Chapter 9

It's Time

Carler had to admit he was nervous. He decided that he would go forward in their relationship tonight and make his move. Would this cement their relationship, or would she run away as fast as she could? He didn't even want to guess. Carler had never worried about something so much in his life. That's how important she was to him and how much it meant to him to claim her for all time.

He stood outside her door, ready to knock, but he hesitated. Why? The reason wasn't clear, but maybe he feared how she would react. Maybe he had lost his confidence along the way and now was afraid to find out what would happen. Carler knew he needed to move forward, so finally, he pulled up the courage and knocked on the door. She must have been standing near the door or sitting close by because it took no time for the door to swing open. Viv looked amazing, and his heart beat out of his chest as he looked at her.

Was he wrong, or was she ready to move forward with the relationship that they had had for quite some time now? Did he dare hope she would move forward, and they could complete what was between them? He talked to his dragon and told him they needed to go slow, and if she was willing to give in to them tonight, that would have to be enough. His dragon never replied, which worried him, but not enough that he would hold back if she let him have his way.

"You are so beautiful it takes my breath away," Carler observed.

She blushed a pretty pink. It gave her cheeks color and made her look even more beautiful. "Thank you. You look handsome yourself."

"If you're ready, we'll go now." He led her to the elevator, and they went up, but not all the way.

She figured out that he was taking her to his room. "Confident?"

"No, but I have something set up for you." He admitted.

When they entered his suite, the aroma of delicious food hit her nose. Soft music played in the background, and the scene was set perfectly for seduction. It was evident to her that he had brought in a chef to fix their special meal. When they entered, after they were seated, the chef came out with a salad. Apparently, he was going to be serving each course of their meal. The salad had a sweet vinaigrette she had never had before, but it was delicious. They had barely finished it when he brought out appetizers and set them on the table.

The appetizers were delightful. He served them fried mushrooms with several dipping sauces and Something that looked like small, individually baked bread with several things, like cheese, that she could spread on it. By the time the main meal came out, she wasn't sure if she could eat another bite, but somehow, she managed.

Next, he served Chicken Scarpariello on angel hair pasta. It was amazing. Her favorite was the flaxy croissants filled with chocolate and served with coffee. After serving that, the chef disappeared. They ate slowly and spoke a little in between bites. This was about them, so work was not spoken of. They spoke of the trips they would like to take and the places they would like to go. It seems Carler wanted to see the world, but there were special places that he wanted to be sure to see.

Viv had the same outlook and wanted to see many exciting places she heard about. Carler suggested that they go see them together. She likes that idea. They would go there, and she would have a protector to ensure that nothing happened to either of them. No one would want to take him on, so they'd be safe. They moved to the dining room, where a sweet red wine awaited. She could not deny that this was the life. She wanted to work, but afterward, going to a safe, relaxing place was nice. It would also be nice to take a vacation every year and go somewhere you really wanted to see.

She was getting nervous because it would be time to decide what would happen next once the wine was done. Would he make a move? Would he kiss her until she was breathless and then pick her up and carry her to bed like a romance hero? Or maybe he would decide that she wasn't what he wanted, and they would skip all that, and each go their own way. Now, she didn't believe that one either. He had been putting much time and effort into wooing her, and he would go forward.

Their glasses were empty, and he wasn't asking her if she wanted a refill. He was looking at her like he wanted to gobble her up, and it made the heat run through her body. Carler got up and moved toward her.

"Are you ready? Do you want me? This is your decision."

Her voice froze, and she could only nod. Carler moved in and lifted her, carrying her to the bed. She had always dreamed of someone doing that. Carler slid her feet from her shoes and dropped them beside the bed. He moved his hands up to her buttons and began to work on them. When her dress was open, he slid off her shoulders.

Carler looked at her, and she could see the amazement and worship in his eyes. "I've never seen anyone more beautiful in my life."

He moved up to the inside of her thigh, where he placed a kiss just above her silk stockings. Then he began to work his way down, kissing her leg through her stockings. She shook with need as he worked his way down to her foot. He moved to the other side and worked his way back up, and even though she was wearing her stockings, she could feel every breath that he took and feel his lips as he kissed her. When he got up to the inside of her thigh, where he was kissing her bare skin, she thought she was going to jump out of her skin.

Viv felt so needy, hot, and wet that she could hardly stand waiting for him to take her. The thought of them joining was so incredible she wanted to do it now. She could also feel him shaking, showing her that he wanted her and didn't want to wait either. Carler moved to where he was on top of her, holding himself on his elbows. She could feel the heat from his body and see the need in his eyes.

Lips dropped to hers, and he gave her a kiss full of desire. She'd never felt this kind of intense need in her life. Viv returned his kiss with a passion of her own, hoping to lure him into sating her incredible need. He refused, continuing to feed the fire that was roaring between them. It was so strong she feared she would climax before he even entered her. Carler moved down to her breasts and sucked her nipples through the silky material of her teddy, and she swore she could feel it as if she wore nothing. Viv moaned and writhed beneath him.

"Goddess, I want you so much." He whispered in her ear.

"Then take me."

"I didn't think you would want me to tear this pretty thing off of you." He observed.

"It comes off easily, and it has full access." She informed him.

The part between her legs unsnapped to give him a way inside her. That would prevent the pretty teddy from being ripped right off of her. She showed it to him, and he immediately unsnapped it. He wore his own clothing still, but it was easy for him to access his cock. He quickly pulled it out and checked her to ensure she was ready. Viv was drenched, but he was able to slide right in.

"Are you alright?" He asked softly.

"More than all right." She said as he eased in.

They both moan as her core wrapped around him. "You are so tight."

"That's because you are so big."

He started sliding in and out slowly at first, and then he picked up speed. Her legs wrapped around him, and her toes dug into the soft cheeks of his ass. This was the most sensual experience she had ever had. Sex with Doug had been good, but it had been sweet and tender. They experimented occasionally, but things never got wild or overly passionate. She thought it was because neither of them was overly sexual people. Now she was discovering that wasn't true at all. Viv just needed to discover that side of herself.

Or maybe she had just needed help discovering that side of herself and releasing the inner vixen. Carler was showing her just how wild it could be as he was pounding into her, and she was lifting up to meet him. Her body was on fire, and she urged him on. She wanted him deeper, harder, faster, and just plain more. Her climax was just out of reach, and she wanted it now. It was so close that she could almost taste it. Viv felt that she would never stop wanting more once she reached it.

"Come for me!" He demanded, and so she did.

She flew as her climax hit her over and over again, and then he came as well. Viv felt a sharp pain in her neck, but she ignored it because the pleasure was hitting her so hard that nothing else mattered. That was something she would worry about later. Maybe he'd bitten her because her impulse had been to bite him back, and she had. His blood was rich and coppery. The bites just caused them both to come again. It was the most incredible feeling she had ever had, and she would want to do this over and over.

They made love again several times. "I didn't know a man could recover so quickly," Viv observed.

"That depends on the man."

Apparently, that was true because he was ready to go again. The surprise was that Viv was ready to go with him. She was turning into a wanton woman. Before, sex had been intimate and a sign of love, and while it had been enjoyable, it had not been like this. This was an incredible adventure and just sharing of two bodies in an explosive manner. She couldn't seem to get enough of it.

"Maybe I should let you get some sleep. We do have to work in the morning." Carler observed.

"We both do, and you need your sleep as well."

"Will you sleep with me? We can get up early enough that you can go by your place, take a shower, and get dressed."

"Yes, we can do that." The next thing she knew, she was asleep, and it was the deepest and best sleep she had ever had.

Carler woke her, even though she wasn't ready to get up. She knew she needed to get ready for work. She dressed and headed down to her room with a smile. It was hard to stop smiling after the evening she had just enjoyed. After getting in her room, she undressed, showered, and redressed. His timing was impeccable because there was a knock on the door, and he had come to escort her to breakfast.

Viv was a little sore and tired, but she felt wonderful. With a little coffee and something to eat, she would be in wonderful shape. It was the best exercise she had ever gotten because it had been a good workout, and she had enjoyed it. Glancing up at him as they walked to the cafeteria, she sensed something had changed between them, and there was a bond there that she didn't understand.

As she looked at the food in the cafeteria, her appetite exploded. There was nothing to do but to get as much food as she could and hope no one noticed. Yeah, right. She noticed people were looking at her. Someone even commented that it looked like someone hadn't gotten any food last night. Well, if that was what explained it to them, then that was good, right? It was almost like her appetite had doubled. If she didn't know better, she would think she was pregnant.

She was on her usual birth control, so she wasn't worried about that. Even if it happened, it would be too soon for her appetite to increase. Viv was happy that she had stayed on her pills so she wouldn't have to worry about a complication before she was sure of a relationship. That was great foresight because she had considered getting off them since she hadn't seen anyone.

Her doctor suggested she stay on them to keep things regular, although she wasn't sure they helped. About two hours later in the office, she felt weird and had a hot flash. She never had anything like that before. Was she getting ill? She'd had colds before but never anything serious and didn't know what to think about it. Viv switched to mineral water and hoped whatever it was would pass. It didn't.

She progressively worsened, and the hot flash switched to a fever. Breakfast didn't taste nearly as good when it came back up as she hugged the porcelain throne. Since Carler had left the office on some errand, she couldn't ask him if he'd gotten sick, too. Maybe it was something she'd eaten? Sex couldn't make you sick, could it? She was as sick as a dog by noon when he returned. He didn't look surprised when she told him she felt terrible.

"Is there an illness going around?" She asked.

"I believe I know what's wrong with you. I need to take you to my room and have our doctor see you. She will be able to help you, and once she takes a look at you, I will tell you what I believe is wrong."

Viv could barely walk as she clung to him. They took the elevator to his floor, and he settled her into his room. She crashed as soon as he put her to bed, and she had a hard time waking up when the doctor arrived.

"Another one? Don't you guys prepare these women for this? Maybe we should be checking into a way to ease them into this rather than just drop them hard?" The doctor asked.

"Is that even possible?" Carler questioned.

"I believe this could be done easier. Some things could be done in preparation that might help when the time comes. Knowing that this would happen might also help, at least mentally. Let me go in and see her."

"I'll show you where she is." He led the way.

"My name is Amy, and I'm a doctor. I'm gonna help you feel better and get over this quickly. Your male here has some things he must tell you after I leave."

"I'd appreciate anything you can do to make me feel better because right now, I feel absolutely awful. It's the worst I can ever remember feeling," she replied.

"That's not a surprise. Do you want to eat anything, honey?"

"Yeah, I think I could," Viv answered.

Amy directed, "Order her some chicken noodle soup." She should also get a couple of bottles of mineral water and some ice.

Amy got a washcloth and wiped off her face. Viv had to admit that it helped cool her down. The doctor got to work checking her blood pressure, her heart rate, and her temperature. "Just what I expected."

"Doc, I need to know what's wrong with me, and you seem to know."

"I do, but it's not my place to tell you. Mr. Carler needs to explain that to you. I'm here to make this as easy on you as possible. You need to drink as much as possible, and water is best. The mineral water is to help you with your stomach, and we will save it for that. Their water is the cleanest, freshest water you'll find anywhere because they run it through several treatments. That's what you will drink until you are better. Food will be as tolerated, and for now, I can't see you having anything except soup and only the kind that is easiest on your stomach. Sleep, you need to get all that you can. Any questions?"

"Only the ones you won't answer."

"Alrighty then. I'm going to give you a vitamin shot. This should help speed healing. I will also give you a broad-spectrum antibiotic even though you probably don't need one. It's just in case."

"Does that mean you think I have an infection, or you know I don't?" Viv asked.

Amy chuckled. "You're a sneaky one. I won't answer that question because I've already said enough. The best thing for you right now would be sleep. Your guy will bring you your food, and I will let him feed you if you need help while he explains what's going on."

Her timing was impeccable, and Carler entered with a tray. He set it down on the nightstand beside her and pulled up a chair.

"I'm going to get back to my usual work. I have my computer with me, and I will be in the living room while you two talk. Call me if you need anything," Amy offered.

As soon as she said it, she was gone before either could answer. That was probably her intention because whatever was going on, it was clear that she did not want to end up in the middle of it. Now Viv stared at Carler. He had the answers, and he would give them to her.

"You need to eat. While you're doing that, I will explain what is happening."

"I feel well enough to feed myself, but I need to know what is happening," Viv demanded.

"How do you feel about dragons?"

"Dragons? Are you saying that Old Joe is right and there are dragons here? Do they carry a disease? I don't know how you could have caught it since I haven't been around any dragons."

"No. Dragons do not carry diseases. Yes, Joe was right that there are dragons here. But he was not right about them, and they do not want to take over this world."

"Joe, he said they were dragon shifters. That means they can turn into dragons. Are you one of them?"

"Yes, I am one of them, and now you are too. That is what is happening to you. Your body is changing and making room for your other half. This change would not occur if you do not have dragon shifter DNA," Carler explained. "It doesn't need to be very much, but you need to have it to change. We think that when your planet was young, a spaceship crashed or landed here, and there were dragons on it, maybe even many dragons. They either could not leave or chose not to. They mixed in with the local inhabitants. That is why many of your people have dragon DNA," Carler explained.

"I believe I figured things out. I'm very sick. I'm in a coma, and I am dreaming. That's the only thing that could be happening. I've been obsessed with Old Joe, and it's coming back to bite me. I'm dreaming he was right about everything, and the dragons have come to get us."

"Joe is not right about everything, and you are not dreaming. Dragons are not invading your world. We do not want to take over everything, and we hope that we will be able to help your people."

"You're telling me you have come here to be helpful without hoping to get anything back? I find that hard to believe." Viv admitted.

"No, our society has an imbalance regarding the ratio of males to females. We came here to find mates."

"That's all you were looking for. Someone to mate?"

"I was reassigned here and didn't intend to find a mate. I knew I couldn't live without you the moment I saw you."

Viv was crying. She didn't know how to handle everything. She'd finished her food, and she was feeling really tired. Her eyes kept closing, and she fell asleep even though she wanted to say something to him. Something was touching her, and she wasn't sure what when she jerked awake. It wasn't Carler, it was the doctor, Amy. She was checking her blood pressure and other things.

"Will I live?" Viv joked.

"You seem to be doing well. You're fully into your change and are adjusting. It's hard to say how long it will last. I've only seen a few. When you are done changing, you will be stronger, less likely to get ill, and you will have a very long lifespan. The most exciting thing to me would be flying high in the sky. I can hardly imagine what that would be like. I suppose I should get out there and find myself a dragon. They are not easy to draw in and are very particular about who they mate. It is said that the dragon knows the moment it meets their mate, but the man knows too. You have to be chosen by both of them to be a fated mate."

"You see how hard this transformation is and yet you would choose it?"

Amy suggested, "Let me know how you feel about it after you change, and you soar through the clouds."

"You've spoken to others who have gone through this change?"

"I have. Most are on their planet, but the other one is here. Since you will be a dragon now, I don't think it's a secret anymore. Ranger's mate, Toni, she changed not all that long ago. I have never seen a happier person."

"She was human?"

"Completely until she changed. She was also caught off guard and even sicker than you are," Amy admitted.

"What do I do?"

"I can't answer that for you. But I will say you no longer belong to the human population. Do you love Carler? If you do, your decision is clear."

Did she? She had been trying to figure out his place in her life. That decision had not been made yet, and she had hoped for more time. While it was true he had not been sure that she would change, He must have had some idea that his dragon would bite and that she might change. He was asking for forgiveness because he hadn't asked for permission. She didn't think she was ready to give it to him.

Viv was overwhelmed with tiredness. Amy made her drink a large glass of water before she would let her sleep. Though the doctor was very nice, she ensured you did what she wanted. Viv would feel better, and then she would crash. That usually happened after she would eat or drink. Four days later, she slept a little bit less, and the doctor finally allowed her to eat real food. That meant something other than soups or food through a blender. Carler stayed with her every night and visited her during the day. He tried to talk to her, but she didn't have much to say.

That attitude couldn't last because it made her feel bad when he looked like a puppy that had been kicked. What a joke! She felt bad after what he had done. According to Amy, it didn't matter because what he had done could not be undone. Viv would be a dragon for life, and whether she wanted to be his mate or not, he would have to teach her about being a dragon. Amy was right about something else; she was no longer part of the human experience. There was no going back.

"Have you decided that you'll talk to me now?" Carler asked.

She just woke up from her latest several hours of sleep. Had she started to wake on her own, or had Carer's voice woken her? Viv wasn't really sure, but she turned and glared at him.

"What do you expect from me? You gave me no choice, and whether you knew for sure or not, you knew it was a possibility, and you told me nothing."

"You're right, but I needed you. Maybe we would mate anyway because I felt we got along so well, and the passion was there."

That would have been beautiful had he told her before he bit her. This man, no, this male, was so handsome, yet she wasn't sure if she would have been better off if he had picked someone else. Did she want to be a dragon? Viv didn't know, and being a dragon had good and bad points. Amy had told her that most of the good and bad ones were going through so much change. It was not the transformation in itself, although that was rough. It was that she no longer knew herself because she was someone entirely different now.

Even if she was a better new Viv 2.0 with all kinds of benefits she hadn't had before, she still was no longer herself. There was also no guarantee that she would be able to change. Amy and Carler both seemed to think that she would be able to be a full dragon and be able to fly. Fire breathing? Most couldn't, so there was no way to be sure about that. It depended largely on the DNA she had inherited from some far-distant ancestor she knew nothing about.

"I need some rest right now. Come back when you get off work, and we'll talk."

He started to lean in to kiss her, but she leaned away from him, so he pulled back. Again, with the puppy dog eyes. She'd never seen herself as weak before, but she had difficulty fighting against Carler. Did that mean she loved him? It didn't feel the same as it did with Doug. Maybe this was a more grown-up love? After all, she had always heard that love came in many different packages and types. If this was love, there was no way she would be able to walk away from him. He would be hers, and she would be his, and that was all there was to it.

Viv thought she might be going crazy because she was hearing a voice. It was a sweet voice like a young girl or a teenager. It asked her to care for their mate and not make him suffer. She wanted to ask what about me, what about my suffering. There was no answer, probably because the voice was not real. She knew she was having difficulty coming to terms with her major change, and still, in a way, she didn't believe that this could be true.

This was the thing of fantasy and science fiction. There was nothing real about what was going on. Viv had gotten sick and had been hallucinating. That was the best explanation. And yet everyone who spoke to her seemed to believe she had become a dragon shifter. That made her remember Landra and Kareth when they had said they had special protection. Was this what they meant? Had they planned to morph if need be? Could a dragon repel bullets? How cool would that be? The problem would be that you weren't supposed to show your dragon, so you'd be in big trouble if you shifted in a crowd.

If that wasn't what they meant, then what did they mean? She started thinking of many comments that had been made that she had thought were odd and wondered why. Then, as she fell asleep, she wondered what her dragon would look like. In her dreams, her dragon was fabulous. It was silver and purple. The wings were large, and she could breathe fire. That just showed how much of a dreamer she could really be. Purple had always been one of her favorite colors, so that was probably why she was thinking of it.

She was flying beside a shadowy dragon, and she couldn't get a good look at it. The dragons flew so high and then flew low. The dragons flew to the ocean and hopped on the waves. There was no need to fear because they were the biggest predators on Earth—maybe not the biggest, but the most dangerous one. They could turn anything into a crispy snack if anything came after them. Viv was laughing when she woke.