Chapter 3

Virlane sat tapping his talon's on the table, Laurel worried turned to Kat "I won't have to replace another table will I?" Kat who was holding Crispin making soft cooing noises at him looked up "I hope not, he is just frustrated that for months now he has been trying to catch DeClan at his castle and each time he goes there DeClan has either just left or has not been there in weeks." Mar frowned at Virlane "will you stop tapping your talons, it's very annoying and has Trink on the edge of his chair ready to bolt for the door" Virlane laughed and stopped. Alex glanced at Laurel "where is Zara? dinner is about to be served" Zara hovered in the doorway "sorry am I late?" as she entered the room everyone saw for a moment a swirling light and the human Zara wearing a long flowing sheath dress, her hair floating about her head and body as she seemed to glide into the room, her every movement filled with sensuality, the dimple appearing at the side of her mouth as she smiled. Alex snapped his mouth shut as Zara the tiny dragoness flew to her seat "no, Cook will be bringing dinner out in just a moment" Zara looked around the table "is something wrong?" Virlane blinked several times and just shook his head, Mar his mouth still hanging open quickly shut it and shook his head, Raimi kicked Revanche under the table, Revanche blinked then gave her a questioning look "pick your tongue up off the table and shut your mouth" she told him silently. Zara giggled "Kat, Crispin is spitting up all over your shoulder" Kat blinked and quickly moved Crispin cleaning her shoulder off, Natalie said silently to Rav "did I see what I thought I just saw?" Rav grinned "if you saw what I saw yes you did" Natalie replied "what did you see?" Rav chuckled "ohhhh no you don't I'm not going to end up sleeping in a cold bed tonight by answering that." Laurel who was avoiding looking at Alex helped Cook bring out dinner, as she passed the tureen of soup around her eyes met his and sighed. Half way through dinner Virlane silently asked Zara if she knew when DeClan would be at his castle, in surprise Zara looked at Virlane, thinking he must be very frustrated to have asked her, she replied that DeClan was in Scotland but if he wanted she could tell him that Virlane wanted to met with him, Virlane simply nodded. After dinner Zara went out and sat on the terrace steps "DeClan?" she whispered, "yes little one" came DeClan's voice, "Virlane want's to meet with you at your castle" she could hear the frown in his voice as he asked if she knew why, Zara shook her head "he didn't say but he isn't happy with you building where you are, I do know that, would you like me to talk with him?" DeClan smiled "no little one I will deal with Virlane but I thank you for the offer, are you well? Zara" Zara hmmm'd "yes I am fine why do you ask?" DeClan listened for a moment his black eyes flaring "purr for me little one then I will answer you" Zara almost giggled as she purred long and low for DeClan. DeClan groaned feeling his body reacting to Zara's purr as it flowed over him "soon little one, I shall come for you" his voice whispered over her like a caress, Zara felt her breath catch in her small chest "soon I will be ready for you DeClan" she purred back, DeClan took a deep breath and said briskly "tell Virlane I will meet him at the castle as he calls it one week from tomorrow at ten in the morning" Zara blinked "all right I will tell him for you" DeClan heard the worry in her voice and said with a soft gentle whisper "I am not angry with you my little Zara, but I must go now before I give in to temptation and reach out for you" Zara whispered "stay safe DeClan." Zara went back into the parlor and sat down by Crispin who was laying on a blanket his little arms and legs waving as he gurgled and coo'd, "DeClan will meet with you one week from tomorrow at ten in the morning at the castle" she told Virlane silently, Virlane nodded. Zara sat thinking about what DeClan had said and once again felt the same breathless catch in her chest, for a moment the human Zara sat gently touching Crispin's cheek a soft gentle smile on her lips, the dragoness Zara glanced up as Mar let out a loud groan "are you all right Mar?" Mar laid his head down and put his paws over his snout "yes Zara I'm fine" Marti'en chortled at Mar, Zara looked at her papa in surprise as he suddenly stood up, grabbed her mothers hand and pulled her out of the room saying they needed to talk. Natalie said silently to Bitsy "ohhhh your missing it, Zara's human is starting to come out and ohhhhhhhh my you should see her, Alex is frothing at the mouth almost and just dragged Laurel out of the room for a talk" Bitsy gasped "and I'm missing it! damn I'll be right there!" Bitsy came breezing in a moment later smiling "I was missing our little Crispin and wanted to say night night to him" Raimi looked at Bitsy in surprise "you saw him this morning" Bitsy just grinned and winked at Raimi. Zara smiled saying hello to Bitsy, Bitsy smiled back "he is adorable isn't he" Zara looked down at Crispin "babies are amazing things aren't they" once again for a moment her human shimmered her dimple showing as she smiled down at the baby, her silver hair pooled around her, long delicate fingers reached out to touch his chubby baby hand. Bitsy blinked "ohhhhhhhhh my is right, can we say sexual boys and girls, no wonder Alex is having spasms of fatherly horror" she said to Natalie. Natalie giggled, Zara the dragoness blinked as Mar suddenly jumped up and all but charged out of the room. Trink stood up "I think I'll be movin right along, it might not hurt to be findin a good convent in the area if yea get me meanin, at the very least a chastity belt might be workin in the mean time." With a very confused look Zara watched everyone in the room burst out laughing as Trink strolled out of the room whistling a merry tune.

Laurel snapped at Alex "will you calm down and listen to yourself" Alex spun around on his heels "calm down? you saw her for gods sake, wrap her in sack cloth and every slavering puppy from here to London will still be after her, as Miranda grew up I was proud of her beauty, she was so much like her mother, with Zara I'm terrified just those two glimpses I got of her she almost screams out fuck me" Laurel gasped "that's a terrible thing to say about your own daughter, Zara can't help what her human looks like, that is Zara, Alex our tiny Zara, did you see her eyes did you for just one minute look at her eyes and see the soft gentle innocence that is our Zara!" Alex sighed running his fingers through his hair "I'm sorry urchin, I really lost it didn't I?" Laurel chuckled "lost it? you went off the deep end sweetheart, now take a few deep breaths and try to be rational about this, if Zara is anything like me she won't even know why there is such an uproar, I never noticed the way men looked at me, I was just me as far as I was concerned, I didn't see myself as others saw me, let Zara have the same chance Alex, if you make a big issue over her appearance it will only make her so self-conscious it could very well drive her human back in for good, we can't do that to her when she has waited so long to come out, that human Zara has waited a long time my darling to be hugged by her mama and papa, don't deprive her of that." Alex hugged Laurel tightly "your going to have to help keep me sane through this urchin, just kick me under the table like Raimi did Revanche" Laurel laughed "you caught that too huh" Alex grinned "couldn't miss it, his mouth snapped shut so quickly I heard his teeth click together." Laurel and Alex left the study laughing and went for a walk down the drive holding hands in the moonlight.

Zara came home from Mar's the next day giggling "mama I think Marti'en needs to take Mar on a vacation, all day long he would be talking to me then suddenly stop for a minute, then he would shake his head making a groaning noise then go back to talking, Marti'en said he wasn't ill just regretting his age." Laurel chuckled as she listened to Zara, the human Zara appearing then disappearing as she talked. "Sweetie, why don't we go up to your room and think about making a few more changes" Zara looked up with a bright smile "what sort of changes mama?" following her mama out of the music room, Laurel smiled and hugged Zara "you have a little bed, I don't think your human will fit very well in it, I bet she would like her own bed and while we're at it, how about we make some clothes for her." Zara wrapped her tiny arms around her mama's neck and laughed "she's ready to come stay mama, she's waited ever so long, she's very pretty mama, not as pretty as you or Miranda but that's ok I don't care just that it's time." Laurel kissed Zara's cheek "it doesn't matter what she looks like, we love her because she is our Zara too" Zara nuzzled her mama's cheek "it's going to be fun mama" the two spent hours in her room, laughing and giggling as they redid Zara's room, Laurel for a few teary moments snuggled her human Zara in her arms, then they laughed and giggled even more deciding what sort of clothes she liked. Zara insisted she had to have an outfit like Raimi's doe skin breeches and jacket, they made an outfit just like Raimi's but the doe skin was dyed a dark blue to match Zara's eyes, several split skirts and blouses. Zara her eyes shining smiled "now I can go riding with papa and Natalie and Raimi, ohhhhhh isn't this wonderful mama" Laurel laughed as Zara grabbed her hands and they twirled around in a big circle, Laurel felt the tears well up in her eyes as she looked at Zara, this was truly her tiny Zara so full of laughter, reaching out and grabbing life with a giggle and a smile. Alex came down the hall, hearing a giggle he looked up the staircase, his mouth hanging open as he watched Zara fairly dancing down the stairs hand in hand with her mama, the two laughing and giggling. Zara seeing her papa almost ran down the rest of the way down the stairs "I'm here papa" Alex couldn't help but laugh as Zara flung her arms around her papa hugging him, this was his puffball after all. Zara skipped across the foyer "can I go riding with you tomorrow? papa, I have a riding outfit that mama and I just made" Alex chuckled then frowned "do you know how to ride Puffball?" her eyes going wide Zara nibbled delicately on a fingertip "ummmmm I'm not sure papa" Alex laughed "well why don't we go over to Brand's tomorrow and find out, their meadow is a bit softer for falling on just incase." Laurel squeezed Alex hand as they watched Zara dance into the dining room, they heard her giggle and say "yes Cook it's me" Cook her hands on her ample hips grinned "well landsakes child gave me a start you did, now don't you just look like an angel come down from heaven, better hide those tiny horn's though I caught a glimpse of" Zara laughed and Cook smiled going back into her kitchen. As she ate her dinner Zara smiled at her mother "I can't wait to see how the hot oil pool feels on human skin mama, I bet it feels just delicious" Laurel kicked Alex under the table, he quickly went back to staring at his plate, Laurel smiled back at Zara "it does feel wonderful, but we're going to have to do something with all that hair of yours, it would take hours to wash the oil out, so you don't want to get it in your hair but maybe once a month" Zara giggled "wait until gathering won't Falk be surprised" she quickly jumped up and pounded her papa on the back as he choked "are you all right? papa" wiping the tears from his eyes, Alex cleared his throat a few times and nodded "just swallowed wrong that's all Puffball" Zara sat down giving her papa a concerned look, Laurel chuckled "he will be fine in a minute just let him catch his breath, he always gets choked up at the mention of Falk" Zara giggled "Falk is such a cutie don't you think mama" Laurel grinned "more like a big pussy cat" Alex muttered then groaned realizing he was starting to sound like Trink. Renlock padded into the dining room "I am returning a book..." Laurel put her hand over her mouth to stifle her giggles as Renlock walked into the sideboard as he stared at Zara, getting up off her chair Zara rushed over "are you all right Renlock?" Renlock tilted his head "Zara?" Zara grinned "it's me" Renlock his eyes turning a deep smoldering gray purred deeply "so I see" as his paw reached out taking a pawful of Zara's long hair, Alex stood up slowly "Renlock you said you were returning a book? Zara go sit back down." Zara smiled as she pulled her hair from Renlock's paw and went back to her chair "it was nice seeing you again, you and Strut are gone most of the time now a days" Renlock shook his head, gathering his wits about him "my apologies Alex, Zara" holding out the book to Alex his eyes still on Zara, taking a deep breath he nodded to Laurel and quickly left before he did something else stupid, like grab Zara and fly off to the lair with her. Zara quickly finished the rest of her dinner then got up saying she was going to the pool room, with a smile she danced out of the room, Alex groaned loudly "you see what I mean urchin" Laurel nodded "I never got a reaction like that, I don't remember Miranda getting the dragons all excited either, I wonder what it is about her?" Alex sighed debating how to put it "she is walking, talking sex in motion Laurel, a male can almost smell the scent of sex on her, these dragons are a bit bigger then I am, I would hate to have to kick one in the shins and say unhand my daughter." Laurel sighed with a frown "I'm sure it won't come to that Alex" with a groan he hoped not.