Endangered Ch. 07

Everyone looked on in interest as the dragon brought his inquisitive gaze to bear or the child in question, who quivered a little fearfully as he was looked over by the great serpent.

Reyla was especially interested to see how things unfolded. Throwing the woman and the others out had been her first instinct. She'd been on the verge but her attuned senses picked up on the root of the issue. A malignant enchantment lodged deep within the boy, advanced dark magic. A curse was indeed involved. She couldn't imagine what a mere child could possibly have done to warrant such a punishment.

It was certainly within her powers to help the child but the toll on her resources would not be insubstantial. She would normally demand a steep price for such a favour. By the looks of it, the woman couldn't possibly hope to pay what it would cost here in Reyla's Court or elsewhere for that matter.

"What's your name? I'm Chris," The dragon asked the boy. While he waited for the boy to gather his courage and respond, Chris searched his small form for traces of magic.

"T...Thomas," the boy responded with reluctance after his mother prodded him gently.

"Well, Thomas, let's see if we can find the problem. I should be an expert at this. You see, I had an enchantment holding my dragon locked inside me until just a few weeks ago. But hey, look at me now."

"You... you got fixed?" Thomas asked.

"He certainly did not," Claire whispered with a smirk, poked her mother's silver flank to emphasise her innuendo.

"I did actually," Chris ignored the dragonesses mirth as he continued his inexperienced examination. "I'm hoping I can help so you can transform too.

He could sense a dark area in the centre of the boy's chest, but it was vague. His dragon took over, cocking his great head to one side, bringing one gold-mottled eye to bear up close.

What he sensed disgusted him, who would do such a thing? A twisted morass of malicious energy was entwined within his core. To his senses it seemed to spread like dark tree root, snarling and entwining tissues and organs. No doubt it siphoned away any power the boy could muster as he tried to shift, causing the fits as it fed and grew.

"Hold him," Chris told the boy's mother before looking the boy in the eye. "Thomas, I'm going to try to fix you but I think it's going to hurt, a lot. I want you to try to be brave and we'll have you changing like everyone else in no time."

The boy nodded, accepting the challenge with the hope of being able run with the rest of his pack as his instincts told him to.

Annabel came forward as well and placed a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder while his mother held his hands. The other onlookers watched closely but maintained their distance, perhaps cautious of the untrained dragon practicing magic.

Chris gave Annabel a thankful nod before focusing back on the problem at hand. He didn't have training in healing, nor any knowledge of spellcraft to be able to counteract the evil inside the boy. If he'd learned anything about his abilities so far it was that he could depend on brute force. He was also good at burning things.

Although tired, he gathered what reserves he could manage. It came slowly, tingling along his scales, across his body, and towards his solar plexus. That central hub of his magic began to warm and splutter, eager to be expended. It dawned on him how much he'd grown in the transformation. Even as he felt exhausted from his efforts with Petra, it came to him. A fine trickle of energy, leaking into his being from some unknown wellspring.

Focusing back to the task at hand, he outlined his intentions against the dark tendrils. A stray thought or distraction could spell disaster but the dragon lent him steel nerves. Finally ready, he sent a tentative stream of magic to do its work like a fine blowtorch. He started at the edge of a hyphae-like tendril and watched anxiously. It smouldered first then flared and crisped to nothing.

The boy seemed unharmed. Chris' design relied on his connection to the Ether, that shadowy realm where magic seemed to have a presence partially detached from the physical. That way he could destroy the spell but not the boy. Encouraged, he unleashed a larger flow of magic, burning back the spell like a twisted bed of ivy.

Thomas cried out, shaking as sweat instantly formed on his small brow and his body flushed hot. Chris almost lost his concentration but refocused his efforts and slowed the magic. His mother and Annabel whispered comforts and braveries but the uncomfortable heat inside his chest dominated his senses and their words fell on deaf ears.

Somehow, heat was being translated into the boy's body. He didn't know how, perhaps his own workings weren't precise enough or the malicious spell had a defence mechanism. He was hurting the boy though it didn't seem anything too life threatening. He was loathed to stop before all of the malicious branches had been charred to nothing. Thankfully, his method seemed to be effective and it was less than a minute before the last of the spell, a gnarled bowl of woody blackness, was being thoroughly incinerated. Finally, he stemmed his efforts and let his hold on the magic slip away.

"It's gone," Reyla assured him as he began checking the boy over again to be sure.

"What was it?" Chris asked, annoyed that the elf hadn't offered to help if she had followed his progress so closely.

"I suspect something passed on from his father. It appears to have grown with the boy since birth but there's no sign in the mother," she explained with an inquisitive cock of her head. "Not the method I would have chosen to remove it. Unrefined, wasteful, and painful for the boy but to each their own."

Chris rolled his great golden eyes in frustration, turning back to Thomas who was thankfully recovering quickly now that the magical flames had done their job.

"Thank you, dragon," his mother clutched her son to her chest. "If there's anything I can ever do to repay you I will. I won't forget what you've done for us."

"It's okay, I am happy to have helped," Chris didn't want to make a big deal about helping the boy but it seemed like his mother was not going to let him get off so easily when she opened her mouth to protest his humbleness.

"Leave the dragon be," Reyla cut her off, quickly back to her authoritative self. She recognised the need to manage the gathered Beings before they overwhelmed the dragon with requests now that they had seen his work. "You should take the boy home to recover. As for the rest of you, leave us, I don't know why I haven't thrown you all out myself. Barging in on a private meeting, I should have you all in shackles!"

The crowd quickly retreated, casting furtive glances over their shoulders but intelligent enough to take Reyla's threat seriously.

Once the doors were again closed and the group was left in relative peace, Annabel reached up to touch the dragon's snout affectionately.

"I'm so proud of you, Chris," she murmured.

"Yes, that was very sweet," Susan agreed. She couldn't help the warm feeling of maternal pride inside of her. It was obvious that the woman and child had been in desperate need of help. Chris had offered it freely as too few Beings would have in this day and age.

"Yes, yes, that was all very moving," Reyla's tone left no doubt that she understood the definition of the word sarcasm. "In time you'll come to learn not to give handouts. Hand-outs lead to entitlement and soon you'll be swamped with requests for this and that. One day you'll find yourself weary, sucked dry, and unable or unwilling to continue. You'll have nothing to show for your efforts other than their 'undying gratitude.' On that day, they will forget everything you have done for them, for their ancestors, and turn against you for their immediate gain. Such is the way of the young races. The humans even have an appropriate children's fable. Be careful, dragon, lest you be mistaken for a golden goose."

Petra snorted, her chest heaving as beautiful musical laughter sprung from her throat. She arched her wings and laid one possessively across her mate's back before snaking her neck down to confront the lecturing elf. All eyes turned to the majestic silver serpent as she trailed off with a chuckle, then a throaty purr of contentment.

"Are you blind, elf? Does he not, at this very moment, wash over you like the first warm spring breeze after winter? Here I stand, new life growing in my womb, proof that he is no ordinary dragon. Can you not read the signs? Something is changing in this world. You should be thankful he is a generous soul, perhaps one day he will show that generosity even to you."

"I am not blind to these unusual circumstances. Nor do I take them lightly," Reyla countered. "However, your race stands on the brink of extinction at the hands of greedy fools. Chris would do well to remember that."

"Sound advice, Lady Reyla, but how will this world be healed unless those with power are generous and seek goals other than their own gains?"

Reyla cocked her head speculatively as they all waited to hear her response. Dragons, honestly. If there was a race more caught up in idealism she had yet to encounter them. However, she could not deny the logic. The world suffered at the hands of both Beings and humans. Generosity and sacrifice by all would be necessary to heal the damage, to come together peacefully. Did it not stand to reason that the generosity of those with the most to give would be most important?

"I cannot fault your spirit, Petra. The world would be a much better place if everyone thought as you do. Philosophy aside, we should coax Christopher back into his human form immediately. There's no telling who or what will catch wind of his 'spring breeze' as you so eloquently put it. Hopefully that will mute his aura to more reasonable levels. Then you can be as generous as you please, so long as you consider his safety at every step."

"A fair point," Petra seceded. "Chris, would you mind?"

"Damn, I was just beginning to enjoy myself," Chris chuckled.

"Sire, if you were just beginning, I pity myself for mating with you," the mature dragoness purred contentedly.

Susan and Annabel shared a smile, knowing how Chris became embarrassed when the innuendo started to fly. It was wiped from their faces when his dragon outline started to shimmer. As he and the dragon worked together to change back, skipping their half form completely and aiming for their human guise, he imploded.

He was amazed how easily the transition occurred. Compared to that fateful day when he'd first awakened, it was almost seamless. Now that he and the dragon were in tune, it was a painless process, a team effort rather than a struggle for dominance.

A startled gasp made Chris open his eyes to looks of bewilderment and shock around the room. Even Tim Garril was eying him from the doors with startled appraisal, one eyebrow raised in an almost comical expression.

"What?" Chris looked around, smiling. "Did I grow two heads or something?"

There was a pause before anyone answered and typical of the naughty sprite, she went straight to the heart of the matter.

"No, Master," She pouted. "But you certainly did grow."

"Grow?"

"I would call this a massive setback to my plans," Immi paused, her frown turned comically into a mischievous grin as a lewd thought crossed her ever lascivious mind. "But at least I get to see how the rest of you handle it!"

Chris followed her gaze down his body and quickly realised he was naked.

"Shit, should have thought of that," he murmured, reaching forward to cover himself automatically with both hands. It was then that he first realised something was different.

Annabel couldn't believe what she was seeing as her fiancé attempted to modestly conceal himself. The exact details remained a mystery but having been intimate with him over the last year, she knew he'd somehow experienced a growth spurt. With the shocking parts mostly concealed by his hands, she looked over the rest of his naked body, realising just how profound the change was.

Her heart went out to him, knowing that he would struggle with this final aspect of his union with the dragon. She stepped in front of him, wrapping her arms around his middle. The hug, apart from comforting also allowed him some modesty by blocking his privates from the room.

She looked up at him, towering above her like never before, her head barely reaching his neck, her arms very nearly failing to encircle his massive barrel-chest.

"What the fuck?" He mouthed down at her, disbelief written all over his features.

"Don't look at me," Annabel replied, trying to make light of the situation as she turned to address the others. "A blanket? Some clothes please? Anyone?"

Everyone sprang into action, looking almost guilty for gawking. No one would have blamed them.

There was nothing that could easily be used to cover him nearby short of ripping up the lush carpet so Reyla thought quickly and summoned a rich, furry blanket from her own bedchambers. She handed it to Annabel with eyes averted. Any thoughts she might have entertained previously about coupling with the boy were now tempered with apprehension.

Susan quickly shook the folded blanket out and hurriedly helped Annabel wrap him up under his armpits. Her hand rested on his chest as she shared a meaningful look with her son's fiancé. She rose on her toes and spoke softly into his ear, trying to convey the heartfelt love she felt for this man.

"We'll get through this, Chris."

Reyla watched the doors close behind them, still shocked at the profound change the young man had experienced. She'd never heard of a dragon undergoing anything like it.

Only as the doors closed and the group proceeded on their way back to the hotel did she suddenly realise his magical presence was completely undiminished, only ebbing slowly with distance. This presented an issue.

Detection was a foregone conclusion, that ship had sailed. Now she must prepare a response for whoever came to investigate.

"Timothy," she spoke suddenly. "Quietly activate your best people. We need to have a good team dedicated to this around the clock. Maintain your distance, we don't want anyone else getting dragon-struck if it's avoidable. The witch, Susan, may be able to give you an antidote if it's an issue."

"Yes, my lady."

"What did you make of him?" she asked as he turned to carry out his orders.

He paused, seriously considering what he'd seen and felt.

"Honestly?" he glanced sidelong at the elf to assess her legendary mood.

"Yes," Reyla sighed.

"It's a good thing he doesn't know what he's doing. If that boy had the experience to wield magic as you do, I'd be working for him."

***

Annabel hustled him through the door, through the living room, their bedroom, and straight into the bathroom.

On the walk back, she'd soon spotted a jagged red zigzag on the back of his shoulder. A little dried blood formed a small trail a few inches down his well-formed muscles, showing how quickly he'd healed from Petra's 'love bites.'

He assured her it was fine. She still marched him into the shower under the pretext of getting him clean, determined to be alone with him, reassure him.

It was a large shower but it felt smaller to Chris as he dumped the blanket and entered the warm spray. Annabel wasn't far behind him, stripping efficiently and following him quickly inside.

She squirmed in close to access the broad stream of water, letting it flow over her scalp, into her hair and across her face. Breathing deep, she enjoyed the pattering warmth for a moment. When she moved a little to the side and opened her eyes he was watching her with the faint traces of that cautious look she'd grown to know. She grinned up at him.

"Let me guess," he chuckled. "Bridges?"

"That's right, Babe," she beamed. "I'm glad you're finally getting it."

"But fuck me, look at the size of my hands!" Chris held them up in disbelief. He'd heard of 'dust bin mitts' before but his definitely qualified now.

"It's not your hands I'm worried about," Annabel smirked. If she had to describe what she was seeing, she'd say he was somehow just...bigger.

Whatever the dragon had changed inside of him, the outcome was clear, he was now built like a tank. Annabel estimated he stood at 6'6''at a bare minimum but that wasn't even close to the most notable change.

His entire body had grown, broadened, and clearly thickened. She didn't think for a second he had become grotesque, his skin was still pale and smooth, a small layer of fatty padding where it was appropriate and deliciously little where it counted. He was just really big, broad, and well built. She was reminded of what she assumed a mighty ancient warrior would look like. The conquering Viking types.

What Annabel was most worried about was the slumbering monster hanging between his legs.

She looked down between them at it. Perhaps their new height disparity exaggerated the effect a little. It was, after all, a few inches closer than she was used to but there was no doubt that his penis had grown with him.

"It's like, almost as big as you used to be hard, only soft."

"Bullshit. There's no way," Chris balked at the thought.

Annabel caught her inquisitive little companion barrelling down her forearm towards the huge member and quickly scolded the little dragon.

"Time out, Bartholomew, give us little space here. This is serious."

He looked up at her balefully, before complying with his mistress' wishes. The tiny tattoo retreated slowly to his resting place around her belly button and became still, sulking. Annabel returned her attention to the problem at hand.

"It's not like you were small beforehand, Chris. Fuck, look at that thing. You didn't do this on purpose, did you?" She knew a lot of guys had fantasies about having larger penises but that just seemed silly, especially when Chris had already been more than big enough.

"Of course not, Dee," he looked down at her, clearly worried.

She bit her lip speculatively as she considered what she was going to do about this situation. She could already feel herself becoming automatically aroused, being in the shower with him, touching him. Those thoughts made up her mind for her and she decided that there was no use worrying about how she was going to handle this until she tried. Besides, reassuring him would do a world of good.

She slid her hand down across his toned abdomen, coming to rest against his thick root before slipping underneath to cradle the massive shaft. Her other hand joined its sister and she held it up, warm water pooling around it. It flopped heavily, the head dangling flaccid over her palm.

"You don't have to," Chris started.

"Shhh," she looked up. "I want to see what we're dealing with."

"Okay, I guess," he murmured.

She smiled and ran a hand down the shaft to tease his testicles, stopping abruptly when she encountered her target.

"Holy shit, Chris, they grew just as much. I can barely get one in my hand!" Annabel couldn't decide if she was excited or terrified, perhaps both. But as the words left her mouth, she felt the shaft twitch under her touch. He seemed to like what she was doing.

She smiled and gave it an experimental tug. It throbbed back, the first pulses of blood becoming trapped inside. She kept it up, bringing the other hand back to the base to provide firmer stimulation.

She looked up at him mischievously and it was like a flip had been switched. The girth expanded like an air tube hooked up to a powerful compressor, surging in her hands and forcing her grip further apart. It quickly poked her in the tummy, she giggled and shifted backwards to give him space.

Perhaps most sinister was the massive, blunt head that reared at the tip. She could tell it was going to be just as thick if not thicker than his root. Like an angry red apple, it continued to throb and grow.