Dragon Nest

Chapter 10

This mother fucker can phase so who knows. Give him back you bastards!" Susan wailed, desperate to vent her anger but unable to find an opponent.

Chris was frantic to calm the situation, Susan was distraught that he had apparently been taken, when in reality he was standing in front of her. Unable to gain her attention, he tried to give her a reassuring hug. Wrapping his arms around her and pulling her shadowy form close, he wish she could see him. "I'm sorry Mom, it's just me, I'm fine." He comforted, hoping somehow that the message got through.

In fact, it was Susan who got through. As Chris hugged her, he pulled her into the Ether with him. Susan felt the Being begin to phase through her and tried to struggle, fearing an attack. But half a second later she felt a shift, her Ether shadow fleshing out as her physical body in the Norm disappearing altogether, which made Jethry snarl. Despite a drain in energy, Susan heard her son's plaintive words. She stilled her struggles to look up at his unfamiliar visage, seeing her awoken son in his true form, seeing that they were in the Ether.

"Hey Mom." Chris said gently as she sagged in his embrace.

"Oh Chris, I thought were gone...You...You've awoken." She sighed, relief washing over her as she began to see more and more of her son in the Being before her.

"Yea, Annabel and I ... umm ... you know ... s*x, and then I transformed." Chris mumbled, embarrassed.

"Ahh, okay, good for you. That's fine. What are you doing here?" Asked Susan wearily, blushing only a little, the drain of staying in the Ether was starting to take a toll. "How did you bring me here?"

"I don't know, I woke up here after I went to sleep and now I can walk around. Apparently my aspect is the Ether. It sucks though because I can't get out. Am I trapped here?" He explained.

"Well that explains...I guess I just assumed the worst. But I've never heard of an Ether dragon Chris. I'll tell you how to leave the Ether but I don't have much time to explain, it drains me quickly to stay here. How long have you been in the Ether?" Susan asked.

"About half an hour I guess, maybe a bit less. I feel fine." Replied Chris. "So how do I get out?"

"Hmm, the way I do it is to picture myself at a door, the Ether on one side, the Norm on the other. Remember how I explained that it's just another layer of reality, like a different dimension? Well, just open the door with your mind, it can take a bit of energy, and step through. Chris I really need to get back now, I mean just look at Jethry." She said.

Jethry was stalking around the front porch, waving his shotgun and cursing up a storm, his words interspersed with cat-speak Chris hadn't heard the like of since two cats had a fight in the school playground in 5th grade. It was almost funny.

"Okay Mom, go and calm him down. I'll try to follow you." Chris assured.

Susan released herself from his arms reluctantly, he had a new alluring smell which was disturbingly enticing. Only as she stepped away did she realise her son was n***d the whole time. "Oh my..." Was all she managed before she fled back to the Norm and proceeded to calm a very startled and confused werecat.

Chris watched the scene calm down for a bit before he attempted to exit the Ether. After all, he didn't want to pop out and receive a shotgun blast to the face for his troubles. Picturing the door he felt resistance when he tried to open it. He tried again but couldn't seem to make the idea work. Frustrated, his dragon laughed at his efforts.We are an Ether dragon, do not bother with doors, just go there. See yourself where you want to be, see yourself in the Ether or the Norm.

Oh yeah? Helpful all of a sudden, are we?Chris snapped. He got no response, so relying on the pro tip, Chris pictured himself back in the Norm standing behind his mom at the bottom of the steps.

Then he was there.

***

"Whoa, cool!" Chris started, "Hey Mom, I think I just teleported or something."

Susan and Jethry spun, startled at his sudden appearance despite having had time to prepare for it.

"One moment I was standing over there where we talked. Next thing, I'm here behind you and back in the Norm." Chris gesticulated, looking himself over as if the answer lay in his new body. "How does that work?" When he didn't get an answer he looked up to see his audience just staring; varying emotions and degrees of open-mouthedness played across their faces.

"Honey, that's nice ... but I don't know how it works." Susan said, rousing herself from examining her son's new form. "I'm an amateur when it comes to the Ether. I know Ether mages can use it, to phase and travel very quickly, kind of like how some elementals can atomise themselves to travel and reform at their destination." As she spoke, Susan was reduced to shameful ogling. He was truly magnificent: powerful, masculine, dangerous, and beautiful. She took a step forward tentatively, reaching out to touch his shoulder as if under a spell.

Jethry was silent, eyeing up the dragon as his cat's instincts would size up a potential threat. To him, Chris reeked of raw power, and their former relationship was now quickly reversed as his cat recognised the new male's dominance. Once his cat had come to terms with it, Jethry relaxed a bit. Still, he held back, to give Susan a moment with her son, and to observe the newborn dragon.

"Chris, you're taller." Susan realised as she had to look higher to meet his eyes. He used to be about 6'1'' but in this hybrid form he must almost be 6'5''. "And those wings! Oh you're going to have so much fun honey, I'm so happy you've finally awakened. I know your father did it to protect you but I always thought it was a cruel fate to deny you your nature," she gushed excitedly as she ran a hand down his arm to hold a massive, clawed hand. "This form is fascinating, I only ever saw your mother once like this you know. A mix between human and dragon, it makes sense though since the Were races can have half forms." She ran her hands over his, examining the colouring as well as his scales and claws. "You're colouring is strange Chris," she said looking back up at him. "I've never heard of a purple dragon."

Chris just watched passively as Susan examined him, initially embarrassed that she didn't seem to care he was n***d although his dragon had said they had nothing to hide.

Susan peeked around his side to look at his large wings."It is the colour of the Ether though, which raises even more questions." Susan continued, "I can tell you will grow to be very powerful Chris, you already are. It's kind of scary actually, if you weren't my son I'd be very wary right now. Actually, I think I am still a little scared." She looked up at his reptilian eyes, reassured she could still see her loving boy as he gazed back at her.

"Mom, don't be scared. I'm still me ... just a little different," Chris assured, trying to smile comfortingly.

His white fangs flashed; Susan involuntarily gasped and took a micro step back. Chris realised what he must have done and toned down his grin to a close-mouthed smile. This was truly a huge change, her realized; his own mother was afraid of him in this form. Susan saw a little sadness creep into his eyes and admonished herself for her reaction; she'd wanted to support him through this. She stepped back up close, and hugged him. Chris wrapped his arms around his mother thankfully; a hug was exactly what he needed. Almost.

"I love you, Mom," he said. "Sorry about the teeth."

"I love you too honey. I'm Sorry I reacted like that, it might just take me a little while to get used to the new you." Susan responded with her head against his warm, creamy scaled chest. As she breathed she became more aware of his delightful scent. A smoky, spicy, manly blend which she could happily get used to. "Hey, at least you won't have to use men's cologne ever again," She said, trying to provide a little humour. Chris froze.

"What?" Susan asked, pulling back a little to look up at him. "What's wrong with that? You smell nice, sexy even."

Chris gently pushed her back to arms length and took a step away. Retreating like she had something he didn't want to catch when really the reverse was true, remembering the effect they had on Annabel. "Ah ... um... So, I have pheromones now" he said awkwardly, not really wanting to elaborate further.

Susan tilted her head, confused at his reaction, until she felt her body's instinctive pull to get closer again. "Oh," she said, answering her own question. Realising she was feeling a little flushed, the telltale beginnings of arousal, her n*****s stiff against the cups of her b*a. "Oh," she repeated, blushing furiously and turning away slightly, embarrassed.

"Oh my god," Chris backed up, mortified that he had now affected Susan too. "Jethry, I think you'd better take care of the chores this evening, the animals don't seem to like me much at the moment, and I don't even know how to change back."

"That's fine Chris, come see me tomorrow before you head to Denver," said Jethry, happy for an excuse to evade an awkward situation. The dragon was still Chris underneath his new skin, so they were good. He turned and headed back to his house, processing the bizarre circumstances of the last half hour.

Chris looked back at his mother for a second before shaking his head, retreating upstairs, wanting to distance himself; his powerful olfactories had detected a faint womanly odour which only confirmed his fear.

"Chris I'm sorry, I forgot dragons could do that. It's natural, okay? Nothing to be ashamed of." Susan tried to console her son while getting her body firmly back under control.

"It's bad enough Annabel got dragon struck," came his response from upstairs.

"Annabel? Oh... I'm magical Chris, I can resist it better and maybe there's a spell I can use to reduce the effect. I'm sorry I embarrassed you, alright honey? It's no one's fault, you're a very alluring Being," Susan reasoned.

"I can't believe this is happening. Clothes, I need clothes!" Chris disappeared inside his room and closed the door.

"s**t," Susan muttered, "could have handled that better." Pheromones aside, the appeal of his half form was not lost on her. She was his mother but objectively, Chris was possibly the biggest temptation she had ever come across in her 38 years. "Speaking of big," Susan mused aloud to herself, with a heady giggle before reining in her imagination. "Stop that," she admonished, how was she going to guide and support him if she made such jokes and comments, even to herself? Heading back to her car to retrieve her stuff, she started to mentally plan for the trip to Denver first thing tomorrow. With Chris awakened, they needed to get the protection of the ruling Lady as soon as possible. Chris had such a powerful magical presence she wouldn't be surprised if some of the most sensitive psychers were aware of his awakening, they were no longer hidden.

Passing the stairs on her way to the kitchen she called up to Chris that she would start dinner, still feeling her body's desire to get close to the dragon.

***

Chris sat on the edge of his bed, awkwardly rubbing his forewings, he had banged them on the doorframe. Annabel was still asleep, beautifully sprawled across his bed. Honestly, he was scared. His affect on Susan brought to light just how ill-prepared he was for this, that there were unforeseen consequences of his awakening that weren't necessarily all good. What if he didn't want to arouse women when they caught a whiff of him? How was he supposed to blend into human society?