Endangered Ch. 11

As they sat nervously waiting, Chris' keen senses took in more details of the strange establishment. The back wall displayed all sorts of harnesses, ropes, and sexual aids. There was also a door down by the stage from which people would sometimes issue or enter. The trickle of people was mostly made up of couples. They tended to be coming out tired yet flushed with whatever activity went on down there.

"We like to call it the playground," Red simpered in his ear, noticing his interest. "All sorts of wicked things could be going on down there. Who knows? I understand we'll be trying to find a role down there for your miscreant friend, keep him out of trouble for a while?"

Roman seemed to perk up a little at that, his second helping of whiskey pausing on its way to his lips.

"Something like that," Chris said, doing his damnedest not to let the strange vampire's proximity to his neck unsettle him too visibly. Lillian had been reluctant to divulge details other than a reassurance that he wouldn't be summarily executed once he was handed over.

"I suppose he might have some potential," Black chimed in on the conversation. "A diet of bored, high society New York housewife and a little education on the proper ways of vampirism could do wonders for the little traitor."

"I'm no traitor," Roman growled back.

"Is that so, my little rat?" Red's purr was dangerous. "And what would you call skittering around collecting whispers about Santa here to sell to your rich human friends? Hmm? Let's not even mention that poor, strung out psyker you've been feeding poison to. You very nearly got our dear friend Lillian killed. She's been very generous to refer you to us instead of pegging you out to greet the dawn."

"Squeak up," Black teased from the sidelines.

Roman didn't have a reply, his silence and downcast eyes were probably a wise choice.

The little reminder about his costume now made Chris feel ridiculous. What had started as a joke between he and Michelle now had him sitting in a sex dungeon dressed as Santa. The damn beard itched and tickled his skin too. He didn't have time to ponder it longer though because the music swelled and then ebbed into the background. All of a sudden, the stage's black curtain was drawing back.

"Now you'll get to see Jason play," the leatherbound vampire said as the audience hushed. "I almost wish it was my turn tonight but I wouldn't pass up the honour of hosting you. Enjoy the show."

A slowly rotating bedspread was revealed as powerful lights brightened to illuminate the four occupants. Two more colour-coded seductresses, Blue and White, lay on either side of their young plaything. She was a beauty, lean and ripe with the perky bloom of womanhood. Her skin was snowy-pale, freckled here and there, and pink with arousal in all the right places. Long blonde hair splayed around her and the teasing vampires like a golden braided river, a healthy patch adorning the top of her engorged mons.

Beside the low bed, a tall African American man looked down approvingly as Blue kissed at the young woman's neck and toyed with a dawn-tinted nipple. Amplified by a boom microphone lowered from the rigging, the woman's ragged moan made Chris' cock twitch as the platform rotated her already-glistening sex into view.

It appeared he wasn't the only one who appreciated the sight. The dark, sculpted man, Chris assumed Jason, was swelling into his full and considerable endowment. White reached out a paradoxically dark-skinned hand to test the waters of their toy's arousal. She collected a sample, drawing out a few more lustful cries before rolling over to introduce the glisting fluid to the throbbing crown of Jason's proud erection.

Beside them at the booth, Black seemed to quiver with barely contained excitement as the man prowled across the bed to mount the young woman. Something about her reaction clicked for Chris, and he finally understood Lillian's little joke. The colours weren't just sultry waitresses, they were all Jason's.

"I really wasn't prepared for anything like this," Lisa breathed, the thin balaclava was suddenly stifling despite the comfortably cool air. It was like a sexy car-wreck, she felt she shouldn't be watching, but at the same time couldn't look away. There was nowhere else for her eyes to reasonably wander.

"Best night ever," Kat watched avidly beside her as the young woman was worked to a state of tortured readiness.

"She's human you know," Red taunted the marine. "That could be you and me up there with him."

With a showman's skill, Jason slid his thick knob between her puffy folds. At just the right moment for the audience to get the best view of their tight coupling, he groaned and sank deep into the saddle of her upturned hips.

What followed was twenty enlightening minutes of debauchery. There was no doubt that it was a show. Like pornography, the three vampires positioned their bodies for maximum visibility and showmanship rather than optimal experience. That didn't seem to put Jason off his game. He coaxed all three women to shuddering, full-bodied pleasure with effortless mastery, openly sampling their blood in the process.

Sitting there with a dry mouth and an uncomfortably erect problem to restrain, Chris thought he picked out at least half a dozen new tricks to take home. Perhaps that was what Lillian intended.

As the lights finally dimmed and the curtain obscured the sharing of three cum-streaked pairs of marvellous breasts, the audience began clapping enthusiastically.

Chris was left wondering how much of what he'd seen was orchestrated for him. It seemed unlikely that the show was set to occur minutes after their arrival, and that a prime booth was set aside. Was it some sort of vampire power play? He was left off balance, and his lingering erection only heightened his discomfort.

"I'm so sorry, I truly had no idea we were in for anything like this," Chris turned to a smiling Kat and saucer-eyed Lisa, concealed behind their elf getups. At least they shared that humiliation, he thought belatedly. "I'm going to throttle Lillian when I get home."

"You could try, but she might enjoy it," a deep voice approached from over his shoulder. It was the man from the stage, of course, dressed in nothing but a black silk robe and a self-satisfied grin. He stuck out a hand to shake as he reached their booth, a hand whose fingers had been thoroughly ensconced in Blue's womanhood just minutes ago. "Jason. It's nice to finally meet the man behind the rumours, Chris."

Chris' eyes narrowed as he realised he was being forced to stand in order to accept the man's introduction. His hesitation only seemed to make the vampire's grin widen, so Chris threw his dignity to the wind and stood. His state of obvious arousal drew a shocked gasp from Lisa, but more worryingly a throaty growl from Black.

"Yeah, nice to meet you too, Jason. That was quite some performance," Chris shook firmly, ignoring the red, Christmas-themed tent pointing up between them. Damn those velvety pants, they did absolutely nothing to mitigate his problem. Right then, he could have killed for a pair of denims. "All good rumours, I hope."

"Thank you, I'm glad you found it so... invigorating."

Chris chuckled darkly, he was in a vampire's dick measuring contest alright. Well, when in Rome. He stood straighter, forcing his hips out a little to make Jason take a half-step back or risk a prodding.

"You're a lucky man, Jason, there's no doubt." Chris was unreasonably satisfied to note that he was at least a few inches taller, not counting his towering wings. The rainbow of vampires had all somehow assembled themselves, watching avidly as the master of their harem faced down the hulking dragon. Chris was more than a little annoyed now. He hadn't signed on for any of this but knew just the thing to barb them in return.

"Listen, that was all very educational, but I can't really stay to chat. We've got more stops to make, bad guys to quash. Lillian told you the story, right?"

"Indeed. We'll see that this lost little sheep doesn't cause any more trouble before the Revelation," Jason's smile faltered as he glanced past Chris to the others at the table. "My those are some sweet-smelling helpers you have there, they seem very excited. Are you sure we can't convince you to stay a little longer? Pink is just dying to play."

"I'm afraid not," Chris clapped a companionable hand on the man's shoulder as if nothing about this situation was out of the norm for him. He glanced around, briefly meeting the masked eyes of each member of Jason's harem as he constructed his excuse. "Lillian is waiting up at home for me. She demands a lot of attention, I think it's something to do with the pregnancy you know? Imagine beautiful Red here, twice as amorous and three times as hungry as her tummy swells. That would be something, wouldn't it? I'll tell you though, Jason, it's all worth it. There's nothing quite like the feeling of sharing something so special, so intimate with a loved one."

Not all of them reacted as he might have hoped, but Blue's yearning sigh and scent or Red's spiking arousal were enough for Chris' vindictive streak.

"Mmm, that does sound enjoyable. The mind boggles," Jason replied, his wistful tone making Chris suddenly feel like a cad for pointing out the deficiency of their vampirism. "Well, if you have to run away, please take our regards to Lillian. You two must stop by for a night or two after the Revelation. The girls have been hatching all sorts of plans for when we don't have to hide ourselves. A performance from the two of you would be the event of the year in our little circle."

"A performance?! Like that one we just..." All his bravado was undone in a stammering second. "I'm not sure I... I hadn't even considered something like that. Sorry, you surprised me. I'm not sure, Jason, I'd have to give it some serious thought."

"You do that, Christopher." Jason's smile was back in full force as he ushered them toward the exit.

"And bring the fun elf with you," Red called melodically behind them as five beautiful vampires closed in on Roman, their new plaything.

As they retrieved Lisa's weapons and walked back up the corridor out onto the deserted sidewalk, Chris was pensive. He understood that his elaborate intervention with Roman was orchestrated the way it was for political reasons. Something to do with stepping on the fewest number of local toes according to Lillian. What he couldn't get was what her game was in sending him to a place like that without prior warning. With Lisa and Kat under his care, and factoring in exposure to young and unpredictable vampires, it seemed risky.

"I really am sorry," he explained to his pair of minders as they reached the deserted sidewalk. "That whole thing was so strange I can barely believe it happened at all. I'd be eternally grateful if it wasn't brought up around the office at work, but I guess I'd have to understand if it surfaced."

"It's going to be pretty hard to contain," Kat smiled. "I mean, I'm pretty sure I got offered immortality and a position in a vampire stud's stable of hoes. And damn, he was put together right! That thing he did where his..."

"That's enough!" Lisa rounded on her. "I know you're new at this but you need to work on your professionalism. It was a very unusual situation in there, but you were way too carefree. This isn't a night out on the town, Kat. In some ways, I think we were lucky to make it out of there unscathed. That pink one especially was a hair's breadth from going off the rails and the place was absolutely packed with bloodsuckers."

Chris noticed that Kat seemed to unconsciously slip into a stiff posture during the reprimand, hands crossed behind her back with eyes locked dead ahead. Perhaps the whiskey had gone to her head because after Lisa was finishing, she struggled to withhold a giggle.

"What's so funny!"

"Paahahaha!" Kat burst. "Jason can scathe me however he wants after watching that! Besides, I don't think we were in much real danger. Chris could have dragoned-out if things went goat-fuck. "

Lisa looked up at Chris, shrugging with outstretched arms as if to say that she'd tried her best.

He took their hands again, hoping to forestall any taking of sides by delivering them to their last target for the evening.

They jumped to Harrisburg as a shortcut on their way to Baltimore. Chris could still picture the sight of Radek's attack on the NSA facility well enough to teleport them safely. It brought back memories that he hadn't revisited in a while, his trip to Scotland, meeting Michelle for the first time. Come to think of it, he'd performed his first jump from this exact site, driven by fear and the need to escape the corrupted wizard. He'd come a long way since then.

All the night's magical exertion was definitely catching up to him as they flew low toward the lights of the city. Chris didn't know if he was up for another rollercoaster ride tonight. Thankfully, he needn't have worried.

Despite the late hour, Benjamin Riker was up and reading a financial report in a leather armchair. Part of a younger generation than Patrick or Philip, Michelle said he was being groomed to be the successor of the dynasty. As such, he most definitely knew about Beings.

Thankfully, merit was taken into account when selecting for such a position. He was only Philip's cousin, but his aptitude in management, law, and most importantly politics put him ahead of the pack. As such, he was in the loop on all the strategic decisions involved in running the empire he was destined to inherit. Much of his time these days was spent wrangling their various political interests and lobbying efforts around D.C. into something resembling an organised muster.

There was little drama when they appeared out of thin air in his living room. Ben gave a small start of shock, but he was half-expecting the possibility of a visit from dragon-santa in the next few days. Philip had called to warn him, but he hadn't thought it would come so soon. He adapted admirably.

"Christopher, hello. Good god man, I have a doorbell," Ben put a hand over his heart and adopted his best winning attitude. "A trick like that is a good way to give someone a heart attack. No need for putting holes in my wall either, I don't imagine we're going to argue much. Please, have a seat you three."

"You talked to Philip," Chris nodded in understanding but refused the offered seat. "It ruins much of my jolly charm when you're prepared. I hope the message got through at least."

"I wouldn't exactly say I ran down to the store for milk and cookies, Chris," Benjamin chuckled amiably. "But yes, I got your message loud and clear. I'd actually like to apologize to you on behalf of my family. Some of them get caught up in their wealth and scheming. Then they start taking our privilege for granted and forget that they're human, that their actions have human impact. What Patrick did to you and others was terribly wrong, and it was wrong of us to help shield him from the consequences."

"That's all well and good. And thank you, Ben. Can I call you that?" Chris accepted his nod and ran his eyes around the modest room with interest. It wasn't nearly as ostentatious as he would have expected from a Riker. "It's the first time anyone actually fessed up and said sorry. You'd think that would be the first thing on anyone's lips. Phil could have saved himself the hassle of a new carpet if he'd realised that."

"He can be a stubborn one," the younger Riker nodded. "Blame his background in law if you like, rule number seventeen, never admit liability."

"I'd be more inclined to blame it on his lack of a soul, but that's just my opinion."

"Nice one," Kat encouraged out of the blue as she passed behind him on her own whiskey-inspired inspection of the room. She blessed Chris with a sassy hip bump as she did so. It drew Benjamin's attention like an owl to a mouse.

"Who are your helpers on this busy evening, Chris?"

"Anonymous." Chris put a dash of menace in his voice to discourage any notions of further investigation. "They're here for your protection mostly, in case I start getting carried away."

Benjamin stiffened in his chair. Unlike Philip, he understood the potential fragility of his own life. This young man, this dragon, was a killer. His gut told him that they wouldn't be hearing from cousin Patrick ever again. Though that wasn't too great a loss, and actually released the family from any ongoing obligation to him, it was a wakeup call to his self-preservation.

"Now there's no need for anything like that," he tried with open palms. "I'm a reasonable man. Say what's on your chest and I'll see what I can do to put you at ease."

"That's nice, but you're also a politician, so I'll take a wheelbarrow full of salt along with any promises." Chris found himself pacing across a rug and stopped, turning to look right at the guy. He just wanted to get this over with and go home now. "It boils down to actions, Benjamin. Philip probably told you all about my mad threats. Okay, back at you. How will you and your family act to convince me you know how to play by the rules? Are you members of society, or a bunch of entitled, kidnapping psychopaths? I don't care about how much money you make, I just want you to do right."

"I don't mean offence, but right by who, Chris? To what standard and letter of the law?"

"If you have to ask yourself those questions, you're doing it wrong," Chris growled in frustration. "You put yourselves on my radar, not the other way around. Just because your wealth and power have let you self-govern for decades doesn't mean it was ever right to do so."

"I see." Ben's tone soured despite himself. "So you would appoint yourself our judge and executioner if necessary."

"I don't fucking want to, man! I'd much rather be at home in bed, never knowing you existed. Instead, I find your type running amok, all the D.A.'s are too scared to touch you, the real judges and lawmakers in your pockets. If there's no one else around willing to call you out for your bullshit, I'll step up to the god-damn plate. That's just how I was raised."

"A fair point. You know, I used to feel the same way when I was your age. Would you believe that?" the older man smiled wistfully. "I wonder what went wrong along the way. It was a gradual slide into megalomania, I think."

"Well then pull yourself back out. Who knows, it might be satisfying. Anyway, it's late and I'm tired. I've said my part so we'll head off now."

"Sure thing."

"Open your eyes, Ben. There's a dragon dressed as Santa in your lounge room and we are racing headlong for an existential cliff. People like you could actually do some good in keeping the wheels from falling off this ride if you grew back your conscience. I don't care if you're making money hand over fist in the process, so long as you're pulling your weight. I'll be trying my best to do exactly that. Just... I don't know, hire some better ethics advisors. Something."

"Message received, I'll do what I can. Good evening, Chris. I hope if we meet again it will be in more friendly circumstances."

"So do I, dude," Chris nodded tiredly as Lisa and Kat converged to his sides. "So do I."

After they were gone, Benjamin sat up for several more hours until his eyelids started to rebel. He considered what the dragon had said honestly and fairly, brainstorming potential ideas down in a trusty notebook. There had been some valid points raised. He'd found himself having to look the other way in the family's dealings more and more over the last decade. Also, he was pretty sure no one had called him 'dude' in at least as many years. It actually brought him a little smile.

***