Dear Author, My name is Maksimillian. I am a shifter. See me? The one with the fangs and a tail. The one hiding between the statues, among the ruins of my ancient home. It’s not the first time I spy a thief sneaking in. None succeeded. But this little elf… he is the first one I permit to walk through the castle unharmed. Seems, he brought something with him. I can feel it, hidden under his cloak, something that was stolen from my family long ago, something that carries salvation to my brothers, to my whole species. How did he get it, where? Why is he smuggling it back instead of keeping to himself or selling for a profit? This might be a trap, a bait to lure me out. But there is determination on the elf’s face, a touch of excitement and Hope. I wish for a Happily Ever After with this cute yet mischievous looking creature and I understand that we have to work hard for it. Photo Description: A young elf is sneaking through a ruined castle. In his hands he holds a glowing orb. Unbeknownst to him a dragon is sneaking up behind. The dragon is about to tap the young elf on the shoulder with its tail. The ruined castle looks vaguely Nordic or Germanic. This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love is an Open Road" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story. This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.