Chapter 19
GILLIAN
Iprobably haven’t really thought this through. At some point, I’m going to have to touch Dalox. Also at some point, I’m going to have to get out of these wet clothes.
Not that it means I have much in the way of regrets. Being naked with Dalox would be a mistake.
This is the massive alien dragon man who is presently swimming away from me on his back, and I’m pretty sure I can see wings in the water. He’s also making himself into a…well a Sarkarnii fountain, spitting water into the air.
Turns out males are males wherever you are in the universe. And they never actually grow up either.
I slide down the slope and into the deeper part of the pool. The warm water envelopes me in a steamy embrace.
I will admit, I am slightly regretting being clothed. This situation would be infinitely improved with a costume…or nothing at all, like Dalox.
As I lose touch with the floor and have to tread water, I swim towards the rear of the pool. I guess it’s around about half Olympic size in total, although the shape of it is irregular. I’d like to see what’s at the far end.
With no Dalox in sight, I do a brisk breast stroke to my final destination. There’s no ramp here, only water dark below me, although as I look around the edge, I spot a depression in the wall, which almost looks like a seat underneath the surface.
Additionally, I see there are items ranged around the side of the pool, items which almost look like instruments of torture. Metal hooks, things which look like sickles, combs made with spikes. None of it looks good, and now I’m a long way from the entrance.
I kick my legs, putting my hands on the side in order to pull myself out of the water, when something tugs on my foot.
I kick again, this time harder, at the thing which has me.
“Perfectly placed, little spark,” Dalox rumbles in my ear. “And I have soaked enough.”
A hand reaches past me and takes hold of one of the metal hooks.
I spin around in the water to face him.
“What are you doing?” I glare at him.
But I am out of my element. I can fight, but not here. I have let my guard down around this male, and I am going to pay for it.
“My shed is tough,” Dalox says, his tail lashing through the water, and I feel the eddies against my legs, making the fabric of the jumpsuit ripple.
He lifts his hair to one side and slides the spike down the back of his neck. I hear a distinct crack.
“What the hell is it? Are you wearing a shell or something?” I blurt out, my emotions tumbling over themselves.
Horror, embarrassment at my fear of him, of this situation, which was entirely unfounded. Dalox does need help and, while I admit there’s all the chance of an ulterior motive, so far he has been entirely true to what he is.
And right now he’s…well basically a lizard. A lizard with a problem.
“Not exactly,” Dalox rumbles. “My shed is tough.”
“You’re telling me.” I feel like my eyes are popping out of my head as there is a second crack. “And this is you soaked.”
A third crack has me wincing, and then I see the flap of transparent, but still iridescent, scaly skin, edged with slightly milky colored ghosts of spines, which is when I see the problem.
“Wait. Stop.” I put my hand on his arm, the one holding the torture instrument. “Over here.”
I guide him to the depression in the wall and then turn him away from me.
“Sit,” I say.
Dalox sits.
“You will require this.” He hands me the spike. It’s ridiculously heavy.
“No, I won’t.” I put it on the side where it makes a clattering sound.
“I would prefer not to be envenomated while I shed, but I will not stop you,” Dalox says, his voice strained.
“Envenom…? What? No!”
I run my hand down his spines. The ones where he has cracked the skin away from them are soft. I splash water on the next few below and then gently massage at them, slowly getting the moisture in between the new skin and the old.
With a satisfying slowness, the casting on the old spines begins to shift, sliding away from the new ones easily as I pull gently.
Dalox groans quietly.
“Am I hurting you? Just say if I am.”
He makes a noise which could be a no, or it could be a word I don’t recognize. However, I can’t imagine this behemoth telling me if I’m causing him pain, especially when he seemed to be implying I could deliver poison somehow and he would take it.
I shake off the strange concept and continue working my way down his spines. It’s not a job I had any concept of doing in my life, but it is satisfying every time one, or occasionally a clump, comes free and slides away from Dalox’s body.
Also almost as satisfying is the noises he is making as I continue to massage down and down his spine. It seems he’s also making a considerable effort to keep his tail still, and as I reach the base, it twitches violently then immediately goes back to good behavior.
“Sensitive?” I ask.
“Sensitive.” Dalox moans the word. “For you,” he adds. “Deadly for anyone else.”
I don’t doubt it. The spines on the appendage are longer and more vicious looking, but again, with a little gentle persuasion, one by one they come free until eventually, there are no more spines.
I go back to the rest of his skin, smoothing my hands over it, marveling as it slides from the brand-new scales underneath.
“Turn around. I’ll deal with the rest of it.”
“I cannot,” Dalox rumbles.
“I’m sure you can,” I say with practiced efficiency. Now I’ve got the hang of this skin shedding, I’m keen to see the job through.
“I cannot,” Dalox repeats. “Because you will see how much I want to breed you.”