Releasing the Dragon (Brides of the Kindred) Read online

  Then one of them bared horribly sharp teeth—animal teeth, she thought dismally—and began to growl.

  Dru growled back at it and gave a volley of short, sharp barks. Was he threatening them in the only way they understood or speaking in yet another alien language? Whatever it was, it sounded distinctly canine in origin.

  The dog people stopped growling and lowered their heads, whining in apparent apology. Dru gave another series of short, sharp barks and pointed back at the elevator. They nodded and were quick to get in as Dru and Annie stepped out.

  “What…what was that all about?” Annie asked breathlessly as the doors shut and the elevator began to rise again.

  “The Doggers will get our luggage and bring it to our rooms,” he said shortly. “Which is where we need to go to prepare. But first we have to have you fitted for ears and a tail so you look the part of a proper x’aan-chow.”

  “I don’t understand,” Annie said, as he pulled her along again, this time down a featureless metal corridor with doors on either side every few yards.

  “You will,” Dru said grimly. “And you will not like it.”

  Annie wanted to ask what he was talking about but just then he chose a door, seemingly at random, and pulled her inside.

  Inside was yet another strange creature—a short, fat little man who had a beak like a parrot and bright green feathers for hair. He was standing in front of a large multi-compartment storage bin that looked to Annie like something you might buy at IKEA. Each compartment held a jumble of brightly colored objects but she couldn’t immediately tell what they were. Beside him was a waist-high platform which was padded with some kind of pink foam.

  Dru squawked at the parrot-man who squawked right back in a questioning tone.

  “Wait—what is he saying? And what are you saying?” Annie demanded. “Can’t you at least translate?”

  “Here.” Dru dug into his pocket and came up with a large pink capsule, about the size of a really big vitamin pill.

  “What’s this?” Annie took it hesitantly and held it in the center of her palm, examining it.

  “Translation bacteria,” he growled. “Swallow it and you’ll be able to understand what’s being said around you.”

  Annie thought of protesting but the look on the big Kindred’s face was so foreboding that she just popped the pink pill into her mouth and gulped it down—with some difficulty since it was so big. The pink pill seemed to lodge in her throat and she started to cough, though she tried not to.

  The parrot-man squawked again and rushed to hand her a small, flexible bottle of some bright blue liquid.

  Annie looked up at Dru.

  “Can…can I drink this? What is it?” she asked in a choked voice.

  “Terza cider. It’s safe enough,” he said briskly.

  Nodding her thanks to the parrot-man, Annie took a sip from the strangely flexible bottle—it felt like Play-Do in her hand—and swallowed. The blue liquid had a tart, sweet flavor not unlike fresh lemonade. Unfortunately, it also had undertones very much like ketchup, which made for an odd combination. Still, it was better than choking on the pink pill so Annie made herself drain the bottle and then, nodding her thanks, she handed it back to the parrot-man.

  The parrot man nodded genially and folded the bottle in two before snapping it up in his strong beak and swallowing it down.

  “Oh!” Annie took a half step back involuntarily. She’d heard as a child that you should never put your fingers into the parrot’s cage at the pet store because they were strong enough to break a broom handle in two—so a finger bone would be no big deal. This had given her a fear of birds and their beaks in particular. So when the parrot-man squawked at her again, she was almost ready to run…until his squawk turned into words at the last minute.

  “…better now, my pretty pet?” he was saying in a high, scratchy voice that really did sound exactly like a parrot talking.

  “Oh, um…” Annie looked at him incredulously. Had she really just heard him speak? The translation bacteria pill must work almost immediately!

  “She’s a lovely little x’aan-chow, my lord Drugair,” the parrot-man squawked to Dru. “But if you don’t mind me saying so, she doesn’t appear overly-bright.”

  “Hey!” Annie exclaimed. “You—”

  “Well, a x’aan-chow isn’t exactly used for conversation, now is she?” Dru said to the parrot-man, smoothly cutting her off. “In fact, I always say it’s better if they are seen and not heard.”

  He directed these words at Annie, glaring at her as she spoke, and she realized he was telling her she’d better keep her mouth shut. Part of her wanted to protest his sexist treatment but she remembered that she was literally here to be a “sex-pet.” The Shadow Palace was a sexist place and if she wanted to fit in, she would have to do as the big Kindred said. Reluctantly, she held her tongue and said nothing.

  “Very true, very true,” the parrot-man said. “So I suppose you’ll need to get her fitted for a tail and ears. Am I correct?”

  “Correct.” Dru nodded. “And could you make it quick please, Pio’ter? We have a meeting with Slo’vv himself in less than an hour.”

  “Oh yes—yes indeed!” the parrot-man shivered like a bird ruffling its feathers. “Lord Slo’vv himself,” he whispered to himself. “Oh me—oh dearie, dearie me! So then…” He gave a cawing cough and looked up at Dru. “What kind of appendages do you favor for your pet? Reptilian? Canine? Feline? Equine? Avian? Drixian, perhaps?”

  “What?” Annie wondered what in the world he was talking about but Dru seemed to know at once. He gave Annie a long, considering look and then nodded to himself.

  “Feline. Most definitely feline.”

  “Very well, very well…” The parrot-man busied himself at the multi-compartment storage bin and brought out a headband with two sleek, black, pointed ears attached to it.

  Annie, who had been watching him with a mounting sense of apprehension, abruptly relaxed. She’d been worried she might have to go through some kind of alien body modification after seeing all the half-man/half-animal looking hybrids around here—first the Doggers and then the parrot-man. But apparently all she had to do was wear a headband with cat ears to look the part of a x’aan-chow. Really, it was almost too easy!

  “How cute!” Annie exclaimed. She started to reach for the headband herself but then she caught a dark look from Dru and remembered his warning that x’aan-chows should be seen and not heard. Biting her lip, she was silent.

  “Here you are, my dear,” the parrot-man squawked at Annie, ignoring her remark. “If you would please just jump up on the fitting platform…” He gestured to the rectangular platform padded with thick, pink foam beside him.

  Annie thought she could just as well have put the headband on herself but since the parrot-man seemed to want to have a formal fitting, she might as well comply.

  She started to climb up and stand on the platform but Dru shook his head.

  “Not like that.”

  Picking her up as though she was light as a feather—which Annie knew for a fact was not the case—he sat her down on the rectangular platform on her hands and knees.

  Well, I guess I am supposed to be a cat, Annie told herself. Though she felt incredibly exposed in this position—the shimmery silver top she was wearing was gaping open, practically showing her nipples and the short silver skirt was riding up almost high enough to reveal her ass and pussy. And of course since neither she nor the Pairing Puppet she’d stolen the clothes from had been wearing panties, she was completely bare down there.

  She started to lift one hand to readjust her clothes but found to her consternation that she couldn’t—her hands and knees had sunken into the thick, pink foam-like padding and now she was stuck.

  “Dru?” She looked up at him, feeling panicked. “Dru, I can’t move.”

  “Of course you can’t, my dear.” It was the parrot-man who answered. He nodded at the pink foam. “The stay-put holds you in place so we can get a pro