Page 64 of The Centaur
I grinned when I spotted the siren at the Ocean table and made a beeline for him. He was nodding along to something Mira, the other siren who lived in the Ocean area, had said, and he glanced up when I approached the table, his lips hitching up in a smile.
"Hey, Sagar. I just wanted to check in. Are you doing okay?"
Sagar gave an exuberant nod, his eyes flicking to the phone in his hand. He typed something, then showed me the screen.
Everyone has been very helpful. I'm learning ASL on my phone so I can communicate more easily. Liam worked it out for me.
"Oh, that's wonderful! Find me if you ever need help practicing, okay? Though most people here know ASL, so you can ask any of us."
Sagar nodded, and after telling him to let me know if he needed anything else, I lingered for a while before deciding I was ready to turn in. Today had been a big day. A good day, but an exhausting one, and I was ready for some cuddles in bed with my mate.
Zephyr was getting ready for bed when I reached our bedroom, and I washed up quickly, then ditched my shirt and climbed into bed, patting the mattress beside me as he walked out of the bathroom.
Turning down the lights, Zephyr climbed in beside me, and I wrapped my arms around him, tucking my face into his chest.
"Thank you for today. You were wonderful," I murmured, and Zephyr's arms drew tight around me.
"I'm glad I could help. Your father seemed like a good guy."
"He did, didn't he? And the rest of his herd too."
Zephyr hummed into my hair, then pulled back to say, "Do you wish you'd grown up in his herd instead of your mom's?"
I sighed. I'd been wondering that since I met them, but I didn't have one final answer. "I don't know. I mean, on one hand, it would've been nice, but on the other hand, how much longer would it have taken for us to cross paths? Would I have become Khush's best friend? Reign and Aspen's uncle? I don't know. My past may have been less than desirable, but I love my present, and I'm really fucking excited for my future."
Zephyr was quiet for a moment, and then I felt a soft press of lips against my scalp. "Well said. I love you, Keoni. I'm so glad I met you when I did."
"I love you too. And same. Who would've knocked sense into you if I wasn't here? When you think about it, I was the one who saved the Sanctuary. Not you or Nolan."
Zephyr chuckled. "I can't argue that."
"Of course you can't. Nobody can argue against facts," I joked, and he chuckled again, then gave a sleepy hum.
"Time to sleep," I decided, and he hummed again as he nuzzled into my hair, his legs tangling with mine, not at all minding the fact that mine were covered in a hairy coat and ended in hooves.
Tomorrow, we'd wake up in each others' arms and start our day together, and then at night, we'd end the day together too, only to repeat it all over again the next day, and the day after that.
Could life get any better?
Epilogue
Four Months Later
Zephyr
With a mix ofconfusion and amusement, I let Keoni herd me into our bedroom.
Dinner had ended an hour earlier, but Nolan had pulled me into a discussion about the Sanctuary and some ideas he had. Ihadn't gotten to find out what the ideas were because Keoni had pulled me away mid-conversation.
"What's going on?"
Keoni closed and locked the door, which only raised my curiosity.
"Silas and I went shopping today," he said, which didn't help matters one bit.
"Okay?"
"And I bought something."
