To Save The Broken Heart: Dragons, Griffons and Centaurs, Oh My! (Dragons, Griffons, and Centaurs, Oh My!)

by Margaret Taylor

  Seeing her distracted, she couldn’t help it. Landing a solid blow to the woman’s jaw, she grinned wickedly when the woman landed on her ass with a grunt. “That, was for barging into my home.”

  She held out a hand and helped her up, only to get nailed in the gut for her trouble. Lifted off her feet, she staggered back a step, bending over to suck the air into her lungs when she could.

  “And that was for bouncing me around the last hundred lengths…”

  With an indignant sniff and a flounce, Phara rubbed her jaw and headed off after the doctor.

  ***

  “You said you killed him…”

  “No, you said I killed him. I neither confirmed nor denied the accusation.”

  A sigh floated across the air. “He is really alive?”

  “Your Mate is fine. Or will be, in a rotation or two.”

  “He is not my Mate.”

  “You said he was.”

  Another sigh. “I lied.”

  “Why?”

  “I wish he was?”

  Soft fingers fluttered across his forehead and Arin cracked an eye.

  “Ah, there he is.”

  That was a male’s voice, one he recognized, a bit. Well, no, not at all. But he thought he should.

  Cracking the other eye, he blinked the rafters above him into focus then slowly turned to find Phara standing next to him.

  She smiled brightly and stroked his cheek with a knuckle. “Greetings.”

  He gulped at the dryness in his mouth and licked his cracked lips. “What, kept, you?”

  She snorted. “Is that anyway to speak to your rescuer?”

  He echoed the snort. “When it takes you this long? Yes.”

  ***

  Haydn’s heart twisted in agony when Arin crocked a grin at the woman. A lump settled in her windpipe and she turned away.

  She was a means to an end and that was fine. She’d used him too.

  But, the plan had freed them both and a broken heart was a small price to pay for that.

  She caught Pedric’s eye, jerking her chin for him to follow.

  Back at the van, the greedy little cuss held out a hand and she slipped four rubies into it.

  He blinked at the medium sized gems, eyes lifting to hers.

  Her threat was very clear. “Do not make me regret letting you live, Pedric.”

  He gulped, hard and slinked away to gather up his equipment.

  She hoped she could trust him, feared she probably couldn’t but it was a matter for later. They’d have a couple of rotations before she had to worry about it and the least she could do was leave the Chimera and the Naiad to themselves.

  Whatever it was between them was none of her business. He hadn’t made any declarations to her, even though she’d thought she’d seen something in his eyes.

  But she hadn’t. Not by the look on his face a heartbeat ago.

  With a heavy knot in her gut, she grabbed the gear from the van and headed off to the other end of the vacant warehouse to unpack and settle in…

  ***

  Haydn spent two rotations watching the Blacknet for news. There was nothing. Nothing about Arin’s death, nothing about the house fire, and certainly nothing about the Pack of Kobaloi’s heading for parts unknown.

  The first two issues were a good thing.

  The last, not so much.

  Whatever had drawn her fellow Assassins out of the woodwork was big. They wouldn’t leave the safety of Aydenton this close to the cold without a specific reason, or a very large payoff. It just wasn’t the way they operated.

  Fresh grass, a pinch of blood and the smell of dirt drifted across the breeze in the drafty space. The brush of bare feet on the floor was followed by the timbre of Arin’s voice. “I came to say thank you.”

  She wanted to be snippy, but could hear the sincerity and stomped down on that part of herself. “You are welcome.”

  His slow steps stopped behind the chair and his hand gently squeezed her shoulder. “No, thank you.”

  Heat radiated out from his palm, circling down into her chest. It tried to sooth the ache, but she couldn’t let it. Phara had made her claim and even her sometimes questionable morals wouldn’t let her stick her heart where it didn’t belong. Scooting out from under his touch, she kept her voice neutral, or tried too. “And I said, you are welcome. Was there anything else? I am busy.”

  “Look at me.”

  The command in those three words tingled across her nerves, lifting the hairs on the back of her neck, but not in a bad way. She shouldn’t torture herself. It wasn’t fair, on any account, but she couldn’t help it. During their time on the O’lu, she’d slowly but surely been falling for him.

  His strong, masculine scent tickled at the soft, feminine parts of her body she’d always discounted as non-existent.

  His deep, rumbling voice, called to the good part of her soul she’d buried the first time she picked up a sword.

  His too expressive eyes, begged her to do whatever was within her powers to ease his troubles.

  Turning, she let the snippy out, just a little, hoping on some level it would be enough to shield herself from further heartache. “What!?”

  One corner of his mouth lifted and his knuckle trailed a scorching path down her cheek. Those golden, shimmering pools grazed slowly over her features, flashing brightly in the early rays of sun coming through the windows. “You saved my life.”

  She huffed out a breath, giving in to the defenses she’d spent a lifetime building. “I used you, Manus,” she snapped. “A means to an end. Nothing more.”

  He didn’t say anything but amusement sparked through the gold.

  She turned back to the monitors, determined to put him from her thoughts and figure out what was going on with her fellow assassins. Two fingers brushed through the bits of hair that had pulled free of her braid. The temptation to unwrap it and let him play to his hearts content nearly overwhelmed everything she’d made herself become. “You should get back to the Naiad.”

  “Why?”

  “She went to a lot of trouble to rescue you.”

  “But, she did not. You did.”

  The misery that had been dancing around in her chest since Phara first made her claim, tightened, pooling tears in her eyes. She bit down on her inner cheek, refusing to let them fall.

  A change of subject was needed. Quickly. If she was going to save her soul, it had to be now. Otherwise, she’d turn into a blubbering mess and plead with him to let her continue helping with whatever was going on in his life. “The keys are in the van. Feel free to leave when you two are ready.”

  His hand dropped away, the swish of flesh on flesh telling her he’d crossed his arms. “Will you be alright?”

  “Fine.”

  “Where will you go? What are you going to do now?”

  That was a good question. One she didn’t have the slightest clue how to answer.

  So, she lied.

  “I have a job lined up.” She cut a look over her shoulder, pinching her eyes into the best dismissive glare she could manage around the water on her lower lids. “Do you mind? I have things to get done.”

  He snorted indignantly. “I wish you the best then. Be well.”

  Letting him walk away, swallowing the impulse to call him back, was the hardest thing she’d ever done. It was for the best though. If he ever knew the things she’d done, whether she was forced into them or not, he’d never be able to see past them.

  Arin Manus was a strong, proud man. Too proud to love a cold-blooded killer.

  Never mind she hadn’t had a choice. Forget, she’d been forced to lead this life in order to survive it. The sense of morality that was more than a little captivating and made her want to be better than she was, wouldn’t allow him not to turn her over to any number of authorities…

  Chapter Fifteen

  Arin didn’t like the change in Haydn. Gone was the woman who’d so compassionately tended his wounds. The Lady that had tenderly held food
to his lips when he couldn’t do it himself had been replaced by an icy, self-serving wench.

  At least it seemed that way…

  “You ready?”

  Phara’s voice broke through his thoughts and he nodded slowly. “I suppose.”

  “Are you sure we should head for La’dak?”

  He climbed carefully into the passenger seat. The wound Haydn had left him with wouldn’t heal for another five or six rotations. It had been the only way though. He needed to look dead, at the very least, and the gut stab had done the job nicely. Thankfully the fire she’d set to the blades cauterized the wound at the same time she ran him through, so it had just been a matter for the doctor to remove the sword and keep him free of infection until she caught up to him.

  He didn’t expect her to have company.

  “I am sure,” he answered as she slid behind the wheel. “It is where Draven was going. If we are lucky, we should be able to catch up to him there.”

  She started the vehicle and swung it around, applying the brake at the door. “Did she not want to come along?”

  That shocked him. Clearly something had happened between the two women and no amount of prying over the last two rotations had gotten him the full story. “Why would you ask that?”

  Phara, another of his oldest and dearest friends, shrugged a shoulder. “She could be an asset.”

  While he’d been flat on his back, he’d told her everything. All about Cannis, Golix and what happened with Draven, Terra and Lanni. Surprisingly enough, he hadn’t cried, much, when he spoke of his Lyra, though he could admit there had been a tear for her loss. For the rest of his Suns, there probably would be. But this time, the telling of her passing didn’t hurt as much.

  Another shock, which he tossed up to the Gods as a good thing. Not that he wasn’t still sad, she had been a good friend, one he would still risk life and limb for if the need arose, but her loss didn’t seem as devastating.

  “Did you ask her?” Phara asked when he didn’t reply to her first comment.

  Tilting the side mirror out with a thumb, he caught sight of her in the reflective surface. She was sitting just where he’d left her. Her back was to the room and there was just the slightest shake to her shoulders.

  Was it wishful thinking on his part? That she might be affected by his departure, instead of the disinterested bitch she pretended to be a heartbeat ago?

  “I did not.”

  Opening the door, he slid off the seat and made his way back. Haydn’s shoulders stiffened under his hand and hers came up to swipe quickly across her cheeks.

  “Come with me.”

  She cleared her throat and her voice was strong and sure. “I cannot.”

  He crooked a finger under her chin. The tears she’d missed, coated the digit and his hearts cracked together. With a gentle bit of pressure he tilted her face around. “Why not?”

  The torment in her blue-red eyes tugged at that protective instinct he’d felt before. This time though, he could do something with it. He was limited mind you, but it wasn’t as bad as it was then. Rubbing the pad of his thumb along her jaw to catch the fresh tears rolling down her cheeks, he tried again. “Come with me.”

  She still said nothing. Her bottom lip quivered and he shifted his thumb to smooth it.

  “Please. Haydn, I need you.”

  ***

  It was one of those life changing instants of time where the decision could be glorious and fulfilling, or leave you filled with regrets in the aftermath.

  Haydn gulped, hard and slowly shook her head. The lump of emotion knotted in the back of her throat cut her reply down to a hoarse whisper. “It is not right.”

  His nostrils flared on a sharp intake of air. “What is not?”

  She cut a look at the idling van, the implication clear.

  “Phara? What of her?”

  His lips curled up into a wide grin when she said nothing and his finger increased the pressure under her chin, pulling her to her feet. He slipped the braid over her shoulder and ran a hand down the length. “I have known Phara for a hundred Suns, Haydn. She is a friend.”

  She put a hand on his chest, the rapid fire beat of his hearts pulsing against her palm. Looking into his eyes, she saw the truth in the shining pools. She dropped her gaze to his neck. “She said you were Mates.”

  He laughed and tugged on her hair, drawing her closer. One arm slid around her back, tightening to keep her in place. Anger replaced the sorrow and she clenched her hand into a fist, ready to swing but his next words stilled it.

  “She is also a High-Born Royal and far too good for the likes of me.” His lips brushed her forehead and he sighed, his laughter dying off with it. “Her father would never allow it, even if I felt more for her than I do.”

  She unclenched her hand, laying it palm flat on his thick, defined chest. “And you do not?”

  He pulled back and tenderly nuzzled his nose to hers. “I do not.”

  ***

  Phara watched them in the side mirror, her heart breaking just a little bit. The truth was, she’d wanted Arin for too many Suns now to let seeing him with his arms around another woman make her jealous. It should, really it should, but it didn’t.

  Was it because she’d become so used to the idea that she could never, really, have him?

  Probably. At least that was her justification for it.

  And it worked.

  They stood facing each other for another heartbeat then she turned from his arms and sent a ball of fire into the monitors. Haydn didn’t exactly smile as they left the sparking, cracking flames behind, but neither did she look miserable as they came toward the van.

  The Orc climbed in, sliding into the middle.

  Arin eased onto the seat next to her. “Do you have everything?”

  Haydn nodded. “I can replace what I need too.”

  She smiled and let up on the brake, rolling out the door. She headed out of town, breaking the silence with a soft question. “What were you looking at?”

  Haydn’s brow pinched into a frown. “I saw a Pack of Kobaloi’s leaving when we arrived. I was trying to figure out what they were up too.”

  “Did you have any luck?”

  “Other than them taking up passage to Garzug with a captain I know? Not really. Why?”

  Kobaloi’s on the move was bad, very bad. She tilted a look toward Arin. “Think we should be concerned?”

  Arin put a hand on Haydn’s thigh, drawing her attention. “Can you contact the Captain? Maybe he can shed some light on things.”

  “I did,” she replied. “Got a message back just before we left.”

  “And what did he say?” she asked.

  “Not much. Other than they bragged about how good it was to work for The Master again…”

  She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Only one creature uses that moniker that I know of.”

  Arin’s jaw cracked. “Golix.”

  “One and the same.”

  Haydn’s head swung between them. “Who is that?”

  Arin’s barked a laugh. “Only the bastard of a Unicorn that started this mess…”

  Haydn’s hand dropped to his. “Wait. A Unicorn is involved?”

  Arin’s hand flipped over and his fingers intertwined with the Orc’s.

  Her heart skipped a beat or two and she pushed the tiny niggle of jealousy away. Arin was, first and foremost, her friend. Anything more would always be wishful thinking on her part.

  “Yes,” he finally said. “He at the head of some grand scheme the King, His Mate, myself and her twin sister are now a part of.”

  Haydn’s fingers tightened around his and her next words were firm and frankly scared her just a little bit. “Well then, I suppose it is time I finally put The Pack down.”

  She kept the vehicle steady on the road, despite the shake in her fingers. “I guess we are heading for Garzug instead then?”

  “Indeed,” Haydn replied. “They have a two rotation jump, but we have something they do
not.”

  She caught Arin’s eyebrow lifting from the corner of her eye. “Oh? And that is?”

  “The Kan’az.”

  ***

  As it turned out, the Kan’az was one of the fastest speedboats Arin had ever seen. Low, sleek and painted a sparkling sea-blue color, it would bounce across the waves virtually undetectable until you were on top of it, or it was on top of you. He eyed the vessel and let out a low whistle. “Where did you get that?”

  Haydn’s smile was wide and her blue-red eyes sparkled knowingly. “Stole it from some Centaurs who no longer had use of it.”

  Well after high dark the rotation before, she’d taken over at the wheel and at some point in the wee ticks turned off the main road between Goblu and Aydenton. She’d headed them down a little used track, which was barely more than a two-wheel path that ended at the well-hidden dock.

  “We should be able to catch up to the Kobaloi’s shortly before or after they reach Garzug.”

  Phara came from the van, carrying a couple of bags and tossed them to the deck. “No, I will go. You two head for Lad’ak.” During the drive, the Naiad had told them what she’d found at the West Beach and what she suspected Golix was up too. “I have a feeling Draven is going to need you.”

  Haydn paused untying the mooring lines and lifted an eyebrow toward his friend. “Are you sure you can handle them? By yourself?”

  He put a hand on Haydn’s shoulder to reassure her. “She will be fine. Do you have any idea who they might be after?”

  She rose, holding the end of the line loosely. “The only clue my Captain friend could glean was one of them said, an Ogre cook should be an easy kill.”

  Phara nodded and let out a high-pitched whistle.

  While Haydn readied the vessel, he pulled his old friend off to the side. Cupping a hand around her cheek, he smiled into her eyes. “Will you be well?”

  A single tear pooled in hers, but she nodded, her face brave even as she leaned into his hand and put one of hers over it. “I will be.” She turned a look toward Haydn. “Will you?”