Page 53 of Something Handsome This Way Comes

Ice shattered around the frame. The door flew open.

“Mari!”

Milo rushed inside. Then, he stopped so abruptly that Grievance nearly ran into him.

The inside of the barn glittered. Frost covered the walls. Hay sparkled beneath a delicate crust of ice. Every breath fogged heavily in front of Milo’s face.

And in the middle of it all lay Marigold. Completely unharmed. Cozy as could be, looking up at Milo like he was the lunatic for bursting into her room.

“Baaa.”

“Mari?”

His goat blinked at him, then returned her head to where she’d been sleeping.

Milo’s knees nearly gave out. “Oh, she’s fine. Thank the Lantern.”

Only then did his brain catch up enough to register what she was lying beside. Something small was curled tightly against Marigold’s belly. Something white. Something fluffy. Something with a long, scaled tail.

Milo stopped breathing. Grievance leaned around him. For several seconds, neither said a word.

Then Grievance said, very quietly, “Our goat has an uncanny ability to befriend rare MythBeasts. Are we sure she is just a goat?”

“Pretty sure,” Milo whispered back.

Milo approached slowly. Marigold made absolutely no attempt to move. Apparently, after befriending one wounded wild creature who had wandered onto their property, she had decided this was her purpose in life now.

“Mari,” Milo whispered. “Sweetheart. Come here.”

“Baaa.”

“Yes, I know. Very inconvenient.”

He crouched and carefully slipped his arms around her.

The little white creature stirred. Milo froze.

“No fucking way.”

Grievance crouched beside him. “What is it?”

“Help me with Marigold.”

Together, they carefully extracted the goat from the pile.

Marigold protested the entire time.

“BAAA!”

“You can cuddle your new friend later.”

Once Marigold was safely behind Milo, the creature finally revealed itself. And Milo’s mouth fell open.

Its front half was very feline. Thick white fur covered its chest and forelegs, striped through with faint streaks of icy blue. It had paws, complete with soft toe pads. Halfway down its body, fur gave way to shimmering scales, the pale hue of frozen lake water. Its hind legs were reptilian, ending in four clawed toes. And perched somewhat ridiculously on its back were two fluffy, feathered wings that were far too small for the rest of it.

Tiny twin horns curved from its skull as the creature nuzzled deeper into the straw, its front paws kneading sleepily as though searching for its stolen goat pillow.

“I’ve only ever read about them.”