Thalos
Ariadne had been with him for two weeks now, and she learned quickly. She knew how to eat with utensils. Had learned to walk without stumbling in shoes, including the low heels Marina purchased for her last week. She still preferred her comfy running shoes, though. She’d mastered the art of making tea and coffee, and yesterday, she’d cooked for the first time on his stove. A simple meal of soup from a can, but it was a start.
She chose not to eat meat, but she had tried fish and liked it. He’d taught her the sort of routines he imagined most modern shifters would observe, similar to humans. Coffee in the morning, then breakfast. Lunch, followed later by an evening meal. He tried to teach her about wine, but she hated it and didn’t want to try it again.
He had a problem, though. He’d started to enjoy her company. Having her around revitalized him somehow. She was a breath of fresh air, and she saw everything through new eyes. The first time she’d tasted chocolate, she’d closed her eyes and moaned around the truffle he’d given her. And yeah, he’d needed to leave the room for a few minutes after that little display. Then he had the filthiest dream where she’d been sucking him and moaning in the same way.
Worse, though, than his own feelings was the way he picked up on hers.
She withered in front of him like a vine cut from its tree and left without water. The sadness in her eyes grew more profound as each day passed, and he heard her weeping at night. Last night had been the worst; she’d cried for hours, and he had to lock himself down so he didn’t do something foolish like go in there and comfort her. Not that she’d appreciate such a thing, he was sure.
He wanted to see her smile, to see her be free, even if only temporarily. So, he’d planned something for today that might cheer her up. Marina had bought her a swimsuit last week, and Ariadne loved to swim in the pool. She lost the look of devastation for a while when she got in the water. Today, he planned to take her out in his speedboat. Out of the bay and for a ride at high speed to a sheltered cove he knew. A place where she could swim in the sea. Nothing beat diving off the boat into the crystal-clear waters of the Ionian Sea.
“Hello.” She walked into the kitchen and sat at the breakfast bar. “Marina told me to pack a bag with my swimwear and a towel?” She raised an eyebrow at him.
He handed her a coffee and a cinnamon pastry. “Yes. I thought maybe we should take a trip out today. You’ve been stuck here for two weeks. Do you fancy a boat ride?”
She looked out at the sea and her face lit up, but then it fell slightly. When in repose, her mouth had a slight downward set to it that only made her even more gorgeous somehow. “Is it safe? I’ve never been out on the open sea.”
He nodded and took a sip of his own coffee, crossing his legs and leaning against the counter. “Yes, it’s safe. I won’t be taking us out far. We’re heading out of the bay but not into open sea, not truly. I want to take you somewhere I love and show it to you.”
“Why?” She chewed her pastry delicately and dabbed at her mouth with her napkin. Her manners were coming along at a steady pace, but sometimes she seemed almost like a caricature of a polite society lady. Overly mannered.
He realized with a shock, he missed the wilder side of her he’d glimpsed those first few days of having her in his home.
“Why? Because I think you’ll like it.”
“Okay. But why do you want to do something you think I’ll like?”
Gods, she always made things complex. “Maybe I like you.” He smiled at her, but she flushed and looked down at her plate and then back at him.
She pinned him with her gaze, the gold flecks in her irises mesmerizing. “Do you like me?” She almost whispered the words, and something passed between them. Some sort of current of…not attraction—he truly believed that only went one way. But some sort of connection, a need to be seen and valued by another soul.
“Yes, Ariadne, I do like you.”
She smiled at him then, small and tight but a smile nonetheless. “I thought I annoyed you.”
“Sometimes, we can be annoyed by people we like. You don’t annoy me, anyway. Not really. The situation did at first, but that’s not on you. Look, drink up and let’s head out. I think you’re going to love this.”
He didn’t want to waste time chatting, but also the conversation made him uncomfortable because, damn it, he did like her. The fact worried him some because in a week or two, she’d be gone, and he had the sense he’d miss her.
“We can either drive down the hill to the jetty or walk.”
“Normally, I’d say walk, but…I like your car.” She smiled again, a bit wider this time. Still no teeth, but it was a start.
“You like cars?”
“Don’t know anything about them, but yours is pretty. It’s a nice shape, and I saw you in it the other day and the roof comes off.”
He owned a Ferrari, and yeah, the top came down. It was a beast as well as a beauty. “Sure. Come on. We’ll drive down, then.”
He led her back through the kitchen and into the hallway to the front door. “We’ll be a few hours,” he said to Marina, who was arranging some flowers in a vase on the hallway table.
“Enjoy yourselves,” she said with a wink.
Ignoring the wink, because what the hell did it mean, he opened the door and held it for Ariadne to pass him by. He opened the passenger door of his Ferrari for her and gestured for her to climb in. Jogging around the back, he put their bags in the trunk, and then went around to the driver’s side.
Once in his seat, he started the engine and hit the button to put the roof down. Warm sunlight hit them, and he’d have told her to bring a hat if they’d be long, but the drive would only take five minutes. Resisting the urge to gun the engine and show off like some teenager, he put the car smoothly into gear and pulled out of the drive.
Once out on the main road, he decided to give them a bit of speed and put his foot down. Ariadne glanced at him, her eyes wide, and there was that smile again. She dropped her head back and looked at the sky as they sped along, and then she held her hands up, the breeze whipping through her fingers.
She closed her eyes, and her long hair streamed out behind her. Thalos had to force his gaze from her and focus on the road. She was utterly beguiling in this moment, and he wanted to save this memory of her like this for when she was gone.
Even if she liked him back, which he knew was a total pipe dream, surely nothing could happen between them. The Seer wanted her to go live with some herd of horse shifters. And as a Centaur, he doubted he could make a life with her. He didn’t want anything to do with horse shifters in general, no matter how much he’d softened toward Ariadne.
His mind drifted back to that damn female he’d asked to take him into her herd all those years ago. He’d never forgotten the sneer on her face as she laughed at the very idea of having him as part of their close-knit community.
They didn’t want him. And he couldn’t live among humans for too long. So, he’d spent some time with the few remaining Centaurs, and he’d mostly moved around, living a debauched life where he took his pleasure as he saw fit. Thank the gods for Marina. She’d been his friend for over two hundred years now.
She didn’t want to live in her coven anymore, so he’d offered her a place with him. She’d taken it upon herself to become his housekeeper. He never asked her to, and one day, he sat her down and told her he didn’t expect her to clean and cook for her accommodation. She’d smiled and told him she enjoyed it. He’d helped her invest over the years, and now she was a wealthy woman in her own right, but she chose to stay with him. They argued sometimes, but generally, they got along well. And there’d never been an inkling of attraction between them, which kept things nice and simple.
She’d never said anything about his many women either. With his good looks—and his money—he soon found himself popular with women, and he took full advantage. But in the last few decades, he’d grown bored of it.
Ariadne, though. She was different. She didn’t sneer at him or look down her nose because of his Centaur roots, but she also wasn’t impressed with the pretty outer shell his jaded soul came wrapped up in. She might like his car, but the opulence of his home didn’t impress her either. In fact, he had overheard her telling Marina she found it too big and felt lost in all the space. With Ariadne, he felt as if she saw right through him to his very soul. He wasn’t sure she liked what was there.
He pulled into the parking lot by the small marina and put the roof up. Ariadne was already out of the car and looking at the boats on the sparkling sea.
“I loved my homeland up in the mountains,” she said, her voice soft. “Thought it was the most beautiful place on this earth. But I’d never seen the sea, and I must say it is just as beautiful. I love how the sun sparkles on it.”
“Like a thousand diamonds,” he said.
“Diamonds?” She turned to him with a frown on her face.
Seriously?
A small row of high-end boutiques stood to one side of the parking lot, along the narrow road, before giving way to seafood restaurants and a couple of bars. Impulsively, he grabbed her hand.
“Quick detour before we get on the boat.”
The first shop was a fancy ladies shoe shop. He led her to the window where soft leather sandals and handmade bags adorned the display cases. She looked for a moment.
“Do you like them?”
She shook her head. “Should I?”
“A lot of human women do.” The next shop was a clothing boutique, and once again, she looked at the silk dresses in the window with a puzzled frown. Her own clothes were few and tended to be practical rather than fashionable.
“None of these impresses you?”
She shook her head, but then paused and turned back to look at something. “I like that one.” She pointed at a long, green dress. It was vibrant emerald silk, with a brooch in the center, and fell to the floor in waves of material. “I like the color.”
So, she liked bright things. He made a mental note to send Marina to buy the dress if they had it in Ariadne’s size.
Finally, they came to the store he wanted to show her. In the window, dazzling under the bright store lights, lay an array of rings, bracelets, and necklaces.
“Ooh.” For the first time, she looked interested. She almost pressed her nose against the glass. “These are beautiful,” she sighed. “Look how they shine.” Her eyes lit up as she looked from one display to the next.
“Do you want to go inside?”
She nodded, so he took her hand and led her into the cool interior. “Hello, Mr. Trabuki.” A well-dressed woman greeted him.
He didn’t have a surname, never was given one as a Centaur, but he’d made one up to fit in with the locals. Of course, one day, sooner or later, he’d need to leave this place. Otherwise, his lack of aging would become an issue.
Where he’d go next, he didn’t know. He did own a house on a large plot of land up in the mountains that might be suitable as a place to stay for a while. At least until he decided where to head next. He quite fancied the Italian Riviera. He liked to be by the sea.
“Hello,” he greeted the shop assistant. He didn’t know her, but he assumed she knew him by reputation. After all, he was the very wealthy man who owned the hilltop villa. In a small place like this, people talked.
The assistant gave Ariadne a curious look, and he saw the moment disdain crawled over the woman’s features as she took in Ariadne’s plastic sandals, plain T-shirt, and cargo shorts. She might be wearing cheap and simple clothes, but Ariadne had more grace and beauty in her little finger than this woman dripping with jewels. Jewels she no doubt had to put back in the safe every evening.
Ariadne looked around for a moment and went to a cabinet full of rings with emeralds and rubies. “Ooh, these are so pretty. I love the colors.” She smiled at the assistant, seemingly not picking up on the woman’s sneering attitude.
“They are very expensive,” the woman spoke to him as if Ariadne weren’t worth her words.
Anger flared hot and hard in his chest. He pulled his wallet out of his pocket, took out his credit card, and passed it to the assistant. “Whatever she wants, out of that cabinet, get it for her.”
“You mean, help her pick a ring?”
“Or two or five. Whatever she wants.”
The woman’s eyes almost bugged out of her head, and she began to move toward Ariadne when he grabbed her arm softly. She looked down at his hand on her arm and raised an eyebrow, but he didn’t let go. “And treat her with the respect she deserves. You should never judge a person by the clothes they are wearing.”
“Yes, Mr. Trabuki.” She flushed and hurried over to Ariadne.
After about five minutes, the woman came back and handed him his card. “She didn’t want anything.”
When Ariadne returned to stand by him, he frowned at her. “You can pick one, you know.”
“Why would I want one?”
“Because you like them.”
“But…I like to look at them. It doesn’t mean I need to have one. I can come here and look again.”
“I want you to have one, to wear, to bring you pleasure.”
He picked her hand up for a moment and gave it a squeeze before dropping it. “There must be one you like?”
“Well, yes.” She moved toward the cabinet and pointed at a ring with a stunning emerald, surrounded by two brilliant-cut diamonds. The stones weren’t anywhere near as big as some of the others, but they were the ones that shone the most due to their cut.
“You like this one?”
She nodded, her eyes lit up.
“You know this is one of the least expensive?”
“That’s a good thing, right?”
“Yes, it is. But I want you to have whatever you want. Money isn’t an object. Seriously.” He bent his head and lowered his voice. “I have more than I could spend in ten lifetimes, and I want you to take the ring you like the most.”
She gave him her clear gaze and smiled again. “I like this one the most. It sparkles. Like the sun on the sea.”
He thought of the shimmery silk dress with the bright brooch at the center she’d loved too. “You’re a little magpie, aren’t you?” He laughed.
He gestured for the saleswoman to come over. “Will you box this up, please? We’ll pick it up when we come back from our boat ride.”
They left the store and headed down to the dock, where he wasted no time getting the engine up and running and navigating out onto the water. The boat was small but powerful, and it went at a fair clip. He’d told Ariadne to put her swimsuit on under her clothes, and now he took his T-shirt off, leaving him in only his swim shorts.
They headed out of the bay. Once they reached open water, he pushed up the throttle. The boat started to bounce on the waves, and Ariadne laughed. She actually laughed. And gods help him, but he thought he’d try to wrestle the stars from the skies to hear her make that sound more often.