Taming the Beast

Zara waited in the cavernous great room as the dozens of newcomers entered. She had given strict instructions for everyone to shift to human form to make the women feel more comfortable.

“Welcome, ladies,” she called out. “Please have a seat. Make yourselves comfortable.”

Madeleine’s mouth dropped when she saw the human woman standing before them. She elbowed Delilah in her side. “They look like us.”

“I thought you knew they could shift like the other reptiles.”

“I thought they would be too big,” Madeleine whispered.

She switched her gaze to search the cavern in detail. It was more modern than she expected. The walls had the same rock on the outside, but with a shimmery moss-like growth covering most of the internal surface. Glowing, floating orbs acted as light sources and all the furniture was glossy and black. The strangers were dressed in leather material that mimicked their dragon skins.

“I’m sure you’re all wondering what the job entails,” Zara said. The dozen women in front of her shook their heads in unison. “Well, look at this place. It’s a bit of a mess. Lots of male dragons equal lots of broken things.”

Madeleine looked down and noticed bits and pieces of scales scattered about like someone had been fighting. Their shimmery texture fascinated her. She tried to inconspicuously place her foot on a few and drag them closer, when the sound of a throat clea

ring nearby startled her. She looked to her left and tried to find the source, but saw only the rock wall. Her eyes focused harder and then a figure came into view. A man with buggy eyes materialized out of nowhere before disappearing again into the background.

“Chameleon shifter,” Delilah whispered in her ear. “I tripped over one once.”

“Ahh,” Madeleine said before turning her attention back to Zara. Part of her wanted to scan the wall again and see if she could find him faster.

“You will all help keep the living areas clean. We will also assign each of you to a dragon and you will be responsible for cleaning their chambers. Do you have any questions?”

A voice called out from the back, “Are we expected to sleep here?”

“You are free to leave, but I think you will find a daily trip too tiring.”

“What do we eat?” Delilah asked. “More importantly, what do dragons eat? We aren’t part of your dietary plan, are we?” She gulped loudly, eliciting nervous laughter from the group.

“You have nothing to worry about,” Zara said without hesitation. “Would you be surprised to learn we are vegetarians?”

Madeleine breathed a sigh of relief. She thought of June and how happy she would be not to have her sister become some type of sandwich. Her eyes wandered up higher and focused on some of the faces now staring down from the upper levels. She couldn’t speak for their dragon forms, but as humans, they were gorgeous.

Javelin noticed her right away. He had watched her before through his telescope. Her dark hair always looked soft from a distance and framed her pale skin nicely. Even from a distance, he knew she had admirable curves under those clothes. Assign her to me, Zara.

“Would you all line up, please?” Zara asked, motioning for them to stand before her. “I want to get a feel for each of you so can I assign you to the perfect mate, ahem, dragon.”

Zara walked past the row and looked each of them in the eye before returning for a second pass. Madeleine tried to get a read from her expression, but she gave nothing away.

“Okay,” Zara said with a clap of her hands. “Assistants please come up.”

Madeleine jumped as the chameleon moved once more along with several others who had blended in seamlessly with the surroundings. Zara spoke to the chameleons individually as she pointed at each of the women.

“The assistants will direct you to your quarters. Feel free to freshen up. They will instruct you further.”

The assistant who had been close to Madeleine motioned for her to follow. “Come with me, please,” he said. His voice was calm and slow, but his eyes darted about in a distracting manner.

“I’m Madeleine. What’s your name?”

“They call me Panzan.”

“Nice to meet you, Panzan. Can you tell me about the dragon I’ve been assigned to?”

“Nice dragon.”

“Umm … that’s good to know. Does he have a name?”

“Beast Lightning.”