Page 9 of Fated
There had even been a time or two when I showed up to conquer a region only to find my army welcomed with open arms. I’ve been told I’m insufferable when that happens.
Perhaps I should have looked into being a shittier ruler.
But now there was no need. This was the last world I would need to visit.
Finding Max had filled the void and silenced the longing. The second Max appeared in the clearing, I knew he was what I had been missing.
Now I had him safe and secure in my realm. All I needed to do was keep him from dying. And perhaps not scare him away with how much I was desperate for him to accept my presence in his life.
I landed us on Shiza’s balcony in order to not waste time. It was night, so she would be asleep. It was a sure bet I would find her here.
It was on the tip of my tongue to call out to my friend using the coarse terms of endearment we had devolved into due to centuries of being siblings-at-arms together. But I did not want to let Max think I was an asshole, so instead of calling Shiza a rusty bitch, I called out, “Shiza, I need aid! Grab your kit.” And then stormed into her bedroom and laid Max on her bed.
Instead of shoving Shiza to the floor to help wake her up, I nudged her gently until she opened her eyes.
Max’s eyes went distant and he said, “Damn, the ‘shippers were right.” His voice was small and sad.
I did not know who ‘shippers were, but I would conquer them for Max if it made him stop looking like he was about to cry.
Later. I would show Max my devotion through battle once he was cured of his disease.
Perhaps after that, Max might allow me to figure out whether or not I could fit myself inside his small body. My cock had begun to ache as soon as I had taken him into my arms, and it had only grown more insistent.
“Shiza. Get. The. Fuck. Up.” I said as non-angrily as possible. Fixing Max and not scaring him in the process was my top priority now for a multitude of reasons. Some were more altruistic than others.
“By the gods, Areth. What is the matter with you? I was having the best dream…” Shiza rubbed her eyes wearily and leaned her head on my shoulder. One of her feathered wings was crushed against mine. She was a member of the Avian tribeand their species tended to be wildly informal and free-spirited. Normally, I liked that about her, but right now I needed her to focus.
I shoved her off and said, “Max is broken. Fix him. Now.” My eyes darted to Max, and I tacked on a “Please,” while doing my best to keep from snarling.
Shiza went from sleepy to full wakefulness in a split second. “Please? Are you sure you aren’t the one who’s broken? You’ve never said please in your life. Wait, who’s Max?”
“This is Max and he is full of flowers. Make him stop being full of flowers.”
Shiza blinked a few times and said, “I don’t know how to respond to that.”
I lifted Max and shoved him at her. “Fix. Him.”
“Whoa there, buddy. It’s not that urgent. Let your lady wake up first,” Max said grumpily, trying to crawl away from Shiza.
I used a wing to block him from escaping. “She is my doctor, not my lady.”
Max became less grumpy after that, and I tried to tell myself that it meant he was starting to like me. But of course, that was insane. He had only met me this evening, and I had already kidnapped him and his dog, dragged him to another realm, and was about to force him to undergo medical treatment whether he liked it or not.
It would probably take time to soften him up after subjecting him to such rough handling. Any normal person would be outraged.
To speed things along, I lifted Max and plopped him into Shiza’s lap.
“He’s adorable, Areth! I want one. Where did you find him?” She lifted one of his arms to inspect his tiny form and then poked him in the cheek. The colorful feathers on her eyebrow ridges fluttered in excitement.
Max’s mouth worked but no words came out, and his face went bright red, hitting an alarming shade on the heat spectrum. I snatched Max back off Shiza’s lap before I was forced to murder my sibling-at-arms.
I was unable to hold back a growl as I said, “Max is from Earth and he is mine.”
Max sprayed flowers all over Shiza’s sheets, coughing wretchedly until he flopped limply in my arms.
“See? He is full of flowers and he needs to stop. Help him stop.”
“Well, I’ll be damned.” She gazed at Max thoughtfully and then cast several diagnostic spells. All of them were far stronger than I could manage. I was suited for sending people to doctors, not being one.
