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."