Endangered Ch. 07

"I see the potential, Stephan. It needs a bit of tidying up though," Chris noted a little warily.

"I agree. It's a little rough and ready in appearance, hasn't been used for a good few years. You can see some of the brickwork around the base is deteriorating and there's rust on the roofing iron. I actually think you might like it looking a bit dilapidated. It will attract less attention. Besides, when you see some of the miracles I can work on a place like this, you'll come to love the extra character."

They continued discussing the merits of the place as they entered the property through a small gate in the chain link fence keeping it separated from the road. The building was a simple rectangle, short side to the street with a long driveway leading to a gravelled yard at the back of the lot.

Oslo and Lillian trailed behind a little as they progressed around the building, watching for anything amiss as the two men were oblivious to anything outside their little bubble of excitement.

Access to the interior was provided by a large automatic door at the rear of the warehouse, it was clear that the design allowed for a full-size truck to drive inside undercover. Once Stephan had retrieved the remote from a lock box, they opened it up and they stepped inside onto the vast concrete floor.

Diffuse natural light streamed in through many opaque skylights in the roof, creating a muted god-ray effect when it struck the dust hovering in the air.

Chris wondered at the size of the place. What was he going to do with it, and more importantly, how the hell was he going to pay for it?

"Stephan, I like the place but there's no point in getting my hopes up if I can't pay for it. What's the situation?" he asked.

"I hear you, Chris. The seller is a Being, which really works in our favour and is why I found it so quickly. He moved out to the East Coast Territory a year and a half ago and has been trying to sell it ever since. He even went to the trouble of stripping every shred of magic out of the place and listing it with the human realtors. I gave him a call and he's ready to make it move, tired of it tying up his money. It's a very reasonable asking price and there's always the option of writing up a loan contract. I think it's realistic, I also think you're probably underestimating your potential value. You'd make a killing if you got out and took some contracts of your own."

"I can see your point," Chris conceded. "I haven't even had a chance to try my hand at that yet. So, who owned the place and what did they use it for?"

"Well you see... Hmm. I guess I'll just come out and say it. He's a dwarf, okay." Stephan seemed worried about Chris' reaction. "I know you guys haven't had the best track record in the past, what with them stealing your treasure and you guys eating them. He's actually a good guy and a crafting genius. Armour, weapons, jewellery, trinkets, gadgets, you name it. Bit of a hoarder though, hence the warehouse. I wouldn't have wanted to see inside the place before he moved out."

Chris felt his dragon perk up at the mention of a dwarf. Interesting. There was an instinctual reaction of wariness there but it wasn't overpowering.

"I don't know much of anything about dwarves," Chris replied. "I've certainly never met one or been wronged by one. I'd be happy to put aside any prejudices if he feels the same way. Tell him I can pay at least partially in dragon gold."

"Dragon gold?" Stephan's smile couldn't be contained. "A stroke of brilliance, Chris. He'll bend over backwards to get his mitts on a bit of dragon gold. I didn't know you had any, but I suppose that sort of information is best kept close to the chest."

"Yeah, I'm sort of an amateur prospector. At least I used to be back before all this happened. When you contact him, I've got a few conditions. Reyla is worried about dragon gold getting back into the market, I wouldn't be okay with him selling it off. I'd want him to use it himself."

"I'm sure we can come up with a solution, Chris. Does this mean you want to move forward?" Stephan asked.

"I like it, the industrial look is pretty neat actually. What's your professional opinion, Stephan? Is it sound? What about the geology report, is it what we're looking for?"

"It's green lights across the board from me, Chris. You'll never regret picking up the warehouse at the same time, these sorts of things have a way of coming in handy, even if it's just to start a car collection. There's plenty of work to do but that's the fun part!"

"Lillian, Oslo? What do you think? Is it a good spot, the neighbourhood okay?" Chris looked towards his protectors for some experienced opinions.

"I don't see any issues," Lillian commented. "It's still reasonable to walk back to the Compound and Being district. The place will be easy enough to secure, especially once you go underground. Of course, Susan will enjoy living so close to her work."

"She's working nearby?" Chris hadn't been to her new workplace yet.

"Yes, it's one block over," the vampire replied.

"Well that's a bonus. Oslo?"

"If it's what you want, Chris. Go for it. Stephan will see you right." The gruff bodyguard was happy to have provided the introduction leading up to this point.

"Thank you, Oslo, I appreciate it. You too Stephan, I can't wait. Alright, let's do this!" The young man's enthusiasm was infectious and the others smiled as well, feeling involved and appreciated in one way or another.

"Great, Chris. With any luck, I'll have a contract for you to review within a week. In the meantime, I'll buckle down on drawing up some designs," Stephan was already planning out the tasks before him with bull-headed focus.

***

Michelle was waiting for him when they got back to the hotel. Laid out on the dining room table around her were several important looking documents, little 'sign here' tabs sticking out all over the place.

She looked tired, her short black hair a bit ruffled and a darkness to the olive-toned skin beneath those piercing eyes of hers. Nevertheless, she perked up as Chris strode over to the kitchen, greeting first Annabel, then Susan with brief kisses.

When he turned back to her, eyes intent, her heart nearly leapt out of her chest. She was about to receive the same treatment! Her body tensed in both anticipation and nervousness as he approached, towering over her.

"What's wrong, Michelle? You look... well you look like you've had a bad day," he asked, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Oh, it's fine, Chris. It was tiring but I got a lot done. See? I have your employment agreement as well as a bunch of other bureaucratic shit for you to look at," Michelle relaxed, he was just being his friendly protective self. She was his familiar after all and she was coming to accept his friendly affection as well as all the magical happenings.

"Not before I get my kiss!" Petra growled from concealment in the living room. "I feel like I'm being left out."

"Me too," came Claire's ever jovial voice.

"Me! Me! Me first!" Immianthe flashed out of his bedroom, practically colliding with his face.

"Okay, okay," Chris laughed.

He scooped the naked sprite into his hand and brought her to eye level.

"Hello, Master," She purred, posing her sinful little body ever so provocatively, legs crossed and leaning back to thrust her proportional but still very impressive chest towards him.

"Hello, my little blue bundle of mischief. How are you?" he smiled, bringing her closer.

"I'm happy to see you! May I have my kiss?"

"Of course," Chris leaned in, bringing his lips in range for her to lean forward and give him a little peck. It wasn't the most practical thing, they both knew it, but he indulged her anyway. A shuffle of movement later, he felt a small pair of breasts shoved against his lips. He smiled around her perfect little tits before giving them a swipe with his tongue, covering them entirely.

"Master! Don't stop," she murmured.

"I'm sorry little one, you wanted to go first which means we have to be quick," He gave her a parting lick before blowing gently across her wet blue skin.

"No fair," she complained as he set her down on the table next to Michelle.

As he peaked into the living room, he found a rather interesting sight. Mother and daughter dragonesses were spooned on one of the rich leather couches. Even the thought of the two sultry creatures entwined so intimately made his mind come up with all sorts of depraved ideas.

Petra, as the larger spoon, had her back to the couch and her hand resting lovingly over her daughter's flat torso where the tiny life blossomed. Their rich platinum and auburn hair flowed freely on the pillow they'd commandeered from his bedroom, intermingling like the waters of two great rivers.

They looked up at him in unison and beamed lazy happiness his way like the reptiles they were. They were both wearing grey yoga pants which did nothing to disguise their exquisite figures and... were those his t-shirts?

Petra beckoned him over, showing no intention of moving whatsoever. He knelt in front of them, placing a hand on Claire's athletic waist and rubbing softly with his thumb on her tummy, displacing Petra's hand.

"Doesn't he just look good enough to gobble up?" the stunning mother murmured?

"Mmmh, I'd certainly swallow whatever I could get," Claire grinned evilly.

"Me too, we're feeling very neglected, Sire," Petra pouted and Chris quickly found himself on the receiving end of both dragoness' imploring green-eyed gaze.

Chris swallowed, apprehensively.

"Yeah Mom, it was so wonderful when he mated and bred me but he's barely even touched me since," Claire laid it on even thicker.

Something in Chris' jeans twitched as he looked down at them helplessly. Neither of the women missed it.

"I know. It's okay, my beautiful daughter, we'll find a way through this together."

Petra gently raised her head and Claire turned in beautiful synchronisation to meet her. Their soft, moist lips barely touched while their eyes never left the true target of their lust, the man looming over them.

"Oh fuck me," a whisper escaped Chris' mouth.

"With pleasure," Petra smirked. "But it seems you aren't interested in us now that you've done your duty and planted your seed within us."

"It's not that, I swear," he backpedalled.

"No? Then what? We have needs my beloved mate. Especially now that we're pregnant. Once our nesting instinct truly begins, we're going to need a lot of attention," Petra watched as her words coaxed his large member to expand down his leg, straining for room to grow. It must have been uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry, ladies. It's just been busy and then after, well, you know... I wasn't sure if you would want to. Annabel had some trouble."

"Chris, I will always want to. Okay?" Claire smiled.

Petra could no longer resist reaching out to grasp the erection that was driving her crazy. Her mate's wonderfully arousing scent was tickling her nose as she looked directly into his eyes and gently massaged his thickening cock through the denim. Air hissed from his lungs and his eyelids fluttered in response.

"Yes, don't forget that we aren't human, Sire. We would love to relieve some of the pressure your First's punishment is building up. Why the girl would ever want to deny you pleasure is unfathomable," Petra's eyes were alight with pure lust as she continued rubbing him.

Suddenly, Chris let out a groan as his still growing member became quite painful in its fabric prison. He gently pushed Petra's hand away and readjusted himself as best he could, sorely tempted to let the monster free but knowing exactly where that would lead.

"I'm sorry my beautiful mates. Whilst very tempted, I feel my punishment is deserved so I am going to respect Annabel's authority on this. However, as soon as the ban is lifted, you have my word that I will shower you in as much attention as you can handle."

Chris' bold words were a poor consolation to the pair, who'd worked themselves up too with their little teasing performance.

"Damn," Claire muttered. "I was sure that would work."

"I'm impressed by your fortitude, Chris. I can only hope you bring the same strength and iron will to the bedroom," Petra was positively squirming with arousal at being denied by him. She didn't know why but she loved it.

"I'm looking forward to it, Petra. Now, I came over here to deliver some kisses."

Finally, he extracted himself from the dangerous duo. They'd thoroughly tried convincing him nonverbally for several minutes. In the bathroom he took in his flushed appearance, unzipped himself, and sat on the edge of the bathtub for several minutes to calm down.

After peeing, washing up, and checking he was once again decent, he went back the dining room and sat down with Michelle and Lillian.

The statuesque vampire was in plain sight again and reading through the documents Michelle had prepared for Chris.

"You survived, I see," Lillian teased him, watching the flush spread back across his cheeks.

"Barely," he replied. "So, what am I signing? I'm glad you're having a look, Lillian, I appreciate it. Are you okay with me taking on this role with Michelle and working for the humans?"

"You didn't have a choice in the matter," the vampire replied, not looking up from the contracts. "Michelle has worked the situation as favourably as can be expected, you are escaping the Synod's jurisdiction and instead contracting yourself to serve the humans. Being paid to escape punishment seems like an equitable deal to me."

"Lillian, I meant are you okay with it? I'd hoped you would come with me," He asked tentatively.

This time she looked up, locking his eyes in an appraising gaze. The edge of her mouth twitched into her trademark almost-too-wide smile.

"I won't be letting you out of my sight, until you're ready, dragon. I can hardly trust your safety to these humans, however skilled they may be. Besides, this will serve as an opportunity to continue our training beyond hand to hand combat," She replied. "Having said that, I cannot babysit you forever. There are ever more demands for my time these days. I'll need to wean you from my day to day schedule and start accompanying you only when it's prudent."

"You'll also be receiving training from us, weapons, basic field and intelligence tradecraft," Michelle offered. "We don't want to put you in situations where you need to use it unless absolutely necessary, but you need to have it to understand what we do. Besides, we only want you using magic as a last resort or in situations where you won't be observed doing so, at least until the Revelation."

"What about afterwards? How long am I contracted to the government for?" Chris asked suspiciously.

"This contract is for one year, with the option to renew for a further two, if they want to. After that you're a free man again," Michelle explained.

Chris frowned at the mention of three years without the option to get out of it.

"At a salary of $180,000 a year, plus travel, every sort of insurance under the sun, and diplomatic privileges you're not being hard done by, Chris. Especially as you're only required to show up three days a week," She couldn't help a smile at his look of shock when she mentioned the figure

"$180,000! Fuck me. Why didn't you lead with that, Michelle?" Growing up, he'd never dreamed of earning such a salary.

"That figure is almost insultingly low," Lillian drawled. "About as low as could be considered legitimate, I suspect."

"Really?" Chris looked to the vampire in wonder.

"Considering your capabilities and uniqueness, yes," She said. "There are humans who earn far more by doing far less than you're about to.

"I hadn't thought about it that way," Chris mused. "You have to admit, it's a pretty good start for a kid straight out of high school though!"

Lillian nodded, accepting his point.

"It's true that the offer isn't as high as you might receive for similar services after the Revelation, it is very fair for what you'll be doing. Not to mention the training and influence you'll accrue if we play our cards right, you can't easily put a dollar figure on that," Michelle explained.

"I understand, Michelle. I'm still thinking like a 19-year-old and it's easy to see the money as the important part. I'm going to be relying on you to guide me through this to our best advantage," He said, laying a large hand on top of one of hers in thanks.

"Of course, Chris, you can count on me. This is part of my master plan after all. My career will be carried higher and higher by association with you. I'm going to ride you all the way to the top!" Michelle said enthusiastically, excited by the prospect of working with Chris to push positive outcomes for both beings and humans in the troubling times they were facing.

"Really?" Lillian arched an eyebrow. "You're going to ride him..."

Michelle blushed wonderfully when she realised her phrasing was questionable at best.

"That's not...I didn't..." she was mortified.

"Well I suppose you won't be the only one," the vampire continued. "There will be plenty of jockeying for position on the poll."

"God, Lillian, you're terrible," Chris groaned before a grin transformed his face. "I love it."

"I try," the vampire smiled back.

"Don't let Lillian see you react like that," Annabel brushed a friendly hand across Michelle's shoulder as she walked around the table towards Chris. "She'll never let up once she knows your buttons."

Chris knew what she wanted as he watched Annabel approach from the kitchen, apron clinging tightly to her jean-clad hips. He pushed his chair backwards, preparing his lap for her and made a little giddy-up motion with a hand. She smiled indulgently, turned, and deposited herself unceremoniously.

"Hello, beautiful," he whispered into her soft hair, scenting her and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Hi," She looked up and gave him the lightest of kisses, barely brushing her lips against his own before burying her face against his shoulder and doing some scenting of her own. His rich, cinnamon-like musk was as delightful and comforting as ever, setting her senses alight and a warmth into her core. "I thought I might come and help you look through all these documents while I'm waiting for dinner to finish. It's all in the oven now so in about fifty minutes, we should have a delicious chicken roast ready to satisfy that never-ending hunger of yours. I'm even cooking two birds this time."

"You're the best, Dee. I have been eating a lot lately, haven't I?" Chris squeezed her closer in appreciation.

"Well you have grown substantially and from what you've told me, been working hard on your training," Michelle suggested, happy that the slender brunette's arrival had distracted from her embarrassment. It was very unlike her to be flustered like that. She'd been working for years in what was a male dominated profession and thought she could give and take a bit of banter quite well. When it came to Chris, though, any suggestion of innuendo was all too real.

"It's to be expected," Lillian agreed. "I don't think Annabel will need to look for a job, it's going to be full time looking after this great oaf's appetite."

"It's all calculated, ladies," Annabel said in a conspiratorial tone. "If my mother taught me any valuable life lessons it's that men are simple creatures, feed them well and they'll keep coming back for more."

"Suits me!" Chris chortled, giving the exposed part of her bottom a cheeky, gentle pinch in retaliation.

Annabel grabbed the offending hand and guided it to her tummy, where she held him until he began a soft petting motion.

"Truer words were never spoken," Lillian smiled, watching their unconsciously open affection before increasing her grin deep into the ominous. This time her fangs were exposed. "The same also applies to Vampires though so be careful how you apply the theory."