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“You have no authority over us,” the leader said with belligerence.
“We are the Archons’ men. We are tasked to use any means necessary to tame these creatures and bring them back to the acropolis. Walk away now, and I won’t report you. You’ll be fortunate not to have the entire army hunting you down for this unsanctioned interference.”
Ere opened his mouth beside her to start an argument, but Divina beat him to it.
“What if I tame this horse? Will it belong to me then? That’s what you said before, correct? Whoever tames it gets to keep it.”
The leader snorted with clear disbelief.
“You have no sense, woman. This here is the demon’s own spawn.”
“But you said—”
The man flung a hand out to stall her dispute.
“Have at it, then,” he snarled. “Get yourself bitten and trampled for your troubles.”
“Divina…” Ere put a hand on her wrist and gave her worried look.
She patted him and smiled reassuringly, peeling his fingers off her arm.
Squaring her shoulders, she took a deep breath.
Chewie got up from his haunches and tried to follow her.
“Stay,” she said gently.
The dog sat back down and whined, looking just as worried as Ere.
“Oh, ye of little faith,” she chided. “This will be a piece of cake.”
She hoped.
Usually, with creatures this badly beaten, and apparently starved, Divina took days, sometimes weeks, to coax them into trusting her.
But she didn’t have weeks just now. She had minutes.
There was nothing for it but to try.
Slowly, with no small amount of trepidation, she approached the gigantic black beast on bare feet, breath held.
~ * ~* ~ *~ * ~* ~ *~ * ~
Andros sensed the female’s approach as soon as she started moving toward him.
The balmy breeze carried her clean, flowery fragrance to his nostrils, and he flared them to take in more of the intoxicating smell.
Even amongst the sweat, leather, and other foul odors of the men who kept him captive, the female’s scent was easy to distinguish, easy to latch onto. It infiltrated his senses like fragrant steam, warming him from the inside out, easing into his lungs, relaxing his muscles.
He’d never been this close to a woman before.
Ahumanwoman.
Her nearness made him shudder, his muscles tightening despite the calming effect of her scent.
Somehow, he felt wrong in his skin.
Somehow, he wanted to bemorein her presence.
