“I won’t.” She hoped she wouldn’t be. She prayed she wouldn’t be but all bets were off. He was a wild beast underneath that human skin. A wild, overlarge reptile. A shiver ran through her. Fear and excitement. What a combination.

There was a cracking, pulling sound. It sounded like ropes being stretched to their breaking point. Julie had to look, how could she not? Her eyes flitted to where he was standing just a foot or two in front of her. Her neck craned as she watched him… expand, extend. Muscles rippled and roped. His skin broke out in scales. They were dazzling. The most beautiful hues of blue, green and even oranges. Gold. There were a ton of gold scales as well. They covered his chest… it expanded out.

His jaw elongated, fangs burst forth. His limbs cracked as they extended. His tail… oh my god… he had a tail. It lengthened. Wings sprang open. They were huge. So wide. She could almost see through them, yet she could tell that they were as strong as they were fine.

He lifted his great head and roared. A sound so terrifying, so powerful, yet beautiful. He was beautiful…period. His chest was a bright golden color. So rich, almost too bright to look at for too long. Coal lowered his head. His eyes locked with hers. They were the same dark orbs, only they were in slits now instead of whites and irises. She couldn’t look away. So mesmerizing. Coal looked deadly, ferocious and mighty.

Without thinking, she raised her hand towards him. Coal lowered his head some and she rubbed him between his eyes. His skin… scales were warm to the touch. So smooth and soft. Next, she touched the scales on his breast. Just as warm only hard as metal shields. They were like a built-in armor.

There was a soft rumble that emanated from deep inside his massive body. If she thought he was big in human form, she was greatly mistaken.

“Wow.” She sighed. “Just wow.”

He gave another rumble, deeper this time. When she looked into his eyes, they were sparkling with… humor.

Slow and steady, he began to flap his great wings. They hardly seemed to move as they beat in graceful arcs, he rose from the ground, moving vertically. Coal lifted and lifted until he was a few feet above her head, then he gave an almighty push with his wings and shot into the air.