I nod, but suddenly I’m not as brave when he takes my hand and guide
s me to the horse. She’s beautiful from a distance, and even when petting her. Standing next to her now, the mere size of the horse makes my stomach queasy.
“Trust me.” With a wink, Sebastian steps into the stirrup and mounts his horse.
I take in a calming breath as he extends his hand. “Jump as I pull,” he instructs. I do. He slings me onto the back of Hawken and I nearly fall off the other side. “Whoa.” He reaches his other arm around and catches me as Hawken shifts her weight beneath us. “Mayhap, less jump next time.”
“Or less pull,” I grumble.
He huffs. “Does everything have to be an argument?” He shakes his head. “How am I to teach you if you combat everything I say?”
Good point. I swallow my pride. “Fine.” Sitting sidesaddle, I look around at my position, and cross my ankles as instructed. Luckily, I planned ahead and strapped my dagger to my inner thigh, so it’s not gouging me during the ride. “Where do I place my hands?”
He chuckles. “Oh, that’s a loaded question.”
“Sebastian,” I say, my warning clear.
“Place them here.” He grabs my wrists and wraps my arms around his waist, resting my hands on his taut stomach. His thumb grazes the back of my hand, but he says nothing about the fading cuts.
He kicks his heels, urging Hawken into a trot. I tighten my hold and scoot closer to him. The bounce under my bottom makes me nervous as I slide around on the saddle, and I’m even more grateful that I situated my dagger beforehand.
I quickly slip a hand in my tunic pocket and discretely feel for the communicator Devlan gave me, before anchoring my arms back around Sebastian.
As we pass Devlan, Sebastian says, “I’m taking Zara out. Tell the kitchen to hold supper until we return.”
I look at Devlan, expecting him to insist we need him with us. His face is still downcast, his eyes trained on the ground. He only nods, then turns and heads toward the castle. Panic trails its finger down my spine. I had assumed Devlan would ride along. I don’t want to be anywhere alone with Sebastian.
Pushing my unease into the pit of my stomach, I focus my attention on staying seated on the horse. I will not allow the prince to intimidate me. “Where are we going?”
“We can’t go into town. Not without our guards accompanying us. But I can take you somewhere just outside Court. Somewhere that might show you what life can be like here if you…” He trails off.
“If I what?” I press.
“If you would just give me—give it—a chance.”
He quickly corrected his statement, but his message was clear. This venture out is not to convince me to enjoy castle life. It’s to sway me to give in to his affections. I curse myself for not making it a point to wait for the stable hand.
This is a mistake.
“You might want to hold me tighter, my love.” I can hear the smile in his voice. I stiffen my back, angered that I allowed myself into this situation, but I do as he says when he kicks her sides and Hawken breaks into a canter.
The wind blows my hair back, and the heavy thud of Hawken’s hooves hitting the ground rings through my chest, a drumming that matches the rhythm of her strides. I latch my hands together, squeezing his waist so firmly I’m probably hurting him, but he says nothing. Not that I could hear him over the whistling in my ears or the pounding of the horse’s hooves.
We ride hard and fast for a short while, and soon I’m lost in the sensation—the feeling of freedom the speed brings. When we slow, the sound of the woods is muffled in my ears, the crickets’ buzz a distant noise. A low trickling echoes against the trees, and a winding brook comes into view. We’re right up on the stone wall, and the treetops of the dense forest beyond peek over its top.
Sebastian leans back, pulling the reins, and Hawken whinnies and comes to a stop. “Whoa,” he says. “Good girl. Good girl.” He unclasps my hands from around his stomach. They’ve been locked together so tightly I can’t feel my fingers.
He reaches behind and offers me his hand. I take it, and he helps me balance and slide sideways off the horse. As my feet hit the ground, I immediately stumble. “Oh, God,” I say. I can’t feel my butt. Or the back of my thighs.
After he dismounts, he laughs and places his arm around my waist, steadying me. “I forgot. The first time you might be a little numb.”
Despite myself, I laugh. “Just a little.” I shake out my legs one at a time. I’m so elated from the experience that I don’t immediately notice his arm still around me. I pull away, wary of why we’ve stopped. A sickness settles in the pit of my stomach. “Am I to learn here? Where are we?”
Sebastian releases me completely and walks Hawken to a tree where he loops the reins loosely over a branch, then motions for me to follow him. Cautiously, I match his steps, though my legs are still unsteady.
He heads toward the wall. “Follow close.”
My limbs shake as I move slowly. I press my hand to my chest and feel the communicator beneath my palm.