♥ Chapter 27♥

Axel Knight.


"Axel, I have you now; I don’t want to lose you just yet." I huff at her dramatic comment.

"Cut the drama, dear. A non-venomous snake. It won’t harm anyone." She shakes her head.

"The problem isn’t that; it’s Orion using it during visits. You know sometimes Mom’s friend brings her kids; Orion hates them." I end up laughing a little.

"He really does hate them, to the point of pushing her kid into the pool." I continue laughing as I remember.

"That wasn’t funny, Axel. If Dad hadn’t been around, the boy would have drowned." I shrug it off.

I personally don’t like kids much; I don’t mistreat them or anything, I just don’t like them. The only exception is Orion; this kid, with his sarcastic ways, won me over.

"And also, you know Mom will kill you if you give Orion a snake." I smile at that.

"Not at all, Thalia loves me and will never hurt me." She looks at me and laughs lightly.

"If you say so. But I don’t want to lose my boyfriend for thinking my mom isn’t capable of killing you." She laughs, and I look at her very surprised.

Boyfriend? She sees me as her boyfriend? My God, my heart is about to jump out of my chest.

"Are you okay, Axel?" She asks, worried as she sees my expression.

I smile faintly and hold her face, kissing her with a gentle kiss.

"I’m great, my love." I say after breaking the kiss.

She smiles, and we turn our attention back to Orion.


****



"Darling, please don't try to push anyone into the snake enclosure again, okay?" I was dying of laughter, along with Elara.

We were calmly observing the snakes. When a teenager started badmouthing the Python, never badmouth snakes in front of Orion. At first, he ignored it, but when the guy said what he would do to the snake, Orion simply pushed him into the enclosure. We were so surprised by this act that Thalia quickly pulled Orion away from the python's cage.

"But, Mom, did you hear what that idiot said about the snake, what he was going to do to it? I wanted the snake to bite him, but unfortunately, the Python rarely attacks humans and doesn't have venom." He pouts.

Hmm, maybe I should consider buying a python for him.

"What a complicated birthday boy." Mr. Dante says, shaking his head.

"He gets that from you. Anyway, what animal do you want to see now?" Thalia asks.

Thalia had told us to act like a normal family, but no family would let their child get away with what he did.

"I want to see the lions." He says, all excited.

I hope no one else badmouths the lions, or they might turn into food.

We visited all the animals in the zoo, and Orion made us walk so much. Of course, he's being carried and doesn't care about those walking.

"So, are we going home? We still need to sing happy birthday." Thalia says, kissing Orion’s cheek.

"Alright, I’m getting tired anyway." He says, rubbing his eyes.

"I’ll head out ahead, I need to buy this kid's gift." I say, making Thalia wave.

"I’ll go with you, I just want to see what you’re going to get him." I smile mischievously and give her a quick kiss.

"You’re going to be surprised." She rolls her eyes.

"I'm saying this will cause trouble, Axel." She whispers in my ear.

My skin tingles, and I let out a sigh.

This girl is going to be my undoing.

"You’d better get me a good gift, Axel. Otherwise, you’d better sleep with your eyes open." Dante gives a mischievous smile upon hearing what his son said.

Like father, like son.

"That’s my boy." He kisses his head.

"If you bother me too much, I’ll buy you a sandal." Orion pouts.

"Let’s go, darling." I pull Elara. "There’s a taxi coming." I point, and she waves.

"I just want to see how this turns out."

"Stop being so negative, love." She laughs lightly.

We arrived at the taxi stand, and one soon pulled up. We got in, and I gave the address to the driver.

"Where are we going?" She asks curiously.

"An exotic animal store." I say, and she nods.

She holds my hand and plays with my fingers.


****


"Keep the change." I say, handing the money to the driver.

"Thank you, sir." He drives away.

"You’re too nice." I smile slightly.

"I don’t think he would have had any change." She just laughs and shakes her head.

"Oh my God, Axel." I end up laughing.

"Let’s go." I pull her into the store.

"Welcome." We look to the side and see a woman. "How can I help you?"

"I want to know if you have a python?" I ask, and she nods.

"We have two, a female and a male. Which one would you like?"

"Can you show me both, please?"

"Right this way, sir."

"Axel, Axel, don’t say I didn’t warn you later." I hold back a laugh.

"Love, nothing will happen, Thalia might be irritated for a moment, but she’ll forget later."

"I’m not saying anything."

She shows two glass enclosures with the pythons inside.

"This is the male." She points.

"They’re new." I say, and she nods.

"Yes, they arrived this morning."

I reach inside and pick up the male python.

Elara comes closer and picks up the female python as well.

"They’re beautiful." She says, gently running her hand over the snake's head.

"I’ll take both." I say, and Elara chokes on her own saliva.

"Axel, are you crazy?" She rolls her eyes.

"One can be ours and the other for Orion." I say calmly. She looks at me and then quickly looks away.

I’ve won this one.

"We’ll carry them in our hands. But I’ll want two enclosures for them and some food." She still seems surprised as she starts gathering things for our pets.

The male python slides around my neck and stays there, while the female wraps around Elara’s arm.

"Which one should be Orion’s?" She asks.

"Let him decide." I insist.

"No, I want the female." I smile, feeling a wave of happiness spreading inside me.

I really love this woman.

"Then you’ll have her, dear." She rewards me with a radiant smile, and my heart fills with joy for having her by my side.

"I love you." The words slip from my lips, full of all the love I feel for her.

"And I love you too." She gives me a quick kiss, but I pout, wanting more.

"Later." She says teasingly.

"I’ll hold you to that." I playfully tease her.

"I know you will."

We approach the checkout counter, and soon the woman appears with the items I requested.

"Add more food for them." I ask, wanting to ensure the comfort of our new family members.

"That will be 1000 Zefinis, sir." She informs.

I nod and take some notes from my pocket, counting them carefully before handing them to her.

"Keep the change." I say, watching her eyes widen as I extend a few more notes beyond the purchase amount.

She looks at me, surprised, as she accepts the money.

We gather the things and leave the store.

"I’m going to film everything." She says excitedly.

"Love, please be quiet." I laugh, but inside, I’m overflowing with anxiety.

I see a taxi approaching and signal. It stops, and we get in. I give the address to the driver, while my mind is occupied with thoughts about how everyone will react when they see our new friends.

"What are we going to name them?" I look at her, who is gently stroking the snake.

"She’s yours, choose a name for her." She nods.

"Hmm... I know, El." I frown in confusion at the name.

"El?"

"Why El, love?"

"Because it’s a short form of your name, Axel." I smile like an idiot and kiss her cheek, but inside, I’m vibrating with excitement.

"You’re driving me crazy."

"And you’re driving me crazy."

I cast a deadly look at the driver, who was glancing at us through the rearview mirror. As soon as he noticed my gaze, he quickly turned his attention back to the road.

I smile as I feel the snake sliding across my arm, experiencing a mix of nervousness and excitement for what’s to come.

I can’t wait to see everyone’s reaction, especially Orion’s.