Page 4 of The Centaur
Since sharing lunch with Zephyr yesterday, I'd realized he was in desperate need of a break. He needed to get out of the Sanctuary, to breathe in some polluted city air, to push through a crowd and get annoyed by them instead of staying cooped up in his office and being frustrated with himself.
But I knew he'd never leave the Sanctuary with the way things were, so I needed a solution. Could Nolan keep everyone safe without Zephyr around? He was powerful, maybe more powerful than even Zephyr. If he could take care of the place for a day...
Mind made up, I finished my chores—carrying the newly harvested vegetables to the kitchen in my cart—then went looking for the dragon.
Since he'd moved in with Zamir, he was usually somewhere in Forest during the day. He owned a bar named The Lair, so his work hours were in the evening on most days.
"Zamir, where's your mate?" I asked as I found him in his backyard following the sound of his voice. He sat cross-legged on the grass, with a chicken in his lap, one on his head, and the third pecking at the ground in front of him. Two bunnies had been snuffling against his leg, but they skittered off when I arrived. I grinned. "Hey, Snow White."
Zamir snorted as he glanced up at me, making the chicken on his head cluck in dismay. She—all three of his chickens were female—pecked at his forehead, and he quickly grabbed her and placed her on the ground. He was a shtriga, and now that he was regularly feeding from his mate, he looked healthier than he ever had. Thank fuck he and Nolan had found each other.
"Nolan's pretty popular today. Did you need something from him?"
"Is he busy?" I asked as I offered him a hand. He stood up, then dusted the grass off his jeans as he shrugged.
"Either that or he's fighting for his life," he said, though he didn't sound too concerned.
"Huh?'
He snickered, then gave me a meaningful look. "The headmaster took him away. Something about helping him with the anchors."
My eyes widened, and I glanced around, as if I'd spot them together somewhere. "Really? Zephyr asked for help?"
"That was exactly how I reacted," Zamir said with a laugh, his brown eyes bright. "In my mind, of course. Outside, I was a picture of calm."
"I'm sure you were."
"What did you need with Nolan?"
"It wasn't important. I'll talk to him when I see him later."
Zephyr had asked for Nolan's help. Was it because of our conversation yesterday? Or because of what I'd said to him a few days ago? Did it matter, as long as Zephyr got the help he needed?
A cluck made me glance back, and I found a chicken perched on my back—my horse-back. I chuckled, and though I wanted to pet her, I couldn't quite reach her.
"Nugget, get down from there," Zamir said, and Nugget clucked again as she fluttered her wings.
"I think that means no," I said with a snicker, and he rolled his eyes.
I stayed there for a while, playing with the chickens, chatting with Zamir, and occasionally sneaking glances at the two adorable bunnies who'd decided to hide in their hutch.
Afterward, I made my way back to my place as I pulled my phone out of my shirt pocket. Since I didn't wear pants, Ian—a sweet, shy man who lived in the Desert area—had added pockets to all my shirts. He did that for all of the only-upper-half-human crowd, and no one was better at sewing than him.
Scrolling through my contacts, I called one of my best friends, the only one who wasn't here.
"Hey, Keoni," Khush's warm voice greeted, and I grinned as I walked up the ramp and into my cabin. There was no door, because I'd never felt the need for one. I liked everyone to know they could always reach me, day or night.
"Hey, Khush. How's it going?"
Khush and his mate, Dustin, had temporarily moved out of the Sanctuary, and I couldn't blame them for it, even though I missed them. Dustin was pregnant, and there was already enough risk involved—since Dustin was human and Khush wasa naga—without them staying at the Sanctuary with its many issues.
"Everything's good. Dustin's eager to be home—we both are. Zamir told us what you said to the headmaster," he said, smoothly jumping into the topic with zero hesitation.
"Ah, yeah," I mumbled as I stopped in the middle of the room. It was technically the living room, but there wasn't much furniture here. Just a few cabinets set against the wall, and a couch that I couldn't use. I spent most of my time outside, so I rarely used this space.
"You were a little harsh, weren't you?" he asked in that big brother voice, and I sighed.
"I know. I apologized. I let my anger get the best of me."
