Centaur's Prize Page 2

  “You’re beautiful,” he whispered and leaned forward. “That man at the bar was practically drooling over you. I think you made his day just by talking to him.”

  She smiled. “And what about you? Did I make your day by talking to you?”

  He chuckled, the deep sound made her wish they were somewhere private. “You’ve made my century,” he replied.

  They ate their food in relative silence and then headed outside. Mendra’s nerves were fried as she waited for Lysander’s reveal.

  CHAPTER TWO

  ..................

  THE FEMALE WAS HIDING SOMETHING from him. He could tell, but he wasn’t certain what it was. He had instantly been taken aback by her beauty, but when he scented her and discovered she was equine as well, all pretense of going slow had been thrown out the window. He wanted her. He had never wanted another female as much as he wanted her.

  There had to be a way for him to convince her to help him search for the lost horn. He wasn’t certain why, but something in his gut was telling him that she was the one who was supposed to assist him. If she helped him, they would find it and he could finally return home.

  He had noticed earlier, when he’d reached for her hand, that she had shied away from him. She had wanted him to touch her, but then had pulled back at the last minute. Had she been hurt by someone before? Or did she just suspect he might harm her? Both made him angry, not at her, but for what she had dealt with in life. He knew how hard it was to live without a herd. For someone as young as her to not have a herd must have really impacted her.

  “Where would you like to go?” he asked, letting her make the decisions so that she would feel easier about their encounter.

  She chewed on her lip as she though and then said, “Montral Park.”

  It was a park a few blocks away that very few visited. Mostly it was inhabited by bums, so if they saw them shift, they wouldn’t necessarily run for the police. He nodded in agreement and followed her towards the park. She moved more like a predator than an equine, something that disturbed him even more.

  “What’s your life been like since your mother passed?” he asked softly. He wanted to get information from her without spooking her.

  “Lonely,” she whispered and then tensed, obviously not meaning to say that out loud. “I work full time and do some…volunteering.”

  “Have you been hunted?” he asked. That would make the most sense for her skittish behavior.

  She stopped walking and looked at him. “How…what?”

  “You’re a bit skittish around me,” he whispered in response. “You act like some do after they’ve been hunted.”

  She exhaled and resumed walking. “Once.”

  “And?”

  “And what?”

  “What happened?”

  “I won and they lost.”

  He wasn’t surprised that she defeated them. She was strong, her leg muscles showing through her pants as she walked. He wanted to feel them squeeze around him while…

  He shook his head to clear his thoughts. Now was not the time for that.

  “Here is good,” she said and stopped in an open area that would give him room to shift and trot around in a circle, should he wish to.

  He shifted into his equine form, one of three that he could take and turned his head so that he could look at her. She gasped in shock, backing up a few steps. Why was she scared? He was a stallion, coal black, but he wasn’t particularly large or domineering. She backed up again.

  He shifted back and asked, “What’s wrong?”

  She shook her head. “You. It’s you. I thought you smelled…I have to go.” Without a word, she shifted, but not into an equine. She shifted into a Pegasus and flew away.

  “Wait!” he called after her, his heart pounding in his chest. A Pegasus. She was a freaking Pegasus! He had to find her. He had to talk to her.

  His body moved on its own, shifting into equine form. He raced through the park after her. She was high above in the clouds, using them to hide herself. If he didn’t get closer he would…

  A large truck stopped in front of him, making him lose sight of her. He reared up and swerved around them, but it was too late. She was gone.

  CHAPTER THREE

  ..................

  SHE SHOULD HAVE RECOGNIZED HIS scent right away. Why hadn’t she? She had just smelled him that night! She chewed herself out as she paced in her house. He was the stallion, the black stallion from the wild herds. How had she not realized it sooner? How had she not realized that no horse, wild or not, should be that smart.

  Her phone rang, again. It was him. She ignored it, resuming her pacing. What was she going to do? He didn’t seem dangerous, but… Should she risk it? Maybe he was dangerous. Maybe that was what his whole ploy to get her to help him find the lost item crap was about.

  Her phone chimed, a text message notification. She picked up her phone like it might explode, with two fingertips and pushed the button to open the message.

  Please, just let me explain. Talk to me. I mean you no harm.

  Exactly what someone who meant her harm would say. She replied.

  No. Stay away from me.

  How could she have let this happen? And, he had seen her! He knew she was a Pegasus. Well, it was possible that he didn’t know what she was. Not many people knew about her kind. She was so stupid to have shifted into her Pegasus form. She should have shifted into her equine form to flee and then when she had gotten out of sight, let her wings shift to escape.

  I need your help. You’re the only one who can help me find the lost item.

  Should she listen to him? He had seemed genuine. Or was this just a ploy?

  How do I know that you’re telling the truth? How do I know that you won’t hurt me?

  She waited for his reply nervously, pacing back and forth around the room.

  You don’t know and I don’t know that there is anything I can say to convince you.

  I swear on my honor that I would never hurt you.

  Please, help me.

  What should she do? She wanted to help a fellow equine, but she didn’t know if she could trust him.

  I’ll help you, but if you do anything untoward, I will leave immediately and never speak to you again.

  He replied immediately.

  Thank you!

  Mom had always told her to trust her instincts. For some reason, she felt like she could trust him and that he really did need her help. She was certain that if her mom were here, she would help him.

  What do you need me to do?

  She might regret this later, but she would just have to wait and see how things played out. It took him awhile to respond and then she saw why. His text was very long.

  It’s a bit hard to explain through text. I would really rather meet and discuss this in person. I know that you don’t trust me and I completely understand that. I’m more than willing to meet you in a public place of your choosing at whatever time you choose so that we can discuss everything. I swear that I will not harm you and will protect you from others while you are with me. Let me know where you want to meet and what time.

  Where should she have him meet her? The park wasn’t a great place for this type of meeting. She wanted it to be somewhere very public so that he couldn’t try to do anything. It was already too late to meet tonight. She needed to shower and go to sleep for work tomorrow.

  Tomorrow. Noon. Lunch at Biscuits Bistro.

  It was near her work, busy, and would give her safety. She didn’t think he would try anything, but she still wanted to act carefully. She thought he might protest and want to meet immediately, but he didn’t.

  I’ll see you there tomorrow. Have a good night, Mendra.

  ..................

  He could tell she was picking a place that they wouldn’t be alone and there would be many people around to keep her safe. It infuriated him that she had been hurt before. He wanted to find those people and show them what true wrath looked like. She was
damaged and alone and he no doubt made her nervous. How could he convince her to come with him on his quest? How could he fix what had been broken? How could he heal her?

  His phone rang and he answered without looking at the caller ID. “Lynsander.”

  “Why didn’t you come by?” Martin, a human male he had befriended, asked.

  Lysander rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. “I’m sorry. I forgot.”

  “You forgot? You never forget.” Martin countered. He was silent a moment and then asked, “Did you meet a girl?”

  “Well…” Lysander wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Mendra was gorgeous and he wanted more than anything to take her to bed, but…

  “Alright!” Martin cheered. “Finally. I thought you might never pick a woman. She must be smokin’ hot. Where’d you meet?”

  In the desert, saving horses. “A bar of all places,” he replied after a moment’s hesitation.

  “Really? I can’t wait to meet her.”

  “Martin, I just met this girl. It’s a bit early to want to introduce her to my friends,” he reminded him. That would most likely just scare her away. She was skittish enough as is, he didn’t want to give her any other reasons to bolt.

  “Do you at least have a picture of her? Is she on social media?”

  “Dude,” he said and exhaled as he rubbed his eyes, exhaustion wearing on him. “Chill. I just met her. I only know her first name.” And that she’s a Pegasus, the last of her kind on this side of the rift.

  “Sorry. Sorry. It’s just exciting. I’ve been trying to hook you up with women for years. I was starting to think you just didn’t want to admit that you were gay. Nothing wrong with that if you are, by the way.”

  Lysander sighed long and loud. Martin meant well and was a good guy, but he was a bit high strung. “I need to shower and call it a night.”

  “Right. Right. Well, I’ll see you at work tomorrow,” Martin said and then hung up.

  He stared at his phone and wanted to message Mendra again, but reminded himself that he was trying not to scare her away. He had not felt like this about a woman in a long time. Part of it, he knew, was because she was equine, like him. He had resigned himself to being with human women, but they just didn’t understand him. They didn’t understand why he reacted to things the way he did or moved the way he did. She would. She would understand him. She would know just by his body language what he was feeling or thinking. That thought actually made him nervous. He used to be great at keeping his face and body from giving away his emotions, but it had been decades since he had used those tools.

  ..................

  Work was boring on its best day, but as Lysander watched the clock, waiting for his chance to meet Mendra, it seemed to take a century.

  “You’re a bit strung out,” Kayla commented from the cubicle next to him.

  “What?” he asked, focusing on the work on his screen. He’d taken several night classes to learn how to use computers and it had definitely paid off. Coming to an interview without knowing what a computer even was had been the most embarrassing moment of his life after being tossed to this side of the rift. He vowed never to let himself be ignorant to technology again. That was probably why he had joined the huge tech company he worked for now. Now he knew about things years in advance of the public.

  “I’ve never seen you so tense. You’re usually relaxed and carefree. Today, you look like you’re waiting for your first chance to race out of here. What’s up?”

  “He’s got a hot date,” Martin said and waggled his eyebrows suggestively at them both.

  Lysander rolled his eyes at the man and to Kayla said, “I’ve got a lot on my mind right now.”

  “Is she hot?” Kayla asked. She chuckled a moment later. “Of course she is, look at you.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” he challenged.

  “You’re gorgeous,” she said simply. “Any woman to get with you has got to be gorgeous too.”

  “I’m not shallow,” he said defensively. “I don’t judge women based solely on their appearance.”

  “It helps if they’re hot though,” Martin replied. “It’s easier to put up with a woman’s crap if she’s pretty.”

  “That’s the dumbest thing I have ever heard you say,” Lysander said in disbelief. “I don’t care if a woman is beautiful or not, if she has a good heart and soul, that’s all I care about.”

  “She’s hot though, isn’t she?” Kayla asked.

  He couldn’t stop the smirk from forming on his lips. “Yeah. She’s perfect.”

  “Are you going to take a picture of her at lunch?” Martin asked, hope in his eyes.

  “That’s creepy,” Kayla said right away.

  “No,” Lysander replied to him. “I’m not. I’m going to meet her for lunch and talk to her.” And try to convince her to ditch work to go on a treasure hunting adventure that might possibly put them in a ton of danger. He wasn’t too worried about the danger, not for himself, but taking Mendra into danger did bother him. He wanted to keep her safe and was glad he had kept up on his workouts and training here in the human realm.

  “You’re no fun,” Martin grumbled.

  “Where are you meeting her?” Kayla asked.

  Lysander gave a bark of laughter and shook his head. “Nice try.”

  “Dammit,” Martin grumbled.

  ..................

  “Why are you so twitchy today?” Paula asked Mendra.

  “Sorry,” she whispered and tried to stop her shaking leg and ease up on her keystrokes.

  “Are you wearing makeup?” Paula gasped.

  Mendra hadn’t heard her walk up to her cube and jumped in her seat. “Paula,” she chastised. “You scared the crap out of me.”

  Paula smiled happily. “You’re going on a lunch date, aren’t you?”

  “No,” she snapped and then sighed. “Maybe.”

  “Who is the lucky guy?” she asked her and leaned on the top of the cubicle wall with her elbows. Paula was in her sixties, but could outshine girls in their early twenties easily. Her face had zero wrinkles and glowed with youth and happiness.

  “I just met him last night,” she replied, not wanting to give anything away about Lysander. She had spent an hour getting ready this morning. Most of that time had been her putting on makeup, arguing with herself about doing it to impress him, removing the makeup, and then putting it back on.

  “Details!” Paula urged.

  “I don’t want to jinx it,” she admitted sheepishly. As much as she wanted to lie to herself, Mendra couldn’t lie about the attraction she felt with Lysander. He was handsome, smelled amazing, and something drew her to him. She assumed it was because they were both equines, but she felt it was something else.

  “Oh, he must be something special then. How hot is he? A six?”

  “Ten,” Mendra breathed immediately.

  Paula’s eyes widened. “Pictures?”

  Mendra shook her head. It was hard to get pictures when you were flying away from him and hiding like a child. She wondered if she should apologize to him. She’d done it out of fear and didn’t think she needed to apologize, but…

  Her alarm went off and she stood up so abruptly that her chair fell over and Paula gasped in shock. “Got to go,” she practically yelled as she raced out of the office and into the elevator. She smoothed down her dress and double checked her reflection in the elevator doors as it descended. Her heart hammered in a fast staccato. She walked slowly, forcing herself to appear calm as she approached the bistro, in case he saw her before she got there.

  She came to a dead stop ten feet from the bistro when she saw him waiting for her outside. He was wearing a suit and his brown hair was styled with gel in a professional look. He looked even hotter than he had the night before.

  ..................

  She had stopped as soon as she spotted him, but he was actually glad for the moment of reprieve. Her red dress hugged her curves and gave only a brief glimpse o
f cleavage, leaving him to wonder what she would look like without it on. Her hair was styled in a currently popular style for office workers, up and piled atop her head. It was a look that made most women look ridiculous, but she pulled it off. She could pull off any style though, her luscious lips were parted slightly, a look of surprise on them. He felt the same. Seeing her in work attire was much different than her casual clothes had been. She wasn’t gorgeous, she was breathtaking.

  He smiled at her and she smiled in response. Her smile was happy and nervous at the same time, the edges of the smile quivering slightly. He wanted to ease her nerves, but didn’t want to move towards her. She needed to make the move today. He would let her be in charge of this dance.

  ..................

  It took her a moment to remember that she needed to move, but once she started walking, her mind lost the fear she had felt initially. “Hi,” she said as she stood before Lysander. She’d forgotten how tall and muscular he was. She felt petite next to him.

  “Hello,” he replied and opened the door for her.

  “Thank you,” she said and walked past him. She inhaled, savoring the scent of him as she moved by.

  “You look gorgeous,” he commented in a husky voice behind her.

  Good, she was glad that she wasn’t the only one affected.

  “Thank you,” she replied as she took her spot in line to order her food and then turned to face him.

  He had his hands in his pockets, his stance casual and relaxed. She could see tension in the way he held his shoulders though. Was he worried she would bolt again?

  “I’m sorry about last night,” she whispered finally, casting her eyes downward to avoid seeing his reaction and tilted her head to the side to hide it fully.

  “You have no reason to apologize,” he whispered. “I’m sorry for scaring you.” He wasn’t really sure what he had done that had scared her.

  “You don’t understand,” she said simply. He watched her face, seeing a frown form and then disappear. “You don’t understand because I didn’t tell you.”

  “So, tell me now,” he offered.