Episode Twenty-Five Discovering Zoron

L ylah

He may be the biggest and strongest of these three males, but he's also the gentlest. He's quiet and courageous and the type of male I'm certain I can count on no matter what happens.

Perhaps every animal in the forest is conspiring with us, because a hush comes over the area. Even the insects stop buzzing.

I smell him. Such an interesting combination of man and animal. Clean and fresh like the very outdoors we're standing in. He doesn't rush me. In fact, he takes the smallest step back to give me room, to allow me to be the one who bridges the distance between us.

Reaching up, I palm his cheek as I inventory his face. Piercing emerald eyes that look almost otherworldly as they gaze out of sharp cheekbones over a nose perfectly proportioned to fit his face.

But it's his mouth I focus on. His lips, neither too narrow nor too plump, are pressed into a straight line. He's not beckoning me, not coaxing me to come closer so he can seduce me. Everything about him, from his casual stance to his calm face, tells me he'll wait forever for this kiss, whether it comes today, tomorrow, or a year from now.

"What do you see?" I ask. I don't even know where that question came from. How could he possibly answer it in a way that helps me deal with this awkward situation?

"Ohh, Lylah. That's the perfect question," he says, as if he knew I doubted my sanity for asking it. "I see a female getting her first glimpse of her true nature. I know enough of how they treat their females Up Above to have a picture of what you've endured."

He winces as if the memory physically hurts him.

"If that wasn't enough, don't forget I saw you the day we rescued you. Your body was dehydrated and malnourished. You were covered with bruises in every stage of healing. Bones were broken and welts covered your backside from shoulders to ankles. That told me all I'll ever need to know."

He slides a lock of my hair behind my ear in the gentlest expression of tenderness.

"Yet just one day after the Transfer, look at you. Asking for what you want, handling a situation you were forced into, and all the while being respectful to everyone involved."

He lifts a front leg as if he feels the need to move, but manages not to step an inch closer.

"What do I see when I look at you? A butterfly just emerging from her chrysalis. She may not know what she is yet, certainly not where she's going. But she'll never go back to what she once was."

Hot tears gather behind my lids. Well, maybe a few spill out, but underneath my tears, I'm happy. This male who just met me truly sees who I am.

"I'm getting a picture of who you are, too." I find the nerve not just to say the words, but to look him in the eyes while I do it. "The strongest of us. Perhaps… the best of us."

I step toward him, giving him the opportunity to opt out. He stands his ground as I lift on tiptoe to reach his face. It's only when I'm as tall as I can get that he leans to connect our lips.

It's fire and ice. Volcanos and the calmest lake on a sunny summer day. He's slow and calm as his plush lips claim mine, and yet I feel passion boiling inside him.

When his large, warm hands finally surround me, they press against the place where my butterfly wings would attach if I had any. I tremble with the overwhelm of connecting with this centaur. Knowing him is like coming upon a shallow lake and discovering it's as deep as the ocean.

"Zoron." I want to say a thousand words, but can't express my thoughts. Simply saying his name will have to do.