FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Friday, 16th October, 2026

“I assume you know what this is about," Mr. Ferris said. Alex's boss sat behind his desk, bare save for a manila folder and a placard that said MR. FERRIS. He was Mr. Ferris to everyone. As far as Alex knew, he didn't have a first name. He kept his eyes on Alex and raised his brows.

“I don't know, Mr. Ferris," Alex said. Misusing company equipment, he thought, and had to suppress a smile.

“You've been working with us for over a year, and you know our products," Mr. Ferris continued. We need to know how serious you are about working at Goddard Genetics. You have to ask yourself, 'is this something I want to do as a career?'"

Alex imagined Ferris's parents when they first saw him.

_ “Isn't he wonderful, darling? What should we name him?"_

_ “We should name him 'mister'"_

In his imagination Baby Ferris was already overweight and balding. His parents, for whatever reason, were the picture of a classic 1950's American couple. His dad was in a grey business suit and his mom had big, curly hair with those pink spiky cylinder things that made the curls hold. His first name was probably something like Dwayne or Gaylord.

Alex opened his mouth to answer him, but Ferris interrupted him with “I'm not asking you now. It's just something to think about."

He closed it.

“You're not an intern anymore. We know you get along with the products and they seem to like you..."

_ (“You have no idea, “Alex thought.")_

“...so you could be an excellent certified trainer. You've already picked up most of this already, and being a full employee means you'd also get a 25% discount on orders, if you're interested in any of our products for yourself."

Alex nodded. There was a motivational picture on the wall that featured a silhouette climbing a mountain. Underneath was the caption “CHALLENGE: Always set the path, never follow the trail." Alex's eyes watered with the effort of trying not to roll them.

“…Speaking of which, several of our buyers have canceled on us so we have product we need to unload quickly, before they get too old. Everyone wants to get them when they're young, of course, and the price drops pretty quick as they get older. A few are past their molting stage, and they are being discounted up to 75%. Do you know anyone who's interested?"

Alex wondered what Naomi would think if he brought another dragon home. Another female. He wondered if Naomi would be into that and a smile threatened to creep on to his face and he stopped. He could imagine that later, in private.

“I'm not sure, I might know someone," he said.

Mr. Ferris nodded. “Let them know. Honestly, they're just taking up space at this point. We have to make room for the new custom orders."

He started to get up and Alex stood.

“But one other thing... I don't know if you remember a product that was disposed of about eight months ago," he glanced at his computer. “AL/CA-02-0064C. Does that sound familiar to you?"

That was Naomi's number but there would be no reason for Alex to know that, as far as Mr. Ferris was concerned. Alex frowned and shook his head. “Nope."

“It was a custom order that was flawed. Broken wing. I had you dispose of it."

“Oh, her." and immediately thought, should have just said, 'it.'

Ferris didn't seem to notice. “We had to grow another one and the buyer wasn't happy he had to wait."

Alex tried to think of something to say. “Wasn't he already aware that problems sometimes arise?"

“Yes, but, this is a person of..." he waved his hand vaguely. “...some importance. He wasn't used to people saying no to him. Actually he said he didn't care if it couldn't fly. I wish I knew that before it was sent to the disposal." He glanced up at Alex, as if blaming him.

“I was just doing my job, Mr. Ferris."

“Anyways, he said if we can't fulfill the order, he'll buy out the company and do it himself."

Alex waited for him to smile but he didn't. “So when he said he was of some importance, he wasn't exaggerating?"

“Well, yes, and the fact that Goddard isn't..." he sighed heavily. “Never mind. Just think about the promotion. And let me know if you have anyone potentially interested."

“I will."

* * *

“Take me home," he said, and his car hummed to life and pulled out of the parking lot. Normally he preferred to take manual control, but now he let the car drive itself. He needed to think. Ferris was desperate, that was obvious. Desperate for new, permanent employees, and desperate for more sales, and Alex' gut told him that desperation was shared by the rest of the company. That meant they were either aggressively expanding, or they were in trouble.

In the last few months, dragons had become more and more common. Competition had sprung up, and since Goddard no longer had a monopoly, they couldn't keep up their exorbitant prices. It had reached the point where common people could afford them, people like Alex. That meant at last he was able to take Naomi on walks in public instead of hiding her in his back yard, where the trees hid it from view of his neighbors.

Still, her markings made her fairly unique looking. Anyone in the business would be able to tell she was a custom order, even without her speech. The first time he took her on a walk she wouldn't stop talking to everyone she met, repeating everything that was said to her, and making up her own words and nonsense sentences, to the delight of everyone around her and the annoyance of Alex.

At least she didn't mention the sex.

He didn't know if she was smart enough to know it was taboo, but she at least kept it to herself. He thought she would grow tired of it after the first few times, or the first few dozen times, but her appetite wasn't sated in the least. Not that he minded, he admitted to himself.

He watched the city zoom by and give way to smaller houses as he crossed into suburbs, then trees as he left those behind as well. His commute was long, but it was worth it for the privacy his small, rented house offered him and Naomi. His car turned into his driveway and rumbled along the hard-packed dirt road. The garage door opened and closed behind him and he was left in the dim light. He held his hand on the door handle and kept it there.

For the millionth time he wondered if he was doing the wrong thing. Was he just using her for his own pleasure? For her part, she seemed to enjoy the act, and liked him in well enough, but what choice did she have? She might not know any better. He certainly didn't. He caught his own reflection in the windshield and looked away.

He didn't know why he felt guilty. She was of sexual maturity, that was indisputable. Every resource he accessed said once they lose their feathers, they're ready for mating. She could communicate and could easily let him know if she didn't want something. The only problem was that she might only be reciprocating because she saw him as an authority figure. But, (he reasoned with himself) most of the time, she was the one who started it, she was constantly trying to take off his clothes and get on top of him. With a dim smile he remembered how he woke up at three in the morning last night, with her on top of him, claws frantically pulling the covers away, nibbling at his neck...

Thus satisfied, he left the car and went inside. He heard the beep of his back door and it slid open. Naomi could come and go from the house to his small backyard. The back door had facial recognition which surprisingly, opened for her. She scurried over to him, walking on the knuckles of her wings that served as forelegs. She had a wide smile on her scaly face, an infectious one that made Alex grin. He held out his arms and she jumped into them, licking his face. For her size, she was surprisingly light.

“Did you miss me?"

“Yah!" she exclaimed. He let her nuzzle his face in affection and stroked her smooth scales along her face. He set her down and scratched her head, right behind the feathers that stuck out from the top of her head, the only ones remaining of the downy coat that once covered her entire body. Her reaction was immediate, she stood very still, closed her eyes and hummed a very human-sounding “mmmmm" she reached up on her hind legs, and licked his lips. She pulled away and said, “Coffee."

He looked at her, confused. “What?"

She repeated it and he looked to his kitchen. “Oh, you mean you smell it on me. I had some at work and they didn't have tea in the break room. I was tired because someone kept me up all night."

A familiar look crossed her face. There was a guilty expression she sometimes wore when he caught her doing something she shouldn't do, which was usually stealing his food after tricking him away from it. She didn't wear that now. Instead she was wearing a look that was unmistakably a smile. She dropped down to all fours and bumped her head against his crotch. She looked up at him and made a little noise in her throat, not unlike a growl but more playful. She grabbed a mouthful of his shirt and pulled him forward, then did something as overtly obvious as possible: she turned away and presented herself to him, lowering her upper body to the floor and wagging her tail back and forth. She looked back at him expectantly.

“Jeez, I haven't even taken off my shoes yet, you crazy dragon. I had a bit of a weird day at work and I'm not really in the mood. Maybe later, though."

She turned and sat down in front of him, blocking his path and made a pouty face, still staring at him. She silenced him by rearing up on her hind legs, pressing her wings against his chest. She was fully grown now, and they stood face-to-face. He could see clearly her individual scales, and the slash of black against her snow-white scales that ran down her eye ridges and across her lips. Her pupils were wide, surrounded by her bright silver irises, like a whirlpool of liquid mercury.

She leaned close to him and pressed her scaly lips up to his, opening them just enough the tip of her tongue slipped out and ran across his lips, and he didn't resist, kissing her back. She withdrew and lightly nibbled the spot just behind his jaw. It sent a familiar chill down his body, and he felt the hair raise on the back of his neck. At the same time she brushed her wing against his crotch, making it jolt.

“Well, you really know how to convince me," he said. “Of all the dragons I had to get, why did it have to be the horniest one?"

She let out a happy trill, clearly understanding his change in mood. “Horneeee," she said. Her eyes dropped so she was staring right at his crotch. He made a show of slowly undoing his belt and unzipping his pants while she watched expectantly, her eyes wide and mouth caught in a half-smile that looked suspiciously like a smirk. She stared expectantly, waiting. She sniffed his crotch, eager and curious, and now motivated by her small victory. He pulled his underwear down and she followed each movement with her eyes, inches away. With her prize uncovered she wasted no time, immediately moving forward, and she started lightly licking his shaft, just barely flicking her tongue against the tip, tasting the familiar yet still exotic taste of her human. The feeling sent an unexpected jolt through him as her wet, muscular tongue ran across it. She let out a satisfied croon and shifted her wight onto one wing, and used her other to hold his penis in place so she could make harder and longer licks against it, letting it brush up against her thick, fleshy lips.

He leaned against the door and held his shirt up, watching her. Her eyes were closed, and she was making little humming sounds to herself as she licked him. He could feel himself starting to get hard, quickly, and once he was at half-mast she opened her mouth wide and took it deep in her maw. Her tongue wrapped around it, and as it slid over his shaft, it sent a shiver through him, making him let out a deep breath. She was perfectly gentle and considerate, her tongue held the bottom of his penis, keeping it safely away from her teeth. Her tongue was slippery, and her hot breath played against his wet skin.

“Oh, damn," he said. “You really know how to brighten up my day."

She looked up at him with her bright shining eyes, and did something that surprised him: she winked, a gesture she must have learned from when they watched movies together. The image stayed in his mind, and he wished for a camera.

“Let's move over to the couch, at least," he said.

Without being directed, she understood, and reluctantly let go of his cock, giving it one final lick farewell before trotting over to the couch. He waddled over to the couch, pants around his legs, and took them off, then flopped down on it, but she didn't start immediacy, and looked at him with an unsatisfied look on her face.

“What?" he asked.

She nudged his leg, and pushed it up, trying to move him sideways

“Oh, like this." He turned so that he was lying down on the couch. Satisfied, she sprang forward and took his entire length into her mouth at once and started moving her head up and down on his cock. The angle was different now, so he felt the rippled undulations on the roof of her mouth massage the head of his penis, and for a second her eagerness got the better of her and she sucked with a bit too much pressure - it was almost too much, and he winced. Sensing it, she changed the angle of her strokes, so it was less intense, and slowed down.

He rested a hand on her neck, just behind the crown of blade-like feathers that jutted out from her head, and felt the smooth, glassy scales run underneath his fingers. He laid back and watched her, content to let her service him. She had learned to do this pretty quick during the last couple of months, without his prompting, and had got ever better at pleasing him. He didn't know why she enjoyed it so much, but he wasn't going to complain. He always returned the favour after she was done, so maybe it was that.

She sat on the couch like a cat, legs tucked neatly underneath her, and her wings folded up. Her tail swished back and forth as she happily sucked away with a slurping sound, mixing her trills of satisfaction of winning her human over, with the heavy breathing of Alex. Her tongue ran across the head of his cock, making him groan. It was covered in bumps, hundreds of wet, slippery mounds that massaged every millimetre of him. She turned her head occasionally, just varying the angle and movement enough it was always something new from one moment to the next. As she moved her head up and down, his cock rubbed against every surface of her mouth, even the sides of her teeth, smooth and slippery, gently gliding along the length. All the while her tongue didn't stop, caressing the underside of his shaft, rubbing against the head, even wrapping around and encircling it before uncoiling. She stroked her head up and down, milking him for fluids. Precum oozed out which she eagerly swallowed. She bobbed her head up and down, greedy for more. She must have enjoyed the taste, or just enjoyed the fact that she was pleasuring him so well.

Her breath blew against the wetness she was creating, giving him goosebumps and making a shiver run slowly from his spine to his fingers. She looked up and watched his reaction. He was getting close now, his breathing came out quicker, and the familiar rising pressure in his balls indicating they were ready for release. He held onto her head, slowly thrusting into her mouth as he ran his hands down her head, feeling the scales under his fingers like subtle wrinkles in glass. The tip of her snout was pressed to his skin and for a while she stayed like that, unmoving. She hummed and made a trilling sound he felt along the length of his shaft and make him buck up and grip her head.

“Wha-holy shit, Naomi. What..." he said incoherently.

She looked up at him and did her best to smile with a full mouth. There was unmistakable enjoyment in her scaly face. She stood up, no longer crouching, but her rear legs stood out, so her rear was in the air, and she swished it and her tail back and forth. Probably a primal mating instinct, Alex thought - she wants to be mounted. Hell, Alex was ready to comply. All he would have to do is get her to stop sucking...but at the moment that was the last thing he wanted to do, and he was already dangerously close to climaxing. He had to decide whether he was going to commit to this blowjob all the way, or they'd start having sex. He started to get up. “Naomi, if you want me to-"

Naomi decided for him. She shook her head, making his cock rub against the inside of her teeth, while she planted her wings on his chest to hold him down. She was surprisingly strong and insistent, and the claw on the knuckles of her wings poked as she held him down.

“Okay, then, if that's the way you want it." He relaxed and let her continue while she slowed her pace, making longer, deeper motions with her head, moving up and down. Soon the rising pressure was too much, and he felt his rock-hard penis jerk involuntarily. His hands gripped the cushions, and he bucked up his hips, causing her eyes to flicker up to him, startled.

“Sorry, I'm just-"

The rest of his sentence was cut off as his orgasm hit him like a wave, sending him reeling. She kept moving her head, but, whether by instinct or leaned habit, she slowed down and opened her mouth just a bit to relax the pressure so she wouldn't rub his sensitive head too much. A faint part of Alex wondered how she had learned that but there was no more room in his brain for questions, as the growing feeling filled it like a slow-moving explosion, driving everything out. He was glad to be lying down, as he wasn't sure if he'd be able to stand now. It spread across his body, causing him to stiffen and buck up again, but this time she rode along with it, never stopping. She eagerly gulped down each spurt as it came, crooning with satisfaction of a job well done, and a well-deserved reward. At last it ended, and he was spent, and the feeling left him, replacing itself with a feeling of fullness and left him limp.

Naomi, meanwhile, kept his still-hard cock in her mouth, she suckled on it hopefully a few more times to try to coax some more fluid out, and made a happy sigh of contentment. She looked up at him and finally let it go, letting it flop onto his belly. She licked her lips, getting almost all of the mess off, and licked whatever she could off his stomach as well, and looked up at Alex with a toothy grin. A little drop of cum still dangled from her chin.

Alex, meanwhile, lay on the couch as if deflated, catching his breath. “You are the best dragon that has ever lived," he said while looking at the ceiling.

The couch moved as she shifted position, and he heard a wet slurp sound. He looked up and what he saw made him freeze, wide-eyed.

She sat back and spread her legs, curled up around herself, and started licking herself. It was clear she was already extremely aroused, her vent was already covered in a sheen of fluids and practically dripping. She pressed her snout into her own crotch, smearing vaginal juices on her nose and getting as deep as possible. Her long tongue, which had moments ago been pleasuring him, started pleasing her. Alex moved over for a closer view. Her tongue darted out of her mouth, easing its way towards her pussy. She licked along the sides of the lips, flicking over her clitoris, engorged standing out. Her legs shuddered, and she gave a low croon, not unlike a moan. She stopped and licked her lips and looked up at Alex.

“God, Naomi is this how you pass the time when I'm not here?"

A drop of his own cum was still on the side of her mouth. As he watched, she licked it off and without putting her tongue back into her mouth, she stuck her tongue deep in her own pussy, as if trying to fertilize herself. Maybe it was a breeding instinct or it was just an accident. Whatever the reason, it was hot as fuck, Alex thought. He could only stare as his dragon licked herself, and he knew she knew he was staring, and evidently she enjoyed it. Her tongue wormed its way inside as she penetrated herself, pushing in her thick tongue, wet and slimy with saliva and his own cum. She dipped down again but this time her tongue slid past her pussy, down lower. Alex watched as his dragon started licking herself again, not her vent, but the extruding ring of flesh of her anus. She started licking her ass, gently touching it with the tip of her tongue and coating it with a thin sheen of saliva. She alternated between giving it light, quick licks, and nibbling the entrance with her lips, still wet with her vaginal fluids.

“What the fuck..." he said in awe, with a pang of jealousy. “I wish I hadn't just came." He half-heartedly gave his penis a tug, but it refused to comply.

She made a quivering squawk, a urging, pleading sound, unlike the moan she had made earlier, and stared licking herself harder, more eagerly. She closed her eyes and the feathers on the back of her extended like a frill, and she paid no heed to the human watching her, simply content with pleasuring herself. She started swirling her tongue around it as she had done with her pussy. Her tongue expertly darted in and of her mouth, flicking against the tight ring of flesh, white like the rest of her but with a faint pink in the center. She licked around it, caressing the sides of her anus and sliding over it and occasionally darting into the flesh itself - every time she did this, a shudder ran through her body and her claws clenched in the air.

Alex found he was squeezing his own knees, hard enough to make his hands hurt. He let go. She stopped and opened her eyes and looked up at him. A single strand of saliva stretched between her mouth and pussy, it stretched and broke. In a way that was beyond any misinterpretation, she leaned back, spreading her legs and exposing herself to her him, and looked up at him expectantly. Across her naked and exposed crotch there was a sheen of wetness that caught the light, inviting him.

“Holy fuck, yes," he said, and crawled forward until his face was above her crotch. He leaned in and ran his finger across her clitoris, it was wet and slippery, and he could feel the heat on his hand. She shuddered and bucked her hips at his touch.

Alex looked up and smiled. “You like that, don't you?"

She nodded vigorously, and Alex wasted dropped down until his face was position directly above her crotch. Her arousal was visibly obvious, the lips open and inviting, clitoris engorged and swollen, and coated in a thin sheen of vaginal juices and saliva. He breathed in her scent, much more mild and clean than any human - sweet and slightly nutty, almost like coconut. He lightly caressed the thin, delicate lips of flesh that stood outside the entrance to her vent. They were faintly pink, and one of the few parts of her body that wasn't covered in scales. With his fingers he parted her flesh, and even this small movement was enough to make her visibly twitch, and croon softly. He bent in and gave her clitoris a light, teasing lick. Her reaction was immediate, she thrusted upwards, pushing herself up with her legs and wings, her claws flexed and dug into the couch.

He grinned with the satisfaction of pleasing her so easily. He started licking her properly, and held on to her legs - thick, powerful thighs capable of launching her into the air. The hard muscles were easily visible, rippling under her glassy scales them as they flexed whenever she moved. She squirmed and writhed on the couch – serpentine like a garden hose. Except only slightly less wet, he thought. He stopped licking her long enough to say, “Naomi, try to stay still." Surprisingly, she complied, and her movements were abated somewhat. After a minute, she either forgot or stopped caring and writhed and shuddered as much as before. He wrapped his arms around her thighs, so he moved along with her.

He started doing long, slow, sensual glides with his tongue, starting from the bottom of the entrance to her vent, moving up and feeling the lips part aside, and ending with a drag of his tongue along her clitoris. Every time he repeated this, there was a corresponding sound from the dragon - a gasp, then a low moan. He reached up with one hand and spread her apart, exposing her clitoris. He tilted his head and pressed in his face deeper, so he could take the nub of tissue into his mouth and suck on it, and that made her thrust up, and make a long, low trill. He ran his tongue across the organ in his mouth, giving her as much stimulation as possible and changing the pressure and texture, as she had with his penis in her mouth. Her moans and cries were almost musical, and she twitched with the rhythm he created, enough he knew she would climax soon if he continued.

He ceased the pressure on her clitoris and looked up. “I'm only returning the favour," he said, then slid his tongue down her vent, and penetrated her with his tongue. He pressed in and felt the ribbed and knobbed texture of her insides - a texture that did was amazingly effective at bringing him to orgasm. His penis gave a small jolt as if remembering it. Even with his tongue, she was tight on it, her muscular walls pressing on his tongue. That seemed to do wonders for her, as she tensed up and hummed. His tongue was, as far as he knew, only the third-biggest thing ever inserted into her pussy, after his own cock and her own tongue. Still, it was different, and the fact that it was someone else made it better. He looked up and saw her head thrown back, mouth open with tongue out, and he smiled internally to himself with the satisfaction of knowing he was doing his job - and doing it well. He started penetrating her with tongue faster, tongue-fucking her properly now that he knew how much she liked it.

She surprised him again by stretching her neck down until their faces touched, he looked up and she ran her tongue against his own lips, tasting herself on them, and together they licked her vent together in a mix of lips, tongues and parts of her pussy. He tasted the mild and pleasantly bitter taste of her mouth and her faint but nutty taste of her pussy. Their tongues met, and together they licked and sucked her, alternating between making out over the wet and open mound of her crotch, and alternately licking her clitoris. He continued for a while, listening to her sound of sexual bliss get louder and more frequent, knowing he was bringing her to her own orgasm quickly.

He heard her gasp and knew she was close, when he felt her wings push down on his head, at first she though she was just holding him there, as he had done to her earlier. But she pushed with more force and urgency, moving his head down lower, and he figured out what she wanted. Experimentally he flicked his tongue against the fleshy mound of her anus, protruding out from where her tail met her body. Evidently she kept that part of herself clean along with meticulous grooming habits. It was perfectly clean and entirely free of taste, besides the taste of Naomi's own saliva. Enheartened, he continued, doing as he had done to her clitoris, swirling his tongue around in circles and dragging it along the flesh.

It was apparently something she had learned on her own, he had never done this before. He wondered what else she had been up to while he was gone and he decided a new fantasy to think about if she ever left him alone..

“Damn, Naomi, there are plenty of human girls who don't even like this," he murmured.

He felt her shift again and looked up - she had curled up again so her face was next to his, and she was licking her own clitoris as he did the same to her anus. He watched as she pushed the sensitive nub of flesh, alternated between doing fierce, powerful licks, and stopping, panting, overwhelmed with her own pleasure, then catching her breath and diving back in, hungry and eager. Clearly she was having trouble concentrating on pleasuring herself - it must have been too much to handle having both her ass and pussy stimulated at the same time.

He looked up. She had forgotten about licking herself, but had thrown her head back, against the couch, her eyes were half-lidded, and watching him. He brought up his hand and started massaging her clitoris with his finger, while still tonguing her ass. She let out a deep, long mmmmmm of satisfaction, and laid back, content to let him continue. Then without warning, she shuddered, and bucked up hard. Alex had to hold on to her legs, still trying to keep his face positioned and his hand on her. She had lost all self-control, even her tongue was hanging out, and she was breathing heavily.

He saw her feet on either side of him claw the air, each spike of glass-like nail flex and curl. Underneath his tongue, he could feel her orgasm take her, and saw as her vent spasmed, the lips on either side flexed inwards and her clitoris twitched up, like it was being pulled upwards. She squealed and breathed hard through her nose. Eventually it subsided, and she laid there, her stillness punctuated by little jerks like the aftershocks of an earthquake.

Her eyes were closed and she was breathing heavily. Fluid had dripped from her crotch to the couch, leaving a damp, dark spot, despite his best efforts to lap up every drop she produced. He sat up and stretched his jaw and licked his lips. The faint taste of dragon sex was strong on his mouth.

“Well, that was different," he said.

* * *

The young ensign leaned into the door. “Captain, we have them," he said breathlessly.

Captain Ashburn laid his map down on the table and brushed past the ensign, making his way up on deck as the boy followed him.

He didn't need his spyglass. The Spanish sloop was close, and that distance was fading fast. They had been chasing the Noctorno for a day and a night, steadily gaining on her, inch by precious inch, occasionally firing off a chaser to keep her crew on edge. The hope was they would come upon her before she reached the coast, and that hope had proved founded. It was a smaller ship, only twelve guns. The captain looked up at his ship's masts. The wind was with the Artemis them and every one of her sails were out, and the masts were audibly straining with the effort of the sprint.

Ashburn spoke. “Mr. Malarde, pray and fetch the signal-officer. Relay the message 'surrender and prepare to be boarded.'"

The ensign nodded. “At once, sir." and ran off.

Ashburn looked down at his crew. All below and around him, men scurried about, clearing the deck, loading their guns, and stacking up coils of rope against the side to serve as cover from rifle-fire.

He held the spokes of the ship's wheel, taut like the strings of a violin, as if in anticipation of battle. “Soon," he whispered. “I know you're hungry."

He watched the Nocturno come closer and saw the signal-flags come up as they responded. He didn't need the signal-officer to translate the message that said, “FUCK YOU."

A sailor behind him let out a single snort of laughter. The captain turned and gave him an iron-hard look, a look that spoke far louder than any verbal threat could. There was a time to chastise insolence but it was not now.

Ashburn turned back to his ensign. “Mr. Malarde, you will instruct the sailors to come upon the Nocturno on her port side. Load the starboard guns and fire off a broadside on my command. Keep the sails full and we shall demand surrender again after the first pass."

The ensign shouted out the order as the Nocturno drew near. Now the two ships were close enough he could see men scrambling about on deck. They knew escape was no longer an option and had dropped the topgallants that they might not over-strain the masts if they were damaged in battle.

Captain Ashburn took a cigar out of his breast pocket and lit it. “I do not mean to have His Majesty's newest prize damaged beyond what is absolutely necessary. With the cessation of hostilities I imagine it will be an easy prize to bring back to the Admiralty."

He gave the ship's wheel a small turn and felt the ship turn to port, bringing the Noctorno in view of the Artemis' guns.

His ensign looked at him expectantly.

Ashburn took a long draw from his cigar, savouring the quietness before battle, like a deep breath before a plunge into seawater. All eyes were on him.

“Open fire," he said, breathing smoke.

“Fire all!" yelled the ensign, then from below, he heard the men echo, fire all!

The guns of the Artemis roared, her fourteen 24-pounders bellowing out fire and smoke. There was a bellow that shook the ship he could feel in his bones. The ship rocked sideways under his feet from the recoil but he stood still. Four hundred pounds of iron flew at a thousand feet a second towards the target and the aim of his gunners was straight and true, and at least four spots on the Noctorno exploded in a shower of wood chips. One was alarmingly low near the water.

“Very good, men, but no shots below the waterline if you please. I do not mean to send it to the bottom of the-" he was interrupted by a series of flashes and bursts of smoke from the Spanish sloop as it answered with its 6-cannon broadside. Ashburn counted two seconds until he heard the boom and saw most of the cannonballs dive harmlessly into the water. A single round smashed against the Artemis's forward bulkheads, sending splinters of wood in all directions. That was the kitchen. It was unlikely someone was there but the food would have to last them, and the beer kegs were already

Alex set the book down and sipped his tea. It was something called “Gunpowder Green" which he thought was appropriate given his reading material. Privately, he thought it didn't taste wasn't any different from regular green tea, which he would never admit to anyone. It was a lot more expensive, anyway.

The sun was low in the sky, and the evening was cool as he sat in his backyard. Naomi was digging around in the grass with the claws of the knuckles of her wings. She stuck her face in the dirt, snorted, and dug some more. She looked up and saw Alex watching her and opened her mouth in a grin. Self-consciously, she rubbed her nose in the grass, getting most of the dirt off. She picked away what was left with the claws on her wings, then came bounding over, and sniffed his tea, then his book.

“It's Hunter of Darkness by Mark Antos. They made a TV miniseries that's on now, but between you and me, the book is better. As is usually the case."

She ignored his wisdom and darted forward, taking the book in her mouth, and pulling it towards her. “Naomi!" he said and tried to think of an appropriate old-sounding phrase that they would say in the olden days. “Cease your blundering buffoonery at once, ma'am!"

She let go of the book and looked at him with a confused expression. Alex turned the book over, frowning. A row of teeth marks ran across the cover. Naomi looked up guiltily. It didn't last long as she was distracted by something over Alex's shoulder that caught her eye. A group of sparrows flew low over the two of them, just above their heads. She turned her head, following them. She jumped up and twisted into the air and chased after them, her shining eyes wide with delight and an expression of glee on her face. The birds roosted on the branches of a tree, just out of her reach. Frantically, she extended her own wings as much as she could, and crouched down, as if to take off. She looked around, making sure the ground near her was clear, and steadied herself, lowing to the ground, making sure her claws had good grip on the ground. She straightened her neck. She reared up on her legs and jumped, and with a powerful flap of her wings she gained a bit of lift, and her legs left the ground.

Then with a thump she fell on her side in a heap, and the birds fluttered away. She was silent and lay in a tangled heap on the grass. Alex hurried over, knocking his tea and book into the grass, and crouched beside her, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder. She righted herself, shrugging him off and stepped out of his reach. She looked at her left wing and tried to extend it fully but it only came out halfway as it always had. She glanced over at Alex then up to the sky. Again she squatted, lowering her body until it was almost touching the ground, and the muscles under her scales were taught as drums. She narrowed her eyes and the feathers on the back of her head extended and stuck out like a ruff.

“Don't hurt yourself, Naomi, please. It's okay if you can't-"

She took a deep breath and steadied herself again, and he stepped back and watched her, anxious but at the same time privately hoping she'd do it. This time it was different. She paused at the bottom of the movement, low to the ground. It looked like she was concentrating hard, her face was calculated and more determined. Her wings stretched upwards at the same time she pushed off from the ground and the precise moment her legs left the earth she flapped down, hard.

The image stayed in his mind for longer than lasted, of her wings stretched as far as they could go, body extended out straight and tense, every part of her working together, contributing to this one action. For a single second she looked like a proper dragon should, like something out of painting, neck craned up, powerful muscular legs extended like a spring, and wings out. Her pure black and white form stood out from the orange and purple sunset behind her. For a single second it looked like she would take off, and maybe her wing would snap out, and she'd be able to extend it fully, and finally fly as she was meant to.

But the fantasy evaporated when her right wing gave twice as much lift as her right, and she flipped herself onto her back with a heavy thud. He sat next to her, held her head close, and stroked her neck.

“Why?" she muttered.

“It's not your fault, it just that nature can be cruel sometimes. But you're still mine, and it doesn't matter to me. If you weren't different, I never would have had you, and that's worth something, right?"

She looked up at him and said, “right."

He kissed the top of her head and she closed her eyes, leaning on him. He held her, not speaking or moving, just enjoying the closeness. There was a fluttering above them. They both looked up and saw the same sparrows land on the branch above them. The stood there, as if mocking her. Naomi pulled away and looked up again.

“It's okay, Naomi. You're not a bird anyway. You're so much cooler than them."

He held his hand on her head, just enough so she wouldn't try to lift off again and hurt herself. He stroked the feathers on her head. “You know what you are, right?"

She looked up and said, “Drag-en."

“That's right." he held her face close to his and spoke softly. “and you don't let those feathery losers tease you. They're just jealous they can't talk. You can and you're smart and awesome." He continued, not really paying attention to what he was saying, just speaking to reassure her. “...and you have cool markings that no-one else has."

She craned her neck up and rested her head on his shoulder. With her good wing she reached up and draped it around him like a living cloak. She made a huff of contentment, and they held each other and sat in the cool grass while the sun set and bathed them in crimson.

Saturday, 17th October, 2026

Naomi crouched down on his bed and presented herself to him, wagging her rear end. Her tail waved back and forth, the leaf-shaped fins on either side dancing in front of him. She wrapped it around him, pulling him forwards, and tried to say his name in what she surely thought was a sultry tone, “Alekisss"

The dragon leaned over, her wings bent so her upper body was close to the bed and legs extended, so her rear was as high and exposed as possible. Her vent was glistening with arousal, clitoris engorged and standing out, lips wide and swollen. and as Alex watched, a single drop of clear fluid slowly stretched from her body and dropped down.

He needed no further prompting and stood behind her, sliding his hands over her hips. They bulged out after her waist, forming round, tight buttocks that were almost human-shaped, making a perfect handhold. He squeezed them gently, feeling the smooth scales under his palms. When her muscles relaxed her flesh yielded under his fingers, like the wake in water.

“Oh, damn..." he said to himself. He rested his already hard cock against the base of her tail, and the pleasant coolness of her scales kissed his skin. The underside of his cock nudged against the wetness of her vent, smearing her fluids on it. She pushed against him, making her intentions clear. “Dooo it," she said.

He lined it up, resting the head against her swollen vent, and slowly pushed in. He watched his penis disappear, inch by inch, and felt his dragon tense up, and a low groan of satisfaction escaped her. She turned back at him, urging him on with an unmistakable look of pleading lust on her face. Again he was surprised by the easy readability of her face, but he supposed she was designed that way. She pushed back, and her insides, already slick with fluids, let him in easily and she crooned. When his chest met her tail and he was all the way in he let out a low groan. The walls of her sex gripped him tightly, and he stayed still, enjoying the pleasant feeling of her tightness and warmth of her insides, and the pleasantly cool scales against his skin.

Her butt was nestled against his waist once he was balls-deep. Her tail was up and laid against his chest, smooth and heavy. He ran his hands up her back, feeling the hard muscles that supported her wings, hard and warm like living marble. Their mutual breathing provided just enough movement he could feel the ribbed surface of her insides gently massaged his cock, the subtle caresses of flesh ready to please him.

He held on to her hips, and slowly withdrew, watching his penis appear. Her outer lips were bulged outward to accommodate him and as he pulled out, they gripped his shaft, as if reluctant to let go, greedily slurping on his length and leaving a sheen of wetness along his shaft. He pushed into her, just as slowly as he withdrew, savouring every bump and ridge along the inside of her sex. He was gentle, at first, as he always was, slowly starting out, letting her get accustomed to him.

Naomi looked back and said, “stop," and he complied, knowing what she was about to do. Sometimes she got impatient and liked to take control. He held his hands on her hips stayed still, and she pushed backwards, impaling herself on his cock. She couldn't move as fast as he could since she had to move her whole body instead of just her hips, but she did the best she could, and did so with vigour, clearly enjoying the control she had.

Her claws gripped the sheets, giving her traction so she could move, the only part of her that didn't move. She knew exactly how far to go back and forth, moving away just far enough his penis had almost exited her, then pushing back onto him, making contact with his skin with a pat that grew more into a wet smack with every stroke. She rocked back and forth, making a steady rhythm, gradually increasing her pace, absorbed in her own pleasure that overwhelmed everything else. Alex held on to her hips, content with watching her. Her back was bowed down and her shoulder blades stood out, much like a human in doggy-style (or draggy-style, he thought.) At the end of every thrust the feathers on her head swayed back and forth, like grass in the wind.

She was slowing down so she looked back and he understood her face, he held on and took control. Naomi clenched her claws into the sheets as her human fucked her, hard and fast, the way she liked it, and he was rewarded with voiceless breath not unlike a sigh, a sound of pure satisfaction that came from his dragon. Her eyes were half-lidded eyes with lust, hungrily licking her lips, spurning him on. He leaned forward until his chest was against her back, and held on to her belly, getting in deeper and giving him more power with each thrust, ramming into her faster and harder. He felt a hot ball of pleasure grow in him until it filled him, and judging from the sounds she was making, she was feeling the same thing.

He pounded away at her, ramming in and out, all hint of gentleness or caution gone. He could feel her legs weaken under him and she thumped to the bed, wings spread out, and he continued fucking her without slowing, raw and primally, exactly how he imagined dragons doing it in the wild. The image came to him of two feral dragons, fucking with wild abandon, without any grace or romance, unconsciously, unthinkingly, biting and grunting like animals and it spurned him on, wanting to give her a proper rutting she'd receive from another dragon. If her sounds were any indication, this was exactly what she wanted, her tongue was lolling out of her mouth, and she made unconscious moaning.

He wondered if this is what she thought about, whether she was imagining a dragon when he had sex with her. To complete the illusion, and with a tiny twinge of self-consciousness, he leaned forward and gently bit her shoulder, wishing he had fangs. She shuddered and moaned and licked his face. He smiled through a mouthful of scaly flesh and made a mental note too remember this. He let out his most convincing growl and saw her eyes roll back, and she sighed, content to be physically dominated. He made his hands into claws and dug them into her flesh, not too hard but not gently, as he clamped down harder with his teeth. In the back of his mind he knew this was some primal instinct of hers, to submit to what she clearly thought of as a physical, dominant male. Although, he thought, it was probably the same basic instinct he had, something even humans hadn't outgrown because it was doing something for him as well.

He paused to catch his breath and let his heart resume somewhat normal speed.

“Fuck," Naomi muttered.

“My thoughts exactly," he said. “Flip over on to your back."

She complied and turned to lay before him, legs parted wide, exposing herself to him. He crawled towards her, and paused a moment to let it all in. He ran his hands up the curved streaks of deep black that ran down her side against her glossy white body. He felt the scales covering her belly, so delicate and small they looked like fine-stitched netting. When he ran his fingertips over them they were at the threshold of his tactile feeling, so smooth and even they were barely there. She shivered at the light touch, so sensitive now that they were being so physical.

Naomi stretched her wings out and with the single thumb attached to her wing wrist, she gripped his hand. He smiled, knowing what she wanted to do. She had seen a couple holding hands while they watched a movie and had tried doing it with Alex since. He held his hands in the second joint of her wing that served almost like a hand, and she pulled him forward and he pressed his body to hers, feeling the touch of her scales against his skin, wicking away just enough of his body heat to be pleasantly cool.

She let go of his hands and wrapped her wings around him, enveloping him in her soft leathery embrace. They were just light and thin enough they didn't trap heat, but lightly caressed his back like a thin sheet. He held her tightly and felt her heart beating close to his, as she nuzzled his neck. A cool breeze wafted over them, kissing his skin and her scales alike. It carried with it the first few hints of autumn, the smell of leaves and soil.

She licked the tip of his nose and made a light little growl, sound that said “hurry up" better than any words could.

He paused right before the moment of insertion, savouring it. He looked down at their bodies. He couldn't help but notice the juxtaposition, her pure white scales against his pale flesh. and saw his cock rested right at the entrance to her vent, the little mounds of her pussy on either side of his cock. A drop of precum was glistening at the tip. He looked up at her and she was watching him expectantly. He pushed forward a little, so his cock rubbed against her sensitive clitoris, then realigned so that his cock was positioned right at the entrance of her sex.

When he finally plunged all the way in in one long slow stroke, she made a sound halfway between a low, sensual cooing and a deep sigh of satisfaction. She held him tighter, guarding him like a treasure, and gripped him with her legs. She pulled him towards her and he leaned forward, and together they shared a long, slow kiss as he slowly pumped in and out of her. She spurned him on with a squeeze of her thighs together, letting him know she wanted it faster and harder. He complied without pause and heard her muffled cry of pleasure from beneath his lips, still locked on to hers. She crooned, wrapping her thighs around him, and together they rocked together, matching each others' movements. His arms around her, her wings around him, her legs spread open for him and feet crossed over behind his knees, pushing him forward with each thrust. He opened his eyes and saw his dragon looking back at him, the shine of her silver eyes looking back through half-closed lids. She made a sound that was almost like a purr, and relaxed her wings, lightly running her claws against his back.

He knew she was quickly approaching her own climax as well, as her moans became louder and she gripped him tighter. He continued, the repeated action building up pleasure each thrust just imperceptibly better than the previous but building up to a conclusion he knew was inevitable. Already he could feel the warm, rising pressure and the stiffness that spread through his body, snaking its way through his body until it filled every nerve. Naomi's sounds became more urgent, and she held him tighter, the claw on her wing lightly scratching his back. Just as the feeling in his loins became almost too much, Naomi shuddered, her legs tightened around him, and he felt her vent contract around him, and it was just enough to push him closer to the threshold. The moment lasted for a single heartbeat, while they were both teetering on the edge of a precipice, too far gone to stop, and then in a fraction of a second that spanned to eternity he was over the edge, and it was like a cascading release of tension, like he was holding his breath and let it go. For the moment they were both falling and holding each other tightly while he pumped his load into his dragon, each thrust accompanied by another spurt of cum deep inside her.

An unconscious groan escaped them both, and she stroked him with her wings and rode out his climax with him, matching his movements as her rocked back and forth inside her. When it was done he laid atop her, catching his breath, and waited for his heart to stop pounding. The pleasure slowly faded away, leaving a heavy pleasant warmness. Naomi let him go and her wing fell to either side. She happily nuzzled his cheek and he kissed her on the nose, making her flare her nostrils and snuffle. He brushed his hair, wet with sweat, out of his eyes.

Next to his bed, his phone beeped, reminding him of a message. He reached over, still on top of Naomi, still inside her. There was an app on-screen called Daily Dragon Care that gave him random tips for owning a dragon. “Tip of the day:" (it said) “De-feather your dragon outside so you don't make a mess!"

Alex looked at Naomi. “Ah I guess that would have made more sense," he said. Two months ago, Alex had de-feathered Naomi in his living room and it took most of the day to clean up all the feathers. Even now occasionally found one hiding under his couch or in some forgotten corner.

“Okay, Des," he said. The phone responded to his voice whenever he gave it a command. “Turn off notifications." He set it aside and readjusted himself on top of the dragon on his bead, still hard and still inside her.

Naomi looked at his phone, tilting her head. He held it out to her and she sniffed. “Okay, Des," she said.

To her delight, the phone beeped and the screen turned on. Naomi looked up at Alex with wide eyes.

“Okay, Des!" she said, louder.

“What would you like me to do?" the phone asked.

“It's just my phone," Alex chuckled. “You've seen it a million times."

His phone said, “I don't understand 'it's just my phone, you've seen it a million times.'"

Naomi looked up and made a chortling sound.

“Oh, you think you're funny, don't you?"

Her smile told him the answer was yes. She reached over with her wing and tried to grab his phone but he was faster.

“I need to put a password on it, so you don't..."

He pulled it out of her reach.

“...Call Lily or something." He put the phone on his dresser, out of her reach. Naomi nibbled his neck, crooning soft sounds, and giving him goosebumps that spread over his body like warm honey. “I take back what I said earlier. I'm glad I have such a horny dragon."

“Hello?" a voice, beside them. Alex froze. A cold chill shot through him.

“Alex?" The voice was coming from his phone where he had set it down. The screen was on and Lily's name and number were on the screen. “What the hell..." he said to himself. He must have accidentally called her when it heard him say, “Call Lily or something."

“I, um," he swallowed. No way to get out of it now. “What's up?"

Over the phone her heard her laugh. “Have you been drinking?"

“No. H-have you?"

“Any reason you're calling me?"

He looked at his dragon lying below him and felt the drip of cold cum running down his leg. Naomi, at least, was wisely silent.

“...want to hang out and play with my dragon?" he said.

Again, Lily's laughter. “Right now?"

“Sure, unless you're busy." He glanced at the screen - the time was 4:03. “I'll make dinner."

There was a pause while both Alex and Naomi stayed still and listened. Two months ago, Lily had planned on coming over to see Naomi. She had been forced to cancel at the last minute, and they hadn't seen each other since then.

“Sure. I've got nothing better to do. When do you want me there?"

* * *

An hour later he was pacing the kitchen. They obviously had to have drinks. They could have wine. Everyone likes wine. But that might be too obvious, too much like a date. He wanted to ease into it. But lots of friends have wine together. Hell, he's shared wine with his mom.

“Naomi, what do you think? Wine or no?"

Naomi watched him from the couch and said nothing.

“I don't really feel like wine, anyways," he said to himself, quietly. “No matter, I shall woo her with my culinary expertise," he said. “Something simple but good."

In the end he made chicken breasts slow-fried in garlic butter, black pepper and sundried tomatoes, and basmati rice with walnuts and chopped fig and cranberries. He set it to cook slowly and opened a bottle of gin, and made himself a gin and tonic and sat beside Naomi. The gin bottle showed a sailing ship on it, the sides studded with cannons. He snorted to himself. “This gin is first-rate!" he said.

Naomi looked up but her expression didn't change.

“Because sailing ships have classes, and a first-rate is the highest class, one with at least a hundred guns," he explained. Naomi made a huff, curled up and closed her eyes. As he watched her sleep, he wondered how the situation with Naomi would change if he got a girlfriend. He hadn't put much thought in this recently but he'd have to face it eventually if he was romantically involved with someone.

He tapped his fingers on the glass and stopped when he realized what he was doing. The alcohol was, ironically, making him over-think this and he couldn't get it off his mind. The Orwellian-sounding phrase “drunkthink" fluttered into his mind and made its exit, like a raccoon digging through a garbage can. He frowned. He wondered what Lily would think of his reptilian exploits. He was sure her reaction would be revulsion, and she'd want nothing to do with him.

He watched the sleeping form of his dragon, watching her chest expand in and out. Her eyelids twitched in her sleep and a wing gave a small jerk. Naomi was a fine companion, but she wasn't someone with whom he could be with romantically. It's not like they could go out on dates or get married.

When they started having sex, he had rationalized it by remembering it was only because he was lonely, he could easily stop, and Naomi would go back to simply being a pet. It's not like he was actually attracted to her. At least that was what he told himself, in the beginning, but now those words were sounding increasingly hollow, even to him. Now that it was a regular thing, he didn't know anymore. What he did know is that he didn't have to think about humans anymore when he had sex with Naomi. He even found himself fantasizing about her when he was alone.

He ran his eyes over her body, following the gentle curve of her waist and the flaring out of her hips and her thick thighs. She was more human-shaped than any of the dragons he saw at Goddard Genetics. Her eyes and face were more expressive, she was smarter and more communicative. Or was he just seeing these features to rationalize it to himself?

In all honesty, he didn't want to stop. If he had to chose between Naomi and some other girl, whether Lily or anyone else, he didn't know. He lightly trailed his hands across her neck and she twitched in her sleep. He got up, gently, so he wouldn't disturb her, and made himself another drink.

The doorbell rang.

* * *

“You have so many teas! That's awesome." Lily picked up a random box and squinted at the name. “Gunpowder Green?"

“Open it," Alex said, and when she popped open the tin, “It's called that because the tea leaves are formed into those blobs, which look like gunpowder grain. Fine powder was used for rifles and pistols, but larger grains were for cannons."

“How do you know what gunpowder looks like?"

“I know more about cannons than I do about tea. Do you want to try it?"

“Maybe later," she said, and put the box on the shelf. “Make me a drink. What are you having?"

He made her a Gin and Tonic and smiled at the label but decided to wait until she was drinking to make the “first-rate" joke. Dinner had gone smoothly and now they retired to the living room couch. Naomi was sitting between them, and Lily was stroking her neck, idly running her hands over Naomi's head and through the feathers. Clearly enjoying the attention, Naomi pushed her head up against the pressure.

“She's so friendly," Lily said. “I didn't know they were like this."

“They're bred as companions, so they're designed that way. Goddard keeps getting better at it, and every generation gets better, and more intelligent. She's smarter than you might think. Certainly smarter that I thought."

“That's because she's a girl," Lily said, and winked knowingly.

“Well...maybe," Alex said, although privately he was thinking something else entirely. “She understands more than you think. She knows a ton of words, and she's getting better at pronouncing them every day. It's almost like I can have a conversation with her. She knows we're talking about her, now."

Naomi's eyes stayed closed but he saw a slight upturning of her lips, something he might have missed if he didn't know her.

“Sometimes she says things just to rile me up."

Naomi smiled in her toothy dragon way without opening her eyes and mumbled, “Okay, Des."

Alex made a sound halfway between a cough and a chuckle and Lily said, “What was that?"

“Just something she was doing earlier today. It wouldn't really be that funny if I explained it." He sipped his drink to hide his smile.

“I've always wanted a dragon of my own," Lily said, scratching Naomi's chin. Her eyes were closed, and her neck was craned almost vertical, pushing against Lily's hand. She had a half-smile on her mouth, not unlike the one she was wearing earlier when Alex was pleasuring her in an entirely different way. A wing was poised as if froze, almost but not quite touching the ground.

“You're supposed to offer to buy me one, now" Lily said.

Alex laughed. “They're a bit beyond my price range."

“Then how did you afford Naomi?"

Alex quickly tried to sort through his memory, trying to remember what part he could tell her and what he had to lie about. He obviously couldn't tell her she was stolen. “She was discounted because of the flawed wing, so she wasn't that much. Then the buyer canceled so they had to get rid of her for pretty cheap. I was the only one who took her." But Lily seemed to buy it, she nodded, seemingly satisfied. Alex mentally swept his brow.

“But you said they're at least fifty thousand, at least, though. How much was the discount?"

He thought. “When did I say that?"

“When we were at the Seawall earlier this year, and you were telling me about dragons, and you said they start at fifty thousand dollars."

_ Fuck how does she remember that?_ Alex thought. That was like a year ago. He opened his mouth to speak, and out of nowhere, Lily burst out laughing, causing Naomi to jump up, squawking.

“What?" Alex said, incredulous.

“Sorry," she said, giggling. “You just looked so confused for a second, your eyebrows got all scrunchy."

“What? Scrunchy?"

“Like..." she put her glass down. “Like they were shoved together," she pushed her eyebrows together with her fingers until they met in the middle.

Naomi looked back and forth between the two of them.

“But that's what people look like when they're confused," Alex said. He could feel his eyebrows “scrunching" and relaxed them.

“It's alright, I didn't think you were so sensitive." She shook her head, still smiling. Alex tried to think of something that wouldn't make him sound more sensitive and couldn't. He finished his drink.

“I get giggly when I'm drunk, okay?" she said, not really looking at him.

_ I bet that's not the only thing you get,_ Alex thought. He said, “No, it's fine."

There was a pause as Lily sipped her drink. “What's this?" She asked, picking up the book Hunter in Darkness from his coffee table.

“It's an old story-telling device called a 'boook'", he said, exaggerating the 'oo'

Lily rolled her eyes. “I guess these are Naomi's teeth marks?"

“Yeah she said she's always wanted a taste of the pirate life."

“Oh my god you're so lame!" she said, throwing the book at him which he caught and tossed back on to the table. She shook her head but Alex saw her try to hide a smile.

“It's a show, now. I have it recorded. Want to watch it?"

* * *

Captain Ashburn stood before a desk, behind which was a decorated officer of some importance. He held out an official-looking report to the Captain. “We have a report from the Admiralty. They say a Spanish sloop was sighted off the coast, raiding the docks where the Apollo was on patrol."

Ashburn's eyes raised. “Spanish? Another leftover from the War of Succession?"

“It appears so. It's a small ship of a dozen guns. She was damaged in the fight with the Apollo but managed to escape. You may be able to catch her in the Artemis. A sixth-rate frigate such as her shou-"

“Aww, why is his ship only a sixth-rate?" Lily asked. The TV heard her and paused. The officer's mouth was pursed half-way into the word 'should' and he looked like he was whistling.

“The Royal Navy used to categorize ships according to size and how many guns they carried," Alex said. “Sixth-rates were the smallest frigates, with thirty guns or less, I think"

“Well, if I had one, I'd make it a first-rate."

“Well, a first-rate has more than a hundred guns and a crew of nearly a thousand."

She nodded, pursing her lips. “You know a lot about boats"

“I know a lot about everything. Ask Naomi."

They both looked at the dragon who said, “yup!"

Lily laughed. “Well, maybe something smaller then. I don't think I'd be able to handle a thousand men," she said.

Alex fought off the urge to laugh and hid his face behind his empty glass. “Well, maybe if they all stood in a line..."

“Hey!" She swatted at him but he managed to duck away.

“Oh!" he said. He reached for the nearly empty gin bottle, nearly knocking it over. He showed her the ship on the label. “I saw this earlier and I showed it to Naomi and said, 'this gin is first-rate!' but she didn't laugh."

Lily glanced at the bottle then looked at Alex the way a parent looks at a child who says they want to be a firetruck when they grow up. “She and I have a lot in common, then. We should hang out and talk about how lame you are."

Alex held Lily's eyes, kept his face blank, and said in the most serious tone he could muster, and he spoke slowly, enunciating each word. “Maybe she thought the joke was... second-rate."

Lily's mouth turned into a frown and her eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly.

“Don't..." Alex whispered.

Her eyes were visibly watering with the effort to keep her face straight. Her mouth twitched.

“Don't you dare..." Alex said.

She shut her eyes tight and said, “you are so fucking lame."

“Who's more lame, the one who makes the joke or the one who laughs at it?"

“Whichever one you are!" she said. “You owe me another drink to make up for it," she said.

He got up and made them both another. When he came back Naomi had stolen his spot, so he sat next to Lily. He was consciously aware of the closeness, her skin inches from his. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her open her mouth but the TV resumed where it left off, giving them a welcome distraction.

“-ld be able to catch it. We're counting on you and your men to bring its cargo back to the Crown."

Ashburn gave a short bow. “I will make sure my men perform to your standards, sir. And you have my assurances I will perform my part to your satisfaction, as well."

“I know you both will." The officer stood up. “Godspeed to you and your ship."

He could feel a tension in the air, and he knew she could feel it as well. Something was different. Naomi was looking back and forth between them. He wondered if she could tell anything different about them. She was intuitive and knew what he was feeling most of the time. Hell, he had told her about Lily plenty of times. She was probably smart enough to know this girl was now next to him, and there was something between them.

He saw Lily took a sip. Suddenly she turned to him. “So do you have anything to tell me?"

He paused. “...about what?" he said.

She made a “you know what I'm talking about" expression. “Why you were so weird over the phone."

His eyes flickered over to Naomi before he could stop them. “How was I weird?" He tried to sound casual and knew he was failing. He could feel himself getting red.

Lily looked unsatisfied and looked away.

Naomi, still sitting next to him, nudged him with her snout. He laid a hand on her head and gently pushed it away. She nudged him again, harder. The worst that could happen is that Lily would say no. He spoke before he could stop himself and said, all in a rush, “I had a crush on you in high school and I still kind of do so if you want to go out that would be good but I don't want to fuck up our friendship so if you don't want to that's okay too."

She visibly tried to hold back a laugh. She lay a hand on his. “That's what I was waiting for." She put her drink down and looked over at Naomi. She didn't look jealous, as he had feared.

Lily was looking at him expectantly. He felt a mix of courage and fear, spurned on by his small victory. “Do you want to make out?" he said.

She smiled sweetly. “Finally." Without waiting for him to move, she pulled a handful of his shirt towards her, and he leaned over her, running his hands up her arms. He felt her skin, warm and soft, invisible hairs caressing his fingertips. He was so used to Naomi's scales it felt strange. A private part in his mind was disappointed, as if this was somehow a downgrade. For years he had imagined this very thing happening and now that he was finally doing it...

“Is something wrong?"

He hadn't realized he had stopped. He looked down at her. “No. I was just... thinking about something," he ended lamely

She smiled and kissed his neck. “What?"

“I've just been looking forward to this for a while."

“So have I."

Their lips touched, almost without him realizing it, then suddenly she was pulling off his shirt, running her hands over his bare chest, and he was doing the same with hers. He breathed heavily into her neck. “Maybe we should go somewhere private."

“That sounds lovely," she said, “but I don't think she minds. I wouldn't be surprised if she joined in."

He ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her deeply. Then he thought about what she said.

“Wait, what?" he said. What did she mean by that?

She had a strange smile, like she knew something he didn't. “What were you two doing when you called me?"

“I was, um..." He tried to think of something but his mind was like cotton.

“You're always talking about how much you like dragons. How beautiful they are. And the two of you have been living together for a while... I can put two and two together."

He stiffened and felt instantly sober. He started to move back when she pulled him close. She whispered into his ear, very quietly. “You're not the only one who's curious. If you fuck me the way you fuck her maybe she can join in."

At that moment Alex knew exactly how a computer feels when it gets rebooted. “That sounds fucking amazing," he said after several seconds.

Lily laughed and he led her into the bedroom, with Naomi following.