Despite it being totally dark out but for the moonlight filtering through the trees, he quickened his pace, bringing his rifle to his chest and working the bolt to slide a shell into the chamber. He kept his finger on the safety and his eyes semifocused to watch for movement.

The smell grew slightly stronger as he got closer to the cliff. But it was another twenty minutes before he found a well-trodden path, which he followed directly up to an opening in the cliff. Jack stopped just outside the entrance to the cave, quietly slipped out of his snowshoes, and listened for any sounds within.

Not hearing anything, he quietly stepped into the mouth of the mountain. There was a good chance Kenzie Gregor was inside, and an even better chance the man would do everything in his power to stop Jack from killing the dragon.

Using his rifle to lead the way, with one finger on the safety and another on the trigger, he silently inched deeper into the winding cave. He was just reaching in his pocket for a small penlight when he realized that instead of getting darker the farther he got from the entrance, it was actually getting lighter. The smell of kerosene and wood smoke mixed with the foul odor of slime.

Damn, the dragon wasn’t alone.

The winding corridor he’d been following suddenly opened into a cavernous room so tall he couldn’t see the ceiling, and large enough that he could just barely see the far end. Light from a small fire reflected off the dark walls, and several lamps were strategically placed on ledges. But it wasn’t the dragon curled up on a large nest of straw that nearly brought Jack to his knees.

No, it was seeing Megan sitting next to the beast.

Kenzie was nowhere in sight; Megan was completely alone with the creature, and utterly defenseless. Jack raised the butt of his rifle to his shoulder. “Slowly move away from it, Megan,” he said softly, walking to the center of the cavern. “Please, sweetheart, just stand up and back away.”

She turned at the sound of his voice but didn’t seem overly surprised to see him. She did stand up, but instead of backing away, she stepped directly between Jack and his target.

“His name is William Killkenny,” she said. “And he’s a nobleman from ninth-century Ireland.”

Jack lowered the barrel of his rifle but kept the butt at his shoulder.

“He’s here because he heard that Kenzie might be able to help him become a man again.” She glanced over her shoulder when the dragon groaned in his sleep. “A witch turned him into a dragon to teach him a lesson,” she said, lowering her voice and stepping closer, though she stayed between Jack and the beast. “It seems William burned her cottage in the forest because he thought she was disrupting his hunting. In retaliation she put a curse on him, claiming that until he learned how to treat defenseless old women, William Killkenny would roam the earth as a monster.”

“Know why a dragon?” Camry asked, walking around Jack, her arms full of straw. She set it down next to the sleeping beast, then stood beside her sister. “Because back in the ninth century, dragons were everyone’s worst nightmare. Even though they’re mythological, they were the big, bad boogeyman parents used to keep their children from straying into the woods. So instead of turning William into a frog or something, she turned him into a nightmare.”

“Which doesn’t make sense, when you think about it,” Kenzie Gregor said, walking past Jack. He was carrying two buckets of water, which he set down by the fire before going to stand beside Megan and Camry. “It’s impossible for a man to make amends when he’s a frightening creature, since no one will let him get close enough to give him the chance.”

Jack could only stare at the three of them in silence. Did they honestly expect him to believe the dragon was a ninth-century nobleman, much less that he’d traveled through time to get here?

“I know what we’re telling you is unbelievable,” Megan said, stepping closer, her large green eyes shining with…aww hell, she looked close to tears. “Which is why I’ve been so reluctant to say anything to you.” She stopped directly in front of him. “You see, my whole family is…well, we’re sort of…different. The magic is real, Jack. My father and Callum and Morgan, and Robbie’s father, Michael, are from twelfth-century Scotland. And Matt and Kenzie are from the tenth century.”

For the life of him, Jack still couldn’t say anything.

Megan rubbed her arms as if chilled, though it had to be near eighty degrees in the cave. “You have my word that our baby will be normal, just like you and me. I don’t possess the magic, I’m only a child of it. As are Camry and all my sisters, except Winter. Winter is…she’s a…”

“She’s a drùidh,” Camry said. “And so is Matt. And the old priest who lives up on TarStone used to be a drùidh until he turned his power over to Winter. Father Daar’s real name is Pendaär, and he’s eighteen hundred years old. He’s also the reason we’re all here, if you ask me.”

“You told us your great-grandfather was a shaman, Jack,” Megan said, looking utterly vulnerable. “You must have seen the magic at work. Things had to have happened that you didn’t understand and couldn’t explain.” She gestured toward the dragon. “William is just one of those things. He shouldn’t exist, but he does. And for him to die as a dragon would be tragic.

“Please don’t kill him, Jack,” she whispered. “Help us save him, instead. If you possess even an ounce of your great-grandfather’s gift, or if you can just remember what herbs he used, please help us save William so he can live long enough to learn his lesson.” She reached out and touched Jack’s chest, tears running down her cheeks. “He deserves to die as a man, not as the nightmare he is.”

Jack blew out a deep sigh, wondering what had made him think he could have killed the dragon even if no one had been here when he found it.

“I won’t kill him,” he said, holding his rifle out from his side.

Megan threw herself against his chest with a sob of relief. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, hugging him tightly. “I’ve been an idiot for not telling you before now. I-I was scared.”

“Of what?”

She looked up into his eyes. “I was afraid you’d think I was…that I was too weird to love,” she said with a sob, burying her face back in his chest.

He tucked her head under his chin and held her, watching as Camry and Kenzie—who looked decidedly uncomfortable—got busy all of a sudden. Kenzie poured one of the buckets of water into a pot and set it in the fire, and Camry, making a disgusted face, picked up the dragon’s tail and stuffed straw under it.

O-kay. He wasn’t going to kill the beast, but was he going to help them save it?

“Megan’s been teaching me how to read,” Kenzie said, somewhat defensively.

“To read?” Camry echoed, spinning around in surprise. “That’s the big secret? But that’s not something to be ashamed of. You live in this century now, Kenzie, and if you can’t read, you’ll be at a huge disadvantage.”

Jack asked, “Gregor, what happens if I do manage to save your smelly friend? What’s to stop him from breaking into the shops again? I imagine a healthy dragon won’t be easy to control.”

“I’ve already decided to leave Pine Creek,” Kenzie said, his expression hopeful. “My calling is not here in the mountains. I’m afraid William Killkenny is only the first of many displaced souls who will be seeking me out in hopes I can help them transition back into human form.”

“Why would displaced souls think you can help them?” Jack asked in surprise.

“Because up until this past winter solstice, I was just like William. I’ve led countless lives as various animals, though never as a mythological creature.” He eyed Jack directly. “If I can get William well again, I intend to take him and the old priest with me, to find a new home of our own. Somewhere by the sea, I’m thinking.”