Treasure Ch. 04

"So much for 'delicately,'" she muttered. "And I'm certainly not kissing you after you've just devoured a helpless rabbit." His scales began to shift, and she only had a moment to marvel at him as he shrank back down into his human shape before he tackled her to the ground.

"Don't you want a taste?" he laughed excitedly, pinning her wrists down over her head and leaning down for a kiss. She turned her head to the side and thrashed against him, letting out a disgusted noise as his lips brushed against her cheek.

"That's horrible!" she spluttered, writhing and twisting as she tried to keep her lips from him and giggling despite herself. He swooped down to kiss her again and missed, this time grazing her ear. "Adeon, stop it!" Swiftly, he gathered both her wrists into one hand and grasped her jaw with the other, and she bucked against him as he lowered his face towards her, grinning widely. "Nooooo-" she protested, but then he crushed his mouth against hers, and she could only let out a muffled shriek against his lips. He finally pulled away, laughing hysterically, and Catherine quickly sat up and rubbed her mouth furiously with the back of her hand. She looked up to glower at him, but he was watching her intently, an odd look in his eyes. "What?" she demanded.

"I don't know," he said slowly, the wide smile still on his face. "I feel very strange all the sudden. It's...it's a good sort of strange."

"What are you talking about?" she said, frowning at him, and he pushed her back down onto her back, taking in a long, shuddering breath as he crept on top of her.

"I feel fantastic," he groaned, and one of his hands crawled down to tug at the hem of her skirt. She let out a noise of protest and swatted his hand away, but he pressed himself in between her legs and ground his bare hips against her urgently. "Oh, Catherine, I need you," he begged shakily, lowering his face to the skin of her neck and ravaging it with his mouth. Her hands scrambled against his chest, trying to push him off of her, but he brushed them away impatiently, his hands sliding up her dress to explore her flesh. She trembled as he pressed his body against her, and when he raised his head to watch her, his eyes were fervently wide and bright. His fingers found their way inside of her and she took in a quivering gasp, watching in confusion as his lips parted in ecstasy.

"What on earth are you doing?!" she stammered, trying to ignore the wonderful things he was doing to her underneath her dress. "We can't...we're in a forest..." She broke off with a moan as he continued to massage her insides in long, desperate strokes, and he brought his mouth to her ear to graze her earlobe with his tongue. His breath was deliciously rich and heavy in her ear, and he moved his thumb upwards to circle her clit. She bit back a cry at his ministrations, and within minutes, her legs were jerking against him as she came in pulsing, quivering waves. He clumsily yanked her skirt up over her hips with the hand that wasn't pleasuring her, and he had only removed his fingers for a fraction of a second before he was pushing into her, gasping in relief.

His body felt fever-hot and sweaty against hers, and when he began to move his hips, it was with a certain slow, urgent roughness, like he couldn't possibly ever be far enough inside of her. He gave another hard, desperate thrust and she inhaled shakily, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding him tight against her. His torso seared against her, and Catherine's forehead began to bead with sweat from the sheer amount of heat radiating from his body.

"Adeon," she whispered pleadingly, a steady heat coursing through her veins. "What's gotten into you?!"

"I don't know," he breathed against her ear, and she quivered at the need in his voice. "I feel so alive, Catherine. I just want you, I want you so much," he growled, quickening his pace. As he spoke, she felt her body dissolve with anticipation. She clutched at his shoulders frantically, a shaky moan escaping her lips with every push of his hips, and after several moments, he collapsed on top of her with a low groan. His lips brushed against hers as he gasped for breath, and his fingers roamed over her body; squeezing her breasts, trailing down her ribcage. "Oh, dearest," he choked, a note of weariness entering his voice. "I could stay inside you all day." Finally, with some difficulty, he pushed himself up and let out a long, quivering sigh, running his fingers through his hair and closing his eyes. Catherine pushed her skirt back down her legs and sat up, swallowing hard and watching him uncertainly. There was a thin sheen of sweat on his body, and his limbs were twitching sporadically. He looked like he was charged with energy, almost exhaustingly so.

"I think something's wrong with you," she whispered, her breath still uneven from their lovemaking.

"I'm inclined to agree with you," he replied weakly. His teeth were clenched, and there was something like agony in his voice. Every motion he made seemed more sluggish and weak than the last. "This is...it's...it's too much." Catherine pushed herself to her feet and looked frantically around the clearing, searching for anything, anything, that could possibly help him, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw a crooked line of red bumps bordering the outside of the clearing. They seemed to wind around the entire circumference of it in a nearly perfect circle.

"Adeon," she said suddenly. "What are those?" His head swayed drunkenly as he turned to look in the direction she was indicating, and as he laid eyes on the strange red shapes, his reptilian eyes widened in horror.

"Toadstools," he breathed slowly, staring at the spotted mushrooms as if they were a small army of lethal creatures that were poised to attack them at any moment. "Oh, Catherine, this isn't good at all..."

"Why?" she pressed, but his eyelids were fluttering despite his efforts, and she shook his shoulder vigorously. "ADEON," she said loudly. He groaned and slumped over, clearly fighting to keep his eyes open.

"Damn those infernal creatures," he slurred unsteadily. Then his eyelids slid shut, his breathing evened and slowed, and he was completely, hopelessly asleep. She beat a pattern on his chest with her fists, rattled his shoulders and even bit down hard on his arm, but no action of hers could do anything other than rouse a tiny snore from his lips. Slowly, like sand shifting in the wind, his features and limbs twisted and grew into as he changed back into a great green dragon, still laying limply on the ground. She let out a quiet moan of terrified desperation, knotting her fingers in her hair and slumping down next to him. What infernal creatures?

"You needn't worry," a terribly strange voice intoned a few feet to her left. "He'll awaken eventually." Catherine's head jerked towards the direction of the noise, and her lips parted in awe.

There was a small, girl-like creature perched upon Adeon's tail, studying him closely as he slept. She couldn't have been more than four feet tall, and her limbs were long and spindly. But the most curious thing about her was the fact that she seemed to be constructed out of pure white light, save for her eyes, which were wet, limpid pools of sky blue, from pupil to sclera. She turned to gaze at her impassively, and Catherine watched in fascination as those strange eyes blinked slowly. The ears on either side of her face were as long and pointed as dragonfly wings, and her hair, each strand spun from tiny webs of light, tumbled slowly behind her as if it was caught in a silent windstorm. From the thin fingers of her left hand hung a bizarre sort of lantern, but the flame inside of it was like no fire Catherine had ever seen. It was acidic green in color, for one, and the tongues that licked from its center seemed to shift in hues as they faded.

"Who are you?" she continued in an intense, almost distorted whisper. Her voice was simultaneously sharp and insubstantial, as if she had fashioned it from wind, mist and flakes of morning frost. It rang through the silence of the clearing like tiny silver bells, but also held a sort of menacing rasp. Catherine worked her jaw for several moments, but no sound came out.

"I-I'm Catherine," she finally stuttered, still awestruck from the sheer strangeness of the being in front of her. The girl's azure eyes narrowed a bit as she spoke, and Catherine shrank back nervously.

"Humans don't come here very often," she told her. "It would be best if you left. My lady would wish it."

"What have you done to him?" Catherine demanded, trying to swallow back the tremor that had invaded her voice.

"He ate one of my rabbits," the girl said simply, in an almost conversational tone, as if there wasn't a giant, unconscious dragon lying on the ground near them. She turned and regarded Adeon with displeasure. "The ones I tend to can offer longevity to their captors. It was wasted on one with so many years to spare."

"Longevity?" Catherine's eyes grew wide. Adeon's bizarre behavior only minutes earlier was beginning to make sense. "You mean--"

"It would be wise," the girl warned her, "to put that thought out of your head. They aren't yours to take, nor were they his."

"He didn't mean it," Catherine insisted hurriedly, and the girl cocked her head to the side, her alien eyes bright with curiosity.

"I didn't expect you to come to his defense," she mused. "Once I've taken him to our Queen, you will be free." Catherine stared at the girl in shock, and she shrugged. "He must pay back the years he took from us. It could be many decades before he returns. I've heard the gossip surrounding Adeon of the Mountain--surely you're one of his girls." She paused, a faint look of surprise crossing her delicate features. "Oh," she said suddenly, her gaze darting downwards, and Catherine saw that her hand was clutching one of Adeon's claws. She flushed deep crimson and pulled it back, looking down at the ground. "You're in love with him. How curious."

"Don't pry," Catherine snapped.

"Do you think he loves you?" she asked excitedly, apparently ignoring Catherine's protests.

Catherine scowled at the strange being in front of her, irritation eating at her terrified inhibitions. "Of course he does," she retorted, but her voice was a bit softer than it had been before. The girl let out a high-pitched laugh that sounded like harp strings and splintered glass.

"Silly girl," she giggled. "You're no more to him than a new, shiny trinket. Dragons don't fall in love--they only steal precious things and pretend that they bring them happiness. The only thing he feels for you is greed. It's all he's capable of feeling."

"You don't know anything about him. Not one, single thing," Catherine hissed, surprised to hear the vehemence in her voice.

The girl watched her expressionlessly, clearly in deep thought about something. "Very well, dragon-girl," she finally said, rising to her feet. "I'll release your paramour. This is far too interesting of a situation to interfere with." One of the strange, too-white rabbits came tumbling out from a large bush, and she knelt down and extended her arms towards it. It dashed into her hands and she lifted it to her chest, idly stroking its short, thick fur as she stood back up. "Maybe when you're old and tired, and your pretty skin is wrinkled and your lovely hands are gnarled and twisted, I'll give you one of my rabbits. Then you can stay that way for him forever. Do you think he'd like that, dragon-girl?" Catherine stared at her in shock as her words sent a current of pain through her chest.

"What a cruel thing to say," she finally whispered, and the girl shrugged innocently.

"I was only offering my help." She snapped her long fingers and Adeon's eyelids slowly fluttered open. His wide green eyes surveyed the clearing in confusion, and as they locked on the tiny being in front of him, they narrowed angrily. The girl simply offered him a wild, devious grin and then vanished with a tiny green flash and a wispy curl of mist. Adeon rose shakily to his feet, closing his eyes with the effort of moving, and let out a soft, exhausted noise.

"What happened?" he asked muzzily, his enormous body swaying dangerously.

"I think you ate a cursed rabbit," Catherine said slowly, still trying to comprehend exactly what had just happened.

"A cursed rabbit," he repeated blankly, and she felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment.

"That girl-she said she was going to take you somewhere for eating her rabbits. She..." Catherine trailed off, looking sadly down at the forest floor as she thought of what the girl had told her. "She changed her mind."

"Fairies and their mischief," he grumbled, and Catherine's jaw dropped.

"Fairies?" she gasped. "You mean-"

"Spirits, fey, little folk. Call them whatever you'd like, but keep your distance. They're nothing but trouble." His claws twitched a bit as he struggled to compose himself, and when he turned to look at Catherine, a worried look flitted across his eyes. "What's wrong?" he urged softly. "What aren't you telling me?"

"It's nothing," Catherine assured him, forcing a broad smile. "I was just worried about you." He lowered his head closer to hers, studying her closely.

"Why," he said quietly, "do you feel the need to lie to me?" Catherine's brow knitted in worry and she crossed her arms, looking anywhere but at him.

"I don't want to lie to you," she murmured. "I just don't want to talk about it right now."

She stumbled back a bit as he nuzzled his nose against her shoulder, and his claws rose to encircle her waist. She let out a sigh and wrapped her arms around his nose, pressing her lips to his skin in a kiss. "Later?" he asked hopefully.

"Maybe. I don't know." Catherine let her lips twist into a little smile. "Are you feeling better?"

"Much," he replied, his eyes twinkling. "However, after that particular adventure, I find myself quite anxious to return home. Don't you?"

"I don't even know why we're still talking about it."

"You're absolutely right." With the sound of millions of scales shifting, he lowered his body so she could climb clumsily onto his back. "Hold on tight," he told her once she had settled on his shoulders, and Catherine shut her eyes firmly as he rocketed into the clear blue sky.

--

Adeon's claws pried impatiently at her arm, and a grumbling noise left his lips. "It really isn't that bad," he sighed, and she quivered, clutching his neck desperately.

"I don't think I'm ever going to get used to it," she said in a tiny voice.

"We're in the treasure room. On the ground. I promise," he assured her, and she could hear the amusement in his voice.

"A-alright," she whispered, her fingers scrabbling shakily against his skin as she craned over to the side. She clutched at a couple of the spikes that knifed out of his spine and dangled herself off his neck, taking a deep breath before she dropped to the ground. Her slippers thudded against the rock, unsettling a number of coins and causing them to rattle, and she let out a trembling sigh of relief. She opened her eyes, surveying the cavern around them gratefully.

"You aren't going to faint, are you?" he inquired. "You look rather pale."

"I'm perfectly fine," she said quietly, bringing her hands up to rub her face in exhaustion, and he laughed.

"For someone so brave, you certainly have a tremendous difficulty with heights," he chuckled, and she peered at him from in between her fingers.

"Brave?" she repeated. "I'm not brave at all."

"Oh, you're terribly brave," he told her softly. "Exploring forests, talking with fairies, sleeping in a cave." His scaly lips twitched a bit into a small smile. "Calling dragons idiots."

"You know I didn't mean it."

"It's alright." She stared up at him uncertainly, and he lowered his face so it was level with hers. "I like the fire in you." His eyes were shining with wonder as he watched her, curious and intense and so brilliantly green.

"Well," she said after a moment of silence, "I certainly don't feel like a valiant all covered in dirt." She reached up to her neck and winced as her fingers touched her skin. "And sweat," she added grimly.

"I think I like it," he teased, and her lips split into a silly grin.

"As kind as you are, I believe I need a bath," she sighed, turning around, tugging her dress over her head and then letting it fall to the floor. Her spine lengthened and her breasts jutted forward as she tensed into a languorous stretch, and even though she kept her back to him, she could feel the heat of his stare all over her body.

"That can wait," she heard him murmur, and she suddenly felt two warm palms grasp her hips. "I'm sure that, with some effort, we could make that lovely little body of yours even sweatier," he continued softly, bringing his lips to her shoulder to kiss the skin lightly. A little shiver ran up her spine, but she shrugged, a motion that she made sure to extend to her waist and hips.

"Oh, I don't know," she said, looking over her shoulder and giving him a sly smile. "I'd really like one."

"Perhaps I could join you," he offered, and his hands began to travel slowly across her stomach, tracing the expanse of her torso gently with the tips of his nails. Her breath hitched a bit, but she closed her eyes tightly to contain herself. He had a certain way of making her inhibitions crumble, but it wouldn't be today, she told herself firmly.

"I think it would be nice to have a moment alone with my thoughts," she replied, turning to face him and gently removing his hands from her hips. "If you don't mind." His eyes narrowed, but his lips were quirking into a little smile.

"Wicked girl," he said softly, and she grinned up at him before turning on her heel and making her way towards the hot spring, relishing the feeling of his gaze on her skin.

--

After she had finished her bath, Catherine rose out of the spring, water streaming off her in rivulets and pooling onto the rock beneath her. She shook her wet hair over her shoulder and absentmindedly began to pleat it into a long, single braid, her mind racing. All she had been able to think about for the past hour or so was the image of herself, old and wrinkled and standing next to Adeon, who would doubtlessly stay as regal and perfect as he was now. Would there come a time when he tired of her, and left to find someone new and beautiful? The idea filled her with anxiety, and the anxiety made her feel ashamed.

As she trotted back out to the treasure cavern, she tried to hold her shoulders steady and her head high. As conflicted as she was, she was loath to let the words of a mischievous fairy taint her conscience. Besides, there was a motley assortment of problems on her plate, and the last thing she needed was to be distracted by the idea of her own mortality.

Adeon, apparently in a lazier mood, was back in his dragon form and curled up near a large tower of coins. His eyes flitted up to regard her with an obvious hunger as she entered the room, and his lips curved into an appreciative grin as she approached. "Are you quite satisfied?" he asked in a rumbling voice, and she knelt down to retrieve her dress from between his claws.

"Very much so," she sighed happily. As she grasped the hem of the fabric, however, Adeon's claws plucked it from her grasp and held it just out of arm's reach. "Stop that," she laughed, and he twisted his scaly neck so his face was very, very close to hers, his eyes twinkling in amusement. "What are you doing?" she demanded in a scolding voice.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you," he droned, "how terribly unwise it is to tease a dragon?"

She bit her lip and smiled, watching as his draconian eyes raked over her naked body. "I think I like teasing you," she admitted, reaching a hand out to tentatively touch the scales on his nose. In a flash, he had captured her arm with his claws of one hand, holding her easily as she struggled against his grip. With a twist of his arm, he secured her other arm in his palm as well, and she yelped as he extended his arm and raised her, kicking and squirming, several feet off the ground. He unceremoniously discarded the dress he was holding in his other claws, then raised them to idly trace her exposed waist with a single, enormous talon.