Free Ascend by Ophelia Bell

Chapter One
    C orey stood in the center of the corridor staring at the massive green jade double door. He felt like a fool for deciding to go through with this— date —or whatever it was. As much sexual eye candy as he’d witnessed over the last few hours and as frustrated as he was as a result, he’d always considered himself the kind of guy who cared about more substance in his partners.
    It had been Kris, finally, who had changed Corey’s mind about going through with this. Kris who had made him understand the unique nature of these people their team had awakened. He had a hard time thinking of them as anything other than people, in spite of the fantastic shapes he’d seen them take. He’d drawn a few of his own conclusions, too. Very unscientific conclusions, probably, but he had a feeling Erika or the others might agree with him.
    In spite of the very sexual nature of their new friends, each one of them ultimately had seemed human to him in one very particular way. They weren’t mindless sex fiends. That realization had come, ironically, in the middle of watching the only orgy Corey thought he could ever stomach. He’d stayed to man the camera for as long as he could endure, but in that span of time he’d seen how attentive and caring each of the dragons had been to his or her lovers.
    Corey had been with his share of lovers, all women, but only with one of them had he ever come close to feeling what he’d seen in all the dragons’ eyes during the course of that night. It made him ache in a much deeper place than his balls to think he could have that again with a woman. He just hoped this particular woman wouldn’t end up finding him wanting after a few months and leave him for a richer man.
    Hell, she might hate him from the beginning, but he’d been on plenty bad dates and the world hadn’t ended as a result. Shit, he hoped the world didn’t end if this went badly. He’d seen some of the magic the dragons could do and wondered how much more they were capable of when full-up. Like Kris shooting fireworks from his fingertips , Corey thought. If only a normal orgasm could feel that good. Just being in the room at that point would’ve been enough to make Corey’s cock hard as a rock, if it hadn’t been already.
    Corey wiped his damp palms on his pants and took a tentative step forward. Should he knock? Or should he just go in? All it had taken Dimitri was a touch to the doors of that chamber and they’d opened up, like he’d done it with the power of a thought.
    “Fuck it,” Corey muttered and rapped the knuckles of one hand lightly on the carved jade figure that graced the front of the door. He only had a second to regret which part of the woman’s image he’d managed to choose to touch before the doors both swung inward. He hurriedly raked shaky fingers through his hair and wished fervently that he’d had more time to prepare—to bring her flowers or something. As it was, all he was showing up with was a raging hard-on that hadn’t subsided in hours. He’d finally just written it off as something he’d have to live with for the time being.
    He stood on the threshold, gazing around at the interior of a massive chamber easily the size of the throne room. It was completely lit, and at the far end was a huge bed with four columns of carved jade rising from each corner.
    He almost didn’t see her, as small as she was relative to the scope of the room and the bed. When he finally realized she was there, seated serenely in the center of the bed, he raised a hand and gave her a tentative wave.
    “Ah…Sorry I’m late.”
    She only nodded and raised a hand to gesture for him to come forward. Once he was a few paces in, she made another slight gesture and the doors swept closed behind him.
    Corey’s heart pounded as he looked over his shoulder at his only means of escape. But escape from what, exactly? He swallowed his anxiety and turned forward again to take a good look at this dragon queen he