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Tuesday, 21st May, 2029

She felt like she could stay up here forever. Together in their little home they had built for themselves, secluded and safe in the mountains. Naomi sat perched with her wings folded back, on the edge of the cliff leading down the coast where the small town below her was just beginning to wake up. There were only a couple of cars on the road below and a few sailboats milling about in the bay like a family of ducks. In the sapphire blue sky above her, the last hints of orange were fading from the thin wisps of clouds. Naomi closed her eyes and listened to the wind brush through the branches of the surrounding trees, making them creak and stretch and rustling their leaves. She breathed in the deep, earthen scent of the forest around her, mixed with the ancient, mossy pines, and the salty fresh smell of the sea.

She stretched out one wing and held it, taking a deep breath and letting it out. Then the other wing. She licked a claw and ran it over the blade-like feathers jutting out of the back of her head.

Naomi looked back and saw Alex's sleeping body in the nest they had made, and thought about how they had gathered branches and built it together, then caught a meal together, mated, and slept together in the nest they had built. He didn't realize the significance of that act and what it meant to her, but it was what had occupied her mind since she woke.

Maybe she was just getting older and was only now thinking about family. Goddard Genetics had made her sterile but they hadn't removed her sex drive completely. Doing so would have made her useless to her intended owner. But with that base desire came the desire for more, for a family. Naomi frowned. The expression felt unnatural on her scaly face. Why did she have to stay sterile forever? There was a time when she thought she would never fly, but Goddard had fixed that. What else could they surprise her with? Although, even if she could reproduce, she'd never want to breed with another dragon. There was only one who she would want to do it with.

Naomi shook her head. That idea was impossible. She scoffed out loud, a strange sound coming from her scaly mouth. Maybe she could just adopt a bunch of cats. She rolled her eyes, a habit she picked up from living with humans. But at least Alex was back in her life. With a smile, Naomi remembered last night. The way he had crawled on top of her, hesitating, but never stopping as he rediscovered deeply alien but wholly familiar territory. He had no idea how nervous she was, just waiting for him to laugh nervously, look away in embarrassment, pull back and apologize. But he never did. He had come around, just like the first time. He was slow, but she had laid back and let him explore, never rushing him. Naomi had watched his face, seeing the look of familiarity as he had run his hands over her scales, his fingers following the streaks of black over her white scales. He found it fascinating how pure white her scales were, and the absolute jet black of her markings, and the fact that there was nothing in between those two extremes. His fingers had traced along the black streaks of her wings, then her shoulders, and down her waist, then over her thighs, and eventually between her legs. Her heart was pounding so hard in that moment she was sure he'd hear it.

Back in the present, Naomi tried to hide her smile behind her wing, and knew she'd be blushing if she could. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Alex crawl out of their nest, picking leaves out of his hair. Naomi didn't turn around, but stayed facing away, and she stretched out again, showing off her catlike flexibility. As she lowered her chest to the ground, she raised her hips, she lifted her tail and paused, just for a second. Just enough for him to see.

She looked back and saw him staring and she suppressed a smug smile, and said, “Hey, you. You're finally awake!" She turned around and walked past him, rubbing up against his leg like a cat. “Good morning Alex," she purred. “I missed you." She brushed her tail against his hand, then against his chest. She walked with a heavy gait, making her hips swing side to side.

“Morning, Naomi." He reached down to pet her, and she rose up on her hind legs so they were face-to-face and she felt a flicker of satisfaction at his surprised expression. She reached out with her wings to touch his chest and balance herself against him, and he took them in his hands. They leaned in together and kissed, and for a second she could forget about everything that worried her. His lips were warm against hers, and the hairs on his lips tickled her scales. They pulled away and looked into each other's eyes.

“I like you like this," he said. “Can you balance without holding on to me?"

“Not very well," she admitted. “I can stand up, but it's hard to walk on my legs."

“I'll hold you up," he said, and embraced her. She wrapped her wings around his back, feeling his warmth. She nestled her head under his chin, closed her eyes, and breathed in his scent. She sighed in contentment as his hand reached up and brushed against her neck, and his thumb ran a line against her feathers, making them tickle. Just as he had so many times before.

“I remember this," Alex whispered. “We've done it before, haven't we?"

Naomi nodded. “We danced together. The day before your accident."

“It's weird," he said. “I can't picture it, but I know it happened." He pulled away and looked into her eyes. “This feels so right. Like you're meant to be up here with me. This doesn't feel wrong. It feels like it should, but it doesn't. You know what I mean?"

She smiled. “It feels like the most natural thing in the world."

He glanced away for a second, thinking. He had that look when he was trying to remember something, and Naomi knew better than to interrupt him. He chuckled at whatever thought came into his head, and his smile melted her heart. He looked back at her. “I'm still getting used to this."

“Take all the time you need," she said. But she leaned in and whispered into his ear. “But you didn't need much convincing last night."

Now he gave a proper laugh. “No, I didn't. But you've always had a way with me." She hugged him tight, a felt something buzz in his pocket. The first thing she thought of was, “is that your phone or are you just happy to see me?" and thought his humour must be rubbing off on her.

He didn't seem to notice, and continued to hold his dragon. His fingers made little circles against her bare scales, and it sent a shiver down her back.

His phone buzzed again, and Naomi said, “Are you going to answer that?"

“I'd rather just stay here with you forever."

That made her heart skip a beat and she tightened her wings around him. But she said, “It might be Lily. We've been gone a while."

After a moment's pause, Alex took Naomi's claws in his hands again, and gently helped her down on all fours. Only then did he pull out his phone.

“Hello? Yes, this is Alex. Who is this?" An expression passed over his face, a mix of surprise and worry. He blinked twice, and looked down at Naomi. “Yes, she's here as well."

“Who is it?" Naomi whispered. She couldn't read his expression. His brow was furrowed, and his mouth opened to say something but nothing came out.

“Who is it?" Naomi asked again. But Alex was just listening, not paying attention to her. Finally he cleared his throat. “Why would you want to talk to me?" A pause. “Today?" Another pause. “Okay."

He put the phone back in his pocket and put his hands on his hips. He looked over the cliff, down to the water below.

“Alex if you don't tell me who that was I'm gonna explode."

He let out a long breath and looked at her. “That was Dimitri Goddard. He's in prison and he wants to talk to both of us."

“About what?"

“I don't know. He said he had an offer for me, one that I should listen to but he didn't want to say over the phone." Alex sat down next to her and laid a hand on her wing.

“You're not going to see him, are you?"

He didn't answer. He stayed on the ground next to her, idly stroking her scaly wings. His eyes were distant.

Naomi looked up, searching the sky. They were too open and exposed here on the ground. She should be hidden in the nest, or in a tree. Or at least in the air, where she could maneuver or at least fly away... she shut her eyes and tried to slow her breathing. Get ahold of yourself, Naomi. You're not an animal. “What are you going to do?"

He gestured to the cliff in front of them. “Maybe just sit here and enjoy the view with you."

“Alex, this might be serious. The guy who tried to kill you wants to meet with us. You should take it seriously."

“I am taking it seriously. “

“No, you're not. We're just sitting here."

“We're enjoying each other's company."

“You're acting like everything's fine." She looked around, as if there were eyes watching them right now. “Think about what's happening."

“I am thinking. I don't think he'll try to do anything when surrounded by guards." He sat and pulled his knees up to his chest, wincing at the ache in his healing bones. “We'll go see what he wants."

“Should we stop at home first? Lily and Rubik might be worried."

“Fine. Then we'll go to prison." He paused and laughed. “But just to visit. Like in Monopoly."

Naomi didn't laugh.

***

With a heavy thud, Rubik landed on the damp grass. Raised his head and sniffed the air. Rain soon. But not yet. He walked to the house. Looked at the little camera thing next to the door and the door opened and he walked in. Inside, the smell of anxiety and worry. Lily. She was sitting on the edge of the bathtub with the bathroom door open. Holding something in her hand. He walked to her, the thing in her hand was a small white plastic stick, like a toothbrush. In the middle, a little window with two thin red lines. He cocked his head, said “what?"

She smiled but it wasn't a real smile. Her eyes were red. “Hey, Rubik," she said. She rubbed his snout. Sad tears or happy? No, this was something else. Not really bad, or good. Something new. These human interactions were so complicated. He didn't ask.

Rubik heard the garage door open and cocked his head and trotted to the front door and sat down in front of it. He glanced back at the bathroom and Lily was still sitting there, looking at the thing in her hand.

The front door opened and Alex and Naomi walked in. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lily stand up and toss the white plastic thing in the garbage bin next to the toilet. Alex and Naomi were talking.

“...and he'll probably be handcuffed. If he wanted to do something there's..." Alex stopped. Humans couldn't smell emotions like Rubik could. But even he could tell something was wrong. “Lily?" he said. He walked over to her, and they met in the hallway. “Are you okay?"

“I'm fine," Lily said. “I just haven't been feeling well yesterday and today. It might have been something I ate. I feel better than yesterday."

Alex touched his wife's forehead. And he leaned forward, gently, and kissed her lips while he wrapped his arms around her. Lily closed her eyes and leaned into him, and they embraced for a moment, neither of them noticing or caring how long it was. Rubik trotted off, leaving them to themselves. Naomi stayed and watched. She saw how they embraced themselves with their arms, and the way her hands held on to his back.

Alex pulled back but kept his hands on her waist. “You sure you're okay?"

Lily nodded. “I'll be okay. But enough about me. What were you talking about when you came in?"

Alex looked back at Naomi. “I got a phone call when I was out with Naomi. It was Dimitri Goddard. He's in prison and he wants to talk to me."

“Talk to you? About what?"

Alex shrugged. “He didn't want to say over the phone. But he said he had something to offer me. I don't know what it is."

“What would he have to offer you? I thought he hated you for what you did."

“I'm sure he does, but apparently I have something he wants, and I think he might have information I need." He looked Lily in the eyes, and she saw the fierceness in his face that meant his mind was set, and she knew it was a waste of time to try to convince him otherwise.

“I need to have a shower and get changed," Alex said. “Then I'm going to head to prison to go talk to him."

Lily glanced back at the bathroom. “Sure. I was just about to change the garbage in the bathroom. Let me get it." She grabbed the garbage bag next to the toilet and tied it and hurried out, as Alex walked past her. She stopped when she saw Naomi in front of her. She looked down at the half-empty garbage bag in her hand, then looked back at the bathroom door where she heard the shower running. Lily looked at Naomi.

“Is he okay?" Lily asked.

Naomi paused before answering. “I'm not sure. I've only been back for a few days, but he seems different than I remember. It's not just me, is it?"

“I think he lost more than just his memory. He tries really hard to pretend everything's back to normal, but I know him better than he thinks. He just seems... I don't know. I don't know if he'll ever get better."

“It's still early. He's better than he was." Naomi sat on her haunches and folded her wings back. “You're stressed out about something, but don't want to tell Alex."

“I'm uh… I don't know."

“You can tell me."

Lily pursed her lips and looked away and her lip trembled. Then she opened the bag and pulled something out and showed it to Naomi.

“Is that a pregnancy test?"

“Yeah. Two lines means positive."

“Wow." Naomi paused. “Is it Rubik's?"

Lily gave a half-hearted laugh that was more like a sigh. “No, it's Alex's, obviously."

“I know, I was just making a joke. Um, congratulations? Did you plan for it?"

“No, so I don't know if I should tell him yet. I think he has enough on his mind. Is that bad?"

“No, you're right. You pick the right time and place."

Lily nodded. She glanced back at the bathroom, then crouched down and took Naomi in her arms, hugging her close. Naomi felt the wetness of Lily's face against her scales. “You're a good girl, Naomi. I'm glad Alex has you."

Naomi placed a wing on her back in response. “He has both of us."

Lily didn't respond.

***

“I'm glad you could find the time to meet with me, Mr. Chapman."

Dimitri Goddard looked perfectly at ease, as if he was sitting in his own office, not wearing an orange jumpsuit behind a steel desk in a concrete room. His cuffed hands rested on the desk in front of him, with his fingers interlaced. The former CEO poured a cup of water from a plastic pitcher into a plastic cup and sipped. Halogen lights hummed softly above, gently reminding them of their presence. A pair of guards stood outside, just within view of the small window in the door.

“And you, Naomi." Goddard tipped his cup at her. “It's been some time since I've seen you in the flesh."

“Why don't you cut the bullshit and tell me why I'm here?" Alex said.

Goddard spread his hands as well as he could with the cuffs on. “Such braggadocio. You are here to listen to what I have to say. Put simply, I need your help."

“Why the fuck would I help you?"

A brief flicker of something flashed across Dimitri's face. He looked more disappointed than angry. “Did you only come here to insult me? I understand you're confused. I would be as well, if I were in your situation. The two of us haven't had a chance to speak since your accident, which I understand, has left you with some memory loss. That will make this more difficult, but hopefully not impossible. An accident which, I assure you, I had nothing to do with."

“That was no accident. It was attempted murder."

“But not by me."

“If you knew it was planned, you did nothing to stop it."

Dimitri sighed. “I can explain, if you will let me."

Naomi narrowed her eyes and watched the lines of Goddard's face, the creases in his eye, the way he looked at Alex, not quite looking him in the eye. She sat in her chair the only way that was comfortable; backwards, with her hind legs in the seat of the chair, the claws of her wings gripping the back. She glanced up at the door with its small window and saw the guards were turned away. With one quick smooth motion, she sprung up and landed on the table and Goddard jerked back, knocking over his cup of water.

Naomi crawled towards him, baring her teeth, and they were like rows of knives glistening in the dim room. The low light made her features stand out in stark contrast, black and white scales made her look fierce. “I could kill you," she said. “I could rip out your throat and you'd be dead before the guards even knew what was happening."

Goddard's eyes glanced towards the door where the guard stood facing away.

“Before you even managed to shout." She lunged at him, jaws wide. He pushed his chair back far enough it tilted over, taking him with it as he fell to the ground with Naomi on top. She placed her wings on his shoulders and leaned close. She spoke low and quiet, almost like a growl. “If you lie to my Alex, I'll know."

There was a silence punctuated only by the slow steady trickling of water off the table.

“Now. Tell us what happened." She stepped off him and returned to her seat as if nothing had happened. Goddard slowly got up, awkwardly with his bound hands, put his chair back, and sat down carefully. He kept his hands below the table but not before Naomi saw they were shaking. His sleeves were dark with spilled water.

“Fair enough." Goddard took a moment to collect himself. “The truth, then." He adjusted his handcuffs and rolled up his wet sleeves and looked at Alex, who remained impassive. “Do you remember what you said to me, two years ago? You showed me and Lukas your Dead Man's Switch."

“I know I did that, but I don't remember it."

Goddard rubbed his hands over his chin. “Fine. I'll explain from the beginning. I started this company in 2018. I grew it from a small startup, got a few grants, and built it from the ground up, with the help of some early investors. I knew that whatever we made would be expensive, so we had to create something worth the cost, so we created dragons. We had cornered a small but very lucrative market, and we were successful at first. We prided ourselves on perfection, on only shipping products that were without flaws."

Naomi stirred but stayed silent.

“Our competitors, however, were not perfectionists. They undercut our prices and it ate into our profit. Goddard Genetics was losing money, and some executives considered rebranding to have cheaper products. There was even talk of finding a new CEO.

“Then Lukas Koskinen came along. He didn't just have the money to save us, he understood the company. He saw its potential. It was easy enough to give him a seat on the board of directors and a 15% stake in the company. It was never enough, however, and he demanded more power, more influence in top level decisions. But I placated him with his own custom design model. You, Naomi, were intended for him. You were by far the most expensive products we had ever produced. Everything about you was custom, and not just your appearance. You were a prototype, an excuse for us to experiment with features we had been planning since the beginning. But the cutting edge of engineering always has its risks, and you were flawed, so had to be disposed of."

Goddard paused, and there was a look of genuine regret on his face. Alex glanced over at Naomi. His dragon remained impassive, her scaly face hard to read. But her claws were gripping the plastic back of her chair hard enough to leave divots.

Goddard continued: “I didn't know Lukas would take it so badly. When he found out we got rid of you, he was furious, and he threatened to pull funding. And then when we found out that you were still alive, he wanted you. He said you belonged to him, like you were a car he had bought." Goddard looked Alex in the eye. “You should have seen him. He really wanted to kill you, Alex, and take Naomi for himself. He probably would have, if I didn't convince him otherwise, but I wanted to do it quietly. It would have been easier if you had simply brought in Naomi, and let us take care of the rest. But you came up with your stupid fucking Dead Man's Switch and blackmailed us into letting you keep Naomi, or you would leak all the secrets about Goddard Genetics you stole. I'll give you credit, that was clever, and unexpected. Even Lukas understood there was nothing he could do - at least, that's what I thought. But that man never forgets a slight. He hated you for it, and although I didn't realize it at the time, he hated me for not taking the company in the direction he wanted. He thought of a way to get back at you and seize control right from under me.

“You didn't know it, but you gave him an idea. He compiled the same data you stole, everything incriminating about the company, conveniently omitting anything that hinted at his involvement. And he leaked it anonymously. The company was put under investigation, I was charged with fraud, and my shares were frozen. All the top executives were fired, leaving Lukas the sole board member and de facto CEO. He then dissolved the company as well as its subsidiaries, and placed them into a shell company he owned. The Greater Godgen Conglomerate. What a stupid fucking name. With me out of the way, he had everything he wanted. But there was one remaining problem."

“Me," Alex said quietly.

“Both of you. At that point you didn't work for Goddard Genetics, so you couldn't be charged with anything, and because of your position in the company, you had no knowledge of any of this. Lukas thought it would be simple to get rid of you. People are in car accidents all the time." Goddard shrugged. “I don't know what they planned on doing with you, Naomi. Maybe he thought you'd be stricken with grief, fly away somewhere, and never be seen again."

Naomi thought back to that night after Alex's accident when strangers broke into Alex's house and attacked her, and how she had barely escaped. She put her wing near Alex's hand and he squeezed it.

“If they had caught you," Goddard said, “I doubt anyone would have found your body. And even now, he's plotting against you. As long as he's alive, he will try to kill you again. And he'll succeed eventually."

Goddard sat back, ran a hand through his thinning grey hair, and took a deep breath. “So, now you're up to speed. Do you want to know why you're here?"

“Wait a second," Naomi said. “Earlier you said I was an prototype of new features. A prototype of what?"

“Version two point oh of our main line of dragons. New features like higher intelligence, more expressive faces and body language, hexapodal skeleton, lighter bones for-"

“What do you mean, hexapodal?"

“It means six limbs."

“I know what it means," Naomi said, leaning forward. “But I only have four."

Goddard raised an eyebrow at her, then looked at Alex. “You don't know? Didn't you read her full genetic printout from the files you stole?"

“I don't know how to read it," Alex said. “I'm not a geneticist."

Goddard sat back and smiled. “So you don't know. Of course you don't, how could you?"

Naomi leaned forward and placed her claws on the table. But this time there was no aggression in her movement, only curiosity. “What are you talking about?"

He paused, relishing the moment, knowing he had something they wanted. “Did you ever wonder why you had that issue with your wing? It's because your bones are lighter than normal. They had to be, to support the extra weight of front limbs. And without that weight, your wings are larger and stronger than they need to be, allowing you to fly higher and farther than most dragons. You're able to stand upright, and I imagine you can even walk without using your wings."

“I was supposed to have arms?" There was desperation in Naomi's voice as she leaned forward, snaking her neck out close to him. “Is that what you're saying?"

Goddard leaned back in his chair, away from the dragon. “The plan was, if you had survived, to make a set of forelimbs using our genetic printers and your own DNA we had on file. You already have a second set of shoulder blades, hidden under the muscle. These arms would be surgically grafted to your body. We've done this before, years ago, as an experiment, and it works. An entire generation of dragons was made in this way. We'd sell a four-limbed dragon, convince them to want another set of limbs, then sell the upgrade. It would be like selling the same product twice."

“This sounds too good to be true," Alex said. “You know that's what she wants."

“What would I get from lying to you? You know we sell hexapods now. Feel under her wings and you should feel her second set of shoulder blades."

Alex reached over and felt the muscles underneath Naomi's wing. They were tense from her holding up her weight, but underneath... could he feel something on top of her ribs? He had explored her body enough, but never really paid attention to that part. Maybe it was his imagination. “Okay, maybe this is true. But how would you do it? If Lukas controls what's left of Goddard Genetics, he's not going to do this upgrade for her."

“No, he won't. Which is why I'm offering to. Do you still have the data you stole?"

Alex didn't say anything.

“I'm not asking where it is. I just want to know if you have it."

“Yes."

“If you have her genetic printout, that means her forelimbs could be printed at a genetic printer. It wouldn't even have to be one of Goddard's, one of their competitors could do it, and I'm willing to bet they' be willing to, just to damage the GGC. All they'd need is the raw data."

“Okay. So, what, you're offering this upgrade? What do you want in return? I'm guessing that's the real reason I'm here."

Goddard leaned forward and tented his fingers. “We have at least one goal in common: stop Lukas. Get him in jail, at least. Can we agree on that?"

“Yes."

“So helping me helps you. Imagine if we came out with one of Goddard's dragons, an icon of the brand, and we had improved her without Goddard's facilities. Doing so would undermine his control over my brand. Shareholders might realize that ousting me might have been a mistake."

Alex crossed his arms and sat back. “I don't want to make an enemy out of Lukas."

Goddard laughed. “You're already his enemy, Chapman. He tried to kill you." He turned to Naomi. “He tried to kill Alex. You're just going to accept that? He's going to try again. He needs to be behind bars."

“He's still dangerous if he's in prison," Alex said.

“Then kill him, for all I care. Either way, he's much less dangerous if we take his money away. The reason he can skirt the law is because he's rich. Take that away and he'll still hate you, but will have less power. He's not going to forget about you." Goddard leaned forward. “The worst I did was fire you. If this is a choice between the devil you know and the devil you don't, it's an easy choice."

Alex thought for a minute in silence, then said, “You've had a long time to plan all this, haven't you?"

“What else can I do here?"

“That's the thing. You're stuck in prison for how long? Am I supposed to wait until your sentence is up so you can maybe be reinstated as CEO? How long is your sentence?"

“It's yet to be determined. I'm going to testify in court next month. My lawyers have advised me that I can admit to some backdoor deals and I'll have to pay some bullshit fine, but I want to pin the illegal stuff on Lukas, and for that, I need your stolen data, and I need you on my side. You're famous enough that the public will be on your side no matter what you say. You have enough charisma to convince a jury of whatever you want. I need you to agree with what I say."

“You want me to lie under oath?"

“Would you rather Lukas kill you and your dragon? He'll go after your family too. It's a small wonder he hasn't already."

Alex thought of Lily, sick and vulnerable, back home. “What do you want me to say?"

“Mostly plead ignorance, and appeal to the jury. I'll have my lawyers contact you with a story. Look, I know I'm a greedy asshole, and you have no reason to trust me, and even less reason to like me. But I've lost control over my company, my legacy. My fucking empire, which I named after myself, and my father before me. I don't like you either, but you're the only one who can help me. If I get through this, maybe I'll salvage what's left of my company. Can you at least trust that I care about that?"

“Yes," Alex and Naomi said at the same time. “But that doesn't mean I'm going to show up in court and lie. There's not much point in surviving an assassination attempt, just to end up in jail with you."

Goddard tried to wring the water out of his sleeves. He did this for a minute, then without looking up, and said, “You know, I haven't thought of you in a while. But you were in the news this morning and I figured we should get back in touch." He looked at Alex with a knowing look. “Look, I know what you two have been up to. I know what she was designed to do. But honestly, you'd think you two would be more discreet."

Alex managed to scoff but it sounded like a cough. “What?"

“What are you talking about?" Naomi demanded.

“Pull out your phone," Goddard said. “Look up your own name. You're trending on social media."

Alex took out his phone and did as Goddard said. He saw a video, footage taken from above, showing Alex and Naomi in the clearing as the sun set last night. They were embracing, then kissing deeply. His hands ran over her body. The two of them crawled into the nest they had made together. It was too dark to see inside but he saw clothes being flung outside. There were thousands of likes and shares. Hundreds of comments. Some people were wondering if it was real, people speculating on the legality about what was occurring. There were posts about Goddard's stock value plummeting. When Alex saw himself in memes and the word “dragonfuckery" he turned off the phone and placed it facing down on the table. He drew in a deep breath, held it and slowly let it out. His head was hurting. He used to have nightmares about this very thing. Naomi reached over and laid a claw in his hand and he gripped it tightly.

“Help me," Goddard said softly. “And I'll help you."

Alex looked up, not able to speak.

Dimitri Goddard's face was serious, and he spoke slowly. “If you give me what I want, and say what I tell you, I will swear under oath that this sort of behaviour..." he gestured to the phone. “...isn't something you would do. I know you well enough to know you're not that kind of person. I'll say the video must be fake. You know how easy it is to make an AI video of whatever you want. Maybe it was a prank, or by one of Goddard's competitors. And if you help me get my company back, not only will I give Naomi her arms, I'll keep you on the payroll for as long as you keep quiet about this deal. You can retire and leave the public spotlight."

Alex cleared his throat. It took him a second to croak out the words. “And if... and if I refuse?"

“I'll testify that the reason you were fired from Goddard was because you were caught doing unspeakable acts with one of our products. Obviously, Naomi would be taken from you. You'll be jailed and your life will be over." Goddard's eyes were locked with his. They looked like two black holes, rimmed with pale grey steel. Alex remembered the time, two years ago, that Goddard demanded Alex give up Naomi. He could feel his heart pounding in his head.

“So you're bribing us and threatening us?" Naomi said.

“It's up to you whether you get the carrot or the stick. Alex is the one who stole from me in the first place. This is how real business is run."

Alex sat back in his chair. He balled his hands into fists, closed his eyes, trying to will his headache away. He held his head, feeling the scar that ran from his eye to the back of his head, and the short hair on the one side.

“We need to think about this," he said. “And discuss it among ourselves."

“Don't take too long."

***

Naomi watched Alex's hands on the wheel as he drove them home. He tapped his fingers against the wheel, over and over again. He took one hand off the wheel and touched the stubble on his beard with the other. He glanced over his shoulder, then snapped the turn signal down, hard, and turned the wheel. As usual, Naomi was sitting down on the car seat which was reclined as far back as possible.

“If you're not going to say anything, I will," Naomi said.

“We were so careful," Alex said. “The first year of hiding you. All the times we were together, we did it in secret. But the one time we did it outside. The only time I really remember. I can't believe... this feels like a dream." He rubbed his hand over his face. “Fuck, Naomi, I don't know what to do. My parents are going to see that video. How would telling people that it's fake change their mind? Even if they believe it, they'll never look at us the same way again."

Naomi tried to think of a way to reassure him, but the words died in her mouth. That's not what he wanted to hear now. “Whatever happens next is going to be hard, but we'll do it together."

Alex scoffed. “Fucking Goddard." He slammed his hands on the steering wheel, causing the car to swerve and beep angrily at him and correct itself. Alex didn't seem to notice. “He's threatening both of us again. What does he have to gain from fucking with us?"

“Remember when he had my wing fixed? You didn't trust him then, and you insisted on watching the operation, to make sure they didn't do anything. He was telling the truth then. I think he just really wants to protect his brand. And if helping him helps us..."

Alex turned to her. His look reminded her of when he first woke up from his coma and didn't recognize her. “You don't actually think he's going to give you a set of arms, do you? Even if he could."

Naomi turned away and rested her head against the window, feeling the cool glass on her scales. Condensation formed from her breath and she imagined using her fingers to draw shapes in it.

“Imagine if you were born without arms, and everyone around you had them. And they all told you it was okay, you don't actually need to be able to pick up a pen, or use a phone, or drive, or do any of the normal things an adult does without even thinking about it. Imagine if you just had to watch everyone else live a normal life. I have to pick up stuff with my mouth!" She realized she was shouting but she didn't care. She took a deep breath. “I just want to fit in. They made me look like an animal but think like a person. Should I live the rest of my life crawling around like a dog?"

Alex sat back in his seat, deflated. He pinched the bridge of his nose, and wiped his eyes. His voice cracked when he spoke “I'm sorry. I didn't know you thought that way."

“It's okay," Naomi said. “I guess he could be lying. But... what if he isn't? What if it's true? And if they can give me arms, what else could..." she trailed off and watched the road pass by, deep in her own thoughts.

When Alex spoke up his voice was husky. “I wouldn't say this to anyone else. Not even Lily." He turned towards her. “But if Lukas really was the one who tried to kill the two of us, he does deserve to die."

“Could you do it though? I was obviously bluffing when I threatened Goddard back in prison. But could you do it? Could you actually point a gun at him and pull the trigger?"

Alex looked down at his hands. Naomi saw the thin white scars across his knuckles. She knew the ones on his right hand were from punching the glass screen of his car, when he thought he would lose her. And on his left, the thicker, pinkish scars where doctors reconstructed the broken bones. “Yes," he said, and let out a breath. He looked exhausted. Not from lack of sleep, just world-weary. He looked older than he ever had before. Naomi watched him breathe deeply, and close his eyes. She was glad the car drove itself.

Naomi decided to change the subject. “It's nice Lily let you drive her car. Is yours going to get repaired?"

Alex shook his head. “No, it's totalled. I'll get money back for it and buy a new one. Probably the same model."

“I like Lily's," Naomi said. The SUV allowed her more room to stretch out. She paused for a bit, trying to judge how he would react. “If you two ever have kids you'll be able to drive them to soccer practice."

He engaged autopilot and the car beeped to confirm. He looked over and said, “do I look like a soccer mom to you? If anything, I'd be a hockey dad. No kid of mine is going to play soccer." He had a faint smile and his voice sounded more relaxed. The car followed the road as it curved, keeping to the lane.

“Alex, can I ask you a serious question?"

“You can ask me whatever you want."

“What are you and I going to do when you and Lily finally have kids? What about when they grow up?"

He thought for a second. “I don't know. It'd be hard, but maybe they'd understand. Maybe by then nobody will care. I don't know if I want kids." He shrugged. “You know what's weird? Lily and I haven't had sex since the accident. Obviously we did before, but I don't remember it. But I remember you." He looked over at her. “I know I haven't been the same. Life was confusing after the accident. There were parts of me missing. Memories would just float around and I'd catch glimpses of them." His arms were crossed, and his eyes were distant. “But once you showed up, things seemed to make sense again. You kind of anchored me back to my life. I think it's because I didn't have any real memories of you. I remembered Lily, but she was just a girl I liked in high school, so it was weird waking up next to her in the morning. And she was five years older than I remembered. Like a daydream that became real. But with you, it's all new, but it's all so familiar. I know what I'm saying doesn't really make sense. But you're the only thing keeping me sane. If things were different, I wouldn't even need..." he caught himself before saying the last word.

The car signalled and pulled off the ramp to the street that led to Alex's house. The city faded away and houses became more sparse.

Alex looked at her. “Lily's pregnant, isn't she? That's why she's been ill."

Naomi nodded, not trusting herself to speak. There was no point in lying.

Alex stared straight ahead, watching the road. Naomi saw the time on the screen change from 12:14 to 12:15. Then 12:16.

Alex laughed. “It'd be funny if the baby came out and it looked like Rubik."

“That's what I said."

“What?"

“When she told me, I wanted to break the tension, so I asked if it was Rubik's."

Alex looked at her, wide eyed. “It's not, right?

“No! Obviously."

“Well, it would be funny."

“I'm not sure if funny is the right word."

His brow furrowed and he held the side of his head. Was he getting one of his headaches? She wondered. But if anyone could make him feel better, it'd be his Naomi.

“...Does this mean I get to call you daddy?" she ventured.

He glanced over at her. “I think it's a bit early for that."

“Is daddy getting angry? Are you gonna spank me?"

He tried unsuccessfully to hide his smile. “Well, that depends. Have you been a bad girl?"

“Yes!" she shouted. “Sorry. I didn't mean to shout."

Alex shook his head but kept his eyes on the road. “Um, I'm not really sure how to say this, but, when we were visiting Goddard in prison..." he sounded like he was struggling to find the words.

“We don't have to talk about it any more," Naomi said. She put her wing claw on his hand. “Let's just enjoy each other's company."

“No, I mean, when you jumped on him."

“What?"

He looked away, pretending to concentrate on the road ahead, even though he wasn't driving. “You can... you can jump on me like that, if you want." His face was red.

“I already did. You won't remember, but you liked it."

“Really? I didn't know I would like that. But I guess I do."

Naomi thought back to that time a few months ago, before his accident. The way she had pounced on him, how he had held on to her wings, thinking he was victorious, until she had clamped her jaws down on his neck. The way she could feel his heartbeat quicken. She glanced over at Alex, still pretending to drive, and wondered what he was thinking about. She looked out the window to make sure no cars were near and reached over and started to undo his belt with her claws.

“Naomi! I didn't mean now!"

She swatted away his hands. “I'll keep my head low. Nobody will see." There was only a single lane of traffic, so no other car would be travelling next to them for a time. It wasn't unusual to see someone asleep in one, or seeing a car drive itself with no occupants, as someone summoned it to pick them up.

“You're such a bad girl, Naomi."

She managed to get his belt undone, thinking it'd be a lot easier with hands. When she finally pulled down his underwear, she looked up at him. “How are you hard already?"

“I don't know! I was... I was just thinking about you jumping on me," he sputtered. “And being on top. Did you really do that?"

Naomi nodded. “I was biting you too." She took his already stiff cock in her claw, and started to stroke it up and down slowly.

There was fear in his eyes. “Really?"

“Oh, not there," she said, glancing down. “On your neck. I left marks."

“Oh..." His eyes were distant. “That sounds fun," he whispered.

“You loved it," she purred. “Almost as much as you love this." She opened her jaws and took him in her mouth. She felt him tense up, then slowly relax. He let out a low moan, then ran his fingers over her feathers. She smiled through a mouthful of cock. He might not remember this, but she did. And she'd use that to her advantage. She did as she had learned over the years, and slowly withdrew her mouth while snaking her tongue across the surface of his cock. She kept her lips tight around his shaft, creating just enough suction and changed the motion of her tongue randomly, just to keep it interesting.

She could taste his scent, the deep, musky taste of him. She plunged forward, taking him fully into her mouth, and breathed in a deep breath, immersing herself in his essence. God, she missed this. She thought back to her daydream that morning, the idea of him not just fucking her, but breeding her, and felt a tingle in her loins that wasn't just arousal, it was a deeper need, a hunger than needing sating.

A shudder ran through Alex as his cock pulsed in her mouth and she tasted saltiness on her tongue. She took him out of her mouth and leaned in until their faces were inches apart and bared her teeth and said, “you better not fucking cum this way. I need you inside me." Her feathers stood up, fanning her face like a lion's mane.

Alex's eyes were wide. He was looking at her teeth, not at her eyes as he saw the look of feral desperation on her face, the thin sheen of wetness on her lips, and a dribble of precum and saliva on her chin. “Yes ma'am," he said.

“Good boy," she whispered into his ear. She reached down to the bottom of his seat and pressed a button, and the seat reclined to horizontal so she was straddling him. She placed her wings on his shoulders, and lowered herself on top of him until she felt the tip of his cock touch her scaly belly, and moved up so it rested at the entrance of her slit. She was already wet enough that all she had to do was wriggle her hips and the head of his penis slipped inside her, and she shuddered to feel that delicious feeling of fullness that she had whenever he spread her open. She loved that he loved it. The way her body was built to please him, how much pleasure she was giving him. It made her feel feminine, beautiful, to be wanted and needed, and used.

She looked down at him. “I'm yours, Alex,"

He looked up at her. “And I'm yours, Naomi."

That was cute. He thought she was being romantic. He looked up at her with half-lidded eyes and she felt a twinge of satisfaction at knowing how much she pleasured him. It was almost too much. She stopped with his penis halfway in and paused. It was the hardest thing she ever had to do.

“Why'd you stop?

“Beg me for it, Alex."

She expected him to plead, or at least try to thrust up into her. But instead he smiled. For a second she wondered what he was planning, and she felt his leg move under her... and slam on the brakes. Before Naomi could react, she was shoved backwards and down onto his cock, plunging him all the way inside her. They both let out a wordless exhalation of pleasure and her claws dug into his shoulders, turning his moan into a yelp of pain. The car beeped in annoyance and continued on its normal speed.

She narrowed her eyes. “That was a dirty trick, Alex."

“Not sorry," he said, and kissed her on her scaly lips. He wrapped his arms around her and started thrusting up into her. Whatever annoyance Naomi had felt dissolved instantly, replaced by the growing pleasure spreading through her loins. She felt his fingers clench on her back as he thrust up into her, hilting her all the way over and over, making her let out little unconscious gasps of pleasure. She pressed her body against him, feeling his heat. He was only a few degrees warmer than her, but the difference was more noticeable due to their closeness. The feeling of warmth spread from her pussy all the way up her belly, and up to the tip of her snout to the end of her tail. Naomi rode him, matching his movements, stroke for stroke, until she took over and began to ride him, up and down, over and over. She held on to him tight with her claws, and it took a conscious effort not to hurt him. Was it her imagination, or did this feel better than usual? The angle of his cock was hitting in ways it never did before. They had never done it in the car before, and the angle was perfect. Naomi closed her eyes and just enjoyed the sensation. The effort was making her thighs burn with the effort, but it was easy to ignore, and it was worth it. If anything it'd make them stronger and thicker, and he'd probably like it.

The sound of his breathing was deep and heavy, and it spurred her on, knowing that she was doing everything right to please him, and she would get everything she needed out of him. At the same time, they locked lips and kissed deeply, exploring each other's mouths, tasting each other. His tongue found its way past her lips and she felt the stubby but strong organ explore her own. She held the back of his neck with one claw, keeping him close. She ran the other claw through his hair, and felt him shiver as she gently scraped his scalp. Goosebumps appeared from his neck to his arms, raising the hairs.

All the while, his hands never stayed still. They ran across her back, feeling her smooth, glassy scales, leaving traces of residual heat. They moved down her back to her thighs and he felt the hard muscles as they worked up and down to pleasure them both.

Naomi pulled away and looked at the little imperfections in his face, the wrinkles in his skin, the minuscule hairs on his cheek that gradually formed stubble and the hint of a growing beard, and the faint scars along the side of his face. In stark contrast to her impeccable scales, he was flawed but that made him him. A thin sheen of sweat was appearing on his forehead from the effort. She breathed in the masculine, human scent of him and looked into his eyes, his green irises reflected in her silvery blue, as he looked into hers.

In these moments she knew they had a special connection, more than physical, more than emotional. Spiritual? She didn't even know what that meant. But there was no other word for it, to feel another soul so closely. She thought back to the daydream she had that morning, and the idea of them not just having sex for its own sake, but something deeper. The thought of it was making her hot.

“I want you to-" and she stopped herself. She wondered what he would think. Then she looked him in the eyes, knowing she could never lie to him. “I need you to breed me, Alex."

They both paused in their movements as Naomi looked down at her human. There was a look on his face. The look of someone discovering something new. “Okay. Yeah, I'd like that."

“That's not weird, is it? I know we can't actually..."

“It's not weird. It's kind of hot."

“Indulge me, then."

He wrapped his arms tight around her and thrust up into her, hard enough she was shoved up to the roof of the car. She let out a little yelp of surprise, but held on to him with her wings. Again and again he thrust up into her, and she rode him, enjoying the feeling of being filled over and over again. It was almost too much, but in that moment she couldn't have asked him to stop or slow down for anything. Her climax was approaching fast and she knew he was close too, judging by his breathing and heartbeat, and just how fucking big and hard he was inside her.

“Fuck, I'm close," he said, his voice muffled against her cheek.

“Do it, put a baby in me," she moaned, not caring how she sounded anymore.

His orgasm took her by surprise. Immediate and powerful, he moaned into her ear, loudly. Gripping her with his strong hands, shuddering against her, his breath hot against her scales. It was enough to drive her over the edge as well. She gripped his shoulders with her claws, shut her eyes tight against the world, and just rode him as he pumped hot cum inside her. She imagined being fertilized, and the growth inside her. It made her legs weak, and they finally gave out as she collapsed on top of her mate, panting. Alex gave a few more half-hearted thrusts into her, but he was spent as well. She curled her neck so her cheek was resting against his chest and she laid on top of him, rising and falling with his breaths. His heart was pounding, and she felt each heartbeat against her ear, and smiled as she listened to it. Eventually it slowed to normal, but she still didn't get up. She felt like she could stay there forever, with her man. No matter where they were, as long as she was with him, that's where she belonged. After a few minutes she noticed the lack of road noise. Finally she raised her head and looked out the window.

“Oh. We're home." The car was sitting outside the garage, waiting for them to open it.

Alex's eyes were still closed. Was he asleep?

“Alex?"

“Naomi, we may be different species, but I think I just got you pregnant." He opened his eyes. “I think if I tried any harder my balls would have exploded."

His dragon let out a trill of laughter. “Oh, my love, you know just what to say." He smiled at that, and she bent down and kissed him. She lifted herself off him with a groan. Her thighs would be sore tomorrow, but it was worth it. She crawled back on to her seat. “Oops," she said. She had left a shiny trail of fluids on Lily's seats. “We should clean that up."

Alex brought his seat back up, and tucked his now soft penis back in his pants, wincing. “Well done," he whispered.

“Did... did you just congratulate your own dick?" Naomi asked incredulously.

“It did a good job!" he said, as if she was the crazy one. He opened the garage door and drove the car inside, then sat in the seat, looking ahead. He looked back at his dragon, then leaned over and hugged her. “Thank you," he said, his voice muffled against her neck.

“You're welcome," she said. “For what?"

“Everything." He sat back in his seat. “Well." He looked at her. “I guess we'll tell Lily what Goddard said. She'll see that video eventually."

“She might have already seen it."

Alex nodded, then glanced at his phone. There were no new messages from her, which might have been as bad as anything. “She might tell me she's pregnant, too. Should I pretend I don't know, and it's a surprise?"

“You should tell her the truth."

“Yeah. You're right." he nodded slowly. “The truth." He opened the door and stepped out of the car. Naomi saw that look on his face again, the distant look in his eyes when he was far away. He stopped with his hand on the doorknob.

“I should tell the truth."