The first two aspects were called Body and Wendigo. Both were at level 0 at the moment, but I could see the absorption process had already started since Body was at 7% and Wendigo at 3%.

  [The following two aspects are available at level 1:]

  [Body Aspect: Physical Enhancement I]

  [Description: Increase Strength by 1 point.]

  [Wendigo Aspect: Keen Sense]

  [Description: The Wendigo’s heightened senses allow you to hear, see, and smell enemies before they detect you.]

  In a way, I couldn’t help but quickly change my mind yet again. Free stat points, free abilities, and well, free power. Only, nothing in life came for free. I had to eat, or rather absorb, monster carcasses to get that power, and I had a feeling that the higher my Path of the Undying rose, the more corpses I would need.

  “You can look,” Claire said, startling me as a burst of energy shot out from behind me. I’d been lost in thoughts for a while so I hadn’t noticed the build-up. “But a warning, first. I look differently.”

  I was about to spin around before she said that last part. It made me pause.

  “Is everything alright?”

  “It is,” she replied, “But as I said, I’m a little bit different now. You’ve seen me at my best, as well as my worst. My current form is the one I usually take.”

  I breathed in and then let it out again. She wasn’t going to look like a predatory mini-Dragon that was about to eat me, right? I mean, it wouldn’t make sense that my life would be over that soon after getting my hands on a Dragon lady. Or…did she get her hands on me?

  I turned around, and oh boy, was I glad to see her…new form.

  “You…don’t look that different other than your bigger tail and…chest area. And the two horns and…hmm. Is there a reason why you’re naked?”

  “Why do you think Valorie left you with me?”

  “Or you with me?” I asked, trying to feel her out.

  Claire was very commanding and the air around her seemed to shiver, demanding respect for the Dragon King’s heir, but I wasn’t used to being made into a possession. Even if it would cost me my life, this crazy Dragon lady wasn’t going to give me any ultimatums or force herself on me. If anything, I’d do it willingly.

  Her hair had taken on a hint of platinum white and flowed as if it had a life of its own, which made it almost hard to look at. Two horns sprouted from the sides of her head and they were segmented into three parts, the thickest being closest to her head and then expanding outward only to end in a sharp tip. Her body was as close to perfection as it could be, slightly muscled and covered with tiny scales that ran down from the shoulders to her wrists.

  A silvery-golden scaled tail sprouted from her tailbone. It was easily three times as thick as the previous one and about six feet in length. The tail swayed behind her as if it didn’t weigh anything at all. More scales started just above her knees and ran down to her feet, but they resembled intricately carved armor. The rest of her was..naked.

  “Do Dragons feel shame?” I asked, genuinely curious to hear the response. “Like us Humans.”

  She shook her head.

  “No, we don’t. Why would we?”

  Claire took a step forward, a predatory smile on her face.

  “Because I sure as hell wouldn’t want anyone to see Val naked. What’s mine is mine; I don’t share.”

  “Oh? And am I yours?”

  She made her way over to me, all the blood from earlier gone. Her chest bounced with each step, and her slightly elongated tongue passed across her lips.

  “I would like that very much,” I said, making to undo the straps on my armor.

  Claire pushed my hands away and undid them for me, then hurriedly helped me out of my armor. If I had my eyes closed and didn’t know better, I’d think it was Valorie doing the undressing. Her hands were just as soft despite being those of a Dragon.

  Something sharp touched my neck and I flinched instinctively but couldn’t pull back as Claire held me in place, nibbling down on my neck. Her sharp teeth had pricked my skin and drew a few drops of blood.

  “Bath…first,” I said, wincing through the prickly feeling.

  “No need,” she whispered, her hands moving up and down my arms.

  A mass of power enveloped us both, and I could feel it scraping against my skin, almost as if someone was squeezing the filth out of me. Sure, the nice after-bath smell was missing, but I figured having no smell at all was much better than stinking up the place.

  My right hand slid down her tight, cold stomach and between her legs. I was suddenly having a very hard time keeping to myself and staying away from her. Claire’s breath sent the hairs on my neck and back rising, along with something else between my legs.

  Claire lifted her left leg and put it around me, the scales pressing against my skin. I traced my fingers down the thin line of silvery hair making its way between her hips and ending between her wet lips. My middle finger pressed into her soft skin, circled the entrance, and found the perfect spot. The Dragoness was wet almost immediately.

  Claire moaned and thrust herself into me, her perky nipples pressing into my chest. I traced a hand up her stomach and cupped her breast while continuing to explore her wetness. Hell, I had no idea if Dragons had the same kind of pleasure spots as Humans did, but it sure looked like it from her reaction.

  She pulled away from my neck, her smile revealing sharp teeth with small drops of blood trickling onto her tongue. I held her eyes for a long moment, only my finger between her legs still moving. The look she gave me said everything I needed to know. She loved it and wanted even more.

  “I’ve never…done it with a…Human before,” she whispered and traced her tongue across her lips again.

  I stopped at her entrance and teased her with my finger. Claire’s nails dug into my back, and I could tell she wasn’t amused by my teasing. Still, I shook my head.

  We were doing this my way.

  “You can rip me apart, Claire, but that won’t get you what you want. Be patient,” I said, leaning in and pressing my forehead against hers. Our lips were only inches apart. I pushed my finger inside her then, and she shook, her nails digging deeper into my back.

  “Ahh! What are—yes,” she cried and pulled her right hand free. Her long nails slid down my side, digging into my buttock.

  Shivers ran along my body, the pain not even registering and turning into pleasure. My middle finger picked up the pace, moving faster and going all the way in, but so did her free hand. It slid between my legs and grabbed my cock, squeezing hard. Her thumb traced against its tip, her long nail breaking my flesh. I stood on my tiptoes as she pulled, the same mischievous smile on her face.

  Our lips and tongues came together, exploring each other. Claire squeezed her inner thighs together, trapping my hands as she threw her head back. Her hand tightened even further and I could feel her spasm as our bodies rubbed against one another.

  Claire threw me back and I almost stumbled and fell to the ground, when she caught me with her tail and lowered me. Within a heartbeat, she was atop me, her hand guiding my length inside her. To my surprise, the tail was much softer than it looked and was almost squishy on the lower side.

  “You’re soft,” I said and immediately regretted it as she gritted her teeth, and then squeezed her inner thighs again.

  “Who’s soft!”

  She slapped my chest with both hands, her long nails drawing several red lines on my skin. It was slowly starting to sting, but…I liked it. The pain was only a hair’s breadth away, just out of reach yet so close.

  I grabbed her ass cheeks and squeezed as she started moving her hips, sliding along my length. Her hands moved up to her breasts, two nails digging into the sides of her mounds. Two lines of bright red blood trickled down her scaly arms and then dropped on my stomach. Power gathered inside her and all around us. A great pressure built in me, but not in the way I was used to, and I barely managed to hold it in.

  Claire growled low and cried out, stopping her movements, her arms twitching and back arching, then she continued again. My mind was slowly starting to grow blurry from her speedy, powerful movements which were everything that Valorie wasn’t. Strong, quick, and without holding back compared to gentleness and comfort.

  Something in my mind broke, and I pushed her off. She cried in surprise and her face turned into a scowl.

  “Prop your ass up,” I said, pulling her around, then slapping her hard two times. “Prop it up!”

  She did as I ordered almost in shock and leaned against her tail. Her pussy was dripping wet, and so was my cock. I slid my hand down her slit and traced it up to her asshole, making it wet.

  “No, what are you—I don’t—I’ve never—” she protested, but didn’t do anything to stop me and just tightened up. I pressed my tip against the tiny hold and she squirmed, pressing herself into me.

  “Don’t tell Valorie, understood?” I growled, slapping her ass again, hard.

  “I—yes! If you do it…again!”

  I had no idea what happened next, but it was almost as if she’d sucked me in, creating a vacuum with her still unfamiliar to me powers. The pressure she exerted on me without even moving was almost too much to take. Pleasure coursed through my body, and that was even before I started moving my hips, thrusting forward.

  “Ahh! Yes!” Claire cried. “More!”

  It was hard to think and even act as my body moved on pure primal instinct. I had no idea if the wendigo in me reacted to the Dragon inside her, but I grabbed Claire’s hips and dug my fingers in so hard that they almost hurt. The pleasure kept building and she threw her head back. Again I acted without thinking and grabbed one of her horns. Claire’s head shot around and she glared at me, but I didn’t care. I would dominate her, not the other way around, or this wouldn’t work.

  I grabbed the other horn and pulled her head back, pumping my hips more, our flesh thundering against each other in the utter silence.

  “Wh—what are you…doing?” my Dragon lady cried. More wetness gushed out of her. I stopped, unable to hold it back any longer.

  “Take it in your mouth,” I growled, feeling my muscles tighten. Claire did as I said and went down on both knees, then grabbed my throbbing cock with her left hand, pumping it. Her tongue was pressed against the tip, and her teeth only scraped against the sensitive skin.

  “I—I’m—”

  White, hot liquid shot out into her mouth. She pulled away, startled. Thick cum landed on her nose and eyebrow, dribbling down to her cheek as another gout joined the first. Her hand never stopped moving, and slowly, she took the tip in her mouth, licking and sucking me off.

  The tail wrapped around my waist and she jerked me forward, taking in my entire cock. Her long tongue circled around, licking me clean, and only once she was done, did she pull away. I was expecting her to let go of me but she didn’t. Claire lay on the ground and pulled me down next to her. One long scaled leg wrapped around me as she curled up against my chest and closed her eyes.

  CHAPTER 25: PLAN FORWARD

  It was a while before I even wanted to move. Most of the stuff I’d done with her was new, and I had to admit that I enjoyed it as much as the tenderness I shared with Valorie. Some things could only be enjoyed with a certain type of person, I guessed. Or Dragon in this case.

  I didn’t want to be the one to ruin the experience, so I stayed quiet for over an hour until she was ready to talk. And when she did, it wasn’t something that I would have expected to hear coming from her mouth after…making love.

  “You were so bad. I hated it. Every moment of…mating.”

  I froze for a second, not expecting to hear her say those words. At all. Ever.

  “I am not sure I follow,” I said, pushing myself up on my elbow.

  “What? Did you expect me to say that you were the best Human I’d ever mated with?”

  “No, well, yes. I was the only one.”

  “And how do you know that? I might have lied and—okay, alright. You were the best Human I ever mated with. Also the only one.”

  I snorted, finding her humor an acquired taste.

  “So then I guess this was it? No more mating between us? Sounds good.”

  Saying that I sat upright and started to stand when she grabbed and pulled me back down.

  “What? Are you going to make me say it? A Dragon?”

  “You sure are full of pride, huh? Yeah, I don’t mind honestly, as long as you act all nice with the others and Val, you can have your high and mighty Dragon act.”

  “Bastard,” Claire said and let go of me. “But I like it. Not many people would dare go against a Dragon’s wishes.”

  “I’ll do much more than that, my lady. Now, I think we should head back and deliver the monster carcasses. Val might pop up and shoot us or something.”

  “No, she won’t. I could see it in her eyes. We made a trade, and she would uphold her part of the deal. Also, why don’t you check on your Wendigo progress? See if you can carry an additional monster now.”

  I did as she proposed and checked the progress.

  “System?”

  [This is your current Wendigo Progress. Physical Enhancement I is at 26%, and Keen Sense is at 14%. After absorbing a Rothler, you can now store another carcass equal in size if you wish.]

  I chose another Rothler, just in case. Their crystal hearts were suitable even for the weakest of sailors. And I figured they would taste better than the birds. Taste? Why was I even thinking about taste?

  “Come on. Val will probably have our ass in any case. And you…is there a way to turn back to what you were before?”

  Claire shook her head and straightened her shoulders.

  “I am a Dragon. Why would I want to accommodate Humans? That is preposterous! Even if you were one of the beastkin—”

  She stopped there as a hint of red flushed her cheeks.

  “What? Why did you stop? What beastkin?”

  “Nothing. Come on. Valorie is waiting, isn't she?”

  Claire proceeded to store over twenty of the carcasses, and as she did so, a body-suit-like second skin grew from her skin, tiny golden and platinum-colored scales appearing out of nowhere that looked just like the stuff covering her legs and arms. And just like that, she was dressed. Sort of?

  I didn’t ask about the transformation as I knew she’d explain if she wanted me to know, though I couldn’t help but feel how easy it was for her to just get naked and dirty.

  I got dressed and waited for her to finish eating a bit more, and then we proceeded to return to the Crown. We climbed down and walked across the bridge, all in silence. At one point, it became too much for me, the uncomfortable feeling as if something was left unanswered.

  I opened my mouth.

  “Are we going to speak about what happened? Or are you just going to ignore it?”

  “Speak? Why?” she replied as if she’d been waiting for me to ask the very question.

  “So we’re done? You don’t want anything to do with me anymore? No more mating?”

  Claire stopped walking and grabbed the side of the bridge. The strong wind didn’t have anything on her, so I wasn’t worried she’d get knocked off it.

  “No, we are not done. Why would we be done?”

  “Because you’re ignoring the fact that we just had…an interesting session,” I said, giving her a blank stare.

  “Does a Dragon really need to tell you everything? Just keep moving, Human. Wendigo. Whatever you want me to call you. And it’s quite interesting. Father is going to be so pissed I got mixed up with a Wendigo, no doubt about it. He’s definitely not going to approve.”

  I just sighed and walked. The Dragon lady was obviously living in a world of her own, one I had just stepped in with a single toe. Things would change, and she would open up. There was no sense in pushing things.

  We returned to the inviting smell of meat being cooked and the sound of beating hammers, pick axes, and saws cutting wood. Everyone was busy doing something, which was good. The busier people were, the less time they had to think about things they shouldn’t.

  Me being, well, me, I couldn’t help and let go of the beastkin thing she volunteered earlier, so I asked again.

  “Beastkin.”

  “What about them?”

  “Them?”

  “Yes, they are very similar to you Humans. Why do you ask?”

  I cracked my knuckles in annoyance.

  “You mentioned them. Do they live close by? Do you think they could be potential allies?”

  “Yes to both questions, but why do you keep asking the wrong thing? You’re starting to bore me, Wendigo.”

  I grabbed Claire’s hand and she didn’t seem to like it by the look on her face. Ignoring her feelings for a moment, I pushed on, needing to hear what she was keeping from me. All of our lives could very well depend on her secret.

  “Claire, stop acting dumb and talk to me. Where are they? Do they have anything for trade?”

  It was her turn to get angry, and oh boy did she show it. Her hair picked up the dance from earlier and started moving on its own, and the long nails extended from her fingers.

  “I don’t like them, so you shouldn’t either. They didn’t help me when I needed it, so fuck them. I can make it on my own.”

  I was about to ask her if she’d managed to survive the Centichuro attack on her own but dropped it. She, however, seemed to notice the intent at least and glared at me.

  “I am a Dragon! I will never bow to no man!”

  [But you just did an hour ago. In all the ways it mattered.]

  Gizmo’s response was brutal, vile, and a low blow all packed up in a neutral voice. Claire had obviously heard it as well as she gasped and took a step back.

  “Traitor! You are supposed to be on my side, not his!”

  [I am only stating facts. He even did that other thing that you said you’d never do. Oh my.]

  Claire covered her face and shrieked. It sent a wave of menacing eldritch energy throughout the crown.

  “Stop it or I’ll carve you out of my head!”

  “Oh, no you won’t,” I said, grabbing her arm. “You’re not ruining such a pretty face, no way. You’ll have to eat me first, my lady Dragon.”

 

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