78 A Shifter

Dmitri's POV:

I looked towards Toma and Ross as dawn started to approach, the nighttime beginning to leave the vampires and make them tired. "You should take your treasure to bed," I heard Ross purr in a soft, loving tone to my Toma, giving him a gentle kiss on his forehead. "He looks tired... and dawn is coming. They need to go to bed soon, little mate," he told him, caressing his cheek as he held Toma close to him. I smiled softly as I watched them, Ross being gentle with my little baby Toma instead of being a possessive jerk of a dragon. He really is a good choice for Toma. He's definitely a good mate, and he's been spoiling Toma since he was four, teaching him dragon things that I could never have taught him. I purred softly in approval as I watched Ross steal a small kiss from Toma's lips, pulling him close. If I have to give Toma up to another dragon, I'd pick Ross in a heartbeat over a different dragon. He's so sweet as a mate. It's only been a night since Ross remarked him, and he's already being kind and loving to him. Toma blushed as he parted from the kiss.

"Okay, but you better promise me not to plan anything~" Toma told him firmly.

"I won't," he promised him and purred at him. "I'll stay with Sera and let you make the nest however you want to make it. I won't go in there and spoil it either, so you'll have to let me know when you're ready for me," he told him sweetly and gently kissed his neck, scrapping his teeth against Toma's skin with a light growl. Toma held back a gasp and pulled back.

"Okay, I'm going to take Dmitri to bed then." Toma looked Ross over and gave him a sweet smile before turning and heading straight for me. "Bedtime," he told me and grabbed my hand. I laughed a little and nodded.

"Bye Ross!" I called over my shoulder, seeing him going for Sera. I smiled at Toma and led him out of the room, giving his hand a squeeze. "So if you have kids, I get to play with them, right?" I asked him excitedly.

"Who said we're having kids? If we do, I'll eat them!" Toma told me.

"Don't eat them," I told him and frowned. "Ross would get mad at you. He might even hide the eggs from you if you try that."

"We're not having kids," Toma said as he pulled me straight towards my room. "I don't want hatchlings."

"Why not?" I asked him curiously. "You weren't completely against the idea earlier. You just said Ross had to have the eggs."

"Well now I'm not having any," he told me and shook his head. "I'm the only dragon you two need."

"Is it because I asked?" I frowned then. He doesn't want other dragons around me that might call me treasure like he does....

"No. I'm just possessive," he explained. I nodded and then pulled him close as I opened the door to my room and then took him inside, shutting the door behind me. I looked towards my bed and purred at the sight of it then walked over to the closet, getting some pajamas then got dressed. I walked out quickly and collapsed in my bed, moaning at the feel of the softness and how it cradled me after a long night of standing and dancing with other people. I love Toma... but that was a loooong party. Toma was in the bathroom running some water. He was probably going to take an oil bath before coming to bed. I smiled and then got under the blankets, closing my eyes as I waited for Toma to come back as I thought about my plans for tomorrow night. I'd need to get started on that resistance stuff soon. It'd be best to run in quickly and get back in it as soon as possible.... Silas can get me my post back when he fights Lyle at his coronation, but I can at least get in.... This should be fun.... Maybe I could ask Charles if he wants to help out? Nah, he'd kick my ass for talking about the resistance. It's best to leave him out of it. I had to work to get us to stop fighting with each other. I'll be hushed about it then.... I smiled and then looked towards my phone on the nightstand, grabbing it and searching up nearby bars as I did my best to remember where the resistance would like to go, finding a few that were human bars with supernatural dens in the back that I could remember going to. I smirked and sat my phone down. I'll be back in the resistance before Lyle can say hopscotch. Toma walked out after a few minutes in a robe but he transformed into a small dragon form and ran up to the bed, hoping into it and snuck up to the crook of my neck before curling up into it. I gasped and then laughed, purring to him sweetly as I kissed his head and rubbed his chin to put him to sleep.

"Cutie," I mumbled to him. He let out a small purr as he leaned in to my touch. I could hear him falling asleep by the second. His scales were soft to the touch. I smiled and pulled him closer to me so he could enjoy my warmth as I pulled the blankets closer to us and closed my eyes, starting to fall asleep on my own....

~Time Skip~

I was walking down an alleyway, my hands shoved into my pockets as I looked up at the moon with a small smile. It was a full moon tonight... a little bit of cloud blocking the stars, lit up faintly at the edges by the moonlight. I looked around, searching the darkness for the guy I was supposed to meet back here. I had gotten a mysterious letter last night, instructing me to walk around in this general area till I heard three knocks. This is what I get for being a previous outpost leader and currently skulking around all the old resistance hangouts. They know I'm looking for them, whether this is going to be good or bad- Knock, knock... knock. I tensed up and looked around quickly for where the noise came from then locked eyes with a girl dangling her feet off a nearby roof as she sat there, watching me while she gently swung her feet back and forth, a hammer in her hand up against the drainpipe. "Why hello there~" She purred at me, giving me an amused look. "Is your hair natural or is it dyed?" She asked, eyeing me down.

"Na... natural?" I frowned at her as I tilted my head up to watch her. She smirked then.

"That's interesting~ I like it. It's very pretty.... So, I'm sure you know why you're here, don't you?" She gave me a grin then and dropped the hammer, watching as it fell and hit the ground with a sharp clatter. She jumped down from the roof, landing effortlessly on her bare feet and then started to walk towards me. "Dmitri~ You were spotted rather quickly as soon as you started to appear again. Where have you been all this time? The resistance was starting to wonder if you had been converted, but once a bad boy, always a bad boy, right? You'll always feel that hunter in you urging you to be the baddest you can be. Their rules are too restrictive for someone like you," she purred, gently rubbing my cheek as she got right up against me and smelled me. I widened my eyes a little as I watched her, her red eyes looking at me in amusement.

"Get to the point," I told her quickly, not wanting her to drag whatever this was out.

"The point? Why, do I make you nervous?" She asked and laughed, pulling her hand away. "They want you to man this outpost... a little ways out from here. It's previous owner was killed at a bar raid quite recently, and they need someone to step up, but this outpost is a bit particular about the kind of leader it needs. We know you could easily run it. You've dealt with multitudes of creatures before. It's got all kinds of creatures there that are being sold nightly on the black market, but if we put someone who wasn't experienced with this kind of thing, we'd have a mess on our hands. Become the outpost leader and get things running over there again, will you~?" She purred, her eyes glancing me over as she trailed them over every inch of my body, making me shift nervously. Why does she keep eyeing me down?

"You want me to run an outpost again?" I asked and frowned. I didn't think they'd be asking me to run an outpost. Silas was supposed to give me my own once he joins... but this might be the chance I need... and I do know how to effectively sell on the black market. My outpost last time specialized in that kind of thing... selling creatures. I mean, all outposts do sell on the black market. They all have their own little way of selling and earning money, but I had some rare creatures at mine.... This one must have a lot of special creatures coming through it constantly if they're looking for someone experienced. "Alright," I hummed out.

"Good," she said and smirked, snapping her fingers. We were suddenly standing in a bedroom then. "This is the master bedroom for the outpost. You'll be allowed to stay here as leader, and there is a grand bathroom right over there, and might I add that the bathtub is impressive~ It's got water jets and a hot tub mode~ and it's really big. You could easily have four women in it at a time if you're into that," she told me and winked. "The closet is walk in of course, and I think you'll enjoy the set up in there. Just tell someone what kind of sheets you want on the bed, and they'll get them for you for when you're staying over the day here.

We want our leaders to be able to run their outposts effectively and be able to stay if they need to. Oh! This button here opens the shades up and gives you a great view of the gardens outside at night, and there are plenty of flowers specifically picked for their beautiful blossoms and their vibrant colors under the moonlight," she told me and then started to walk towards the door. "Let me show you where your office is and then take you to see the creatures that you'll need to be selling by the end of the month. They're giving you some time to get readjusted and to set things up here the way you want them, so take advantage of it. You do have a quota to make," she told me and smirked.

What the hell? I feel like I just sold my soul to a job.... I have a bedroom this time! I bit my bottom lip and followed her out, letting her lead me to a nearby office just a few doors down the hall. She showed me where a map was hidden in my desk and then started to lead me down some halls and then to an elevator where she took a key out of her pocket and then inserted it into a button for a floor marked B2. The elevator started up and then took us down quickly, opening up to a bright hallway that had doors going off to the sides.

She grabbed my hand and took the key out, pulling me off the elevator. "They have it separated into different species down here to make it easier to sell. You'll have to learn which room is what... but I need to show you the special room. Sometimes we get really rare creatures, and we place them in a security tight room where nothing can get through except for the leader and those put into the system by the leader. I'll have you put into the system as the leader of the outpost before I leave tonight, so don't worry. You'll have all access to everything here soon, and you'll be getting this key," she told me, dangling the key for me to see and smirked.

She took me down to a door at the end and then put her finger against a scanner and leaned in, letting it scan her retinas too. It dinged and lit up green after a few minutes, a small tile in the wall sliding up and revealing a keypad. She punched in a combination and I heard the door unlock, allowing us inside. She opened it quickly and pulled me in, cutting on the lights to reveal a cage held in the center of the room on a cart. She smiled and shut the door quickly, walking over to it. "We only keep cages in here when we have a creature that's rare to safeguard. No sense in wasting cages, and it keeps it easier to keep track of where the creature is if you have fewer cages," she told me, explaining why there was only one cage.

" This is your special little creature you need to sell. You have two months I believe... because of what it is. You have a month with everything else. This, my friend, is a shapeshifter. The paperwork is already filled out for it to be here and to be sold, but you'll have to fill out the paperwork when someone buys it. We like to keep track of things, remember?" She hummed out, looking into the cage with a blank look. I frowned and walked up slowly. Shapeshifter? I've never seen one.... Inside the cage was a black furred bunny. The ears were sticking straight up and directed at us, I could tell the bunny was fully aware and listening to us. The bunny edged towards the cage and bit down into it, rattling it to make noise. She hissed at it then and smacked the side of the cage.

"You'll ruin your teeth biting the cage," she scolded, narrowing her eyes as the smack had jarred the cage. I tensed up as I saw her do it and then looked towards the bunny with worry, hoping it hadn't gotten hurt. The bunny had froze up quickly before hopping to the other side of the cage and turned it's back on her. "Little brat," the girl muttered then looked at me. "I'm going to go and put you into the system. I'm sure you can figure anything out, and if you need help, give me a call. I already put my number into your phone," she purred at me and gave me a wink before she walked towards the door. "Ta ta Dmitri~ Don't disappoint us!" She called over her shoulder as she abandoned me, shutting the door. I frowned a bit and then looked towards the bunny, lightly touching the cage before I started to walk towards the door to go explore a bit. I heard the bunny hop after my movement. I paused and looked over my shoulder curiously towards it. The bunny was watching me and twitched an ear.

"Hi?" I said and frowned a little. It's watching me.... I turned around to face it and looked the bunny over. The bunny flicked an ear before staring into my soul.

"Hello," I heard a faint whisper coming from the bunny. The voice sounded very feminine. I widened my eyes a little as it talked back to me. So they can talk in their forms like dragons.... I slowly approached the cage then, looking down at the bunny as I tilted my head.

"Are you hungry?" I asked it curiously, noticing that it didn't have much food left in the little bowl in the corner of it's cage.

"What's your name?" She asked me sweetly. I frowned and then returned my gaze back to the bunny.

"Dmitri," I told her softly. "What's yours?"

"Ka-hra. Kara," she told me. "Kara Gray." I smiled then.

"That's an interesting name Kara," I told her and then looked around, spotting some nearby food for her. I walked over to it and got some, taking it to the cage and then stuck it through the bars and into her food bowl. She turned around and towards the food bowl before changing her shape into a black cat. I laughed then and watched her with interest. "So you really are one," I mumbled. She watched me and purred.

"Of course I am! I'm one. This cage restricts me though from using my powers to turn into prettier shapes and sizes and forms." I tilted my head then in curiosity.

"Like what?"

"Like a panther!" She told me. "Or a human.... or a vampire like you! I'd be very pretty..."

"You can become a vampire?" I asked her and frowned. That's... weird.

"Of course! Vampires aren't different you know from humans.... Though they don't like the sun. I found that out the hard way." I tilted my head then.

"Well, yeah... of course we don't like the sun," I told her and then laughed. "Tell you what, I bet it's cramped in there, and it'd be very rude of me to keep you all cooped up 24-7. I'll let you out for a bit to get some exercise if you promise not to give me problems," I told her, kneeling down to be on eye level with her.

"Define problems," she purred.

"Like trying to run away," I hummed out, watching her.

"I won't run away. As long as you give me food." I frowned then. Where exactly did they find her? I nodded slowly and then opened the cage door cautiously, backing away from her cage so she wouldn't pounce on me and attack me. She looked the door over before jumping down into the floor and transformed into a huge panther before laying down.

"That's so much better," she yawned out. I smiled a little, glad she was enjoying it.

"That's good," I mumbled and then sat down in front of her, watching her closely. If I get caught, I'm so screwed.... I shouldn't have let her out, but I wanted to be nice. It'd be heartless of me to keep her in there constantly. She looked me over before moving close to me and laid her head down in my lap. She sniffed me then before looking up into my eyes.

"You've got a dragon." I blushed and nodded.

"Yeah, his name is Toma," I told her softly then looked towards her fur curiously. I started to pet her then, rubbing behind her ears as I started to feel a little excited. I'm getting to pet a shapeshifter! Hopefully she won't bite my hand off. She suddenly transformed into a pink dragon, not changing the size but just the species. She fluttered her wings then and nuzzled her head against my stomach.

"I want to meet Toma, I bet he's a fierce dragon.... a strong one." I blushed then, biting my lower lip.

"H-he is strong," I whispered to her. SHE JUST TURNED. INTO. A. DRAGON! I held back a huge smile from the excitement and delight at being near a dragon, a small purr escaping me as I felt a bit nervous with her rubbing her head against my stomach. Toma isn't going to be too happy. He'll smell her.

"Really?" She asked. "I had a feeling! Dragons are amazing creatures.... I like dragons, don't you?" She asked and giggled. "Oh wait, you should since you've been a dragon's treasure for a long time." I smiled.

"Yeah, I really love dragons," I told her and then started to rub under her chin like I would for Toma. She melted at my touch and leaned her head against my fingers.

"That's it!" She told me. "Just touch me there, that feels good." I purred to her, laughing a bit as I rubbed a bit more, focusing on that spot there for her to please her as I rubbed a bit harder there against her scales. "I never said harder, Dmitri." She sat up then before shifting her form again. It sort of seemed like she was showing off her freedom to go between forms. She suddenly transformed into a girl and flung herself at me, hugging me as she wrapped her arms around my neck. I blushed a bit and looked towards her then looked towards her pretty pink hair. I purred softly to her and ran my fingers through it curiously, delighted when I found it was soft like silk. I found my fingers running through a dark pink into a lighter shade before the hair would fall down onto her back. The wave was very natural. She pulled back to look in my eyes, smiling towards me. Her eyes were a gorgeous golden yellow that glowed around her pupil but darkened out to a light brown. I looked at them in awe, taken aback by how pretty they were and found I had stopped breathing at the sight of them as I couldn't take my eyes away from hers. I felt my heart skip a beat as I could see the deepness in her eyes as I stared at her, getting lost in them. "Can I borrow your shirt?" She asked sweetly. I snapped out of it and felt my face heat into a deep blush as I realized she was naked. I took my shirt off quickly and slipped it over her head.

"S-sorry," I stammered out quickly, feeling a bit guilty for not offering it sooner. She put it on and smelled it before giving me a thankful look.

"Thank you so much. Now can I have some people flood? Maybe some pasta?" I blushed and then found myself nodding before I could think it through.

"Yeah, you can have some pasta," I told her then started to get to my feet, pulling her up with me then let her hand go. She attached herself quickly to me, linking our arms together. I looked at her then and bit my bottom lip, not arguing with her as I took her over to the door and snuck her out of the room. I started to lead her down the hall towards the elevator, getting in it and taking her up to the floor where my bedroom was. I quickly led her to it, not wanting to get caught with her then snuck her inside. "I think there are some pants you can borrow in the closet," I whispered to her as I walked over to the nightstand and noticed the key to the basements on it. I picked it up and slipped it into my pocket for later then picked up the phone, using a note for service numbers to call up the kitchen and ordered her some spaghetti. She walked into the closet and came back after a few minutes with a pair of sweat pants on. She held out a shirt to me as she walked up to the bed and sat down on it. I smiled and took it from her. "Thanks," I purred and then slipped the shirt on, covering my chest up. "The spaghetti will be up here soon," I promised and then gave her a smile. "You can take a bath if you want." She crossed her legs and gave a sweet smile.

"Maybe after I eat," she told me. I nodded.

"Alright," I hummed out and glanced her over before I started to explore the room on my own, checking out what all was in here. She watched me and spun on the bed to keep her eyes on me. I glanced towards her as I noticed her watching me and purred at her, giving her a playful look to mess with her as I walked around the room, checking out various objects. She suddenly laid back on the bed before getting up and walked off to the bathroom, deciding to go ahead and take a bath. I could hear her starting up the water. I raised an eyebrow as I looked towards the closed door. I thought she said she was going to go take a bath after she ate.... I walked over to the bed and then laid down in it, curling up to wait for her spaghetti. So I'm an outpost leader again.... After a few minutes I could hear her giggling from in the bathroom. I frowned and sat up a bit. "Everything alright in there Kara?" I called after her, getting a little worried.

"Yeah~" She told me. "I'm okay!" I frowned and looked the door over and then laid back down, trying to ignore what she was doing. After a few more minutes I heard her in the closet before she walked out in fresh clothes, another pair of sweats and a band shirt she found in there. She walked up to the bed with her hair still soaked and clinging to her face. I frowned and looked towards her.

"Aren't you going to dry your hair?" I asked her.

"Nu-uh," she told me and crawled into the bed, laying down next to me. "It'll dry on it's own time." I laughed then and nodded.

"Okay," I purred to her and turned onto my side to look at her. "Did you enjoy yourself?"

"Yeah! Where's the pasta?" She asked and looked around.

"Almost done more than likely," I told her and then looked at my nails. "It'll be here soon." She looked towards my nails curiously. I glanced towards her and then let her look at my nails better, giving her a smile. "They're probably not as nice as yours," I told her and laughed. She laughed and took my hands.

"I could make them as pretty as mine." She purred sweetly. I laughed then and smiled towards her.

"Maybe some other night," I told her and laughed a bit. The door opened and a girl walked in with a tray, setting it down on the bed then quickly left. I glanced towards the tray, seeing it was her spaghetti. "Oh look, there you go. Eat up." She sat up quickly and took the tray into her lap before starting to eat it and moaned at the very taste of it. I smiled softly as I watched her and then sat up a little, leaning my back against the headboard as I stretched. "I'm glad you like it," I mumbled to her. She looked towards me.

"It's great to have real food," she whispered. I nodded.

"I bet it is," I mumbled and then looked away from her, feeling bad that she even had to say that. I have no clue how long she's been down there being fed that crap out of a bag.... She fell back against the bed after clearing the plate of spaghetti. She rubbed her stomach and stared up at the ceiling. I smiled and looked towards her, taking the tray from her with the plate and set it aside on the nightstand. "You can get some rest if you'd like," I whispered to her, looking down at her. "I can go do other things as long as you promise not to leave the room and you take a nap."

"Okay, I'll stay here and take a nap." She gave me a sweet smile before closing her eyes. "Come back though..." I watched her and then rubbed her cheek as I started to get up then caught her scent as I got off the bed. I moaned softly, finding it to have a mixture of pomegranate and vanilla. She had another tone to her scent that must've gave off she was a shifter. I looked at her curiously, finding myself strangely attracted to it, lulling me in. I purred softly as my body took over and I slowly leaned into the crook of her neck, smelling her. She giggled and tilted her head up to look towards me. I looked towards her then and purred softly to her, looking down into her eyes before I looked back down to her neck then leaned in, my fangs extending instinctively. "Are you hungry?" She asked curiously.

"Maybe," I mumbled then kissed her neck softly.

"Well I wouldn't mind.... I've never been bit before... So don't be mean about it." I looked into her eyes then nodded, sitting down gently beside her and leaned in, biting into her slowly so it wouldn't cause her too much pain. She wrapped an arm around me and used one hand to grip my shirt. She let out a small groan. I eased up on her and pulled my fangs out, licking her neck clean as I started to drink from her. She let me and I could taste a ting of different species pulled together into a stronger taste of human. It flooded together in a delightful mixture. A very powerful taste. It wasn't anything I had before.

I moaned softly at the taste and purred in delight, drinking from her as I started to suck on the wound, leaning over her as I held myself up with a hand against the bed. She relaxed under me after a few seconds and I could hear her breath catching. I purred to her to comfort her as I got a real good taste of her then bit in again instinctively as another moan escaped me. My fangs ached to bite her deeper, but I held back from it, not wanting to hurt her. She gasped and I felt her fingers run up to my hair and curl it. I suddenly tasted something pleasant in her blood, hard to detect from the different tastes. I moaned and started to focus on it, trying to taste it more as I wanted it to dominate the other flavors out of curiosity, the hint not enough for me. I caught a sweet and delicious taste from her blood, drawing me in towards it. I deepened my bite, my fangs sinking into her more as I held onto her and felt my venom dripping from my fangs into her bloodstream just a little, my fangs starting to take over a bit as instinct became harder to fight off.

"Ow," She gasped out and stopped quickly. I could hear her heart race a little. I paused then, snapping back to reality a bit and then started to pull away. What the heck am I doing? Why am I about to mark her? She started to calm down as I pulled away. "I must taste really good," she whispered. I looked down at her as I licked my lips.

"You do," I told her softly then looked at her neck longingly then looked back at her. "I'm sorry I hurt you...."

"It's okay," she whispered. "I didn't mind.... You're not so hungry anymore." I gave her a smile then and nodded.

"Yeah," I mumbled and then sat up, removing her arms from around my neck. She let them fall beside her.

"Are you still going to go find something else to do?" She asked curiously. I looked at her then and tilted my head.

"Do you want me to stay?" I asked her softly, watching her.

"I don't have to rest right now...." She trailed off. I nodded then and ran my fingers through her hair before I found myself being drawn back towards her neck, my eyes looking towards it. She watched my eyes with curiosity. I glanced at her and then looked into her eyes, losing myself in them again as I watched her. I purred softly to her and rubbed her cheek then blushed as it dawned on me... her ability to draw me towards her like that and make my instincts take over like that... her blood having that amazing taste under it. I looked her in the eyes and then ran my fingers through her beautiful hair. Fate has given me another mate.... I can't believe it.... Twice in my lifetime. I widened my eyes slightly as I watched her, wondering if she could sense it too.... She watched me. "What?" She asked curiously. "Why're you looking at me like that?" I blinked then and felt my heart speed up a bit.

"N-nothing," I told her and blushed, sitting up and taking my hand back. Is she my mate? She nodded then and gave a smile.

"Okay," she whispered. "If you say so." I watched her curiously then and got to my feet nervously, wondering if she even knew about mates.

"So what about your kind?" I hummed out lightly, trying not to jump right out to asking her. Her kind might not have mates... and I'll be completely wrong. I walked over to the windows and looked outside, looking at the garden. "What all does your kind have?"

"What do you mean?" She asked and sat up, watching me. I looked towards her and shrugged.

"Well, I know you can shift into different creatures.... I was wondering if maybe you guys have some sort of beliefs like fate and mates and stuff," I hummed out, trying to be casual about it.

"Oh I don't know," she told me. "I never met another shifter before. I know we're not like dragons that know more about their species even when coming out of an egg. I wasn't given knowledge from birth like them.... I had to figure out what little I know." I frowned then and looked at her. Well that's not helpful.

"Oh..." I trailed off and then looked out the window, putting my hands into my pockets. I'm being silly anyways. She's probably not my mate. It's probably a fluke because I've never really had shifter blood before. That's all it is.... I need to take her back downstairs soon and head back to Toma before he gets upset with me. "Kara, I need to go back and check on my dragon. I need to take you downstairs, okay?" I asked softly, not looking towards her as I felt a little bad about it but shushed it quickly.

"I don't want to go back downstairs," she whispered. "Please. I won't leave this room and you can go visit Toma." I looked over at her and frowned.

"Kara, I could get in a lot of trouble, and then someone meaner would come along and lock you back up downstairs till you're sold like a slave," I told her firmly, clenching my hands in my pockets as I did my best not to cave at the look she was giving.

"I don't want to go back down there though!" She shook her head and looked me in the eyes. "Dmitri," she whispered. I frowned a little and then walked over to her.

"Kara..." I mumbled and then gently touched her cheek, looking her in the eyes. "I can't leave you alone up here.... What if someone walked up here?" I could always sneak her away with me... or I could always buy her and have her registered as mine- It'd essentially make her free... and she'd be free to sleep up here and be under my personal care. No one would be able to question it if I had a record of sale for her and she belonged to me.

"Dmitri," she whispered. "I can just hide away.... I can turn really tiny and sleep in a hidden place.... maybe a shoe." I looked at her and tsked before I sighed and relaxed.

"You can come with me instead of going downstairs," I suggested. "Turn small so I can sneak you out... a dragon perhaps. I have a record for buying Toma. If you could become a small black dragon, not many would question me walking out with a black dragon." She nodded before frowning.

"Night dragon?" She asked me to make sure. I nodded.

"Yes, that's what Toma is," I purred to her. "If you can turn into that, I could take you with me for a bit and then bring you back." She nodded before suddenly disappearing in her clothes, a puff of silver dust fell with her clothes before she slipped out from the clothes, almost a mirrored image of Toma when he first hatched. I widened my eyes at the sight and purred quickly, scooping her up. OH MY LORD! SHE'S ALMOST EXACTLY LIKE HIIIIIIMMMM! I put her on my shoulder and purred to her, kissing the top of her head then started for the door, leaving and finding my way to the garage. A man walked up to me and smiled.

"Are you leaving Mr. Dmitri?" He asked. I nodded and then put a hand on my hip.

"Yeah, I need a car for the day," I told him. He smiled and gave me a set of keys.

"That one is for your private use," he informed me, pointing out a sleek black sports car. I smirked and then started for it.

"Thank you very much~" I said in amusement, taking Kara over to the car and then got into the driver's seat, starting her up. I laughed as it revved to life and sped out of there quickly, driving away from the place as I set my phone up to take me to Kingsley's castle. Kara glanced the car over before looking out the window. When we were a distance away, she crawled down into the passengers seat and started to search the car, like she was looking for something. I glanced at her curiously then laughed. "What are you doing?" I asked her.

"You never know, it might be bugged," she told me. I raised an eyebrow then nodded.

"Good point," I hummed out and then focused on the road, letting her do her thing. She searched it before ending up back on my shoulder and purring. She laid down in the same crook of my neck Toma enjoyed. I smiled softly, nuzzling my head against hers as I looked towards the road and then gave her head a soft kiss. "I hope Toma doesn't get upset," I whispered to her, driving with her as I let her relax....

I took her inside, letting her stay on my shoulder as I hid her form with my jacket a bit, keeping my hood close around my neck so Toma wouldn't immediately get pissed. "Toma! I'm home!" I called out, looking around and smelling the air.

"IN THE KITCHEN!" I heard Toma yell out for me.

"Welcome home," I heard Aurelio and Kingsley say from the night room at the same time. I laughed and then bounced off for the kitchen quickly, going in.

"Toma~!" I purred happily and ran up to him, giving him a hug. "How are you?" He tensed up as he caught the sight of Kara instantly.

"What's that?" He asked and let out a possessive growl.

"Not a dragon," I said quickly and then gently pulled Kara off my shoulder. "She's a shapeshifter," I told him, not wanting him to freak out as I let him see her better. He looked her over.

"Why's she look like me?" He asked.

"Dmitri told me to," she said sweetly. I laughed nervously then.

"I didn't want someone to think I had her from where I was sneaking her away from," I explained. Crap. That sounds really weird when she said it like that. "They know I have a night dragon, and I thought it would be easier to carry her as one."

"You know I don't want other dragons touching you!" He hissed.

"I'm not a dragon," Kara said kindly. She glanced around and found Toma was making himself some sushi. She leapt over him and went straight for it and started to eat one roll already made. I frowned then.

"She really isn't a dragon.... I swear she isn't," I promised Toma. "Kara, could you be a kitten so he doesn't freak?" I asked her worriedly. She looked towards us as Toma was tensing us at the sight of her eating his food. She transformed for us into a black cat and continued to eat the roll.

"She's stealing my food," he hissed. I bit my bottom lip and quickly went over to the refrigerator, getting her some tuna and then put it out for her, taking Toma's sushi away from her then gave it to Toma. Toma slid down the counter from her to eat it. She looked at the tuna and frowned.

"Tuna isn't healthy for cats," she told me and then jumped off the counter and dust flew around as she transformed into a human, her pink hair falling down around her body as she wrapped her arms around my neck. Toma's eyes widened and he avoided looking at her quickly. I blushed and looked towards her then took my shirt off and put it over her head, slipping it on her to cover her up.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you unhappy about the tuna," I told her and then looked towards Toma. "It's okay Toma. She's got a shirt on." She went back to the tuna and started to eat it, walking back to my side and smirked towards him.

"What's the matter with him?" She asked.

"He's been raised up around guys mostly and he has a male mate," I told her and smiled. "He just recently learned about the talk."

"What talk?" She asked me. "What's that code for?" I frowned then. No wonder why she doesn't freak about being naked. She probably has no clue.

"Sex," I told her simply, watching her facial expression to see if she knew what it was.

"Why didn't you just say that?" She asked and shrugged. "Do you have any females here? I want to wear a dress."

"We have some," I told her and smiled in relief. She knows... good. "There is Silas, Everest, and Sera, and a few more, but if you're going to ask for clothes, ask from those three."

"Well who are those three?" She asked and then looked at Toma. "Toma, sex is natrual. I don't mind you looking."

"OH MY GOD! ROSS!" Toma yelled and left the kitchen.

"WHAT IS IT MY LOVE?!" I heard Ross ask in a panic at hearing Toma's distress.

"THERE'S A NAKED GIRL NEAR MY TREASURE!" Toma yelled.

"Oh?" I heard Ross outside the door then with Toma. "Maybe he got a mate," he suggested. "Did it occur to you that your treasure would find love too?" I blushed a deep shade of red then.

"No, the last one got it good.... I thought that would scare him away from wanting a mate."

"Huh, well Toma, you have to face it. He's growing up on you," Ross teased him.

"I'm already grown!" I yelled at them and frowned. Talking about me like I'm a kid....

"What's going on?" I heard Alfred asking them. "Why're you yelling about naked girls? You know there are little kids staying here Toma."

"Toma's treasure has a mate in the kitchen," Ross purred to Alfred. I blushed then.

"Why are they all just assuming that," I mumbled, rubbing the back of my neck. "Just because I bring a girl home doesn't mean she's my mate....."

"Well shall I get her some clothes then?" Alfred asked. He stepped into the kitchen then. "Dmitri, back so soon form your trip? I see you brought back a woman." I blushed then.

"Ehhh.... Yeah?" Oh man... the butler is after me. "She wants a dress," I told him quickly, looking away from them. They all assume so much....

"You can take her up to Sera's room. Sera might have something for her liking- let me see-" He walked up to a cabinet and grabbed a towel down used for kitchen messes. He threw it towards her. "Wrap up in that. We have kids you know in this castle." She blushed and held it around her body. I bit my bottom lip and nodded.

"Thanks... Alfred," I said nervously, looking down at my feet and then looked towards her, grabbing one of her hands and pulled her towards the door quickly to escape the awkwardness. I paused as I almost ran into Toma and Ross and tried to slip past them with her.

"Where are you taking her?" Toma asked. "She's not staying right?" He started to follow me.

"I'm taking her to get her a dress," I told Toma softly, looking at him. "She'll be returning back possibly. I don't know what I'm going to do yet," I mumbled. "She's going to be sold in two months unless I buy her and keep her from being sold to someone else."

"You don't like her, right?" He asked. Kara gave him the tuna then and giggled.

"That's none of your business anyways," she told him. I raised an eyebrow towards her and then looked at my worried Toma.

"Why're you so worried?" I asked him and gave him a sweet look. "You know I'm your treasure~ even if I might like someone."

"Because I want to make sure you've got the best of the best for a mate," he told me.

"Goodbye Toma," Kara told him. "Run along now." I frowned a little towards her then looked at Toma, kissing his forehead.

"You're not going to breed me," I teased him. "I'll talk to you later. She needs to get something to wear besides a towel and my shirt."

"This isn't the end," Toma told me. "We'll be talking more about you bringing home a strange woman." He stopped following us then. I laughed a little then.

"Don't look so worried Toma," I told him and smiled. "Do you smell a mark on her?"

"No," he muttered. "I just want to talk about this further!" He stormed off for the kitchen. I laughed and then shook my head and started to take her to Sera's room, holding her hand. I knocked on the door when we reached it and gave her hand a squeeze.

"Sera! I've got a girl who needs your help," I called out, hoping she was in there.

"Come in," I heard her call for me. I could hear her pausing the TV. "Don't be shy, I'm just drinking tea and watching an episode of Vampire Diaries." I opened the door then and poked my head in.

"Hey," I said softly and then brought her in, shutting the door behind her. "This is Kara. She's a shapeshifter," I informed her, giving a nervous smile. Sera sat on her couch, sipping on tea with a magazine in her lap. The TV was paused on the wall. The coffee table had a few letters sorted out on it as well as extra papers. She looked us over and gave a motherly grin.

"A shapeshifter? I've never met one before. My name is Sera," she held out her hand for Kara. "Come here sweetie and let me have a look at you." Kara giggled and walked up to her, taking her hand. Sera looked over Kara. "My my.... is that your natural hair color?" She asked and reached up, running her fingers through it.

"I think so," Kara told her. I smiled softly and relaxed a little, walking over slowly.

"She doesn't really know much about her kind I think," I told her and gave Sera a smile. Sera nodded in understanding.

"Well maybe Aurelio might know something.... Possibly Rei. I think I might have a few books of them in the library downstairs. Dmitri, you sit down and let us girls go pick out a pretty dress." She sat her cup of tea down along with the magazine. She stood up and ran her fingers through Kara's hair.

"I think you'll look gorgeous in a white dress with gold lacing.... What do you think?" She asked Kara and started to escort her to the closet's double doors. Sera was still sleeping in the king's room. Kingsley decided he wanted to let her keep the room. He had another room set up for him that was around the same size once remodeled. Her bed was in a separate room off of this one like the closet and bathroom. There was balcony doors open and letting the evening stars shine through with a small breeze. I smiled softly and sat down, looking towards the balcony as I waited and took a deep breath. Toma wasn't too happy... but I think he would warm up to her if I rescued the girl.... I ran my fingers through my hair and frowned softly, the memory of her blood playing on my lips as I remembered that haunting taste I had gotten. I couldn't decide whether it was just because she was something I'd never tasted before... or if she was a gift from fate to me. Her kind might not even have mates. I could be completely wrong....