I don't know how long I've been underground, but the last few nights I started having an unexpected visitor. Jax looked at me funny as he quietly studied me from where he stood by the door. He'd been coming down here for about a week now. At first he just stayed up where it was safe behind the glass, but the last few days he'd gotten bold, and come in here when he thought I was sleeping. He had gotten quite close today.
I was waiting to see what he did next. If he tried to kill me I'd throw him into the wall like a rag doll. He was a cocky kid, but that didn't mean he was a bad guy. I had a neutral impression of the guy, and was curious of what that meant. He got close enough to touch me before hesitating this time.
For some reason Snider was gone today. It was hard to tell what time it was underground, and Snider's sleep schedule didn't help with that. His sleep schedule didn't help me keep track of time either. He slept only when he collapsed from exhaustion. So he'd only slept three times since we'd met.
Jax reached out to me, and touched my nose. A pulse of his mana flowed into me, and my eyes snapped open. Jax flinched back as his face went pale.
"What the hell are you?" Jax fell back on his ass.
"I'm a dragon," I raised my head slowly.
"I saw the video," Jax got a bit more bold now that he realized I wasn't interested in eating him, "You're Wyatt Nix."
"Is there something wrong with my name?" I debated on snorting at him, but he was so jumpy that might scare him off.
"No," Jax looked at my massive body carefully, "Some of your aggression make more sense now."
"So me being angry makes more sense now that I'm a beast," My eyes dropped to half lid, "That's not funny."
I scooted the robe they'd brought down for me over to my head with the tip of my tail, and shifted my weight back as I pushed up with my arms so that I was sitting on my haunches like a huge dog. Then I switched back to my human form. The sudden vacuum of the air as it rushed towards me messed up Jax's hair, and threw around the papers Snider had forgotten to clean up before he left. This transformation was less awkward then last time, but I still almost fell like last time. A powerful gust of wind was all it took to bring the robe to my much smaller frame.
I pulled it on, and tied it closed.
"The look on your face is priceless," I sniggered to myself.
"You just went from needing a flatbed to move you to needing a bicycle," Jax looked legitimately stunned by this magical transformation.
"This is basically just a costume made of flesh you know," I sat down on the edge of the platform.
"I asked around about you," Jax leaned into the table behind him, "Stupid fire kid, and those two brothers that use the hardening ability were the only ones that seemed to know anything about you."
"Conner, Luke, and Baron?" I frowned, "They probably had plenty of wonderful things to say about their favorite punching bag."
"Sounded more like you were the one doing the beatings," Jax cocked his jaw a bit crooked.
"When I got strong enough," I growled slightly, "Of course I started fighting back. Assholes like them don't tend to like it when their punching bag starts hitting back."
Jax just shrugged. I inhaled slowly, and exhaled slowly. The chill of my breathe turned the water in the air to ice, and made it look like I was exhaling a stream of steam.
"Wow," Jax frowned, "I thought I was imagining the mana you were releasing."
"My lungs amplify mana," I scratched the back of my head, "Or convert it into elemental energy."
"That's insane," Jax leaned forward in interest.
"You think that's insane," I chuckled to myself, "Watch this."
I stood up on the platform. Scales raced up my fingers to my elbows. Turning my arms draconic while maintaining their human shape.
"Whoa," Jax seemed impressed, "That's cool."
"It ups my strength, and defense as well," I smiled as I clicked my talons.
"Interesting way of putting it," Jax frowned at me.
"What?" I shrugged.
I yawned as I stepped back up onto the platform. Moving over to the center of it before switching back to my real body. Sending out little flutters of cloth that used to be the bathrobe I was wearing. I yawned again now that I was back in my real body. My teeth extended so just the tips were showing through my gums.
I dropped my head down onto the concrete.
"What were you doing when you pulsed mana into me when you came in here?" I could feel the weight of my exhaustion coming down.
"I was trying to enter your dream," Jax smiled nervously.
I started laughing, and my chest rumbled. The chances of me entering my inner world when sleeping had gone up to fifty percent. There was a good chance that he'd end up in a similar situation to what had happened to the wraith that had forced it's way into my inner world.
"Interesting," I curled up on the platform, "Why don't you try when I'm actually asleep this time?"
"You're just going to let me in your head?" Jax looked confused, "I was going to try, and force you into a taming contract."
"You're not strong enough," I chuckled, "If you had tried when I was younger you might have temporarily subdued me, but now, you couldn't control me if you tried."
"I have to touch you to cast the spell," Jax crossed his arms.
I shrugged, and closed my eyes slowly. I couldn't help it. I was tired. If he really could get into my head he might be useful in teaching Savannah how to get into my inner world. If I lived that long.