“Don't worry sweetheart,” Freda said. “The big strong dragons are fighting the cyborgs. You don't have to worry about fighting them.”
“But I want to help,” Violet insisted.
“I'm sure there's something that you can do.”
Chapter 23
Freda woke up feeling Sysko’s strong arms around her. She took a deep breath of his scent and let out a long, satisfied sigh. Leaning up on her elbow, she kissed him deeply on the mouth. There was nothing more pleasant and sensual than being this close to her mate.
After the events of the day before, it was such a relief to be with him like this that she felt as if it was a new dawn of a completely new life. The dragon inside her had grown from a tiny hatchling to an adolescent who was spreading her wings and learning to fly.
She could feel the dragon growing every day, ready to emerge from within. Freda knew that at any moment, she would be ready to be transformed. The fear that had gripped her heart in the beginning was no longer there. She and Sysko had weathered the storm and had been through so much together. She was no longer afraid. He stirred, opened his eyes, and smiled softly at her face.
“How are you feeling this morning, dear one?” he asked.
“Better,” she said. “My dragon grows stronger every day, and I am sure I’m close to being ready for the transformation ritual to commence.”
He rolled over on top of her and sank between her legs, both of them naked from the night before.
“Oh?” he said with a low growl. “My inner dragon agrees.”
He kissed her deeply and nuzzled into her neck, grazing his sharp teeth over her jugular.
“Mommy! Daddy! You're awake!” Violet said, jumping up and down at the foot of the bed. Sysko rolled away and Freda sat up, holding the sheets to her chest.
“This will have to wait until later when we have some privacy,” Freda giggled, drawing out of the bed.
Sysko had given her a new wrist com the night before so she slid her finger over the controls and constructed a new set of nanotech clothing. She chose a pair of skinny jeans, knee-high boots, and is burnt orange sweater to match the season on Earth.
Sysko drew out of the bed and joined her in his military uniform. Violet bounced around the room, happily, asking if they had made her brothers and sisters yet.
“Not yet,” Freda said, kneeling down to pet her robot on the head. “Soon.”
Something Violet had said the day before made her think. Violet wanted to fight the cyborgs. Even though the little robot seemed like a child, she was made of industrial grade alloy steel and could withstand the vacuum of space. She would have to think her idea over before she shared it with Sysko, or even Violet. It was risky, but the greatest risk also brought the greatest reward.
They had breakfast in the cafeteria with Violet sitting on a chair next to them, eating a bowl of oil. Sysko and Freda had eggs and bacon and toast with jam from Earth.
“I will have to introduce you to more Draxos delicacies before we return home,” he said.
“We're going back to Draxos?” she asked.
“When we have identified enough human females with the recessive dragonoid genes, we will escort them back to Draxos for the tournament. I want to make sure everything goes smoothly.”
“But who will stay here to protect Earth?” she asked.
“A retired admiral from the space navy has volunteered to take my place for the short trip back home.”
After breakfast Freda and Sysko took a walk around the ship, discussing the updates on the Draxos breeding program. Half a dozen girls had been identified with the dragonoid gene and were ready and willing to travel back to Draxos. Sysko shared that he was reluctant to take them until he was one hundred percent sure that Freda's transformation would go off without a hitch.
His reluctance made her nervous, but she could understand why he felt as he did. Everyone needed the assurance that the mating would be viable before any male Draxos were thralled or any human females were transformed.
“It seems only fitting that we should be the ones to go first,” Freda said. “Since you are the leader of the Armada and the one who found the connection to Earth.”
“I do agree with you,” he said. “Although I wish it didn't have to be you that we experimented on.”
“I don't think of myself as an experiment anymore. I think of myself as a woman who was extremely lucky to have found the love of her life.”
He leaned in and kissed her as the ship orbited passed a view of the sun. It shone down on the them and lit up the entire hall of the ship. He took her hand and they walked to the technical bay where he asked his AI technician to babysit Violet.
“He is going to teach you some new things,” Sysko told Violet.
“We'll be back later,” Freda added.
“I love learning new things!” Violet said, telescoping her neck up and down and flapping her ears excitedly.
The technician didn't seem any less excited than Violet about the prospect of their conversation. So, with everyone happy at the arrangement, Freda and Sysko left Violet in good hands.
“Violet is a lovely creature,” Sysko said. “I never would have believed robots could have a soul.”
“You believe she has a soul?” Freda asked as Sysko slid open the door to his cabin.
“The way that she loves you, I don't think there is any other possibility.”
“I'm glad you think so. I feel the same way. She came alive in a way I never imagined. With the Draxos firewalls, she is as secure as your ship.”
“She keeps asking for brothers and sisters.”
“I can understand why she would be lonely for more of her kind.”
“So can I,” he said, turning her to him and taking both of her hands in his. “I have been waiting for one of my kind to arrive for decades. Now you are ready to be turned, and it is the happiest moment of my life.”
“Are you ready, Sysko?”
“I have never been readier for anything in my life.”
He gathered her in his arms and kissed her deeply. That's when Freda realized that she was at least two inches taller than she had been before. Her human body had been filling out in every direction. Her hips turning wider, her breasts becoming fuller, and her body had grown stronger as her dragon grew within. She knew she was now ready for the final transformation.
He picked her up and carried her into the bathing room. A bath was already laid out and the sweet-smelling oils lined the brim. They deconstructed their nanotech clothing and stepped into the water hand-in-hand. Once they were at the depth of the pool, he gathered her up and kissed her, sliding his tongue through her lips as he held her tight.
Freda ran her hands up and down his muscled form, drinking in every nuance of his beautiful body with her touch. His kiss grew more insistent as his cock stiffened against her stomach. She reached down and began to stroke him, the size of him still a bit intimidating but ever so enticing. He growled in her ear and whispered.
“I need you now. But first, I will prepare you for my cock.”
They both ducked under the water and came up steamy wet. He grabbed a bottle of oil from the side of the pool and began to rub it all over her body. He started first with her hair and massaged it into her scalp and then slowly rubbed the oil all over her breasts, her back, and over her stomach. He slid his oil coated fingers between her legs, pushing inside her as he flicked her tight clit with his thumb.
Freda groaned at the pleasure, using the same oil to lubricate his shaft as she pumped up and down on him with both hands. She leaned down and licked the pre-cum from the tip of his cock, tasting the flavor of his body. The smell of the oils made her head light and her heart giddy. Her pussy clenched on his fingers as he thrust in and out of her, forcing her to come.
“I need more,” she groaned. “Now.”
He picked her up and carried her into the bedroom where he deposited her wet and oiled body on the bed. He spread her legs and sucked her clit into
his mouth, lapping at it like it was the most delicious thing he'd ever tasted. Freda arched her back and gripped her breasts as he flicked her with his hard, aggressive tongue. She came as he pushed a finger inside her. Pulling at his shoulders, she tried to get him to come to her.
“I need you, Sysko. No more holding back. I'm ready,” she moaned.
“Yes,” he said, holding his dick against her opening.
She gasped as he sucked the flesh of her neck into his mouth and grazed the skin with his sharp teeth. He pushed open her channel as the wide tip of his dick sank into her entrance. Taking a deep breath through clenched teeth, her body felt his size for the first time. She looked up at him wide-eyed with wonder.
“Is it too much?” he whispered in her ear.
“No,” she gasped, gripping his hips. “I want more. I want it all.”
Ever so carefully, he rocked back and forth in her sopping wet pussy as he stretched her channel with his cock. She groaned and tilted her head back, staring at the ceiling, her mouth and eyes wide. He sucked her nipples into his mouth as he sank deeper with each tiny movement of his hips. She groaned as he stretched her, sinking deeper and deeper inside.
“Oh my God, oh my God,” she groaned over and over as he inched his way into her core.
“I don't want to hurt you.”
“You aren't. I'm going to come.”
He sucked her mouth into a deep kiss as he sank inside. She moaned and wrapped her legs around him, her pussy throbbing on his cock. Sysko thrust the rest of the way inside and Freda gave out a loud groan of pleasure and pain as he impaled her tiny body on his massive rod.
“Oh!” she groaned. “Sysko.”
Being this close to her, with their bodies entwined, she knew she wanted it as much as he did. Bursting to life inside her mind, her inner dragon would not be contained. He rested his hips against hers for brief seconds before pulling back and thrusting hard against her. As he pushed her body backward on the bed several inches, she erupted into another massive orgasm that milked his dick, giving them both mind shattering pleasure.
“Fuck,” he said, pulling back and thrusting again.
He put his teeth against her neck as he held her hips in his hands, thrusting harder and deeper each time.
“Take me, Sysko,” she groaned. “Take me. Claim me.”
His body erupted with pleasure, shooting his seed deep in her core. At that very instant, he sank his teeth into her neck, giving her the claiming bite. His saliva proteins shot through her bloodstream, activating the final transformation.
He held her hands down on the mattress as he gripped her neck in his teeth and pumped the last of his seed into her pussy. She gasped and her breath was cut off as the dragon inside her expanded in full color at the forefront of her mind.
She felt Sysko's dragon inside her too. She saw them both running toward each other through the void of space. They came together, their necks wrapping around each other as they swirled in a spiral dance that incorporated the entire universe with the energy of the Big Bang. Their love, their connection, it was everything. Time stood still. Space had no meaning. All that existed was her and Sysko. One of being, one mind, one body, one heart.
Freda didn't know how long it went on until Sysko slowly withdrew his teeth from her neck and his manhood from inside her. When he emerged, he rolled on his back and took her with him, resting her against his chest as he wrapped her in his arms. She felt his heart beating against her cheek, and she groaned as she wrapped her leg over his.
What was happening inside her mind could not be vocalized. It was much too intense. All she knew was that her dragon was real and that Sysko was hers. They would be bonded, bound, and connected forever. It was the greatest feeling she could ever experience in any lifetime, in any place, anywhere. Fireworks erupted behind her eyes as their dragons danced on the cosmic winds of time. He rubbed her back and held her close, kissing the top of her head.
“I love you, Sysko,” she breathed, the words not even capable of expressing what she felt for him.
“I love you too, my beloved Freda. You are my one, my everything. My life.”
Chapter 24
Freda held Sysko's hand tightly as she stood in the flight room. The crew had been advised to give them privacy for her first shift. She could feel the dragon, ready to burst forth from within, but her human mind resisted the call of the beast inside her. She wanted to let it out, to let it free, and experience this other side of herself that had been sleeping dormant all her life. But she was afraid.
“What if something goes wrong?” she asked Sysko.
“Everything is going to be okay,” he said, reassuringly. “You are going to be wonderful.”
“How do I do it?” she asked.
“Just focus on your dragon and invite her to come out.”
Taking a deep breath and letting it out, she looked at the high domed ceiling of the flight room. Freda gritted her teeth and let go of Sysko's hand, walking out into the center of the large circular room. She closed her eyes and focused on the fully matured, star-spangled beast inside her. The dragon was beautiful and magnificent, strong and wise. She could hear the call of the beast in her mind, ready to emerge into her new life. The fear coiled at the base of her spine, but she couldn't let go enough to bring the beast out. She was afraid of the pain of the shift. She didn't want to feel it. The dragon grew impatient, growling and pacing behind her eyes. Violet ran up beside her and rubbed Freda’s leg with her head.
“Are you okay, Mommy?”
“I'm fine, Violet.
“Let's leave Mommy alone right now, Violet, she has something very important to do,” Sysko said, picking up the little creature in his strong arms.
“What is Mommy doing?” she asked.
“She's going to shift into a dragon for the first time. But I think she's afraid.”
“Don't be afraid, Mommy, you're the bravest person I know,” Violet said. “And the strongest and the smartest and the most beautiful. Not to mention the most kind.”
Freda turned and kissed her little daughter/robot pet on the head and thanked her for her kind words.
“And you are the sweetest, smartest, most helpful robot daughter that has ever existed in the galaxy,” Freda said sincerely, scratching Violet under the chin.
Violet purred and smiled, wagging her ears back and forth on top of her head.
“You can do it, Mommy. I believe in you.”
Letting out a deep breath, Freda squared her shoulders as Sysko went back to stand at the edge of the room with Violet. Freda focused on her inner dragon, inviting it to come out to claim her place in existence. With a huge rush of energy, she felt the dragon launch itself up from its hind legs, and its powerful wings burst out from inside her. The shift happened so quickly, she barely realized it until her massive dragon body landed on all fours on the flight room floor. She gasped, sucking air into her massive lungs and looked around. She turned and found Sysko and Violet standing at the edge of the room watching her.
She smiled at them, showing her huge dragon teeth, and she pumped her wings for the first time. Feeling the power and the strength in her body, she jumped into the air and took flight. Soaring through the flight room, she felt the air under her wings hold her aloft as she reached the domed ceiling that looked out onto space. She glided in circles around the flight room to the sound of Violet cheering and Sysko telling her how proud he was of her.
Their words filled her heart as she landed on the floor and willed her human form to emerge once again. In an instant, she was back in her human body, standing breathless and amazed in the center of the flight room. Sysko and Violet ran to her, and he gathered her in his arms as Violet rubbed her head against her leg.
“You did it, my beloved,” Sysko said kissing her cheeks and her lips and her forehead before he pulled her into another embrace.
“Mommy is a dragon! Mommy is a Dragon!” Violet exclaimed, telescoping her neck up and down.
Freda
knelt and kissed Violet on the head. “You are such a helpful girl,” Freda said, patting Violet on the head.
She had so much genuine affection for Violet that it's really felt as if she was her child. The creature had a true personality that could not be attributed to anything but life. Violet was a great creation that marked a turning point for all the living creatures in the galaxy who stood against the cyborgs.
She reconstructed her nanotech outfit and picked up Violet, standing with Sysko in the flight room. They were a strange little family, but that's what they were. It was the greatest feeling she'd ever had.
Several days later Freda got word from her mother inviting them to Thanksgiving dinner. She had so much news to share with her family that she couldn't wait to see them. She and Sysko took the speeder down to the planet and hovered above the suburban house outside of Charleston. She’d worn a pleated skirt, a hunter green cardigan, and a pair of knee-high boots. Sysko had chosen human slacks and a holiday print sweater. They held hands as they emerged from the speeder and into the autumn air.
Leaves blew in the breeze as they walked up the drive. The neighbors gathered around to see the spectacle of the alien, the scientist, and the robot as they approached the suburban home. Just as she was about to knock, the door swung open and her mother burst out from inside.
“Freda, Sysko, it's so good to see you.”
Mia hugged Freda and then pulled back when she noticed Violet.
“And what is this? Is it some kind of robot toy?”
“I'll explain everything inside,” Freda said.
“It's good to see you again Admiral Sysko,” Isaac said, shaking Sysko's hand.
The family gathered in the living room and Freda sat down on the couch and set Violet on the floor.
“Mother, Father,” she said. “I want you to meet Violet, your new granddaughter.”