“The only men’s clothing I have is my brother’s,” Carissa said as she came back out with the robe. “He’s about your size, so I think it will fit.” Her eyes fell to the little, white lump on her couch. “Now come on.” She came over and sat on the couch next to him. “I know things look bleak, but that’s no reason to give up.” She rubbed her hand down Michael’s back. When he didn’t respond, she lifted him up, forcing him to look into her eyes. “I know you’re innocent.”
Michael rumbled halfheartedly and let his head drop down, away from her eyes.
Carissa let out a sigh and leaned back against the sofa. She set Michael down so his head rested on her shoulder and his body draped down her chest. “It may not matter to you, but I want you to know that I do care what happens,” Carissa confessed as she caressed his back. “I won’t let them railroad you for something you didn’t do.” She paused, thinking about his situation. “If worse comes to worst, you can stay here. Only Kyle and I know about this place. Eternity won’t find you here. I promise, no matter what happens, I won’t abandon you.” She would find a way to convince her brother to do something to help him. Hell, she’d beat it out of him if she had to.
Shifting into the corner of the couch, Carissa relaxed back under Michael’s weight. She ran her fingers over him, taking in the texture of his scales and rubbing in all those little spots that she liked to be rubbed. It wasn’t long until he vibrated with a silent purr, and the tip of his tall flipped back and forth, showing signs of contentment. Good. He might still be somewhat depressed, but he wasn’t scraping the bottom of the barrel anymore. Carissa sighed and sat up, holding him against her.
“If you’ll excuse me, I need to go take a bath.” Carissa slipped Michael down on the warm cushion. “I’m rather overdue for a good soaking.” Making sure he curled back up, she scratched his head one last time. “If you feel like changing back, here are clothes,” she said and dropped her brother’s robe over the arm of the sofa, “and there is food in the kitchen if you get hungry. I’ll just be in the other room if you need me.” She looked at him for a moment before dropping a kiss on his head and walking out. It had been a few days since her last bath, and she was dying for a good scrubbing.
Michael curled into the warmth Carissa had left behind as he watched her head down the hall to the bathroom. Man, what a fantastic view.
See, you do have a chance, Michael’s peanut gallery poked at him. Now it decided to speak up.
Yeah right, Michael pushed back. She’s way out of my league.
But Mine! said she wouldn’t leave us.
She’s not Mine!, Michael growled. How many times did he have to tell that wayward bit that he didn’t own her?
But, she could be, it pushed back.
This made Michael pause. She did say she cared, and she had just spent a fair amount of time rubbing on him. His scales still tingled from her gentle kneading. How did she know just where to touch? Her slow caresses had worked out most of the bitterness he was feeling towards the world. He let out a puff of air, conceding the potential. His inner dragon danced with joy.
Ignoring the giddy spot in the back of his brain, Michael looked around the small cabin. It was sparsely furnished in a rustic way, but there was a touch of femininity that softened the edges. Very comfortable. The only things that weren’t sparse were the bookshelves. They covered nearly every open wall and were jam-packed with books and scrolls of every type. Michael had never seen so many old books together outside of a library. What was this place?
The sounds of running water drew Michael’s attention, making his dragon perk up. The thought of Carissa stripping out of that flowing dress and dipping into bubble-filled water made him squirm. He fought with the desire to go investigate. He would not go spy on her all wet and naked.
Is Mine! safe? his peanut gallery piped in.
Of course Mine! is safe. And her name is Carissa, not Mine!, Michael snapped back.
Are you sure?
Michael paused in his quick comeback. Carissa was safe. She had to be. This was her place. And she said that no one but Kyle knew about it. A loud bang came from the bathroom, freezing Michael’s heart. Mine! was safe, wasn’t she?
Driven by sudden apprehension, Michael slipped off the couch and scurried down the hall towards where Carissa had gone. He paused at the open door, debating. He couldn’t see anything in the center of the room. Only a white bathroom mat. Should he continue? The dragon part of him pushed him on. Mine! could’ve fallen in the tub; she could be bleeding out even as he debated. The thought of her dying pushed him forwards into the room.
An old, claw-footed tub took up one entire side of the room. Mine! sat waist-deep in bubbly water, fussing with what looked to be a shelf on a pole. Several bottles floated in the water as she secured the end of the pole to the edge of the tub again. Michael let out a deep sigh of relief as the tightness around his heart eased. Mine! was safe. Before he could shift back to human, she finished with the shelf and started gathering up the bottles. Michael relaxed down to the rug and watched her move. So elegant, so smooth, so perfect. He would do anything for her.
Michael’s breath slowed as he processed his train of thought. Had that come from his rampant dragon part, or from someplace else? His peanut gallery laughed and shook its head at him. That part would have served her from the moment it saw her, so this new revelation hadn’t come from it. Was Michael, the man, actually falling in love with her? Or, was it just hormones?
Mine! let out a deep breath, drawing Michael’s attention away from his thoughts. From his point of view, all he could really see was the profile of her face where she relaxed back into the water. Her eyes were closed, and she breathed softly through parted lips. Oh, those lips looked so kissable.
Turning from that heavenly sight, Michael slipped from the room, unseen. The last few days had been hard on Mine!, and she deserved to relax a little. Maybe he should see about scrounging up something to eat. Michael jumped up to the couch to shift back to human form. His exploration would be easier that way. Then he could make Mine! something nice and offer to scrub her back, among other things. He let his mind go, but that tickle of magic that came with shifting didn’t start. Michael shook his head, clearing away thoughts of Mine! writhing under his hands and concentrated on being human. Nothing! Of all the times his dragon could chose to be stubborn, why now?
This was not an uncommon event in the life of dragons. Every now and then, a dragon would find that his parts were too far out of sync to transform. There were support groups set up to help those individuals find their balance. Having worked with the solitary dragons list, Michael had taken more than one unfortunate dragon in for help. He knew the process, but he had never thought he would ever need to use it.