Divine by Choice by P.C. Cast

voice breaking endearingly, as he hurried away, obviously excited at the opportunity to share his love of marble. I nodded at him encouragingly.
    After he was gone, Alanna elbowed me and jerked her head toward Vic. The Huntress was still standing there, gazing after Dougal’s departing form like a lovesick teenager. I caught Alanna’s eye and we quickly surrounded the Huntress.
    â€œGirl, you’ve got it bad,” I teased.
    Victoria blinked and brought her eyes back into focus.
    â€œI have no idea about what you are speaking.” She sounded like Miss Priss, but her cheeks were pink.
    â€œAll I can say is that it’s a good thing he’s young.” I grinned at Vic.
    â€œThey do say the young have boundless energy.” Alanna mused.
    â€œHe is not that young.” Vic tried to sound offended, but I could hear the smile that was lurking behind her proper Lead Huntress facade.
    â€œSo, tell me,” I leaned into her side and spoke conspiratorially. For months I’d been dying to ask Vic about centaur sex. Now seemed like the perfect opportunity. After all, we were females, and females like to talk about sex. (Try not to be shocked.) “Just what kind, and how much energy, will poor Dougal need?” I nudged her and winked. “On your wedding night.”
    Vic looked down at me, a little grin pulling at the edges of her full lips.
    â€œYes,” Alanna’s deceptively innocent voice trilled, “tell us.”
    â€œWell…” Vic motioned for us to lean even closer to her, which we did (gleefully). “Have you ever seen horses mate?”
    We nodded.
    â€œThen you know they bite and squeal and kick when their passion is ripe?” Her voice suddenly reminded me of Mae West.
    We nodded enthusiastically.
    â€œYou know that sometimes their desire is so fierce that themating is filled with violent, uncontrolled lust?” Her voice shook with intensity.
    We nodded very enthusiastically.
    Breathing heavily, she paused. Looking from Alanna to me, her smile widened. “Well, it is nothing like that.”
    With that, a flippant guffaw burst from her mouth, and she spun away from us, twitching her tail haughtily.
    â€œShe is not going to tell us, is she?” Alanna sounded wistful.
    â€œDoesn’t look like it,” I sighed. “Damn.”
    Alanna sighed in mirrored frustration. (Note to self: it’s about friggin time I asked ClanFintan to explain centaur sex.)
    â€œMy Lady, if you will come this way.” Kai had returned and was gesturing for me to follow him into the center of the construction area.
    As Alannna and I caught up with him I whispered to her, “Is it normal that he’s so damn young? I mean, he’s a friggin teenager. He can’t even be sixteen! Barf.”
    â€œThe spirit of stone speaks strongly within him. It does not care that he is young, only that he is willing to listen. You will see.”
    We joined him atop the marble stairs that had already been completed. It was an enormous area that was littered with massive chunks of marble, some of it raw and some already carved and smooth. Around the circumference of the structure were the bottoms of thick columns. These columns weren’t fully formed yet, and they looked like broken teeth in a giant’s mouth, but as we moved farther into the building site I could see that several central columns were already completed. They stood tall and proud, as if they were concentrating on setting a good example for the others. We stopped directly in front of the center-most column, which was so broad there was no way the three of us could touch fingertips if we stood around its base, arms outstretched. The marblewas a luminescent, pearlized color with deep, smooth grooves etched into its expansive length. Its top was intricately carved in a circular pattern of interwoven knots framing plunging centaur warriors.
    â€œThis is the central support piece,” Kai