Endangered Ch. 03

The court audience shuffled out, looking back for once last peek at the dragon.

"Rise Christopher," she said quietly.

The fire in his hands extinguished as he stood. "Lady, please just call me Chris, everyone does."

"Fine, fine." Lady Narlakis said with a tinkling laugh. "And you may call me Reyla when we are in private. How old are you, dragon?"

"I'm nineteen," he replied, a little disconcerted. She was much nicer than he had expected. "My dragon awakened yesterday. Before that I was completely human; but Susan raised me with a basic knowledge of our world."

"So young," Reyla cooed, reaching to brush his cheek, her mind already racing ahead to the prospect of a pet dragon at her beck and call. The room was now clear except for his escorts and her chief advisors. "Come," she beckoned everyone closer. "Sit, sit, we have a lot to get through." She guided the dragon to sit on a carpeted step, taking the step above as her own. "Now, tell me your story."

He laid out his life as briefly as possible. For now he left Annabel out of the picture, although she sat only a few feet away. The Drow hadn't seemed to have noticed her yet.

"Interesting." She took one of his big purple hands in her black ones, stroking it gently. "What do you wish for yourself, dragon? How may I help you achieve your desires?" At this, he had looked up at her with innocent trust; this was almost too easy.

"I guess I just want to learn about our world and live my life. More specifically I need an education, a job, a home, and your protection," Chris replied honestly.

"No great aspirations?" Reyla asked seductively. "Hmmm. So easily pleased. You are such a nice boy, Christopher."

Annabel almost felt sick watching the elf paw at him. Surely he wasn't falling for her saccharine act.

"None." He smarted a little at being called a boy in front of everyone, but coming from Lady Narlakis it was a fair assessment.

"Very well." Reyla turned to Susan. "And what of yourself, witch? Why wasn't I made aware of a dormant dragon inside my own territory? You meant to keep him for yourself, no doubt." She regretted her words when she felt the dragon recoil, the hand she held suddenly tense.

"No my lady," Susan responded calmly, not rising to the accusation. "I only meant to protect him while he could not protect himself. Surely anonymity is the best defence. As soon as he awoke yesterday evening, we made plans to come here for your protection."

"Nonetheless, I would have expected a loyal Being to inform me of something so important," Reyla said coldly. The implication was not lost on anyone in the room. Again she chastised herself, she was eroding his good first impression of her. And yet, she resented having been kept in the dark. Still, she must control her temper around him.

"But all is well now that you are here, Chris," she soothed. "I will contact the Synod immediately to inform them of you. I imagine you will need to go meet with their dragon representative, Lord Guthrie; but that can wait a few days. In the meantime, you may live in our guest quarters and explore our wonderful city. We can discuss your education later."

"Thank you," he said, a bit put off by her abrupt changes in demeanour.

"It's nothing Chris; all I ask in return is your loyalty and guardianship," Reyla assured sweetly. "Everything magical will prosper indirectly from your presence. Now, let's get the rights over with."

Chris repeated after Reyla, reciting the induction rites for Beings allied to a new territory, swearing to uphold their laws, to serve his Lady, and to protect the Secret.

"Well said Christopher," Reyla encouraged, sliding the hand that had been resting in his short purple hair during the ceremony down the side of his face. "Now, let's get the details sorted out. Tosh, give him a registration and enter him into the system. But only put name, species, and class; Christopher can enter any further information if he wishes."

"On it my Lady," came the reply from a tall Asian man, working on a tablet computer in his lap. "What class shall I enter?"

"Hmmm," murmured Lady Narlakis as she felt out the subtleties of the dragon's aura. "I would have to agree that Class 1 is the most suitable." There was a bit of whispering between the others: Class 1 Beings were rare, very powerful. "It will be nice to have a companion of similar capabilities again," Reyla flattered. "The only Class 1 other than myself in the city is Envoron, but he is both senile and a Day elf, two things I cannot tolerate."

Someone tittered sycophantically at this, but Chris remained silent. They still hadn't discussed Annabel. Tosh saved what might have become an awkward silence by completing his registration, pending approval.

"Your registration code is 01DR-053-59413, the first bit is just your class and species, the numbers are randomised, unique to you. I'll set up a phone and laptop for you to use on Maginet this afternoon. You know about Maginet, right?" Tosh asked.

In the background, hushed conversations could be heard between some of the others in the room. Timothy was discussing new security measures around the guest quarters with a teammate; however most silently watched the interactions between dragon and Drow. Including Susan and Annabel.

"A little, I've seen Susan using hers and I'm okay with computers."

"Tosh is very good with technology, he keeps things running around here," Reyla interjected, "he's an arachnid you know, quite rare; I'm very lucky to have him." Tosh stuttered out a thanks before returning to his tablet. "Now, you will also need security," she continued. "What do you think, Timothy?"

This had been the subject of Timothy's thoughts for the past few minutes. "Well, he's powerful enough to handle himself; so what we need is someone to watch out for him, and back him up. A more subtle approach rather than a show of up-front muscle," reasoned the elemental.

Reyla agreed, mulling the possibilities over before confirming her initial decision. His primary protection couldn't be a man, there would be too much posturing between males this powerful; there always was. Lillian would be perfect: powerful and deadly enough to help protect the dragon, old enough to spot hidden threats, her loyalty insured due to the blood pact they had formed centuries ago. Besides, being around the young dragon would be torture for the vampire, which suited Reyla, given their current enmity.

"Lillian," she called, knowing the vampire was listening, lurking, as her kind was inclined. The thump of boot steps on marble answered her.

"Are you sure Reyla? We'll have to find a replacement for your own rotation."

"Yes I'm sure," she almost snapped at Timothy. "She's perfect."

***

'She's perfect', echoed through Annabel's head when the Amazonian beauty approached Chris from behind. So tall, at over six foot, with a clearly powerful body, proportionally large curves and beautifully feminine lines. Her muscular legs were long and they looked amazing in tight jeans. The natural strut she seemed to pull off effortlessly was the best she had ever seen, hips jigging sideways a little with each long step. Annabel hadn't yet seen it from behind and already she knew it could probably cause accidents – plane crashes, even.

The gorgeous valkyrie wore tall combat-style boots that didn't detract whatsoever from the vision of her as any man's perfect dream. Her great big tits must be D-cups or something, the way they bounced slightly with each step inside her clingy red turtleneck. She gave a sexy little flick of her head, dislodging some lustrous, shoulder-length, light brown hair that required a seductive swish back in place behind her ear. Mischievous brown eyes twinkled behind a forest of lashes, below which were deep shadows that made her look sultry, a little tired, like she should be taken back to bed, or, just simply taken. Her skin was absolutely white, and her face beautiful, perhaps with an overly wide mouth emphasized by plump lips: a seductive, hungry predator. She smiled, a Cheshire smile, revealing her vampiric nature for all to see, fangs displayed on the plush bed of her bottom lip.

Annabel saw it for what it was: an attention-grabbing entrance, and it seemed to be working. Thankfully Chris's back had been turned. How was she supposed to compete with that?

For her part, Lillian had been watching the proceedings from the start, observing Reyla attempt to charm the young dragon yet failing to hide her ugly temper and haughty arrogance. Serves you right you black elf bitch, I hope he sees straight through you.

Reyla and Lillian had a long history. As a young vampire Lillian had been seduced by the powerful elf, entering into a blood pact with her: obedience and servitude, in exchange for power. This seemed wonderful at the time, especially to one who was generally governed by base desires in the early years of un-death. The pact enabled her to hold a secure place, in the upper levels of vampire hierarchy; an intoxicating feeling for any youngling, that also insured her survival during those vulnerable years.

As she had aged and matured, however, her vampiric cravings had mellowed, and she realised she had traded much of her free will. Reyla expected much in return. Initially, their relationship had been mutually beneficial, it had soured over the years as Reyla exerted control and ordered her to do her bidding. Four centuries had since passed, and she had grown into a tenacious, resourceful, and sometimes ruthless vampire, far too powerful to simply let slip away. Reyla knew this, and was fairly sure that Lillian was aware of this as well.

Reyla kept Lillian close, a member of her personal guard, a position in which Lillian excelled. And yet the elf took every opportunity to punish the vampire's 'ungratefulness'. Lillian had no choice but to do the Lady's bidding, bound by the Drow's blood inside her own body, but took any small chance rebel, despite how futile. Half a century ago when she had asked for her freedom, Reyla had denied her. Apparently Lillian had many more centuries of service before the 'generous gift' would be paid off. In truth, Reyla had no intention of releasing her from her little collection of pets. And so it had continued, until the present day in which they lived to goad one another. Thus, when Lady Narlakis called Lillian to duty, undoubtedly she thought that guarding a dragon would be a torturous experience for the vampire.

So Lillian flaunted her body proudly, knowing the conceited Drow would hate not being the centre of attention, even for a few seconds. She made sure her hips popped with each step, and displayed her fangs against her bottom lip seductively, revelling in the disapproval rolling off her liege. And yet it was true: assignment to guard this dragon would be excruciating. Already she could feel his scent flooding her nostrils, no longer the little tickle it had been while on the far side of the room. She would control herself, though. It was an opportunity to get away from Reyla and perhaps slight her at the same time. Furthermore, if she was close to the dragon, perhaps Lillian could steer him away from the treacherous elf's grasp.

Reyla watched Lillian's dramatic entrance, from her view directly over the dragon's wings. She strongly suspected that the vampire was goading her. Upon her approach she stood, gesturing Chris up too, politely turning him to introduce the vampire and thereby retain a picture of charming royal calm.

"Christopher, this is Lillian Kozlov, your bodyguard," she said sweetly, eyes locking threateningly with Lillian's for a moment.

"She's a vampire," was Chris's response, not moving forward to shake her hand.

"Yes," replied Lillian, letting a little of her native Russian accent tinge her words, just to piss off Reyla. "But I'm much older than Amanda. I control myself far better." A mortified Amanda had already texted Lillian to inform her that she had attacked the young dragon, confessing to having found his taste unimaginably compelling.

"Oh." Relenting, he moved forward to accept her handshake, eyeing her from head to toe as he did so. His dragon was thrilled no end at the thought of seducing her, subduing her large, powerful body before plundering her softness until she quivered. She would be a wonderful challenge. When his eyes finally reached her gaze, nearly level with his own, she winked. He knew he had been caught. Chris blushed a deeper purple, furiously. Real smooth, he despaired, yet still managing a "Nice to meet you."

She gave him an overly wide smile in return, and though the smile didn't quite reach her dark brown eyes, it lit her face with a devastating predatory beauty. "It's nice to meet you too, Christopher," she replied, batting her eyelashes, for Reyla's benefit. She had, after all, appreciated his obvious attention and couldn't deny the dragon's powerful body as appealing; yet his timid nature reminded her of his young age. She preferred strong, confident men, who provided a challenge and were not intimidated by her. Admittedly, there were few men who fit this criteria yet still hadn't let their power get to their heads. Still, it was hard to maintain complete composure with his damnably sweet smell. Any physical contact might break her resolve. She locked it away as an impossibility. Lady Reyla would forbid it anyway, she would obey.

"Good," Reyla concluded. "Lillian will be responsible for your security day and night. Others will also be involved at times, but she will be in charge. Now, if that's all I'll leave you to make Christopher comfortable in his new home. I must go inform the Synod ... oh, and someone take the human girl's memories, I can't fathom why she's in here to begin with."

"No," came a menacing growl.

"She knows about all of this," Reyla gestured around them, confused by the dragon's response. "About you. Surely, you – "

"She is mine," the dragon interrupted, holding her gaze, his body tense. Everyone felt the change in atmosphere as the Beings assessed each other. "I will take her as a familiar."

Reyla backpedalled. Obviously the girl meant something to him. And yet ... a human? It was beneath him. "That's highly irregular, familiars need to be approved by – "

"You have the authority. I request your permission." It was, in fact, barely a request. The dragon spoke with a firmness that brooked no argument.

She had no choice. She couldn't deny his request without enraging the dragon; he might even try to flee with her. "You may have her. I grant permission to take the girl as your familiar. See to that as well Lillian, I expect it to be done by the end of the day." Cocking her head slightly, Reyla couldn't help but reassess him. There was strength and dominating possessiveness lurking underneath the youthful meekness. It enraged her, yet thrilled her no end. She needed to plan more extensively for how to deal with him, and how to ensnare him. "Christopher I apologise for distressing you, I wasn't aware of her importance. I would like to speak with you again tomorrow, once you're settled of course. I expect the Synod will have a plan of action formulated by then."

"Good day, everyone." Affecting regal serenity, she turned, her white, bejewelled ponytail sparkling, and strode away.

There was a collective moment of relaxation as the Drow swished gracefully away. Everyone except Chris's party that now included the chuckling vampire, had cleared the room to head about their business.

***

"Lillian," muttered Timothy threateningly.

The two stood together, watching the distraught human girl embrace the dragon desperately.

"Calm yourself, Tim," She whispered, barely containing her mirth. "That was fantastic. Did you see her face?"

"Yes," the elemental sighed. "She almost lost her cool for a second there. Don't push her." He held Lillian in awe. Lady Narlakis had a temper, that was a fact, but was generally fair with everyone who didn't piss her off. Lillian went out of her way to do just that, and it made her a bit of a legend.

"Okay, we'll go to the rooms first, then the tattoo, then probably the rooms again," Lillian outlined the schedule. "After they're done with making her a familiar we can show him around the Compound. He can't go outside looking like that, though. Maybe tonight he can go visit the club or something."

"That sounds fine, are you going to be okay with this?" Timothy asked. "Amanda was on him straight away; you should have seen it though, he had her by the neck so fast I barely saw it. He just about killed her but the human started making a fuss and he stopped."

"Interesting." She approached the dragon, giving the witch a nod of acknowledgement. "Christopher, let's go see where you'll be living, then we can get started on making her your familiar."

"Sure, and please call me Chris. It looks like we'll be spending a bit of time together." He released Annabel from their long hug; still holding onto him, she gave the beautiful vampire a surprisingly hateful glare.

"Thank you, Chris. And what's your name?" Lillian offered Annabel a hand to shake.

Annabel didn't accept it. It was childish, but she refused all the same.

At this, Lillian leant down. This human female was pretty enough; perhaps a little skinny by her own standards, but that was the fashion these days wasn't it? She must be his girlfriend, strong minded enough to see past his wings and scales. Good for her. "Listen," she tried for a conspiratorial tone, "I imagine this is quite overwhelming. But you don't have to worry about me. That's more than I can say for some of the others around here. I won't try to steal him from you," she winked as she spoke the last sentence, and Annabel blushed violently.

"Sorry, I'm Annabel," she offered her hand shyly. "It's all just a bit much at the moment."

"Welcome aboard," said Lillian, shaking it, but not before glancing up at the dragon for approval to do so.

***

Lillian guided them through the underground complex, explaining various services and functions. There were about 4500 Beings in the Mid-West territory, most of whom lived in the Denver metropolitan area. Lady Narlakis provided many kinds of support to Beings in her territory, policed their laws, and maintained the Secret. Beings provided something in return to help the community: a tax system of sorts, usually paid by barter of services. Beings had their own economy based in trade using mostly precious metals and stones as currency which also had intrinsic value for magics and spells. Human currency still played its part, because everyone interacted with that world as well, Lillian explained. Chris already knew most of this, but Annabel absorbed it all like a sponge.

Upon arriving at an elevator, Lillian inserted her key card and they stepped inside, travelling upward while she explained that they were now traversing underneath the city block to their hotel suite, inside a hotel for Beings only. They were quite high up when they arrived on their floor, where again a key card was required for entry.