Thalos
He stared at the young female as she stood trembling by the Seer in the arched doorway of his home. Holy hell. The Seer was astonishingly beautiful, and normally, one wouldn’t notice any female in her vicinity, but this creature was stunning. He’d been expecting some half-feral wild child, all scruffy and mucky. Like a street urchin from a musical. Instead, he faced the most gorgeous female he’d seen in years.
Long, light brown hair, shot through with gold, fell in thick waves almost to her waist. Her big, light brown eyes darted nervously around the hallway as she nibbled on a full lower lip. Freckles dotted her cheeks and nose, and her long, elegant limbs lent her the look and grace of a dancer. But her full bust and curvy hips didn’t fit the ballerina look. It was as if someone had put together his fantasy woman.
For a moment, panic hit him. He had not enjoyed the pleasures of the flesh in a long time. If he’d known how devastatingly beautiful the girl would be, he’d have spent his last night of freedom in the hedonistic clubs and bars of Northern Corfu, enjoying some human company. He almost wanted to tell the Seer he’d changed his mind, but that would make him a coward. Plus, he didn’t fancy spending his days back in Centaur form, if she really could do such a thing as turn him back. He wouldn’t put it past her.
“Thalos, this is Ariadne.” The Seer indicated the female.
Ariadne. Gorgeous name too. He plastered a smile on his face and waved the two females into his house. “Welcome to my home, Ariadne.”
“T-t-thank you.” Her voice was as sexy as the rest of her. Soft, smoky, and hesitant. She flushed when she spoke, and he liked the wash of color over her cheeks. She wore no makeup and looked more beautiful than the most gilded human females nestled among the pages of the glossy magazines dotting his home.
As she followed the Seer into his home, Ariadne watched her feet as she walked. She stumbled about a little, looking for all the world like a newborn foal. He snorted out loud at the comparison, and he felt his own face warm when both females turned to look at him.
He’d had his housekeeper, and if he were honest, only friend, Marina, make them a table full of mezze, the Greek version of tapas. Lots of different dishes for the female to try. He’d also made sure to put some of the Seer’s favorites in the mix. He hoped she’d stay for a few days, and if he buttered her up with good food and wine, she might even be tempted to stretch it to a week. The less time he had to spend alone babysitting the shifter female, the better for him.
As he led them into the large dining space, he almost laughed at Ariadne’s expression. Her eyes bugged out at all the food piled on the glass table. Thick cream table mats were laid out, along with fine bone china, crystal, and silverware.
“Are you expecting more company?” The Seer raised one perfectly arched blond brow.
“No. I thought this would last the three of us a couple of days,” he said.
“I’m leaving in ten minutes. I have a flight to catch.” The Seer shrugged.
What the fuck? He shot her an angry glare, but she blithely ignored him. “I need to meet with some of the mage warriors. Those immortals, bless them, are being difficult…for a change. I want them to do a bit of digging into some witch activity, and they are acting as if such things are beneath them. And then I have to go visit with the wolfen and see how they are managing against the Kikan Myre threat.”
He tried to tell himself he didn’t care what the hell went on in the preternatural world, but if he were honest, the thought of the Kikan Myre stirring made the blood chill in his veins. They were evil bastards who wanted to see the end of both humanity and the preternatural creatures they were a part of, but so disdained. He might dislike the shifters, the horse ones, at any rate, for their rejection of him all those centuries ago, but he didn’t want them wiped out. He wasn’t a psychopath.
“Ariadne.” The Seer turned to his guest and took her hands. “I know you will find this all a little strange, but Thalos here is one of you. One of your people. Sort of. At any rate, he will help you learn the ways of your kind. Teach you how to get used to shifting more regularly, the way you did as a child. And his housekeeper will, I am sure, teach you the ways of females. She’s not a shifter, but she is a very powerful and ancient witch, and she knows how humans live these days. And most shifters share at least some human habits. So, you are in good hands. If you need me, you know where to find me.”
Ariadne nodded and her big eyes filled with tears, but she blinked hard a few times and jutted out her chin. “I w-w-will be fine, Ayina.”
Interesting. She was on a first-name basis with the Seer, it seemed.
“This is the best place for you right now. You can relax here—and be safe—while you try to get over your ordeal. Once you feel strong enough to start thinking about it, you can decide where you’d like to go from here. Don’t be afraid to ask Thalos anything. Don’t let him intimidate you with all this.” The Seer waved her arms around the room. “He used to be a half and half. Half man, half beast, and a wild one too. He displeased the gods greatly. He’s lucky to be alive, never mind living in this splendor. And you, my dear. You come from the bloodline of one of the most revered and beloved ancient goddesses, and one of the most powerful horse shifter males. You could say you’re sort of royalty. So don’t take any crap, as humans say.”
She patted Ariadne’s cheek and then kissed her forehead. She smirked at Thalos, and then she was gone.
Shit. Thalos stood in his beautiful home, in his beautiful human skin and expensive clothes, and for once, was at a total loss as to what to say or do.
His manners finally caught up with him, and he pointed to the food. “Are you hungry?”
Ariadne shook her head, but at that moment, her stomach rumbled. She flushed and turned away from him, walking over to the high windows on one side of the room and looking out over the village laid out down below. This room led into the kitchen, off to one side, and the reception room by the pool on the other. From the large reception room, there were panoramic views down the valley to the sea.
“Your stomach seems to want some food,” he said when her belly rumbled again.
She turned to him and sighed. “I’m not sure what any of this is. We only took our human form on certain feast days each year—four in total—and on those occasions, we ate very particular food. Unleavened bread, spinach, and rice.”
Sounded like a real blast, but he kept his mouth shut.
“As children, we ate simple foods when in our human body. The wild greens that grow on the mountainside, with olive oil and lemon. Bread. Nothing more.”
Horta! He loved the stuff. Some saw it as peasant food, but it was one of the best meals you could eat in his opinion. Still, maybe some Greek salad might be a good substitute? He’d certainly ask Marina to make them horta tomorrow. But right now, he wanted Ariadne to eat something, and it would take a while for Marina to source and then cook the greens.
He pulled out a chair and gestured for Ariadne to sit. She folded herself into it awkwardly. Gods, he didn’t think anyone had ever managed to make his thousand-dollar-a-piece dining room chairs look so damned uncomfortable.
“How about you just try some salad and maybe some vine leaves? We can leave the rest for another day. Tomorrow, I will ask Marina, my housekeeper…of sorts, to make you the mountain greens you so like.”
He took a plate and filled it with a few things he thought she might enjoy, leaving off any meat or seafood. Then he passed it to her. A glass of wine sat already filled at one side of her plate, water on the other. And a napkin with cutlery lay in front of her.
He began to fill his own plate and glanced at her a few moments later.
What the hell? He nearly dropped his meal.
She was picking salad leaves up with her fingers and stuffing them into her mouth, oil dripping down her chin. Torn between horror at her table manners and a strange urge to lick the dripping oil from her skin, he decided to ignore her lack of eating skills for tonight. But first thing tomorrow, he’d introduce her to cutlery.
He sat opposite her and went to reach for his knife and fork, but something stopped him. If he ate with his cutlery, he’d show her up, make her realize her mistake. Something, some long-dormant protective streak in him, didn’t want her hurt or upset. He didn’t really care, he told himself, not truly. But something about those huge doe eyes of hers made him want to go easy on her. So, against his own instincts, he ignored the silverware, picked up his stuffed vine leaf with his fingers, and bit into it.
Once she’d started eating, Ariadne seemed to realize how hungry she was. After clearing her plate, she wiped the back of her hand over her face and asked if she could have more. He obliged and topped up her plate again, careful to choose only vegetables, for now. She may never have eaten meat. Maybe horse shifters didn’t. Not that he’d know either way as he’d never lived among them.
Their rejection of him still stung, despite the passage of time. But, he supposed he understood it a little more. He’d been a Centaur. A predator. Yes, he may have had a horse’s lower half, but he had not lived like a herd animal. He’d been debauched, wild. Sometimes even cruel. And he’d been a skilled hunter. Horses were prey animals. No wonder once he was given the gift of shifting form, they were wary about letting him into their herd. But still, they’d left him alone for the longest time, and he didn’t owe them a damn thing.
He looked at the female in front of him and hated the conflicting emotions she stirred. He’d thought himself long over the whole incident. And for decades, he’d been living as a human. In fact, he couldn’t recall the last time he’d changed form.
Ariadne pushed the food around on her plate and then plucked out some romaine lettuce and pushed it into her mouth. Once she began to tuck in again, he decided to make some plans for the next day.
“So, Ariadne, is there anything you’d like to do tomorrow?”
She shrugged and reached for her wine. So far, she’d been drinking the water, but he noticed her glass was empty. She took a huge gulp of wine and swallowed. She coughed and half choked. Gasping, she spat the wine out straight onto the table.
Oh, for the love of the gods. How could he ever teach this creature manners? Help her live among normal shifter folk? She was damn well feral.
Coughing, eyes streaming, she narrowed her eyes at him. Holding up the glass of wine, she pointed her free hand toward it. “What. Is. This?”
And then he saw it. The something in her blood that probably could be traced back to the gods and goddesses of his youth. Wine all over the tablecloth in front of her. Oil slicked on her chin. She still possessed that regal bearing the gods had always demonstrated. She might have been a princess questioning her servant the way she spoke.
He began to laugh. He couldn’t help it; the whole situation struck him as so funny. His eyes streamed and his belly hurt, but damn it felt good. He hadn’t laughed this way in… How sad. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d truly laughed.
Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad, after all.