Chapter 3
three
L ynck flipped the chairs and stacked them on the tables so he could mop the floor of the Beastly Brewhouse. It was only him in the closed store, so he’d turned off the music. The only sound was the tapping of his hooves on the wood floor as he did all the close-of-business chores. He much preferred closing to opening.
Opening was the wind up to chaos.
This was a peaceful unwinding.
As the mop bucket filled, he checked his phone, which had been buzzing in his pocket. The Monster Match app had found him a new human. He stared at the notification for several seconds. The last three men he’d matched with had wanted sex, with very little talk. Which was fine, but he preferred to get to know someone a bit before meeting up.
For the last couple of months, he’d been tempted to switch his profile to romance because he was so over monster-card-punching humans who only wanted a story to tell from the time they visited a town with a portal. But he hadn’t changed his profile because romance meant more than a casual relationship, and there were things in his past that he couldn’t talk about.
Which left him in a place of dissatisfaction with only himself to blame.
He needed to delete the app.
But he liked sex. What he wanted was what humans called friends with benefits. Something more than once off but less than offering his heart and the truth.
He checked on the bucket, but it was only half full. The sound of the rising water made him want to go for a swim after he finished up. The weather was warming up, and because of the new moon, there wouldn’t be many people by the lake.
He tapped the notification to check out his human match.
His gaze landed on the photo, not taking in any of the important details. While the man’s lips curved in a smile, his eyes were sad. His dark blond hair stuck out from beneath a gray knitted cap dusted with snow, and his cheeks were pink from the cold.
Lynck’s interest inched up.
But hot humans were everywhere. So far, this guy, I_can_drive_a_stick, wasn’t anything special. Lynck smiled at the username.
So, he had a sense of humor, also not rare.
He scanned the rest of the info.
Pronouns: He/Him
Age: twenty-six
Orientation: gay
Likes: cars, pulling things apart and putting them together, playing the piano, open spaces, bright nail polish, ripped jeans, coffee, homemade chocolate chip cookies
Dislikes: selfishness, my given name, vanilla (overrated scent and flavor)
That was an eclectic collection. The only clue as to why they matched was that Lynck also liked open spaces and coffee and taught the violin.
He turned off the tap. Was this human only seeking to hook-up?
His screen dimmed as he contemplated his options: ignore, wait, or do something. He scrolled back to the photo. I_can_drive_a_stick didn’t look like he was after sex. Those guys showed a bit more skin—though it had taken him a while to notice the trend—and didn’t have that sadness in their eyes.
After another moment of hesitation, Lynck sent him a poke to acknowledge the match, leaving what happened next up to the human man.
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 who ran 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 floor even 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.
Which was dangerous. If he told the truth, word might reach the government’s ears, and then he’d be tossed through the portal before having a chance to plead his case.
But at the same time, he didn’t want to ignore the request. His interest had been spiked. With a stamp of his hoof, he set the mop aside and replied.
Not much. Want to meet up?
Would Rox get cold feet? Was he just dipping his toes in and seeing what would happen? Lynck waited for a reply, but one didn’t bounce back. He’d scared him off with the direct request. Was that not what Rox had wanted?
He huffed and finished mopping the floor. Checked that everything was locked and headed to the lake. Now he needed to swim to burn off the annoyance—at himself for getting sucked in, and at humans in general—eddying through his veins.
He tugged at the silver chain, wishing the magic that bound it to him had been broken as easily as the power over him had been when he’d stepped through the portal.
Until the bridle was gone, he’d never be truly free.