Claws (Shifter Rescue 2) (6 page)

He was ugly. Oh. He’d not known that.

Drill frowned. “What are you thinking? I know you don’t like the clothes, but if anyone sees you, they’ll know how special you are, and I don’t want to risk someone trying to take you away.”

“I’ll stay here. You go see people. This is a good place for me.”

“Are you happy never seeing anyone else but me and Pirou? Not having other friends?” Drill asked.

“You should go.” Az pulled himself from the water, shaking himself dry. “I’m sleepy, Keeper.”

“That didn’t answer my question, Az. My wolf side is a pack animal, but my bear side is solitary, and I tend toward that side of myself. If you need friends, it’s important we find a way for that to happen.”

“I need you, Keeper, and a nap. I am sleepy.” And mad.

“Why are you mad?” Drill asked.

“What?” Had he said that aloud?

“You’re mad, I can feel it. The happiness that usually sings between us is totally gone.” Drill looked upset now.

“Am I ugly?” The keeper wanted to cover him.

“What? No! You’re the opposite of ugly. You’re beautiful and special and amazing.” His keeper frowned at him. “Why would you think you’re ugly?”

“I don’t look like you, like the others.” Everyone had hair, different skin, different eyes. And the keeper wanted him covered if others came here.

“No, you don’t look like most humans. But your differences are beautiful.”

Az had always thought so. Dragons were beautiful. “Blue dragons are rare.”

“Any dragon is rare here, making you even more special, but the fact that you’re rare even among your kind…” Drill whistled. “Besides, your blues, when man or dragon, are stunning.”

Az came closer, the praise pulling at him, soothing him.

“Everyone who sees you will fall in love with you, but nobody is allowed to have you but me,” Drill told him.

“I need your love, Keeper.” Everyone else was unimportant.

“You have my love, Az.”

“Good.” Az finally gave in to the mood and pushed into Drill’s arms, soaking in the warmth and fondness and affection.

Drill had learned how to pet him, work his scales in the best way. Slowly he even let the dragon go, let Drill hold him as a man. Drill hummed, fingers smoothing over him more gently, sensually.

“I’m sorry about yelling, Keeper.”

“That wasn’t very much in the way of yelling. But you’re forgiven.”

Az snorted, then the sound turned into a laugh. Drill laughed with him.

“Don’t ever think you’re not special, Az, because you are the most special… person I know.” Drill continued to pet him.

“I’m not a person. Not at all. I’m a dragon.” He could take human form, but he wasn’t human.

“You’re a being, though, and that’s what I was getting at.”

“I am. I am my keeper’s dragon.”

Drill kissed him. “I don’t mind you going naked, Az. Truly. And I don’t need to have a ton of people here to be happy. I’m a bit of a loner myself and am very happy with you.”

“Sometimes being is hard because you have to know what to do,” Az said.

“I don’t know. When I’m my bear-wolf, I can just be without doing anything.”

“You aren’t him much,” Az noted. Did Drill not like his other self?

“Would you like me to be?” Drill asked.

“I like you, keeper, all of the yous.”

His keeper kissed him, mouth hard on his, tongue slipping right in between his lips. All the frustration slid away and he grabbed on, held tight. Drill’s needy moan filled his lips, echoed inside him. They rubbed together, low growls passing between them. Moving him, Drill pressed his cock against Az’s ass.

He nodded, nails dragging on Drill’s shoulders. Yes. Drill pushed, and that thick cock stretched Az as it sank into him.

“Keeper.” Az bit Drill’s ear.

“Toothy dragon.”

“Yes!” He bit again, shaking hard.

Drill responded this time by swatting his ass. The burn tingled through every inch of him. Then Drill thrust and swatted at the same time. Az arched, bore down, teeth bared.

“Beautiful dragon.” Drill did it again and again.

“More. More, please.” His keeper made things so sharp, so bright.

“Oh, you’ll have more.”

Az nodded, completely willing to agree to anything. His keeper’s hands tightened on his hips, pulling him down hard. Sensation slammed through him, made his knees draw up. Drill didn’t stop, either, just kept filling him. Over and over, and his body began to burn, to ache. One hand slipped from his hips, Drill wrapping it around his cock and making everything more.

“Please. Please, yes.” Az didn’t know where to look, how to move.

Drill’s mouth covered his, sucking on his tongue as Drill pinched the head of his cock. The sensations were everywhere, drowning him. Hard and sharp, and burning and full. They were all good and all given to him by his keeper. Az let himself sink, fall, soar.

“Come for me, my dragon.” Drill’s words were insistent, drawing the pleasure from Az’s very soul.

“Yes…” He nodded, but the seed wouldn’t leave him.

Drill pushed in harder, hitting the electric pleasure spot inside him.

“Keeper!” Right there. That was the place.

Nodding, Drill kept pushing into him, getting that spot with every thrust. Az’s body jerked, tightened as the pleasure spiked. All the sensations merged when Drill pinched the head of Az’s cock at the same time the pleasure spot inside him was pushed.

His seed sprayed over Drill’s fingers, onto the flat belly.

Drill shouted, “Yes!”

Az felt an answering spray, deep inside him. The intimate touch made him shudder, moan.

“I have you, my dragon.” Drill did, arms wrapped around him and holding him tight.

“Your own dragon.”

“Yes, Az. Always my very own dragon. I won’t let anyone else ever have you.”

Of course not. Why on earth would Drill do that?

Taking his lips again, Drill kissed him. Then Drill slipped off the edge of the pool, both of them sinking into the water.

“Mmm.” Az loved the water surrounding him. They were still joined and it was magical, to be floating and filled by his keeper at the same time. “Oh. This is my favorite, Keeper.”

“This?” Drill pulled partway out before pushing back into him again.

All he could do was nod, moan, arch.

“The contrast is something else,” Drill said.

Az didn’t know about that. He didn’t care. He simply felt.

They stood in the middle of the pool, Drill bouncing him on the hot cock. Az felt like roaring, like arching and driving himself down harder.

“Take what you need, Az.”

“Need you. More, Keeper.” Over and over.

“Amazing stamina, Az.” Drill gave him what he wanted, hands bringing him down harder.

He liked the sound of that. “Amazing.”

“Yes. Amazing. Wonderful. Special. Spectacular.” Each word came with another thrust, lighting him up from the inside.

He was going to spend again.

Drill just nodded, giving him a wild grin. The expression was feral, fierce, and excited him unbearably. Az’s cock rubbed between their bellies, Drill’s so much hotter than his own and the water. He pushed up, teeth sinking into Drill’s shoulder.

“Az!” Shouting, Drill filled him with more seed.

It felt as if Drill’s come pushed Az’s from him and he came, the pleasure filling him.

Drill held on, panting with him as they floated together.

Az laughed softly, so happy. “Keeper.”

“Yes, my dragon.”

Drill slipped from his body. “Let’s go get dry and be our other selves together.”

“Yes, Keeper. I will groom you.” He wanted to taste his keeper’s fur beneath his dragon tongue.

“Oh… Yes, please.” Drill’s eyes were alight.

Drill pulled him from the water, wrapped them with a huge bath sheet. Then his keeper changed before his eyes, the big bear-like wolf appearing. His dragon answered eagerly, immediately.

They moved together to the room with their bed, its nest of covers and pillows inviting them to curl together on the softness. Az fluttered his wings, fluffing Drill’s fur. A low rumbling sound started, Drill’s eyes dropping almost closed. He used his claws, dragging them through Drill’s heavy pelt. The pleased rumbling continued, the sound lighter than Drill’s growls. Mmm. Someone liked that, so he did it again. Drill chuffed, licked Az’s claw, then settled down again.

Az sang to Drill, crooning happily. Drill responded, voice so different than his own, but he could feel the love in it. He stroked and petted, carefully working out all the tangles. Every now and then Drill would put a paw on him and lick at his scales before settling back down. The heavy licks made him chuckle, made him laugh. Drill chuffed and did it some more.

“My own keeper and his heavy fur.”

A soft growl answered him. Az chirruped and called. Drill raised his head at the sound and growled again.

“Singing with me.”

Drill chuffed again, shook all over before settling momentarily. The next thing Az knew, Drill put his head back and howled. Oh, so pretty, the song. It rattled Az’s scales.

Drill howled again and again for him and Az nuzzled, resting his muzzle against Drill’s throat to feel the sounds. Drill obliged him by continuing to howl. Fascinating. Beautiful. Before he knew it, he was singing along. Drill stopped howling, looking at him for a long moment, then the howling began again, almost questioningly. Az sang happily in dragon tongue and Drill matched him with his magical howls.

By the time it was over they were both hoarse, and curled together, and gasping for breath. Az panted softly, cheeks sliding on Drill’s ruff.

There was a banging, and it took a moment for him to realize it was the door.

“Keeper?” Oh. Oh, he didn’t… Oh. The banging sounded angry.

Drill managed to growl again, shifting against him from furry to smooth. “I’ll get it.”

Az nodded and ran, hurrying to the bedroom where no one could see him.

A moment later, his keeper called to him. “Az, you can come out -- it’s Pirou.”

Oh, Pirou was good. Sweet. Dear.

“Oh, there you are!” Pirou came and hugged him tight. “I was so worried.”

Worried? There was no reason for Pirou to be worried. “I would not hurt my keeper, Pirou.”

“I didn’t think you would, or him you, but there was so much… uh… noise. It sounded like someone was being, well, hurt. Honestly, I didn’t know what to think.”

“I thought the rooms were soundproofed.” Drill was growling, even with his hoarse, human throat.

“As much as they can be,” Pirou noted. “But there’s only so much soundproofing can do.”

“We were singing,” Az said simply. Together. It had been both unexpected and wonderful.

Pirou blinked a few times, then he smiled. “Oh.”

Drill chuckled softly.

“It was a beautiful song.” Az rested against his keeper.

“It was, my dragon, it was. It was also probably loud.”

“And long,” Pirou suggested.

“We could sing for you,” Az offered.

“Oh, no. No, that’s all right. You save your voices. I heard quite a bit through the walls.”

Az fluttered, honored, so please.

“Are you saying we’re making too much noise, Pirou?” Drill asked.

“Oh, no, Drill. Now that I know what the noise is, I can reassure the other residents that everything is in order.” Pirou gave his keeper, then him a smile. “Your howling is different from most of the wolf shifters here, and Az’s, ah, music is something I’ve never heard before.”

Special. Az was totally special, and when you added in his keeper, they were amazing.

“His dragon song is amazing,” Drill noted, echoing his own thoughts. His keeper looked to him, eyes shining, admiring him.

“It is completely unique.” Pirou was all smiles.

“That’s my Az. You haven’t told anyone he’s a dragon, have you?” Drill asked.

“Oh, I’ve taken out an ad in the newspaper.” Pirou rolled his eyes dramatically. “Of course I haven’t.”

“Just checking. The last thing we need is someone letting the beans slip.” Drill came over wrapped an arm around Az, stroking his scales. “If anyone knew he was here, they’d come for him.”

“No one will find out from me,” Pirou promised.

“I know. I do. I can’t help but ask, though. Az is my responsibility, my dragon. I have to keep him safe and happy.”

Az nodded, nuzzled his keeper happily, and then wandered off in search of berries. He knew his keeper kept a supply of them in the fridge, just for him.

He couldn’t have asked for a better keeper.

Drill had ordered more pillows and comforters and now they had a nest built up in the pool room so Az could slip from it to the water whenever the dragon wanted to. He’d even had a bunch of plants brought in so it felt like the outdoors, too, which soothed his own beast. They spent their nights in here now that they’d made it perfect.

Tonight something had woken Drill. He wasn’t sure what, but he couldn’t just roll over and go back to sleep. Az’s head lifted from the pillow, scales rattling so softly. He licked Az’s scales, his ears cocked. His bear-wolf self had far more sensitive ears, and he’d probably just heard some noise from one of the rooms beneath them. Someone was doing a scene or something, he was sure. Even if it was in the middle of the night.

Another sound came, this one closer, and a scent came with it. A foulness. That wasn’t right. And he didn’t like it at all. Growling at Az, he hoped his dragon knew to stay put. He didn’t think he had time to shift so he could speak then shift back again to his bear-wolf, and any danger would be better met as his bear-wolf.

He stood and moved as silently as he could to the open door. He saw a hint of light, then felt a sting where a dart hit his fur, infuriating him. Snarling, he leapt out, picking up a figure to the left. He pounced, going for where a human’s throat would be.

Behind him Az’s roar was vast, ringing out, sounding an alarm no one could ignore. There was no way Pirou would mistake that for their rough singing together.

Drill was grateful for Az calling for help, but hoped Az would otherwise stay out of sight -- the need to protect his dragon was huge. Enormous.