looks at me, then whips around as if in a huff and is pulled down into the mud.
“She must be so lonely here in the swamp,” Jennifer says as we make our way back to the pool. “Then a spectacular dragon shows up, and he goes right to her carefully prepared island. But he’s brought his own girl! So sad.”
“Believe me,” I state with emphasis, “even if I hadn’t brought a female of my own, nothing would have happened with me and that thing.”
“Are you sure?” Jennifer asks impishly. “Did you see the length of those tentacles? The squareness of the… umm… booty? She’s one of the most attractive monsters I’ve seen.”
“Have you seen very many?”
“Apart from the dinos? No, only the one. And you, of course.”
We get to the pool, and we both jump in without any concern. “Are you calling me a monster?”
She thinks about it. “Only if that gets me another penalty.”
I grab her nipple between two fingers, hard enough to make her squeal fetchingly. “You know it does.”
We find a place to sit on the sand with our upper bodies out of the water. Jennifer sits between my splayed legs, and I casually cup her breasts and play with them.
“I’ve been thinking,” she says and tries to straighten her hair out. “About that riddle you told me. It doesn’t sound like a children’s riddle to me. More like ancient wisdom that was carefully crafted into a riddle to be easily remembered and passed down through the ages. I think it’s really important.”
I slide my hands down her front and rest them on her lower stomach and her thighs. “M-hm.”
“Who must pay? The one who has erred. That’s me, right? I erred, in a sense. Inflicting that injury on you. I have to pay with a piece of my hoard. Right?”
I think about it while I let my fingers roam free across Jennifer’s front. “Yes, and no. I think the words are intentionally vague. And the word I translated to ‘erred’ has other meanings, too. Furthermore, you don’t have a hoard.”
She hesitates. “Not like yours, maybe. But don’t you think it means that the one who gave you the injury should also be the one who heals it by giving up something important to him or her? Oh, that feels good.”
“That would be one interpretation. How do you think that ‘scales must be traded’ applies to you?” I make little circles with my fingers all around Jennifer’s adorable belly button, enjoying her smooth, scale-less skin.
“I guess there should be some exchange of bodily things. Like, I hurt your scales. Then you must hurt me, maybe. I hope that’s not it. Oh my, you are a tease with those fingers.”
“Strange as it may seem, I’m not that keen on hurting you. Sometimes I am, though. Just the tiniest little bit.” I pinch the skin where her thigh meets the lower part of her torso, close to her slit.
She whimpers. “That doesn’t... oh my... really hurt. It’s more pleasant than painful— okay, I take it back.”
I lessen the pressure between my claws with a fold of her skin between them, then gently rub the pinched spot with one fingertip. “Go on.”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe that riddle is nonsense. I mean, you’re not a supernatural being. You’re an alien. It must be possible to heal you using ordinary medication. Unfortunately, I don’t have any, except for the paste. I should mention that the spaceship makes a gel that works against everything for us, but not for dragons. A little lower. Lower.” She spreads her legs a fraction, making room.
I slowly inch one finger down between her warm, soft thighs. “The Inferior spaceship, you mean. Yes, nothing from there can be anything but abhorrent and harmful to me.”
“Ooohh yeah. Rub right there, on the outside. I guess we can only hope your hoard will do the trick. As a last-ditch option, you could probably go to Earth with us. I would think modern medicine could pull that splinter out of you with no problems at all. Of course, you going to Earth has a whole set of complications I’m not sure you’ll find that pleasant. But if it’s either that or death, then I think you should consider it.”
“I’ll consider it,” I promise as I climb out. “If it becomes necessary. For now, I’m soaked all the way through and need some dry air.”
“Yeah, maybe we should get out— aieee!”
I grab Jennifer under her arms and easily lift her out