Free Earth Borne by Rachael Slate

sincerity permeated his tone. He’d had a reputation for charming women and she didn’t doubt he’d perform the grandest of gestures if it got him what he sought. What female could resist?
    Certainly not Melita. No male ever treated her as though they desired her .
    Not Thereus. Here was a male, who it seemed, genuinely wished to claim her . Even though she’d been horrible to him. She shook her head, unsure of how to respond. Unlike Thereus, she had no experience with this kind of flirting.
    He must have perceived her wrong, for pain flashed in his eyes. “My Lady, forgive me. I’ve spoiled our truce. Yet you promised me five weeks. I can be different, Kalliste. I swear it.”
    Her heart melted. This was the Thereus she’d loved. The male she remembered. Despite everything, she viewed the lad who never believed himself good enough for his father, his brothers. Who misbehaved because he craved their attention. Well, and also because he was wild. She empathized with the yearning for acceptance. For someone to love him as he was. If only she might determine a way to tell him, somehow. She’d loved him, faults and all.
    She stared into those stunning verdant depths and, afraid to speak, instead inclined her head. A grin spread across his face and she smiled back.
    “What do you propose, my Lord?”
    His grin turned mischievous. “You were right, my Lady. I should tour the village for myself. Who better to guide me than its Mistress?” He rose so his face was level with hers. “Will you do me the honor, Melita ?”
    Once again he’d stolen her voice, so she simply nodded.
    “Good.” Masculine triumph flashed in his grin. “I’ll meet you at the Portal in half an hour.”
    ***
    Thereus rubbed his hands together in eager anticipation. Today he would prove to his wife he was a gentleman. That he was civilized. She wouldn’t gawk at him again like he was a monster, this he vowed. Though it’d required a little coaxing, she agreed to offer him another chance. He hadn’t ruined everything and he must ensure he didn’t foul this up again.
    She glided through the Portal with Lucian, and he didn’t utter a word about her walking, despite the beast in him resenting it greatly. His mate should ride him.
    He’d hoped to spend the day alone with her, but it was better with Lucian. There’d be no opportunity to fight, or to kiss. A good thing today. He’d already observed how Kalliste’s body responded to his touch. What he must convince was her mind.
    They approached the village and once again he was in shock. His feet trudged forward, while his mind twisted about, dreamlike. Westgard’s village resembled nothing like his memories.
    Townspeople rushed to and fro, conducting business. On the outskirts of the village, nestled throughout the valley, lay dozens of farms. The town appeared as modern as any human village he’d seen on his travels. The shoppes were new, built of sturdy stone, with clay-colored roofs. Even the main street was made of cobblestone, not packed dirt as he’d expected.
    He followed Kalliste, her small footsteps easy to keep pace with even though every few seconds he’d whip around his head, staring at whatever caught his attention.
    A group of townspeople paused to mirror Kalliste’s waves, but stopped short as they spotted him. He tilted his head, and their stunned gapes morphed into palpable beams of joy.
    Pain sparked in his shin. He swallowed his curse as he stumbled into the ledge of a fountain.
    Mother?
    Gazing upward, he bit back a flood of emotions. A life-size statue of his mother graced the middle of an elegant fountain in the center of the town. Her face, her eyes. Exactly as he remembered them. The color, a white stone so pure she almost appeared real. His mother, Queen Atalante, was one of the rare Kentaurides—female centaurs. Few of them existed, and none as beautiful as his mother had been. The alabaster stone shone brilliantly in the sun, just as she had.
    He swallowed