“How big is this thing?” Mike asked, unfolding the kimono further. It was easily the size of a king-size bedsheet, and it kept getting bigger.
“It’s magic. It becomes part of me when I’m a snake so stretches to…”
“Ratu?” Mike shook her, then slapped her cheek, her crown falling off her head. “Wake up! Shit…” He laid out a portion of the kimono and folded it onto itself several times to keep them both off the ice. Grabbing the naga by her arms, he pulled her into the middle of the folded cloth, then yanked everything in, layering the fabric all around them.
Ratu’s eyes fluttered.
Mike rubbed her arms and sides quickly to warm up her skin. “C’mon, stay awake. I can hear the others; they’re getting close!”
Ratu smirked, her eyes closed. “That’s a lie.”
Mike swallowed the lump in his throat. “Now why would you say that?”
“Because I was lying to you when I told you the same thing. To give you hope.” She sighed. “You feel so warm against me.”
“I’m a hot-blooded American, that’s me.” Her skin was freezing. Mike pulled her against his chest, her rigid nipples brushing his skin. “You don’t think they’re coming?”
“I don’t know.” She buried her face in the crook of his neck. “Mmm…so warm.”
“I’m glad you think I’m warm.” His teeth chattered. “You should wrap your legs around mine, maximize contact.”
“Or I could do this.” He felt her legs shift, melding together and wrapping around him like a giant rope. Her body elongated, pressing against his thighs and all the way down to his feet. Her cool skin quickly chilled Mike’s legs, making him feel like he had been submerged in ice water. He pulled the kimono in tighter, hoping to lock in even more heat. As it was, only his face and the top of her head were exposed. The little fireball hovered over them, casting a soft glow on the walls of ice around them.
“Is that b-better?”
“Much.”
“G-good.” Mike squeezed her. “B-but we should k-keep talking.”
“What about?”
“A-anything. We c-can’t fall as-sleep. Gotta k-keep busy.”
“Tell me more about the house. And the others.” Ratu’s voice was quiet, barely above a whisper.
Mike rubbed her arms vigorously and told her all about how he had come to the house. He would stop frequently, and she would ask him questions. Neither of them spoke for very long, making sure that the other hadn’t dozed off. The ball of fire slowly diminished for a while but eventually stabilized. Mike’s limbs finally warmed up a bit, and Ratu responded by coiling around him even tighter.
“How much of you is a snake?” Mike asked, his chattering teeth finally under control.
“My waist down. Why?”
“Just curious. Can it be any combination? Human head, snake body? Snake head, human body?”
Ratu laughed at the last one. “I suppose. Naga don’t spend a ton of time experimenting with transformations that serve no purpose.”
“So why not all snake? You could have wrapped yourself all around me, warmed up even faster.”
“I could have. To be honest, though, it felt really good to be held by somebody else. I’ve been on my own down here for years, but before I came here, I was always alone.”
“Why?”
“All sorts of reasons.” Ratu rubbed her face on his chest, her long hair brushing against his sides. “It made me think of happier times is all.”
“Uh…” His body finally warmed up, Mike experienced a rush of blood somewhere else. “Yeah, I get that.”
“Asterion is nice enough but not very good company. And those damn fairies drove me nuts.”
Shifting coils around his legs felt like giant hands massaging him, causing his cock to twitch beneath his underwear. She raised her head, her eyes meeting his. “I don’t know if we’ll survive this, but even if we don’t, you saved my soul from Baba Yaga. That’s a pretty big deal.”
“Not really. I mean, you would have done the same for me. You did do the same for me. You dragged me out the exit.”
“Only because I needed you to destroy the artifact. An act of survival on my part. You took a big risk for my sake, and now I owe you.”
Mike chuckled. “Don’t worry about it. I just did the right thing.”
“Interesting.” Ratu moved her face closer to his. “You are an interesting man, Mike Radley.”
Mike opened his mouth to respond, but Ratu’s lips found his. Her tongue slid along his upper lip, and he realized that it was forked.
Surprised, he jerked his head back, breaking the kiss. “But…why?”
“I might die down here with you, and that’s your only question?” Ratu grabbed his face. “Consider this the start of a debt repaid.”
Mike tried to protest, but her mouth found his again, and they shared a kiss that tasted of green tea. He ran his fingers across her shoulder blades and down her back. By her waist, her skin transitioned completely to slightly bumpy scales. He traced them, marveling at how smooth they were.
She broke their kiss. “Do you like how they feel?”
“I really do. They feel soft and strong at the same time.”
“You’ll find that most women are that way.” Her fingers slid down his stomach, teasing his waistline. Her coils loosened, allowing her hand to finish its journey, gripping his hardening cock. “Oh wow, you’re huge!”
“You’re being generous.”
“No. I’ve taken many lovers.” She stroked him firmly. “Was it this big before the soul swap?”
“Yeah. It hasn’t gotten any bigger.”
“Amazing. I have to see it.” She slid out of view, and he could only see her form beneath the kimono. As she shifted, she kept letting in cold air, so Mike took his hands off her to hold the fabric in place.
“Can you even see it in there?” Mike asked.
“We don’t always see with our eyes,” she replied with a sudden emphasis on her ess
