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At a minimum, she felt overwhelmed with the instinctual need to grovel for his forgiveness for hurting him. Even though she’d done it for his own good. Or, more truthfully, she’d done it to protect herself.
Because she was a coward, like Ere accused.
“Why not?” she threw back testily, as irritated with Ere as he was with her.
No one liked to be told to their face all the ways in which they sucked, after all. Even if it was true.
Especially if it was true.
Ere arched a lofty black brow at her.
“There are two dozen testosterone-fueled man-beasts in those stables. You’re a tiny, lone woman. Do the math.”
“I’m great with menandanimals. I know how to handle myself,” she returned haughtily, raising her chin.
“How do you intend to do that exactly?” Ere asked silkily, in the way that an experienced interrogator asked a trick question.
Divina’s brow furrowed slightly in consideration.
“I’ll just soothe—”
And then she recalled what Andros said:
“The way you soothed me? Wil you pet them, stroke their hides and mane and tell them they’re beautiful too?”
Divina’s mouth snapped shut, cutting off the rest of her reply.
That was exactly what she would do. Physical, visual and verbal affection came as naturally to her as breathing. She loved the connection created by the meeting of eyes, through touch and smell. She did it platonically as well as seductively.
But now that there was this…thing…between Andros and her, she no longer felt free to be herself. Certainly not if he was right there to witness it. And if she was honest with herself, she wouldn’t feel comfortable “soothing” a squadron of stallion centaurs even if he wasn’t there.
Because she only wanted to soothehim.
“That’s what I thought,” Ere retorted, though some of the irritation lessened in his expression at whatever he saw on Divina’s face.
“We’ll all head over there together. Likely sleep in the haylofts for the night. But first, you’re coming with us to gather intel and supplies. Your charm might come in handy for the former, and your jewelry will certainly help barter for the latter.”
It wasn’t a ringing endorsement for her usefulness, but Divina realized that Ere was throwing her a bone. Given the way he’d flayed her with his earlier talking-to, this was a balm to her frazzled nerves and confidence.
Though she still felt as if she’d stuck her wet fingers in an electrical socket over the past hour or so of emotional upheaval. She probably looked it too.
“We should find a bath house so I can freshen up,” she said. “I must look a terrible mess.”
Ere opened his mouth to snap something back at her, but a shared look with Sorin stopped him.
“Whatever you want, princess,” he said instead. “Let’s get moving. Time’s a-wasting.”
~ * ~* ~ *~ * ~* ~ *~ * ~
It was dusk when Andros reunited with his rescuers.
By then, the centaur troop had settled into their respective stables, most of them two to a stall. Only Chiron and Andros had separate stalls to themselves.
They’d eaten and drank their fill in the grassy pastures surrounding the outpost, and washed themselves in the shallow stream that ran through the village. By next morning, after tonight’s rest, Andros felt certain he would be recovered fully from his wounds.
His stomach was pleasantly full. He was clean, and he’d groomed himself as best he could by rolling in the dirt and scratching his hide against the bark of trees before his dunk in the stream.
Sorin, Ere and…the one Andros did his best to avoid looking at, arrived with two horses laden with goods. He heard the animals’ nervous neighs when they got closer to the stables. He knew they were uneasy with all of the stallion centaurs housed together in such close quarters.
