CHAPTER#29

"I find the Renaissance to be far too romanticized for my taste." Lily stopped at the door, handing the key to Beth. "It's like looking at a piece of shit five hundred years later and calling it a candy bar."

"Not a fan?" Beth asked, kneeling to slide the key into the lock.

"I was a history major for a bit. I can assure you it wasn't all tits and turkey legs." Lily crossed her arms. "I'm a little jaded though."

"Your last boyfriend?" Beth asked, removing the lock.

"Yeah. You can say he was very obsessed with the Dark Ages."

"Sounds like a real winner." Beth lifted the cold metal door. The space inside was nowhere near as disorganized as she expected it to be. A large pallet in the middle of the room lifted the belongings off the floor.

"Looks like this will be easier than originally thought," Lily said stepping into the room. Boxes were stacked nicely in rows, allowing the two of them to walk between them with little trouble.

"This could take us hours to inventory. You realize that, right?"

"Maybe not," Lily replied, pointing to a box. Beth saw that a sheet of paper had been carefully taped to the top. It was a list of contents.

"Emily was very organized," Beth said, grateful to see the familiar scrawl on the paper. "For now, we can assume that the boxes haven't been opened, so it's just a matter of going through the original list and checking stuff off."

"Let's get started then." Lily pulled her hair back into a ponytail. "I'll read off the lists if you'll cross them off."

Beth nodded, hiding her smile. Lily was quickly proving to be the best intern ever.

-

Zel made phenomenal time, the cliffs appearing just ahead. A series of waterfalls cascaded down the mushroom-shaped rocks, pooling into a large basin at the bottom. Sliding to a halt, Zel practically ripped Mike off of her back, her arms shaking.

"Get in and wash it off," she commanded, stripping off her green tunic. Mike didn't bother arguing-he was already half naked, the urge to scratch driving him out of his mind. Zel had held his hands in place the entire ride, which had proven effective because all he wanted to do was make the burning stop. The Dragon's Breath had worked its way inside of his clothes, and onto his chest. Shaking off his outer garments, he threw himself into the pool of water.

Relief was immediate. The Dragon's Breath reacted violently with the water, jumping free of his skin and skidding across the top, steam hissing in every direction. Mike held his breath and dove below, working his fingers through his hair. He could hear the hiss of the pollen over the constant pounding of the waterfall, a sound similar to meat in a skillet.

The surface of the water exploded, a large shape plunging into the depths. Mike surfaced, marveling at the large ripples bouncing off the shore. Seconds later, Zel surfaced, her hair plastered against her head.

"The Dragon's Breath comes off pretty quickly," Mike said, watching tiny wisps of steam rise off the surface of the water.

"Not quite." Zel lifted her arm to reveal a few red streaks along her forearms. "The top layer comes off pretty quickly, but the bottom layer sticks." She held up a small cloth. "You need to make sure you scrub it off."

"Yeah I can—" Mike's head sank below the water, his limbs going weak beneath him. The bottom was only eight feet deep, but he no longer had the strength in his body. He desperately held onto what little breath he had left, hoping that Zel would realize what had happened. Opening his eyes, he saw her awkward approach, her feet just out of reach of the bottom. She was able to shove him into shallower water, pulling his head above the surface. Mike sucked in air, suddenly aware that his face was once again pinned between her breasts.

"You just can't help it, can you?" Zel moved closer to the shore, easily holding him up.

"Apparently not." Mike sighed. "Thanks for saving me."

"I think letting you drown would make a terrible impression on my new roommates." Zel helped Mike stand, his strength slowly returning. He held onto her arms, his legs wobbling beneath him.

"You could say that." Mike stepped away from Zel, suddenly very aware of her. The nipples on both of her breasts were very hard, standing at attention like tiny soldiers. Her hair was plastered against her face and neck, trailing down between her breasts where it clung to her skin. The water obscured her non-human half, and she suddenly appeared more human than ever before.

"Here." Zel handed him the rag. "Will you make sure I got it all off my skin?"

"Um, yeah." Taking the rag, he swallowed hard when she lifted her arms, causing her breasts to lift. Using the rag, he scrubbed away at her arms, the red stains fizzing away while he worked them. Zel's skin turned pink in places, the coarse rag rubbing away the top layer of skin. "How come it doesn't burn and itch when I'm in the water?" He asked.

"The idea behind Dragon's Breath is that even when you think you've gotten it off, it burrows beneath your skin. Water mitigates the itching effect, but when you dry off, you end up scratching your skin, driving it deeper and deeper until you run out." Zel turned in the water, revealing her horse rump. "It won't stick to my fur, but you should still check."

"Uh..." Mike ran his fingers along the powerful muscles of her backside. "Is it okay that I'm touching you like this?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" Zel asked, but Mike noticed that she wouldn't look at him. He inspected her backside, noticing a tiny red spot about a foot behind her waist, where he had ridden her. He scrubbed the powder off, watching it dissolve in the water. She lifted her hair, and he spotted some on her back. He scrubbed that off too.