Page 32 of Dealing With Drak

That is the biggest buck I have ever seen. It’s a twelve-pointer and fucking huge. But Drak is carrying it like it’s a tiny little puppy, arms wrapped around its middle while its hooves dangle. The most shocking part? The buck is just letting him. It’s not struggling at all.

“I wished to find a deer, and now I have. He is a deer, right?”

“Yes, he’s a deer. Why are you holding him?” I ask, too bewildered to panic.

His eyebrows scrunch in the middle. “Do you not hold them?”

“Drak, that thing is bigger than me! How would I hold it?”

“Hmmm,” he hums, thinking about it. “Should I set him down? He does not seem to mind my touch.”

I wince at the idea. “You should take him back to where you found him. He could literally trample me, don’t put him on the ground here.”

“He is a nice creature, he would not harm you,” Drak assures me, sounding entirely too confident considering he’s never seen a deer before.

“Let’s not risk it,” I snap.

“Okay,” Drak agrees, looking almost disappointed about it. “I shall go set him down and give him parting pets.”

He disappears back behind a line of trees, and I groan.

Shit, was I too hard on him?

No, don’t be ridiculous, Anna. That buck may have been calm in his arms, but there’s no way it actually wanted to be there. He was probably just too scared to move.

You like being in his arms, that treacherous voice in my head reasons.

What is it about my brain and arguing with me? It’s seriously so uncomfortable. If I start talking to myself out loud, I’ll know I’ve officially lost it.

It takes a few minutes before Drak returns, looking sullen.

It’s on the tip of my tongue to apologize before I realize my harsh snapping isn’t what’s got him down. His pants are soaked, and he smells.

“I no longer think deer are friendly creatures,” Drak mumbles. “He has peed on me like I am some tree to relieve himself on.”

Seeing the large wet spot on his pants, I slap a hand over my mouth, relentlessly giggling before I can stop it. My chest vibrates and shakes harder, laughter wrecking through me. Oh my god, this can’t be real.

“You find this amusing, Mean One?” Drak asks, a cheeky smile tugging on his lips.

I just laugh harder, practically doubling over as I clutch my side. I can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard that I started cramping like this.

“He peed on you,” I burst out, tossing my head back.

“Yes, yes,” Drak drawls. “I do not see how you find this so humorous.”

I’m regaining my breath, trying to quell the giggles for what’s probably too long. I’m not even trying to be mean, I just can’t help it.

“I will clean myself in the river,” he grumbles, moving past me.

“No, no,” I gasp, finally calming down. “You’ll barely fit in there, you can wash off in the waterfall.”

His nose crinkles. “It is close?”

“Very,” I confirm, nodding in the direction. “Come on, deer pee smells bad. You can use the local flowers to get rid of the scent.”

Drak nods in understanding and, before taking a step, rips his shirt down the middle discarding it on the grass. The Aprixians seldom wear shirts, so I’m used to seeing his torso and chest, but damn, I’m not used to seeing his little strip tease.

“Jesus, Magic Mike, slow down there,” I snicker, trying to play off how ridiculously attractive that was. Drak doesn’t need to know that I think he’s hot, I’ll never hear the end of it if he finds out.

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