Page 5 of The Centaur’s Impulse

I took my key and made my way through the door to the locker room, half-expecting it to be dingy or run-down. But it was clean and well-maintained. Soft lighting, warm tile floors, and rows of lockers along one wall. There were a few other men in there already. A couple were changing out of their street clothes, and one older gentleman was in just a towel, heading toward the bathing area. They glanced at me as I walked by, but not much else.

When I found locker forty-nine, I began to strip down. I stuffed my golf clothes and phone inside the locker and grabbed one of the white towels. It was thick and soft, and surprisingly nice. Wrapping it around my waist, I shut my locker and headed for the showers. After a long day on the golf course, I could use the rinse before going to relax in some of the other tubs. Besides, I’d been a member of enough gyms and clubs to know that it was just a common courtesy to shower before using a pool of any kind.

The shower was a big open plan, kind of like the ones I’d had back in high school. But it was also mercifully hot and strong with the kind of pressure that actually worked the tension out of your shoulders instead of just trickling down like some sad gym shower caked with lime buildup. I stood under it for longer than I probably needed to, letting the heat work into my muscles. My back cracked in a few places as I stretched, and I realized just how wound up I’d been.

There were a few other men in the shower at the same time, all of us on full display to one another. But it didn’t really bother me. After playing hockey for all those years, I’d gotten used to showering with the guys. After a while, I just stopped noticing the nudity. Here was no different. When guys glanced my way, I gave them a nod and went back to my washing.

There was one thing I noticed though. More than half the men I’d seen so far weren’t human. It wasn’t uncommon to see someone of a more monstrous lineage out and about, but I didn’t run across many in my line of work beyond Nadia. When our worlds combined, it wasn’t a smooth transition. It took a couple of decades for humans to accept that the werewolves, orcs, and vampires in the world weren’t dangerous. Because of that, you didn’t see a lot of them in executive level positions like I was. Things like that were changing now, of course, but it was taking time to level the playing field for everyone. Old prejudices died hard.

But here? In this place? Whatever it was, it seemed like neutral ground. A sanctuary where everyone, human and monster alike, could just exist without judgment.

I finished rinsing off and grabbed my towel, heading toward the main bathing area. The transition from the shower room to the bath itself felt like stepping into another world. The air was thick with steam and humidity, and the smell of minerals and something herbal I couldn’t quite place filled my lungs. It was oddly soothing.

The main bath was enormous. Roman-style, just like Kavi had described on our ride back to the clubhouse. It was carved out of what looked like natural stone, with multiple levels descending into steaming water. The space was dimly lit by soft amber lighting and skylights that showed the darkening evening sky above. At least a dozen men were scattered throughout the various pools, some lounging on the stone steps, others submerged up to their necks in the hot water.

And they were definitely not all human.

I saw a werewolf immediately, his ears standing tall above his head. He was lounging in one of the deeper pools, his dark fur just barely visible beneath the water’s surface. Nearby, a werebear of enormous proportions was soaking in what looked like his own private section of the bath, steam rising off his shoulders. There was a satyr with curved horns perched on one of the stone ledges, his goat-like legs dangling in the water. And what looked like a fae with iridescent skin catching the light was floating on his back in the center of the main pool, completely at ease.

None of the other humans seemed particularly concerned about the non-humans. They were just... there. Existing. Relaxing. And completely at ease with their nudity.

A few of them glanced at me as I removed my towel and descended the stone steps into the bath. I found myself a spot on one of the middle levels, one that gave me a decent view of the whole bath without feeling like I was on display.

The water was hotter than I expected, almost too hot at first. I eased myself in slowly, letting my body adjust to the temperature. Within seconds, I felt something inside me begin to unwind. The tension that had been living in my shoulders and lower back for months or longer started to dissolve into the heat.

I closed my eyes and let out a long sigh.

This was what Kavi had been talking about. Not the bathhouse itself, necessarily, but this. This moment of absolute stillness. No emails. No board meetings. No quarterly projections or term sheets or strategic initiatives. No temptation to check my phone. Just me and the water and the sound of it lapping gently against the stone.

I don’t know how long I stayed like that. Could’ve been ten minutes. Could’ve been an hour. Time didn’t seem to work the same way here. Eventually, though, I became aware of a presence nearby. Someone had settled into the water not far from where I was sitting.

I cracked one eye open.

It was the satyr. Up close, I could see his features more clearly, sharp cheekbones, pointed ears, and eyes that were a strange amber color. Not to mention the dark horns curling on either side of his head. He looked my way, regarding me with an expression I couldn’t quite read.

“First time?” he asked, his voice smooth and warm.

“That obvious?” I replied, relaxing back into the water.

“I’m here a lot,” he said, gesturing vaguely toward the bath. “And I’ve never seen you before, so I figured you had to be new.”

“Tonight’s my first time,” I nodded, settling back against the edge of the bath with my eyes closed. “My best friend sent me out here to relax.”

“Sounds like a good friend.”

“Yeah,” I nodded. “He is.”

We sat in comfortable silence for a while after that. The satyr seemed content, not pushing conversation or demanding anything from me. It was nice, actually. In my normal life, silence usually meant someone wanted something from me, or I was supposed to be doing something productive. Here, it just meant we were both soaking.

After a while, though, I became aware that he was moving closer to me. I cracked an eye open, glancing in his direction.

“Would you like some help relaxing?” he asked, his eyes traveling over my shoulders. “I’m told I’m good with my hands.”

I was silent for a long moment, wondering why anyone would offer a massage to a complete stranger. But then I thought of Kavi and what he’d said. They’ll take care of you. Maybe this place had more hands-on service than I expected. The satyr might be an employee or something.

“Sure,” I said, figuring it couldn’t hurt. “Why not?”

I closed my eyes again and shifted my position so he could get at my shoulders. The satyr sidled up behind me, the water sloshing against my back. His hands were warm against my skin, and I felt them settle on either side of my neck before beginning to work their way across my shoulders. His touch was firm but not painful, and he seemed to know exactly where the tension was living in my muscles. He worked his thumbs in slow circles, pressing deep into the knots that had accumulated over months of hunching over a desk.