Chapter 33: 33__Despicable mini skirt
Maia scrambled off of his body before Rogan could hold her still, falling sideways into the water with a huge splash.
Rogan blinked down at her as she disappeared under the water only to shoot to her feet, her hair drenched and hanging over her face like seaweed.
“What are you even doing?” he asked with a shake of his head.
Maia wasn’t listening. She made her way away from him, thinking of nothing but putting some clothes on. “We have to get dressed! Come on!”
Rogan rolled his eyes and followed her, his steps filled with much less urgency. “Aiden, that fucking cockblocker.”
“Rogaaan?” came another call in the distance.
“Shut up!” Rogan snapped back.
Maia turned around with a look of disgust as she hurriedly got dressed. “Excuse me, I think you owe the King a little more gratitude than that! Thank God he found us! We could have been stuck here forever.”
With an eye roll, he crossed his arms and paused in the water. “Are you defending some other man right now?”
Maia raised a brow. “King Aiden isn’t some other man. What are you doing? Hurry and get dressed! We have…”
Maia trailed off and, staring at him, slowly raised a hand to cover her mouth as she remembered.
Rogan’s mouth pressed into a thin line. “That’s right. Someone decided I didn’t deserve to wear clothes anymore.”
“Oh, my goodness, what are we going to do?!” Maia whispered frantically. “Aiden can’t find you n-naked! Come here quick, I should be able to find something in my basket.”
She crouched down and began digging around in her basket, her face slowly turning red.
With a mild scoff, Rogan walked over. “This is all your fault.”
“I know, so just let me find you something!”
Rogan shook his head at her, mouth turned down. “You make such poor decisions in life. Do you know that?”
Maia’s gaze sliced up at him. “You can stop now, Sorcerer.” Turning away, she rummaged through her stuff one last time before releasing a heavy sigh. What could she do? She’d never had a man in the portal before, so there were no men’s clothes around here!
Clenching her teeth, Maia just yanked something out and held it out to him. “I don’t have clothes for a guy, just…”
Rogan’s eyebrows rose to his hairline. “Excuse me? Are you… are you asking me to put on some girly little dress?!”
Maia looked guilty and yanked the cloth back towards her to hold it up with both hands and examine the item. “It’s not a dress,” she told him. “Look. It’s a large wrap. You can just wrap this around your waist like a towel.”
Rogan was beside himself with disbelief as he stared at her. “Are you hearing yourself?! A large wrap? Large on who? Me or you?”
Leaning over, he gripped her by the shoulders and made her stand straight before snatching the cloth out of her hands.
Maia looked at him in puzzlement as Rogan started wrapping the cloth around her hips instead. It reached the top of her knees.
“See?” Maia said happily. “It's large! So quickly put it on—”
Rogan whipped the cloth off her and brought it to his own body. Maia watched in delight as he started wrapping it around himself. Her delight quickly turned to confusion, then to disbelief and finally to cold shock.
Rogan held the cloth around his hips, smiling sarcastically at her. The thing barely reach his mid-thigh.
Maia frowned, puzzled. “W-what? No, but how can… how can…? It’s large!”
“Yeah, well, I’m larger!” Rogan muttered. “You don’t seem to realize what a tiny little peanut you are.”
Maia released a breath of frustration, biting her lip. “Well… what now?”
“I don’t know, but I, sure as hell, am not going to walk around in a mini fucking skirt!”
******
Maia watched Rogan stomp angrily up the path ahead of her, the cloth wrapped tightly around his hips, moulding his butt as he walked.
She pressed a fist to her mouth, squashing her smile in an effort to stop the laughter bubbling in her chest. He was furious! If she laughed now he’d kill her. He'd kill her while wearing that mini skirt.
Maia burst out laughing.
Rogan stopped walking and spun around, his face the picture of hell’s fury. “Are you laughing right now?!” he roared.
Maia bit her lip, her face turning pink from holding it in. Stiffly she crossed her arms.
Rogan glared at her, his eyes seeming to get deeper and swirl more with his rage. “Not a squeak out of you, else I'll make sure you can’t sit for a week!”
Still biting her lip, Maia stiffly nodded.
With a huff that reminded her of an angry bull, Rogan spun around and continued marching up the path until the house came into view.
Maia thought she’d die from holding in laughter, so she let him walk a little distance from her before she crouched down and let out the laughs. She looked ridiculous, crouched in this path with her hand holding her reddening face and thick laughter bubbling out of her, so it was only good that there was no one to see her.
Tears slipped down her cheeks and she wiped at them as she stood, afraid of getting caught by Rogan. Still chuckling, she jogged after him, hoping her laughter would have died down by the time she reach him.
Rogan was just reaching the house when Maia caught up to him. They were going for the porch when rustling bushes stopped them.
They both stood still, gazes alert and scanning the area.
Suddenly, a bundle came tumbling out of a bush, landing on its back before the house.
The bundle was King Aiden.
Although, at the moment, he looked little like a King. Aiden gasped and pushed himself up, his glorious white hair haphazard and dirty so that he looked like a mad scientist. His usually smooth, tanned skin was marred by scratches and dirt, giving him the perfect beggar’s look.
When he saw them, his silver eyes went huge. “Rogan! You rascal!” They watched him shakily rise to his feet, muttering about how he was going to kill Rogan. When he’d finally stood, he glared up at Rogan, swaying on his feet. “Do you know how…”
Aiden trailed off, his expression of fury freezing on his face as he studied Rogan’s attire.
“Why’re you dressed like the ancients of Rome?” Aiden asked dazedly.
Rogan rolled his eyes angrily. “Forget it. We need to leave.”
Still preoccupied with Rogan’s new fashion sense, Aiden raised an arm straight ahead. “Ave, Caesar!”
Rogan snarled. “Don’t let me kick your ass, Aiden!”
The king snorted. “In that mini skirt? Bring it on!”
Maia snickered, covering her mouth to stifle it.
Rogan turned to her with a sharp glare. “Watch it!”
Maia swallowed her laughter.
Turning away, Rogan grabbed Aiden by the arm. “Let’s go. Tell one of your people to bring two sets of clothes to the Geminor forest so we both don’t walk out of here looking crazy.”
*****
Rogan looked impassively down at the outfit he wore. Maroon slacks, a white pirate-style shirt and a navy coat hung over his shoulders. His feet were wrapped in black, Roman style sandals.
Slowly, he raised his gaze to meet Aiden’s.
The king smiled adorably at him as he petted his own fresh outfit. “I know. I’m a fashion genius. The sandals were inspired by your Caesar outfit earlier. You like?”
Rogan sighed. “I give you one goddamn chance to dress me and you make me look like a fucking clown. What color are these damn pants?!”
“Maroon!” Aiden informed him stubbornly. “That shirt is from the most elite fashion line of the Kingdom of Argent!”
“Their fashion line can kiss my plump ass,” Rogan muttered as he walked past Aiden.
“You know, you could be a little more grateful! You rascal,” Aiden told him as they walked.
The men came to were Maia was waiting for them, her arrow drawn as she stood on alert. When she saw him, Rogan saw her visibly relax, her mouth nearly curving in a smile.
He watched her with an expressionless face as he approached. Stupid girl. She still trusted him.
“You look dashing, King Aiden,” she said shyly.
Aiden couldn’t fight the smile that came whenever a woman praised him. With a royal laugh, he tossed back his hair. “Don’t I, Maia? Thank you, dear. And you look utterly gorgeous yourself.”
Rogan ran scanning eyes down the clothes Aiden had ordered for Maia as well. The skirt of her black dress was wide and frilly, but it also reached mid-thigh, letting her legs look like they ran on for miles.
Worse was that Aiden had gotten her black, heeled boots to go with it. The effect was illegal.
Rogan snorted. “I said two outfits and he brings three,” he muttered.
Aiden scowled at him. “Well, I think Maia deserved a change of clothes too!”
Rogan scowled back. “Ay, whatever. And don’t call her Maia like that!”
Aiden blinked. “Then… what? You want me to call her Rag-skins like you do?”
Rogan nearly growled. “Don’t you dare call her that!”
Aiden pushed his hair back in frustration. “Then what the hell should I call her?!”
“Don’t call her! Done.”
Rogan stalked off and Maia blinked at his departing back. Were all Vampire Sorcerers that melodramatic? With a sigh, she leaned in towards Aiden.
“You can call me Maia, King Aiden.”
“I heard that!” Rogan barked from ahead.
Gulping, Maia clutched her bow and quiver, hurrying after him.
They walked only a minute more, Rogan warning the other two to stop their shameless acts of calling each other’s name.
Suddenly, halfway through his scolding, someone burst into the path before them, freezing when Rogan immediately flared power in his hands and Maia sharply aimed an arrow.
Aiden blinked at the two of them, leaning over to tap them on the shoulders. “Uhm… he’s a Gemini. It’s alright.”
The man who’d stumbled out of the bushes bowed to Aiden and then to Rogan. “M-master Rogan…”
Rogan retracted his power, frowning down at the little man. “Do we know each other?”
The man shook his head, his lips dry as though he’d run for miles with no water. “N-no, Sir. I’ve been sent. There’s been trouble!”
Rogan looked at Maia to be sure. She was alright. What trouble? Did someone set his house on fire?
“Is it… my house?”
The little man shook his head. “No, Sir! Those… those women! The women of the Hostel! They’ve been attacked and one’s barely alive! Please, come quick!”