FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Lone muttered as he left the mayor's house, his stomach already aching from the half-girdle he was wearing, white dress shirt overtop carefully tucked into his pants - but not too tightly! - to hide its existence, dress pants swishing around his bare paws as he walked with one hand in his pocket and the other holding his fancy, dark dress jacket with the gold buttons overtop, his tie swishing in the wind a bit. Today so far wasn't going very well...

At ten he'd woken up, showered, carefully weighed himself and decided the scale was ten pounds off before, to prove to himself he was still a good healthy weight and that he was invincible, he ordered a huge breakfast of ham, eggs and bacon. He'd eaten heartily, then changed into his current outfit and, within ten minutes, been regretting the massive breakfast as his stomach was crunched inwards, whining quietly to himself as he drove his fancy sports car down towards the Mayor's home... and staring as he passed a store that was surrounded by cops, reporters and yellow tape. The wolf's curiosity was roused... but it was already eleven-twenty and he had a lot to take care of today. Busy, busy, busy. Fuck but do I ever work hard.

He'd found the home of the most important man in the city after a few checks of the built in GPS in the car and circling the block a few times, looking for the Reinhold place... and then he'd finally pulled up through the open, wrought iron gates to the massive estate house, whistling at its immensity and grinning as he wondered how much had been stolen to build this exclusive-looking residence. Then he'd trotted up the stairs to the double-doors, knocked, and put on his best 'hi-how're-you-today?' grin.

A butler answered, and Lone politely asked if his honor the mayor was in... and well, a few handshakes and flashes of his pearly whites later, the wolf was tight with the mayor, laughing and sitting down, drinking champagne with him and eating shrimp off a little silver tray as they sat in the den, in front of a stone hearth in two big leather easy chairs.

It hadn't taken Lone long to work his away around to the business development plans he had... which then opened the door for him to use his charm and tactfully ask: "And oh, I've heard that there's been some problems with some guy they call 'the boss' down in that... Comfort Town area, did you say it was called? I was wondering if you knew anything about him?"

The mayor, an old, balding black bear in an expensive suit and with a pair of gold-plated pince-nez clamped on his muzzle, leaned back and gave a sneer Lone felt would be worthy of himself. "Oh, the Boss of Comfort Town, yes, the bastard who thinks he's... Master of the whole city or some such nonsense! I tell you, Mr. Wulfe, I tell you this now: one day he is going to be meeting a very nasty, sticky end."

Lone nodded seriously in return, then he asked slyly: "Well sir, what would you do if I said, in return for say... a privatization agreement for some of the interesting real estate in Comfort Town... I could quite possibly make this sticky end come faster?"

Mayor Anthony Reinhold leaned back in his chair, and the interest that appeared on the old bear's features told Lone that he had his agreement already. However... once Lone started to glibly glean information on "Boss" Zerrex Narrius, he felt a strange sinking sensation growing in his gut.

Apparently, he was a huge, more than eight-foot tall lizard... ex-military, from all accounts... and he had raped, tortured and violated all the most prestigious residents of Comfort Town and even Apple Villa... in fact, Apple Villa had gotten the worst of it. They had welcomed him with open arms when he'd first come here, of course... but no, no, he had built up his home and power base in Comfort Town, and now worked as a mercenary to fulfill the evil ambitions of the Ginsbury family; that bastard Harry Ginsbury would go to any lengths to try and ruin this town, since he felt entitled to be mayor with all his money and power... but no, they had elected him instead, and Harry had always resented him for that, despite the fact they had used to been childhood friends.

Lone had listened sympathetically, but inwardly he'd been cursing his luck and found himself suddenly afraid of meeting up with this giant tonight. The anxiety grew even as they went from talking about the Boss to other business, and despite the fact Lone now had the deed for many of the properties in Comfort Town in his hand... he felt no triumph, no feeling of glorious victory. No, instead there was just that growing fear in the pit of his stomach... but then he just lay it down to indigestion as he walked slowly to his car, gritting his teeth as he climbed into the sports car before simply sitting there... then he fumbled for his briefcase and opened it to pull out his laptop.

The wolf opened it and powered it up, then he checked the satellite reception before deciding that the mayor wouldn't begrudge him the use of his wireless internet; in a few moments, he was sitting online, complacently typing in all the information he'd managed on Zerrex Narrius to two services - one, a private investigation firm that would tell him where exactly Zerrex had been, and provide corresponding information based upon word categories... in this case, it would tell him where Zerrex was seen last, and if any rapes or violent crimes had occurred in that town.

The other was a contact he'd made in the government, an ex-military commander who would give him excellent information for a fairly good price. So Lone emailed him with all the stats he had, since he didn't have any dog tags with his ID number or so much as a hint of what military force he'd belonged to... but he hoped that the big-ass lizard had stood out in whatever category he'd been in. "Or at least been noticed because he's a really big fucker." Lone muttered under his breath, then he closed his laptop and his eyes, resting back in his leather seat and sighing, feeling anxiety worming at him again before he straightened and turned his expensive sports car back on, revving the engine before pulling out of the mayor's driveway and heading back to his hotel to finish up the paperwork and anxiously await the return calls for his research.

Mary watched anxiously from her small bedroom window as Danny pulled up in his clunky car, her three suitcases on the floor beside the small round table she'd decided to bring with her. It was as ugly as she remembered it being, but the blue rust-bucket did have a fairly spacious trunk...

Then she saw Danny getting out of the car, and she watched him, feeling both resentful and nervous as the fellow feline rubbed a hand back between his ears, smoothing the golden - but messy - hair on his head. The orange stripes that went from his neck, down his back, and to the end of his tail were faintly visible, even from here... and he had on his aviator sunglasses, the mirrored ones that were so dark he could barely see out of them... along with his old leather jacket... and that was about all she could tell from here before she stepped back and looked up at Zerrex anxiously, then glanced down again to see him put a cigarette in his muzzle before approaching the building. "You know... what if he has a gun?"

"You really think I've never been shot before?" Zerrex tilted his head, looking at her with faint amusement, then he reached over and squeezed her shoulder gently: it made her look up at him with surprise before he stepped over to the couch and then sat down, placing his hands in his lap complacently. "Just tell him to come in... and we'll all have a little chat together about this."

Mary felt somewhat less concerned with the reptile's tone... but at the same time, she felt that strange worry in the pit of her stomach. And it was definitely not worry for Daniel, who she'd spent more than a year dating... but instead, she thought she was actually feeling worry and compassion more for her captor, than her ex-boyfriend: granted, her ex was a total asshole, but despite his grabby-hands he'd never tried to rape her, at least...

She walked over to the small PA beside the door, twitching from foot-to-foot until the so-called secretary in the lobby called up, saying that there was a Daniel Barrett requesting to see her, and immediately she hit the reply button, telling her to send him up and trying to hide the strain in her voice. There was a reply in the affirmative... and then the feline opened the door and stepped back, anxiously shifting back and forth again until she heard Daniel's motorcycle boots tromping up the stairs, and then saw him approaching down the hall with his usual aggravated look in his murky green eyes, the long button-up shirt he wore untucked over his dirty, discolored jeans. He glared at her as he approached, but frowned and followed her inside when she turned silently and walked down the hall to the living room, asking in a half-snarl: "Babe, what's up, I'm in no mood for fun and..." then he came to the end of the hall and glanced out into the main room, his eyes widening and his jaw going slack as he stared at Zerrex, the cigarette he'd had in his maw falling to the floor. "...games?"

He stared as Zerrex looked back mildly, then he looked at the stuff on the floor as his eyes widened and he rose his hands, shaking his head vehemently back and forth. "Whoa, time out, what the hell is this? This guy here... wait..." he stopped, then snarled as he stomped forwards, asking angrily: "Wait a minute, you can't seriously have... hooked up with the fucking Boss, can you?"

Mary stared across at the fellow cat, not believing what she'd just heard as Zerrex stood up and walked around the table, then brushed past Daniel as well; the cat, acting on his anger impulses, immediately turned and reached out to grab Zerrex's arm, snarling: "Where the fuck do you think you're-"

Zerrex didn't even bother to turn; he merely raised his arm, then drove his elbow back into Daniel's head, making him stagger; before he could fall, however, the reptile had already reached his arm back and caught the wrist of the cat, squeezing hard enough that Mary could hear the bones groaning from where she stood, even above Danny's sudden moan of pain as he half-fell to his knees anyway, staring in horror at the back of the reptile, his wrist gripped in the iron vise of the Drakkaren's hand before the reptile spoke coldly: "To close the door."

Then he released the smaller male's hand, letting him fall back on his ass to stare at the lizard with wordless horror as Zerrex walked slowly over to the door, then closed it... but then Mary saw him reaching into his coat, and her worst fears came to pass even as she shouted: "Danny! Don't be stupid!"

But the cat already had his gun out; a massive forty-five handgun that, in the skinny male's grip, looked like it was trying to accommodate for something as he snarled angrily, his body trembling with a mixture of rage and fear as the barrel of the gun wobbled back and forth, then he yelled shakily: "What do you think of this, motherfucker? What do you think of this, asshole?"

Zerrex merely looked at him mildly, then he stepped forwards and kicked out before anyone could react; it sent the cat's arm flying backwards, the gun still in his grip: but then the reptile swiveled his leg and kicked in from the side, smashing the steel toe of his combat boot into the side of the cat's hand and causing the bones to crunch as he howled in pain, arching his back, fingers spasming and releasing the gun... which Zerrex then delivered another sideways snap kick to, sending it flying down the hall and then bouncing off the wall at the end to skitter into the open bedroom doorway.

Then the lizard stepped back, looking down at Daniel coldly, who was now clutching his snapped hand and trembling furiously... but now it was all fear; Mary stared in horror at what the reptile had done so casually, at how he had faced down her ex-boyfriend, shattered his good hand and disarmed him... but at the same time, she relished the fact that finally, Danny had been taught his place in the world, that temper tantrums and bitching about people behind their backs and plotting useless plans of revenge... how it was all useless, and now he was faced for the first time in his life with real danger, that no lie or story or burst of rage could free him from. No, now Danny stared with that realization up at Zerrex... and even though she couldn't see that in his eyes, she could see it in the way he moved, submitted to the reptile as the Drakkaren spoke softly: "Mary is coming with me. You are going to drive with her things to my house, and that will be the extent of your duties. She'll ride with me, on my motorcycle, so you don't get any bright ideas and try to run me down, and I don't have to kill you and put Mary here through the pains of body disposal. Do you understand?"

Danny nodded dumbly up at the big reptile, staring at him with utter terror, and then Zerrex looked at the suitcases before looking down at the cat. "Take those and bring them down to the car. We'll follow behind. Get the two biggest suitcases."

"But... but my hand..." the cat started, trembling as he held it up; it was already swelling, and the fingers twitches, looking next to useless as the feline shook his head in disbelief. "I... I can't..."

"I don't care." Zerrex's voice was soft, but his eyes were cold and his expression irritated, if anything at all. He looked for a moment as if he wanted to do something else... and then he glanced up at Mary. But the female feline shook her head, then she made a show of closing her eyes and coughing: but it wasn't enough to drown out the meaty thud of Zerrex's boot colliding with Daniel's stomach, or the low moan of pain from the cat afterwards.

But then Danny was scrabbling for his feet and then forcing himself to grab the two suitcases, letting out another sound of agony as he arched his back, shutting his eyes tightly and proving to Mary in an instant that most of his stories about going so long with a broken wrist or whatnot were all false; he staggered, moaned and then began to cry as he made for the closed door... then he looked at Zerrex with tears in his eyes, opening his muzzle to maybe ask for the reptile to open it for him or simply protest that he just couldn't do it... but that dominating emerald gaze gave him the answer to all his questions as Zerrex crossed his arms, and then, crying harder, the cat put down a suitcase shakily, turned the doorknob, and then managed to force his way out before heading for the stairs.

Then the Drakkaren glanced over at Mary, and he nodded towards the small suitcase. "You take that. I'll grab the table."

Again, there was no arguing with the reptile, no denials, and not even any resent; there was just what he ordered, and under that gaze, the female had no choice but to do as he said... and in any case, again, she found there was no hate in her for him. If anything, right now she felt resent towards Danny for complicating things in the way he had... and she couldn't stop from glancing over her shoulder to smile faintly at the Drakkaren as she left the apartment, watching as he easily hefted the table and followed.

The reptile watched the female feline curiously as they descended: having to eventually stop and wait for the much-slower going Daniel, who was still crying but apparently trying to hide his tears from the world as they exited through the security door and crossed the lobby; then he shoulder the door open and let it drop closed on Mary, who glared after her ex... but then held the door open for Zerrex so he could slip through without a problem, carrying the table. Then Daniel dropped the suitcases before his car, and he produced his keys, wordlessly opening the trunk and back door before climbing silently into the car and snuffling there, his arms crossed and head lowered, face contorted in what looked like frustrated, anguished pain - the classic expression of the angsty child.

The reptile snorted quietly to himself as he switched the table to grip in one hand, opening the back door with the other, then shoving the table inside and crushing various empty bags and cans before stepping back and shoving the trunk up, then he managed to fit two of the suitcases inside before taking the last and putting it in the back seat with the table. He then nodded to Mary, and the two walked over to his motorcycle, the reptile climbing on first and the feline then slipping up to sit in his lap, curling back against him and closing her eyes as she reached her arms back to wrap tightly around his neck, letting out a soft sigh as Zerrex brought the bike to life and, with a cursory glance back at Daniel, who had started up his car and was sitting in the driver's seat, sulking, the Drakkaren took off from the curb, followed closely by the feline.

The journey through town was uneventful, but to Mary it was also another moment of truth: when people saw Zerrex coming, they turned off or switched lanes, or simply pulled over and let him pass; even the single police car they passed was careful to get out of their way. The reptile followed the rules of the road both artlessly and needlessly: he stopped when he needed to and drove on when he didn't need to stop, even though at every intersection, people stopped their cars to either gawk or to simply get out of the Boss's way if he chose to drive. She'd forgotten how small a town it really was, despite the division of Apple Villa and Comfort Town: Zerrex was no celebrity here, he was as infamous as a plague. And like all plagues, everyone did their best to avoid any contact with him whatsoever.

It was saddening, as she sat in his lap, her legs gripping the sides of the massive motorcycle, her arms wrapped back around the neck of the huge Drakkaren as he leaned forwards, her own eyes gazing back and forth instead of straight ahead, as his emerald eyes did. She wondered about his past, his life, and why he was such a cold, ruthless, sadistic killer... and also how those things in him could seem almost attractive, make him more exotic when mixed with his strange politeness and even stranger grace... but then they were at the Camelot Bridge, which separated Apple Villa from Comfort Town, and almost completely abandoned at this time of day: after all, work wasn't over for a little while yet, and both sections of Baskin's Grove had their own schools, hangouts, etcetera... making for very little contact between the two places, and making the feline feel like she was entering a whole new world.

She'd never been to this side of the city before; in fact, she'd always be warned to stay away from it, ever since she'd moved here. The division between Comfort Town and Apple Villa was ancient, but in the last decade or so it had become truly pronounced... and now they were like their own little towns, but she had always seen things from the Apple Villa side of things... and now, crossing over into this world, she felt a tremble shake her body at the sight of the decrepit place.

There was an air of sadness, as they drove through the broken city streets, the motorcycle bouncing gently on the bumps and cracks in the road as Mary stared around, and began to get a new perspective on things, feeling disgust not at the poverty of this place but the people of Apple Villa, at the glorious streets she'd lived on and the whitewashed walls she'd lived in and the perfect people she'd worked for. At their expensive tastes and talk of politics and lies of effort... no, they were just masks and ornaments. Here was the truth... and now Mary looked up at Zerrex's cold features, and she saw the Boss in a different light; now, she thought she saw what perhaps many of the residents of Comfort Town saw him as, not a hero, never... but certainly some form of avenger, of dark angel that came to kill those who had been marked by their greed, gluttony, or other ambitious sins.

They twisted and turned through the streets, the reptile glancing back every now and then to make sure that they were still being followed by Daniel at a fair distance - not too close, but not too far either. He didn't feel like going on a chase if the cat decided to break for it with Mary's stuff, perhaps under the illusion still that they were boy- and girlfriend, setting up shop together. That was a vaguely amusing thought to the reptile, who'd certainly had many sexual partners over the last few years, but no one since the military who'd ever been someone he'd considered to be going 'steady' with... and even then, there had been rapes and other sexual misconduct... but then again, his old ex hadn't exactly minded watching the reptile with someone else, especially when he was making them suffer sexually... and she had even joined in on more than a few occasions. Zerrex smiled a bit at this, his eyes glinting as he thought with amused irony: Good memories.

But then, however, they were pulling up in front of the reptile's house, Zerrex pulling into the driveway and then turning the engine off, allowing Mary to slip off first as he heard the other feline pulling up to the curb in his rusty blue car, but leaving it running... and then he looked down at Mary and said softly: "Go into the house and hit the button just inside the door, alright? I need to put my motorcycle in the garage."

Mary nodded, then she turned and walked off to do so... when her ears perked up, eyes widening as she heard the sudden squeal of tires accelerating against the road, spinning around and yelling wordlessly, incoherently as she saw Danny's face behind the windshield, snarling, tear-streaked and frightened as the car shot across the front lawn towards Zerrex, who was already calmly facing the approaching vehicle, no fear in his eyes, his body straight as he walked forwards towards it, and then, not knowing why she was doing so, the female cat found herself screaming for Zerrex to move, feeling something thud in her chest and a horrible weight in her stomach in those few slow, agonizing seconds that the car was shooting towards him-

The reptile put both hands out, then he grunted as he set his feet and leaned towards the car, shoving both hands forwards into the grill and feeling them collide with the car, the force of the collision sending shivers up and down his arms, his feet skidding back through the dirt, digging small, deepening trenches before they found purchase, and then both felines were staring as Zerrex's muscles bulged against his shirt, his head tilted and a violent, frightening grin on his features as the wheels of the car screamed, the metal crunching beneath his hands as the car halted... and then the lizard shoved backwards against the trying-to-accelerate vehicles, and there was a small explosion from somewhere under the hood and the wheels ceased to spin, the car leaving dents in the lawn as it was not only stopped, but shoved backwards by the last powerful push of the reptile... and then he stood straight, his face once more composed, cold and calm, his features stony as he gripped one shoulder and then rolled his arm in a windmill, before repeating the process with the other, the cat behind the wheel staring at him with stupid shock that was slowly turning to absolute terror under the icy gaze of the Drakkaren. A bit more than I expected for an old car... he probably tuned up the engine. Nothing serious though.

Daniel, meanwhile, had not only wet himself, he was now attempting to stop himself from vomiting out of sheer fear. His teeth chattered, his eyes bulged, his body quaked and legs banged together as one hand fumbled at the keys to the car - but no matter how he twisted or what procedure he forced himself through to attempt to kick-start the engine, it wouldn't work. Oh shit... something in the engine must have snapped when he shoved it backwards... how the fuck did he shove my fucking car backwards? How the fuck did he do that? It's... it's not possible!

Then he squealed as Zerrex took a single step towards the car, the cat's eyes widening even further as the Drakkaren walked towards him... and he turned his gaze on Mary, pleading eyes looking for a bit of remorse if nothing else, but all he saw there was... relief, of all emotions. She was probably being kidnapped, but she preferred to leave her ex-boyfriend to the clutches of her captor despite his attempt to save her from the frigging Boss of Comfort Town, of all the insane, violent people of the world...

The cat shook as he stared at Zerrex, the reptile striding slowly closer... and then his hands flashed forwards, grabbing the door and doorhandle, pulling back on the latter and shoving forwards with the former to try and knock the reptile down at least, so he could bolt for it, throwing his weight into the door as well and all but body-checking it off the hinges... but then he felt his head collide with the window, thudding off it with enough force to crack the glass as the reptile merely rose one hand to stop the door, then he shoved back and the window shattered as Daniel clenched his eyes shut and shrieked in pain, his head suddenly in agony equal to that in his broken hand as he felt glass hailing down around him, getting stuck in his fur, his ears, a few pieces even making it into his mouth before he gagged as a powerful hand grabbed his throat.

Then he found himself half-hanging out the window as he was yanked forwards, half through the shattered car window as he looked down at him with coldness in his emerald eyes, his face showing minor irritation at most before he stepped to the side and jerked the cat forwards, tossing him out through the narrow window and sending him flying almost ten feet away, to crash in a heap of limbs and pain on the ground, coughing as he felt the pieces of glass in his mouth cutting up his cheeks and throat before he rolled to all fours, gagging violently and then spitting them out amidst flecks of blood before looking up at the Drakkaren with utter terror on his features, face bloody and covered with small cuts, his one hand bent awkwardly and swollen to perhaps twice its normal size.

Zerrex tilted his head, then he said softly: "I want you to go home and call a tow-truck to get that heap of trash off my lawn. And if it's not gone before sunrise tomorrow, I'm going to come for you, and then I'm going to tear off your ears to start. I'll spare you the rest of the details until tomorrow because... I like surprises, so you should too. Doing what the Boss says is kosher in this part of town, after all... so now, I have one more word to say to you." The lizard paused as he crossed his arms, looking at the feline on the ground with contempt and freezing displeasure, before speaking softly: "Run."

Danny did so; he immediately stood up, turned, and sprinted faster than he ever had in his life, tears streaming from his eyes as he bolted, the only thought in his mind being to get away from this monster as fast as possible... and he never dared to look back, should the reptile be giving pursuit just for the hell of the chase, after having so thoroughly established who was the predator here... and who was the prey.

The Drakkaren was more than content to sit back and watch as the cat ran away though, then he turned to look at Mary, who was staring at him with strange emotions in her eyes before she started as he tilted his head and asked in a mild voice: "Why haven't you opened the garage door yet?"

"Oh, um, I'm sorry!" the female cat babbled, her eyes widening a bit at the reptile before she quickly opened the front door and slipped into the front hall, feeling embarrassed for whatever strange reason... but also sorting through new feelings of... interest? Relief? Maybe even a bit of joy, seeing Danny so firmly trounced and even his ugly car ruined? She didn't know, as she found the button for the garage door and hit it, then she headed back outside, deciding not to be useless to the Drakkaren and at least grab one or two of the suitcases for him.

Zerrex wheeled his motorcycle into the garage, but he paused to glanced back at the feline with faint approval as she smiled at him, picking up her suitcases to bring into the house as the reptile moved into the mostly-empty garage - except, of course, for the usual clutter of junk he thought gathered in all places like this. There was no door into the house - an extra security precaution, and a needless one, he thought, but procedure was procedure for him - but the reptile didn't mind the extra minute or two it took to walk into the house from here. Besides which, should he ever really need to get into here, the walls between his room and the garage were fairly thin; it wouldn't prove any big deal for him to just go straight through.

He brought his bike to the back, sliding it carefully into the narrow space between two thin steel walls: a quasi-holder for the bike that would also protect it from getting scratched up or too dusty. The modified military assault motorcycle was definitely one of his more valuable possessions, and, like he'd mentioned to Mary, he couldn't drive a car. In the Goth Legion, however, they'd insisted he learn to at least drive some kind of specialized vehicle... and so he'd chosen the motorcycle and been given lessons on everything from basic safety rules to how to perform a wide variety of stunts while on the iron horse.

He made sure it was settled properly, so that it wouldn't slide down the metal and possibly incur damage, then he breathed a sigh of relief and turned, walking out of the garage and hitting the small button just inside the doors as he passed, causing the large, plain white sheet of steel to start sliding silently back down towards the ground. It didn't move too quickly, but the reptile still had to automatically duck on the way out to avoid it bashing him in the head as he headed back to his house, grabbing the small table on the way there; Mary had already moved all the suitcases inside.

He carefully maneuvered the table through his doorway, then kicked it closed behind him before looking over the structure at Mary, who was looking back and forth with wide eyes, then she looked at him and smiled a bit, saying softly: "Damn. The way this house is built makes me feel really small now, Boss."

The way she'd used his name from around town came to her so naturally that she almost didn't pick up on herself using it... but then she realized what she said and blushed, not knowing if he liked the term or not and suddenly feeling as if she was back on her first date in high school. As Zerrex tilted his head towards her, still easily holding up the oak, small table with all the simplicity as if it were a large, empty box, she quickly added to cover her embarrassment: "I mean, sir, you're just so... big and stuff, you know and..." Oh, damn. I'm really just babbling on, aren't I?

The reptile continued to look at her calmly, then he stepped forwards, forcing her to move back a bit before he turned through the archway, walking into the living room and carefully setting the table down to arrange it in the empty corner between couch and wall, nodding and smiling a bit as it fit perfectly. He then turned to her and said plainly, rolling over her former words: "I think it looks good there. Don't you?"

"Yeah, it does, um... Mister Narrius?" she looked up at him, blushing again before asking quietly as she felt a new pang of fear and pain with her new position: "How am I supposed to address you, sir?"

"Politeness and Zerrex or Boss will be fine... but Master will earn you brownie points." Zerrex responded, looking back down at her with a bit of smile, then he turned to where she had piled her luggage, walking over to it before glancing over his shoulder at her. "By the way, you'll be sleeping with me every night. The couch is uncomfortable and the only other place... well, you wouldn't want to stay there." The reptile then gathered up her three suitcases, easily shifting one under his arm and picking up the other two to carry into his room, then he put them down beside his dresser as Mary followed, feeling faint alarm but... more curiosity, along with not resignation but merely acceptance now, at her new position in life.

Before she could stop herself, her traitor mouth spoke again, this time asking: "Why wouldn't I want to stay in that other place, sir, if you don't mind me asking?" Then she clamped her muzzle shut, biting the inside of her lip as Zerrex turned to look at her... then, surprisingly, he merely smiled a bit and walked forwards, turning her around and settling an arm around her shoulders before guiding her out of the room.

"I guess it won't hurt to show you... I'd like you to do some cleaning for me down there anyway." Zerrex said softly, leading her through the house, down the hallway, then opening the basement and guiding her down into it. She looked around, frowning a bit but looking somewhat more aware of what he'd been talking about... but before she could say anything, he'd already crossed the room... and she stared, unable to hide the slight delight it gave her as he pulled back a bookcase to reveal an ominous-looking, massive steel door.

They traded a look and a small smile, and then Mary rejoined his side again... and was glad when his arm settled around her shoulders once more. Now, she looked back and forth with mild nervousness before a light clicked on, but the claustrophobia she felt at being under the raw earth like this wasn't dispelled... but it also wasn't as bad as it could have been, she thought, as they approached another scary-looking steel door. The moment they entered, she stopped worrying that the empty shaft was going to collapse on her, and she breathed a sigh of relief as she looked around before glancing up at the reptile and saying softly: "You've got lots of surprises, huh?"

"We're not done yet." Zerrex responded gently, then he opened the door to his office... and Mary couldn't resist giving a bit of a groan, looking over the papers with mild eyes before turning the same gaze on the reptile - and she admired her own bravery for it as she actually forced herself through saying:

"You're quite the messy one, aren't you, Boss?"

Zerrex looked down at her with mildness... and then he coughed and smiled a bit as he reached the other hand up to rub through his hair, his expression faint amusement and even a bit of embarrassment. "Well, it's... yeah. I am."

Mary nodded, trying to decide whether or not to comment upon how she'd done organization and such in the past for the Lyons... but then he was already guiding her out of the office and moving to the next door, which he opened and then said softly: "This is my trophy room. Very few people ever get to see it... mostly because I don't like to show off."

The cat looked up at him with a smile, thinking they were awards or medals or even little golden cups... but then, as she turned her attention to the room and walked inside, the reptile behind her, she again came to realize and remember that, despite the certain charm he had and the odd way he behaved... this was a killer who could be as cold and ruthless as any terrorist with a bomb or psychotic with a knife. He just presented himself differently... and she couldn't repress the shiver those thoughts brought on, especially after his hands gently settled on her shoulders.

The trophy room was almost a perfect cube, and filled with all sorts of wonderful-looking things... if you didn't stop and think how those things had been acquired. There was a small, rectangular table overlaid with a velvet cloth... and atop that table a massive, open jeweler's display box, with all sorts of shelves and pegs for rings and other such finery... and all of them were full, gold, diamonds, silver, platinum, and all other sorts of precious metals and stones glinting from a massive variety of rings, pendants, necklaces and bracelets... then to either side of the jeweler's box were three pegs, with even more rings... and all around the room, on small, expensive-looking hand-crafted mahogany platforms - all of them embellished with twisting and patterned designs - sat more jewelry cases and small trinkets... and, as Mary stared around at the huge variety - from knives and straight-razors to gold-plated watches, anklets and small pieces of technology - Zerrex removed a ring and a silver crucifix she recognized all too well, and the cat swallowed, feeling herself going weak-kneed as the reptile approached the only mostly-empty case and carefully slipped first the ruby ring on, then slipped the crucifix onto one of the shelves as he turned to her and smiled, despite her paleness, as he opened his arms and said quietly: "Every one of these from a completed job. The rule being that I take one item from each adult victim."

"That's... I mean... just..." Mary's voice slowly broke off, her eyes staring, then she trembled quietly before asking softly: "Why do you keep them, Boss? Does it... give you pleasure?"

The reptile lowered his arms, looking at her with a strange softness in his eyes as he seemed to think for a moment, then he nodded slowly. "I won't lie. It does give me pleasure, and some of the memories that certain items bring back are definitely good ones to me, although they may scare or disgust you. I come here whenever I need a boost to my confidence, or before a tough job. I am a sadist, yes... I enjoy the suffering of others, and I take pleasure and feel power from causing it." He paused, then continued on in a slower voice as Mary stared at him with wide eyes, her body trembling and hands clasping in front of her. "But I've changed a lot from my past... where I never tried to stop the urges, and just did as they willed. Now I have... a few rules that I follow, and now every job is justified and I only act as the situation demands..." he stopped, then looked at her squarely. "You knew from the start I was a bad person, Mary. So why should I pretend otherwise?"

The feline looked back at him quietly, then she said in as soft and gentle a voice as she could manage: "You're not a bad person, Zerrex... you're... you're just... not well, and... I think you're... rather... you're sad inside, aren't you?"

The Drakkaren looked taken aback, surprised by this... but then he nodded slowly, looking almost grudging as he crossed his arms and spoke calmly: "I'm going to hell, sad or not. I know the difference between right and wrong, and why I shouldn't do as I do... but I find I really don't care. In fact, I like being 'evil,' so to speak, because it makes me feel good. I like taking pleasure in the pain of others." He stepped forwards, and his gaze captured hers as his hands reached up to squeeze her shoulders. "I don't care that I scare you. I like that too, in fact. I don't care if I hurt you. I'll lap up your suffering. Don't underestimate me solely based on the fact I don't like to raise my voice and I keep myself polite."

Mary gazed back up at him, then, trembling but unable to stop herself, she blurted: "Then why aren't you just raping and torturing me now? Why-"

Before she could get any further, Zerrex shoved her backwards, walking forwards and forcing her out into the hall, then slamming her with jarring force into the wall opposite. She let out a short cry of pain before her back arched as his hands squeezed her shoulders hard enough to grind her bones together, her body shaking as she looked up into those cool emerald eyes with not fear but surprise, and then the reptile leaned down by her and whispered quietly into her ear: "Because I'm trying to change. But if you push me, I have no problem responding in the only way I know how. I don't want to add to my list of sins anymore, Mary. But once I start, I find it's too nice to not keep going. I'm addicted to my sadism... and it's an addiction that is remarkably fun to fill." He stopped for a moment, then reached a hand down to squeeze her breast roughly as he gazed down at her, the feline turning her head away and downwards as he clenched her eyes shut. "Now come along. We're going upstairs. You're going to fix me some food, and then I'm going to rape you."

The feline trembled, then she forced herself to look up at him, steeling herself before reaching up to grab his wrist as she felt his hand leaving her breast... and she then pulled it back down against her swell, looking into his eyes squarely as she said softly: "You can't rape the willing, Boss... you scare the hell out of me, but... I am attracted to you, for whatever reason. I think we both know that and I can't deny it. And it doesn't matter anyway, does it, because you made me your slave from the moment you set your eyes on me, didn't you? But I will say one thing, Zerrex..." she trembled harder, but forced her eyes to meet his cold emerald ones before finally saying in a nearly inaudible voice instead of the strong one she wanted to use: "You don't want to change. You just want to hurt people in a way that'll make it all seem okay."

For a moment, the reptile's hand bore down almost painfully on her breast... and then he relaxed his grip, slowly fondling her swell before pulling his hand back and shaking free of her grip, his eyes on hers... but now they were both surprised and... interested even, before he nodded and turned, raising a hand to motion for her to follow. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I like what I am, monster or not, and it's all just a game to me. In any case, you're also right about you being my newest acquisition, so hurry up. I'm hungry and starting to get horny."

The aloofness of the reptile was disturbing... but when he turned to exit the door, Mary caught a strange, thoughtful frown of his features that made her daringness worthwhile, and she breathed a sigh of relief before quickly running to catch up to the big lizard and following behind him with her hands clasped in front of her, head bowed respectfully and remaining politely silent as they headed back through the earthen tunnel towards the home of the Drakkaren... and this time she felt no fear of the walls collapsing in on her.

Together, they went back to the living room, then Zerrex lay down on the couch, propping a pillow beneath his head and an arm beneath that as the reptile looked at her with mildness in his eyes, then he nodded his head towards the open kitchen archway, saying plainly: "You can find whatever you need to in there. Just don't play with any of my security toys... now go make me a cheeseburger." He paused, then added in a mildly-entertained voice: "Bitch."

Mary looked at him with dour amusement, realizing the reptile was more testing her to see if she needed another lesson about his character or not, then actually insulting her - besides, she had expected this, hadn't she? It wasn't like he returned any of the possible feelings she might have, after all. Instead, she simply nodded, then after a thought added: "As you wish, sir."

Then she went into the kitchen and fell in love with the utilitarian but expensive setup at once - it was both plainer and far more useful than the Lyon's ridiculously oversized restaurant style kitchen, and she found herself unfettered by the fact that some of the appliances were oversized now - she understood that they were a bit larger than normal merely for the ease of the reptile, who had built this house with the same customizations for size everywhere. She thought it rather said something about his ego - and her best thoughts always came to her as she was working, like she did now - in how he apparently didn't mind being bigger than everyone else... but thought that everything should still fit him. Or maybe he just didn't like things to be unnecessarily difficult ... that seemed more like the reptile's point of view.

But it did make her smile, in any case, bringing her back to childhood fancies and fantasies, making her feel like a hobbit who had been enslaved by some tall, dark and mysterious warlord... and her smile broadened at this as she tossed a glance back at the reptile, who was lounging on the couch and staring at the ceiling, apparently thinking of something from the look of concentration in his eyes. Maybe part of his attraction - frightening as that itself was or not - was because he wasn't just some crazy, overly-strong, physically-oriented brute... but he had his own style of somewhat soft, somewhat stumbling speech, he had some surprising degree of intelligence if prodded by something, and he could strategize and think appropriately based on the situation. She also got the feeling he'd feel more at home swinging a sword in the dark ages somewhere, completely unaware of the truthful irony behind her thoughts.

She found the patties already thawed in the fridge; two of them, large hunks of lean-cut hamburger. Figuring that he'd want both, she decided to cook them both... and on her search for a pan to cook them in, she was pleased to come across an electric grill, which she immediately set on as the best way to do the burgers and thus cooked with.

The feline almost forgot to add the cheese - fortunately, however, her mildly playful thoughts of fairy tales and fantasy lands perked up enough to remember, and gave her enough time to run to the fridge, find slices of the stuff, and melt them properly onto the burgers. She then turned off the grille and moved the cooked burgers onto the buns she'd already laid out, then carried them over to the island before pausing and walking out to the archway, asking politely: "What would you like on them, sir?"

Zerrex dropped his head back to look up at her, then responded: "I'll eat one with ketchup, mustard, relish... you can have the other if you're hungry." Then he bowed his head forwards across, crossing his arms across his chest patiently as Mary blinked, surprised by the reptile's manner before she shrugged and nodded: the burger was a bit big for her... but she was rather hungry.

She walked back across the kitchen to the fridge, and took out the proper condiments, then she looked from the cheeseburger to Zerrex, then back again before smiling a bit and reaching for the ketchup bottle; once she was done preparing both burgers, she carried them out on a plate and sat down on the couch beside the Drakkaren as he sat up, then she placed it down on the table as she asked sweetly: "What would you like to drink?"

The reptile's eyes were drawn up to her, and he narrowed his own emerald irises in some mild confusion as he answered slowly: "There's cola in the fridge... you can get yourself whatever but I want one of the bottles..." he paused, then tilted his head as her expression remained bright and beaming, before asking: "What is it?"

"Oh, nothing!" she replied cheerfully, then turned and pranced over to the fridge. Zerrex blinked slowly, then he looked down at his burger and released a snort, rolling his eyes as he saw the happy face she'd done on the bun, with yellow mustard eyes, a relish nose and red ketchup lips... before he glanced down and noticed the other happy face on the burger, this one with relish spread across to form what he guessed must be scales, then carefully left in circles with dots in it for eyes, then ketchup nostrils and a flat-line mouth. Is that supposed to be my face? Then that other one is...

Mary walked back in and placed the bottle down beside smiling benignly at him again, then she moved around the table to sit down beside him, her hands clasped before her as she looked up into his apprehensive emerald eyes. "Well? What do you think?"

"You're crazy." Zerrex responded flatly, then he picked up the top of the bun, began to lower it towards the other face, then he caught sight of the cheerful expression on Mary's features before grabbing the top of her bun and exchanging them, smooshing her bun-face onto her burger and the already-smeared top of the other bun onto his, making her roll her eyes as the reptile made a face in return. "And you're childish. Did we not go over what I'm capable of in enough detail for you?"

"I know what you're going to do with me... I know no matter what I do you're not going to stop... and I know I'm going to be raped, and I've already been enslaved." The feline replied in the firmest voice she could manage, then she reached down and picked up her burger, even though her insides began to tremble in fear at what was going to happen after dinner... but she forced herself to take a bite of the meat anyhow. "Why shouldn't I find my boundaries now and have as much fun as I can?"

Zerrex looked at her mildly, then he shrugged, reaching one hand out to snap the plastic top off his cola before he picked up his burger and wordlessly began to eat; there was silence for a few minutes, then, shaking a bit, the feline put down her hamburger as her stomach gave a lurch and she looked up at Zerrex, swallowing thickly as she realized just how late it was growing for her - in terms of her virginity at least. "I... I'm full... do you... want the rest?"

"Sure... they're good." Zerrex took hers, gazing at her with mildness, then he ate the rest of it in a few bites: it had only taken him a minute or so to polish off the first. Then they sat beside each other silently as the Drakkaren slowly drank his pop and the female feline looked at her mostly-empty glass of milk, swallowing thickly... then she looked up at him and tried to shake her head as he put his arm around her and turned her body slowly. "No... please..."

"Yes." Zerrex said quietly, and the weight of the situation finally fell on Mary: she opened her mouth, but then he shoved his muzzle down against hers in a hard kiss, and her scream turned to a moan and her struggles turned halfhearted as her fists pummeled the powerful, muscular chest of the Drakkaren, doing nothing as she felt his one arm around her neck, pulling her harder up towards him and his tongue down her muzzle, searching out hers and then drawing it into a dance, and she couldn't stop herself from responding to him, traitor body spasming when his hand slipped beneath her skirt and his strong form began to push down on her... her resistance stopped, and instead she found herself reaching up to pull at his shirt as he the kiss broke, trying to draw him down again as the fear became need and the desires in her blossomed, and then he was stripping down even as he continued to look at her calmly, and then his far-more-experienced hands were easily removing her clothes and touching her in her softest areas at the same time, and then he had her on her back, willing, wanting, desiring, and she felt him press in.

It was hell for her at first; the reptile was not only far bigger than either her or most other people, it became very obvious after the first few moments of exactly why sexual sadism was one of his preferences - with the sheer size of his other, lower proportions, it certainly made it easy for him, and from the tensing of his muscles and the movements of his body, it certainly also provided him with a vast amount of pleasure. She screamed, she bucked, she struggled, she cried, she begged, she clawed and she finally just froze up, thinking he was going to kill her, knowing she was bleeding for more reasons than that she was a virgin and he'd popped her proverbial cherry: and to think, she'd thought that pain had been when a hot pan had fallen - or rather, been knocked over by Robert - onto her back while she'd been cleaning the floors...

No... now she realized that had just been humiliating... and when he'd first shoved the massive head of his cock against her vagina, when it had first started to rub against her and push with more and more firmness, that had been at about the same level, making her moan and rub at his naked chest, spread her legs as wide as she could as she stared at him with fear and lust... but then, when his immense cock had shoved in deep enough to break her hymen and stretch her vagina gapingly wide, she had screamed and understood this was what real pain was, as blood spilled down the first ten or so inches of his immense shaft, as she shoved against his broad chest uselessly as he lay overtop her on the couch, and then she was introduced to deeper levels of suffering as he thrusted again, digging himself deeper as his hands squeezed her waist and pulled her forwards with every shove of his shaft, moving the fleshy, immense member into her further and further, until all thirty-two inches of cock were buried inside her and she now had learned the true meaning of the word agony as he grunted and arched his back, murring above her in pleasure, a rumbling sound that was audible even over her shrieks, moans and pleas for him to pull out. Then she'd tried to quell the screams, thinking that he would only hurt her more, dig his cock somehow deeper... but then gave voice again when he leaned down to whisper in her ear: "Scream. I like it. And it'll make it easier on you."

This was like nothing before. But... slowly... ever so slowly... the pain began to recede, and then there was pleasure as she opened her teary eyes, breaths harsh from her screaming, and she saw the reptile resting above her, arms on either side of her head, his muscles bulging and flexing from the activity they were partaking in and his eyes looking down into hers with a certain strange softness as he rested in her, let her adjust... and then he moved slowly, gently, carefully... and she began to feel instead the pleasure that sex could bring instead of just harsh, callous rape and domination, even over the pain in her body.

His movements were slow, controlled, but it still felt like he was raping her with a baseball bat... but then she couldn't help but give a pained smile as she realized that would probably hurt less than the massive rod of flesh that was moving with painstaking care in and out of her vagina, blood spilling alongside the black cock as it pulled back before she moaned and rolled her head back as he sank it back in, feeling his hands gently holding her hips as he leaned over her, her own hands grabbing his shoulders as tears leaked down her cheeks from the pain... but the pain was indeed fading now, and instead there were only the thoughts that this was the first male she had ever had sex with and that there was a strange, distinct feeling growing in her crotch, as she shuddered and clutched at his hips with her legs, swallowing thickly as he moved carefully in and out of her.

The reptile felt a low pleasure growing in his body as he tried to be as gentle as he could with the small feline, remembering the first time he'd taken Sarah as well, and it brought a slight, strange smile to his features as he rocked his hips carefully, moving his immense penis in and out of her as she gave another low moan and closed her eyes... and this one was tinged more with desire than pain. At this, he began to move a bit faster, and she let out a sharp hiss through her teeth as her eyes flickered open, leaning her head up a bit to moan quietly again as her body trembled and she whispered in a raw voice: "God... Zerrex... so big..."

"I am." Zerrex responded gently, as he moved his girthy cock in and out of her as he sped up a bit more before continuing at a still easy, gentle pace, moving with only a bit more firmness as he felt her legs spasm on either side of him. She moaned deeply, her body trembling hard, her hips rocking a bit with every shove of his penis before she let out another sound that was obviously of pleasure, her tears still leaking down her cheeks but a new light entering her eyes as she stared up at him and whispered silent words.

The reptile merely smiled wider at the sight of this, then he began to thrust faster in and out of the female as he felt her body responding more to his, a heat growing in her vagina as her passage began to clench against his long shaft, grasping it as her hands squeezed his shoulders, the feline no longer attempting to push him away as she dropped her head back and moaned again at the feeling of his impossibly-deep penetrations, stretching and tearing her a bit more, but the pleasure was now starting to rise and outdistance the pain.

He worked the massive cock back and forth, his large testicles bouncing gently against her anus as he shoved deep before pulling back, then pushing deep again, hilting himself every time as Mary's head rolled from side to side and she moaned quietly, a strange erotic ecstasy rising in her crotch as her hips bucked with more force now up against the Drakkaren's waist every time his member delved into her depths. Her groans now held only a hint of pain now as she panted, her jaw falling agape with the ecstasy as she stared over the lizard with eyes that were simple in the fact they were bright with desire and wonderment at the feeling that had finally now begun to fill her up, after dealing with nothing but intense agony for so long... and so she began to move against him more consciously, as one of her hands went down to rest on the back of Zerrex's, where it still grasped her hip, and the other stayed on his shoulder as she let out another quiet sound of pleasure.

The reptile rocked his hips with a bit more force now, picking up speed in his thrusts as he grunted quietly in pleasure: the sex was good, she was tight, and although he would have loved a bloody, violent romp, he felt this gentle, consensual 'rape' of Mary was more than enough to excite him... and as he continued to move his thick black flesh in and out of her, he felt his testicles beginning to burn with a familiar sensation, as they swung into her anus with a bit more force now, thwapping gently against her tailhole as his cock squelched in and out of her vagina. Sweat shined on his scales as he continued to thrust, pistoning his cock leisurely but picking up power and speed now as he felt the sensation in his testicles spreading into his penis, feeling it begin to stiffen up as he breathed slowly in and out, controlling himself through force of will as he felt Mary's breaths beginning to shorten as he moans became louder, wanting her to experience orgasm first and clearly before he had his own... and besides. He loved the feeling of his current screw hitting their peak... and when they were virgins, it always seemed to shock them and made them all the less prepared for when he released himself.

The constrictions on his penis grew greater and more rhythmatic as Mary moaned, her hands clutching his shoulder and wrist as she rocked her hips with greater force against the lizard, clutching at him with her legs as she felt something rising in her groin, a hot and powerful feeling that rose far over the few stings of pain in her pleasured body before she felt it suddenly slip her control, her body taking over as her mind sparked with bliss, eyes opening wide and staring up at the reptile with her muzzle gaping wide with a long, loud cry of pleasure, then another and another as she felt herself rhythmatically contracting against the huge penis that was thrusting inside of her, feeling a thick gush of juices that was hot but not blood rushing down her vagina, which was ablaze with not pain but deep ecstasy as she bucked herself over and over against the giant reptile, moaning hotly and pushing up against him, feeling her breasts bouncing on her chest as his own speed increased at the blissful feeling of her releasing over his thick penis.

He began to move faster, grinning widely at the feeling of increased tightness on his penis and the added lubrication of her fluids, mixing with the blood and the pre he had already released into her as his hips began to rock faster, and then she arched her back as her hands moved up to push against his chest, releasing another long cry of ecstasy as another rush of her fluids poured over his shaft and she rapidly worked herself against him. The reptile groaned in pleasure at the feeling of her clenching down on him with greater force, as she rocked her body up against his strong form, and then he began to move his huge penis in and out with even greater power, the wonderful, half-liquid sound of his penetrations and the blissful moans of the feline causing his own pleasure to skyrocket as he clenched his fingers into her hips and then he began to rock his massive penis faster in and out, his testicles bouncing against her forcefully as he panted hard, feeling his own shaft stiffening up inside of her before he arched his back, thrusting rapidly and pounding his cock in and out of her burning-with-pleasure vagina as he groaned and felt his climax rise.

In the aftermath of her orgasm, Mary only felt pleasure at the pummeling of the giant cock of the huge Drakkaren, the pain either vanishing entirely or becoming lost in the torrents of pleasure that poured through her as she gave voice to raw, loud cries of bliss as his muscular body bent further over her, hips bucking powerfully and wildly as her hands reached up to tightly weave together behind his neck, staring up at him with lust and amazed ecstasy in her eyes as she felt the giant penis suddenly seem to turn to steel inside of her, moving fast and rapid before she arched her back as she felt a thick burst of heat spray into her... felt the liquid she knew could only be the seed of the giant reptile filling her up, and she moaned, cried for more as her hips bucked, feeling it seeming to pour into every part of her body and spilling out with the rivulets of her blood as the reptile rocked his shaft in and out of her vagina almost violently, her breasts bouncing on her chest and her body trembling with the power of his thrusts as his testicles smacked into her with enough force to cause her buttocks to twitch with every impact.

His seed poured into her, his thrusts rocked her body, his cock pounded her gaping vagina as he grunted and pistoned himself in and out powerfully... before finally, he began to slow as he felt the last bursts of his hot seed pour from his immense member, and then he was panting hard, laying over her as he looked down at her with a strange tenderness in his eyes, then his hands reached up to squeeze her breasts as he gave a final, hard thrust to pound himself into the hilt and make her moan, arching her back into his hands as she felt warmth and erotic ecstasy emanating throughout her entire body, shivering hard as the pleasure slowly, slowly began to fade and the pain to return as he drew his immense shaft back, then gave a half-thrust again as his hands worked her breasts, his eyes studying her as he licked his muzzle before he murred quietly and said softly: "Nice... very nice..."

Afterwards, he pulled slowly out; it had been a surprisingly long time, and both of their lower regions were streaked and soaked in blood from his stretching and abuse of her, and the cushions of the couch covered in fluids... and she tilted her head back with a low sigh before moaning and twitching as he drew two fingers alongside her groin, then she watched as he raised it to his muzzle and placed them in, staring as he suckled the blood from his fingers before smiling a bit at her, his nude body covered in a sheen of sweat that only made him even more attractive to her physically. "Blood of a virgin is said to be the sweetest." he said softly, then he laughed a bit. "But you know... physiology has nothing to do with it, I think. I think it's the blood of the innocent that's the sweetest... innocent like you. Sex doesn't steal your innocence... it just opens a whole new world of doors for gratifications, sins and hells. So this was a treat for me... and now you'd best go have a long, hot bath to relax. On top of the bubble jets there's a filtration and venting system in the tub, so you won't have to worry about soaking in blood and... and other stuff." He looked at her as she stared across at him with a strange want in her eyes, muzzle trembling as if about to speak, then he smiled faintly again and stood. "Oh fine..."

The reptile put his hands in the middle of his back, stretching his massive, naked body - the light caught his form almost perfectly, and she couldn't stop that delightful burst of lust in her body, new to her as she looked at his muscular form and the scars that dotted and crisscrossed his thick body... then she let out a feminine, surprised grunt as he reached down and hefted her into the air under the legs and back, then he carried her across the room, her dripping a bit on the carpet... but smiling up at him as she wrapped her arms around his thick body tightly. It wasn't exactly the way she'd pictured her first time - certainly this was someone she'd never marry, who probably didn't see her or anyone as his equal... but at the same time, treated her as he did not because she was female, but because she was of a different physical standing than he was - but this part here... okay, most of this part here, definitely hadn't factored in the bleeding and the leaking, but everything else... oh forget it. Having a big, not-handsome but not ugly, attractive, muscular and well-balanced male carrying her across the room to the bathroom, carefully opening the door, turning on the lights and then gently settling her into a massive tub... that part there was not just perfect, it was beautiful. And the fact that it was made real by the pain in her lower regions and the fact that she'd been quasi-raped and even the fact that it was a giant, never-to-be-loving reptile that was doing so... just made it nicer, somehow. She'd made love to a sadist who'd watched her screaming and crying and struggling with hungry, avid eyes... but then, for no reason she could think of, he'd just as suddenly made it good for her, and studied her face with strange emotions dancing in his emerald eyes - interest being chief amongst them.

He looked at her, sitting in what she was embarrassed to feel was another little puddle forming under her... but the flow had definitely slowed, and her mind was settling back to normal as the slow pains in her gut started to fade out, and so she gladly looked back, then turned her hand to watch as he hit two switches on the wall beside the tub to a down position before pointing at the two taps. "This one's hot, and this is cold... once you're ready, hit this thing between them-" Now he pointed at a small, stylized switch between the taps, "-to close the drain once you get the water to a good temperature. The vents and jets are set to automatically turn on once the water reaches a certain level, so don't worry about that. I'll join you in a moment... I just want to take care of the blood on the couch."

With that done, the reptile left Mary to start filling the tub; it would take a good ten or so minutes for it to fill, however, huge as it was. That gave him plenty of time to do what he needed to do... which was fetch the cushions, take them downstairs to put on his worktable until he got a chance to show Mary how to clean them, and take a wet rag to the few spots on the floor before the blood had a chance to set in.

Then he tossed the rag back into the sink and ran cold water through it, at the same time adding a generous amount of dish soap - enough for now, and it got most of the visible blood out. With that done, he turned and went back into the tub, which was now almost full... and the feline looked more than complacent, seated on one of the raised seats inside the tub, the water bubbling around her as she looked at him with happy, if somewhat dazed eyes. "This is... really nice."

Zerrex laughed quietly, then he stepped one leg into the tub... before drawing it back with a blink, surprised at the heat. Mary giggled, looking up at him amusedly before the lizard gingerly stepped in, the feline asking in a playful voice: "Too hot?"

The Drakkaren shook his head, then he glanced at the water level before reaching back and shutting the tap off, then he sat down, smiling across at her as he rested in the water, the jets of water massaging his back and the whirr of the filtration vents below adding a somewhat-pleasant suction to his heat - a fairly simple system that merely ran the water through a long, cycling pipe with several layers of cloth filter that would soak up any unwanted substances... a design built upon the fact that the reptile didn't want to have to rinse... certain areas of his body clean just so he could have a bath in water that wasn't dirty with blood. "No... just surprised that you had the hot water up so high."

Mary nodded, looking across at him with softer eyes now as they sat together, the massive tub deep enough that it covered her breasts, even sitting as she was on the small outcropping, and came up to just below the masculine chest of the reptile as he leaned back into the corner. Then she smiled a bit as she moved forwards on legs that still felt loose, getting onto her knees and walking over to him like that before turning around, smile broadening as she asked in an entertained voice: "Massage?"

Zerrex replied by reaching forwards with one hand, settling it between her ears and dunking her under the water, making her splutter and then laugh after he let her raise her head back up, turning around and smiling again, her fur plastered to her features as she looked at him with eyes that were nonetheless warm. The reptile looked back mildly, then he blinked when she leaned forwards and wrapped her arms tightly around him, pressing against his chest as his own arms went wide... then slowly returned the embrace as he looked down at her with some confusion on his features.

She looked up, then said gently: "You did something nice for me, Boss, so I'm gonna say thank you for that... and... I'm glad that... I met you, I think, overall. Despite everything... I don't think I'd change anything." She continued to hold tightly onto him, her eyes closing as she pushed her head against his wet chest and merely stayed like that, feeling his arms around her and pretending for a moment everything was good and okay... that this had all been consensual and part of some great romance... that she was in love, not just lust that was mixed with sexual desire for his body and for his protection, his strength and embrace, or a strange want for his friendship... companionship... closeness...

Then the reptile gently pried her off, looking down at her with that strange emotion in his eyes... it wasn't desire of the sexual sort, or even of the platonic, be-my-best-friend sort... and she realized that it was total, abject loneliness. That for, whatever reason, her affections, her touching, it only intensified that look in those emerald eyes as he gazed down at her, sitting in the tub... and then he spoke quietly: "Thank you. But don't care about me. That's not safe and nor do I deserve it."

"Why not? Everyone deserves some kind of love..." Mary replied gently, looking up into his eyes quietly... then blinked as Zerrex lowered his head and shook it slowly before he glanced back up.

"When I was a child..." he began, then stuttered off before gritting his teeth and looking up with more firmness. "When I was young, I thought the darkness was a bad thing. We all have a predisposition to believe that, after all... how can anything that we are uncomfortable in be good? But over time... I became comfortable with it, and then I grew to hate the light and want only the darkness. Want only my solitude." He rose a hand and motioned around the room as he sat back, but the sweeping gesture obviously took in far more than the room as he continued to speak. "Then I got this: I got power, and I learned how to walk with what people consider to be the darkness always in my body. I learned about how, once you got past the shock of seeing yourself drawing blood or striking out at people, you could drink in their pain while they suffered, or even what felt like their souls while they died. Once you learned to focus more on you and the beast within that lusts only for your pleasures, it gets even easier. And with my natural sadism, after you learn to accept that, even nurture it..." he paused, then looked at her squarely. "Mary, don't be mistaken. I could still hurt you without so much as twitching. I don't want to merely because it would complicate things between us and I like to maintain a certain degree of politeness; not to mention the fact that the one thing I was taught after the expansion of my love of hurting people, was to at least see if I could justify it." He stopped to laugh dryly at this last bit, smiling across at her sourly. "All in all, I think they more meant to point out that I can never justify glorifying in the suffering of others... but there are loopholes in everything."

Again, he paused as Mary watched him, remaining silent... whatever it was, his strange treatment of her, or her affections... hell, maybe just the combination of the long sex and the hot water, it was making him talk... and in the silence, he began to speak again, his voice growing bitter as he continued. "I don't feel remorse anymore. That was carefully stomped out of me back in the military... nor do I feel guilt. However, even in my career, I loved someone. I loved someone who was actually, almost exactly like me... she was in the same unit, we had the same duties, she reveled in pain and sadism as I did. We would fuck, in the harshest sense of the word... and ironically, I dislike to use that word, but it's truly the only thing that would describe it... fucking. Biting, clawing, drawing blood... but in the end, she always submitted to me. Not because she was a female and I'm male and such a chauvinist, but because..." he took yet another pause, this time to grin sourly, and it made Mary wince back, leaning away slightly on her knees. "Well, you've seen how strong I am. So it was very rarely that she would manage the top position... but let me tell you, wasn't it ever good training for resisting torture sometimes."

He laughed dryly, then shook his head slowly. "But we never went critical with one another... that was more for when we wanted to have fun, pick up some chick or punk at a bar and one of us would rape them while the other watched and got off to it... but you know what I think the sickest thing was? We really loved each other." He looked at her squarely now, and from the pain she saw in those emerald eyes, she knew he was speaking the truth. "We truly loved one another. We would go to any lengths for each other... and for all the torture and hells we put each other through, on and off the battlefields of sex and war, there were times when we could... could hold hands, and take walks, and even cuddle together.

"But she was targeted by people because she was physically weaker than me, even if she was more vicious... and because she was female and they didn't take her seriously, of course. And in the end, she was sent her separate way, and our information blocked so that we couldn't meet up with one another... both of us tracked for that first year to make sure we didn't do anything. To make sure we never met up again." He stopped, looking at the water and then bringing his hands up from under the liquid to above his head, watching as it ran down in streamlets from the small puddles on his hand, pouring and then dripping to the bubbling surface below. "I don't know where she is, and she doesn't know where I am. I'm not smart enough to hack the government sites and not stupid enough to lay siege to their headquarters. And I know, if her caring for me got her hurt, then if anyone else ever showed compassion or, Gods forbid, friendship towards me... or I towards them... they would suffer as well." He stopped again, then let his arms drop with a soft plunk into the water, now dropping his muzzle forwards. "Like Elliot did until I killed everyone who threatened his bar. Like Cindy has until I killed the people who went after her. Like you would've if you'd stayed in Apple Villa, just for being seen with me in such close proximity when most people get beaten to a pulp or dead. The only thing I know for sure is that foolish, weak emotions like compassion get a lot of people killed, more than I could do in a year of my mercenary work." Now he raised his head to look into her eyes evenly, then seemed to bristle a bit with the sympathy he saw there, his features hardening and eyes going cold. "I don't want your compassion, Mary. I want you to abuse and I want to take pleasure in your pain, because that's all other people are good for. 'Feelings' are a ridiculous concept that only make us weak, and memories of the past do nothing but cause these stupid emotions. I just want you because you make me feel good when I watch you scream or bleed or hurt. Because it makes me feel good to have you grovel and serve my every whim, because I know I'm going to take the utmost pleasure in choking you and watching you squirm when I tell you to suck my cock for the first time and when I start choosing outfits for you to wear, for my eye-candy pleasures. That's all I want you for."

The reptile lowered his head, but the rippling of the water betrayed the most minute of trembles from the lizard; whatever else, Mary realized that beyond his words - which had indeed cut her - he was struggling with some old internal conflict, some programming from his past with new emotions that had started to crowd in, once he'd been set free from whatever hellish experience he'd gone through. So instead of backing away, instead of crying, and instead of yelling or just letting herself slump and give into weakness and even apologize for daring to push him, she instead leaned forwards and hugged him tightly again, shoving herself against his strong body before looking up into his emerald eyes... and below the coldness, below the domination, she realized that indeed there was some secret pain burning below the glare of those evergreen irises.

Before he could shove her off or perhaps even hit her - whatever else, the only response he seemed to know for dealing with things definitely seemed to be the physical one, from his words and the actions she'd seen - she did her best to capture his eyes with her own, staring up firmly and speaking in a quick but steady voice: "Give me a month... no, a week, then, Zerrex. Give me a week to prove to you that emotions and feelings, they aren't useless. That everyone does deserve to feel love... and that you don't need to keep going through whatever torment you are. Give me a week..." and now she was pleading, and there were tears coming to her eyes as she stared up at him, knowing that it might all be useless, that he would be as moved by her compassion and crying about as much as a rabid and hungry beast. "And... and if after that week, you decide you just want to continue as you are, if you still want to do nothing but hurt people for your pleasure, and hurt everyone... then I'll submit to you entirely, willingly, and..." And she realized that everything she had to offer wasn't enough, because he could take that anyway.

She heard him snort, felt him moving to push her away, before she cried in sudden desperation: "I'll help you make your dreams come true, Zerrex!"

The reptile stopped at this, looking down at her with a slow frown before he sat back, continuing to regard her as visions of the darker world inside of him flashed through his mind... of making that a reality. Sure, it would mean that he'd have to do more construction work done... but... Mary was another Apple Villa contact, and a maid at that... she was small, she could easily be used as bait to lure out others... she really could prove at least some use to him... and at worst... there were plenty of other things he could get her to do for him... and it would perhaps serve as a key for the gate to the darker side of his nature.

Black on red... that was what his dreams were. Black cities against red skies, everything nothing but total agony and chaos... all around, suffering... under his rule, his dominion, his everything; he wanted that. He wanted to bring his world to life in as many ways as he could... and then he glanced over Mary thoughtfully, wondering now how much blood would come from her body if he decided to use her to attract newcomers... and then kill her once he had an adequate amount of slaves, just to start filling up that pool of blood, like was in those so-darkly-erotic dreams he had.

Yes... she could indeed help him fulfill a few of his fantasies, since she could go places he couldn't, knew the customs he didn't. She could use her sexual allure to draw out males for him, as well, to either rape - because he was bisexual, after all, with his preference towards females, but the rape of a fellow male provided a different, more exotic surge of power - or kill, since he knew the power base of the city was also mostly male politicians, and that there had been instances in a past where the oh-so-honorable Mayor Reinhold had been rumored to be cheating on his wife... and he wouldn't mind removing that eyesore from this town. At the very least, it would be a good start to expanding his power base into Apple Villa.

So the reptile relaxed for a few moments, looking at her curiously before he finally nodded slowly and gently pushed her back before he crossed his arms, saying in gentle voice: "Fine. That sounds good to me then..." Then the lizard paused before snorting quietly and standing up in the tub, reaching over to hit the switches down on the wall, back to flick the lever for the drain as the jets and vent died down. "Come on then... I'm going to bring you with me on my last few stops of the day. We'll see if you think it's possible or not after this."

Mary nodded quietly as she stood up herself, then she smiled faintly at Zerrex's back as he used the handrail and single step halfway up the rapidly-draining deep tub to get back to ground level, then he glanced down at her and reached a hand out; the feline took it, and then she felt herself easily hefted up as pushed off the ground at the same time to land easily on her feet outside of the deep basin, wobbling a bit... but immediately the reptile caught her in his arms, looking down at her quietly as he half-held her to his chest... and she looked up at him with that same gentle smile before he looked away, suddenly seeming uncomfortable as he reached for one of the massive, custom-made towels and draped it over her; it hung from her shoulders like a cape, and she laughed a bit before beginning to dry herself off, remaining silent but already feel like there was some progress with the Drakkaren as he began to do the same.