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Endangered Ch. 01

By: ltpc



Hi everyone. This is my first submission to Literotica. I started out not really knowing why I was doing this; only that I thought I wanted to. Previously I'd started another story for Lit after having what I thought was a pretty cool plot come to me in the form of a dream. Anyway, I lost steam on that project, but the idea of how dreams connect with reality stayed with me. I started this about two months ago. Hopefully it's a decent combo of the two S's (story and sex). Be warned: it's long. 

Disclaimer: Placenames are real but mainly used only as points of reference, people are made up, and everything sexual occurs between adults over 18. Some aspects of sexuality in this story are unrealistic; this is a fantasy story set in a fantasy society, in a fantasy universe. 

Thanks to RexBrookdale for being a great help with editing, making this story far better than I could have come up with alone. And a special thanks to the many authors who have influenced my writing. Here's my humble attempt to contribute to the Lit community. Hope you enjoy.

LTPC

***
Endangered
Endangered - Chapter 1 - LTPC
***

Susan ran down the lane, memory guiding her through the night as she clutched the boy to her chest. He was too big for her to carry for long, but she needed to get away and conceal her presence while she still had time.

Christopher sobbed quietly in her arms as she ran, not understanding what was going on. His father had told him to be good for Susan, and to remember that he loved him. He had then placed a hand on his forehead, causing Christopher to black out, the words 'Be hidden 'til you come of age' echoing in his head. Now, awakened by the sensation of being carried by Susan, he somehow knew he would never see his father again. 

Susan was panting hard by the time she reached the end of the path, sweat dripping down her face. She put him on the ground and grabbed his hand. "Quiet Chris, we have to be quiet," she whispered. They stood silent in the darkness; Chris shivered slightly, staring out into the night, and did as he was bid. 

Focusing on her inner strength, she muttered a spell she hoped would conceal her from elfin senses. The effect of the sudden energy drain made her stagger to one knee, which at least indicated the spell was doing something. "Okay Chris, now we have to run." Desperately, she pulled him behind her as they ran toward the forest. Just as they crossed under the canopy of trees at the forest's edge, their path was illuminated from behind by a gout of flame streaking into the sky, followed by a bestial roar.

"Father!" Chris cried out, twisting frantically from her grip before Susan regained her hold and clamped her hand over his mouth. She hoisted him up to carry him once again, moving unsteadily as exhaustion began gaining a foothold over adrenalin-fuelled exertion. The path twisted as they advanced deeper and deeper into the gloom. Behind them the roars continued for a while, mixed with the sound of fighting, before being cut off. Tears streaked Susan's face and mingled with her sweat, as she ran with her charge into the night.

***

Roughly 15 years later....

Chris was having a dream. It wasn't a good or a bad dream, yet it was an all-too-familiar one. He was in his room. He knew he was asleep; he lay on his bed, unmoving, unblinking, staring out into the darkness lit by a faint, sourceless, purple light. Presently he could make out the end of his bed, the bedroom door, and his closet. All of the colours were off, much darker than they should be. Objects looked malleable, insubstantial, almost liquid to the point of transparency. He gazed without moving, his eyes changing position every now and then. As the dream continued, he sometimes shifted in bed, rolling over to one side as he slept, facing a new view though most likely a mundane one such as a different expanse of his pillow. These times seemed interminable to Chris, and in the dreams he seemed only to be waiting until he woke up. Mostly he just thought about things: his girlfriend Annabel, homework, computer games, sex, farm work, school, magic, other Beings, dragons.... Anything to pass the dream time. 

At the moment, his view revealed part of the forearm on which his head was resting. Unlike other objects, it appeared solid and wholesome, tinged with a slight purple glow. Chris had thought perhaps he was the source of the purple light. On closer inspection, as the hours of forced boredom marched on relentlessly, he realised the light was ambient, emanating from the air itself ... and yet he seemed to emit it, too. 

Once, a few years ago, he'd dreamt he had seen his stepmother Susan open his door quietly and stand there, watching him. It had been exciting yet somewhat embarrassing to see her ghostly body lit by the purple light, her curves visible through her transparent nightgown. He had stared back, transfixed. While watching him she had leaned against the doorframe, arms clasped together in front of her, unwittingly presenting her breasts seductively to him. He had talked with her about his recurring dream, but not about this one.

The Ether, that's what she'd called it, the 'nothing between everything'. Everything in the Ether was a bleed-through from the Norm, a shadow of its real self. Whatever that meant. Susan had tried to explain that the Ether was like a sub-level of reality, the stuff between dimensions. Everything in the Norm had a small presence in the Ether; on the other hand there were entities in the Ether that weren't present in the Norm: wraiths, sprites, parasites, and plants, living off of each other and from the energy bleeding in from the Norm.

She hadn't known why his dreams took him there. Perhaps it was just part of being a dragon, she'd suggested, something about which he would find out when that side of himself became unlocked. As a witch, she could enter the Ether at will, but the energy costs for entering, exiting, and maintaining a presence in the Ether were very high, and might trap her inside it if she wasn't careful.

Chris shifted in his sleep, the new vista now revealing more of the upper part of his room. The silvery-white moss was growing back. When he had first seen the plant gaining territory along his ceiling, he had tried to scrub it off as soon as he'd woken up, but without any success. Susan had been ecstatic though, immediately retrieving a paint scraper, a ladder, and an enchanted glass jar from her 'magic room'. Spelling herself into the Ether, she'd disappeared before his eyes, only to emerge about a minute later, enervated yet triumphant, holding a jar packed with the white moss. He'd then had to carry her to her bed, and she'd even called in sick the next day, to give her time to recover. Apparently it was all worth it, though. Ether moss was supposedly very valuable as a magical ingredient.

Everything from the Ether was valuable, apparently. Not many Beings had the strength or will even to enter, much less use it effectively. Ether mages specialised in this, but despite her enthusiasm Susan wasn't interested in attaining the much vaunted specialised knowledge. She was happy enough with her lesser magic, plants, and potions. 

Susan ... his childhood nurse and tutor, now the sole parent of a teenaged guy who, apparently, had a dragon trapped inside of him. Chris would have found this hard to believe had Susan not shown him things that couldn't be explained as anything other than magic. Then there was Jethry Dale, the old farmer in whose house Chris had grown up, and who had scared the shit out of Chris the first time he'd revealed himself as a Werecat. No wonder he'd seemed so spritely and quick; unnatural for any normal 78-year-old human. Chris sometimes teased Jethry that it was no wonder he owned a dairy, in response to which he'd hear Jethry suck in his breath with a hissing sound and throw him a look of mock-irritation. Then there were other things. For example, he could smell what other people couldn't, and he had a desire for gold and valuable objects. Sometimes he felt their presence nearby, even when not in sight, especially gold and gemstones. The sensation gave him a feeling of wellbeing and contentment. In fact, Chris occasionally went gold hunting in the mountain ranges on weekends, and his life savings outside of about a thousand dollars was in gold, concealed in his mattress. He'd been quite industrious and now slept on its comforting presence.

Chris had finally become resigned, accepting that there was a dormant dragon inside him. It would come out eventually, a thought both exciting and terrifying. Once it emerged, he would truly enter the magical world, no longer appearing as a human to all supernatural Beings as he now did due to his father's protective spell. Susan had originally interpreted his father's incantation 'Be hidden until you come of age' to mean that when he turned 18, Chris would then be 'of age'. However, that birthday had come and gone uneventfully over a year ago, and his dragon remained hidden. The next logical target date, therefore, would seem to be his 21st birthday, assuming that the enchantment was intelligent enough to adapt to its environment. They were now in America, after all. Susan had brought Chris to live at the Werecat's farm outside of Laramie after fleeing Europe where his parents had died. However, she was far from sure, given that dragons matured much more slowly than humans.

Dragons ... his dragon was the reason he'd had to be hidden. According to Susan, they were almost extinct. Highly valued for their immense powers of spellcraft, longevity, strength, and healing, most were in hiding or under protection. Dragons overflow with magic: a dragon's saliva was a powerful healing concoction, his venom was the base ingredient in the deadliest poisons, and ... his spend was a powerful aphrodisiac that greatly enhanced sexual pleasure. Other parts such as scales, horns, and teeth would be extremely valuable to those involved in darker magic, but usually resulted in the death of the dragon during extraction. There were laws in place to prevent dragon hunting, an ultimately wasteful practice, but this didn't stop some from trying. His mother had died this way, and his father was killed for taking revenge on an elf royal who had hunted her down, or so the story went. Knowing that he would likely die and leave Chris with no guidance after his dragon emerged, his father had locked Chris's dragon inside him with the enchantment, effectively hiding it from the world until he had a decent chance. It was a decision made during a time of great desperation and with an overwhelming sense of loss. So, for all of the potentially great power, strength, cunning, and magic, Chris knew almost nothing about being a dragon, other than what Susan had picked up from his parents.

Chris dreamed he was bored again, staring listlessly at the roof as he lay in bed. Exams and classes had ended several days ago, so no school assignments crowded his thoughts and schedule. Other than the ceremonies and socialising, things he generally avoided, he didn't have any reason to attend. lf Annabel wanted to go, though, he would go with her. She was probably the only reason he hadn't been branded a complete loner at school; having an attractive, well-liked girlfriend had done wonders for his social image. He watched the ceiling some more before the dreaded view of his bedside table wheeled into view, the digital clock perched on top. Now he had to watch the countdown. He had tried turning the clock away from the bed before going to sleep. Ironically, he'd found that not being able tell how long was left till the alarm went off was infuriating. Thus, when the clock was all there was in view, it mattered. 

The time ticked by. Only three minutes remained; Chris started to think about milking the cows. 

5:00 am. He felt himself wrested from the Ether dream, the alarm sounding harshly in his eardrums. Despite being in the waking dream half the night, he felt rested. After moving his legs over the edge of the bed and sitting up, Chris reached for his drink bottle and downed the dregs. Walking over to the switch and flicking on the light, he stretched and yawned a bit, waiting until his eyes adjusted, and then checked himself out in the mirror. He was happy enough with what he saw: a broad and strong body, well-muscled but with a healthy layer of fat over the top. They were real muscles from working. As to the top layer, he was too lazy and hungry to bother with getting the fat off. There wasn't much of it, and it only obscured his six-pack abs a little; he didn't have rolls or pillows so it was all good. Annabel seemed to like him well enough anyway. He glanced at his penis. Extending out proud and thick with its morning cheer, the bulbous head bobbed at him before it started to gradually deflate. Watching his deflation was a strange yet somehow fascinating experience, such a fundamental change occurring right before his eyes. He would give himself a trim down there this morning, in anticipation of what he and Annabel had planned sometime in the coming days. He usually kept himself reasonably groomed, but losing one's virginity was certainly an occasion meriting some extra preparation.

They'd been together for the last year and a half, but hadn't done the deed. She had promised her family, despite not buying into their religious dogmas, that she would wait till she was 18 which was now a few months ago. Chris didn't especially mind. Despite the traumas he'd experienced in his young life, he had also learned that good things came to those who waited. Besides, she gave him blowjobs and he loved eating her out, watching her respond and listening as she came all over his tongue and fingers. He realised he was getting a bit of chub back just thinking about it, so before he could get carried away he got on with getting dressed. 

Heading downstairs Chris put the kettle on, took a leak, made two mugs of coffee, and then carried one back upstairs. He knocked on Susan's door perfunctorily before entering and placing it on her bedside table. Stepping quietly, he moved to the edge of the bed and sat down. "Morning Mom," he said gently. She smiled and rolled over to face him.

"Hey sweetie, oh, you're the best," she said, sitting up against the headboard and turning the bedside lamp on. She reached for her coffee. Sweeping her long black hair away from her face, she looked up with a yawn, and he watched her sleepy blue eyes focus on him. "Did you sleep ok?"

"Yeah.... I had the dream again, though," he admitted. "Anyway, I'll go get started with Jethry. It should be a quick milking this morning, he left a few of the cows in with the calves last night."

"Well at least the dream doesn't make you tired," Susan said, frowning slightly at the thought of the recurring Ether dream. She'd tried countless times to reason it out, but still couldn't fully explain its existence. "So, breakfast at seven?" she asked. "That gives me plenty of time to check the plants and get ready for work, with time left over."

"Sure." Chris got up to head for the door then paused, "Want me to bring any milk up to the house?"

"I think we're okay for today; some eggs would be nice for breakfast though, don't you think?" 

He nodded and strolled off out the door and downstairs.

Susan sighed, sipping at her coffee. They had such a good thing going. She wasn't his real mother, but she might as well have been. They had slipped into the roles so easily. Now, he was finished with high school and would be leaving the nest. She'd given him a basic education about the secret magical world he belonged to, but couldn't teach him magic; not while his dragon lay dormant, locked away. The heart of the conundrum centered around her awareness that she knew so little and yet had experienced the two worlds and their myriad dangers to her most beloved charge. Thus even though she didn't know much about dragons, she also couldn't trust anyone else to teach him.

It would break her heart if anything happened to her boy. "Pffft, hardly a boy anymore," she muttered under her breath. Her mind wandered as she sipped from the steaming cup. In the last year he had really bulked up ... they had even had to get him all new clothes. He ran some mornings and did exercises ... the farm work was the catalyst, no? Chopping wood, feeding out hay bales, lifting vats of milk ... had turned her boy into a fit, tall, broad-shouldered, handsome young man. It made her wonder if this stage marked his 'coming of age'; perhaps his unlocking would occur any day now.

The thought of the release of his dragon sent shivers down her spine. It would be a confusing and dangerous time, yet she was excited. Chris would likely become a whole new person, and she wanted to be there to watch, as the new young man came forth. Would he leave? Would he let me stay with him? Maybe he'd even let me use his powers to aid in magic? The thought of what that might involve made her blush, so she put it aside. Whatever happened, she would be losing her son. Susan finished her coffee and dressed. He was so sweet to bring coffee every morning before going to work. They had fallen into this routine only recently; it had happened all of a sudden one day last year ... he'd just shown up, cup in hand at her door that first morning, and had stuck to it every morning since then. 

It was still dark out; she would check on the outside garden later. Yawning, she made her way down to the basement. Keying in the code for the basement door, she was hit by a wonderful floral fragrance once it opened. "They're actually flowering!" she twittered to herself excitedly.

Susan loved plants: they gave her almost everything she needed for her magic, were wonderful fun to grow, and made her a decent profit on top of her job as a lab technician. The entire space within the large basement had been transformed into a high-tech hydroponics system. Stopping first to check the pumps and filters at one end of the room, she then grabbed a basket and moved out under the lights. 

She grew whatever took her fancy or was useful, including some of the rarer magical species. The one that had flowered overnight was a 'Night Heart' that she had grown from seed; its flowers could be harvested for use in powerful sleeping draughts and anaesthetic compounds. Humming happily to herself she picked a few flowers to dry, and then a few more to keep fresh from which to make a tincture, before doing the rounds to check the other plants. Her work complete, she headed upstairs and outside into the early morning sunlight to work in her garden, glad that it was summer.

***

Chris was glad it was summer, too. Laramie was bitterly cold in winter. Set on an alpine plateau, there was snow on the ground much of the year. At the moment though, he was comfortable in just his overalls. The herd of 40 cows cycled through the milking machines, kept happy with portions of hay. It was almost 6:30 am by the time Jethry silently showed up. Chris sensed him. Turning his head he acknowledged the old man watching him from the gate. "What took you so long this morning; you sleep in?" Chris jibed. 

"Must have," Jethry replied cheekily. After all, old age had some advantages ... although, as a Werecat he wasn't really aging. "Besides, you've got everything in hand," he said, nodding in the direction of the cows. "Are you going to school today? If you've got time, there's some thistles coming up in the Western bull field."

"I'm going to school; there aren't classes, but Annabel will be there. They have some sort of event for leavers all day. I'll take a look at the thistles when I get back," he said as he unhooked a cow and let her out. 

"Ah, to be young, to be young," Jethry smirked good naturedly. "That girl has you wrapped around her finger." He liked to tease Chris a little sometimes; it was fun to watch him get flustered. 


Endangered Ch. 01



Chris blushed a little but managed to think up a retort within a respectable timeframe. "I do okay. Besides, being with Annabel beats grubbing thistles all day or hanging around with a lecherous old tomcat."

"Hey, I'm not that old," Jethry retorted. As to Chris's other accusation, he couldn't deny it. They stayed companionably silent for a bit as Chris got another cow hooked up.

Trying to be thoughtful, Jethry waxed serious. "Chris, be careful with her. She's a sweet girl but once your dragon comes out, things will be different. She's only a human and our world is all or nothing."

"I know Jethry," Chris replied, looking up at the Werecat. "I've thought about it quite a bit. When I didn't go dragon last year, it kind of messed up our plans. Susan and I thought that by now we would have moved to Denver for my training and to get protection 'til I could fend for myself. Now it feels like I'm just waiting around for it to happen. I don't know what to do with myself and honestly I didn't think things would ever get this serious with Annabel." He paused for a moment to push up a loose milking cup. "Besides, at the end of the summer Annabel will be going away to Denver to get her chef's qualification." He found it a little ironic that he would be the one being left behind.

"I'm sorry about that, Chris. Probably for the best, though. Besides, you belong with your own kind," Jethry said quietly. It's pretty brutal for humans in our world, he thought to himself. He'd seen all sorts of mistreatment of humans in his younger days as a wandering tom. Things had gotten better in recent years as humans advanced and bloomed, to the point where they now actually presented a real threat to Beings. In direct proportion to their advanced development, care was increasingly required to keep them oblivious. Ironically, many long-lived Beings maintained the old stigmas; humans were still considered livestock, or property by some.

Jethry's last comment raised Chris' hackles a bit. "At the moment she is my own kind. Besides, what does that even matter?"

"It matters more than it should," Jethry said. "You aren't human Chris, even though you appear to be. Who knows what will happen when your dragon comes out? It could be very dangerous for her." Jethry didn't like what he was saying but it was important to pursue the subject; he was the closest thing the boy had had to a father over the years. 

Chris simmered quietly for a moment, digesting the good sense in the Werecat's warnings but hating that it made sense at all. He liked Annabel a lot ... loved her, perhaps. "I know that Jethry," he said, his words followed by a frustrated sigh. "At least we have this summer before she goes away."

"Hunh!" Jethry grunted jovially before breaking into a tune, "Summer loving, had me a blast...."

"Gawd, make it stop!" Chris laughed, glad that Jethry had switched back to his humorous side.

"Just promise you won't knock her up with a baby dragon or something," Jethry joked.

"I ... we aren't ... haven't...!" Chris sputtered before realising Jethry was now laughing heartily at him, leaning against the gate for support. "Awww, screw you, ya dried-up old fart. You're just jealous," Chris joked self-consciously, his face on fire.

"Sounds like there's not that much to be jealous about. I thought you two had been at it for months the way you reek of each other," wheezed out Jethry as he recovered from his belly-aching laughter.

"Soon enough, my furry friend," Chris retorted, chuckling now.

"Bold words. I'll expect details," Jethry said, accompanied by a wiggle of his scraggly eyebrows.

"Yuk yuk yuk! Old man, you need to learn to use the Internet so your frustration doesn't overflow. Besides, I thought Susan said you and Ms. Ashford had a thing? And what about one of the Stevens girls?" Chris laughed as Jethry's face contorted into an expression of comical sorrow. The Stevens were a family of Werecats, the only other such Beings in the local area. They weren't aware of Chris's situation, thinking he was Susan's non-magical human son.

"Nah, that old tart's cats didn't like me, and none of the Stevens pride girls are interested in an old creeper like me." He paused. "So. The Internet, you say...?"

"I've said too much," Chris chuckled, standing up from checking a cow's teat. "I'm pretty much done here and all you're doing is standing around. You can finish up." 

"See you tonight then," Jethry said. He watched Chris make his way to the chicken coop and then back to the house. He smiled. Chris was hard working, quick, and good-natured. If anything, the old tomcat thought, he could use a bit more backbone; but the dragon would take care of that. 

Mid-thought, Jethry froze. Suddenly experiencing an epiphany: he envisioned Chris, mature, looking a man and mostly acting like one. If he was still a virgin ... Well, maybe when one 'comes of age'.... That was certainly one way Chris's father's spell could be interpreted, by Jethry at least. Susan needed to know about his theory.

***

Breakfast was delicious if uneventful. Chris followed it up with a shower, giving himself the aforementioned grooming, then changed into his usual school outfit of black jeans, t-shirt, and black boots. His short blond hair did whatever it felt like. A hoodie went into his pack but was unlikely to see use; it would be warm today. He looked forward to the possibility of Annabel wearing a dress, deciding to text her and ask.

He got a reply to his text, just as he and Susan had loaded themselves into her Subaru wagon at 7:40 am.

"Just for you babe. X...." 

He grinned stupidly, then sobered quickly. Susan had seen his expression and asked what the text was about. He ducked the question with a shrug and a little mumble. She wasn't fooled, giving her son a smirk and a playful poke in the ribs before he started the car, the grin back on his face. 

They drove in silence for a bit before Susan spoke up. "So, what are you going to do this summer, now that school's over?"

"I don't know Mom, I know we talked about me going to college ... but there's no point if I might have to drop out halfway through." He paused for a moment, then let the rest of his train of thought come rushing out. "And I thought about becoming a sheriff a few years ago, remember? But, like you said, the same thing applies. Everything is moot till the dragon comes out. I guess I'll just get on with my life, do some stuff I enjoy, and get a job till this all gets resolved. Besides, for Annabel and I, this summer is our last time together, unless we want to try long-distance. We're going to make it count." 

Susan listened quietly. They'd talked about some of this over the years, yet still she felt a pang of sorrow knowing that he was stuck in such an awkward situation.

Chris watched the road and continued confessing his frustration and ultimate resignation. "I think I love Annabel; but it's not fair to stay with her without revealing what's going to happen to me." He glanced at Susan and then back at the road. "From what you told me, I can't protect her as my familiar unless I'm a dragon. But she isn't allowed to know about Beings unless she's a familiar. It's a Catch-22. She probably won't even want to be with me afterwards, anyway. I don't want her memory altered, so ...." He sighed and swallowed. "Perhaps it's best if we go our separate ways when she goes to Denver." 

"I'm sorry Chris," Susan said. This was the first time she had heard Chris say he loved Annabel, though she'd known he'd cared for her. "I wish there was an easier way. But yes," she gestured as she spoke, as if sorting the different points, "when you turn into a dragon, your life will be thrown upside-down. We'll have to move, get new jobs, and you'll start getting your magical training. There are also probably going to be people trying to use or capture you, unless the revelation of a newly-emerged male dragon miraculously stays a secret. It's not going to be safe for you ... let alone Annabel."

"I know, Mom. There isn't really any way around it," Chris agreed dejectedly. He kept his eyes on the road ahead; currently it was straight and flat, no traffic in sight. 

"I'm also sorry I couldn't do more. I mean, I taught you the basics about the different races and our laws but I can't teach you about magic when you can't use it." They'd gone over all of this before, but it didn't make it any easier. Unconsciously she rubbed a palm along the tops of her thighs. "I can't even teach you about dragons; your parents hired me to teach you about being human."

"Susan." He paused, waiting to continue until he could see peripherally that she had turned to look at him. "You've done just fine. Thank you for raising me all these years, for being my mother. I know it was probably dangerous and you weren't obliged to do it so thanks. I love you."

She turned away from him as he glanced over. Tears sparkled in her reflection in the window. He pulled off to the side of the road, undid his seatbelt and hugged her close across the divider, stroking her long hair hanging loose down her back. 

She sniffled a bit before pulling away. "Christopher, don't you dare talk about us like you are a burden to me. I did it because I love you. Watching you grow up has made me so proud, even if I'm not your mother." She tried to sound steady but her voice wavered. Pulling herself together and wiping the tears away, she leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek before hugging him tightly for a few more seconds. "Okay let's get going, I don't want to be late. I've got to set up two undergrad labs before lunch."

***

They drove the rest of the way to Laramie, chatting amiably. Susan described her discovery that morning of the Night Heart in bloom. Chris then asked her to tell him more about the mid-Western magical territory under Lady Narlakis. Susan quizzed him about the various races of Beings: Elves, Weres, Wizards, Elementals, Fairies, Vampires ... the list went on. Chris knew the basics such as inherent characteristics, abilities, and predilections. His experience with Beings was extremely limited; aside from Weres, so far he hadn't met any. He'd had to interrupt his recitations of memorized facts upon their arrival at the university. Chris drove up the wide, curved driveway and dropped Susan off with a quick hug goodbye. 

There were still about 40 minutes before school started at 9 am, so he and Annabel would have time to just hang around together for a bit. He parked in the lot a few spaces down from her car. Getting out and locking it up, Chris noted the unaccustomed lightness of his backpack without his books. He debated leaving it in the car, but decided to bring it for his hoodie; it was actually still a little crisp this early. There were celebratory banners everywhere, wishing success to the Class of 2013. He walked around the edge of the nearest building and spied his target amongst the few students milling around out front.

Annabel was leaning against the low brick retaining wall along the front lawn, talking with Steph Lawlill, an attractive classmate who was apparently also going to Denver in the Fall. Chris only had eyes for Annabel, though ... and her dress: light blue with white floral patterns and a few small red blossoms. It left the snowy skin of her arms and shoulders bare, hugged her slim waist and then followed the flare of her hips, before finishing just above her knees. His gaze took in her form, detouring to follow the waterfall of silky, curly brown hair hanging down to the middle of her back, then back en route down her form to her shapely legs and feet, drinking her in. She wore a pair of strappy sandals that exposed more pale skin, covered throughout the cold Winter and Spring. Chris marvelled, spending a final few quiet moments gazing in appreciation at her amazing ass. How did I get this lucky?

He'd approached from behind with quiet steps bordering on stealth, but when he got close she spun around with a wide smile on her face. Steph had seen him coming and had given her a signal. "Gotcha," Annabel said. "You can't sneak up on me." She'd missed him at school yesterday and was delighted when he'd texted her that morning with the request about the dress; it was perfect, in fact, for what she had planned. She took a step closer, looking up at him admiringly. He always looked so damned handsome with his strong jaw, blue eyes, and messy blond hair. His body called to Annabel too: broad, solid, all of that exquisitely dense muscle under his skin ... so heavy when he lay on top of her. She loved that he wasn't entirely skinny either; he had some healthy padding over the firm muscle. Once, Annabel had overheard the coach talking to one of his teachers; apparently it was a 'crime' Chris wouldn't play football, but she'd felt she understood his disinclination. After all, he was a bit reclusive. And anyway, he was usually busy on the farm after school, or hanging out with her. Occasionally she received envious and even raunchy comments about him from other girls. He was hers though. Her big, sweet, caring boyfriend, and she planned to keep it that way. 

"Wasn't really trying to sneak," Chris denied, frowning, initially embarrassed at being caught; but then couldn't help but return her beautiful, infectious smile. "Hi Steph."

"Hey Chris, see you guys in the auditorium," Steph replied. She walked off to leave Chris and Annabel in their own little world.

"Do you like the dress I wore for you?" Annabel asked coyly, giving her hips a side to side twist to raise the hem slightly, knowing full well that he did like it. The hungry look in his eyes when she teased him, made her feel powerful. Truth be told she was chilly in the dress; but it was worth it to see the transparent, stupid adoration spreading across his face right then.

"You're so beautiful, Dee," Chris said quietly, stepping forward to envelop her in a firm hug. He loved using his pet name for her, it fit perfectly. She'd once called him 'Snake Eyes', teasing his bad luck. He'd retaliated with 'Doe-EyEs' and thus Dee was born. In his arms, she was the perfect height to bury his nose in her hair, inhaling her scent mixed with notes of vanilla from her perfume. Speaking of which, he caught a waft of her excitement on the air. He'd recognise it anywhere. Chris squeezed her tighter, slowly rubbing a hand along her lower back. "You're a little bit wet aren't you?" he whispered conspiratorially into her ear.

 How does he always know? she wondered, his deep-voiced whisper sending a frisson of excitement through her. She would have been happy to stay in his embrace all day, bound up in his big arms while his gentle stroking sent tingles up her spine and heat to her core that was starting to feel definitively ... steamy. Annabel had reached a decision last night ... one that she'd realised was long overdue. Therefore, she could hardly be blamed for feeling a little anticipation, could she? In response to his whisper she gave a little wiggle, pushing her small breasts into his chest and nuzzling his neck slightly. In that moment, Annabel wished she was more well-endowed up front, with something more to mash into her man so to speak; but such is life. He didn't seem to mind. 

She pulled away from him slightly, and moved up on tiptoe to whisper what she had decided yesterday. "Today," she breathed, giggling when she felt him tense once he understood her meaning.

"Really?" Chris asked, heart pounding at the idea. He guided her away slightly, holding her shoulders so he could see her face. Her expression mirrored his excitement, without a hint of hesitation.

"Yep," she said with a smile. "It's high time. I'll drive us back to your place after school."

"Fuck," Chris cursed quietly as he fantasised for a few seconds, staring at her. "Fuck," he repeated when he realised his dick was rapidly expanding against his jeans.

"Yes Chris, we're going to fuck," Annabel whispered teasingly before bursting into laughter at the shocked look on his face. She stepped back up close to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her lips to his firmly. Her tongue slipped just along the edge of his bottom lip, enough to get a little taste of him. Chris responded instantly, returning her kiss for a few seconds before separating, giving her soft lips a parting peck and looking deep into her brown eyes, seeing love reflected back.

"I think I love you, Annabel," Chris suddenly admitted. It was out before he realised he'd said it aloud; her eyes had been his undoing and now he felt vulnerable yet elated.

Annabel saw the searching look in his blue eyes as she squealed in delight and jumped up to cling to him, legs around his waist. He stumbled back from the impact of her weight, then steadied them both and held her tightly as she peppered the side of his face with kisses. Joy flooded her entire body at his words. I love you. I love you. I love you, was repeating over and over frantically in her mind, the heartfelt words expressed through her kisses. Freezing for a second when she realised what she was doing, she calmed herself and pulled back to look at him again, still supported by his strong arms around her waist. "I love you too Chris," she said more seriously.

Chris's heart soared. It felt amazing to declare himself and have it returned so enthusiastically. His ear felt a bit wonky from her close-range squeal but he dismissed the irksome ring, smiling so widely he thought his face might break. He gently kissed her again before setting her back on the ground, mindful of them making a scene. Thankfully there weren't many around to notice. He ran his hands up and down her arm and noticed the chill and goose flesh on her bare skin. Vulnerable. Of course, she's cold, she's human. He flashed to the conversation he had had with Jethry this morning. 'You aren't human Chris, even though you appear to be. Who knows what will happen when your dragon comes out? It could be very dangerous for her.'

"You're cold," Chris stated, a little sombre now, his former elation shattered.

"Sure," Annabel replied with a giggle. "But I couldn't care less." He had finally admitted it to her. "You love me," she whispered conspiratorially before laughing giddily.

"Yes. I do," he replied, as if stating a fact, his response lacking an accompanying grin. He pulled his backpack off of his shoulder and retrieved the hoodie for her. 

She accepted it gratefully and put it on. It hung baggily around her tallish, slim frame, reaching down to just below her butt, yet she hardly noticed, distracted by the sense that something had cut short his post-admission high. 

"Okay babe, let's get going," Chris put an arm around her waist and guiding them toward the auditorium. He needed to find a secluded spot and have a serious talk with his girlfriend.

Something might have dulled Chris's good mood, but Annabel was the happiest she had been in her life. She leant against him as they walked, absolutely content, floating in the clouds. Her heart was happily thumping, recirculating good feelings all through her body. Skin tingled wherever he touched her so she pushed in closer to his side. 

As they walked together, Chris pondered how to explain. He had to do something; he couldn't selfishly lead her on without giving her some sort of warning. Sighing, he leaned over as they walked, pressing his lips to the top of her head. He really did love her. Thrills coursed his body as he felt her awkwardly pulling herself tighter to him. She loves me! part of his mind continued to shout gleefully, while another part dreaded what would happen next, all the while rehearsing what he was going to have to say.

***

The auditorium was empty. Chris pulled Annabel up the steps to the second-to-last row, then along it to the seats in the furthest corner. He sat for a minute, collecting his thoughts frantically as she snuggled into him.




Endangered Ch. 01



He's tense. There was something wrong, but she couldn't understand what could have him this wound up. "What is it, Chris?" she asked as the disquiet seemed to escalate, threatening to envelop them both. Slowly, she sat up in her chair and turned to look up at him.

She knows. Chris panicked, almost reaching the point of chickening out. "Okay, where to begin, ah ... shit," he said in a flurry of words as he tried to steel himself. Annabel looked at him confused, a slight frown marring her pretty features. "Okay. Ummm, just listen Annabel, please just listen. I have to tell you some stuff. Serious stuff about me but I can't explain it all right now, I'm not allowed to. God this is going to sound so stupid but I don't want you to get hurt – " 

Annabel cut him off. "Chris! I know you're not stupid enough to be breaking up with me right now, especially after what we just said; so what the hell is this about?" The unease grew inside her at the pained look she saw plastered across his face as he avoided her gaze.

"No! God no, I don't want to break up with you babe, I love you," Chris assured, meeting her eyes momentarily before dropping them again. "Look.... Just.... Fffsssshhhh," he felt freaking terrified, hands wringing and clammy in his lap.

"Hey," Annabel quietly reassured. "It can't be that bad, just tell me." She reached over and took hold of one of his hands. The strength with which he clasped hers in his now-clammy grip almost made her wince; maybe it was bad.

Feeling slightly better, Chris forged ahead. "Alright. This will sound strange and stupid but it's the truth. Okay? Well, at least part of the truth, I can't tell you the rest now." He paused to see if he could gauge Annabel's reaction. 

She just nodded. 

"I'm in hiding," he resumed, focusing on making his explanation as clear as possible. "I didn't do anything wrong, but some ... people might hurt me if they knew who I was." 

"Like witness protection?" Annabel interjected, then cast furtive glances around the auditorium, looking around like she feared eavesdroppers. This was more serious than she'd thought.

"Not really," Chris answered. "Please Dee, I can't tell you the whole thing. In a few years something is going to happen to me and I'll stop hiding ... but my life is going to be flipped upside down, it could be very dangerous."

"Why? What's going to change?" Annabel asked, confused. "Why can't you tell me?"

"I can't tell you because if I did and those people found out, you'd be in danger." Chris said it pleadingly, hoping it would be a good enough reason. "Annabel ... believe me, it's very dangerous. My parents were killed for something to do with all this."

"Your parents were killed?! Who by? Wait, Susan isn't your mom?" Annabel was incredulous. It all seemed unbelievable; but the desperation in Chris's voice, and the way he was wound up so tight convinced her he was being sincere. The part about his parents and Susan really threw her, though. Annabel had known Susan for years; they got along great, and she knew they both loved Chris. How could Susan not be Chris's mother?

"Susan is my mom but not my biological mother, she was kind of my nurse till I was four but when my parents were killed she looked after me and we've been in hiding all these years. I can't tell you what happened to my parents, honestly I don't know the whole story anyway," Chris paused to work out Annabel's expression. "I guess ... oh, I don't know. I had to tell you that stuff before we go any further. I love you Annabel, but in a few months you'll go away to college in Denver... I don't want to lead you on."

"You could come with me," she said hopefully.

"No, I need to stay hidden. Besides, you won't want to be with me after this whole thing comes to light," Chris said dejectedly. 

"Bullshit, Chris, I love you; so don't turn this around on me. I want to be with you and as long as you still love me, that isn't going to change," Annabel scolded, angry that he was cheapening her feelings for him. "I'm going to Denver in autumn and I want you to come. If you don't that's up to you, but I've got all summer to convince you, and I haven't even started trying." She suddenly shifted in the chair and moved over to face him. Straddling his lap, she leaned up and mashed her lips against his. If this was so serious she would give him something to fight for ... prove she wanted them together. Her tongue demanded entrance to his mouth and she nipped his bottom lip, pulling herself closer when he tried to get away. After a moment Chris relented and opened up to her, lifting his arms up and around to hold her. Annabel slammed her tongue home and they were locked in a slippery duel for a few moments before the kiss mellowed. She moaned quietly and broke for air with a gasp, holding his face in her palms.

"I can't come to Denver," Chris started.

"You will," she countered.

"It'll be dangerous."

"You'll protect me."

"I'll change."

"And I'll still love you."

"Fine," Chris relented, "don't say I didn't warn you." The smile on his face told Annabel he was happy with the outcome. Unable to dissuade her, Chris could do nothing more than appreciate her devotion. Although she by no means knew the whole picture, he didn't feel like he was taking advantage of her anymore.

"I'm sorry about your parents," Annabel said, lowering her hands to play across his chest absently.

"It's okay. Susan is a great mom," Chris said. His own hands on her waist weren't idle either, thumbs stroking her soft tummy through her clothes.

"So ... Susan's your mom now and you're in hiding. Something important is going to happen to you and some people might want to hurt you?" Annabel clarified.

"Pretty much."

"And you can't tell me because it would put me in danger. If this is a joke I'll frickin' kill you, Chris."

"Yes, yes, and no joke. I'm deadly serious. Damnit, sorry, that last was an accident."

"Give me something here, Chris. A clue; what's it all about?"

"Magic," Chris said truthfully, knowing she wouldn't understand. He watched her eyes widen in surprise briefly, before she brushed it off as his way of deflection.

"Whatever. I'll entertain this craziness on the condition that you seriously think about coming to Denver with me. I don't care about all that other stuff." Annabel sighed a little, adding, "And stop petting my tummy, you know it fires me up."

"Okay," Chris replied a little sheepishly, stopping his thumbs yet he still had to touch her, and settled for attempting to encircle her waist with his hands.

"So, here's what's going to happen," Annabel stated more lightly. "You're going to kiss me. We'll stick around here for a while. I'll drive us to your place. We'll have sex, and you'll be damned pleased about it."

"God I love you," was all Chris could say before they were at each other again, lips locked passionately, only coming apart when people started to enter the auditorium.

***

The rest of the day flew by surrealistically. There was a farewell speech given by the principal, and then one by a guest speaker from out of town who emphasised the importance of doing what you loved and not letting opportunities pass by. Lunch was a barbecue for the graduating students, staff, and faculty who didn't have classes with the younger grades. Everyone was saying goodbye and making plans for the summer, while Chris and Annabel sat together and snuck kisses when they thought no one was looking. They talked to a few friends and made plans to go to a leavers party the following Saturday. By 2 pm they were ready to go.

Chris drove Susan's car to the university lot and met Annabel there by the curb at the entrance; Susan had her own keys and would drive home after work. Annabel had purchased her own car last year, ostensibly to drive to work at Mishroy's Steakhouse where she was a chef's assistant. Her parents hadn't liked it but it was her own money. She and Chris had taken advantage of the freedom and privacy it afforded them over the past year, to Annabel's parents' consternation. She loved her parents dearly, but honestly couldn't wait to be out of their stuffy, rigidly pious house for good.

Chris got in and they drove off in nervous anticipation, toward the farm. 

"Your parents?" Chris asked, feeling like he had to run a checklist to assuage his nervousness.

"At work. They don't know I'm staying over, but I'll deal with that in the morning," Annabel replied. "Susan?" she asked.

"She's cool, we've done stuff before when she's at home, she must have heard us. Besides, she won't be back for hours," Chris confirmed. "Protection?"

"I'm on the pill, you've got the condoms."

"Jethry?"

"Will either be asleep or listening at the door," Annabel joked.

"You're probably right about that," Chris chuckled. "You're sure you want to do this? Even after what I told you today?"

"Yes, Chris, you're not backing out now. We're going to lose our virginities and it will be wonderful. Besides, I've practically been frothing at the mouth all day," Annabel said huskily, squirming in her seat in an attempt to scratch her delightful itch and wind Chris up.

"I know," Chris admitted. "I can smell it."

Annabel stared at him for a few seconds before putting her eyes back on the road. "That's hot," she breathed a moment later.

They drove for a few more minutes in silence until they turned down the long driveway. 

Chris asked, "How are we going to play this?"

"We're going straight upstairs," Annabel replied.

As soon as the car was parked, they got out and practically raced to the house. Chris held the door for Annabel, then followed her close up the stairs, placing a hand on her firm behind, feeling her body move. The hand felt scaldingly hot to Annabel, who happily accentuated her stride for him.

Reaching his bedroom they fell upon each other, wildly kissing as Chris pushed her back to sit on the bed. Standing above her, Chris removed his t-shirt and Annabel reached for the hem of her dress before he stopped her. "Can you leave it on for a bit? You look so gorgeous like that," he asked tenderly.

Annabel looked up at his impressive stature with desire smouldering in her brown eyes, knowing what he wanted from her and happy to oblige. Chris had a thing for getting blowjobs while she was still fully clothed. "Okay babe, just get your shoes off already," she said, giggling as he almost fell over in his rush to comply.

As he stood, sans footwear, she rose from the bed and ran her hands along his solid chest and down his abdomen, hinting at where she would go soon. She could feel the strong muscles tensing under the surface as she explored her man lovingly, stepping closer to get a taste, kissing across his chest and toying with a nipple while her hands snuck to play with his jeans-entrapped erection. 

She was torturing him, sending tingles across his skin and shivers up his spine while his stiff penis lay cruelly imprisoned. He gave a desperate groan as the feeling of her skin and silky lips made him shudder in anticipation. "Please Dee, you're driving me crazy," Chris panted. "Please, suck me." Mercifully, Annabel kneeled, trailing kisses down his slightly padded abdomen as her hands undid his belt and zip. 

Lowering his jeans and boxers as one, her prize sprang into view, erect and bobbing. Leaning in slightly and looking up, her wide chocolate pools held him transfixed as she placed a kiss on its thick head. Annabel thought his penis matched his physique perfectly: above average in length, built wide and heavy. It was nice and big, just like he was.

He gasped as she opened wide to envelop the crown within her wet heat, bucking his hips slightly in reflex and bringing a hand to lovingly stroke her cheek, pleasure coursing directly to his brain. She lowered her soft lips along the shaft toward his root, tongue slowly lashing around his head and savouring his natural taste. On her upstroke she made sure to apply suction and just a hint of teeth, revelling in the laboured breathing, groans, and facial expressions she could draw from him as she methodically built up her pace. Annabel couldn't take him all the way in, having tried previously but finding the challenge too great; instead, she used one hand to grip him near the base and jerk him slowly as she entombed his cock in her sweltering mouth.

Chris was in a state of lusty delirium, slowly thrusting into the ring her pretty lips made around him as she engulfed his shaft in hot, moist, pleasure. With the pink gloss on her full lips and her beautiful, happy eyes, she excited him far beyond simple physical stimulation. He panted, moaning in ecstasy, a light sweat forming on his brow as his abdominals clenched and he struggled to hold back. Her sweet lips were stretched near their limits to encircle him and seal him in her hungry mouth, but her eyes were always his undoing: brown, loving, and twinkling up at him from beneath her eyelashes, holding his gaze throughout, her intense expression begging him to come too soon. She looked so sensual, kneeling in her pretty dress, lips around his shaft while her tongue worked its unseen magic. His picture of her as a nubile innocent was corrupted by her lusty stare and those little sounds that escaped from her lips, as she tried to smile while her tongue traced the ridge of his cockhead. A tingling in his sack warned him, and with a strangled groan he very reluctantly pulled back from the blissful edge, and with his last bit of willpower, he fought to free himself from her hungry suction. "God you're amazing," Chris blurted as he regained his breath and composure. 

Annabel grinned happily, wiping spittle off her chin, knowing she had almost had him, and delighting in the act of pleasing him. Her own breath was uneven, cheeks and neck flushed beautifully, sex aching delightfully; it felt like she was about to melt into her panties. She needed attention immediately. "Chris, undress me," she demanded.

Swift to oblige, Chris lifted her up from where she knelt and ran his hands under her dress, then up and over her slim frame, relegating the dress to the floor. Those strong hands brushed around her ribs to unclasp her bra at the back, sending tingles anywhere he touched. Her small breasts were revealed, protruding only slightly from her chest with tiny brown areolas and matching, now-puckered, nipples. Chris gave each beautiful little cupcake a swirl with his tongue and a gentle suckle, drawing a whimper from Annabel who, he knew, was very sensitive when she got this wound up. She wore a padded 32A most of the time but Chris would have happily played with her cute, rounded little tits all day. After a while he kissed down along her tummy to her navel, relishing her soft and smooth skin. She loved it when he worshiped her belly button with half-erotic, half-ticklish tongue strokes; it always made her insides clench. Reaching the top of her slightly frilly white panties, he nuzzled into her fragrant humidity wafting through the moistened fabric. His hands stroked over her firm, peachy ass, catching the edge of the fabric and pushing it along to bunch at her ankles. She quickly stepped out of them.

Exposed, Chris kissed a smooth, milky thigh before he ran his tongue over her swollen pussy lips, collecting her familiar, delicious taste. He rested his nose in her trimmed patch of brown curls and brushed the tip lower to occasionally tease her excited clit. "Fuck! Ooooohhh yes ... Chris ... oonnnhhhaa ... that's so good," Annabel exclaimed as bliss rocked her body and she grabbed his hair a bit roughly, pulling his hot tongue further into herself. Chris got the message, parting her petals and delving into her juicy pinkness as moans and profanities spilled out of her sweet mouth. He pushed his tongue inside and laved then thrust deeply for a few minutes, as she writhed on his face, building her up then retreating to swirl his nimble tongue over her clit, triggering her climax with a little suction. Annabel screamed out her pleasure unintelligibly, her entire body wracked with waves of bliss as she held herself against his mouth. Eagerly capturing the slickness escaping her quivering pussy, he savoured the essence of her womanhood and its salty fragrance with hints of tangy sweetness. As he tasted her pleasure, delivered by himself, he made sure to support her shaking body as the orgasm drained her.

Slowly he laid Annabel down in the middle of his bed while she caught her breath, small aftershocks making her beautiful body twitch every few seconds. Chris left her there to retrieve a condom from his drawer, undoing the package and rolling it down over his meaty shaft. He then joined her, lying on the bed, kissing her breasts, then up along her collarbone to her delicate neck, and finally to her lips. Still in a pleasure-induced stupor, though recovering quickly, she kissed back sloppily but with fervour; he was already lighting another fire within her. Annabel need him inside her, longed to feel his big cock filling her, taking her. "Now ... Chris, I need you now," she moaned, desire tingling through her body wherever they touched.

Delivering one more kiss and whispering his love in her ear, Chris got on his knees and positioned himself. Annabel opened her snowy legs wide and high. Shaft in hand, he ran the head along her slick lips, bumping her clit, making her wriggle and arch. Despite the apprehension she felt, she looked up at him and gave a nod, knowing it would hurt but that he would be gentle. Chris shuffled forward slightly, his butt resting on his heels, thighs flush against hers. He put a reassuring hand on her waist, stroking her tummy while the other positioned himself at her scorching entrance, her swollen pink lips already kissing the very tip. She placed a hand over his and gave it a squeeze: she was ready. Chris trapped her gaze in his own and slowly pushed his hips forward, groaning as her lips parted reluctantly to accept his thick crown. They gasped in unison as the entire head submerged completely, continuing slowly, deeper through her narrow, untried channel. Chris held himself still when he reached her maidenhead. How incredibly tight and soft she was! Looking down at their joining, Chris marvelled at how wide her pink little pussy had stretched to accommodate him.

"Do it quick," she whispered. 

Chris looked at her and saw the determination in her eyes. Gripping her waist firmly with both hands, he pulled himself out slightly, his shaft coated with her juices. She gripped his wrists in final approval. Looking into her eyes, he pulled her down onto him as he shoved forward quickly, tearing aside her barrier and sinking deep, almost to his root with an unintelligible shout. Annabel shut her eyes tight and whimpered through the pain as Chris lowered his torso on top of her, holding her close.

"You're so brave," he told her gently between heavy breaths, holding himself still inside her. "I love you so much ... and Annabel ... oh god you feel so amazing.... thank you!" As she adjusted to him Chris tried to distract her, kissing her ear, neck, and finally her lips. She kissed back more enthusiastically as the pain slowly dulled, replaced with a decidedly satisfying fullness. She experimentally clenched, feeling him tense up and suck in a ragged breath in response. Reaching down along his body to her sex to feel around their joining, she discovered that he had not sunk himself to the hilt; a little yet remained outside of her.

"Okay ... I think I'm ready. Chris, I can't believe how full you make me feel ... just ... go slow, okay?" she panted, reaching up to wrap her arms around him, letting her legs relax and fall further toward the bed.

Slowly he pulled out a few inches, her pussy clutching at him, then gently thrust back into her, making a little headway. Trying again he was almost undone when she decided to clench him tightly, preventing his escape. 




Endangered Ch. 01



"Fuck, you're tight Dee! Gnnnghhhhaa ... stop! I'm not going to last!" he warned, pausing deep within her until he could regain control. Gritting his teeth, he pushed forward till she engulfed him completely, watching her eyes widen at the sensation of pleasure.

His head gently butted up against the entrance to her womb, as deep as he could penetrate. There was a little splash of pain as he pushed to the hilt, but Annabel cooed in delight, the last of her pain washed away by waves of euphoria, feeling every inch of him. "Holy shit, that's deep ... Chris, I can feel you in my belly." 

Holding himself there, he basked in the feeling of being completely inside her sweltering, tight pussy, his balls against her flesh and his body pressing her down into the bed. It felt so right to be like this with her, as intimate as possible. Annabel was also enjoying the sensation, his thick shaft was filling her completely, twitching slightly every now and then, sending pleasure coursing through her body. She rotated her hips experimentally and felt it stir her insides delightfully, touching places she was unaware had existed. He felt so nice and heavy on top of her, sinking them both down deeper into the bed. 

Slowly, he pulled out. Annabel whimpered as he withdrew, fighting for every millimetre he removed, but then squealed with joy as he surged all the way home again. Tense with the effort of holding his impending orgasm back, he thrust in, withdrew to his head and re-sheathed fully, repeating stroke after stroke into her velvety depths; and was rewarded with the honour of watching Annabel's monumental sexual awakening, up close. 

His paced thrusts rubbed everywhere inside her and started to stimulate her engorged clit, eliciting a series of joyful little sounds from her lips against his neck. She came alive, moaning, whimpering, clutching, grasping, kissing. As she bucked her hips to meet his thrusts, he felt his full testicles tingling, drawing up in anticipation. The delightful build-up made him pump more forcefully into her inflamed pussy and pull her tightly to him with an arm underneath her back. Annabel reciprocated, instinctually wrapping her legs around him to spur his actions, arching and nipping at his shoulder.

This was so much better than she had ever dreamed. His wonderful cock touched everything inside of her, even kissing her cervix gently when he'd pushed as deeply as he could. They were built perfectly for each other. She felt herself building quickly under his masterful thrusts, her pussy fluttering, leaking a trickle of juices she could feel seeping down between her cheeks as she sped toward her climax. Mashing their bodies together and moaning her pleasure into his ear, she needed to feel him come with her. 

"Oooaaahhhhaa! Yes! Come for me, Chris ... oh, shit I'm going to come too.... I love you," she squealed brokenly, panting with exertion and bucking on the edge of orgasm. At her words, Chris thrust harder for a few strokes until Annabel's entire body quivered and tensed. "Ohhhh gnnhhh ... aaah!" she managed as her pussy clenched, releasing a gentle stream of joy as her entire body tensed and released, toe-curling pleasure exploding behind her eyelids. 

Her spasming almost unseated Chris, who shoved himself firmly to the hilt with a muffled shout as thick ropes of come surged up his shaft into the condom. He held himself at full depth as her delighted snatch milked his cock. He looked down at her, drinking in the absolute beauty of a woman coming beneath him as he came and came, groaning and mumbling in total abandon until he'd spent his last spurts. 

As Annabel gradually relaxed, he stirred himself slowly in her hot core, and gave a few short, experimental thrusts with his softening cock, prolonging the pleasure. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment before kissing slowly with a new depth of feeling. Finally he pulled back and reluctantly exited her spent pussy with a slight plop and an accompanying whimper. Chris noticed a small amount of blood, so discarded the condom and cleaned them both with tissues from his bedside table. Annabel was staring up at the ceiling as he lay back down beside her, pulling her into his chest and nuzzling her hair. 

"That was amazing, thank you," he said reverently. All she could muster in response was to press her lips into him sleepily and make a contented little mewl.

Encircling her soft body, happy tiredness started to overcome him too. Chris felt fantastic; his only small niggle was a strange feeling in his chest and stomach. It felt unsettled, like there was something moving slightly inside him ... not enough to cause concern in the aftermath of great sex, he dozed with his arms wrapped around his lover. A man now by any definition, he had finally come of age.

***

He was woken sometime later by his own hyperventilations. Something was very wrong. A searing heat rattled around in his chest, burning his insides and making sweat drip off his naked body. He knew it was his dragon, felt it instinctually as it burned hotter still, like white-hot, molten metal jumping inside him. He struggled not to scream in pain, his mind racing as the dragon inside burned away the barrier between them.

Annabel was still somehow asleep, snuggled to his feverish skin with her face almost touching his heaving chest. 

Get away from Annabel! This was happening too soon! She wasn't prepared to accept his dragon, hadn't yet taken his warnings seriously, would hate him, be terrified. 

Rolling away from her and off the bed with a thump and a strangled cry, he started crawling toward the door, sobs wracking his chest as the fire spread from his chest to the rest of his body. He didn't get far before collapsing with a gurgling moan.

"Chris?!" came her worried cry. She had awoken abruptly, her heart pounding, alone in the bed with noises of agony nearby. 

The room was darker, an hour or two must have passed but it was still light outside. Squinting through the dimness, she spotted Chris's form where he lay face-down on the floor, twitching and crying out. She sat up and flicked on the light on the bedside table, then scrambled out of bed and over to him. "Oh my god!" Kneeling beside him on the floor, Annabel reached to touch his shoulder but withdrew suddenly. His skin burned her fingers. "You're burning! Chris, are you alright? Can you hear me? What happened?" she queried in a panic.

During a lull in the intense pain, he took the opportunity to warn her. "It's happening," he croaked, his throat dry and cracked. His flesh seemed to be sloughing down his oesophagus to feed the fire in his chest. She had reached for him again, so he invested his last remaining energy in the next words, "No! Annabel get away from me!" 

She backed up a bit, moving more out of shock at his reaction to her presence, than in obedience to his desperate warning. Annabel froze as she witnessed what happened next.

Suddenly, the pain stopped; he had half a hope that it was over, when something powerful surged into his mind, and his limbs began thrashing. The dragon was in his mind now, struggling with its own consciousness, mentally digging its claws and teeth into him and holding fast. Chris choked, tears streaming down his cheeks, helpless as he felt his own soul surrender, ceasing its weak resistance. Gradually, the dragon quieted. It had won. 

Like water that had stilled only momentarily, both felt the rippling sensation as it started merging with him, pouring itself into him, just as he was poured into it. Mixing and stirring together, they blended to create one Being, one soul. With a feral roar of triumph echoing through every chamber and crevice in his mind, Chris became complete. Unbeknownst to him, his body had simultaneously begun undergoing its own transformation. 

Annabel stared as a rich purple colour, originating at the base of his neck, spread out slowly across his back. His face was obscured from her view, yet she could see the flush of deep purple as it spread up his head, turning his skin and even his hair purple. His body seemed to be growing slightly, though she couldn't be sure. As the purple transformed his arms, Annabel got definitive proof that he was growing; and in its wake as it passed, it left his muscles slightly more defined underneath.

However, this was forgotten as she watched a line of what looked like ... scales, blossom and spread down his neck and across his spine; a smaller set growing outward and another smaller still following those. Ever smaller scales now spread, halving in size and halving again and again, until a few inches from his backbone, they had grown so small that she couldn't even make them out. The ever smaller scales spreading away from his spine soon caught the advancing purple, travelling down over his buttocks and thighs, around his ribcage and down his arms. His once-fair skin had completely turned purple, with gradations to slightly paler amethyst in front as it spread around his ribs across his belly. Meanwhile, larger scales travelled down his spine, becoming smaller as they reached his tailbone and stopped altogether. One final, narrow scale emerged, much longer than the last two combined, accented by four unique, creamy white-coloured bumps along its sides and one at the very tip. 

Something rippled at his shoulder blades. Suddenly, Annabel snapped out of her half-conscious state, her overloaded mind scoffing at this new development in her lover. This can't be real, I'm dreaming. Annabel was about to try pinching herself when she remembered the dull ache in her slick nethers and other newly well-used muscles. Looking down briefly she inspected the sticky evidence of her wonderful deflowering, her sex puffy and sore. Convinced that it was all real, panic and confusion flooded her brain. What the hell is going on?! 

The answer came to her as she looked back at Chris, a large pair of leathery purple wings that she had been watching in disbelief as they grow out of his upper back, were complete and now lay, folded neatly. The upper joints raised above his head, the lower tips brushed against his sculpted purple ass, each ending in a razor-sharp, hook-like, white claw. 

"Magic...," she breathed.

***



Endangered Ch. 02



Hi everyone. Thanks for the awesome feedback on chapter 1, please keep it up because it makes my day. I am also happy to accept suggestions on how I could improve.

This chapter follows directly on from chapter 1 so make sure you read that first. As such, the format is a little different from what I would usually go for... in this case, the sex is at the start .

Disclaimer: Placenames are real but are mainly used as points of reference, people are made up, and everything sexual occurs between adults over 18. Some aspects of sexuality in this story are unrealistic, this is a fantasy story set in a fantasy society, in a fantasy universe.

Thanks again to RexBrookdale, editor extraordinaire, who also tries to keep me level-headed. 

I hope you enjoy.

LTPC

***

Endangered - Chapter 2 - LTPC

***

One wing twitched ... the first movement she'd seen from him since he had passed out. It set her off like a frightened rabbit, scurrying back onto the bed and as deep into the corner as she could go, flush against the wall. Heart pounding, her hyper imagination came up with terrible scenarios in which a winged purple beast shredded and devoured her. Annabel fought her panic, trying to think logically, Is this what he tried to talk to me about today? Oh my God, he ... he isn't ... human! Is that, that thing, even still Chris? Panic and fear dominated her reason, as she pulled the duvet up around her trembling naked body, hoping to hide herself from the rousing monster.

Chris lay with his eyes closed, concentrating, his senses having returned suddenly to crash against his consciousness with new and vibrant information. Myriad changes notwithstanding, he had just arrived at the happy realization that his mind was still intact. However, there was something ... he could somehow feel that he was different, powerful, alive ... free! These nascent feelings seemed strange to his logical human mind, and carried a distinctive, ancient-yet-feral, dragon quality. Smells were overwhelmingly pungent, and the sound as he breathed, thundered in his ears. Cracking his eyes, his blurry vision cleared quickly and was somehow brighter, images sharper and more defined. More blues, more reds. 

His body trembled with the raw power now constantly coursing through it, cooling down in the wake of burning through his father's enchantment. Those strangely textured instincts originating from within his dragon, told of being tougher, stronger, faster ... better. 

Slowly pushing off the floor, Chris halted, catching sight of his purple hand splayed against the grey carpet. "Well thiss wass unexsspected," he mused to himself at the sight of short, cream-coloured claws in place of his fingernails, framed by purple scales so small he could barely see them, even with his newly-enhanced vision. "What the hell?!" he muttered, hearing the quality of his voice. A little deeper and with a slight sibilance, he would have to work on keeping hisses out of his voice. Speaking of which, his tongue explored the inside of his mouth curiously, finding a pointier, sharper environment. The tongue itself seemed to be able to touch two places at once. Chris stuck it out cautiously; the two prongs of his forked tongue wiggled gently, though the rest still appeared human in shape.

The view downward brought to light an even more shocking change. His nose no longer obscured the view of his tongue, having become flattened and smoothed back into his face. Feeling along its contours, Chris found several other differences: his nostrils were slit-like, his lips were thinner, and a formation of small bumps pointed back in a line underneath his hair just above his temples. Opening his mouth, fang-like canines were at least a centimetre longer and sharp points could be felt along the rest of his teeth. It all sort of made sense, if, as he suspected, he was currently a hybrid of both dragon and human forms. The dragon agreed.

He examined his front, his chest and abdomen now creamy white, blending with the purple as it wound around his sides. With one arm he reached back to partially extend a wing. The leathery webbing was supple and smooth, purple on the back, creamy white underneath, sharing his body's colour scheme. Any part of him that was equivalent to a dragon's underbelly was this lighter ivory, included his palms up to his underarms, his chest, neck, tummy, and ... penis. On cursory inspection, the shape of the latter had changed, too, with a more flared, wider glans, and strange pointed tip. He was amused that the merge between the white and purple travelled the underside of his shaft, leaving the top creamy with a strip of purple along the bottom, giving him a legitimate case of blue balls. 

Gone was any trace of body hair. He checked for it everywhere: chest, back, pubes, ass crack, legs, arms, face. It was all gone except for the now-purple hair on his head. Somehow, these changes felt natural, right even ... he was truly a dragon. 

But why purple? Susan had told him about browns, blues, reds, greens, and silvers, but never purple dragons. 

A dragon's colour reflected it's aspect, or magical element. What was his aspect, then? The answer came to him from within, the dragon simply sharing its instinctual knowledge as if Chris himself had known it all along but had only just now recalled it: The Ether. 

The revelation was conferred with nonchalance, his dragon having known this from the beginning. It explained his purple-tinged dreams: the colour of the Ether – Of course! he realized suddenly, this was why he had so often dreamed of it. 

Slowly rising to his feet, his new wings ruffled a little. Chris tilted back to look up at the leanly muscled forewing, its clawed elbows at least a foot above his head. It was only right that a dragon had wings, wasn't it? Catching his reflection in the long mirror by the door, Chris took a few steps forward to inspect himself. His purple and white body looked powerful, magnificent, dangerous. With a dragon-induced chuckle at his own magnificence, Chris scrutinized his face in the mirror. Reptilian eyes stared back, their vertical irises taking in the lines of his new purple visage. Chris could still see himself in that face, despite the new definition of his nose and cheek bones. Smiling, his sharp white teeth were revealed, points interlocked to provide maximum slicing and penetration of his prey. The dragon preened inside him, his knowledge providing access to the foreign muscles. Chris tentatively extended them to open his wings, watching in awe as they unfurled magnificently. At full extension they reached at least two metres on either side of his body, one tip was currently extended through the doorway out into the hall. Strong bones and muscles stretched along the leading edge, purple-finger struts supporting the thin flight webbing. He felt new muscles tensing down his back and around his ribcage, attached under his arms and down across his back. Would they actually support him if he attempted to fly? His dragon said yes.

Retracting them slowly, Chris turned to fully observe his scaled spine. He saw the progression of ever smaller scales and followed them with a finger. A little further and he couldn't even tell that tiny scales even existed. Running his hand back around and over his abs, his skin felt just as smooth and sensitive as before, but with a subtle difference in the way light was reflected. 

His forked tongue flicked out to taste the air. The flavour explosion he experienced when his tongue withdrew inside his mouth was perhaps the most revelatory experience so far. Smells and tastes he didn't know existed and couldn't identify, lit up his brain with an overload of information. However there was one scent that was very familiar, drawing Chris abruptly away from his self-admiration. Annabel. His head snapped to the corner of the room where she huddled, attempting to hide under his duvet. She gave a tiny jump under the blanket as his head swivelled with lightning speed to look straight at her. 

She should have been his first concern, but he'd gotten carried away with his new body. Trying to move unthreateningly, Chris slowly edged toward the bed. The duvet pile trembled as he got on the bed, kneeling in the opposite corner. Sighing, Chris slumped, knowing that it was all over. She now knew about his dragon; they would have to alter her memory.

"Annabel. I'm so sorry." Chris started, not really knowing how to continue, "I never thought you would be exposed to this. I thought by the time this happened to me I would be long gone. You don't have to be afraid, I would never hurt you."

There was a pause in the trembling and Annabel peeked out behind her improvised cover. "Chris?" came her whispered voice. His deep voice was still gentle and reassuring but he seemed to put a bit more emphasis on his 'S' sounds.

"Yes. Dee it's me, I know I look scary but it's me," Chris implored, extending an arm to try and coax her back to him. "I'm so sorry it happened like this."

Annabel lowered the duvet completely and stared open-mouthed at the creature in front of her. He looked dangerous, terrifying, entrancing, and beautiful all at the same time as he knelt on the bed a few feet away, an arm outstretched like he wanted her to go to him. It looked so out of place, this beautiful monster kneeling on the bed, looking crestfallen. "What are you?" was all she managed.

"I'm a dragon."

"How is this possible?" 

"I was born this way," he sighed. "My parents were dragons; but when my father knew he was likely to die, he placed an enchantment on me, which hid my dragon away while I grew up so I would be safe." 

"This is why you said you were hiding? What could possibly hurt a dragon?" 

"Dee ... there's a whole magical world you don't know about. Dragons are endangered because they were hunted. I tried to warn you about this but my dragon was released much sooner than I expected. It must have been when we had sex." As he spoke, Chris was putting things together in his mind. It must have been losing his virginity that had triggered the breaking of his father's spell.

"I did this to you?" Annabel's voice trembled.

Chris saw her uncertainty and pain and couldn't help rushing to embrace her. However, the sudden advance of a purple, winged man, moving quickly across the bed toward her made her jump back and cry out in fear, forgetting momentarily that it was Chris. He managed to capture her trembling body and hold her softly against him, petting her back. "SShhh. It's okay, Annabel. It's me, it's okay. I didn't mean to scare you like that; I just wanted to hold you. None of this was your fault, it's just who I am. All we did together was unlock this side of me. I don't regret a second, I love you," Chris soothed, pausing before continuing to the painful part. "You weren't meant to find out about this but it's okay, if you don't want to stay with me I'll go. It'll be like I never existed." Chris's heart was breaking and the dragon was snapping his fangs in anger at this promise to leave their mate. 

Annabel calmed as he spoke to her, melting into his warm, firm chest as he stroked her. His scent flooded her lungs, imbuing her with a sense of comfort. It took a moment to process his last sentence but she realised he was leaving her. She took another deep breath and it was as if a switch had flicked on, like he called to her entire body, willing her to go to him. Rationality was thrown aside; she loved him, how dare he leave her? Closer: she wanted, needed to be closer, to belong to him whatever that might mean. Clutching and clawing, Annabel latched herself onto him, determined not to let go. "Don't Chris! Don't go please!" she wailed, tears streaming down her face as she wormed her way against his creamy white neck. "Please. I need you, I love you," she begged.

Chris was startled by her response but quickly tried to comfort the distressed Annabel. He hugged her tightly in return, trying to ignore that she was desperately grinding her body into him, legs locked around his waist. "Hey. Hey, I'm not going anywhere, Dee. Not unless you want me to. I'm just saying that as an option in case you understandably never wanted to see me again, I thought you would flip out and run away screaming. I'm so happy you still want me." 

"Of course I want you, you're a beautiful dragon. I'm yours." Annabel replied automatically. Wait yours? That's strange, I should be a bit more freaked out right now, she thought, while pressing her lips into his skin wherever she could reach. He was so smooth and warm, he smelled great too, definitely masculine with a hint of sweet, spicy smoke. I should stop this... Oooo! I bet he tastes great too. Her addled mind reasoned, swirling her tongue on his skin where she kissed, delighting that he tasted just like he smelled. She couldn't stop herself. 

Something was definitely wrong, Chris was relieved at Annabel's vehement affirmations but now she was trying to lick him all over, moaning breathily as she sucked and nipped at him. He got distracted as she toyed with a nipple, all the while rubbing her pussy slickly against his pubic bone with her ass cheeks teasing his hard on. His dragon was purring inside him, happy with the way she worshiped their body. He snapped out of it when she put her tongue in his armpit attempting to find the source of his delicious smell. The tickling brought him back and he had to forcefully push her away and hold her still as she writhed against him. 

"Annabel, what's gotten into you? Stop. This isn't right." Chris worried.

"Chris! Oh!" Annabel panted, struggling to get back to him. "You smell so good, I just want to taste... What's happened to me?" 

Regaining some control she looked up at him, focusing on his concerned purple eyes. The shock of noticing that they were now reptilian brought her back, he was a fucking dragon. He blinked and she saw a membrane retreating to the side of his eye, he had another see-through eyelid underneath his human set, it was so odd that she noticed it now. There was something wrong with her, she could feel her emotions raging out of control. She loved him so much but now it was like she was desperate to be possessed by him, to prove herself worthy of being his. Her body was hot and achy, starting to sweat a little, it felt like there was a fire in her womb, leaking molten desire down onto him where she squished her mound wetly against his skin. 

"Chris, what did you do to me? I'm burning up. Oh my god, how wet am I?!" 

Dragon struck came the pleased response inside his head as he felt her juices flowing down onto his balls, dripping onto the bed while his pulsing cock twitched between her cheeks. "Oh Dee I'm so sorry, I think you're dragon struck, it's like pheromones or something. I don't know what to do!"

It was too much, Annabel couldn't resist it any more as the slim control she had over her desires slipped back into a lusty craze. "Take me," she whimpered.

"No! Annabel, fight it." Chris said desperately trying to hold her still while she writhed to get him inside her.

"Do it! I love you Chris, take me, claim me!" Annabel screamed, her desperation flaring at his resistance.

"No Annabel, not like this! You're not yourself, you're drugged."

"I don't care!" came her ragged response. What she was experiencing was delicious, but dangerous at the same time, like some unknown doom would befall her if she didn't convince him soon. "Don't you want me?" she asked, seeming vulnerable for a moment. 

Chris relaxed a little, letting his guard down at her hurt expression. "Of course I do, it's jus – "

She took her opportunity and clawed her way back to his body, wrapping around it in a death grip. Chris tried to pull her away but couldn't without risking hurting her. His dragon tried to tell him that this was normal for the first time between dragons and humans but Chris was unmindful, distraught that he'd done this to her, that he'd somehow played with her mind. The female loves you, she needs you to claim her, reassure her that she's yours. Our scent only amplifies her desires, among other things. It doesn't create themm, his dragon informed him, eager to sink into Annabel's tight, hot flesh. 

We will have a serious talk about your affect on the people I love once this is resolved Chris projected ominously. 

We are one being, I love her just as much as you. Now shut up and give her what she needs, came the startling reply.

While their internal debate raged, Annabel had secured her position. Locking her ankles and wrists around his broad body, she pulled herself up to his ear. "Fuck me." She demanded.

"No," came Chris' stony reply, now determined to fight both her and his dragon.

"Please Chris, I need this," Annabel almost sobbed in his ear, squeezing her entire body into him. "You aren't taking advantage, I want this so much it hurts!" 

"I won't."

"God damn it Chris, fuck me!" snarled Annabel, fed up with his noble stubbornness. He said she was under his influence, but that didn't matter to her; the love and want she felt in that moment were so great her body hummed, sweat and heat rolling off her. All this and he wouldn't help her get what she instinctually knew she needed, his seed in her belly.

"No – " Chris felt a roar of pain burst out of his lungs. 

Upon hearing his negative, Annabel had suddenly sunk her teeth into his ear. It wasn't the word she'd wanted to hear. 

Just as suddenly, a brutally strong clawed hand gripped the back of her neck and pulled her off of him. 

"Petulant female!" the dragon snarled in her face, fangs flashing.

"I'm sorry! I don't know why I did that," Annabel quaked, terrified at his rage. The metallic taste of blood set her lips and tongue tingling, as if she had just swallowed hot sauce and was waiting for the full burn to start.

The dragon loosened his grip on her slightly. "It is good, in a way, little one; your tenacity pleases me."

"Chris?" Annabel asked tentatively.

"I'm here, you just brought the dragon to the foreground. We are one Being but each have our own impulses," his dragon allowed Chris to explain, looking her trembling body up and down appreciatively. 

"Now, as to your demands," his dragon resumed. Abruptly she was released from his taloned grip and he watched her slump down against his body, her legs still wrapped around him. Grabbing her narrow waist roughly and lifting her easily, he ignored her weak protests. He positioned her above his markedly more bullet-shaped and flared cockhead, using her engorged labia to kiss the tip, lubricating it thoroughly. She whimpered quietly as he held her in place, teasing her with her own desire as she bucked to impale herself. Soon enough he lowered her, in complete control as his cockhead pressed home suddenly, stretching her wide as it popped in and then drilled deeper, agonizingly slowly, inch by glorious inch. 

It was all too much, whatever he was doing to her, it was just too much. Her body quaked, his penis, so hot and thick inside her, inching slowly upward into her. "Yes! Chris! Ohh ... mmm," the words died in her throat as she came halfway through his penetration, her ecstatic pussy fluttering, wetting him further with a little trickle of her cum. She shuddered, calling his name, cursing him, praising him as he continued to sheath himself in her scorching pussy, pushing through her convulsions. Finally he reached the end of her passage and stilled for a few moments, allowing her to recover. She squeezed her arms and legs back around him as he held both of them in a seated position. He twitched inside her, making her jump. 

"Oh my god; you're bigger?!" she asked incredulously as the feeling of being stuffed with a large dragon's cock prolonged her post-orgasmic bliss, twitching and squeezing him.




Endangered Ch. 02



"Only a little bit." Chris whispered in her ear, reaching up with one hand to hold her head gently, he kissed from her ear around to her mouth. Tasting his own blood there, he licked it away while kissing her softly. Annabel attempted to slide her tongue into his mouth but retreated at the feel of his sharp teeth; instead, their tongues waged an increasingly feisty duel within hers until Chris pulled away. "I'm going to fuck you now Dee," he growled, grasping a large fistful of her thick hair.

All she could do was look up at him, doe eyed as he ground his thick crown deep inside her with tiny thrusts. Her pleasure laced with intense sensations bordering on pain, she came again in just a matter of seconds, bucking and undulating her tummy as he demonstrated his mastery of her needy body. Again she flooded him with her juices, soiling the sheets below as she tried to scream in ecstasy but no sound came out of her gasping mouth. The orgasm didn't as last long but that didn't matter, within seconds he started pulling back, fighting her tightness as he raised her up, holding with only the thickest part of his head at her opening before pulling her back down again, battering his way into her spamming pussy. He was being rough with her, it was slightly painful but in the moment his animal passion and dominance felt exactly right.

Feeling her velvet walls clutching him, heat nearly overwhelming, he thrust up into her strongly, still with a measured and relatively slow pace he pulled her smaller body down to meet him. His dragon revelled in how amazing it was to sheath himself almost to the hilt over and over in her tight body, he might go deeper but didn't want to cause her too much pain. Arching his head, he let out a roar of triumph, wrapping her tightly in his arms, one hand on her supple, tight little ass, the other crossing her back, still gripping a fistful of her soft brown hair, tugging a little. With this unbreakable hold he thrust into her franticly, taking shorter, more powerful strokes, growling into her soft neck. 

Annabel was moaning constantly, pleasure coursing her twitching body, trying to meet his thrusts but realising that he was totally in control. She was being fucked by a dragon, her dragon. She felt him deep inside her, filling her again and again, creating glorious friction everywhere. She heard the lewd squelching noises they made as he pumped into her, heard his roar of pleasure and felt him increase his pace. Her orgasm crept up on her, surprising her with its sudden intensity after only a few more moments of his fervent thrusting. Her body locked again as he thrust a few more times before her trembling, tense pussy forced him to slow, attempting to coax its reward from him but failing. He held her brutally tight, crushing her into his white chest. Riding her pleasure she muffled her screams against his shoulder and before she knew what she was doing, sunk her sharp little teeth into him again.

Chris was enjoying the feeling of her contracting around him, hearing and feeling the woman he loved come apart in his arms when she bit him again. Hard. It hurt, he knew it would heal, his ear had already started, but it really hurt, pulling him back from the brink. His dragon however was pleased they had such a feisty bedmate, eager to show her who was in charge, who had the fangs. It was like whatever affected Annabel was instinctively making her goad and rile him into a frenzy.

Chris let her finish her orgasm, still locked onto his shoulder but when her twitching stopped he pulled her roughly off him with a moist squelch. Annabel protested weakly as he dumped her on the bed, turned her and pulled her up by the waist, ass in the air with her swollen flower displayed for him, her pinkness now a darker shade. She was still contracting automatically, winking at him as he ogled her peachy smooth butt, running his clawed hands gently over her alabaster skin, squeezing greedily on her giving flesh.

Recovering, Annabel panted into the sheets as he explored her proudest feature. She might wish occasionally for a more womanly pair of tits but she thought her ass was superb; so did Chris, apparently, as he took his time with her wonderful bottom. Suddenly he reared up behind her, using a hand to guide himself into position, her knees were together on the bed so he had to push his thick shaft between her cheeks to reach the drenched heat of her vagina. Putting a hand on each snowy globe, he pulled her back onto himself slowly, mindfully watching for any sign of displeasure. This was perhaps his second favourite part of sex, sinking into her slowly, seeing it with his own eyes as he felt it with his slick, throbbing erection. It felt so good, so right and she gave a cute little gasp when he seated himself fully, sexily watching him over her shoulder. 

Stuffed inside her burning soft flesh, he lowered his body over hers, pulling her up into his chest so his mouth was at her ear. Very slowly Chris began taking tiny soft thrusts, grinding himself into her, stirring all around inside her the dragon whispered in her ear, "Do you feel that, Dee? You're mine. I'm going to fuck you like an animal 'til I fill you up." Annabel just whimpered and bucked back against him slightly, dominating and possessive, exactly what she needed to hear from him. "You'll be my fist, my Familiar, and one day you'll bear our children. All this because I love you, Annabel." Chris poured their combined feelings into her ear, feeling her clench him in approval.

"Yes!" she cried in response, "I'll do it all, Chris. Anything! I love you." She turned her head back awkwardly and he met her, attacking each other's lips, tasting, nipping. Their slippery tongues met for a few moments before the position became a little uncomfortable. Chris broke away with a gasp as he began thrusting more forcefully into her, feeling her arch and slam her butt back into his oncoming thrusts. He pulled her back with him to a partial sitting position, toying with her small breasts with one hand while the other held her waist. Her mouth would latch onto anything he put in her reach, currently she twisted her head was licking and playfully biting his healed ear while he leaned his head down to her, covering her smaller body with his. He tweaked a little brown nipple in response, reminding her to be careful, she obviously had a thing for biting. Feeling her silken pussy tense on him in response, Chris realised he was only seconds from the end. 

Automatically his wings began to enfold them, twitching in excitement as his heavy purple balls tingled and his penis throbbed in pleasure, stiffening, expanding a little. Annabel felt him get a little bigger, harder and knew he was about to come, a little surprised but ultimately not caring that his wings made a tent around her. She was very near her own climax, panting and moaning as he played havoc with her breasts and stoked her insides toward ultimate pleasure, just a few more moments. He thrust harder on his last few strokes, that delightful peak before the fall seemed to teeter for a timeless moment before he shouted out his victory, seating himself against her womb as his muscles contracted and he felt spasms race down his length, released his potent seed into her, spurting powerfully down his thick shaft into her waiting depths. He felt an urge to sink his fangs into her sweet neck but held back as pleasure flooded his addled brain.

To Annabel, it felt like he was drenching her insides with his hot, viscous come, splattering her walls with force. This new sensation was the icing on the cake, unaware his come had magical properties, she fell into her soul-shattering climax with a wail at the instinctual knowledge that he was claiming her completely, mating her. Arching against him and pushing his sensitive crown up into her cervix as he fired off shot after hot shot, she milked him for all he was worth. Chris felt her come, her pussy going crazy all over his over sensitised cock, it was almost painful till her body when a little limp as he finished inside her, eyes shut, gasping for breath, he held her tight as they writhed in bliss.

He held them locked together for several minutes, enjoying the feel of completeness as they literally dripped onto the bed. Not wanting to leave her yet, Chris folded his wings back up and rolled them onto their sides. Her heaving, flushed body pulled back into him with protective arms. He felt his love and devotion for this wonderful young woman reach new heights, she wanted him despite being a dragon. It would be difficult but he would make a good life for her in his world. "Dee," He said gently.

"What?" she cooed.

"I'm so happy you don't want to leave me. Things are going to be strange but I'll fight for us to be together. You were right you know? I'll protect you and I'll always love you, Dee. Okay?" Chris managed to mumble into her hair, smelling her slight vanilla scent mixed with sweat and pungent sex.

"Of course you will," She replied, turning to face him, forcing his softening penis out of her with only a small gush of fluids. The majority of his spend remaining inside her, millions of years of evolution making it inhumanly thick and sticky, to remain inside and insure his successful mating. Annabel looked up at her lovely boyfriend-dragon. "I'll stay with you as long as you'll have me Chris, no matter what else happens, I love you." 

Finished with their affirmations for the moment, they cuddled for a while before Annabel fell asleep again, pressed up against him. Chris looked over at his clock, it was only 5:30, at least an hour before Susan got home. He had time for a nap too before that craziness started. Breathing deep, Chris drifted into his own satisfied sleep.

***

The Ether, he was dreaming again. For a moment he savoured the feeling of Annabel's warmth as her sleeping form pressed against his front, breathing against his chest. He slowly stroked a finger over her ghostly shoulder and along her arm, exploring her softness in the purple light he cast and the ambient glow of the Ether. Sighing, he raised his head and looked at the clock. Not having slept very long, Susan should be home soon and he needed to get up.

Wait... I can move...I'm awake! Chris's mind whirred. Sitting up abruptly he missed that his arm passed right through Annabel, who crumpled into the space he previously occupied, curling into a ball. Clearly he was now in the Ether, lucid and in control of his body.

Chris felt a little bad about leaving her, but he wanted to explore while he had a chance. The unfamiliarity of having wings was startling, but Chris didn't know how nor want to go back to his human form at the moment. Annabel was still sound asleep so he reached down to brush her arm and whispered, "I'll be back soon babe." She didn't respond so he caressed down her ribcage and over her naked hip, pressing a little firmer over her creamy globes, he got the shock of his life when his hand sank into her shadow-form's flesh.

"Holy shit!" Chris exclaimed, ripping his hand back, leaving Annabel still obliviously sleeping. Wow that's cool, how does it work? He wondered. As an experiment he reached out for his bedside table, feeling its ghostly shadow as a firm object when he touched it lightly but finding that if he pressed harder his hand could pass through it, sinking into the wood as if it were just a very viscous liquid. The implications where staggering, Chris might be able to walk through walls, pass through objects and people, travel anywhere. There were also some more serious things to think about, what if he left the Ether while his hand was inside something else? Would my hand fall off?! What if part of him was inside someone? I need to get educated, he thought, vowing not to try anything too fancy before he got some guidance.

Putting these thoughts aside, he decided to continue with the planned exploration but first glanced backwards at Annabel. She really was absolutely beautiful, a kind, loving soul encased in a cute, lithe little body. His dragon purred, content with both her nature and physical form, she would be the first of his brood. Brood?! Chris asked incredulously, not noticing that his wings clipped right through the doorframe. Yes, brood. We will gather desirable mates. Protect and provide, they will come to us and together we grow strong, the dragon responded as he strolled the ethereal hall and descended the stairs. Chris scoffed that his dragon seemed so self assured, he knew that he probably couldn't be completely exclusive to Annabel now that he had awoken but he certainly wasn't planning on pimpin' up a harem. Annabel would be his girl, any others would have to be part of contracts or favours.

Everything in the kitchen and living room seemed normal, from the Ether anyway, so Chris opened the front door and walked out onto the porch. His first look outside was somewhat anticlimactic, he hadn't been expecting a magical rainbow wonderland but it pretty much just looked crepuscular except everything was ghostly and the faint violet light was everywhere. Looking up, he saw the sun as a bright globe, now low in the sky, but it didn't seem to provide any direct illumination and didn't cast shadows. He could see just as far as he could in the Norm but now everything lacked its usual colour, a grey/purple scale instead.

To the left, growing up the porch and onto the outside of the house was a faintly glowing white vine. Another Ether plant Chris assumed, perhaps Susan would appreciate a sample later. Out on the gravel driveway he walked towards the barn past Annabel's parked car, taking in everything around him. Even the clouds were here in the Ether. So were the animals, he noted as he past the chicken coop. However, the wile ghost-birds seemed to sense the proximity of a predator and quickly sheltered back in their house with a fluster of clucks and squawks.

Jethry heard the commotion from the barn and sallied forth to shoo off whatever vermin was harassing his chickens. However, only a few steps down the driveway he stopped dead when his neck hair prickled. There was something magical nearby, stalking around his property. He couldn't detect anything out of place with his catlike senses but that didn't mean it wasn't there. Looking all around with his enhanced vision, partially transforming into his cat, he scanned for the unseen threat with a menacing hiss. Nothing was out of place but Jethry knew there was something powerful watching him from concealment.

For his part, Chris was startled when Jethry immerged from the barn and all of a sudden went cat-mode with a hiss, looking around like he was preparing for a fight. His dragon growled in challenge but realised after a moment that the old werecat must be sensing his own presence, just like the chickens. Chris tried to talk him down but failed, "Jethry, it's just me you old coot. My dragon awakened." He said, but got no response. Trying to wave his arms, he shouted but it was clear Jethry couldn't see or hear him. "Shit," Chris muttered as he gave up.

Jethry's thoughts went to Chris, perhaps they had been found out. Warily he got out his old flip phone to warn Susan, hoping desperately she picked up. He was warrior, trained to fight and protect but he couldn't go up against a powerful magic user, not alone anyway.

"Hi Jethry, I'm just driving home, let me just get this headset thingy... okay what's up?" Susan answered. Chris, standing not two metres in front of Jethry's shadow form could hear their conversation and thought it strange that sound could enter the Ether form the Norm but didn't seem to be able to escape in the opposite direction.

"Susan, there's something here, I can feel someone nearby but I can't see or smell them. They're concealed somehow, they're powerful." Jethry muttered into the phone, trying to minimise the chance of being overheard.

Susan's mind blanked for a second, her most terrible fears beginning to flesh themselves out. Someone had found them, come for Chris.

"Susan?" Jethry queried, hearing no response.

"Where's Chris?" She asked, panic tinting her voice.

"He's in the house. Annabel's here, they came home a couple hours ago but just now the chickens started making a fuss and when I went outside I felt it nearby, it's still here." Jethry explained quietly.

"Ok," Susan answered trying to calm herself as she stepped on the gas, thankful that she was already past the city limits. "I will be there as fast as I can. What do you feel from it?"

"I don't know," Jethry responded. "It's just here. I can tell it's watching me but I can't pick it up with any of my senses. Susan, it has a very powerful aura, like it doesn't care that I know it's here. I think we're in deep trouble if it makes a move." 

"Shit!" Susan said, "Jethry it takes a very powerful spell to completely mask all the senses, especially to a were-Being. I couldn't do it myself. Just...just wait. If it hasn't made a move by now perhaps it's not going to. We might be able to make a run for it."

"Guys! It's me!" Chris shouted into the phone, face to face with Jethry. He tried to grab the phone out of his hand but just passed through Jethry's arm and part of his face.

Jethry jumped back with a snarl, turned, and ran for his house. He had felt it pass through him, the cool tingling of the entity phasing through his own body. They were really fucked. "Susan! It just phased me, I felt it go through my head!" Jethry shouted as he bounded through the door into his house, heading straight for the gun safe. Anyone that could phase was bad news in any fight.

"No! Jethry this can't be happening, don't let them take Chris!" She sobbed, dropping the headset and focusing on driving as fast as she could. How could this happen? She was so sure no one knew about Chris, perhaps she had gotten complacent. Speeding homeward, she fought back tears as different scenarios played out in her mind's eye before a cool rage blocked out everything else. Nothing would take her Chris, she wouldn't allow it.

Chris was left standing in the driveway between the two houses and the farm buildings, perplexed with his situation. He wasn't worried about an imminent threat, apparently he was the threat...to himself. At the same time he didn't want to cause any more panic for Jethry or his Mom but didn't know how to get out of the Ether, previously he would just wake up from his dream.

All he could do was wait till Susan got home, hopefully she would be able to sort it all out or Annabel would explain it. He walked back towards their house, sitting on the steps to wait. The minutes passed slowly as he sat, observing things through the Ether, the novelty of the transparent, ghostly reality quickly wearing off. What if I'm stuck here? He thought, Susan would work things out and retrieve him from the Ether, eventually.

His dragon stirred, bored to be sitting still when it had only just awakened, it wanted to hunt, fuck, or fly, anything exciting really but Chris was just melancholy he had caused such an upset. Jethry could be seen stalking his own porch, pump action in hand, so Chris just waited, passing the time with a little more self examination of his strange dragon body.

Only 10 minutes later, Susan sped into sight down the dusty driveway, taking advantage of her wagon's 4WD. Skidding slightly to a halt, she was slamming the door behind her inside a second. Storming up the path Chris thought she looked like an angry goddess with her long black hair flapping around and murder in her sparkling blue eyes. He reminded himself not to piss this witch off. Susan was about to start up the steps when Jethry joined her, they paused to look at each other, Jethry with his claws and shotgun, Susan with menacing power rolling off her.

"Can you sense it?" Jethry asked, "What is it?"




Endangered Ch. 02



"Yes," replied Susan coldly, "and I don't know. You say it phased through you?"

"Yea, right through the front of my head, it could have killed me but it went all the way through." Jethry almost whispered. 

Meanwhile Susan was expanding her magical senses, probing around to discover the identity of the concealed threat. She felt it nearby, powerful and definitely watching her. Annabel was upstairs, asleep by the feel of it. Chris was nowhere. Susan flipped.

"Where is he?" She hissed, quiet at first with hatred dripping off her words. "I know you can hear me you son of a bitch. What did you do to him? If you've hurt my son I kill you!"

Shocked, Jethry realised Susan must be addressing the Being in hiding. "He's gone? But how?" he asked.

"This mother fucker can phase so who knows. Give him back you bastards!" Susan wailed, desperate to vent her anger but unable to find an opponent.

Chris was frantic to calm the situation, Susan was distraught that he had apparently been taken, when in reality he was standing in front of her. Unable to gain her attention, he tried to give her a reassuring hug. Wrapping his arms around her and pulling her shadowy form close, he wish she could see him. "I'm sorry Mom, it's just me, I'm fine." He comforted, hoping somehow that the message got through.

In fact, it was Susan who got through. As Chris hugged her, he pulled her into the Ether with him. Susan felt the Being begin to phase through her and tried to struggle, fearing an attack. But half a second later she felt a shift, her Ether shadow fleshing out as her physical body in the Norm disappearing altogether, which made Jethry snarl. Despite a drain in energy, Susan heard her son's plaintive words. She stilled her struggles to look up at his unfamiliar visage, seeing her awoken son in his true form, seeing that they were in the Ether.

"Hey Mom." Chris said gently as she sagged in his embrace.

"Oh Chris, I thought were gone...You...You've awoken." She sighed, relief washing over her as she began to see more and more of her son in the Being before her.

"Yea, Annabel and I ... umm ... you know ... sex, and then I transformed." Chris mumbled, embarrassed.

"Ahh, okay, good for you. That's fine. What are you doing here?" Asked Susan wearily, blushing only a little, the drain of staying in the Ether was starting to take a toll. "How did you bring me here?"

"I don't know, I woke up here after I went to sleep and now I can walk around. Apparently my aspect is the Ether. It sucks though because I can't get out. Am I trapped here?" He explained.

"Well that explains...I guess I just assumed the worst. But I've never heard of an Ether dragon Chris. I'll tell you how to leave the Ether but I don't have much time to explain, it drains me quickly to stay here. How long have you been in the Ether?" Susan asked.

"About half an hour I guess, maybe a bit less. I feel fine." Replied Chris. "So how do I get out?"

"Hmm, the way I do it is to picture myself at a door, the Ether on one side, the Norm on the other. Remember how I explained that it's just another layer of reality, like a different dimension? Well, just open the door with your mind, it can take a bit of energy, and step through. Chris I really need to get back now, I mean just look at Jethry." She said.

Jethry was stalking around the front porch, waving his shotgun and cursing up a storm, his words interspersed with cat-speak Chris hadn't heard the like of since two cats had a fight in the school playground in 5th grade. It was almost funny.

"Okay Mom, go and calm him down. I'll try to follow you." Chris assured.

Susan released herself from his arms reluctantly, he had a new alluring smell which was disturbingly enticing. Only as she stepped away did she realise her son was naked the whole time. "Oh my..." Was all she managed before she fled back to the Norm and proceeded to calm a very startled and confused werecat.

Chris watched the scene calm down for a bit before he attempted to exit the Ether. After all, he didn't want to pop out and receive a shotgun blast to the face for his troubles. Picturing the door he felt resistance when he tried to open it. He tried again but couldn't seem to make the idea work. Frustrated, his dragon laughed at his efforts. We are an Ether dragon, do not bother with doors, just go there. See yourself where you want to be, see yourself in the Ether or the Norm. 

Oh yeah? Helpful all of a sudden, are we? Chris snapped. He got no response, so relying on the pro tip, Chris pictured himself back in the Norm standing behind his mom at the bottom of the steps.

Then he was there.

***

"Whoa, cool!" Chris started, "Hey Mom, I think I just teleported or something."

Susan and Jethry spun, startled at his sudden appearance despite having had time to prepare for it.

"One moment I was standing over there where we talked. Next thing, I'm here behind you and back in the Norm." Chris gesticulated, looking himself over as if the answer lay in his new body. "How does that work?" When he didn't get an answer he looked up to see his audience just staring; varying emotions and degrees of open-mouthedness played across their faces.

"Honey, that's nice ... but I don't know how it works." Susan said, rousing herself from examining her son's new form. "I'm an amateur when it comes to the Ether. I know Ether mages can use it, to phase and travel very quickly, kind of like how some elementals can atomise themselves to travel and reform at their destination." As she spoke, Susan was reduced to shameful ogling. He was truly magnificent: powerful, masculine, dangerous, and beautiful. She took a step forward tentatively, reaching out to touch his shoulder as if under a spell.

Jethry was silent, eyeing up the dragon as his cat's instincts would size up a potential threat. To him, Chris reeked of raw power, and their former relationship was now quickly reversed as his cat recognised the new male's dominance. Once his cat had come to terms with it, Jethry relaxed a bit. Still, he held back, to give Susan a moment with her son, and to observe the newborn dragon.

"Chris, you're taller." Susan realised as she had to look higher to meet his eyes. He used to be about 6'1'' but in this hybrid form he must almost be 6'5''. "And those wings! Oh you're going to have so much fun honey, I'm so happy you've finally awakened. I know your father did it to protect you but I always thought it was a cruel fate to deny you your nature," she gushed excitedly as she ran a hand down his arm to hold a massive, clawed hand. "This form is fascinating, I only ever saw your mother once like this you know. A mix between human and dragon, it makes sense though since the Were races can have half forms." She ran her hands over his, examining the colouring as well as his scales and claws. "You're colouring is strange Chris," she said looking back up at him. "I've never heard of a purple dragon."

Chris just watched passively as Susan examined him, initially embarrassed that she didn't seem to care he was naked although his dragon had said they had nothing to hide.

Susan peeked around his side to look at his large wings."It is the colour of the Ether though, which raises even more questions." Susan continued, "I can tell you will grow to be very powerful Chris, you already are. It's kind of scary actually, if you weren't my son I'd be very wary right now. Actually, I think I am still a little scared." She looked up at his reptilian eyes, reassured she could still see her loving boy as he gazed back at her.

"Mom, don't be scared. I'm still me ... just a little different," Chris assured, trying to smile comfortingly.

His white fangs flashed; Susan involuntarily gasped and took a micro step back. Chris realised what he must have done and toned down his grin to a close-mouthed smile. This was truly a huge change, her realized; his own mother was afraid of him in this form. Susan saw a little sadness creep into his eyes and admonished herself for her reaction; she'd wanted to support him through this. She stepped back up close, and hugged him. Chris wrapped his arms around his mother thankfully; a hug was exactly what he needed. Almost. 

"I love you, Mom," he said. "Sorry about the teeth."

"I love you too honey. I'm Sorry I reacted like that, it might just take me a little while to get used to the new you." Susan responded with her head against his warm, creamy scaled chest. As she breathed she became more aware of his delightful scent. A smoky, spicy, manly blend which she could happily get used to. "Hey, at least you won't have to use men's cologne ever again," She said, trying to provide a little humour. Chris froze.

"What?" Susan asked, pulling back a little to look up at him. "What's wrong with that? You smell nice, sexy even."

Chris gently pushed her back to arms length and took a step away. Retreating like she had something he didn't want to catch when really the reverse was true, remembering the effect they had on Annabel. "Ah ... um... So, I have pheromones now" he said awkwardly, not really wanting to elaborate further.

Susan tilted her head, confused at his reaction, until she felt her body's instinctive pull to get closer again. "Oh," she said, answering her own question. Realising she was feeling a little flushed, the telltale beginnings of arousal, her nipples stiff against the cups of her bra. "Oh," she repeated, blushing furiously and turning away slightly, embarrassed.

"Oh my god," Chris backed up, mortified that he had now affected Susan too. "Jethry, I think you'd better take care of the chores this evening, the animals don't seem to like me much at the moment, and I don't even know how to change back."

"That's fine Chris, come see me tomorrow before you head to Denver," said Jethry, happy for an excuse to evade an awkward situation. The dragon was still Chris underneath his new skin, so they were good. He turned and headed back to his house, processing the bizarre circumstances of the last half hour.

Chris looked back at his mother for a second before shaking his head, retreating upstairs, wanting to distance himself; his powerful olfactories had detected a faint womanly odour which only confirmed his fear.

"Chris I'm sorry, I forgot dragons could do that. It's natural, okay? Nothing to be ashamed of." Susan tried to console her son while getting her body firmly back under control. 

"It's bad enough Annabel got dragon struck," came his response from upstairs.

"Annabel? Oh... I'm magical Chris, I can resist it better and maybe there's a spell I can use to reduce the effect. I'm sorry I embarrassed you, alright honey? It's no one's fault, you're a very alluring Being," Susan reasoned. 

"I can't believe this is happening. Clothes, I need clothes!" Chris disappeared inside his room and closed the door.

"Shit," Susan muttered, "could have handled that better." Pheromones aside, the appeal of his half form was not lost on her. She was his mother but objectively, Chris was possibly the biggest temptation she had ever come across in her 38 years. "Speaking of big," Susan mused aloud to herself, with a heady giggle before reining in her imagination. "Stop that," she admonished, how was she going to guide and support him if she made such jokes and comments, even to herself? Heading back to her car to retrieve her stuff, she started to mentally plan for the trip to Denver first thing tomorrow. With Chris awakened, they needed to get the protection of the ruling Lady as soon as possible. Chris had such a powerful magical presence she wouldn't be surprised if some of the most sensitive psychers were aware of his awakening, they were no longer hidden.

Passing the stairs on her way to the kitchen she called up to Chris that she would start dinner, still feeling her body's desire to get close to the dragon. 

***

Chris sat on the edge of his bed, awkwardly rubbing his forewings, he had banged them on the doorframe. Annabel was still asleep, beautifully sprawled across his bed. Honestly, he was scared. His affect on Susan brought to light just how ill-prepared he was for this, that there were unforeseen consequences of his awakening that weren't necessarily all good. What if he didn't want to arouse women when they caught a whiff of him? How was he supposed to blend into human society?

Susan wasn't even the real issue anymore as he despaired a little at the death of his own humanity. And what was with these mood swings and powerful emotions? "Fuck it," he murmured, getting up to put on a pair of old sweatpants, at least his dick wouldn't be flopping out in the open at dinnertime for his mother to see. A shirt proved impossible, 'wing cut' wasn't a standard t-shirt style at K-Mart.

Perhaps most unsettling were his own feelings regarding Susan, sure he was embarrassed but there was excitement and not a little desire deep within him. Mixed with his love for her, the heady feelings had his mind racing. Before he knew it he was fantasising about his beautiful mother in ways he hadn't since early puberty. He felt a dreadful pang of guilt. Here he was, sitting next to his lovely sleeping girlfriend, who not three hours ago gave him her virginity and pronounced her love for him, he was unfaithfully fantasising about his mother. His own damned mother. 

Sickening, Chris berated himself.

Not our mother, the dragon poked in his mind. She is a beautiful, ripe, female who loves us. She deserves our care and attention. She raised us as her own, take her as our own.

Shut up! I love Annabel. Chris retorted, angry that his mind didn't entirely disagree with his dragon. He knew the dragon wouldn't pass up an opportunity to have Susan for his own, to become part of his 'brood'.

Do not resist our own nature. We love them both, we will have them both. His dragon stated this as if pronouncing the inevitable. Chris didn't reply, not wanting to lose any more ground against his reptilian adversary. 

Instead he cuddled up behind Annabel, pulling her to him and breathing into her pale neck. Annabel woke as he pulled her against him, stirring with a contented murmur. Things came rushing back in a moment and she turned to confirm that she was indeed in bed with a dragon. She looked into the purple visage of her beautiful monster boyfriend, smiling with love as his vertical pupils scanned her face. 

"Hey babe." She turned her body to face his and snuggled in close, feeling he was clothed.

Chris saw love written all over her angelic, sleepy face. Overwhelmed, a tear rolled over his flat snout. Annabel quickly craned upward to kiss it away, instantly feeling a flash of his feelings in the moment the tear was shed. Deep love and appreciation.

"I love you too," Annabel said as she recovered from the startling experience, all of a sudden it felt like her body was humming with vigour. Like she had drunk 3 cups of coffee and they hit all at the same time.

"Dee, I..." Chris started, "This is so much bigger than I ever considered. Are you okay?"

"Yes doofus, I'm great! That thing with the pheromones was a little weird but also pretty frik'n hot. I can still feel it, you smell great and it makes me feel frisky," Annabel replied enthusiastically, taking another sniff at his neck before continuing. "But it's not all-consuming like before. Ooh, it was so good Chris! I never imagined sex like that. I can still feel you're stuff inside me, all slippery and tingly. Wait, do I need to worry about protection?" Annabel gushed, giddily high on love, great sex, and a powerful dose of dragon spunk.

"I guess I was asking more emotionally, rather than physically but I'm glad you enjoyed it so much. I know I did." Chris felt better, at least she seemed to be adjusting better than he was. Leaning forward to kiss her slowly, their lips pressed lightly together for a few long seconds before he pulled back to continue. "I don't think you'll get pregnant, not yet anyway, my dragon says I need to bite you first. I have a venom to induce fertility, it's all some elaborate mechanism to ensure females get pregnant with my young rather than another males."

"So weird," Annabel smiled. "So I'll stop taking the pill, just don't bite me, okay?" 

Chris tensed a little, the thought of Annabel pregnant seemed highly appealing to his dragon but come on, he was only 19. "Yeah, we don't want kids right?" He asked, smiling nervously, not wanting to say something accidentally offensive.

"Eventually, we do." Annabel replied, pleased to see the silly smile had returned to her love's face, albeit a sharper, pointier-toothed smile than she was used to. "Look Chris, don't feel too guilty about any of this. I love you, and even if you think it's some sort of magical influence you have over me I wouldn't change it. Remember I decided to go ahead with you before I found out you were a dragon." As she spoke she reached up to cup his purple cheek affectionately, trying to get her message through to him because she could tell he still had reservations. "I never dreamed any of this was possible, but in a way it's like a fantasy come true. We're going to get to explore a whole new word together."

"You might not think it's so great once we start exploring." Chris said, eyes locked with her deep browns.

"Maybe, but we'll have each other." Annabel admitted, patting his cheek and giving him a quick kiss. "Okay, let's go downstairs, I can hear Susan. How did that go?"

"Pheromones," Chris mumbled.

Annabel let out a peal of beautiful laughter, imagining Susan getting awkwardly flustered.

"It's not funny, Dee." Chris sulked.

"Oh Chris, it's a little funny," she soothed.

"My dragon. I don't know if...." He stopped, not really knowing what to say. "He ... I'm not a monogamous beast."

Annabel thought seriously for a moment, considering how she felt about this piece of news. Jealousy and anger flared in her chest before she reined those feelings in; he hadn't done anything, just tried to explain himself to her. Maybe it was his nature ... but she was his first; she loved him and he'd better damned well respect that. On the other hand ... if that was truly part of what he was, she might have to learn to live with that, or ... give him up entirely.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it Chris," she said honestly. 

Her response was not what Chris had expected. 

"Okay, let me get up." 

Chris watched her pull her dress back on, and told her about his adventure into the Ether, trying to explain what little he knew. Explaining how Jethry and Susan thought he was a powerful Being, come to kidnap himself.

She listened carefully as she cleaned herself up with some of Chris' bedside tissues, unashamedly letting Chris see the fruits of his labour as she wiped away her own fluids and what little of his drying cum had escaped her. Her mind swerved between the sensations as she dressed, and his talk. Sore and sticky ... somehow, these sensations gave her a proud thrill, some extra confidence in her own womanhood. Considering his human and dragon sides as he talked, she realised that she could modify her behaviour to appeal to either or both, precipitating a certain outcome. It wasn't as devious as all that though. She simply wanted to understand his world so she could comment intelligently in the future, remain relevant to him. 

Annabel induced him to rise up off of the bed, still wondering at his strange beauty, and gave him a loving hug before pulling her reluctant boyfriend toward the door. Walking gingerly down the hall, she felt a constant reminder of their recent activities. He had really done a number on her, attested by the tiny yet insistent aches all through her core and a general throbbing throughout. When combined with the aftermath of several huge orgasms and a light nap, though, Annabel felt just great. Everything looked golden. Stopping at the bathroom, she went in to pee. Chris waited nervously by the door reluctant to go downstairs and face his mom again, but realising it was entirely necessary.




Endangered Ch. 02



Once downstairs, Annabel led Chris to the kitchen bar stools. Susan looked up from her salad preparation, eyeing at Chris for a moment before turning to Annabel with a huge smile. 

"And what do you have to say for yourself, Missy?" Susan joked, noticing the flush and contentment of a well-fucked woman.

"No regrets, it was simply amazing." Annabel replied with a huge grin. "He's being all bashful and sulky now but it was so much better than I could have imagined, and once he transformed? Oh. My. God!" 

Susan cocked an eyebrow, theatrical astonishment on her face. However, she familiar with the rumours surrounding the sexual prowess of dragons.

Chris's purple face darkened to an almost midnight blue and he made a move to get up and escape from the teasing she-devils. His mother and girlfriend got on far too well together, nothing good could come of it.

"Babe I'm just teasing," Annabel said, holding him down and giving him a quick consolation kiss before turning back to Susan, "... but not really."

"Well I'm very happy for you two; however, your awakening will require quite drastic changes. How much have you told her about yourself and our world?" Susan asked her blushing son.

"He's told me what matters I think," Annabel responded for him. "I'm staying with him no matter what, we'll work the rest out as we go."

"I'm glad you feel that way Annabel, I would hate to have him newly-awakened as well as heartbroken." Susan smiled, "Just remember, this world is far from a fairytale."

"He's definitely fairytale," Annabel couldn't stop herself and Susan could only laugh at her flustered son.

"Enough," Chris pleaded, "No more, I might literally die."

"Poor boy, we've barely started. Okay, tell me what happened, you can leave out the gruesome details to save my son's fragile ego." Susan smirked. 

Annabel started to explain the events of the day, beginning with their confession of love at school. She almost teared up a bit so Chris continued, describing his transformation. Susan asked a few questions and gave answers to their queries where she could. She finished the salad and fried two large steaks. Soon dinner was served and they sat together at the kitchen bar, Chris eating one steak with Annabel and Susan split the other. While salad didn't much appeal to Chris, on the other hand his new teeth demolished the steak.

"So what happens tomorrow?" Chris asked between mouthfuls.

"Well," Susan said thoughtfully, "we'll all leave first thing tomorrow and seek an audience with Lady Narlakis. I don't imagine we'll have to wait long, given the importance of a new male dragon. Once we have her approval and get you registered, I think you'll have to make Annabel your Familiar right away. From there I don't actually know...." She pondered for a few moments. "We'll probably get a guard and stay in Denver a few days. What are you going to tell your parents Annabel?"

"I'll call them tonight and tell them I'm going on a trip with you guys, to check out Denver for the autumn," Annabel said. "If they kick up a fuss I'll just say I'm moving out. I will be, anyway."

They ate a little more, listening to Susan retell how terrified she had been when she'd gotten Jethry's call that afternoon; how she had assumed the worst when she got home and felt the presence of a powerful unknown Being.

"So how powerful is he?" Annabel asked.

"In terms of raw potential, I don't think I've been this close to anyone more powerful. He feels like a Class 1, the highest class before you break out of the class scale. Chris, you have such as strong presence it's scary. The bleed-through from the Ether was downright impressive, and now that you're in the Norm it's almost smothering. We will have to work on teaching you how to dampen your aura," Susan mused. "As for actual power? I don't know. I'd say your inexperience is your biggest vulnerability, but strangers won't know about that. After a couple years' training I think you'll be able to tackle pretty much whatever this world can throw at you." Susan was almost bubbling over with pride.

"Wow," Annabel teased, "I bagged a prize catch!" 

Chris didn't rise to the bait; instead, he just continued eating his steak.... Payback for her teasing would come eventually.

"More than you might realise, Annabel." Susan said seriously. "You are going to have some fierce competition, and the contestants aren't going to play fair. Male dragons are considered superlative mates amongst Beings. Funnily enough the females have a reputation of being ice queens, but that's mostly because they're wired to expect greatness from their males. Chris, I imagine you'll be pressured to find at least one dragon mate, you have a species to save after all."

"What about you, Susan?" Annabel asked, a little steel in her tone as she considered her potential competition. "Chris told me about his effect on you."

Chris froze, his fork midway to his mouth. His dragon, too, was watching them intently; it was important that he understood the dynamics inside his own brood.

"I'm not really his mother you know. I'll resist it but I guess we'll cross that bridge if we come to it," Susan replied, inwardly impressed. She felt reluctant admiration for Annabel who was already on the defence, playing for keeps.

"That's what I said." Annabel said, giving Susan a smile and allowing the heat of competition to cool for the moment.

Chris opened his mouth and let his fork resume its steak-laden path, his dragon mulling over this new information. It appeared Annabel had some inner fire, which was an immensely pleasing revelation. She would make an excellent first, helping him to manage the rest of his females. Disturbed with his dragon's train of thought, Chris stood up quietly and beat a hasty retreat. He walked into the living room, found his chair without turning on a light in the evening gloom, and sat down to think.

Susan's voice carried from the kitchen, where she was telling Annabel to give him a little space. However, a minute later his stunning girlfriend waltzed into the darkened room and planted herself in his lap, affectionately kissing his cheek before snuggling against his warm chest. Chris wrapped his arms around her and held on tight.

"What's up?" Annabel asked after a minute.

Chris sighed, "Just trying to come to terms with all this. My dragon thinks so differently from what I feel should be acceptable. Like just before, he was watching to see which of you would be in charge of the rest of his females, including Susan. She already belongs to him in his mind."

"If that's what you really need from me, I'll do it." Annabel consoled.

"I don't want that for you, Annabel. Damn it, I feel like a fucking schizo. Like there's me and some douchebag trapped inside my head, and he keeps winning all the arguments. I guess we just cross that bridge if we come to it," Chris confided, exasperated, but at the same time glad she wasn't repulsed by his nature.

"Shhhh," Annabel squeezed him tight around his smooth, scaly abdomen. "That's what I said," she repeated quietly.

After a few minutes Susan called them back for chocolate ice cream. She observed the dynamics between them. Chris guided Annabel back into the room, his claw-tipped hand on her lower back. Annabel sat on his lap, the mechanics of which were a little awkward at first. With his insidiously intoxicating scent tickling her nostrils, she felt a twinge of jealousy as Annabel cuddled up to her son; and knew she was in trouble.

"Chris...." Susan started, deciding to get things in the open now before it became more awkward. "I love you. I'm your mother but you've changed, so whatever happens, there will be no more guilty feelings. As a woman I find you incredibly desirable, you were tempting enough before you awakened; but now ... now you're a different person. You will be with others besides Annabel, it can't be helped. Now I'm not necessarily setting my sights on you, but I won't spite myself from missing out on happiness out of a misplaced sense of moral wrongness, which doesn't actually apply to our situation at all. Think about that."

Chris met Susan's blue eyes straight on as she spoke; had he been made to respond to her, human to human, he would have died of embarrassment. Saved by his dragon who now took over, instead he appraised the raven-haired, mature beauty before him. "I have, and I agree." He allowed a small grin to grow a little wider as he continued to size her up with his rather piercing stare. Sniffing the air, the dragon savoured the scents of his two women, before relinquishing control back to his human side.

Susan, squirmed on her seat slightly knowing that the dragon had scented her. The pull to go to him was strong but she held back, refraining even from a chaste embrace. It was too soon.... Chris needed time to adjust to his new life. Instead, she made quick work of her ice-cream and excused herself, reminding the cuddling lovers to be ready by 7 am the next morning.

Susan quickly made for her ensuite bathroom, stripping hastily and examining herself in the mirror, considering her body. She was pleased with what she saw, aging slower than a non magical human, her generous, slightly pointy breasts had only a little sag, large nipples slightly high and currently very erect. Her belly was only slightly padded and her waist still tapering, flaring to very womanly hips and thick, luscious thighs. She was only 38 after all.

Exploring herself gently, it wasn't long before she was caught up in little snippets of fantasy centred around her son, stopping every now and then to chastise herself. She considered her thick pelt of dark pubic hair, wondering if he would prefer her shaven ... that was all the craze among the youth these days, wasn't it? She hadn't felt anything but her own touch since just before this exile started almost 15 years ago, always afraid that getting involved with someone would expose Chris somehow. Now her unkempt bush was moist and steamy, wicking up the moisture from her fevered pussy. She decided to leave it; he would know he was with a real, full bodied, sexy woman when they finally acted on their desires.

In the shower, she cleaned the day's stresses away but soon relented to some exquisite self gratification, dreaming the dragon in the house below barged into her bathroom and had his strong, loving, yet firm way with her. With a strangled little scream, Susan experienced the most powerful orgasm she could remember, slick channel clenching desperately around her single finger. She collapsed down the wall she was leaning on with a wail, warm water flowing over her body, washing away her creamy juices. For a full minute Susan sat on the floor with her legs stretched wide, her finger as deep as she could manage while she twitched with little shocks of joy, never considering that the subject of her desires now had powerful hearing. Finally she pulled herself together, not a little guiltily and got ready for bed, setting her alarm early in order to get ready for their trip.

***

Chris heard Susan's orgasm from the kitchen despite the noise of the shower. Her noises had an unmistakable tone of pleasure that stirred him to hardness in moments, nestled under Annabel's firm butt.

"I don't know if I can handle any more of that just now, babe," Annabel said teasingly, putting a little pout into her tone. "I'm a bit sore after how roughly it treated me."

"I'm sorry, I was a bit rough the second time wasn't I?" Chris apologised.

"Maybe, but it was also fantastic," she admitted with a yawn, wrapping her arms up around his neck. "Take me to bed, I'm tired again."

Chris obliged, happy to hold her close and carry her to his room, his hands firmly planted on her fleshy ass. Annabel wrapped her legs around him. It was a major turn on that he carried her around so easily. They cleaned their teeth using his toothbrush and got ready for bed. Together they stripped and curled up in bed, Chris spooned behind her, caressing along her soft tummy up to her breasts. 

"Are you ever going to change back?" Annabel asked, "Aren't your wings annoying in bed?"

Chris reached behind himself, turning out the lights. "I know I can change fully back into a human, I just don't know how. I guess my dragon will help with that when I need to." He moved his wings around experimentally, trying to figure out how sleeping like this would work. It didn't seem too uncomfortable. "I think the wings will be fine, I'll try to avoid sleeping on my back though. I'm more worried about how I'm going to get to sleep next to these." He reached up to cup a small breast, holding her tiny nipple hostage between his fingers, rolling it gently between finger and thumb.

"Hands off the tits, neither of us will get to sleep at this rate. Besides there isn't much to hold your attention for long." Annabel sighed, squirming a little. She didn't really want to get too fired up and end up not getting any sleep.

"They're beautiful, perky, cute, sweet, and perfect," Chris whispered into her ear, "just like their owner." He really did love her little tits, he could appreciate a busty woman but Annabel's were perfect for her. They even had their own equally small areolas with matching tiny nipples, perfect for him to fit half a breast in his mouth.

"Thanks babe," she replied, turning her head to give him a brief awkward kiss. "I love you," she said, nestling back into his warm body.

"And I love your tits, Dee," came his quiet reply, not relinquishing her boob. 

"You're a dork," she muttered, her breathing eventually slowed as she fell asleep.

Chris lay awake for a while longer, mulling things over and trying to ignore his penis pressed against her soft rear. Tomorrow he would be forced into the deep water of this new world. He had no plan ... other than swim hard ... and avoid sharks.

***



Endangered Ch. 03



Hi everyone,

Thanks for all of your comments and votes on previous chapters of Endangered; it's really encouraging and I do take constructive feedback to heart. Thanks to RexBrookdale for editing up a storm and whipping this series into shape. Also, thanks to everyone who contacted me with helpful pointers about my writing. So, here's the next installment. This chapter is longer, and all following will be about this length. There will be an attempt to include at least one sex scene in each chapter. If you're new to the series, please go back and read the previous chapters, no skipping ahead allowed.

Stay tuned and I hope you enjoy.

LTPC

Disclaimer: Placenames are real but are mainly used as points of reference, people are made up, and everything sexual occurs between adults over 18. Some aspects of sexuality in this story are unrealistic; this is a fantasy story set within a fantasy society, in a fantasy universe.

***





The alarm came too soon, jarring them from sleep. Chris smacked the off-switch with a groan. They lay spooned together, a sleepy Annabel cuddling back into his warmth to capture a few more moments of bliss. Just before succumbing again to sleep, Chris roused himself. He switched on the lamp and got up to look for a pair of track pants and then head to the bathroom. 

His morning wood hadn't subsided as yet, so he had to manage his flow carefully while he aimed; furthermore, it felt strange peeing with an unfamiliar penis. In its half-form, the head was more pointed, and the sensitive ridge where the shaft met the broad crown much more pronounced. Combined, these features made it almost look like a thick, cartoon-styled arrowhead. His hairlessness was something else as well, he mused. It made sense, since his body was now covered in micro scales.

Finished, he gave a great full stretch, flexing and then rubbing sleep away from his eyes, until he felt a thump.... One of his outstretched wings had hit the wall. Retracting the errant appendage, he started the shower. 

Annabel sauntered into the bathroom. Naked. Without preamble, she sat down to pee. "What?" she asked.

"So we're just doing this now?" Chris gestured between them mutely: him entering the shower, her peeing unashamedly.

"Yeah. I think we're at that stage." She smiled, finished up, and flushed. "Hurry up and get in already, I'm cold."

She pushed him into the shower, guiding his awkward wings through the door and followed behind. They hadn't showered together before, but she had had some inspiring fantasies. So before he could make any further fuss she grabbed the soap and began lathering his broad, cream-colored chest. Washing down his arms and sides, she noted the transition between his purple and ivory colours, as well as the new textures of his micro-scaled skin. Chris spoke nary a word; her hands felt exquisite running over his body, and in combination with the flow of hot water, he was in heaven. She looked up at him for approval every now and then; but he only ever had a broad, toothy smile on his face.

Done with the top half, she coaxed him to kneel so she could wash his face and hair. Then she knelt down behind him and soaped up his wings and the larger scales along his spine. It ended up taking a good bit of time, including a brief debacle when she had started to wash his ass. Her touch had been electrifying, making him jump and twitch a little, during which his right wing had bumped the temperature control. Finally order resumed inside the cramped space, and yet it remained unclear as to whether they, or the shower box, came out on top. Giggling, she reached around to lather his crotch. He was massively hard. She, too, found herself increasingly excited as she stroked his soap-slicked penis for a few minutes, under the guise of ensuring cleanliness. God he's nice and big, she thought as her hand struggled to encircle him. I'd better not tease him though. In truth she was still sore from yesterday.

Chris, now panting with pleasure, rested his forehead against the glass wall as water dripped down his face. She stroked him expertly, her body pressed up against his back. Suddenly she stopped. Gripping just behind his crown for a moment, in a firm squeeze goodbye, she let go in order to worm around him until they knelt face-to-face. 

On their knees facing each other in the steam and spray, Annabel leaned up to kiss him: a vision of wet, innocent sensuality, eyes closed against the pattering water. Timidly at first, her tongue ventured for the first time into his dangerously sharp mouth, until she realised her trepidation was unfounded. He would never hurt her, so she took a little time to familiarise herself with his newly sharp teeth, especially his short fangs. 

"Wash me," she sweetly pleaded.

He took hold of the soap. Looking down at her slick beauty, he paused. Where to start? There was an expectant, almost vulnerable look in her large brown eyes, so he just went for it. Progressing down her arms, he used the rougher pads of his fingers and palms, careful not to mar her soft skin with his talons. She sighed as he caressed her, took care of her, noting the caution he took not to touch her with his claws. Then again she almost wished he wouldn't be so careful; she wouldn't break. After all, the tickle or scratch of a lightly applied talon might hold its own pleasure, mightn't it?

He had been hovering on the edge after her soapy hand job; now touching Annabel so intimately , listening to her contented little noises, set his heart ablaze ... and his cock on fire, poking her belly. He leaned down closer to wash over her pert little breasts, ignoring the temptation to tweak a tiny brown nipple. Down over her soft, flat tummy and over her thighs and legs, he avoided her crotch for the moment before pulling her close and reaching behind her to wash her back. As he skimmed her firm, peachy ass, soap in hand, she reached down to his pointed cock and rubbed it against her abdomen.

Gasping in her ear, Chris reciprocated by soaping her crack, touching her delicate anus very intimately for a moment before reaching further around to her puffy lips. Kneeling between her spread legs, Chris had direct access to her slick pussy as he reached all the way around behind her, the soap only replacing her own plentiful lubrication. He explored the plump curve of her labia, the tender frills of her inner lips only just peeking out until he ran a finger along to spread them. She was panting against his neck as he gently rubbed her most intimate area from behind, rocking slightly back and forth against his hand. After only a minute or so of this he felt her pleasure rising, Chris made a final lunge for her clitoris, pushing it down firmly for a second then rubbing his finger back and forth rapidly, stimulating her soap-lathered petals at the same time. 

Annabel came with a muffled squeak and a tiny gush of cum on his hand. Chris held still as she rode it out, his hand firmly cupping her quivering pussy as the rest of her body gently undulated and shook. Once she had recovered a bit he began shampooing her dark hair while she rested against his chest, breathing heavily. Rinsing her and applying conditioner, he pampered Annabel with a brief scalp massage before washing it away too, leaving her silky hair clinging to her neck and down her back.

A post orgasmic scalp massage was truly a mind altering experience for Annabel, the kind of treatment that could not go unrewarded. "Get up," she said quietly, urging Chris to stand. It was awkward but soon enough he was standing and she straightened her back to come face-to-face with his pulsing, erect member.

Hands on his beefy purple thighs, she leaned in under the spray and kissed his pointed tip, teasing the very edge between her lips. Leaving it for a moment she kissed down one side, sucking and licking, she crossed underneath, kissing each of his big purple orbs briefly. They didn't seem to dangle or swing, rather they were held close against his thick root. Soon she started back up the other side, dreadfully slowly. She kept her eyes closed this time because water was splashing in her face but his groan as she opened wide and stretched her lips over the large head told her all she needed to know, that he was very close. Stroking and pumping with her hands on his shaft, she took as much of him as she could manage, holding him there in her mouth as her hands worked on the rest. Pulling back, she locked her lips behind the enlarged ridge of his crown, bathing it with her hot tongue before applying almost brutal suction.

That was all it took. Chris hissed through his teeth, bucking his hips forward slightly while he steadied himself against the wall. Her eyes shot open, blinking away the water. His purple testicles pulled up and loosed a huge spurt down his shaft, hitting the back of her throat before she could taste it. Helplessly, he groaned, fucking her pretty mouth a little as it sucked the life out of him, releasing four more jets of cum before he trailed off with smaller spurts and dribbles. 

She fell into another, milder orgasm instantly. His taste was salty but thick with his spicy, sweet essence. The potent, magical aphrodisiac of his cum kept her orgasm alive as he emptied himself into her hungry mouth. His cum was much thicker and stickier than she remembered, clinging to the roof of her mouth like too much Nutella. She ended up having to work at it with her tongue, astounded but unable to communicate her surprise in anything but lusty moans around her mouthful. As she swallowed, her body began to subtly tingle with vigour and energy.

As their orgasms abated, Annabel held his sensitised penis captive in her mouth for a few more seconds before sucking powerfully and pulling her head back. The pressure made Chris growl as a last little trickle of cum was released. Annabel's lips came away, and she looked up, smiling.

For several seconds they stared at each other, Chris towering over her, sheltering her from the stream of water. 

"Chris, what is your stuff made of?"

"Well, it's – " he had started to explain, a little nervously.

"As soon as it hit my tongue it set me off again. You're a monster! And god damn, it's still stuck in my mouth." She giggled, giving his flagging penis a playful nuzzle, "How does the accused respond?"

"I can confirm that my semen is perhaps a powerful aphrodisiac but I vehemently deny all other accusations," he responded with mock seriousness. "Susan says that's part of the reason dragons are endangered; our bodies possess so much magical energy that it's too great a temptation. Other Beings want to get some for their own. When a dragon resists, some resort to force. Eventually it has degraded into dragon hunting that has lasted for centuries. It was widely accepted; the Synod seemed to ignore the issue until we became gravely endangered. Even now, Susan says, someone might still think they could get away with taking a dragon, or that the benefits outweigh the risk."

"I'm sorry." How could people hunt something to extinction just to have something they could go without quite easily? She didn't want to get bogged down just then, though, so she tried to lighten the subject. "So your jizz makes me cream myself all over again, which by the way, I'm completely on board with. What else do you have hiding up your sleeve?" Rising, she pressed her face into his neck, not quite tall enough to kiss him in his new form unless he leaned for her. She inhaled deeply, catching his delicious smell at the source and teasing his soft skin with kisses, not even able to discern his tiny scales with her tongue as she explored the firm muscles connecting to his shoulder.

Chris enjoyed her ministration for a moment before replying, Annabel felt his throat vibrate as he spoke, quirkily finding the vibrations of his speech satisfying against her face.

"I have two kinds of venom, one is a deadly poison." Chris spoke tentatively, holding her close, waiting for what he felt was the inevitable snap when she would run from him screaming. "The other induces fertility. My dragon thinks it can be somewhat addictive."

"Keep all your girls coming back for more, huh? Just how many horses do you need in your stable Chris?" she asked, only half-teasing.

"Dee, I'm sorry," he whispered, squeezing her slick nakedness in a tight hug.

"Shhhhh, I didn't mean it like that, I know you love me." She changed the subject. "What about that poison?" 

"I do Annabel, so much." He held her tight. After a while he lightened his grip, stroking her back under the water with his face nestled in her wet hair. "The poison is deadly to most Beings, within minutes or hours, depending on how much is injected. My saliva can neutralise it and also induce rapid healing of wounds."

"Chris, you're a really big deal aren't you? I mean shit, you have all these powers, are you like a celebrity or something? Are people really going to try to hurt you?"

"I'll try my hardest to not let that happen, but yes, I think any dragon is generally considered a 'big deal'. It isn't a good thing, Dee. How am I supposed to be myself if humans get dragon-struck around me? What am I supposed to do if vampires proposition or even stalk me because I taste the best? I'm still just some small-town farm dude. I want to hang out with you, play video games, mess around, find a job I enjoy, and maybe amass a small pile of valuable metals. Okay, so that last one is mostly dragon-driven but you get the picture, right? I'm still just me underneath everything else." 

"Yeah, I think I understand.... Oh my god, do vampires sparkle?" she teased in a false excited voice, slapping his chest.

Chris sighed. "No. I haven't ever met one, but they stick more to the traditional legends. The powerful ones can come out in the day, by magic."

"Cool." Briefly, she wondered how even the powerful ones could manage eluding the sun's affects. "Seriously though, I know you're still my old boyfriend, wrapped up in a sexy new body. It just hit me all of a sudden how much of a change this is. I guess before I hadn't really thought about it too hard, but it doesn't actually change anything. I'm with you all the way."

"Thank you Annabel, it means so much to me." He paused. "So, you think I'm sexy like this huh?"

"Oh yeah," she giggled, wriggling against him sensually. "You're all strong and purple and scaly.... Wait what am I saying; you're disgusting! No stupid, you're hot, it's like you call to me somehow, you're everything I'll ever want."

"Thanks babe. Okay, we had better get out."

"Alright, but remember, you and I shower together from now on, and I'll expect just as much pampering." 

"Be careful what you ask for," he teased, switching off the water and extracting himself from the confines of the shower. She gave him a spank as she followed him out, so he tickled her into a wet, giggly mess before drying her off lovingly. After drying himself, he got her to help with his wings and they headed back to his room.

They had spent too long in the shower and there was a rush to get dressed. Annabel slipped into her dress from yesterday, with one of Chris's jumpers over the top for warmth. Chris threw on a pair of jeans and then turned his attention to his footwear; his taloned toes were a nightmare to get socks onto, but only somewhat uncomfortable once inside his boots. He ripped the back off of an old T-shirt, after which Annabel re-attached the ripped section to accommodate his wings, with a few safety pins.

He packed a few days' clothes in a bag along with toiletries, cell phone and charger, and the entirety of his stash. Annabel's eyes widened at seeing so many small bags of nuggets and gold dust, along with several holographic ounce kinebars. She'd accompanied him on a couple of day-long trips, immersing herself in a book while he splashed around in a freezing stream. She hadn't actually comprehended his success, thinking of it as simply a quirky hobby. Once over her initial surprise, she resumed applying vanilla-scented perfume and her favourite pink lip gloss. 

The young couple headed downstairs hand in hand, and into the kitchen where they could hear Susan starting breakfast. Chris realised he had forgotten their morning coffee ritual, and greeted his Mom with a warm hug and an apology. 

Susan had expected him to be standoffish after last night but she could see that he was determined not to let his awakening ruin their closeness. She couldn't help but laugh at the makeshift solution for his t-shirts, promising to find a better solution. There were other winged Beings, after all. In truth, the Being before her was the picture of rugged, powerful, maleness. Devastatingly exotic, dangerous, and handsome, yet unaware of his charms; his unpretentiousness made him all the more adorable.

Excusing himself as the two women chatted about the trip, Chris made his way outside, down and across the field to the milking shed. The sun had risen fully. His dragon's senses detected life and vigour all around him. Soon he would be living in Denver, away from the quiet countryside in which he had grown up. Approaching the milking shed cautiously, he tried to be as unthreatening as possible, projecting peaceful thoughts to the cows inside. Only a slight fuss was made when he entered; perhaps the peaceful thoughts helped, or perhaps the animals still recognised him as the one who had taken care of them for years. 

Jethry was washing a cow's udder in preparation for the milking cups when he felt Chris approach. Such power in one so young scared the shit out of Jethry but he knew Chris had a kind heart, a peaceful soul. That could be a problem. Should he fall victim to controlling influences, the results could be devastating; Chris would have to learn to rely on his more savage dragon to protect him. 

They stood, and looked: two old friends taking stock of each other with new eyes. 

"I don't have too much to say," Jethry started. "You're powerful enough to mostly look out for yourself and smart enough to smell out any obvious trouble. I warned you against bringing the girl into this but what's done is done. Perhaps it's a good thing too, she'll help you keep in touch with your humanity. Don't lose that, don't compromise yourself."

Chris was silent, taking in his old friend's advice.

"You've lead a simple life so far, too sheltered in my opinion but there are good reasons for that. You'll have protection from all but the most brutal or daring attacks, dragon hunting is illegal but you're too valuable to ignore. There will be plotters and sycophants, vying for your attention or favour so don't trust anyone."

"Don't worry boy, I'm almost done," Jethry said, sensing a bit of agitation from Chris. "I've seen some of the magic that can be wrought with the use of dragons. Powerful stuff. You'll get contracts for your services; I suspect the payments will seem outrageous, but remember that people won't generally offer what they can't afford. Word your contracts so they're water-tight and don't whore yourself out to make a quick buck, you'll drive the price down in the long run. Finally, protect and care for what's yours. That means Annabel and Susan. They will be your greatest strength, your trusted allies, so to speak. But they will also be your weakness if they're used to get to you. Don't let that happen. It's up to you to do the protecting now, even if Susan doesn't realise it. Well, I guess that's all."




Endangered Ch. 03



"Thank you Jethry. I'll keep all of that in mind, though I suspect that somehow I'll fail miserably. I'm just a ... well, I guess I'm a nerdy hick." 

"Naw, you'll be fine. It's not all as grim as I made it out to be. If it's anything like my cat, just remember to trust your dragon's instincts. He'll watch out for the both of you but at the same time don't let him control you. Try to find a balance."

The conversation over, Chris strode forward to give the old werecat a heartfelt, if somewhat awkward man-hug. It felt like he was saying goodbye.

"I'm proud of you Chris, good luck," came Jethry's reply as they broke apart. "See ya around."

He walked back to the house, committing Jethry's advice to memory, trying to prepare for the new world.

***

Breakfast was awkward. His interlocked, very sharp teeth didn't really crush. They sliced. Utensils got in the way of his fang-like canines, transforming eating cereal – or anything else for that matter – into a frustrating experience. He was terrified he might bite off half his tongue if he ever slipped up. The women snickered at his misfortune while he tried to eat. 

They all cleaned up and loaded the car. Susan had a duffle of clothes and a small briefcase for their documents. Chris noticed that she also packed some blankets and pillows. She put the back seat down and spread out the blankets. How else had he expected to fit in the car with wings that stuck out above his already considerable height? He hadn't considered that.

Once he'd crawled in and laid down, she threw him the pillows, and spread a final blanket to cover him. From within her purse, she produced a small erlamire flask containing a greenish liquid: a chameleon potion. This she sprinkled over everything in the trunk, and, with an image of a trunk's worth of shopping bags in her mind's eye, she released her energy into the spell; suddenly the blanketed, dragon-shaped mound, resembled a small shopping spree.

"That's so fucking awesome!" Annabel exclaimed, running her hand through the illusion to feel Chris underneath.

"What do I look like?" he asked.

"Shopping bags. There are groceries and some clothes store bags, some shoe boxes, and a hardware store bag too. Susan, can I learn magic?" she asked hopefully.

"I'm sorry Annabel, but I don't sense any magic in you. Now stay lying down Chris, it's only an illusion as long as you stay reasonably still. It does nothing for sound but that shouldn't be a problem while we're driving." She closed the trunk and walked around to the driver's side.

Somewhat dejected, Annabel climbed into the passenger seat and had just snapped the seatbelt buckle closed when she had a brilliant idea. She unbuckled and climbed in back between the seats. Susan looked back in time to get an eyeful of Annabel's bare legs and panties disappearing under the illusion as she moved next to Chris, and pulled the blanket over their heads. Soon there were contented, moist, kissy sounds emerging from the pile of shopping.

"Alright, here we go," Susan said, mostly to herself. Turning the car down the drive, she waved to Jethry who stood on his porch. 

They were off.

*** 

Chris and Annabel were stuck. Having spent the drive to Laramie smooching and petting under cover of the magical illusion, they desperately wanted to move things to the next level. There were just the small problems of Susan's presence in the driver's seat, and that they were now on a relatively busy highway headed for Denver. They decided to pause instead of exciting themselves further. 

"Mom, what are we actually doing when we get to Denver?"

"Well, now that we are actually on the road I need to call and arrange an audience with Lady Narlakis – Annabel, she's the ruler of the mid-western territory of Beings. I've avoided calling before now, in case someone came looking for us. I won't tell them who you are; just that I have an awakened Being to present and register. Once I've called – I think I'll do that in a few minutes actually – we'll drive to the Denver Compound. It's an underground complex in the city centre, underneath the Being district, the area with the most Being-oriented businesses and shops. The Compound is actually an underground palace. Lady Narlakis is a Drow, after all."

"Wait, businesses? You guys are out in the open?" Annabel asked incredulously.

"It's our most important law that our activities don't expose our existence or raise suspicion, but yes. We are a reasonably large community and there are too many of us to live in the shadows. Every being has some sort of form which can pass for human, perhaps with the help of a little magic so we are hidden in plain sight." She paused to pass a truck before continuing. "The Lady should be in session this morning, receiving requests from the community and sorting out disputes. We'll be able to present Chris, get him registered, pick up a bodyguard, get an allowance to take a familiar, and hopefully not piss anyone off."

"Sounds complicated, with what Jethry said, it sounds like there are pitfalls and enemies at just about every corner," Chris worried.

"In a way there are, Chris. Some people will be threatened by you, others will just want to use you without any thoughts of real malice. Just be careful." She pulled into the next rest area. "Okay, let me call the Compound. I'll put it on speaker but you have to be quiet." She dialled the number. Communications of a magical nature were all encrypted by a global spell, a magical communications network: huge in cost and energy, but worth every penny in the modern world. It rang a few times before it was picked up.

"Denver reception, how may I help you?" came the female voice.

"My name is Susan Baryst, registered witch, 4th class, Laramie." 

"Yes. I have your file on screen, what can I do for you today?" 

"I require an audience with Lady Narlakis under urgency; I'm bringing in a recently awakened Being, suspected Class 1 or above. We'll need an escort." 

There was a pause. "Class 1? Are you sure? What species? Is it dangerous?" Reception's interest was piqued.

"Like I said, Class 1 at least. Security is for his protection. I won't reveal any further details." 

"One moment, may I call you back shortly?" 

"Certainly," Susan replied before disconnecting.

It only took a few minutes for them to call back.

"Susan, this is Timothy Garrill, head of compound security," came a gruff male voice. "You will have a priority audience as soon as you arrive. Lady Narlakis will be in court all morning so you will be inserted into the schedule when you get here. Head to the bottom floor of the underground parking building; there you will be met by a security team and escorted into court. I understand you won't reveal the species or identity of the Being, therefore you will be held responsible for his actions should things turn sour. Is this acceptable?"

"Accepted. I expect to arrive in about an hour." Once Susan had responded, the line went dead.

"Wow, they don't muck around," Annabel commented in the silence after the phone call, now she was actually scared.

"They're not always this serious, but a Class 1 is a big deal. It'll be fine Annabel, just don't say a word. Chris or I will do the talking." Susan reassured. "Chris, you'll have to swear to uphold our laws and loyalty to Lady Narlakis. She can be a bit eccentric but she's generally fair, just be polite and don't offend her, try a little flattery if you can. She will be your protector and provider for years to come, you should behave appropriately thankful. However, she is a notorious collector, just like you collect treasure Chris, she collects valuable and loyal Beings. It's part of the reason she's so powerful. All going well, a young dragon will be such a tempting prize she will bend over backward to make sure we get everything we need." 

Underneath the blanket, Chris pulled Annabel close into a hug.

***

The rest of the drive sped by in silence, an hour passing as if it were only a few minutes. 

"Here we go." They pulled into the underground car park of a mid-rise building. As they wound down three levels to the bottom floor, Susan briefed them. "I'll get out first and open the trunk. Chris gets out, Annabel stay under the blanket until the initial meeting is over. Chris will help you out."

She pulled up to the security checkpoint. Their escort was already there: five Beings in dark clothes fanned out around the car as they parked. Susan got out first.

"Be brave, I love you." Annabel was trembling as Chris whispered to her before the trunk opened, the outside conversation becoming clear to the two inside. 

"You can feel him can't you?" Susan asked. "He won't be dangerous unless provoked."

"Yes, he's a big fella," came the voice of Timothy Garrill. Bringing in a Class 1 was something the fire elemental would see to, himself. "Okay, bring him out slowly." He then spoke in a low curt growl, he meant business. "If you'd told us what he is we could have prepared better, witch."

"Okay Chris, you heard him," came Susan's voice.

Chris's heart pounded as he slid out from underneath the blanket. With his feet planted on the concrete floor, he pulled aside his section of the blanket and slowly straightened, raising to his full height. Taking in his surroundings in a flash, his tongue flicked out to taste the air. Elemental, vampire, lycan, wizard, witch, his dragon informed him.

"Holy shit," Timothy started. "He's a dragon, right? Who the hell is he? They're all under protection."

Chris stayed still, trying not to seem threatening as he assessed the security team. The vampire woman and the male lycan were scenting him in return. "Yes, he's a dragon. I've raised him as my son. His name is Chris."

"Nice to meet you Chris, it's an honour. I'm Timothy Garril."

"Thank you." Chris shook Timothy's offered hand firmly. "May I bring out Annabel now?" he asked as he turned back toward Susan. 

The attack came lightning-fast from behind; the vampire was on his back, attempting to sink her fangs into his neck, driven by the scent of his powerful blood. His dragon jolted into action, buffeting the woman with his wings as he snarled and reached behind to pull her off by her hair. Firming up his hold with a grip on her neck, he ripped her off his back, her scrabbling black talons ripping his shirt and scratching across his scales, drawing a little blood. The smell of his blood in the air only made her struggle harder but Chris had her, slamming her down on the ground and holding her there by her pale neck, applying pressure as she struggled and hissed, fangs bared. 

The others sprang into action, moving forward, intent on pulling the two apart. 

"Stop!" Annabel screamed, hearing the fight and pushing aside the blanket. "Don't hurt him, please!"

The security team held off and looked to their leader, startled by her sudden appearance. 

Chris's dragon was in a rage. It wanted to kill the vampire, and pressed down, as if to rip her head off. She let out a wail, bloodlust fading as self-preservation became more pressing. 

"Please let her go, Chris." Annabel begged quietly. 

His face snapped up in her direction, a feral snarl fading as he saw his girlfriend, terrified and confused. Looking back down at the vampire, he brought his human side into control, carefully releasing his grip on the woman's neck, then turning to take Annabel in his arms and walk a few paces away. "Get her away from me," he snarled over his shoulder.

There was a kafuffle of action as they checked on their teammate and restrained her. The vampire, Amanda, was dazed and sore; her neck and the back of her head ached horribly, but she would heal. Mostly she felt shame. She had attacked a newborn dragon in a fit of bloodlust. Even now she could smell his blood; if she hadn't felt so thoroughly beaten she would have been up and at him again in a heartbeat ... not that she had one.

"How dare you!" screamed an outraged Susan. They hadn't even made it inside before her son had been attacked! This wasn't a good start.

"I'm sorry." As his team saw to Amanda, Timothy tried to soothe Susan, blocking her from moving toward the prone vampire. "We didn't know he was a dragon, we would have made her feed beforehand if we did."

"That's no excuse!" Susan spat.

"Perhaps not," replied the elemental, "she'll be punished. Now let's get everyone calmed down and move on; you have an audience with Lady Narlakis. Who's the human?"

"Oh, that's Chris's girlfriend. She'll become his familiar once it's approved." Susan calmed down; she needed to be collected for their court appearance.

"That isn't strictly procedure, Susan. She clearly knows about us and is under no binding not to reveal us," he stated, a little worried about how this new wrinkle might play out with Lady Narlakis.

"You're going to argue procedure with me after what just happened?" Susan raised an eyebrow at the head of security. By now the other three had Amanda up on her feet, leading her toward the door. As she passed Chris, she muttered out the best apology she could.

Chris grunted in reply. 

"What was that about?" Annabel asked from within his hug.

"She's a vampire, she mustn't have been able to control herself and she tried to bite me." His dragon found the whole thing exciting. Chris found it terrifying; he had been moments away from killing another Being.

"Oh my god Chris, I didn't see that part. When I saw you, you had her by the throat on the ground. I was so scared." Annabel shivered. 

"I'm sorry Dee, my dragon kind of took over when she jumped on me. Thanks for calming me down." He kissed her hair. 

Timothy came over shortly after and apologised to Chris for Amanda's behaviour. Chris accepted the apology and for some reason asked that she be shown leniency. Timothy readily agreed. Amanda would likely punish herself thoroughly on top of whatever he dreamed up for her. He called in an increased security order for the compound and court chamber as well as clearing their path to the court.

They began the ascent from the parking garage toward the court, walking down empty halls that led through a mix of modern and ancient interiors; the underground had been expanded and modified over many decades. Annabel and Chris walked hand in hand, flanked by their escort, while Susan brought up the rear. 

***

Sitting, sore and forlorn in the security office, awaiting her punishment, Amanda berated herself. Was she nothing but a bloodsucking monster? The first 50 years as a vampire had truly been hard but she had gotten through them, and in the process had learned to control her thirst. But her first whiff of dragon flesh had been enough to set off her most basic instincts. Disgusted, she looked down at the smears of red that remained on her hands. Before even thinking, a finger was in her mouth, sucked spotless in an instant as the flavours exploded against her tongue. With a moan, the rest of her fingers were dutifully bathed, lapping up every delectable molecule of his blood. She let out a whimper of despair as his taste faded, leaving her terribly unsatisfied, and having ruined her appetite for any other blood. She had gone about this all wrong: she should have offered herself to him, begged if necessary, to let her feed from him. She had to have more.

***

They waited outside the door to the court chamber while the current session finished. It didn't take long before a lycan attendant stuck his head out and told them to enter. Chris squeezed Annabel's hand briefly before handing her off to Susan and striding into the large room.

It was truly impressive, with grand arched ceilings, marble floors, and rows of seats for a few hundred audience members, now mostly empty. A subdued yellow light was given off by several floating orbs, magically suspended at least two stories above in the arches. A richly carpeted set of stairs led to an obsidian throne. Seated there was the first Drow that Chris had ever laid eyes on: a dark, slender elf of subterranean origin. A hush swept the room as people turned to see the newcomers, many seeing a dragon for the first time. 

Chris studied Lady Reyla Narlakis as he walked toward the throne. She was truly an elfin beauty. In her midnight blue gown, she looked truly royal, an air of ancient power about her. Her ears were pointed, contrasting her alabaster hair dramatically against flawless, pitch-black skin curved over sleek muscle and soft flesh. The shocking white was bound back away from her face in an elegant ponytail, jewelled ribbons maintaining its structure and weaving throughout the length, down to her shoulders. 

Reyla's grey eyes sparkled in delight as the young dragon approached in his half form, noting his appreciative study of her. She'd been informed that a back country witch was to bring in a powerful Being, but this was truly extraordinary. The dragon oozed power: both physically with his tall, broad form, and magically with his heady aura. His wings made him majestic, but in her eyes his simple clothes highlighted his youth. Yes, so rare and powerful a Being was a treasure. Her black heart thrilled at the prospect of snaring such a fine catch for her own.

Chris reached the base of the steps and lowered himself to his knees, his head bowed. He could sense the power of the ancient elf; his dragon recognised in her someone they could respect as superior in age, knowledge, and power. "Lady Narlakis, I humbly present myself before your court seeking membership to your domain." Chris surprised himself with his almost theatrical manner of speech, but realised his dragon was helping him.

And well mannered too! Reyla thought, already slipping on the mask of a sweet, kindly demeanour. Quickly thinking through how to handle such an important meeting, she arose and descended from the throne to also kneel one step above him. Reaching down for his chin, she raised his face, eyes meeting. "I am honoured to call you one of my own, dragon. We have missed your kind for far too long. What is your name? I do not recognise your colouring; do you have an aspect?"

"My name is Christopher Baryst," he introduced, still captivated by her grey eyes and royal, midnight beauty. He paused for a moment before his dragon helped him again, eyes flashing. "I'm of the Ether." The dragon raised his hands. Purple flame sprang to life from his upturned palms. There was a collective intake of breath around the room as it cast an ethereal, flickering light. 

Reyla was rendered momentarily speechless. Before her knelt the 7th male dragon alive in the world, a youngling bursting with potential, untrained, and unmolded. Fortuitous in the extreme. She smiled down at him. This was no ordinary project; the future of the dragons knelt at her feet. "Outstanding, Christopher," she said, leaning forward to kiss each of his purple cheeks, catching his enticing scent, yet she was too ancient to succumb to anything more than a pleasant sense of warmth between her legs. She willed a small charm as her lips touched his skin, to let her know where he was and if he was in danger. His dragon sensed her spell but allowed the protective blessing. Lady Narlakis stood back and addressed her rapt audience in her best regal voice, edged with threat. "This dragon is under my protection. Any threat, harm, or plot against him will be met with my strictest displeasure. Dragons are guardians, and under his guardianship our community will prosper. We are honoured by his presence and you will all conduct yourselves accordingly. I will release an official statement to this effect shortly. This court is adjourned for the day."




Endangered Ch. 03



The court audience shuffled out, looking back for once last peek at the dragon.

"Rise Christopher," she said quietly. 

The fire in his hands extinguished as he stood. "Lady, please just call me Chris, everyone does." 

"Fine, fine." Lady Narlakis said with a tinkling laugh. "And you may call me Reyla when we are in private. How old are you, dragon?"

"I'm nineteen," he replied, a little disconcerted. She was much nicer than he had expected. "My dragon awakened yesterday. Before that I was completely human; but Susan raised me with a basic knowledge of our world."

"So young," Reyla cooed, reaching to brush his cheek, her mind already racing ahead to the prospect of a pet dragon at her beck and call. The room was now clear except for his escorts and her chief advisors. "Come," she beckoned everyone closer. "Sit, sit, we have a lot to get through." She guided the dragon to sit on a carpeted step, taking the step above as her own. "Now, tell me your story."

He laid out his life as briefly as possible. For now he left Annabel out of the picture, although she sat only a few feet away. The Drow hadn't seemed to have noticed her yet.

"Interesting." She took one of his big purple hands in her black ones, stroking it gently. "What do you wish for yourself, dragon? How may I help you achieve your desires?" At this, he had looked up at her with innocent trust; this was almost too easy.

"I guess I just want to learn about our world and live my life. More specifically I need an education, a job, a home, and your protection," Chris replied honestly.

"No great aspirations?" Reyla asked seductively. "Hmmm. So easily pleased. You are such a nice boy, Christopher." 

Annabel almost felt sick watching the elf paw at him. Surely he wasn't falling for her saccharine act.

"None." He smarted a little at being called a boy in front of everyone, but coming from Lady Narlakis it was a fair assessment. 

"Very well." Reyla turned to Susan. "And what of yourself, witch? Why wasn't I made aware of a dormant dragon inside my own territory? You meant to keep him for yourself, no doubt." She regretted her words when she felt the dragon recoil, the hand she held suddenly tense.

"No my lady," Susan responded calmly, not rising to the accusation. "I only meant to protect him while he could not protect himself. Surely anonymity is the best defence. As soon as he awoke yesterday evening, we made plans to come here for your protection."

"Nonetheless, I would have expected a loyal Being to inform me of something so important," Reyla said coldly. The implication was not lost on anyone in the room. Again she chastised herself, she was eroding his good first impression of her. And yet, she resented having been kept in the dark. Still, she must control her temper around him.

"But all is well now that you are here, Chris," she soothed. "I will contact the Synod immediately to inform them of you. I imagine you will need to go meet with their dragon representative, Lord Guthrie; but that can wait a few days. In the meantime, you may live in our guest quarters and explore our wonderful city. We can discuss your education later."

"Thank you," he said, a bit put off by her abrupt changes in demeanour. 

"It's nothing Chris; all I ask in return is your loyalty and guardianship," Reyla assured sweetly. "Everything magical will prosper indirectly from your presence. Now, let's get the rights over with." 

Chris repeated after Reyla, reciting the induction rites for Beings allied to a new territory, swearing to uphold their laws, to serve his Lady, and to protect the Secret.

"Well said Christopher," Reyla encouraged, sliding the hand that had been resting in his short purple hair during the ceremony down the side of his face. "Now, let's get the details sorted out. Tosh, give him a registration and enter him into the system. But only put name, species, and class; Christopher can enter any further information if he wishes."

"On it my Lady," came the reply from a tall Asian man, working on a tablet computer in his lap. "What class shall I enter?"

"Hmmm," murmured Lady Narlakis as she felt out the subtleties of the dragon's aura. "I would have to agree that Class 1 is the most suitable." There was a bit of whispering between the others: Class 1 Beings were rare, very powerful. "It will be nice to have a companion of similar capabilities again," Reyla flattered. "The only Class 1 other than myself in the city is Envoron, but he is both senile and a Day elf, two things I cannot tolerate."

Someone tittered sycophantically at this, but Chris remained silent. They still hadn't discussed Annabel. Tosh saved what might have become an awkward silence by completing his registration, pending approval.

"Your registration code is 01DR-053-59413, the first bit is just your class and species, the numbers are randomised, unique to you. I'll set up a phone and laptop for you to use on Maginet this afternoon. You know about Maginet, right?" Tosh asked.

In the background, hushed conversations could be heard between some of the others in the room. Timothy was discussing new security measures around the guest quarters with a teammate; however most silently watched the interactions between dragon and Drow. Including Susan and Annabel.

"A little, I've seen Susan using hers and I'm okay with computers." 

"Tosh is very good with technology, he keeps things running around here," Reyla interjected, "he's an arachnid you know, quite rare; I'm very lucky to have him." Tosh stuttered out a thanks before returning to his tablet. "Now, you will also need security," she continued. "What do you think, Timothy?"

This had been the subject of Timothy's thoughts for the past few minutes. "Well, he's powerful enough to handle himself; so what we need is someone to watch out for him, and back him up. A more subtle approach rather than a show of up-front muscle," reasoned the elemental.

Reyla agreed, mulling the possibilities over before confirming her initial decision. His primary protection couldn't be a man, there would be too much posturing between males this powerful; there always was. Lillian would be perfect: powerful and deadly enough to help protect the dragon, old enough to spot hidden threats, her loyalty insured due to the blood pact they had formed centuries ago. Besides, being around the young dragon would be torture for the vampire, which suited Reyla, given their current enmity.

"Lillian," she called, knowing the vampire was listening, lurking, as her kind was inclined. The thump of boot steps on marble answered her.

"Are you sure Reyla? We'll have to find a replacement for your own rotation." 

"Yes I'm sure," she almost snapped at Timothy. "She's perfect."

***

'She's perfect', echoed through Annabel's head when the Amazonian beauty approached Chris from behind. So tall, at over six foot, with a clearly powerful body, proportionally large curves and beautifully feminine lines. Her muscular legs were long and they looked amazing in tight jeans. The natural strut she seemed to pull off effortlessly was the best she had ever seen, hips jigging sideways a little with each long step. Annabel hadn't yet seen it from behind and already she knew it could probably cause accidents – plane crashes, even. 

The gorgeous valkyrie wore tall combat-style boots that didn't detract whatsoever from the vision of her as any man's perfect dream. Her great big tits must be D-cups or something, the way they bounced slightly with each step inside her clingy red turtleneck. She gave a sexy little flick of her head, dislodging some lustrous, shoulder-length, light brown hair that required a seductive swish back in place behind her ear. Mischievous brown eyes twinkled behind a forest of lashes, below which were deep shadows that made her look sultry, a little tired, like she should be taken back to bed, or, just simply taken. Her skin was absolutely white, and her face beautiful, perhaps with an overly wide mouth emphasized by plump lips: a seductive, hungry predator. She smiled, a Cheshire smile, revealing her vampiric nature for all to see, fangs displayed on the plush bed of her bottom lip.

Annabel saw it for what it was: an attention-grabbing entrance, and it seemed to be working. Thankfully Chris's back had been turned. How was she supposed to compete with that?

For her part, Lillian had been watching the proceedings from the start, observing Reyla attempt to charm the young dragon yet failing to hide her ugly temper and haughty arrogance. Serves you right you black elf bitch, I hope he sees straight through you. 

Reyla and Lillian had a long history. As a young vampire Lillian had been seduced by the powerful elf, entering into a blood pact with her: obedience and servitude, in exchange for power. This seemed wonderful at the time, especially to one who was generally governed by base desires in the early years of un-death. The pact enabled her to hold a secure place, in the upper levels of vampire hierarchy; an intoxicating feeling for any youngling, that also insured her survival during those vulnerable years.

As she had aged and matured, however, her vampiric cravings had mellowed, and she realised she had traded much of her free will. Reyla expected much in return. Initially, their relationship had been mutually beneficial, it had soured over the years as Reyla exerted control and ordered her to do her bidding. Four centuries had since passed, and she had grown into a tenacious, resourceful, and sometimes ruthless vampire, far too powerful to simply let slip away. Reyla knew this, and was fairly sure that Lillian was aware of this as well. 

Reyla kept Lillian close, a member of her personal guard, a position in which Lillian excelled. And yet the elf took every opportunity to punish the vampire's 'ungratefulness'. Lillian had no choice but to do the Lady's bidding, bound by the Drow's blood inside her own body, but took any small chance rebel, despite how futile. Half a century ago when she had asked for her freedom, Reyla had denied her. Apparently Lillian had many more centuries of service before the 'generous gift' would be paid off. In truth, Reyla had no intention of releasing her from her little collection of pets. And so it had continued, until the present day in which they lived to goad one another. Thus, when Lady Narlakis called Lillian to duty, undoubtedly she thought that guarding a dragon would be a torturous experience for the vampire. 

So Lillian flaunted her body proudly, knowing the conceited Drow would hate not being the centre of attention, even for a few seconds. She made sure her hips popped with each step, and displayed her fangs against her bottom lip seductively, revelling in the disapproval rolling off her liege. And yet it was true: assignment to guard this dragon would be excruciating. Already she could feel his scent flooding her nostrils, no longer the little tickle it had been while on the far side of the room. She would control herself, though. It was an opportunity to get away from Reyla and perhaps slight her at the same time. Furthermore, if she was close to the dragon, perhaps Lillian could steer him away from the treacherous elf's grasp.

Reyla watched Lillian's dramatic entrance, from her view directly over the dragon's wings. She strongly suspected that the vampire was goading her. Upon her approach she stood, gesturing Chris up too, politely turning him to introduce the vampire and thereby retain a picture of charming royal calm.

"Christopher, this is Lillian Kozlov, your bodyguard," she said sweetly, eyes locking threateningly with Lillian's for a moment.

"She's a vampire," was Chris's response, not moving forward to shake her hand.

"Yes," replied Lillian, letting a little of her native Russian accent tinge her words, just to piss off Reyla. "But I'm much older than Amanda. I control myself far better." A mortified Amanda had already texted Lillian to inform her that she had attacked the young dragon, confessing to having found his taste unimaginably compelling.

"Oh." Relenting, he moved forward to accept her handshake, eyeing her from head to toe as he did so. His dragon was thrilled no end at the thought of seducing her, subduing her large, powerful body before plundering her softness until she quivered. She would be a wonderful challenge. When his eyes finally reached her gaze, nearly level with his own, she winked. He knew he had been caught. Chris blushed a deeper purple, furiously. Real smooth, he despaired, yet still managing a "Nice to meet you." 

She gave him an overly wide smile in return, and though the smile didn't quite reach her dark brown eyes, it lit her face with a devastating predatory beauty. "It's nice to meet you too, Christopher," she replied, batting her eyelashes, for Reyla's benefit. She had, after all, appreciated his obvious attention and couldn't deny the dragon's powerful body as appealing; yet his timid nature reminded her of his young age. She preferred strong, confident men, who provided a challenge and were not intimidated by her. Admittedly, there were few men who fit this criteria yet still hadn't let their power get to their heads. Still, it was hard to maintain complete composure with his damnably sweet smell. Any physical contact might break her resolve. She locked it away as an impossibility. Lady Reyla would forbid it anyway, she would obey.

"Good," Reyla concluded. "Lillian will be responsible for your security day and night. Others will also be involved at times, but she will be in charge. Now, if that's all I'll leave you to make Christopher comfortable in his new home. I must go inform the Synod ... oh, and someone take the human girl's memories, I can't fathom why she's in here to begin with."

"No," came a menacing growl.

"She knows about all of this," Reyla gestured around them, confused by the dragon's response. "About you. Surely, you – "

"She is mine," the dragon interrupted, holding her gaze, his body tense. Everyone felt the change in atmosphere as the Beings assessed each other. "I will take her as a familiar."

Reyla backpedalled. Obviously the girl meant something to him. And yet ... a human? It was beneath him. "That's highly irregular, familiars need to be approved by – "

"You have the authority. I request your permission." It was, in fact, barely a request. The dragon spoke with a firmness that brooked no argument.

She had no choice. She couldn't deny his request without enraging the dragon; he might even try to flee with her. "You may have her. I grant permission to take the girl as your familiar. See to that as well Lillian, I expect it to be done by the end of the day." Cocking her head slightly, Reyla couldn't help but reassess him. There was strength and dominating possessiveness lurking underneath the youthful meekness. It enraged her, yet thrilled her no end. She needed to plan more extensively for how to deal with him, and how to ensnare him. "Christopher I apologise for distressing you, I wasn't aware of her importance. I would like to speak with you again tomorrow, once you're settled of course. I expect the Synod will have a plan of action formulated by then."

"Good day, everyone." Affecting regal serenity, she turned, her white, bejewelled ponytail sparkling, and strode away. 

There was a collective moment of relaxation as the Drow swished gracefully away. Everyone except Chris's party that now included the chuckling vampire, had cleared the room to head about their business.

***

"Lillian," muttered Timothy threateningly.

The two stood together, watching the distraught human girl embrace the dragon desperately.

"Calm yourself, Tim," She whispered, barely containing her mirth. "That was fantastic. Did you see her face?"

"Yes," the elemental sighed. "She almost lost her cool for a second there. Don't push her." He held Lillian in awe. Lady Narlakis had a temper, that was a fact, but was generally fair with everyone who didn't piss her off. Lillian went out of her way to do just that, and it made her a bit of a legend.

"Okay, we'll go to the rooms first, then the tattoo, then probably the rooms again," Lillian outlined the schedule. "After they're done with making her a familiar we can show him around the Compound. He can't go outside looking like that, though. Maybe tonight he can go visit the club or something." 

"That sounds fine, are you going to be okay with this?" Timothy asked. "Amanda was on him straight away; you should have seen it though, he had her by the neck so fast I barely saw it. He just about killed her but the human started making a fuss and he stopped." 

"Interesting." She approached the dragon, giving the witch a nod of acknowledgement. "Christopher, let's go see where you'll be living, then we can get started on making her your familiar."

"Sure, and please call me Chris. It looks like we'll be spending a bit of time together." He released Annabel from their long hug; still holding onto him, she gave the beautiful vampire a surprisingly hateful glare. 

"Thank you, Chris. And what's your name?" Lillian offered Annabel a hand to shake. 

Annabel didn't accept it. It was childish, but she refused all the same.

At this, Lillian leant down. This human female was pretty enough; perhaps a little skinny by her own standards, but that was the fashion these days wasn't it? She must be his girlfriend, strong minded enough to see past his wings and scales. Good for her. "Listen," she tried for a conspiratorial tone, "I imagine this is quite overwhelming. But you don't have to worry about me. That's more than I can say for some of the others around here. I won't try to steal him from you," she winked as she spoke the last sentence, and Annabel blushed violently.

"Sorry, I'm Annabel," she offered her hand shyly. "It's all just a bit much at the moment."

"Welcome aboard," said Lillian, shaking it, but not before glancing up at the dragon for approval to do so.

***

Lillian guided them through the underground complex, explaining various services and functions. There were about 4500 Beings in the Mid-West territory, most of whom lived in the Denver metropolitan area. Lady Narlakis provided many kinds of support to Beings in her territory, policed their laws, and maintained the Secret. Beings provided something in return to help the community: a tax system of sorts, usually paid by barter of services. Beings had their own economy based in trade using mostly precious metals and stones as currency which also had intrinsic value for magics and spells. Human currency still played its part, because everyone interacted with that world as well, Lillian explained. Chris already knew most of this, but Annabel absorbed it all like a sponge.

Upon arriving at an elevator, Lillian inserted her key card and they stepped inside, travelling upward while she explained that they were now traversing underneath the city block to their hotel suite, inside a hotel for Beings only. They were quite high up when they arrived on their floor, where again a key card was required for entry.




Endangered Ch. 03



Their suite was quite spacious, one of only two abodes on the entire floor. Elaborately furnished, the dark heartwood accents contrasted nicely with the gentle pastel interiors. There were pieces of tasteful local art throughout, including some clearly made by Beings. All of the windows, which were extensive along one side, were installed with retractable shades currently pulled down, effectively blocking out all sunlight. They could open them if they desired, but Lillian cautioned them to please tell her beforehand; she was a vampire after all.

While Chris and Annabel made themselves comfortable in the master bedroom, Susan took one of the spare rooms. Lillian set up shop in another: while on duty she would live with them. When asked about taking time out from what sounded like exhaustive surveillance duties, Lillian explained that she didn't expect to do so. Frankly, she rarely slept anymore.

Lunch was delivered via room service: burgers for Chris and Annabel and an omelette for Susan. Lillian ordered a 'blood box' – the vampire equivalent of a juice box – a concept Annabel initially found immensely funny until the implications of harvesting human blood sunk in. All four of them sat at the dining room table, Annabel next to Chris, opposite Lillian. While they ate, Susan remained quiet, sizing Lillian up; trying to figure out what hidden games might be in store. Lillian must be powerful, she knew, and highly trusted to be assigned to protect Chris; but what exactly would the vampire be reporting to Lady Narlakis, she wondered.

"So your aspect is the Ether. How does that work?" Lillian asked, sipping her blood while they finished off their fries.

"I don't know," Chris answered honestly. He'd begun to warm to the seemingly-friendly vampire. "I used to dream in the Ether some nights. This is all very new to me." He explained about his father's enchantment. "Yesterday, I fell into the Ether when I had a nap, woke up, and had a walk around in there. I actually ended up scaring the hell out of Mom."

"Very interesting," Lillian mused, "you know, it's a unique aspect among dragons. There hasn't been an Ether dragon before. I imagine you will grow to be quite formidable. Dragons always are, but if you can learn to phase, and to harness the energy of the Ether for magic, you would become very powerful."

Everyone seemed to be obsessed with how powerful he would become. "I just want an uncomplicated life."

Lillian's guffaw echoed in the room and Susan had to smile a little too. "You certainly won't have an uncomplicated life. No one does." Perhaps because he was young, he didn't yet understand the world. She was finding it a little easier to relax around him, especially after her blood meal; perhaps she was just getting accustomed to his scent. The girl, however, still eyed her warily, while the witch silently studied her.

"Well. Let's go get her the tattoo," Lillian announced, once they had all finished eating.

"Me?!" Annabel squeaked. She hated all things 'needle'.

"Is that really necessary?" Chris knew it was, but asked anyway.

"Absolutely," Susan replied out of the blue from the head of the table. "Without it, you won't be legally protected against the actions of other Beings. You'll be a regular human. Nowadays, they tattoo the owner's ID number on each familiar. They used to brand humans, like cattle."

"Yes, and without your master's tattoo I could come gobble you up in the night," was Lillian's light-hearted rejoinder. Chris hissed. "Relax," the vampire eased, "I meant it as a joke. Although it's true, you know." 

"Do you really hunt people? Kill them to drink their blood?" Annabel asked.

"Well of course I do, I'm a vampire. Most of us try not to kill our victims. It's greedy, you know; messy, too." Damping down her sharp wit, she continued, "We each have an allotment of humans we are allowed to kill each year; some vampires get off on it, but they usually don't last long. We are allowed as many non-fatal feedings as we need, provided we leave no trace behind, keep the Secret, and all that. Human familiars of other Beings are off-limits, though," she added kindly. "A lot of vampires just keep their own human familiars, or feed from another willing Being."

"That's sick, how can you just treat people like that?" Annabel whined. Chris hugged her across the small gap between their chairs; still, she felt a little nauseous at the idea.

Lillian wasn't at all offended by the girl's accusations. "It's just nature Annabel, it isn't pretty," she explained patiently, meeting the girl's bright eyes. This was a serious subject, the human needed to understand that the Being world wasn't some idealised fantasy. "Vampires aren't even the worst; true demons used to go on absolute bloodbaths before they got stopped. That hasn't happened in several hundred years. And it's been very rare since the Devines put a barrier around our dimension millennia ago, saying it was unfair that demons still influenced our lives, even after the ban." She had embraced her nature long ago. A hungry vampire was a dead vampire, after all.

Susan looked on approvingly, it wasn't the most gentle of lessons in the uglier side, but it would be good for both Annabel and Chris.

Slumping sideways back into Chris's body with a slight sigh, Annabel was rocked. "Demons? Holy shit ... what, what about God? The Devil? At least tell me you don't go around killing people. I mean you're a good vampire, right?" Magical Beings were one thing but she'd lost faith once she realised that people did all manner of things in the name of their gods.

Across the table Lillian laughed huskily, watching the dynamic between the two, they certainly seemed to take a lot of comfort in physical contact with each other. The girl was as delightfully innocent as the dragon. "Well. I don't know that there's such a thing as a 'good' vampire, darling. Perhaps I am. I did kill a man last year, but then again he was a rapist; that was more of a murder than a feeding. Demons and Devines certainly exist, perhaps not as you've thought of them. One thing's for sure though," Lillian leaned forward, speaking thoughtfully as she twirled some of her lustrous brown hair out of habit with a finger. "They hate each other. What do they fight about? The fate of our souls: who knows?" she mused aloud. "As for God, or gods, or the Devil: who knows? I have no more proof of their existence than you. Mightn't an entity powerful beyond our comprehension appear to be a god? We would have no way to know if it was a god or just some small fry in the scheme of the universe and all its dimensions." She paused and leaned back, stretching in an unintentional display of her impressive breasts, signalling her withdrawal from further philosophical discussion. "Anyway, all this is besides the point. You need to get a tattoo in order to be his familiar."

"Fine. Okay," Annabel agreed. The vampire's talk and her piercing gaze had managed to intimidate her more than did the idea of getting a tattoo. "Do I have to do anything else?"

"You'll repeat some rights like Chris did today. Then he'll do the same and put some energy into your binding. Other Beings will then be able to sense it and know you're a familiar. That part will be painless." To Lillian, it felt like overseeing a wedding. In a way, she was.

They rode the elevator back down below-ground, popping up in a shaded back alley. Behind a door, a suitably surprised, heavily-tattooed wizard greeted them, introducing himself as Garry. He had heard rumours earlier that day that a dragon was in town, but had dismissed them as bullshit. Now, he was stoked. A scenario began playing out in his head as he ushered them in and set up his tools: tattooing the dragon's familiar was going to give him a story to tell at the bar tonight. Women would be pawing all over him just to hear it....

***

Her left shoulder fucking throbbed! At least it was over now and she could suffer quietly, lying on the hotel bed. She'd put on a brave face, trying to show the hot vampire that she had toughs. Now she just wanted Chris, maybe some ice cream too; but he was out in the living room fussing over his new laptop and smartphone with Tosh, the Japanese spider guy. He was such a sweet nerd sometimes, getting excited about his new stuff. She hoped they would still have time to play an occasional video game together once everything settled down. Drifting a little, her mind wandered over the last 24 hours, the most eventful of her young life. 

Before she had detected any sign of his approach, Chris was back in the room, picking her up off the bed. "Are you okay, Dee?" he soothed, holding her so as not to bump her sore shoulder. She could walk just fine, yet he took some satisfaction from treating her like an invalid, trying to comfort her.

"I'll be fine. It hurt like a bitch but it's not so bad now," Annabel fibbed. He'd carried her gently and then lowered her onto one of the rich leather couches where she now reclined, her legs bent and tucked neatly underneath her.

"Well, Susan reminded me that I might be able to help with that," he replied, gently lifting the material along one shoulder of her light blue dress and easing down her bra-strap to reveal a bandage. It covered the string of black numerals, about a half inch high, imprinted along her tender left shoulder blade, her dyed skin raised up and inflamed, like stinging Braille. Removing it carefully, he examined the exposed tattoo. 053 59413. Annabel winced a little as the bandage came off, but let him shuffle around her until he knelt, settling behind her, on the couch. He guided her down and forward a little, holding her upper arms gently. Then he started licking across the fevered numerals, hoping his saliva would provide some relief.

Initially, his purple, semi-forked, reptilian tongue felt hot on her sore skin; but as he continued, it seemed to have a cooling effect. Before she knew it, the pain was easing away. "Ohhh, it's working Chris. Keep going, it feels so good," she murmured. 

He lapped until the irritated red colour faded back into flawlessness. Only, it wasn't entirely flawless: the string of numbers contrasted sharply against her milky skin. She shouldn't have had to mark her body like that.

Susan and Lillian watched the unintentionally erotic display from the kitchen. Given the position and his movements, he might almost be screwing her gently from behind. His larger, draconian body arched to lick and nip her shoulder while holding her in place. That he was in fact gently healing her, added something pure and loving to the pose.

"That's fucking hot. He's going to be a lady-killer," Lillian murmured distractedly, in danger of revisiting her initial evaluation of Chris's suitability as a lover.

"Mm hm," Susan agreed, unable to take her eyes off the lovebirds, instantly aroused, and finding herself less and less willing to hold back. Just being near the dragon and his scent was whittling down her power to resist him at an alarming rate.

Annabel opened her eyes and saw the two women in the kitchen, watching them. She quickly pulled her shoulder strap up, embarrassed about almost showing tit. Chris, who had been enjoying tonguing her smooth, slightly salty skin and giving her little kisses, stopped too; he had been fully caught up in the moment. His Mom and Lillian had been watching. He blushed a deeper purple. Perhaps the couch wasn't the best place.... And yet he hadn't intended it to become sexual.

"Ooh! That was so cute," Lillian exclaimed, breaking the spell. This assignment was turning out to be fun; a far cry from being cooped up with a prissy, self indulgent, Drow bitch. She hated feigning civility and obedience. The blood pact continually forced her to do as Lady Narlakis ordered; she could resist, but doing so left her weak and therefore vulnerable. Watching two young things, desperately in love but so unsure of themselves, was so much better. Now the purple dragon was all flustered and embarrassed, so uncharacteristic in a Class 1 Being.

"Okay, let's do the ceremony." Lillian approached the couch. "I've written down what you need to say. I'll be your witness." She handed them each a scrap of paper.

"What do I have to do, Mom?" Chris asked, unsure. "I've never even used magic."

"It'll be fine Chris," Susan assured, walking over. "It's not really a spell so much as a pact. Just hold Annabel in your mind and say the words. Some Beings give their familiars a more personal, magical marking in the process but don't worry about that. It's just a ceremony." She didn't actually have experience with wielding the magic involved in taking a familiar ... but it couldn't be that complicated. Most Beings could do this; even those who didn't practice traditional magic, like Weres or vampires.

Chris and Annabel faced each other on the couch and looked down at the scribbled words. 

"Ready, Dee?" Chris asked tentatively, "You know you don't have to..."

"Oh, shush," Annabel teased. "So eager to get rid of me?"

"No."

"Good, I love you babe," she replied, leaning up to give him a chaste kiss, still mindful of their audience. "Let's do this. I go first, right?"

"Yes. Just say the words ... and mean them," Susan added.

One last time Annabel glanced at the note, memorising the words, before looking into his loving eyes, grasping his taloned hand, and promising her life to him. It was so dramatic. "Being, I give myself freely to you, bind myself to you. I vow to serve, place you above all others, and uphold the Secret. I'm yours." She meant it all. As the final syllable left her lips she felt an involuntary tremble course through her body. This wasn't just about saying some words anymore; something of herself had left her and now reached out, tendril-like, toward the dragon.

Chris felt it too, nudging against his aura, seeking acceptance. He and the dragon accepted her and enveloped her in return. Gently pulling her close, he held her against his neck so he could say the words in her ear. Holding a pristine vision of Annabel in his mind's eye, he saw her protected, secure, and loved. He spoke aloud in his deep, slightly hissing voice. "Human, I accept you, place you under my protection. I share the Secret and mark you as one of us. Serve me well. I love you." 

Those last three words were his own. He hugged her tighter. Blood roared in his ears: a staggering drain of energy poured out of himself and into her. Energy, mixed with magic, flowed out of him at an alarming rate. Scared, he opened his eyes for several seconds. The seconds multiplied, and it still hadn't stopped; his vision was darkening and he couldn't release his grip. He let out a strangled gasp just before blacking out.

Annabel felt something enormously powerful wrap around her as he squeezed the air from her lungs. Searing heat streamed over her tattoo where one of his hands gripped her, his claws digging through the thin fabric of her dress. She struggled, whimpering. Something rushed into her, her body stiffened as if electrified, and just as quickly it was over. She fell back, stunned, with Chris's limp body crumpled on top of hers.

Susan was at their side in an instant. Something had gone terribly wrong; as soon as Chris had begun speaking, an overabundance of energy had tainted the air. With its sudden release, she had been bowled backward by the wave and slumped heavily against the coffee table. Momentarily she regained her senses and saw Chris's human body smothering Annabel.

"The fuck was that!?" Lillian spat. The dragon's body had twitched and shuddered before shrinking back into his human form, his wings grotesquely sucked into his back, collapsing on themselves, the purple membranes dissolving back into the finger-like support bones. The bones crumpled sequentially inwards as the rest of his colour and scales faded until there was no trace of the dragon left.

"I don't know, help me!" Susan shrieked, stumbling over and rolling his limp body off of Annabel onto the other side of couch. Feeling his neck for a pulse and listening for breath, she felt and heard them, faint and barely audible. "Check her!" 

"He's human again," the vampire noted, glancing over at him as she knelt by the unconscious human girl. She reached to shake her gently. "Aaaagh ahh!" No sooner had she touched Annabel's skin, when she suddenly reared up and backed against the far wall in a flash of inhuman speed, clutching her blackened hand and slumping down the wall in agony. An acrid, burnt flesh smell filled the room.

Susan swivelled to see the vampire wailing helplessly, fangs extended as bloody tears streaked her pretty face. She stared; it was the worst burn she had ever even heard of, let alone seen. Snapping back to her son, she quickly assured that he was indeed breathing. Somehow, he had put far too much energy into the familiar bond, driving the dragon far back into hiding. 

Lillian cried piteously while next Susan quickly examined Annabel albeit from a safe distance. "What have you done, Chris?" she murmured to herself, feeling out toward Annabel with magical senses. What her sensations felt made her draw right back. Something had rushed out at her, sensing intrusion: it was powerful, intelligent, and felt like ... the dragon. Power literally oozed; Susan could 'see' it soaking into Annabel's skin, merging with her. Raw, magical power, burned bright purple in her mind's eye. What the hell did it mean?

Lillian's sobs brought Susan back from observation and into action. She got up and approached cautiously, getting close enough for a good look at the vampire's damaged hand. Across the palm and fingers the skin was charred to the bone, bubbled and blackened. Some streaks of healthy skin remained in places on the back. 

An injured vampire was a very dangerous creature. Had Lillian still maintained control? "Lillian," she called gently. "I'm so sorry. Can you hear me? Is it safe to come closer?"

Lillian heard the witch but god it hurt so much. Worse than the time long ago when her leg had been crushed. She self-assessed, and found that her vampiric nature had retreated, shocked, into the background. Usually, when injured it was next to impossible for her to refrain from sucking the nearest living thing dry. "I... I think so. Please help me," she groaned.

"Hang in there Lillian; what can I do?" Susan rushed forward the last few feet, kneeling beside her.

"Blood," Lillian whimpered. "Help me to the kitchen." They pulled each other up, Lillian cradling her useless hand gently with the other. "In the fridge. All of it, get all of it!" Drained by the magical burn, she could barely stand, and allowed Susan to support her as they stumbled over to one of the big silver fridges. 

Susan grabbed an armful of blood bags and dumped the first load on the bench alongside the sink. 

"More!" Lillian hissed, fangs flashing as she pulled a bag from Susan's grip and sunk her teeth into it, messily splattering her chin and neck, dripping onto her turtleneck and staining it an even deeper red. Her previously light brown irises dilated to all-black as Susan returned with a second round. 

"In the sink, cut them into the sink!" Lillian spluttered before ripping into another. Susan plugged the sink, grabbed a knife, and slit bag after bag, draining the contents into the stainless steel basin until Lillian told her to stop. 




Endangered Ch. 03



Gingerly, Lillian reached over and lowered her useless hand into the few inches of chilled crimson, breathing a sigh as it provided some relief. In her other hand she held her fourth bag, sipping from it, the blood's rejuvenating effects somewhat countered by the onset of bloat from having recently glugged it down. 

"Are you going to be alright?" Susan asked tentatively, leaning against a fridge door across the way. It had been downright terrifying to be so close to the vampire, while she had screamed for blood. Her intake had been voracious. What would happen if the fridge ran out? 

Under normal circumstances, the smell of Susan's fear would excite her. Lillian, however, only sighed and burped; she must be a right mess, covered in blood. Glancing first around the kitchen, she then turned to look grimly over at the witch. "Yes, I'll be fine in a while. You don't have to worry about me biting you. I'm stuffed." A slight sense of euphoria had begun grow as her hand throbbed painfully. It had begun to heal, submerged in the pool of blood. "There had better be a damn good explanation for this," she added grimly.

"There isn't," Susan replied, "he's put an enchantment on her, somehow. I've never seen anything like it. I suspect he meant it to protect her. It must have lashed out when you touched her."

"How did that happen? You said he couldn't use magic," Lillian snapped, narrowing her eyes.

They were both in shock, she realized too late; she needed to maintain her discipline, remain calm.

"I said he hasn't used magic," Susan snapped back, "He's never cast a spell in his life until now." She snorted. "The first one he tries, almost wipes him out. It's the dragon. Chris wouldn't know how to place an enchantment like that."

"You talk about them like they're two different Beings." Lillian groaned under her breath from a fresh onset of sensations, as newly-regenerated muscles and ligaments began to knit together.

"One Being. Two sides," Susan clarified. "Just like you have a human side and a vampiric side. Sometimes you're talking to Chris, sometimes a dragon."

"You know I have to report this." Lillian pulled her hand out of the blood briefly to inspect the progress. The blackened layers of skin were gone. Raw nerves burned from within the fresh layer of sub-dermis, exposed to air without an outer protective layer of skin yet generated, to cover them.

Susan wasn't squeamish as a rule, but the vampire's healing hand looked unnaturally gruesome: myriad growing tissues writhed as they absorbed the blood. She had felt relief after it was once again submerged. Looking away, she noted the state of the kitchen. Spattered blood, ripped bags littered and dripped across the nearby counters and floor. She chuckled almost maniacally. What a mess. They hadn't even been here for a full day. The statement about making a report swam back into focus.... The vampire didn't grasp the situation at all. 

"Report?" Susan exclaimed. "Every Being with any magical sensitivity within 200 miles of here felt that! The Synod will be having a fucking emergency phone conference as we speak. I should have known this wouldn't stay quiet. What's Lady Narlakis going to do now?"

"I can only guess," Lillian said honestly if still a bit sharply, despite attempts to infuse her voice with calm. "She wants him for herself, so she'll protect him. She'll be tempted; but I doubt she'll make a direct play to take him from you. You know how she is, no?" 

"Yes, I know. Will you help me?" Susan had sensed the edge in Lillian's voice; nevertheless, she could really use a friend in this.

"I already am." Lillian attempted to smile, before wincing again as she tried moving her fingers. "I hate that elf more than you can imagine; but we have a blood pact, I'm bound to her."

"Really?" Blood pacts were a particularly powerful bond, very rare these days. "How?"

"I was young and greedy," Lillian admitted. "Stupid, too."

"How will you help us, then?" Susan pressed on. "Wait, what did she give you in return?"

Firmly, Lillian disciplined herself to become calm, to relax through the pain of her healing hand and the excitement of the last few minutes. "I'll run whatever diversions I can, while you get him on his feet. It won't be much, but anything to fuck with Reyla sounds great. In the end though, I do what she tells me." She flexed, grimaced, and continued. "Perhaps I'll just do exactly that. None of my own thinking or reporting helpful little insights." It might actually be enough to throw the Drow off a little. She looked at Susan with a serious, steady gaze. "Ultimately though, Susan, Reyla isn't your enemy. You just need to watch out for your dragon until he and the lady settle into their relationship."

"Yes, I'm relying on Reyla to protect him. Well, I'm relying on you; I just don't want her claws in him this early. He needs to be independent." If only they could make her see past Chris's value as simply an item for her collection.... If Reyla befriended him, she would have his loyalty without his resentment. "Hey, what about your part of the blood pact?"

"Well, I can do this." Using her power, she lifted Susan slightly, suspending her a scant inch off of the ground.

"Oh! What's –? Put me down!" Weightlessness was a disconcerting feeling; Susan wanted none of it. 

At the sound of her shriek, Lillian hastily released her. Once back on the ground Susan felt a bit embarrassed; she heard Lillian chuckle and waited a few seconds, regaining composure before continuing. 

"You're telekinetic. That's very powerful for a vampire."

"Yeah, pretty cool huh?" was Lillian's slightly sarcastic rejoinder, wincing again during a particularly painful few seconds' healing.

"Not at your price. I appreciate your help though; I'll need all I can get, to keep him safe. If you're okay I'll go check on them again, just don't touch Annabel again until we know how this enchantment works."

"I'm almost done healing," Lillian looked up at Susan's retreating form. "And yeah, I'm not touching the girl with a broomstick; it would explode. Be careful, you can't heal like I do," she added, surprising herself with a sudden, almost sisterly twinge of concern for the witch. Just then her pocket started buzzing; it was her cellphone. Probably Reyla. 

Susan had stopped and turned in the doorway to listen. 

Lillian gave her an approving nod as she pulled out the phone. "Yes, Reyla," she answered. "You felt that? Yes, Susan said he put an enchantment on the girl.... I have no idea, I'm not a witch.... No, she's legally his familiar now.... No, I can't, I have my hand in a sink full of blood because it almost got burned off when I tried to touch her.... No, they both passed out.... Fine, I'll come see you in half an hour.... No, it's been quite a busy afternoon, my Lady.... Fine, I'll turn the bugs on before I leave.... No I'm not feeling rebellious, it's just my hand.... Yes.... Yes, I'll be fine.... Goodbye."

"So?" 

"She felt it. I think she's actually a little scared. I have to go report to her soon and boot up the surveillance system before I go. She's pissed I didn't do it to begin with."

"What kind of system?"

"Video and sound in all the rooms. There's no getting around it, really. You should look for your own accommodations as soon as possible; although for the time being, this is very secure. I recommend you don't tell Chris and Annabel; they might accidentally give me away," Lillian reasoned.

"Thank you, it means a lot that you'll help me." Susan looked at the bloodstained vampire in a new, more friendly light.

"Eh," Lillian smiled, flashing fang. "This is the most exciting thing since that unicorn lost it and rampaged through half the magic district. Wish I could have avoided this, though," she flashed her a half-hearted grin, turning back to her healing hand in the sink.

***

Reyla observed the witch, Susan, via the now-activated window on her tablet's screen. Lillian had finally powered up the surveillance system a few minutes ago, just as Reyla had ended a lengthy phone conversation with the rather relieved Synod. They'd been quite perplexed, upon first receiving the field reports. That the newly discovered dragon had been the source of such a powerful spell, added more fuel to the proverbial gossip fire. Maginet was probably already abuzz with speculation about its significance. Reyla would have avoided such publicity at all costs; the more tongues wagged, the harder it would be to keep the dragon for her own purposes. Already, the Synod had put plans in motion to meet with Lord Guthrie face-to-face; they'd arranged for a jet to take Chris to Europe in a few days. Meanwhile, they would be 'advising' her on his care and education, 'checking in regularly'.

Usually quick to assess, judge, and devise a cunning plan, Reyla, was at a loss. In truth, she had no idea what to do with her unique, young Being.

"My Lady." Lillian interrupted Reyla's musing, entering quietly into her lavish, darkened office.

"You look a mess, Lillian." Reyla noted the blood smeared across the vampire's face, neck, and arms, matting her brown hair in places, and staining her top.

"Yes. I consumed quite a lot, used even more on my hand." She displayed it for Reyla's review, fleshed-out and covered with new pink skin.

"What of the dragon?" 

"Can't you see for yourself?" Lillian gestured toward the tablet resting in Reyla's lap.

"He's just lying there. He's human again. The witch is watching him." 

"Then you know as much as I do," said the vampire.

"Well. Go back and protect him," Reyla commanded imperiously. "Now that everyone knows there's a youngling dragon up for grabs, I would be surprised if someone didn't try something. Use that bear-man you like for extra muscle, if you require." She sniffed. "There will be a trip to London in a few days but you'll have Synod approval. No one will touch you there. In the meantime report to me daily. I don't want any more upsets, Lillian." 

"Yes, my Lady," purred Lillian. She narrowed her eyes, calculating.... The elf seemed rattled. Time to push some buttons. "You have no idea what you're doing, do you?"

"Enough!" Reyla hissed, "I've had enough of your insolence. Get out."

"Sorry, my Lady," Lillian intoned insincerely, and turned to go.

Reyla's smiling riposte suddenly demanded her to attend. "Oh Lillian, how do you find him? Is his blood irresistible? Will you be able to control yourself?" Her tone of voice reflected Lillian's earlier insincerity. Touché.

"It's hard, my Lady." Lillian turned back, choosing to respond honestly this time, and gave her a smile to match, albeit a blood-spattered one. "But I'll manage. Perhaps, you should be more concerned about yourself. I know I am."

Filling her next words with arcane power, eyes flashing, Reyla barely contained her temper. "You will not taste him, you may not drink his blood, nor may you even touch him. I forbid it."

"I had no intent." The vampire smirked, quietly triumphant, "Perhaps you're projecting – "

"Out!" screeched the midnight elf. 

Lillian spun around and strode out, hiding her amusement at having reached her ladyship's limit. She had just unwittingly made Lillian's life easier. Such an order, issued through their blood pact, would now make the dragon easier to resist.

Reyla resumed her gaze at the surveillance window on-screen. After only a short time had passed, however, she could barely keep from throwing it against the wall, so frustrated had she become by the inactivity. This could become one of her greatest moments, and yet it had equal potential to be her downfall. After a single meeting, she had him deeply secured under her skin; such a temptation. His power and innocence only added to his allure, calling to her darkest desires for control, manipulation, and even enslavement. Perhaps, she mused, she should just fuck him and be done with it. It was probably a bad idea though; she wouldn't be able to resist binding him once he had penetrated her, his powerful body locked within the grip of her arms and legs. No. The Synod wouldn't take kindly to that....

Besides, the magical wake of the dragon's spell was the largest since the recent update to Maginet security two years ago. And that had taken roughly 150 mages to create, working together. What exactly was this dragon capable of? 

She reassessed: the political advantage alone was immense. She wouldn't waste it by enslaving him with trickery or magic. She wouldn't squander this opportunity. Instead, she would train him, nurture him, and develop him into a powerful instrument. It would likely take centuries.... But it would be worth it, and he would be grateful. Who knows? He might prove to be her equal, her match. Lurking beneath his timid, boyish nature, she'd glimpsed a dragon that might become one who would eventually tame her. There she went, daydreaming like she was only a few centuries old again. This dragon was already too dangerous.

***

Annabel's eyelids fluttered as she came around, sitting up suddenly. She remembering Chris almost crushing her, energy flowing around her, through her. He was lying on the couch next to her now, She found herself sitting on the couch at the other end, leaning against an armrest. He lay nearby, human again. No more wings, no more purple or creamy skin, no more claws. He looked slightly smaller.

"Please don't move, Annabel," Susan spoke softly from the opposite couch. 

"Susan? What's going on? Is Chris sleeping?" Annabel whispered, not wanting to wake her boyfriend.

Susan sighed. She had watched her for the last hour as her son's spell continued its work, only just detectable beneath the surface of her aura, but definitely there. "He's passed out, Annabel. Look, I don't know what's going on, but just stay calm and don't touch anything. He somehow put an enchantment on you during the ceremony. It was really powerful; and now he's wiped out." 

"What the hell.... What kind of enchantment? Wait, why can't I touch anything?"

"I'm sorry honey, but after it happened you were both unconscious. Lillian tried to check if you were okay and got a really bad burn when she touched you."

"What?! Is she okay? Why would it do that? " her voice had raised but it didn't seem to have any impact on Chris.

"She'll be fine, she used blood to heal quickly. I think it's a protective enchantment, that's the only thing that makes sense, Annabel. Perhaps it sensed she was a vampire and lashed out at her. Do you feel any different? Did you feel anything strange before you fainted?" 

"Yes!" Annabel exclaimed. "It felt like something went through me, like an electric shock. He was holding me so tightly I couldn't breathe, digging his claws in by my shoulder. Can you check if I need a BandAid, please?" She pulled down her dress's collar so Susan could see, twisting to look at her shoulder at the same time.

They both just gaped for several seconds. There was a dragon on her shoulder, straight out of a medieval tale or a story book, only purple. Such a beautiful tattoo. Susan got off the couch to have a closer look. The fine, indelible detail, so lifelike it could only have been done by magic, was etched into her skin atop her registration number; its tail twining around the last few digits. It looked about three inches long: a miniature purple dragon with wings and a flexible tail, tiny white spikes at the end, modelled after Chris's full dragon form. 

"Is that what Chris will look like, when he goes all the way?" Annabel asked, she was pulling her left shoulder forward with her other hand, trying to get a better look.

"Yes. I think so," Susan replied, inching closer still. "Only bigger, but I think that's his full dragon form." It was probably just Annabel pulling her skin tighter, and yet Susan could have sworn she saw the tiny dragon's chest rising and falling gently.

"He's beautiful," cooed Annabel, happy Chris had taken the effort to make her ugly tattoo more personal to the two of them. 

The tattoo dragon lifted its arrowhead-like snout on his flexible neck to look up at Annabel. The women screamed. Susan fell back onto the couch clutching her pounding chest, experiencing a fright worse than when Chris had showed her some shock site on the internet. Annabel kept screaming as the startled miniature dragon took off, galloping across her skin to find cover under her dress. 

There was a warm, crawly tickle as it scuttled down her back, coming to a stop near her hip. This felt way too much like having a bug on her skin. "Get it off! Get it off! Get it off meeeee!" she wailed, frozen in place, hoping it would stop moving .

Susan was dumbstruck, trying to reconcile what she had seen while getting her breathing back under control.

"Susan!" Annabel pleaded, "I can feel it, get it off me!"

" Annabel, I ... I don't think I can. I've never seen anything like it." Susan tried to calm. 

"What do you mean? What is it?" Annabel panicked.

"I mean I've never seen anything like it. Just hold still and see what does," she said as she approached again. "Where is it?"

"Down by my left hip. It's quivering, I can feel it! Oh my god what is it, Susan?" repeated Annabel.

"Honey, I think it's Chris's enchantment, the physical representation of it anyway. It looks like a moving tattoo, a cartoon on your skin. Can you lift up your dress so I can see?"

"Okay okay!" Annabel tried to gather courage before she slowly inched one side of her light blue dress up over her thighs, panties, and finally her tummy. "Can you see it?" She asked.

"Oh my ... yes, it's alive." Susan stared, enchanted by its lifelike beauty. "Annabel; he looks scared."

"It's scared?! What about me?" she hissed, "I'm the one it's crawling all over! We don't even know what it is."

"It's okay Annabel, he won't hurt you," Susan started to reach out to the dragon, intent on calming it but it took off up Annabel's chest, under her bra and up her neck. She screamed again, clawing after it as it moved, chasing it off her neck and down her arm. Cornering it. Annabel finally got a decent look at it as it made a stand on the back of her hand; nowhere else to run. They stared at each other for a full minute, mini cartoon dragon and young woman. Finally Annabel brought her other hand forward slowly, placing a single finger about an inch away from him. "What are you?" She breathed.

The dragon inched forward, skulking like a cat on all fours, his wings pressed against his back, and nuzzled her finger gently. A tingly warmth slowly spread from her finger, across her hand. 

"Amazing," Susan breathed as Annabel grew bolder, lifting her finger to stroke down the tiny dragon's back. 

"Oh my God, he's purring!" Annabel chirped, her outlook about the lively tattoo completely flipped as. The dragon arched and wiggled under her touch, clearly enjoying the attention. Her heart melted instantly. He looked so real, she tried to scoop him up with her other hand, as if he was more than a tattoo. But when she looked, there he lay, now on his back in the palm of her hand, creamy belly exposed as his legs kicked in the air. "He's beautiful, but Susan, how is this possible?" 




Endangered Ch. 03



"I have no idea Annabel. He's a spell. A very, very powerful spell." Susan watched him roll back over and move up Annabel's arm. This dragon looked powerful despite his stature, it made her wonder how terrifying Chris would be when he looked like this... only forty foot long. The dragon plopped down in the hollow between her neck and collarbone. Annabel reached up to stroke him, but this time he remained steadfastly in place, curled as if preparing to sleep. "What does it feel like now?" asked Susan.

"It's like a warm feeling when he moves around, when he runs it's like a creepy crawly, but I can feel his little vibrations when he purrs. Can I keep him?" she asked, not fully understanding.

Susan chuckled. "Annabel, he's a spell. I don't think you could get rid of him if you tried. We'll ask Chris what it means when he wakes up."

"Chris! Wake up" Annabel turned, shaking his unresponsive body. "He's really out of it huh? How come he's human again?" 

"The enchantment he cast was the most powerful I've ever felt up close; I think it drained him, so much so that the dragon retreated back inside him to rest. We'll just have to wait until he wakes up." 

"He'll be okay though, right?" 

"I think so honey," came Susan's slightly worried response.

Annabel stubbornly pushed his shoulder, rolling him over so he was up against the back of the couch. She got up and adjusted her dress back into position then lay down next to him, wiggling into a tight spoon position. She pulled his limp arm up under her breasts, meeting Susan's watchful gaze, almost challenging her to say something. "Just wake me up for dinner, okay?" 

"Okay sweetie," Susan comforted. She would have liked to give Annabel a hug, yet still didn't know if that was safe given her new enchantment. She got up and left the room, giving her some privacy.

Annabel sniffled a little, upset that Chris had gone to such extremes. Why couldn't he be awake to comfort her? It was small consolation that it had all been for her; a spell to protect her. He was so stupid, could have hurt himself. And now, what? Would anyone she touched, burst into flame? Annabel stroked the little dragon at her neck, calming herself. Chris shifted in his sleep, momentarily tightening his arm around her chest. He could still touch her ... of course he could.

Susan woke her later for dinner. Lillian had returned, bringing in some of her own things; and again they ordered from room service. Her professional interest noted the presentation, and yet she wasn't particularly hungry. What of her aspirations to go to cooking school? Would she still be able to pursue her own career at Chris's side? Did she even want to? 

Over dinner, she could see the way the vampire looked at her: more calculating, more careful, not venturing near. Lillian would only have a look at the beautiful tattoo dragon from a good distance away.

The little scamp was quite boisterous. He ran down her arm to look at the food on her plate, then raced up to wait by her lips when she lifted a forkful to her mouth. Eventually Annabel pleaded with him to be still, and he seemed to get the picture. Susan and Lillian couldn't help but stare, it wasn't everyday you get to see a disturbingly lifelike cartoon-tattoo. The fact that it was also curious, intelligent, and responsive wasn't lost on Susan. It was a living spell, one of only a few recorded. The implications were vast and uncharted; but she kept any misgivings to herself. They were being watched, after all.

After supper, Annabel retrieved the duvet from their bedroom. She draped it over Chris and then wormed her way underneath to again spoon with him. Still, he slept, which made her worry. It felt a bit icky to be in the same clothes for two days straight.

"Ouch." Annabel muttered, feeling a prick on her palm. She brought her hand up from under the blankets to see the damage: the dragon was just looking up at her.

"Was that you?" Sigh. "Do you even hear me?" Annabel wondered to herself. He snapped his arrowhead jaw again and she felt the pricks of his tiny teeth.

"Ouww, stop it!" It didn't hurt much, it was more of a shock. "You can hear me, understand me?"

The dragon just cocked his head slightly at her, quizzically. "What do I call you?" she asked quietly. "Chris? No that doesn't seem right does it, you're not Chris." Suddenly the dragon playfully stamped his front claws on the ground as would an excited dog. He shot off, up her arm and around her torso, racing laps round and round her body. It felt so ticklish she couldn't help but giggle and squeal, breaking away from the funk her mind had conjured up.

"Stop it you little goofball," she half-laughed, half-pleaded. He retreated to her palm, expectant. "Fine, you're not Chris. Something else, something fun, something clever. Let me think." She crooned down at the little dragon, stroking him softly, a character from one of her favourite childhood books came to mind. "What about...now hear me out. How about Bartholomew?" 

Bartholomew flopped over, presenting his tummy for a pet with his legs kicking and his tail wriggling. "Bartholomew," Annabel whispered, cupping her hands around his warmth and bringing him close to her chest, comforted that a part of Chris would always be part of her now.

***

Annabel was snuggled up next to him. That was the first thing he could tell when he woke, mostly because one of her hairs was tickling his nose and he really needed to sneeze. He couldn't help it, he held most of it back but a little "tttssssseeeww" still came out quietly. It wasn't a very manly sneeze.

"Did you just sneeze on me, babe?" Annabel murmured sleepily, waking just as his body had tensed up, trying to hold it in.

"Sorry Dee. It was only a little," apologised Chris.

"Gross." Annabel started, then registered. He was awake. She quickly rolled to face him. "Chris? Thank god you're awake, are you okay?" She grabbed hold of his front and shook him a little before hugging him close.

Chris was a bit surprised at her anxious response. "I'm fine Annabel. How long have I been out?" He thought back to the ceremony, being overwhelmed by his desire to always protect her, feeling the energy sap out of both himself and the dragon, feeling the dragon retreat back inside. 'You okay buddy?' he shot towards his dragon. 'Tired,' was all he got back.

Annabel reached off the couch in the darkness, groping for her phone on the carpet. The screen blinded them both a little before she could check the time. "It's 5:30am, you passed out around 3:30 yesterday afternoon. What did you do Chris? Susan said you cast a really powerful spell on me," Annabel explained.

"No I didn't, well I didn't mean to anyway." Chris started, "I remember I had a vision of you in my mind as I was saying the words, I could feel you reaching out to me so I tried to hold you close. Then all of a sudden I felt myself draining, I couldn't move. Man, it was scary. That's the last thing."

"That must have been the spell Chris." Annabel explained, "It must have cost a lot of energy."

"Oh. Do you feel any different? What happened?" He asked, how could he have cast a spell? He didn't know how to use magic, only the basic principles Susan had drummed into him.

"Well, Lillian tried to touch me and got a really bad burn. She's ok now though." Annabel qualified before he could ask. "Susan said it's a protective enchantment but there's... well you gave me... look I'll just show you." 

Annabel turned her phone back on, angling it towards her other palm so Chris could see. "What is it?" Chris asked.

"Shh." Annabel murmured before switching to a more coaxing tone. "Come on Bartholomew, don't be shy. It's your Dad." She could feel the warmth of the little dragon cautiously approaching the light.

"Holy shit!" Chris exclaimed when the dragon's head, snake-like neck, and wings came into view, playing across her skin. Annabel angled the light a little more to expose him. 

"Yeah," agreed Annabel, giggling at the now funny memory. "He gave Susan and I a massive fright when we first saw him, he was lying still and we thought he was just a magic tattoo. Then he moved and I just about died!" 

"Bartholomew?" Chris asked, the little dragon cocked his head.

"I came up with that yesterday when you were asleep. Go ahead. Touch him, he likes it." 

Chris reached down and tentatively ran a finger along the dragons spine, Bartholomew wriggled in delight. "That must be what I'll look like in my full form." Chris intoned, mesmerised by the moving tattoo.

"Susan thinks so, that he's the physical embodiment of the enchantment you put on me. He's so funny though, running all over me. I can feel it, he's warm or tickly. You should have seen him at dinner yesterday," Annabel gushed.

"Sounds like I've got some competition." Chris chuckled, hearing the adoration in her voice.

"I'll still love you a little, you gave him to me after all," joked Annabel. "Thanks by the way, it means a lot that you care about me this much."

"Like I said, babe. I love you." Chris leaned a little to kiss her pretty button nose in the darkness. They lay on the couch in silence for a while, Chris stroking up and down her back occasionally.

"I was really worried about you," whispered Annabel.

"Hey, I'm fine. Okay?" Chris pulled Annabel tight and shuffled a little so she was lying directly on top, he could now rub her back and sides like he knew she loved. "I'll admit, it wasn't planned but now you have your little buddy there and you're my familiar. I know I'll feel better knowing he's there to protect you, even if we don't know exactly what it is he does yet." 

"I guess," Annabel admitted. "Just don't do it again."

"What? Express my love and affection for you?" Chris teased, trying to raise her spirits. "Fine. Never again." He stopped rubbing her flanks, taking his hands off her body.

"Chriiiiis," She whined.

"Nope." 

"Kiss me," she demanded in the darkness, rubbing her body on top of him, to flush out a reaction.

"Uh uh." He shook his head. He was reaching his limit though; doomed to fail as soon as she had started wriggling.

"Fine, I'll do it myself." There was mock exasperation thick in her voice. Reaching to cup his cheek, she brought her lips down firmly on top of his. Feeling that she had hit her target in the darkness, she quickly employed her tongue to tease his lips, coaxing him to kiss back. It didn't work instantly so she pulled her trump card, the queen of asses so to speak. Groping along down his arm, grabbing his larger hand and pulled it along until she could position it firmly on her proudest feature. In moments he was squeezing her possessively, kissing back too. She smiled against mouth, pulling back slightly to gloat.

"Treachery," Chris muttered, he could almost hear her smiling in the darkness. Losing their little game was worth it to knead her springy butt. To be fair, foreplay can't count as losing.

"You're defenceless against me," Annabel delighted, grinding a little as he found her other cheek on his own. They were at each other's lips in moments, kissing desperately in the darkness of early morning and blackout shades. Tongues mating against each other, sliding over lips and teeth, they sampled each other's passion. With a small moan, Annabel broke for air, he still smelt and tasted like he did when he was a dragon. It was driving her nuts, but she stopped to consider her own breath. "Let me go brush my teeth Babe."

"You're fine. Am I okay?" Chris asked, leaning up to find her in the darkness and peppered her lips and cheeks with tiny pecks. He couldn't dare to stop now.

"You taste great." Annabel replied breathily as he started trailing his little kisses towards her ear.

Chris paused, curious about Annabel's experience. "Really? What do I taste like?" He held his mouth slightly off her skin just below her ear, breath tickling gently. 

"Don't stop!" Annabel pleaded, "Fine, umm... you taste and smell different after you transformed the first time. Mmmmhhh, yeah right there." Chris had found the hem of her dress and traced his finger up along her smooth leg, he was now rubbing a finger lightly over her fabric covered slit, tapping down on her outer lips in a light rhythm as he teased her temped pussy. "It....mmmm, you smell wood-smokey, kinda spicy. Your skin tastes like that, I think it's just mostly the smell though. But your uhhh, fluids are stronger, sweeter and hot too, like subtle chilli and cinnamon. It doesn't burn me though. I love it." She tried to get it all out before she lost her mind to his teasing mouth and fingers.

Chris chuckled a little into her neck. "Thanks Dee, I love the way you taste too you know, and that damn vanilla perfume you use is enough to get me a bit hard whenever I smell it. Especially when it gets mixed up with your sweat or when you're wet. I love that smell too babe, your taste even more." All this time he had worked his hand into position, pulling aside her now moist panties he split her tiny inner lips and slowly inserted his index finger into her tight, slippery vagina. "This taste." He breathed as she bucked backward, forcing more inside her with a moan.

He paused to kiss the skin on her delicate neck a little more, he thought briefly that a flash of warmth crossed under his lips but he couldn't be sure what it was. He was painfully erect inside his jeans, he realised he even still had his shoes on. Annabel had had enough of his teasing kisses though. She pushed him down into the couch with her smaller body, taking his face in her hand so she could control their kissing. As she happily shoved her tongue against his, driving both of them into his mouth with a moan, she twitched her hips, fucking back onto his single finger. It was great, Chris had big fingers, but it wasn't enough to get her off soon. Therefore it was just frustrating. Her arousal was peaking and now she needed the real thing inside her again. Squishing her feverish pussy onto his hand just wasn't going to cut it.

"Get your pants off." Annabel ordered, breaking their kiss.

"But wh – " he started to tease her, unaware she had reached such state of need.

"Shut up!" she hissed back, forcing his hand away from her pussy, scrabbling at his belt and zipper, desperate for him. Soon enough, with some awkward help from Chris, his jeans and briefs were trapping him around his knees. She only spared a moment to grab his erection, pulling it up between them roughly.

"Dee, I'm sorry. What's wrong?" 

Annabel mashed her lips back down on his for a few seconds in reassurance. "Nothing. Just get this dress off me." He tried to help but she slapped him away, realising she could do it better by herself in the darkness. Her bra was off in three seconds flat and her long hair spilled down over her beasts, tickling a little. Rolling onto her side, she pulled her white panties down and she was nude.

Now it suddenly felt like she had all the time in the world. "Sorry Chris. I'm just really excited, I think it's still the pheromones, only weaker this time. Can we just do it right now? Okay?" She rolled back on top gently, positioning herself over his groin. Bartholomew chose that moment to remind her of his presence, running excitedly around her tummy, dangerously close to her mound.

"Won't hear me complaining," Chris said, running his hands up her sides and over her smooth belly, brushing the undersides of her small breasts. He felt a small pinprick and pulled his hand back, startled. "Something pricked me."

"Oh, Bartholomew bites," she panted, reaching down to position his throbbing rod. He felt so thick and angry in her small hand, dividing her slick inner lips. Then she was slowly pushing down.

"Fffffaaaauuuuck." 

"Gghhhaaaa!" Came their combined groans as his cockhead slipped inside her, sinking further and further as Annabel continued to sit, her hands now propping her upright on his chest. She was so warm and tight around him, Chris could only gape like a beached fish as she swallowed him up. It felt amazing, absolutely perfect to be inside of her again. For her part, Annabel loved the way he filled her, stretching her open but with so much more pleasure than their first time. They took it slow, Annabel sinking herself onto him over the course of about a minute. She was plenty wet but didn't want to rush, savouring the feeling of being so close. He supported her, guiding her down as she took him all the way in her warm depths in one deliciously slow stroke.

As she finally felt her ass lightly touch his thighs she squished herself down further, huffing when he bumped her cervix. "Fuck, Chris! That's so frickin' deep, just hold still a sec," she panted.

"T ... t ... taaake your time, babe," he stuttered. Just being fully inside her had him rushing toward an embarrassing finish. "God you're amazing, Annabel. You feel so good, I never want to stop." He ran a hand up to her chest, stroking and tweaking her nipple gently. He reached with both hands and held her pert, cupcake tits lovingly, feathering around her small areolas to feel the little bumps. Her nipples tightened further so he gave another soft pinch again, hitching her ragged breath.

"Don't...." she moaned, rocking her hips slightly. Ready, she forced herself off him about two inches before letting her own weight impale her quickly. "Don't ever stop."

"Never." Chris brought both hands to her hips, gripping to help lift her as they established their slow rhythm. Grinding together on the down stroke, moaning desperately as they pulled apart, only to huff or whimper as they fully mated together again and again.

Annabel loved being on top like this, in control of their pace and angle. He stuffed her so completely when she sat on his rock hard cock, its broad helmet bumping her deepest spots. She twisted her hips in little circles with him all the way inside. It felt delightful to stretch herself like that, feel the warm friction everywhere as her belly clenched automatically, squeezing him. 

Her juices were slick on his invading shaft, slowly working down onto his hairless balls and seeping into his butt crack. Now they made squishy, nasty noises when their sexes met and her pubes were a humid, manicured shrubbery. Moaning, she managed to catch herself from being too loud; but Chris hissed and growled, thrust up into her body, pulling her down onto him. It was quickly taking its toll on her.

His cock jumped whenever she ground down onto him, he felt it bump her insides and twitch appreciatively. She felt so unbelievably good, so hot and wet. Her tight pussy gripped him every time he pulled out for a new thrust; she was doing it on purpose. How had she gotten that idea? He couldn't help himself as he used his own position to help them make love, bucking his tingling, slick erection right up into her beautiful snatch.

Annabel took everything he had and loved every second. Pleasure racked her body with each thrust, each muffled slap of their bodies joining was accompanied by a little huff or a whimper. Hands writhing on his shirted chest, she couldn't help scrabble and scratch at him, feeling his powerful muscles tense and flex as she rode him hard. The beautiful creature below her in the darkness was hers to love, hers to fuck. Annabel's clit fired shocks of delight up her body as it hit his pubis while her deepest recesses built a slow burning crescendo whenever his thick glans filled her completely. 




Endangered Ch. 03



"Fuck! So good, I'm gonnn... nhhhaaaaa!.. I'm gonna cum. Chris!" she squealed as he thrust powerfully from below, their strokes longer and more erratic.

"I'm close too, Dee." Chris gritted through his teeth, past slowing now, couldn't hold off if he wanted to. Now, he could only fuck her well and hope she met him at the finish.

Her legs were getting a little shaky, so she made the mistake of repositioning, reaching behind, supporting her on his thighs now. Chris never missed a beat, helping her raise herself and then pumping up with his powerful legs. Their new position arched her body beautifully, pushing his cock along her fluttering pussy's front wall. He felt her tense and quiver, building so quickly with the new stimulation.

"Nnnnggg! Yes!... Yes! I think that's my Geeee!" Annabel wailed.

Chris couldn't respond, only bury himself to the hilt in her incredible pussy, their bodies bouncing together. Sinking deep inside her warmth, his balls had long since pulled up against his shaft, ready to release their torrent. With his hands guiding her hips, he only wished he could tweak her beautifully sensitive nipples again, but it was too late. He teetered on the edge with this last few thrusts, feeling his dick throb delightfully, impossibly, swell and harden further.

"Heee's bitinnnnggg meeeeeeee!" Annabel screamed, her climax roaring though her body as Chris's girth hit her g-spot one last time and Bartholomew sunk tiny sharp teeth into her right nipple. She arched back, sitting down hard, fully impaling herself and bucking desperately as her body shook. Cumming almost violently, her eyes squeezed tightly shut as pleasure wracked her body. 

"Annnnnabellll!" Chris's cock erupted inside her, massive pulses of viscous cum splattering deep inside. Her tummy jumped and clenched as she felt his hot seed shoot off, she acknowledged each squirt with an attractive little yelp, inundated with bliss. Chris held her twitching body down, pumping all he had at the gate of her womb. She accepted it all as her own joy leaked to soil the couch. 

"Yes! So fucking good!" she managed in a strangled cry. Her pussy coaxed and he gave one final, magic infused spurt. Her whole body jumped as he fired his last shot, quaking in the aftermath of her orgasm.

He didn't think he had the strength but managed to pull Annabel to his chest. She lay unresponsive, shaking a little, her breath hitching into his t-shirt whenever an aftershock rolled through. His softening penis was still inside her but seemed to be maintaining enough blood to stay for a while. He ran hands over her back, teasing out her long, damp, brown locks, soothing her, and appreciating her sweaty, lithe, womanly body. Then he heard a broken little sob and his heart almost stopped.

Chris desperately reached to cup her face, putting her hair back behind her ears and smothering her with kisses. "Annabel, please! What's wrong?"

She gave a quiet hiccup, "Oh Chris, nothing's wrong. I never thought it would be like that. I don't even know why I'm crying. I'm just so happy."

"Well thank fuck," he muttered, wrapping his arms around her and pulling the duvet back up over them.

"Sorry," Annabel apologised as she dried her face on his t-shirt. "It's stupid but I can't help it."

"I love you Annabel," Chris assured.

"I know. That's why I'm so happy," she said, gradually getting over her overwhelming emotions. "Hey, let's go have a shower."

"Okay, I mean we better clean up before Susan and Lillian get up. I hope they didn't hear us. We were quiet, right?"

"Well I tried to be, but you were pretty loud," she giggled, still titillated by his half-soft cock inside her.

"Bullshit," Chris shot back, pinching her superb ass. "You're practically a screamer."

"I am not!" Annabel shrieked happily, grabbing his abusing hands and pushing them up above his head. Now he was disarmed so she leaned down to kiss him, rubbing her lips teasingly over his before accepting his probing tongue for a while. "Besides," she breathed, "it's your fault. Your spell decided to latch onto my tit right when I came. I couldn't help it."

"Nice work buddy," Chris laughed. "See? My boy Bartholomew's got my back."

"Oh shut up," Annabel slapped his chest lightly, releasing his hands. "Let's go shower, it'll probably take half an hour just to get all your stuff out of me. It's so thick and it felt like you shot a pint or something."

"Umm. Sorry?" Chris replied a little sheepishly, stroking a finger down her arm, making her shudder a little. He knew it certainly wasn't a pint but he loved how powerful his ejaculations seemed now. Clearly, parts of his dragon's prowess transferred back to his human form, permanently altered. The feel of his creamy seed jetting out deep inside her while his erection jumped with each shot, unbelievably good, especially without a condom. Not only due to the extra feeling, but because his dragon mind told him it meant he was breeding her. Breeding her.

"Don't be," Annabel smiled. "It feels amazing when you cum in me, so hot, I can feel how hard it shoots out. Then there's the fact that it seems to make my orgasms better or just make me cum all over again. I can still feel it now, it's still so tingly and warm inside me... Magic. Honestly Chris, how is a girl supposed to have a fair chance against you?"

"Maybe you aren't," Chris mused. "Alright go, I'd die if Mom saw us like this."

Annabel pulled up, feeling his semi-soft penis slide out of her, inducing a little shudder of pleasure. She had her hand ready to catch whatever cum would no doubt flood out but it mostly stayed inside her as his wet dick slapped down on his belly. It's so sticky it won't even drain out of me properly, what a nightmare to clean, she mused. Although, it did feel quite delightful inside her, spreading warmth and little twitches up into her abdomen and belly. Whatever, if I can't get pregnant until he bites me then he can shoot me up all he wants. Annabel thought happily to herself, searching in the couch for her discarded cloths.

They eventually retreated back to their bedroom, using the lavish, tiled bathroom to clean off the last days' sweat and worries, together. 

***

Lillian just sighed as she sat on the floor with her back to the wall. Her bedroom door was just cracked. Their smell was thick in the air, their noisy, clumsy, loving sex was in the air. His smell was thickest, his rich blood and potent seed, rumoured to make the average female Being cream on the spot. The human girl had no inkling what she had deep in her womb at that second, the strength and magical power she would be infused with as it was absorbed by her body. An ounce would sell for thousands of dollars, far more valuable than gold. Only seven sources in the entire world.... If vampire bait existed, he was it: the ultimate temptation, blood and sex, beyond one's wildest dreams, wrapped up in a powerful, handsome, adorable, inexperienced, bumbling, boy-dragon. He would definitely need her protection, but then again why not just keep him for herself? Her dangerous, parasitic urges demanded it.

Sighing again, she gingerly extracted two guilty digits from her soaked pussy, avoiding her over-sensitised clit but running wet fingers over her hairless, puffy lips and mound teasingly. "Way to let him not get to you, Lillian," she berated herself, looking over to her bedside table several feet away. She magically plucked out a few tissues, levitating them toward her. As she cleaned herself up, she could only hope the dragon was too naive to scent her pleasure and frustration.

***

There, I hope you enjoyed it. Please give me some feedback.

Just a warning, the next chapter has an incest focus. It's fair to say that it's been strongly alluded to. I know this isn't some people's cup of tea and as a result, I'll probably be putting it in the I/T category when I eventually post it. Anyway, if you miss it as a result but are still interested in reading the story sections, it'll be waiting for you when I post Chapter 5 back in SF/F. It's certainly not going to be the focus from now on. 

LTPC



Endangered Ch. 04



 Chapter 4 – LTPC

Hi everyone,

Our adventure starts to unfold a little more.

However, this chapter does contains soft-core incest. I understand that this is distasteful to some people so either stop reading right here or cover your eyes with your hand and say "LALA LA LA LA LA!" while scrolling down the page when the action starts. This relationship will be a recurring theme, but certainly not the focus of the story.

Sorry about the wait on this one, I have a new editor for this chapter, Etaski. I cannot stress enough how amazing Etaski's support in my time of editorial crisis has been. Thank you.

Stay tuned and I hope you enjoy.

LTPC

***

Chris pondered the recent changes to his not-all-that human body as he operated the stovetop espresso machine he'd found in the kitchen. During his shower with Annabel, he'd decided to re-establish his ritual of morning coffee delivery to Susan, now he was just brooding as he waited for it to boil up. 

He might look human, but he barely felt it. He'd gone for a razor only to find his face absolutely smooth, not a trace of prickly stubble. Annabel hadn't minded, teasing him for having a baby face till he kissed her into submission. It also still looked like he'd just had a fresh Hollywood wax, no navel or armpit hair either. On close inspection even the tiny hairs all over his body where absent.

When he'd gotten back into their bedroom and decided to do his morning exercises, starting with push ups he discovered that they were just a joke. For the first time in his life, he'd managed the fabled one arm push up, then asked Annabel to push down on his shoulders as he tried again. It barely required any effort.

His smell and hearing were still enhanced, but his vision was back to human standards. It was all a bit disconcerting, to be walking around in a body he thought he knew, at least when in his half form he had constant reminders not to break things, like the unfortunate mug he'd first gotten out of the cupboard.

The rumbling stovetop got his mind back on track, he poured, adding both milk and sugar, stirring with a spoon that felt like it came from a kid's tea set. Slipping into Susan's room silently and closing the door, he put it down on the bedside table before sitting next to his mother on the bed.

Susan's raven hair was spread across the pillows and around her face. Her slightly more pronounced upper lip meant her mouth was always just a little open when she was relaxed, he thought it was beautiful. It struck Chris, as he watched her peaceful features, that this woman had devoted her entire life to him. He owed her so much and promised himself he would repay her, make a life for her where she could be happy now that he didn't need her to be his protector any longer.

As if feeling his promise, indeed, between Beings such charged feelings can often be detected, Susan's eyes opened and flicked to him and she found herself being watched by a very serious looking Chris. 

"Good morning, honey," Susan croaked. "You're okay after last night? You had me worried." She sniffed the air and saw the cup on the bedside stand. "Mmmhh... is that my coffee? I'd really hoped you'd keep pampering me."

She sat up and took a sip but something was wrong. He didn't reply, just kept holding their blue-eyed gaze. It was very intense, made her tummy flutter a little. Susan couldn't stand it.

"What is it Chris? What's up?" she asked, settling on her knees next to him.

"Mom..." he started. "Susan. I owe you so much I can't even comp.."

"Sweetie, you don't owe me anything. I love you." Susan was a little exasperated. Already his sweet odor was exciting her, helping her wake up better than the coffee could.

"Let me finish. Please?" 

"Okay." She yawned, wiping some sleep away and stretching her arms up, giving him a little teasing look at her nipples pressed against cloth.

Watching her in her old t-shirt and flannel bottoms, Chris was momentarily distracted by her little show and some midriff before he got back on topic.

"I..." he sighed. "Susan, you were only twenty-three when my parents died. You didn't have to care for me yourself, heck, you could probably have sold me for a fortune. But you didn't. You became my mother and raised me in isolation. It must have been so hard at times and I'm sorry you had to do it alone."

Susan held his eyes for as long as she could before her own started brimming with tears; she turned away.

Why am I so emotional around him these days? she thought, trying to get herself back under control. He wasn't wrong, it had been hard, but seeing him now growing into a man made it all worth it. Now her body was telling her to pluck the fruits of her labour, her mind seemed incapable of mounting any real resistance.

Chris pulled her gently into a sitting hug, automatically rubbing her back. "Sorry, Mom, don't cry."

"Okay." Susan sniffed into his neck. "I'm a mess, huh?"

There was his tantalising smell again, tickling her nostrils, insidiously working onto her lungs. Her emotions raged against each other; she wanted so badly to just kiss his skin but would it be wrong? They were all each other had for so long, loved each other so deeply. Susan wanted more from him, to remain part of his new life rather than fade into the background as he went out and experienced it.

"You're fine," Chris soothed. "I guess what I was trying to say is that you devoted fifteen years of your life to me, but now that I've awakened I want you to do whatever you want. You can go back to your family, open your own plant nursery or herbarium, anything. We'll make it happen; you don't have to live your life around me anymore."

Susan listened but couldn't bare it any longer. She turned her head and feathered her lips on the top of his shoulder, hoping he wouldn't notice what she was doing. It only made the desire worse and by the time Chris finished speaking she had reached his neck and was pressing more firmly.

Chris froze as she started kissing up his neck, towards his ear. It felt great but so dangerous at the same time. So forbidden.

"Mom?" he breathed as she started across his jaw, and her goal became clear.

"Shhhh," Susan soothed between her little kisses. At the edge of his mouth she paused, breathing deeply, her body shuddered a little. "You said I can do anything, did you mean it?"

"Yes, but..."

Her lips intercepted his. It was such a gentle, exploratory kiss, clumsy even, but it took both of their breaths away instantly. Susan opened her eyes as she teased his lower lip between her two; he was watching her, eyes open as love and anxiety played across his face. She broke away just an inch, the hand that had worked its way into his short, blond hair came down to cup his cheek.

"Let me stay with you, like this," she pleaded, desperate for their love to survive this metamorphosis. He had been her life for so long; this would only intertwine them further.

Her lips had set his body tingling, so soft and loving. Her beautiful, tear-streaked face told him this was what she truly wanted. He realized he could easily love her this way too.

"Mom, I..."

"Susan."

"Susan." Chris sighed, watching her eyes intently. They seemed hopeful yet sad and oh-so-vulnerable. "I do love you, maybe even a little like this already."

He accentuated his point by stroking her flank up to the underside of her full, unsupported breast. Pausing to watch her, his thumb played lovingly across her tatty old t-shirt just below her left boob.

"But?" Susan asked forlornly. She loved his hand on her like that but it was a cruel tease if he wouldn't let her be with him.

"Annabel. I can't cheat on her, Mom. Then there's the fact that this feels like a whisper away from incest.""Chris, please, you're a dragon now. I want to be part of that. And, there's no legal way it could be incest. Couldn't we just talk about it with Annabel?"

"I don't know if I'm ready for this, Susan, my dragon really wants to but it's a big step for me. It's not that I don't want to, Lord knows I've fantasised about it sometimes." He blushed at that confession, especially when her eyes brightened. "But people talk, I'm not comfortable enough with myself or where I stand in this world to deal with people judging me for incest." 

"I'm not your mother," Susan said a little bitterly. "I may as well be stranger you met on the street yesterday, that's how related we are."

"It's not that, you'll always be my mother."

But he couldn't stand the hurt look she gave him so he relented, pulling her back to his lips.

It was most definitely the wrong thing to do.

Susan was more forceful this time, taking advantage of his invitation; her tongue slipped into his mouth after a few seconds of resistance. She moaned when she got a real taste of him, spicy and a little sweet, heady with magic.

Soon Chris couldn't help but reciprocate as his own beautiful mother plundered his mouth. He felt a little insecure that it was all just the effects of being a dragon, but then he remembered that it couldn't create feelings out of nothing; it could only enhance them. Besides, he knew Susan loved him, although this was certainly an unexpected aspect of her love. So instead of doubting this and pulling back, he flicked his tongue languidly against hers before taking control of their kiss and exploring her mouth, loving her groan of approval.

A few minutes later, Chris found himself kissing down Susan's neck and nuzzling into her long, rich, black hair. She always smelled floral, using whatever she grew in her own perfumes or soaps. At the moment it was a light jasmine, exquisitely combined with her natural body odor and thick arousal. She was cooing as he kissed her, flushed across her neck and breasts. Chris's one-track mind flashed ahead to imagine what delightful sounds she would make while he teased her slick womanhood. He almost reached down to find out but reason and whatever remained of his human decency stopped him.

"Susan," he panted, sitting up so his forehead was against hers.

"What?" she asked, a little frustrated that he'd stopped.

"If we do this, I gotta' take it slow. And we have to talk to Annabel, like, right now."

Susan opened hopeful eyes to find him watching her yet again. "We're doing it, though, right?" 

"Oh, yea." Chris smiled back; he was beyond the point of no return.

Susan just tackled him back onto the bed with a girlish squeal, laying her chest down on top of him and kissing all around his mouth. "Thank you, Chris!" she tittered. "I was so worried you wouldn't let me."

Chris rolled her off him, lying on his back and staring up into the ceiling. What have I done? My own mother, I 'm seducing my own goddamn mother, he thought.

You love it, teased the dragon weakly.

Shut up! Chris shot back but right then his erection twitched. He looked down to find his sweatpants tented and a slight wet patch where the head pressed up into the grey material and his precum had leaked.

Susan watched him, knew that some part of him was struggling.

"Hey," she assured. "It's going to be fine, Chris. I don't think I've told you this before but do you remember the two Werecat women who came to your parents' house all the time? You loved to play with them, I think you even pulled one of their tails once. There was a young vampire, too. Anyway, they were your father's partners."

"Sarah and Margret??!" Chris couldn't believe it.

"Oh, yeah." Susan giggled, "You could hear them going at it out in the guest house, especially when the girls were in heat."

"She was the one who took the vampire in the first place. She'd been abused but ended up falling in love with your father."

"No way. And Marie, my mother knew?" It was such a foreign concept, being raised as a human had ingrained him with social mores not befitting his species.

"You didn't ever..?" Chris asked tentatively.

"No," Susan assured. "I mean, your father was very attractive but I was there to look after you. Besides, he had is plate full and I was intimidated by him. I was only 21 when I started working for them, you were just two and a half."

"Wow." Chris sighed, the vision of his mother and father's relationship somewhat in tatters. "I guess I'll go get Annabel so we can talk. This is going to go down a treat."

"I think she'll be fine, Chris." Susan sat up as he got to his feet.

"Oh, hey, Dee," Chris practiced in a sarcastic singsong voice, "Mom and I were just making out a bit in her room, you're all good with that right?" 

Susan couldn't help but laugh.

"Fuck my life," he mumbled as he started boldly for the door.

***

He ended up just peeking his head out of Susan's room, hiding his flagging erection behind the door. Annabel was in the kitchen with Lillian, about to start making breakfast for them.

"Annabel," Chris called weakly. "Can you come in here for a bit?"

"Sure, babe, I was just about to start on breakfast. Is Susan up?"

"Yeah," Chris mumbled. 

As Annabel entered the room she could tell something was off. For one, Chris kept his distance and didn't touch her like he might usually. Secondly, neither of them would look her in the eye. Then she realized Susan was decidedly flushed and in a strange place on the bed. Her eyes flashed back to her boyfriend and she spotted the little wet patch by on his pants and a very guilty look on his face. It all clicked.

"Already, Chris? We had sex like... like an hour ago!" Annabel huffed. She was jealous but, to her own surprise, not furious. Annoyed would better describe how she felt.

"I'm sorry, Annabel, it... I didn't mean... Look, it just happened, alright? I love you both and I stopped so we could all talk about it before it went any further." Chris moved closer to Annabel, hoping she wouldn't pull away.

"I started it, Annabel. I kissed him," Susan said from the bed. "I begged for him to let us be lovers. Don't be mad at him."

"No, Susan, that's no excuse. I wanted it too," Chris confessed.

"I'm not that mad." Annabel said a little more calmly. "Look, it's a bit of a shock. I can't say I'm happy about it at the moment but we talked about this the other night. You're a dragon and you are supposed to have a 'brood,' I just didn't expect it to happen so quickly. It's like you're interrupting my honeymoon."

"You're not...?" Chris began incredulously. He was either the luckiest guy on the planet or she was plotting an overly elaborate revenge. "You don't care that it's incest?"

"It's not really incest," Susan and Annabel said in unison, then couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Jinx," Annabel joked but Susan shut up right away. Perhaps witches had some greater respect for the word. "I guess I'm a bit disappointed but you still love me, right? You still want to be with me?"

"Always. That's a promise."

"Then it's... okay. No matter what else happens. I said that, didn't I?" Annabel answered, swallowing visibly, still a bit miffed. "I also remember something about bridges." She closed the gap and wrapped her arms around Chris. "Well, here's me crossing it."

He was in shock.

"You're incredible," he mumbled into her hair, kissing the top of her head.

He was in absolute awe of his girlfriend, who was clearly more adaptable than he was. It seemed so farfetched, so inconceivable, there had to be something else going on; it was almost magical.

"I'm so sorry you even need to be exposed to this."

"Well, if it's part of the package, I'll deal with it. Besides if there's anyone who deserves your love even close to as much as I do, it's her," Annabel reasoned, trying to let the angst flow out of her. 

Susan sat mute on the bed, unable to make a single sound. She opened her mouth like a fish, tried to talk but nothing worked.

"Just let's talk about it all before you do anything too serious," Annabel continued.

"Absolutely, I want to take it slow," Chris assured. "It's a big change for us to make. We were only kissing." He paused."Well, to be honest it got pretty heavy and it could have easily gone further.""That's okay. I think. Look, just don't have sex without asking me alright?"

Chris just hugged her tighter, so grateful she was this forgiving.

"This might be weird," Annabel murmured, hugging him back, "but do you think I could be there when you guys make out? I mean, I want to see if I'm actually okay with it rather than the idea of it. Does that make any sense?"

"Yea, I think that might be a good idea. We can go at a pace everyone's comfortable with... Thank you so much, Annabel. I couldn't stand to lose you." A massive weight seemed to lift from his shoulders. She was going to be okay.

"Susan?" Annabel asked. "Are you okay with that?"

Getting no reply, they turned to look at Susan, who was gesticulating a little too urgently that she couldn't speak.

"Jeez, Susan, it was just a joke. I release you," Annabel said teasingly.

"How did you do that!?" Susan gasped, clutching her throat.

"What?" 

"That spell, how did you stop me talking?!" Susan rushed off the bed, pulling Annabel out of Chris's arms and shaking her a little.

"A spell? I didn't... I just said jinx. It's a joke," Annabel replied, frightened at Susan's harsh reaction.

Annabel's skin started to feel dangerously warm to Susan. She quickly took a step back, holding her arms up in a peaceful gesture, trying to placate the hidden little dragon which clearly saw her as a threat. Thankfully, she'd understood its warning, making Annabel's skin hot, before it did anything to her like it had to Lillian.

"I'm sorry Annabel, I didn't mean to scare you but it was quite disconcerting to be silenced. My god, it's actually using magic on your behalf..."

"What's going on?" Chris was very confused.

"When she said jinx, I really couldn't make a sound. Her tattoo, it's powerful and complex." Susan looked at Annabel, musing. "Somehow you must have thought that I couldn't talk and the dragon just did what you wanted it to."

"What?!" Annabel exclaimed. "But I didn't feel anything, it was just a joke."

"That's cool," commented Chris, sweeping Annabel back into an embrace. Bartholomew poked his head from under her sleeve, then trotted down to her wrist. 

"Did you do that?" Annabel asked, a little scared of the unpredictable enchantment.

The dragon puffed some purple smoke out nose in the affirmative.

"Please, Bartholomew, Susan is a friend, I only want you to help her or protect her. The same goes for Lillian, the vampire. Okay?" Annabel begged the tiny tattoo.

"It might not be as simple as that," Susan considered. "He's a living spell, intelligent, and clearly able to go well beyond simply protecting Annabel. I hate to say this but we should show him to Lady Narlakis sometime today, she's probably the most powerful spellweaver in the Americas and she's got millennia of experience."

"Wait. Can I do magic now?" Annabel asked excitedly.

"I don't know, Annabel, you certainly did something to stop me talking. If you can learn to control and work with the spell, maybe. That's just speculation though, don't try at the moment."

On the one hand, it could be very dangerous to attempt magic without understanding the fundamentals. On the other hand, Susan wasn't sure the fundamentals even applied to Annabel. She was using the dragon's magic rather than her own.

"I promise not to try but I honestly didn't mean to silence you, Susan, it was out of my control." Annabel was worried but so excited at the same time. "Thank you, Chris! You don't know how much Bartholomew means to me, I won't just be a human familiar if I can do some magic or have a protective enchantment. I'll be relevant, right, Susan?"

"Well, you'll certainly be unique, a bit of a shock to the system so to speak." Susan watched a little hopefully as Chris embraced Annabel, wanting to be close to him too. She honestly had no idea where Annabel would fit in now. A human infused with a living spell which appeared to be somewhat under her control... it was unheard of.




Endangered Ch. 04



Chris beckoned Susan closer till he could wrap her under an arm. The two women assessed each other with their heads resting inches apart on either side of his broad chest as they hugged him back. Looking down at the slightly shorter woman, Annabel saw the happiness in her blue eyes as Susan accepted his embrace, rubbing her cheek into his pectoral and pushing her entire body against him.

She knew that heady feeling and gave Susan a little nod of approval. She would share him, share the happiness he could bring. It would be cruel to deny her that happiness when it was so clearly what she needed.

"Thank you," Susan whispered; her eyes brimmed with happy tears. "I'll take it as slow as you want and you can be there if that's what you need."

Chris nuzzled the top of his girlfriends' head first, kissing her scalp before moving to the raven hair of his mother and repeating the process. His dragon gave a weak purr of happiness in his mind as they turned their faces up in unison. Annabel came first, receiving a few seconds of gentle kissing. Neither of them pushed their tongues further than the others lips but it was very loving, intimate, a reassurance of their feelings.

Once they parted Chris leaned down to Susan who, was patiently waiting her turn and pushed up on her toes to meet him. Their kiss was slow but more passionate, their tongues dancing softly against each other, an expression of their newly acknowledged desires.

"Oh, I could get used to that," Susan breathed as Chris broke their kiss.

"You haven't seen anything yet," Annabel warned happily.

It had been something else to watch them kiss. Weird, but also hot. Their obvious loving desire only cemented that she was doing the right thing, maybe not by the human world's standards but they weren't in the human world. Perhaps it was just another magical side effect of his proximity and his recent, very satisfying bedding, but she was starting to almost feel good about this.

"I love you both so much," Chris murmured, squeezing their soft bodies closer for a second.

"I love you, too," came a disjoined, mixed reply from both women.

"No jinx," Annabel qualified, they both giggled a little uncertainly.

"Okay, what are we going to do today?" Chris asked.

"I need clothes," Annabel said. "These ones are smelly and I don't have any changes."

"We should go see Lady Narlakis," Susan said. "She might even know by now when we'll go to see Lord Guthrie."

"I wanted to go see the magic district and set up my new gadgets. We can do all that today can't we?" Chris asked.

"Yeah, and let's set aside about hrrrm... two hours of dedicated petting time." Susan laughed.

"Deal," Annabel confirmed.

"I'm in trouble aren't I?" Chris asked with fake worry, guiding them both out towards the living room, one beautiful, loving woman held close in each arm.

"Absolutely," Annabel replied.

***

Lillian was about when they emerged. Susan inwardly cursed herself; the vampire had probably heard everything they'd just discussed. She blushed a little before remembering that the entire apartment was bugged, Lady Narlakis already knew about her planned conquest of Chris. She supposed there wasn't a way of hiding it, really, and she wanted an open, public relationship with him anyway, but had hoped to keep it discreet for a while.

Deciding to throw caution to the wind, Susan sat next to Chris at the kitchen bar and pulled him into a brief, rather un-motherly kiss before scooting closer and cuddling up, even giving the watchful vampire a little nod. Annabel, who'd just started on making them all omelettes, smiled ruefully.

Lillian had heard their discussion and saw Susan's kiss for what it was: an announcement. That wasn't a problem for her, outside of a harshly quashed twinge of jealousy, but she looked to the human girl to see her reaction.

Annabel seemed to be okay with it. Interesting. Lillian had heard tell male dragons were notorious for developing cherished "broods" of willing females. They somehow always seemed to get along without any major catfights despite the strong, powerful women involved. There must be something magical at work. Lillian couldn't fathom sharing a man like that; her vampiric nature was too possessive and greedy.

Annabel interrupted the vampire's thoughts. "Can we open the blinds, Lillian? It would be nice to see some sunlight in here... sorry."

"That's fine Annabel, just give me a second."

Lillian closed her eyes and muttered a well practiced incantation, one of the only ones most vampires ever bothered with. Over the next few seconds her tall body faded from view, jeans, black long sleeve, jacket, boots, and all.

"Okay, you can open the blinds now, it's the big switch over by the window," came the vampire's disembodied voice.

Annabel watched in disbelief and no one moved to open the blinds. A big sigh came from the direction of the vampire.

"Well, how else am I supposed to go out in the sunlight? Lillian asked as she walked over to slap the switch herself. "This way it all just passes straight through me. I wouldn't be very good at my job if I could only come out at night."

The blinds opened slowly, revealing busy morning streets and letting the bright sunlight stream in.

"Can all vampires do that?" Annabel asked, terrified by the thought of invisible blood-suckers lurking everywhere around her. She had no clue where Lillian was other than when she spoke, realising how reliant humans were on their vision.

"Most do, eventually." Lillian said, enjoying Annabel's distress a little. "It usually takes around two hundred years for young vampires to grow powerful enough to pull it off, though, it's the biggest milestone in a vampire's life."

"How old are you?" Annabel asked.

"Tut tut, Annabel," Lillian whispered from behind her. "That's a bit rude" 

Annabel squealed, bolting around the counter into Chris's embrace.

"That's enough, Lillian," Chris said firmly, addressing the presence he felt leaning against the stove.

"You can see her?" Annabel asked tentatively, peaking towards where he was looking but seeing nothing.

"No, but I can feel her presence, as well as hear and smell her."

"So can I," said Susan. "But it's not very exact for me. If you were a Were, I think you could still smell and hear her, although she's pretty quiet."

"Don't tease Annabel, Lillian. It's dangerous now, she already burned you and silenced Susan this morning." He knew the vampire was just having a little fun but it set his tired dragon on edge to have his First feel threatened in any way. 

"Don't remind me." Lillian grimaced, testing her re-grown hand. It was pretty much back to its original state, but perhaps she would feed tonight. "I'm sorry to scare you, it was just a little fun and I couldn't help myself."

"That's ok," Annabel cautiously returned to the heating pan. "Just try not to scare me too much. I asked Bartholomew not to hurt you but he seems to do his own thing." She began preparing the omelettes again but suddenly hesitated. "I'm not going to bump into you am I."

"I'll get out of the way," Lillian chuckled. "I'm almost five hundred by the way. We grow more powerful as we age, and I have my telekinesis, but we always struggle with magic."

***

They ended up agreeing to get some clothes for Annabel first. She'd insisted on it, given it was the start of day three for her underwear. 

An invisible Lillian made a phone call to Oslo, a very large, shaggy man who would be their visible protection while they were out. Oslo was a Werebear, a grizzly. Lillian always liked him because he was quiet, observant, and generally didn't seem to give a shit. That, and he was never sniffing around her proverbial skirts like some of the other men she worked with. Adversaries sometimes mistook him to be dim, but that was their undoing.

He'd knocked on their door about half an hour later and Lillian introduced him. Chris had returned his crushing handshake with equal force as they sized each other up, acknowledging strength when they saw it.

Annabel was intimidated but Chris persuaded her to shake his hand, too. Oslo noticed the protectiveness and care the dragon had for her; as a family man, he respected that. He decided that he already liked the dragon.

Their mismatched party walked down the streets of the magic district, Chris and Annabel marvelling that Beings could live and work their secret lives right next to humans. It wasn't obvious but now that he knew, some things stood out a little. There were no chain or franchise stores and there seemed to be an overabundance of slightly ... quirky shops.

People, both human and Being, identified by their auras, seemed busy and happy as they walked by. Some of the Beings sported slightly out-of-place clothing too, but it was only noticeable to the initiated. Overall it seemed vibrant, a little town nestled away inside a city, and there was literally magic in the air.

Invisible, Lillian lead them to a nearby cluster of independent stores. She explained that none of them were Being-only stores, they maintained a standard floor stock but that they would have some enchanted clothing out back. Annabel thrilled at the idea of enchanted clothes but realized she had no way of paying, only about $400 was in her account. The rest was in savings to pay for her life next year at school.

"I can help," Chris offered. "I brought plenty with me."

"Oh, but Chris, you need it--"

"It's okay, Annabel, we'll get what you need. Besides, you're my familiar now, I get to do what I want with you, don't I?" he whispered the last part directly in her ear, sending lustful, loving feelings down their magical bond.

She blushed, and it was surprisingly dark.

"What I mean is," he said aloud for everyone to hear, "I can cover the essentials for the next few days, until you can collect whatever you need back home."

"Alright. Thank you." She nodded, recovering from her flush as he held the door to the shop for her 

When they saw the prices on the items, however, they almost just walked out.

"Hey, come on, these are good prices." Lillian seemed to block the door with her voice. "And you will be expected to maintain an image among other Beings, Chris, whether you like it or not."

"You'd also be supporting local business," Susan added helpfully, smiling and patting Chris's shoulder as if to smooth over Lillian's gruffness. "That's also kind of expected among your own kind."

"You've got to be kidding." Chris kept his voice low so as not to be blaring across the shop. "That's ridiculous, I'm not going to pay three times as much for regular clothes just because someone's feelings might be hurt if I don't dress as they expect me to!"

Oslo's chuckle was about the deepest bass that any of them had ever heard, practically rumbling through the floor beneath their feet.

"But, Chris, honey," Susan began, and Lillian seemed to elbow her to get her attention.

They all looked to see Annabel fawning over a pair of jeans she obviously loved, the enthusiastic assistant having already snared her and happy to fuss over her figure until the sun set behind the mountains.

"Ah, shit," Chris muttered, as Susan and Lillian drifted over to provide support for the spree.

In the end, he and Oslo muttered condolences to each other by the door until it was time to ring it all up: two t-shirts, a mid-length black skirt, a blue tank, windbreaker, a long-sleeved, grey pullover, and three panty-bra sets. Just under a thousand dollars.

"Uh-oh," Annabel said, eyeballing the pieces as if trying to decide what to put back. The problem was that they were all the basics she would need.

"I got it, love," Chris murmured, paying the assistant before she could stop him.

She hugged him fervently as they left the store. "Thank you, these truly are the nicest clothes I've ever owned. They're made so well. But you shouldn't have spent so much."

"You're welcome, and it's fine," he assured her. "I know they'll look great on you. I'll be able to make money once I start accepting contracts through Maginet."

Lillian suggested they go find Annabel an evening dress and some shoes but that was vetoed, and they'd ended up going back to the hotel/apartment so Annabel could change and Chris could collect the small, heavy black toiletries bag containing the last of his cash and all of his gold. When he asked about a gold exchange, Lillian explained that gold was more valuable than the human currency he could get exchanging it. Besides the shops they were going to would accept gold anyway.

Annabel chose the black skirt, the blue tank, and the grey pullover, which all looked nice with her sandals. Chris lost all regrets for his money when he laid eyes on her. She was absolutely stunning, her long legs looked even creamier against the black skirt, showing a little of her sleek thighs. She'd pinned her hair so the soft, loose curls cascaded down her back. The pullover was clingy, conforming perfectly to her slim waist and slightly bulged chest, the blue tank-top just peeked out from underneath. He couldn't help but hug her when she presented herself and whisper in her ear.

"You look lovely."

They'd walked back into the district, heading toward one of Lillian's favorite stores. She always had liked to shop, even if it wasn't for herself. Buying beautiful things with someone else's money was fun, a pleasurable relic of her pampered human life so long ago. They looked for a dress first. The owner of one shop, a young witch named Mary, even looked after them herself once Lillian made herself known. Lillian was important, beautiful, and a loyal customer after all. 

The transparent vampire explained they were looking for a dress, something Annabel could wear to dinner with Lady Narlakis but also to a club with her boyfriend, pointing out Chris by the door.

"Well, what's he going to wear?" asked Mary, wondering which of her customers was wearing the delightful perfume. It was a nice, manly smell so perhaps it was of the men off to the side.

"Oh, probably just something like he is now," Annabel explained. "He loves his jeans and you'd never get him into a suit or anything like that."

"Let's find you something to force him out of the jeans, huh?" Mary chuckled.

"Good luck with that," Susan laughed.

"Okay," Annabel said meekly, she was completely out of her league in a shop like this. Sure, she looked at nice clothes in shops at home or on the internet but didn't know anything about choosing a fancy evening dress.

Mary led them into the back, and began showing off her best wares including the various enchanted clothing she'd worked on herself. Lillian made herself visible again to help Annabel choose something, as the back room was completely sunproof. 

Chris had noticed they were going out back and followed curiously, finding the women gushing over variously colored stylish numbers. Annabel was explaining that she wanted something which could be multipurpose because they could only afford one. None of the dresses even had price tags; that must be a bad sign.

"I think I have just the thing for you," Mary mused. She didn't know who Annabel was but if Lillian was with her, she must be pretty important. "This one is one of my favourites, it's silk but I've enchanted it to be durable and stain resistant. I'd still recommend you only hand-wash it but I think you'd look lovely in it, Annabel, and black is always sexy. We'll shame him into wearing something nicer."

She smiled over at Chris as she said that.

"What's wrong with this?" Chris asked, a little defensive.

Jeans, boots and a nice t-shirt or button up were his tried and true. If there was an occasion and Susan or Annabel forced him, he'd switch out the t-shirt for a nicer long-sleeve but he usually ended up rolling up the sleeves anyway. In summer he might even wear shorts if it got really hot. To be fair, he was small town, through and through.

"Oh, nothing really, but she'll look like a princess in this. You should try to look your best for her, too." Mary handed the black silk to Annabel. "Go try it on, dear, no bra though."

The silk flowed over her hand like water as she walked in to the little back-back room to change. She'd never worn anything like this, it was so shapeless she could barely figure out how it went on. She stripped out of her newly bought clothes, removed her bra, and let the silk flow down over her body. It felt delightfully cool to the touch. She looked in the mirror and gasped.

Slinky. That was the best she could come up with.

It might be a bit too lose around her chest, but it conformed to her waist and hips without clinging to them, until the hem fluttered at the middle of her thigh. It was partially backless, exposing her registration with thin shoulder straps crossing just below her shoulder blades to meet the other side of the dress below her breasts. Between the crossing straps on her back was a massive valley of exposed pale skin, travelling almost to the thinnest part of her waist. It felt like she was naked. She barely had the confidence to show the others, let alone wear it in public.

She looked for Chris as she tentatively emerged; he was already striding forwards, reaching for her with lust in his eyes. He saw she was nervous and stroked her cheek a little before leaning down for a relatively chaste kiss.

"You're ridiculously gorgeous, Dee," Chris whispered against her cheek as he stroked the bared skin of her lower back. Then he turned to Mary. "We'll take it."

He didn't care how much it cost at that point.

"Well, let me have a look at her first." Mary moving forward. "Yes, you're stunning in this, hon. Hmm, we might resize it in the chest a little, no offence. Now turn around for me."

Annabel did so slowly, exposing her back.

"You're a familiar," Mary commented as she checked the fit around Annabel's flanks. "But who's your-?"

Bartholomew took the opportunity to introduce himself then. Having previously wrapped himself around her bellybutton, he waltzed up her back to lay on her other tattoo again.

Mary jumped back quickly. "What the hell is that? A dragon? But.."

Her voice died and she wheeled on Chris.

"Guilty," he chuckled.

"Lillian, you bitch, you brought him in here and didn't tell me?!" Mary exclaimed. "Oh my god, I can't believe he's in my shop! Everyone was talking about it yesterday."

"It's not a big deal," Chris tried.

Lillian laughed at that.

"Uh, yeah, it is," Marry replied, forgetting to not be argumentative.

"Whatever, can we please get the dress?"

"Yes. Sorry. Oh, Annabel, you lucky girl, oh my god. Okay, let's pull the chest in a bit."

Mary slipped a finger under the sides and up against the surface of Annabel's breasts, muttering as the cloth shrank a little. It was still loose enough to fall away in front between where the thin straps attached, showing the soft skin between her breasts. If she'd had more there, the cleavage might have been ridiculous, but as it was it was a tantalising display of her small, well formed assets.

"Alright, let's bag that up for you."

Annabel emerged from changing back into her previous clothes a few minutes later to find Chris being persuaded into buying a pair of black slacks and a very nice light blue shirt. They eventually went to the counter to pay, and Annabel noticed Mary added a length of frilly ribbon the same colour as his new shirt but dreaded what the damage might be.

"How would you like to pay for the dress? I'd like to throw in the pants and shirt as a gift." Mary was trying her best.

"That really isn't necessary," Chris replied. It made him nervous to have the stranger doting on him like this.

"I insist, I can't part with the dress for free though, I've spent quite a while working on it."

"How about gold?" asked Chris.




Endangered Ch. 04



"Wouldn't you like to hold onto that? If I had you alone for a few nights, we could umm... you could help me perform some, interesting magic. It would be more than enough to..."

A few nights of spell casting with the dragon would be more than lucrative, extremely pleasurable, too, from what she'd heard. Dragons had an almost cult reputation among female Beings, which was only given more fuel by the complete lack of reliable firsthand accounts.

"I'm flattered, but no. Sorry."

Chris apologized surprisingly gracefully while Annabel was a little flustered. If she understood correctly, the woman had propositioned her own boyfriend to prostitute himself while she stood right next to him.

"Very well, how does two and a half ounces sound?" Mary said, trying to hide her disappointment as she pulled out a digital scale from under the counter, zeroing it.

"About three grand? Extortionate," Chris replied with a little smile. "But it's a very nice dress."

He got out two pre-weighed bags of dust and another of assorted nuggets which could be split more easily. 

Mary picked up a bag to examine it, using her magical senses as well to examine the metal. She saw something there that she'd only ever heard about, a warm glow and a sense of movement, like the dust in the bag was actually molten. "You've given me the wrong bag. This is dragon-gold, isn't it?"

Lillian inhaled sharply. Susan had been waiting to call out the witch, waiting to see if she was actually honest once she discovered what Chris had to offer. 

"Yes, it is," Susan said matter-of-factly.

"What's that?" Chris asked. 

"He doesn't know?!" Lillian exclaimed. "Jesus Christ!" She narrowed her eyes at the young man. "I'm going to have to watch you closely, dragon."

"I wouldn't have let him give it away," Susan said.

"You could have told me. How much do you have? It should be in the Compound vault." Lillian pushed forward to look into the small case. He must have at least thirty of the little plastic bags, mostly dust and tiny nuggets in the little toiletries bag. She hefted it delicately after extracting it from Chris's hand. "The surprises never stop with you, do they?"

"Can someone please tell me what the fuck dragon-gold is?" Chris asked, getting fed up with people ignoring him.

"It's gold collected from the earth and hoarded by a dragon," Mary explained. "It's magically imbued with the dragon's power and greed. Placed next to other precious metals it slowly makes them grow. That's why in all the legends the dragons are lying on massive piles of treasure. It literally grows around them when they care for it, even more if they take it from the earth themselves." Mary marvelled at the value of the single ounce bag she held in her hand. "Dragon-gold is also used instead of regular gold as part of a spell or potion. It makes the effects far more powerful or long lasting."

"Yeah, so what's the big deal? If it grows then--" Chris clearly still didn't understand.

"Chris." Lillian caught his attention, her expression intense. "It loses its power as soon as the dragon it belonged to dies. People usually drain its power into other gold to increase their holdings or use it up in powerful spells. Ever since dragons started being hunted, before I was even made vampire, it's been very rare. The dragon has to 'lovingly take it from the earth,' with their bare hands, no magic, only a few ever bothered because it's such hard work. Besides, dragons are notoriously miserly. Now that dragons themselves are so rare as well... I doubt there's been dragon-gold on the market for a hundred years."

Chris took a moment to process this information. It seemed he was constantly bombarded with new aspects of his own nature. Sure, he had enjoyed the excitement of searching for hidden treasure in the silts of a cold mountain creek. He'd loved being outdoors and splashing around in the water and sunshine and he did get a comforting feeling from keeping the gold he collected close by. Miserly though? He didn't think he was miserly, and he never could have guessed that he was investing magical value to his small bag of treasure. He turned to Susan with a question in his eyes. 

"Why didn't you tell me, Mom?"

"I didn't want it to ruin what you enjoyed," she said. "You were always so happy going off on your little expeditions, I didn't want that to change. I would have stopped you if you'd tried to exchange it but I didn't want to worry you that people would come hunting for your gold as well as for you."

"So how much is it worth?" he queried, giving his mother's hand a reassuring squeeze.

"I'd be very happy with one tenth of an ounce for the dress," Mary said tentatively.

"You'd be happy with one fiftieth!" spat Lillian, suddenly defensive. "It's practically priceless."

"Sorry, I don't mean to cheat him Lillian," Mary apologized hastily at the vampire's anger. "I don't know what it's worth." 

Chris was startled, it was finally sinking in just how valuable his little hoard was. The problem was, he'd been prepared to part with two and a half ounces. It didn't feel right to give Mary so much less now, after she'd been the one to point out its true worth. His gold didn't feel that special to him, perhaps he'd never really been exposed to anything other than dragon-gold. He made a snap decision when he remembered what Lillian had said. If dragons were so miserly, today he was going to be generous.

"What if I gave you one ounce as thanks for being helpful and honest?"

"It's too much." Mary glanced at Lillian.

"It's my gold, isn't it?" Chris asked.

"Yes but.." Mary started.

"Okay so, please take it, it's yours." Chris closed her hand around the small bag she still clutched. "I hope it serves you well, Mary."

"Th..thank you," she stuttered, putting the bag in a pouch at her neck before bagging up their purchases. 

Annabel was stunned; the gold she'd previously thought must be a small fortune was worth over fifty times its face value, if a value could even be assigned.

Lillian held back a little as the others began to leave.

"I hope you realize how generous that was. That he gave it to you freely makes it even more potent, you know," she hissed. "Thank you for being honest but I can't let you sell that. It would be too obvious where you got it and he's already in enough danger. You'd be putting both him and yourself at risk if you even tell anyone about it. It's worth far more than fifty times its weight to some, there are spells which haven't been wrought for years..."

"I didn't want to sell it," Mary assured. "I just don't know what to do. Maybe I could use it in my ever-clean potion spray but that seems like a waste."

"It would be, clothes don't need to be clean for ten thousand fucking years." Lillian paused to think. "I'll ask Lady Narlakis if she'll pay a renting fee for having it sit in her treasury."

Lillian thought the drow would probably go for it, if she didn't try to snare the rest of Chris's stash as soon as she found out.

"Thank you, Lillian."

Mary breathed a sigh and a shudder as the vampire made herself invisible again before following the dragon. Vampires, always so friendly and charming... until they aren't. She'd been going to call her friends, gloat that the rumours of a dragon were true and that he'd been shopping in her store.

Now she felt the weight of the gold, heavy beyond its true weight with magic. It pulled at her neck but felt warm nestled between her breasts. Realising her friends would know something was up if they ever found out from anyone else, she sent out a message through Maginet, not feeling the sense of giddy excitement she tried to express in the email.

Outside, Lillian called in her latest discovery to Reyla. She had to really.

"What?! Lillian, put him on the phone right now."

Lillian rolled her eyes but handed the phone to the dragon. "She wants to talk to you."

"Hello," Chris greeted her as he put the phone to his ear.

"Chris, is what she just told me true?"

"Well...yeah."

"How did you get it? From trade?"

"No. I read about the gold rushes when I was younger and wanted to see what it would be like. I got lucky that first time and kept going back every few weekends because I enjoyed it."

The drow sounded like she might've been having some serious trouble breathing evenly. She spoke only once she was more calm. "And you are walking out on the street with it? Chris, dear, can I persuade you to secure it somewhere where others will not be tempted?"

"Like where?"

"It should be in a vault, as any gold is nowadays. I have a vault at the Compound that has never been broken into. It will be safe, I would be happy to store it for you."

"No, thanks, Reyla. It's mine, and I think I'd like to keep it nearby."

The next pause was filled with Lillian wondering whether Reyla could hold herself back or if she'd push too hard again. The drow surprised her by conceding. For now.

"Very well, Chris. I look forward to seeing you this afternoon."

They ended up finding Annabel a set of sneakers, some nice flats, and a pair of black heels to go with her dress. Chris also got some shoes to go with his new pants. This time, Susan paid cash.

***

Around mid-afternoon they wound back through the underground passageways to see Reyla. She had them seated in her dark office this time, lounging on low couches near an open fire. Chris thought the fire was a bit over the top, but to each their own. He was, however, impressed by the high shelves of tomes and scrolls. Reyla had clearly amassed an impressive collection of magical knowledge to match her powerful and wise aura. Looking around he realized this was the stuff she wanted people to see; she no doubt had many secrets vaulted away as well.

When Reyla approached them, she first examined Annabel carefully. The drow probed gently so as not to have the feisty little enchantment lash out at her. She'd even shielded herself before launching a gout of flame just past Annabel to the right. It'd bounced right back at the elf with the bright flare of a purple barrier, and she'd caught it quickly.

"Shit," Chris whispered to himself, trying to calm his anxious inner dragon.

Annabel had been even more terrified, then excited as the spell rebounded. The calculating look on the beautiful drow's face told her she was no longer insignificant to these people.

Lady Narlakis, forever dressed in some sort of beautiful gown, didn't dare try any of her more powerful or insidious attacks, intelligently fearing for herself if they also rebounded, or for Annabel's safety if they didn't... and her own yet again as the real dragon would no doubt retaliate. The more she was close to Chris, the more she realized that he was almost her equal. Frightening because she'd worked thousands of years to grow her immense power.

Reyla watched Annabel interact with the little tattoo dragon, seeing how it listened and responded to her, wondering how it had muted Susan that morning. It was indeed a living spell, unheard of in that it was cast on a human. Livings enchantments were rare and unique, it was impossible to say what they could or couldn't do. They were living so they could change and evolve, as could the owner of the enchantment.

"I agree that Annabel is well protected for the moment," Reyla finally said after long moments of contemplation. "She should get some education in the basic exchanges of magic and energy. We will have the tattoo--"

"Bartholomew," Annabel said, and the drow nearly grimaced.

"Yes, we will have 'Bartholomew' registered in your section on Chris's profile."

When conversation returned to Chris's small stockpile of gold, Reyla urged him that if word of it ever got out, it was almost an attractive target as he was.

"And who exactly is going to steal or kidnap in your community, Lady Narlakis?" Chris asked reasonably.

"Well, I admit there are some less...desirable elements living amongst us," Reyla replied. "Beings who still maintain the Secret, but barely live inside the council's other guidelines."

"There are even those who have rejected the council's authority altogether," Susan added. "They live in hiding away from the central hubs of each territory."

The drow arched an eyebrow at the witch but nodded in agreement. "There are only around half a million Beings in the world, so it is easy to lose yourself in the sea of humans, if that's how you wanted to hide. These are the types who steal and kidnap, those who value personal gain above any sense of loyalty or community to Beings as a whole. They live darker lives beneath the face they show the world."

Chris mulled that over. "So...do you know how much my gold is really worth? The witch at the store didn't know."

Reyla sighed again at that unfortunate indiscretion. "I estimate that you could name your own price in any barter. But please, Chris, if you need to purchase something, exchange your gold with me for some other form of currency. It would not do to have dragon-gold on the open market during these tentative times for your species."

They talked amiably about Reyla's territory for a while, the midwestern territory. Fairly different from the human's political borders, the midwest area included the Great Plains and the Rockies, from Canada to Mexico. Despite it being the largest area under one Being's oversight, it had the smallest population of the four territories in the States, but was also the easiest to manage when compared to the complex, central hubs located in many of the largest human cities on the east and west coasts. As with most all territories, Weres and magical humans were the most numerous. It was nature's way of balancing she'd explained, there were far fewer of the older, more individually powerful Beings such as elves and elementals because they reproduced much more slowly even if they did live for thousands of years.

Reyla's territory was especially hassle free, much of the great tracts of land under her control were only frequented by Were packs. They naturally preferred the access to wilderness rather than living in cities and their pack structure made them almost completely self-governed. Reyla generally left them alone if they didn't cause trouble, and that was the way they liked it.

Chris had some questions about dragons but Reyla begged off, asking him to wait until he went to see Lord Guthrie in four days time.

"I have sent a message to my bastard cousin as well," she said with a smile. "He's an Ether mage of somewhat dodgy repute, but I've asked him to come and tutor a 'promising young candidate' in the secrets of the Ether. Once you are settled in, we will discuss your education and employment further. I already have several options in mind that you might enjoy."

When they left, Susan was feeling better about their entire situation in Denver. Reyla seemed to be honestly providing sound, if somewhat self-centered advice to Chris, even putting in the extra effort to examine Annabel and get a tutor in for Chris's Ether magic.

***

Annabel called her parents that evening. Jim and Barbra Sommerset were less than impressed.

"You get your ass back home, now!"

"That's not really possible."

"I'll report a kidnapping, or a missing person."

"Dad, the first thing the police will do is call my cell and I can tell them myself that I'm fine. I'm just moving out a bit early and I'm going to move in with Chris. I'll be back in a few days to collect my stuff."

Her father proceeded to call Chris all sorts of unchristian names. "I want to speak with that boy!"

Annabel could only stifle a laugh as she looked to the couch where Susan was snuggled up next to him while they kissed gently, tongues only just meeting between their partially opened lips. 

"He's indisposed. I love you, gotta go!"

Annabel hung up before joining the two lovebirds on the couch, determined to maintain her fair share of kisses in this relationship.

***

The next few days passed in a blur.

Lillian showed Chris to the security team's workout facility. There were resistance machines designed for Beings so he actually got to give himself a decent workout. Lillian offered to teach him how to fight and they met on the sparing mat.

She'd kicked his inexperienced ass all around the floor. Oslo howled with laughter as she simply threw him over and over again. Once, she'd let him get close to see what he could do. She soon found herself on the floor, arms behind her back with his satisfying weight pinning her. The sensation had almost made her wriggle back into him but she couldn't; it would have been sexual and her blood pact prevented it. For the first time in years, she was a little thankful for its presence.

"You're strong, but you could stand to work on the speed a little," the vampire appraised as she had many a beginner, brushing off her hands as she gained her feet. "Get beyond the grabbing and punching like an amateur and you'll be a force to reckon with."

Now, if he learned to phase, he'd be a terror. She wondered if he'd be a more difficult opponent in his half form, but the dragon remained hidden as it recuperated from its exertion to protect Annabel.

Chris had slipped back into the Ether one night but didn't leave his bed, not wanting to be caught out in unfamiliar, populated territory. When he'd woken up, his dragon was almost back to its annoying, opinionated self. It seemed the dragon could somehow draw energy from the Ether.

Chris delivered coffee to Susan every morning and slept with Annabel every night. Their lovemaking mellowed a bit as they learned to take their time with each other. They would enjoy slowly thrusting together for what seemed like hours before they fucked like frantic bunnies towards the end. He loved that he could get her off a couple times if he was patient and had time to excite her entire body.

Annabel enjoyed how her body was adjusting to him; she was almost constantly ready for him now, a few words or a meaningful look could have her nethers slick and dewy. It was hell on her underwear. He always made her feel so completed, whether he fucked her lazily from behind, watching his penetration distend and drag her labia backwards, gripping tightly to his cock.

Or, if he kissed her neck as his body arched into hers with her legs locked around him, she never failed to find absolute bliss. It often triggered or was followed by a second orgasm as he spilt his magic seed deep in her with forceful, hot, jets. She would lie there for minutes afterwards, enjoying the gooey, tingly, warmth inside her womb as he held her close. 

She didn't realise it bit every time he come inside her, a little more of his magic would soak in, healing any small imperfections both inside and out and priming her with energy. She took on a healthy, beautiful glow as he imbued her, it would be weeks before she noticed. Their inexperience quickly evaporated as they spent their nights learning just how to set each other off. Meanwhile Bartholomew slowly profited from their efforts, growing in minuscule ways each time they expressed their love.

Susan was becoming friskier, too, a little frustrated that she and Chris were stalled at kissing and some rather heavy petting. Though really wanting to go further and cement their new relationship, she didn't push the issue too much, just frigged herself silly in the shower. She was taking a lot of showers recently as her neglected sexuality was rekindled by the dragon's kisses. Annabel was becoming more comfortable with their new relationship, too. She'd discovered that if she ever felt jealous watching them kiss, she could interrupt and demand some for herself. However, turnabout was fair play and Annabel quickly learned that being interrupted wasn't fun. They gradually worked out a system that seemed to work. It mostly involved being patient and generous, but above all else, not hogging the dragon.




Endangered Ch. 04



Lillian sometimes found herself frustrated with all the sexy noises and smells around her but Reyla's order not to touch him made it a little easier. She still convinced herself that he was too young and timid for her, that she didn't want him. Besides, his spicy, pheromone-laden scent was becoming more bearable as she learnt to ignore its almost constant presence.

During the days, they explored the magic district together, discussed plans for the future, or their new world in general. Susan even managed to line up a wonderful job opportunity for herself at the apothecary she had previously supplied.

The old wizard who owned the place had known Susan fondly for years. Now that she was back in the magical world for good, he offered her a partnership in his business. She would grow for them full time, helping in the store with brewing when she wasn't busy with the plants. It was always her dream to take her love for magical plants and their concoctions further so she pounced on the opportunity. She'd already given her notice to the university, sighting a family emergency and taking her weeks of accumulated leave, so she was excited to start as soon as Chris's situation settled down.

To start with, she spent a few hours each day in the store, formalizing their agreement and learning the ropes. Rowan, the owner, was an accomplished apothecary and she learned several new tricks in the brief hours they spent together. She was actually a little worried about her plants back at home but called Jethry to make sure he knew how to look after them properly until she could get back. The Werecat was happy to hear things were going well in the 'big city.'

Chris's public Maginet profile went live on the second day, his name, species, class, and territory available to the entire Being world. Annabel had a little section too as his familiar, noting her name, registration date, and that she had an epsilon class protective enchantment. 

"Every profile you see is real," Lillian explained. "The Maginet system is specifically not anonymous like the internet. Profiles are verified by technicians such as Tosh, and are magically resistant to tampering or interception. We don't want ways to trick people or engage in unlawful activities under false names. You might imagine it's vital to the Being contract system."

Chris and Annabel started at tablet, scrolling and navigating through their profile with their fingers.

"Wow," was all Annabel could really say. It seemed just like a regular piece of technology. "So...how does it work?"

The vampire had long accepted being these two kids' personal tome of knowledge. A good thing she liked them. "The entire global system is powered magically, using untraceable energies to communicate between each device. It is silent to humans and their devices." She gestured to the unfinished part of the profile. "You want to include photo images of yourselves?"

Together, Chris and Annabel looked at each other and shook their heads.

"Not now," Chris said.

Within hours Chris had several contract offers and a flood of happy greeting messages.

"Holy shit!" Annabel exclaimed, and Chris's mouth was gaping a little bit. He'd never been popular in high school.

"You forgot to set your profile to state that you're not accepting contracts," Lillian told him with a barely retained chuckle.

At that stage, Annabel kind of took over managing his profile, the Maginet system was apparently foolproof, every message or change carried a magical trace of the individual and each person's devices were unusable by anyone without privileges. Once Annabel had these though, Chris's tablet happily fired up whenever she touched it, he was glad to let her manage it, never a big fan of social media.

She sent out apologies and thanks to the various hopefuls as she gawked at the multi-figure offers for blood, protection, sex, or help creating enchantments. There was even an offer to deflower some old witch's nice as her 21st birthday present.

One evening Chris and Annabel worked up the courage to go to a local establishment known as The Cauldron. They couldn't reveal their true forms but it was a Being club, under the cover of heavy involvement with sci-fi role playing. This way, any humans who showed up weren't freaked out when they overheard a self-professed vampire talking to a witch about blood magic or the like.

It seemed a little weak to Chris, until Lillian spoke up.

"There's also an enchantment that makes humans dismiss anything they hear or see that truly offends their sensibilities. However, given the club's reputation, it attracts a human element who are hard to offend."

"But," he replied, "wont that foster an unhealthy, almost obsessive culture...?"

Lillian just laughed.

The decor was upbeat gothic, still dark, but with colourful depictions of various "mythological" creatures along the walls. Some of the staff appeared to be in "costume" and there was a blue "painted" woman dancing in a cage over by the DJ. By the bar was an all too lifelike stone gargoyle, frozen in a state of arousal as human woman laughed and dared each other to touch the raunchy statue.

The club had a reputation around town as a place to have a wild, uninhibited night where almost anything goes, but somewhere you wouldn't necessarily want to be a regular. 

Lillian had wrangled them up a small booth where they ended up sitting around not knowing what to do with themselves. Chris and Annabel were experiencing the club atmosphere for the first time: dim lighting, an otherworldly light show, loud electronic genre music, few clothes and lots of sweaty bodies.

Lillian shrugged at their timidity. "I have to agree that it didn't have much appeal to me outside of snaring a hapless or... even willing humans for feeding, it's perfect for that."

Tonight the vampire had worn black heels, a pleated red miniskirt, and one of her trademark, clingy turtlenecks; black this time. Chris stole glances at her surreptitiously every now and then, especially her long, toned, absolutely pale legs. They were so beautifully pale he thought he could see small bluish veins lattice up near the hem of her skirt.

He'd never been close to such a beautiful woman who was almost his height, only an inch shorter than his six-foot-three. He had gained two inches to his human form after his transformation; yet another addition to the list of things to get used to. At least he still cleared most doorways, just.

Regardless, Lillian's large body excited him and especially his dragon to no end. It had the promise of being something to fight for and conquer. He knew how it felt up close, too, having been dominated by it that morning at the gym. Deliciously soft yet devastatingly powerful.

Annabel was proving quite the distraction herself. She'd worn her new dress and let her hair fall around her back but held from her face with the ribbon which matched his new shirt. The outfit was indeed slinky and sexy. He'd stuck with his jeans and almost regretted it now. 

Chris thought she looked perfect, her slight nervousness and big, brown eyes again gave an innocent air which delightfully contradicted the seductive dress, the soft curves of her fantastic ass, and the display of so much smooth leg. He'd held her close as they entered the club, protective, feeling on edge with so many people around them.

The club owner, a vampire named Rufus Veldeer, apparently didn't care that they were underage. He delivered some champagne that Lillian ordered personally to the small booth. 

"Lillian, darling, it's so good to see you again. Champagne?" Rufus spoke in dulcet tones.

"Yes, thank you, Rufus. This is my charge, Christopher Baryst, and his familiar, Annabel."

The vampire's face seemed to split into a Cheshire grin as Chris rose to shake his hand.

"It's very nice to meet you, Christopher, and may I just say that you have some very lovely company tonight. Hello, Annabel. You look gorgeous, I wondered if you were his familiar when I first saw you two in the court." 

Annabel blushed and ducked into her seat behind Chris a little 

"Thank you, Rufus, I didn't realize you were at my introduction. You have a very interesting place here. I was sceptical when Lillian described it to me but now that I'm here, it works." 

Rufus laughed heartily. "Yes, yes. It is a little over the top, but I revel in that. As for you though, young dragon, the town has practically been abuzz with talk. Rumours, titterings, lies. I, of course, as a first hand witness, have spread all sorts of fanciful tales about you."

"About me? Why?"

"My boy, we live for centuries and some of us become rather bored," Rufus explained. "A male dragon coming in from the cold is the news of the year, if not the decade."

"Beings are the worst gossipers you're likely to find, Rufus here is notorious," Lillian explained even more succinctly.

"My dear, beautiful vampire, you wound me," Rufus exclaimed with mock hurt. He put an arm around Chris's shoulder almost conspiratorially as he continued. "I apologize for her rudeness, Chris, Annabel. I must warn you, I may be a terrible gossip but Lillian here, despite her loveliness, is a grouch of unprecedented renown. Always ruining my fun."

Lillian simply let out a quiet hiss in his general direction and Annabel couldn't contain a hushed giggle.

"See! She's unstoppable," Rufus continued. "Having you two around will be the best thing that's ever happened to her. Now, speaking of fun, I have an interesting proposal for you, Christopher."

Chris didn't like the sound of that, or the grin on the vampire's face.

"You may be aware that you smell divine, and I'd bet you taste even better. Therefore I propose a potentially very lucrative arrangement. A special drink, the chance to taste a dragon. It would contain a measure of chilled vodka, a half of Sambuca, a half of Grand Marnier, and of course, a few drops of your own delectable blood. I call it the Buffy, for it will surely slay vampires by the dozen!"

Chris didn't know what to make of it, on one hand the idea was hilarious, something he would probably agree to if he was tipsy. Rufus's sales pitch was indeed overly dramatic, but it seemed to suit what he'd seen of him so far. On the other hand he was a little offended he'd once again been propositioned and was concerned what the outcome of offering the drink might be.

"Would you drink it, Lillian?" he asked.

She was somewhat taken aback; the question hadn't struck her in the way he had intended. "Mm," she shrugged, attempting to maintain nonchalant, "I'd probably try it sometime, but I'm not allowed to drink on the job."

Chris's eyes flicked to the glass of bubbly in her hand then looked back at Rufus. "No, thank you, Mr. Veldeer. Perhaps we could do it as a special one night after I'm more settled."

"Of course," Rufus, ever the host, accepted graciously. "I'll leave you to yourselves for now, but please return at anytime. You're always welcome here, Chris, and I'll be honest, you're great for business. Please excuse me."

They'd ended up sipping champagne for a while before Annabel dragged him onto the dance floor. They lasted a few songs, Chris holding her waist or ass with her arms around his neck, writhing their bodies together to whatever spastic beats the DJ wove together. It seemed to be what everyone else was doing.

The crowd of bodies didn't really appeal to them; they were interested in each other so strangers bumping them was just a distraction. By the fourth song, Chris noticed there was a curious young woman dancing behind him. He'd felt her bump him a few times and when he turned, he found her only about an inch from the back of his neck, enjoying his smell.

That was it. They went back to the booth and Annabel sat in his lap as they finished the bottle.

They were about to leave when Amanda, the vampire who'd lost control and attacked Chris on their first day, appeared and asked if she could sit with them for a minute. Chris had somewhat nervously agreed while Lillian never took her eyes off the younger vampire.

"I just wanted a chance to say how sorry I am about what I did to you," Amanda started once she was sitting. "It was unacceptable. I'm young but I've worked hard to control my urges and get a position with Compound security. I can't come out during the day yet, you see, so having a mostly underground job is nice. Look, I'm sorry, I was hungry and you were there smelling so good, it just happened before I could even think to know it was wrong....and thanks for not killing me by the way."

Chris didn't know what to say but forged ahead to accept her apology. "You're Amanda, right?"

She nodded, looking chagrined that she hadn't introduced herself first. Chris didn't seem to notice.

"Well, Amanda, I'm new at this whole thing too so thanks for apologizing and I guess no hard feelings, certainly no harm done. I'm sorry I had that kind of effect on you without any warning."

"Thank you," Amanda said warmly.

She'd resolved to come apologize when she saw them enter the club but over the last few days she'd given up her vampiric schemes to get more of his blood. She didn't have anything to offer in return and he would probably want nothing to do with her.

Besides, it would only lead her further and further down that path. Already from that one taste, she found other blood less satisfying, couldn't get him out of her mind, especially when she slept. It was hard sitting close to him now but she brutally forced her vampire deep down inside herself so she could talk. It meant a lot that he seemed happy to forgive her.

"You haven't...?" Amanda trailed off turning to Lillian.

"Haven't what?" Chris asked curiously.

"No," Lillian said bluntly.

"Don't," Amanda warned.

"Don't what?" Chris asked again.

Amanda sighed. "I'm trying to warn her not to taste your blood, Chris."

"Oh." Chris was confused, Susan had said vampires would want to drink his blood, because it tasted good to them and offered so much sustenance being infused with magic.

"It's too good, Chris, I only tasted a few drops and it's all I can think about," the young vampire confessed. "It's addictive. I can barely stomach human blood anymore."

"I'm sorry," Chris said. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Probably not. Just don't let vampires bite you unless you plan to feed them for the rest of your life."

Amanda got up to leave, feeling better and worse at the same time. She'd been feeling almost depressed ever since she'd had her unsatisfying taste. Walking away was hard but apologizing was good.

"Is she okay?" Annabel asked. She'd remained quiet, just watching the new vampire.

"She will be, I think," Lillian replied. However she was worried. Amanda seemed to have lost some of the sparkle to her eyes, the bounce in her step.

"So the Buffy drink is a bad idea then," Chris stated.

"Very bad," agreed Lillian.

***

Chris's body was pressed back into the leather seat and a few short seconds later the jet was airborne, wheels up. Susan sat next to him and an invisible Lillian was across the aisle. Apart from the bubbly Werecat hostess and the pilot, her familiar, the small jet was empty.

It was wasteful to send a jet for three people but, at the same time, it kind of awesome that he was apparently that important. His thoughts went to Annabel, who was probably back in Laramie by now. He didn't want to leave her behind but it was the perfect opportunity for her to get her affairs in order, placate her parents, and move some stuff down to Denver. Besides, Oslo had agreed to go with her and she had Bartholomew to keep her safe as well.

The flight ended up being smooth, relaxing, and uneventful; the hallmark of an excellent private charter. Once they landed at City Airport, a wizard customs officer boarded the jet and stamped all their passports despite not being able to see Lillian. It was important to conform to human laws and regulations in order to keep their potential footprint as small as possible.

For instance, if they were pulled over by police it was easier to simply have your papers in order rather than to resist or kidnap them until you could get their memories taken, while a nationwide manhunt started for the missing officers. Maintaining the Secret was primarily about blending in unless absolutely necessary; taking memories was no simple business and could leave its own trail of partial images. If done poorly or too long after the event, it could even damage the human.

On the tarmac were three impressive looking black SUVs with serious guards arrayed around. The new arrivals were loaded up rather unceremoniously and the convoy moved off to deliver them to the local Lord.

Chris watched early morning London rolling by with interest through the tinted windows. The skyline was truly impressive, he'd always had dreams of doing a little traveling and now, before he really realised it was happening, he was in another country. He even spotted the face of Big Ben for a few seconds as they drove past Westminster Bridge. It would have been nice to stop and see the sights, Annabel would have loved it, but they had appointments to keep.

Lord Harcot's headquarters was separate from the various territorial hubs, an imposing mansion on what looked to be a contestant for the most affluent street in London. Their convoy rolled into a circular drop off with a large fountain in the middle. It was impressive but the opulence didn't really appeal to Chris. His door was opened by a suited wizard and they were led inside, Lillian and Susan close beside him.

Lord Harcot was shorter than Chris had expected, but had an air or self-assured power that left no doubt he was a Class 1 vampire, well over one thousand years old.

"Ahh. Greetings, Christopher, Lillian," Harcot said, walking over to shake their hands. His accent was thickly British and Chris liked the way words seemed to just roll smoothly off his tongue. "And who is this lovely witch?"

"I'm Susan Baryst, I raised Christopher," Susan responded.

"Indeed. Well, I must congratulate you Susan , you've raised an impressive specimen."

"Thank you," Susan replied.

Harcot looked Chris up and down. "I admit I was a sceptical when the council order crossed my desk. A class 1 male dragon hidden away in plain sight all these years, awakened only a week ago. Yet, here you are in the flesh."

Chris felt a bit uncomfortable under the vampire's assessing eye but resisted the urge to fidget; it seemed like he was always the subject of discussion. He hoped the novelty would wear off quickly.

Harcot turned and smiled at the other vampire in the room. "And Lillian, beautiful as ever I see. I couldn't convince you to kidnap the dragon and come work for me? No?"

"Thank you, no. I'm happy in my current position, Lord Harcot."

"Always so serious dear, Lillian," Harcot smiled. "How about you Christopher?"

"Just Chris is fine," Chris corrected.

"Thank you, Chris, and you may call me Michael. I can't tempt you to relocate to the United Kingdom?" 

"Sorry, I've been propositioned so much in the last week I can barely keep up. Lady Narlakis has been generous, I'll stay with her for the foreseeable future, at least until I get my feet firmly underneath me."

Michael Harcot chuckled, listening to young man, he sounded a little like some of the actors he saw on TV crossed with a cowboy from one of the older westerns "Yes, I imagine you've fielded a few interesting offers. But I see you're a pragmatist, it was worth a try."

The dragon could indeed be a valuable ally; he could feel the magic saturating the air around him. It was always like this with dragons, especially the males. They were like deep springs of overflowing magic, so intimately linked to their aspects that every part of them was imbued and it leaked into their surroundings.




Endangered Ch. 04



This one seemed to be particularly potent though, dragons were usually Class 2, especially the young ones. Perhaps it was his unique aspect? Michael could feel his saliva thicken in instinctual anticipation; just the smell of the dragon was a test. He usually didn't feed from men, it was an intimate act after all, but he knew he'd make this exception in the blink of an eye.

"Well," Michael continued, thinking to end the meeting before he became too infatuated. "This is mostly just a formality. I understand you have an appointment in Scotland with Lord Guthrie. I have a car fuelled and waiting for you. I can understand there are always some security concerns around dragons these days, would you like an escort?"

"No, thank you," Lillian said. "I feel anonymity is our best protection at the moment."

"Very well. Then it was a delight to meet you, Christopher, Susan. Lillian, you'll call me if there's anything you need."

Harcot noted that Lillian didn't trust him enough to accept his help. It was probably prudent, he had no doubt she had her job cut out for her trying to protect the dragon. There were plenty who would pay fortunes to have a captive male. It seemed almost foolhardy that she alone had been entrusted the task.

"It was nice to meet you," Chris said with decent American politeness. "If I ever need a change of scenery, I'll remember your offer."

"Delighted." Harcot's smile showed even more of his fangs this time. "Now, you'd better be off, it's at least a seven hour drive to Crieff."

Michael was almost anxious to have them leave now. Once they were out of the room he flashed over to his desk and dialled in a blur.

"Yes," he said down the line. "Get Mary over here. No. Right now!"

He hung up and slumped into his chair a little. His favorite familiar would arrive shortly to assuage his thirst.

***

Sitting in what his body felt should be the driver's seat, Chris was unsettled to begin with. That and they were on the wrong side of the road! However, once he saw how narrow the streets Lillian seemed to glide the late model BMW through with ease were, he was glad he was just along for the ride.

For a while, he stared out the UV shielded window, watching one of the world's great cites flow by. However, after they got onto the highway, he and Susan began reminiscing about car trips they'd taken when he was younger. Soon enough, they broke into their favorite driving game, twenty questions. Lillian even joined in sometimes, usually poaching the answer right out from under Chris's nose with a fiendish giggle. Chris was suitably indignant, but the vampire had such a beautiful smile and seemed to genuinely be having fun; it was too disarming.

The drive so far had been uneventful, but Lillian was alert and anxious. Now they were barely half an hour from their destination, speeding through the deserted Scottish countryside. The car had long ago grown quiet, as the hours passed. Something felt off, like they were being tracked somehow. 

It was overcast, thinking about raining, and they hadn't seen another car since turning onto the single-lane road. Lillian realized her mistake as a blue car came speeding into view behind them over a small rise, she should have stayed on the main roads in the public eye.

"We're about to get hit." She slammed her foot on the gas, making the powerful engine roar and startling Chris from his daydream.

"What?! Are you sure?" Chris exclaimed, turning to see the car gaining quickly. "What do we do?"

"We keep driving."

Lillian tried to remain calm. Looking in the mirror she could see at least three people in the car. She didn't know if she could safely target the car with her telekinetic powers; it was large and had so much momentum.

"There's someone trying to kill the engine!" Susan said from the back, feeling the foreign magic around them. "I'll try to distract him."

She focused her own energy around the car, erecting a weak barrier. This really wasn't her thing and she soon realized she couldn't hold out for long. The wizard she was up against was far more powerful. 

Just then gunfire raked the back windshield, showering glass over Susan as bullets whizzed through the cabin and out through the front. Susan screamed, loosing hold of her concentration and Lillian felt the car gradually start losing power.

"Stay down!" Chris shouted as Susan started to sit up again, scratched from the shower of glass but mostly just shaken.

Flaming adrenaline blasted through his arteries as his dragon roared in absolute rage. He could already feel his wings growing, his scales rapidly snaking down his back and across his chest, his muscles bulging slightly. Looking back he saw a man readying another volley of gunfire from the backseat window.

"Fuck that!" he shouted before his dragon took over, instinct guiding him to rip and tear his enemies.

From the driver's seat, trying to keep the dying car on the road whilst watching their pursuers in the rear view, Lillian heard him shout just before he vanished into thin air.

"Chris, get back here!"

In the Ether, Chris flapped his untried wings with all his strength, jumping up off the floor as he thrust down. His body phased straight through the roof, rising a few meters into the shadowy purple world before he flapped again, gaining more height. He didn't even think about his actions, just let the rage guide him. They were attacking him, putting Susan and Lillian in danger. They would die for it.

As he rose into the Ether, he slowed, the pursuing car was almost underneath him so with an inhuman shriek, he merged back into the Norm; tucking his wings in, he dove straight for its roof, impacting it a crash as it dented and the back windshield shattered in return. 

Glancing at the mirror, Lillian saw the trailing car swerve sharply before regaining control.

"Holy shit," she managed, as she caught glimpses the devastation being unleashed by the vengeful dragon on top of the hapless car.

"Chris? Where's Chris?!" Susan panicked from the back as she noticed her son was missing.

"He's about to kill them."

Lillian tried to drive and watch the action behind as well. There were flashes from inside the car, gunfire through the roof. Susan turned her body, clutching the headrest, to see Chris recoil, a bullet grazing off the tiny scales on his arm and travelling up through his right wing's flight membrane. The purple figure reared back, his furious howl reaching their ears. Suddenly a bright purple orb grew in his hand, spluttering and casting the roadside trees in otherworldly shadow as they sped past. Susan watched in awe as he slammed the blinding purple ball down through the roof, melting a hole.

Chris pushed off the car, once again taking flight to soar a little behind the erratic chase vehicle. His injured wing pained him, the wind stretching the punctured membrane, but he paid it no mind, he was unstoppable. Inside there was a brief panic as the orb hovered for a second, pulsing ominously. The mage managed to erect a barrier before the blast hit, shredding the three other occupants with magical shrapnel. Without a living driver, the car quickly left the road, plowing through the low vegetation until it impacted a larger tree with a satisfying crunch, followed by the ticking of cooling metal.

"Stop! Stop! Go back," Susan urged, seeing the brilliant flash of purple light, shards of purple exploding outwards, splintering into the air and vanishing as the car swerved off the road.

Lillian, in complete control of the car again quickly slowed, skidding onto the slick verge as she made herself invisible and leapt from the car into the light rain, sprinting back up the road. Susan brushed glass off herself quickly and ran after her, desperate to make sure Chris was okay. 

Lillian arrived to see the dragon ripping the passenger door off, yanking a barely conscious mage out as he tore through the seatbelt. His shield hadn't saved him entirely; having been disintegrated in the blast, he'd felt the full impact of the crash.

"Who sent you!" the dragon yelled, barely an inch away from the man he held so easily by the neck.

The man mumbled something unintelligible before trying again. It almost sounded like he said "no choice."

"What was that?!" the dragon bellowed, loosening his hold.

"I said fuck yourself," the mage gurgled.

Before he knew he'd done it, the man's neck broke with a sickening crack. He let the body fall, slumping limply into mud by the wrecked car.

Lillian's invisible face broke into a wry smile, it seemed the dragon had plenty of backbone when he needed it.

Susan panted as she arrived, watching the body fall and Chris take a startled step back, realising what he'd just done.

Lillian rushed forward to examine the car and its dead occupants as Chris took in his surroundings. The inside was a mess, blood mist still thick in the air where the shrapnel had hit the three men's bodies. She sniffed, smelling the mage and a Werewolf, but surprisingly two humans as well.

Ignoring the blood - she didn't want to drink from these degenerates anyway - she rummaged their ripped corpses, pulling out IDs. Checking for familiar tattoos on the humans, she found none. She even stripped one naked, slicing through his clothes with her extended black claws, but found nothing other than an armed forces tattoo at his shoulder.

Something was wrong. They had government ID booklets, as well as military issue pistols, not to mention the sub machinegun lying spent in the back. These men weren't registered familiars; they were humans, government humans. So what the Hell were they doing attacking a dragon with a mage and a werewolf driver? Was someone using unregistered familiars inside the government as their own personal army?

She quickly got out her phone and started videoing everything: the car, the men, the ID's, the weapons, reciting her observations as she went. She even went over to video Chris, taking in his bruised bullet graze and wing puncture. His blood was hard to resist out in the open but the light rain helped and she was focused on her job. Besides, they needed to get out of here fast.

"Are you ok?" Susan asked tentatively, reaching out but afraid to actually touch her son. If she was honest, after witnessing what he was capable of, she was terrified.

He turned and saw how worried she was, shivering there in her t-shirt as a light drizzle fell.

"I'm fine, Mom." Chris assured her, collecting her in his arms he held her close as Lillian wrapped up her examination.

Susan, still shivering, clung to his warmth as her adrenaline high died, leaving her feeling weak and tired and a little sick. He extended his wings again, wincing a little as the bullet hole was stretched. But then he wrapped them down and around, making a little shield for her. The droplets of water pattered against it lightly.

"Who were they?" Chris asked.

Lillian spoke as she worked to get various close ups of the men's marred faces. "These humans may be unregistered familiars, but are definitely government security. MI6 or whatever backroom agency they come up with every other month. The Werewolf I have no idea, and we'll never get anything out of the mage now."

"Sorry," Chris said gravely. "Perhaps I shouldn't have killed him. I didn't mean to really."

"No, we don't have time to drag him along. The humans are the important part anyway, I can't think of any reason they would be here. It's really illegal to have unregistered familiars and these guys were obviously aware of us."

Lillian rolled one of them over onto his back to video him. Half of his face was missing, shaved clean off by several shards of Ether. "You certainly did a number on them."

Even Lillian was astounded at the gruesome destruction in front of her. The car hadn't fared any better than the men, peppered with jagged tears and holes, metal hadn't been a barrier to the purple shards.

"I kind of went nuts, huh? Fuck, I don't even understand half of the shit I did."

Chris was worried that he seemed to have a complete lack of empathy towards the men. He'd just killed four people and at the moment it seemed to matter less than the fact that Susan was cold and shivering. Perhaps he was a sociopath, or maybe he was just in shock.

"You did well, Chris." Lillian stopped to reassure him. "You defended yourself and us, possibly even saved our lives."

"I killed four men, Lillian." Chris's voice raised more than he intended. "And I'm finding it hard to care. That's not normal!"

"Why should you care?" Lillian snapped back, frustrated with the dragon's instincts constantly at odds with the kid's perception of his world. "We don't have time for a little meltdown. This is the ugly side of our world, the kill or be killed side. You can come to terms with that when we aren't still in danger out in the open!"

The expression on his face made her regret the harsh outburst. It really was a pity he couldn't remain as he'd started: normal and nice and innocent.

She softened her voice, but maintained her point firmly. "You were attacked. It's their fault they underestimated you, not yours. Would it make you feel better if they'd succeeded? If Susan or I was killed?"

"No," he mumbled.

"That's what I thought. Now, get your mother back in the car, we need to go."

Lillian was almost done, just doing a final check to make sure there was no obvious evidence of magic on the bodies. 

Chris steered Susan back down the road, holding her close with his uninjured left arm. Thankfully no other cars passed by, or they would have seen a large, purple dragon-man tenderly guiding an attractive woman into the back of a shot-up car. He laid himself on the back seat, hopefully out of sight, and had Susan lie on top of him, safe from the broken glass underneath him before shutting the door. It was cramped and awkward for his large body but they didn't have far to go. 

"Don't you ever do that again," Susan said from her perch on his chest, looking down into his reptilian eyes and thumping him weakly with her fist. Her clothes were wet and cold but his body was warm against hers and he held her tightly despite her scolding. "You had no idea who was in that car or what they were capable of. Lillian's here for a reason, that's her job."

"They were about to shoot at us again Mom, I couldn't risk that." Chris ran his hands up and down her back soothingly. "I'll always defend us, it's my nature to protect."

"That's stupid," Susan sniffed. "You could have died!"

"Shhhh, we're fine," he consoled, leaning up to kiss her lightly. She eventually calmed, snuggling into his cream coloured neck as she shook quietly, outraged at the world for being so violent.

Lillian was soon back in the car and they sped off. To anyone who looked twice, the bullet-ridden car had no occupants whatsoever. She dialled as she drove, only waiting a few seconds before the drow answered her emergency number.

"We've been attacked on our way to the dragons," Lillian began without preamble. "A wizard and a werewolf as well as what I'm assuming were two unregistered familiars."

"You, neutralized them?" Reyla said calmly, although her heart raced slightly. She assumed correctly that she wouldn't be receiving the phone call if the situation wasn't resolved.

"He did," Lillian looked back towards the dragon, comforting his mother in the back seat. "It was all over in just a few seconds."

"How?"

"The dragon surfaced and he phased and flew onto the car chasing us, then let off some sort of explosion inside it. It was magnificent."

Reyla mulled this information over for a few seconds. So he was an instinctual fighter, she'd suspected as much. Again, she considered her luck to have him land so fortuitously in her lap.

"If you're in the clear for now, try to make it to the dragons. They'll provide safe haven overnight but I want you back here tomorrow. Try to be unpredictable in your movements. Unregistered familiars, the Synod is going to have a field day. This stinks of bounty hunters, I never should have let him leave my territory."

"Okay, I'll send you the evidence I collected soon. Get someone to start looking into the humans."

"Keep him safe, Lillian." Reyla's voice had a sharp edge that even managed to be transmit across thousands of miles.

Lillian hung up, knowing nothing more needed to be said for the moment. She would protect the dragon, with her life if necessary, she didn't need to be told that.

She began uploading the video and photos to Reyla, her inhuman speed and dexterity came in handy now as she multitasked, speeding down the wet, narrow roads.

Lord Harcot seemed genuinely surprised by the attack when she called him. Lillian was inclined to think he wasn't behind it however, you could never quite tell over the phone. Harcot would arrange for a cleanup, it would be hours until the crew arrived so they would have to work to mislead whatever investigation the human authorities started. She kept the evidence she'd collected to herself, their IDs, a small sample of each of their blood, the memory of their scent, and the video recording. She would get to the bottom of this herself if needs be. 

Examining the scene in her mind again, it was impossible to place the two humans. There was absolutely no way they could be there. They must have known the Secret, yet they weren't familiars, not registered at least. It didn't make sense, the play was especially foul. The vampire also realized she might have been in trouble if the dragon hadn't stepped in. The mage was quite powerful, had been carrying vials of death's bane potion, and the Werewolf had a wooden stake strapped to his thigh. They'd been prepared to fight a vampire. In combination with automatic gunfire from the humans, it would have been an interesting fight.

Speaking of fights, there was no doubt in her mind now that the dragon could. Perhaps he lacked a little finesse but he certainly made up for it with style and brute force, not to mention that fucking Ether grenade he'd set off. She'd never heard of anything like that before.

They drove as fast as safely possible. It was more important now to distance themselves and reach the safety of Lord Guthrie's property than to not be noticed. Susan was very cold in the back as freezing air streamed through the broken windows. Chris tried to keep her warm, holding her between the back of the seat and his body but she shivered miserably in her damp clothes.

Soon enough they pulled up to the wrought iron gates and Lillian got out to use the intercom. 

"Lord Guthrie, this is Lillian Kozlov, we've been attacked on our way here. Please let us in immediately." She looked around nervously but didn't have to wait long for a reply.

"Good heavens! Of course," the gates clicked and began rolling open. "Drive all the way to the end of the road, you'll be safe here."

Another five minute drive through low woodland had them outside a large, surprisingly modern house. A middle aged man and woman came rushing out, and another woman waited by the door. Extracting himself from the car, Chris sensed the two dragons for what they were: kin. The female took her mate's hand and beckoned Chris forward reassuringly. Standing up to his full height, he strode forward with Susan still under his arm as the light rain continued.

Their meeting was somewhat tense, the young dragon and the older couple examining each other for a few moments. Lord Guthrie could tell the youngling was on edge. From the state of the car and the healing bullet hole in his wing, their attack had been quite traumatic. His half-form was magnificent, however; the epitome of a dragon male and his coloring was indeed that of the Ether.

"Hello, Christopher, I'm John Guthrie." He spoke with a thick Scottish brogue and carried himself as a Lord might, even as he had to tilt his chin up to meet Chris's eyes. He was short, wiry, and tough looking but his peppered brown hair gave him an air of sophisticated middle-age even though Chris knew he was ancient. His blue gaze felt piercing and yet somehow calming, it felt like he was meeting long lost family.




Endangered Ch. 05



Hi folks, 

I hope the final product is worth the wait. I've enjoyed refining and polishing the chapter quite a bit to get it up to scratch. 

Again, this chapter does contain soft-core incest. If this is distasteful to you, please skip over it. 

Etaski has once again put in a stellar effort, keeping me on track, improving the story, and zapping bugs. She's the best. 

Stay tuned and I hope you enjoy. 

LTPC 

*** 

Michelle Hamund fumed in the back of the van, angry at herself for letting Susan Baryst escape, but more at the dead team in Scotland for somehow fucking this all up. 

She watched the young man sit quietly in his restraints. He exuded a strange air of power and calmness that was a bit disturbing, like this was all part of his plan somehow. Most people broke into hysterics or went into shock when arrested so violently. 

Now, as Michelle watched his calm body rocking slightly with the movements of the vehicle, she grew more concerned. The images of the UK team's bodies flashed in her mind. His apparent nonchalance disconcerted her; in her experience only the hardened criminals remained so silently stoic, not even bothering to proclaim his innocence or ask where they were going. 

The ranch kid wasn't old enough to be that hard. 

She went over her plan again, which had been forced into early action by the unexplained blunder in Scotland. She'd pulled the trigger, deciding not to give Chris and his mother the time to bolt now that they knew someone was onto them, arresting them publicly at JFK almost as soon as they'd stepped off the plane. 

His mother's escape was another huge setback; she'd somehow disappeared out of the woman's bathroom. They couldn't afford to stick around and start a fruitless search, it would only attract more attention so they'd aborted. Susan would know that he'd been arrested but what she didn't know was that there would never be a record of his arrest in any system. 

Hopefully, his disappearance would fade into the background and little resources would be devoted to a search after the initial rush to find him proved unsuccessful. Where he was going, no one could find him with either magical or conventional means. His manacles were reinforced titanium and his cell would be a two inch thick steel box, several levels underground. 

To ensure secrecy, he would need to be locked away until these Beings were revealed to the entire world, hopefully he might even prove to be a useful source of information. He would be treated firmly but well; Michelle didn't really feel animosity towards the young man himself, but rather towards what he represented. 

She held his wallet, passport, and smartphone, turning the ordinary-looking device over in her hands. It was even made by a human company, modified magically to only communicate with other like devices through some sort of encrypted wavelength they couldn't detect. The screen wouldn't even turn on for her. Amazing. 

What else could these creatures do? she thought. Imagine what the government could do with this kind of technology, imagine what society as a whole could do with magic. When this got out, it would be both the end of the scientific era and the beginning of a hybrid one, the best magic and science could offer, combined. 

That is, of course, if humans and Beings didn't wipe each other out in the process. 

Feeling talkative, Michelle decided to try building some rapport with the Being. They were going to get to know each other well over the coming months, years even. 

"Christopher, my name is Michelle and I'll be your primary handler. I have a lot of questions for you and you probably have some of your own but they're going to have to wait due to our present company. No offence, boys." 

"None taken, I don't need to know. He's a terrorist," one of the commandos replied. 

"That's what you told them?" Chris accused, turning towards her voice from under his hood. 

"Well, I have to put something in the system to requisition these guys. Besides, I think terrorism is the perfect charge. Couldn't you cause mass destruction and terror among the civilian population?" 

Michelle was surprised, he seemed genuinely upset to be called a terrorist. 

"It doesn't mean I would." He would have liked to look at her during the conversation but it was impossible. 

"The jury's out on that, Christopher, especially after what happened in Scotland. I know who and what you are, keep that in mind. This isn't a mistake. Your mother may have escaped but it won't matter." 

Chris's curiosity got the better of him. "How? How do you know? And do realize how much danger you're in just by saying that to me? There's no way you're a familiar." 

He tried not to make it sound like a threat but it kind of came out that way. 

"I do and I'm not," replied Michelle seriously. "Which should indicate to you that you won't be going anywhere until this entire issue has been resolved. We have mechanisms in place to prevent any means of escape." 

Chris mulled that over in his mind, something clicked. He really must be dealing with the purely human authorities and so he considered his next words carefully. There was no way this was a coincidence; she had recognized "familiar" in the context he had meant. 

"Given what I know about my personal situation, I have to conclude that you have a source, that someone is feeding you information." 

"You don't-" Michelle started. 

"Let me finish." 

Chris raised his voice a little behind his hood, a slight echo of his power trailing into it. Michelle shivered and everyone else in the van was still. 

"I know this, and I know that this must be your first or maybe second attempt at capturing one of us. Otherwise, you would have been shut down long ago. You don't know who or what I am. Your complete lack of preparation and containment proves this. Someone told you to collect me. You're clearly intelligent and experienced but if you had the whole picture, you'd never have taken someone as high profile as myself, given recent events. You don't know what you're doing, Michelle, and therefore, you're being used by someone who does." 

There was a long pause as Michelle considered his warning. He seemed genuine, which was concerning, but she knew better than to let her subject truly rattle her on their first encounter. It didn't change the plan in the short or long term. Beings would be exposed one way or another and humans would no longer be oblivious. 

"You seem very confident, time will tell," she said. 

"I doubt I'll have much time with you Michelle and I doubt even less that you'll remember it. I'm sorry." 

He sounded genuinely apologetic, and Michelle's countenance turned instantly stormy at his thinly veiled threat. She glared at him in silence. That was one of the worst things, that these Beings wielded the terrible power to take memories and alter people's minds. No one should be able to do that. 

*** 

Hours later, Chris could tell they had arrived at their destination. 

The surface of the road changed, then a little bump, and a downwards slope. They were in an enclosed space now, underground by the echo as they unloaded him very carefully and doors were slammed. He was handed off to another team of guards and the tactical team was thanked for their effort before being dismissed. 

At this stage he went along quietly, chains clicking, as Michelle guided him into what he assumed was an elevator. Sight being one of his weakest senses in his human form, he relied on the sounds and smells around him and discovered that it came quite naturally. Her hand felt hot and tense on his forearm. He could sense from her strong aura that she was concerned but determined. 

They went up what must have been fifteen or twenty stories before he was put in an artificially quiet room and bolted to the floor and table when he sat on a plastic chair. After a few moments however, he realized that the room was actually very noisy, his ears picking up whatever they were using as noise cancellation. 

His dragon enforced his calm but there was a moment where he almost panicked as someone clipped a steel band around his neck below the hood. It made a little beep as it locked into place. 

"That's a tiny explosive, rigged to detonate if you step outside of the building or if it's tampered with. Don't try anything. Your magic won't work here either." 

"That's a bit harsh," Chris muttered, shuddering from both the feel of the cold metal and the imagined effect a detonation would cause. 

"It's just a precaution. If you don't escape or try to break it, it can't hurt you." 

He was silent and still long enough that she turned to leave the room and prepare for his initial interrogation. 

Her claim of his magic not working was a bit more worrying but as he sent his senses out, his dragon detected no traces of such anti-magic anywhere. He wondered how he might test it without drawing attention. 

A tiny purple flame sprung alive unbidden in the cavity of his mouth. It tickled and warmed his pallet without burning. Chris smiled behind his hood after making sure the flame was extinguished. He still had his magic, and his captors were woefully misinformed about their magic dampening capability. 

"Michelle," Chris called, just catching her before she opened the door. "When you come back, bring face masks or something to block your sense of smell for whoever questions me... it's just a precaution." 

Getting her or anyone else dragonstruck would only make things worse, and at this point he was here to figure out what was going on and how much they knew about Beings. That was probably more important than escape. 

The door closed without a reply and even he couldn't hear the conversation that went on outside; the soundproofing was good, as one would expect. 

"What was that about?" Nathan asked in the observation room. The peppered man looked up from the screen he'd been leaning over to type on. Everything seemed to be recording smoothly across the board. 

"I don't know, do we do it? And what kind of mask?" 

Michelle was trying to feel confident but this... this teenager kept throwing curve balls at her. Something was wrong; her instincts were ringing every alarm bell she had and she was having trouble quieting them. 

"Damn it, Nathan, did we move too soon on this? We don't even know what he is, the team in the UK got destroyed. He could be powerful. And how did his mother get away? I saw her go into the bathroom myself." 

"Calm down, Michelle, he's trying to fluster you and it seems to be working. I'll go dig up some dust masks and crack open one of the biological kits for a filter mask, too. I can do the questioning if you like." 

"No. No, I got it, but thanks." 

He gave her a reassuring touch on the shoulder and headed back through the security checkpoint, down the hall to one of the equipment lockups. 

The NSA had bought this low rise office building in Harrisburg cheaply, converting it into a server farm with the top floor used as a field station and monitoring outpost with living facilities. Unusual for a building like this, it had two sublevels underneath the car park that had recently been upgraded to house holding cells. It was a discrete, secure location staffed by twenty or so people, the headquarters for field operation of their anti-Being taskforce on the East Coast. 

Meanwhile, Michelle watched Christopher through the one-way glass and on the screens displaying every angle of the room covered by cameras. Everything their captive did was being recorded in high definition from multiple angles and even infrared.  

If his claims weren't enough to unnerve her, the screen indicated that he ran at least a degree warmer than a human should, and she doubted he had a fever. Forcing herself to ignore her uneasiness, she took a deep breath and decided to have some lunch and relieve herself after their long drive. 

A few hours later after filing a report on the operation so far, having a short cat-nap, and rehearsing her plan again, she went to find Nathan, ready to start the interrogation. Michelle wasn't particularly hopeful; they'd tried talking to the captured werewolf but he'd been tight-lipped and she wasn't qualified or willing to torture him. Torture had actually been a recent subject of debate among the taskforce but it was decided that it set a precedent which would only breed further animosity. 

Once Nathan was set up behind the one way window, Michelle entered the room with two bottles of water, some snacks, and the masks. 

"I was beginning to think you would make me 'consider my situation' all day, Michelle." 

Chris was relieved to get underway, boredom and his dragon's eagerness to turn the tables on his captors over the last few hours had him feeling safe in his situation for the moment. It was time to extract his own information. 

"Sorry, Christopher, I had to set everything up for this. I brought you some snacks and a drink, though." 

"Just Chris is fine," he said warmly. There was no need to be unfriendly... well, perhaps there was, she had arrested him at gunpoint. But if anything, that almost endeared her to the dragon, who could admire her courage even if it was misplaced. 

"Thank you, Chris. Now, why do I need a mask and what kind should I use? I hope this isn't some sort of joke," Michelle warned. 

"It's no joke, I'll explain. Could you please take this hood off?" 

Michelle was going to take it off and let him drink soon anyway so she came around the desk and undid the Velcro around his neck. Chris blinked for a few seconds and looked up to assess her. 

Pretty but somewhat plain, Michelle wouldn't jump out at you in a crowd, which given her occupation was a good thing. She wore thin glasses and had her black hair short, around her ears and neck. Her body appeared to be thin and athletic beneath her jeans and black blouse. She was quite tall, probably just below six feet. Her eyes were intent and brown, studying him in return. 

Chris's eyes dropped to her thin lips, then lower again to the firm, smallish breasts before roving the rest of her body. He suspected she had some sort of southern European ancestry, given her olive complexion and thin, tall structure. Perhaps some Italian or Portuguese heritage. 

Michelle watched as he sized her up, felt his blue eyes on her face and body, watching them wandering. She was used to this kind of assessment from men, both those she worked with and those she worked to catch. She'd already had time to study his tall, well-built body so with his hood off, she focused on his face. He was blond, naturally pale but sporting a worker's tan. The eyes roving her had a happy sparkle she wasn't used to seeing across the table. His jaw was well set and he had nice lines to his face, having lost almost all boyishness. 

With his height and broad shoulders, she thought he looked a little like some sort of wild Viking. Yes, he had an air of ...something. It only backed up her intuition, something powerful and savage lurked inside this boy, if he could really be called that. 

"I think the cleaning mask should be okay. Although your man in the other room should turn up the extractor fans in here just to be sure. I don't think it would be very practical for you to question me in that," Chris pointed at the gasmask. 

Michelle looked thankfully back over her shoulder towards the control room as the air pressure changed slightly. 

"Now, here's what I propose," he continued. "You obviously work for the government in some capacity, but you're not a familiar. Yet you're in contact with one of us. You're probably a small splinter group that's been lead to believe you're helping people. I don't know why but it doesn't matter. You want to know about Beings and I want to know how much you know about Beings, so here it is. I'll answer your questions honestly if I can, but you need to answer some of mine as well. Also, you drop whatever plans you have for my family while I'm in your custody. Oh, and this is all under the caveat that if I ever get out of here, I'll hunt everyone down and have all this knowledge removed from your memory." 

Michelle cocked her had at him; just who exactly was he to be striking deals? For a moment she was tempted to walk out and let him stew for a few hours, evaporate some of that cockiness. However, the opportunity for recourse between them was too great to pass up. Besides, his threats didn't change anything. He wasn't getting out of their custody any time soon. What was she supposed to do, reject freely given information? 

"I can agree to that, although I probably won't answer your most important questions," she replied, pulling the dust mask over her nose and mouth, her voice becoming slightly muffled. "So, why do I need to wear this?" 

"Starting with the little things, hm? I like it," Chris chuckled, settling into his seat and opening one of the small packets of peanuts. 

They were awkward to eat in his restraints but he could manage if he moved his head down to his hands. He munched a salty mouthful thinking how to best explain. 

"I have pheromones which can make some people very... how do I say this... amorous? If you got a good enough exposure and already found me attractive, you'd probably throw yourself at me." 

Michelle snorted in blatant disbelief but he only smiled wryly before feeding himself some more. It was too far fetched, even for Beings; although, she had noticed that he did smell nice when she'd been leading him into the facility. She'd automatically assumed it was some scent he wore. 

"Pheromones. Like moths? Like those date rape perfumes you hear about?" 

"Hey, I'm not a rapist, I've got a girlfriend... well, I guess you could say she's my fiancé." Chris smiled to himself. He couldn't wait to get home and see Annabel. "She proposed to me on the phone last night. Can you believe it? I know I couldn't, I think it's mostly to keep her parents happy though. We're already going to be together for the rest of her life... Anyway, sorry about getting distracted. My pheromones are a pain in the ass so far. Ruins any chance of regular interactions from what I've seen." 

"Congratulations. I'm sorry to break you two apart but I'm sure you can understand our position. Now, about your pheromones, how do they work? Do they effect both sexes?" Michelle felt a little guilt about breaking the young couple apart, but he was a Being. There was every possibility that he'd used his powers to gain her interest in the first place. Especially if he was serious about the pheromones. 

"Oh, I think I'll be reunited soon enough," Chris smiled cockily and watched his interrogator scowl. "Well, the way I understand it, the pheromones amplify feelings and attractions. They can embolden a woman to approach me and even make her need me desperately if she really liked me to start with. I don't know if they work on men, I haven't had an opportunity to find out and don't really want to. I'm very new at all this, technically I wasn't even a proper Being until about a week ago. There was an enchantment that kept me as a human but it was released. That's how I know you're being set up, only another Being would know I even existed, let alone choose me as a kidnapping target. I'm highly valuable you see, an endangered species." 

If he wasn't lying, Michelle wondered why she hadn't succumbed to his influence. Objectively he was physically attractive, he was young but still very masculine and somehow self-assured. He was a Being, though, a suspect. Maybe it was just too big a mental block. 

"Well, if that's all true, I'll admit I'm a little concerned. I will look into your claims once we're finished for the day, okay? Now, will you tell me what kind of Being you are?" 




Endangered Ch. 05



"That you don't know... there's no way your source doesn't know who I am, why would they identify me to you if they didn't? This is fucked up. Hey, don't I get to ask a question first? Who do you work for, what branch of the government?" 

"I'm a field agent for the NSA," she answered with a sigh as the cogs of her mind whirred. His argument about their information was starting to sound disturbingly logical, she couldn't believe they hadn't considered this possibility fully. They'd been too caught up in unravelling this great secret to stop and consider why they were being let in on it. 

"A real life intelligence operative? No way," Chris enthused. He'd always been into spy thrillers. 

"Way," she deadpanned. "But it's in no way glamorous." 

"You're hunting down Beings, I'd say that's at least a little glamorous, thrilling certainly." 

She only shrugged. 

"Wait, wait," Chris continued. "I've been wanting to use this joke for months. What do you think about the next-gen gaming consoles?" 

"Oh, we're right onboard." She bobbed her eyebrows, sending him into a fit of throaty chuckles. She even found herself joining in briefly before getting back on task. He seemed like a nice kid, perhaps the friendly tact was working. "I didn't expect humor from you, Chris, it's nice. To be honest, I didn't expect you to be willing to talk at all. You've raised some valid issues surrounding our intelligence on you, but ultimately you're in our custody. Perhaps you're overconfident, perhaps you're bluffing. Now, out with it, Chris, what species are you?" 

"I'm a dragon," Chris's said seriously, reading her brown eyes as they widened in shock before a frown broke out across her forehead and her nostrils flared very slightly. She didn't say anything so he cheekily added a little jib. "Am I still being overconfident?" 

"No, but how do I know you're telling the truth?" whispered Michelle, standing up suddenly and retreating a few steps towards the door. "Are you even secure in those cuffs?" 

"These?" Chris rattled his chains dramatically. "For the moment, I guess. However, I don't think you'd be comfortable with a demonstration of my abilities right now." 

He downplayed his ability to escape, didn't want her freaking out and shooting him or blowing up his collar just to make sure he wasn't going to get away. Michelle returned to the desk but didn't sit down, instead pacing back and forth behind it. 

"I'm not sure I believe you, Chris, it's quite outlandish. You say there's no way our source wouldn't know who and what you are?" 

"Exactly, I was completely unknown until about a week ago. Now I'm apparently the big news of the day. You see dragons are rare; I'm the seventh male alive currently, it's impossible my abduction would go unnoticed. It will spark a manhunt, both from our authorities and people wishing to capture me for their own purposes. Other beings you probably aren't prepared to counter." 

Michelle didn't want to, but she had to at least consider the consequences if his claims were true. 

"Shit. Nathan, did you get that? Get on the phone and start organizing a new location, we should move him again." 

Chris's body language and facial expression as they talked raised her hackles; he didn't seem nervous or jittery like she was, he was probably telling the truth or an expert liar. The latter was hard to believe in one so young. In the adjoining room, Nathan called their boss, setting in motion a cascade that would soon have some of the most powerful people around the world huddling in situation rooms. 

"It won't make any difference," Chris said. "My bodyguard knows what you look like and has your scent. Once my mother is safe, she'll start tracking me down with the help of a very powerful elf." 

"You don't have a bodyguard, it was only you and your mother on that plane." 

"I'm afraid not. Lillian is a vampire so you can't see her during the day," explained Chris. 

"Oh? Can all vampires do this?" 

This was actually a very useful piece of information for them, very convenient for his story about a bodyguard though. 

"Some. I think it's my turn again. Why did your team attack us in Scotland and how do you have Beings working with you?" 

"They didn't attack you, they were watching you. Don't try that bullshit with me, you must have figured out they were following you and killed them." 

Her anger over the incident flowed and Chris reeled back at the obvious disgust on her face. The incongruence confused him for just a moment. 

"Michelle, I'm sorry but they tried to run us off the road. I acted to defend myself as well as Susan and Lillian. Your men shot at us and the two Beings had equipment used to kill vampires. They knew about my bodyguard and tried to capture me for whoever they work for, which by the way, isn't you." 

"You killed them." Her tone was icy. 

"Yes," he answered. "I wasn't about to let them abduct me." 

"How? It looked like some sort of antipersonnel explosion but there wasn't any shrapnel." 

"I created a magical explosive. I also... snapped the wizard's neck," he replied quietly. The brief flashes of dragon-enraged memory sobered him deeply. 

She quivered almost unperceptively before regaining her composure; the wizard's neck had indeed been broken. 

"That's your version of events, I'll put my own together as I get a clearer picture over the next few days. I doubt you'll be charged with their deaths given your situation; I don't think we'll release you any time soon." 

Michelle's voice was steely but her composure a hair's breadth away from fracturing. What if he was telling the truth? What if the men in Scotland had actually attacked first? 

Lines of thought zipped through her overactive mind as she watched him for several seconds until a final thought locked into place: he wasn't their captive, he was sitting there with her of his own free will. Feeding her information because he knew it didn't matter. A dragon, cornered in the room with her, woefully under-restrained. 

She didn't know what to do as unease built inside her, so she kept up her questions, starting to feel clammy all over her body. 

"Twice now you've mentioned that people want to capture you. Why is that?" 

"Well, I'm a dragon. We have a direct link to the energy of whatever aspect we control... basically, we have a lot of magical power and other Beings want to use us or harvest our energy for their own magic or sustenance. Over the past centuries, we've been hunted to the verge of extinction because of it. Only relatively recently, it became illegal to hunt dragons. The survivors are protected and looked after in the hope to rebuild the species." 

Chris didn't see the harm in explaining things to her; it was unfortunate but her fate was sealed as soon as she knew Beings existed. 

"Shit," Michelle murmured while cursing internally. They were humped if that was true. They didn't even know anything about dragons other than that Radek had placed them right near the top with the other rare and powerful creatures. "So what class are you then? Four, Three? ...Two?" 

"One," he said with a smile and an apologetic shrug. 

It all made sense now; his over-easy arrest, his calm confidence. He'd let himself be captured and was just playing with her now. 

"Radek," she muttered hatefully, accepting that the wizard must have known who and what Chris was. There was little point fighting now, her memories would be taken if she wasn't outright killed... "So why haven't you killed me yet, Chris?" 

Chris saw defeat in her eyes, so haughty and piercing barely minutes ago. Finally accepting that she'd been manipulated into this situation, she flopped back into the cheap lawn chair opposite the dragon. 

"Don't give up so easily, Michelle, I don't want to kill you or anyone else. I admit, you'll need to get your memory erased but I wouldn't kill you outside of self-defence. Besides, I'll need your help to stop whoever started this nonsense in the first place and make sure we track down all traces of our existence. Is that who Radek is? Your source?" 

"Yes," Michelle confirmed before railing at her weakness. "You might be right, perhaps we were manipulated into this confrontation but whatever you do to me, you can't stop it now." Her eyes flashed angrily towards him as her back straightened and her pointed finder impacted the plastic table in frustration. "What gives you the right to keep such a huge secret? Don't you care that you treat humans like cattle?!" 

His cuffed hands opened, turning automatically towards her in a gesture of supplication. 

"Of course I care, I'm not exactly happy about the way some Beings treat humans. But that's the way it's been for millennia. Do you really think we could co-exist peacefully? It's been kept a secret for a reason, what would happen if the military found out about us?" 

Chris tried to reason, surely she could understand that the majority of humans would take affront to their very existence. However, a triumphant twinkle in her eyes gave him pause, and he suddenly felt his own sense of fear and unease. 

"You told them?" Chris was incredulous. 

"Like I said, you can't stop it now. We have safeguards." She savored the shock on his face, the way he instantly deflated, more like she was used to seeing people across the table from her. 

"Oh my God, those men I killed were actually British agents. You told other countries?!" Chris couldn't believe his own spoken thoughts. How the fuck had it gotten this far? He didn't even know what the Being response would be, what the Synod would do, but it couldn't be good. 

"Not so confident now?" Michelle gloated in her little victory. "It's going to come out no matter what you do to me, it won't make a difference in the long run." 

"I'm not going to do anything to you, Michelle! Jesus, what kind of secret agency are you? Do you even...? How many people know about us? Damn it, who else did you tell, are you trying to start a war?" 

"It doesn't have to end like that, we've talked about peaceful resolutions. We have a right to know, Chris," Michelle reasoned, seeing how distressed he was at the thought of a global revelation, beginning to struggle against his restraints. 

It was true. Ultimately, a peaceful co-existence was the only option which wouldn't result in massive loss of life on both sides. Beings had apparently been entrenched in humanity's existence for millenia, they couldn't just be picked off like fleas, though some would no doubt think that they could. The leaders of the informed countries realised this but agreed the Secret couldn't be allowed to remain, it was just too big. 

"How else do you think it will end, huh?" Chris said. "How are you going to get all the countries in the world to agree to peace, let alone all the Beings? There would be panic and chaos everywhere. People would kill their own neighbors for sleeping in too late in case they were a vampire!" 

He needed to leave; he had to get out of here right now and warn someone. The time for discretion was past. How had the humans even managed to raise this much awareness? Was the Synod that ineffectual? 

Michelle was about to respond when a claxon started blaring throughout the building. 

"We're under attack, the elevator guards are down and they're coming up the stairs!" Nathan's voice sounded through the intercom. 

Around the building, prayers were murmured and guns were drawn. Michelle stood, surprised at her calmness, perhaps resignation. She walked around the desk to Chris, who reared away as much as his chains would allow. 

"Hold still, I'm taking the collar off. There's no point in you getting your head blown off. Your people move quickly, I guess what you said about being important was true." 

Chris held still, hoping she wasn't about to blow them both up. They paused as the collar come off with another little beep, in the second afterwards they barely heard a muffled scream followed by gunshots. 

"I guess they're not interested in rehabilitation. Well, it was certainly interesting to meet you, Chris." 

She started for the door. 

"Where are you going?" Chris asked, confused; she was headed into the pointless fight. 

"If it's all the same to you, I'll go down fighting rather than let someone rummage around in my head." 

"It's not," he replied. His rapid transformation already starting. 

Michelle watched in awe as purple spread quickly across his skin, back bulging under his shirt until huge wings burst outwards. His nose flattened, and his face became slightly leaner as the deep, regal color spread up across his hair. He opened his eyes and she saw his reptilian, vertical pupils, absolutely black but rimmed with a thin edge of gold, transitioning into the lighter, slightly mottled purple of the rest of his visible eyeball. It was a shocking demonstration of just how inhuman he really was. A real-life dragon. 

The battle raging throughout the rest of the building was momentarily forgotten as a searing light in his hands burned through his restraints and forced her to look away, shielding her eyes with her forearm. When she lowered her arm, he was towering over her, barely a foot away. 

"I'm not going to let you commit suicide out there." 

"How did... don't try to stop me." 

Michelle turned and took a powerful step towards the door before a huge, taloned hand gripped her arm. With an angry hiss she spun and delivered her best punch right into his gut. He made only a little huff as her fist collided with a very hard, toned front. Put off by his indifference, she made to hit him again but he wrapped his steely arms around her much smaller frame. In seconds, he had her back pressed to his chest with her arms pinned up at her breasts. She tried to head-butt his nose but just hit his shoulder. 

"Get the fuck off me!" she screamed in frustration, struggling helplessly in his inhumanly strong grip, lashing out with her legs, her glasses clattering to the floor. 

"Calm down, Michelle, I'm not going to hurt you." 

His deep voice rang powerfully in her ear; she stopped struggling for a moment, panting through her face mask which was partially dislodged but still smothering and uncomfortable. 

"And why not?" asked a smug male voice as the door opened. "It would be perfect. I expected you break your chains almost immediately but you took too long. I just couldn't wait." 

Chris and Michelle looked up simultaneously, instantly stilling their tussle as the newcomer entered the room. The dragon tensed, squeezing the agent tightly to his chest as he sensed the powerful Being. His presence was dark, full of writhing motion and hatred; it almost gave Chris a sense of nausea but he had no idea who or what the short, greying, middle-aged man in the cheap suit was. 

"Who are you?" Chris snarled, his fangs flashing as his dragon prepared for a hard fight. 

This Being wasn't part of a rescue team. His stature was unthreatening but everything about him felt wrong and evil to his dragon's senses. He even smelled off, a cloying, dank sweetness that brought images of creeping mold into Chris's mind. There was also the scent of fresh blood seeping into the air from the control room. 

"Oh, my manners," he tittered with a dramatic flourish of his hands. "I'm Radek, I coordinated our little gathering. It's nice to meet you, Christopher, you are indeed magnificent." 

"Radek! You set this up, you piece of shit!" Michelle's shock had worn off and she screamed her betrayal at him, wriggling again to get free of the dragon. 

"Yes," Radek said gleefully. "And what a setup it is! You capture this wonderful specimen for me, my minions tear your men to shreds, and the humans think he's responsible. Meanwhile, I harvest the essence of a powerful dragon, an excellent conduit, and dump his mangled corpse somewhere for the Synod to find. Before you know it, humans and Beings will be at each other's throats. I'll admit, it wasn't all according to the plan, but let it never be said that I don't take advantage of a situation when..." 

"Nice monologue," Chris smiled toothily. 

Shifting instantly into the Ether, he dragged Michelle forcefully with him as he faded. Radek let out a furious, inhuman shriek and loosed a ball of dark red, pulsing energy towards them with a lunge. 

It was too late. 

Michelle's body shuddered as she entered the Ether, and Chris felt his dragon somehow extending around her, shielding her from the drain which would have killed her in seconds otherwise. Already he was running, picking her up under the knees as they phased straight through ghostly walls and furniture in the dim light. He had to put some effort into breaking the resistance but it was next to nothing in his adrenaline-fuelled state. 

Michelle couldn't make a sound; she wrapped her arms up around his neck and turned to watch them pass through concrete, wood, and steel in disbelief. Each new obstacle made her wince her eyes shut, expecting an impact, before feeling only subtle pressure as his jarring footfalls propelled them right through. 

She couldn't begin to comprehend the dark, shadowy, purple and grey realm of the Ether. Her mind had been shocked into passive observation as they brushed through the external wall and out into open space. 

They only plummeted briefly before she felt the tug of gravity in her stomach. It seemed odd that gravity should still exist when she'd just watched them run through solid walls. They weren't falling anymore though, the colorless street passing quickly below them. Michelle looked up across his fluttering shirt, his skin glowed faintly and his muscles heaved as his wings beat powerfully. 

Neither Chris nor his dragon felt any sense of shame about running; they'd out-maneuvred Radek as he got caught up in his victory. Besides, he was obviously powerful, unknown, and had an intricate plan in motion. By the sounds of it, he'd wanted to start a war between humans and Beings. 

Now the only real proof that Chris hadn't slaughtered everyone in the building was gripped tightly in his arms as they flew out across the city. 

Flying. He was flying! New muscles worked on instinct to propel him above the streets, cars, and people below. He took a few seconds to revel in the amazing feeling before he brought his mind figuratively back down to earth, promising himself to take Annabel flying with him in the future. 

The dragon didn't sense any pursuers, they'd escaped. Now Chris realized that his next priority was to get back to safety and warn everyone. Reyla would know what to do but she was so far away and he had no idea how to find any local Being authority. 

An idea popped into his mind, one he'd only thought about last night as he and Susan had talked about finding somewhere to live. Was it even possible? The fact that Michelle was in the Ether and still alive, if shocked into a stupor, indicated that it was. . . 

Calling on his dragon, Chris pulled energy from the aspect around him, his vision distorting and shimmering as the Ether rippled and he gathered as much as he thought he could safely hold. The power writhed across his skin after a few moments, building and building. He felt his ears equalizing as pressure build, so much so that he had trouble maintaining his flapping wings and began gliding downwards, devoting his mind to his intended destination. 

Having an image of Reyla's courtroom in his mind's eye, he pictured himself standing there, holding Michelle in his arms. He released the magic all at once, felt it crashing up his nerves towards the image in his brain, setting his body on fire briefly before suddenly, there was nothing. 

He ceased to exist. 

*** 

Radek cursed as he felt the dragon's presence suddenly vanish with a pop. He wasn't stupid enough to follow the lad into his own aspect in his current, weakened state. He'd underestimated the young dragon for the last time, first with the team he'd sent to capture him in Scotland, and again by gloating when he should have been killing. 




Endangered Ch. 05



It was in his nature though, to scheme, plot, and sow discord; his guilty pleasure was to enjoy his victim's distress. Unfortunately it sometimes mussed his plans. 

Perhaps he should have given the humans real magic dampening charms instead of artistic, worthless trinkets. 

"No matter," he sighed to himself, straightening his ruffled suit and stepping back into the observation room over the dead body of one of the humans. The building was quiet now, his minions having completed their gruesome job perfectly. 

The dragon didn't even matter, really, a small sideshow of his own greediness. A patsy of opportunity who might have been a very tasty morsel. There were others who could fill his shoes. 

It was time to stir up human outrage and watch the world fall into chaos. In a few short months, the universe would align for him to complete his mission. With luck, any Beings with half a chance of stopping him would be dead or in hiding by then. 

He would come back for the dragon, though; perhaps it would be more fun this way. Yes, his escape would only make the hunting more enjoyable, the taste of his soul more delectable. 

Reaching into his pocket, Radek fished out a flash drive and plugged it into the machine in the observation room. Humans had truly come so far in the past century, he marvelled at their technology, beginning to rival the power of magic... it was perfect. He copied what he needed, wiped everything else. Placing his hand on the computer, he sent a bolt of corruption through the network. The humans would never know what really happened here, but assume their plot had been discovered by vengeful Beings. 

Soon enough they would strike first, fearing losing the initiative. They would hit hard, with as much power as they could to throw the Beings into disarray. At least that was the plan, his plan. 

He always had a plan. 

*** 

Chris felt a few seconds of disconcerting, bodiless nothingness as they sped through the Ether at nigh unimaginable speeds. 

Their trip didn't end as smoothly as he'd envisioned. Instead of standing in the courtroom, he found himself rocketing into the Norm up near the ceiling, real air buffeting his wings. There was a scream from below as he plunged uncontrollably across the huge chamber; streaking low across the rows of seats, he quickly realized he was going to crash. 

With a final flap, he twisted onto his back in mid-air, folding his wings in and tucking his chin down into Michelle's chest, he hurtled onto the marble floor with a crunch and skidded along his reinforced, scaly spine, narrowly avoiding a pew. 

He ended up bowling into the small group of startled Beings at the center of the room, knocking them flying like so many pins, their legs slowing him a little until he came to an abrupt stop against the bottom step of Reyla's throne's alter. The back of his head hit the step and he was knocked out instantly. 

Michelle, dazed but ultimately unhurt, heard the commotion around her, shouting and cursing as people picked themselves back up or moved to see if the dragon was okay. She didn't have her glasses, and panicked slightly. She could still see okayish at short distances, but she had deep fears about being lost, trapped, or attacked without her glasses while she couldn't see well. 

First to reach the scene was a huge, very angry woman. Michelle was unceremoniously dragged up by the scruff of her neck, the taller, voluptuous beauty sneering viciously as her black, knife-like claws dug into Michelle's soft skin and held her in place. Stoically, Michelle only let out a tiny, involuntary whimper. 

"This is the human who arrested him," Lillian spat, her fangs flashing dangerously as blood trickled down and began seeping into Michelle's t-shirt. 

"Really?" Reyla asked, still disbelieving. She'd found Lillian's account of events astonishing. 

Annabel meanwhile rushed over and didn't stop shaking the dragon until he responded several second later with a groan and a weak push to make her stop. Unperturbed, she flung her arms around him, draping herself across his chest. 

"Babe, I was so worried," she cried directly in his ear. 

"It's okay, Dee. I'll be fine," Chris managed, lifting his hands to wrap up around her lower back and hug her. "I missed you." He kissed the side of her head, taking a deep breath of her comforting, familiar smell. 

"What happened?" Susan asked form behind them. "How did you get here?" 

Chris pushed them up into a sitting position, almost losing consciousness again to the sense of vertigo. Reaching around to feel the painful bump at the back of his head, he was just happy he hadn't busted his scull wide open. He felt very dizzy and his vision was unfocused. 

"He teleported," Reyla answered for him, impressed that he'd managed to pull it off without any training. He could certainly be forgiven his hard arrival. 

"Reyla," Chris twisted to look up at the drow, "do you have some way to contact the Synod? I need to talk to them right now." 

"Why, Chris? We need to figure out where you were and organize with the local Beings to get this mess cleaned up. We have to protect the Secret." 

"The Secret is done, Reyla, it's gone." He collapsed back onto the floor and stared up at the ceiling as his words sunk into everyone present. 

*** 

The next minutes were a confused bustle as Reyla made phone calls and ordered an emergency teleconference between the thirteen Synod members and whichever territorial leaders could be contacted on such short notice. There was an atmosphere of shocked disbelief among Reyla's staff as Tosh and several others battled to set up large screens and the cameras which would transmit via Maginet. Most others hovered, lending a hand if they could but waiting to hear the dragon's full story. 

Susan and Annabel fussed over Chris, sneaking reassuring, tender kisses with the groggy dragon while he was too befuddled and sore to resist them. However, he was quickly regaining his strength and soon noticed the absence of his human witness. 

"Don't get up, Chris, that was a nasty knock on the head," Susan protested as he made to stand. 

"I'll be fine, Mom, where's Michelle?" 

"Who?" 

Michelle was easy to spot once he was up, wincing as Lillian held her immobile by the neck, a threat of death if she attempted to move. 

"Jesus, Lillian, let her go. She's bleeding." 

Chris started over towards her, quickly closing the gap and becoming angry as he saw how large the stain on Michelle's black shirt had spread. 

Lillian didn't move; she was furious. This was the human who'd arrested him. She was probably involved in the attack in Scotland as well. Deep inside, so deep Lillian didn't recognise it consciously, her vampire raged that she and Chris had been separated, his supposedly hated scent no longer teasing her nostrils. She would take her revenge on this woman for stealing what was hers. 

Lillian's irises were dark and her eyes heavily shadowed, her bountiful chest rose and fell heavily with excitement, breaths she didn't really need to take while her fangs extended down into her plush bottom lip. Chris could tell he was dealing with the vampire not the woman, as likely to kill Michelle as to release her. 

Her black clawed finger suddenly twitched on Michelle's neck and Chris's purple hand blurred around Lillian's milky throat. 

"I said release her!" bellowed the dragon in her face, his talons curling into such a vice-like grip that the vampire was forced to checked herself. 

"Fine," she hissed, dropping the human abruptly and wrenching herself from his grasp, tearing her skin on his talons on purpose. Michelle would have fallen to the floor but Chris's hand was already there to steady her as the vampire sped off. 

Lillian slunk to her favorite lurking spot, the shadows behind the third column along the west side of the hall. She was very confused, felt betrayed he'd treated her like that when she was only seeking revenge on his behalf. Yet at the same time, the brutal strength she'd felt and the sting of shallow, healing wounds on her neck spoke to the most base, violent parts of her nature, the parts she herself disliked the most. As she calmed, Lillian grasped just how close to the edge she'd been since that morning at the airport when he'd been hauled off. It scared her how much influence he already seemed to have over her. 

"Sorry about that, Michelle," Chris apologized. "Let me see your neck. Ouch. That was my bodyguard, Lillian. You'll have to forgive her, I think she must be quite upset you arrested me." 

Michelle's neck was throbbing and bruised, still trickling blood from the five claw marks. "Tough shit," she croaked, muscles aching as she spoke. "What's your plan now anyway? Going to gloat that you were right?" 

"Maybe later, first I'm going to heal you." 

Chris leaned in and had his tongue on her neck before she could protest. She struggled against his arm cradling her in such an intimate pose for a moment but ended up letting out a little moan as his saliva cooled and healed her skin. She actually offered the other side of her throat to him of her own accord, reaching up to feel the unmarred skin on the side where he'd just finished. 

Her blood was fresh and clean, and his dragon definitely enjoyed her taste and smell as he finished up. It kind of disturbed Chris; he hadn't really thought about it, but now he'd lapped up a stranger's blood and found it quite tasty. 

Michelle didn't care how strange or intimate it might seem anymore. The relief was exquisite and she marvelled at her own first-hand experience with magic. 

"You healed me? Just like that? What else can you do? How did we get here... we went right through walls! Where are we?!" 

It all flooded out as he pulled away and held her by the shoulders. 

"We were in a place called the Ether, I'll explain it later but now we're in Denver." 

Chris was relieved she was okay, that she seemed to be recovering and wasn't too shaken from her run in with Lillian. He'd been acting on instinct when they'd jaunted through the Ether, only guessing and hoping that she would survive the experience with his help. 

"Alright come over here and meet my mother, try not to arrest her this time. Susan, Annabel, this is Michelle. She works for the NSA." 

"Hello," Annabel said, making it sound quite unfriendly. Watching him nuzzle her neck hadn't exactly ingratiated Michelle to her, that and the way he still had a hand on her back. 

"Hello, Michelle," Susan said more warmly. "I'm not his biological mother, by the way... I'm a witch not a dragon. Good thinking, Chris, but she could take that mask off, I'll make more neutralizing potion if I have to." 

Susan couldn't help but grin; it wouldn't be a chore at all. 

"Yes, hello, it's nice to ah... meet you in person." Michelle awkwardly removed the crumpled, slightly bloody dust mask and inhaled cool, fresh air again. Finally. 

"What happened, Chris?" Annabel asked. "Why did you bring her here?" 

"Well," Chris started, taking Annabel's hand in a warm grip. "I'm not exactly sure but it seems someone has tried to start a war between Beings and humans using me as some sort of fall guy. Human governments know about Beings, Dee. There are a lot of bodies back where we just came from. Michelle is the only person who can tell the right people that it wasn't us, that we don't want a fight." 

"A fight may be inevitable at this point, dragon," Reyla spoke up, moving her piercing gaze towards the new woman, intimidating her. "Do not attempt to resist our questioning, human. You've managed to kick a hornet's nest far greater in scope than your precious governments can comprehend. The Synod will use any means necessary to extract what we need from you." 

A chill crept up Michelle's spine as she tried to hold the impossibly beautiful dark elf's gaze. There was ancient wisdom in those haughty grey eyes. Something else too, cruelty, and the cold scaring of one who'd performed untold unspeakable acts, and would gladly perform them again. She recognized that look, she couldn't hold the contact. 

The dragon's warm, reassuring hand felt the shiver run up her back and dispelled it with a few gentle strokes as his enemy of barely a few hours ago looked up at him for support. 

"I won't let anything happen to you, Michelle, this isn't your fault. But you do need to tell us everything you know. We have to steer this away from total chaos and you're the only one who can help me do that." 

*** 

The Synod, thirteen members representing the wisdom and knowledge of most of the being races, were not impressed with Chris's story. 

First they tried to blame him for revealing himself under Michelle's questioning, stating it was irrelevant that she already knew about the existence of Beings. John Guthrie was the only friendly face, although he was very business-like given the situation. 

Eventually they grasped the idea that this character named Radek had been coaching the US government through the NSA, revealing enough for them to start following and abducting Beings, Amassing a decent amount of information, and letting the military as well as other countries in on the Secret. 

It was then that the questions got serious and the talks of damage control started. 

Michelle watched, seeing that they were mostly no different from her own leaders, scared and confused when confronted with such a huge affront to their way of life. She believed now that Radek must have planned a confrontation from the start, that he had informed the NSA just enough to make them leap into action, but at the same time, taint their view of Beings towards their worst aspects. 

They questioned Chris thoroughly about everything that had happened, especially his confrontation with Radek, whom it was agreed must never have sworn the oath to protect the Secret. If he had, such a huge breach would have been felt through the enchantment and they would have stopped him. 

That left the question of who and what he was unanswered, but it seemed to Michelle's expert eye that some of the Synod members were suspiciously tight lipped on the subject. 

Soon enough, they plonked Michelle in a stool and shoved a camera in her face to begin questioning her. She couldn't help but notice the irony of her situation. Stubborn non-cooperation would be counterproductive and ultimately futile but she was unwilling to give them everything. 

"Please, Michelle, tell them the whole thing. We need to figure this out before it gets any more out of control," Chris pleaded. 

"I can understand that, Chris, it's obvious after what Radek said, but I won't offer up names when I have no guarantee what's going to happen to them. I could be signing their death sentences." She turned back to the Synod before continuing. "Our main allies around the world know about you, and we've figured out where most of your territorial hubs are. The military has already implemented contingencies in case you attack, although I honestly don't know what they involve." 

"What do you hope to gain? What do the humans want from us?" asked a tiny woman with large dragonfly-like wings. 

"We want the truth," Michelle stated. "Your Secret is too huge to deny any longer. From what I've heard, we don't want a war, but we won't back down from a global revelation. You've mistreated humans horrifically for millennia and now that we know, it can't continue. Thankfully our leaders have recognized that it's outside of their capabilities to wipe you all out systematically without suffering horrific losses in return." 

"How long ago did this Radek contact you? How long have you known?" the fairy continued. 

"I've known for six months, most people involved have known for just over four." 

There was uproar amongst the Synod and assembled Beings. 

"What?" Michelle asked, turning to Chris, who could only shrug apologetically. 

"Memory alteration or removal becomes increasingly difficult as time progresses," Susan came to the rescue. "As the memory becomes engrained and reinforced with more thoughts, it's dangerous to change them. There would almost certainly be irreparable damage from removing memories over four months old." 

"So, you can't do it? You can't just wipe everyone's memory?" 

"It might be kinder to simply kill them," Reyla drawled; it seemed the idea was on her mind as well as several of the Synod's. 

"I won't let-" 

"This has gone on long enough," interrupted a haughty, blond elf suddenly. He'd previously had the appearance of paying little attention to the goings on. "How can we determine how to proceed if this human is holding back vital information? Lady Narlakis, enter her mind and take everything, she needs to have her memories erased or be killed eventually." 

"No! Please, Chris! Don't let them!" Michelle's dread infested her voice as she reached for the dragon's hand, clinging to it. Although she might have liked to present a stronger face to the Synod, she would rather die than have her mind destroyed. 

"No one's touching her mind," Chris growled back at the computer screens, surprising himself with the dragon's anger. "She's the only one who can convince the humans I didn't slaughter all the people back in Harrisburg while I was captive; the only one who can convince them Radek isn't their friend. What do you think they'll do when they find all those bodies? They'll assume we know, and think we're going to attack." 

"She dies or her memories are erased, that's the law," sneered the elf. "Either way, we need whatever secrets are locked in her little head. It's not going to matter once everyone involved with this incident has theirs wiped as well." 

A murmur of agreement went around several of the faces on the screens. John Guthrie shrugged apologetically to Chris, but there might have been a knowing twinkle in his eye. 

"Are you people stupid?" Chris asked, shocking pretty much everyone with his disrespect. "You can't wipe the memories of military and government officials around the world, especially if it's as difficult as you say after so much time. Do you think that will go unnoticed? You can't simply kill them either, and you don't know who else they've told by now." 

"Listen, boy-" 

"You listen! What about the safeguards Michelle told you about? For all you know they have missiles targeted for every territory hub in the world or evidence set to leak onto the internet if these people suddenly forget all about Beings. What about Radek, what's to stop him from telling them we're about to launch a global attack? He clearly wants a confrontation between us, he said so himself. Don't you see? He's set it up so that we can't just make this all disappear. You're all worried about maintaining the Secret, but this woman is our best chance at stopping outright war!" 

When he finished his rant there was silence for several moments as he glared at the obtuse elf. 

"There is another way," John Guthrie spoke, after an appropriately somber moment of acting as if was considering all the options. The young dragon had probably just made some lifelong enemies, but damn, had he put the Synod in their place. "It would satisfy our laws and allow her to keep her life and memories intact so long as she agreed to take a truth syrup and answer our questions. Then she could try to calm the situation with the humans but still be under oath not to reveal the Secret, if that even applies." 

"How?" asked Chris. 

"Why, if she agrees to become your familiar, of course." 

"Hunh," Reyla grunted, shaking her head in resignation and sending her jewelled, alabaster ponytail into disarray. "Dragons." 

*** 

Ten minutes later, Chris murmured the last of his vows, reaching out to envelope her sad, barely willing presence in whatever comfort he could offer. 




Endangered Ch. 05



"Human, I accept you, place you under my protection. I share the Secret and mark you as one of us. Serve me well." 

Neither of them were enthused about it; an arrangement of necessity rather than out of any desire to be tied together for the rest of their lives. Still, Chris tried to give her a little of himself. It was nothing like the experience with Annabel, his heart wasn't in it. Perhaps she might have better luck or protection, something. At the least he should be able to feel where she was and sense if she was in danger. 

At the last minute, he'd put his hand over her shoulder and saved her the pain of the tattoo needle, putting his registration number on her in magic, purple digits. The dragon continued to surprise him with these displays of magic, despite their lack of training. He didn't know how he did these things, probably couldn't repeat them if he tried to; they just happened when he felt strongly about something. 

Michelle wept quietly at the loss of her freedom. She knew it wasn't his fault and could feel him trying to comfort her somehow. Ultimately, when faced with the option of servitude or the rape of her mind and death, she'd chosen servitude. 

Besides, she could tell Chris wasn't the kind of person who would take advantage of her situation. She couldn't blame him for this or the men he'd killed in Scotland; everything fell on Radek's head in her numbed mind. 

So, as he held her gently in his purple arms, she'd repeated her part of the ceremony after the midnight elf. 

"Being, I give myself freely to you, bind myself to you. I vow to serve, place you above all others, and uphold the Secret. I'm yours." 

Their situations had reversed was so rapidly; he was now her protector, her lifeline in the very world she'd been fighting against. She could feel the little tingle of magic on her shoulder. It was strange, her head cradled against his chest, their connection locked into place, her body 'clicking' somehow as he gave her his small safeguard. 

When they broke their embrace, they stared into each other's eyes for a moment before Michelle had to get up and walk away, overwhelmed by what she'd just agreed to. She was bound to a dragon for the rest of her life! 

Annabel followed, catching up and stopping her. They slumped into a nearby pew, the otherworldly lights hovering uncaringly above. 

Michelle held her head in her hands as Annabel stroked her back, all unfriendly thoughts erased from her mind as she'd helplessly watched the woman be forced into her current position. 

"It's not so bad," Annabel murmured. "There's no one better you could be bonded to. You might even come to enjoy this world eventually; I know I love it already, even if it does have ugly parts." 

Annabel couldn't help but glance over at the large screens showing the Synod, still arguing about the best course of action. 

"What am I supposed to do now?" Michelle whispered. "My whole life I've... They just... it wasn't even a real choice." 

"I know, I'm sorry," Annabel consoled. "But you seem like the kind of woman who wouldn't let that stop you. I know Chris will help you make whatever life you want for yourself but first you've got to help set things straight." 

As the younger woman's words sunk in, Michelle looked up towards the crowd, searching for him. He was easy to spot, facing away from her as he talked with his mother. His huge stature alone would have been enough if the clawed thumbs, the high points of his purple leathery wings didn't stand out a full foot above his head. 

As if sensing her gaze, he turned his attention and gave Michelle a nod and a wry smile. 

"You're right, Annabel," Michelle lowered her head from view and smiled weakly. "I don't even know you, but thanks. I can probably do a lot of good on this end." 

They sat in consolatory silence until Chris came and got them several minutes later, the Synod was fed up with waiting. He led Michelle back to the interrogation chair whilst Reyla produced a small vial of bubbling, orange syrup. 

Michelle sniffed it. If she didn't know better she might think it was simply Fanta. 

"Promise me, Chris, you won't let them hurt anyone I name." 

"You know I can't guarantee that, Michelle, but I'll try. After today, I'm sure you'll be involved in sorting this out anyway. You can help make sure they stay safe." 

She gave him a very searching look before downing the little potion in one swallow. 

It was surprisingly viscous. She could feel it tingle her throat, instantly understanding that she would be uninhibited, speaking the truth with little control over if she answered or not. Her lucidity faded rapidly and, in a few moments, she felt absolutely drunk. 

Michelle fought desperately but felt her mind enter some sort of detached state. She looked at the concerned dragon kneeling next to her, letting out a tiny, drunken giggle at his appearance despite resisting the urge for all she was worth. It was a terrible sensation, but she watched her giggle transform into manic laughter until Chris steadied her with a gentle hand. 

The Synod grilled her for about half an hour. 

She gave up everything; the president and his key advisors, the joint chiefs, the heads and deputies of the other security agencies. Everyone in her own agency who knew of the Secret as well as those she thought might know in Australia, France, and the UK. 

She told them every Being they knew of and every place she knew they frequented; the Synod becoming more agitated with each new answer to their questions. They really didn't like it when she started naming the hub cities around the globe. 

Occasionally, a heated argument between the Beings would give her a much needed break. 

Intoxicated, her attention was drawn to her "master," whom she studied woozily; his huge stature, his multi colour skin, and his reptilian features. He even had claws and wings! He looked very enticing to her uninhibited mind. At one point she reached out to touch his delightfully smooth, tiny scales but almost fell off her stool, her balance completely failing her. 

"You're pretty drunk, huh?" Chris said as he caught her and propped her back up on her chair. 

"You're pretty... pretty," she hiccupped without even meaning to. Her detached, conscious persona screamed embarrassment but it didn't stop her lips moving. 

"Pretty?" the dragon asked, swivelling very quickly to look at her. He had a smile on his face which revealed very sharp, interlocked teeth and his canine fangs, suddenly highlighting how dangerous and inhuman he was. 

"Yeah, pretty scary, too," she continued quietly. Her inquisitive hand snuck upward to brush his thin lips but he caught it short and guided it back down to her thigh. 

"It will be over soon, Michelle." He patted her arm, keeping his hand there to steady her wobbling. This potion was truly an absolute violation. He hadn't considered how much everyone relied on inhibition to keep themselves in check. 

The questions resumed soon enough and now they asked about any revealing evidence the governments might have. She slurred her way through an explanation of the video of the werewolf transformation. There were also hours of surveillance footage they'd taken while observing Beings but it probably didn't have anything incriminating on it. 

When asked about the fail safes she'd mentioned earlier, she vehemently proclaimed, "I don't know!" 

Chris watched the Synod's faces darken even further. They'd obviously been hedging that Michelle would reveal the human's plans under the influence of the truth syrup. The humans had been careful to limit the distribution of this information for this very reason. 

She'd already told them everything she knew about Radek. That bastard deserved to rot in Hell for what he'd done and what she was now being put through because of it. As they continued to question her about him, though, her anger overflowed into loud cursing and some rather vigorous gesticulation. She couldn't stop herself, her throat becoming hoarse as she shouted out every insult she could think of at him. 

"Motherfucking shit-faced old fuck asshole!" 

The assembled Beings looked a bit taken aback at her outburst as Chris tried to soothe her. 

"Easy, Michelle, calm down. Look at me. Look at me!" He ended up trapping her arms against her sides with a bruising grip, forcing her to stop and look at him. 

She eventually stopped struggling, tears streaming down her cheeks as she finally focused on him. He released his hold and stroked softly up and down her arms. 

"I'm so sorry, Michelle." 

Her tears overflowed again and she flung herself forward into his comforting arms, his cozy scent. 

Chris rubbed her shaking back, he knew this was necessary for the synod to be satisfied but it had gone on long enough. 

Usually Michelle would have beat the shit out of anyone who dared to touch her like he was, but as she cried herself out, it strangely didn't feel wrong. It had been so long since someone expressed care about her well-being. In her delirious state, it felt good. Her mind started to focus more on that feeling, forgetting about Radek altogether. She calmed rapidly after that, staring unfocused and blurry between his wings as she automatically snuggled into his neck. 

"That's enough," she heard him state firmly. 

"You don't decide that," came the high pitch voice of the fairy. 

"She's distraught and she's told you everything she knows. You haven't managed to uncover any suggestion that she's trying to mislead you and perhaps most importantly, she's my familiar. It's enough!" 

There was silence as the Synod considered whether or not to push the issue further. They were the ultimate authority among Beings, but a Being had sovereignty over his own familiar. Precedents would be broken if they overrode that. 

No one spoke up, so Reyla handed Chris the antidote with an amused smile. 

He quickly guided the vial to Michelle's lips, a sour mixture which had her head clearing slowly as she listened to the Synod resume their bickering about what to do. 

"The only think we can do is try wiping the slate clean, eradicating the memory of everyone who might know, damage to their minds be damned," spoke the blonde elf from before. 

Chris took note of the man as someone to watch out for. Snake, his dragon murmured hatefully. Chris had to agree, he seemed particularly callous. How far removed from any aspect of humanity he must be to consider their lives so valueless. 

"It's too late for that, Eramir," said a pale man with a thick, European accent from behind a dark cowl. "Even if we had enough psykers to attempt simultaneous wipes worldwide. Someone would slip through the cracks even if the damage we caused miraculously went unnoticed. You elves have too much faith in your magics." 

Several others agreed, and thankfully, calmer heads prevailed, reasoning that such a blatant pattern would only arouse further suspicion and wouldn't stop any fail safes from triggering. A few talked about global preparedness to strike, spells to knock out satellites, aircraft navigation, and communications networks worldwide. 

"That won't help either," Michelle said as she found her voice. "They'll know exactly why it's happening, except the countries that don't will assume they're under attack. You'll have a global nuclear standoff until someone explains what's going on. Please, consider revealing yourselves peacefully. You could come up with a treaty, name almost any terms you wanted." 

"You humans truly wish our existence to be common knowledge? How do you expect us to live side-by-side?" asked a venerable wizard. 

"It won't be easy, sure, but it will be far better than war," Chris said. It was a scary thought, but he could already begin to see the advantages of a peaceful revelation, given the alternative. 

"It would be the opposite of what Radek has worked to achieve," added Michelle. 

Her suggestion was met with mixed reaction, and the heated debate started again. 

Finally John Guthrie, previously not very vocal, spoke up after a particularly pointless argument about more memory removal. 

"People, our path is straightforward and clear, in my mind at least. The breach is too large to stopper, humans in places of power have been aware of us for months. They cannot be wiped nor removed without committing an act of war in the eyes of the humans, who have unknown mechanisms in place to counter this very kind of action. Our only option, outside of starting a war which would likely destroy this planet, is to meet with these humans and prepare to reveal the Secret on our terms. We all knew this was a possibility and to be honest, it's a miracle they hadn't already found us on their own." 

"How do you expect us to live without the Secret?" Eramir asked petulantly. "The humans will hunt us down." 

"I don't deny it will be difficult, it might even destroy both of our society's ways of life. But we must rely on our own governorship and guide our people, having faith in human leaders to do the same. We have nothing to lose. If peace fails, we will only be sitting in this exact position again, that is to say, on the brink of a war which would end us both." 

"How are we to feed? The humans won't allow us to prey upon them any longer," the gaunt man in the cloak said. 

"Vladimir, there are enough humans to feed every vampire in the world thousands of times over. You can live off donated blood or the blood of your familiars. I know there's something in it for you to hunt and chase your prey down but we will all need to make sacrifices." 

"You won't even have to do that," Michelle piped in, a bit hesitant at first before her voice and ideas strengthened as she spoke. "There are so many freaks around these days. Hell, there are probably people who would pay to be fed on, as long as you don't kill them. You Beings have enough money and power to buy whatever you want in the human world. That's really all this will come down to, money and power. You are going to bring an entirely new resource into the open, magic. Sure, everyone is going to freak out for a few months but when the dust settles and we sort out the details, you'll be able to walk down the street in your true forms and ask whatever price you want for your services. That's just the beginning. Think about what magic and science could accomplish together. You could probably cure diseases and stop global warming." 

"I doubt it will be as simple as that, but the woman has a good point," agreed the ancient dragon. "A vote then." 

There was several more minutes of muttering but eventually, all thirteen members conceded to at least explore peaceful revelation, to contact the humans and see what they actually wanted. Besides, what other choice did they really have? 

*** 

Michelle couldn't believe she was actually doing this, acting as go-between in what was likely to be the most revolutionary first contact in recorded history. 

The Synod told her very specifically that she wasn't allowed to reveal any tactically significant information but that had slipped right through the cracks, she was so nervous. Barely five hours ago, she had been questioning Chris. Now so much had happened, and most of it was based off information she'd given the Synod. If it all went wrong, would it be her fault? 

She spoke her identification code into the phone, as well as a codeword which indicated the supernatural nature of call's subject. She didn't even have to wait ten seconds. 

"Michelle, thank God! We've been in a situation room for the last two hours, since you missed your contact time. What the Hell is going on? The feed from the Harrisburg facility came back up a couple hours ago. No one can find Director Neelson and the generals are talking about first strike capabilities like it's our only option." 

"Calm down, Mr. President, and I suggest you stop talking for a moment. I'm as compromised is it gets, there are Beings listening to this conversation," Michelle replied. 

"Shit!" the President exclaimed, silencing everyone in the dark, screen lit room in Washington and signalling a technician to put the call on speaker, as the Synod had done from the start. The powerful men and women assembled listened with rapt attention; in the background, someone was told to trace the call. 

"You won't be able to trace it, I'm in Denver, though," Michelle explained, looking around her nervously for signs of disapproval. 

"You were captured. Are you hurt? You're under duress obviously but I hope they didn't hurt you," the President said. 

"I'm fine but... I ah... I'm one of them now. A familiar. They know everything I know now, they used a truth serum on me." 

There was an angry outcry around the room followed by hushed muttering. 

"So they let you contact us... Michelle, what is going on?" 

"You're going to find this hard to believe but this is all Radek's fault. He attacked the Harrisburg facility and we barely escaped. He's trying to force a confrontation between us and the Beings. They've agreed to talk with you about peaceful negotiations; they're about as shocked by this as we were at the start." 

Looking around, Michelle tried to make sure she was doing okay. Chris gave her a nod but the faces of the Synod members on the screens were stern and unreadable. She assumed they would stop her quite abruptly if she misspoke. 

"Well, that's a bit hard to swallow, Michelle. I'm sorry, but by the looks on some of the faces here with me, I'd say this is what's called stalling. By our accounts, you've been in their hands for several hours and by your own admission, you're compromised." 

Michelle was at a loss; she'd told the Synod that this was exactly what would happen. With Beings, once you were compromised, anything out of your mouth was worth less than a lie directly from your enemy's. 

Chris looked towards the Synod in frustration. Weren't they going to do anything to help Michelle? It appeared not. 

"Mr. President, if I may," Chris spoke up. "It's an honor to talk to you. My name is Christopher Baryst, the Being you've been monitoring, Michelle arrested me this morning." 

"I'm aware of who you are. Son, if you hurt Michelle there will be..." 

"I won't hurt her," Chris interrupted. "She's my familiar now so it's my job to look after her." 

"I've read all sorts of reports about mistreatment of human ... familiars," rebutted the President. 

"I'll be fine, Sir," Michelle supported. 

Some of the Synod were starting to look a little irate at the dragon's boldness. However, none of them spoke up. 

"Look, this is going to be hard on both sides but it comes down to this. We don't want a war, and we hope that you don't either," Chris tried to explain. "It's going to be difficult to build trust but the first thing you need to know is that Radek isn't who you think he is. He isn't your friend. As far as any of us can tell, he isn't even part of our society. And, he is certainly far more powerful than he's led you to believe. He's set this all up to start a conflict between us, both Michelle and I heard it from his mouth only hours ago, before he tried to kill us both." 

"Why?" asked the President. 

"I don't know but a war can't be good, can it?" 

In the dark bunker, the President was searching the faces in the room for guidance, looking to his generals and advisors but ultimately having to make a decision based on his own moral compass. This was the moment any sane person in a position of power dreaded, when it came down to the line and you made a decision which would affect people's lives, a decision you would be remembered for. 

"It's true, Bob," Michelle added, using his first name was an established duress signal which indicated she was telling the truth. She doubted it would actually increase her credibility but it couldn't hurt. "Radek knew who Christopher was before he identified him to us, he's a Class One dragon, for God's sake, and he's very high profile because he's only just been discovered as a Being. Radek wanted to stir up as much outrage at us amongst the Beings as possible and did the same for us by trying to kill everyone at Harrisburg." 




Endangered Ch. 05



The President took heart that Michelle was still cognisant enough to use a hidden message, even if he couldn't take it at face value when Beings were involved. If what she said was true though... Maybe he was a fool, but Robert Falconer wouldn't go down in infamy as the man who started the war to end all wars. 

"I want to believe you, but what's to stop them from turning around and taking our memories that any of this ever happened?" 

It was one of his biggest concerns; they had a very detailed failsafe in place which would trigger if it happened. People who needed to check in with their memories intact daily or very bad things would be set in motion. Still, it would leave them severely disadvantaged at the start of a potential war if their leadership suddenly developed amnesia. 

Michelle wanted to tell them that the Beings couldn't do it, that it had been too long. However, the Synod had very specifically forbid her to reveal that. She looked to the dragon in frustration and he gave her a wry smile, perhaps a tiny wink. 

"We can't," Chris spoke up. 

In the background, Robert and everyone listening heard an angry shriek as someone far away screamed, "How dare you!..." 

Recognizable words were drowned out afterwards as an unintelligible argument broke out amongst the Synod. 

"SHUT UP!" Chris bellowed away from the phone, taking another huge risk as he flouted the Synod's authority yet again. He'd taken it upon himself to ensure this whole situation didn't go too far south on his account. If he had to step on toes to do so, so be it. "Let me talk to them!" 

Ominous silence filled the room abruptly. 

"Sorry, Mr. President, as you can see, we're a bit high strung on this end, too." Chris paused, looking around the room to see some very angry faces. He wasn't even supposed to be doing the talking, but he couldn't help it. If Michelle wasn't allowed to tell the humans what they needed to hear, he would tell them. Besides, none of the Synod seemed even remotely interested in talking to the humans. 

In the corner of his eye, he thought he saw Reyla snickering. 

Despite the seriousness of the situation, the midnight elf couldn't help but laugh as the young hatchling overrode the Synod, an organization she'd always abhorred since it became dominated by the 'high' elf council. Perhaps he didn't know what powerful enemies he might be making, perhaps he didn't care. Either way, it only endeared the dragon to her further. She was going to tame him, claim him for herself one day. 

"Radek is a clever bastard," Chris continued. "It's been about four to six months since you all found out about us. I don't understand the magic involved but apparently it's harder and harder to remove specific memories as time goes on, especially when they are reinforced by more thought and constant reminders. It can also be very damaging, even deadly. We simply don't think we would get away with a global memory wipe of the world's political and military leaders, believe me, it's been the topic of some very healthy argument. Besides, we're scared you'll nuke us or something." 

The President paused, weighing the information the courageous young man had just given them, before he allowed himself a sigh of relief. 

"Christopher, that's very relieving to hear. Thank you. I want everyone listening to consider that this is exactly the kind of honesty we are going to need to get through this. I would be very disappointed if you were punished for explaining that to us. It puts to rest one of our biggest fears about dealing with you peop... Beings." 

The President decided he already liked this young man and as he spoke, a collective wave of relaxation flowed around the room of humans. Shoulders became unhunched, buttocks unclenched. Perhaps a Being attack wasn't imminent. 

"Thank you, Sir," Chris replied. Only recently a true Being, he was thrilled to be talking with the President, but the dragon helped him keep his cool in the high pressure situation. 

"You're welcome. Now, I can assume you aren't responsible for making decisions on behalf of all Beings, Chris, although perhaps those who are listening are?" 

"Yes," Chris looked around for help but still no one spoke up. 

"How about this," President Falconer said. "Why don't we all back down for the moment and collect our thoughts. It's been a trying day but I'd say that first contact has staved off any immediate, impending disaster. We will not strike unless we detect aggressive actions on your behest, but let me assure you all, you don't want to deal with the fallout if we do. With peace in mind, both parties should take a while to come up with some initial goals, terms we can hopefully start working on to achieve a global revelation of this, this 'Secret.'" 

Looking around the room, Robert noted the atmosphere had changed entirely. At least they had some idea what the Beings were thinking, rather than waiting in the dark to be struck down. 

"There's no chance you'd just forget about this entire thing and let us continue as we are?" Chris had to ask. 

The President allowed himself a chuckle. "I'm afraid not. This is too big to become a conspiracy. We are truly interested in peace if it's possible. One of the first things we realized was that you all have legitimate claims to live in peace as you need to. Heck, from what we can tell, you're all legal citizens of the countries you reside in." 

"You want a global revelation, but you must understand that you can't just do this overnight," Chris warned. "We'll need to have infrastructure and management in place before the public finds out. We're going to have to be careful about things on our end too." 

"Of course, this will probably take months to put in place as we bring in other governments around the world. Although, I imagine there are some countries we'll have to leave in the dark, North Korea comes to mind," the President thought out loud. 

"We could probably help with problems like that," Chris looked around the room for reassurance, finally receiving a couple of nods. "Okay, so we'll call again tomorrow once we've had a chance to discuss what our terms are." 

"I'll call this number again at noon EST tomorrow," Michelle clarified. "Thank you for hearing us out, Sir. Remember, cut all ties with Radek and re-examine everything he gave us." 

"We will," said the President. "And Michelle, I'm glad you made it out okay." 

*** 

Chris got a very stern scolding from the Synod. 

He knew he'd overstepped but hoped that it would be worth it in the end. Standing there, he couldn't help think that they were getting caught up in the details, stalling for excuses. 

What did it matter if he'd weakened their position by telling them about how memory removal worked? If they were serious about peace, they should be serious about it at the start and give humans a reason to trust them. No one else had stepped up to the plate and no one had stopped him from doing so either. Yet it seemed that that was somehow his fault, too. 

Perhaps he still considered himself a human. 

"You have no place negotiating on behalf of all Beings, and revealing our capabilities to the humans was a stupid mistake. It speaks to your inexperience, boy." Eramir delivered his verdict with a sly smile, enjoying having the young dragon pinned under his authority even from thousands of miles away. This could prove useful against Reyla, too, should ever step out of bounds as well. "Flouting our authority again will be met with punishment." 

"I apologize for overstepping the Synod's authority but I did what I thought I needed to to put the humans at ease," Chris reasoned while trying not to let the elf's self-righteous expression get to him. "They will never trust us if we don't deal squarely with them; holding a false threat over their heads isn't going to help." 

"You may have a point, young dragon, but those decisions are for us to make, not you," spoke a middle-aged witch sternly. 

"I'm sorry," he repeated. "You will have to talk to them eventually. I hope you can take Michelle's advice to heart when you do." 

Meanwhile, Reyla and John Guthrie could barely keep smiles off their faces. The young dragon had stepped on some powerful toes, but it was entertaining to see the rest of the Synod at such a loss while the youngster negotiated peace on their behalf. Having recently been almost completely human, he was probably the best choice they had. How were millennia-old Beings supposed to relate to modern human concerns? 

Chris and his party where dismissed as the Synod planned to continue discussion late. Already, someone was debating that a full revelation wasn't the best option, however from what Chris could hear, it seemed like most of the Synod knew it was probably their only option. 

As he started towards the exit, Chris noticed Michelle was still standing around, looking a bit lost. 

"Hey, are you coming?" 

"I ... ah, don't have anywhere to go." 

Chris chuckled; she really mustn't think much of him and didn't quite understand what being his familiar would entail. 

"Sure you do. You can stay with us for as long as you want, at least until you figure out what you want to do with yourself. However, I suspect you'll be very busy for the next months acting as a negotiator." 

She thought about that for a moment. Perhaps... yes, she did have a useful place for herself in this new world. The dragon was already walking away, his arm wrapped possessively around Annabel's waist with Susan and Lillian following along behind. 

She hurried to catch up. 

*** 

"Come on, Baby, how can you say no?" Annabel cooed seductively in his ear. 

She wriggled her soft, slender body down on top of him. He could feel her smooth skin teasing him ridiculously, the heat of her moist nethers against his testicles, so close to his erection, currently trapped against her supple navel. 

"Don't tell me you don't want to, I can feel that you do," she continued directly against his neck, kissing and nibbling the dragon's creamy throat. 

"I know, Dee, but I'm really tired and want to think clearly for a bit without falling straight to sleep afterwards. Can we please just wait until tomorrow?" 

Chris could barely believe the words coming out of his own mouth; he would have slapped himself if it hadn't been for the day's events. His arrest, his escape, a new familiar, the prospect of a global revelation... and Radek. 

As it was, he could barely resist as she slowly slid her entire naked body around on top of his in their bed, her skin sending shivers through him as it rubbed against his. 

"But I missed you," Annabel pouted purposefully, knowing it was likely to make him combust. 

She could understand that he wanted time to just think, but the fear and excitement she'd experienced with him getting attacked then arrested had her body highly strung, anxious, and obscenely horny. She needed some physical reassurance. Now reunited, with the naked dragon on his back, his delicious scent in her mouth and wings splayed out slightly on the bed with her pretty much sitting on his impressive crotch... he said he didn't want to. 

"I was gone two days," Chris chuckled, followed by a yawn. He was really worn out, having been interrogated twice, not to mention teleporting over a thousand miles while carrying Michelle. 

"You were shot at, arrested, and in case you'd forgotten, we were engaged," Annabel rebutted. "It was an eventful two days." 

She sat up a little, reaching above his head to put her hands on his purple forewings, holding him down onto the bed as she contemplated forcing herself on him. Her puckered little nipples were practically poking his eyes out and he wouldn't even suck them; he was being particularly stubborn for some reason. Was he doing this to her on purpose? 

"Please?" she whined, rocking on top of him, crushing her swollen, moist labia on the underside of his thick shaft. Her entire body was about to overheat with desire. 

Chris let out a heavy breath, but his dragon had an interesting idea so he ceded some control. He wasn't going to give in, but the least he could do was get her off. With his hands on her sides, he indicated he wanted her to turn around, which she did with an excited little yip. She loved cowgirl but they'd never tried reverse! 

Annabel held herself up, reaching for his penis to impale herself in this exciting new position but one of his powerful arms wrapped up around her chest and pulled her back against him. She was lying on her back on top of him, her ass cheeks making a snug cocoon for his hot erection while her head rested on his shoulder. 

A purple hand snaked down her right side, slow with an almost ticklish touch. It glided across her tummy, causing her breath to hitch as it started playing its way downwards through her short, trimmed brown curls, until he cupped her feverish mound, covering it entirely. She was so wet already that his hand slipped easily through her slick little snatch, exploring her secret place in detail, sending a shivering thrill deep into her core. 

Her labia felt so puffy and engorged beneath his fingers, so slimy and squishy with her excitement, radiating heat. She was really worked up. 

Annabel wriggled, spreading her legs and trying to drive her mound up into his hand. He didn't respond. She tried to roll back over to face him but found herself trapped by his arms as a low growl vibrated through his chest. She huffed out a tiny mewl of frustration, she must be dealing with the dragon. He wanted her still and quiet, but she had to consciously decide to relax, give in to him. She managed it. Barely. 

"Good girl," the dragon hissed in her ear, sending a shiver down her spine. 

Something inside her resonated to his voice; the little animal that she was rolled onto her back, presenting everything that she had to offer up to her lover, her mate, her master. She was completely his in that moment, so eager and hopeful. His to control, his to do as he pleased with, his to pleasure however he wanted. 

"I said I didn't want to, which I admit might seem startling. But please be patient. I would give you the same courtesy were our positions reversed." 

"Sorry," Annabel whispered, tilting her head backwards to kiss the underside of his chin. 

"Don't be," the dragon reassured. "I'll take care of you now but then we'll wait until morning for more." 

"I love you," she murmured happily, stroking her hands along his caging forearms. 

With that, he started to move his hand again, slowly at first, rubbing up and down on either side of her pussy, pushing her labia together, then pulling them apart gently to expose her deepest pink. 

Annabel moaned gently when he finally ran a wet finger directly through her slit, stopping just below her peaking clit. Already his gentle touch was driving her crazy and her hands clutched and fisted in the sheets beneath them. She couldn't help but move a little, squirming back and forth against his hand and no doubt wreaking havoc on his erection trapped between her peachy globes. 

She could feel the thick, arrow-like head prodding her lower back when she wasn't arching up into him. Her head tossed from side to side when he finally touched her clit with a drenched finger; she was so wet she could feel little trickles of her pungent excitement leaking down her crack every now and then. 

His other mischievous hand wasn't idle where it held her trapped, but toying with her small, sensitive breasts in succession, rolling her tiny, brown nipples back and forth between his big fingers. Her breath came fast and ragged, her pleasure making her grunt and cry out. 

"Chris!" she wailed, for no other reason than her body demanded she make some noise about the delight it experienced. God, she loved him! 

Her cries only encouraged him, increasing his stimulations as her body tensed with building joy. He carefully inserting a thick, clawed finger deep into her slick channel, curling it backwards while he rubbed her clit with his thumb. 

Annabel huffed and panted for a few more glorious seconds before it felt like her world fell away; a quiet, moaning gurgle escaping her throat. He'd hit that spot inside her which never failed. Her hips bucked upwards, once, twice, while pleasure wracked her twitching body and her universe exploded behind her eyelids. 

Then she was still, panting, relaxing as those wonderful little shocks whizzed through her for minutes as her body cooled. She'd almost fallen asleep when he finally removed his sopping, slippery hand from her mound, rolling them both to the side and pulling her to him. 

"Me, your dick, tomorrow morning," Annabel muttered sleepily as she pulled his arm up underneath her pert little breasts and held onto it as she fell back asleep. 

The dragon sighed. He should have just fucked her. Now his sticky erection was in excited agony, trapped against her, no doubt wetting her back with precum. It was always so deeply arousing to experience Annabel in orgasm, her sounds and smells. Her taste. The dragon brought his hand up to sample it off his fingers, so ripe and womanly, slightly tangy and a little sweet. 

The beast proceeded to lap the rest away with his forked tongue, savoring his mate's essence before giving control back to the human, so intent on revaluating the last few day's events. 

Dragons always take care of their brood, the dragon imparted as Chris kissed the top of Annabel's head. 

Chris lay awake for hours, his mind racing. He was tired and there were moments where he almost fell asleep before something popped into his head and jolted him back into an unshakable sense of foreboding. 

Michelle was one of his main concerns. Having taken the final spare room in the hotel suite/apartment with little fuss, he thought she was probably in some kind of shock. He'd have to watch her carefully and make sure she was adjusting. 

Jesus Christ, another familiar. Not only that, another woman for his dragon to go sniffing after. Hopefully, it wasn't like that with Michelle, though, hopefully their arrangement was both platonic and their living quarters temporary. 

If this huge revelation of the Secret went through, perhaps Being laws wouldn't require her to be under his supervision and she wouldn't need his protection. In the meantime, she would be invaluable in facilitating interaction between the Synod and human governments. She was going to be very busy. If Radek had managed to kill her... things would have gone very differently today. 

Radek. If he'd never sworn to uphold the Secret, who exactly was he? Certainly not part of the mainstream Being community. Perhaps more importantly, what did he hope to gain by eliciting a war between humans and Beings? Chris was inclined to let the Synod deal with these questions but the dragon felt that it had become personal between them. Perhaps the dragon was right, too; he'd attempted to kidnap him and blame him for the slaughter of those NSA agents. He'd planned to kill Susan and Lillian to get to him. 

Yes, it was definitely personal. 

As he lay snuggled around Annabel's comforting feel and smell, his mind even wandered to what this would all mean. A revelation. It was such a huge issue, he couldn't begin to comprehend what would happen. It would be such a hurdle for the governments to agree on a global policy, and for Beings and humans as a whole to agree on whatever they come up with, let alone stick to it. 

He took a long time to eventually drift off, feeling anxiety that there was no way this would go off smoothly. 

Just before dawn, he retreated into the Ether, reconnecting with his otherworldly aspect and replenishing his energy after the previous days of excitement and exertion. 

*** 

Annabel awoke with a start and instantly knew she was alone in bed. There was no warmth against her back, no arm around her middle, no erection between her buttocks. She didn't like it one bit. 




Endangered Ch. 05



Resting up on her hand and looking around the room then at the empty space in their bed, she wondered if he was in the kitchen making coffee for Susan. Perhaps he'd gone to Susan's bed halfway through the night? That thought hurt a little, despite that she'd resolved to quell any jealousy she felt towards his mother. 

Her expression must have clouded because she felt a ghostly touch brush down her bare back, making her shiver. She couldn't help but smile then; he was still there with her. She flumped down onto the bed again, turning to watch. 

"Come back, Babe," she coaxed. 

It took a few seconds before the first cloudy, purple traces of him began to reappear, taking his time with the transition back into the Norm. The unfocused outline fleshed out quickly and soon she was face-to-face with the beautiful dragon again. Her dragon. 

He smiled back at her, draconian countenance bare inches away, eye-to-eye. He snaked an arm out, pulling her against him as she shuffled to help him drag her warmly across the sheets. 

"Don't do that, please," she said quietly, nuzzling against his chin. 

"I have to go sometimes. I think I could take you with me now. Do you want to try that sometime?" he asked, stroking her back peacefully. 

Bartholomew seemed to become excited by the idea of entering the Ether, rushing up from his favorite spot - curled around her belly button - to jump expectantly on her cheek. Annabel could only giggle at his antics, alive and boisterous. 

"Well, he certainly seems to like the idea. Won't it be dangerous for me, though?" 

"I don't think it would be too dangerous. Yesterday I teleported through the Ether to come back here. I felt how the dragon extended our influence to include Michelle when I pulled her in, I think I could do it with you. Besides, you've got Bartholomew, who knows what he'd allow you to do." 

"Yes, but I promised not to test his... our abilities until I understand more about magic. I'd prefer if you'd just be here when I woke up." 

"Okay, but next time I go, I at least want to try bringing you along. There's this idea I've had for somewhere we can all live, it's a bit complicated though and I need a guinea pig." 

"Do tell?" 

"It's a surprise," he smirked. 

"Tease," Annabel batted his chest softly while her other hand slithered between them to hold the angry head of his erection. 

"Already with the name calling? You little nympho." 

"Oh ho ho, that's rich coming from a verified motherfucker," Annabel retorted with no real sting. 

"Ouch," Chris responded before becoming more serious. "How are you doing with that?" 

"I'm okay. Susan and I didn't really have time to talk about it yesterday but now that it's happened I'm not going to put a blanket ban on it. Sometimes I just get... oh, I don't know... possessive?" 

Her feelings on the matter were by no means simple. 

"It's okay, I like that. Lord Guthrie seems to think there's something about dragon males which makes women get along with their other brood-mates more easily. Something magical." 

"Not this, perhaps?" Annabel slid a finger up and down the side of his erection. Teasing it would be payback for it poking her in the belly so rudely just now. 

Chris could only sigh as she tormented his shaft, tracing a single finger up over his crown before ghosting her fingers down in a cage over his fat cockhead and that forced a big twitch of pleasure out of him. She chuckled as she felt his cock jump under her touch. 

"How was it?" 

He could only assume she was referring to his episode with Susan and tried to gauge what sort of an answer she really wanted. 

"Amazing. Really hot, heavy but also very loving. She's a beautiful woman but hadn't done it in a long time, we really enjoyed each other." 

His honesty shocked her a little but it was good. She didn't want a lie. 

She gripped him more firmly in retaliation, stroking up and down. She brought her focus up to the dragon's face, searching his eyes. An inkling of the hot need she'd experienced at their first coupling was creeping back into her system. Her pussy was rapidly preparing itself for him and she felt the dangerous necessity to coax the dragon out again, to goad him into reasserting his possession of her, reassure herself that she was still his. 

"Think you're man enough to handle two women?" 

The dragon growled, too easily rising to her challenge, rolling them quickly so she was trapped beneath him on her back. 

Her legs were already falling open of their own accord as he reached down to position his mighty erection against her moist opening, spreading her thick labia and tiny inner frill to feel her heat against his tip. Without preamble he pushed forward firmly, brushing aside the tight resistance to his entry, sinking halfway into her clutching vagina and forcing a pleasured gasp out of his lover. 

Pulling back slightly, he thrust again into her warmth, so soft and tightly conforming to every inch of him. He didn't stop until his thick crown butted against the gateway to her womb and Annabel huffed, looking up at him with such an expectant, loving expression written all over her gorgeous face. He held himself there as she squirmed, filled absolutely to the brim and revelling in the pleasure that fact gave her. He leant down and kissed her sexy little nose, teasing his mouth across her face on its journey towards her ear. 

"What do you think, little girl. Am I man enough for you?" 

"Chris, I -" she started before he collected a fistful of soft, brown hair at the nape of her neck and silenced her with a dominating kiss. 

Pulling back and arching his whole purple body into her, Chris began a series of long, slow thrusts which made her moan throatily into his mouth as their tongues met carefully around his sharp teeth. His hips undulated lewdly, retracting and sheathing nearly his entire length in a languid pace which had Annabel coming to pieces in mere minutes. 

Her splayed legs involuntarily quivered and jumped as he slowly filled her, completely, again and again. He didn't release their kiss as she clawed at his purple sides in ecstasy, as her breathing through her nose became almost desperate and she gasped in air between their duelling tongues; he held it, too, as her entire body stiffened, her legs wrapping vicelike around him with her toes curled painfully. 

Annabel screamed into his kiss, his cock finally holding still deep inside her as she bucked wildly underneath him, sizzling pleasure consuming her entire being. She could feel her womanhood twitch, soak, and flutter but he was huge and stoic inside her, determined to have her cum for him again. Prove his dominance. 

As she calmed, he slowed the passion of their kiss. She felt limp and satisfied underneath him, his partial weight heavy and comforting on top of her. Annabel felt so loved and completed with him above her like that, so huge and masculine compared to her slim, soft body. 

When he looked into her eyes again, she gave him such a hooded, sexy, satisfied look he had to smile, finally breaking their lips apart and arching his hips into her again, this time aided by the added slickness of her recent joy. 

"Oh, Jesus, how do you do that to me? Fuck, that was awesome," Annabel moaned. "If I didn't know better I wouldn't believe we lost our virginities just over a week ago." 

"That good, huh?" he replied cockily. "So, am I man enough?" 

"You know I only said that to wind you up, babe. And reap the rewards." 

"I know." He pecked her swollen lips. "It seems to work though, doesn't it?" 

Annabel giggled happily, and Chris's purple face distorted in delight as the contractions of her diaphragm caused her flooded pussy to grip and squeeze his hardness all over again. His reaction only made her laugh more; that look of stupid adoration was priceless. 

"Fuck, Annabel!" He pulled her with him as he reared back on his haunches so they were sitting, still deeply connected. "You have no idea how good that feels when you squeeze it like that." He tucked down his nose and groaned in to her soft neck, breathing in her essence. 

She was slightly above him now, sitting on his lap, rocking back and forth gently on his pole. It was so thick as she rolled her hips, hitting every spot inside her as she wrapped her arms around his neck and into his short purple hair. "If you like that, just wait until I'm sick with a cough." 

"How..." Chris started. "Oh, I see. Yeah, that would be hot... kinda weird, though. Besides, you'll never get sick again with me around." 

He had to stop there for a moment as her small movements and now purposeful clenching wreaked havoc on his cock. 

"Oh shit, Dee! You feel perfect like that!" 

He couldn't help but grit his teeth and take hold of her hips, guiding her up and down, forwards and backwards, even in little circles on him. Using her body for his pleasure. 

They went at each other like that for a long time. Kissing and sucking at each other's exposed skin while they mated enthusiastically. Annabel loved riding him like that, being able to use her whole body to move on him, but also able to relax and let him take over if needed. She even indulged in her favorite little quirk: giving the dragon a series of love bites across his taut neck and shoulder in time with the waves of pleasure he unleashed upon her. Even as she did this, her little tattoo dragon nipped her in return, sending tiny shocks across her tummy and breasts. 

Chris loved seeing and feeling her lithe body arch and buck against him. He secured firm handholds in her amazing, peachy ass and pushed her body down onto his slick rod with each of his long upstrokes. He couldn't believe how hot and tight she felt on him, simply exquisite. 

"Yes! Yes, oh yes. Fuck me! Keep going, baby, I'm... ohhhh... I'm gonna cum again soon," Annabel moaned breathily into his hair, pulling his face down to her breast. When his tongue lashed across one of her tiny nipples she automatically arched back, thrusting down hard on his girth. 

"Ggrraahhaaa!" 

Seeing her sleek body arch beautifully like that broke something inside Chris. She was so perfect. So pale and soft, so small and seemingly innocent yet totally sensual as she impaled herself on him; her pose displayed every perfect feminine curve. She was so tight and moist on him, too, her lubrication practically flowing down his shaft in little trickles as her scorching channel shuddered in bliss. 

He pulled her up a little and thrust powerfully from below, hunching his entire body as he frantically sheathed himself barely five more times. Chris felt himself swell inside her, and he gave in to the orgasm which proceeded to devour him, starting right at the tip of his cock against her cervix, and coursing down through the rest of his body like wildfire. 

"Arraaooh, shit!" came his strangled cry against her collar bone. His first pulse of semen practically leapt from him into her womb. More jets of thick cum continued to shoot deep into his mate; he gritted his teeth against the milky skin just above her breast. 

"Yes! Oh, Chris, yes! Give it to me, I can feel it! I love you!" Annabel wailed as her body helplessly fell into her own magically-induced orgasm, milking him for everything he had to give her, feeling him ejaculate so hot and forcefully inside her. 

She felt the sharp points of his bared fangs against her skin; it made her blurt out her next words on instinct. 

"Bite me, Chris. I want it, please!?" 

The dragon roared in triumph inside him, ready to mark their mate and have her swell with their offspring. It was all he could do to hold back, clamping a hand quickly over his sharp mouth before he lost control against her perfect skin. His short fangs ached and dripped, filling his mouth with a spicy, tingling flavor and prompting thick saliva from his glands. He humped his cock deep inside of her with each of the last of his fading spurts, in a state of pleasured agony as he desperately held his mating instincts in check. 

Of his suffering, only a strangled groan reached Annabel's ears. She was too busy riding out her pleasure, clutching his head to her chest and rocking on top of him, hips twitching with every little aftershock. At her bellybutton, Bartholomew writhed and shook in ecstasy, feeding and pulsing from the rich magic his creator gave freely to their beloved mistress. 

Eventually, the lovers relaxed, slumping back onto the bed, an entangled mess of sweaty limbs and sticky, throbbing genitals. 

Catching her attention with a hand on her cheek, Chris kissed Annabel lovingly for a moment before pulling back to speak. 

"Don't say that again unless you really mean it, and everything that would follow. I doubt my dragon would let me stop him again." 

"I know, I'm sorry," Annabel soothed. "But I did mean it, in the moment at least." 

"It's okay. It was just really hard not to bite you. You said it right at the time I would have done it natural. My dragon went nuts." 

"It wouldn't be the worst thing, though. I do want children with you, Chris. What about when you meet another dragon? Aren't you going to start trying straight away?" 

"That's a little bit different, Dee, and that would probably take years to accomplish even if either of the females accept me as a mate. I want kids with you, too, babe, but I don't think we're ready for that." 

"Yes, you're probably right. It was just such a lovely thought in the moment. I love you so much, baby," Annabel whispered, leaning the bare inches between them to kiss the dragon passionately. 

"I love you, too, Dee. And you don't have to worry about when I find another dragon. You'll always be my First and I'll always love you." 

He recaptured his breath, staring deeply into her fawnlike, beautiful eyes. "You'll be my wife now, too." 

*** 

Michelle finally emerged as they were having breakfast around the kitchen bar. If she admitted it to herself, she was terrified to show her face. She'd finally wept herself to sleep, thinking about the day's events but most potently the friends and colleagues she'd lost at the compound. Her slumber was fitful but uninterrupted. 

At least until the pleasured screams struck her disbelieving ears at 7:13 am. 

Once the happy couple - she assumed Chris and Annabel - died down, the reality of her situation hit her again, just as hard as before, like a bullet to a Kevlar vest. Her close colleagues were dead, her boss missing. She was the sole survivor, the recent, reluctant familiar of a powerful teenage Being. A Class One dragon no less. 

It had all seemed a little fake yesterday, like a play or something, but it hit home this morning. 

Back when they'd learned about the class system, her agency had helped come up with contingencies for dealing with each of the classes and species, the appropriate force of action needed to take one down. On the brainstorm whiteboard, their best guesses for dealing with Class One Beings included airstrikes and cruise missiles. From what she'd seen of the dragon, none of this would even scratch him. He could simply phase into another dimension and emerge at will anywhere he desired. 

Now she was his property, and although he'd seemed kind and understanding yesterday, caring even, she dreaded what today would bring. She was alone, so deep into enemy waters she felt sure she'd sink and drown, overwhelmed. 

After she'd showered in her very own fancy ensuite, she changed back into yesterday's clothes, plus the slightly-too-big T-shirt Susan had given her last night to sleep in. It took a few minutes of self-convincing, telling herself that she was a proud NSA agent. Finally, she worked up the courage to peek around her door. 

"Good morning," Annabel chirped as she spotted Michelle from her post at the stove. "I've made Chris's favorite, banana pancakes, and there's plenty to go around... if you get in fast enough." 

Everyone turned to look at Michelle for a moment before Chris broke the silence with an enthusiastic mumble through a very full mouthful. 

"Teeear goord!" 

"Excuse my son's manners, they are really good, though." Susan came forward to strong-arm Michelle into a seat while Annabel loaded a stack straight from the pan onto a plate in front of her. "Annabel's training as a chief in the fall so she's our dedicated cook at the moment... when we don't get lazy and order room service that is. I'm getting spoiled living here." 

Michelle glanced up and found the dragon watching her. Determined to regain some of her composure, she held his gaze. 

He swallowed his mouthful and smiled, displaying his intimidating teeth and fangs yet again. 

It looked so absurd, a half-man, half-purple-dragon sitting at a kitchen bar in jeans and a black t-shirt with holes ripped in the back for his folded wings. Meanwhile, his obviously happy fiancé served him pancakes while his mother hovered over her. 

Absurd. 

Now where was the vampire? 

"Did you sleep okay? How are you doing?" Chris asked. 

"I'm fine," Michelle answered, defensive but not unfriendly. By his look, she could tell he didn't believe her. 

"Okay. Well, first things first, in the spirit of everyone getting along... Lillian? I'd like you to apologize to Michelle for how you treated her yesterday." 

Susan took in a sharp breath, looking over to where she'd last sensed the invisible vampire, not knowing how she would take to the request for an apology. 

"Absolutely, I planned to do exactly that." 

Michelle jumped, locating the disembodied voice as coming from near the big silver fridges. There wasn't even a shimmer or rift in the air to give the vampire away. 

"I'm sorry for treating you so roughly, Michelle. I'm a vampire, you see. We have violent tendencies lurking close to the surface and I was worked up after failing my duty and having to leave Chris to be arrested by you." 

"Incredible," Michelle marvelled, able to hear the voice but still unable to detect anything else. Then the words sank in. "Um. Thank you for the apology, Lillian. There was no permanent damage after he healed my neck." 

"And I would like to apologize to you, Lillian," Chris said earnestly. "I didn't mean to grab you like that and I certainly didn't mean to tear your skin, I just didn't know how to get through to you." 

"There's no need, Chris. I'm a big girl, I can handle a little rough and tumble." 

Lillian downplayed the whole incident, even though it had highlighted to herself her feelings and instincts towards the dragon. She'd once again tried to steel herself against him last night, unsuccessfully. That venture had ended rather explosively. Pleasurably. She couldn't help herself when he was fucking his little girlfriend; the noises they made were too easily the music to her own release. She was practically addicted to it. 

Now she smirked. She would get at least some revenge. "That's not to say I won't take it out on you this morning though; I'm going to whoop your ass all over the mat." 

Chris could only groan; she would do it, too. Although, this time he'd be in his half-form and he planned to surprise her with some phasing, if he felt up to it. 

"So, ah...What will I be doing today? Or for the rest of my life, for that matter?" Michelle asked after her first bite of pancake. "Mhhrmm, Annabel, these are really good." 

Annabel beamed. 

"Well, the Synod has already made a 'request' to Chris that they borrow you to help them get ready for their phone call at noon," Lillian said. 

"I think you'll actually be flat out between the governments and the Synod for the foreseeable future," Chris added. "If that's what you want to do?" 

"Yes, I think I could make a big difference there. If the Synod actually listens to me, that is." 

"They're going to have to. They have almost no connection to the human world and need your help badly. Once this is resolved, though, who knows. You could do whatever you want. They might abolish the idea of familiars altogether, or we could still all wipe each other out in a global war. In the meantime, you're one of us, a keeper of the Secret. You'll be under my protection from other Beings and you're supposed to ah... obey and serve... all that good stuff. As far as I'm concerned though, you've been forced into this so you can do whatever you like as long as you don't get yourself into too much trouble. I'll try to help you out any way I can." 




Endangered Ch. 05



"Thank you, Chris. What about my things, though? Where am I going to live? Also, I need to buy some emergency items as soon as possible. Some clothes, toiletries and a new set of glasses." 

"Don't worry about all that," Susan said. "I can help you get what you need this morning before you go to the Compound. I'd say it's best to live with us for the moment, there's plenty of room. You're his familiar after all and the accommodation is gratis from Lady Reyla. We'll sort out your past life as we go but I imagine you did a lot of traveling and weren't exactly tied down?" 

"Yes, you're right, I guess. There isn't all that much to set in order, I'm sure I can get someone from the agency to clear out my apartment and send my personals here or into storage." 

"Great, it's settled then, other than a few details." 

Immediate concerts covered for the moment and feeling generally more optimistic about her future, Michelle devoted herself to eating the tasty breakfast while studying the others. 

Chris was clearly the center of the group; Annabel openly adored him and though Susan held herself back as the younger woman didn't, Michelle quickly suspected there was something more than motherly affection going on there. Barely seconds after she'd come to that conclusion, it was confirmed as mother and dragon shared an open mouth kiss before she excused herself briefly to call into work. 

"It's complicated," sighed Chris, catching Michelle's shocked look. 

"I bet." 

"She isn't my biological mother. I guess you could say she was my nurse when I was young, before my parents were killed. She raised me in hiding as a human for all these years and we love each other dearly. That kind of transformed into what you saw as I... transformed into this," he gestured at himself, the dragon. 

"But you said you were engaged to Annabel," Michelle countered. 

"All I can say about that is that dragons don't really do one-to-one. The males usually gather groups, broods. It's a bit of a problem actually, it's skewed our population to be about one-quarter male, three-quarters female." 

"And apparently he has some sort of magic which makes us docile enough towards each other for it to work," Annabel added, wrapping the dragon up in a hug from behind and delivering some kisses into his neck. 

Michelle raised her hands in surrender. 

"I'm not going to pretend to understand and I'll try not to pass judgement." 

"Told you it was complicated." 

Susan came back a moment later, producing a small vial which Chris quickly recognized from the rather memorable flight back from London. Its slightly purple contents shimmered ominously on the bench. 

"You can't be serious," Chris swallowed. "She'll never do it." 

"She has to," Susan replied. 

Lillian outright laughed. 

"Do what?" Michelle and Annabel asked in quick succession. 

"This is a potion to prevent Chris's pheromones from affecting you, Michelle. You need to take a drop or two in your food or on your skin every morning. I'm a little surprised they haven't affected you already, perhaps you aren't attracted to him." 

"I think I'm in too much shock to be attracted to anything," Michelle diverted. "A potion. Like a magic one? It's not like the truth syrup yesterday, is it? That was horrible." 

"Hrrmm," Susan murmured thoughtfully. "No, it's not like the truth syrup, you won't even notice it. It's about your only option, unless you want to become dragonstruck?" 

"No, no I don't want that." Michelle blushed. 

"Oh my god, you have to tell her, Mom," Chris interrupted, his voice almost panicked. 

"Do you want to know what's in it? Or remain oblivious?" Susan chuckled. 

Michelle considered the option for a moment. 

"If it works and doesn't hurt me, I think I'd rather not know, judging by his reaction." 

Susan quickly droppered a little onto Michelle's arm while Annabel pinched Chris in the background until he divulged the main ingredient into her ear in an embarrassed whisper. Her eyes shot wide and she covered her mouth, trying to suppress her giggles. Susan was evil, but she was probably right. Michelle would never agree if she knew. 

"Okay. Now, you mentioned you needed some new glasses. How bad is your eyesight?" Susan asked. 

"It's not great, I'm near-sighted so I wear glasses almost all the time. It hasn't been too much of a problem though because most of my work is reading or combing over computer screens," explained Michelle. 

"What would you do to have clear eyesight again?" Susan probed. 

Michelle's mind momentarily took her back to a rather emotional memory. She was fifteen, watching the optometrist scribble omenously in his notes while her mother held her hand. He looked up at her with a sad smile and started explaining that she would have to wear glasses for the rest of her life. 

"Anything," replied Michelle enthusiastically. She really hoped the witch wasn't stringing her along. 

*** 

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Michelle asked for the umpteenth time. 

"No, it's completely experimental," Susan said."However, I see no reason why it wouldn't, it's got powerful healing properties, beyond simply closing a wound. It could take a few doses, though. There are probably other ways to do this but who knows how much they cost?" 

"Gross. Okay, let's do it." 

Susan handed her the two eyebaths, which Michelle placed and inverted, blinking quickly and trying not to think about the fresh dragon saliva hopefully doing its work in her eyes. 

She held it like that for several minutes, staring into blackness as the discomfort faded. Her arms and neck became sore from holding the pose. 

"That should do it," Susan indicated. 

Michelle thankfully dumped the baths in the bathroom sink and began flushing her face and eyes very thoroughly with water. Reluctant to open her eyes and be disappointed, she dried her face carefully on the offered towel and sighed deeply. She opened them gradually, squinting, then blinking away the blurriness from the water. Looking up, the improvement was instantly visible. 

Michelle hadn't truly realized what she'd been missing out on until her vision was repaired. Astonishment and disbelief silenced her; everything was clear again, like when she was a child. It was... it was magic. 

She very nearly cried. 

"Oh my God, thank you, Susan," she mumbled through her hand over her mouth, attempting to stem back the tide. 

"It's fine, dear." Susan rubbed her shoulder as Michelle looked at herself in the mirror. 

Michelle could feel it coming, her chest broiled as a meltdown loomed. She'd been on edge for the last six months and after everything that had gone wrong yesterday, this was such a wonderful gift. 

She bolted for the bathroom door, making a b-line for the startled dragon, and wrapped her arms up around his neck. She gave him a heartfelt hug which he quickly returned as she finally broke down. 

"You'll never understand how much this means to me," she sobbed into his chest, taking ragged breaths of his pleasant scent. Her friends were dead. She was surrounded by those she considered enemies in an entirely alien world of magic, fantasy, and science fiction but as the dragon wrapped his strong arms around her firmly, she knew she was at least safe with him. Even more surprisingly, she no longer regretted being his familiar. Her facade of strength had fallen, but at least she'd found a friend. 

Chris was a little worried by her breakdown but stroked up and down her back comfortingly. The dragon even dared to lower his head and plant a kiss into her short, black hair, smelling strongly of the shampoo she'd recently used. 

"It's going to be okay, Michelle," he soothed. 

"Thank you so much," she looked up into his purple face, so unusual with his flattened snout and shocking reptilian eyes. However, she could still see the young man there, too, and couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this close to anyone. "Thank you for everything." 

"Hey, I didn't do anything. Susan was the one who came up with the idea. You're welcome, though," Chris replied as she pulled away, still holding one of his purple, taloned hands. 

Michelle thought he probably didn't grasp the depth and sincerity of her thanks, playing the whole situation down. Well, she would let it slide for the moment, perhaps not forever, though. 

"This gives me so much hope, Chris. If you can fix something as important as my eyesight so easily with magic, there's no telling what humans and Beings could accomplish together. I'm going to make sure I get a chance to see it happen. I'll devote myself to making sure the revelation goes off without a hitch." 

*** 

The dragon's huge body crashed to the padded mat underneath her and Lillian smiled; she still had him beat in his half form. Straddling his tummy, she held one of his arms in the lock with which she'd forced him to the floor. 

It hadn't been easy. He was both stronger and faster in this form, more resilient. He'd landed a few hits but he was no match for someone who'd been training in Being combat for hundreds of years, and who had undead strength to back up her training. It was enjoyable sparring with him, though, a real thrill for her inner beast. 

Perched on top of him, she could feel his solid chest heaving between her legs, watch his handsome face as it twitched in pain. Like this, at her mercy, the young dragon would have been hers to do with as she pleased if it weren't for the blood pact. What exactly she wanted to do to him was still a matter of debate between her instincts and apprehensions. 

Suddenly, her smile vanished as she found herself dropping to the floor, letting out a startled huff of air as her ass hit the mat. Too late she registered that the dragon had phased into the Ether; a ghostly touch at her neck told her he was already coming back through to the Norm behind her. 

Chris merged back with a triumphant growl in her ear, one arm forming a cage around her elbows, uncaring how he squeezed across her huge breasts. The other held her neck in a threat of simulated death. 

"Well done, Chris," Lillian acknowledged. "I think I might have gotten away if I'd been expecting you to phase, but once you had me I didn't put up a fight." She tilted her head back to look up at him briefly before giving a token, futile struggle against his hold. "Always be careful when you phase in training, you could cripple me if you got it wrong." 

"How's that?" Chris asked behind her as he held her pinned against him, automatically scenting the back of her neck, deliciously teasing him with her subtle smell of honey, woman, and vampire. 

" I forget you haven't been taught these things. Phasing in combat is so devastating because, with skill, you could phase part of yourself inside your enemy's body and do internal damage, bypassing any of your enemy's physical defenses. The only real way to stop it is to have some sort of barrier mechanism around you or to move so quickly that the phaser can never catch up from inside the Ether." 

"So... if I'd misjudged and actually positioned my hand inside your neck when I merged back..." 

"Yes, you would have displaced parts of me in favor of your hand." 

"Oh shit, I'm sorry, Lillian," Chris quickly released the amazon who got gracefully to her feet and offered him a hand. 

"There's no need to be sorry, Chris, it is part of your aspect. Just like I'm very strong as a vampire. That's why you'll be such a terror on the battlefield once you have training. The way you used it then, to get into a position where your enemy is at your mercy, is very effective. Only a little tingle on my neck gave me any warning and by then it was already too late. Practice to become faster and more accurate as you merge." 

"Okay, thanks. I only really did it because I was frustrated that I could barely manage to touch you." 

"I've got centuries of practice, Chris, I'm a Class Two vampire; possibly the most physically-oriented Being species there is. There's no shame in being beaten in practice fights, especially by me. You're getting better, too, learning how to avoid me and trying new ways to hit back. That's very good." 

Lillian's compliments were sincere. He was a great sparring partner and she suspected a day would come when he would surpass her in every way. 

"Thanks, Lillian," Chris smiled, feeling heartened. He felt a little better, and he would certainly be even more careful about phasing in the future. 

"As you've discovered, you can also phase to move very quickly from one place to another." Lillian watched his half form admiringly as he took position to come at her again. What wouldn't she do for her own pair of wings like that! Sadly, she still had several hundred years to wait. 

"Yeah, I was thinking about that last night. I went about six hundred-forty thousand meters per second to get from Harrisburg to here as fast as I did, which is roughly about point two percent the speed of light. I can't decide if that seems fast or not, considering I teleported." 

"Nerd," Lillian smiled at him affectionately. "Most people call it teleporting, but different Beings have different methods of accomplishing the same thing, so the term doesn't strictly apply." 

"It was so weird. I felt absolutely nothing except time passing. There was no sense of consciousness, I just knew that a few seconds had gone by, then I was back." 

"You don't have to always use it like that, you can just jump a few meters, reposition yourself to defend against or attack your opponent conventionally without the risk of being close enough to phase into them. That's very effective, too, and completely demoralizing for your enemy." 

"I think I've done that by accident before," Chris said as he thought back to his first romp in the Ether, when he got stuck there for almost an hour because his dragon hadn't bothered to tell him how to get out. "Do you want me to try that now?" 

"No, why don't we go over some blocks and holds as a cool down before we go make that inquiry you mentioned at the compound." 

She proceeded to teach him the throws she'd been using so successfully against him. Of course, the best way to teach him in her mind was to use them on him all over again. Lillian's idea of a "cool down" had Chris panting and sore in no time at all, even in his half form. Her amusement was easy to read by the time they wrapped up. 

When they were finished, Chris went to find Oslo. The grizzly was using one of the resistance machines to exercise his inhuman strength. 

"So... I've got an idea about a place to live. But, it's going to be quite the project and I'd like your advice." 

"Go on," Oslo replied in his gravelly voice. 

"Underground," Chris stated, looking to the werebear as he hoisted an obscene weight before continuing. "I want to buy a property, an old lot or a disused house, it doesn't really matter. Then build a subterranean residence below it. I just need someone who knows how to do it." 

"Seems like a good idea so far," the bear huffed, muscles straining under the load, he finished his set before continuing. "Security, privacy, secrecy, everything you're probably going to need, if you don't mind having no view that is." 

"That's what I was thinking." 

"I may know just the guy to help. He won't be cheap, but that isn't a problem because you can always trade for future favors." 

*** 

Chris changed back into his human form in the gym shower. The added strength and reflexes were great for sparing... and lovemaking... but it wasn't practical to be a dragon all day, especially when you had to go outside. 

He, Oslo, and Lillian made their way to the main office at the Compound, traversing the underground network of tunnels which linked a lot of the Being sector together. He really liked the underground vibe; it resonated with his dragon but he still wondered if he wanted his own home linked to the system or not. 

His workout had relieved some of the stresses of the past days, giving him an upbeat lookout. He was grateful for that, even though he knew it would wear off soon enough. 

Lillian directed Chris to the properties office, a single desk manned by a venerable goblin. There were a number of Being-owned options so he took the portfolios of several he thought might fit his idea. 

"Couldn't I just buy a property on the human market by trading my gold for cash with Reyla?" Chris asked, a little confused about why it was necessary to go through the Being system. 

"Well, technically you could," Lillian reasoned. "But, there are laws which require us to respect human currency and not create opportunities for them to notice us. Buying up human-owned land and exchanging large quantities of magical currency for human money are certainly frowned upon. It's another opportunity for some accountant or bank officer to notice irregularities... although, perhaps that isn't particularly relevant any longer." 

"Huh," Oslo grunted, continuing with a huge grin on his shaggy countenance. "No thanks to you, Lillian. All these years of experience and you can't even stop a bunch of humans from capturing your hatchling dragon." 

Lillian hissed half-heartedly at his friendly poking, although she did still feel self-blame over the incident. However, from the discussion she'd had with Chris that morning, she was no longer certain there had been something she could have done to stop it. 

Oslo called his contact and arranged a late morning meeting at his house. It was slightly away from the Being district but not too far. The werebear, dragon, and invisible vampire decided to take the thirty-five minute walk instead of using a pool car. It was a pleasant day; sunny but with a healthy breeze to keep the temperature manageable. 

The three essentially being introverts, they were mostly quiet on the walk, enjoying the day, but occasionally Chris would ask them some questions which were happily answered. 

Both older Beings enjoyed the dragon's company; having often worked as a team, Chris fit in well. It made it seem more like they were just out for a walk as friends rather than being his bodyguards. Oslo even howled with laughter as Lillian described Chris's discomforting encounter with the flight attendant on their return from Scotland. 

"Hey, it's not funny," Chris defended. "How am I supposed to deal that every day?" 

"Ahh, the curse of irresistibility," Oslo teased. "I bet you had fantasies about women falling over themselves to get to you. Not so glamorous now though, is it?" 

"No. And all Lillian did was sit there and laugh." 

"Well, she wasn't a threat to your safety," the vampire reasoned. "Besides, Susan's potion sorted her out very nicely after your little escapade to the bathroom. Remind me, what exactly went on in there?" 

"Shut up, Lillian." Chris blushed scarlet. 

At Oslo's prodding the vampire whispered the wicked details and he promptly burst open with laughter again. 

"You're too easy, Chris, but don't worry; we'll cure that bashfulness soon enough." 

When they arrived at their destination, Chris was surprised to see just a normal, two-storied suburb house. He didn't know why but he still had this expectation that Beings lived in obscure and unusual places. 

A knock on the door was quickly answered by a large, middle-aged man who offered him a hearty handshake and a friendly smile. 

"Hello, you must be Christopher. I'm Stephen Sibon. Come in, come in. It's nice to see you again, Oslo, Lillian." 

Stephen welcomed them into the hallway and Chris caught a faint familiar smell he couldn't quite place. 

"Hailey, come downstairs." 

"Just a minute, Daddy!" came a high pitched call from upstairs. 

"Come on through to the kitchen, what can I get you to drink? I was just about to fire up the coffee machine."