Endangered Ch. 04

Chris beckoned Susan closer till he could wrap her under an arm. The two women assessed each other with their heads resting inches apart on either side of his broad chest as they hugged him back. Looking down at the slightly shorter woman, Annabel saw the happiness in her blue eyes as Susan accepted his embrace, rubbing her cheek into his pectoral and pushing her entire body against him.

She knew that heady feeling and gave Susan a little nod of approval. She would share him, share the happiness he could bring. It would be cruel to deny her that happiness when it was so clearly what she needed.

"Thank you," Susan whispered; her eyes brimmed with happy tears. "I'll take it as slow as you want and you can be there if that's what you need."

Chris nuzzled the top of his girlfriends' head first, kissing her scalp before moving to the raven hair of his mother and repeating the process. His dragon gave a weak purr of happiness in his mind as they turned their faces up in unison. Annabel came first, receiving a few seconds of gentle kissing. Neither of them pushed their tongues further than the others lips but it was very loving, intimate, a reassurance of their feelings.

Once they parted Chris leaned down to Susan who, was patiently waiting her turn and pushed up on her toes to meet him. Their kiss was slow but more passionate, their tongues dancing softly against each other, an expression of their newly acknowledged desires.

"Oh, I could get used to that," Susan breathed as Chris broke their kiss.

"You haven't seen anything yet," Annabel warned happily.

It had been something else to watch them kiss. Weird, but also hot. Their obvious loving desire only cemented that she was doing the right thing, maybe not by the human world's standards but they weren't in the human world. Perhaps it was just another magical side effect of his proximity and his recent, very satisfying bedding, but she was starting to almost feel good about this.

"I love you both so much," Chris murmured, squeezing their soft bodies closer for a second.

"I love you, too," came a disjoined, mixed reply from both women.

"No jinx," Annabel qualified, they both giggled a little uncertainly.

"Okay, what are we going to do today?" Chris asked.

"I need clothes," Annabel said. "These ones are smelly and I don't have any changes."

"We should go see Lady Narlakis," Susan said. "She might even know by now when we'll go to see Lord Guthrie."

"I wanted to go see the magic district and set up my new gadgets. We can do all that today can't we?" Chris asked.

"Yeah, and let's set aside about hrrrm... two hours of dedicated petting time." Susan laughed.

"Deal," Annabel confirmed.

"I'm in trouble aren't I?" Chris asked with fake worry, guiding them both out towards the living room, one beautiful, loving woman held close in each arm.

"Absolutely," Annabel replied.

***

Lillian was about when they emerged. Susan inwardly cursed herself; the vampire had probably heard everything they'd just discussed. She blushed a little before remembering that the entire apartment was bugged, Lady Narlakis already knew about her planned conquest of Chris. She supposed there wasn't a way of hiding it, really, and she wanted an open, public relationship with him anyway, but had hoped to keep it discreet for a while.

Deciding to throw caution to the wind, Susan sat next to Chris at the kitchen bar and pulled him into a brief, rather un-motherly kiss before scooting closer and cuddling up, even giving the watchful vampire a little nod. Annabel, who'd just started on making them all omelettes, smiled ruefully.

Lillian had heard their discussion and saw Susan's kiss for what it was: an announcement. That wasn't a problem for her, outside of a harshly quashed twinge of jealousy, but she looked to the human girl to see her reaction.

Annabel seemed to be okay with it. Interesting. Lillian had heard tell male dragons were notorious for developing cherished "broods" of willing females. They somehow always seemed to get along without any major catfights despite the strong, powerful women involved. There must be something magical at work. Lillian couldn't fathom sharing a man like that; her vampiric nature was too possessive and greedy.

Annabel interrupted the vampire's thoughts. "Can we open the blinds, Lillian? It would be nice to see some sunlight in here... sorry."

"That's fine Annabel, just give me a second."

Lillian closed her eyes and muttered a well practiced incantation, one of the only ones most vampires ever bothered with. Over the next few seconds her tall body faded from view, jeans, black long sleeve, jacket, boots, and all.

"Okay, you can open the blinds now, it's the big switch over by the window," came the vampire's disembodied voice.

Annabel watched in disbelief and no one moved to open the blinds. A big sigh came from the direction of the vampire.

"Well, how else am I supposed to go out in the sunlight? Lillian asked as she walked over to slap the switch herself. "This way it all just passes straight through me. I wouldn't be very good at my job if I could only come out at night."

The blinds opened slowly, revealing busy morning streets and letting the bright sunlight stream in.

"Can all vampires do that?" Annabel asked, terrified by the thought of invisible blood-suckers lurking everywhere around her. She had no clue where Lillian was other than when she spoke, realising how reliant humans were on their vision.

"Most do, eventually." Lillian said, enjoying Annabel's distress a little. "It usually takes around two hundred years for young vampires to grow powerful enough to pull it off, though, it's the biggest milestone in a vampire's life."

"How old are you?" Annabel asked.

"Tut tut, Annabel," Lillian whispered from behind her. "That's a bit rude"

Annabel squealed, bolting around the counter into Chris's embrace.

"That's enough, Lillian," Chris said firmly, addressing the presence he felt leaning against the stove.

"You can see her?" Annabel asked tentatively, peaking towards where he was looking but seeing nothing.

"No, but I can feel her presence, as well as hear and smell her."

"So can I," said Susan. "But it's not very exact for me. If you were a Were, I think you could still smell and hear her, although she's pretty quiet."

"Don't tease Annabel, Lillian. It's dangerous now, she already burned you and silenced Susan this morning." He knew the vampire was just having a little fun but it set his tired dragon on edge to have his First feel threatened in any way.

"Don't remind me." Lillian grimaced, testing her re-grown hand. It was pretty much back to its original state, but perhaps she would feed tonight. "I'm sorry to scare you, it was just a little fun and I couldn't help myself."

"That's ok," Annabel cautiously returned to the heating pan. "Just try not to scare me too much. I asked Bartholomew not to hurt you but he seems to do his own thing." She began preparing the omelettes again but suddenly hesitated. "I'm not going to bump into you am I."

"I'll get out of the way," Lillian chuckled. "I'm almost five hundred by the way. We grow more powerful as we age, and I have my telekinesis, but we always struggle with magic."

***

They ended up agreeing to get some clothes for Annabel first. She'd insisted on it, given it was the start of day three for her underwear.

An invisible Lillian made a phone call to Oslo, a very large, shaggy man who would be their visible protection while they were out. Oslo was a Werebear, a grizzly. Lillian always liked him because he was quiet, observant, and generally didn't seem to give a shit. That, and he was never sniffing around her proverbial skirts like some of the other men she worked with. Adversaries sometimes mistook him to be dim, but that was their undoing.

He'd knocked on their door about half an hour later and Lillian introduced him. Chris had returned his crushing handshake with equal force as they sized each other up, acknowledging strength when they saw it.

Annabel was intimidated but Chris persuaded her to shake his hand, too. Oslo noticed the protectiveness and care the dragon had for her; as a family man, he respected that. He decided that he already liked the dragon.

Their mismatched party walked down the streets of the magic district, Chris and Annabel marvelling that Beings could live and work their secret lives right next to humans. It wasn't obvious but now that he knew, some things stood out a little. There were no chain or franchise stores and there seemed to be an overabundance of slightly ... quirky shops.

People, both human and Being, identified by their auras, seemed busy and happy as they walked by. Some of the Beings sported slightly out-of-place clothing too, but it was only noticeable to the initiated. Overall it seemed vibrant, a little town nestled away inside a city, and there was literally magic in the air.

Invisible, Lillian lead them to a nearby cluster of independent stores. She explained that none of them were Being-only stores, they maintained a standard floor stock but that they would have some enchanted clothing out back. Annabel thrilled at the idea of enchanted clothes but realized she had no way of paying, only about $400 was in her account. The rest was in savings to pay for her life next year at school.

"I can help," Chris offered. "I brought plenty with me."

"Oh, but Chris, you need it--"

"It's okay, Annabel, we'll get what you need. Besides, you're my familiar now, I get to do what I want with you, don't I?" he whispered the last part directly in her ear, sending lustful, loving feelings down their magical bond.

She blushed, and it was surprisingly dark.

"What I mean is," he said aloud for everyone to hear, "I can cover the essentials for the next few days, until you can collect whatever you need back home."

"Alright. Thank you." She nodded, recovering from her flush as he held the door to the shop for her

When they saw the prices on the items, however, they almost just walked out.

"Hey, come on, these are good prices." Lillian seemed to block the door with her voice. "And you will be expected to maintain an image among other Beings, Chris, whether you like it or not."

"You'd also be supporting local business," Susan added helpfully, smiling and patting Chris's shoulder as if to smooth over Lillian's gruffness. "That's also kind of expected among your own kind."

"You've got to be kidding." Chris kept his voice low so as not to be blaring across the shop. "That's ridiculous, I'm not going to pay three times as much for regular clothes just because someone's feelings might be hurt if I don't dress as they expect me to!"

Oslo's chuckle was about the deepest bass that any of them had ever heard, practically rumbling through the floor beneath their feet.

"But, Chris, honey," Susan began, and Lillian seemed to elbow her to get her attention.

They all looked to see Annabel fawning over a pair of jeans she obviously loved, the enthusiastic assistant having already snared her and happy to fuss over her figure until the sun set behind the mountains.

"Ah, shit," Chris muttered, as Susan and Lillian drifted over to provide support for the spree.

In the end, he and Oslo muttered condolences to each other by the door until it was time to ring it all up: two t-shirts, a mid-length black skirt, a blue tank, windbreaker, a long-sleeved, grey pullover, and three panty-bra sets. Just under a thousand dollars.

"Uh-oh," Annabel said, eyeballing the pieces as if trying to decide what to put back. The problem was that they were all the basics she would need.

"I got it, love," Chris murmured, paying the assistant before she could stop him.

She hugged him fervently as they left the store. "Thank you, these truly are the nicest clothes I've ever owned. They're made so well. But you shouldn't have spent so much."

"You're welcome, and it's fine," he assured her. "I know they'll look great on you. I'll be able to make money once I start accepting contracts through Maginet."

Lillian suggested they go find Annabel an evening dress and some shoes but that was vetoed, and they'd ended up going back to the hotel/apartment so Annabel could change and Chris could collect the small, heavy black toiletries bag containing the last of his cash and all of his gold. When he asked about a gold exchange, Lillian explained that gold was more valuable than the human currency he could get exchanging it. Besides the shops they were going to would accept gold anyway.

Annabel chose the black skirt, the blue tank, and the grey pullover, which all looked nice with her sandals. Chris lost all regrets for his money when he laid eyes on her. She was absolutely stunning, her long legs looked even creamier against the black skirt, showing a little of her sleek thighs. She'd pinned her hair so the soft, loose curls cascaded down her back. The pullover was clingy, conforming perfectly to her slim waist and slightly bulged chest, the blue tank-top just peeked out from underneath. He couldn't help but hug her when she presented herself and whisper in her ear.

"You look lovely."

They'd walked back into the district, heading toward one of Lillian's favorite stores. She always had liked to shop, even if it wasn't for herself. Buying beautiful things with someone else's money was fun, a pleasurable relic of her pampered human life so long ago. They looked for a dress first. The owner of one shop, a young witch named Mary, even looked after them herself once Lillian made herself known. Lillian was important, beautiful, and a loyal customer after all.

The transparent vampire explained they were looking for a dress, something Annabel could wear to dinner with Lady Narlakis but also to a club with her boyfriend, pointing out Chris by the door.

"Well, what's he going to wear?" asked Mary, wondering which of her customers was wearing the delightful perfume. It was a nice, manly smell so perhaps it was of the men off to the side.

"Oh, probably just something like he is now," Annabel explained. "He loves his jeans and you'd never get him into a suit or anything like that."

"Let's find you something to force him out of the jeans, huh?" Mary chuckled.

"Good luck with that," Susan laughed.

"Okay," Annabel said meekly, she was completely out of her league in a shop like this. Sure, she looked at nice clothes in shops at home or on the internet but didn't know anything about choosing a fancy evening dress.

Mary led them into the back, and began showing off her best wares including the various enchanted clothing she'd worked on herself. Lillian made herself visible again to help Annabel choose something, as the back room was completely sunproof.

Chris had noticed they were going out back and followed curiously, finding the women gushing over variously colored stylish numbers. Annabel was explaining that she wanted something which could be multipurpose because they could only afford one. None of the dresses even had price tags; that must be a bad sign.

"I think I have just the thing for you," Mary mused. She didn't know who Annabel was but if Lillian was with her, she must be pretty important. "This one is one of my favourites, it's silk but I've enchanted it to be durable and stain resistant. I'd still recommend you only hand-wash it but I think you'd look lovely in it, Annabel, and black is always sexy. We'll shame him into wearing something nicer."

She smiled over at Chris as she said that.

"What's wrong with this?" Chris asked, a little defensive.

Jeans, boots and a nice t-shirt or button up were his tried and true. If there was an occasion and Susan or Annabel forced him, he'd switch out the t-shirt for a nicer long-sleeve but he usually ended up rolling up the sleeves anyway. In summer he might even wear shorts if it got really hot. To be fair, he was small town, through and through.

"Oh, nothing really, but she'll look like a princess in this. You should try to look your best for her, too." Mary handed the black silk to Annabel. "Go try it on, dear, no bra though."

The silk flowed over her hand like water as she walked in to the little back-back room to change. She'd never worn anything like this, it was so shapeless she could barely figure out how it went on. She stripped out of her newly bought clothes, removed her bra, and let the silk flow down over her body. It felt delightfully cool to the touch. She looked in the mirror and gasped.

Slinky. That was the best she could come up with.

It might be a bit too lose around her chest, but it conformed to her waist and hips without clinging to them, until the hem fluttered at the middle of her thigh. It was partially backless, exposing her registration with thin shoulder straps crossing just below her shoulder blades to meet the other side of the dress below her breasts. Between the crossing straps on her back was a massive valley of exposed pale skin, travelling almost to the thinnest part of her waist. It felt like she was naked. She barely had the confidence to show the others, let alone wear it in public.

She looked for Chris as she tentatively emerged; he was already striding forwards, reaching for her with lust in his eyes. He saw she was nervous and stroked her cheek a little before leaning down for a relatively chaste kiss.

"You're ridiculously gorgeous, Dee," Chris whispered against her cheek as he stroked the bared skin of her lower back. Then he turned to Mary. "We'll take it."

He didn't care how much it cost at that point.

"Well, let me have a look at her first." Mary moving forward. "Yes, you're stunning in this, hon. Hmm, we might resize it in the chest a little, no offence. Now turn around for me."

Annabel did so slowly, exposing her back.

"You're a familiar," Mary commented as she checked the fit around Annabel's flanks. "But who's your-?"

Bartholomew took the opportunity to introduce himself then. Having previously wrapped himself around her bellybutton, he waltzed up her back to lay on her other tattoo again.

Mary jumped back quickly. "What the hell is that? A dragon? But.."

Her voice died and she wheeled on Chris.

"Guilty," he chuckled.

"Lillian, you bitch, you brought him in here and didn't tell me?!" Mary exclaimed. "Oh my god, I can't believe he's in my shop! Everyone was talking about it yesterday."

"It's not a big deal," Chris tried.

Lillian laughed at that.

"Uh, yeah, it is," Marry replied, forgetting to not be argumentative.

"Whatever, can we please get the dress?"

"Yes. Sorry. Oh, Annabel, you lucky girl, oh my god. Okay, let's pull the chest in a bit."

Mary slipped a finger under the sides and up against the surface of Annabel's breasts, muttering as the cloth shrank a little. It was still loose enough to fall away in front between where the thin straps attached, showing the soft skin between her breasts. If she'd had more there, the cleavage might have been ridiculous, but as it was it was a tantalising display of her small, well formed assets.

"Alright, let's bag that up for you."

Annabel emerged from changing back into her previous clothes a few minutes later to find Chris being persuaded into buying a pair of black slacks and a very nice light blue shirt. They eventually went to the counter to pay, and Annabel noticed Mary added a length of frilly ribbon the same colour as his new shirt but dreaded what the damage might be.

"How would you like to pay for the dress? I'd like to throw in the pants and shirt as a gift." Mary was trying her best.

"That really isn't necessary," Chris replied. It made him nervous to have the stranger doting on him like this.

"I insist, I can't part with the dress for free though, I've spent quite a while working on it."

"How about gold?" asked Chris.