Page 5 of Hold my Reins

Halfway through mopping the dining area, his phone buzzed in his pocket.

Hi…I’m still figuring out this app.

So he was passing through and playing around.

Also, I’ve never been in a monster town…

He definitely wanted to fuck a monster for bragging rights.

Lynck waited for the question that usually followed when they realized he was a kelpie and what a kelpie was.

Anyway, I’m the new mechanic—unless he hates me on sight. I saw the app when I grabbed dinner and here I am. Rambling. What do you do? How long have you been here?

Lynck stared at his screen, not sure what to say, only that he wanted to respond because the human hadn’t behaved as expected, and now he had questions. Why would the man whoran the auto repair shop hate him on sight? Where was he having dinner? And did he feel like joining him for a swim?

He nixed the last one, as he much preferred swimming on his own in the human world. In the monster world, things had been different, but he pushed those thoughts away. This was his home now, and he couldn’t go back.

I teach violin and work at Beastly Brewhouse, and I’ve been in town a little over a year.

Long enough to have made himself a life, to miss his herd and his home and all that went with it. He glanced at the old piano in the corner of the shop. It wasn’t used very often, except by children, and they made noise, not music.

There’s a piano in the Brewhouse if you ever want to play.

I haven’t played in months. I can’t play with an audience.

Lynck hesitated, even though he really wanted to tell him to stop around at closing time. He’d need to clear that with the owner after he’d met the human in person.

If you want to miss the crowds, don’t come in at opening.

Got ya. Can I ask your name or is this all anonymous?

It’s not anonymous unless you want it to be.

He wanted to know who this man was. Which meant he needed to take the first step.

I’m Lynck. Whitehorse is the surname the human government gave me.

The name was something he’d needed for the visa to live and work in the human world. He hadn’t realized that when he’d fled the monster world. He’d been so desperate to be approved to stay that he’d done whatever they asked. He touched the silver chain around his neck. The only thing he hadn’t done was tell them what the necklace meant and what he’d done.

Rox.

Not your given name?

He asked, remembering the man’s dislikes.

Haha…no. My nickname. Short for Roxburgh, which is my surname. So how does the horse shifter thing work, or shouldn’t I ask that?

Lynck re-read the conversation, wondering if Rox was being polite before asking if Lynck had a horse dick. He wasn’t sure.

It doesn’t in your world.

At first, it had bothered him, but he’d gotten used to it. He’d come to terms with never going home, which meant never running on four feet. A small price for his freedom.

Oh, that must suck. So what are you up to now?

There it was. Lynck sighed. He’d been enjoying the chat. Now, it was getting to the point of the match. He put his phone on a table and moved the bucket, scrubbing at the flooreven though he shouldn’t be annoyed. They’d matched, and they wanted the same thing…but he was tired of being a checkmark in a box of experiences.

On the other hand, Rox was hot, and interesting, and not passing through. He had a job, which meant they might cross paths again.

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