Endangered Ch. 04

"Yes, that's why I'm calling. I'm almost certain he's perfect for Claire and he could use both of you to help him come to terms with being a dragon. He only awakened a week ago. Yes, he's very good looking, smelling, too, if you must know. He's a big cutie." Elizabeth grinned at Chris again as he blushed even harder. "No, I think it's best if they meet face-to-face. Yes, Denver, you won't even have to move continent. Great! I'll send you his profile, you should call him in a few days once he gets back. Yes. Bye-bye, dear, and good luck."

She hung up and came to sit by him again, stroking the back of his folded wing and sending shivers over him. "That was Claire's mother."

"Oh?" Chris managed; he didn't know if her being this intimate with him was pleasant or awkward.

"They'll call in a few days to arrange a meeting. I'm sure you'll make them very happy," she whispered close to his ear.

"Them? Both of them?" Chris was worried; he already had too many women to deal with.

"Well, of course. If they like you, and they will. You're one of the biggest, most attractive males I've seen in generations and you have a species to save." As she spoke Elizabeth began teasing his wing more forcefully, making it twitch. She also leaned in again to sniff him, pressing her lips against his shoulder and her soft breasts against his arm. "I'm sure you'reupto it."

Chris followed her eyes down to his jeans where the telltale sign of his erection was bulging a little painfully down his leg. He noticed her scent in the air again and it only made his hard on twitch even more.

"Stop," Chris pleaded. "Your husband's sitting right there."

"Give the poor boy a break, Beth." John chuckled, knowing just how much his mate loved to play.

Elizabeth stopped her teasing, holding her hands still but mashing her breasts in a little closer. Chris was actually showing surprising restraint; she'd half expected her smell to have him pawing at her.

"Little hatchling," She cooed with her breath in his ear. "I have chosen John, but if I were young and unmated, I'd have raped you by now."

"Fuck," Chris murmured, as she strutted back over to sit by her husband, sharing a brief kiss with her mate.

That was when it really hit him, she wasn't just a woman. She was a dragon just like him. She had the same wild beast inside her, the same instincts, to fly, to hunt, to mate. The magnificent female had just been playing with him, and he was far out of his depth.

He got a sudden urge to challenge the older male for her but his dragon's twisted reason prevailed; it wouldn't be respectful to his elders nor logical to the survival of his species.

***

Susan woke up not long after and they ate a hearty roast meal prepared by Catherine, who turned out to be a wood sprite from the nearby forest, and John's lover. Chris wondered how they made that dynamic work.

"So it's true for all dragons?" he asked, glancing at Susan and remembering what she'd told him about the other women who had lived with his father when the was young. "How do you make something like that work?"

Elizabeth looked to be somewhat glowing as she straightened her back to answer. "John is the one I chose, and he keeps me happy and satisfied. As long as that remains, I don't care who else he does." She winked over at Catherine before continuing. "Besides, I love her, too."

Lord Guthrie chuckled and finished chewing a large bite of meat before speaking to Chris, gesticulating with his knife while his fork was already on the way to skewer a succulent potato. "We have a theory on this. It seems that something about dragon males makes their women content to share, though no one seems to be sure if it's just the scent or something about the sex." He shrugged. "I personally support the theory. When I was young-"

"Twelve hundred years ago," Elizabeth teased her mate, and Chris's eyes bulged a little at hearing that.

"Ahem. Yes. Anyway, when I was young, I saw two elf sisters who detested each other both fall in love with the same dragon, and they lived under his roof, more or less happily, for centuries!"

This confirmed Lillian's own suspicions from the last few days; there was something about the way Annabel and Susan quickly fell into sharing the dragon that seemed far too easy. Sure, they might have known each other for years but she'd suspected some sort of influence or magic. But if Chris had no control over it, he could hardly be blamed for doing anything seedy or forbidden, like mind-control. Perhaps it was all part of being dragon-struck, like Annabel and Susan clearly were.

She mused over this for a while before examining their attack for the umpteenth time. They should be in the clear, but the humans were still bothering her, annoyingly so. She had to do something about it. She'd have to have a friend look them up when she got back to Denver.

Lillian was feeling hungry as well, especially watching the others eat. The dragons didn't have any blood on hand and she'd wished Elizabeth hadn't told Chris how hard it was for her to resist his blood. He'd given her such a sorrowful look, like he actually cared she was suffering. Now she was surrounded by three delicious smelling dragons, yet strangely Chris still stood out as her preferred choice. Perhaps his scent had become engrained in her mind; he was certainly young and fresh, just the way she liked it.

When dinner was over they talked for a few more minutes before starting for bed, keen to have an early night after their travel and traumatic day. They would be back on the road by midmorning, their expected time here cut short by the unknown threat that had tracked them on the road.

Catherine showed Chris to his room, a simple guest bedroom with a nice, long, double bed. He was still in his dragon form and didn't much feel like changing back, so the size suited him. Catherine carried on down the hall to show Susan her room, but Chris turned to find his mother hovering nervously by his door.

"Can I stay with you tonight? I'll sleep on the flo.." Susan started.

"Sure," He said. "Bring your stuff in and shut the door."

Instead she just rushed into his arms, squeezing his hard body tight. "Thank you, Chris. Thank you for everything, especially this afternoon. I love you."

"I love you too, Mom."

He hugged back. She seemed to be the only one deeply affected by the afternoon's events. The only normal one.

Susan then collected her small suitcase and shut the door as he'd suggested. He was rummaging around in his own case as she went to the bathroom, brushing her teeth and changing into an old t-shirt and a new pair of silky, breathable panties for bed. When she came out, he was just in a pair of sweatpants, his broad, creamy chest and strong purple arms displayed to her. She started making a nest of blankets on the floor to sleep in but he interrupted her.

"Jump in bed, you don't have to sleep on the floor."

Susan's blood thumped in her ears as she pulled back the sheet and slid into the bed.

Will he let me sleep with him?she wondered as he went to the bathroom.Maybe not... he's probably just being a gentleman as usual, sleeping on the floor so I can have the bed.

When he emerged he went over to his side and slid in, too, her heart raced. Was this really going to happen?

They lay there on their sides watching each other for a few moments, his wings resting behind him. Susan didn't dare move, caught in his intense gaze, scared that any movement on her part would scare the mystical creature away from her.

Chris felt an overwhelming urge to hold her close, reassure himself she was okay. He acted on that protective, primal feeling, his arm snaking under the covers with inhuman quickness around her waist, making her gasp. He dragged her unceremoniously across the bed to him, the friction of the sheets hot against her skin.

Before she knew it, he was nuzzling her hair, stroking down her exposed side dangerously close to her breasts and bare ass as he fitted her against his body. Susan sighed, relaxing herself completely, letting everything fall away except his comforting, arousing touches. She tilted her head up and found his lips already descending on hers; they kissed passionately but slowly for what seemed like hours.

It was her first time being physical with him in this form. She couldn't deny that it somehow had added appeal. Maybe she was just a sucker for his more defined muscles, which she proceeded to explore with her hands. Maybe it was the danger of his teeth and claws, or the softness of his tiny scales. His essence certainly smelled and tasted stronger like this.

Chris loved kissing Susan, he always did. She made such appreciative little noises and he adored her cute, slightly larger upper lip, teased it mercilessly until it was even more swollen. It gave her a sexy, breathless look when it parted to reveal a little of her front teeth. He found himself quickly hardening as they kissed, stroking up and down her body with one hand while their tongues slid languidly against each other.

She seemed to be scared of his teeth but he opened them and coaxed her to explore. She actually nicked herself with a little squeak but he didn't release her and the tiny wound was healed by his saliva in seconds. Reminded of her previous run-in with the windshield glass, he released her lips and sought out all the tiny scratches on her arms and face, licking them briefly until all traces were gone.

She still smelt of angst and fear. His dragon hated it, wanted to make that smell fade away entirely.

He continued stroking her side, occasionally running the hand between them to her soft, slightly padded tummy. Susan wasn't thin like Annabel; she was softer, her belly a little rounded, more giving and her breasts and hips much fuller. Chris was tempted to cup those full, enticing orbs through her shirt but that might be too much, he only wanted to sleep with her tonight, not actuallysleep with her.

Susan was breathing heavily as he finally broke away, turning to retrieve his phone before rolling back to her. Seeping up form between the covers came the musky scent of her readiness. It was heady and powerfully womanly, thick in his nostrils and tantalizing on his partially reptilian tongue.

My god, she's beautiful, what does she see in me?he asked himself.

He captured the image of her upturned, expectant face with her long black hair arrayed behind her. She had such a pleading look in her blue eyes, like she really wanted it but had resigned herself not to ask. It almost undid him so he dialled the phone, placing it against his ear with one hand so he could still look at her and hold his other at the tapering of her waist.

Susan saw him struggle, like he almost gave in and would have taken her, before he pulled back. It was agony for her. She hadn't even dared to hope he would let them sleep together so soon, let alone that he would let them have sex.

Now she was so hot it was ridiculous. She'd seen him sniff and flick his tongue slightly and she knew that he knew she was soaking wet. Her long-neglected womanhood craved his touch and seemed to be making up for lost time. She could feel it, hot and moist, already matting her thick, curly hair with moisture and soaking the pair of underwear she'd worn to bed. She felt achy, needy, even gave an experimental clench of her internal muscles and pressed her legs together, almost moaning at the little flash of stimulation it provided. His wood-smoky scent was thick in her lungs too, making her bold. She realized as he waited for the phone to be answered that she had to at least ask.

"Hello, babe! God, I've missed you." Annabel answered excitedly. She'd been waiting for his call all day, but attempted to convince herself she wasn't.

"I miss you, too, Dee. I wish you were here. You'd have loved to see London but we barely even stopped. Maybe next time." Chris was still watching Susan beside him.

"Yeah, next time. Anyway how was your trip?" she asked. She couldn't be sure but his voice sounded a little deeper and slightly hissy. Perhaps he was in his dragon form again.

"Well, honestly it was going great until some ass-hats attacked us..." Chris started, reluctantly admitting the afternoon's misadventure.

"What!? Are you okay?" She was suddenly breathing heavily as pulses of adrenaline entered her blood, an ugly churning started in her stomach.

"Yes, I'm fine," Chris chuckled, "I'm talking to you, aren't I?"

"Shut up, you ass, what happened? Is Susan okay? What about Lillian?" She was miffed that he would laugh at her concern.

"Lillian's fine. Susan..." He paused, looking meaningfully at her.

She was listening but could only pick up snippets of Annabel's voice. She gave him a nod, signalling that she was okay, too, at least she would be. He squeezed her waist gently in reply.

"Susan's going to be okay, she's right next to me actually, we... ah... we're in bed together."

"That's fine, Chris." Annabel almost instantly understood Susan's desire to be close to him, she knew she would always seek him out for safety and comfort. "What happened?"

"Well, we were just driving along this road and suddenly Lillian stepped on the gas, shouting about a car behind us. Mom said something about there being someone trying to kill the engine with magic and then they shot at us."

"Oh my god!" Annabel breathed.

"Yeah, it was crazy. Well anyway, I kinda' flipped out then, my dragon was so angry I barely knew what I was doing. Before I could even think I was in the Ether, then flying down on top of the car. They tried to shoot me through the roof, they hit my wing, it's fine now by the way. Anyway, I had this idea that it would be great if I had a grenade, you know like in a game?"

"Uh-huh..." Annabel listened, rapt with fear and suspense.

"Next thing I know, I'm slamming this purple ball right through the roof and taking off again. It melted a hole right through the metal. Then there was an explosion and all this purple shrapnel came flying out of the car before it crashed into a tree." Chris paused there, realising he was about to admit to killing four men.

"Shit, what happened next?" Annabel asked.

"They were dead, Annabel." Chris said slowly, tempted for a moment to leave it there. But he couldn't lie to her like that, not about something like this. "Well, one of them was barely alive. I asked him why he did it, who sent him, but he just said to fuck myself. It made me so mad, Dee, I don't even know why but I snapped his neck just like that. The worst part is I can't bring myself to care. I care that I don't care about it but I just can't bring myself to feel for them after what they tried to do."

Annabel didn't respond at first. "S-so... you don't know who they were?"

He swallowed nervously before continuing. "Lillian says that two of them were humans who look like they work for the government. It's strange though, apparently there's no reason they should have been involved, and they weren't familiars. She pretty much told me to man the fuck up and get over it. Then we drove off to meet Lord Guthrie."

There was silence on the other end of the line as Susan rubbed his chest comfortingly.

"You're scared of me now." Chris could feel it.

"Well, yeah, Chris, I'm a bit scared. You were attacked and killed four people with a fucking magical grenade," Annabel replied quietly.

Chris sighed, "I'm sorry Annabel, I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm scared, too, don't hate me."

Her breath came out in a surprised rush. "Of course I don't hate you, you idiot. I love you. It's just a shock, I'm glad you can defend yourself and us it's just... I wish you didn't have to, alright? But if someone tries to kill you, you kill them right back. It's a bit disconcerting that you say you don't care about killing them but I think I can understand that. They tried to kill you after all, right? I mean I know it isn't how society is supposed to work but it makes sense, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess," Chris mumbled.

"Hey, I'll always love you, no matter what happens. Remember that."

"Thanks, Dee, it means a lot. I'll always love you, too."

"Okay, well, how was it to meet other dragons. Were they nice?" Annabel asked, trying to cheer him up.

"Yeah, it's good. Elizabeth, Lord Guthrie's wife, got a bit touchy with me but apparently it's all about getting to know what my dragon's like. She said I'd make a perfect mate for someone called Claire Godran and insinuated that her mother Petra would want some, too. Then she called Petra and gave her my details, she's going to call once I get back apparently. We talked about all sorts of dragon stuff, much of it makes a lot more sense now."

"Wow, stud. They work fast huh? They must really want some more dragon babies," Annabel teased.

They'd discussed his likely mating to other dragons before he'd left. Annabel understood it was unavoidable but stuck to her philosophy about bridges. Ultimately, she knew she held a special place in his heart, that he would come back to her bed at the end of the night even if he had "graced" other women's beds with his presence. His confessions and honesty about killing those men and knowing of two possible mates was proof of that to her. She was becoming more comfortable with him as a dragon, understanding his nature and that he would always have his fierce love for her.

"Yeah, there's this whole weird 'balance' issue around how Beings reproduce, I'll tell you about it later. How are your parents by the way?"

"Well, my dad's still being an ass. He actually asked if I'd let you fuck me. Can you believe that? Those were his exact words. 'So, you let him fuck you, didn't you?' " Annabel imitated in a mocking, deep voice. "What an ass. Anyway I just told him yes, that it was awesome and stomped off into my room. Mom was great, though, she could tell we love each other just by looking at me. She's happy for me but I could tell she wanted us to get married. I... I ah, might have told her we were engaged. That's alright, right? You'll marry me?"

"Uh..." Chris felt like he'd been hit in the stomach with a bag of bricks but he quickly recovered. "I never thought a woman would ask me over the phone. I think it's a little too soon, don't you? I mean we're so young, what will people say?"

Annabel sighed into the phone, knowing he was just being a dick.

He chuckled. "Of course I'll marry you, Annabel. We're already bound together for life, if you hadn't noticed."

Susan let out a happy squeak, smiling brightly up at him.

"Ugg, I did notice, actually." Annabel muttered, glancing at Bartholomew peeking out of her shirt at her shoulder. "The little shit's been trying to introduce himself to everyone I meet! Creeping up towards my arms when I'm talking to Mom. I must look so weird when I slap myself to make him stop. Anyway, it's almost lunchtime. Thanks for calling and for agreeing to marry me, I know it's not, you know, like a proper romanticized proposal but it'll mean a lot to my parents."

"Okay, Dee, I love you. We're cutting it short because of the attack so I'll be back in about a day hopefully. Say hi to Oslo..."

"Let me talk to her, Chris," Susan said, startling him a little.

"Oh, ah, Susan wants to talk to you." Chris handed the phone to his mother.

"Congratulations, Annabel!" Susan bubbled, "But shouldn't you have asked me for his hand first?"

"You're so old-fashioned," Annabel teased back. "You're okay, though, Susan? I mean, after all that stuff on the road."

"Yeah, I think I'll be fine, I was so scared though and angry at him for being impulsive. He's been great though, holding me. I feel much better now." Susan pausing as Chris resumed stroking her. "Annabel," Susan panted a little. "I wasn't going to but now he's touching me and I have to ask... Can I? I mean can we?..."