Page 204 of Nobody Told Me Thrift Shops Sell Stolen Dragon Heirlooms

After dinner, Max followed us into the sitting room attached to the dining room, moving with the confidence of a dog who had survived an explosion and now expected excellent accommodations.

He found an enormous padded oval cushion near the window, sniffed it, circled twice, and lowered himself onto it with deep satisfaction.

I froze. “Max.”

He sighed and shut his eyes.

“Maximus Decimus Aurelius Bradley, that is not yours.”

Rafe looked at the bed, then at my dog. His expression softened. “It was my mother’s.”

My stomach dropped. “Oh my god. I’m so sorry. Max, up.”

“No,” he said quickly. “It’s all right.”

Aoi, now sitting near the fire with a blanket over her knees, smiled at Max. “He may use it.”

I looked between them. “Are you sure?”

“It was my lounging pad,” she said. “When I could still shift.”

The room quieted around that. Max rested his chin on the raised edge and gave another exhausted sigh.

Rafe’s voice came gently beside me. “He looks very comfortable.”

“He looks like he’s just acquired generational wealth.”

“He has had a long day.”

“We all have, but I haven’t claimed anyone’s family furniture.”

Rafe’s mouth curved. “There’s still time.”

Max rested his chin on the edge and sighed.

Aoi’s eyes shone. “He looks very grand there.”

“He does,” Rafael said.

Rafe looked at Max, then at me. The whole room seemed to understand something before I did, which was unfair because I had recently suffered head-adjacent trauma and emotional kissing.

“I can wake him,” I said, but even I didn’t believe myself.

Rafe’s mouth curved faintly. “That would be cruel.”

“Tragic, really.”

“Unthinkable.”

“Are we using my elderly dog as an excuse not to leave?”

“Yes,” he said.

Rafael stood, much too gracefully for a man who had absolutely noticed everything. “Aoi, darling, shall we give Max his dignity?”

Aoi stood and kissed my cheek before she left. “Sleep well, sunshine.”

I didn’t cry.