Chapter 24: Maxi

"How do I look?" Maximus twirled around in her new dress stolen from a villager's clothing line. 

Yes, they were in the village now at Issac's insistence. Her shy Fae threw quite a tantrum, insisting to meet her master now. Hence, she decided to train him like a dog by feeding him crumbs. Haha, she was joking. Maximus merely brought him to the village where the master was, enough to satisfy his desire but not exactly feeding him the information he needed. 

Issac was relieved now, she was no longer naked and his tunic had been returned to him. However, her scent now lingered on the material and she smelled like lush green grass and the wild. Issac caught him at last, horrified at the thought that he found the scent desirable. He stood straight at once, this was all a distraction. The sooner he was back in the Fae realm, the better for him. 

"I don't see the prince," He reminded her the reason he had agreed to come to the village with her - after helping her steal clothes of course. Not that he needed to do much. Maximus has proven herself "efficient" at handling her problems. He was the one in danger of being corrupted. 

It was very late at night meaning that there was no human in sight with their doors bolted. The only reason they could walk freely was because they were glamoured from sight plus the cover of the night and if a human happens to peek out through a window, they wouldn't see a thing. However, their voices could be heard, and that worried Issac because Maximus had a loud voice. 

"He would come." Maximus didn't answer him precisely as she came to sit at the foot of a huge tree along the dirt path and patted the space beside her. 

Issac saw the gesture and ignored her. He wasn't up for any conversation. 

"You should come and sit." 

Maximus' eyes flickered dangerously before she narrowed them at him, her once humorous voice turning serious, "Don't make me make you." 

 comment

A shiver climbed down Issac's spine at her definition of "making him" as he recalled the way she had held him under his spell earlier. He gritted his teeth, glaring at her. Was he or she threatening him? Perhaps, they would have battled it out in a duel but Issac knew the horse shifter had the advantage with the cruel prince as her master or lover or whatever they were. 

The fight left his body and he released a sigh of resignation before trudging over and sat down beside her but with enough space between them. Not that Maximus would have it because she scooted over till the space was eaten up with her weight and her knees were touching his. Issac gave up fighting, realizing that it only spurred her on. 

"See, that was easy, wasn't it?" She grinned at him, the previous anger in her eyes completely forgotten. 

Issac stared at her, he should hate her but at the most, he found her annoying, like an itch under his skin. 

"How are you both genders?" The question pressing on his mind slipped from his mouth before he could stop it. However, when Issac got nothing but silence, he immediately regretted it. Or so he thought. 

Maximus arched a brow at him, a hint of a smile tilting her lips, "Why? Do you want to know if I have both a dick and a vagina? Shy Fae, you should have looked properly when I was naked." 

"W-what?!" Issac nearly suffered an aneurysm. His eyes were wide and his cheeks were a shocking color of red. No, that was what he wanted to know. 

"Silly," Maximus giggled, "You look so adorable with that blush on your face. You almost look like you're about to explode." 

That is it! Issac gave up. And yes, he prayed Maximus didn't stick around for a long time because he would never get used to her harmless flirting. 

"I am considered an anomaly among my people," Maximus answered when he least expected it. Issac stared at her, listening attentively as she opened up to him. 

"Our shifter form should be of the same gender, but I'm different, perhaps because of my dark Fae ancestry. Nonetheless, there was none like me among my people and I was a freak." 

"So you left?" He inquired. 

"Left?" She thought over it, "I don't really remember. It has been a long time. Say six hundred human years?" 

Issac's jaw instantly dropped to the ground. Not that Fae didn't live long years either, but it never crossed his mind that the woman could be older than he was. He didn't know how to process that information. 

"Most of my people have perished and It wouldn't surprise me if I'm the last of them. The freak outlived them all." She cackled maniacally.

Issac shook his head, everything finally making sense to him. For her to have lived that long all alone, her mind must have fractured in the process. No wonder she fitted well with the cruel prince, she was as crazy as he was. 

"Doesn't it bother you? Sharing the same name as your shifter form? While both of you might share the same body, your personality differs. Your horse is too bloodthirsty while you in this form is…." Mad, "less bloodthirsty." 

"Why?" She leaned towards him, her eyes gleaming and forcing him to shift back awkwardly, "Do you want to name me?" 

"Name you?" Issac swallowed. 

"Yes. You should name me." 

No, he should not. The first rule of beast Taming was never to name a beast else you wouldn't be able to part from it. It was yours from the moment on. 

Issac knew that he should not do it yet her gaze implored him and the name slipped from his tongue. 

"What? Is that my name?" Her eyes brightened, the blue in them almost seemed to be glowing. 

He continued, "It's shortened from your name 'Maximus' and doesn't take away your connection to your shifter form yet befits your female status." 

"Maxi," She muttered, tasting the name on her lips, "I like it." The crazy female shifter beamed at him, looking so beautiful that he was almost bewitched. 

Almost, because she ruined the moment by whispering into his ears, "To thank you, perhaps I should mount you on my horse form. I hear some people prefer that form of fucking." 

And then, Issac was up on his feet in a flash, sputtering and cursing. Why must she crudely tease him like this? 

"I could do this all time." Maxi laughed, earning a glare from Issac. He was not her plaything. 

"Don't worry, to compensate you for your time, the Master is here." She had summoned him. 

Issac's head whipped around at once looking around to locate the prince only for a portal to ripple through the space. And there, standing in front of them was the cruel prince in all his dark glory. 

"Maximus…." He called her name, looking a bit pissed, "I didn't summon you." 

"I know that, master. But the shy Fae you gifted me is beginning to get quite impatient. Moreover, he's accomplished the task you gave him already." She said to the cruel prince without an ounce of fear unlike him who shivered when Aldric's gaze collided with his, finally noticing him. 

"You are still alive?" Adric said, rendering him speechless. 

What's with these people wishing him dead? He almost thought the prince liked him, having taken him in as his soldier. 

"I passed the test," Issac answered curtly, shoving down the grievance in his heart. He had a lot to say to him (with lots of curses) but he still wanted to live. 

"And my brother?" He inquired. 

"He can't leave yet. His Highness wants me to deliver the news of his safety to his majesty." 

"Good. Just as I thought." Aldric was rubbing his jaw now and Isaac could see the wheels turning in his head. What was the prince planning exactly? And would he survive it or end up as a  casualty loss? 

"You would go to the king." 

"Okay, wait-what?!" He looked alarmed, "What about you, my prince? You are in charge of this investigation as instructed by his majesty or have you forgotten?" 

Aldric smiled, "You would tell my father that his favorite son is safe and he's currently under my protection. However, he can't leave because we are currently bonding in the human realm. We would return after having fun." 

Issac swallowed, "But my prince, everyone knows you and his highness, Valerie are like fire and ice. The both of you -" 

"Then you should make it convincing, don't you think so? Moreover, I'm sure Father would be delighted that I'm working alongside the future king of Astaria, amicably." He said firmly. 

Issac knew it. This was his end. He said nonetheless, "As you wish, your highness." 

"Also, don't forget to report Valerie's report to me." 

"You can return to the Fae realm now." 

Finally! His dream come true! He was going to return though to satisfy Valerie's needs. But until then, he would be away from these maniacs for a while. 

"Where are you going?" Aldric's voice stopped him short. 

"What?" He blinked, confused. 

"Take Maximus along, she's your responsibility from now on."