Dragon 1 Chapter 18 (Patreon)

After dinner, I took Scarlett down to the lower levels of Bumps in the Night. Jadelyn had bowed out at that point, saying she needed to go do homework. I knew it was a lie, but I was thankful for the time alone with Scarlett.

The club had shifted around the time that we wrapped up dinner. Downstairs, the club’s other areas had come alive with bass beats bumping in the night. The warm lights had been dimmed, with the only dim lights illuminating the bars and the wall of alcohol a neutral white. Further into the club, cool black lights added mystery and darkened corners while the band kicked off some music.

I could see how it might be a safe space for the paranormal. Under the black lights, it was almost impossible to tell if you had pale, tan or blue skin.

Scarlett eagerly led me out onto the dance floor with a smile, quickly shifting herself against me and dancing in my arms. It felt so good to hold her close, leaning into her and enjoying the smell of her cloves and vanilla perfume.

She rocked against me as I ran my hands along her body. Time seemed to float away, as we forgot where we were or anybody who surrounded us. We moved our bodies to the beat of the music, enjoying the moment with each other. I wasn’t sure how much time passed before she leaned in and whispered into my ear, “Take me home.”

Quickly coming to full attention, I gave her a smile. Holding her arm, I took the brunt of the surrounding mob, pushing my way through the crowd towards the exit while she followed behind. I made sure to clear a path big enough for her to get through without issue.

Once we were through the dancing mob, it got easier to move. She looped her arm into mine, leaning against me slightly as we wove our way back out the front of the club. We exited into the night, the smells of the city greeting us once again.

A number of patrons were standing in line behind the velvet rope to the side, waiting for their turn to go in. Girls stood dressed together in skimpy clubwear, but what held my attention was the way the rainbow lights coming out of the club lit up Scarlett’s skin, playing along the shadows of her curves. She was stunning, and she was mine for the night.

I was still smiling so wide when we got back to my place; I was worried I might get permanent wrinkles.

“You know, I expected worse.” Scarlett said, looking around as she stepped into my apartment.

“I seem like a slob?” I teased.

She shrugged. “Not that. It’s just, normally, college guys have super simple apartments. This one at least has some character.” She slipped off her heels and put them by the door.

“Drink?” I asked, opening the fridge.

“Water if you have it. That wine was pretty dry.”

“But it was nice, right? At least say it, so I can tell Morgana that you loved it.” We both chuckled, knowing we didn’t necessarily know the difference between it and a twelve dollar bottle from the store.

I poured us both a glass and casually moved over to the couch, but Scarlett gave me a questioning look. “Is your roommate going to interrupt us?”

“Probably.” I admitted. It didn’t seem like Frank was around at the moment, but I figured he’d likely come back. He and Maddie seemed to like to spend their time at our place.

“Which room?” She danced through the apartment, poking about.

“This one.” I opened my door and gave her an exaggerated gesture inwards.

She dipped in a small curtsy. “Thank you, Mister Pendragon.” She drawled out my last name in an English accent.

“Oh please. I’ve gotten enough jokes about my name.” I paused, realizing that if I told Scarlett what Morgana, and I thought I was, she’d be the first I ever told. “Actually. About my name...”

“What about it?” She went over to my little collection of gold and looked at it before checking out my closet.

“Do you have to be so nosey?” I rolled my eyes and sat down on the bed, not minding so much that I got a chance to watch her from behind while she snooped around in her dress.

She ignored my comment, continuing to open random drawers. “My father is a detective, and in case you haven’t picked up on it, I work for Jadelyn. I help with security around her most of the time. So, yes. I’m not going to pass this opportunity up and scope you out.”

“Really?”

“Which part?”

“All of it, I guess. Mostly the security for Jadelyn.” I hadn’t really been expecting that, but it explained why the two of them were close. I had a feeling Jadelyn would be around quite a bit if I continued things with Scarlett.

Scarlett nodded, her hair bouncing with the motion. “My family has worked for hers for generations. And what I am has an ability that is very useful for scouting.”

“And what would that be?” I asked, taking a sip to hide my curiosity.

Scarlett looked over her shoulder with a smoldering look. “Promise to tell me what you think you are?”

I nodded in agreement. In response, two fox ears that matched her hair popped up on her head. Little white tufts accented the tips. But what got my attention even more was when two tails swirled around her back with tips like they’d been dipped in black ink.

“Fox?” I asked, the two tails throwing me off.

“That’s my last name, but my family are Kitsune.” She answered, her tails swirling in a pattern that was particularly entrancing.

I said the only thing I could remember about them. “I thought they were Asian?” I wanted to take it back the second it came out of my mouth, but it was already done.

An exasperated huff told me that it was indeed the wrong thing to say. “No. My family is Irish.” She bounced her hair in her hands for emphasis.

“Huh, so what’s the ability?” I asked.

She smirked, and her tails made shapes behind. Soon, she blurred and there were suddenly three Scarletts in my room. They spoke one word after the other, but changed which one was speaking with each word. “We can make very real illusions. Limited to the number of tails we have.”

Ah, so one of them one was real. While the other two were illusions.

“Woah. I can see how that comes in handy.” One of the Scarletts disappeared, and on my bed was a giant chest of glittering gold.

“Touch it.”

I did, hefting the gold. It felt real in my hand. However, when I grabbed the chest and tried to heft it, there was no weight, and the illusion shattered in a puff.

The two Scarletts sat on either side of me on the bed. “It’s tricky. You can confuse sight, sound, and even smell. But touch is super tricky. The illusions can trick you into holding it, thinking you feel something small, but there’s never any weight.” The Scarlet to my right leaned in for a kiss, but when I went to lift her into my lap, she disappeared in a puff.

The other Scarlett tittered at my side as her tails flicked around, brushing against my back. She let out a small giggle. “Sorry. It was too tempting.”

“You are amazing. And here I thought I was something cool. After seeing that, just being strong and durable doesn’t seem so impressive. Oh, and I can breathe fire, which is probably my coolest ability.”

Her eyebrows bounced up to her hairline. “Breath fire?”

Taking a deep breath, I braced for her reaction. “Morgana thinks I’m a dragon. All the signs point there too.” I expected some doubt, but I got none.

Instead, her mouth dropped open and her tails went completely still, like a critter before a greater predator. Finally, she spoke in a hushed whisper. “Please tell me that’s a joke.”

I shook my head, wishing I could do something right now to prove it. “How do you absorb mana?”

“My tails. It’s why they swish around most of the time. I run them through the air to collect more.”

Reaching out to touch one of her tails, I waited for permission. She nodded, and I brought it to my chest. I had no idea if it would work, but based on what Morgana had said about dragons generating mana, it seemed like a possibility. I hoped that my heartbeat gave out enough mana that maybe she could sense it.

Scarlett gasped, and her second tail came over and rubbed against my chest. “I can feel it. It’s coming off of you in waves. Zach, do you know what this means?!” Her voice grew louder with each word.

“Probably not fully at this point.” I chuckled. “But Morgana has told me some. I know that my kind is rare and looked after for the mana we pump into the world.”

“And sought after or even hunted! Your body is a magical treasure trove capable of making the most profound magical items.” Her tails rested against my chest, rubbing slowly. I guessed that the mana coming off of me felt good, but there was worry on her face.

I nodded with her. “I know. Don’t worry, I’m being careful. And I still have a lot further to go to figure this all out.”

When she paused, I figured I might as well hit her with the other big event happening to me. “There’s something else I should tell you, too. I have a duel with Simon in the morning.”

“The douchey elf?” She barked a laugh, her cute button nose wrinkling. “Are you kidding me? What a freaking idiot. He picked a fight with a dragon!” At least she was far more confident than I was. “Holy crap, the peak of stupidity.”

“Scarlett, I might be a dragon, but I’m not much of one. Morgana is working with me, but besides doing a few things when I get upset. I can’t control it at all.”

Her laughter cut off sharply. “Then cancel the duel.”

I shook my head. I knew Morgana would have done that if she could. “Can’t. I offended him apparently enough for him to get the council to agree.”

“Do they know you are a dragon?” Concern was etched on her face.

“No. Only Morgana, and now you know.” I smiled, stroking her tails and wanting to comfort her, but I found them comforting myself.

Scarlett’s face was cute as she tried to puzzle through options. “Parents? If a full grown dragon shows up, that’ll really make it hard for them.”

“Dead when I was a kid.”

She gave me that familiar pitying look. “Oh, I didn’t know. I’m so sorry for bringing it up.”

I played with her tail, stroking it. “I was too little to remember anything. The people that raised me were great.”

As I did a particular stroke on her tail, Scarlett bit her lip. “Mmm, that feels good. I’m really questioning this no sex on the first date nonsense I said earlier.”

I laughed. “What? No confidence in me? I’ve been training with Morgana. If I have anything to say, there will be a second date.” I pulled her into my lap and looked her in the eyes. “There’s no way I’m missing out on more of this.” The conviction in my own voice was powerful enough to give me more confidence.

Scarlett smirked, and her eyes shone with mischief before she kissed me on the cheek and leaned past me to whisper in my ear. “For the record, there’s no rule on the second date.”

The beast slipped loose for a moment, and I growled, pulling her tightly against me and kissing her. I’d watched her lips all night long, and they felt as good as I could have hoped. Her pillowy lips parted and we locked together, crushing our bodies as we let out all the pent up sexual tension from the night of dinner and dancing. Our sexual chemistry exploded in a torrent as we tried to smother each other with our lips.

I ended up pushing her down on the bed and rolling on top of her. She broke the kiss first, her hands on my chest and her tails battering me playfully. “First date rule.”

A growl escaped my chest in response, and she laughed, her face blushing. “Growl for me more. It’s kind of hot.”

We went back to making out on my bed, tumbling about a bit in frustration that we were both remaining clothed. After a long while, we both laid next to each other, staring into each other's eyes as we breathed heavily from our tumble.

“So, dragon.” She said it again like she couldn’t believe it. “Do you have a horde? Oh, my gosh. You are going to have so many women. Do you have other women?”

I chuckled. “Hold up. So many questions. No, I don’t have a horde.” Then my eyes flicked over to the jars of gold flakes and the several lumps of rare metal sitting on my shelves.

“Wait, is that real gold?” Her eyes shined with a smile. “You have the start of a horde.”

I paused, realizing I did. I’d never thought of it like that before. But the idea of putting me and my father’s vial of gold together in a pile of other metals appealed to me and the beast. “Okay, maybe I do. I just never realized it. Next question.”

“Other women?”

“None. I’ve been studying for medical school and working on the weekends. I haven’t had time to date.”

She traced my chest with a finger. “And yet you had time this weekend?”

“Of course. For you, I made time. I decided it was about time to use those sick days.” I kissed her again, but it was full of adoration rather than the raw passion that had consumed us earlier.

Her tails picked up the pace at which they batted me; it was a small tell that she was getting excited. “Careful, dragon, you might just sweep me off my feet. Will there be other women?”

I opened my mouth to say ‘no,’ but the way the beast thrashed in my chest and the words Morgana had said before came back to me. “Honestly, I don’t know. Morgana speaks of it like it is an inevitability, and the beast in my chest wants it. So I can’t promise you’ll be the only one, but you have my full focus right now.”

She nodded, smiling up at me. “Thanks for not lying. I’d rather know the truth. It’s not that uncommon in the para world. There’s different types of relationships. What is ‘the beast’?”

I paused, not really sure how to touch on that topic. “So, as a preface, I didn’t have any paranormal attributes before a few days ago. Morgana thinks something held the dragon part of me back. Along with that, my dragon instincts feel like something separate from me. They are there.” My eyes drifted back to the gold on the shelf. “Present in small ways, but I call them ‘the beast’. It almost feels like a physical thing at times.”

There was a flicker of concern in her eyes. “Some paras talk about their ‘other halves’, so it isn’t that strange. But I don’t know what that’s like. Everything comes naturally for me, even peeking about in my date’s closet for used condom wrappers.”

I put a palm to my face. “Please tell me that’s not what you were looking for.”

She put on a practiced face of pure innocence and shrugged into the bed. “I blame having a detective for a father.”

I paused, putting two and two together. “Detective Fox?”

“Yeah.” She took in my face. “Oh no. Please tell me he didn’t come pester you. Wait, no, he doesn’t know about you yet. There’s no way.”

I held up my hand to forestall anything else. “No, after Chad attacked me on campus, he came around asking if there was anything to report.”

“Oh. Okay. Yeah, he does that. Works to quell any rumors of paranormal activity.” She blew out a breath of relief. “But he will probably snoop around you at some point as we keep dating. I’m just warning you now. He’s nosey.”

“Says the girl who looked for condom wrappers in my closet?”

She laughed and rolled over onto her back. “I can’t believe I’m dating a dragon.”

“You can’t believe it? I can’t believe I am a dragon, much less dating such a cute kitsune.”

Scarlett narrowed her eyes at me before batting them. “Mmm I love when you compliment me.”

We devolved into some more kissing before finally I drifted off to sleep with my clothes still on and her tails brushing against my chest.

***

I woke up to an empty bed and felt the spot next to me. It was cool; she’d been out of the bed for some time.

Disappointment crept in. I had been looking forward to seeing her again in the morning, but I still had the happy butterflies of the night before swirling in my stomach. Even Chad hadn’t been able to ruin our incredible first date.

And today I had other problems. I’d need to dig deep to try to get through the duel.

I came out of my room in my previous night’s clothes, my brain still a bit groggy. As I headed to get some coffee from the kitchen, I realized I was hearing two girls giggling in it.

“Morning Zach. I was just getting to know Scarlett.” Maddie sat in the kitchen, next to Scarlett, who was wearing one of my sweatshirts like a dress. A bit of flour smudged her on her nose.

“Hope you don’t mind me borrowing your clothes.” Scarlett smiled, and I felt my emotions buoy up, like a balloon filling up and lifting off.

The carton of blueberry muffin mix was to her side, opened up. I smiled. “No problem at all. I see you sniffed out the muffin mix.”

“Funny you had that on hand.” She tapped at her lip in play. “Maddie, do they normally keep muffin mix on hand?”

“I’ve never seen either of them use the oven besides to make a pizza.” Maddie joined in on the act. “Why? Do you like muffins?”

“Love them. I think I mentioned it the other day. Huh. Odd.” They both enjoyed my discomfort as they continued the byplay. I grumbled past both of them, heading over to the coffee machine before Scarlette’s hand caught my arm, giving a soft tug towards her. “Come here and give me a good morning kiss. The muffins will be done soon.”

Stepping around Maddie, I collected Scarlett and gave her a long kiss, inhaling her scent of vanilla and cloves. The beast curled around the smell, satisfied with itself and calming down. I wondered for a second what the beast would do if I let something happened to this relationship.

“You two are too cute.” Maddie said, pouring out coffee into another cup for me.

I didn’t even test to see how hot it was, drinking my morning pick me up as quickly as I could.

“Zach, be careful. That’s hot.” Maddie reminded me, but Scarlett just looked curiously with a smile before nodding at something to herself.

“It isn’t that bad.” Scarlett helped cover, sipping her own coffee far more carefully.

I looked around, but my roommate was nowhere to be seen. “Is Frank here?”

“Still sleeping. The lazy bones stays up all night with sex and then can’t be bothered to get up.”

It was everything I could do to not snort into my coffee. “Please. No details. I don’t want to think about Frank naked.” It was terribly amusing that Frank was the one that ended up all tired out. Apparently, Maddie could keep up with Frank.

Maddie started to open her mouth, but she was interrupted by the over timer dinging. I was thankful for the distraction. Maddie was definitely going to give more details just to mess with me.

“Move move. Muffins take priority.” Scarlett shooed both of us away and took out the baking pan. We must have had it in the apartment, but I couldn’t think of a single time we’d used one in the two years I’d lived with Frank.

“Here, try one.” She stabbed into one and cut off a piece with the knife before handing it to me.

I popped it in my mouth, suppressing a small groan. It was amazing. Fluffy and moist, almost as good as a piece of cake. “This is great,” I said with the food still in my mouth. Maddie got a piece too. “That came from a box?”

“Not exactly. Luckily, you had the secret ingredient for muffins. Soda.”

Maddie shook her head. “They are really good. Sorry I doubted you.”

Scarlett whirled on Maddie and pointed at her, waiting until she had both of our attention before she spoke. “Never doubt me when it comes to my muffins.”