Page 9

ELI

Don’t you for a second let them frighten or intimidate you.

You are a strong, intelligent, badass lady, regardless of your size or…

lack of vascularity,” I told Thistle the floricorn as I shot a murderous stare at the black stallion a few stalls down from my girl as I tried to straighten out my sore jaw.

Ouch. “That’s it.” I finished combing her forelock, giving her brown, whiskery nose a kiss and a rub before setting the metal comb down and replacing it with a currycomb.

She snorted her approval and leaned into my hand as I took my time brushing

her.

“I’m really glad you’re here, Thistle, really glad.

Do you miss the flowers?” As I moved down her front legs, the chestnut maiden shoved her velvety muzzle into the crook of my neck.

It was my turn to let out a snort. “Stop that. No wonder the other horses nipped at you. We have to act tough down here. It’s not like back in Seelie, my sweet girl.

” In retaliation, her ears flat- tened and she nuzzled me so aggressively I lost my balance and fell onto the hay ass first. “Hey, watch it, that thing is sharp!” She appeared in complete control of her beautiful iridescent horn, but every so often, it brushed against my cheek and I’d hold my breath awaiting my decapitation.

The maiden was probably doing these soft grazes to keep me in check, knowing her feisty spirit.

“Ma’am, that horn is quite scary when you fling it around my face like that. I trust you, but?—”

“So you give me the slip to sneak off and cuddle your pony? Don’t let the other partygoers see that behavior.” Walter leaned against the door to Thistle’s stall with a large grin.

I brushed the random pieces of straw from my clothes as I stood chuckling and wrapped my arm around the short pony. “Well, we wouldn’t want them to bring out their brass knuckles and maces at the scent of our weakness.”

“No. More likely they will start trading memento to get in on the snuggle-fest with the adorable pony and I don’t have time to marshal a line right now.

I’m quite preoccupied trying to get my friend laid, so he can be rid of the Tartarus itch.

Much more important.” Walter began to open the lower door of the stall but paused when Thistle let out a snort, lowering her adorable head and aiming her horn right at his dick.

He relatched the door and raised his palms in surrender.

“Very wise. I’ve nearly been impaled twice this hour and she really likes me,” I said with a laugh.

I couldn’t help but grin as I gave the brown menace a big hug.

It felt so good to be chosen by such a temperamental and ornery creature.

It may have been ridiculous, but having her here made all the difference for me.

I had been so worried about her since her disappearance when we were going to Moirai.

I couldn’t honestly explain our connection, but even back when she and I had first met in the flower fields when I was introducing Cal to the floricorns, I felt a silly little bond with the pony.

I cared about her and I was immensely grateful the Fates had allowed her to come to Tartarus to be with me.

It made me feel like maybe the Fates were watching out for me a little bit, as stupid as that sounded.

“Come back to the party. If it’s too loud for you, we’ll branch off to one of the smaller ones,” said Walter. “There’s every kind of party you could imagine: board games, bonfires, sword fights, dancing, performers, drugs; you name it and we’ll find what you feel like trying.”

I shrugged. “For what? I’m not here to mingle with a bunch of cretins—no offense. I’m here to help a child get home and I have a feeling I’m not going to find a six-year-old gambling, drinking, or snorting at a party.”

“You’d be surprised. This is Eromreven after all.

” He winked at Thistle. She ignored him, choosing a bale of hay over the charming shifter’s attention.

“Listen, how long has it been since you’ve been with a woman?

I know you weren’t with Cal, so how long?

Kaohs wants you to go to the sensations, and if he finds out I didn’t take you, he will sic Eletha on me.

Have mercy on me. Come on, you don’t have to do anything with them if you don’t want to, but you have to at least go.

Do you have a type? One of them is a witch—she can make herself look like whoever you like, but don’t pick Cal or I’ll have to stab you on behalf of Mendax. ”

I scrunched my face and stepped out of the stall. “What are the sensations? Prostitutes? I have no problem with the profession personally, but I’m not interested in a quick fuck. It’s just not my thing.”

“And what exactly is your thing? Snuggling your unicorn while you whisper affirmations to her? Because that itch is just gonna keep getting more and more, well, itchy until you do something about it. The whole point is you have to do something you would normally never do; otherwise, you’re going to start really acting out of character and then you’re going to do something you regret forever,” he said sternly.

“I think I may have already done that,” I replied, adjusting my sore jaw. I opened the gate and walked with him down the middle of the barn.

Walter stopped, turning to face me with narrowing eyes. “What did you do?”

“I got in a fight with the winner of that stupid game tonight and signed up to play tomorrow night,” I grumbled under my breath as I began walking again .

“What?!” Walter shouted. “The red keys! You can’t play the red keys. Everybody dies and you still have to get Cal’s sister her pendant!”

“I know, okay?” I snapped. “His horse backed Thistle into her stall and bit her when she couldn’t defend herself.

I stopped the fucker before it kicked her in the head!

It’s four times her size and the guy just stood there and watched.

I mean, honestly, no respect for women or animals whatsoever.

” My blood began to pump faster as I got riled up all over again.

“Then what happened?” Walter was almost too stunned to speak.

“Then what happened? What do you think happened? I waterboarded the fucker with the bucket until he passed out and then tied him to his fucking prick of a horse’s belly, dick to face like he deserves.”

“Oh fuck. This was—you’re entered in the red keys tomorrow because a horse was being mean to your horse? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I fully agree that was fucked-up, but worth dying over? No,” he whispered, eyes still wide.

“She’s not just my horse. She’s my friend—and she’s not even a horse anyway.

She’s a mini floricorn; get it fucking right.

I’m really getting fucking tired of everyone thinking they can just come in and be awful to her just because of her—” I low- ered the fist that I had raised, letting the words I’d just spoken circle back around.

My hand, the one clenched and ready to hit Walter in the face, trembled a bit.

I knew I shouldn’t, but I really, really wanted to and I was beginning to find it absolutely impossible to not do or say the things I wanted to.

Especially the ones I knew I shouldn’t do.

Okay, the itch was definitely get- ting stronger.

“All right, fine. Help me get rid of the scabies.” I let out a frustrated sigh. “Take me to the whores.”

“Dear stars.” Walter looked at me like he’d never quite seen me before.

The sound of angry clops caught our attention at the other end of the barn.

The doors on both ends remained open, letting in the cool breeze.

We caught a glimpse of a huge black stallion as it ran across the opening—with a dangling man struggling against the rope that tied it to the horse’s undercarriage.

They vanished as they passed by the open door.

“Wow.” Walter quickly put his hand on my back and shoved me out the other end of the barn and toward the main castle.

“The sensations all perform a dance toward the end of the night to lure paying customers. We can still catch it and you can see if any of them do something for you.” He looked behind us.

“Though I think you should unleash a weird kink on any one of them at this rate. Hurry things along.”

I snorted. “I don’t have a weird kink. I don’t even have a kink, I don’t think. Do you? What’s yours?”

“Oh, you definitely have a weird kink. The goodies are usually the freakiest in bed, and if you don’t, you need to find one.

Because unless you’re a virgin, I don’t think the itch is going to leave you with a just a mundane fuck.

Ya get what I’m saying?” He glanced behind us once more as we hurried toward the prostitutes and sinners.

I looked blankly at him and he glared at me for a moment before clearing his throat.

“I like to be in control—it’s the wolf in me.

I like a good chase and I fucking love a woman that makes me work to earn it.

The meal tastes better when you’ve hunted it. ” The shifter licked his lips slowly.

“You must really get excited about Eletha then, because she is definitely making you earn it. Or wait, you said the two of you were about to get married. Have you already had it?” I questioned.

“I’m going to let this slide because I know you can’t help yourself, but when you’re thinking about sex, keep that particular woman out of your head, or I will,” Walter stated.

“And no, we were just a couple of idiot kids in love. We’ve never done anything sexual together.

Now we are just a couple of idiot adults and I’m the only one still in love. ”

“Let’s get you a hooker. Make Eletha jealous. Get the one that can change to look like Eletha,” I blurted.