Julie
It could be a bad idea to give this guy a potion I don’t really know anything about, but we’re kind of out of options here. What am I going to do? Camp indefinitely in the forest with a paralyzed dragon shifter and a tied-up evil bitch? How long would we even survive?
Fuck, are we even going to make it through tonight?
I don’t know what my responsibilities are regarding the man, but he looks so fucking helpless. Plus, I mean, he did kind of try to come to my rescue. If Nicole hadn’t been so quick with her weird poison dart thing, he definitely would have saved me.
Now I have to save him.
When I fucked with her pockets, I discovered Nicole had a weird ointment. It was labeled with a smiley face. There was also a dart gun – the one she used on this man – that was labeled with an X. There were a few darts in there, too. If this man belongs to a group of dragons, maybe they have someone in their organization who can analyze the darts I found.
I don’t like knowing this woman and her buddies are going around hunting dragons.
It’s just wrong.
What do they do with them, anyway?
Experiment on them?
Maybe using this cream on the dragon guy is going to turn out to be a terrible choice, but there’s only one way to find out.
“Here goes nothing,” I mutter, and I pull the cap off the tube. Instantly, the scent of peppermint fills my nostrils. The man’s own nostrils flare, almost indiscernibly. There are so many unique things about him. I can’t help but find myself wondering if he’s going to want to talk to me after all of this. Like, are we going to hang out and get coffee sometime?
Don’t be stupid, Julie. This random forest guy isn’t going to want to chill with you.
I know it’s dumb, but I’m already developing a bit of a little crush on him. It’s totally inappropriate and not called for at all, but there you go.
“Okay, so here’s what I found,” I tell him. He can’t reply. I get that. He still deserves to know what’s about to happen to him. One of the biggest things I teach my students is that they’re the ones in charge of their own bodies. No one else is. They have the right to say yes or no to being touched, even if it’s something as minute as hugging a relative. Here I am, though, about to touch this dude against his will – possibly – and he can’t do anything about it. I hate that feeling. I wish there was a way for him to tell me this is okay.
“It’s a cream,” I continue, taking a deep breath. “It has a smiley face on it. The other thing I found was the dart gun and some other darts. That unit has an X on it. I don’t know if you have other dragons you live with. Maybe if you have a tech guy…”
My voice trails off because this is all just so overwhelming.
What if this cream does nothing?
What if it makes things worse?
Pull it together.
“The cream…” I continue. “Maybe your guy can analyze it. I’m going to start putting it on you. Hopefully it will help bring some of the feeling back to your body.”
I take a little drop of ointment and place it on each of his cheeks. Then I rub it in carefully. He can smell it. That much is certain. Maybe having this close to his nose will help increase his feeling in his face. Maybe he’ll be able to talk.
Two more drops of ointment go on the inside of his wrists. It’s the same spot my aunt always puts her perfume. Just a little bit there. I rub it into his skin, trying not to think about how I’m touching a very attractive, very naked man in the forest. There’s a ton of ointment left, but I don’t want to waste it by using the whole thing. Maybe this is good for several uses. I don’t know. I mean, why does Nicole even have the antidote? Is it in case she shoots herself or a friend? It’s not like they’d be able to use it on themselves. Not if they were paralyzed.
I feel like the harder I think, the more questions I have.
The man’s face squishes up, suddenly, and I look at him sharply.
“It’s working,” I whisper.
He opens his mouth.
Closes it again.
No sound comes out, so maybe it’s not working as fast as I hoped. Still, though, a little movement is better than nothing. Nicole is wiggling on the ground, but I ignore her. She’s bound and gagged. I probably should have blindfolded her, too.
“Stop wiggling,” I hiss at her. There must be something in my voice that tells her I’m not fucking around because she stops, and I turn back to the guy.
It’s impossible not to notice his abs. They’re perfectly fucking carved into his flesh. I reach out and run my hands over them. No longer able to resist, I touch his stomach. His eyes open and he looks at me with blazing orange eyes.
“I hope this is okay,” I whisper quietly.
He blinks.
I guess that means yes.
I run my hand over his skin. There’s still some of the ointment on my hands, so maybe it’ll help a little bit. I’m not sure. I know his skin feels smooth, though. Irresistibly smooth.
“Ointment,” I whisper. “You need more. I think it’s starting to work a little bit.”
He blinks again.
“Your eyes are open now, and you moved your mouth. That’s good.”
I don’t want to tell him that if he doesn’t get it together quickly that a giant animal could come eat us all.
Or worse.
Nicole’s little group could find us.
She probably has some sort of tracking chip implanted in her. It’s the ultimate evil corporation fallback plan. It would be cliché, but I won’t be shocked if we’re suddenly surrounded by evil dudes in black dropping out of helicopters.
Focus.
I remember when I was sick, my mom used to put Vick’s on my feet and then cover them with socks. Maybe it’ll work the same with this guy. I move to his feet, carefully ignoring the abundant manhood he’s sporting. I’ve seen my share of dicks, but his is ridiculously beautiful.
For wolf’s sake, focus!
Deep breaths, and then I reach his feet.
“I hope this doesn’t tickle,” I tell him. I try to explain what I’m doing every step of the way, especially since I know he can hear me. When I go to the doctor’s office and they don’t explain what they’re doing, I feel uncomfortable, almost violated. I don’t want this guy to feel that way.
He’s a stranger.
He’s not a monster.
I rub the cream on his feet. Then I dig out a pair of socks from my bag and somehow manage to get them on his feet. They barely fit, but they fit. Then I return to his head.
“It’s a waiting game now,” I tell him. “I don’t want to use too much more of the ointment just yet. There are still some darts left. Not that I’m planning on shooting you,” I quickly add. “But if there are other bad guys out here, you know…we’re going to want some of that fucking cream, am I right?”
He smiles at me, and I realize that it’s definitely, absolutely, positively working.
I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding, and I pet his hair.
“Everything’s going to be okay, dragon dude,” I tell him.
I just hope it’s the truth.