Page 24 of Grumpy Dragon Christmas

“What is it?” I ask, staring at the blank wall.

“The best thing.”

He puts his hand out and presses. With a subtle click, the wall swings slowly open, and a puff of warm, damp air hits me, along with the smell of water.

“Is that…?” I push past him and inside is a huge pool, rectangular. It rolls with constant hot water and looks bigenough to take a shifted Sarkarnii. Plants are dotted around the sides, and at the far end are a set of what actually appear to be sun loungers.

“An aquium?” I gasp.

“You know of aquiums?” Drekkan asks, eyes wide.

“The Sarkarnii I travelled with—they loved their aquiums. They even had them on the space ship.”

Drekkan drops his head back with a groan. “They did?”

“Don’t you?”

“My ship is too small for such luxuries. It’s more of a fighter…” His eyes grow desperate as he looks at the water.

“Why don’t you use this one?” I suggest, reaching up to touch the papery iridescent skin around the metal collar he wears.

I’ve seen Sarkarnii in need of a shed. Not only are they extremely grumpy, but patches like the ones Drekkan have appear, causing them to scratch like cats.

Drekkan must be dying to scratch, and yet I haven’t seen him try once.

Although he remains grumpy as hell.

He captures my hand and holds it tightly. “You would share your aquium with me?” he asks.

“It’s big enough, even for a shifted Sarkarnii,” I reply, looking over at the pool.

It is pretty amazing.

“Do humans like to bathe?” Drekkan breathes as he drags my body against his. “Especially ripe little snacks like you?”

“We do…I do…” My mind isn’t quite operating at full strength with Drekkan so damn close.

“And do humans like company when they’re bathing?” Drekkan asks, his voice a mere rasp in his chest.

“Depends on the company. Do you have someone in mind?” I sass.

The growl Drekkan produces is pretty spectacular, especially the way it reverberates around the aquium.

“You are mine. No one else bathes with you,” he says, claws plucking at my clothing. “Now take this off, all of it.”

He doesn’t step back as I peel away the jacket, which was warm when I was outside in the cold and now feels far too hot. Impatience gets the better of him as I fumble with my dress, and I’m helped out of it in a snap, meaning I’m left with the maternity tights and bra Gelvira magicked up for me.

“These too,” Drekkan says. “I want to see all of you.”

I pull off the tights, well aware of how ungainly I am, and remove the bra, looking up at him shyly, arms folded over my chest and baby bump. He takes hold of them and gently unknots them. He takes in my pregnant body, his eyes blazing with hunger.

“You are beautiful, little snack,” he grinds out. “So nevving beautiful I could mate you where you stand.”

In a flash, his pants are gone, and while I’m still not face to face with the legendary Sarkarnii cock, there is a bulge in his crotch of epic proportions.

“Don’t you want to bathe?” I stumble over the words because the way he’s looking at me, I’m absolutely sure I’m dinner.

“Very much,” Drekkan says, and my body is against his once again.

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