Title: Pib’s Dragon
Author: Beany Sparks
Part of a series? If yes, can it be read as a standalone? Yes and yes
Series Title: Twisted Fairy Tales
Number in Series: #1
Publisher: Rainbow Ninja Press
Release
Date:
Early Download at Rainbow Ninja Press – 27th May
Third Party Pre Order – 3rd June
General Release – 10th June
Early Download at Rainbow Ninja Press – 27th May
Third Party Pre Order – 3rd June
General Release – 10th June
Word Count: 21,699
Links:
Categories: M/M Romance, Gay Fiction, Paranormal, Humor
Rafflecopter:
Blurb:
After nine years, Pib is finally free from his contract with the newly wed prince. Slipping out in the middle of the night to avoid getting stuck in another contract, Pib shifts into his cat and makes his way home to the little village he foolishly left, hoping his best friend Wil still lives there.
Dray is bored. His services as a princess-guarding dragon are no longer needed and even his gold and jewels are unable to cheer him up. His mood changes quickly when he catches someone in his treasure cave, and it starts a series of events that change his life forever.
When the two finally meet, sparks fly, but Dray will have to move quickly if he’s to save his cat after Pib gets kidnapped.
Prologue
Pib snuck into the
darkened room, tiptoeing quietly so as not to wake the newly crowned prince
Geraint and his princess. Looking around, he both thanked and cursed his
shifter senses. While he was grateful he could see inside the room, the smell
of sex throughout the air was something he could have done without.
Reaching the desk on
the far side of the room, he paused and glanced at the couple. Once he was
satisfied they were still asleep, he eased open the cover and found what he was
after—his freedom. After nine long years as the bastard’s slave, the letter
freeing him from servitude almost brought tears to his eyes. Carefully folding
it and placing it in his inside pocket, Pib gently shut the desk and tiptoed
back toward the bedroom door, leaving the room as silently as he’d entered.
He knew there was only
a limited window of opportunity for him to make his escape. Even though the
pompous bastard had made a production of signing the form and granting him his
freedom, Pib knew it was all for show. If he didn’t escape now, Geraint would
get him alone and force him to sign another contract and then make some sort of
bogus announcement about how Pib wanted to stay.
Pib snorted, unable to
help himself. Luckily there was no one else around the castle at this time of
the night, though even if there was, Pib didn’t care. He was leaving, and no
one was going to stop him. Anyone who tried would have a close encounter with
his knife, or his claws, he wasn’t picky.
“Hey, Pib, where are
you off to in the middle of the night?” asked the guard at the front door of
the castle. Pib never bothered learning their names or getting friendly with
them, especially since Geraint could force him to kill any of them at a
moment’s notice. He’d learned that it didn’t pay for him to form any
attachments with those surrounding Geraint.
“Getting an early
start on my retirement,” Pib replied, smirking at the man while he continued to
stroll toward the exit.
“Sorry, Pib, but I
have to check. Do you have a signed letter from Prince Geraint?” The guard
shifted from foot to foot, showing his unease.
Pib stopped in front
of him and forced a smile. “Of course,” he said, carefully extracting the
letter and handing it over to the guard.
He waited, watching
the guard closely as he read the letter. One wrong move and Pib was going to gut
him. Nothing could happen to that letter.
“Looks good,” the
guard said, handing the letter back to Pib. “It’ll sure be different without
you around, but all the best. And, uh, don’t take this the wrong way, but I
hope I don’t see you again.”
Returning the letter
to his pocket, Pib looked up and smiled a real smile at the man. He wanted to
laugh when the guard’s face paled as he caught sight of Pib’s canines, but
restrained himself. “Don’t worry, I hope never to see you again either.”
With that, Pib walked
out of the castle and made his way through the sleeping village. Pulling his
hood up, he used the dark material to blend into the surroundings. He wasn’t
taking any chances that Geraint wouldn’t wake up any moment and send guards
running after him. After all, Pib was practically friends with all of the
skeletons in Geraint’s closet.
Pib reached the edge
of the village and paused. After nine long years, he was finally free of
Geraint, his orders, and most importantly, his shackle. The magical cuff that
had decorated his right ankle for nine years had been removed after Geraint had
signed his release. The cuff was the only thing ensuring Pib’s obedience, and
finally, it was gone.
Taking a deep breath,
Pib stepped over the invisible boundary line and felt the remaining
enchantments shatter and disappear, leaving him standing as his true self for
the first time in years. Reaching inside, he called out his inner cat to come
out and play, and in seconds, his clothes disappeared and he was standing on
all fours in his serval form. Stretching, he threw one last glance back at the
castle and the village before slinking away into the trees, using the natural
camouflage to shield him as he made his way toward the start of his new life.
