Page 5 of The Satyr's Wood

“My name is Barbasa,” he said, extending his hand in greeting.

She peered at him and his hand suspiciously for a moment. He maintained what he believed to be a sweet smile and waited patiently. It seemed to be an eternity and he nearly crowed in triumph when she settled her pack over her shoulder and placed her small hand in his. She gave his palm a quick squeeze before releasing his hand even quicker.

“I’m Tiffany,” she replied in a rush.

He cocked his head, keeping his movements slow and unalarming as he regarded her. “Do you need a place to escape to for a short time, little Tiffany? I have a dwelling some distance away, hidden in the woods. If you are escaping pursuit, I would be pleased to offer shelter.”

Her brow wrinkled again but her gaze cut nervously back to the direction from which she came. Her cautious nature was showing, and he rather applauded her for it despite her obviously desperate circumstances. He wondered if she would tell him to shove his offer and leave him no option but to give chase again since he was not a male who gave up his prey easily. He was more than a little relieved when she gave a jerky nod of her head.

“Okay,” she mumbled as her gaze snapped back to him. “For just a little bit. A day or two maybe just so I can be sure I lost them.” She lifted her bag at him meaningfully. “And don’t try any sneaky shit. I’m not going through all of this effort just to run right into the arms of a creep.”

He beamed down at her, careful to keep his possessive snarl buried within. She truly was exquisite. Small and dainty, smaller than even most human females he had seen, she possessed a slight figure that drew out every single one his territorial instincts and need to claim and protect, yet a touch of maturity in her features that spoke of strength and warmth. It was asif she were a daughter of Helios, with her golden curls, and as powerful as Circe herself. “Can I ask why you are attempting to elude other humans—I assume you speak of humans.”

She gave another awkward nod, and a worried look shifted briefly over her face. “A small group of men, I think. There were a couple of voices I recognized that had been following me for a while back. They were shouting to each other about flushing me out of hiding.” She glanced up at him uncomfortably. “Are you sure that you can hide me well enough that they won’t find me?”

His grin widened and he hoped it did not show too much of the sinister or feral within him. “Of course. I guarantee no man will find you where I shall hide you,” he vowed.

Her brows drew down slightly at his wording but then her expression relaxed as she decided to overlook his phrasing. He came very close to licking his teeth gleefully but managed to restrain himself at the last minute.

“Okay, then,” she said at last, taking a wary step closer to him. “I’ll go with you if you really think you can help me.”

He stepped in closer in turn. “We will need to move quickly,” he purred. “Close your eyes, little female.”

Her expression turned suspicious. “Why?”

He leaned in closer, enjoying the slight tremble that raced over her skin. “Because I can outrun any man easily even with the slight weight of a human in my arms. I do not think you can boast the same,” he rumbled in amusement. Her lips tightened in annoyance and his grin widened. “Besides, I think you might enjoy the experience.”

An intrigue he desperately wanted to explore lit up in her eyes and her tongue ran over her bottom lip as her eyes dropped very briefly to his throbbing cock before shooting back up to guiltily meet his gaze. He wanted to croon to her that there was no need to be guilty of an action that gave them both pleasure but bit back his words and waited for her decision.

Finally, she nodded and stepped close enough to be swept up in his embrace. He did not waste time in going slowly so not to alarm her human sensibilities. Instead, he snatched her roughly to his chest and hefted her small body up high against him as he spun back around in the direction of home. With a leap he set off with a soft feminine squeal of surprise warming his ear.

Ah, how he could not wait to get her hidden safely at home!

Chapter 4

The satyr wasn’t the least bit trustworthy. It was easy enough to spot in his smile that looked far too mischievous and charming with a hint of wildness to it that set Tiffany on edge. She’d be a fool to trust him. And yet, at the moment, he was the best option she had when compared to the men hot on her trail. Probably not the sanest choice if she were honest with herself as nothing about him screamed trustworthy but she was willing to take a chance considering that, despite her best efforts, she hadn’t been able to lose the people following her. Every time that she believed she had possibly lost them, she was disheartened at the returning smoke that marked the position of their camp every evening.

They were getting closer.

The sad thing was, with the way they were gaining on her, she would already have long ago been captured if it hadn’t been for a bit of quick thinking that first day. She’d lost a full night of sleep laying a false trail for their half-starved dogs through the woods before coming across another, much smaller river. It had been her golden opportunity, and she hadn’t hesitated in wading downstream for a few miles before exiting onto dry ground. The wet squelch of her boots had been worth it as she hurried away from the river. She’d gained a good day and a half on them before she’d noted the campfire smoke some distance away, and from the direction from which she’d come, as she’d prepared to bed down for the night.

Last night they were the closest that they’d been yet. She’d been able to smell the smoke and hear the faint barks and howls of the dogs, making it very clear that her time was running out.

That was the sole reason she swallowed back her panicked scream and made no effort to fight off the satyr’s hold as heleaped forward on his nimble hooves and raced away with her. Although he was sporting a massive, erect cock that made her more than a little uncomfortable with the way it seemed to wave at her persistently and nudged amorously at her thigh as he carried her, he was open to her questions and allowed her to lead their interaction. He’d even given her the choice if she wished to accompany him. That alone made her feel a little more comfortable going with him—for a short time, anyway.

The opportunity to lay low somewhere that she could safely hide until her pursuers moved on was worth taking a little chance. Of course, she recognized it could be a bit of a ploy, but it seemed pretty unnecessary for a male who, just by looking at him, could overpower her easier than any of those hot on her trail. So, she clung to him as he raced through the grasses to the edge of the woods into which he plunged without hesitation. Rather than show wariness of the woods, he possessed a sense of complete familiarity as he navigated it with surefooted ease among the trees. He darted swiftly among the trees, showing none of her own disorientation from the sudden shift from open sunlight into the heavier shadows of the forest.

He didn’t even seem to notice the thick, twisted limbs that reached for them. Tiffany did, however. She couldn’t have missed them to save her life. Although they were nothing more than trees thick with vines and moss amid numerous bushes and flowering plants, there was a darkness that clung around their edges that hinted of things concealed among the eerie beauty and the mangled, darker forms that the trees seemed to take. There was something uncanny about it that settled like a cool weight in her chest. If she were walking at her usual pace instead of being carried at an abnormally high speed, she didn’t think that she would be able to take more than a few steps at a time without quaking at the unease that filled her just being there.

That feeling grew as Barbasa raced along some hidden path, carrying them deeper into the depths of the forest. And the deeper they went the longer and more ominous the shadows grew and the darker their surroundings as the sun moved overhead. At times she thought she caught ghostly wisps moving amid the trees that chilled her blood but that couldn’t be right. Ghosts? Monsters were flesh and blood. Those she could believe. But a ghost couldn’t be more than whispered stories that people enjoyed scaring each other with.

Her fingers dug into the heavy muscles of the satyr’s back in reaction but even more so when she felt his gait suddenly change. The shadows seemed to uncurl from within themselves with threads of darkness trailing between leaves and limbs and blades of grass and debris of the forest floor. Her pulse quickened in reaction until she rode the edge of the fear that was flooding her veins. She didn’t want to stop in the midst of the thickest and darkest part of the forest! And yet, that was exactly what was happening. They were slowing down.

Biting back a whimper, she turned as much as she could in Barbasa’s grasp to peer nervously at her surroundings as he dropped into a sedate pace and walked toward their destination. He had spoken of taking her to his home, but this was not what she expected. There was nothing but trees and darkness cut with brief, intermittent pools of dim sunlight that made its way into the canopy. It was dark enough that she missed the outline of a dark structure among the deepest pool of shadows until they were practically upon it and his hooves struck in a clatter against what sounded like a stone walkway that led to a short series of porch steps with a rough and weathered banister.

Tiffany stared as he began to hasten up them, her eyes slowly rising from the wooden porch to barely visible walls covered with what appeared to be thick ropes of some sort of viney plant that trailed along the sides of the porch and along its supports.No wonder she hadn’t been able to see it. Between the vines and what appeared to be numerous overgrown bushes surrounding it, it blended into the rest of the forest too well. Despite her discomfort with the forest, the seclusion and obscured cabin gave her an incredible sense of comfort that she felt some of the tension ease from her shoulders and from her hands where she still tightly gripped the satyr.

Barbasa was right. Not only was it a great hiding place but she doubted anyone would ever be able to find her there. And though part of her laughed uneasily at how suicidal it was to take relief in being kept somewhere that she would never be found, she strangely did. She could actually close her eyes and get some rest if the satyr proved to be even half as trustworthy as he led her to believe.

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