Thera is the daughter of Ares and Aphrodite, but falls out of favor by her warrior father when he sees to use her as a pawn to start a war with the centaurs.
Kyros dives in front of Ares beam, not knowing he was about to be cursed. Now he has fallen for the god’s daughter, but he has a deep secret. By night he becomes a centaur!
Also available in paperback
Excerpt from Kyros’ Secret:
Thera heard a small rustle in the bushes and picked up the scent of deer nearby. Her ears pinpointed the exact area and the loud thumping of the poor creature’s heart. It was a strong, heavy heartbeat – stronger than the average deer. She closed her eyes to the blackness of the forest and felt the comfort of the new darkness that surrounded her now. It had always calmed her in the past to reach inside and still her thoughts. Now it only made things worse. She could hear the heartbeat of the animal coming closer. It seemed to grow in size with each breath she took.
She didn’t feel the poor thing’s fear, only its curiosity as the twigs snapped beneath its hooves and it entered the danger zone, unsuspecting it would soon be dead. Thera pitied the dumb creature. A pity so strong she knew it was of her father’s doing – a feeling within her that he’d predicted. She kept her eyes closed and raised the bow toward the sound, her stomach winning over her emotions. She cocked the arrow and pulled back the string.
It was then she knew she’d made a mistake. She smelled the faint scent of centaur and her eyes shot open. Standing right before her in the dark was a huge centaur. His body towered before her and she wondered how she could be so out of touch with her sensations that she had thought he was a helpless deer.
Her heart thudded and for the first time she felt the taste of fear – her own fear – on her tongue. Her arm weakened on the bowstring and her grip slackened some. He was staring at her through a royal purple mask that covered his eyes. His long oaken hair fell wild past his shoulders, which brought her attention to his bare chest. Strong, sturdy, muscles and sinew cording his chest and thick arms. A sight that left her in awe. He had a large sword strapped across his chest instead of the usual centaur weapon of bow and arrow, but it was dark and she couldn’t see it well.
She almost got caught up in the moment until her eyes settled on his lower half. Huge brown legs – four of them – took a step closer and she found herself backing away.
“Don’t be frightened. I’m not going to hurt you.” The centaur’s voice was a low, husky whisper. The tone shot a warning through her body that this creature may want more than her life since her father had thought to introduce breeding with a goddess into their clan.
“Get away. Get away before I shoot you.” She lifted her bow and prepared her arrow once again.
“I don’t think you really want to do that.” He grabbed the tip of her arrow and she felt her arm relax as he lowered her bow.
“What do you want from me?” she asked in a shaky voice.
“Only to look at you. Nothing more.”
He reached out his hand and ran a finger across her cheek. She felt a shiver run down her spine and then the spark of the touch. It was warm and caring – an attribute she never thought a centaur would carry. After all, centaurs were wicked, evil warriors that often ended up on Ares’ doorstep and willed their souls to him just to have a place in his army. Centaurs were deceitful, not to be trusted in the least. Still, she felt herself wanting to surrender to him, pitying him for the poor creature he was. With her eyes closed it was easy to forget the gentle caress was from a wretched beast and not from the hand of a lover.