Derek woke pleasantly late the next morning. The fuzzy form of his girlfriend was pressed against him, still asleep but purring softly. Last night had been the most amazing, mind-boggling experience either of them had ever had. And with that collar, Derek knew there were going to be many more nights like it.
His thoughts drifted between one possible form for Sonya to the next, and just as he was starting to think of forms that he'd like to take, he heard the door slam shut downstairs.
"We're home, Derek!" came the voice of his mom.
Derek gasped deeply with his draconic throat. He tried to keep his booming voice to a whisper as he gently prodded Sonya.
"Wake up! Sonya, wake up! Hurry!"
Sonya's catty eyes batted open. Her mouth opened impossibly wide in the biggest yawn he'd ever seen. She eyed him with a glazed expression of satisfaction.
"My parents are home! You gotta change me back!"
He could hear footsteps coming up the stairs. Sonya was still in the process of waking up and didn't appear to have understood him.
"Change me back to a human! Quick!"
Sonya grumbled "Okay, okay, fine. Go back to being human." Then she rolled over as her way of saying she wanted to sleep some more.
"And take the collar off me!" Derek could feel the scales slipping back into his skin, along with everything else he had grown the previous night. He jumped out of bed and quickly grabbed a pair of pants from his dresser.
"Derek?" his mother called from the other side of the door.
"Yeah, mom. I just woke up. How was your trip?"
"Horrible. Your father couldn't make the deal and he's in a bit of a mood. Can I come in?"
"I'll be out in a sec. I'm getting dressed," Derek said as he threw on a shirt.
"Want me to make you some waffles?"
"No, I'm set. Thanks."
The sound of footfalls on carpet told Derek that it was safe to prod Sonya to wake up again. He knelt by her side of the bed.
"Sweetie...it's time to go back to the real world."
Sonya frowned without opening her eyes.
"Can you please take the collar off?"
Eventually, she stirred and removed the collar from his neck. Derek promised the fun wasn't over just yet.
"I've got to get you out of here without my parents noticing," he explained as he slipped the collar around her furry neck. "But something tells me that's not going to be difficult."