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Wave upon wave of pleasure burst through Hope. She didn’t know if she was going to kiss or kill Ari for this. Her body was changing. Her only satisfaction, well not really, since her body was being satisfied over and over and over again, was that Ari was going through it with her.
Hope could sense Ari’s emotions, wrung out by the pleasures they shared. Hope swore after this if he came near her with his cock out anytime soon, she’d cut it off. She shuddered. No matter how pleasurable this was, Ari had a little bit more explaining to do. An accident it was not.
Fire raged through her veins, her womb, now the epicenter of her body. Each thrust and Hope spiraled, her world centered on the man, the dragon, the lover that spun her world.
Hope panted, wore out. The fire inside was dying. Her body was different, tingling and shaking in the aftermath. The man, no, the dragon, was sprawled above her, on her, in her. Hope looked into his eyes. She saw the dragon now. Her nostrils flared. Hope could scent the dragon now, a spicy musk that made her crave him.
Ari looked into her eyes and smiled.
Hope was too tired to object to the smug look on his face. She could smell something else now. Something other than Ari’s and her intertwined scent. Hope raised her face, her attention no longer on Ari. With one appetite satisfied, another stirred. She pushed at Ari, and he rolled from her with a groan.
Hope stood wobbly and worn out. Her leg no longer hurt. Glancing down, there was scarring, but the wound had healed. Hope realized that she was naked. She leaned over and grabbed her shirt, pulling it over her head. No matter what the last couple of hours had brought, there was no way Ari’s brothers were seeing her walk around naked. Popping her head through, Hope sniffed. Food.
Ari’s arm came around her waist.
Hope smiled up at him. “Are you sure it worked?”
“Yes. You’ll see. I’ll have to teach you how to change.” Ari nuzzled the top of her head. “Sometimes it just happens. It’s hard to say what will make you change, but usually feeding will do it. Your body needs the fuel to finish.” Ari urged Hope toward the cooking fire. “Crag has plenty ready. Dig in.”
Hope sniffed appreciatively. The mixed smell of raw and cooked meat called to her. She couldn’t decide which smelled better. Her head said cooked, but something new and feral inside her insisted the raw would be better. Hope wondered if she would be able to handle the change that Ari had caused in her.
Ari’s hand came around her waist, pulling her into him, his hand running up and down her side.
Hope grabbed his hand to stop it and then the bottom of her shirt. Ari’s caress had dragged her shirt higher, exposing her hip and leg. When she tugged on her shirt, pulling it lower, Ari laughed, a low deep sound that tugged at something deep inside of her.
“Come on, I know you’re hungry.” Ari moved, pulling her with him. Hope reluctantly followed, having no choice really against his strength. Hope wasn’t sure if embarrassment or hunger was upper most in her mind.
“Give me a minute.” At this point, Hope believed embarrassment won. Realizing that all of Ari’s brothers had met her, intimately, had definitely put a damper on her hunger, especially since they were all looking at her.
Ari looked at her, a twinkle in his eye. “Don’t worry about it. They know it was only the mating ritual. You, and especially they, could not have ignored it no matter how hard you all tried.” Ari grinned. “And they know if they get out of line, your dragoness has only to snap at them to make them behave.”
Hope smiled at him shyly. Her emotions seemed to be in flux, but at this point, Ari’s consideration helped, even if he had caused this to begin with. Hope had known that she didn’t want to give Ari up, but she had never thought that she would have to change into a dragon. Hope wasn’t sure she really could become a dragon, but she had seen Ari’s brother change right in front of her. It remained to be seen if she would be able to also.
“Come on, before my brothers eat everything.”
Hope’s eyes snapped to the men around the fire and a growl escaped her throat.
Ari’s brothers looked at her and quickly backed up, leaving the food untouched. Hope’s eyes gleamed, not realizing that her hunger shown in the sharpness of her features.
Ari laughed and Hope glanced impatiently at him, moving forward toward the food.
Hope reached toward the meat on the spit, and growled when Ari shoved her hand aside.
“Don’t burn yourself. Let me get it for you.”
Hope’s eyes narrowed, debating on whether or not Ari would try to eat any.
He laughed. “I won’t have any until you’re done.” He quickly pulled the meat off the spit, put on a plate and handed it to Hope. “Sit, when you want more I’ll give it to you.”
Hope sat, grabbing the plate and began to eat. Her stomach pinched, empty and growling.
Ari put another carcass on the spit, checking the second one to see it if was done.
Hope couldn’t believe how fast the meat disappeared from her plate. Hope heard herself, well, purr, was the best way she could put it, the meat satisfying the beast inside of her. Ari slid more on her plate, anticipating the last swallow she had taken. Hope looked up smiling, appreciating his efficiency.
Hope sat and continued to eat. Ari ensuring her plate stayed full and his brothers hovered, bringing more game to him. Hope slowed down and looked up, narrowing her eyes. She glared. The dragon she spied slowed and stopped eating in mid bite.
He looked quickly to Ari and whined. Ari laughed and the dragon lowered his head, glancing between Ari and Hope.
Hope snorted, glowering at the dragon. Stretching, Hope heard a crack, the bones snapping in her back. She glanced down, and claws held her plate. She looked at them, realizing that she was looking at her own hands.
Ari reached and pulled the plate out of her grasp.
Hope shook, and her body changed. She cocked her head and realized it didn’t hurt. It was strange and new and surprisingly wonderful. Hope’s body expanded. She wiggled and stretched. She glanced back and twitched, watching her wings expand and saw her body changing, scales covering her skin, gleaming from beneath the scraps of her shirt.
Astonished, she watched the change complete. Her wings stretched. Delighted, Hope flapped them, creating a breeze, stirring up the loose dirt and leaves and stopped when she saw the fire flare.
Ari chuckled.
She dropped her head and peeked at him, wiggling her tail. She snorted in delight. Hope stretched an arm out, admiring the gleam of her scales.
Hope heard snuffles near her and looked up. Ari stood in front of her, surrounded by his brothers. All of them looked proud, as if this was their accomplishment. Hope supposed they had helped. Ari was the only one not in dragon form. He closed in and ran his hands along her jaw, causing Hope to stretch while he lightly scratched her.
“You’re beautiful. A pocket dragoness, just for me.” Ari sounded proud of her and Hope preened under his praise. He laughed and gave her one more scratch before he, too, changed.
****
Ari couldn’t believe how easy Hope changed. He watched, proud of the ease in which she accepted her transformation, how delighted she appeared to be. Ari laughed, watching her become acquainted with her new form.
His brothers crept closer. Ari had to laugh. Rog had backed down like a pup when Hope had growled his temerity in sneaking a bite to eat and begun to change before their eyes.
She was beautiful. Scales a ripple of color between gold and copper, and her eyes were still the beautiful sky blue they were before. Ari grinned. He bet her personality was twice, maybe three times her size. Crag had mentioned that he thought Hope would be a pocket dragon, and his prediction had come true. She had to be half of his size, but she seemed to instinctively know how to handle his brothers.
Ari changed, his size blocking his brothers from her view. Ari wanted to be the only dragon in her sight. He knew he was her mate and that she had no interest in his brothers, but his dragon wanted to make sure, wanted to ensure she acknowledged his claim.
Ari nuzzled Hope’s neck, twining his tail around hers.
Hope curled into him, instinctively cuddling under his wing, her snout sniffing at him, becoming acquainted with his scent and form.
Ari did the same, nuzzling along her head and neck. They entwined. They rubbed against each other, their glands secreting and mixing their scents, imprinting on each other. The final ritual completed instinctively before their Weyr.
Ari settled, lying on his belly, wing over Hope. She settled next to him, muzzle tucked under his, cuddling close. Ari heard his brothers’ move around. He was surprised they had stayed still for so long.
Crag approached Ari and dropped a large portion in front of him. Hope stretched and sniffed at the meat. Both stilled. When she dropped her head, ignoring it, Crag turned away and Ari quickly scarfed it up. Once he had the meat in his mouth and Hope lay there, Ari heard his brothers dig in. The contented crunching of bones filled the meadow. No one was on guard. No other predator would dare encroach on the dragons, knowing there was no other predator so dangerous.
Ari finished, Crag having supplied him plenty so he did not have to disturb Hope. A new dragon, she had needed to feed and now she would need to sleep. Ari sighed. Then they would have to talk, and Ari was sure he would have plenty of explaining to do. If nothing else, he would have to formally introduce Hope to his brothers and then eventually his family.
They would go to reassure Hope’s family first. Hopefully by then, Hope would be somewhat used to the change in her life, and his dam and sire would not ask how he had managed to change Hope without the Weyr surrounding him.
But for now, Ari would enjoy his new mate. His brothers were up to their regular antics, chasing around the meadow. Ari heard a splash and knew his brothers were enjoying this quiet meadow high in the mountains. This was where he would settle, and have his own Weyr. Deep in the caverns, he had begun by building his treasure room, the first room in any Weyr. Known to only him, and eventually to his mate, it was the center of a dragon’s strength, the heart of a Weyr.
Crag’s was nearby. He and Ari had planned to stay near each other once their mates were found. They had been building this area for centuries, molding the land to please them. It was all they had planned, all those years ago when they had been young and foolish.
Hope settled into sleep. Her breathing deepened and she pressed closer against him. This was just the beginning and contentment spread through him. In the coming days, he would have to teach Hope how to be a dragon, face her family and somehow explain to her that the ritual to change her had also made her fertile. Chances were she was already carrying their first clutch of hatchlings.
Somehow, Ari knew that was not going to be a discussion he wanted to have. He looked up at Crag’s chuckle.
“What?” Ari said.
“I’m just watching your expression change.” Crag had a grin on his face that Ari wanted to wipe off. “Now you’re realizing that you have to make some more explanations, aren’t you?”
Ari snorted and nodded, glancing at Hope. She was sound asleep, air puffing out with each exhalation. He could get lost admiring her.
“This is going to be fun.” Ari looked at him. “Just the way she brought Rog in line with a look told me that.” Crag and Ari exchanged a glance and laughed.
“Oh yes.” Ari nodded, his mood restored. “No matter what, this will be worth it.”
“You know, you’re going to have to teach her to fly before we can go.”
“I hadn’t thought of that.” Ari hung his head. “She wanted to get going to get back to her family and let them know she was okay. I don’t think she’s going to be very happy about that.”
Crag laughed. “Henpecked already?” He shook his head. “Poor Ari, life will never be the same.”
Ari whipped a claw out and tried to push him away. Crag laughed even harder. Ari couldn’t reach him, and not wanting to disturb Hope, ended up just waving his claw in the air.
“You just wait. You’ll see that finding your mate changes your whole view.” Ari turned and laid his head on top of Hope’s. “I bet she’s a natural. We’ll get out of here before night falls.”