Arielle didn’t know what had happened during the show. But, when he sang, she couldn’t tear her eyes off him. The other women snickered, saying they were drowning in sexual tension, but she ignored them. It was friendly ribbing, and what they pointed out was true. The way he sang was so sensual it reached her in an unfamiliar place deep inside.

She was so moved by the experience. The music was one thing. Unlike any of the music she’d heard, which was more primitive and folksy, it didn’t have the raw electrifying power like this. No wonder he lived for this rush. She wasn’t even on stage and felt the exhilaration zip through her.

Although she’d seen the protective side of Calum, he was a different person on the stage. Utterly charismatic. He commanded the audience with his stage presence. Raw sexuality.

“He appears so carefree right now.” She almost had to shout for Raina to hear her.

“Because he’s on stage,” Raina said. “That’s their time to be free. They come alive out there.”

After he said goodnight to the audience, Raina said, “Come on, let’s grab a table.”

Arielle found a seat and searched for Calum. He’d left the stage.

She found him making his way through the crowd. He stood a head above most of the people there. Many women reached for him, vying for his attention, but he politely responded and continued.

Toward Arielle.

He sucked up all the oxygen around her in the process. Her heart hammered, like Bryce had pounded on his drums. Calum flashed a wicked smile as he placed a pint on the table, grabbed an empty chair, and pulled it near hers. He sat so close that their thighs met. The touch scorched her skin, leaving her tingling. He looped his arm around her shoulder and she could scarcely breathe. What the heck was happening to her?

He locked his gaze on hers. She couldn’t pull away. Couldn’t think.

“Enjoy the show?” he asked. His voice oozed with sensuality. He spoke so low only she could hear over the din in the club.

He asked her a question. She searched for words through her addled brain. All her prior reservations about not complicating their relationship vanished, swallowed by her overpowering need to connect with him on a physical level.

“It was—brilliant.” Her voice sounded breathy, unlike her normal tone. “I’ve never experienced anything like that.”

She pulled her eyes away and glanced around the table. Everyone had joined them at the table, except for Gavin. They’d pulled up chairs near their lovers. The tension around them had shifted. An underlying heat pervaded the space, as if each couple wanted to be alone.

You and Calum are not a couple.

Arielle scanned the club, taking deep breaths and trying to regain control of her heated body. Every part of her had responded to Calum on stage, and now that he sat touching her, it left her scrambled.

Gavin’s tall frame stood out. He was at the bar with a trio of women around him, clearly lapping up the attention. A disturbing thought entered Arielle’s mind. If she hadn’t been here tonight, would Calum be with him, enjoying himself the same way?

Of course, he would be. He was unattached, like Gavin. And with the many female eyes casting glances at the gargoyle brothers at the table, he would be a hot commodity tonight.

Pangs of jealousy tore through her.

The unfamiliar reaction shocked her. She’d never been jealous of other women before. Then again, she’d never felt so much for a male before while other females pranced in the background hoping to be noticed.

“I’m glad you liked it,” Calum said.

She drew her eyes back to his, which was a mistake. The feral hunger in them was intense. She couldn’t deny how her body responded.

“You were magnificent up there. And a different person onstage,” she said. “Wild. Carefree… Intense.”

“Part stage persona,” he replied, “and part stress relief.”

“How?”

“It’s my time. I forget everything else. The problems, the responsibilities. I unleash out there. And connecting with the audience, it’s unreal.”

“I’m glad I came,” she said.

“I’ve never been happier to see someone out here,” he replied. The intensity in his gaze made dragonflies zigzag inside.

Calum squeezed her thigh under the table and she melted.

“Let’s get some air,” he whispered into her ear, sending a new wave of shivers rippling through her body. “I want to be alone with you.”

She swallowed. “Aye.”

He stood. “We’re heading out for a breather.”

The response was a mix of knowing looks and smiles.

Arielle tried not to blush. She was sure her lust was as apparent as a flashing beacon since the air around them seemed to pulse with sensual energy.

Calum took her by the arm and led her outside. The fresh night air was a welcome break from the stuffy confines of the club—and her addled brain.

“What about the instruments?” She turned back over her shoulder.

“That’s taken care of. We’ve hired transportation to move them from one show to the next. We have another set on the island so we can practice.”

“Oh.” This side of Calum was foreign to her. He’d been so caught up in the protective role of taking care of her, that this part of his life was a mystery.

Calum claimed her mouth in a searing kiss, silencing that thought, and drowning out everything else. He backed her against the wall on the side of the pub, and pinned her wrists up against the brick. All the raw intensity from their heated connection exploded, powering the kiss. So hot and passionate, she could barely breathe.

No kiss had ever been like this, rendering her completely weightless under its spell. His scent was as enticing as ever, potent with masculinity.

He pressed his body against hers. Bare chest against her covered breasts, his muscles as hard and unrelenting as the brick behind her. He devoured her with his kiss, assuming control over all her senses. His shaft rubbed against her. She reached down, hesitant at first, but then she stroked his hard length. She wasn’t a virgin, but would hardly consider herself experienced. A low groan vibrated from his throat, indicating she’d touched him the right way. He pulled his mouth from hers and trailed it along her neck, licking and sucking it in a way that made her gasp. His hands roamed over her body, claiming each inch of her as he caressed her breasts, her sides, her hips. A trickle of heat flared between her legs.

“Fuck, Arielle,” he murmured against her neck. “I want you so much, it hurts.”

She agreed. Hanging on this raw edge of desire was too much to take. “Then take me.”

He moaned as he lowered his head over one of her breasts, mouthing over the fabric of her dress.

Take it off, she silently pleaded. Didn’t he know how much she needed him?

When he finally pulled the fabric away, claiming her nipple with his mouth, she whimpered. He worked his fingers under her dress, trailing them over her inner thighs. Her vision turned hazy as she glanced at the stars, desperately on edge for more. She’d never ached for someone the way she did for Calum.

When he finally reached between her legs, she gasped. “Yes, Calum. Please.”

He responded with a feral growl, slipping a digit inside her, before moving his mouth to her other breast. Half-naked and exposed under the moonlight, she didn’t care. As he pleased her, exploring with his mouth and fingers, the only thing she desired was to continue what they’d started. Drowning in these heavenly sensations would be a welcome way to die.

He increased the pressure, seizing control of her body so it inflamed like a quick-rising fever. Her body bowed to the overwhelming tremors building within until they crested. She cried out as she shattered, falling into waves of pleasure.

Drugged by a haze of lust, she squinted in confusion when he pulled away and stood with a grim look. “What is it?”

“There are people coming.”

Pulling herself together was an effort. The loud cavorting of an approaching crowd made her hustle.

“Let’s go someplace else.” As soon as possible.

He jutted out his jaw. “Although it kills me to say this, we should get back to the isle.”

“What?” That was far too long to wait.

“Shite, I’m as hard as if I were in stone. Ready to explode.” He stroked her cheek. “But it’s safer there for you.”

She sighed. He was right. The two nights that she’d been in the Highlands so far, she’d faced threats. Being half-naked and distracted by passion would not be wise.

“All right.” She searched around. “Let’s find someplace private to shift.”

Once in pegasus form, she flew with Calum back to the Isle of Stone, yet her equine body still tingled with yearning. The starry night twinkled, as if highlighting her anticipation, reflecting her desperate need for more of Calum’s touch. And what about him? At least, she had a delicious taste of the ecstasy when she’d climaxed. Calum’s expression was unreadable, although he’d admitted to being just as desperate to continue.

The miles stretched on endlessly as they flew over majestic, shadowy peaks and shimmering lochs. When they finally reached the ocean, her fantasies intensified. Heady with need, she couldn’t return to the isle soon enough to be with him.

At last, they passed through the magical barrier that shielded the island—the one that gave her a sense of greater safety. As soon as her hooves touched the soft sand along the coast, she shifted to human form. Calum stepped up to her, eyes filled with a feral hunger. Her pulse raced. He took her in his arms and kissed her, not bothering to retract his black feathered wings. When he lowered her to the sand, they surrounded him, making him appear even larger than his already impressive size. He spread them wide, covering them both like a canopy.

Emerald streaks of light shined out from behind his wings, casting him with an enchanting aura. Fascinating. How different from when she first spotted the Northern Lights, fearing what they were.

He reached behind her neck and removed the pendant. “I want to smell the real you. I love your scent.”

When he kissed her again, he ran his hands over her body.

He pulled down the top of her dress, exposing one of her breasts. “I can’t wait another minute longer.”

When he flicked her nipple in his warm mouth, she moaned.

“Then don’t,” she said.

With his fingers, he reached under her dress and stroked up her inner thighs. Her muscles tensed, as she desperately anticipated more. He stroked her wet heat, and she gasped.

He murmured against her breast. “You feel so good.” Then he switched his focus to the other one.

It felt wonderful. She could hardly think. When he slid down her body, a part of her tensed. He pulled her dress higher and out to the side. She squirmed with the sudden awareness at being exposed.

“You’re beautiful,” he insisted. Staring at her with an intensity that rendered her unable to protest, he said, “Let me love you tonight.”

Love. That was unknown territory. Surely, he meant making love and not the actual concept. Although, she had to admit that him even saying the word filled her with contentment.

“Aye, Calum.” Her voice came out close to a whimper. “Don’t stop.”

He kissed the inside of one thigh and then the other. “Tonight, you’re mine.”

Ach, she was dangling on the edge. His breath warmed her and she wanted more of him. Never needed anything so desperately before.

“Say it,” he commanded.

“I’m yours!” she cried. “Tonight.” The last word had a melancholy tone about it, punctuating how it would only be temporary.

Satisfied with her reply, he licked her with a slow, languid motion. All her senses roared to life with simmering flames. She ran her fingers through his long silky strands of hair, loving how they felt sliding against her skin. She raised her hips to meet him, encouraging him to continue. He added his fingers, turning her savage with desire. Every cell of her was on fire, responding to his sensual way he’d commanded her attention.

He took his time, savoring her, before he increased the pressure. Her world turned hazy. She grabbed his immense shoulders, clinging to something before she lost herself in these overwhelming sensations.

The tension peaked, making her muscles go rigid. She cried out as she crashed over the edge. Circuits fired across her brain, overrunning her mind with sizzling intensity. The most intense pleasure pulsed through her. As the quakes subsided, her body swam in relaxation, like she was basking in a loch on a hot summer day.

“Oh my God, Calum,” she said. “That was—” No words came to mind.

“Just the beginning,” he said, as he slid up her body. He unfastened his kilt and ran his rock-hard length against her wet folds. “A brilliant beginning,” he added in a more wistful tone.

She ran her hands down his molded shoulder blades and down his back. At some point, he’d retracted his wings. Although she missed their beauty, she appreciated being able to wrap her arms around him.

“Do I need to sheathe myself?” he asked.

“No. I’m not fertile right now.” Pegasi could sense when the chances of conception were higher, but whether a gargoyle and pegasus shifter could even reproduce was a mystery.

He bent down and kissed her as he teased her with the head of his cock. The taste of her on his tongue was utterly erotic. She deepened the kiss and reached for his erection, needing it deep inside her. He shuddered as her fingers traced along his length, growling a low vibrating sound into her mouth. Then he took control and slid the tip in, making her gasp from the sudden penetration.

“Arielle.” He arched back, driving in. “You feel so good.”

It wasn’t enough. She needed more. She clutched at him and wrapped her legs around his waist. He rocked into her, ramming deeper each time, and then with a powerful thrust that made her yelp. She rose against him with each turn, losing herself in the blinding sensations.

“Calum.” She buried her face into the damp skin on his neck, breathing in his masculine scent. Overwhelming emotions swept through her. She thought being with him would sate a desire that had been fanned with more intensity every hour they’d spent together, but now she knew it was so much more. Her heart joined her body, connecting with him.

If a pegasus was lucky, they’d find a true mate—one they connect with like no other. Was it possible for her to have found hers with a gargoyle?