Librarian and the Beast: A Mintar Romance

by S. J. Sanders

Relief flooded Faltz as his friend steadied Atem on his side and helped support the injured male’s weight as they raced the short remaining distance to the cavern. They didn’t even slow down as they galloped into the enclosure, their sides heaving from exertion. Even with a secondary set of lungs that allowed their species to run long distances, Faltz was winded, his sides trembling with exhaustion. By will alone, he kept himself stable and upright as Bakin eased the youth off him. With the assistance of two other experienced hunters, they carried the young male deeper into the cavern before setting him gently on the ground.

  On shaky legs, Faltz followed, watching over Atem as a healer came forward. It was only when the male’s leg and damaged foot were seen to that Faltz allowed himself to find a spot where he could collapse away from the prying eyes of the other males. Dropping to the ground, he stared out at the downpour. He felt pity for anyone caught in that madness.

  Chapter 4

  “This is not good!” Tabby shouted against the din of the rain. It would have been hard enough to hear her over the river, but with the wind and rain, it was near impossible. Her friend had said more, but the words were lost behind another crash of lightning.

  The storm had come out of nowhere, rolling up from down river, obscured by the night. One minute they were crossing back over the bridge, the moon bright overhead, and the next the storm had moved in before they were even halfway across, blotting out all light save for the dim glow of the lantern in Tabby’s hand. Thankfully they had delivered their load safely to the abandoned house. The books would stay dry where they had stored them within the stone cottage, but now they were facing an entirely different problem: getting across the bridge in one piece.

  She could feel the wood groaning beneath their feet as the swelling waves of the river battered the beams. Just ahead, Tabby attempted to lead the frightened mare forward. The cart jerked as the animal made a series of hasty steps, nearly knocking her friend over.

  “Tabby!” she shouted.

  “I’m okay,” came the broken reply. Relief filled her as she squinted and saw her friend’s arm waving in the light of the lantern.

  Was this going to be how she died? Sacrificing her life for her beloved books? It was a noble way to go, if she must. Still, however selfish it may have been, Beni wasn’t ready to die for them. A few days in jail was an indignity she could bear. The idea of drowning, however, was a hindrance to their cause. Not to mention a serious impediment to Beni’s plans. She was too young to drown in a river!

  Gripping the back side of the cart, she attempted to steady it. A wheel had already gotten stuck once. She didn’t want to risk it happening again while they were still on the bridge. The bridge didn’t seem to be in good condition, and the longer she was on it, the more frightening it became as it shuddered beneath them.

  The cart jostled again, escaping from beneath her hand. Beni stumbled forward, her breath leaving her in a burst of relief as she saw Tabby and the mare race to the opposite embankment with the cart. She could hear Tabby’s shout of elation. Regaining her balance, she sprinted after them. Only a few more feet!

  Beni’s smile widened with victory, but as her foot came down, the plank beneath it cracked. Her mouth fell open as she felt the bridge disappear from beneath her foot. She could hear her own scream as it left her seconds before she plunged into the cold river. She thought she heard Tabby shout her name just before she hit water, but she couldn’t be certain. It, like everything else, was lost to the river.

  Lungs burning, Beni kicked up, struggling against the vicious tug of the current. The moment she broke the surface, she drew in a breath of air, sucking in a mouthful of water in the process. She choked and coughed as she struggled to stay above the surface. The bridge had already been swallowed up in the distance, leaving her flailing in the water as it swept her downstream. She couldn’t see well enough to determine just far she was going, or how fast. Beni never seemed to face the same direction, and the few times she caught sight of what appeared to be a nearby embankment, it disappeared behind the breaking water.

  She tried to swim near the dark shadow of the riverbank, though at this point she could no longer tell which side was which. She didn’t even care if she ended up on the wrong side and had to cross the damned bridge again. Beni just desperately wanted to escape the river.

  Another wave rolled her beneath the surface, cutting off her air once more. In a panic, Beni swam with all that remained of her flagging strength. Kicking her legs, she struggled to the surface again, but this time when she broke, the water, while still quick, was different. The waves rolled up by the wind were small, and as the darkness receded with the retreat of the storm, she could make out the banks to either side of her. The river was much narrower. Relief bloomed within her, but didn’t go unmatched by the swelling panic that accompanied the realization that Beni had no idea where she was.

  By increments, she made her way to the nearest riverbank on her left. Her feet slipped along the rocks in the shallower water. Beni panted as she crawled out, the long length of her skirt dragging through the water behind her. Her soaked clothes weighed her down, but she hooked her fingers into the muddy soil, pulling herself out little by little until she was well away from the water.

  Her arms shook as she looked over her shoulder. Behind her, she could see the smaller river she had fallen into, as well what appeared to be three other rivers rushing to meet this one in some kind of delta. She gave the unfamiliar landscape a long look, blinking the water out of her eyes as she surrendered to exhaustion.

  As she flopped forward in the muddy grass, Beni wondered if Tabby would get home safely. She hoped so. It would be nice if her friend sent out someone to find her. Someone with a bottle of water… or a small amount of liquor. They could put it in a nice mug of hot cocoa brought in by merchants from exotic lands. Her mama always had a supply on hand. And clean, dry clothes. Her belly churned with a mixture of nausea and hunger. Food would be nice too.

  Mud clung to her eyelashes, blurring her vision. She blinked once, then twice. Her eyelids were so heavy with exhaustion that she couldn’t open them even one more time. She only had enough energy to note the glow of the rising sun behind her eyelids before she sank into oblivion.

  Beni didn’t know how long she lay there. At some point, she was aware of the warmth of the sun. It was so comfortable that she didn’t want to wake up—not until the sun was suddenly blocked out, leaving her chilly once more. She opened her eyes, the grass in front of her blurry before coming into focus. She could see the sunlight on the grass in front of her, but the area around her was cut out by a massive shadow. Her breath wheezed out of her and her fingers clenched on a handful of damp earth as something solid and warm nudged her.

  It nudged her again, harder, pushing this time.

  Fingers digging desperately into the ground, she fought against being rolled over, and attempted to crawl forward on her belly. Whatever was attempting to turn her huffed and continued to push. Grass tore out of the ground as she was flipped over. Breath bursting out of her as she landed hard on her back, she stared up at the monstrosity that blotted out the sun.

  At first it was nothing but shadow, but her eyes adjusted to see the scowling face of a huge man glaring down at her. But it wasn’t a man. Oh no, no, no! Beni shook her head from side to side, her mouth moving wordlessly in shock. This wasn’t supposed to be possible!

  Dark grayish-purple eyes narrowed at her from a strong, masculine face. The jaw was wide, tapering down to a squared chin. Though the nose was broad, it was strong too, above a wide mouth with full lips. The features would almost be handsome if they weren’t set in a face covered with fine red scales and long, tapered ears that rested almost flat against his skull. A series of thick, puckered scars ran down one side. And those massive dark horns that curled out threateningly toward her from his brow…! She shoved herself up and hastily struggled to her feet. Backing away, she regarded her rescuer warily

  Swallowing back her fear, h
er eyes roamed away from his face to the strip of dark hair that grew thickly at the center of his head. He had it bound tightly to his head, the ends flowing loose behind his shoulders. Her eyes skimmed over a torso thick with muscle, including the two large forearms crossed menacingly over his wide chest… but as her eyes trailed down, it just got worse. His human torso was attached to a second torso with equine features, except the forelegs bent differently and each leg terminated in a large clawed foot. A tail like a lion’s whipped from behind him.

  “Are you finished?” a deep voice growled at her.

  Beni squeaked. “F… Finished?”

  “Staring at me. Have you seen enough of a Mintar to satisfy your curiosity?”

  “I… That is… Look, you are not…”

  “Not what?” he growled, his head angling down toward her as his slanted nostrils flared.

  “Supposed to be real,” she finished in a tiny voice.

  The male drew back his head, eyeing her warily—as if she were the one who shook his expectations of reality.

  “Of all the silliness I could have expected from a human,” he grunted. “Perhaps the water has damaged you.”

  Beni’s mouth dropped open. Rude! That was enough for her to bolster her courage.

  “There is nothing wrong with me! I am behaving as any logical person would when presented with… this!” She waved a hand in his direction. “And don’t look at me like that. Your kind are just supposed to be stories to terrorize women. You’re not supposed to be real. How was I to know, anyway? No one has seen one, that I’ve ever met, and besides… look at you. You hardly look normal.”

  His mouth parted and then squeezed together in a firm line. He may not have been human, but an offense to male pride was apparently universal. His brows slammed down over his eyes, and that fascinating tail, that for some reason kept drawing her attention, bristled with several lethal spines that ran from the tuft of hair halfway up the length. A deep growl snatched her attention right back up to his face as he leaned forward, his horns swinging dangerously close as he lowered his face directly into her.

  “If I am such an aberration to you, perhaps I should leave you here for the great worms to eat,” he snarled down at her, double fangs flashing.

  She jerked back, her eyes widening. Wait… giant worms?

  “Now let’s not be hasty,” she amended, her eyes darting furtively toward the grasses.

  The male snorted and lifted his head back away from her. “Do not worry, human. If they get you, it will be quick. Now that I see that you are not dead or mortally injured, I will leave you to whatever you planned on doing out here by yourself.”

  His lips curved into an unpleasant smirk as his massive body swung away.

  Beni’s mouth dropped open in disbelief as he retreated. He was really going to leave her out there—alone!—with giant worms on the loose?

  Grabbing a handful of wet skirts, she raced after him. “Wait!”

  Chapter 5

  Faltz had not expected to find a human when he went down to the river junction. He had spent a pleasant morning fishing with his net, pulling fat fish from the river to take back to the camp for young males, who were still recovering from the headlong dash the evening before. His thoughts had been focused on Atem, who was still sleeping off the pain draught given to him after his foot had been tended to.

  The boy would need to see a healer to have the bones in his talons reset, but thankfully it was a short distance back to the clan settlement and a palanquin was being prepared to carry the male back. It was only when Faltz began to head back down the riverside, his catch strung on a line over his shoulder, that he had noticed the body lying close to the water’s edge.

  She had seemed so lifeless—so helpless—that he was concerned. Her golden skin had looked deathly pale, her wet, dark curls plastered against her where they streamed along her shoulders and back. She hadn’t even so much as moved when he called out to her, which was worrisome in itself. Human females rarely came through their territory, and it was even less common to see one unconscious. Usually, they were screaming and carrying on in an annoying fashion until lulled into a calmer state. He had been worried that the tiny female was dead. Fortunately, she was not dead… Unfortunately, once she woke and started talking, she never stopped.

  And talk she did. First out of disbelief, when she insisted that he could not be real because there was something unnatural about his appearance. That had been offensive enough that he felt no shame in leaving the moment he saw she was well enough to move unassisted. Then she decided to follow after him uninvited. Her voice never ceased, making continual observations as they got farther and farther from the river.

  Faltz drew to a stop and pinned the little female with an annoyed look, his tail flicking to encourage distance between them.

  “Why are you following me?” he bit out.

  She sidestepped away from his tail to trot up to his flank. Faltz restrained a sigh as she looked up at him, her ridiculous eyebrows lifting in surprise. “When you’re lost, it makes sense to stick with someone who obviously knows the area. It would be foolish for me to sit by that river for hours on end wondering which way to go when you’re here.”

  The sigh that he had been holding back finally escaped him. “I am not going anywhere you wish to be, human. The Mintar settlement is nowhere near your Citadel or any of your communities. The river has already carried you deep enough into our territory. I suggest you follow the river—not me—if you wish to go home.”

  She turned her head, her small teeth biting into her lower lip as she glanced back at the river. Taking advantage of the opportunity presented, Faltz picked up his pace. He hoped to dissuade her, but she was like a great worm wrapped firmly around its prey. Her head whipped around and, with a startled shout, she sprinted after him, her wet clothing clinging to her as she determinedly attempted to keep up.

  He trotted for some time until he ceased hearing the slap of wet cloth and the labored breaths that made his body, already primed for his seasonal rut, tighten uncomfortably. Curious, he glanced over his shoulder, and rolled his eyes with an aggravated snarl. Though a distance behind him, he could see the human following. She was no longer running, and her shoulders were slumped in familiar sign of exhaustion… but she did not turn back.

  He stopped and shook his head. Snarling an oath under his breath, he swung around and galloped back to her.

  The human made for a pitiful sight. Over the course of the short time she had been following him, her hair had begun to dry. The dark curls sprung around her head in a wild halo, little bits of river debris and grass tangled hopelessly within them. She stumbled to a halt and glanced up at him as he stopped by her side.

  She exhausts herself pointlessly! His nostrils flared in irritation.

  “You are a fool, human. Do you know what Mintars do to lost females? We take you among us, and you will be mated and bred!” As she recoiled from that, he continued. “Life is not comfortable or easy with my kind. You will long for your comforts and cry for them. You will do yourself and my people better if you do not come. Stay to the riverside, and in a few days, you will come to a human village at the edge of the river. They can escort you further.”

  “A few days to a village?” she mumbled in a small, lost voice as she wrapped her arms around herself. “The nearest village is several days from the Citadel. Was I really carried so far?”

  He noticed for the first time that her body trembled with cold and felt an immediate pang of guilt. Faltz had no desire to be burdened with a human prone to ridiculous chatter about nothing. Yet he was unable to ignore the way her sides heaved with every weary pant. In the end, it was the way her wide, dark eyes gaze up at him that smothered his impulse to send her on her way.

  Faltz drew a hand along the base of one horn and groaned. “Fine,” he snarled, wincing at the way her expression brightened. “I do not have time to take you to the village at this moment. My people are expecting me. If you are certain yo
u wish this, I will bring you with me and see to it that you eventually arrive among humans.”

  The last was said bitterly, as he imagined that he would have a fight on his hands once some of the younger males got a sniff of her. Not one male was going to let him remove a female from their settlement without objecting. He would not put it beyond one of the younger males to steal her away and mate her in secret. If that happened, he would have no way to remove her from the male, who would be recognized by the entire clan as her rightful mate, unless he won a challenge… But even then, he would only win the right to court her from a distance. The likelihood of getting her out of there would be nearly impossible.

  He flinched, his train of thought broken, as the female reached forward and grabbed his large hand between her two smaller ones. A smile broke out over her face as she beamed up at him.

  “Oh, thank you! I knew you couldn’t be so heartless as to leave me. I mean, I had a few doubts there when you were so far away. Beni, I said to myself, he’s going to get out of sight and some monster is going to come up and eat you. I’m so glad you proved me wrong!”

  Her expression did not shift even a bit as he snatched his hand back out of her grip and snorted in her direction. Humans! His eyes swept over her critically.

  “I suppose you are too tired to walk at a fast pace. I need to get these fish to camp,” he snapped, jostling the line for emphasis.

  She glanced back at the fish, her expression turning sheepish.

  “Never mind,” he growled.

  With an irritated grunt, he reached down with one arm, yanking her off her feet. The human squeaked in alarm, her legs flailing and striking his sides as he settled her on his lateral torso. Her arms clinging to his waist were just shy of painful. Who knew such a tiny thing could have such a grip? He considered swatting her hands away, but revised his thinking. She would need to hold on.

  Instead, he dropped his voice in a low, lulling sound, vibrating his vocal cords to soothe her. “You are safe. We will go now.” He repeated it a few times as he began to trot.