All Chapters of A COLLECTION OF INTIMATE GAY SHORT STORIES: Chapter 11 - Chapter 13

✦DAYS LATER✦ ◈THE CARDIAC WARD◈ Alex came into the ward quietly, the door closing behind him with care, and he asked, “How is your dad’s condition,” his voice low and steady. He stepped closer to the bed and reached out, touching my dad's hand with a gentleness that made a soft smile tug at my lips, while I stood on the opposite side, watching the slow rise and fall of my dad’s chest. My vision blurred as tears filled my eyes, and before I could turn away, Alex moved around the bed and pulled me into him. He wrapped his arms around me and pressed my head to his chest, holding me steady as my body gave in, my quiet sobs shaking against him while his hand rested at the back of my head, patient and grounding. “Maybe what he saw wouldn’t have led to him having a heart attack,” I cried into Alex’s chest, my voice breaking as the words escaped me, and Alex held me tighter without rushing me, his thumb brushing my hair in slow circles. My dad stirred then, his eyes opening just enough

“Forgive me, Draven. Bearer of the elements… fire, water.” Torin’s tone dripped with scorn as he strode forward, boots striking the marble floor, until he stood halfway to Charlotte. “Do not act so astonished.”“Don’t you dare touch my mother!” Draven roared, his voice cracking like a whip, the command silencing the hall and leaving Torin to savor the weight of it.Torin met Charlotte’s gaze, locking her in. “I have a gift for you,” he whispered, mockery twisting his tone. “One you will be dying to see.”“Queen,” he added with a cruel curl of his lips, the title spat like an insult.“He is the reason I came here. I have sent countless messages, and my patience has been stretched beyond its limit.” Torin paused as the silence that followed pressed down with suffocating weight.Finally, Torin spoke again. “In less than six months, on his twentieth birthday, your son will become the power he was destined to be. A force nearly divine.”Draven’s voice cut through the air, filled with venom