by Ally Miller
He remained locked in his mind until he heard several knocks on the door. “Who could that be…?” he asked himself even though he thought he knew the answer to it already. Begrudgingly, he got off the couch and lumbered over to his front door. He didn’t bother looking through the peek hole and opened the door to see a large, blond man dressed in a white t-shirt and white pain splotched jeans. All he could think to say when he saw him was, “Oh. Who are you?”
“Hello, I’m Brenda’s brother. Ted. She told me to come here and check on ya. Been trying to get a hold of ya all day, don’t ya know?” He crossed his arms and leaned on the door frame, seemingly chewing on something.
“Yeah. I don’t wanna talk to her. Bye, Ted,” Trevor replied coldly, going to close the door. For some reason, seeing Ted standing outside the door made something flare up in Trevor as if he hadn’t been stuck in the same slump for the last few hours.
Before the door closed, Ted stuck his foot between it and the frame and then wedged himself in. “Now hold on there, buddy,” he said as he pried it open. Trevor growled quietly. “I wasn’t done talking to…”
“Don’t care. Not really in the mood for chitchat.” Trevor started to close the door again, but Ted pushed back against it, sending Trevor reeling back because of the sudden burst of strength. He’s stronger than he looks. “You’re not getting the idea here,” Trevor growled as he pointed his finger at Ted. “I told you I didn’t wanna talk and if you’re not gonna get out of here, then I’ll have to make you.”
Ted stepped through the door and closed it behind him. “I’m not leaving until you listen what she has to say, all right?” He took another step forward and Trevor took a step back, both of his hands curling into fists and trembling at his sides. “I just need you to calm down and we’ll talk this out like men, all right?”
That’s funny. I’m not feeling like too much of a man right now. Trevor’s vision went blurry and before he could stop himself, he tackled Ted and pinned him to the wall. Their hands met and Trevor tried to push Ted to the ground while Ted tried to keep Trevor away. Trevor snarled at the blond, forcing him lower and lower until he collapsed beneath him. His next move was to pick him up, but Ted kicked Trevor’s legs from under him, making him fall to the ground with a loud thud.
Ted climbed on top of Trevor and tried to force his weight down onto him, but the shifter’s strength was too much for him and Ted rolled onto his side. Trevor shook his head, trying to see through the blurry vision of rage, but could only clearly tell when Ted was moving—rolling away from him. “There you are,” Trevor growled lowly as he swiped Ted with one of his claws.
“Ack!” Ted grunted as he pulled his arm away from Trevor and gave him a swipe of his own in the form of a punch across Trevor’s jaw. The hit hardly fazed Trevor in his fit of rage, but he could tell that the blow had an effect on Ted. “What the fuck?” he asked himself as he looked at Trevor in a way he couldn’t understand. Even through his distorted vision, he could tell something was off, but couldn’t quite come to his senses enough to stop.
“Why won’t you listen to me?” Ted asked as he shoved Trevor back instead of readying another blow. Trevor paused for a second, dwelling on the question before his anger took over again—the feral dragon inside of him not letting any of his words matter to him. The shifter raised his hand and swung, but narrowly missed the side of Ted’s head, instead impacting the wall behind him. Trevor yowled in pain, slowly reeling it back. “All I wanted to do was come here and tell you why she left.”
Ted’s words only managed to rekindle the clear memory Trevor had that morning. How he’d woken up cold and alone even though he was expecting the warmth of a female body beside him. It was the last straw—it’d broken the camel’s back. He couldn’t take anymore rejection. Not like this.
“I was wrong about her,” Trevor growled as he grabbed Ted’s leg and threw him onto the couch.
Ted grunted and said, “Yeah, and apparently she was wrong about you too. She said she really liked you… I don’t see why.” Ted wiped off some of the drool leaking out the side of his mouth. “I wasted my time coming here.”
Trevor scoffed. “If she likes me so much, why’d she leave, huh?” The tone of the man inside of him overrode that of the beast’s growl. “I wouldn’t have left her…”
“She had to work, you idiot!” Ted seemed to his as he sat up on the couch and leered at Trevor.
At last, Ted’s words seemed to reach Trevor and he paused, his dragonish features reverting. “What?” he asked, awestruck.
Ted shook his head a few times and said, “Are you being serious right now, buddy? She sent me over here to check up on you because she felt bad about having to leave in such a hurry.” He sighed, looking over his bruised hand. “Now I can see why. You’re fucking insane!”
The expression on Trevor’s face faded into a defeated frown and he walked over to Ted. “No… I’m just… I didn’t know she’d…”
“So you beat up her brother to get some revenge? Are you fucked in the head or something?” The glare Ted shot Trevor was enough to send a shiver down his spine and even though he wasn’t anywhere near it, he felt as if he’d been cornered. The shifter swallowed dry air, choking over the words that didn’t get tangled in his tongue.
“I… I’m sorry. I’ve had a rough week and I guess I just kind of…completely lost my shit.” Trevor forced himself to look into Ted’s eyes. “I’m sorry. I really, really like your sister and when I thought she might’ve… I was stupid. I am stupid.”
Ted nodded. “Damn right you are,” he responded. “I don’t know if I’m into you dating my sis after this. Why should I trust you?”
Trevor could feel the metaphysical embodiment of his tail whip around fiercely. “Everything I did to you would be ten times worse to anyone who ever so much as thought to hurt her.”
Ted huffed in understanding. “I see… Well, I guess we all have those kinds of days, right? Sometimes something just has to give…” The weight on Trevor’s chest started to feel a little lighter and a small grin worked its way across his face. As soon as Ted saw it, he added: “If you ever did anything to her you’d be dead where you stand.” His voice turned much deeper and Trevor felt the familiar chill run down his spine again. After a few seconds of silence, Ted asked, “Got that, pretty boy?”
Trevor decided to play off it as best he could. “I wouldn’t have it any other way when it comes to Brenda,” he added. Ted nodded a few times, seemingly pleased with Trevor’s response. “So, um… She left because…she had to work…?”
“Yep,” Ted said. “She tried to call you all morning and you didn’t pick up, so she figured something must be wrong. She told me a lot about you, actually. Like how you work at home and all that. That’s why I thought it was kind of strange too, but… It looks like she was right about you then, eh? Considering you weren’t all right at all.”
“Yeah, I’ve had better days…” Worse days too. “But I just wasn’t really expecting such a, um, pleasant surprise. Did I mention I was sorry for going berserk on you?”
Ted held one of his hands up and said, “The sooner we stop talking about it, the sooner we can forget about it. I think you still owe my sister an apology though. She’s been worried sick about you for a few hours now. It’s even managed to mess with her work flow, which….never happens. It’s kind of weird, actually. The last guy she got really into was…” Ted lost himself in thought and then shook his head. “Eh. Never mind. It’s not really all that important.”
“Okay, well… Should I call her or…?”
“I think your best bet at this point would be to go in there and tell her what’s going on yourself. She’s usually on break for a bit around now, so this’ll be your chance to go and see her.”
“Where does she work?”
“Park ranger. I’ll give ya a ride to where she’s usually patrolling and yes, you can thank me now.”
Chapter 6
Ted let Trevor out of his truck n
ear the entryway of the park. Trevor said, “Thanks,” he said as he got out.
“Don’t mention it,” Ted replied before driving off. The park was farther than he would’ve liked it to be, but walking the distance as a dragon wouldn’t be as bad. Thinking about his dragon form as he walked down the park pathway, Trevor couldn’t help but remember the fact that he still hadn’t told Brenda. She’d been worrying about him and been honest with him the entire time and yet he couldn’t get up the nerve to tell her his most important secret.
Ted told Trevor where to find Brenda—by one of the benches where the kids usually played. It was in the middle of a school day, however, which meant no kids. Lunch hadn’t hit yet so the adults were absent as well. Everything was quiet. Almost a little too quiet for Trevor to be comfortable with. He stayed alert since he knew he most common folk were joggers. There was even a chance that a few seniors would come around the park benches to feed the birds.
It didn’t matter to him though. The building pressure and the heat in his chest let him know his mind was made up. Brenda was going to know who he truly was. She deserved to know even if it meant losing her.
Trevor reveled in the scents all around him even though he was still in his human form. His naturally heightened senses made him feel at home at the park and for a brief moment, he wondered why he didn’t come here often. I really have been missing a lot out here, haven’t I? He thought to himself as he passed the fountain set in the middle of the park.
Just a few feet ahead of him, he could make out what looked like Brenda eating a sandwich on one of the benches. His first thought was to run up to her immediately, but a better idea came to mind as he remembered how he would walk home later on that night. Trevor looked around for a spot there weren’t too many people and started to disrobe in front of some bushes. Just this once, he thought as he took a deep breath and focused his energy, channeling it into doing what he wanted it to. Let’s show her who I really am.
When Trevor came out from behind the bush again, he was no longer a man and instead a jet black dragon. The smells and sensations that he’d grown accustomed to as a man nearly overpowered him as a dragon, but he pressed on down a less challenging path as he made his way to Brenda. He could clearly smell her sandwich—made of bacon, lettuce, and tomato—as he padded closer. His stomach got the better of him and before he could stop himself, he lunged at the half beside her on the bench and scarfed it down.
God, this is so good! Wait…what was I doing again? As soon as Trevor swallowed he remembered his real reason for coming to the bench and tried to smile at Brenda as if he was still a man. In reality, he’d managed to flash his fangs at her, making it look more like a threatening gesture than anything else. Brenda froze in fear, holding an arm up to shield herself while her other hand reached for something on her belt.
No, no! I’m not going to hurt you, Brenda… Trevor whimpered, looking downward as his ears drooped. He wasn’t sure how to get the message across in a way she’d understand. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all…
“Wh-what the hell is this thing? Help! Call the po—” Brenda couldn’t finish her sentence. She tried to utter the last words but they refused to come out. They were locked in a hypnotizing stare. Trevor managed to calm her down and get her quiet.
It’s okay, Brenda. I’m not going to hurt you… He thought as he led her off the bench.
Brenda got up, following Trevor’s lead as he ground her over to the bush where he’d shifted into the beast. Knowing that she would still be stuck in a daze for a short while, Trevor broke the stare and smiled a little. Seeing his lover calm in his dragon’s presence made him happy even if she was only as such because of being under the influence of his power.
Trevor went to hide behind the bush for a moment as he reverted. Brenda slowly started to come to. Just as she came to her senses she was plainly riddled as shown as the scrunched up look on her face. She waited by the bush to see what was going to come out from the other side with a weapon from her belt held at the ready. “What are you doing back there…?” she asked, the words teetering on the edge of fear and excitement. He was in the middle of reverting back into his human form when he’d caught her peeking over the bush. Her sharp gasp seemed to ring in his ears and play over and over again, but he forced himself not to dwell on her reaction.
When he was again a man, he kept his lower half hidden in the bushes as he tried to put his pants back on. Brenda stood there in shock, not knowing what to say or how to say it. Trevor knew he had to be the one to break the silence, so he started by saying, “I’m sorry that I didn’t answer your calls.” Brenda didn’t respond. “I thought you were like the other women I’d been with who stood me up and… I was stupid.” She stayed silent, but managed to close her mouth. “And well… This is what I am. If you want to be with me, then you’ll have to know the truth about me, Brenda… I’m a…I’m a dragon. I’m this…hybrid…thing.”
Trevor looked away from Brenda, but to his surprise she came closer and reached a hand up to cup the side of his face. She placed a soft kiss on his lips and finally said, “I guess I know that extra something that makes you special now, don’t I?”
He blinked twice and asked, “You…you don’t mind?”
She didn’t reply, she only smiled. Fires lit up in Trevor’s eyes and he jumped into the air. Scales rapidly rippled across his skin, his voice deepening and he took Brenda’s hands in his. The claws now holding Brenda’s hands shook as Trevor roared, “We’ve got to make this official with a flight!”
In a flash Trevor was on all fours in front of Brenda. She was cautious at first, but ultimately climbed onto Trevor’s back. The black, jagged wings to her sides flapped up and down as Trevor ran across the park and ascended. They rose into the air together and Brenda screamed at the top of her lungs.
It was music to his ears for Trevor. It’d been so long since he’d heard the sounds of someone’s first flight. Excitement ran through him and made him go faster and faster. Shuddering sensations of Brenda’s cries mixed with the acceleration of flight made the dragon let out a loud roar.
The courtship ritual went on long into Brenda’s shift. They passed nearby towns and cities, lakes, they even went all over the very city in which they lived. Taking such flights had never interested Trevor before, but now that he had them to share with Brenda he couldn’t stop thinking about the next one. The plan played in the back of his mind, but Brenda finally had to get his attention by tapping his shoulder.
Confused, the dragon looked over his shoulder at her. “This really is lovely, Trevor, but I need to be getting back to work now…”
Trevor grunted out of sadness, but accepted the fact. At least I got to finish the courtship. Damn does it feel good to be mated again.
The dragon made his way back to the park and landed softly. He let Brenda off his back and changed back into human form. Brenda helped protect him as he scuttled around for his discarded clothes once again. She smiled a little while watching him, her hands on her hips and the other rangers nowhere in sight.
“So, um… Now that that’s done it’s official…” Trevor said as he came out of the bushes, his hands fidgeting with themselves. “You’re sure that you’d rather be with me more than any other guy, Brenda? There’s so much more for you out there and if you’re stuck with me you’ll probab—”
Brenda cut Trevor off by pressing her lips to his briefly. “Honey… I don’t care about what you are or any of that. I want to be with you.”
Tears welled up in Trevor’s eyes. “Brenda… I…”
“Hush.” She tapped him on the nose lightly. “Now get the rest of your clothes on before I have to get you out of here for indecent exposure. My break’s over, so… Tonight at six?”
Trevor nodded. “Tonight at six.”
THE END
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