The night was freezing and a lone woman picked up the pace. She was drenched, her heels clicking across the wet asphalt as she peered through the black. Still, the dark man was behind. Slowly, gradually, he was beginning to catch up. Running wasn't an option unless her sinister pursuer suffered from a similarly debilitating case of asthma. She turned a corner. The moon was nearly hidden behind the clouds and street lights no longer reached the tiny alley, yet she pushed on. Would he follow again, as he had done before? A clammy hand still grasped the dead phone. The batteries had long gone and it provided little comfort now.

Another look over her shoulder and the man was nowhere to be seen. She ran. Immediately, her lungs protested, her throat rattled as she gasped, but she ran. Metal, a mesh of wires suddenly came into view and her fingers pulled vainly at the fence. Quiet, she had to be quiet, it was dark he wouldn't follow, he wouldn't even see.

A click came from behind. There was no time to react, the barrel already pushed into the back of her head.

'Valuables,' said the gruff voice. 'Now.'

Shallow breaths came rapidly, but no voice.

'Now!' said the man. 'Turn the fuck around, stupid bitch, you wanna die or something?'

She tore her fingers away from the wires.

'Look at that. What's a classy bird like you doing here all alone?'

Whimpering was all the reply she could muster.

'Dress looks expensive. Tell ya what, how bout you hand it over too.'

Wide-eyed, lips quivering, she shook her head and held up silver and gleaming stones with trembling hands, an offering of peace.

'Was that... was that a no?' the question rang in her ears and the voice returned.

'Help!' she screamed.

He shook his head.

'I don't think so,' he was calm, but the words chilled her worse than the rain.

'He-'

He grabbed her face, slammed his palm into her lips. 

'Poor, lost little bird, so close and yet so far from home.'

There was a tear of fabric. She couldn't scream. Her hand was forced away from her body. She couldn't resist.

A thud, from the corner of her eyes she could see a glowing letter 'm' on a nearby wall, then a flash of purple spandex in the dark and hear... a new voice.

'I do doubt the lady had planned on shhhedding her lovely garmentsss yet.'

The man whirled around. Perched on a battered dumpster was a lean feminine figure, clad in a skin-tight catsuit. Despite the cold, her arms and cleavage were bare and so was her head with the exception of a tiny, hardly face-concealing mask. Her long black hair was dripping in the rain and stuck to her cheeks and arms, but she seemed determined to ignore it.

The man growled.

'Reptilica!' he pointed an accusing finger. 'How dare you meddle in our affairs again! Doctor Prostratator shall not suffer your insolence much longer!'

'My blood runsss cold with terror,' she said smiling crookedly.

'Silence!' he raised his gun.

'Mmph!' the damsel attempted a pointless warning.

Three times a deafening bang echoed through the alley, drowning out the woman's muffled screams. There were three clinking sounds as the bullets dropped onto the wet concrete.

'What a sssorry disssplay,' Reptilica shook her head.

From where the bullets had impacted on her pale flesh, emerald scales spread across her body, gleaming in the faded moonlight. It clashed horribly with the bright purple of her costume. Her smile grew broader and finally, a pair of dark wings unfolded on her back.

The man turned the gun on his captive.

'All right, all right!' he shouted. 'Very impressive. Now take a hike or I'll blow her brains out.'

The reptilian maw parted, light glinted off white, sharp teeth and suddenly, something pale shot out. The tongue moved like a blur of pink. It wrapped around the gun before the perpetrator had so much as processed what he was seeing. The weapon hit the ground with a splash and a clatter. A second later, its owner stumbled over his own feet trying to flee.

'I trussst you are not harmed,' Reptilica approached the befuddled would-be victim.

'I- I'm quite all right, thank you. You saved me, I can't believe it, I- ahh!'

She was now close enough to make out her rescuer's reptilian countenance and jumped back reflexively.

The emerald features hardened.

'Th-thank you really,' but she continued to back off. 'W-won't you go after him?' 

Reptilica heaved a resigned sigh.

'Constable Bosom and his men are awaiting the lad at the end of the alley.'

'Hey, you said the 's' normally.'

'I have lost my appetite for theatrics. Stay off dark streets. Ah, there is the constable now.'

The woman turned to see a kindly man in a long trenchcoat approach with a blanket.

'Wait, did you call-?' she began, but her scaly saviour had disappeared into the black of night.

The rain had gotten worse still by the time Reptilica touched down on a tall skyscraper's roof.

'I know you're following, I saw your sign,' she said to the empty roof. 'I came, so you can show yourself now.'

There was a poof smoke and slender figure emerged onto the building. He wore a bright pink three-piece suit, which miraculously remained dry.

'Reptilica,' he took a small bow.

'Mr. Mystik,' she greeted him.

'Excellent work down there, very professional and the disappearing act was a nice touch.'

'She almost ran from me.'

'Well, you had to show her your bity whities, you can hardly blame her.'

Somehow, the gap between them closed, although Reptilica could have sworn that Mystik hadn't moved, not even vanished.

He took her wet, green hand into his own warm one. His skin was clean, dark and dry and looked soft, but Reptilica could hardly feel it through her scales.

'Let's get you out of this cold,' he said.

'I'm never out of the cold,' she smiled her terrible smile.

Another poof and the two of them reappeared twenty feet below in the penthouse's spacious bedroom. The lighting was red and intense. Mahagony and velvet, an enormous heart-shaped bed took center stage.

'You've redecorated?'

'You approve?' he gestured grandly.

'Eh,' she shrugged.

'Maybe you just have to give it a try,' a manic grin split his pleasant features. The red glinted off his bald head.

 'I do need to get out of this,' she patted her soaked suit.

'That's the spirit. Just drop off wet spandex in the designated hamper,' he moved to place his hand on Reptilica's hip.

With lightning-quick reflexes, she caught it, her hand a claw.

'Careful, I bite.'

'I'm sure you do,' he eyed her appearance. 'So how long are you going to stay all sssnake-like?'

'A couple of hours, I think. This is my natural form, so I can assume it easily. Turning human requires a little more effort.'

'Interesting, mind showing me a little more of your... form?'

When she didn't respond, Mystik went on:

'Fine, I'll start, then' he laughed and began to loosen his tie.

'Or maybe I will start yet' she tore into the expensive-looking suit shredding it effortlessly, baring his chest.

'Ooh, someone's fierce tonight. Did the scary monster frighten a little girl?'

She seized him by the shoulders and drove him back until they hit the wall.

'I don't know. Am I?'

She pulled off the remains of his jacket. Mystik was skinny as a rake, but there was strength in his wiry ebony frame, though nothing compared to Reptilica's.

She leaned in for a kiss, but Mystik was gone in a cloud of smoke.

'Hardly!' he shouted from the bed. The rest of his suit had disappeared into thin air and he jumped up and down on the oversized mattress in tiny pink man panties.

A green and purple blur shot across the room and she was on him, pinning him down.

'You're an elusive one.'

'I'm not going anywhere,' he licked his lips.

Her tongue shot out and wrapped around his and she pulled him up, lifting him with one hand. Eagerly, she let his warmth stream into her, before she released him from the kiss with a whip-like sound.

'These look tight,' large yellow eyes zeroed in on his bulge.

'So does yours,' he grabbed her rock-hard bottom.

Sprouting her wings had damaged the catsuit, and Mystik's fingers traced the line were the spandex ended and her scales began.

'It's a nice look, maybe a bit too concealing,' he snapped his fingers and immediately, Reptilica found herself in a lacy set of black lingerie.' 

'Those aren't mine.'

'No, yours are wet and in the hamper.'

He reached out to her paradoxical breasts but she moved to the side, grabbed his arm and spun him around, so that he was suddenly on top. Propped up on her wings, Reptilica was face to face with the enigmatic imp. She ran a claw across his excited manhood and was happy to hear the unflappable showman whimper under her touch.

'Looks like this little girl is into monsters,' carelessly, she ripped off his panties.

'Busted,' he grabbed hold of her firm, large tit and squeezed it through the bra. 

She grasped him by the shaft and pulled, watching it twitch and throb, squirming in her grip.

'Easy there,' his other hand stroked and unyielding cheek and brushed away wet strands of dark hair.

'Excited?' 

He poked her breast where in her human form would have been a nipple and with a magical crackling sound, the bra burned away into smokeless rose flames.

'You are magnificent,' he said as his hands explored her curves, a glint of fascination in his dark eyes. 'What do you feel when I caress your form, Draconian?'

His hand was on her thigh, wandering up.

'Depends on what it is you're... caressing,' she grabbed his arm, guiding it towards her sex.

Beneath her panties, he felt the hard outer scales, but also a wet, soft center. Moisture seeped through the fabric onto his hands and Mystik swallowed, taking a second to collect himself before the flames consumed her underclothes.

With his fingers, he found were viridian scales turned into pink flesh. The lips parted eagerly and Reptilica moaned blissfully as he pushed deeper. Then he hesitated, for just a moment taken aback. Though he had entered, his fingers dripping with Reptilica's juices, she was cold, even inside. Any warmth had come from Mystik himself even when they had kissed.

She let go of his hand as though she expected him to try and pull back.

'This is what I am,' her voice was small now. 

The hand retreated from her sex.

'I understand,' he found her eyes with his. 'And I accept.'

He moved closer and his member brushed up against the glistening, wet scales.

'Will you?'

She nodded frantically and thrust her pelvis. Mystik entered her forcefully. Reptilica released the tension in her wings and the pair fell back onto the mattress. Heat spread inside of her as waves of pleasure washed over both.

She pulled the man close, enveloped him tightly with strong arms and long legs and dark wings and sank into kiss.

Mystik was surrounded by blackness but his inner fire burned hot and bright and he thrust again and again, ecstasy banishing the dark and the cold from his mind and from hers. Faster and faster their bodies slammed into each other, inhuman strength behind every blow. Mystik fought to keep himself from erupting, as his body shook, wound and tense. Almost, almost, Reptilica's screams came faster and faster. He clenched his teeth, his hands grabbing and twisting emerald breasts, her strong thighs clamped around his waist.

'Yes! Yes!' 

Consumed by a rush of sensation, they were one for an explosive release.

She spread her wings violently, her final thrust nearly knocking Mystik across the room, but he stood his ground, engulfed in magical flame, a third eye burning on his forehead and glowing with power, he screamed with the voice of a thousand triumphant souls as Reptilica hissed deep and low. 

Their primal shouts still echoed through the room, when Mystik had rolled off and the two lay side by side. Their smiles were happy and exhausted, his leg was curled around hers and Reptilica lazily stroked his bald head.

The monsters turned to each other and kissed and knew they weren't monsters here.