I plucked a new outfit from my closet for today. It was a brown skort with suspenders that had a slightly oversized warm knit sweater underneath. It was oatmeal in color, with bits of gold-colored yarn mixed in sections. I really liked it. The top was chosen by Dian, and the skort by Zaire. I tugged on another pair of thigh-high socks. They were oatmeal-colored with patterns of vertical light brown and gold diamonds. I laced up my shoes, which were the same color as the skort. They were a bit like a sneaker type, but more dressy.

I had gotten the warning from Daddy this morning that Uncle Andros would pick me up before lunch. It was almost eleven o'clock now, so I hurried out of my room and towards my daddy's office. I met no one in the hallway, so I was able to knock on Daddy's office door with two minutes to spare.

"Come in, Anwyll."

I slowly opened the door and peered inside. Uncle Andros was already there, and he looked surprised to see me dressed up in such a way. I grinned as I slipped inside, closing the door behind me. Daddy scooped me up, making a soft squeak escape in surprise.

Uncle Andros chuckled with Daddy, so I blushed and hid my face in obvious embarrassment. Daddy rubbed my back, so I relaxed and nuzzled his throat.

"Did I come late?"

"No, Anwyll. You are on time."

"Ooh, that's good." I smiled, sitting up to kiss his cheek.

Daddy smiled, his honey-gold eyes sparkling with happiness. My tail whipped back and forth. I'm so pleased Daddy is happy.

Uncle Andros stood, and I found myself in awe of the giant man. He was a mere inch taller than Daddy, but he exuded a different kind of raw power.

"He really is a hybrid? He doesn't cower under power."

Daddy chuckled, kissing my cheek. "My baby boy really is a hybrid. And no, of course not. He's different. He isn't affected by the Influence."

Uncle Andros looked startled. "What?"

I nuzzled Daddy's jawline, feeling the short bristles of his beard scrape my soft skin. He rubbed my back again in slow circles, making me sleepy.

"Anwyll isn't affected by the Influence. He cannot be intimidated nor forced to do anything through magic."

I began to purr, settling down into my Daddy's strong arms. Uncle Andros' hand pressed into my back, the heat making me mewl and curl towards it.

"Unbelievable. You're absolutely right. What does it feel like?"

"Baby?"

My ears perked. "Hmm?"

"Your uncle is asking you what you feel from him right now."

I nosed Daddy's shoulder with a soft yawn on my lips. "Heat, Daddy. It's really warm. It makes me sleepy."

Daddy went back to swaying, cupping the back of my head. Uncle Andros' hand remained still, so I was able to revel in that delicious heat.

"Simply astonishing. Does Mother know?"

"No, and I'd like to keep it that way. She had the gall to demand me to bring him in for experimentation. I cannot let her take him away from me."

Uncle Andros growled. "I know Mother sees no wrong in it, but we do. There should be a limit to her actions."

"Anwyll made an educated guess in that she was likely experimenting on herself. And that was how she got you, and then two full-blooded dragons from her unions with Father. "

"That woman knows no bounds." Uncle Andros sighed, "In any case, thank you for allowing me to borrow little Anwyll for the day."

"It is my pleasure that he gets to know my beloved brother."

Uncle Andros' heat wrapped around Daddy and I for a moment, so I realized he was giving his younger brother a quick hug.

"Thank you, Alexandre." he murmured, and I felt my body being moved.

Daddy kissed my forehead, so I sleepily pecked his cheek. "Have a good day, baby. I'll see you later."

I nodded with a smile. "You too, Daddy. Love you."

"Love you, too."

Uncle Andros tucked my body into his side, so I was pressing my cheek to his shoulder. "See you later, Alex."

Daddy waved with a small smile as my uncle closed the door behind us. Uncle Andros paused when he turned around, and I rubbed my eyes when I saw several shapes around us.

"Hmm?"

"Where are you taking Anwyll?" asked Waltz, a frown on his lips.

I felt my uncle's aura shift, and Dian gasped. "Another dragon?"

"Mmhm, he's my uncle. He's borrowing me for a day." I mumbled, rubbing my eyes.

Gavin hopped up and pecked my cheek. "All right, Anwyll. Have a nice day."

"You too, Gav!" I beamed, wiggling my fingers at him. He flushed pink, smiling back.

Waltz pouted, but Dian lifted his body to reach me. He pecked my cheek, then Dian hopped up to do the same. I blushed and waved at them.

"Have a nice day! I'll see you later." I grinned, my tail whirling as Uncle Andros walked away.

"You seem close." he rumbled, closing the front door behind us.

"Mmhm, I love them."

Uncle Andros paused, but then walked down the steps to the waiting vehicle. A slim man in his late thirties swiftly opened the door for hum. I was reminded of yesterday morning, but still smiled politely at the man. He seemed surprised, but did not ask my uncle why I was there.

"Which meeting am I driving you to this morning, sir?" he asked, once he settled in the driver's seat.

"To the Divan Fashion building, if you will." murmured Uncle Andros, as he stared down at me in his lap.

My ear slapped against his chest when he brushed my hair from my forehead. I giggled at his surprised expression. Uncle Andros grunted, then set me down next to him. I buckled myself in, although I could sense that he was displeased for some reason. I glanced up, but his gaze was already faced away from me. I hummed softly, playing with my fingers. I grinned to myself, my tail wiggling on the seat between my uncle and I.

Uncle Andros sighed, leaning over towards me. I looked up with a curious expression, since he was unbuckling my seatbelt. I was gently pulled back into his lap, so I pouted. Why did he put me down next to him only to grab me again a few moments later?

I cuddled closer, though, and rubbed my cheek on his chest again. I curled my tail around me and cuddled it to my own chest. I nosed the bright white tip, then licked it. I hummed, starting to suckle on it. I glanced over to the driver, catching his gaze in the rear view mirror. His cheeks warmed, and the dark hazel eyes looked down.

Uncle Andros' embrace tightened, and I felt his fingers move to slide my tail tip out of my mouth. His pinky finger replaced my tail, so I suckled on the tip of it. He released a deep rumble, much like Daddy's purr, and settled back with a sigh. I hugged my uncle's forearm, cuddling closer to him with a happy sigh.

__________________________

Powerful strides jostled me. I didn't realize I had fallen asleep. I don't know when I had even drifted off.

I scented Uncle Andros under my nose, so I nuzzled along the suit jacket towards his throat. His arms tightened around my very slim frame.

"Are you awake, Anwyll?"

"Yes, Uncle Andros." I said softly, muffling a small yawn into his stiff collar. "May I ask where we are?"

My uncle cautiously placed his hand on my head, so I looked up at him with a bleary-eyed expression. I gently rubbed my eyes, trying to clear my vision. His fingers began to tremble, and he froze when I pressed a kiss to his jaw.

"We are at one of my businesses for a meeting. Would you like to participate? I heard from Angelique's secretary that you are very intelligent."

"If it will help you, then yes. If not, I will remain silent until told otherwise."

Uncle Andros stiffened once more. I wonder if he was upset with my response. I hoped not. I tucked my head under his chin, quickly looking around. It looked very similar to Angel's building. People were eyeing us with confusion and shock. I grinned, uncurling one hand to wiggle my fingers at them. Uncle Andros grunted and grasped my hand, pressing it back to his chest.

I giggled, my tail wiggling against his torso. I snuggled against his chest, belatedly noticing the stunned faces as my uncle walked by the cubicles. He entered a spacious hallway with a wall of windows on one side. I turned my head to stare at the gray city.

"Do you like the view?"

"It's devoid of nature, and true to its nickname as a concrete jungle. Even though it is filled with life from humans, it carries a depressing aura from those who hold success in their fingertips and lost their humanity to attain it, and from those who lost everything to come here and begin anew. And eventually those hopefuls become lost on their journeys to stardom."

"And for those who do succeed after all they lost?"

"Their lights glimmer in the smog of pollution until they slowly fade into oblivion like the rest of humanity on the axis of time and space."

Uncle Andros chuckled. "You are quite the character."

I nuzzled his shoulder. "Perhaps, my dear uncle."

His aura shifted slightly as he slowed to a stop. I heard the door swing open, so someone must have opened it. I eyed the young woman, who was nervous from being around Uncle Andros. She glanced up, relaxing slightly when she saw my small smile.

"Mr. Lucaon, here is your usual seat, your cup of coffee, and the necessary paperwork. We will begin the meeting when one other comes in." said an older woman off to the side. Perhaps she was his secretary?

Uncle Andros dipped his head in silent thanks. He slapped the file down, causing the sound to echo in the big room. I could hear everyone flinch. Their slight hitches of breath and rustles of clothing told me so. Uncle Andros took his seat, letting me rest against the right side of his chest while he flipped through the file. He silently sipped at his coffee, his eyes pouring over the material.

I silently watched, and he did notice me looking at him. He quirked his stiff face into an expression of amusement with a small smirk. I swept my tail into my lap with a grin, but hugged his waist. Uncle Andros set his cup down, and swiftly turned my body around. I was a bit shocked from the sudden movement. He held my body close to his own, and moved his rolling chair closer to the desk.

"What do you see here, Anwyll?" he asked, tapping the stark white pages with crisp black text.

I cautiously reached for the file, and he slid it closer for me to take into my small hands. I read over the material, frowning when I noticed something odd.

"The budget is off-balance for how much is actually needed, even to sell above cost."

Uncle Andros started to laugh, which made everyone but me freeze. I just leaned back into him with a happy smile. His laughter was deep and rumbly, like a dragon, but also rougher like something else was mixed in. Daddy did say Uncle Andros wasn't a full-blooded dragon.

"Violetta," he started with a deep growl, once his laughter had been calmed. "Who was in charge of the budget?"

The stunned older woman practically leapt into action. "Sir, I believe that was Mauro DeFranc's job."

"Bring him in."

"H-he's not here."

"It's a workday, not yet lunchtime. Where could he have gone?" growled Uncle Andros, his boiling anger changing to a simmer when I kissed his throat.

Violetta shivered under his fiery gaze. "I do not know, sir."

"Get someone to find him!" he slammed his fist down as he stood up, cracking the table apart. "He is a thieving mongrel, and no one ever gets away with thievery in my businesses!"

Violetta shrank back, but quickly bowed to him. "I will be right on it, sir!"

Uncle Andros left the way he came in; stoic, powerful, and on a mission. He marched to the elevator and slammed the button, disappearing inside it with me in one arm. I hung limply like a scolded pup, just waiting patiently for him to notice what was going on outside of his head. When Uncle Andros did come to, he quickly apologized and righted me in his embrace. I draped my arms over his shoulders with a soft yawn, then heard a roar below.

My uncle paused as he pushed the button to go down. He muffled his first laugh, but it burst into chuckles. He sounded like a dying donkey, braying inside the elevator. I blushed, hiding my face until he calmed down a bit. Snickers burst out in random fits, and tears pushed at his eyes. I reached up to wipe them away, but he caught my wrists.

Uncle Andros chuckled again, choosing to plant one gentle kiss to each of my palms. I beamed at him, hugging his neck as he exited the elevator. I looked over his shoulder while I grinned, wiggling my fingers at a few frozen people. Uncle Andros growled until I put my fingers back on his skin.

He left the building and the chauffeur from before swiftly opened the door. Uncle Andros climbed inside without a moment to wait, but I glued myself to him so I wouldn't be thrown around. He buckled us both in with one seatbelt, which reminded me of Angel. I guess my uncle likes to cuddle, too.

"To the lunch meeting at Xavier's, if you will, David."

David, the chauffeur, quickly nodded and started up the vehicle. "Yes, sir. It's the one in the other district, correct?"

"Correct."

David eyed me in the rear view mirror with a concerned expression on his face. I merely snuggled closer to my uncle with a happy sigh of relief. Uncle Andros purred again, nosing my silvery-heather hair.

"You have an odd hair color, little Anwyll. How come?"

"I have a bear that Daddy gave me on my third birthday. Her fur is like my hair, but I don't think that I had the same hair color before I felt the 'click'."

"Click?"

"Mhm, it felt like something snapping into place. And that's the same day I Emerged, and Daddy left me with Mom."

Uncle Andros stiffened, his chest growing with a deep inhale. He released his stress with a slow exhale and a gentle kiss to my temple. "I see, so it was that day. Alex cried for years afterwards."

"Daddy cried?" I asked with a horrified expression. "For years?"

He slowly dipped his head. "It was heartbreaking. We siblings had never really gotten along until you were born. Alex would always send pictures—every day until it was almost sickening. I learned, on that horrible day fifteen years ago, what our parents forced Alex into doing. We never really liked our parents that much, but we liked them even less after that. We three grew closer in an effort to offer comfort, although your daddy was closest with me. He survived through it all."

"And so did I. I played the game, and I won, but it was only because of my daddy's weird flyer."

Uncle Andros chuckled. "He never did have a knack for advertising."

"But I guess that's a good thing. There aren't a hundred people at home, and I am thankful for that."

He patted my head. "And I am thankful you survived, my cute little nephew."

David's head shot up rather sharply, but he asked nothing as he returned his gaze to the road. I could see his ears perk, though.

I turned my gaze to the outside surroundings. There were lots of high-rise, fancier buildings in this part of the city. But as David drove further, there were more hole-in-the-wall, seedy-looking joints.

"Do you normally have meetings with clients at seedy places, Uncle Andros?"

He chuckled again. "No, but I don't normally have seedy clients. Technically, they are the ones trying to impress me. I let them choose the spot for the meeting, so I thought this might make for an interesting experience for you."

I nodded. "I haven't really been out anywhere before, so this is really new for me."

"What do you mean?"

"Mom locked me in the basement or outside, if I wasn't at school. During summer break, I never left the backyard except to do chores inside."

I could feel my uncle growing tense again, so I quickly said, "But Daddy took me out a few days ago to get some clothes. It was fun to go with everyone, but I was so tired after trying on the second outfit Blaine picked for me."

"Blaine?"

"One of my family members at home. You didn't see him earlier."

"Who did I see?"

"Gavin is the one with dark blue eyes, Waltz has hazel eyes, and Dian is the one with nearly black eyes. He's the dragon, his lover is the faerie, and Gavin is a tiger."

Uncle Andros hummed. "Do they treat you well?"

"Yup! Although Dian misunderstood my intentions at one point, and he got scolded by Daddy and Waltz. We made up, though. He's really nice to me now. See the sweater? He picked it out from the store for me. It's really comfy." I giggled with a broad grin, presenting my arms to him.

Uncle Andros chuckled and cupped the back of my head. Immediately, I settled down with a soft sigh of happiness. He rubbed the base of my skull, and I went limp with a moan on my lips.

"What—!" shouted my uncle, but I nosed his arm.

"Mm, that's a really sensitive spot." I mumbled, my limbs twitching from the pleasurable tingles coursing down my spine.

"Is it like that for all Emerged?"

"Nn, no. I have four—really five—spots, which is unusual. Normally it would be just our attributes that would rile us up, like Angel with his horn, but I've got more than just my ears and the base of my tail to make me aroused."

Uncle Andros' tanned skin flushed with pink. "I apologize."

"It's okay. It makes me happy." I giggled, weakly clutching onto his suit jacket to help prop my body up. My uncle quickly helped to right my body and tuck it back against his chest.

I nosed his collar, then his throat, and snuggled in as the car halted. David stepped out, walking around to his boss' door, and quickly opening it. Uncle Andros stepped out with me in his right arm, briefcase in the other hand. Some gave us a double-take as he stepped towards the place called Xavier's, but raised their eyebrows when he gave me his briefcase to hold. I was shocked by how heavy it was, but I firmly held onto the handle.

He flashed the guard a card, and although the man eyed me, he said nothing and let Uncle Andros pass through uninterrupted. My uncle put away the card, and the crowd parted as they caught sight of his intimidating, towering form. Individuals who peeked at me were surprised to see my smile with my head tucked against Uncle Andros' neck.

Another buff guard escorted my uncle to a back room. He offered to babysit me, but received a glare that could kill. Uncle Andros' arm tightened to keep my body pressed against his side. I giggled at the guard's shocked expression, wiggling my fingers at him.

Uncle Andros strode into the room, which was a bit brighter than in the other area. But it had more mixed colors, and it was dark in some areas. I stiffened when I noticed at least five men aside from the one man sitting on the couch with women practically laying over him.

"Welcome, Mr. Lucaon. I see you've brought a guest. Had I known your type, I would have prepared someone more suitable to serve you."

My tail lifted in shock. I could hear how smarmy this guy was acting, so I didn't even need to look to know he was leering at me. Uncle Andros stiffened, but ignored the disgusting quip and took a seat across the couch. He took the briefcase from my hand, and slammed it down onto the table.

I kept my face in his neck, my back facing the creepy man. Uncle petted my head while he talked to him, and I wondered why he was even here. Surely my uncle didn't have underground business work?

"Mr. Lucaon, please order what you want for lunch."