Endangered Ch. 07

They parted ways back at the hotel, Chris receiving affectionate kisses from both girls before Lillian had to strong arm him down to one of Reyla's offices for this meeting.

***

"Young man, Michelle speaks very highly of you and your commitment to this process," President Falconer addressed Chris sternly through the video call. "I understand that you were in a satiation of duress when the event happened, and it was part of you coming into your powers more fully. Heck, I remember the turmoil I felt at your age and I was only worried about girls and fast cars! However, we can't be seen playing favourites and you did give our boys up in Alaska quite a scare. Thankfully we got control of the situation before it spread too far but this could have been a disaster. We're calling it an emergency intervention against a malfunctioning satellite. I'm always amazed by these cover stories they come up. The Russians didn't buy it so we had to tell them what really happened but everyone else seems to be in the dark. Thankfully they're fully on-board with this Revelation, it sure helps that the vampire families have got deep connections over there."

"I'm sorry, Sir," Chris was truly repentant. It was only now that he'd had it all laid out before him that he realised how much trouble he could have caused.

"Not to worry my boy, the wonderful agent Hamund has convinced me to try this her way so here's what we are offering. You're going to work for us! As well as these promotional thingies those media airheads have cooked up, you're going to start training to deploy with some of our field teams. My generals are bugging me about the need to have Beings we can count on to assist us if we come up against supernatural threats. You spooked them pretty good and they seem to think anyone who can dodge one of their THAAD missiles is worth trying to recruit."

"Aren't you worried about my loyalty or what people will think when they find out you're using Beings offensively? I'm not going to be some mindless grunt who goes around doing your dirty work, Sir," Chris didn't like the sound of this idea very much.

"It's not going to be like that, Chris," Michelle placed her hand on his forearm to calm him. "You'll be working with us at the Being Interaction Agency. You'll mostly be doing public relations stuff and helping wherever you can. We would only ask you to go into combat in the direst situation and you'll be fully briefed beforehand."

"That's right," the President continued. "From what I understand, we couldn't very well order you to do something you didn't want to do anyway, given your abilities. We need someone on our side, Christopher. We need someone who is willing to help us if the Synod is unable or unwilling to, especially when it comes to some of the more unstable governments around the world. Michelle tells me you care about humans more than most. I think this is a good way for you to help your country and make sure this Revelation is as smooth as possible. Oh, did I mention you'll be paid top dollar with diplomatic benefits?"

"No, you didn't," Chris raised an eyebrow and glanced at Michelle.

"I've been brought up to speed on your species' endangered status, Chris," the President continued, eager to sell the young man on the idea now that he'd gained his interest. "I understand you're going to be a father soon too. We will do everything we can to keep you safe and make it worth your while. Your beautiful Lady Narlakis has agreed to provide resources for your protection while you're with us too and you'll be surrounded by our very best."

Chris now looked over to Reyla, seated silently by the door with a look on her face that indicated her mind was digesting other things. She nodded subtly to him.

"What about if this whole thing went to shit, Sir?" he asked.

Robert Falconer sighed heavily and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Even thinking about that possibility gave him nightmares, he was still half expecting to wake up one morning and not remember who he was.

"I would expect you to protect your family above whatever agreement we work out here. I wouldn't ask you to betray your people but I would also hope you wouldn't actively attack us. No one wins in that situation."

"Good," Chris said. He was starting to see where Michelle had been going with this all along. It was clear the US government was desperate to get their hands on some supernatural resources. He couldn't blame them but he could take advantage of them. It was just as Michelle suggested. "Okay then, why don't we get all this in writing and we can go from there?"

"Done," the President couldn't contain his smile.

***

With the meeting over, Reyla retreated to her study, brooding over current events as she had taken to of late. The dragon was an anomaly, dumped unceremoniously in her lap on the eve of this debacle with the humans. The entire situation stank of a larger scheme in play and it maddened her overactive mind to not see how the puzzle pieces fit together.

"In all our histories, have you ever heard of a dragon like this one, cousin?" Reyla broke what had been an hour's silence in her dark study. The only light source came from the suspended orb her cousin was reading by, illuminating him in sharp contrast.

"No," Arvil looked up over his glasses at Reyla, putting down the thick tomb he'd be scouring. "I have been searching for reference of other Beings who were similarly unique. Listen to this one."

He picked up another ancient book, this one small with a cracked red leather cover. He flicked carefully through the delicate pages, searching for the passage he'd spied before. Though Reyla maintained her treasures religiously, books this old could never be replaced so he handled them with the utmost respect.

"Here it is. Ahem... In the decades of war following the Great Flight, magic was weak in the new world. The ones who had fought the Darkness gave unto the elves instruction to prepare a ward. One which it was said would hold back the forces of darkness forever.

Preparation took many years, for the ward was so vast it would protect the entire world, both magic and savage alike. The Darkness launched mighty effort to destroy the ward before it was completed but were rebuffed, again and again. Weakened as they were by their battles with the Light and the long absence from their dark realm, the dark servants still threw themselves against the elves with unholy zeal.

Eventually the great ward was prepared, though the elves and allied races paid dearly in blood. Once again, they summoned those divine creatures, this time to activate the barrier. They were refused. Those great powers could not intercede directly for their own laws forbid it.

The elves despaired, for all was surely lost.

In the bleak days that followed, a strange man, great of stature, presented himself to the elfin court. It was said that all who looked upon him were rendered dumb, for he was a vessel overflowing with power. He declared he would activate the ward himself. The price? To sire a child, for he had none to carry on his bloodline. The matriarch of dragons offered herself without hesitation and he took her there, in front of the entire assembly.

The man wasted no time fulfilling his promise. The great ward was activated with a violent detonation of pure light. Those few who looked directly upon the conflagration were blinded and spouted madness for years to come. When the spell faded, the man was gone. His clothes, burnt and ruined, were all that was left of him, save the child growing in the dragon's belly."

"Interesting," Reyla purred when her cousin was finished. "The Barrier had been in place millennia before I was born. I remember my tutor teaching my sisters and I it was activated by a willing sacrifice, that most powerful source of magic. I have not heard the story told in such detail before, but the author of that book was known for his creative embellishments in other works. You are correct, though, the man described does bear resemblance to our dragon. Still, detail is vexingly absent. What sort of creature was that man?"

"Unknown. Perhaps we could research this matriarch of dragons? Surely there is a record of her and her offspring somewhere?" Arvil loved a good magical conundrum and this was proving to be a tricky one indeed.

"An interesting thought, dragonesses do not usually mate with other species. If there was a child from that union, it would be incredibly unlikely it was also a dragon. If there is a record, you know where it will be," Reyla's resentment was clear in her last sentence.

"Ah, yes. So, we shall assume it is out of reach?" Arvil asked.

"Unfortunately, yes. I am unwilling to pay the price those haughty fools would demand for access to their precious library. Besides, they are currently the largest threat to our dragon. I'm surprised they haven't tried to wrest his custody from me already. The one who orchestrated his father's death still lives. I know for a fact he is responsible for others too, but he hides behind his family's power."

"Hmm, an impasse then," the brown skinned elf mused with steeped fingers.

"It is the timing that worries me most," Reyla complained. "It cannot be coincidence that he just popped up out of nowhere at this moment like some sort of prairie dog. We stand on the most monumental change to our world since the Barrier itself, possibly since our ancestor's mysterious arrival to this world."

"True, that is worrying. There is no doubt this Revelation will be written of as a cataclysmic event in both societies. I still wonder how this Radek kept his activities from the Synod just long enough to make the memory charm nigh useless. It is also concerning that the dragon became embroiled in the issue so quickly."

"Not to mention his penchant for reproduction," Reyla said dryly.

"Indeed, that shouldn't be overlooked. You've spoken with Elizabeth Guthrie, what does she say of him siring two hatchlings inside a week?" Arvil asked.

"Ha! She clucks like a broody mother hen and considers it a blessing. There is little we can do for now except watch him closely and provide guidance and protection as we can."

"A fair assessment, to act rashly or in haste could be disastrous. I will continue researching and arrange for our lessons to begin shortly," Arvil paused weighing his next words carefully. For a stretching moment, he hesitated to voice them for fear of his cousin's temper. "What about his power, surely you've thought of having it for your own?"

"Of course I have," Reyla shivered. "Have you not seen what he does to those women? He has bound them tighter than I have ever managed by contract, lash, or collar. I do not wish to fall into that same trap."

"Still, something tells me you will not avoid it forever," the smirk in his tone was subtle but apparently not subtle enough.

"Out!" she hissed, unwilling to abide his teasing impudence in her own study.

"Yes, beloved cousin," Arvil stood slowly and bowed, mockingly deep, before taking his leave.

Reyla fidgeted uncomfortably, simmering, knowing she had only risen to his bait. Still, he raised valid concern. Could she resist the temptation of the dragon's power? Worse, was that temptation only a siren's call. If she answered, could she maintain her independence, her identity, her power? Or would she simply be absorbed into his brood, another willing mare in the young stallion's stable?

***

Several days later, Chris was relaxing, belly down on the couch. Annabel's slim body lay along his back, warm, heavy, and comforting. She was using him as her own sofa of sorts. Before him, his tablet displayed an explanation of the elemental groups of the periodic table and their generalised properties. He couldn't help being fascinated by the sometimes-explosive reactivity of the alkali metals in particular.

Educating himself about some of the fundamentals of science had consumed his spare moments for days now. Ever since his encounter with that unknown entity, he'd been reliving its confounding messages again and again. He couldn't make heads or tails of what it all meant but it had shown him images of what he was starting to realise were the building blocks of everything. Physics, chemistry, and to some extent biology held renewed fascination for him.

The format of information he gleaned from various websites was different to what had been drummed into him in class at high school. It was easy to learn when everything was right at his fingertips and a multitude of videos were available explaining almost any tricky concept he came across. Further, the more advanced concepts he was discovering, which might have been glossed over in science class, gave him a fuller picture. It was like a whole new world was waiting for him to discover, on top of the magical one he'd just stepped into. He was determined to up his game so he could discover why that strange visitor had invaded his mind and what it wanted.

He'd told Annabel about that unnerving encounter. Instantly he could tell that she hadn't grasped the gravity of his experience. Perhaps he'd explained it poorly. To be fair, it was hard to do it justice with words. She seemed to write it off as some sort of inconsequential vision or dream, distracted as she was by his unseemly use of magic on her privates.

Her lack of understanding made him shy away from attempting to tell the others. Thinking of telling Reyla especially gave him an uneasy feeling, even though she was probably his best shot. Better to wait and see how things developed, the elf had her hands full.

At the back of his mind, a terrible thought lurked. Had he been magically compelled? There was no doubt the entity had the means, his mind had been open before it. Was the newfound obsession with understanding the physical universe, magic, and his inability to convey his experience with the entity his own? The thought stoked a flickering anger inside him. It made him all the more determined.

Though the visit from that mysterious visitor had given him only questions, one thing was becoming clear. His transformation was not normal. Not dragon standards or any other standards for that matter. He'd only just been accustoming himself to the dragon's added strength, heightened senses, and increased... libido brought on by his first transformation to hybrid form. Then this went and happened.

Now he was a veritable giant. People openly gawked at him as he passed by, making him feel uncomfortable to leaving the confines of the apartment. He was sure some unknowing human was going to call him out as something alien, yell at him to fuck off back to whatever planet he'd come from or something similar. It never happened though, instead they tended to stare at him dreamily. God help him if he stayed in a confined space with a woman for more than half an hour, they became lust-filled, uninhibited creatures.

Almost worse, was the open reverence in the eyes of most lower Beings who felt his unobscured aura. It bordered on worship and that was intolerable. He already had Susan researching a high-powered antidote potion he would be able to carry with him to negate his own intoxicating effect.

His dragon, while confused as to the how, was of course pleased with the majesty of their new form. It only confirmed what he'd known all along, that they were indeed magnificent. To be adored or feared completely, they were the superior specimen of dragon prowess. The dragon's happy conceitedness infuriated Chris at times, especially when he found himself caught up in his ever-lecherous fantasies. Daydreaming of repopulating the entire dragon race, one nubile body at a time was a particular favourite. Another, becoming a total man whore and ravaging every woman haplessly ensnared by his pheromones, being or human.

His physical strength had ratcheted up yet again. He was learning to move carefully and deliberately by default after two broken door handles, a dent in the drywall, and at least three pieces of ruined cutlery. He also had to get used to the added height, at 6'6'' without shoes, he barely fit through a standard door and would bump his head painfully if caught at the wrong part of his stride. Ducking felt unnatural but was becoming part of his routine out of necessity. His skull might be thick but it could only withstand so much punishment.

Annabel seemed to be less concerned than ever with his changes. In fact, using his massive body as her personal furniture was becoming a regular occurrence. Whether in bed, sitting in his lap, or even in public she was adamant about maintaining close contact. He didn't particularly mind, except that her charms were currently off limits as part of his punishment. Having her using him as body pillow was undoubtedly arousing, leading to mounting sexual frustration. He didn't know how much longer he could stand it. Sooner or later he would have to sneak off to see Susan in the middle of the night for some covert, much-needed release.

Right now, she was using his body like some sort of heated settee. She played noncommittally on her phone whilst looking over his shoulder as he surfed Maginet and buffed up on the basics of atomic structure. She'd been intermittently teasing him for the last half hour and apparently it was time to begin again.

She wet her lips and traced them up the side of his powerfully muscled neck from the collar of his t-shirt. Reaching his ear, she nuzzled and breathed warm across the soft skin and began lip-nibbling his lobe. Her hips bucked involuntarily into his lower back in obvious arousal. An exasperated little chuckle escaped him in reply to her excited antics.

"I thought I was the one being punished. How long are you going to keep it up?" Chris was of course referring to his current punishment of zero penetration by order of his vengeful lover. His hidden erection was currently molesting the leather couch cushions below, but he was trying to play it cool with Annabel. She always seemed to work herself up more than she bargained for.

"Until I think the magic finishes working," she whispered directly in his ear.

Chris froze at her words. An excited twitch raced up his already steely shaft, probably making an unseemly wet spot in his shorts.

"Seriously?" He asked conspiratorially, turning his face towards her, the article he'd been reading forgotten.

"Yeah, I noticed this morning putting my underwear on."

"Oh my god, can I see?" He dropped the tablet and squirmed around so he was facing her, plopping her back on top of him. Now she was sitting on the impressive erection tucked up into his waistband. His hands found her prominent butt and began kneading the soft flesh provocatively.

"Perv," laughter sparkled in her rich hazel eyes. "If I let you see her, I know you won't be able to resist."

"I promise. I'll be good," Chris pleaded jokingly. He couldn't describe how excited he was at the prospect of having Annabel again, he needed her.

"Mmmhh," She squirmed wantonly, enjoying his throbbing heat separated from her by only a few layers of cloth. "Tempting but let's wait a few more days. Who knows, if we're patient, you might get that whole fucking thing inside of me."

"Fuck, Dee!" he complained. "I really need you, don't you dare start with that sort of talk right now."

Her response was a wickedly delighted grin before she fell upon him in a searing kiss. Her lips were warm and moist against him, her tongue playful and not to be denied. He couldn't resist.

His phone rang loudly from the floor, the shrill tone indicating a Maginet connection.

Chris sighed in frustration, trying to extricate himself and answer. She resisted stoically, eager to ignore the distraction, continue their passion. In the end he had to take a firm grip on her lustrous chestnut pony-tail and firmly haul her upwards as he reached for his phone.