Pan's Conquest (Entangled Covet) by Aubrie Dionne Read Free Book Online Page A

past clings with regret. What did he regret? Pursuing Syrinx without a care as to how she felt? Regret was a new feeling for Pan and one that didn’t sit right, making him feel as though his collar was too tight.
    Before he could ponder the rest of the poem, Master Don walked to the African drums and tapped on the smaller one three times. He gazed out at the audience, and Pan noticed that one of his eyes was as dark as shadow, and the other milky white with cataract. The milky white one seemed to see more than the dark one, focusing directly on Pan.
    “To de-thorn the rose
    Is to mute life. Through pain one
    Appreciates love.”
    De-thorn. That reminded Pan of deflowering. He’d deflowered enough maidens in his time. But was any of it love? Certainly, there was no pain. If pain and love went hand in hand, did that mean he’d never loved because he’d never experienced pain? The room heated, and Pan shifted in his seat. Master Don held his gaze for a long moment, then glanced in the other direction.
    Syrinx leaned over and whispered in his ear. “They’re haikus. Everything he says is in seventeen morae , in patterns of five, seven, and five.”
    Pan nodded with interest despite the strange vulnerability the poetry brought out, making him feel as though he sat naked in his seat. Normally, he enjoyed being naked.
    Master Don tapped his fingers lightly on the larger drum, creating a rhythmic bass thud that haunted Pan.
    “A plunge into blue
    White chairs wait for unsaid vows
    A lifetime starts now.”
    Syrinx shifted beside him. The muscles in her jaw had tensed as though she steeled her nerves against the last haiku. Which of his words had upset her? Clearly the haiku was about some wedding ceremony, maybe on a cliffside over an ocean. Why would that bother her?
    Without thinking, he took her hand and squeezed it. She turned toward him, and her expression softened. A great wave of satisfaction rode through him. He’d comforted her.
    “Are you okay? Do you want to stay?”
    Syrinx nodded. “Just because your muscles sting and ache when used doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use them.”
    Pan sat back in his seat, thinking on her words. If she was right, his thinking “muscles” must have degenerated, because he’d never used them before in all his existence. Was he missing out? Or had he opened Pandora’s box only to find the evils that lay inside?

Chapter Six Holding Back
    As Parker pulled into the parking lot in front of Sylvia’s Creations, Syrinx tried to let go of the clinging poignancy of Master Don’s third haiku. Why did the allusion to a wedding disturb her? She’d taken a vow for an eternity of chastity, meaning she’d ruled out the prospect of marriage. At the time, she could have given a centaur’s ass about matrimony. But now, she wondered what she was missing.
    Too many years with mortals.
    “Quite a philosophical end to a first date, eh?” Parker drove the Jaguar with so much ease, she never felt the car stop. It glided into place. Nice car or experienced driver? She couldn’t tell.
    “I’m sorry. That was my fault.” Syrinx clutched her shiny silver purse and opened the passenger door. She’d asked him to take her to the poet because she had the distinct sense someone was following her. Maybe it was all paranoia? The intruder in her floral shop didn’t help, and Pan had stalked her for so long, she was used to watching her back. Gods and women alike almost always enjoyed being one of his targets. But for her, Pan’s affections caused an unresolvable dichotomy between her ideals and her urges. Even though she didn’t want to admit it, she’d wanted to prolong the date. Prolonging the date or not, the poet’s words had turned against her as if Tyche had something up her fated sleeve.
    Parker came around, swinging her door open and offering his hand. “No, don’t be sorry. I’m glad we went. Master Don pulled me out of my comfort zone, but that’s a good thing.”
    She took his hand,