The Centaur and Me

~17~

~ 17 ~

- Rio -

I knew that she had fallen asleep by the sound of her breathing and how every so often, she would sigh softly in her sleep. I smiled to myself and pressed a kiss softly against the back of her head. Her auburn hair was soft against my lips and as I pulled away, I held her a little tighter in my arms for a moment. I really liked Sayuri and I wanted to be her mate; to be the mate that she truly deserved. I thought about all we'd been through together so far, thought back to the moment I'd decided I wasn't going to let her leave on her own.

I evidently did a lot of thinking and reflecting because I soon found myself wishing I'd been honest with her from the beginning about stumbling across the scouts from the herd the other day. I knew that I'd not said anything because I didn't want to scare her but still, the guilt about not being truthful still lingered. I pressed another kiss on Sayuri's head and allowed my own eyes to close, drifting off into sleep.

-

I felt as her fingers carefully brushed away the hair from my face, my entire body electric as I fought the urge to smile. Instead, I kept my eyes closed, waiting to see what she might do next. When I heard her turn away, I immediately wanted her back.

"Come back, please?" I asked, my voice thick with sleep, allowing my eyes to open. I looked up at her, her plaits from the night before had loosened throughout the night and her cheeks were a rosy pink colour. A small smile crept across her lips as she turned back to face me, leaning into my arms. I held her close and closed my eyes, allowing myself to enjoy our new closeness. Since our time in the cave, I'd felt a stronger draw to her. I had worried at first that Si wouldn't feel the same, but now it felt after spending our first night in bed together that we'd both been able to open up to each other a lot more. I wanted to savour every single moment.

Sleep okay?" She asked, bringing me back to the present.

"Very well, did you know you do this really sweet little sigh every now and then whilst you sleep?"

"I do?" She asked, her eyebrows arched and a blush spreading across her cheeks. I nodded with a chuckle.

"Come here Si," I yawned as I pulled her tighter. She leant into me and rested her head back against my neck. For a short moment, we sat in silence, only the sounds were of our breathing and the chirping from birds outside.

"Rio?"

"Mmmhhhhmm?"

"Do you know what the Red Moon is?"

I looked down at her to find her looking up at me, her hazel-green eyes anticipating my answer.

"The Red Moon?" I asked, confused. The legend of the Red Moon was as old as legends could get, and one that everyone knew. "You've not heard the story before?"

Sayuri shook her head, one of her plaits falling over her shoulder as she did. I looked at her for a short moment, before Sayuri's gaze met my own.

"Well," I began, and cleared my throat. "The Red Moon is an ancient deity and guardian of peace. In times of war or hardship, many of the folk, many mortals, would seek her out to restore the peace. One day, the Red Moon realised that she could not always be there to help bestow peace, so she ensured that there would be someone who could assist in her place. Thus, the Child of the Red Moon was chosen, or cursed,"

Sayuri listened in silence, her facial expressions seemingly blank as I told her more of the Red Moon's myth, and of Princess Tove. When I had finished, Sayuri sat quietly twiddling her thumbs.

"You okay Si?" I asked, nudging her gently. It seemed to bring her back to me, as she turned to look up at me again. A smile that didn't quite reach her eyes spread across her lips.