Zarafa and the Higher Power

SNEAK PEEK FOR:

DRAGON BLOOD

Smiling and shaking her head, Myra followed Jasper to the front door. Two mountain bikes stood on either side of the head of the path leading down the mountain, a blue for her and a red for him. Strapping on the helmet and biking gloves, she adjusted the seat while Jasper waited. Tugging her denim jacket closer against the wind, she again felt a flash of gratitude for Rhys for buying her a new one since her other one was lost somewhere in the dealings with the Denver Demons.

“Ready?” Jasper asked cockily, one foot on the ground and the other on one of the bike pedals. “Let’s see if you can go faster than me!”

“You’re on!” Myra yelled, jumping onto her bike and rushing toward the trail. She knew she had a disadvantage not knowing the paths here as well as the others, particularly the athletically inclined Jasper, but a new, competitive nature was stirring in her.

Pedaling hard, she looked as far ahead as she could, planning ahead of time how to avoid each rock and dip in the trail. Before long, she began to relax and enjoy the wind ripping through her hair. Panting, muscles burning, heart soaring, she led the way down the mountain, recklessly taking fast turns. The high speed of the wind tearing past ripped tears from her eyes, but the grin on her face wasn’t daunted and only grew wider.

“Here I thought you were gonna give me a challenge!” Myra called over her shoulder, teasing Jasper, who rode a safe distance behind her.

“Watch out!” he called, fear flashing over his face. Jerking back around, Myra noticed a grey blur flash before her tires too late. Wobbling hard from the force of her turn, she fell to the ground, carried a few feet from her momentum. Crying out, she finally collapsed on the ground, her head inches away from a large rock. The sound of a bike crashing to the ground sounded behind her, and Jasper was immediately at her side, his hands quickly running over her body, taking stock. “Are you okay? Anything broken? How are you breathing?”

The questions were coming too quickly for Myra to respond, her head still spinning. Breathing hard, she tried to force her thoughts to catch up. “My… ankle… and legs…”

Flipping her from her side onto her back, he quickly ran his fingers over her legs. She followed them with her eyes. There was so much blood. Most of it was just minor scrapes, but some were gouges. As for her ankle…

“I think it’s broken,” Jasper informed her, carefully moving it. She cried out at the sharp pain that followed, and he stopped. “We need to get you home. I’ll help you stand,” he directed, pulling her up until she was standing on her one good foot.

“I’m so… dizzy,” she gasped, leaning against him. Her blood was still pumping and her heart thumping hard. In her mind, she could still feel the wind screaming past her ears, cooling every bit of skin it touched. Yet now, her skin felt like it was burning up.

“No… not now,” Jasper groaned, feeling her forehead. Quickly moving her a few more steps, he set her down on a fallen tree. “I’ll be right back, okay?” Stripping off his shirt, his wings snapped out behind him, their golden expanse blocking the light of the morning sun. With a huge flap that nearly knocked Myra over, he was gone.

Myra stared after him, feeling an itch on her own back. Wait… two itches. Grunting, she swiveled to try and scratch at them, but the itching only grew. Standing, she stumbled in a daze toward a nearby tree, rubbing her back against it like a bear. She stumbled on, not seeing the two chunks she had carved out of the bark. Her mind in a haze, she didn’t notice her legs and ankle slowly healing and the pain in her abdomen rapidly disappearing.

Soon, she could hardly see, and the world was swirling around her. She continued to stumble onward, searching for Rhys. Rhys can help me… he’ll know what’s wrong with me… I have to find him… find Rhys…

Her vision flickered in and out as she continued forward, her back aching all the while. Finally, her feet stumbled. Finding no ground beneath them, Myra began to fall backward, a hazy memory of a cliff near the house flashing beneath her closed eyes as she felt herself plummet.

The wind was rushing past her again, and her heart thumped eagerly against her ribcage. Her eyes opened suddenly as an electrifying wave of pure energy washed through her tired, aching muscles and a sound echoed close around her ears, similar to a kite tossed about in the wind. Something leathery appeared in front of the blue sky; a red, foreign thing. It twitched and moved out of the way when she turned her attention to it. Panic and excitement seemed to simultaneously crush her chest at that moment. My wings!

As she continued to fall, she jerked back to full alertness, instantly recognizing the situation. She had stumbled about the mountain while transitioning into a dragon, and she finally completed it… in mid-air.

And she had no idea how to fly.

Shrieking, she felt for the wings in her mind as she would to take stock of any of her other limbs. Yep, there they were, sticking out beside her shoulder blades. The muscle connecting them felt sore and raw. The wings themselves were beginning to burn, catching the wind the wrong way as she fell backward through the air. Grimacing, Myra forced herself to roll over so she could face down. Her gut clenched. She was nearly to the ground. Flap, flap, flap!!! Panic clawed its way up her throat as her wings caught the air, the strain unfamiliar to her. She slowed as the leathery canvas billowed to either side of her, but it wasn’t enough.

Flapping was awkward and required a tremendous amount of focus, like learning to walk again after being in a wheelchair for years. But slowly, she began to rise. Panting from the effort and concentration, she wobbled her way back toward the house.

Her dragon wings burned where they connected with her human skin as they painstakingly lifted her weight, defying gravity, as she slowly rose up the cliff. Something seemed to finally click once more inside of her. The pain in her stomach, which was nearly gone, vanished completely. Her wings strengthened and seemed to connect with her brain, instantly teaching her how to fly more effortlessly.

In another single flap, she shot up above the edge of the cliff, dangling high in the air, higher than she’d ever been before. The human part of her panicked and pulled in her wings, sending her hurtling back toward the ground. They snapped out again at the last second, and she landed, one knee crumpling from the force and one hand shooting out to steady herself. Her crimson wings billowed grandly behind her, the light catching them.

They’re beautiful, Myra thought before collapsing fully to the ground.

Read it FREE in KU or buy it for $0.99 now!