
A world of suave vampires, rowdy werewolves, and seductive dragon men.
That world is now where Katherine Harrow finds herself after a disastrous introduction to the handsome Tegan Arsa, a dragon man with a twinkle in his eye and a lot of trouble at his back. Kate brings her own trouble when she touches him and a magical bond is formed, one that eternally binds them together as teacher and pupil.
Tegan has other ideas about their relationship as they find themselves journeying through his world of magic and fantasy. Danger lurks in the shadows but those are nothing compared to that which awaits them in the cities. The imperial officials aren’t pleased to hear about their accidental bond. Dragons aren’t supposed to bind themselves magically with humans.
What’s worse is Kate’s newfound, and very uncontrollable, magic. Their bond has granted her abilities she could never dreamed of, but she has no idea how to control them. They’ve also attracted the attention of some seedy customers who want to use her newfound gifts for their own nefarious purposes.
The pair find themselves running from both sides of the law as they try figure out why fate has drawn them together before forces beyond their control pull them apart.
I blame those stupid birds. If they hadn’t been crapping on my windowsill, maybe none of this would have ever happened.
Then again, I wouldn’t have met him.
But I’m getting ahead of myself in my fabulous, awe-inspiring, earth-shattering story. It all started with a trip to the corner grocery store. Riveting stuff, right?
“Hey, Mrs. Gerst,” I called out as I whisked past the two checkout lanes and into the dozen aisles that made up the store.
“Good evening, Kate!” Mrs. Gerst called back from her usual position behind one of the revolving belts as she checked out a customer. “How was work?”
“Oh, so so,” I replied as I plucked out my usual assortment of quick-fix meals and energy drinks.
I carried my pile up to the register and plopped them on the belt. Mrs. Gerst gave a disapproving at my food pyramid. “You really should eat better, Kate.”
I grinned and shrugged. “That’s the benefit of being young, Mrs.
Gerst. I can eat anything I want and never gain a pound.”
She clucked her tongue as she scanned my items. “You won’t be young forever, Kate. You should find yourself a nice man and settle down.”
I laughed. “I’ll have to find one first, but I’ll be seeing you, Mrs. Gerst.”
“Get out, Kate!” Mrs. Gerst shouted after me as I left with my goodies. “Go find an adventure! And don’t get caught in the rain!”
I stepped out into the cool evening air and paused on the threshold of the corner store. The city skylight blocked much of the heavens, but a few stars twinkled above me. Their beauty would soon be hidden by the dark clouds on the horizon, and the chill wind that swept past me would help them on their way.
A heavy sigh escaped me as I began the short trudge to my small apartment. The streets were mostly deserted but a few people like me hurried home to enjoy the coming weekend. Bright windows offered a view into busy homes with child laughter and coy kisses from teenage lovers left alone by their party-going parents.
Mrs. Gerst was better than any barometer and by the time I reached my building a few raindrops splattered against my head. I hurried up the stoop and into the old five-floor building. The building was the tallest and oldest in the neighborhood, and my hardened foot took the three flights up to the top with all the sturdiness of a well-worn soldier.
I slipped into my tiny apartment and could only admire the worn wallpaper and the ancient windows that looked out on the fire escape, itself a deathtrap. Building code regulators hadn’t been by in a couple of years, otherwise they would have condemned the whole thing. As it was, the rickety platforms with their rusted ladders and stairs still stood and offered the pigeons a good place to roost.
A dozen of Satan’s shitters were perched on the railing as I entered my humble abode. I tossed the bags onto the kitchen counter and stalked over to the window that led out onto the fire escape. A few of the offending fowl were perched on the wide sill and leaving their mark on the worn paint.
I flung open the window and the birds scattered in a frenzy of feathers and screeching. They left me a dozen little presents, the stench of which wafted into my apartment. I shut the window but the poor insulation meant the stink continued to float inside.
I rolled my eyes and snatched up a pitcher I had on hand just for this purpose. A quick fill up at the small sink with dish soap and I was prepared to do my nightly battle.
“Why can’t you guys just roost on the roof like the other pigeons?” I muttered as I opened the window and tossed the water onto the sill.
I was helped by a smattering of more raindrops from the dark sky. A boom of thunder rumbled from somewhere in the distance. That was quickly followed by another roar.
Wait, roar?
My mind couldn’t quite figure out what I had heard, so I leaned my head out. One of the pigeons achieved their revenge by crapping on my forehead.
“Shit,” I snapped as I ducked back inside and slammed the window shut.
That was exactly it. A quick look in the bathroom mirror told me the bird had an impeccable aim and had hit me squarely on the head. I furiously cleaned off the blotch of my shame. When I finished, I tossed the towel aside and draped my arms over the sink.
A sigh escaped me. I couldn’t even win against a bunch of stinky pigeons.
I pushed off from the sink and shuffled back into the living room. The storm that had sprinkled the fire escape now drenched it and lightning split the sky. The rumble of thunder rattled the window and a particularly close one shook the whole building.
I stumbled over to the window and leaned close to the glass. The rain had wiped away the remains of my foes’ encampment and now dripped off the grate that made up the platform. A particularly bright bolt of lightning flashed across the sky.
The brief light illuminated the sky and a huge figure in the clouds. It looked like a car with wings.
My heart skipped a beat and I pressed my face against the window. Darkness swallowed up the skies again, leaving me with my unsatisfied curiosity. Mrs. Gerst’s words echoed in my mind.
Go find an adventure.
“She also said don’t get caught in the rain. . .” I mumbled to myself.
Still, those dark skies had hidden something large. I hurried across the room, snatched my coat from its place on the floor, and put it on as I moved back to the window. A quick, practiced flick, and the window slid up. Rain pelted me and soaked the floor.
I scurried out and shut the window behind me. The metal grate was a little slick but the steps had a handrail which I grasped as I made my way up to the roof. The storm raged around me and the wind pushed against me as though attempting to drop me the hundred-odd feet to the ground.
I eased myself up the stairs and onto the rooftop. The flat area had a large box with a door that led into the building and a metal cage around the air conditioning unit. A low wall of some two feet surrounded the top.
My feet splashed through puddles as I slunk across the rooftop. The wind tore at my coat and the rain soaked me to the bone. I kept my coat close about me as I reached the middle and turned to face the fire escape. The clouds above my head were as black as coal.
Another flash of lightning illuminated the sky. It also lit up the huge figure I had earlier seen, only now it was right on top of me. A terrible roar filled the air and a gust of wind followed. I was blown backward and partially blinded by the raindrops, but I could still see the figure that ducked out from beneath the clouds.
It was a dragon. A large, winged dragon.
My mouth fell agape at the sight of the gray-scaled creature as it swooped down toward me. Its green eyes glowed unnaturally in the weak light and my blood ran cold when our eyes met.
The dragon wasn’t alone. Three small figures dropped out of the clouds after it. My mouth fell open when I realized it was three cloaked people riding brooms. They were riding them right toward me.
A scream escaped me and I stumbled back. I misjudged how much room I had left and the back of my legs struck the low wall. The collision made me lose my balance and I tumbled backward into the abyss of the adjoining alley.
I flailed about for some handhold, but there was no fire escape on this side of the building. My failed efforts twisted me around so I faced the incoming ground. The unforgiving pavement awaited me with all the comfort of a sledgehammer to the face. I flung up my arms and prepared for a hard stop as I passed the halfway mark to oblivion.
A gust of wind pressed against my back and a set of claws wrapped around my midsection. The ground flew up and then was behind me as I coasted just a foot above the earth. The heavy flapping of wings made me look up and I saw the dragon’s scaled chest and neck were just above me.
We exited the alley in half a second and the dragon pumped hard to gain altitude. A wild cackle came from behind us and a ball of some green light flew past. The dragon took evasive maneuvers and banked a hard right down the road. The creature righted us and gained altitude but our pursers easily followed.
The dragon twisted his head and caught my attention with one glowing eye. A gravely voice came from its moving mouth. “I’m going to throw you. Grab hold of me when you land.”
My mouth dropped open. “You can-”
The dragon performed a back flip and used the momentum to throw me high into the air. I let out a scream as I passed by the rooftop of my home and neared the thundering clouds. A quick look down for any line of rescue let me see the dragon swoop back toward his pursuers and colliding into them. The trio flew off in all directions and one even ended up crashing into a garbage bin.
My upward momentum ran out and I began my descent. Again. I twisted around and watched the ground come at me as before, but soon the dark back of the dragon blocked my view. I landed hard on his scaled back but they were rough enough I didn’t slide off, even with all the rain. Still, I looked for a handhold and noticed the bumps where the wings met the shoulders. I grabbed onto those with all my strength.
A blinding light burst out from beneath my hands and surrounded us. The dragon flailed and roared. He flailed around in the air, nearly dislodging me from my seat and flying us ever higher. We flew into one of the lower clouds and were completely surrounded by the wet puff.
That is, until the top of a tree suddenly appeared in front of us. The dragon dodged that plant but ran into another of nearly equal height. The tree struck his left wing and crippled him, sending us crashing toward a wooded and very unfamiliar earth.
I shut my eyes and prepared for an emergency landing. The dragon hit the ground hard and dragged through the brush. The branch of a bush slammed into me and everything went black.