"Good morning," Liana greeted Dave casually, as she wandered into the kitchen.

It was still relatively early, as it was only 6:30.

"Good morning to you too," Dave greeted his mate smiling at her sleepiness. "Cinnamon bun?"

Dave pulled the cinnamon buns out of the oven without even bothering to use an oven mitt, since even in human form he couldn't be burned. Dragon's were fireproof, which came in handy sometimes. To him the heat of the handle, just felt rather pleasant.

Liana watched and realized that Dave was heat proof, even as a human, because otherwise his hand would come away from the handle of the pan badly burned.

"Thanks, those look scrumptious," Liana said, as her mouth literally watered at the smell of cinnamon and icing. "You sure do know my weaknesses."

"Everybody has a weakness for sweets, especially cinnamon buns," Dave grinned.

"This is very true," Liana said, as Dave put an empty plate before her, lifting a hot cinnamon bun onto it and then getting her a fork so she could enjoy the treat. "I had no idea you could cook until last night. It's certainly a pleasant surprise."

"I find it relaxing," Dave explained, even as he placed a piping hot cinnamon bun on his own plate. "I enjoy cooking just for myself, but now, that I have you I'm sure I'll enjoy it even more."

The two were silent as they ate the delicious treats.

"So did you make these from scratch or from a mix?" Liana asked curiously.

"They didn't have mixes when I first learned to cook, so I like to make everything from scratch," Dave said. "I can use a mix as a shortcut if I don't have a lot of time, but I prefer to do it the way I learned."

"Wow! Consider me impressed," Liana said. "Not many people can make stuff from scratch anymore. Really, it's nearly a lost art."

"There is something different about you," Dave said, as he studied his mate from across the kitchen table. "You seem more relaxed, less untrusting."

"There is a reason for that," Liana said, as she finished off her cinnamon bun.

"Another?" Dave asked. "I made plenty."

"I really shouldn't," Liana said weakening, as she gazed longingly at the large cinnamon buns just sitting in the pan that Dave had baked them in. They looked perfect with just the right amount of icing, all golden brown. Liana already knew that they were beyond yummy, as she had consumed one as soon as it had cooled enough for her to eat without burning the roof of her mouth or her tongue.

"If you're worried about gaining weight I don't think you need to quite yet," Dave said, as he watched his mate gaze longingly at the cinnamon buns. "You look perfect."

"Thank you for the compliment," Liana said blushing. "Still, I really shouldn't, they're so many calories."

"I doubt you had a chance to have something like this when you were a thief," Dave suggested. "You probably had to count your pennies."

"Boy, is that the truth," Liana sighed suddenly feeling melancholy. Liana took another bun from the pan using her fork and put it on her plate. "I am so weak willed," Liana said chastising herself.

"I don't think you're weak willed at all," Dave commented. "If you were weak willed you wouldn't have survived on the streets very long at all. You had to be not only strong willed, but intelligent and cunning. There are many dangers on the streets and not just from the weather, but from people who would've loved to have taken advantage of a child. Winter alone would've finished you off if you didn't have a strong constitution and found at least a relatively warm place to sleep."

"That's very nice of you to say, Dave," Liana said blushing.

"It's only the truth," Dave said simply, but with obvious sincerity. "People die on the streets every day. The casualty rate for children alone is very high. You were only 12 when you were orphaned after all, so your chances of survival on the streets weren't very good. That you managed to not only survive, but thrive is a testament to your strength of will and a hardy constitution. You also didn't live in this town when your mother was taken from you and that you made your way here without getting caught by adults who would believe they knew better than a child just shows how intelligent you are. Most adults wouldn't have listened to your story about your life being in danger, as they likely would've figured that you were just making it up."

"I just figured I'd be safer among other supernaturals and that it would be harder to locate me. Mom thought she'd be safe among the humans so long as she didn't use her powers and look at what happened. Just because most supernaturals don't live among humans doesn't mean that they can't operate among them. You can after all and I could too if I really wanted to, since I lived as one until I was 12."

"Yes, those that look normal can operate among the humans," Dave agreed. "Still, you never did answer my question. Why do you seem so much more relaxed around me then when you went to bed a few hours ago?"

Liana knew then that the time had come and she really did not mind revealing what she had dreamed about. The memory of her mother was still fresh in her mind, even after she had woken up an hour or so ago, which told her it wasn't a regular dream that faded with the daylight, as there was no way she would remember it so clearly if it was.

"I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow," Liana began to explain, even as she unconsciously took a bite of her second cinnamon bun, making yummy noises as she chewed. "I don't think it was very long before I begin to dream. This dream was somehow clearer than normal ones and I immediately knew I was asleep and not awake. Since I still remember it clearly I know absolutely that it was not a regular dream."

"What did you dream?" Dave asked immediately. "You don't have to tell me of course, not unless you want to."

"I dreamed of my mother," Liana said softly her eyes distant. "She was see-through, a spirit, but it was still, mom. She said she had been watching me and that she was very proud of me. She understood that I had no choice, but to become a thief if I wanted to survive, as I couldn't afford to end up in foster care. She told me I could trust you and since she proved to me that she really was my mother by telling me several stories of my childhood that no one else knew I had to trust her advice. She told me that if I denied my chance at love then those people that were after me would either make me their slave or kill me. She said they would put one of those slave collars around my neck and I'd be forced to obey and not allowed to kill myself."

Dave listened and began to get enraged, not at Liana, but at the people that were hunting her. "I won't let them get you," Dave swore. "They'll regret the day that they came after you."

"I know that now, truly know that," Liana said reaching across the table to place a gentle hand on Dave's own.

Dave stopped instantly a half eaten cinnamon bun in his hand and halfway to his mouth. He seemed frozen, but when he saw her expression he immediately leaped into action. The half eaten cinnamon bun landed on the table near the edge, where Dave dropped it so he could leap out of his chair.

"Does that mean you're accepting my offer?" Dave asked quietly once she was in his arms. Liana had never allowed him to just hold her before, but the way she melted into his embrace clued him in that things had changed. Apparently, that conversation with the ghost of her mother had been quite enlightening.

Dave hadn't been all that surprised to hear of Liana's dream, because witches often dreamed about stuff that happened later. Of course, that was only if a witch had the ability of an oracle like his daughter. Still, witches that didn't have that ability often dreamed, as ghosts liked to contact them that way to right wrongs that had never been corrected while they lived. As far as he knew Liana had never had to visit from any type of spirit in her dreams before now, with her mother being the sole exception, as far as he knew.

"Yes, it does," Liana said smiling at the radiant expression of joy that spread over Dave's face. "My mother, told me that I could trust you, as I told you earlier and that was the main thing holding me back from accepting your offer. My mother is the one person I trusted to tell me the truth other than Brigid, but in Brigid's case she is too close to you to give me an unbiased opinion, since you raised her from a babe. Also, I admit that I didn't really realize I loved you until my mother pointed it out and told me I did. She knew and understood that my being on the run ever since I was 12 was mostly the cause of that. I never had the normal teenage experiences, which was one of the reasons I hadn't realized. She stopped me from making a critical error and I'm grateful. As much as I told myself I had left that life behind and that I wasn't hypersensitive anymore, programed to expect betrayal from my contacts or anybody really, well, some of that still lingered. Even though I'm 30 and I stopped stealing a long time ago that didn't mean I lost that wariness and suspiciousness completely."

"I'll be grateful to your mother until the day I die," Dave said reverently, as he leaned down for a kiss waiting for Liana to object

When she didn't, he completed the action and kissed her directly on the lips for the first time. Liana reveled in the kiss, which seemed to last forever, but really couldn't have been all that long. What seemed several eternities later the kiss broke.

"I can't believe you agreed to be mine," Dave said, as he kissed her forehead reverently.

"I have," Liana confirmed, as she snuggled comfortably in his arms, causing him to tighten his embrace a little. "I just realized that I love you, so deeply that it's a physical ache. When I realized what I had nearly turned down, all because of my fears of intimacy. Intimacy requires complete trust or at least it should, so it wasn't really the intimacy itself I was afraid of."

"I do understand," Dave said gently, placing gentle kisses along Liana's neck, causing her to whimper in intense pleasure. "I'm older than you can imagine, so I know the way the world works on a much deeper level than most people ever do. I've seen every type of behavior and most of the reasons for it over the years, though I have to admit that people always seem to be inventing new types of behaviors and reasons for them."

"So did you become a jeweler because you're a dragon or just because it's something you were good at it? Running a jewelry store seems like something a dragon, such as yourself would enjoy since they like precious metals and gems."

"A little of both in my case," Dave said. "Jewelry making is something I'm good at and I make more than a decent profit. The dragon in me enjoys making fine jewelry although it's a little harder to sell it to anybody since we're so covetous. Most of the jewelry I sell and make just a few special pieces now and then. I make enough of a profit that I could support us in style but that's not where my real money comes from."

"You mentioned something about how you felt paper money was almost worthless, so I could see you keeping some on hand at a bank for regular expenses, but most of your money is likely in gold and jewels," Liana said.

"You would be right," Dave's smiled. "I have a whole hoard, just like any dragon would, well hidden and protected. Nobody but me, Brigid and now you can get to it, as I'll teach you how to enter my trove. That can wait for later though, as I'm hoping you'll agree to take a potion I've been preparing that will allow your lifespan to lengthen, as it'll basically become the same as mine. So long as I'm alive you will be too, but we will be linked from that moment on which means if I die you do to."

"So that's how you do it," Liana said quietly. "I've been wondering what kind of potion there could possibly be that would lengthen the lifespan of someone who was a dragon's mate. I had never heard of such a potion and I'm pretty good with them as my mother trained me well, even if that training was never completed due to her death."

"It's not well known. Even if it was you wouldn't be able to make it, because it takes several drops of a dragon's blood, willingly given. I had to transform into my other form and use my own claw to prick myself on the foot. I had a pure silver chalice ready and luckily we can pick up such things, because our front feet are almost like hands, even if they're claws at the end. They're enough like hands anyway, that we can pick up something like a chalice, though we have trouble with smaller objects, but it's still doable.

"Why a pure silver chalice?" Liana asked in interest. Sometimes such things were required in potion making as it made whatever potion was brewing all the more potent.

"I'm sure you've guessed that it's required for the potion, as it makes it much stronger. Silver holds magic much better than gold does and also amplifies it. It has to be a 100% pure or at least as pure as possible."

"I know my mother taught me quite a bit about potions before she was killed. If I had the money to buy ingredients I could've made quite a bit of cash myself selling potions to people who could afford them, though I doubt many of them would've bought from a kid, so I would've had to pay somebody to sell them for me and they would have taken a cut, which would have cut into my profits. That's what I was planning on doing with the money you provided, open a potions shop. I've been looking at property but haven't decided on where to place my shop yet. There're several suitable locations."

"If you still want to that's okay with me," Dave said. "Everybody needs something to do with their life, even if I have plenty to support both of us."

"As much as I appreciate it, I like being active and I wouldn't do very well without something to keep me occupied since you're going to be running your jewelry shop at least on the weekdays."

"Which is just fine," Dave promised. "You're right, I'm going to be running Rossi's Jewelers, Monday through Friday. You're welcome to help out at the shop if you want, but since opening the potions shop is your dream then I will help you achieve it."

"Thanks," Liana said with love in her voice. She kissed him then and Dave immediately deepened it. It wasn't long before both of them were having trouble controlling their reactions.

Once the kiss had broken Liana said, "Yes, I'll take that potion, though I know it will taste nasty, since most potions do."

"Good," Dave said more than pleased, because agreeing to take the potion meant that his mate was totally committed to their relationship. "I just need to add a few more drops of blood and you can have the honor of collecting it."

"Didn't you already add the blood?" Liana asked.

"It takes a few more drops, at the last stage, just as it does during one of the middle stages. This time you're here to help collect the drops required. After you add them to the potion it will be ready," Dave explained and Liana nodded, as that was the answer she expected. "It also needs to be as fresh as possible, which is why I didn't just collect extra when I got the original blood."

"That makes sense," Liana said. "It sounds like a complicated potion."

"It is, fairly complicated," Dave agreed.

"Which makes you fairly good at potion making," Liana said. "Not every witch is."

The term witch could be used for both male and female magicals.

"Technically, I'n not a witch, but I still know the techniques that they use and can even make use of them."

"That's not surprising considering dragons are practically bottomless wells of energy. It's different to a witch's magic, but apparently, you can still use some of our spells."

"It mostly just potions that I can do, because most of them don't require a lot of magic, just the proper ingredients and the proper techniques in the brewing process," Dave shrugged. "I don't really do potions, as a rule, but I wanted to fix this one myself make sure that it was done right."

"And you also didn't want to inform anyone what kind of potion it was," Liana suggested shrewdly.

"No, I didn't, even though I know several reputable potion makers, but I don't trust them enough to reveal that I'm a dragon, through come to think of it, I could have asked Brigid," Dave agreed.

"I don't blame you. The fact that you're a dragon is a rather delicate secret," Liana said. "I know the only reason you trusted me was that I'm your mate."

"Yes," Dave admitted. "I have revealed my secret a few times over the centuries, but I don't usually do that. You never know if somebody is going to turn greedy or not. Some people are content with what they have or they want to come by their money honestly, but those types are few. I can understand greediness if it's born of desperation to feed yourself or your family, but not the type of greediness that makes you want more money then you could spend in a dozen lifetimes, especially if you already have a fortune or at least are well enough off that you're not struggling. If there were things like expensive medical bills to pay I could understand wanting extra cash, if you're not well off and insurance won't cover it. Pure greediness, just because you want more is not something I'll ever give into. I understand it, because some people, just want something so they can know they have it or stare at it like a drowning man knowing it's all theirs, but it's not something I approve of."

"I understand that philosophy," Liana said.

"So let's go finish that potion, shall we?" Dave suggested and Liana nodded. "Once you drink it there's no backing out," Dave warned seriously. "Your lifeforce will be tied to mine, which is why I drink half and you drink the rest."

"What object of mine did you use? I'm sure the potion required something of mine as well."

Dave looked embarrassed and then admitted. "I'm afraid I snatched a few of your hairs from your apartment when I was using your bathroom. I got some from your hairbrush. I could've used your blood, but your hair works just as well since it's part of you, especially since the roots were still attached."

"That's not very nice to do without asking my permission," Liana scolded him. "I should know better than to leave stuff like that laying around, since I know it can be used in darker potions then the one you're brewing. My mother warned me about how hair, blood or saliva, even nail clippings could be used to control the witch, make him or her do something that they wouldn't normally do."

"I'm always very careful about that kind of thing myself. Just because nobody knows I'm a dragon doesn't mean they couldn't find out. I could be controlled if they got a scale from my dragon form or some of my hair or blood," Dave said. "There are plenty of potions some dark sorceress could brew that could control an individual with the proper ingredients."

"The government does try to control that kind of thing," Liana said. "Still, I do know it goes on despite strictures and the illegality of it."

"They do a pretty good job, but they can't be everywhere," Dave agreed.

Dave led the way to the room he was using as a potions lab. It was well set up, Liana noted. But it was clear that it was only temporary. Dave hadn't skimped on any of the equipment or ingredients required however, despite it being only a temporary set up. The potion was on the table at the end of the room and it was bubbling away. Dave had the heat turned way down, so as to not ruin the potion by overheating, Liana noticed approvingly.

"This room's not big enough for me to transform in, so we'll have to go to the room across the hall," Dave said. "This is one reason I set up a potions lab as close as I could get it to the room I transform in."

"Let's get it done," Liana suggested.

"Yes, the sooner the better," Dave agreed looking at Liana with such love in his eyes that it choked her up. "After you take the potion, we both are going upstairs so I can make love to you, if you are agreeable."

"More than," Liana agreed eagerly. "It's been a long time since my last relationship."

"Let's go then," Dave said now very eager to get Liana naked, but first things first. Dave led the way to the room across the hall that was where Liana had watched him transform into a dragon for the first and only time so far. Liana had a feeling that it was a sight she would never get tired of seeing, no matter how long she lived.

"Here use this to collect the blood," Dave said handing Liana a vial that he had gotten from the makeshift lab. Once Liana took the glass vial, Dave transformed swiftly. Dave immediately used one of his very sharp claws to pierce his foot and Liana took the hint when Dave held out the appendage to her. She collected some blood quickly and then put the cork in the top. Dave licked the slight wound, with his tongue and then transformed back to human quickly.

"Let's finish it, shall we?" Dave suggested.

"Absolutely," Liana agreed. "How many drops will we need?"

"Three," Dave answered.

That number didn't surprise Liana in the least, as three was a very powerful number magically and in many potions or rituals three was often used.

"Here's an eyedropper," Dave offered, removing the item from his pocket.

"Well, you sure do believe in being prepared," Liana said her mouth twitching.

"I'm very organized and besides, I'm rather anxious to get to the next part of the evening," Dave said, not even looking embarrassed at the admission.

Liana blushed at that. "I can't blame you there. I'm rather anxious for that myself."

Dave shot Liana a rather intense look that was full of a heat so hot, it practically scorched her, which caused her entire body to react.

Liana filled the eyedropper as quickly as she dared as she didn't want to make a mistake because she was in a rush. After the dropper was filled she walked over to the bubbling potion and carefully let a single drop fall into the liquid.

"Do I need to stir it or anything before I put in another drop?" Liana asked, knowing some potions required that.

"No, you don't stir it until afterwards," Dave answered.

Liana nodded and quickly added two more drops. "Which way do I need to stir it? Clockwise or counterclockwise?"

"Counterclockwise, until the potion turns a dark blue," Dave answered.

Liana obeyed the instructions and it took over a dozen stirs of the ladle for it to turn the color Dave said it would.

"Good, it's ready to drink," Dave said pleased, then reminded her, "Remember half only."

Liana picked up the silver chalice that was waiting on the table beside the cauldron and dipped it into the cauldron filling it all the way to the top. "Bottoms up!" Liana said, already knowing it wasn't going to taste pleasant, not with the blood in it. Liana tipped the goblet so the liquid went into her mouth and she immediately grimaced at the taste, but drank her half without complaint.

"It's totally disgusting," Liana said. "Not that I expected anything else, since most potions don't taste pleasant."

"Look at it this way, it's done, so you don't have to worry about drinking it again, as it was a one time deal," Dave said, as he took the goblet from Liana's hand.

"Thank goodness, because it's completely gross," Liana said making a face. "I still have the aftertaste on my tongue and the roof of my mouth."

"Well, bottoms up, as you said," Dave said saluting her with the goblet before drinking his share. "You're right it's totally disgusting," Dave agreed once he had drunk his portion. "Still, it's done so neither one of us has to worry about it anymore."

"So how long until it takes effect?" Liana asked.

"No more than a few minutes," Dave said. "We had better go sit down at least, as I'm not entirely sure what the effects will be. This is the only time I've had to do the potion, but it looked and smelled exactly as the book described it."

"I didn't know there was a book with the potion listed. That could be dangerous," Liana said.

"It's more of a personal journal," Dave shrugged. "It was passed down from my father a very long time ago now and not only is it in code is also in ancient Gaelic. Each of his children got a copy, as luckily it can be copied by magic."

"So your father isn't alive anymore?" Liana asked.

"No, I'm afraid he was killed by dragon hunters centuries ago along with most of my siblings and mom," Dave said looking rather melancholy for a moment. "The dragon population used to be in the hundreds until dragon hunters knocked most of us off. There was only a few dozen left last I knew, but that has likely increased in the last several centuries, if the dragons have found their mates or even if they haven't, as the females at least could have gotten pregnant never letting whoever the father is know about the child."

"You know my mom did say something about some of the dragons finding their mates, not that those mates always accepted," Liana said slowly. "She did imply that some did accept though, so there is probably at least a few more dragons around then you remember."

"Mostly half dragons," Dave said. "I'm not sure that there are more then 30 or 40 pure dragons left, as I told you sometime ago. At least if there's half dragons around it means that our species hasn't died out completely and since half dragons, live just as long as the original dragons and have all of the proper powers it doesn't really matter anyway. The dragon genes are dominate."

Dave led the way to his bedroom, which was massive. The master suite was at least twice the size of a normal one, maybe even three times. It wasn't quite as massive as the banquet hall, but it was certainly big enough for Dave to transform in if he had to or just wanted too.

"Wow! This is huge!" Liana said looking around. "It's got to be at least three times the size of a normal master suite."

"About that," Dave agreed. "I like my space, so I had some walls knocked out, ones that weren't structurally needed."

"Do you ever sleep in your dragon form?" Liana asked.

"Sometimes," Dave said. "This is much more comfortable then the banquet hall, though sometimes I transform down there to as I told you."

"I can understand why you didn't bring me up here in order to transform that first time, as it would've given me the wrong impression," Liana said.

"That's why I used the banquet hall," Dave agreed. "Now though, we'll likely be sleeping up here whenever we visit depending on circumstances. You know I've always wanted create a permanent portal, between my shop and here and then I could give up my apartment."

"Then why haven't you?" Liana asked curiously.

"Because portal mages are rare," Dave said. "It's also a matter of trust. I have met a few mages that could create portals, permanent ones quite easily, but I've never known one well enough to even consider it. There is also the government to consider. They have some powerful magic users themselves and we'd have to find a portal mage we could trust. If the portal rippled in the other plain to where others noticed it then that could cause trouble we don't need. Staying under the radar as the human say is a priority."

"Finding portal mage you can trust isn't easy, which I can understand," Liana said. "You know you don't necessarily need a portal mage to create a portal. Sure, they could do it the easiest, because it's a power they were born with, but they're are other magicals that could also do it. It might be harder for them, but so long as they've been trained and have the power they could do it, as well."

"That's a good point," Dave admitted. "Those kind of supernaturals aren't as rare as portal mages. Still, trust is an issue."

"You could just tell them that you want an easy way to come and go, so you can use it as a permanent residence, instead of your apartment, which is too small for the both of us. Tell them you just got married and that you bought this place several years ago as somewhere to get away a few times a year, but now, want to turn it into a permanent residence. You might even mention that I'm pregnant, as I'm sure I will be by then and even if I'm not they don't know that. If whoever you hire is at all intelligent, they won't ask anymore questions. They'll be able to figure out for themselves that you went someplace bigger to raise your growing family," Liana suggested.

"I could also pay them double, part of that money being incentive for them to keep their silence," Dave said seriously considering it. "Money often opens doors that won't open otherwise. It's not a bad idea actually. Whoever I hire doesn't have to know that I'm anything, but a supernatural who wants an easy way too come and go without having to drive a couple of hours both ways five days a week."

"I'm good at telling when someone's lying, as it's a homed skill due to the fact that I lived on the streets for a number of years. I won't guarantee I'll be able to tell if everybody is lying, as some people as better at it then others, but I should be able to tell for most people," Liana said.

"It's a learned skill, one you'll only get better at over the centuries," Dave said. "It's a skill I'm pretty good at, but still, trust is hard."

"I don't blame you there, considering I have trouble trusting myself, because as you said some time ago, survival is a strong instinct. You at least have a very great secret to protect so I can understand your need for secrecy and your lack of trust in others. However, you have to remember that you're used to acting human and only transform every once in awhile and most people aren't ever going to realize that you're anything but an ordinary supernatural. Their minds aren't going to automatically leap to dragons who have supposedly been extinct for centuries at least. You're good at acting normal. It doesn't mean you don't need to be careful, but it's not like you're a young dragonling who is just now learning about the world."

"That's a good point and something I should have considered when I was originally thinking about this," Dave admitted. "Perhaps, I've become to cautious over the centuries, as there is such a thing as being too suspicious of people in general. It's kept me alive while many of my kind died, but still, perhaps, it's time to trust people again at least with some information. Not that I'm a dragon of course, as we wouldn't want people to turn into dragon hunters, but perhaps, about other information. Still, some cautiousness is warranted considering that not only do you have people after you for your power and I could have people after me if I'm not careful."

"Perhaps, it's time both of us started to trust again at least to a certain extent," Liana said. "We don't have to trust anyone all at once you know as we'll live for a long time."

"It's going to be hard to let go of wariness and suspicion of people's motives as that wariness has kept me alive after all, but I can do it over time," Dave said.

"You're good at controlling your magical signature, so that most people never know you're anything but an ordinary supernatural. I believe so long as you're still cautious, just not overly so, I think both of us will be safe enough. Both of us need to get back out in the world again, as both of us have been stuck in a rut. We had our routines, but really aren't close to anybody except Brigid, so we have that in common."

"Yeah, Brigid's the light of my life and used to be the only person I was really close to," Dave said smiling, as he thought of his daughter.

"She used to be the only person I was close to as well," Liana said. "She just kind of wormed herself into my life."

"That's Brigid for you, she's very persistent," Dave said smiling fondly.

"That she is," Liana agreed smiling, "But I think we have better things to do."

"Definitely," Dave agreed eagerly taking Liana into his arms. "That potion should be taking affect any minute now so we had better get over to the bed, since I'm not sure what the effects will be, the journal didn't describe that."

Dave and Liana walked over to the bed that was on the other side of the room on a raised platform. It was massive and Liana I couldn't help but blush as she imagined what she and Dave would do on that bed. She had no doubt that Dave was an excellent lover, because he had centuries of experience to draw from after all. You couldn't expect a man of his age to be a virgin, as that would be impossible.

Dave walked up the steps to the platform and got onto the bed, while Liana did so from the other side and soon the two of them were on the bed together. Both were totally naked as they had managed to lose their clothes on the way to the bed.

"Any minute now the potion should take effect," Dave said, even as he rolled over and held his mate close to him. He reveled in the feel of her soft skin, as he ran his hands up and down her nude form.

"Your skin is so soft, like silk," Dave told Liana softly.

"Thank you," Liana said blushing for like the tenth time in the last few hours.

"I'm only speaking the truth," Dave told her seriously, but didn't get a chance to say anything else, as the potion began to take affect just 15 minutes after it had been drunk.

Neither Dave or Liana spoke during the few minutes it took for the potion to take effect. Both of them glowed brilliantly, their auras changing just a little. Dave's deep blue aura took on a ring of purple, which was the color of Liana's aura. At the same time Liana's took on some of Dave's deep blue, which smoothed out her original purple one to where it was much thicker, no longer as broken or jagged as it had been. In every way except for color her aura was now the same as Dave's, as she had taken on his lifespan. As for Dave neither were sure what the ring of purple meant that was around his original aura, except it was the same color as Liana's lifeforce.

Wow! That was a trip, Liana said in her thoughts.

"Yes, it was," Dave answered.

"Can you suddenly tell what I'm thinking?" Liana asked. "I wasn't speaking out loud but I was thinking it."

Dave blinked at that, as he hadn't realized that Liana hadn't spoken her thoughts out loud. "I guess I can," Dave said. "I couldn't before, so it must be an effect of the potion."

"You know that could come in rather useful, though it depends on how well it works over a long distance," Liana said.

"That you can think of a useful way to use our new skill, even though you just realized that we can now communicate telepathically is pretty amazing," Dave said.

"I'm always looking for an advantage," Liana blushed. "It's kept me alive after all."

"It's a survival skill," Dave said in understanding.

"Absolutely," Liana agreed. "So what else happened besides, us now being able to communicate telepathically and my lifespan lengthening considerably."

"Well, for one thing, your aura has changed. You now have a considerable ring of dark blue around it, which is the color of my aura," Dave said. "Your aura is no longer broken in places. It's much smoother and will remain so, for the next several hundred thousand years at least. It'll only start to really show it's age once we reach the end of our lifespans. If we're injured it will show up in our auras. Also, from what I read from the journal passed down to me if one of us is severely injured we should be able to support our partner and help them heal, even from something like a death wound. We'll need treatment for the injury of course, but one of us will be able to support the other until we can get to a healer."

"Now that's really handy," Liana said, grinning appreciatively. "I can't really say that one of us won't be injured at some point, but at least we're more likely to survive serious wounds."

"That we are," Dave agreed, even as he kissed Liana gently. "I'm damn hard to injure in my dragon form, but in my human one I can be injured quite easily, just like any other supernatural. So how do you feel physically?"

"Fine, why?" Liana asked curiously.

"Because according to the journal you should feel like you have a ton of energy at least for a little while until you get used to it and it's just normal," Dave explained.

"You know come to think of it I don't feel tired at all and considering how late it is I should be," Liana said. "It's very subtle."

"You'll be tired again at some point, depending on what you've been doing. It's just that you should have received a considerable boost in your energy level. You should be able to go for long lengths of time without sleep just like any dragon can. Of course, it all eventually catches up with you and you will need to rest, as we can't keep going indefinitely, as were still organic beings who need rest and food occasionally, though we can live off our magic for quite some time if we need to."

"Again handy," Liana said before she kissed him letting him know that the time for conversation was over and Dave wasn't about to object.

~~~Dave and Liana~~~