Chapter Eleven
A Walk to Definitely Remember
Zombie horses loved apples. The riper, the better. I fed one to Ghost and petted his neck as he chomped down on it. The hair of his dark mane was matted, and bits of bone and muscle tissue could be seen through areas of his black coat.
Not going to lie. The first time I’d seen the stallion, I’d been somewhat horrified, wondering how a creature like him even existed. But his sweet nature won me over. I saw him in a new light, finding beautiful what other people might dismiss as grotesque.
“Does my handsome boy want some more?” I asked, smoothing my fingers over his hair.
A low, rattling sound rumbled in Ghost’s chest. It reminded me of an alligator. He turned his big skeletal head and softly nuzzled me.
I smiled and gave him more pets. And fed him another apple slice. The yellow ones were his favorite. As he chomped down, my thoughts returned to Draven and Reign.
Rowan had traveled with them last night and returned in the early hours of the morning to tell me they’d made it past the mercenaries.
Which was a relief. But other worries had me out of sorts that afternoon.
Possible war and the uncertainty around my destiny as the saint.
And Cedric. The jerk would be officially crowned before week’s end.
“Then what would you propose? Storm the citadel and use your blue flames to bring Cedric to heel?”
The idea was laughable. I couldn’t even walk without stumbling. Battle-hardened warrior, I was not, nor would I ever be. My place was in the kitchen doing what I did best: feeding the people I loved.
“You’re lucky you’re a horse.” I placed another wedge of apple on my palm and fed it to Ghost. “You can just graze in the field and soak up the sun. No worries about a grand destiny, dark mercenaries, or freaky powers.”
Ghost responded with a rough whinny.
“Yeah, you’re right.” I grabbed another apple from the pile, being extra careful with the small blade as I cut off more slices. “I’m sure it’s no walk in the park hauling around carriages and being ridden hard by big warriors either. I mean… the latter I can kind of understand.”
A fact evident in the deep ache every time I took a step or squatted down.
Maddox hadn’t been joking when he’d mentioned it taking all night.
He and my other men had shown me no mercy as they’d licked, bit, and groped every inch of me.
My throat was sore from screaming into a pillow as I was pounded into the mattress over and over again, coming so hard I’d nearly blacked out.
A warm breeze ruffled my hair, bringing with it the scent of flowers and springtime. I sneezed. “Sorry,” I told the stallion, who had startled at the sound. “While I love springtime, my nose doesn’t.”
The breeze held a slight chill, but the temperature was warmer compared to recent days.
I breathed in the fresh air and smiled as the sun warmed the top of my head.
It had been too long since I’d taken a stroll and soaked up some sunshine.
After eating lunch with my men, I had packed a basket and set off into the castle grounds.
Not that I was fully alone though. Occasionally, I’d catch a whiff of peaches on the breeze. Other times, it’d be a faint pepperiness. Signs that Rowan and Lake were nearby, watching over me from a distance.
More of those alligator-like rattles came from the other horses in the pasture as they approached us—a mix of mares and stallions. They’d seen Ghost getting some treats and now seemed to want some too.
“Afternoon, Ash,” I greeted one of the other stallions before offering him a slice, this one from a red apple. Hints of brown and white mingled with his black coat, which was how I could tell them apart. He and Ghost were the only two I had named. So far.
Birds flew overhead and landed on the branch of a nearby tree, their musical chirps a sign that spring was in full bloom—if my tickling nose wasn’t enough to drive that point home. But not even the pretty spring day could chase away all my worries.
I studied my fingertips, remembering the hot zaps I’d felt in them last night when discussing Roth. Once again, my powers had been triggered by anger.
What if I wasn’t the same person after they were unleashed?
Cheep.
I whirled around and spotted Pumpkin sitting on the nearest fence post. The twig jutting from his head had a tiny blue bud on it now, one that hadn’t been there yesterday when he’d tricked me into following him, leading me straight to Onyx.
“You little rascal,” I told him, one hand going to my hip. “Mischievous just like the lord who rules over this realm.”
“When have I ever been mischievous?” Onyx appeared within the shadows of the stable and stepped forward into the light. His raven black hair shimmered beneath the sun, falling down his chest. The red tattoo peeked out from the top of his set of silver robes.
“There are too many offenses for me to name, my lord.” I shifted the basket on my arm. It held the turkey sandwich I’d packed for a late-afternoon snack, as well as some leftover cookies from last night and a book I had hoped to curl up somewhere in the shade and read. “We’d be here all day.”
The smirk on his lips gave him an air of playfulness. The amusement in his eyes did too. “Little birds should be more careful when fluttering around. You never know what predator may be lurking in the dark waiting to snatch them up.”
“Is that so?” Throat suddenly dry, I swallowed. He was just too hot. It was like staring directly into the sun. “What if some little birds want to be caught?”
Onyx sighed. “Still so foolish, I see.”
“I’ve heard that once or twice.”
His lips twitched. “Then perhaps you should reflect on that pesky quality of yours and stop placing yourself in harm’s way.”
“I don’t see danger here.” I smiled. “All I see are sweet horses and an even sweeter demon lord. Even if he pretends otherwise.”
“You find me sweet, do you?” Onyx stopped less than a foot in front of me. Too far for me to feel the heat of his body but close enough for his scent to tease my nose. “Silly little bird. You have a poor judge of character.”
“I don’t think I do,” I said, the center of my chest warming as our gazes held. “You act cold and lock yourself away in your lonely tower, but I think you want more than that.”
“My lonely tower?” His brow furrowed.
I nodded. “A place where you can go and hide from the world. Not a physical place though. It’s a wall you put around your heart to keep people out. Makes it hard for anyone to hurt you. When really… you’re hurting yourself in the long run. Missing out on life and how beautiful things can be.”
“Speaking from experience?” he asked.
I shrugged. “Let’s just say, I haven’t always been the burst of sunshine and muffins that you see now. Before living in Bremloc, I mainly kept to myself. Many nights alone at home with only books to keep me company. I thought it was easier that way. Less… messy.”
Something, I realized, Onyx and I had in common. Opening up to people had been hard for me back then too. Then I’d met Maddox. He’d made me feel things I never had before. Things I never thought I could feel.
“I find that hard to believe.” Amusement touched Onyx’s eyes. “You keeping to yourself.”
“Hey, now.” I lightly poked his chest. “Just because I’m a pest toward you doesn’t mean I’m like this with everyone. You should feel honored.”
“I suppose I do,” he softly said and grabbed my hand, pressing it against his chest. Beats thrummed beneath my fingertips. “Though a part of me still wishes you’d fly away.”
“Unfortunately for you, muffins don’t have wings.”
Onyx exhaled a soft chuckle. The sound, like the other few times I’d been lucky enough to hear it, tenderly plucked at my heartstrings. “How unfortunate indeed.”
The scent of black cardamon strengthened around me, mixing with Onyx’s woodsy and smoky one, as though Rowan had come closer. Invisible to the eye but not to my nose.
Onyx tilted his head and raked his gaze over the nearby cluster of trees. A smile wasn’t far behind. “Rowan is watching over you from the shadows. Good.”
“You can sense him? Really?” I could only detect Rowan because of his scent, but even then, it was faint.
“Yes,” he answered. “With practice, he’ll one day be able to conceal himself even without my knowing.”
“You met with him last night after he got back from the barrier, right? To begin his training?” I fed another apple slice to Ghost. The stallion had been nuzzling me. “What did you guys do? Play hide-and-seek in the shadows? Create an army of Bobs?”
“An army of Bobs?” Onyx asked. “Now, there’s a thought.”
I sighed.
“I made him read,” he added before I could grumble about him evading the question.
“You did what?” I blinked in my shock. “What did he read?”
“A book.” Humor returned to his gaze at my droll look. “Well, a chapter in a book. An introductory of sorts to what I’ll be teaching him.”
“I’m sure he loved that.” I grinned at the thought of Rowan forced to sit and read anything. He hated books almost as much as he hated sweets. “Maybe I can come to your next meeting.”
“If you’re good,” he said, eyes gleaming with a smile that didn’t quite show on his lips. Throwing my words back at me like the butthead demon lord he was.
Ghost nuzzled my hair before huffing through his nostrils and trotting over to the watering area to take a drink. Ash followed him, and the two of them playfully nudged each other. Pumpkin leapt from the fence post and sprinted over to the water trough, jumping into it and splashing the horses.
“I really do love it here.” I smiled as I watched them play. “Bremloc was the first place that ever felt like home, but your realm has started growing on me. More than I expected it to.”
“That pleases me to hear.” Onyx watched the horses before returning his attention to me. “Yet, I’m no fool. With you being the Hallowed Saint, your stay in my realm is only temporary. I wish for you to be happy here in the meantime though. As much as you can be.”