himself from wanting to do so now.
Her presence filled the air around him. He raised his hand slightly, wanting to touch her face and stroke her cheek. He needed to run his fingers through her long, dark hair. He wanted her close to him. Not only her, but also their unborn child.
He dropped his hand and turned away, cursing himself silently. He was possessed by madness. A desire so strong for peace between the Trozens and the Centaurs that he even considered killing to do it. How ironic. Killing to fight for peace. He hated himself for stooping to such an ill thought.
How in the name of Zeus could he even think for a moment he could harm this sweet, beauty of a woman or an innocent unborn child? And even if he could have convinced himself it was a just deed, he was forgetting she was a goddess. She had powers over him he could never combat. He didn’t stand a chance against her from the start. She’d said she knew him, though he’d never even heard of her. Ares must have told her about him. The whole thing was probably planned to trap him into being the father of a baby who would bring so much death and destruction.
“You … remember me?” He wanted to hear it from her own lips. How she knew of him and plotted against him. “You’re saying you know who I am?”
He felt doomed already. He wanted to remain anonymous in both his forms, yet she was saying she knew all his secrets. Well, he was the son of a king. He was well known, so why shouldn’t she know him? Unless she’d been living the life of a hermit, she’d know all about him and want nothing to do with him. Nothing, unless she was like her father, and would do anything to trap him into a plot that would ruin his dreams.
“Well, I don’t actually know your name.” She smiled and took a step closer. Her gaze settled on his sword and a bewildered look crossed her face, as if she was trying to recognize the sword but couldn’t.
“You said you know who I am?” He paced to distract her.
“I do.” She actually seemed happy about the whole thing. She had to be just as evil as her father to actually agree to mating with a centaur in the first place. “You’re the man who dove in front of Ares’ beam.”
“I am,” he answered. She almost sounded as if she’d just discovered this fact.
“I knew it! I knew I wasn’t dreaming.”
Her face lit up and Kyros couldn’t help but want to touch her again. Instead he kept his distance.
“You weren’t dreaming,” he reassured her. “I’m the father of your unborn child, as if you didn’t know.”
She grabbed his shoulders and pulled herself to him, placing a kiss directly on his mouth before letting go. She twirled in a circle, laughing all along.
“I’m so happy,” she announced.
Kyros could see it was true. His lips tingled from her kiss and if he wasn’t so angry at her, he would have wanted her to do it again.
“And it’s all because of you,” she added.
“Because of me?” Didn’t she mean because of her father and the success of their scheming plot for war and destruction?
“Because of you, I’m having a human baby!”
She headed over to the saddlebag and flung it over her shoulder with such energy and enthusiasm that he wondered if being pregnant did this to a woman. Then he realized what she said and he felt his heart sink.
“What do you mean by that?” His voice was barely a whisper. She’d said human. Human baby, not centaur baby. He felt his stomach tighten. Could it be possible? She really didn’t know who he was after all?
“Because of you, I now have the will to live again. Because of your seed that is going to be our child, my father’s plan will not succeed. And because of you, you wonderful man, not only the Trozens but the Centaurs will be safe from the war that would have destroyed them. Don’t you see? Now that I know I’m not going to birth a centaur baby, my world has changed. I won’t have to start the war my father wants. The god of war has lost
Her presence filled the air around him. He raised his hand slightly, wanting to touch her face and stroke her cheek. He needed to run his fingers through her long, dark hair. He wanted her close to him. Not only her, but also their unborn child.
He dropped his hand and turned away, cursing himself silently. He was possessed by madness. A desire so strong for peace between the Trozens and the Centaurs that he even considered killing to do it. How ironic. Killing to fight for peace. He hated himself for stooping to such an ill thought.
How in the name of Zeus could he even think for a moment he could harm this sweet, beauty of a woman or an innocent unborn child? And even if he could have convinced himself it was a just deed, he was forgetting she was a goddess. She had powers over him he could never combat. He didn’t stand a chance against her from the start. She’d said she knew him, though he’d never even heard of her. Ares must have told her about him. The whole thing was probably planned to trap him into being the father of a baby who would bring so much death and destruction.
“You … remember me?” He wanted to hear it from her own lips. How she knew of him and plotted against him. “You’re saying you know who I am?”
He felt doomed already. He wanted to remain anonymous in both his forms, yet she was saying she knew all his secrets. Well, he was the son of a king. He was well known, so why shouldn’t she know him? Unless she’d been living the life of a hermit, she’d know all about him and want nothing to do with him. Nothing, unless she was like her father, and would do anything to trap him into a plot that would ruin his dreams.
“Well, I don’t actually know your name.” She smiled and took a step closer. Her gaze settled on his sword and a bewildered look crossed her face, as if she was trying to recognize the sword but couldn’t.
“You said you know who I am?” He paced to distract her.
“I do.” She actually seemed happy about the whole thing. She had to be just as evil as her father to actually agree to mating with a centaur in the first place. “You’re the man who dove in front of Ares’ beam.”
“I am,” he answered. She almost sounded as if she’d just discovered this fact.
“I knew it! I knew I wasn’t dreaming.”
Her face lit up and Kyros couldn’t help but want to touch her again. Instead he kept his distance.
“You weren’t dreaming,” he reassured her. “I’m the father of your unborn child, as if you didn’t know.”
She grabbed his shoulders and pulled herself to him, placing a kiss directly on his mouth before letting go. She twirled in a circle, laughing all along.
“I’m so happy,” she announced.
Kyros could see it was true. His lips tingled from her kiss and if he wasn’t so angry at her, he would have wanted her to do it again.
“And it’s all because of you,” she added.
“Because of me?” Didn’t she mean because of her father and the success of their scheming plot for war and destruction?
“Because of you, I’m having a human baby!”
She headed over to the saddlebag and flung it over her shoulder with such energy and enthusiasm that he wondered if being pregnant did this to a woman. Then he realized what she said and he felt his heart sink.
“What do you mean by that?” His voice was barely a whisper. She’d said human. Human baby, not centaur baby. He felt his stomach tighten. Could it be possible? She really didn’t know who he was after all?
“Because of you, I now have the will to live again. Because of your seed that is going to be our child, my father’s plan will not succeed. And because of you, you wonderful man, not only the Trozens but the Centaurs will be safe from the war that would have destroyed them. Don’t you see? Now that I know I’m not going to birth a centaur baby, my world has changed. I won’t have to start the war my father wants. The god of war has lost
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