“Why did your aunt leave?” Mike asked. “Shouldn’t she have stayed to protect you?”
“Because my aunt knew they would keep looking for her. She went back to where we came from and I’m guessing hid any trace of our journey here. As a result, I’ve been out here for nearly a decade, living in secret.” Zel turned around, looking away from Mike. “It’s been unimaginably lonely. I used the healer arts to survive and further my studies, but it isn’t enough. I was really hoping that—”
“You could move in?” Mike walked by her side, taking Zel’s hand in his own. He felt a warm sensation spread through him, the exact opposite of when he was in danger. He couldn’t explain why, but this just felt right, somehow. “We might need to figure out a few things, but as long as you don’t cause any problems with the others, why the hell not?”
“Really? Just like that?” He could see it now, a spark of hope in her dark eyes.
Mike shrugged. “Seems to me that the house is home to plenty of things that don’t have homes of their own. I’m not certain if there’s a rule or a limit to it. We can check with Naia, but as long as she approves, you don’t have to stay out here in the woods all the time.”
“Oh, Mike, thank you!” Zel wrapped her arms around him, pulling him in for a tight embrace. Mike’s face was pinned directly between her breasts, and he was suddenly aware of how full and warm they felt.
“I cah breef.” Mike tapped Zel on the elbow after several heavenly seconds passed.
“Oh, sorry!” Zel released him.
Mike took a deep breath, grateful for the influx of oxygen.
“You have no idea how happy this makes me.”
“On some level, I think I do.” Mike winked at her and continued up the path, the centaur following close behind. He made it only a few more steps before his legs fell out from beneath him. This time, Zel wasn’t close enough to catch him, and he tumbled, falling off the trail and into a bush. The branches of the bush gave, dumping him onto the soft, wet ground beneath it. Mike tried pushing himself back up, but his fingers passed uselessly through its branches and into the mud beneath.
“Here, let me help.” Zel grabbed his wrist, pulling him out of the bush. “Ah, shit.”
“What’s wrong?” Mike asked.
“You’re covered in Dragon’s Breath.” Zel flicked a bright-red chunk of pollen off Mike’s arm. “We need to get you washed off as soon as possible.”
“Why? Am I going to catch on fire or something?” Mike shook his head, watching the red dust fall free.
“No, stop!” The crimson pollen blew across the gap between them, settling on Zel. “Shit!”
“I’m sorry.” Mike tried to brush the pollen off her bare stomach, streaking it across her skin instead.
“Stop!” Zel grabbed his wrists. “Don’t touch it!”
“Okay, but I…” The thought fled his mind as he was suddenly distracted by the burning sensation that was coursing along his arm. He tried to rub it, but Zel caught his other hand. It occurred to him how strong she was.
“Don’t touch it, whatever you do.” Zel’s eyes flashed with intensity. “The more you scratch or rub it in, the worse it will burn.”
“Like poison ivy?”
“Poison ivy will make you itch. Dragon’s Breath will make you peel off your own skin to make the burning stop.” Looking around, Zel shook her head. “We both need to clean this off as soon as possible. There’s a place nearby, but on foot it will take us too long to get there. Climb on my back.”
“Wait, what?”
Zel rolled her eyes. “It isn’t like anybody will see us do it, if that’s what you’re worried about. I don’t feel like peeling off my own skin today, so I’m going with or without you. I can run way faster than you can.”
“Um, yeah, okay.” He had never been on a horse before, and he didn’t know the protocol for mounting a centaur, but Zel knelt and impatiently yanked him onto her back. Once he was situated, she grabbed his wrists and wrapped them around her waist.
“Do not start scratching,” she warned. As she clutched tightly to Mike’s arm, her whole body surged forward.
Mike held on for dear life, listening to her hooves pound the dirt of the trail beneath them, doing his best to ignore the burning sensation that was creeping its way along his arms.
Beth stood outside of the office at New Castle, tapping her foot impatiently. She was already going through the options in her mind, ways she could ruin that bastard Randy’s day, how she could force the owners of the storage facility to disclose sales. She highly doubted that the information was lost, and the idea of returning to the office with the news that she couldn’t even access the site really pissed her off. Even with an incompetent lawyer on their side, the storage company could easily impede progress for weeks.
Movement in the window, and Lily walked out with a large grin on her face and a few sheets of paper.
“As commanded,” she said, handing over the forms. “Auction report is fairly useless; the buyer paid cash. I did, however, get a copy
