Quell walks in behind him and dives beneath it. It is something Vadim rarely sees any of the centaurs do—though they are all strong swimmers, their large bodies make them awkward underneath the water. When he surfaces, he is only a few feet away.

Vadim scrubs his body, wishing there were some way to avoid it, but he knows that Quell will not let it go, "After we left the mating, Coral and I were walking down the hall to our room. I was knocked out. The next thing I recall was being chained in a dungeon and seeing Coral laying on the floor. It was Callen and the two...