Page 75 of Centaur Bolt

The horn might be handy for helping to haul me up, but it apparently also had a downside—I overshot my heave and smacked my crotch firmly into it. The air whooshed out of me as I curled over myself.

With a snort of something that sounded suspiciously like laughter, Marcus lunged forward into a bone-rattling gallop.

I cursed long and fluently as my journey—surely to the darkest regions of the underworld—began.

24

Riley

Kiko left me shivering in the bushes while she fetched me some clothes.

As soon as I tried to get on my feet, waves of nausea passed through me. I leaned heavily on the Satyr for the entire return trip, only struggling to stand on my own once we’d got close to the building. My efforts weren’t entirely successful—Dires heading out for an evening romp in the woods gave me curious glances. But most were distracted by Kiko.

She didn’t even glance their way—she was less fascinated by the fact I’d shifted to a Dire than how I’d managed to change sex while doing so.

The only way I could deal with that was by not thinking about it. I tried to focus her on the more important dynamic.

“How could I grow up and not know I was a Dire?” I asked.

“A male Dire,” she elaborated.

“Focus, Kiko. Please.”

“Are you sure you don’t—I mean, some have both.”

“I don’t have a dick hiding in my armpit if that’s what you're hoping.”

“Oh, that would be interesting…”

“Kiko.”

“Okay, okay.”

After assessing my current state of wobble, she directed me to the elevators. We were the only ones using it, so I could conduct my interview in peace.

“Aren’t Dires born as Dires?” I reconsidered. “Unless they are bitten?”

“Were you bitten?” She appeared riveted, her eyes continually dropping to my groin.

I leaned on the elevator wall. I’d never felt so weak. The motion of the elevator only added to my general state of spin. “I think I’d remember being bitten,” I said. “Do Dires ever have sex with humans?”

“All the time,” she answered.

I stared at her. “Can they infect humans with their sperm?” I tried to remember if my one brief fling had ever involved more than the usual amount of growling.

Her eyes widened. “They’re only infectious on the night of the full moon, but I would think if that were possible, the human realm would be up to its eyeballs in Dires. A lot of packs prefer to live among humans.”

Okay. So I couldn’t have been infected through sex, and I wasn’t bitten. So what the hell? I backed things up a bit. “Can Dires get humans pregnant?”

The Satyr tilted her head. “I was told shapeshifters can’t get other species pregnant, but I don’t know how true that really is. I would think it must be rare, considering, again, that Dires haven’t repopulated the realms.” She grinned at me, and her gaze dropped again. “They are a lusty bunch.”

“Stop staring at my crotch.”

She snorted a laugh. “You can’t blame me—”

“It didn’t happen, Kiko. And it never will again.”

Now she struck another pout. “You are absolutely no fun.”

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