Page 55 of I Married Amreth

I was annoyed to no end to have serious work delayed. And at the same time, I loved seeing this boyish and playful side of him. When he vanished in the forest for a few seconds before returning with the Onei comfortably snuggling in his arms, I watched him close the distance between us with mixed feelings. While I could see the humor in his teasing—and even enjoyed it despite my outburst—I also wondered if he was the type to not know when to quit while he was ahead.

As if he had read the thoughts crossing my mind, he stopped in front of me and locked gazes with mine.

“I promise to behave this time,” he said with a serious expression, although I didn’t miss the hint of amusement in his voice.

“Good,” I said, half-serious and half-playful. “This must be distressing for the Onei.”

This time, all teasing vanished from his face as he shook his head.

“He’s not distressed. He realized quickly that we would not harm him. I can be a brat at times, but I would never mistreat an animal, least of all for entertainment.”

As he spoke those words, he gently scratched the creature behind the long leaf-like scale that appeared to cover its right ear. My heart instantly melted when the Onei stretched its neck and tilted its head to the left to give him better access.

“Wow, he seems to like you,” I said softly.

“Who doesn’t?” he asked smugly.

I snorted and gave him a playful tap. “Stay still, Mr. Lovable, so that I can draw some samples,” I replied in a falsely severe tone.

The creature remained blissfully still in my mate’s arms. That calm wasn’t fully natural to the extent that I could feel Amreth’sbakaan, but it was very weak. I suspected that it was now more to keep the animal stoic while I drew the blood and less to prevent it from scurrying off.

“I love pets,” I mused aloud. “Growing up, we had a dog, a cat, and an aquarium filled with turtles. I didn’t care much for those. They were my father’s pets. But I loved the other two. As a traveling doctor, it felt cruel to adopt pets if I couldn’t provide them with the proper stability they required. And I didn’t want to abandon them for weeks on end. Settling with you on Molvi would fix that.”

“And then we’ll get you a pet or two… or five,” Amreth said with a smile.

I chuckled and gave him an inquisitive look before glancing back at the vials of blood, which I began to label.

“Do you have any pets?” I asked as I placed that first labeled vial in the cooling compartment of the container.

I raised an eyebrow at the almost evil smile that stretched his lips, allowing the tips of his fangs to peek between them.

“I do, but they are of the scary type that no one in their right mind would even consider petting,” he said with self-derision.

“Like what? You have a tank of piranhas?”

He laughed and shook his head. “My pets are quite a few meters long, with five heads filled with dagger teeth, and the type of poison that will kill even the most resilient person in a few minutes. They can also fly and stab you with the nasty dart at the tip of their tail.”

“Talk about charming,” I said with a shudder that only made him laugh more.

“Faernychs aren’t friendly. They’re bred and raised specifically to guard the forests surrounding our Quadrants. They bond with their Warden which usually keeps them from attacking us personally. But you should never take it for granted. However, their training will definitely prevent them from spraying their acid at us.”

“I don’t like your pets,” I said as I began to scan the Onei, who still appeared content to remain in Amreth’s arms.

I couldn’t blame it.

“It’s okay. They’re not really the social type so they won’t expect cuddles from you,” he added teasingly. “Anyway, they never leave the forest.”

I tilted my head to the side and gave him an assessing look.

“So what made you want to become a Warden?”

“It is often expected of the firstborn of a Warden to take on that mantle once they reach adulthood,” he said with a shrug.

I peered at him with curiosity. “So you did it out of duty?”

He shook his head. “It is expected but not demanded. After all, the position must be earned. First, you need to possess the Warrior traits, which enables us to summon our Lumiak. Contrary to popular belief, not every Obosian can summon lightning. Or rather, a majority can only summon the type of weak spark sufficient to pleasure a partner during foreplay, but not enough to use in an offensive or defensive fashion.”

“Which means some of your people who might have wanted to become a Warden are eliminated by default?” I asked.

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