spoke few words as they walked.
“You’re crushing my hand,” Arielle pointed out.
“Ah, sorry.”
“What’s wrong? You’ve been morose since we left the cabin.”
I’m not ready to let you go. “Just thinking.”
“About?”
About losing you. “Oh, you know. On whether we’ll pull this off.”
Why couldn’t he tell her how he felt? It could be the last opportunity to do so.
Aye, and that was exactly the reason. Why admit to feelings that wouldn’t change matters? She wanted to return to her home. A bloody different realm! He trampled over twigs and fallen leaves over the paths, staring at the trees’ dark shadows that swayed like slow dancers over the forest floor.
Even when they broke through the forest’s edge into the brighter space of the moors, the sunlight filtering through the clouds didn’t lift his spirits. With heavy steps, he moped through the tall grass toward the tree house.
Kayla and Mason sat where Mason often perched in stone. When he spotted them approach, Mason picked up a cauldron.
Knights of Stone: Calum: A gargoyle and pegasus shifter paranormal romance (Highland Gargoyles Book 5) Page 10
