Stretched out along a rocky outcropping, I basked in the last rays of the setting sun, my eyes hooded as I stared into the distance, watching my humans scurry around their little village. I was far enough away that I had no fear of being seen. Humans had such poor eyesight, and these were too busy with own tedious errands to notice much of anything. As the sun finally slipped behind the mountains, I rose from my perch, had a good stretch, and then climbed down to my den, a nice cave in the side of the outcropping. It had smelled of foxes when I found it, but they weren’t home at the time, and they had the good sense not to come back. A little fire was all it took to cleanse the stones of lingering odors and it was all mine. Not exactly a palace, but it was good enough for this dragon. I tried to get comfortable while I waited for darkness to fall, but I found myself pacing, my cock hard and aching again, straining to emerge from within my groin. I was in the middle of the rut, and normally a dragon in my condition would seek out another dragon to help satisfy these relentless urges, but since every dragon I have ever met has tried to kill me, that’s not exactly an option. Which meant I was forced to seek out relief among the lesser creatures, namely humans. Fortunately, that’s not as icky as it sounds. Humans are semi-intelligent, with soft, warm bodies that feel really good wrapped around my cock, and I had an entire village of potential mates to choose from. As the light faded from the sky and the shadows crept over the forest, I headed down into the valley, through the woods and across the river, crouching at the treeline as I watched the candles and lamps in the cottage windows flicker and go out one by one. Night settled over us, cool and quiet. Slinking between the stone cottages, I reached inside each one with my thoughts, searching for a receptive mind. It wasn’t long before I found him. I almost passed him by because, for one thing, he was awake, and for another, his thoughts were filled with shame, which is a rather foreign and uncomfortable emotion for a dragon. I do what I do, I want what I want, and I am what I am—and I feel no shame for any of it. But I was curious, so I lingered, sifting a little deeper into his thoughts, trying to find the source of his shame. His name was Eric, he was almost twenty, and the villagers were starting to whisper behind his back because he hadn’t yet chosen a wife. He didn’t want a wife, but I had to dig deep to discover his true desire. He wanted his neighbor, a human male named Daniel, and this was the cause of his shame. It was hard for me to understand his turmoil. Dragons, as I have learned over the centuries, are quite different from humans. We’re non-binary, for starters, possessing both male and female reproductive organs, so issues like hetero- and homosexuality are completely foreign. All I knew was that he wanted to mate with Daniel, and that made him feel bad about himself. Honestly, I was baffled that he should feel so bad about something he had so little control over, and that made me curious to see how he would feel if he actually got what he wanted so badly. Soft as a feather, I pushed my thoughts into his mind, hoping he would mistake my whispering for his own mental wanderings. Can’t sleep , I murmured. Maybe Daniel can’t sleep either. It’s a warm night. Why not take a walk? Daniel might be out for a walk, too. It would be nice to see him. I added a hint of gentle persuasion, just enough to get him out of bed and out of his cottage. I hid in the shadows, watching as the tall, lean human male stepped out into the starlit lane, wearing just his long nightshirt. He yawned, his steps uneven as he headed barefoot toward Daniel’s cottage. Daniel was sound asleep and snoring loud enough I was surprised the entire village couldn’t hear him. He would not be taking a walk any time soon. There he is , I whispered in Eric’s mind, pushing the image of a shadowy figure into his thoughts. He wouldn’t actually see it, but his mind would think he had. He’s walking down the lane, out of the village. Follow him. Look, he’s beckoning. It takes a lot of concentration to make someone think they see something that isn’t there, draining my mental energy, but if I got what I wanted, it would be worth the effort. Eric hurried down the lane, chasing shadows in his mind, and I followed, my steps stiff and awkward as I fought to keep my cock retracted. Outside the village, the darkness surrounded us, the starlight bathing everything in a fine, silvery glow that I had no trouble seeing by, but Eric stumbled around as if blind. Over here, Eric , I said, pulling Daniel’s voice from Eric’s memories. I’m so glad you decided to join me. “You are? Why?” Touching his thoughts, I could feel that shame again, and a wariness that bordered on fear. I think you know , I said, weaving reassurance into my voice, trying not to spook him. I’ve been wanting this for so long. “Wanting what?” Eric asked, and I had to draw back from his mind as his longing and fear became almost intolerable. I didn’t understand how he could be so afraid of something he wanted so badly. Digging deep into his memories, I sifted through sunny days and rainy nights and cold, snowy sunrises, searching for the root of his fear. I found it far back in his memories, when he was little more than a boy. A caravan of nomads had passed through the village, setting up camp in the fields at the edge of the forest. They wore bright colors and played loud music that made Eric want to dance, but his parents called them thieves and deviants, and warned Eric to keep away from the camp. Eric did as he was told, but while he was out watering the crops, a boy from the caravan wandered by. He was a little older than Eric, with a warm smile and dark eyeliner accentuating his pale eyes. Eric hadn’t even realized what was happening until the boy kissed him, lips soft and tender, sending a thrill of pleasure shuddering through Eric. But his father saw. Eric had never seen his father so angry. The boy took one look at the red-faced man and bolted, disappearing between the cottages. Eric’s father dragged him into the barn and beat him senseless, leaving a lasting impression on the young man. Sometimes I’m astounded by the things human parents do to their offspring in an effort to ‘raise them right’, but then I remember that if my mother had lived, she would have eaten me the moment my piebald body slithered out of my egg. So who am I to judge? I regarded Eric, standing in the darkness, quaking with fear and burning with desire. It was a wonder his emotions didn’t tear him two. “Wanting what, Daniel?” he asked again, the plaintive need in his voice touching even my cold-blooded heart. You, of course, I replied. Eric, I want you. I held my breath, pushing as much reassurance over him as I dared. “You can’t mean that,” Eric said, resisting my persuasion. “It-it’s wrong. If we’re caught—” We won’t be caught. We’re alone, out here in the dark. Everyone is asleep. We were fated to meet tonight. How can that be wrong? I could feel him weakening, succumbing to the soft, relentless pressure of my mind. “Is it really fate?” he whispered. Of course. Why else would you suddenly decide to go for a walk in the middle of the night? I smirked at my own cleverness as his resolved crumbled. “Oh, Daniel,” he breathed, “why did you never tell me you felt this way?” The same reason you haven’t said anything , I replied. We must keep this a secret. “Of course, you’re right,” Eric said. “Where are you? I want to see you.” I’m afraid that can’t happen, but if you do as I say, you will know me in ways more important than sight. “H-how?” Eric asked, his voice trembling. Would you like to taste me? I whispered, sliding a thought into his mind, making him believe he could feel Daniel’s breath against his neck. “Yes...Oh, please, yes,” Eric gasped. Get on your knees. Close your eyes , I told him, smirking as he hastened to obey. Moving quietly, I stepped out of the darkness and walked toward him, sending a soft compulsion, like a lover’s caress, though his mind to make sure his eyes stayed shut. I stood over him, my breath escaping in a long, low groan as I was finally able to relax my muscles and allow my cock to emerge from within my body, a gleaming ebony lance dripping with thick fluid. I twisted my long neck around so I could see beneath myself and I watched as I brought the glistening tip of my cock to Eric’s lips. I felt his rapid breath against my flesh, his trembling lips brushing against my tapered cockhead. Open your mouth , I instructed. Taste me. He shivered and took a stuttering breath, his lips parting and his warm, wet tongue sliding over the throbbing head of my cock. I fought the urge to thrust into his mouth and down his throat, but my need only deepened with each stroke of his tongue. I moaned as he wrapped his lips around my tip and suckled, noisily slurping the precum that leaked from my shaft. The fluid was filled with dragon pheromones, which acted as an aphrodisiac on humans, finally overcoming the crippling fear in his mind. Eric brought his hands up, stroking my thick rod as he continued to suck on me. As awkward looking as humans are, I have to admit, their hands are a miracle of nature, so soft and nimble, yet strong and tireless. I think he’d have kept at it until I came if I had let him. But I had something else in mind. That’s good, lover , I said in Daniel’s voice. It’s your turn now. Let me show you how you make me feel. I stepped back, leaving Eric panting on his knees, his erection evident beneath his nightshirt, tenting the lightweight material. “How? What do I do?” he asked, his eyes still closed. Stand up. Open your eyes, I told him, crouched in the darkness and invisible to his poor eyesight. Beside the road is a fence. Walk to it. Hands outstretched, Eric stumbled over the tough hummocks of grass growing beside the road until he bumped into the sturdy, split-rail fence. Very good. Now lift up your nightshirt and bend over the fence. I felt him balk at my request, for a moment struggling against my compulsion. I eased up, not wanting him to realize he was being pushed. Besides, force was an inelegant option. I preferred manipulation. I thought you wanted this , I said, trying to make Daniel’s voice sound hurt and disappointed, even though Eric had no memories of hearing him speak in such a way. I thought you wanted me. “I do!” Eric whispered. “So much, but I—I’ve never...” Don’t worry, I know what to do , I said, creeping closer. I have oil to make you slick and loose. It won’t hurt a bit. Eric hesitated, but gathered up his nightshirt without any further prompting from me. He bent over, resting his chest on the top rail, his hands gripping the rough wood as he stuck out his bare, muscular ass. Precum dripping from the tip of my cock, I stalked my prey, coming up behind him. It took all my willpower not to mount him right then and there, but I had promised it wouldn’t hurt. I’m going to use my fingers to apply the oil , I said, even though I had neither fingers nor oil. Just as I had made him see Daniel when he wasn’t there, I could make him feel something that wasn’t happening. Or, in this case, make him believe he was feeling one thing when it really something far different. I pressed my nose between his tensed butt cheeks, flicking the tip of my forked tongue against his tight anus. He smelled of sweat and musk, a very human, very male scent, but not unpleasant. I flicked again, harder, pressing against that puckered ring of muscle. Relax, Eric , I murmured in his mind, adding just a hint of compulsion to speed things along. I didn’t have all night. Relax for me, let me in. You won’t regret it. I could hear him breathing, sucking short breaths through his teeth, and I sent a wave of calming energy through his mind, making him sigh. I flicked my tongue again and his entrance softened, allowing me to push my long, muscular tongue into his body. He gasped, a shudder running through him as he groaned, in his mind experiencing the first touch of his lover’s hand. I could still feel that perplexing shame in him, but it was being drowned in a sea of lust and desire. With slow, languid thrusts, I stretched his opening, lubricating his passage with copious amounts of saliva. Eric gasped and trembled, his virgin body overwhelmed by the new sensations. If I wasn’t careful, he was going to cum before I ever got in a single thrust. Easy there, lover, I said in Daniel’s voice. Don’t finish without me. I’d be very disappointed. “I-I won’t,” he panted, making a breathless sound as the pleasure shuddered through him. Yeah, right, like he was going to last much longer. I chuckled to myself as I slid tendrils of thought into his mind, weaving a compulsion so strong it would be almost impossible for him to cum without my permission. Normally, I wouldn’t risk such a strong push, but he was already so far gone he never noticed, his mind focused completely on what my tongue was doing deep inside his rear. Finally, everything was ready and I pulled my tongue back, Eric sagging over the fence rail as he gasped for breath. “Please...don’t stop…” he begged. Don’t worry, we’re just getting started , I told him. My heart racing, blood surging through my veins, I stepped over the fence with my front legs, my long body arched over Eric as I shuffled my back feet closer, the tip of my hard, throbbing cock touching the small of his back. Pushing thoughts into his mind, I made him feel his lover’s hands, the warmth of a human body against his own, and he moaned helplessly as I lowered my hips, my leaking cockhead sliding down the cleft between his cheeks. I felt his nervous opening flutter, muscles tensing, and I thrust forward, but my slippery tip slid up his crack, leaving a thick smear along the small of his back. Taking a steadying breath, I tried again, taking aim at his puckered entrance, with no better luck, my cock slipping down between his legs and out past his balls. My talons sunk into the ground, digging deep furrows in the soft earth, as I struggled to maintain my composure. It wasn’t easy, with the heat of mating lust boiling my blood, my entire body consumed by a single aching need. Reach back, guide me in , I instructed, my cock throbbing as I felt the warm touch of his hand against my shaft. He seated me firmly against his entrance and I leaned into him, curls of smoke rising from my nostrils as I held myself in check. I felt his tight ring soften as I pressed forward, opening like a rose in the sun as my slick cockhead slid into his hot, tight body. “Oh, Daniel, I had no idea you were so big,” Eric moaned. It’s not polite to brag , I said with a smirk. My cock was nearly as long as a human arm, with a smooth, tapered tip that took up nearly a third of the length. The rest of the shaft was a meaty, ridged rod of nerves and muscle, studded with soft, fleshy spikes that served to stimulate ovulation in the dragon on the receiving end. At the base of my cock was a large, spongy mass of tissue that worked a lot like a canine’s knot, swelling to lock the giver into the receiver until the package was successfully delivered. Unfortunately, humans were too petite and fragile for that sort of thing. Most females were unable to take the entire tip, and I had yet to find a male who could take more than a few inches of the main shaft. Didn’t really matter, though I did often wonder how it would feel to bury my entire length inside of my mate, to fill them completely, as eons of evolution had intended. It would be centuries before I found out. Trembling from the restraint, I waited for Eric’s body to adjust. Do you like it? I asked, probing his thoughts so I could revel in his pleasure as well as my own. Do you like my big cock in your ass? My words brought a fresh wave of shame and disgust bubbling to the surface, strong enough that I almost withdrew to get away. Why do you feel that way? I demanded, needing to know, to understand. “This...it’s wrong,” he replied in a small voice. “It’s unnatural.” Nonsense. Mating is a natural part of life. “To have children, raise a family, but this...This is nothing but selfish deviance...” I was losing him, his mind slipping away, out of reach behind a wall of revulsion and self-hatred. In another moment he would have broken free of the semi-dream state I had put him in, and the shit would have really hit the fan then. I took a chance, thrusting forward and sinking my cock deep inside of him. He gasped, jerked out of his downward spiral of shame, and I took advantage, weaving my tendrils into his thoughts, drawing him back to me. There is nothing more natural than wanting comfort, companionship, pleasure, love , I told him, finding the words painfully true. Being alone, that is unnatural. Denying your desires, denying your nature— that is unnatural. Let go of your shame, Eric, and embrace the truth of who you are. Set yourself free, my love. “I—I don’t know how,” he said, hands gripping the fence rail that he was bend over. Let me help you , I whispered, pushing against the wall that surrounded him. Do you trust me? He hesitated and I felt his shame and disgust begin to crumble. “I do, Daniel. I trust you completely.” His mind opened to me, all barriers brushed aside like cobwebs, and I flooded him with waves of acceptance and comfort. His body relaxed with a heavy sigh, years of tension rolling away. Finally, I could get what I came for. You never answered me, I said, the muscles in my groin tensing and withdrawing my cock from his tight passage. Do you like my big cock in your ass? “Yes, I do,” he answered immediately. “I love it. Don’t take it out, please.” Do you want more? Do you want it deeper? My body ached, my cock throbbing with neglected need, but sometimes the waiting made it all so much better. “I want it all, all of you,” Eric panted, shuddering in anticipation. I chuckled, a deep, rumbling sound. All of me might be a bit much, but I’ll give you all that you can take. I arched my back, muscles relaxing and thrusting my cock forward, driving into him hard enough to make the fence shake. “Oh, yes. Fuck, yes,” he gasped. “Give it to me. Fuck me hard.” I didn’t need to be asked twice. Planting my back feet in the soft earth, I braced myself and drove my cock into his hot, willing body over and over. He would have cum almost immediately, if not for the compulsion that held him in check. He moaned and writhed, crying out as several inches of my ridged shaft slid into his ass, the pleasure thundering through him, so intense it made his breath catch in his chest. He was so tight and warm and slick, his body gripping my aching flesh, his muscles squeezing as if trying to wring the cum from me. I gasped and panted, filling the air with puffs of blue smoke as I thrust harder, hammering into him. It felt so good, the sensation, the connection. Not being alone. Maybe even more than mating, I needed these few moments of contact, even if it was just with a human. “Please!” Eric cried, his whole body tensing as he quaked with unbearable ecstasy. “I can’t take any more!” Fortunately for him, neither could I. Shuddering with orgasm, I plunged my cock deep inside him and came, my rod throbbing with each powerful spurt. Released from my compulsion, Eric’s breathless cries filled the air as he striped the ground beneath the fence. He sagged against the rail, limp and trembling, his muscles twitching as my softening cock slid out of him and retracted into my body. I started to leave, but on a whim, I leaned down and nuzzled the back of his neck. You were amazing, lover , I told him. Now go home and remember this only as a dream. But even though it was just a dream, remember that you should not be ashamed of your desires. There’s nothing wrong with you and you deserve to be loved. I stepped back as he straightened up and pulled his nightshirt down, his steps shaky as he staggered back toward the village. He would be walking funny for quite a while. As I turned to head back to the forest, I heard his voice in the darkness. “You deserve to be loved, too.” For a moment, his words stopped me in my tracks, but I just shook my head and loped across the fields, bounding over fences and frightening a flock of sheep. He wasn’t talking to me, he was speaking to Daniel. He couldn’t have been talking to me. I didn’t deserve love. I was a freak, a hideous piebald mutation. I was misfortune incarnate. I was the dragon of bad omens. I was cursed to be alone.