Page 3 of Many Ruined Vows on a Forbidden Frolic

Iyllo blushes and mumbles an apology before scurrying away, leaving me alone with my jaw on the counter, lost somewhere between mortified and aroused.

Pikr puts a hand on my wrist and guides my horn to the stand. “My apologies, Petal. I don’t remember the staff here being so pushy. The seven days of reflection just blooming finished! Don’t rush yourself–that’s how you wind up sleeping in the stables for the whole week of harvest. You’ll never make it to the ball like that.”

“Right, ha.” I stare at the way his grip shrinks my wrist into naught but a twig. “Then we’d never get to share that moonlit frolic.”

This time, the laughter that pours from his gorgeous, rugged mouth is part whinny, accompanied by the stomp of a hoof. I grin and turn toward him like a blooming flower, basking in the light of his joy.

“The thought of a stunning elven petal like you frolicking with a centaur who you just compared to the Fallen Stars is almost enough to make me consider staying for the week of celebration,” he chortles. “You know they’re said to be the most ancient beings of land and sky?”

I roll my eyes and sip my cider. “You can’t assign age to beings who are eternal.”

“They’re relics from the beginning of creation.”

“You truly believe they used to walk the earth?” I challenge. Pikr lifts his shoulder in an exaggerated shrug. “Trees grew from their ejaculate. Does your semen make plants? Or foals?”

His laughter charges forth like a sudden squall, filling the room with the revitalizing afterglow of a thunderstorm.

I giggle, and his laughter fizzles out. The look he gives me dries up any humor. “You sure we’ve not met before?”

My heart slams against its cage, and I cover my face with my drink, taking a long sip as I face forward.

I’m caught. He saw me. He knows. He definitely, definitely knows.

“And, anyway, about your age.” My mouth starts yapping, hoping to distract him, hoping that he’ll at least play along. “I was being sarcastic. It’s nothing a little moondust oil couldn’t fix.”

Pikr chuffs. He slowly lifts his horn, peering into it for a moment.

My leg starts to bounce. I glance over my shoulder. The path to the exit is clear, but I can’t just up and run away now, in case he hasn’t realized who I am yet. That would certainly cause suspicion.

“Moondust oil,” Pikr muses. He takes a sip.

Warnings blare in my mind like feybells in a blizzard, but I ignore them. “Yes, moondust oil. Ever heard of it?”

He snorts. “You think I require moondust oil to please a lover? Centaurs are built differently than elves.”

“I’m fully aware that centaurs are half-horse, half-barbarian,” I tease, hope filling my chest. Perhaps I’ve talked my way out of the weeds. “Even the old ones.”

“Ah, if I’m so old, a frolic is out of the question.” He wags a cheese curd in my direction. “I should bury myself in the Spiritgrove instead, and you can find a nice, ripe creature to fornicate with over my soil.”

“Oh, plucked rose! You’re younger than your fopweed of a comrade, the king,” I babble to ignore the way hearing him say fornicate makes my heated folds feel slick. “Even with a centaur’s lifespan, you’re a ripe age to plant roots.”

“Such bold speech.” A heavy hush overtakes his demeanor.

Whoops. Not many would casually call Father unflattering names. “I jest,” I say quickly. “My, erm, employ grants me some time with the royal family. They’re quite proper. Makes sense he’s particular about his appearance.”

“Hmm.” Pikr’s hand drops a fraction, still clutching the cheese curd. “Why does a servant lass your age know so much about my age and relation to the king, anyway?”

“It’s a small kingdom,” I retort with what I hope is a careless shrug.

“Not that small,” Pikr argues. He reaches for my hood, and I flinch back, but my legs refuse to move from the stool.

I am so fucking plucked.

“You’re a hero of the realm!” I squawk, hoping flattery will distract him. “Plenty of people know the story of the friendship between the king and the great Vir Pikquarrys.”

Iyllo materializes, his timing impeccable. “Miss, I really think your absence will be noticed by now.”

“Yes!” I shout before Pikr can scold Iyllo again. “I have, erm, things to do.” With my head bowed, I turn toward Pikr and give a sloppy curtsy as I fumble off of the stool. “Thanks for the drink.”