Right now, sitting on the park bench, the sunrise was putting Maxim’s patience to the test.He knew the sun wouldn’t do any major harm to Raven, but it was going to be unpleasant for the young vampire.
Yet Raven had settled into a silence, a place where he could just exist.Maxim understood the need.That was why he’d sat next to the fledge for hours, listening for anything that might disturb them and generally keeping watch so Raven could just be.If only I had the power to read his mind and know whether his thoughts have turned to what he’s been through.They will always go back there eventually, but I would have liked to at least give him a few hours of peace.
Maxim glanced over without turning his head.Raven was starting to squint as the sky lightened.And yet, he wasn’t asking to go back.
Maxim opened his mouth.“How would you feel about—”
Something brown exploded from the underbrush on their left and crossed the morning-bright grass in seconds.It was a dog—a Shiba Inu, unless Maxim was mistaken, with the traditional red coloring.And it made straight for Raven, stopping from its dead run and rubbing up against Raven’s legs, looking up at him with intelligent black eyes.
“Oh.”
“Do you know this dog?”Maxim asked.
He leaned forward, and the Shiba eyed him suspiciously before turning his full attention back to Raven.Who was allowed to pet the dog, apparently, his hands sinking into the reddish-brown fur.
“He’s soft.No, I never had a dog.Is this because I’m different now?Does it attract dogs?”
The dog was giving Maxim copious side-eye.“No, not typically.It appears you’re a dog person.”
Maxim heard the commotion coming through the underbrush before he saw the human making the noise and jogging toward them once he’d made it through.
“You…got the…dog,” he huffed.He was older, not in shape, but going by the new sportswear and jogging shoes, he was trying to change that.
“He got us,” Maxim said, even as the Shiba leaned against Raven’s legs, fishing for pets.
The human pointed.“Little bugger.I got him from the shelter.”He paused to catch his breath, leaning on his knees.“Pretends to be an angel, then you let him off the leash once—”
Maxim cocked his head.“Did you not know you’re not permitted to let dogs off leash here?I believe that breed especially shouldn’t be left to roam.”
The man dismissed that with a wave of his hand.“Relax.No one’s out this early.Besides, this one’s going back to the shelter today.Too much of a mess.You should see what he did to my lounger.”
He approached the dog with the leash in hand, and Maxim could tell this wasn’t going to go well by the way the Shiba tensed and faced the human.Sure enough, when he crossed what the dog decided was a safe distance, he growled and showed teeth.
Maxim stood, placing himself between the two.“Careful there.We wouldn’t want you to get hurt.”
The human looked confused.“Man, are you…wearing pajamas?”
“It was a photo shoot,” Raven said for some inexplicable reason.
The human nodded and ahh-ed.“Right.Sorry about that.You meet weird people in the park sometimes, you know?It’s why I got a dog.And I thought this one would do wonders for my socials.”
Maxim smiled instead of rolling his eyes or showing teeth like the Shiba had.“You sure do.How about we take the pooch off your hands, then?”He made eye contact and sprinkled in a dash of compulsion.
The human licked his lips.“He ate my chair.”
Maxim nodded.“Such a bad dog.Should we keep him for you?”
“What do I tell the shelter?”
“We’ll take care of that.”Maxim took the leash from the human’s slack hands.“You were on a run.You should keep up with the routine.”
“Yeah.”The man stepped back.“Listen, fellas, I gotta go run.You good here?”
“Oh, we are very much fine indeed.You have a grand old time with your jog.”
The man made double pistol fingers at Maxim.“Right on.You’re real pretty for a man.Must be a model thing.Good luck with the shoot.”
And off he went.He looked over his shoulder once though, waving at Maxim and giving him what was likely supposed to be a winning smile.
