Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 85203 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85203 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
“I heard-tell you seen something you didn’t ought to have seen,” he says, giving me a twisted smile that doesn’t reach his watery eyes.
“I…don’t know what you mean.” I wish he would let go of Mirabella’s reigns. He’s making me uncomfortable. I keep thinking of Tanzy’s story about the hapless milkmaid. I can’t help noticing we’re the only two people around, despite the size of the stable and its numerous staff. Where is everyone else?
“Oh, I think you know what I mean, my Lady.” Grims winks knowingly. “And I got a message for you—don’t go blabbing or there’s going to be trouble.”
“I don’t kn—” I begin but then he slaps Mirabella on the rump—hard—and lets loose of the reigns.
My normally calm and quiet mount suddenly goes crazy.
Bucking and snorting, she takes off at dead gallop—a pace I’ve never tried before. I give a breathless scream and grab onto her mane. I have no hope of controlling her because the reigns are flapping free and I can’t reach them. Thank goodness I have my feet in the stirrups—it’s the only thing keeping me in the saddle.
“Whoa! Whoa, girl!” I shout, but it’s no use—Mirabella is acting like a possessed creature, careening through the Royal paddock and into the riding lane beyond and I’m apparently just along for the ride.
Then I see it from the corner of my eye…a black stallion on the far side of the lanes. The figure sitting on it is tall with impossibly broad shoulders—I know who it must be. But my brain barely registers the fact because I’m too busy hanging on for dear life and trying not to get bucked off.
The stallion turns and gallops towards me, jumping gracefully over the high fences separating the lanes. The next minute, Xaren is riding right alongside me. He holds the reigns of his own mount in one hand and reaches with one long arm to catch the dangling reigns of mine.
“Whoa!” he shouts and there’s a tone of command in his voice that’s impossible to ignore. I see Mirabella’s ears—which have been laid flat back against her skull—twitch. Then, as Xaren pulls on her reigns, she comes to a shivering, stumbling stop. His stallion, Death, pulls up with a snort beside her.
Xaren’s out of his saddle in an instant and pulling me out of mine. I fall into his arms and wrap my arms around his neck. I forget how scary he was last night—right now he seems like the only safe thing to cling to. I bury my face in his cloud of midnight hair and try to breathe. I don’t realize I’m crying until I feel him rubbing my back and murmuring,
“There, there, little dove—it’s all right. You’re all right now. It’s over.”
I’m making a fool of myself and I know it, but I can’t let go of him—not yet. I cling to him a little while longer and Xaren supports my weight easily. He doesn’t seem in any hurry to push me away. He just keeps soothing me.
At last, calmed by his deep voice in my ear and his warm, spicy scent, my heart stops racing.
“I…I’m sorry.” I say at last, pulling back and swiping at my eyes. “It’s just…I’m not a very good rider and I was sure I was g-going to be th-thrown.” I give a little hiccupping half-sob and try to get control of myself.
“No reason to be sorry,” Xaren says soothingly. “Being on a runaway horse is a damn frightening experience—even for an experienced rider. Which you’re not.”
“No, I’m not,” I agree. I find a handkerchief in the pocket of my riding habit and use it to blot my stinging eyes. “Mirabella is usually so docile, though. But when the groom slapped her—”
“What groom?” he interrupts me, his eyes narrowing. “Did one of those bastards try something with you?” Through his hair, I see the golden Drake eye gleaming. “I’ll fucking kill them if they touched you!”
“No, no—it was nothing like that!” I hasten to assure him. “It’s just…the groom that helped me get mounted, he said the strangest things. And then he slapped Mirabella on the rump and sent her flying without giving me the reigns first!”
Speaking of Mirabella, she’s still trembling all over, snorting and pawing the ground. She looks ready to start bucking or running again at any moment.
“She’s acting like something is biting her!” I say, pointing.
Xaren lets go of me completely—I’m rather sorry about that—and goes to see to my mount. He strokes her cheek and murmurs to her, just as he murmured to me. When she calms down some, he looks her over. After a moment, he shifts her saddle and frowns as he plucks something from her dappled gray coat.
“What is it? What did you find?” I ask, daring to approach the two of them.