Page 29 of Hoof It

Twenty Nine

Chapter 28

Darcy

A s the door swings inward, I hold my breath. The cozy feeling of Pan’s magic is thicker here than it was just feet away amidst the trees. My eyes dart from one area of the interior of the cottage to another. It’s almost exactly as it was in my dream. Zu and I step inside together. I give his hand a squeeze and his head turns towards me. He’s grinning, and the way it’s lit up his entire face is beautiful. He brings my hand up to his lips and places a quick kiss on the back before letting it go.

“Show me around, little mate.”

I can’t help but to bounce in place momentarily before toeing off my boots. I take a few quick steps before sliding a bit on the hardwood floors. I feel like a child for the first time in far too long, and I let a belly deep laugh out. When I glance back at my mate, he looks confused and amused at the same time.

“There’s an unspoken rule that if you have hardwood floors, you have to slide across them at least once a day.” I shrug my shoulders with a goofy grin. We both look down at his hooves, then back up at each other. My wheels are already turning as I think of ways to make it so that Zu can experience sliding across our new floors at least once. Though, if I get my way, it’s something that he’ll be doing with me every day.

I hold out my hands for him. “Come on. Let’s explore our new home.”

He takes my hands into his own and we walk from room to room. He inspects the entire house. The way he points out his favorite parts tell me just how excited he is. By the time we’ve finished exploring the inside, my belly growls. I tip my head back and groan as my mate laughs. He wraps me in his arms and kisses the top of my head.

“Let’s see if the Wild God has stocked any food for us.”

We make our way from the bedroom to the small kitchen area. We open the upper cabinets and to my surprise, I see that they’re full of various dry goods and non-perishables. I actually squeal when I spot my favorite instant noodles. I open the plastic wrapped box and pull two packs out, then place them on the counter. Then think better of it and slide a third pack out and put the box back in the cabinet.

“I wonder…” I tap my finger against my mouth then drop down into a squat to open the lower cabinets. I spot pots and pans in the first one I open. “Aha!” I drag a large black cast iron pot out and stand back up. I put the pot in the sink and fill it halfway with water before dropping the opened packets of noodles into the water. I try to pick it up, but it’s too heavy. Zu has been standing off to the side quietly. He steps towards me and picks up the pot easily. He turns to me. “Where would you like this?”

“Over the fire please.”

He walks towards the fireplace and I see that it’s already set up to cook on. The flames are at the perfect height. He eyes the metal rods that are standing in the fire. Each one has a chain hanging from it with a thick hook attached to the dangling ends. He turns the pot around in a circle, and we notice the notches in the lip at the same time. He looks over at me and I close the distance between us. Reaching carefully into the fireplace, I pick up the first chain and Zu lifts the pot. I slide the hook into the notch. We repeat the process twice more. When we step back, I realize that the pot looks like a cauldron. A laugh leaves my lips, and my hands move to my belly.

“What is so amusing, little mate?”

“I-I’m a kitchen witch.” I laugh more then wipe tears from my eyes. Zu looks more confused. “The pot is shaped like a cauldron. Cauldrons are what witches use to brew potions as well as cook their meals.”

Understanding dawns across his face. “You are something else, you know that? I don’t know anyone that would be that excited about being any type of witch.”

“Don’t you dare tell me that witches are real and they’re bad.”

Zu tilts his head to the side. His mouth twists into a grimace.

“Damn! Really? Are there any good ones? They can’t possibly be all bad, right?!”

He hesitates for a brief second. “My kind have a tale that they’ve passed down from generation to generation. It was kind of a…” He searches for the word he wants. “Bedtime tale? That nannie’s told their young to get them to behave.”

“Your people have an old wive’s tale about witches that you tell your children before bed?”

My mate nods solemnly. I spin around then spot the large couch. After sleeping on the ground last night, the couch is screaming my name. I drop down onto a thick cushion, and Zu does the same before pulling my legs onto his lap. Once we’re both situated, he tells me the tale.

“Many, many years ago, before my grandparents were born, there was a lonely goat herder. He lived alone, on the edge of the woods. His only neighbor was an old woman whose house was deep in the forest behind his home. He’d been married when he first took up farming and raising goats. But his wife unexpectedly died after eating some apples she’d picked in the woods. The herder knew that somehow the old woman was to blame. But he wasn’t ever able to prove it. So, he held onto his anger tightly. One day, the old woman approached him while he was out tending to his goats. He was not pleased to see her. He tried to ignore her presence, but she was insistent.

“‘Please, good sir, would you mind helping an old woman out? My dog has gotten lost in the woods and I can’t find him.’’

“‘Old woman, I care not. Can’t you see that I’m busy?’’

“He waved her off. Every day for a week she returned to him, asking for his help finding her dog. Every day, he turned her away. Finally, on the last day, the herder had had enough.

“‘Old woman! I have told you every day that I am too busy to help you! Besides, I know that it was your apples that killed my sweet wife. I will not help you today, tomorrow, next week, or even next year! Leave me alone!’

“He tried to wave her off once again. But this time, the old woman wasn’t having it. She snatched his wrist and gripped it tightly, pulling him towards her feeble body. Then, a blinding light encased her body and forced the herder to close his eyes. When the light receeded, he opened them and before him, gripping his wrist, was his wife.

“‘Stupid, stupid man.’ She shook her head from side to side with a sneer.

“‘My beloved!’ he cried out.

“The woman shoved a single, pointed finger into his chest with enough force to knock him backwards. She stepped behind him and pushed him a second time. This time, he fell onto his knees and cried out as he landed on the hard ground.

“‘For years I let you push me around. I left my family, my village, to follow you out here. You promised to love and cherish me. To worship me. To honor me. To treat me like a queen. But what did you do instead?’ She gathered her long skirts in her hand and crouched down near his ear.

“‘You ignored my entire existence. You chose your precious goats over your wife for years. You didn’t notice when I started sneaking away every week. Nor did you notice when it was every day. You were too preoccupied with your blasted herd.’

“She stood up then pressed her pointed boot onto his back, forcing his face into the dirt.

“‘You didn’t notice that I stopped being intimate with you. Or speaking to you. Your entire focus was on the farm. You stopped speaking to me at all. I stopped cooking for you, and you didn’t notice that either.’ The woman scoffed then continued. ‘You pathetic man. I met the woman who lives in the woods. I didn’t have to explain my situation to her. She somehow knew. And she took me in. Every day I visited her. We became friends. Then lovers. She helped me fake my death so that I could be done with you for good.’

“‘Wh-what?’ The herder tried his best to speak, but the woman shoved her boot into his back even harder.

“‘I didn’t say that you could speak, dear husband.’ Her lips turn up in a sneer and she rolled her eyes. ‘My lover isn’t fully human, as it turns out. She’s an immortal witch. And thanks to your mistreatment of me, she taught me a few things.’ The woman dug the heel of her boot into his spine.

“‘Would you like to know what she taught me?’

“The herder tried to struggle, but the woman was far too strong and simply pressed her boot into his back even harder. ‘I just so happen to know a phrase that will turn you into what you love more than you ever loved me.’

“She removed her foot from his back and spoke a low murmur. The herder, unable to hear her words, rose up to his knees and attempted to flee. But he felt as though he was stuck to the ground. His legs were wracked with pain unlike anything he’d ever felt. He let out a scream. The woman didn’t so much as flinch. She continued her low murmuring.

“When she finally finished speaking, she looked at the herder. ‘Rise, dear husband.’’

“He stood on shaky legs that reminded him of a newborn goat. He looked down at his feet, saw that instead of feet he had hooves. He attempted a scream. The sound that came out was a goat’s bleat of fear. He lifted his hands and saw that they were still human, but they were covered in fur. He reached up to his hair, only to find horns and goat ears amidst his hair. He let out another terrified bleat.

“The woman cackled then held her arm out to her side. Another woman joined her by her side. They laughed at the herder for so long, that tears fell down their faces.

“‘You love your damned goats so much, that I thought it fitting for your former wife to turn parts of you into one,’ the second woman spoke. She turned towards the first woman, took her face in her hands, and kissed her deeply. Hand in hand, they left the herder. His bleats grew frantic in pitch, scaring his herd. The animals ran away from him.

“The women looked back one last time. ‘Enjoy your new life, goat man.’ Then they disappeared. The herder spent the rest of his life searching the woods for his wife and her lover, the witch. He didn’t realize that they had moved to a new village, one where women like them were welcomed. He eventually gave into his baser animal desires and forced a nanny to mate with him. She bore him many kids, who all grew up looking like their goat man father. Eventually, the nanny had enough and left. The goat man died alone not long after.”

Zu finishes his story and my jaw is on the floor by the end.

“You were told that story as a kid? What. The. Fuck?”

My mate actually laughs. “Yes. It has a two-fold lesson in it. It made sense for our parents to tell it to us.”

My head shakes side to side rapidly. “What lessons?”

“First, be a good partner. Don’t put anything above your mate. They’re the most important thing in your life.”

“And second?” I ask.

“Never trust a witch.” He shrugs briefly.

“Zu, that’s a seriously fucked bedtime story.” My head hasn’t stopped shaking since he started the tale. “That would have given me nightmares for the rest of my life.”

“Your parents never told you bedtime stories that were life lessons?”

“They did, but not like that. I grew up on fairy tales like The Emperor’s New Clothes or The Tortoise and the Hare . Fables more than anything.”

“Fables?” His brows furrow in confusion.

“Yeah. It’s a short story that teaches a lesson or a moral. The point of The Emperor’s New Clothes was to trust your own judgment. Tortoise and the Hare taught us that faster doesn’t always mean better.”

Understanding spreads across his face and his eyebrows relax. “Similar to the story of the first goat man, then. It taught us lessons, while also telling how we came to be.”

“I guess, yeah. Is that story true, though? Like for real?”

Zu nods emphatically. “Yes. At least as far as I know it is. How else would you explain the existence of my kind?”

He raises a valid point, and it gives me pause. “I don’t know. I can’t explain the existence of the fae, but you said that they’re real. Humans are taught to believe in things we can’t see.” I roll my eyes at the thought of organized religions. “From birth we’re told that there’s an all-knowing god up in the sky that loves us as long as we follow his rules. If we do, we get to go to heaven when we die. If we don’t follow his rules, we get to spend eternity in the fires of hell.”

Zu looks startled. “What? Pan would never! Neither would any of his brethren gods. As long as you treat others fairly, you will get to spend your eternity with those you love.”

“Most human religions are ridiculous. It makes me glad that my mom didn’t force me to attend church as a kid. She always told me that faith and religion were my choice. She would have let me learn about any religion I desired, if I’d have ever had any interest in them. Before recently, I hadn’t felt a need to pray or believe in any god.”

“And then the Wild God led us to each other, appeared in your dreams, and even spoke to you.” Zu’s grin is contagious as he reaches for my face. His fingers stroke my cheek and jawline.

“Exactly. My human sensibilities tell me that I should be questioning everything that’s happened over the last few days. But my soul has taken all of this in stride and tells me to trust you and Pan.”

My mate leans down and kisses my lips softly. When we part, we’re both grinning.

I stand from the couch and head to the kitchen for a slotted spoon so that I can check on our instant noodles. After finding the right utensil, I walk over to the fire and use the spoon to pull some of the noodles out of the boiling water. They look like they’re perfectly cooked. I blow on one before trying a bite just to be sure. Just as I thought, they’re done.

I move back to the kitchen and try to pull two bowls down from a shelf that I can barely reach. Zu snort laughs when I rise to my tip toes and still can’t reach the stack of bowls. The front of his body presses against my back as he reaches the bowls easily. He removes two from the stack and sets them on the counter before his hands land on my hips. He squeezes them as he buries his nose in my neck. His breathe moves across my skin and goosebumps erupt from my shoulder to my fingertips. I shiver a little, and suppress a giggle.

“Zu.” My voice is breathy and low. His lips meet the skin of my neck before he skims his nose along my mark. The goosebumps spread down my back. My left hand grips the counter as my right hand reaches up to the back of his neck. My fingers weave into his thick hair and he grinds against my ass. His teeth nip at my mark and his hand slips beneath the waistband of my leggings. His long fingers tease my clit. His skilled fingers bring me close to the edge over and over, but he stops before I’m able to fall over.

After the fourth time of being robbed of my orgasm, I grit out, “Zu, I swear if you don’t let me come…” The rest of my thought is cut off when he pulls my leggings down to my knees. He shifts my feet farther apart before his cock slides into me in one quick thrust. My head falls backwards onto his chest. My fingers grip more tightly onto his hair.

“Feel so g-good wrapped around me.” His voice sounds as though his jaw is clenched tight. My left hand leaves the counter and snakes between us, my fingers searching for his cock pocket. One of these days, I want to use a small dildo on him, but for now my fingers will have to do. I tease them in and out of him in the same rhythm that he’s fucking me. A long groan leaves him.

“Fill me, my beast. Let me feel you lose control.”

His fingers rub my clit in tight circles. His teeth clamp down onto my mark and I finally fall over the edge as an orgasm rolls through my body.