by Joyner, GP
"We'd prefer hard," said the second man. "It'll give us more of a reason."
"Fuck this. I didn't come her to talk," said one of the younger men. He ran forward, and Julienne sliced his face open with the stone. He screamed and clutched the bleeding wound. Julienne kicked him in the leg and felled him, and she stood against the edge of the chasm.
"If you think you've got the courage to come after me, then do so," she said, holding the now reddened stone. "I'm not going to back down and I'm not going to let any of you so much as touch me."
"You don't have much of a choice," said the second man. He came forward carefully, and Julienne waved the stone at him purposefully. He came at her and she instinctively shifted her weight to stabilize her stance, forgetting that there was no solid ground behind her. She slipped and fell, tumbling into the chasm, her descent slowed by branches and the chasm's natural incline. She felt her dress get torn off as she slid, finally rolling to a stop at the chasm's bottom. She faintly heard one of the men say something about following her down, to make sure that she was dead and take advantage of the warmness of her body, and so Julienne continued to fight. She propped herself up on her shoulders, sure that she had broken something, and tried to get as far away as she could. She was in agonizing pain, but that would be nothing compared to letting those monsters get ahold of her. She continued crawling, feeling the rough ground scraping her bare belly, using the sharp stone to help her gain some traction against the ground. She knew that she hadn't made it nearly far enough when she heard footsteps not far behind her.
"There she is," said one of the younger men. "Looks like she's ready for us."
"Good," said the second man. "I like a woman who knows her place."
Julienne slumped to the ground, but refused to give up. When the man came close, she turned on him, slicing his thigh open with the stone. She sneered, having missed her true target. The man was angry for a moment, but then he grinned. They both knew the outcome of this, and they both knew he had the upper hand. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the men's leader turn away. If he didn't see it, then it didn't happen, and he had no reason to care about her. As she felt the man's hand close around her arm and she closed her eyes to try to block out what was about to happen, she heard more footsteps coming from behind her. She opened her eyes and saw two people. One was a beautiful young man and the other a stunning young woman. Both had seemingly come out of nowhere, and both were dressed far more extravagantly than she had ever seen. They were both smiling, as well, though she could see some darkness behind their eyes that seemed far older than their visage would suggest.
"It would appear that we've got some visitors, Cecilia," said the young man. "Don't they know that trespassing is against the law?"
"You know their kind doesn't care about the law, James," scoffed the young woman. "Not unless it suits them. What's going on here? Why is that girl naked?"
The men's leader had turned back around, and he addressed the newcomers. "Lord and lady, this doesn't concern you. This woman has been accused of dire crimes and we've come to exact justice."
James asked, "Has she stood trial?"
"She don't have to," said one of the mob. "We all know she's done it, and now we're going to make sure she gets punished."
Cecilia laughed. It was light but harsh, like an early winter's hail. "It's fitting that you think putting your manhood into a woman punishes her."
James drew a sword that Julienne swore hadn't been there moments before. "We'll give you to the count of five to leave the girl and leave this place."
The second man let go of Julienne's arm and he sneered. "Then what? You're going to fight all of us?"
"Yes," said James. "We will."
"Fat chance of that," said the man, and he moved to attack James. Suddenly, the sword was through the man, having moved quicker than Julienne had thought possible. James removed the blade and the man slumped to the ground,
The young man grinned. "Well? Anyone else care to give it a try?"
The men's leader turned and walked away, saying, "I want no part of this anymore."
"What's wrong? Chasing down a defenseless girl is fine, but when someone tries to fight back, you turn tail? Cowards," said Cecilia. She grinned evilly and said, "James, take our new pet back home. I'll take care of these."
James sheathed his sword slowly, in a way that made Julienne shiver, and he removed his cloak and draped it over her. He then picked her up easily and walked away, leaving Cecilia with the men. Julienne looked up at him. "Will she be all right?"
"Hush," said James, as they walked away. "She'll be fine."
Julienne looked past James to where Cecilia stood, unarmed against four men, and she hoped that he was right.
Once she was sure James and the girl were out of sight, Cecilia turned to the quartet of amorous young men. She smiled, her teeth far more sharp than a human's should be, and beckoned to the young men. She was wearing a men's finery, never liking the feel of a dress, and she was making sure it was tight enough to show every curve of her body. This was easy to do, and she knew that the men were looking at her assets rather than her hands. Unlike James, who for some reason preferred to perform his violence with a blade, she preferred the visceral feeling of an opponent's body around her hands.
"If you want me, come and get me," she said. "I'm getting all hot and bothered waiting for you."
One man, whose face had been sliced open, ran off at that point. Three against one, then. One of the other young men, a dumb-looking dark-haired fellow, stepped forward, unsure of what he should do. One hand was on his belt buckle and other on a weapon. He had clearly never done anything like this before, and for a split second, Cecilia thought about granting him some measure of mercy. Then she remembered that he had intended to chase down and ravish a young woman, and her hands were inside of him. She tore him apart easily, and she felt the other two young men grab her shoulders and her attempt to grab her legs. She grinned when she did this, and she let herself go.
The young men never really knew what was happening.
They had been walking for a long time, thought Julienne, but she was also in a daze. The events of the morning were hitting her hard, and she was also going into mild shock over some very bruised bones. It was a miracle that nothing was broken. She was still clutching the sharp stone, and it brought her some comfort. The more she thought about it, the more she wasn't sure she trusted James, but the sharp stone would help her if things went sour.
"I think that's a dragon's tooth," said James. He had been humming tunelessly for most of the walk.
"There were never any dragons around here," said Julienne.
James grinned. He had far too many teeth. "You'd be surprised." Suddenly, Julienne felt very afraid. She tried to squirm out of James's grasp but he pulled her close and made comforting noises. "It's all right. We're not going to hurt you. We're almost back to where Cecilia and I are staying. It's not much, but it's fine for our purposes. You'll have to forgive us. We're not really one for giving aid but those men really raised our ire."
They reached the cave and James laid her gently on a pile of furs. There was nothing around them that had any veneer of civilization. Julienne, in an effort to leave quickly, said, "I think I'll be fine by morning."
"No doubt, but where will you go? We'll let you leave once you figure that out," said James. He smiled again. This time, his teeth seemed to be normal. "Maybe you won't want to leave. I suppose we should get you some new clothes, though."
Before Julienne could answer, Cecilia appeared in the cave's mouth. Her clothing was in tatters, she was covered in blood, and she was grinning. She ran over to James, pulled him close, and kissed him deeply. He leaned into it, and Julienne watched with some trepidation. Cecilia moved one of James's hands to her breast and the other between her legs. She started moaning and he moved his mouth to the nape of her neck. Julienne heard sucking noises. James moved his hands, taking off Cecilia's shirt so quickly that it might have nev
er been there at all, and he moved his mouth to her nipple. Julienne could see the bulge in James's pants, and she blushed but was unable to turn away. Before James could go any further, Cecilia pushed him down and looked straight at Julienne. She took off James's shirt and then his pants, and she moved her mouth down to his stiff manhood. He moaned, panting as Cecilia worked her way up and down the shaft, her eyes always on Julienne, and then James seemed to shift and shimmer and in his place was a small dragon. Julienne opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out. The dragon forced Cecilia away and bent her over, mounting her, and then she, too, shifted and shimmered. With each thrust, the wings of the dragons jostled and moved and then the pair took to the air and were out of the cave in an instant. Julienne knew she could take this moment to escape, but where could she escape? Instead, she crawled to the cave's mouth and looked to the sky. The dragons were twirling, shooting brilliant flames as they joined, and then the flames went white and the dragons descended and shifted and shimmered back into their human forms. James was fully clothed, flushed, and looking endearingly awkward. Cecilia chose to remain naked, and she walked towards Julienne.
She asked, "Did you enjoy that, little girl?"
Julienne couldn't answer, and became very aware that her nipples had hardened and her womanhood had moistened. She blushed and said, "Yes. I didn't realize you were dragons."
"Young dragons," said James. "Still far older than any human, but still young. Cecilia, put some clothing on. You're going to intimidate our guest."
"It's nothing she hasn't seen," said Cecilia. "Maybe a bit better than what she's got, but she's nothing to be ashamed about. I know you've noticed." James blushed, and so did Julienne, and Cecilia made a retching noise. "You two might as well get it over with. We'll all feel better after."
"It wouldn't be right," said James. "She just suffered through an attack. What kind of man would I be if I tried to bed her now?"
"You're not a man, you're a dragon." Cecilia scoffed and cupped Julienne's breast in her hand. "Look at this. Young and pert. She'll be withered and gone by the next time we molt." She licked Julienne's nipple, causing her to shudder. "You like that, don't you?"
"Please stop," said Julienne.
Cecilia took Julienne's hand and moved it downward, into Julienne's own lap. "I know you want to feel it, the exhilaration of it. Why not give in?"
James grabbed Cecilia by the shoulder and pulled her away. "That's enough! She doesn't want to do it, don't make her. You'd be no better than those men."
"You're right, as usual," said Cecilia, suddenly fully clothed. She looked to Julienne and said, "A word of advice, girl. Dragons may covet, but they're also capricious. In simpler terms, we take what we want until we're bored with it. Now then, I'll go get her some clothing. You can stay here and have some fun with your little pet."
Before anyone could reply, Cecilia took to the air. It was a beautiful sight. James draped a skin over Julienne and smiled. "I'm sorry. Cecilia and I have been together for a long time. She gets protective sometimes, and it's difficult to resist her. We have glamour, you see. It's part of how we're able to shift our shapes."
"I could feel it, while you and her were, uh," stammered Julienne. She blushed again.
"That was all her doing. She's quite the exhibitionist," said James. "Are you hungry? I think we've got some game left over."
"All right," said Julienne. After James cooked the meat, he handed it over to Julienne. As she ate, James watched her with interest. She asked, "Why are you doing that?"
"I hardly ever see a human do much of anything," said James. "It's fascinating."
Julienne felt put out by that. "Thank you?"
"No, thank you," said James, and she continued to watch her eat.
An hour later, Cecilia was walking through the town that had so recently run Julienne down. She was trying to find the least flattering clothes she could for James's little pet, but she was also after something much easier to obtain: information. She went to the pub and sat at the bar. Everyone was staring at her, and if she was in a different mood, she'd either fuck or kill them all. Perhaps both. Right now, she just needed to find a way to get Julienne out of her way. She knew full well that if she did anything to the girl, then James would lose his temper and then there'd be no saving Cecilia. If she could convince him to get rid of her, then it would make everything so much easier. She leaned over to the bartender.
"I heard that a woman was run out of town earlier," she said. "Why?"
"I can't rightly say," said the bartender. "I only know that she was accused."
"Accused of what?"
"A lot of things. Witchcraft. Adultery. Satanism. You name it, she was probably accused of it," said the man. "Shame about the lads that went after her. I heard they lost their heads and fell into that old ravine outside of town."
"In a matter of speaking," said Cecilia, and she went on her way with a spring in her step.
Julienne had finished the meal but James was still staring at her with a dumb look in his eyes. Occasionally, she would smile at him, and he would smile back, and she would desperately try to find a way not to look at him. He was frightening, filled with an ageless power that Julienne couldn't fathom. The fourth time she looked away, James asked, "What's wrong? Don't you like me?"
"I don't know," said Julienne. "You scare me. I know that much."
"I'm very scary," he agreed. "Except I'm not. I'm not the type of dragon to attack people or burn down villages. I’ve never even ravaged a kingdom to eat their princess. That was a joke, by the way."
"Oh. Ha ha. What do you want with me? I'm just a stupid woman who's probably a fraction of your age," said Julienne.
"There's something in you that draws me in," said James. "I just have the feeling that I need to keep you safe."
"Is that why you were in the chasm?"
"Maybe," said James, with a shrug.
After a long silence, Julienne asked, "Please don't take this the long way, but have you ever made love to a human?"
"Yes," said James. "Have you?"
"No," said Julienne. "Why?"
"I just get the urge sometimes," said James. "I usually don't reveal myself to them. They just think I'm human."
"I saw your manhood as a dragon and a human. Doesn't it feel different?"
"I don't know. I never asked," said James. "You could see."
Julienne shook her head. "I hardly know you. There's something frightening and terrible about you."
"I helped save you and fed you," said James. "No, no. That's the wrong way to think. I'm not going to guilt you into anything."
"Thank you," said Julienne. "You are a handsome man. You were a handsome dragon, as well."
"Thank you. You're a beautiful young human," said James.
"I suppose it wouldn't hurt if I just touched it," said Julienne. "Not for any sex purposes. Just out of curiosity."
"Exactly," said James.
She placed her hand on his penis. As a human, it was smooth and went stiff when she touched it. She supposed it was a good size, but then James shifted into his true form. It was at least three times as large but still smooth. She wondered how it would feel inside of her, but put that thought out of her mind. She hardly knew this man and she refused to be that kind of woman. She let go of his manhood and he shifted back into a fully clothed young man.
"Nothing to it," he said.
"I wouldn't say that," quipped Julienne. "I want to know more about you, James. I want to know why a dragon would act like a man."
"Everyone gets bored sometimes," said James. "When I was a hatchling, I knew I never wanted to harm anyone who didn't deserve it. I fancied that I could be a hero's assistant, but then I met Cecilia and she convinced me that more fun could be had if went with her. That was over a century ago. We've been so many places and done so many things." He sighed, reflecting on his past. "I fear we're ending our cycle. We've been through fifty of them and it's never easy. I love her, but she refuses to carry my
child. Enough about me. Why does a girl get chased out of town?"
"I was falsely accused," she said. "Tricked. I was an herbalist's assistant. That man you killed, he summoned me to his home with some herbs for his back. Instead, he tried to have his way with me. I ran, but he was angry, and he came after me with all the anger and hate he could muster. He said I was an adulterous witch."
James was frowning. "Did he have children?"
"I think one," said Julienne.
"When Cecilia comes back, I will make things right as much as I can," said James.
"You have a kind heart," said Julienne, and she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.
"Well, what do we have here? I'm not even gone for an hour and you're already trying to have your way with my mate," said Cecilia, having entered the cave silently.
"It's not like that," said Julienne, once again blushing.
"Oh, stop that. You look like a twit," she said. "I know why you were run out of town. Would you like to know, James?"
"I already do," he replied. "She was chased out of town under false pretenses. We can surely relate to that."
"You might be able to," said Cecilia, clearly deflated.
"Now that you're back, I have to go make some things right in town," said James, and he shimmered and shifted into his true form and was out of the cave. Julienne quickly became aware of how vulnerable she was, and it didn't help when Cecilia tossed her a rough dress. It looked like the sort of thing a slave would wear, and it perfectly encapsulated how she knew Cecilia felt about her. She shrugged off the skins and tried to hurriedly put on the dress, but the dragon woman snatched it away from her.
"You think you're so special," she sneered. "This isn't the first time James has chosen some human to fawn over. He gets it into his mind to take care of your kind, and eventually, he'll tear you apart. He won't mean to, but you can't survive his love. Only I can. I'd leave now, while you still can."
"I don't understand either of you," said Julienne.
