“All right. We’re good here.” Ariston held both hands up in surrender.
Pegasus turned toward Lily and nudged her, herding her back to the cabin. Resigned to obey since she really didn’t know how to fight off a horse, she grumbled, and she dragged her feet across the threshold. Tomorrow would be Thursday. The Satyr Moon was nearly upon them. Before long she’d be able to have her fill of Ariston without worrying about taking things too far and ruining his chance at being human again.
Ariston, back in human glamour, rushed inside a few minutes later, having forcefully maneuvered around Pegasus to do so. He slammed the door behind him, smiling triumphantly at her. His smile faltered, and he turned to lock the door. When he faced Lily again, the corner of his mouth twitched up in a smirk. She didn’t have the heart to remind him Pegasus had busted through the locked door the day before.
“Well, that was irritating. Let me clean up.”
“Ariston.” Lily caught his arm as he passed her. “What happened between Adonis and you?” It had ended up with him bleeding and avoiding the cabin for hours, so it couldn’t have been a pleasant reunion.
“He’s gone,” was all Ariston said before he disappeared into the bathroom.
Lily wasn’t sure if he meant from the area or something much more permanent.
***
The rest of the day was awkward. Ariston refused to talk about Adonis other than to reassure Lily she was safe. Frustrated, Lily stopped attempting conversation with him. She’d given Pegasus an apple and then fixed sandwiches for dinner. She wasn’t in the mood to cook, and wishing to have something else to do around the cabin besides take up space, she washed clothes to occupy herself.
At sunset, Ariston’s horns reappeared. He’d not seemed affected by the glamour dropping, but it fascinated her every time she saw it. A week ago she’d never believe such a thing. Magic had been nothing but smoke and mirrors, and the glamour provided by the panpipes were much of the same. It was, in fact, an illusion, but she could run her hands beside his head and encounter nothing but air when the horns weren’t visible.
Feeling inspired, Lily crawled out of the chair she’d been lounging in while playing a Sudoku puzzle from the travel book of games she’d had in her pack. She stretched and wandered into the bedroom, away from Ariston’s ever-watchful gaze. There, she collected her camera bag from inside of her pack, attached the lens, and then removed the cap.
“What are you doing?” Ariston arched a brow at her when she returned to the living room. He lay across the couch, one hoof crossing the other, an arm behind his head. The other hand rested across his bare stomach, concealing the trail of golden hair which disappeared under the waistline of his jeans, slung low across his hips. He’d been brooding in that position since dinner. She was convinced he’d not worn a shirt merely to torture her.
Lily lifted the camera and clicked a button. “Taking your picture.”
His eyes grew wide. “You can’t take pictures of me like this. We can’t allow for exposure.”
She laughed. “Because satyrs have never let themselves be seen. Kat told me all about Pan’s exploits as the Jersey Devil. She’s also pretty certain the legends of the North American Goatman that supposedly murdered people with an axe were sightings of Silenus. There are other folktales all over the world that document satyrs. Besides, don’t you want to remember what you looked like once you’re human again? What if you wake up one morning with phantom horns and you miss the weight of them? I know when I cut my hair several inches my head feels lighter and I find it odd.”
“I’m never going to miss them. Have you ever gotten your hair stuck in a tree branch when walking by? Imagine getting a horn tangled in one. Or ramming into doorframes or cabinets.” He shuddered. “Wait. When I’m human? You’ve made your decision?” His eyelids lowered seductively.
Lily inched closer and snapped another picture of him. “Maybe. I don’t know. I still have issues with the expectancy of it. It makes it feel like a business transaction.”
Ariston reached for her, but she danced out of reach. At the end of the couch, she turned her camera to take a better shot of him from horn to hoof.
“I agree with you. I’d rather our first time be from passion, not requirement. I’m sorry you had to be involved.”
Was she sorry though? She wasn’t sure anymore. What if she’d married Donovan and tied her life to a man so willing to sell her off? Ariston hadn’t withheld critical information from her. True, he didn’t want to talk about his brother, but that was personal to him. He’d told her outright what he expected of her even though it would’ve made his life easier not to inform her of the ritual, to try to seduce her on his own. Lily didn’t think she’d ever forgive Ariston had she slept with him during the eclipse and realized he’d used her to break a curse without informing her beforehand.
She shook her head. “I can’t say I’m entirely sorry we met. I mean, my life went to hell overnight, and I was kidnapped by a satyr who planned to ravish me, but he didn’t turn out too bad. Aside from handcuffing me to a bed while he went grocery shopping. Not cool, man. Not cool.”
Ariston laughed. “That wasn’t my finest hour. I was torn between lust and the need to provide for you. If I stayed that day, I never would have kept my hands off you, and that would have been disastrous. If I hadn’t secured you somehow, you’d have left me. And you did leave me. Thanks to my traitorous brother.”
“Are you ready to talk about this afternoon?” She pushed as the opening arose.
Ariston thought about it for a long time before replying, “No. Ask me after the Satyr Moon. I’m not ready to go down that path. I don’t want him tainting more time meant for us.”
Lily bit her lip. Whatever had gone down had broken something in him. She missed the flirty, teasing satyr from before. Damn Adonis. I can’t believe Ariston has an evil twin. Who actually has an evil twin? A satyr. Unbelievable.
“I’m here when you are ready to discuss it.” She didn’t want to give him any more time to dwell on it, so she abandoned the voice of reason and sat on his lap, careful not to wiggle around too much and make abstaining harder—heh—on him. Ariston’s hands gripped her waist in reflex and she snapped a picture of him, capturing the look of pure satisfaction which had crossed his face when she’d joined him on the couch. Lily played with fire, she knew, but she needed to touch him.
“So here we are,” Lily commented.
“Mmm,” Ariston mumbled, cupping one of her breasts. His thumb passed over her nipple and she felt it pebble in response. “Yes.”
Lily snorted. “Don’t get too handsy. You-Know-Who will gallop in here as soon as he senses any freakiness arising.”
“I’m aroused all right.”
“I can tell,” she whispered, acting against her previous restraint and wiggled. The action drew a groan from Ariston, and she snapped another picture. She was keeping that one for sure. Her satyr was sexiest when he didn’t try to hide his desire.
“You really shouldn’t be taking pictures. If anyone besides you sees them, it will be on me.” He frowned.
“You,” she pointed at him, stabbing a finger against his chest, “will be human by the time something like that could happen—which it won’t—and these would be proven as a hoax in no time. Also, this camera takes SD cards. It’s digital. I have my own photo printer at home, so no one will ever see these unless I show them to somebody.”
“Why do you want pictures of me like this? I look like a monster.”
“You don’t look like a monster. You look...different. It’s startling to see a man with features that aren’t considered human, even as minimal as what satyrs have, especially when you aren’t expecting to see such a thing. But Ariston, I met you while you looked this way.” She sat the camera down on the coffee table and leaned over him, rubbing a hand against one of the smooth ebony horns. “I want to remember the man I fell for as he was, and love him as he will be. To have an image to look back on is a wonderful thing.”
Ariston went still, his hands on her hips tightened. “Say that again?”
“Say wh—” It dawned on her that she might have confessed her love to him. “Oh.”
He sat up. His touch gentle against her as he took her mouth. Their kisses before had been urgent, demanding. Hot. This one was soft, sweet, and if she didn’t know any better, desperate. When they pulled back, Lily’s cheeks were scalding hot. How could she start slinging the L word around? Surely it wouldn’t be reciprocated.
“I...I didn’t mean...oh, shit.”
“Sssh. Don’t be embarrassed.” He placed one of her hands against his chest and covered it with his own. “My heart is beating for you, Lily. I was afraid to admit how much I felt for you because you’d only think I was angling for sex, and well...that has its merits, but I’ve waited my entire life for you.”
All the emotion-sharing made Lily uncomfortable. She’d been more of a show rather than a tell girl all her life. The conversation was getting mushy on her, and she’d end up saying something incredibly dumb if it continued on that route. “You know what is really weird? Earlier when we were talking about Friday night, all I could think of was how much it felt like I was dreading the wedding night of an arranged marriage, but I know you already and, okay, so I desire you.” She gave him a tease-me-and-be-gelded look. “So I’m being silly to have so much anxiety over it.” Even Lily wasn’t exactly sure if she’d made a lick of sense.
Ariston arched a brow at her and then grinned. Shit, what did I say this time?
He scooted out from under her and kneeled on the floor. Ariston clasped her hands as she sat on the couch watching it unfold with horror.
“Lily, I know we’ve only known each other for mere days, but will you marry me?”
“You’ve got to be kidding?”
“That’s not really one of the appropriate responses to the question.”
“Seriously?”
“Nope. That’s not either.”
“Ariston! You can’t propose to me because I stuck my foot in my mouth. I say dumb things. All the time! I wasn’t angling for this.”
“What does that have to do with anything? Marry me anyway.” His grin seemed to widen the more uncomfortable she became.
“But why? There’s no time for a wedding in two days, and there is no need to rush into it.”
“You doubt I can make this happen, don’t you? Challenge accepted.”
She sputtered. “It’s impossible.” Lily wanted to melt into the couch and disappear. The twinkle in Ariston’s eye when she said “impossible” made her wish she had holy water to fling at him. He was thinking up something devious, and why did she believe it involved making her eat her words?
Ariston stood, but refused to release her hands. “Oh, dear, sweet, charming nymph. You would deny me an answer. That hurts. But know this,” he leaned over and whispered in her ear, “I will have you as my bride before the Satyr Moon, if it is the last thing I do as a satyr.”
Lily sputtered. “Why are you making a big deal out of this? It was just a comment, not a desire.”
With a laugh, he released her, finally, and stretched. “Because it’s an excellent idea, and I’d been considering when would be the right time to propose to you as a human, should you stay with me after Friday. How long was too long or too soon, and all that. Then you made me realize, it would be the only way to make a ritual seem less like a burden. It wouldn’t be about satyrs or nymphs, but about a man and his wife consummating their union and looking to the future. You’re a genius.”
“Uh...”
“I need to get Hermes working on this right away.” Ariston grabbed his cell phone and headed toward the bedroom.
“Uh...”
He was aware she hadn’t said yes or no, wasn’t he? Lily couldn’t form the words to interrupt him as he pressed the phone to his ear. Even if she could, she didn’t think she would. The misery his brother had wrought had faded, and in its place was joy. The thought of marrying her made him...happy. Why take that away from him?
Excitement flooded through her. If he’d only wanted her for sex, to remove the curse, he’d never tie himself to her legally before becoming human again. For the first time since their discussion that morning, when he confessed his feelings for her, she felt it. He wanted her. Ariston hadn’t said the words, but Lily believed her satyr loved her too.
Chapter Thirteen
He’d thrown caution to the wind and proposed to her. Sure, her offhanded remark set it in motion, and Ariston had realized...he didn’t want to lose her. They’d discussed staying together after the Satyr Moon, but what reason did she really have to believe he meant it. How could he make her see his sincerity in wanting her for her, not because she could make him human again? Lily hadn’t said yes, but then she also hadn’t said no. He could work with that.
Through the window, Hermes was in the middle of a seemingly one-sided discussion with Pegasus. When Ariston had called him, the god had been surprised, but then a strange excitement had overcome his voice as he realized the fate of this marriage happening rested on his shoulders. Since Olympians were proud, Hermes would never let the opportunity to show off pass him by.
“What’s going on?” Lily asked from behind him and yawned. Ariston stumbled, losing balance on his hooves—easy to do, even after all the years he’d had to grow accustomed to them. He’d not heard her approach.
“Hermes is here,” Ariston replied, not calling to attention his moment of clumsiness. Lily smirked. Oh yeah, she’d noticed.
“Why does it look like he’s scolding Pegasus?” She frowned and squinted to see past him.
“Who cares? The ornery beast probably deserves it.” He earned a swat on the arm. Pegasus hadn’t been inside when Ariston had woken up, which had been unexpected. Maybe Hermes caught Pegasus slacking on his duties.
Lily took a step in the direction of the door, and Ariston caught her hand. Once again he kneeled before her. “I do want to marry you. Dare to tell me your answer this morning?”
She snorted. “Really? You’re not going to give this up are you?”
“Nope.”
Lily laughed and made a beeline for the door. He’d let her escape, for the moment. She’d give in eventually.
The musky scent of humid plants and soil greeted them when he followed Lily out the cabin to meet with Hermes. Ariston loved mornings in the mountains. Fog rolled through the woods giving it an otherworldly feel beneath a rising sun which glowed with soft light, not yet at its full glory. Dew glistened on the grass, making it sparkle. Even without panpipes, the world could be magical in its own right.
“Finally,” Hermes said when he spotted them. “I was afraid I’d have to wake you up.”
“What’s going on?” Lily glanced pointedly at Pegasus, who ducked his head and looked like an ashamed pup.
“Oh, nothing much. Your guardian here went wandering off in the night. And by wandering I mean flying.” Hermes flapped his arms like wings and the tiny pairs on his ankles fluttered irritably before resuming their tattoo-like guise. “I was bored and in the area, so I shadowed him.”
Ariston smirked at Pegasus, who avoided his gaze. “Where did he go?” he asked, though he really wanted to taunt, “Ah ha!” He barely reined in the impulse.
“He went to a farm and broke into the barn to make time with a pretty white mare. Gave it to her good, too. From the sounds.” He shuddered. “I was half afraid the farmer would wake up and find them, which is the only reason I stuck around. I’ve been demoted to look out. Oh, how the mighty Olympians have fallen.” Hermes bowed his head and shook it sadly.
“Well, what do you know? Mr. Cock Block was off playing stud while on duty.”
Pegasus ruffled his feathers, but otherwise didn’t make a sound.
“Oh, leave him alone.” Lily said. Pegasus lifted his head and nudged her affectionately. She wrapped her arms around his neck and asked, “Is that where you were when I woke up on the couch with Ariston?” Th
e horse looked away again. Guilty.
Hermes frowned. “I trusted you in this task, Peg. What if they’d actually ended up together this time? Oh well, doesn’t seem to be any lasting damage, but now we have to keep checking on the mare in case she gets knocked up with winged horse DNA. Do you know what a farmer could make off exploiting your offspring?”
Pegasus disentangled himself from Lily, reared back, wings outstretched, and kicked is forelegs repeatedly. He huffed when he dropped back down, folding up his wings, determination in his features. He stood taller, completely without the shame he’d shown moments before. Lily patted him. “Why don’t you steal the horse if she conceives, and then put her back after the colt can live without her nourishment?”
Hermes stared at Lily, jaw slack. “Damn, Ariston. Are you sure you want to marry a criminal mastermind? Next she will be all, ‘Let’s borrow the crown jewels. I’ll put them back tomorrow when they don’t match my gown.’ And where will your human asses end up? Prison.”
“Where exactly would we hide Pegasus, Jr.?” Ariston asked, though he had suspicions as to what Lily’s answer would be. It wasn’t like Pegasus was a chaste demigod. In ancient times, he’d seen several winged horses about, but as the human race became less and less open-minded, the numbers dwindled. And according to the stories, none of Pegasus’ offspring were ever immortal. Ariston felt a stab of shame. He was so hard on Pegasus, but he really was on his own. One of a kind with no family other than his sire, Poseidon, who lived at the bottom of the ocean. The one place a horse couldn’t visit.
“I always wanted a horse.” Lily admitted.
Ariston fought back a grimace. He’d love to wipe that smug look off her face and wanted to ask why she wouldn’t prefer a dog or a cat, or even a bird. Instead, he said, “Marry me, and I’ll make it an anniversary gift.”
The Cursed Satyroi: Volume One Collection Page 45
