Somewhen Else: Scene From A Wedding

Laura sat on her own with a bottle of full-bodied red, that one of Arabella's servants had been only too happy to get her. At least the strange woman had seemed happy about it. There was something increasingly inhuman about the servants here, and it wasn't just that they all looked the same. And that was part of the problem. Her problem.

Today she'd gone toe to toe and rock to rock with Mark Garret, who had borrowed aspects of dragon and divinity from his harem, while Laura was just her. What she was now.

She frowned down at the tears and stains in her favorite silk blouse from the day's activities. Mostly the brawl. The Castle servants could probably salvage it, but for now it was a good thing Nimue had packed the red dress that Anna had bought her for the wedding itself. The damage to her clothes just brought her thoughts back to her undamaged skin though.

The group had marched into hell and back, Laura making the whole trip in heels. Her feet should be killing her. Instead, her legs just thrummed with power. Her blood sang to her in a chorus laced with fire. She had been trying so hard to ignore her changes, even with Candy taking her flying. But today had undone so much of that. In the dark, when Herman had taken his light forward, it had been the easiest thing in the world to let her power unfurl and wreath her hair in fire. Not that the warm glow had been anywhere near as effective against the darkness as Herman's lantern. But it had made her feel better while bringing up the rear, making sure that no one got left behind.

Looking down at her perfectly painted and manicured nails, not even slightly chipped despite tearing into solid rock today, she could so easily picture them as claws instead. She didn't have a dragon's tail or horns like Mark, yet, but it was so easy to picture them as well. To picture her arms covered in the same wine-red scales as her wings.

Ever since she had gotten the Aura, and upgraded it, there had been a well of power deep inside. The more she pushed, the more the fires in her blood sang to her, the more she felt changed. She had been so worn out from a week of marathon sex that she hadn't even questioned it, just grabbed the stamina boost without thought. She really couldn't ignore it anymore though. Every change she had gotten, except the expansion of her bust, had apparently been making her more of a dragon. From the very first day when she had gained Command. And her Aura boosted that, possibly boosted itself being a dragon transformation as well. How soon before she was more dragon than human?

Was she already? She hadn't hesitated to use Command to steal a chewed-up doll from a pair of dogs. Just for a petty game.

Andy seemed to be leaving his humanity behind in stride to those that didn't know better. Harper, who seemed to have had advice for every master here, hadn't said a word to her. But Laura knew the sea elf's changes were just as drastic. Candy's changes had only made her seem more herself. Susan had embraced her transformations, largely thanks to Tracy. Laura snorted, thinking of her teal-haired sister. She knew very much what she would say about becoming more than human.

Laura swirled her wine in the beautiful crystal glass the Mildred had brought her with the bottle, her green eyes glowing in the dark of the room. The last of the bottle. She drank the excellent vintage just as sober as when she started it.

Movement in the dark, bright as day to her now, brought her attention to another Mildred, possibly the same one, seemingly just as unbothered by the dark, approaching with another bottle of wine as if she'd been watching, waiting for the opportunity to bring another. She didn't say anything, just smiled that too-wide smile, set the bottle on the table with a bow, and left as soundlessly as she'd entered. Laura thought she really should be getting back to their borrowed suite. Anna, and probably Susan at least, would be waiting up for her. Anna didn't seem to need sleep after her latest change, and Susan had the stamina of an animal that weighed close to two tons in her much smaller body.

One more bottle couldn't hurt though.